Jason isn't getting much love
Jason isn't getting much love
Review - posted by DarkUnderlord on Wed 17 December 2008, 13:43:02
Tags: Rise of the ArgonautsRise of the Argonauts, that homoerotic Greek Action RPG you may and or may not remember (it was the one that had that thing about getting skills from Gods or something, instead of a normal tech tree), has a bunch of reviews out for it. First up to bat is xbawxign:
Trimming the number-crunching aspects in which the obsessive-compulsive and RPG hardcore so ravenously revel while keeping in lengthy, fully-voiced conversations between characters and an accessible real-time combat system seems to be an appeal to the mainstream. By removing the typical RPG genre complications and adding a simple combat engine with a heavy emphasis on passive abilities and the mechanical repetition of light and heavy attacks, block, and dodge moves, the game can't fully satisfy action or RPG appetites. It feels like Liquid sacrificed too much for the sake of its genre fusion.6.2/10. Strike 1. Up next to the plate is UGO:
Conversation also steers Jason’s relationship with the Gods. There’s no truly “good” or “evil” path in Argonauts; instead, kingly Jason’s “moral” dilemmas play out in how his responses align with his patrons. Most dialogue options are connected with one of the four deities, filling their associated Aspect meter a little more with every selection.
Inventive ideas aside, the game does falter in some significant ways. The most glaring issue is technical in nature; Rise of the Argonauts is a buggy mess, at least in its Xbox 360 incarnation. Whether it’s installed on the hard drive or played from the disc, expect to encounter frequent slowdowns and “hiccups” during which the game will simply pause for a second or two. The technical troubles rarely render Argonauts unplayable, but they remain incredibly disruptive.Overall C+. Strike 2. We also have teamxbawx, fuck yeah!
At the top of my list of things that drove me totally crazy about the new Rise of the Argonauts is this: the game should be so much better. In a world where many games fail at the conceptual phase, Rise of the Argonauts gets it right. It’s a classic story told in a new way, with pretty decent character design, and an ambitious approach to classic hack-n-slash combat design. So why is it so bad?
Rise of the Argonauts fails due to one basic flaw: horrible polish. At some point between a solid concept and what I bet is some awesome concept art, a thoroughly medicre game some how found it’s way through. Something happened in the execution. And the final execution of the game – from basic optimization issues to animations to just plain horrible pacing – reeks of something that was pushed out the door way before it was ready.5.2 / 10. Strike three. Our baseball analogy falls apart now <a href="">because IGN also take a shot[/url]:
But even that doesn't offset my biggest complaints. You'd think that -- for a game where most of the "action" takes place in conversations -- the developers would take special care in making the characters interesting to the degree that you actually care about what happens to them throughout the journey. But upon interacting with most of the game's main characters, it's clear that they all fall into archetypal roles that we've seen countless times over in other games and in completely different genres. The brute with the heart of gold, the egotistical and skilled fighter, and the tough warrior-princess -- they're all here, and they're just as predictable as you might expect.... and finally, Destructoid live up to their name:
It pains me to begin this review with a damning criticism, but it is a problem so great that it overshadows anything good that Rise of the Argonauts accomplishes. Let me start then by saying that RotA is the most broken, glitchy, buggy, unfinished videogame I have played all generation. Possibly ever. This game is so badly made, I cannot even comprehend how it got past QA, let alone made it far enough to be released... the opening chapter is a monument to shoddy development.The game is out now for PC, except for the UK who have to wait until next year.
Thanks PennyAnte!
Trimming the number-crunching aspects in which the obsessive-compulsive and RPG hardcore so ravenously revel while keeping in lengthy, fully-voiced conversations between characters and an accessible real-time combat system seems to be an appeal to the mainstream. By removing the typical RPG genre complications and adding a simple combat engine with a heavy emphasis on passive abilities and the mechanical repetition of light and heavy attacks, block, and dodge moves, the game can't fully satisfy action or RPG appetites. It feels like Liquid sacrificed too much for the sake of its genre fusion.
Conversation also steers Jason’s relationship with the Gods. There’s no truly “good” or “evil” path in Argonauts; instead, kingly Jason’s “moral” dilemmas play out in how his responses align with his patrons. Most dialogue options are connected with one of the four deities, filling their associated Aspect meter a little more with every selection.
Inventive ideas aside, the game does falter in some significant ways. The most glaring issue is technical in nature; Rise of the Argonauts is a buggy mess, at least in its Xbox 360 incarnation. Whether it’s installed on the hard drive or played from the disc, expect to encounter frequent slowdowns and “hiccups” during which the game will simply pause for a second or two. The technical troubles rarely render Argonauts unplayable, but they remain incredibly disruptive.
At the top of my list of things that drove me totally crazy about the new Rise of the Argonauts is this: the game should be so much better. In a world where many games fail at the conceptual phase, Rise of the Argonauts gets it right. It’s a classic story told in a new way, with pretty decent character design, and an ambitious approach to classic hack-n-slash combat design. So why is it so bad?
Rise of the Argonauts fails due to one basic flaw: horrible polish. At some point between a solid concept and what I bet is some awesome concept art, a thoroughly medicre game some how found it’s way through. Something happened in the execution. And the final execution of the game – from basic optimization issues to animations to just plain horrible pacing – reeks of something that was pushed out the door way before it was ready.
But even that doesn't offset my biggest complaints. You'd think that -- for a game where most of the "action" takes place in conversations -- the developers would take special care in making the characters interesting to the degree that you actually care about what happens to them throughout the journey. But upon interacting with most of the game's main characters, it's clear that they all fall into archetypal roles that we've seen countless times over in other games and in completely different genres. The brute with the heart of gold, the egotistical and skilled fighter, and the tough warrior-princess -- they're all here, and they're just as predictable as you might expect.
It pains me to begin this review with a damning criticism, but it is a problem so great that it overshadows anything good that Rise of the Argonauts accomplishes. Let me start then by saying that RotA is the most broken, glitchy, buggy, unfinished videogame I have played all generation. Possibly ever. This game is so badly made, I cannot even comprehend how it got past QA, let alone made it far enough to be released... the opening chapter is a monument to shoddy development.
Thanks PennyAnte!
