About a month ago, I reviewed Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Not only was this game boring outside of battle sequences, there was way too much of it. Symphonia was a goddamn chore. In reviewing Rise of the Argonauts, a new action RPG based in Greek mythology, I ran into the opposite problem. The story was fun, but the gaming was thin. The result was the same letter grade, C+, despite the fact that I liked Argonauts much better. Such is the tyranny of the letter grade. I can’t make a case for grading Argonauts any higher, but if I had it to do over again, I might knock Symphonia down a notch or two. (But even as I entertain the thought, I’m arguing with myself in my head, so who knows?)

One thing I liked about Argonauts despite its paucity of action was the way it loaded that action with meaning. I always felt there was some intention and purpose behind Jason’s battles—nothing profound, but fitting the “Cinemascope! In Color!” vibe of the whole production.

Anna and I laughed at the ending to this game, which follows a final boss fight against a Ganondorf-like foe. After a huge amount of dialogue and many long (skippable) cutscenes, the game’s parting scene is essentially a couple of throwaway lines and a fade to black. You killed the boss, huzzah, cut, print, we’re outta here. Guys, it’s the ending! It’s supposed to have a little pomp!

Argonauts isn’t worth the $60 retail price, but it’s worth a rental (and can easily be polished off in a weekend) or a bargain used-bin pickup. Oh, and read my review, preferably a billion times. Thanks.