King Arthur - GameCube

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King Arthur (GameCube)
Also for: PS2, Xbox
Viewed: 3D Third-person, floating camera Genre:
Adventure
Arcade origin:No
Developer: Krome Studios Soft. Co.: Konami
Publishers: Konami (GB)
Released: 18 Feb 2005 (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 12+

Summary

Lavish Jerry Bruckheimer movie blockbuster King Arthur divided opinion when it was released last year. Purporting, with its inflammatory tagline, to be the ‘true story’ of King Arthur and his brave knights, it ruffled the feathers of many a weirdy-beardy druid type and wizened archaeologist in this sceptred isle. Purists argued that the real Guinevere was a toothless and ruddy-faced matriarch, and not the scantily-clad, elfin though admittedly slightly boyish Keira Knightley, whirling dervish-like through the snow with sword and buckler. Those who could stomach such rose-tinted and admittedly box office-courting, artistic license though, appreciated that having all the characters played by hirsute, grubby, quasi-Neanderthals - while supposedly more realistic - might unnerve an audience whose reality involves orthodontic surgery, Nicky Clarke hairdryers, Gillette Turbo Intercooler 16 valve GTI razors and sac-waxing. There’s nothing wrong with bringing a bit of glamour to swashbuckling is there?

These days no serious Hollywood blockbuster is complete without it’s attendant video game version. This time around Konami do the honours, bringing us King Arthur across all three home console platforms, developed by Krome Studios, the same people who brought you the Ty the Tasmanian Tiger series. Playing as Arthur himself, Lancelot, Tristan, Bors or Guinevere, using footage and character likenesses taken directly from the film, players can take on multiple mission types with diverse objectives to complete. An innovative combat system allows you to fight alone or in two player co-operative mode, on foot or, as befits a knight, on horseback. As you might expect, each character has their strengths and weaknesses – while Arthur, for example, is an unmatched swordsman, Lancelot’s skill is with the horse and Guinevere provides a long-range option with her bow and arrow. And again, like similarly RPG-tinged action games, each character has their own special move and can gain experience points with which they can upgrade their abilities over the course of the game. And all this fast-paced action is set in cinematic environments that do the luxurious Bruckheimer production justice.

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