Intro: Tales foretell of children born who will rise
and strike down the threat of the DemonLord, a demon whose spirit
entered a fallen warrior on the battlefield and was once again reborn.
The DemonLord has crushed all rulers and armies to unite the land under
his reign. Even under the guidance to slay the prophesied children as
they are born, as a true warrior with a code of honor, he waits 25
years in anticipation of fair, one-on-one combat with the mightiest of
the warriors. Preparing to meet his destiny head-on, the DemonLord
hosts a tournament in which the winner will be declared the true
WeaponLord and face him in the final battle.
Lar: Overall, I was pretty
disappointed in this oldie. I mostly enjoy all Namco-produced fighters
to some extent but this was really hard to get into. The controls are
really tight - it's almost as if you'll need the God Hand to perform
them. I know I'm guilty of playing newer games with giant timing
windows thus making classic games seem harder than they really are, but
I simply could not get anything to work for any real amount of time. on
the same token, regular single button moves take out a lot of HP so why
even learn anything else?
The feel of the game reminds me of
Mortal Kombat and all the Medieval games that were out in the 1990s,
except that this game looks slightly worse off. The graphics look
clear, yet the animation isn't that great; the art style was more of a
fad of the time and has quickly became outdated since then. I can't
really fault the looks too bad since it was all the rage back when, but
it's not something I care to stare at for any long periods of time
I
found the music lacking as it was pretty generic but I also couldn't
get my copy to play it all the time - which wasn't that bad of deal
judging from what I heard. I guess I'm spoiled with the works of Koji
Kondo, Nabou Uematsu, Junichi Nakatsuru and Koh-ichi Seiyama, but
nothing I heard got me ready for the fight.
Nes: I pretty much echo the
sentiments made in the presentation departments. Most of the game's
animations are far from smooth and with such few frames of animation to
most of the attacks, quick successive hits that appear to be a
lightning fast combo fail to register as such. Truly the only audible
standouts lie in the game's announcer, weapon clashes and the execution
fanfare played when any character executes a special move as a finish.
While the music production is isn't terrible, it mostly serves as
ambiance to the title's gritty storyline as opposed to getting players
pumped up for a fight.
Truth be told, the game is really hard to
get into but once you do, the bevy of defensive and combo options
really make this deceptively deep fighter shine. In an age where
everyone is spoiled by pick-up-and-play fighters with predictable
special move motions and attacks, the parries, guard breaks, overheads,
weapon crushes and skillful combo executions were just simply ahead of
their time in a world full of Street Fighter II clones. WeaponLord's
learning curve does go beyond the norm and requires excruciating
patience that falls beyond the norm and unfortunately turns the game
into a "love it or hate it" experience.
Players today will
definitely want to bring a friend (or seven thanks the game's expansive
multiplayer elements) and an FAQ to the table as the AI is likely to
embarass any beginner even on the lowest difficulty. WeaponLord uses a
mixture of motion based commands that mix button presses with button
holds so unless players find the unlikely complete copy of the title,
most casual players won't comprehend much beyond button mashing from
the beginning. Just like the game's theme, WeaponLord is a brutal game
and only rewards players who will take the time to learn when to block,
parry and counterattack and learning how to combo definitely proves
satisfying when you learn how to decapitate an opponent and juggle
their head in the air for a lengthy combo.
Overall: While the title lacks overall in presentation, the
gore factor, decent story and Namco credibility should attract plenty a
gamer looking to get a fix of a unique 2-D fighter. However, with the
game's incredible defensive depth and learning curve, WeaponLord might
turn off any player who isn't willing to put a good amount of time into
it. All of the expected blood spurts, decapitations and
disembowelments are here, but players will really have to work for
them, reiterating the fact WeaponLord truly rewards the dedicated.
While your mileage may vary, those hungry for a little strategy in
their mayhem should give the title at least one play.
Gemubaka Final Review Score: 3 out of 5
You can find many more nestlekwik/MixMasterLar roundtables at The Nestlekwik Happy Hour, only on J2Games.com
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