Now Licensed games typically get a bad rap in the gaming industry and for good reason, a lot of them are just... Terrible. But there is a licensed game that does have a bit going for it. The Legend of Korra for the PS3/4, Xbox 360/One, and PC. The main thing that stands out about Korra is its developer. This playable adaptation of Nickelodeon's Avatar sequel is developed by Platinum Games. If you don't know who they are, they an Osaka-based developer founded by the former members of Capcom's original Devil May Cry team.... And it shows. From Bayonetta, to Madworld, to Metal Gear Rising, to Vanquish, to The Wonderful 101. These guys know how to make a great over-the-top, and deep action game.

However critics were mixed on Legend of Korra. It's reviews ranged from 8's to 4's. I think a lot of reviewers never understood the constraints Platinum had. First, its a downloadable budget title. Second, like most licensed games, Korra had a very limited development deadline, and a low budget. Because of this, Korra is arguably Platinum's weakest production. But with a developer as competent as Platinum, even its worst game is still much better than most licensed games. Given its nature, Korra is still a pretty Solid action game.

The story I'm not going to bother to explain because, I've never really gotten into Korra. But I will say, the game looks rather nice for a low budget game. Its cell-shaded to match the style of the show, and I like how it has the show's actual animation for cutscenes.

The gameplay, as always from Platinum is fluid, polished, and solid. Korra is a 3rd person action game that lets you control all 4 elements which you can switch between with the R1 and L1 buttons (or on Xbox RB and LB). If you played Metal Gear Rising: Revengence, you'll feel right at home with Korra's gameplay. It feels very similar only witnout Blade mode. The combat is fast and fun, and as always from Platinum there's alot of combo experimentation to try out.

However, the game is far from perfect, and there are areas in which it could've benifited from a proper development cycle. Now, Platinum's games aren't known for being very long, but Korra is VERY short. In fact its almost.... too short, thus limiting its replay value quite a bit. Second, the enemies, while vary in attacks, are very limited in their appearance. And it can make the game feel a bit too repetitive even for an action game. Lastly, the Naga segments.... are terrible. You move too fast which makes it hard to see what's comming up, obstacles are all over the place, and all of you elements in these sections have VERRRRRY SLOWWWWW cool down.

Overall, there's a reason I don't let reviews tell me what to like. While it's not Platinum's usual level of quality, Korra is still a decent action game and much better than what it would've been otherwise. It's worth checking out if you love the cartoon. And even if you aren't a fan of Korra like me, its still worth a look if your a fan of Platinum's work. And for $10, it makes a good popcorn brawler.

Final Score: 7.5/10