December 29, 1999 Web posted at: 1:56 p.m. EST (1856 GMT) by The Freshman

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(IDG) -- Those of you who've been sitting around begging for a Xena game for the N64 need beg no longer. Titus is bringing the Warrior Princess to the Fun Machine in Talisman of Fate, a four-player brawl-for-all that has all the action of the TV show, but even less depth.

Fate is in your hands

Xena and Dahak must choose their champions from the greatest heroes and villains on earth - and oddly enough, they're all characters from the Xena TV show! God meets goddess, warrior princess meets king of thieves as the showdown for the fate of the world begins.

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Okay, so it's not the most original of storylines, but it does explain why all these great characters have come together to beat the hell out of each other.

Xena, Gabrielle, Callisto, Autolycus, Joxer and Ares come together with some of the lesser-known characters from the show (including Julius Caesar) to kick each other's ass and win control of the Talisman of Fate. It's an interesting concept and makes a fairly good four-player beat-em-up, but it has some problems.

All cheese, no filler

The fairly simple models don't move as well as they look, however, and the various moves and attacks suffer from a bit of jerkiness. This, of course, keeps the action fast and furious when four players are on the screen at once, so it's an acceptable tradeoff. Fans of the series won't be disappointed.

Good music and various battle-sounds pepper the battlefield, but they're clobbered by annoying shrieks, grunts and oomphs. The voice-over that announces each match sounds a lot like Lucy Lawless, though, and overall the game has just enough audio authenticity to keep Xena diehards happy.

Hardcore fighters will give Xena a wide berth, because this game's controls are about as deep as a glass of water. Each character has a couple of special moves (which are awkward and slow to use) and a handful of effective combos.

You can do several different kinds of massive jumps, which actually adds to the over-the-top Xena feel. The action is generally fast and intense, and with four players onscreen, you won't have time to worry about technique and depth of moves.

Xena-Phobia

Graphics:
The characters look like they should, but they move with a jerkiness that only serves to keep the four-player action flowing. Fans of the series will be impressed at how "real" the characters look.

Sound:
The music sounds fine, and the battles are laced with intense smacks, clangs, booms, and bursts. The annoying shrieks and grunts from the characters dock the score a bit, but overall it's pretty good.

Control:
Hardcore fighters look elsewhere; there's no depth for you here. Gamers looking for a good party beat-down will be satisfied. A few more moves per character and a little more precise control might have been nice.

Fun Factor:
You have to be a Xena fan, or you just won't get it. That said, this is a four-player game with very little real depth. If you're a fan of the show, you'll probably like Talisman of Fate. If not, you probably won't.

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