Tournament of Legends brings a mythological fighter to the Wii, but the game is still very similar to other versus fighter titles.
The game seems to have been inspired by movies like 300, with a similar look and feel, right down to slow motion special attacks. Then again, considering the time period, the look and feel might be a coincidence.
Customization is a good element of the game. There are ten characters and each of them seems to be able to weld a different set of weapons. Some can carry two handed weapons but others can’t, so the wide range of weapons is limited to what the character can carry and fight with. This makes sense, as one would not be excellent with every weapon. The magical effect on those weapons can be used by every character and some will do better in combination than others. Each character does have his or her favorite and, in the single player challenge, once a character is beaten their power will be unlocked. Each combination of magic and weapon will give the character a range of special attacks, from Berserk to Clockwork missiles, Solar strike and more.
Each stage has an event that happens (sometimes more than once during a fight) that both fighters need to avoid, or they will receive damage. These, and some special moves, will require a combination of movements with the Wii remote and nunchuk. It adds a good break from just swinging the Wii remote continually.
The game is really easy, and while the fighting does get more difficult with each opponent, the fact that I was able to get all the way to the final boss with only one loss on my first attempt is a little sad. Now my skill in gaming in not a measuring stick for difficulty, but it felt like the challenge that the end boss gave would have been appreciated through all the fights. What does help is that as players fight and defeat the opponent they unlock and can use their weapons or powers in the next battle. Most of the character match ups are random until the end and players might find that using the previously obtained power is the next enemy’s weakness.
Controls in the game are either with a Wii remote and nunchuk or classic controller. As with any Wii game there are movement attacks with the Wii remote but not with the classic controller. Normally, with fighting games, I would opt for the classic control style, but with Tournament of Legends there are combinations and a feel of getting into the combat with the Wii remote. With the ease of the game, no real precision is required… that would have been the only reason to go with the classic controller.
While reviewing Tournament of Legends I found myself comparing the title to other fighters on the Playstation 3. But that’s a little like comparing apples and oranges. I’m not trying to compare the consoles, as we know that the power of the PS3 and the functionality and fun of the Wii can’t be compared. The Wii fighter needs to be compared to a Wii fighter, and there are other Wii fighters out there… and then I realised that the game did something wrong. The graphics in the title are actually very good for a Wii title, but are they necessary? Good graphics in a Wii title are not what Wii players are looking for, so we will have to turn ourselves to other aspects of the game which, while they are there, left me wanting. The game ended up being too easy and too short. I hope that this game will not be held against the developers name, as their other games are good. But, realistically, Tournament of Legends only really serves as a good second option.
At A Glance
It’s a below average fighter, even for the Wii.
Developer: High Voltage Software
Publisher: SEGA
Distributor: Nu Metro
Platform:
Wii
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