Now Playing: Asterix & Obelix XXL 2 Mission: Las Vegum (PC)
I did it guys! I found Asterix & Obelix XXL 2 Mission: Las Vegum for PC… I just, didn’t come about it in the most honest way. I couldn’t track down a physical copy anywhere (for PC or PlayStation 2) which is to be expected for a game from 2005 that was only ever produced for Europe. Let’s just assume I’ll go out and buy two copies of developer, Etranges Libellules, other games that did manage to make it to the U.S. Those include the latest Spyro the Dragon, Arthur and the Invisibles, and that upcoming Alice in Wonderland. Hmm, I think I’ll go pre-order a couple copies of Alice.
Gray areas aside, I have it! It runs great on my PC (as you’d expect for an ’05 release running on ’09 hardware) and it even natively supports my new Xbox PC controller! I was ready to do some GlovePIE scripting but it supports everything except the right analog stick and the triggers. Camera control is a little tricky with Left/Right rotation mapped to the Bumper Buttons and Up/Down on the D-pad but all of the game’s commands are accounted for and within finger reach. So, the game itself.
I’ve always been interested in Asterix & Obelix. Growing up I’d always catch a glimpse of their games in random EGM sidebars or in the mysterious Euro gaming mag but I never bothered to figure out what they were all about. Some inspiration for The Lost Vikings, I assumed, and went back to thumbing through the latest issue of GameFan. Like I said before, I first saw XXL2 in a PLAY magazine preview where a single screenshot of Roman soldiers dressed up as Sonic the Hedgehog fighting Asterix blew me away. But just like ‘Young Shawn’ I turned the page and continued reading about games that were actually coming out over here, keeping XXL2 in the back of my mind for years. Just what was going on there!?
In traditional Asterix & Obelix fashion, Julius Caesar is up to his old tricks, trying to conquer the last indomitable clan of Gauls who are holding out against Roman rule. This time he’s gone to great lengths, building the Las Vegas-inspired theme park/casino world of Las Vegum. From the intro it even looks like Asterix’s trusted friend, the druid Getafix, has sold out the other Gaulish elders and has gone over to Caesar’s side. Determined to rescue Getafix and find out what’s going on, Asterix and Obelix make their way to Las Vegum thanks to the help of Sam Shieffer.
Sam Shieffer. Why does that sound familiar? Sam… Fisher? Yup! The narrator and guide for the game is the fellow from this image who sports the glowing three-eyed night vision headset and drops into frame on an elaborate series of ropes. He’s the first character you meet but the video game homage starts before you even turn on the game. I didn’t realize it myself but the box for the game looks an awful lot like a Grand Theft Auto cover and the title screen music sounds just a tiny, tiny bit like something from Goldeneye on N64. But I’ve written quite enough for one post and there’s still so much more to see. I installed Lightbox gallery on the site so please visit the actual GameLuv page for the proper experience and start clicking below; be sure to read the comments on these sizable images and if you spot something I missed, do add a comment!
