Robin Hood Defender of the Crown

by Capcom

Product Features

• Take up medieval weapons like the bow, spear and sword and survive Dark Age combat
• Use your strategic skills as you engage in siege warfare and full army battles, to take the throne from evil Prince John
• Conquer 38 territories with help from friends like Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet and more
• Multiple endings depending on your choices -- eight possible outcomes
• Wide range of action and strategy sequences that immerse you in the epic legend of Robin Hood!

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00009WAUY
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: October 1, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,438 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #43 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Strategy

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown is a fusion of action, role-playing, and strategy genres that seamlessly blend cinematic presentations with unique medieval action-sequences. You must rely on your skill at sword fighting, castle sieges, jousting, daring archery ambushes, and massive army battles to restore England to its glory and remove the tyranny that plagues the land. Featuring an epic storyline that unfolds through the eyes of Robin Hood, you must battle your way to victory through action-oriented sequences. Their quest is to defeat all rival lords and the vile, yet powerful, Prince John. This malevolent aristocrat has usurped the throne and now sits as the illegitimate King of England. Acting on behalf of the people, Robin Hood must reunite England, end the dictatorial rule of Prince John, and restore the rightful king to the throne. Throughout your journey, you will interact with many of the characters that populate this timeless legend including Maid Marian, Little John, and Will Scarlet. These characters of old are presented through beautiful, cut-scene movies and voiced-over by professional British actors, and the game features a fully-orchestrated soundtrack. Features

• Play the roll of the legendary hero Robin Hood: gorgeous cut-scenes featuring full voice-over and fully animated in-game character dialogues tell the classic tale
• Open-ended game play: choose your own path through the story and control the pacing of the entire experience
• Five Medieval action-sequences: sword fighting, archery, jousting, siege warfare, and army battles
• Strategic planning is required: as the twisting plot unfolds, you will have access to dozens of military units, strongholds, and equipment in your campaign to conquer 38 territories?
• Multiple endings: over eight different endings determined by game conditions and player performance
• Numerous characters from the legend of Robin Hood join the quest for liberation: interact with legendary characters including Maid Marian, Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and many more
• Richly detailed 3D world and environments: you will be immersed in twelfth-century England as you interact in richly detailed landscapes
• Fully-orchestrated: comprised of a fully-orchestrated musical score, you will become enthralled with the immersive setting and the overall epic scope of the game

Product Description

Robin Hood: Defender Of The Crown takes you into a medieval role-playing strategy game where you must become the famous hero known as Robin Hood!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For fans of the original, June 5, 2004

By 

Robert Graves (Thompson Station, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Robin Hood Defender of the Crown (Video Game)

I remember being about thirteen, coming home from school and playing this game on my Apple IIgs. Hours upon hours wasted. Well, now I can waste even more because Capcom has released it on Xbox and Playstation, completely updated yet very faithful to the original.

The story starts with you as Robin Hood in Sherwood forest. You have to defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham in a similar style of play that made the original Defender so great. It's a territorial battle, where the number of men that you recruit and have stationed in a province will determine your ability to protect that province against attack. This part of the game is rather quick and thrown together. They would've done better to extend it, since it is the primary difference between this updated version and the original release.

From here you enter into the original storyline. England is in disarray and it's up to you to save it. Several other nobles are vying for the same properties as you are, and you must choose your properties and fortify them with castles and men, all the while watching your back against attack. The ultimate goal is to defeat other nobles and claim their territories, and essentially be the last one standing when it's over.

As a standalone game it's hard to recommend very highly. It's relatively simple compared to the monolithic games of today, and doesn't have a lot of "sparkle" to it. But as a fan of the original it's like being reacquainted with an old friend. They pay homage to the original scenes, even lifting some of the actual text and cut scenes directly from it. One of the almost humorous additions is the animated princesses after you rescue them. Instead of the simple silhouettes in the window, you now see a scantily clad vixen straight from a Victoria's Secret add. That probably wouldn't have fit in too well back in the 80s. On the most part the scenes are great, especially in the swordfighting sequences. They now take place in 3D castle settings and utilize unique camera angles and perspectives to show some amazing animated scenery.

Overall it's a simple but still great game. On this review page, the major complaint was that the game is "hard." Even if this were true it doesn't mean it's a bad game. And with a little practice you can easily master the elements of the game, from catapult launching to swordfighting to basic strategy. If you're a fan of the original, buy it without hesitation. But if you're new to the game, I'd suggest renting first to see if you like it, since it's so different than what's currently popular in the market.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth it!, January 13, 2004

By 

Michael Picagli (Long Island-New York, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robin Hood Defender of the Crown (Video Game)

This game has been very entertaining, and brings a new style/perspective to games that have been lost for a long time. A lot of games these days have missed the gameplay aspect in favor of flashy graphics. This has both. The game does get monotonous at times, but it doesn't daunt me too much from enjoying it. The strategy of the game is very challenging and keeps the game going. You can get a lot of re-play out of this game, it retains it's fun pretty well, which is very important to me.

There are aspects I wish they would have developed further, like the sword fighting. It's not the greatest system, and I found the fights quite easy and non challenging after my third time playing it. But it's still enjoyable, definitely not the worst!! You can block, duck, jump, and do high and low attacks. But it's quite simplistic in method.
Jousting is definitely kool, but like the fighting, they could have added a lot more features. Still, I love watching the guys getting smashed by my lance! And the controls are very good.
You get to go on castle raids which is totally awesome, but also simplistic. Archery ambushes are quite hard, in my opinion the hardest part of the game. If they made it just a tad easier it would be my most played sequence. Ahhh, and the sieges! Nicely done, let the castle walls crumble! Decent fun, but again, they could have added extra features in there as well. I just want to shake the creators a bit for not pushing the game a little further.
The voice acting was superb! The movie sequences are truly awesome. It adds a very nice flare to it, and is done better then any other game I've seen. The graphics are really very good, my applause to the artists and animators.

Overall, the game is very well worth the price of admission!

I hope to see a Robin Hood: defender of the crown 2 with added features and sequences.
The game could really use some added spice to make it more robust. But after playing it and knowing it's pro's and con's. I would still buy it if I didn't own it. I am very happy with this game, the low price, and my purchase.

(Edit Dec 2006: I think the computer version of this game is perfect for laptop/notebook users, more so today then 2 years ago.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like the old school versions, you'll LOVE this game!!, September 24, 2004

By 

Joe Blow "turbo20v18" - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Robin Hood Defender of the Crown (Video Game)

DFC was my second favorite 8-bit Nintendo game (after Mega Man 2 of course ;) ). When I saw this on the shelf, and the quote on the back of the box saying "Based on the origional", I couldn't get home fast enough. Truth be told, I was more than pleased.

Some folks on here whine about the graphics, and these complaints are completely unfounded. The graphics are fantastic, but if you're looking for an in-depth game with mind blowing graphics, go play Transformers.

Everything is so much more detailed, and fun, in this version. From castle sieges to sword fighting, all aspects of DFC have been improved. I will admit that it is nearly impossible to beat Prince John (I still haven't), but that takes nothing away from the game.

Build a fortress, and a big army right away and go take over England!!! Relive your childhood in PS2, or Xbox, form with this great game.