Gauntlet is another classic title that Midway is trying to carry on with for several years. The problem with putting out sequels to classics (especially when the original is twenty years old) is how to go about handling it. The game could be mostly the same but with more current updates and a different story or have it use the original basis and change most of the game. Unfortunately, Seven Sorrows feels too old school for a full price Xbox title.
Gauntlet Seven Sorrows isn't the worst game, but it is definitely not worth the purchase at $50. One of the main problems I had with the game is that it is too linear. You are stuck to a path that is usually fairly narrow. And you have to keep killing the enemies that will continuously respawn until you destroy these machines that are all over. Add in that the areas are pretty short and it gets fairly easy in addition to repetitive.
Throughout the levels, in addition to leveling up your character, you will also collect gold. After completing a level you are brought to a screen to make some choices. First you get to decide how to spend points you earned by leveling up on to increase damage, mana replenishing or health. Then you can spend your gold on new attacks. The attacks is something that stuck out to me. Considering how simple the rest of the game is, I was expecting the usual 2-3 attacks. Instead, you have combos and specials. In fact, the controller is mostly all attacks. The left thumbstick moves your character and the rest of the buttons are for attacking and blocking. The right thumbstick is even attacking. This of course means that you have no control over the camera. The lack of control over the camera can get annoying in certain situations but actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
Gauntlet is known for its 4-player co-op mode. Seven Sorrows of course carries this on and improves upon it. First off, another area that seems to be stuck in the original is that there are still the same 4 characters to choose from. But on to the good part! Seven Sorrows not only features co-op but allows for your to do it on Live. Playing co-op actually makes the game a bit more interesting than going solo. It doesn't push the game into a good buy at retail price but it does help for making it an okay rental. The only downside to the co-op is that everyone has to be on the same screen. While this isn't different than a lot of games like this, I would like to see this change some time.
Graphically, Gauntlet doesn't leave much of an impression. That's not to say that they bad, but they just aren't special. There is some decent variety to the scenery but some things could use some more detail. The lack of cut-scenes is disappointing. Before a level starts you shown drawings to illustrate the story with a narration over it. It really seems thrown together at the last minute.
In the end, it seems like they didn't want to stray from the original that much and they made it too old school. And with that, $50 is just too much for Seven Sorrows. The game is short and not too hard and very linear. The game makes for a decent rental but not too much more.
