I should have figured that summarizing a whole game would require its own post. But before I get down to brass tacks, take a moment to at least skim the events that led me to this conclusion. Even if you've been following along, I did the last update just minutes before, so you might have missed it. If not, in all of these installments, the main points are in bold. Once you've seen where I'm coming from, here is my generalized opinion of the game:
It's so cliche, but it fits here: Only get this game if you're a fan of the show. It doesn't even try to introduce you to the world, & while the gameplay is alright, I've seen better, even for licensed titles. That said, if you're not a fan of the show, become a fan of the show because it's bloody amazing, & then give this game a second thought.
If you ARE a fan, it seems like people generally liked this game, even if they admitted that it had some faults. I can't totally predict the tastes of the relative minority of Legend of Korra fans who WOULDN'T like this, but I'd imagine this game might lose points with you if you're looking for:
- Interacting with a lot of characters from the show.
- A big, complex story.
- A game that doesn't require a lot of backtracking, "minigames" in the form of do X maneuver Y times," farming, or grinding.
- Or, in the opposite extreme, a sandbox-style game.
- AAA graphics. And seriously, why would you be looking for that in a $15 game?
Now, here's where I think this game scores well:
- Uh, you get to play as the Avatar, especially a go-getter like Korra. The system isn't flawless, you can't really freely mix elements, but it's a hard thing to do & they pulled it off VERY well. Especially when it comes to incorporating moves from the show.
- You get to explore these locations from the show.
- They mix up the gameplay fairly well, which doesn't always work, but for the most part, it keeps things interesting, which is good, because the gameplay is clearly the prime selling point here.
- There's a pretty good variety of enemies. Just when Chi Blockers & Triads start to run low, the Dark Spirits come back with a vengeance & they seem to have some interesting moves from the short battle I had with them. The exception is that there's only 1 type of boss so far, but I don't really mind it, at least not yet.
- Something that really FEELS like the show & tickles your nostalgia bone.
Summary: Honestly not the best game on its own merits (but also not the worst), but to be fair, it's been proven by research that people care more about the context of the game than its actual gameplay. Therefore, if you're a fan of the show, you'll PROBABLY like it unless it pushes one of your buttons. If you're NOT a fan of the show, become one, because Legend of Korra is amazing. If this were a review show, I think it would probably get a 2, but I don't like those kinds of reviews, I don't think they give you enough information to decide whether or not YOU are going to like it, & that's why I didn't do that.
Next Time: Now that I have Firebending & Airbending, I should have everything that I need to get all of the items from the previous stages. Plus, I'll want them leveled up for the final few stages, & there are a few more items that I've got my eye on. So it's back to the old farm & grind.
Miscellaneous: Just in case you're wondering, those 2 Fullmetal Alchemist games for the PS2 that I kept bringing up as an example of how licensed games can actually be really good are noticeably better in both plot & gameplay.