|
By Robert Hancock on March 9th, 2002
Introduction "...Ryudo has been sent to protect a young priestess who has to participate in a ceremony in a distant land. As the ceremony is about to begin, something goes terribly wrong and Ryudo, against his better judgment, jumps in to save the fledgling priestess. Caught in-between the forces of good and evil, this young warrior must follow his destiny and save the people he detests so much..."Following the heels of its original on the dreamcast, this port should bring back echoes of the recently dead system. Now, if you’ve read any other reviews on this game, (And God willing you come here first), you’ll know that as a port, this game didn’t do so hot. I have to grudgingly agree. Some of the story scenes are laggy and the animations choppy -- even for a port. The text will cut in the middle of conversations to the point that you usually have to wait a second or two for the text to load... Keep in mind, however, it doesn’t always do this, and it will generally be pretty quick on it’s feet. When it does lag, though, you notice it. Presentation Not mentioning the whole port bit, of course, we’ll launch right into it.The battle system is a lot better than I remember. Fans of the original will be happy to know that they didn’t change much, a little bit of tweaking here and there, and doing away with the 2-d battle layout in exchange for a full 3-d one. For those of you not in the know, the Grandia battle system is a cheery blend of real-time attack delivery and turn based strategy. You have to plan which enemies will be caught in the range of your attack, which enemy is about to attack you, how long it will take you to run over there and stop it, and if you attack before it attacks you, you may have a chance to completely cancel his strike. Grandia 2 also allows you to approach your enemies on your terms, ( Battle approach used in Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, etc.) eliminating the need for random combat, putting you in control and allowing you to sneak up on foes and get a few strike in first with a preemptive attack. The menu system is pretty standard, but it won’t have you searching for anything. The skills and magic system work well with the implemented battle system, and it’s nice how everything comes together.
Graphics & Sound Graphically, Grandia 2 is on par with the dreamcast version which makes it true to form, but some players may mistake this for slightly out-of-date visuals. Not so, please keep in mind this is a port, kids. ^_^ I still find it quite impressive, in fact. Just take a look at the screen shots.The sound is pretty much the same deal, the music is catchy, the sound effects add to the game, and I really enjoyed the selections they made with voice casting. Gameplay Being a very big fan of the original Grandia, I had high hopes, probably unreasonably high hopes, that this game would rock. I looked for the great battle system, the hilarious banter, and the character depth I had come to expect.I got it. Unlike the original hero in the last epic, our hero is the complete opposite of a free spirited adventuresome child -- Ryudo is a bitter bounty hunter, ( ’Geohound,’ in game) complete with cynical outlook and wise cracking bird sidekick. Paired with his early companion, a prissy Songstress of Granas, the exchanges between the two are funny, and not as predictable as you’d expect. As a basic RPG, this has what you’re looking for as well -- Adventure, over 1000 characters to interact with, well done voice-overs and cinematic cut scenes, and by far the BEST battle system I’ve seen in any RPG, the Final Fantasy series and Star Ocean 2 included, which is saying something.
Lasting Appeal This will have the same replay value of any RPG, you’ll beat it, put it back until you forget the storyline, then pick it up again. As far as RPG’s go, this is up there. You’ll have it in your normal rotation in no time at all. Conclusion I can see many of you overlooking Grandia 2 because of it’s bad rep as a port. I’ll be (probably) the first to tell you that while it exists, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this is an excellent game, and it shouldn’t be ignored for such a minor reason. Grandia 2 is a sprawling, entertaining masterpiece, and if you don’t get a piece of it, you’re missing out. Later, kiddies. Happy gaming. |
