An interesting diversion, but nothing more
Despite being a martial artist and a hardcore enthusiast of the history of combat, I have purposely avoided the Deadliest Warrior television show. From what I have heard from those that have seen it, as well as what I've read about it, it seems like the historical warfare version of MythBusters: a bunch of quasi-experts are hired to present inaccurate fluff that is more entertainment than education. Even skimming through a synopsis of an episode's match-ups would cause headaches to anyone with even cursory knowledge of the subject.
So when I found out that someone had actually gone through the trouble to base a fighting game on the series, my skepticism was understandable. However, I've never been one to shy away from "taking one for the team" as they say, and decided to purchase and play the game even if it preemptively had been awarded a snub in my eyes.
However, upon actually giving it a go, I found it wasn't as terrible as I had anticipated. It's not anywhere near amazing and honestly, there's a lot better things you can spend your ten bucks on, but on the whole, you really do get your money's worth.
True to the series, it strikes out when it comes to historical accuracy. Normally this wouldn't be a problem - I mean, give an uzi to a Shaolin Monk in any other game, and I wouldn't bat an eye. It's just that the fact that it presents itself to be historically accurate that grinds my gears, whether it be the peculiar weapon choices or the "facts" given during loading screens that aren't exactly false as much as they are so chock full of unproven statements that I expected a [citation needed] at the end. However, this is a small nitpick that is only bothersome probably only to me and three other people in the world.
Gameplay-wise, Deadliest Warrior is a competent Bushido Blade clone. Matches can end as quickly as they start, or they can drag on for some time, depending on factors of luck and/or skill. Limbs can be severed from opponent's bodies and force them to continue the fight, or a head can be sent flying from its perch and the battle can be ended nearly immediately. The amount of battles I've fought that have been ended quickly as opposed to feeling like an actual match, however, was approximately even, so it doesn't seem overly broken.
The characters, while generic and cliché-ridden, are given a lot of personality. Whether you find it in the intros for each of the warriors, or little touches like the Pirate's surly demeanor during his Fatality, the game shows that the developers really had fleshing out these characters as... well... characters, even if they are named only after their classes.
Battle is done largely with weapons (with some exceptions such as the Ninja's kick and the Apache's leg sweep). Each character has two melee weapon types that can be switched with a press of a button, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. A third weapon is assigned to each character - a limited projectile weapon. Like SoulCalibur, more weapons can be unlocked, but these are just palette swaps or reskins of previous weapons with different stats, and remain functionally the same.
In addition to basic attacks, each character has a Specialty Move (such as the aforementioned Ninja and Apache attacks) which costs a little bit of stamina and basically are used to distance one's self from the opponent. Each of the warriors also have a unique Special Move, which drains more stamina and is more powerful than their regular attacks. Performing a Special Move when your opponent's life is flashing will lead into a cool FMV Fatality, ending your foe's life with some neat flashy death move. Although (save the Samurai) none of these Fatalities involve any dismemberment, they are genuinely painful-looking and bloody moves that are pretty interesting and actually worth watching more than once.
Possibly the greatest challenge miring the game seems to be balance. Ninja and Viking are definitely God-tier, and everyone else seems to wallow on some other level. It's not to say that these two fighters are unbeatable, as they do have their weaknesses, but Ninja's lightning-fast movement and crazy powerful combos, as well as Viking's strength and overpowered projectile, put them head and shoulders above the rest. Pipeworks seems to be working on some of the balancing via update patches, but they seem to be going the wrong way about things, i.e. nerfing the Black Egg, which is already the weakest attack in the Ninja's arsenal.
Graphics are passable but nothing to note, and music is so forgettable that I couldn't remember there ever was any until I decided to double-check. Sound effects and voices are, in contrast, a lot better than expected, with satisfyingly sickening noises during Fatalities and dismemberment. Strangely, though, only the Samurai speaks his native language, and everyone else either speaks English or communicates with grunts and yells.
Like nearly all fighting games, an arcade mode is present, setting the player on a "ladder" of opponents with some neat mini-games. Players can unlock new weapons and armor for accomplishing feats such as conquering the mini-games, winning the mirror match, and completing the character's arcade mode.
Deadliest Warrior is just over the line of decent and worth the ten dollars, but not a penny more.For a game I had written off before I even saw a screenshot, I must say I am very impressed.
