Graphics: Not too shabby, considering the game itself was rushed into production to comply with the beginning of the fifth season (how do I know these things? I'm a Xenite!). The facial features on the characters aren't very clear, but the costumes are unmistakable. One little addition I loved: When you pit the characters against themselves (Callisto vs. Callisto, for example) they wear different outfits from actual episodes (Callisto's normal black leather bikini :) vs. her Aleph the Fool green-dress-n-pageboy from The Bitter Suite, or the white robe from Ides of March). It's the little things like this that I love. :)
Sound System: The background music is appropriately vaugely ethnic, according to the show, and the little grunts and "whooshes" that accompany the characters' movements fit perfectly. Gods, I am raving though, aren't I?
Plot: Despair, one of Dahak's minions (a perennial Force of Evil that shows up in the show on occasion) arranges a battle to control the Fate of Mankind (yes these are in capitals!), inviting the greatest heros and villains of all time--plus Joxer!--to compete for the right to control Fate. Very average, mediocre plot, very typical.
Characters: The characters are basically any person wielding a weapon who has showed up on more than one episode of Xena: Warrior Princess.
Xena: The Warrior Princess, the Destroyer of Nations, the syndicated character herself. Xena's got a huge chip on her shoulder and a relentless guilt complex resulting from that, in her salad years, she slaughtered hundreds of people and burned villages for revenge. Now seriously reformed, the Poster Girl for justice is Fighting Evil (namely in the form of warlords), with the help of her best friend and sidekick (and possibly more, but we'll leave that to the subtexters) Gabrielle (See below). Her primary weapon is the Boomerang from Hell chakram, a iron ring-shaped weapon that has more uses that a Swiss Army Knife in her talented grasp. She also blows fire if properly pissed off, and will do anything for the Greater Good and Gabrielle. Outfits: The Leathers, Dancer's outfit from Cradle of Hope, Adventures In the Sin Trade shamaness duds.
Gabrielle: Bard, Amazon Queen, best friend to the Hottest Warrior in the Butt-Kicking Business. Gabrielle's skill with a staff is not to be taken lightly, despite her diminuitive size and sweet smile. She acquired both staff and skills from the Amazons, although recently she went through a "Way of Peace" phase that left Xenites scratching their heads...but that's neither here nor there. Having come a long way since an innocent farm girl from backwoods Potadeia ran away to follow a pessimistic ex-warlord, Gabrielle is now nearly the equal of Xena. Outfits: Amazonian Bile Green Sports Bra (BGSB) and short brown skirt, Way of Peace India sari and mendhi.
Joxer: Deluded and misguided though he may be, he is loyal to the core and has proved himself on several occasions to be almost worthy of the self-appointed title "The Mighty"...though just not how he thinks. Joxer brags of his prodigious skill to all who would listen, and punctuates his claims by falling flat on his face. In battle he injures himself more often than he does his opponent. His crush on Gabrielle may prove a disadvantage in the competition. He throws a miniscule dagger at his opponent. Outfits: Clunky pasta strainer outfit with funny hat, "hero" outfit from For Him The Bell Tolls, The Hanged Man outfit from The Bitter Suite.
Callisto: Psychotic Blonde, Warrior Queen. Years ago Evil Warlord Xena's army torched the small village of Cirra, killing Callisto's mother, sister, and soul. Since then the blonde warrior has vowed revenge against her "creator" (as she puts it), and has done a pretty damn good job of it. So far she has murdered in Xena's name, killed Gabrielle's husband, threatened Xena's mother, attacked Xena's horse Argo, is responsible for the death of Xena's son, indirectly lead to Gabrielle's death (don't ask), and is responsible for both Xena and Gabrielle being crucified (again, don't ask!). Her fighting and athletic ability is equal to Xena's, and she takes full advantage of that. She has undergone several transformations, and is currently (in this game, anyway), a goddess, capable of throwing fireballs and causing lava to erupt underneath her opponent. Outfit: Black leather bikini warrior outfit, green-dress-n-pageboy Aleph the Fool cossie from The Bitter Suite, white bedsheet outfit from Ides of March.
Ares: Studmuffin God of War. Oozing confidence from every immortal pore, Ares considers himself the lucky person to have created Xena's Destroyer of Nations persona, bloodlust and all. He has betrayed and double-crossed her on numerous occasions, yet his exact feelings towards the Warrior Princess are still unknown. Despite his repeated attempts to seduce her body and soul, there is a growing rumor he may actually be her father. But that would be WAY too creepy for TV. Being a god, he has the ability to throw lightning bolts and is a formidable opponent. Outfits: Black leather (oo baby), white leather in his alternate-universe persona as the God of Love.
Autolycus: Self-proclaimed "King of Thieves". A Master of Disguise and Houdini before his time, this escape artiste-extraordinaire's dashing guise masks his true self, proving himself loyal and having saved Xena's life more than once. Capable of both hiding in plain sight and exuding charisma to charm the ladies, he affects a devil-may-care attitude all the while figuring out ways to save his own neck. A competent fighter, his fast, tricky movements baffle his opponent. His favored weapon, the toothpick, is thrown without warning, and his climbing hook is a useful tool for his trade. Outfit: Green vest over black long-sleeved shirt and leather pants, "Philepon the Reformer" outfit from A Tale of Two Muses, red outfit from King of Assassins.
Ephiny: Amazon Queen Regent. A wary but ultimately loyal friend to the wandering duo, the Amazon is acting ruler of her tribe while the official Queen travels with Xena. After a long enmity with a local centaur village, she learned forgiveness, then love, and has a centaur child. Having taught Gabrielle much of her staff fighting, it can be safely assumed the Amazon is a powerful fighter in her own right. Her favored long-range weapon is the crossbow, and she employs it with deadly accuracy. Outfit: Amazon lieutenant outfit from Hooves and Harlots, Amazon Queen outfit from Maternal Insticts.
Lao Ma: Far Eastern Sage. This gentle, unassuming lady from the Land of Chin packs a major punch. After being sold into marriage to one Lao Tzu (snick), she diddled around with Eastern Mysticism, eventually achieving Ultimate Serenity. When Warlord Xena tromped into Chin, Lao Ma took her under her wing and attempted to teach her inner peace too. Unfortunately, Xena didn't take to it, and Lao Ma was executed by her evil son Ming Tien for no good reason whatsoever. Damn, she was an interesting character. Years later Xena discovered she also had twin daughters, but that's fifth season stuff, unaired when this game came out. She wields a graceful fan, and throws hairpins at "pertinant body parts". Outfits: Red Chinese silk dress, red fur-trimmed coat.
Caesar...Julius Caesar: Ruler of the Roman Empire. A serious thorn in Xena's side...after being captured by Young Warlord Xena and held for ransom, he seduced her, left her to believe they had a future together...then captured her, killed her friend M'Lila, and had her tied to a cross with her legs broken. Her obsessive pursuit of him distracted her at a crucial moment and indirectly led to Gabrielle killing for the first time, which caused a total breakdown in their (her and Gabrielle's, although I'd say she was pretty pissed at Caesar too) friendship. He utterly believes in Rome and claims he is its salvation. He will do almost anything for the public's approval. As a fighter he is mediocre, and relies on his extensive military to back him up. Outfit: Gold-plated armor, "Roman nobleman's" outfit from Destiny.
Velasca: Psychotic Ex-Amazon Recent God. Raised by the Amazons after her own family was killed in a war, she was kicked out for her rather aggressive methods. After returning and killing their Queen Melosa in combat ("Fair combat."), she acted Regent for awhile, much to Ephiny's discomfort, until former Queen Gabrielle returned. After a brief tussle over the Mask of Queenhood ("That mask was MINE!!!"), she was shish-kebobed on spikes. Before dying she got a good handful of ambrosia ("Food of the gods!"), gulped that down, and attained godhood ("I'm a GODDDD GABRIELLLLLE!!! AHAHAHA!!!"), before being dumped in a lava pit with fellow newbie goddess Callisto. Callisto has returned. The jury's still out on Velasca. Outfit: Skimpy Amazon cossie; same skimpy Amazon cossie, with Mask of Queenhood ("AHAHAHAHA!").
Hope: Nasty Evil Naughty Demon Daughter. Spawn of the Evil Dahak and a drop-dead ringer for Mommy, Hope was conceived when Gabrielle was lured into a seemingly innocent cult, forced to kill and impregnated by fire. At first Gabrielle was convinced her daughter was simply misguided, and sent her afloat to save her from Xena. But when Hope was physically about ten or eleven, she released Callisto from lava and killed Xena's son Solan. So Gab poisoned her. After a short stint wreaking havoc on Hercules, she was moved back a few evolutionary notches to larval stage, hatched and joined up with Ares to create The Destroyer that would essentially bring about Armeggedon. Before her plans reached fruition though, she was tossed down a fiery pit with Gabby, but returned from the dead only to be stabbed my her own "child", a spiky creature with a disturbing "Mommy fetish". Hope is essentially identical to Gabrielle.
Difficulty: Variable. You can adjust the difficulty. In fact, the beauty of this game is, you have so many options! You can take infinite damage in the Practice Arena and not drop dead, you can go on the Quest to Control The Fate Of Mankind, you can actually go in VS Mode against up to three other players (including multiples of the same character), or you can be in Roster Mode. That is, it's similar to VS Mode, but you can choose more than one character; when that character kicks, you move onto the next, and so on. Nifty!
Final Review: An overall lovely, lovely game...the little winks to the fans here and there was just wonderful. There was even subtext! When you attempt to pit Gabrielle against Xena, they won't let you. Instead, you get Hope. Xena will fight every other character in the game, and Gabby likewise, but they won't fight each other. Awww...sniff. It's a great game for fans, but it has so many references to the show and certain episodes, I'm not sure it wouldn't go over the general public's proverbial heads. Otherwise...great game! Stab and buy it!
NEW!!! I have gotten to Despair...holy hell, he's HUGE! So far I'm coping with the clever strategy of backing off, then running up to wack him on the head, accompanied by manic jumping, but that ain't workin' too well. Note I say I; that's right, Pottery Sally is NOT reviewing this for me! I'm finally both playing AND reviewing! That and she refuses to play the game because she hates both Xena and fighting games...this was anathema to her. Anywho, so far Despair's kicking my ass (I'm playing as Gabrielle..she's quick, with good reach, and I'm a sucker for staffs), with no sign of the pattern letting up. sigh...Where's justice when you need it? The problem is, Despair absorbes a LOT of damage, plus his blocks are hell to get by, on top of which he throws boulders and blows rings of fire at you.