Legendary

Legendary (previously known as Legendary: The Box ) is a first-person shooter video game developed by Spark Unlimited and published in the United States by Gamecock Media Group and in the United Kingdom by Atari.

The game takes place in New York City and London. The protagonist is a professional thief named Charles Deckard, who is hired by a mysterious organization known as the Black Order to steal an artifact from a New York museum which turns out to be the fabled Pandora's Box. Unaware of the Box's nature, Deckard opens it, unleashing all kinds of mythological creatures rampaging throughout the world, as well as granting him a strange power (the Signet) which could be the key to resolving this crisis. It's up to Deckard and a secret paramilitary force known as the Council of 98 to set things right, while the Black Order seeks to acquire the box and control the creatures to conquer the world.

The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes, although very few players have been found to be playing online.

Gameplay
Gameplay is similar to many other titles in the genre of first-person shooters. Several different weapons can be found and equipped, generally being taken from dead humans. The only melee weapon available in the game is a fire axe, which is automatically present in the player's inventory, and cannot be removed. It takes up one of three slots for weapons, and a total of two additional weapons can be carried, excluding grenades. Two types of grenades are available to the player, explosive grenades, which can be remote detonated, and Molotov cocktails, which spread flames in and around the area in which they combust. Throughout the game, both human and monster enemies are frequently encountered, the latter often involving specific strategies to defeat. An occasional boss monster is encountered. Boss monsters usually require a more complicated strategy to kill. The player also has access to a PDA- style journal, which updates with messages as data is found and whenever Deckard is given orders or instructions. It also includes detailed information on the monsters and weapons encountered. Throughout the gameworld, numerous objects must be interacted with to proceed, including switches. wheels and lockboxes. The player's health is monitored by a bar in the corner of the screen, while Animus energy is represented by a spherical gauge. Animus energy can be collected by killing monsters, which leave behind bluish gaseous residue. The player can then absorb the residue, replenishing the Animus gauge. This energy can then be used to heal the player, or to send destructive pulses towards monsters (human enemies are not affected by this), stunning them. Additionally, certain objects must be fed Animus energy in order to function properly.

Multiplayer
There is one mode in multiplayer, which can be played with up to 8 people. Multiplayer pits the Council of 98 and the Black Order against each other. The multiplayer portion's objective is not to kill as many opposing team members as possible. The objective is to collect Animus Energy and put it into a machine. The team that fills up the machine first wins. There are creatures on the field, and the player has to kill them in order to harvest Animus Energy. The creatures automatically attack team members with the lower amount of Animus Energy in their machine.

Characters

 * Charles Deckard: The protagonist of the game. He is a professional thief who sells his skills to the highest bidder. He is hired by LeFey, and asked to open Pandora's Box and steal the contents inside. When he opens the box, he releases all the creatures inside, and has the Signet branded on his arm. The Signet endows him with various abilities to be used against the creatures. He sets out to correct his mistake and stop LeFey.


 * Vivian Kane: LeFey's British secretary. She works with Deckard for the majority of the game. She was the one who dropped off Deckard to open Pandora's Box, and when LeFey attempted to kill her, she vowed revenge, and contacted the Council of 98 for help.


 * Ormond LeFey: The millionaire leader of the Black Order. He is the primary antagonist of the game. He hires Deckard to open Pandora's Box (assuming that whoever opened it would've been killed on the spot). Toward the end of the game, it turns out that he built a machine capable of harnessing Animus Energy to control all the creatures and rule the world. He is later killed by a pair of rampaging monsters after Charles Deckard overloaded his machine.


 * Lexington White Deer: A Native American and very "by-the-books" commander in the Council of 98. He gives out orders in most of the missions Deckard takes part in.


 * The Council of 98: An organization that considers itself the "guardian of humanity" and tasked themselves with protecting Pandora's Box from falling into the wrong hands. Originally formed in ancient times, the Council eventually expanded their protection to other technologies that they deem the world is not ready to use.


 * The Black Order: An organization that is opposite to the Council of 98. The organization is led by LeFey. The Order split from the Council in ancient times due to a disagreement about how best to use Pandora's Box. They believed that the mere possession of the artifact gave them the divine right to use it as they see fit: however, what started as a minor schism soon erupted into all-out war between the two groups. They manage to build a doomsday weapon that can harness Animus Energy to control all the loose creatures and take over the world.

Plot
The game's prologue slide show shows the original myth of Pandora's Box, which was a gift from a devious Zeus as a wedding present, with a warning that it should never be opened. Pandora's curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked inside, releasing all the misfortunes of mankind. That was the myth. In reality, Pandora's Box was a device of incredible power. After countless wars were waged over it, a secret society called the Council of 98 hid the artifact away. In the early 21st century, archaeologists found the artifact in a ruin at the bottom of the ocean. Unable to pinpoint its origins, they place the artifact in a New York City museum for safe keeping. A wealthy millionaire named Ormond LeFey, knowing the true nature of the box, hires a professional thief named Charles Deckard. Charles Deckard is tasked with opening the box, and stealing the contents inside (with, of course, a substantial payment). He has his assistant, Vivian Kane, to drop him off at the museum.

The game opens with Deckard sneaking into the museum, easily bypassing all the security and opening the box. When he does, he has a Signet branded onto his left hand, and the box suddenly releases a huge energy surge that shoots toward the sky. Deckard gains the ability to absorb Animus Energy, which he can use to heal himself. He escapes the museum to discover that griffins have materialized, and are flying through the city attacking people. As Deckard continues to walk through the city, trying to escape the creatures, a golem forms from the building debris and cars. The golem then crashes through several buildings and disappears. Deckard continues to run to shelter, and eventually finds a door leading to the subways. When he tries to go there, a griffin attacks him, but he is able to repel the attack with a burst of energy from his Signet, called the Animus Pulse.

From the building, Deckard makes his way to the subway, where he encounters firedrakes, fire breathing lizards made from living rock, rampaging through the sewers. He fights through them in the subway, and makes his way to the surface. On the surface, he finds out that LeFey has sent his private army, known as the Black Order, against him, as well as Vivian Kane. He fights his way through those soldiers, and he makes his way into a building. There, a police officer greets him, but he is killed by a werewolf. Deckard kills the werewolf, and makes his way into the building, where he is greeted by even more werewolves. He fights his way through them, as well as more firedrakes. Finally, he meets up with Vivian Kane. Both are contacted by LeFey, who explains to them why he wants them killed. While he is talking, an onslaught of Black Order soldiers attack. Deckard holds them off while Kane calls for help. Eventually, the Council of 98 arrive, and kill the remaining Black Order soldiers. They are distrusting at first, especially their commander, Lexington White Deer, but eventually agree to help upon seeing the Signet on Deckard's arm. A deal is struck; in exchange for Kane's information on the Black Order's plans, the Council will help them.

Deckard, Kane, and the Council all make it to the surface. There, the golem returns, and sucks up Pandora's Box. Needing Pandora's Box, the Council explains that the golem is held together by a special energy that can be disrupted with an EMP burst. There are three EMP devices. Each has to be powered up by Deckard feeding Animus Energy into it. However, there are enough werewolves attacking, so Deckard has more than enough Animus Energy. When the first one is powered up, he tries to get to the second one. However, the golem causes the ground around him to fall, and he falls into the subway along with some Council soldiers. In the subway, he encounters the Echidna tentacles, and Nari, ghostlike creatures that can become solid to attack. Deckard pushes forward and finds his way into a subway, where it turns out that the EMP device was broken into three pieces. He finds the three pieces, and has a Council member put it back together. He then powers up the EMP device. Later, he makes his way back to the surface, and gets into a building, where the last EMP device was. He fights through several Nari and manages to power up the machine. The three EMP devices release a beam of energy that takes out the golem. The Black Order comes and tries to take the artifact, but Deckard manages to take it first. The Council then takes Deckard, Kane, and the artifact to where the headquarters of the Council is stationed: beneath the Houses of Parliament in London.

While the Council is unraveling the mysteries behind Pandora's Box, Vivian tells the Council of the locations of LeFey's secret labs in an abandoned cathedral. Deckard, Vivian, and the Council decide to go to the cathedral. The whole town is werewolf infested. The helicopter that carries Charles Deckard, Vivian Kane, and Lexington White Deer is knocked down by a flock of griffins. The crash leaves most of the crew dead, and Lexington wounded. Vivian stays behind to look after Lexington, while Charles Deckard is sent to the cathedral. On the way to the cathedral, he meets two new creatures: blood spiders and the alpha werewolf. As he continues to move toward the cathedral, he finds out that the Black Order was capturing werewolves, although some members question why. Deckard meets up with a team of Council members, and it turns out that the werewolf infested town is preventing them from getting to the cathedral. After holding off waves after waves of werewolves, Deckard and the surviving Council soldiers decide to wait for reinforcements that will arrive tomorrow. They find a building where they can safely sleep for the night. The next day, Deckard and the newly arrived reinforcements fight the Black Order soldiers protecting the cathedral. Deckard goes on ahead, and he encounters a minotaur. He kills the minotaur, several werewolves, and a griffin, and finally makes it into the cathedral. From there, he and other Council soldiers hold off werewolf attacks and Black Order soldiers, and eventually make their way into a secret room. There, they find a hard drive that contains all of LeFey's plans. They take the hard drive and bring it to the Council headquarters.

At the headquarters Deckard finds out that LeFey has built a machine that could harness Animus Energy and control the creatures. He aims to use it to take over the world. The surge of energy could also find its way to Deckard's Signet, and the energy surge could kill him. Suddenly, the power goes out. It turns out that the hard drive also contained a Trojan Horse, which powered off all the power in the facility. All the creatures that they were keeping are released. The hard drive also gave the location of the headquarters away, and Black Order soldiers land and attack. Deckard and all the Council soldiers get up onto the roof, where they wait for reinforcements from other parts of the world. Suddenly, a Kraken surfaces in the Thames and attacks. Deckard runs away, and ends up inside the library of the Houses of Parliament. He kills two minotaurs that attack him, as well as several squads of Black Order soldiers, and gets back out. There, he finds a rocket launcher just as the Kraken resurfaces. Firing several rockets down the Kraken's mouth, Deckard succeeds in killing the Kraken. While the Council was distracted, however, the Black Order manages to steal Pandora's Box, and kidnap Vivian Kane. Deckard and the Council chase after them back to New York City.

In New York City, Deckard and the Council launch a full scale attack on the Black Order headquarters. Deckard kills a griffin, two minotaurs, several werewolves, and an entire army of Black Order soldiers on his way to the roof. Inside the building, he manages to free Vivian, and she goes up the command post to help Deckard. On the roof, Deckard finds the machine. It turns out that Deckard can overload the machine, and destroy it by putting a lot of Animus Energy inside of it. Fighting waves after waves of monsters, Deckard absorbs Animus Energy and promptly transfers it to the machine. In the end, the machine overloads, and then explodes. LeFey is hurled out of his control booth by a werewolf, grabbed in midair by a griffin and impaled on the machine, killing him. After the explosion, Vivian is nowhere to be seen. The Council arrives, and assumes that she was vaporized. The Council immediately turns on Deckard, locking him up, stating that Deckard's Signet contains information that could create a new Pandora's Box, the first one being destroyed when the machine exploded. Later, it turns out that Vivian survived, and Deckard, being a thief, easily escapes. Deckard goes out to set things right, but not in the way everyone expected. A final picture shows Deckard sticking his Signet branded hand out to a griffin, taming it, and is presumably successful in brokering peace between the humans and the creatures.

Reception
Legendary has received generally negative reviews with an average critic score of 51% for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions and 49% for the PC at Game Rankings, and Metascores of 50 for PS3 and PC and 47 for Xbox at Metacritic. Eurogamer noted that the game was "hilariously bad" citing unresponsive movement and twitchy crosshairs as well as Spark Unlimited managing "to take Unreal engine 3 and make it look like a 1997 Half-Life mod". X360Magazine faulted the game for unskippable cutscenes and "Action sections that feel like a movie you just happen to be walking through, and not interacting with". IGN gave the Xbox 360 version 2.5/10 stating that "the gameplay comes across as messy and incomplete, the arrangement of hazards and threats from monsters is ineffective at best and boring at worst.". It went on to score the PS3 version 2.3/10 noting long load times, frame drops and a lack of trophy support. According to theurbanwire.com, Legendary falls short. The US version of the Official Xbox Magazine gave the game a score of 7.5/10, as did the New Zealand based Gameplanet review.