Customer Reviews

Gauntlet Seven Sorrows

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I am a HUGE fan of the Gauntlet series by Midway. I raced home with this newest version, eager to re-immerse myself in the Gauntlet universe. We finished the entire game in FOUR HOURS.

I'm not saying this to say we're Game Gods. I'm saying this because we were in utter shock that the game is so short, so boring, and so completely unlike the previous games that we loved. I can't even imagine how the company that created the previous, fantastic Gauntlet games could be responsible for this release. Maybe they lost their good programmers and were under contract to release a new Gauntlet by X date, so they had their newbie coders kick this out? I am just horrified at how poor this game was.

First, you get a choice of four charaters, of course - the elf, warrior, mage or valkyrie. However, you don't get to choose their color! I know it's a small thing, but I was ticked at that to start.

Your character has 3 main attacks plus 1 long-range attack - so the elf gets 3 sword swings plus his bow attack. In addition, there are combo attacks and d-button super attacks that you can pay to unlock over time. You then move from map to map, bashing away at enemies, killing the enemy generators and finding keys for doors. That part of the gameplay is similar to previous games. You can't shoot your friends in the back of the head, which my fellow gamers appreciated greatly. I was notorious for standing in the back area as the elf and just letting the arrows fly.

Really, the huge issue is the game's shortness. If it was 3-4 times longer, at least, it would seem perhaps worth playing. But I really found its entire layout much less interesting than the previous Gauntlet. In the previous one, you had a central area from where you could go out to various worlds, each with its own theme, going back and forth as you wished. In this one it's just a straight line, and while there are some thematic elements, it came across as a dungeon crawl that just plodding on for a few hours, then stopped.

Also, in the previous games, when you got character upgrades it was really exciting. You clearly saw the change and it was something fun to pay attention to. In this one when you get weapon and armor upgrades, you can barely tell. We would even stare at our characters before doing an upgrade, and it was hard to see anything had even changed.

The vocals really didn't impress me much. Part of the problem is that they would tell you "elf needs food" when the elf still had a ways to go - but then they would tell you "starving" and "has died" right on top of each other. So you were always being harassed about needing food, but never when you really needed to know. Also, with death being able to be slain with a mana blast, you pretty much were able to kill off death in .2 seconds any time you opened a chest. So Death was barely announcing his presence before he vanished again.

The graphics were good. There were many spots that looked walkable that you were magically blocked from going into, which was a bit annoying. If an area isn't open, don't put a wide open door pointing to it :)

I just don't know what went wrong here. I am extremely disappointed. Be sure to rent this game first, to see if it's something you would enjoy more than a day or two.

For many, this game has been a great game throughout the years with it's many versions and platforms that it ran on. Then comes this new version after all this time. I will give them credit for the graphics. Everything is just outright gorgeous. However, I am guessing that is where they spent all of their time because the game is too easy at best. As long as you can press the fire button fast enough, you breeze right through.

There are no secret passages to find. The game guides you where it wants you to go and you cannot take a wrong turn. You can purchase fighting abilities that allow you different moves, but everything is so easy, I found myself rarely using any of them. There were so little moves anyway with the Wizard, I had them all purchased within the first hour of gameply. There are no potions to buy, no keys to find to open chests, and so on. You literally just walk through the game pressing the "A" button as many times as you can. It takes nothing more than that.

Anyway, for long time Gauntlet fans, I think you will be disappointed. The previous version was a little easy, but what made up for that was the length of the game and all the little secret places and definately all the different characters. This version only has 4.

Again, the graphics are so much better, but you can take a nap while playing and still be able to finish the game. Yes, even on the so-called hardest level. I put the game in and had all seven levels done, by myself mind you, in 6.5 hours and I was taking my time thinking there actually might be secret passages. The final beast is just way too easy. Just run past all the creatures, flip the switches several times as required, and it is over just like that.

Folks,

Let me begin by saying I waited for this game for a looong time. I was hoping it was going to be a great improvement on the others, which I love btw. I believed the hype. Read all the previews and couldn't be more excited once it was released on the 15th. That's where it ends.

First, let me talk about the graphics. They are solid. Much more intriguing and compelling than the other games, which I thought were decent to begin with. I have a HDTV and the 480i this game comes in is nice. I'm beginning to hate the cool graphics part of all these games though. It seems like all these programmers worry about shadows and lighting that they forego the essense of these games...the GAMEPLAY! Seeing my shadow reflection in a pool of water is cool for the first 2 seconds...if I notice it. If that makes my overall gameplay suffer or the game is cut short because of that, FORGET IT. These programmers need to know that.

Also, the game play is way too linear...more so than the previous Gauntlets. It's boring. You can't explore like other Guantlet games. There's no secret doors or hidden anythings! No secret levels to gain coins and unlock other characters. Food mostly appears randomly when you kill monsters. Keep killing and more food appears. Where's the adventure? B.O.R.I.N.G.

Yes, the graphics are good but the game play suffers tremendously. For example, when you destroy one of the generators, which is consistent with past Gauntlets, you move on. Frequently, as I've moved on in this version, monsters have reappeared from places that I've already destroyed. When I go back to re-examine the area, the game is just randomly creating them. It's confusion....I thought I cleaned up one area but the computer decides that it will randomly re-create more monsters with no generator!!! What is that all about??? Poor execution.

I liked the old version with 5-way shots, speed bursts, potions, etc... This has none of that. Instead you collect gold and get to "buy" special feats. Each of the four characters have about 20 to choose from. Here's the worst part of that...each one is triggered by some specific button punching. So if I want to execute the "Rain Shower" (I forgot the actual name of it), I have to hit X, then A,Y,A,Y. who has time? The old game made it simple. Throw a potion, shoot 5 ways and be done with it. Don't even get me started with how bad the tips of your fingers will ache (I don't care how young you are! It happens!). I had to pause several times a level with all the unnecessary pounding.

Folks, this is a decent game that severely let me down. I waited a long time for it, hoping that improvements were made and the game play was better. The only thing they delivered was better graphics. Big deal. If you're like me, i'll sacrifice jaw-dropping graphics for better gameplay experience. That is far from what you'll get. You'll scratch your head at some of the ridiculous bugs still in it, your fingers will require time off from all the unnecessary button pushing and the short game play will just keep you wondering why did I just pay $50 for this game!

Rent it. Finish it. Save your money.

I was sooo excited to buy this after Christmas and run home and play it. In retrospect, I'm so frigging pissed I spent $50 on this (and I'm not even past the first level yet)! There's NO differentiation between the different classes anymore, they all fight the same. I made it all the way to the first boss by merely running around the screen pressing the X button. BORING! To me, this is not a Gauntlet game at all! Stick with the classic versions or Dark Legacy; the eighth sorrow is purchasing this game.

Like the other reviewers, I was also very excited to get this game. As a big fan of the Dark Legacy game, I am sorely disappointed in Midway for developing such a sorry game that resembles nothing of the "arcade" feel of the past Gauntlets. Definitely no replay value so a complete waste of money.

I share the disappointment of the other reviewers, especially with the shortness and linearity of the new Gauntlet game. The previous one, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, was one of my favorite Xbox games, but the new one is missing most of the things that made the previous one so great. No secret areas (or maybe only accessed in multiplayer mode), almost no power-ups, too easy, etc.

One of the aspects that was so bad it was a little funny is how easy it is to dispose of Death when he shows up. All you have to do is save up enough mana (magic power) before you open a chest, and you will ALWAYS be able to INSTANTLY get rid of Death. It's unintentionally funny because by the time the announcer says "Death Has Appeared!" in ominous tones, Death is already gone! So Death is no real threat in this game like in previous Gauntlets.

Despite all of the major flaws with this game, though, I DID have fun during the limited time it takes to complete this game. The graphics are very good - I appreciated the little things like the blinking red eyes buried in the shadows in the forest and the way the enemy soldiers' shields block incoming attacks (the sound and look of it). One of the bosses, the guy made out of stone (I think he is the 3rd Sorrow) was kind of cool to defeat -- again, it was too easy, but still interesting and mildly challenging to figure out. So despite the major letdown, and the big feeling of "is that all there is?" when I quickly finished the game, I'm still giving it 3 stars for the moderate amount of fun I had while playing it.

IF you enjoyed gauntlet legends, then you'll enjoy this game. Its an easy beat if you are a good gamer, but a lot of fun play time. Each level and boss get harder and harder, with an ultamite boss that is the end of the game. But with a four player option, and four different playable characters, along with four settings: easy, normal, hard and impossible, creates a great challenege. I haven't discovered any unlockables yet, which is always a nice plus, to unlock a character or bonus level. Overall, a good game to have to enjoy with a friend or on a down day.

Gauntlet took the traditional dungeon crawl style made popular by the pen-and-paper role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, and amped it up to an insane degree by tossing billions of monsters at four heroes from a top-down perspective. Your heroes, in turn, were armed with medieval weaponry that they hurled at ridiculous speeds, machinegun-style.

I've been a fan of Gauntlet since the game was in the video arcades. Ah, the good old days of the Barbarian, Valkyrie, Elf, and Wizard. Of course, no self-respecting guy wanted to be the Valkyrie, because...well because she was a girl. The Elf was nearly just as bad, especially when he shrieked in his prissy elf voice, "Oh no!" as he neared death.

Gauntlet introduced a lot of fantasy troupes that are routinely mocked today. It rationalized that when you eat food, you heal. Given that I'd prefer just sucking down a shake once a day to actually having to eat, I have difficulty imagining that food actually gives you that kind of recuperative abilities. Sometimes food was just sitting in some chest, waiting to be discovered. Other times monsters dropped it. It always looked delicious; a whole chicken on a plate with potatoes, a leg of pork, or some smelly cheese. It never made any sense and didn't have to.

Gauntlet was also known for the Dungeon Master (again, swiped from D&D) providing some obvious and not so-obvious commentary. My all time favorite is when the other characters accidentally destroyed food. "ELF SHOT THE FOOD!" booms the DM, encouraging every other player to smack them upside the head. About to die? The DM had some advice there too. "WIZARD NEEDS FOOD. BADLY!" When I get really hungry before lunch, sometimes I hear that voice too.

Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, attempts to update the hack-and-slash style of the original Gauntlet while at the same time providing the rationale for the characters' ridiculous "kill `em all, let the DM sort `em out" style of mass murder.

Our heroes are immortals, crucified (!) by some kind of Aztec-looking sun emperor. His seven advisors all turned out to be wretchedly evil. Since the heroes are immortal, they didn't die (and now we know why they keep coming back to life each game...it all makes sense now!). Filled with regret, the emperor (taking the role of the booming DM voice guy) guides our heroes along the path to redemption by encouraging them to kicking the living snot out of his former employees.

A lot of thought went into Seven Sorrows. The generators that spawn dozens of monsters are still there, but they create enemies with a magical flourish. The environment is beautifully rendered in three dimensions, allowing enemies to be knocked right off precipices (my favorite tactic). In addition to all the running and the killing, there are occasional quests where our heroes go and kill more monsters, find a key, then run back to the door and open it. Gauntlet was never a deep game.
Each hero has been updated with a wide variety of moves, including magical powers that replace the potion-bombs from the original Gauntlet. The Elf can stun enemies, the Valkyrie shrieks and tosses bad guys into the air, etc. Each hero has a logical ranged weapon too; the Valkyrie shoots energy lances from her blade, the Elf pulls out his bow and fires, the Barbarian hurls hand axes and the Wizard shoots bolts of energy. All four heroes are highly individualized; the Valkyrie's "jump back" maneuver is actually a series of backflips while the Wizard teleports all over. Overall, the graphics are impressive.

Unfortunately, Seven Sorrows is far, far too short. My wife and I have come to the conclusion that we are now advanced players, so starting a game on normal difficulty no longer suffices. We should have set it on hard but didn't; in retrospect, I'm not sure if that would have helped. We ended up beating the game in the span of just a few hours.

It's ironic that Seven Sorrows is probably most like the original Gauntlet game. That's not a compliment though; in a crowded market of Gauntlet-clones, Seven Sorrows doesn't sufficiently distinguish itself from all the other sword-swinging, axe-hurling, bow-shooting, magic-blasting games out there.

Do yourself a favor and play PacMan. It'll be more challenging and last longer.

This game is a pathetic sequel to the original that was a lot of fun. There is nothing exciting about this and after the first couple levels there is nothing new to buy with all the gold you get. Zero replay; in fact you're bored silly at the first go around. The graphics do not make up for the poor play-ability. The cost of this "old" technology is outrageous!