Genre: First-Person Shooter
Publisher: Gamecock
Developer: Spark Unlimited
Release Date: October 28, 2008

As any gamer worth his salt knows, this is one heck of a season for video games, which massive title after massive title hitting every system. From blockbusters such as Fallout 3 and Little Big Planet to surprise hits like Dead Space, the blows to a gamer's wallet keep on coming. In the deluge of games, it isn't surprising that some are going to get lost in the rush, and Legendary is one of those. A first-person shooter that has the misfortune to be released on the same day as Fallout 3 and Little Big Planet may be overshadowed by the bigger titles. If gamers can have their eyes drawn away, though, there may be something in Legendary to interest them.

Legendary thrusts players into the shoes of Charles Deckard, an expert thief who is hired by the mysterious Mr. LeFay, leader of the Black Order. He's hired to steal Pandora's Box for a local museum; instead of the legendary item from mythology, Pandora's Box is a powerful magical artifact of unknown origin. Unfortunately, Deckard is tricked into opening the box, releasing the evils that dwell within onto an unsuspecting New York City. The "evils" are mythical beasts such as dragons, werewolves, the Kraken and various other nasties. On top of that, the box brands Deckard with a mysterious signet on his hand. A marked man in more way than one, Deckard is forced to flee for his life, both from the creatures he unleashed and the Black Order, who has orders to kill him on sight. Only his partner Vivian and the mysterious Council of 89 are left to help him recover Pandora's Box from the Black Order and seal away the monsters that he unleashed.

Deckard's biggest advantage against the creatures of Pandora's Box comes from modern weaponry. Legendary offers a wide selection of various paramilitary weapons that you can use to blow mythological monsters back into the history books. Machine guns, pistols, shotguns, and rocket launchers all make their appearance, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Pistols and machine guns tend to have plentiful ammo but little stopping power, while weapons like the rocket launcher are great for clearing crowds. However, you can only carry two guns at once, so you'll have to carefully decide the best loadout for your current situation. If you happen to run out of ammo, you'll find yourself left with only a fire axe for defense; although the fire axe has its uses, nobody wants to fight a werewolf mano-a-weremano if he can avoid it.

You may have modern technology on your side, but your enemies have magic. Each mythological creature in the game has a unique form of magical offense and defense, and learning to work around them is the key to winning fights. For example, werewolves are your primary foes; they're fast, agile, can scamper along walls, and work in packs. Their deadliest feature, however, is that they can't be killed with direct shots to the body. The only way to permanently put down a werewolf to is to decapitate them, so headshots are crucial. The tiny fairy-like Nari, on the other hand, are much less durable. They flitter around, using their magical powers to pick up and throw objects at Deckard for nasty damage. To make matters worse, they spend most of their time incorporeal, and you can only damage them during rare moments when they materialize. Each foe has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, and very few of them can be killed just by firing wildly in their general direction.

Luckily, you also have a bit of magic on your side. The signet that was burned onto Deckard's hand isn't just a fancy tattoo; it gives him the ability to manipulate Animus Vitae, the life energy of mythological creatures. Any time you slay a mythological foe, its Animus Vitae will flow out in the form of a glowing cloud of energy, and you can absorb this energy with the signet and put it to use. The Animus Vitae's most common ability is that it allows you to heal Deckard's wounds. Absorbing Animus Vitae and then pressing the Y button will heal damage, and if you absorb Animus Vitae with a full Animus bar, the excess Animus Vitae will instantly be converted into health. You can also expel the Animus Vitae that you've absorbed in various ways. You can shoot it out as a close-range burst of energy, which is useful for pushing away enemies or moving certain things out of the way. You can also "feed" Animus Vitae into certain custom-made machines, which allows you to power them, a crucial ability in defeating some of the larger foes in Legendary.

Perhaps your most valuable weapon isn't anything tangible, but rather information on your foes. Deckard may be quiet, but he's a rather canny thief, and he quickly picks up information about enemies as he fights them. Once you've encountered an enemy, weapon or object of interest, Deckard will automatically make a note in his PDA. As new info becomes available, he'll continue to update his PDA, revealing enemy tactics and weaknesses. While many of these tips are things players will notice through common sense, it doesn't hurt to have a book of advice available in case you want to go back and double-check something about a specific foe.

Beyond Deckard's adventure, Legendary also offers a rather unique multiplayer online mode. Players take the role of either the Black Order or the Council of 98, both of whom are battling each other for control of a source of Animus Vitae. This Animus Vitae, however, happens to be inside a pack of rampaging Werewolves. The Order and Council fight to prevent the enemy group from collecting Animus Vitae so that they can collect it themselves. The players then deposit the Animus Vitae in their team's Animus Machine. Whichever team maxes out their Animus Machine will gain control of the werewolves, winning the match and dooming their foe to a short bloody future as doggy chow.

Legendary is shaping up to be a potentially interesting first-person shooter. The concept of a modern-day setting filled with mythological creatures is one that is inarguably an interesting idea, and it's hard to argue that shooting a werewolf with a rocket launcher doesn't have appeal. Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers who've not had their eyes fixed on Little Big Planet or Fallout 3 may want to give this overlooked title a glance when it hits on October 28.