A decent idea that's bogged down by bad gameplay and bland design.
I'll at least give Legendary credit for two things: One, it's a better FPS title than Spark Unlimited's first go at it on current gen hardware, which was the abysmal Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. And two, I actually like the premise of the story, and I think that with a more stable dev cycle than what Spark apparently had to work with, this one could have turned out a lot better than it did. However, and unfortunately, the end result is still pretty poor, and while I enjoyed some of the ideas that were introduced when I wrote my original preview to this title for Gaming-Age, once you finish the game you'll realize how much the bad outweighs the good here.
The plot of Legendary revolves around Pandora's Box as a literal artifact, which is currently on display in a museum in New York. The main character, the one you'll be playing, is a thief by the name of Deckard that's been tasked with securing Pandora's Box for a shadowy group. As the game begins though, things go remarkably wrong, which results in the box actually being opened, unleashing hordes of mythical creatures into the real world, and infusing our hero with the ability to absorb the energy that these creatures thrive on.
The initial intro/training segment actually comes off as something possibly cool, where Deckard is scrambling to escape not only the museum, but the streets of New York as well. There are Gryphons picking up and tossing vehicles, snatching up pedestrians, and just causing a panic in general. Also, the earth beneath your feet is in a constant state of upheaval, with tremors and sections of land being uplifted seemingly at random. However, this is also where some of the flaws of Legendary first start to rear their heads. You'll notice when you hit the street that it all seems possibly open, but you'll quickly realize that the game has a set goal and a way to get that goal in mind. The cars on the street are strewn about in a way that doesn't allow much freedom for the path that you want to take, instead, you go from point A, to point B, and then to point C along a predetermined path, with small scripted events going on along the way. I personally don't mind a bit of scripting in a game when it serves the story or offers up a neat looking experience or moment, but you can't really interact or change the outcome of anything in this beginning area.
Also, you'll meet the first enemy type of the game, one of the mythical creatures spread out across the levels. This one is the Fire Drake, which reminds me a bit of that 80's toy called the Popple, but this time a bit more demonic and, well, fiery. These little balls of flame roll around and spew out jets of fire, but for the most part they don't do much else. It's not a great way to showcase some of the stuff Spark was trying to go for with enemy AI, but it does get you used to the idea that it's not just a run and gun title with human opponents, at least not yet. Instead, you'll want to use a mix of guns and your fire axe to take these guys down, but the best way to finish them off is to release the fire hydrant valve that kills off their spawning point entirely. Now, if the whole game was full of creature encounters like this, then I'd be ok with that, but unfortunately we learn that's not quite the case in later levels.
As the plot progresses, you have this group that's basically chasing you down, so eventually a lot of encounters are just straight up fire fights with other human solider like characters. These fights are definite low points in the game, simply because there's not much in the way of a cover system or solid AI behind these human opponents, and they also take a somewhat ridiculous amount of damage before you can knock them down. Melee combat, something that's actually useful in certain encounters with creatures, is largely ineffective here, and these sections pale in comparison to most of the recent shooter releases. Legendary is a far better game when it's just pitting you against werewolves or fire drakes, but it's a pretty poor shooter when it's just you ducking behind a doorsill and taking pot shots at identical soldiers.
While the enemy human AI is really poor, there are certain AI's with the creatures that stand out a bit better, albeit pretty aggressive. In particular, the Werewolves (there are two different kinds) are some of the most challenging enemies in the game, especially in groups of two or more. These guys will chase you all over a level if you let them, and they'll often catch up to you regardless of where you're at, or how unreachable you seem to be. However, if they're preoccupied with a kill, and provided you don't get too close, you can sometimes avoid them entirely. You'll know when they've noticed you though, and its the Werewolf AI that really shows that Spark could have come up with some more interesting tactics for the other enemies in the game. However, after a bit you'll realize the Werewolves are also one of the most annoying enemies in the game, because of the decapitation mechanic you need to make use of to permanently put them down. If you don't take the head off of one of these guys, they'll come back to life after a few seconds. Most weapons can decapitate them, but it's always a matter of finding the right spot, and there's never any real sign that you're hitting the area you need to hit until the head magically shatters and the animus pours out. The only sure fire things to use is an Animus burst from Deckard, but it's often too costly in the middle of a big battle.
The game uses the Unreal 3 engine, like most shooters nowadays, but it doesn't hold up that well to other titles using the engine either. The textures are pretty poor, and there is a frequent amount of texture loading too. Enemy animation is actually solid, but sometimes it comes off as goofy, like when you break the arms of a Werewolf using the fire axe (they'll just flop around, and you'll still take damage). The environments you get to play around in are largely generic, and often feel too confined to really stand out. There's warehouses, sewers, graveyards, large buildings, and quite a few other locations that we've all seen done before, and while some games will take these mundane environments and breathe a little life into them, Legendary tends to just light things on fire for the most part, and nothing around you really seems to stand out.
All together, Legendary had a decent idea behind it that's been marred by some poor design decisions. Shooting and controls feel ok, but everything you shoot at, interact with, or run through is lackluster, broken, or just plain boring. The visuals are pretty low key, the soundtrack is filled with generic rock tunes, and the actual story falls prey to a bad script and voice delivery. I still feel like this is a better attempt at an FPS than Turning Point was from Spark, but they still have a long ways to go before they make anything decent for current gen systems.
