knee-deep in blood
the gameplay: it's a lot like the lord of the rings-games by EA for the consoles. you basicly hack with your sword by pressing the A-button repeatedly. you can perform combos by making combinations with A and X. There are also special moves and divine powers under the shoulder-buttons and you can use a bow from first-person perspective. during the game you get better swords, maces and axes and so your knight becomes stronger and stronger as do your enemies. there are a lot of different enemies each with there own distinctive moves. some of the tougher ones require you to block and time your attack, you do have to pay attention! there is little variation in this game, but what it does, it does good.
the graphics: the knights look and move realy good. the levels themselves look also very good. the textures are detailed with exception of the water in some levels, that looks terrible. there are a lot of enemies in the game but you'll never see more then three or four at the same time. at one point the game takes you to a hell-level, which reminded me of Doom2, with the blood-red sky and all. The hell-level is the most impressive of the game, but somehow it doesn't get real scary.
The sound is excellent. The music is very exciting and a bit like pirates of the carribbean when fighting ennemies. when there are no ennemies the music becomes softer and more suspenseful. the sound effects are also great. when you finish off an ennemie you'll hear the metal going into the flesh acompanied with a gruesome "Aaargh!"
the story is about a girl who has been kidnapped by a bishop and taken to the holy land. this is why you have to hack your way through countless of enemies. the story is not a strong point of the game, though it could be seen as a coming-of-age-tale. also there are not many games with knights this bloody on the gamecube, which would make it a fine addition to your collection. if you can find it at a good price, say 10-20$.
PS: knights of the temple 2 is not on the gamecube; bummer!