Wii version of 'Soulcaliber Legends' is just OK

Game Title: Soulcalibur Legends

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Studio: Namco Bandai

Rated: T for Teen

Rating: 5 out of 10

THE REVIEW

Gameplay: Based on the popular video-game series, "Soulcalibur Legends" tries to upgrade itself for the Wii. As Seigfried and a number of other characters, you move through various places swinging your Wii remote like a weapon and doing battle against armed skeletons, lizard soldiers, mummies, etc.

There are a few puzzles to be solved, but mostly you run from room to room killing things until you encounter a "boss" creature that must be slain. The game is fairly mindless, with a few frustrations. For example: if you can't kill the evil creature at the end, you start the entire adventure over.

Graphics: The graphics are decent. The story line starts out interesting, but gets boring quickly. Between missions, you watch anime-characters converse entirely in subtitles. Only by hitting the 'A' button can you advance quickly through the dialogue; but you can't skip it.

Audio: The soundtrack is your basic adventure score, but the best is the grunts and shouts as you swing your weapon to smite your enemies.

THE WRAP-UP

Parent's take: It's fantasy violence (slaying of rock monsters, ninjas, etc.), so it's appropriate for a teenage audience.

Final Word: A role-playing game that's OK to play. The action sequences are fun, but the storyline is just not interesting enough to keep attention between brawls.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com