Overall: I bought this game in October, and being the fan I am, figured I would greatly enjoy this game. I have not been too disappointed. Granted, the graphics aren't so hot, and Xena sounds like she's been getting off on helium, but it's a fun game, with lots of tricky puzzles and mini-quests you have to solve in exactly the right order, or your hostages will be toast. But I digress...
Graphics: As I said, the graphics aren't great. The images are choppy, and Xena's doing a passable Ally McBeal--the poor chick looks anorexic. Also, her face looks nothing like Lucy Lawless's (the actress who playes Xena), and Gabrielle (Xena's best friend and sidekick to you neophytes) appears to be wearing a skort, instead of her little brown skirt and Bile Green Sports Bra (BGSB). And those voices...
Sound System: Now, this was my biggest nit with the game. OK, I understand they couldn't get Lucy's voice (despite the fact that the creators listed her in Acknowledgements). I even agree Renee O'Connor (the chick who plays Gabby) might be hard to get. But they couldn't get Kevin Smith??? Xena and Gabrielle sound like freakin' Valley Girls, and Ares leaves a helluva lot to be desired. However, an added note, and kudos to Xenastaff for this one: in the level where you fight the Amazon Zombies from Hell, they used actual clips from the episode A Necessary Evil! It's the evil Amazon leader Velasca's scream. Also, when Gab takes out a baddy, she gets the sound byte, "Not bad for a bard!" LOL! I was on the FLOOR when I first heard that!
Plot: Not too complex, and more than a little like the show. You fight monsters and Evil Warlords (TM), all the while trying to save the sidekick from being roadkill. There's a level where you have to take out baddies with the Boomerang From Hell, Xena's specialty weapon the chakram (a round ring-weapon you throw at enemies) to save hostages. Be quick, if you take too long the hostages throats get slit. Aim improperly, and you hit and kill hostages by mistake. The chakky sees a lot of action in this game; use it to kill baddies, cut ropes, and distract a grumpy Cyclops.
Abilities: Ok, there's the aforementioned chakram, which I suggest you get a little practice with in the Practice Target Arena. You can punch, kick, use both sword AND staff (in the Zombie Amazons from Hell level), do fancy kick-ass wicked backflips, and generally beat the shit out of anything that stands in your way. However. You get Karma points every time you beat an enemy using non-lethal methods. When you fell a baddy with a kick or punch (NOT sword), you up your Karma Meter, and Xena temporarily takes half-damage. When this happens she glows softly. Also (this has nothing to do with actual Abilities; I just thought it rocked) in the dock level there's a dead hanging shark. If you go up and hit it with your sword, all sorts of crap falls out of it--pirate flags, dead fish, and surfboards (yes this IS Ancient Greece). It's very funny, and a cute in-joke in the game.
Difficulty: Pretty easy, until you get to this fire-breathing dragon that has the sidekick hostage. In order to defeat it, you aim the chakram at stalactites on the ceiling, which are supposed to fall on its head. Note I say "supposed to", because I have not actually achieved this. So far, I'm having Sally play the game for me and even she, who has whupped Ganondorf's tin ass, has yet to complete this level. Of course, she also quickly bores of almost all things Xena, so we shall see...
Final Review: If you're a Xena fan, I suggest this as a must-buy...otherwise...well, it's a good game, but not the best, not fantastic.
links to Xena sites
Whoosh!
Tom's Xena Page
Aussie Xenite Information Page