N-Philes :: News

Viewing Entry

Eragon

Posted March 5th 2007 by Curtis Brunet.

Video games based on movies suck.

This is not a new development; this has been true since the gaming industry's inception. In 1982, Atari released E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 video game system, setting a new standard for crappy movie-based games for years to come. Since then, publishers have been only happy to add to the stinking pyre with titles like Bad Boys: Miami Takedown, Independence Day, Judge Dredd, the insanely horrible Total Recall, Reign of Fire and ... well, you have a pretty good idea of where I am coming from. Therefore, when the novel-based film Eragon received the multi-platform video game treatment; I was certainly a skeptic.

Eragon starts off as your standard Star Wars story: young misunderstood farmboy (Eragon) learns of his amazing destiny from a mysterious old guy, magical things happens, evil empire kills everything in sight and a whole new world of adventure opens up for your prepubescent character. Seriously. The story is easily the worst part of the title, stealing many moments from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. However, once you get past the many references ripped from the sacred sagas, you find a solid offering for the GBA.

Maybe the worse a movie is, the better the videogame version may be as this title really gets the job done. Yes, Eragon is a movie license, but the developers seem to have had more freedom than expected with the handheld iteration of the series. Rather than a straight up hack-&-slasher, you are thrown into a great RPG offering. You control Eragon in towns and the overworld, exploring the vast world set before you. The player sees enemies on the screen and once a foe is touched, you go directly into the battle system. The characters under the user's control appear on the right side, while enemies are on the left. Enemies have two rows to use, and all enemies in the front row must be killed before hitting any ones in the back with a melee attack. Some characters can use ranged attacks (such as a bow and arrow) and can hit any one on the battlefield regardless of which row they occupy. Depending on the character's level, you can hit enemies multiple times. Once an attack is selected, you press either the A button or the B button to choose an attack, and pressing these buttons in different combinations can then unleash special attacks (eg: B+B+A).

Melee and ranged attacks aren't the only arsenals at your disposal, as characters sport an array of magical attack and defensive commands. When enemies attack, pressing the A or B button at the right moment can reduce some of the damage delivered. Using the A button will shield or block melee based attacks, and B will dodge ranged and magical attacks.

Another exciting aspect of the title is that you don't buy and sell weapons, armor and items. Weapons and armament are found strewn throughout the game, and you must use a forge to add different capabilities to them, such as using a sharpening stone to increase the damage it deals out, or using oil to increase its speed. Each piece of hardware can be uniquely increased in various manners to give it special qualities for the user. Items are also crafted by mixing different herbs found throughout the dungeons and towns.

The graphics on the system, akin to last year's LEGO Star Wars II, are great for the GBA. A top down view for the overworld and towns/dungeons demonstrates a great use of a 3D engine that shines on the GBA. However battles showing close-up of these characters can show some signs of weak artwork. The system also chugs along during some of the larger battle scenes; framerate issues abound when hostilities ensue. Sound in the title suffers from repetition more than anything. Music and effects seem reused from level to level. One single midi tune will play through all battles, while another controls towns and dungeons, followed by overworld sounds. Differentiating attack effects also don't be heard for different weapons.

Though the game suffers from a few different problems, the title is a lengthy affair that will give gamers hours of role playing action in a setting full of magical fantasy clichés. As a role-playing title, gamers can spend hours simply leveling up their characters and strengthening them before moving on to the next battle. This game will keep even the most seasoned RPG gamer entertained for hours to come.

Steady Beat - Eragon is definitely better as a game then as a movie.

If Eragon for the Game Boy Advance had perhaps not been based on its noisome silver screen counterpart, the title might have been more graciously accepted in the gaming industry. Unfortunately, it drops into the category of being a terrible movie to game without being given a chance. Not only is this a shame for the developer and publisher, but also for the mountains of gamers who will not give this game a try based solely on its name. A rare nugget of hope in the crap filled genre.

Posted in: Reviews