Wednesday, February 11, 2004

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6) Final Fantasy X (PS2)
This is a special game to me. For one it was the first game let alone RPG that I picked up after buying my Playstation 2. Secondly, this was the first FF title developed for the PS2. I really didn’t know what to expect with this one once I heard that it would be a departure from the previous games in the series in that it would be fully acted (voiced). I was skeptical since I had seen far too many video games ruined by crappy dubbs, and didn’t want to see that trend continue with this one. Was the acting good? I’ll say that overall it definitely wasn’t bad, in fact I was impressed with the portrayal of several characters in the game. Auron and LuLu were the most impressive by far. Their characters gave a great sense of emotion and personality. As for the main characters Tidus and Yuna, their actors could have done a better job. Tidus tended to speak in a high pitched tone that at times could drive a person mad. He would give far too much emotion in certain scenes that didn’t fit the situation. Yuna’s voice actor on the other hand simply wasn’t able to give enough emotion duirng the most crucial moments, and certain scenes felt rushed or forced. Trust me, when you get there you’ll know. The famous “laughing scene” is priceless in terms of how pathetic it turns out. Aside from a few key moments that are ruined by bad voice work, the actors were still able to pull off an above average performance. Also the actors chosen did suit all the characters in the game. The dialogue for the most part was also quite good though the words do not always fit the mouth movements of the in-game characters well, but this is easily forgivable due to the great translation. I am glad that the translators chose to stay true to the original dialogue at the expense of the mouth synching, even if it does seem awkward at times. What would you rather have, a game with crappy toned down text that fits the mouth movements, or a game that has text that is as true to the Japanese version as possible that at times doesn’t fit the mouth movements? A true RPG fan would choose the second choice in an instant. Considering this is Squaresoft’s first attempt at developing an all voiced RPG, I give them a lot credit and am eagerly awaiting to see how their next project turns out, FFXII!! (I don’t have much interest in playing FFX2 since it’s just a gimmick and excuse to make some easy revenue for the company, or FFXI since its an online only game and therefore don’t consider it to be a true title of the FF series).
The battle system in the game is what you would expect from a typical FF title and the summon spells can be shortened for once! Yes, you don’t have to wait an entire minute to pull off a summon attack as you did in FF8 while you watch the same overdone, tedious cut scenes over and over again! You can even replace characters in the midst of battle, which was a great idea since it allows you to level up your characters faster (since everyone who participated in battle receives experience points if I remember correctly). In terms of character development, this game uses a system called the “sphere grid” which features a layout on an artificial maze-like board. All of your characters start off at a certain section of the board, and for every few steps that are taken with a given character, will allow you to acquire new types of abilities depending on what sphere you come across. So basically, if you really wanted to, a given character, lets say Tidus, could take the path of a white mage (Yuna), black mage (LuLu) and warrior (Auron), and learn the abilities and skills of all three of these characters. The choice is totally up to you. You may decide that you want to learn some abilities from all the characters and be well rounded, or may decide that you want to master all of the warrior abilities and nothing else, it depends on your strategy and battle preference. This Grid system allows the player to customize their characters extensively and is a great way to implement their development. It’s perhaps the best system to date for the FF series.
The game features an excellent story and great CG cut scenes that Square is known for. The graphics are outstanding and the character models feature a very high number of polygons that allow for realistic facial animations. Seriously, two years after beating this game and looking back on it, it is still one of the prettiest games on the PS2. It seems like no developers aside from Squaresoft, Capcom, and Konami, actually know how to develop games that reach the potential of PS2's graphics engine. The environments are all very well designed and will make you stare in awe as you pass through them. God knows how many artists and programers were needed to produce the vast world of this game. The music while good, was not as memorable as other FF games, perhaps because the tunes weren’t as catchy this time around and were used more towards creating a particular atmosphere, but still a solid OST non the less. While not the best FF game in the series, it is definitely among my favorites (from the one’s I’ve played which include: FFI,II,V,VII,VIII,IX,X) and one of the best RPGS on the PS2. Definitely go out and pick this one up if you haven’t already, you wont regret it!
Overall 8.7/10
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Monday, February 9, 2004

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Sunday, February 8, 2004

RPG'S WORTH PLAYING WARNING!! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!
Hey everyone. I've received a few complaints over the last few months that my site is too bland. Yeah I guess you guys were rite, as it was empty for the longest time...so I've decided to revamp it a bit. I'll start with a post dedicated to my all time favorite RPG's all of which I've completed. I take my RPG's seriously and expect alot out of them, so definately check out these recomendations as they are among the best games ever created! Period! Ok here it is:

8) Kingdom Hearts (PS2). Ok there have been mixed thoughts about this game. People don’t know whether its for the kiddies or for the hardcore RPG fans. I’ll tell you the truth, if you pick this game up and expect another FF epic, you’ll be disappointed. First off, it’s not a true RPG as it has elements from platform and action genres. The story while good, isn’t on par with any of the top RPG’s on this list, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time. The story incorporates characters from the Disney world and has some FF favorites as well like Squall, Cloud and Sephiroth! And god...if you can beat Sephy you are an awesome gamer. I’ll just say he’s the hardest boss in the game and by your 10th attempt at fighting him, you’ll wish you hadn’t tried in the first place. You’ll curse at him, then you’ll throw your controller at the T.V., that’s a guarantee! He’s that hard!, but I’m glad he was a challenge as he is one of the baddest villains ever. To have him be a wuss would have been a major disappointed...anyways I’m going off topic here. While this game is primarily an action RPG it does have a menu system with all the typical FF spells and magic including summon abilities, so there is a lot to like. The story will keep gamers interested even if its kinda cliche and lame at times. O yeah make sure you collect all those dalmations for a secret ending! :D All in all a good game that would have benefitted from a slightly more mature tone with less comic relief from the dorky Goofy who is too goofy for his own good. Sorry Goofy but we all hate you. Overall 7.5/10

7) Vagrant Story (PSX). Alrite this is one of the most highly acclaimed RPG’s to grace any console, though it is also one of the least popular and accessible. Why?...Well first off this game features a complex battle system. It features a free roaming design, which allows you to run around your environment and plan an attack on your foe. Once you’ve decided on what you want to do, you select an option (attack, spell, etc). A menu will then open up. If for example you chose to attack, you will need to specify which body part you want to hit on your enemy. Of course different areas are more critical and will take more damage than others, but keep in mind, the hit% will vary. So say you decide to strike someone on the head, that area will take off the most HP, but the % of landing that blow will be lower than say striking an arm, which won’t do as much damage. So you get the idea, this game takes strategy. This is only a taste of the choices in this game. You also have the option of customizing equipment such as armor and weapons. You can rename your weapons, combine different weapons into one creating a new one altogther and depending on what kind of enemies you fight most with each particular weapon, determine its effectiveness and attributes. Yeah I know this sounds confusing and at first it is, but soon it will become second nature, well for most people anyways. O and there’s also a chain system that allows you to create a string of attacks simultaneously. These combos require exact timing however and can be difficult, but are a crucial element to achieve successful development within the game. This game features some difficult battles and puzzles making it for the more experienced crowd. For those of you who have beaten FF Tactics, the learning curve shouldn’t be too steep (In fact this game was developed by several staff members responsible for that title, including the director) since there are some similarities when it comes to equipment management. The character designs in this game are worth mentioning, they are superb. The art direction is also top notch and the cut scenes are expertly directed. The graphics are also very nice, and if you thought Metal Gear Solid looked good, this game easily ups that presentation by 3 notches. Overall this game isn’t for everyone, but for those who are willing to try something different or something a little more complex than your typical RPG, then you won’t be disappointed. Story, graphics, game play, this game has it all. Overall 8.5/10.

Alrite everyone stay tuned for the rest of my list, it will be up asap. I hope you found eveything helpful!

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