PS3 Fanboy hands-on: Legendary

08.07.08

Filed under: Hands-on

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Legendary is a modern day first person shooter with a slight twist. The twist being that you’re not just firing at the usual soldier clad in army gear, but you’ll also be spitting bullets at mythical creatures of yore. That’s right, go toe-to-toe with griffins, werewolves, and minotaurs (oh my!). Now how did those beasts arrive in the modern world? That’s the fault of our protagonist, Deckard, who reluctantly opened up Pandora’s Box and, well, doomed us all.

Luckily for us, we were prepared for the apocalypse and braved the first several hours of Legendary. The game kicks off in New York City with Deckard trying to steal “the box” from a museum, but he ends up activating it. The box imbues a seal onto his hand, granting him magical powers which are not only for story purposes but is also a very useful weapon and healing tool. Gameplay-wise, Deckard’s magic ability adds a layer of strategy on top of the standard shooter experience. When you take down any of the creatures of legend, they’ll leave traces of energy which Deckard can absorb and use to replenish his magic power or his health. To replenish one’s health, you’ll need to hold down the triangle button which actively drains from his magic pool. What’s good about this is that you can control how much health you want to restore and not waste a drop. It’s a small thing, but noteworthy in the long run and in the more difficult settings. You can carry four weapons on you at any one time. Two of the four are reserved for molotovs and grenades while the other two allow you to switch around with various firearms. Select your currently equipped weapon with the d-pad.

One of the things that sticks out about Legendary the most is the design and strategy you’ll need to utilize in defeating different types of enemies. For example, some of the first creatures you’ll meet are the firedrakes. You can take these things down with bullets but they will continuously respawn. To take them out completely you’ll need to douse them with water; to do this you’ll need to use environmental objects, like say, finding a valve and turning on the sprinklers or shooting a fire hydrant wide open.

Gallery: Legendary