Legendary

If you’ve ever thought the effect of Half-Life on the FPS genre was overstated, look no further than Legendary. Led by a silent protagonist and featuring epic boss fights plus loads of impressive scripted sequences, Valve’s 1998 PC masterpiece turned the genre on its ear. Ten years later, Legendary follows that exact same model — and while the formula feels a bit dated now, the result is a shooter that’s still incredibly fun.

As mercenary thief Charles Deckard, you’re hired to steal an artifact from a New York museum…and it turns out to be the fabled Pandora’s Box. Opening the device, you unleash griffons, golems, werewolves, and other mythical creatures on the world; simultaneously, it sears your hand with a mysterious signet that has the power to heal your injuries by collecting Animus energy from fallen creatures. From Legendary’s opening episode, breathtaking scripted scenes evoke Half-Life–ian memories: a griffon swooping in and snatching a pedestrian, a 100-foot-tall golem tearing through the streets of Manhattan, and a mammoth kraken swiping at you with its tentacles are all impressive moments. Spectacles, even.

And refreshingly, Legendary manages to maintain its focus for the duration of its solo campaign, whereas some other shooters lose their steam well before the closing cinematic. Where Legendary commits its crimes, however, is in the minute-to-minute gameplay. Though it’s enjoyable overall, it suffers from a handful of small problems. You’ll occasionally get caught on geometry and/or cornered by an enemy, usually resulting in your death. Also, the occasional dumb puzzle feels more like a chore to solve than actual entertainment. Clipping is also a problem, as werewolf corpses often fall into walls or objects — not good when they get back up and resume their attack unless you decapitate them. And some (though certainly not all) of the game’s best moments are observed rather than played. Case in point: both the epic golem battle and the final fight itself fall into the “hit three switches and watch what happens” category.

Conversely, the obligatory multiplayer mode is no mere throwaway deathmatch scenario — it includes werewolves that serve as fodder for both human teams. Though wolf kills count toward your overall frag total, you’ll really need the furry freaks for their Animus, which must be delivered to your team’s Animus control device and filled before the opposing team can do the same. It’s a nice twist on standard teamplay, but regrettably, Legendary sports only this one multiplayer mode and just four maps out of the box.

So while it’s clearly modeled after a decade-old game-design recipe, Legendary nevertheless packs plenty of flavor into its spectacle-laden crust. With most Xbox gamers weaned on shooters that ape Halo’s gameplay and style (a game that’s seven years old itself), don’t be surprised if you find Legendary’s solid retro formula refreshing.