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Playability: Medievil 2 is one of those titles that prove difficult to categorize. Platform? Action ? Adventure? Strategy? Puzzle? A touch of each? It's all set in a 3D world where the gameplay fools you into believing Sir Dan can presumably go anywhere, when actually he is confined to a set route. Although not as obvious as Crash Bandicoot or Pandemonium players are actually forced to remain within rails. Just because you enter a room that allows each corner to be investigated doesn't hide the fact that there is only one way in and one way out. I suppose calling it a 3D platform would be the most accurate assessment, as higher ledges must be reached in order to proceed. Think Croc, Gex and Spyro and you won't go far wrong. The game is not so much divided into levels, rather split into zones. These varying locations must be played in a certain order but all are worth revisiting at some stage. This is because weapon upgrades should allow you to blast access into parts of the game that could never be reached the first time around. Yeah... just like a Heineken. Sir Dan sets off on his latest adventure from the museum. On hand is Winston The Help Ghost, the 12 year old spirit of a cockney artful dodger who can be quickly summoned should you get into any difficulty. The gameplay remains similar to the tried and tested formula of the original - slash or shoot everything that gets in the way to fill the hidden chalice. Once this reaches maximum capacity simply find the exit and return to the Professor's Lab (replaces The Hall of Heroes from the first game). The Professor is one of Dan's main allies and briefs, or debriefs him for all the levels, as well as creating new special weapons. Rather than offer various levels of difficulty Medievil 2 begins fairly easy but then quickly squeezes tighter as you advance. It's certainly no walk in the park as many of the regular enemies put up quite a fight. The important thing is to think first and act later. For example in an early level Dan is surrounded by Zombies who are materialized by the spirit of Lord Palethorn. You can hack away at the Zombies all day but Palethorn simply regenerates them again and again. But if you watch him carefully he will occasionally appear in solid form leaving him vulnerable to your attacks for a few moments. Kill him first and the Zombies will no longer reappear. Try to use brains instead of brawn. A similar plan is required to defeat the rampaging skeleton of a giant dinosaur. Waits until it's weak spot is shown and then launch an attack. Again thrashing away mindlessly will get you nowhere. To assist your cause there is a huge armory of weapons, ranging from deadly broadswords, axes and crossbows to a devastating gattling gun. Controlling Dan is also very similar to his last outing with face buttons used to jump, shield, primary and secondary attack. Shoulder buttons switch targets and rotates the camera angle. Regarding the camera angles, there are still occasions where it refuses to settle into a sensible position. This can be highly frustrating when surrounded by several dangerous enemies and Sir Dan is often left gazing sideways and thrashing at thin air. I found running from the room was my only course of action hoping the view would improve upon reentry. But returning made no difference at all as the cameras do not seem to react or home onto any impending dangers. This left me blindly hacking and slashing losing lots of health in the process. A bad flaw that spoils the game. I thought another problem that spoilt the original game would have been looked into. Sadly the movement of Dan can again be a bit touchy and getting him to stand on a precise spot is nigh on impossible. For a game that expects the player to negotiate small swinging platforms suspended in mid air is asking a little too much. Thankfully there is a save feature at the end of each level and ample health top-ups spread all around so even the longer sessions should be manageable. Game Options: This is a 1 disk game for 1 Player. It is compatible with the standard (digital) joypad and the analog stick controls of the dual shock joypad. Games can be saved via memory card (1 block per save). |
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