Galleon Review

By Kristan Reed Published 21 June, 2004

After seven years in development, this is what the man behind Tomb Raider did next...

Version tested: Xbox

Order yours now from Simply Games.

Quoting the original September 1999 press blurb, it's hard not to crack a smile: "Anticipated for release in spring 2000, Galleon promises to be the ultimate in 3D-adventure gaming." Back in the days when we were looking forward to the Dreamcast, and Galleon was still a PC-only game, Toby Gard's new creation offered "fluid, realistic movement and ultra responsive gameplay". In fact, at E3 2000, we saw the game for our own eyes for the first and only time, and admired the intuitive control system that clambered over obstacles with ease and yet allowed us to negotiate tiny planks in mid-air without crashing to our doom. It was clearly an ambitious game with a unique next-generation visual style, and having enjoyed the original Tomb Raider immensely we marked this down as one to watch.

Little did we know the game would take longer than any other to develop. Over seven years from its original genesis, only now are we finally in a position to sum up its merits - and on a platform that didn't even exist in the UK until the game had been in production for five years. But times move on. Not only is it not commercially viable to release this game on the PC anymore, but a planned GameCube version has also fallen by the wayside, while even the publishing duties have changed hands along the way.

Land lubbers

'Galleon' Screenshot 1

With a tiny-sized team expected to pull the whole project together it's a wonder they didn't just throw the towel in, especially when you factor in the issue of the incredible amount of time it took to make. Seven years is enough for a quantum leap in the world of games, and we genuinely wondered how Galleon could possibly have kept up with the Joneses after all these years. The truth is, had Galleon emerged blinking into the summer sunshine four years ago as planned, it would have been a blockbuster for Interplay, with its innovative controls, Disney-esque sheen and vast, cunningly-designed levels. Any normal franchise would have been into its third incarnation by now, and the logical progression from all the feedback would have long since ironed out the glitches inherent in this resolutely ambitious project. It's kind of pointless and frustrating speculating on what Confounding Factor should have done, because the average punter confronted with Galleon in the games store will know nothing of its history. The truth is Galleon is a good game, but not the great one it deserved to be, and most of its issues have nothing to do with not being at the cutting edge anymore. But more of that later.

Galleon, like Tomb Raider, is unashamedly an action-adventure. Like Lara's first adventure back in 1996, the sense of scale is one of the first things that hits you, and the buccaneering lead character Captain Rhama has an even more improbable level of athleticism that allows him to perform incredible leaps, scale sheer rock faces with his bare hands and fall uninjured from great heights. Like the ultimate lantern-jawed superhero, Rhama has all the British nobleman swagger and bare-chested machismo required for the job; he reeks of poise and manly grace - even with the skinniest legs in videogames. But despite having the proportions of a turkey being fattened for the slaughter, he also manages to be somewhat adept at unarmed combat, resembling a slightly hapless kung fu expert battling against the limitations of his limbs. His roundhouse kicks are a sight to behold, and such delightful comic touches run throughout the game.

Set in an unspecified piratical era, Rhama is essentially chasing after a nefarious type from island to island who has got his hands on a particularly powerful herb. The story's not essential to the game in any meaningful way, but it hangs together nicely all the same. In the main you're simply looking for a way out of whatever environment you find yourself in, and as such the game is split between the usual run, jump and climb exploration along with a dash of depressingly weak combat and the occasional ingenious puzzling. Each section is predictably divided up with some otherwise unrelated boss battle, and from that information alone, Galleon probably doesn't sound much different from any other action adventure you've ever got to grips with.

Out of control

'Galleon' Screenshot 2

One area that most definitely does set it apart is its control system, and one that's capable of swinging from the sublime to the ridiculous. The left stick controls both the camera and the movement, so imagine if you will a system whereby forward/back moves Rhama in the direction he's facing, while left and right steers the camera direction. It's not a system you'll immediately get along with, and for a time you'll be doing all manner of strange things like climbing on shelves while getting slightly annoyed with the fact that you can't look up or down. Even the interaction system is unusual, with Rhama forced to lock onto items of interest with the B button, with confirmation of your action often requiring a further upward nudge of the left stick. Combat is taken care of with the X and Y buttons, while the A button performs the requisite jump. Further to this, analogue movements dictate whether or not Rhama will fall off ledges or walkways, with a light press effectively guaranteeing your safety, while a full-on run is more dangerous but essential for performing insanely long jumps. In addition, the right trigger acts as both another combination in combat and Rhama's grab action when ascending rough rock, and all round it's a system that while not entirely to our liking certainly gives it a unique feel.

As much as we admire the different approach, and the intentions behind providing a system that reacts intelligently and dynamically to its environment, there are occasions all too often when the game allows you to pull off ludicrous actions and climb onto and into places you plainly don't have any business being. On a practical level, too, not being able to look down when you plainly need to (such as in the middle of a boss fight that requires you to jump onto an object then jump onto the boss's back) leaves you concluding that rather than sticking to a tried and trusted system Confounding Factor thought it could do better with its own. The fact is it's quite evidently not the better system, and for all its good intentions you can't help picking holes in it. Far from helping the gamer be more precise and alleviating frustration, it positively encourages your rage when your ability to progress is entirely held back by the controls.

Hand in hand with this all in one system is the less than perfect camera set-up, which, although it manages a decent job most of the time, has disastrous repercussions when it gets things wrong. Two examples spring to mind in this respect - whenever Rhama ascends rock faces the whole viewpoint lurches wildly to accommodate your new viewpoint, while a worse example is the disorientating pain of underwater navigation. The weakest point of the game, in fact, involves a time-based mission where you're swimming against currents and have to work out a route to the shore. This would have been fine were it not for the bizarre camera, which seems designed to completely disorientate you, compounded by the questionable decision to design a level that's in almost complete darkness.

Seven years... in t'bed

'Galleon' Screenshot 3

After seven years in development, you would assume that tedious elements such as the one mentioned above would have been comprehensively ironed out. Other moments also crop up to inspire reviewer's Tourettes, such as the end of level Tiger that takes about fifty hits to kill, yet can savage you not only in about two bites, but can pounce upon its prey in one frame of animation despite facing the opposite direction. Incredible. In fact, the combat in general is simply so basic and pointless that you can practically go through the entire game just stabbing X and the right trigger, with occasional use of the hard attack (Y button) when you're surrounded.

In short the combat just feels tacked on, and so inordinately basic and repetitive that you wonder why it was included at all. Meanwhile, the decision to make nearly every single boss monster roughly the same is an amazing decision, with players expected to climb up their foe's backs and stab/punch them in the head (with added stab them in the stomach additions later) every single time. Again, for a game in the works for such a long time, you'd think the combat might vary, but not so. The more you get into Galleon, the more you realise that apart from the curiosity to explore and find out what happens in the storyline, there's not actually a big incentive to keep going. For much of the time it's actually a very very frustrating game. It could even endanger your relationships - this reviewer got a severe dressing down at one point for bellowing profanity at a particularly frustrating element.

It's one of those games that were it not for the necessity to see it through for review purposes, you'd have gone and found something more entertaining to do, like go and sit outside in the sun and light a barbeque, watch the footy or just play a better game. Anything, rather than force yourself through some more really fundamentally badly designed levels. We simply wanted to ask the question to Confounding Factor on several occasions: Is this entertaining? For a portion of it, it most certainly is - once you figure out the control system - and the charm of the storyline helps, but midway through the game you're just left in such a worn out resentful state of mind that you wonder if you've been assigned some creative form of torture, as opposed to a relaxing form of digital entertainment by some of the finest design minds in the business.

Time waits for no man

'Galleon' Screenshot 4

Time hasn't been Galleon's friend from the top to the bottom. On a purely aesthetic level, Galleon set out to not just match the benchmark, but be the benchmark. You can still see the fruits of this noble goal in the marvellous lip-synching system which, although hand-drawn, manages to convey subtleties that few other games would ever attempt. Back in the early days of Galleon's development the team evidently decided to make the game a seamless experience, with cut-scenes integrated fully into the game engine at a time when everyone else relied on FMV - almost a totally unique approach at the time, but now par for the course. Nevertheless, you detect a degree of polish and subtlety lavished on the game that few bother with, and one of the game's core strengths is an array of convincingly animated, intelligently voiced cut-scenes, peppered with wry humour throughout. Every scene feel honed and finished, and such is the unique visual style its quality shines through.

The sad thing is, though, is that graphical techniques have moved on to such an extent that while Galleon undoubtedly lead the field for a long time, titles such as Prince Of Persia now outshine Confounding Factor's epic to such an extent that it's impossible not to come away with the feeling that the game simply looks slightly dated in several ways. Not in an ugly way, you understand, because in many respects it's still a beautiful-looking game with vast, sprawling levels of stunning scale and cunning design.

At no stage could you look at Galleon and feel that it was sloppily designed. The sheer craft that has gone into certain levels is impressive. Fall from the sky on the third level and you'll realise just how vertigo-inducing these levels can be as an hour's worth of your previous endeavours flash before your eyes before you crunch onto the deck in a sickening pile of twisted anatomy. Similarly, you get the sense that the animation couldn't be much better in a videogame - such is its stunning fluidity and craft. But once you factor how much texturing, bump mapping, lighting, particle and physics techniques have improved over the years it's impossible not to come to the depressing conclusion that time simply wasn't on Galleon's side. Three or four years ago, this would have been held up as an incredible achievement. The truth is that our expectations have risen, and others' technical achievements in the visual sense have long since usurped Confounding Factor's. While some of what's on show is still impressive, numerous other factors gang up against it.

Seven year itch

We were totally prepared to overlook the technical issues in Galleon and embraced the gameplay as if other games didn't exist. We dearly wanted to assess Toby Gard's labour of love on its own merits, and can safely say we enjoyed much of what went into Galleon, with its charming atmosphere, excellent script and totally unique visual style. Some of the puzzling, as well, adds brilliantly to the sense of adventure and exploration and if the game focused more on what it does best we'd have been talking in more glowing terms - perhaps even calling it the game that the last Broken Sword should have been, with supremely polished narrative adding much to the package.

But Confounding Factor believed it should have action in it too, and simply can't serve it up to the quality we've come to expect these days. The melee combat feels laboured, the boss fights repetitive and contrived, while the timed sequences largely frustrate to the point of desperate exasperation. Throw in the camera issues and the brave but ill-conceived control method and what you're left pondering over what might have been. Scratch that, what should have been. After seven years, we had every right to expect much more than a polished, competent, but ultimately flawed action-adventure.

Order yours now from Simply Games.

6 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (61) Latest comment 8 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • lennon #1 8 years ago

    I dont know if this still goes on but 1st.

    Its a very fair review. I really enjoyed Galleon to a point and have now become completely fed up by some of it. Especaially the fighting. Enjoyable for the first 5 hours I would say. Rent!

  • Blerk #2 8 years ago

    Nice review. Probably not what Toby was hoping for after so long, but that's showbusiness!

  • EVERYGAMER #3 8 years ago

    Wow, with the panning Driv3r has been getting this must be the month for over-hyped, hugely delayed and completely underwhelming games.

  • Tiger_Walts #4 8 years ago

    And how does that differ from any other month?

  • reflux #5 8 years ago

    Butt ugly.

  • Dr.Haggard #6 8 years ago

    Great review, shame though. I might rent it for a quick peek if I get a chance.

    Oh well, back to Breakdown and Thief 3(PC)...well, back to work really, but I can look forward to continuing my love affair with them both tonight.

  • mdogg #7 8 years ago

    Unmitigated toss? A little harsh. I like to think that the game will evolve brilliantly in "Galleon 2". It saddens me when people dismiss games like this out of hand. This is not an EA franchise update - this is a decent attempt of taking a different take on the Action Adventure genre. People moan about the lack of innovation in games and then slam developers that try to do things differently (albeit imperfectly). As lennon says, give it a try on the rental .

  • perilikid #8 8 years ago

    John Lennon said that?
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/04 @ 14:55

  • mdogg #9 8 years ago

    "imagine all those renters, living in harmony....pst, go on give Galleon a try on the rental"

    Beautiful song dude

  • Blerk #10 8 years ago

    I like to think that the game will evolve brilliantly in "Galleon 2".

    Sadly I suspect that's unlikely to happen now, given the sales figures for this game...

  • pjmaybe #11 8 years ago

    Hateful game.

    Peej

  • yegon #12 8 years ago

    "In short the combat just feels tacked on, and so inordinately basic and repetitive that you wonder why it was included at all."

    Much like Ico then....

    :p

  • krudster #13 8 years ago

    Camera issues? Did you read it? You can't look up and down unless you go into the horrible lock on mode, and the camera spins all over the place in the water and when you climb walls. Is that enough to be getting on with?

    Tom made the surround error, we'll fix that now.

  • Khab #14 8 years ago

    You've partnered up with SimplyGames, I see.

    Bit of a shame they only deliver to the UK and NI, then.

  • robo_1 #15 8 years ago

    On the whole a fair review. Personally I didn't find any real problems with either the controls or the camera, but I do agree that swimming and wall climbing can leave you a little disorientated. It is without doubt a marmite game, I've since spoken to people personally who bought it, and now rank it as one of their best ever gaming experiences, whilst other folk couldn't even bare to finish the demo. It's funny though, one of my favourite pieces in Galleon was the current swimming level, it was tough for sure, but the atmosphere (the darkness, the lightening) of it all was fantastic. The timed section can get a touch much, but in Galleons defence, it's save points are some of the most intelligent I've ever seen. At no point have I had to repeat long sections of the game just to get up to the more difficult sections. Galleon is quite a hard game, but it's certainly a fair one too.

    Personally I love the game to pieces, as for all its flaws, the overall feel and experience of playing Galleon far outstrips many of it's more technically proficient brethren. Prince of Persia is superior in so many ways, yet at no point does it feel as epic, charming or just downright fun as Galleon.

    To each of course their own, but I would urge anyone sitting on the fence with this game to give it a rent, see how the controls and feel of the game sit with you, and make your decision on that. For those who settle into it, then I would urge you to take the plunge and pick up a copy, as it's a fantastic adventure to get stuck into.
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/04 @ 16:00

  • Senor_Sanchez #16 8 years ago

    I had a quick go the other day....i really wanted to love it.....but after you have played Prince of Persia or Ninja Gaiden it really is very dissapointing

    sorry

  • OnlyMe #17 8 years ago

    I still can't see why people have trouble controlling this game, yet Tomb Raider which had incredibly fucked up controls right from the start is supposed to be better? I say it's the players fault, not the game. Can't see the problem at all, if you just take your time and get used to the interface, it's brilliant. And seriously, I hope more games of this style use this kind of system.

    6/10? Well, if you played through the game, you must have gotten used to the controls by then. Which means, I can't see why it should score so low. If you just played the first couple of levels and not really got anywhere with the controls, then I can accept a 6/10. Because the controls are NOT a problem.

    Innovation is dead, appearently. I'd give it an 8 or 9 out of 10. At least, up until now, and I have a feeling I won't get tired of this game so quickly.

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #18 8 years ago

    "Prince of Persia is superior in so many ways, yet at no point does it feel as epic, charming or just downright fun as Galleon"

    This must be a windup?

  • krudster #19 8 years ago

    I played it for almost 20 hours, it really isn't just a question of the controls being an issue; they're ok, just not the best solution. It's more a case of some really bad design issues that got on my tits. Can anyonem seriously, with a straight face, tell me they enjoyed the timed underwater section. Seriously one of the most infuriatingly rubbish pieces of game design I've ever had the miserable experience of. Horrible.

    Sticking up for it's fine if you enjoyed the game, but trying to make out it's better than Prince Of Persia is just comical.

  • robo_1 #20 8 years ago

    "This must be a windup?"

    Why no sir, it's called an opinion.

  • krudster #21 8 years ago

    Just a very amusing one!
    /snigger

  • robo_1 #22 8 years ago

    "Sticking up for it's fine if you enjoyed the game, but trying to make out it's better than Prince Of Persia is just comical."

    Hhehehehe

    I loved Prince of Persia, but it's a very linear game. Galleon had a sense of scale and freedom which PoP simply couldn't match. It's not necessarily a case of saying one is better than the other, just that one does some things better. The rest is just a case of whatever floats your gaming boat.

  • Sko #23 8 years ago

    Will the long-term DNF suffer from similar 'dated' issues when (if?) that finally sees the light of day?

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #24 8 years ago

    You are honestly of the opinion that Galleon is more *FUN* than Prince of Persia? I mean, fair enough old bean, but I do find that astonishing.

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #25 8 years ago

    Although to be fair to Galleon, I agree that it has a charm that a lot of other games lack - but I'd say that's more to do with the characters than the way it plays.

  • robo_1 #26 8 years ago

    "You are honestly of the opinion that Galleon is more *FUN* than Prince of Persia? I mean, fair enough old bean, but I do find that astonishing."

    Well it depends. I mean on the one hand Prince of Persia has infinitely superior combat, but on the other, Prince of Persia offers nothing along the lines of swan diving from the top of that mountain in islandl two. Galleon is unquestionably the better adventure game, simply because Prince of Persia leads you by the nose to the next platforming puzzle. Each do their thing well, but they present it in a different way. Personally, I prefer Galleons emphasis on adventure, to PoP's linear approach.

    Surely we can just agree to disagree without being quite so patronising?
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/04 @ 16:36

  • Singularity #27 8 years ago

    Surely we can just agree to disagree without being quite so patronising?

    He said patronisingly. ; )

  • robo_1 #28 8 years ago

    "He said patronisingly. ; )"

    They started it : )

  • krudster #29 8 years ago

    Have to disagree on one point - the supposed lack of linearity in Galleon - to me it seemed pretty much just as linear. Just because there's a sprawling level design beneath you, doesn't actually change the fact that all the tasks come one after the other just like they do in any other game of this type.

    To say Galleon is "unquestionably the better adventure game" just doesn't stack up under *any* scrutiny at all. It's so far wide of the mark I have trouble even taking this discussion seriously.

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #30 8 years ago

    I'm not trying to sound patronising, sorry.

    I can understand why someone might prefer the more freeform approach, but I would have thought the satisfaction that you get when things come together at the end of a lengthy puzzle in POP - not to mention the fluid control and movement, lovely visuals, time dagger mechanic, clever use of sepia-tinted flash-forwards, enjoyably daft yarn of a story, etc - would have vastly outweighed the ability to go left OR right or something like that. I just think it's an odd point of view. And the fact that you're arguing that the combat is better in POP than Galleon is quite amusing in itself - the combat in POP was arguably the least impressive thing about the whole affair.

  • robo_1 #31 8 years ago

    "To say Galleon is "unquestionably the better adventure game" just doesn't stack up under *any* scrutiny at all. It's so far wide of the mark I have trouble even taking this discussion seriously."

    By all means, leave the discussion then. To say PoP is just as open a game as Galleon is ridiculous and you know it. Quite why you're coming at me so aggressively I have no idea. Please enlighten me.

  • krudster #32 8 years ago

    I just find all of your arguments so far don't give me any sense of why Galleon is better. It plainly is just as as linear. Ok, the *level design* gives the illusion of freedom, but in all other senses Galleon gives no more freedom than any other game. If I were to fall down 300ft to the bottom of island two, what am I going to do? Run all the way painstakingly back up or reload my save game?

  • bzzct #33 8 years ago

    I find Galleon does well at times at making you feel as though it's quite freeform when it isn't. Playing Calverly's Island you look around and there's this massive sprawling area, reaching way into the sky, but when you're actually playing, you can still only go from one place to one other in one way almost all of the time. They're big open levels, but there's only really one, carefully constructed path winding around them.

  • krudster #34 8 years ago

    Yay! Sanity returns!

    One thing I didn't mention in the review are the stupid bugs - yes, finding Rhama standing up underwater is one such bug, and again, the whole nonsensical everchanging combat is another. (plus the one frame Tiger death move is another). Retarded.

  • robo_1 #35 8 years ago

    "I just find all of your arguments so far don't give me any sense of why Galleon is better. It plainly is just as as linear. Ok, the *level design* gives the illusion of freedom, but in all other senses Galleon gives no more freedom than any other game."

    The simple fact is though, with Galleon you actually want to explore the islands and there are incentives to do so. I've read plenty of comments from players who simply explore the islands of Galleon without following the objectives. With PoP, there simply isn't that appeal. It's more than that though. PoP offers a relatively straight route through each section of the game. The islands of Galleon can mostly be crossed at will, unearthing alternative routes and hidden areas.

    This isn't an attack on PoP, it's just a straight fact. I've never wandered around the Palaces of PoP just for the exploration element, whilst with Galleon I have, and so have many others. Heck, only yesterday I was exploring the Ocean and found a nice stash of treasure in a ship wreck. I simply wouldn't have found that without exploring the island. There is nothing like that element of exploration in PoP.

  • krudster #36 8 years ago

    Fair enough, explore all you want, but that doesn't actually make it any less linear. And what exactly are you exploring for? For the sake of a few pistols and treasure? If that actually had any tangiable benefits in terms of unlockables I could see the incentive.

  • IronGiant #37 8 years ago

    Galleon is an average game, it has it's moments but it's no better than countless other average games out there, Beyond Good and Evil is an absolute joy to play, something which can't be said of Galleon. You obviously like the game, great for you but there are far better games out there deserving of our hard earned cash.. something which will be reflected in the dreadful sales figures.
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/04 @ 17:44

  • robo_1 #38 8 years ago

    "I'm not trying to sound patronising, sorry"

    Wasn't directed at you.

    "I can understand why someone might prefer the more freeform approach, but I would have thought the satisfaction that you get when things come together at the end of a lengthy puzzle in POP - not to mention the fluid control and movement, lovely visuals, time dagger mechanic, clever use of sepia-tinted flash-forwards, enjoyably daft yarn of a story, etc - would have vastly outweighed the ability to go left OR right or something like that. I just think it's an odd point of view. And the fact that you're arguing that the combat is better in POP than Galleon is quite amusing in itself - the combat in POP was arguably the least impressive thing about the whole affair."

    I'm not necessarily saying that Galleon is the better game, just that for my tastes, Galleon offers a far broader (and thus more enjoyable) canvas to play with than PoP. I do think the story of Galleon is better woven into the gameplay, which gives the game a far more epic feel than PoP. I enjoyed the puzzle element of Galleon more too. Many of PoP's puzzles felt quite drawn out (I'm thinking specifically of lining up of the beams of light), and were more devices used to base the platforming around. Not a bad thing in itself, but I thought the turning of the ship puzzle in Galleon was a far tighter idea than many of PoP's.

    There is little to defend in terms of Galleons combat. It is poor, and if anything represents the games lowest ebb. I've played it long enough to get used to it. I can still recognise it as poor, but it doesn't detract from how much I'm enjoying the overall game play.

    But anyway, PoP is one of my favourite games so don't interpret any of this as an attack on PoP. I just prefer elements of Galleon, I don't really see a problem with that, horse for courses and all that.

  • perilikid #39 8 years ago

    But isn't PoP just a joy to experience anyway? Does a game have to be hard to be good? Would you base your enjoyment of films, books or cds solely on the basis of the challenge they present you?

    In this particular circumstance, yes, PoP is easy, yes it holds you by the hand, and yes it's all over too soon; but it's so smooth, and coherent, and satisfying, that its comes out as a great gaming experience.

    Should I add a "imho" here as well?

  • robo_1 #40 8 years ago

    "robo_1 - stop your bleating you moron"

    Who said the concept of the Village Idiot can't extend into cyber space. Anyway, thank's for your valued contribution, as it really makes me glow to know that my opinion upsets cocks like your good self.

  • Khanivor #41 8 years ago

    Ach, they're both rubbish. Case clsoed.

  • Sko #42 8 years ago

    "robo_1 - stop your bleating you moron. "

    Hmm, in alternate universe, Jimmy James said something quite different. Wonder what happened there...
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/04 @ 19:15

  • robo_1 #43 8 years ago

    I never said it was better, just that I preferred elements of Galleon over it. Maybe after I've finished Galleon I'll hold a different opinion, but for now I'm getting more fun from Galleon.

    Look, I'm not looking to pick a fight with anyone, I thought it was a fair review too, I just added a few reasons as to why I enjoyed it more than Krudster. I should maybe have considered my comparison with PoP more closely, it's just so many reviews are making the comparison, that I just wanted to highlight a few areas where I thought Galleon was better. I genuinely didn't expect that to cause such shock and wonder. I think both games compliment each other nicely, and whilst it's clear that both games have their fans and detractors, I think most fans of the genre would find enjoyment in both.
    Edited by 1 at 21/06/04 @ 19:15

  • perilikid #44 8 years ago

    It does always seem to end up as a slanging match, doesn't it? As if someone's life depended on it.

    Hey ho.

  • IronGiant #45 8 years ago

    Obviously all the reviews and awards worldwide for PoP were wrong.. strange that. Who started all this comparing Galleon to PoP anyway? all this my game is better than yours crap is pointless. Galleon would have been great had it been released 4 years ago.. today up against other games it can't cut it.

  • robo_1 #46 8 years ago

    "It just happens that Krud has a public forum to express it. If you don't like that Robo, then start your own games site or submit a reader review to EG."

    This is the really strange thing, I agreed with the review for the most part. I mean in his review he clearly states:

    "At no stage could you look at Galleon and feel that it was sloppily designed."

    If that isn't a wonderful compliment to the game, what is? The only reason I brought up Prince of Persia was because in the review, it says that it out shines Galleon. I just wanted to address that point. I mean surely the object of these comment boxes is to discuss these things. I think we've discussed it now, and it's a pretty dead issue.

    If I'd felt the review didn't at all reflect my own experience with Galleon, then I would write a reader review, but I think most reviews out there offer something for everyone's opinion. CVG gave it something like 92 percent, Edge gave it a 7, Eurogamer have given it a 6, and GamesTM gave it a 4. It's clearly not a game which is obviously bad or obviously good.

    Still, I suppose debating these things is a fine a way as anything to kill a slow afternoon : )

  • krudster #47 8 years ago

    Indeed, it's been one of the more lively debates of late...

  • MoFo #48 8 years ago

    you've gone strangely quite JayPea....everything ok? Maybe you missed the end of the match. Let me fill you in on anything you may have missed.....

    ********************************
    *********** 4 - 2 **************
    ********************************

    or in words...

    ____________________________________________

    ########---> FOUR - TWO

  • W0PR #49 8 years ago

    Sorry this is a comments thread about Galleon. Take your football and feck off!

    ;)

  • krudster #50 8 years ago

    You can't "easily look down". I already noted you could use the B button (and I do), but it's hardly useable in the heat of a boss battle.
    And as for comparing it to Zelda...
    /thousand yard stare

  • beep #51 8 years ago

    with cut-scenes integrated fully into the game engine at a time when everyone else relied on FMV - almost a totally unique approach at the time, but now par for the course.

    Ocarina of Time had absolutely superb in game cut scenes, whose implementation and direction still has yet to be matched, me says.

    I remember being so eager reading about Galleon back in the day, mostly because I liked the first Tomb Raider (!) and was keen to see what Mr Gard could do next.

    Clearly, time waits for nowt.

  • oldfruit #52 8 years ago

    My father in law owns an early 70's Norton Commando. It was the first motorbike I was insured to ride when I passed my test. This bike had no indicators and the gears were on the opposite side to the Japanese bike I had learnt to ride on. A fierce kick-start either started the bike or attempted to break your leg dependant upon many variables. During each and every ride an event occurred, nuts and bolts would come loose, fire and smoke would shoot from the exhaust, rattles and knocks developed and on one occasion the thing caught on fire resulting in an attendance by the fire service. I longed for a Japanese bike which was devoid of these faults. However, my Father in law convinced and assured me that these were not in fact faults, but merely what he called...the character of the bike. And believe me, when ridden well, it could keep up with sloppily ridden Japanese crotch rockets on typical British roads.

    My experience with the Norton reminds me of Galleon - unusual, slightly wacky, charming and full of character, not faults. It stands up against its more modern competition and offers an experience not to be found in any other game available for the Xbox.

  • IronGiant #53 8 years ago

    Christ you guys just won't give up.. the age of gamers has nothing whatsoever to do with a game being good or not and in no way are design flaws charming, infuriating and frustrating yes.

    Beyond Good and Evil and PoP are by far much better games than Galleon, IMHO of course oh and that of just about every game reviewer on the planet. Galleon will be heavily discounted very soon so i suggest anyone remotely interested either rents it or picks it up from the bargain bin.

  • Senor_Sanchez #54 8 years ago

    my first impressions of this are still not great. when i get peace and more importantly, a spare dau, i will give it a more thorough whirl.

    Should have been out 2 years ago.....it does look dated

  • IronGiant #55 8 years ago

    Nah it's just horses for courses and all that, i too grew up with an Amiga and an Atari ST for that matter.. i loved Beneath a Steel Sky, Monkey Island etc etc but i really don't think much of Galleon. Beyond Good and Evil i loved from start to finish and i like games you can really get stuck into.. Ninja Gaiden was perfect as far as a lasting challenge is concerned and if you have a PS2 then get Dark Chronicle as that game has an incredible amount of gameplay in there.

  • OnlyMe #56 8 years ago

    What kind of fanboys would that be? Xbox fanboys? Toby Gard fanboys?

    I still love Galleon, and I have a DC, Xbox, PC, Amiga, GC, PS2. I love them all, almost equally. I think the controls system is inuitive and the camera is not an issue anymore when you get a little practise with it.

    I'm impressed with the sheer number of incompetent gameplayers out there when they can't even learn the controls of Galleon. I can think of a dozen of "supertitles" that have worse controls than Galleon, yet it's considered among the greatest games ever.

  • Tiger_Walts #57 8 years ago

    New car stickers?

    Ninjas can do it blindfolded

    Pirates do it with one hand

  • fozzie22 #58 8 years ago

    i'm enjoying galleon alot more than i have other games this..

    i.e DE2:IW shame nobody will buy it though

  • oldfruit #59 8 years ago

    The more I play it, the more I realise just how beautiful it is. It's like being on holiday on your own private island paradise. If only Rhama could sit down for a rest and have a nice cup of virtual tea, and a short game of bowls maybe...

  • colin 1st #60 8 years ago

    what the hell is this trying to be? it's like Monkey Island four without humour. WHAT IS IT? seven years in development? more like 7 minutes while a couple of designers were drunk! the graphics are an insult! in the opening video nearly every Guybrush Threepwood-esque pony tail dissapeard into the back of it's owner as they tilted back their badly rendered head!

  • Nause #61 8 years ago

    I mean it's his fault who the heck did he think was gonna buy this ? If I want a game with ships and stuff in it I want to play a pirate, a pirate with a big sword, whences and the ability to kill the innocent .......... cause pirates rocks.
    Edited by 1 at 08/07/04 @ 21:18