Friday, December 27, 2024
Opinion

Goddess say what? Xena: Warrior Princess had her own video game series

I’m absolutely living for the Xena: Warrior Princess morning marathons on SyFy. And, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I discovered that one of the most iconic female heroes of all time had her own video game line!

In case you weren’t a 90’s baby, Xena: Warrior Princess ran for six seasons between 1995 and 2001, and starred Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor, Kevin Tod Smith and Ted Raimi. The show, a spin-off of Hercules that far surpassed its predecessor, followed Xena and her best friend, Gabrielle, as they travel the European countryside during Xena’s quest to redeem herself. Insert vengeful gods, warring nations and other wild adventures.

Although it was never clarified during the show’s original run, many viewers suspected that Xena and Gabrielle were more than just best friends. The pair even shared a kiss in the series finale, and years after the show concluded star Lucy Lawless expressed her belief that Xena and Gabrielle were gay. This was, in some form, some of the first lesbian eroticism in mainstream television.

With that background out of the way, Xena was the subject of her own video game series; comprised of seven games that are playable on PS1, PS2, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color and PC. The last major release came in 1999 with Xena: Warrior Princess – The Talisman of Fate by Titus Software.

By far, the most popular title is Universal Studios Digital Arts and Electronic Arts’ Xena Warrior Princess, rolled out by PS1 in 1999 and adapted to Game Boy Color in 2001. Described as a hack-and-slash action video game with very little difficulty, the game received mixed reviews from critics but had fans of the show jumping out of their boots. Just like old Lara Croft games, Xena is prone to triangle boobs, weird body structures and lips that don’t move with her voice-overs.

Clips and walk-through videos are easily located on YouTube, but I’ve provided one for you guys just below.

Did you play any of the Xena video games?

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