Rise of the Argonauts

Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Liquid Entertainment
Genre: Action RPG
Release Date: December 16, 2008
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
ESRB: M - Mature

Reviewer: Eric

One of the biggest problems with Rise of the Argonauts is the fact it is about five years too late. This action role playing game has been seen before and it peaked during the days of the original Xbox console. If a game like this is just like an original Xbox game why would anybody want to play it?

I was really looking forward to Codemasters Rise of the Argonauts. The trailers prior to its release looked really impressive and the cutscenes looked stunning. Once I played through the game, the whole game, I didn’t know if I was playing the same game. It was really disappointing however I still did find a few good aspects about the game that make it some what tolerable.

Ancient Greek mythology is a great source of material to use in a game. There is plenty to work with and for the most part there is no way to screw it up. On a good note for this game the story is pretty good. Our story features all of Greek Gods lending there hand through power-ups and special abilities. Not only that the story is full of betrayal and heart pounding moments, almost like you are watching an old black and white Greek Hollywood movie.

As good as the story is the gameplay is horrific at times. The game looks and plays like an original Xbox game. Didn’t the Xbox fall off the face of the earth a few years ago? To me it seems like this game has been in development for some time. I would like to think that Codemasters didn’t decide to make graphics like this from the start. Not even the special effects and cutscenes in the game look that great. What happened during the development because the original game shown before looked beautiful? I am still puzzled to this point.

One of the coolest features in this game has to be the level-up system. As you answer different questions you gain points to add to that God’s abilities. You can either go straight through and answer the questions in favor of one God or you can do a build that makes you happy. Before you answer questions the game will let you know which one is what so you don’t have to worry about doing the “guess and check” method. Though, I couldn’t help that some of these abilities seemed kind of pointless, especially since there is not a whole lot of battling in Rise of the Argonauts.

The battle system in the game is fun and it can be quite enjoyable at times. It seemed like the fights in the game were kept to a small amount. Most of the time you are walking/running around talking to a dozen people, then and only then you will encounter a battle. If you are a skilled gamer then these battles will end right away. However if you are not that talented then this will take a tad longer.

Final Verdict
When I first played Rise of the Argonauts I was impressed. The graphics got to me a little because they looked so much better a few months ago but the gameplay grabbed my attention. As time went by and I had to run back to a castle for the fourth time the game started to annoy the hell out of me.

I wouldn’t pay full price for this game. What I would do is find a good deal on this game, the purchase it. It is worth a shot for the story and a few neat features. But paying full price for what looks like an original Xbox game? It is a crime.

Rating
7 out of 10

More reviews:
MetaCritic: 5.5/10
TestFreaks: 6.7/10
IGN: 6.2/10

Rise of the Argonauts Trailer