Also available on: PS3, PC
Genre: Role-playing
Developer: Liquid Entertainment
Publisher: Codemasters
Release date: February 6, 2009



There's no denying it, Greek mythology is gold dust in entertainment circles. Mythical beasts, bloody combat and ripping abdominal muscles make it serious fodder for storytellers on the big and small screen. The same is true for gaming and you need look no further than the celebrated God Of War series, which exquisitely balanced the vibrant canvas of Greek myths with a hearty dose of visceral violence. Now Liquid Entertainment has attempted to tap into this rich cultural seam with action role-playing game Rise Of The Argonauts. While occasionally a brutally thrilling experience, far too much talking, not enough slashing, and a whole horde of technical issues make this a myth too far.

In Rise Of The Argonauts, you take the role of King Jason of Iolcus (looking rather like a pouting catalogue model) who's beloved Alceme is assassinated by a heavily tattooed and mysterious tribe called the Black Tongue. Jason must then track down the fabled Golden Fleece in order to bring his one true love back to life. Travelling on formidable ship the Argo (from which the name Argonauts derives), Jason and his motley crew must carve a swathe through the known world on this unerring quest. The story is loosely based on the classical tale The Quest For The Golden Fleece, as well as the 1963 movie Jason And The Argonauts (which featured special effects revolutionary at the time but woefully shaky now).

This makes the story largely a good one, but that's perhaps unsurprising considering it is based on pretty stable ground. The game admirably taps into the ethos of the subject area, covering everything from trifling human squabbles right up to the celestial conflict between the Greek gods and the lumbering Titans. However, graphically, Rise of the Argonauts proves a mixed bag. On the whole it is not an ugly looking package, but it is the animation which seems to do most of the damage. Character movement in non-combat situations is pretty terrible, topped by a ridiculously jerky frame rate, which often wrecks the experience.

Jason clambers up and down stairs like Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks, and conversations between characters are almost laughable (we'll address this further later on). The camera angle is also occasionally maddening, especially in major fights, such as against the snake-headed Medusa later in the game. Despite it being a completely linear experience, the levels still have the power to confuse, which means regularly referring to the rather irritatingly designed map screen. The save/checkpoint system is okay, but the frame-stutter while the game auto-saves is unforgivable.

During Jason's quest, you will come up against Satyrs, Black Tongue assassins and other mythical beasts. How you dispatch these enemies is the genuine triumph of the game, as combat really is the star of the show. Jason gets access to a sword, mace and a spear - alongside his trusty and indestructible shield - pretty early on in the game, and it is easy to switch between each weapon to vary attacks. There is a real sense of fluidity to the combat mechanics, which favours changing tactics quickly to dispatch troublesome foes. A shield barge function proves a good feature, as does an evasive roll to give impertinent enemies the slip.

Another nice touch is a slow-mo combat strike which is a brutal, bone-crunching joy when it connects. A notable issue during fight sequences is that there is no health bar (although this is accessible from the start menu). Instead, blood spots appear on Jason's clothing until he eventually goes into a Call Of Duty style pre-death sequence with requisite ethereal singing to hint that you're about to snuff it. In this case, you have around ten seconds to slink away from all enemies in order to recharge Jason's batteries. While a single strike can kill during this stage, it usually proves pretty easy to get away.

More powerful weapons come into Jason's possession as the quest develops, while he can also count on help from the Argonauts, including the arrogant yet deadly Achilles and the man mountain Hercules. Jason can equally call upon the assistance of four gods - Hermes, Athena, Apollo and Ares. Not only do these deities underpin the main story, but they are also able to enhance Jason's skills. Throughout the game, you will attain various combat and non-combat achievements through honourable actions and words, which can be transferred into deeds and dedicated to each God.

Alongside particularly brutal killings, deeds can be achieved by making certain choices during dialogue. You are given various options for conversations as an attempt to engage the player with discourse. Bringing a favourable resolution to negotiations can garner achievements to please the Gods. There are 25 different aspects for each deity which, when achieved, can boost Jason's skills, ranging right up to attaining God-like powers, such as turning enemies into stone. Upgrading your abilities will come in handy as you battle the hordes of evil in Delphi, Mycenae and the roasting depths of Tartarus. Indeed, towards the end of the game, combat genuinely feels exhilarating with huge powers at your finger tips and various beasties to banish to their brutal and bloody end.

However, along this noble quest it becomes painfully clear that talking rather than fighting is the predominant activity in Rise Of The Argonauts. This would not be such a problem if conversation sequences didn't feel like such an unwelcome chore. Dreadful voice acting is exacerbated by dialogue which makes Hollyoaks feel like a Shakespearean play in comparison. Indeed, there are regular instances throughout the game where conversations are going on yet there is absolutely no flow between the characters.

This, unfortunately, hampers the pacing of the game, as combat proves an-all-too rare joy rather than the main thrust of gameplay. For instance, during a section on the jungle island of Saria, after battling with the mythical beast Hep'Naje, the adrenaline is pumping only for the game to completely murder the pace by making you perform a lengthy and tedious last rites ceremony over some irrelevant character. Add to the mix some poor sound balancing alongside flitting animation, and it means that dialogue sections really drag the experience down.

Rise Of The Argonauts has all the ingredients of a good game, it's just that something went wrong putting it all together. The title's poor sense of balance - which favours the weak conversational elements over the strong combat sequences - alongside a whole pantheon of technical issues really scrapes the lustre from such as incredible backdrop as Greek mythology. If the God Of War series scaled the heights of Mount Olympus, then Rise Of The Argonauts has ultimately failed to clamber out of the fiery pits of Tartarus.

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