Rygar: The Battle for Argus

Developer: Tecmo
Publisher: Tecmo
Release Date: Feb. 3, 2009
System: Wii (reviewed), PS2
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Warning: Diskarmor may rust with age.

0:00 I've actually played through the PS2 Rygar that Rygar: The Battle of Argus is heavily based on, but I remember very little of it besides a vague feeling of enjoyment. Let's see how the game has held up over the years, shall we?

0:01 The horn flourish on the preview screen is just so ridiculously short and peppy, I can't help but grin.

0:02 In contrast to the preview, the loading and title screens proceed with nary a sound. Everything looks kind of grainy, even for a Wii game ... have I been spoiled by HD so quickly?

0:03 Ah ... turning down the anti-aliasing in the options menu helps the graphics ... now it doesn't look like an N64 game. Anyway, the gameplay options are "Conquest Mode "and "Gladiator Mode." I'm honestly not sure which one is the "story," so I go with the first one, Conquest.

0:04 "Several years have passed since Rome destroyed the Egyptian dynasty." Argus, on the Mediterranean Sea, is part of that dynasty. Rygar has "nothing left but the will to fight ... I have no family, and all my memories have been consumed by fighting." Cut to Princess Harmonia: "Rygar, I praise you as a man of merit. Your brave composure brings me peace of mind." Women say that to me all the time in real life! Anyway, Rygar and the princess both realize they had the same portentous dream, but before they can discuss it over tea, a huge green minotaur comes into the coliseum. "We are Titans. True rulers of the Earth!" says a lady accompanying the minotaur. A winged devil-type picks up the princess, and Rygar is knocked into a huge fissure in the ground. Wow, this story is incoherent and bad so far.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer