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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       14th March 2002: The Shadow of Zorro  The masked avenger slashes his way onto the PlayStation 2 Posted by John Grothier - PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe Zorro always reminds me of Saturday morning television when I was growing up. I have to say I did not really care much for it. I always preferred science fiction, as opposed to a glorified western. Zorro is supposed to be a ‘comic book’ hero, but for my money he lacks any real super ability, except of course his legendary sword fighting technique. So imagine my surprise when first playing Zorro, that his duelling skills are represented by just pressing a combination of buttons that appear randomly on the screen. Think Space Channel 5 or Parappa the Rapper. This spoiled my first impression of The Shadow of Zorro, as I thought I was going to be in for some great sword fighting sequences. The Shadow of Zorro is best described as a real-time 3D action game. Players control a very well animated Zorro complete with black cape flapping in the breeze, on a daring mission of vengeance. Sounds a little bit like another superhero we all know and love?! The year is 1830 and Los Angeles is unsurprisingly alive with excitement. It seems that the ‘Butcher of Saragossa’, the infamous war criminal that Don Alejandro, Don Diego’s father, fought in the war with France and left for dead on the battlefields of Spain, has been seen in town. The masked avenger must try to discover how this evil individual managed to recover from his terrible wounds, and what his true purpose is here in sunny California. Zorro plays just like any other action adventure; you have set objectives to complete in between some nice looking cut scenes, which move the unwinding story along. Zorro can perform many different actions, including some useful stealth moves, to help him avoid those frantic random button-pressing duels. The sword fighting sections aren’t really that bad, you do get used to it after a while. But apart from testing your reactions, there really wasn’t enough skill involved to keep me involved with the game. You can control Zorro using the left analogue stick, while the right manages the camera. The shoulder buttons allow Zorro to run, lock on to the enemies, and are also used to enter first person mode. The square button is for actions like opening doors, taking items and signing ‘slave posters’ with Zorro’s trademark Z. Other controls include jumping, climbing, hanging and throwing, and Zorro can also whistle! The graphics in the Shadow of Zorro are quite impressive. Zorro is well animated, as are his enemies and other character that he meets in the game. There are some nice shadow effects as Zorro’s cape is caught by the light of the moon. The cut scenes are nicely animated, and the characters move convincingly. The whole game has a slight ‘comic book’ look to it, and a special mention must go to the stylish menu screen, which works just like a real comic book. Nice touch. The voice acting in Zorro is unusually good, and all the cut scenes are lip-synced perfectly. The music is very ‘Zorro like’ with plenty of guitars strumming away to all the action. Overall The Shadow of Zorro is a shadow to the superior action adventures available in abundance on the PlayStation 2. If you are a fan of Zorro you may like this game, but if you prefer you super heroes with the emphasis on super, then you will be seeing lots of Z’s. ZZZzzz John Grothier             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  A below par action adventure game featuring Zorro, the masked avenger. The lack of skil when sword fighting is a real let down, and spoils the game significantly. Nice graphics and a good story don't quite save the game.  Related Games:  The Shadow of Zorro for PlayStation 2  8  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
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