Asterix and Obelix XXL - PS2

It's been a while since the gaming world has seen anything from these famous Gallic comic book heroes. Considering the fact that the daily adventures of the dynamic duo are generally made up of violently defending Gaul from the onslaught of Caesar's Roman army, this is quite surprising, as it makes for ideal subject material. Well, Atari has finally seen fit to bring us a modern day virtual recreation of the well loved Goscinny and Uderzo universe with this latest PlayStation 2 release, XXL.

The game is a fast and furious action adventure, packed with plenty of combat, in which players take control of both Asterix and Obelix - a concept not far removed from that of Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga on GBA. The gameplay generally involves fighting off hordes of oncoming adversaries and so, thankfully, by utilising the powers of both protagonists, it's possible to pull off a wide range of elaborate combos, including such moves as 'earthquake' and 'twister fusion'.

As the name suggests, it's not just Obelix's Y-fronts that are XXL, as the whole combat element in the game is carried out on quite a grand scale. In what seems to be a faithful recreation of fighting throughout the comic book series, each battle you encounter can feature a whopping 70 Romans at once, so there's never much time to pause for a breather. Also, the game itself is set across six gigantic levels, comprising a total of 49 different challenges.

Instead of appearing in the now familiar cel-shaded style, the two heroes have been given a new look and now benefit from a high-definition 3D makeover. Coupled with the game's impressively detailed environments, it all makes for an immersive game world, full of a good deal of fun and fisticuffs.
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