Yup, that's all the time it takes. Other than trying a demo of the third of the original games(...I think) and watching both shows as a kid(you know, the awful "those who made this were stoned at the time" one, and the good, stylish and well-developed one), I'm honestly not terribly familiar with this universe(although I do know it well enough to let you know that familiar faces from it appear in this, in their Arthurian form). I remember how the old 2D exploits in this medium were, and I recall what may have been the initial attempt to add the third dimension to that. May it rest in peace. I don't know how well it's been handled since then, but I do recognize the whole axis issue as being one of the problems here. Levels are entirely linear(there are a bunch, all around ten minutes or less), and you can't always back up, either. That in itself can be fine, and isn't new to the platformer(which, I suppose, is a reasonable classification for this particular entry, as well) series. You can now move to the sides, and you don't necessarily know how much(and don't get me started on the effort it can take in this to pick up what is *right next to you*). That impairs your performance. Of course, this is at its most entertaining when you're speeding through areas, and the third person camera(if it can impede you here and there) flies along(this can be grand and epic when it goes for it) with you and helps the adrenaline absolutely *flood* your veins at the best moments in this(with that said, at times this feels excessively like you're merely watching a movie and every so often pressing a button when prompted to). One last ingredient, and the awkwardness is complete; the swordplay(that can't seem to decide if it wants to make you stand still or plow through foes). Don't get me wrong, it was the main reason I purchased this at all(and I'm not unhappy about that); I love fencing, always have, and that's not something I imagine will ever change. This has "logic" to it, in that you can often tell by looking at foes when their defense is open, if their shield is down it'll take the force(and break, if it's wooden), etc. You attack by flicking the Wii-Mote, in the "balanced", "fast" or "strong" setup. Like in Lego Star Wars, it doesn't mimic your moves; with that said, you trigger different ones by varying how you move as you swing. You can block, if you are on the ground. The controls are easy enough to learn; that's because they, and the amount of functions, are limited. It can be unpredictable how they will react, and that screws you over. With wall-hugging across dangerous ledges, jumping back and forth between opposite sections of steep hill, the weapon, and Soul Surge being similar to the slowing down time feature of them, this takes quite a bit of inspiration from the new Prince of Persia trilogy. Well, this does lack the puzzles and gripping thrill of them. Cool stuff like the aforementioned or grinding(where you ride a cable, only able to leap or slash; frankly, Tarzan, the Disney licensed VG, largely beats this with the vine-surfing... *ouch*), you barely get into before it moves on, or goes back to the usual mode; the game-play is rather repetitive, if addictive. Also, with only one difficulty setting, it starts out really and takes a lot of time for that to change, and, as is generally the case, it isn't as fun until it gets tough, and then it can be frustrating. That's when you get three more characters to play as, each with their own style, and they're very welcome(as they would have been, earlier on). The final boss battle(the one that actually stands out) is different from the rest of this, and memorable. Plot isn't bad, if flat and clichéd. The conclusion to it is predictable, and once you know all of the story, it makes no sense if you stop to consider it for a second. There are plenty of locations(and missions in the same one tend to look like one another), including a village, a molten mine, a crystal cave, Camelot, Avalon, etc. Designs are great, if they did go a little nuts(not to the extent of Joel Schumacher's Batman, mind you) with the neon(it wouldn't be my first choice for the relatively dark tone), and foes typically, well, maybe it's me... they remind me of the monsters from TMNT(animated flick and the interactive tie-in, as well... have Sega always had such a huge crush Ubisoft's creations? I mean, I don't blame them...). That is a high point in this; the graphics. They are gorgeous, from the lush, (if few; the majority of them are graphic novel ones, where lip motion does not sync up)beautiful CGI cut-scenes to the regular engine ones. And not just "for the console". The music always fits, with bad-ass heavy rock for some fights, soft, medieval sounding score for other situations. This has RPG elements, if several of them are not done all that well. They're probably in it because that is making its way into many titles now. The replayability of this lies in unlockable bonuses and that you can retry anything you've finished, and it records your stats. There is multi-player, for up to four at a time, on the same machine. No less than ten rule-sets(if a couple are like others), in a top-down view, and it is magnificent. The humor is fine, a tad silly overall and genuinely funny at times. Voice acting is dependable. There aren't really any bugs that I found, if there are programming shortcomings, and odd things(you can break jars and the like by touching them). There is nothing offensive in this; violence? Mild. I recommend this to all fans of Sonic(and the experience of playing as him) and/or fellow bladed combat enthusiasts. 7/10
