Plot: What’s it about?
Xena and Gabrielle are back in another adventure and this time, the fate of the entire world could be at stake. It seems Bacchus has gone sour and now he is spawning all sorts of Bacchae to ravage the lands. Bacchus was once a the good and just God of wine, but he become bad over time and there is little hope now for him to ever return to his former self. In his evil ways, Bacchus has begun to create Bacchae which are beautiful women turned into demons who attack innocent people. The girls are first bitten, then they become full fledged Bacchae when they drink of the blood/wine concoction of Bacchus. But Xena and Gabrielle aren’t aware of any problems until they run into Joxer, who is running from some wolves. After Xena dispatches the wolves and reassures Joxer, she discovers he is carrying the head of Orpheus, who is bitter toward Xena because of the past. It seems as though Orpheus was beheaded when Bacchus and his minions grew tired of his lyre playing, which leads to this point. Can Xena and Gabrielle work together with these two to overcome Bacchus, return him to his former state, and rescue Orpheus’ body for reattachment?
I know what you’re thinking, all these “choose your own movie” kind of things suck, right? I thought so too, at least until I played around with a couple of DVD International’s multi-path adventure titles, like this one. The problem with previous attempts is that real people (and usually bad actors) are used, which seems to turn things into a “choose your own B movie” idea. This disc uses very cool animation instead and the results are much better, as well as a whole load of fun. I’ve played this title a couple times now and basically, it’s like watching an animated show and making a few decisions. I was always entertained by the dialogue of the characters and while the interaction was often, it is well placed and serves the purpose to perfection. The animation is 3-D computer type stuff and though it is hard to explain, it looks very cool and colorful. The voice acting is solid also and above all else, this disc captures the feel of Xena very well. If you’re at all interested, then I suggest you look into this release as the low price and fun factor make it worth your time.
Video: How does it look?
Xena: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is presented in a 1.78:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. The animation makes a smooth move onto this shiny disc, I noticed no serious issues with it in the least. I detected some edge enhancement and moire patterns at times, but nothing to become that concerned about. This is a very bright, colorful game and those hues look rich here, though they never smear or bleed at all. The shadow depth is sharp also, but you’ll never see much of it used with this style of animation. For this type of release, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and while it won’t bring the house down, this track sounds very good and shows no serious flaws. I noticed some nice surround use in terms of subtle audio, which helps set a certain mood and that adds a lot to the gameplay. The music comes off well also, with a wide range and good placement within the speakers. The elements never become jumbled either, each sound is clear and distinct even when all the elements are present. Also in fine form is the dialogue, which sounds crisp and clean at all times.
Supplements: What are the extras?
No extras specific to this title have been included, but you will find some bonus trailers for other multi-path adventure releases.
