Chaos Legion (PlayStation 2)

By JON MINIFIE

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Earlier this month I took a look at Chaos Legion. It was still early code but I was impressed by the speed, beauty and elegance of the game_s dynamic fight sequences. Not unlike Devil May Cry, recurrent battle scenes pit your character, Sieg Wahrheit, against an array of demonic creations.

Sieg is fairly typical of a Goth game lead. He looks more like a hairdresser than a slayer of demons but he has a secret weapon to unleash when facing multiple opponents.

Sieg can summon up the chaos legions, a crew of hostile spirits who eagerly take on nearby enemies, leaving your character to deal to any leftovers with a few languid swooshes of a sword. The easy targeting system allows you to direct your posse of monsters to attack precise targets. Or you can just let them loose to wipe out whoever is in the room.

As players progress through the 15 levels, you will get to play as another character and earn power ups and enhancements for your legion, which you will need as the battles can get frantic later on.

As always, there is an involved plot to wade through in between hacking and slashing wildly at anything that moves.

The game_s dialogue can be a bit longwinded, another characteristic of Goth inspired titles, but with the sheer number of enemies and their endless frenzied assaults, you might be glad for a little downtime.

Graphically, Chaos Legion is eye-catching. The architecture, the gloomy settings and the insect-like beasts have been superbly crafted. There are some issues with the camera, which pans, and rotates constantly. This undoubtedly provides a cinematic view of the action, but often players are forced to defend themselves against an attacking enemy standing just out of camera shot.

Minor flaws aside, this is another fine 3D action title from the creative minds at Capcom. If you enjoyed their Devil May Cry franchise, Chaos Legion delivers an even bigger dose of gothic, hack-slash adventure.

There has been no rating attached to Chaos Legion as yet, but I'm assuming it will be slapped with a M15+ before it releases mid September.

Price: $129.95

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