Remember Capcom's old classic game Ghosts 'n' Goblins, which was followed by Ghouls 'n' Ghosts? Well, the franchise is alive, and with Maximo, Capcom gives us Playstation 2 gamers a game that takes us down memory road.

Maximo has been released on the Playstation 2 in 2002 and features Maximo, a fearless hero who finds his home kingdom overrun by undead. So he sets out to kill the undead (How is this even remotely possible? Nevermind!) and free his female love interest. However, as he is killed in the intro, he has to make a deal with Death: If he gathers enough souls for him, Death will extend his lease on life (Extra Lives).

The game itself plays very well, the controls are logical, and the camera (often a hindrance in 3D platformers) usually doesn't impede the game experience. The levels are logically designed and interactive, and there is enough to go round. There are four main levels, each with it's own theme, with four sub-levels each. When you complete all sub-levels, there is a boss to fight. After completing these four main levels, sixteen total levels, a fifth level is accessible for the final showdown. And even after that is completed, the adventure is not over yet...

Just like in the classic, Maximo loses his armor when injured, then his normal clothes, leaving him just with his pair of white boxers with small red hearts; but you can change the design of the boxers later on, if you like (the cow design is nice).

There are also many humorous sequences, such as the one when you complete the first level: The evil overlord turns the responsible skeleton back into a human, but the joy is shoretlived, when he realizes that alive he is more vulnerable to torture...

Maximo is a full-fledged and fun to play 3D platform game in the tradition of the former classics. The graphics are fresh and fluid; the level design is neat, and original. IMHO, the only thing missing is the classic theme. Oh wait! That's in there too ;-)

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