It's very rare that the videogame off-shoot of a blockbuster movie lets you feel like you're in the movie. This is one of those times. Never before has a game looked so much like its source material. But don't go firing a ten cannon salute just yet - it's got plenty of issues that threaten to spoil the party.
The game is primarily a fighting game with free movement. You walk into an area, get pounced on by a bunch of bad guys and then see them off with a variety of attacks. You unlock finishing moves as you progress and there are several combos to be found as you switch between punch and sword attack buttons as you fight.
There's a simple parrying system, whereby you can push in the direction of an enemy who's about to attack (indicated by a red ring around his or her feet) and then press A. After a slight pause, a cool animation will take place. This is sadly true of the game as a whole - you press something then watch the results, as opposed to really feeling like you're in full control.
To make things worse, practically every enemy can be defeated by pressing A three times. After two swipes, they turn their back to you, whereupon they inexplicably wait a good three or four seconds for you to deliver the finishing blow. It gets harder later on, but only because you have to press it four times, not two, before they turn their back in the same set animation. You can vary your attacks to stop it from looking crappy, but that is the only word for it.
The combat is often hampered by the camera, which is usually too close to let you see your opponent's feet, so a quick pull back with the right stick will make things much more easy to see. This should have been automatic, although it doesn't take too much effort to do it yourself.
