Preview: Maximo vs Army of Zin

November 25, 2003

The release of Maximo: Ghosts to Glory marked a return to the Wizards and Warriors type of game that I immensely enjoyed on the NES when I was younger. While I felt like Capcom did a good job of converting W&W graphically from 2d to 3d, I felt like they totally overshot the mark when it came to gameplay. I tried to force myself to like Maximo and no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t do it. I swore up and down that Capcom just needed to rework a few things and it would be a stellar game. I was also worried that we might not see a sequel.

Enter Maximo vs Army of Zin. Capcom introduced this Maximo sequel at E3 this year and it received quite a bit of praise. Did Capcom “fix” Maximo this time around? Only time will tell. What I can tell you is that they did some major additions and tweaking to this 3rd person rendition of one of the NES’ classic adventure games.

For all intents and purposes, Maximo 2 should really be a stellar game. This time around Maximo was blessed with a slew of over 30 combat motions and combos. I can only assume they will be “earned” as they were in the first Maximo. To put those moves to good use, Maximo now also has to protect innocents and some not so innocents in addition to saving his own hide. This extra effort is not in vain as you will receive rewards for helping out certain people. For some reason I see that feature as very “Fable-esque” even though we have months till its release.

Remember the boxer shorts? I thought so, how could one forget? In this release, they actually have functionality. I feel dirty quoting this, but Capcom describes this new feature in this way: “Unleash the power of ‘Treasure seeker’ underwear and the ‘Boxers of burning vigor!” Umm, right. I think I am done with that topic.

To help power Maximo up, a new “Vanquish Bonus” system has been implemented. You will be able to earn rewards based on your fighting technique. Fight fast, smart, and more furiously and rewards will be yours. I am not exactly sure how this will be measured but I trust it will add a nice RPG touch to the game. Maybe a variable amount of XP will be earned for killing an enemy based on a certain criteria? We will find out soon enough.

Capcom also promises that “Maximo will react with precision as new attacks and moves are learned.” I hope that is true as one of my main complaints with Maximo was the overall sluggish feel of controlling Maximo. It seemed like he would move in the general direction I wanted but I never felt like I was in 100% control of him.

In addition to the game, Capcom has teamed up with a few partners to release Maximo comics and toys. Hopefully the game will live up to the promotion.

I have high hopes for this one. Capcom burned me once by releasing a game I felt was not quite right, but they redeemed themselves recently with Viewtiful Joe. Hopefully they can get this one right and a 3d Wizards & Warriors will be upon us.