darkSpyro

Alright then. It's a done deal.

To give everyone an idea of what the Legend of the Guardians game is like:

Legend of the Guardians is somewhat like a world war aircraft type game, only owls. You are always in flight in the game, and you can go pretty high up in altitude before the game yells at you to stop flying into the sun. There are four different owls you can choose from to play as: a spotted owl (this owl is very fast but has low strength and average health), a barn owl (this owl has maximum health, average strength, and speed that isn't low but lower than its strength), a great horned owl (this owl has low health, a little bit better strength, and its speed is a bit greater than its strength, I do not recommend this owl, but that's just my opinion), and a great gray owl (this owl has good health, maximum strength, but is lacking in speed).

After choosing an owl to play as, you are taught the basic attack/defense/evasion/flight/etc. moves. There are a few moves that you emidiately start out with - a basic strike, barrel roll (evasion), counter attack, breath of qui (they don't call it that but it's the burst of speed you can get), order wingmen (the owls/eagles that accompany you on missions) to attack... and I think that is it. But as you defeat more enemies, more moves are unlocked, such as barge attack (a stronger attack), multi-strike corkscrew (that's the breath of qui; if you target an enemy while doing the breath of qui, you strike them, with this, you can strike multiple enemies), throw (you can throw enemies into rocks and cliffs, which really works well), and my favorite, fall from grace (in this special move, which is not always available, you grab an enemy, plunge to the ground, and at the last moment throw them to the ground and escape; this can defeat any enemy no matter how much health they have, unless they are wearing armour).

Speaking of armour, there are many battlesets in which you can purchase with 'shinies' to enhance your attack strength, health, speed, defense, and prowess (prowess is gained by diving, attacking enemies, and getting shinies, you can use prowess to use the breath of qui, or to order your wingmen). Also, there are many types of enemies (listed as they appear in the game): Crows, Bats, Bat Scouts, Pure Ones, Pure One Guards, Pure One Elite, Hagsfiends. The Pure Ones (all types) are capable of wearing armour. I'm not sure if it enhances them as your owl's armour does, but it does give them additional protection. In order to break an enemy's armour, you have to use the barge attack, throw them just right into a cliff/rock, or use the fall of grace. Any other attack will do no damage to them or their armour. Once all of their armour is broken, they are vulnerable to all attacks just like any other winged creature that hasn't any armour. Hagfiends are just plain nasty. They wear fleck helmets, which cannot be broken. So if you try to do a barge attack on them you will be thrown back by the force of the flecks they bear, being momentarily stunned and vulnerable to any enemy attacks. They will also throw fleck shards at you. If you get hit by them, it is similar to using a barge attack on them, you will be stunned, and be inflicted damage.

If there are any other questions about the gameplay or plot or whatever just ask.

Well, now I know what to rent.

Quote: Razz

It takes me too long to play games for renting to be feasible, alas.

Sorry it took me extremely long to reply to this.

But Gamefly has no late fees. The advertisements are correct, seeing how I've been a customer for over a year.

Thanks, Wylrin. I'm totally gonna ask for this game for Christmas.

I heard that you could upgrade your owl as you gain experince in fights and name your own owl. Is that true?
I am a little dissapointed there isn't more owl types though....

Quote: ignitusforever

I heard that you could upgrade your owl as you gain experince in fights and name your own owl. Is that true?
I am a little dissapointed there isn't more owl types though....

Unfortunately, you cannot name your own owl. But the name is neutral and has its meaning - Shard. As for being able to upgrade your owl, you don't exactly upgrade it, but something like it. As you continue to play the game, new battlesets are unlocked, which give you certain advantages in different abilities. The game isn't really like Spyro when it comes to upgrading your character. To a point, perhaps, since you are always defeating enemies, therefore learning new moves eventually. But the battlesets don't come over how much experience you have / how many enemies you have defeated, they are unlocked as you complete key objectives in your overall mission. One battleset, in particular, is gained after you defeat one of the elite enemies - the Hagsfiend Queen.

My personal favorite is the barn owl. It is a good combination of all abilities and does not lack in any specific ability. However, when I'm in the mood for racing around the owl world (which is part of the bonus missions) I'll pick a spotted owl so I can zoom around and try not to run into anything.

I'll also pick a great gray owl if I feel like beating up bad guys. (It gets hard after a while playing a spotted owl when fighting hagsfiends because they never die!)

The only owl I don't recommend is the great horned owl.

We are hearing all these good things about the game, but we all have to remember that it got rather lackluster reviews. That is why I'm gonna rent this before I even think of looking at it at Gamestop.

I remember Nintendo Power giving the Wii version a 4/10.

I figure that it's even worse on the 360/PS3.

Either way, I'll be giving it a rental when I get my Gamefly membership back.

In my opinion it is a really good game. It has story missions as well as bonus missions in which you can just fly around and do whatever - there are bombing missions, where you are timed how long it takes you to throw hot coals and destroy a certain number of catupalts/balistas. There are also owlet rescue missions, races (you know in Ripto's Rage where there are those portals you enter and you are timed how long it takes you to crash into racecars and stuff, and fly through those rings? Well, the speed flying is pretty much the same. You fly through the rings until you get to the end and they time you.) There are survival missions, where all you do is fight enemies. So the game is a good mixture of storyline and freeplay.

Quote: CAV

I remember Nintendo Power giving the Wii version a 4/10.

I tried finding the review on that in the magazines at the libary, but I couldn't find the right magazine.
Anyway, I can understand why the Wii version got a low rating. When I played the demo on ps3, which is also the console I am getting it on, i could just tell that this is the type of game that would be a nightmare to play. I had a horrible time playing Sonic Riders 2 due to the unresponsive controls, so I can't imagine what free flying game with bad controls must be like. Actullay I can, it's probably what results in a Wii landing on your head when your walking by a window.

The great thing about Legend of the Guardians- book wise- is that it explains the history of owls.

I think if Activision followed this and made the history of LoS more deep, it would be very good.

I haven't seen the movie yet, BTW, but when it comes out here I'm going to buy it... I loved the books. And yes, I know they're different.

^
Agreed

Quote: ignitusforever

Quote: CAV

I remember Nintendo Power giving the Wii version a 4/10.

I tried finding the review on that in the magazines at the libary, but I couldn't find the right magazine.

Issue 260. The 25th anniversary of the NES. I made a mistake, it got a 4.5/10.

I found a demo on Xbox Live. I'll download it tomorrow and give my thoughts here.

Technically, you could say Soren's there. He's a Barn Owl. And if I remember what Wyrlin said, you could also say the same for Twilight.
Soren- Barn Owl
Gylfie- Elf Owl(or Pygmy? Forgot.)
Twilight- Great Grey Owl
Digger- Burrowing Owl

I know... I was actually thinking of getting the game, but I was really hoping you could play as the Band(This is what the group of the four owls are called in the books).

Still, the balance of their abilities sound nice. It would be pretty fun if you could play as Metal Beak.

Mini-games for the chaws.

Like races in the weather chaw, tasks in the coillering chaw, etc., with multiplayer, and you can choose from the owl types in that chaw.

It would be good for a sequel or spin-off. You know, they could literally make 4 more sequels, one for every 3 books, but that's another topic...

Some games about a movie, book or TV show tend to make you play as "new" characters.

You do play as a "new" character. An owl breed of your choice named Shard.

Well, you may not be able to play as members of the band, but they are included in the game. You even help ensure that Soren, Gylfie, Twilight, and Digger get to the Great Tree safely in your very first mission.

Yes, Soren and the band are often shone and mentioned in the cutscenes in the game.

Quote: Bolt

Really? Still, I think it is weird.

Yeah, this is like when Frank West wasn't in Deadrising 2 except for the Xbox version.
Stupid Xbox. Why does that caveman console get everything?
But to be honest, I wasn't expecting to find the Band in the game at all, not after a lot of majour characters that were cut out of the movie. it would be great to see them in the game. I hope I get to kill off Digger.

Why Digger? I know he may be really crazy in the movie, but he isn't like that in the book. Why must the young burrowing owl die so young?

Yeah, Digger is nothing like that in the books. In the books he is always the logical one. And Twilight doesn't have a banjo either.

I know. While I was watching the movie I'm thinking, "How can anyone who hasn't read the books even know what's going on?" I am impressed with it, though. I mean, it would be hard to squish such detailed writings into a short hour or two. I was surprised that they even included some of the characters. Some of them - like Otulissa and Nyra - don't be presented until later books. Well, they are presented, but they don't actually do anything epic until the... say.... fourth book? You know who Nyra is in the third book, but she doesn't actually strike until the fourth book. And as for Otulissa, she appears in the second book but really makes an impact in the much later books, such as teaching the new king of Ga'hoole.

Pretty much. But the way they set it up Nyra is in the movie like she was in the first book from the beginning. In the books, St. Augeolious and the Pure Ones were different organizations, and even rivals. But in the movie, they were combined together.