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Dark Messiah Might and Magic: Elements Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

Dark Messiah Might and Magic: Elements Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

Combat Devolved

Dark Messiah Might and Magic: Elements is a first person action/adventure title disguised as a RPG. The title was originally developed by Arkane Studios for the PC, but now has been reworked by Ubisoft Annecy for its 360 treatment. The game was full of problems and choppy bits for the PC, and unfortunately, it has not been improved for the 360. There have been some changes to the title, however; it’s not just a straight port. In fact, the majority of the RPG elements found in the PC version have been eschewed for a more streamlined mechanic of character progression in an attempt to make it more palatable for console gamers.

Dark Messiah Might and Magic: Elements screenshot

This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, but the betrayal of existing fans’ expectations and the poor implementation of the system prove to be too much for the title’s brighter spots to overcome. Issues abound and are especially apparent in the poor controls and often glitch-filled graphics. The middling story is passable, but definitely leaves you longing for a good deal more invention. Thankfully, the world is full of enough mythical baddies and challenges that gamers will still want to beat it. However, it is a rather low-brow title that will disappoint everyone except for the most hard-up fantasy enthusiasts.

In DMMM: Elements you take on the role of Sareth, the young pupil of Phenrig the Mage. You have recently come of age and are about to embark on an adventure to save the world from the prophesied coming of the demon spawn known as the Dark Messiah. Facing an unnatural threat, you are sent by Phenrig to deliver a crystal shard to the wizard Menelag’s keep. While there you will soon realize the true depth of your quest when the fief is attacked by waves of undead, a cadre of black guards, and a necromantic cult. The narrative is decent and fairly engaging, but the richness of the storytelling soon folds under the weight of the linear world and frustratingly rough controls.

Unlike most RPGs, Elements forces players to follow a strict path through the gaming world. It can be most readily compared to the confined course of the God of War series. This keeps the action coming at a lickety-split pace. However, it makes the game purely an action/adventure title. If you were expecting to have a chat with the inn keeper’s daughter, become part of the local fighter’s guild or deck out your hero at the smithy’s tent, think again. There are tons of secret ways that branch off from the main trail, but these are really just used for hiding weapons and flanking enemies.

Dark Messiah Might and Magic: Elements screenshot

In addition to the tiny world, streamlined character development plagues the game, further whittling away at any remaining bits of role playing goodness leftover from the PC version. As your character gains experience, you will follow a set skill progression that corresponds to the class you have chosen. All of the skills are very useful, and you will receive them at appropriate moments in the game, but there is no way to tweak your character to fit your style or to leave your mark on the game.

There are four classes you can choose from in the campaign. In the campaign you can choose to be a warrior, mage, archer or assassin. Warriors have a direct approach to fighting and are able to carry shields, heavy swords, and bulky armor. The warrior’s strength and endurance abilities are constantly improved by the unlocked skill chain. The mage is the game’s magic user. Mages are physically weak, but can summon elemental and esoteric spells to obliterate their enemies or to buff themselves. The mage’s spells are greatly affected by the activation of the adrenaline rush, which, for example, can turn a simple lightning spell into chain lightning that severely damages several foes at once. The archer character does damage at long distance and actually turns the game into a first person shooter. Finally, the assassin is skilled with daggers that he dual-wields. The better your character gets the more stealthy he will be. Hiding in the shadows makes killing guards from behind with the sneak attack skill very easy. In fact, sneaking up on your enemies from behind is so easy it takes all sense of reality and skill out the game. For some reason, guards just love to keep their backs to the shadows.

Dark Messiah Might and Magic: Elements screenshot

Once you’ve chosen a class, you’re stuck with it and will find it to be extremely limiting. The paucity of character customization truly is frustrating. Each character is so highly specialized that much of the loot you find will be unusable. You’ll simply collect it for collection’s sake. This collection feature of the game could be a neat side quest except for the fact that the weapons that are dropped are always the same. Furthermore, the secret ways I was telling you about often hold weapons and items, but they are invariably mundane. This makes the task of collecting items dull and unrewarding.

To make matters worse, the controls are terrible! They’ve tried to implement a system similar to that employed in Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, but it is decidedly less precise. Nowhere is this more apparent than the dreadful rooftop platforming segment in chapter three. In this mercifully short stage, you’ll constantly fall to your death and run into obstacles that a four year-old could easily negotiate. The frustration is compounded by the fact that you will be chasing a ghoul. As such, you will be timed, and every time you fall or take a bit too long you will have to wait for a loading screen. Other than the cruel jumping phases, the weak combat system gets dull by the end of the opening tutorial chapter. You will have to constantly pull on the RT button to perform attacks ameliorated only by held power strikes, simple kicks, tiny bursts of adrenaline, and ridiculous sneak attacks.

Dark Messiah Might and Magic: Elements screenshot

The graphics are tolerable but dated. The constant frame rate issues and animation glitches are unacceptable, however. One glitch-filled moment in particular was very funny. After killing one of the first mini-bosses with a ballista, a guard could be seen jumping up and down like a little school girl under the massive arm of the dead Cyclops. It had me rolling with delight as I covered my eyes in embarrassment. This was the first major glitch, but certainly not the last I experienced. Outside of the stilted and stuttering visuals, the first person perspective is interesting though imperfect. It is very similar to Oblivion expect for the fact that your weaponry inevitably blocks your field of vision. This doesn’t really affect combat as you’re just going to button mash anyway, but it does become quite disconcerting while navigating through the multitude of halls and corridors.

The voiceover work is very amateurish. It’s not so bad that you can’t get into the story, but it is bad enough that you can’t help but giggle every now and then. The voice that most clearly stands out is that of your buxom spirit guide Xana. She’s constantly making comments in a tone of voice most readily associated with 1-900 numbers. Moreover, the delivery of the dialogue by all characters is reminiscent of that of a Lorenzo Lamas film.

Surprisingly, there is a decent multiplayer offering. There are a number of kids playing and having a good time, but it is safe to say that the first person run-around is not even remotely as engaging as other online multiplayer games out there. In the multiplayer modes you will also be able to choose from the same four characters as in the campaign with the exception of the assassin which is replaced by the priestess. I guess the developers realized that human players just simply wouldn’t hold still in an arena with their backs to the deadly shadows. The priestess is akin to a cleric. She has a retinue of healing and life-sapping abilities that makes her a decent support character in team battles.

Dark Messiah Might and Magic: Elements screenshot

The various classes have their own multiplayer skill chain. Before entering a battle, you will allocate skill points in order to have access to them. This allows you to poison arrows, go berserk, cast fireballs or even smite your foes depending on which class you select. There are five different modes to choose from, but one of them is a training mode so it doesn’t really count. Blitz is a team game that has you try to control the enemies’ base. There is no respawn feature, so eliminating all of your foes is equally as effective. Crusade is a unique mode that pits two teams against each other in order to capture the enemies’ stronghold. Going after various control points on the map will reduce the amount the enemy can respawn until victory is achieved. After winning one map, you will be transported to a new map with very different characteristics. Finally, the last two modes of play are the requisite Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch. Running around in these multiplayer maps is entertaining mostly because of the childish chatter that goes on over the headsets.

When it’s all said and done, this not a good game. It’s not an outright right failure either, but with limited gaming funds and time I suggest giving this title a wide berth. It feels as if the game is caught between two genres, and neither has been executed very well. It’s not straight action/adventure like God of War, as the combat is so pedestrian and repetitive, and there aren’t even any puzzles to break up the monotony. It also isn’t an RPG because there is no character customization or expansive world. Unfortunately, this game suffers from a major identity crisis that has it wallowing in the doldrums of mediocrity.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.0 Graphics
It may look like Oblivion on the surface, but the buggy frame rate won’t fool you for long. 1.7 Control
Yuck! Melee combat has never been more boring and imprecise. 2.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The voiceover work is amateurish, but also funny in a B-movie kind of way. 3.6 Play Value
The story is decent and the game is fun enough that you will most likely beat it. Don’t expect any lasting value though. 2.8 Overall Rating – Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • More action, new challenges. Experience Might and Magic like never before, with refined game mechanics carefully crafted for pad-controlled carnage, including a brand new lock-on feature and tweaked level design and game statistics. Explore three previously unreleased secret levels with new objectives, gameplay, and rewards.
  • Multiplayer remixed. New multiplayer maps have been created exclusively for Xbox 360, while all other features have been completely remastered for an optimal Xbox LIVE experience, allowing you to play with up to 10 players. Enlist with the Humans or the Undead and choose to play as an archer, priestess, mage or knight. Make use of powerful and unique skills and spells on the battlefield, including powers such as meteor shower, berserk charge and rain of arrows.
  • Cutting-edge technology. Discover the power of the Source engine on Xbox 360, featuring jaw-dropping environments, incredible graphics, and top-notch physics. Immerse yourself in a gritty first-person experience with complete body awareness, realistic movements, and physics rendering, making Dark Messiah Might and Magic: Elements the first action game to feature a complete first-person combat system.
  • Environmental mischief. Use your environment as a weapon to outsmart the most fiendish monsters. From bottomless pits to diabolical traps, players will find that that their spells and weapons are not always the most effective solution to dispatching their foes.
  • Never-ending action. Challenge the forces of evil across 12 chapters and master over 30 weapons and 12 devastating spells. Engage the enemy in intense melee combat with swords, bows, staffs, and daggers; summon magic powers or sneak in the shadows to stalk depraved creatures. Show no mercy as you carve deep into the enemy’s flesh and use the environment as a weapon to outsmart the most fiendish monsters.
  • The Might and Magic universe’s darkest side. From bottomless pits to abandoned temples, dark catacombs and swelled cities, explore the remotest recesses of Ashan, populated with fearless Orcs, dreadful Undead, elusive Cyclops, and many other creatures that defy nature’s creation. This is the darkest side of the legendary Might and Magic universe, where the forces of evil are stronger and more cunning than ever.

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