Originally Published: July 15, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com

The beliefs and mythology of cultures long since past have a habit of still influencing much of our media today. From the Clash of the Titans movie from the beginning of the summer to many of our video games like God of War 3, mythology is a favorite of creators everywhere to tap into when coming up with different concepts. In that vein, I present to you Sega and High Voltage’s latest exclusive for the Nintendo Wii, Tournament of Legends.

A budget fighting game (only $30 brand new), Tournament of Legends takes random mythological beings from all over the world, like Baath, the Egyptian god of the sun, or Jupiter, King of the Roman Gods, and pits them against each other in a battle for the enchanted sickle of Thanatos (the god of death) in a bid for power that will propel them to a legendary status they had only dared dream about. So, basically, the standard fighting game plot where all the characters are looking for some form or another of ultimate power.

As fighters go, even for a budget title, this is a bad game. There are only eight playable characters to start with and two unlockables as the game goes along. Last time I checked, there were a lot more legends and mythological creatures out there than 10. For this to even be considered as a decent fighter, it would have needed at least five more playable characters.

And much like Sega and High Voltage’s last over-hyped Wii-exclusive, The Conduit, the graphics are abysmal. They look like something from the last generation of consoles with loose polygons and a lack of detail rarely seen in games nowadays. Include a lack of blood or anything overly graphic in terms of some of the big hits you can deliver and the game comes across as too childish to be taken serious as a fighter.

At least the audio is tolerable though to help even out the peripherals. A great job by all the voice actors involved makes the taunts of each character come across as much more personal that you typically see in a fighting game and the narrator does a good job laying out the story and the conclusion with each fighter’s end scene. Add in solid SFX and some decent instrumentals that try to make the game feel like the epic it was promoted to be and at least the composers seemed to have given their best effort with this one.

As for the gameplay, this is where Tournament of Legends leaves me most on the fence. If you use the Wii’s Classic Controller, then the controls are passable. You have your standard high, low, heavy, and light attack combinations. You have some really cool and unique special powers, like the Roman Centurion throws a slab of beef at his opponent (which I’ve nicknamed the “beefcake” attack) who then gets swarmed by lions if it hits. And you also have some great level design that incorporates traps like giant griffins and kraken that attack both players randomly. Unfortunately, if you use the Wiimote and Nunchuck control scheme though, the game is unresponsive and difficult to handle, making it harder to appreciate those glimmers of brilliance that Sega was able to fit into this game.

The game also really suffered with the replay value. As mentioned above, there are only 10 total characters to play with and unfortunately the game lacks an online vs. multiplayer. Without a lot of characters and being able to play against people online, there is very little to bring you back to this game should you be foolish enough to buy this in the first place.

Originally this game was supposed to be a 300 inspired action game that somehow morphed into this lackluster fighter. After playing this game, you only think of what could have been had Sega stayed with their original idea considering how awful this turned out. I know Sega has the potential to pull off great games for the Wii as I keep looking back at the gem that was Madworld, but Tournament of Legends does not even hold a candle to that masterpiece. I feel dirty even mentioning them in the same sentence as Tournament of Legends is just another example of Sega producing a game that does not live up to the hype or its fullest potential.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 4.0: No blood, no guts, and a lack of detail not seen in modern console games anymore. This game is one of the worst looking games I’ve seen since the last time Sega and High Voltage fell flat on their face with The Conduit.

Audio: 9.0: The instrumentals tried their best to convey the feeling of this being an epic game. It’s not their fault it wasn’t. Add in some well-done voice over work and the audio is one of the few aspects of this game that actually delivered all the goods.

Plot/Plot Development: 7.0: Your standard fighter plot where all the characters are looking for a form of ultimate power for some reason or another. Nothing special.

Gameplay: 7.0: With the classic controller, this is a solid fighting game with some creative and humorous elements thrown in to differentiate itself from the crowd. Unfortunately, if you use the Wiimore/Nunchuck combination, this game is a joke to play due to unresponsiveness and difficulty in pulling off maneuvers.

Replay Value: 2.0: Only 10 characters to play with (8 from the beginning) and no online modes makes this one of the flimsiest fighters I’ve ever played.

Overall (not an average): 4.0: A lack of fighters, no online mode, poor controls, and shoddy graphics show that this game didn’t just lack polish, it lacked all the essentials. Avoid Tournament of Legends at all costs.

Tournament of Legends is available now (not that you should care) for the Nintendo Wii.

-Ray Carsillo