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Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom

EMAIL PRINT ps3

7.6 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 40 critic reviews
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Based on 25 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment

Developer: Sony Online Entertainment

Genre(s): Action, Role-Playing Game

Players: Multi

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: November 17, 2006

Summary

In Dark Kingdom, players have loyally served the king, yet have reason to believe he is being corrupted by dark forces. Sensing distrust, the king sends some of his military off to quell an uprising in the barbaric borderlands. After returning home, players find the land a horribly changed place. It is revealed that the king is responsible for torturing and killing many innocent people, and now players must battle through forests, caverns, villages and the palace, all the while betraying the king in order to save the kingdom! Players will choose from one of three unique characters and be able to unlock spells and abilities, as well as collect unique weapons, armor and other items throughout the game. Unique physics-based game mechanics will give the heroes of Dark Kingdom the ability to tear through environments and defeat enemies in all-new ways. Knock enemies against walls and watch them bounce to the ground. Smash through crates, pillars and boxes to clear a way through the environment. Or grab NPCs and use them as living, unwilling weapons. Adventure alone or with your friends with a full range of multiplayer support. [SOE]

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What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Play Magazine

To say that Dark Kingdom is the whole package in its class would be an understatement. [Jan. 2007, p.62]

Game Informer

Dark Kingdom isn’t particularly innovative, and it falls prey to a number of RPG clichés, but when it comes to the important things – the hacking and the slashing – it performs admirably.

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Gaming Illustrated

The graphics are commendable, but not amazing, the sound is arguably the game’s best quality, and overall, comes as a game that is best suited for fans of games of this nature only.

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DarkStation

It's a pretty standard action RPG with simple controls and decent action.

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PGNx Media

It isn’t that Dark Kingdom is broken in any way, but the game lacks the sense of grandeur that can be seen in other next-generation games.

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Pelit (Finland)

A legend that should have stayed untold. [Feb 2007]

Games Master UK

An old-fashioned game that will entertain for a few hours. [Apr 2007, p.66]

Play.tm

Early bosses can be defeated by simply standing right in front of them and persistently pressing of the x button.

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RPG Fan

As with its handheld predecessors, Dark Kingdom is a game that can be enjoyable to hardcore fans of the genre who are willing to overlook its flaws, but probably not to anyone else.

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Just RPG

While the voice acting isn’t exactly awful, it is a bit disappointing. On the other hand, the score throughout the game is done very well and helps create an entire epic feeling, which fits well with the game.

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Cheat Code Central

As a fan of the Norrath series, I hope SOE can salvage this mess for future releases because this simply doesn’t cut it, especially on the dawn of the next-gen console race.

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IGN

If people are looking for a true next gen action RPG experience, they're not going to find it here. Plagued with current gen issues and repetitive combat, Dark Kingdom feels like it was ported over to the PS3 from a pre-existing console.

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GameZone

A mediocre attempt at furthering a genre that has almost completely stalled in its progress. Thankfully, fans of the genre will continue to feel right at home with Dark Kingdoms, but they will have to suffer through some annoying anomalies to fully enjoy it.

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Gaming Horizon

Untold Legends sticks to its roots and doesn’t quite feel like it’s made the jump to the next-generation.

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Gaming Target

Far more action than RPG, and along with a ridiculously linear path and almost no variety in gameplay, even lacking a decent story and highly dumbed-down mechanics, there's not a whole lot to recommend here unless you really, really love the genre and don't mind playing something that doesn't require as much micromanagement while waiting for some legitimate entries on PS3.

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PSM Magazine

Sixty bucks for this experience is just asking too much. [Jan. 2007, p.84]

Games Radar (in-house)

Dark Kingdom has its failings, but it still isn't "bad"; it's just old fashioned and disappointing, especially when compared to modern action RPGs like "Marvel Ultimate Alliance."

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GameSpot

The role-playing elements are lightweight, and while the combat can be flashy, it's also pretty uncomplicated. It can be fun for a while, but monotony eventually sets in, and you find yourself wondering why this technically modest game is on the PlayStation 3 in the first place.

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Yahoo! Games

Graphics bump aside, little has changed since we clicked the mouse one million times in "Diablo."

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GamePro

A shallow and simpleminded title that holds a faint glimmer of fun. There's nothing here that you'd want to play for more than a few minutes, but ironically enough, that qualifies Dark Kingdom as one of the more tolerable PS3 launch games.

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GameSpy

Granted, the snappy graphics are pretty boss, even in standard definition (and you'll notice a difference if you use an S-Video cable instead of the plain old composites), but that's just not enough to warrant the label next-gen -- not when you've got a machine as powerful as the PS3 flaunting its Cell processor.

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DailyGame

It does one thing right: it has a ton of hack-and-slash action. Beyond that, it doesn't have many redeeming features. A long list of small bugs, weak role-playing elements and an atrocious camera prevent it from being a worthy purchase.

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PSM3 Magazine UK

A decent PS3 debut quest, but this by-the-book RPG is nowhere near what we expect from Sony's new machine. [Mar 2007, p.76]

PSX Extreme

Everything in place functions okay, but there’s not one single aspect of the game that excels in terms of quality, and there are just too many problems that ultimately cripple the overall package.

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GameBrink

From the experience of killing bugs, to the last-gen graphics, and the unfinished gameplay I would say skip this one entirely. That is unless you’re an Action RPG freak who has the ability to play online.

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GameTrailers

The flaws are numerous, even in comparison to other launch games, but if you want to spend a mindless weekend full of fantastical hacking-and-slashing it’s not a terrible choice.

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Play UK

Old, safe, and completely uninspired, Untold Lgends is only saved from the humiliation of being the worst of the launch games by its plodding competence. [Issue 148, p.86]

AtomicGamer

Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom is just plain boring.

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PSW Magazine UK

At best, it's a simple hack and slasher with an okay Co-op mode, but 10 minutes of play is all it takes to realise how shoddy the action is.

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Playstation Official Magazine UK

With "Oblivion" looming, Untold Legends' one-noe gameplay feels woefully outdated. [Apr 2007, p.116]

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Overall, it's a disappointing effort at best, and only recommended if you're a sports-,car-,and gun-allergic PS3 owner grasping for something to play. [Jan. 2007, p.74]

TotalPlayStation

So it all boils down to how long you can stand to button mash and devote points to basic character growth, and little else. The storyline never really picks up, your chosen character never becomes interesting, and the gameplay never evolves past the original premise.

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Pure Magazine UK

Graphical problems and monotonous gameplay make this another lacklustre entry in the franchise. [Apr 2007, p.64]

AceGamez

If you take out storytelling and character building, then add in mediocre gameplay, what do you have? A pretty action title that stumbles far more than it struts.

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VideoGamer

Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom could have got away with some of its shortcomings had it not been on a next-gen console that arrived over a year after its main rival.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

If you've already hacked through any of the "Champions of Norrath" or "Baldur's Gate" PS2 games, then you'll find little here to hold your interest. [Jan. 2007, p.80]

Eurogamer

It's a game that, like other examples of the genre, is utterly simplistic, and little more than a carefully engineered route down the reward pathway of the player's brain.

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1UP

To be fair, Dark Kingdom doesn't have any single game-destroying flaw, except perhaps for that murderous bastard camera. It's an average, if occasionally very frustrating example of a genre that's abundantly represented on other platforms.

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G4 TV

Mind-numbing button mashing with unremarkable stages can only be used to help you forget about the six hundred dollars that you blew on a system to play a game no better than its PSP cousin.

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Gaming Age

The title feels incomplete with its mix of mediocre graphics and pared down gameplay mechanics. Even die hard hack-and-slash fans will be hard pressed to find enjoyment throughout this launch title.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 25 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Shamus M. gave it an8:
Great gameplay it falls short in some asspects not the greatest rpg but over all its pretty soild.

Alan gave it a7:
The controls are decent, but repetitive. At first the game is fun, but will get tedious after a while. The first few boss fights are too easy, then by the time the bosses get tougher, you wish they were easy again since by that point you are just playing to see the end.

Ian I. gave it a3:
This game is compleatly underwhelming. Its not fun and the RPG elements are poorly done. Its BG: DA if they took everything good out.

Aaron P. gave it a9:
VERY GOOD. Its like a world of warcraft for ps3.

Bil C. gave it a7:
Old school hacK and slash on a new system. It is competent and fun in a way that you are used to if you played these style of games before and enjoy them. Worth $60? No. Worth a look? Maybe...if you like this style of game.

Andyman gave it a3:
I'll start this by saying that I am a HUGE fan of this genre (Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 1&2, Champions of Norrath 1&2, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes)... and this is easily the worst game in the genre, EVER. Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom somehow manages to be no fun whatsoever to play, despite being on the most powerful game console on the planet. Heck, even the 2 visually underwhelming PSP releases of Untold Legends are vastly superior to Dark Kingdom! Where is the item customization? Why are there no secret places in each level? Why is there no gold? Why are there no shops? Why are there only 3 lousy character types (and no character customization at all)? This game would be a big fat ZERO were it not for its somewhat improved visuals. Here's hoping Snowblind Studios comes to the rescue and releases a worthy next-gen action-RPG game that doesn't involve a comic-book license. Is that too much to ask?

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Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom

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What The Critics Said

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