It’s a true clash of titans as characters from Roman, Egyptian, and even Norse Mythologies come together in battle to see who is the strongest warrior. Find out in Tournament of Legends, a Wii exclusive weapons-based 3-D one-on-one fighter.

Select from around a dozen or so combatants, such as a Valkyrie, Minotaur, Medusa, Gladiator, Sun Goddess, and others. Each character has his or her own special weapons. As you defeat fighters in Story Mode, you may unlock different weapons and magic attacks you can use to customize your warrior. Aside from the arcade-style Story mode, you and another human player can battle in Versus Mode, or learn the controls in Practice Mode.

On the bottom of the screen is a meter that fills up as you fight. When the meter is full enough, you can unleash special attacks specific to your character and weapon of choice. And after defeating characters, you will unlock Enchantments. Cast them on your weapon when the bottom meter is full to add temporary status effects to your attacks. Similar to Soul Calibur 4, you can break off parts of your opponents’ armor. But they can be repaired between rounds with proper controller movements.

Speaking of controls, Tournament of Legends uses the Wii remote and nunchuck for motion-based fighting. Swing the Wii remote or nunchuck sideways for left and right swings, or swipe the remote down for an upward chop. Couple these movements with button presses for blocks, special attacks, taunts, and enchantments. In some levels, you or your opponent can summon stage specific beasts to aid in battle. Then you and the enemy will have to avoid a charging Centaur or dodge the swiping tentacles of a fearsome Kraken. If you’d rather use a standard Classic Controller to fight, the game lets you do that as well. Both control schemes work well, too.

It’s obvious that Tournament of Legends is imitating Soul Calibur’s gameplay and style. Unfortunately, the end result isn’t quite as good. The character selection isn’t as varied, graphics and fighter designs are a bit dated, and there aren’t enough extra features to keep you coming back after the Story Mode is cleared and everything is unlocked. But even thought I’d rather play Soul Calibur 4, there aren’t very many original fighters around nowadays, especially for the Wii. So it’s nice to see a new fighting game with responsive controls and original ideas. And at only 30 bucks, it’s not a bad price for a pretty decent fighter otherwise. Fans of fighting games and mythology will definitely want to try it out.

Kid Factor:

Tournament of Legends is rated T for Teen with ESRB descriptors of Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, and Violence. Honestly, I didn’t see any noticeable blood while playing, and of course the game is violent, as it’s a fighting game. Mild Suggestive Themes might come from some of the female characters’ armor, but it’s really not that bad. I’d be OK with gamers younger than teens playing it. Reading skill isn’t necessary as everything has voice to go along with it. And with three selectable difficulty levels, fighters of all skill levels will be able to feel challenged and accomplished. Kids might even be encouraged to learn more about mythologies in history and literature after playing. Maybe.

Tags: Game Reviews