Binding: Video Game Brand: Infogrames EAN: 0020295150105 ESRB Age Rating: Teen Label: d Manufacturer: d Platform: Sega Dreamcast Publisher: d Sales Rank: 12861 Studio: d
Rating: - No, this is not the best rpg on the DC.
Simply put, this is the worst game on the DC, not just the worst rpg. I can't believe I used to have this in my game library. It's not even really an rpg, it's more of a Zelda-type game...here's the whole story/plot: you play as David, an incredibly fidgity main character whose wife is taken away, along with all the other women around, by Silver, a wizard. David and his grandpa (who he constantly refers to as "Grandad") then run off to save her and get all the other women back. Well, along the way, they get ambushed by some forest warriors (think Robin Hood here) who end up joining their cause. They then learn about "the oracle" who might help them. The oracle ends up just being an entity in a nearby tower that tells them to gather magical stones, each one representing an element. Original ain't it? Along the way, they meet up with other party members, 2 of which aren't the least bit useful, and you go on to face off with Silver. That's it. There are no sidequests, character development scenarios, hidden characters, optional bosses or anything.
Here's a run-down of the characters you get aside from that ninny David:
-Jug: the generic big, bearlike, purely physical character every game has. His main weapon is a hammer, and of course he's the strongest in the party. He has almost no magic use at all. Like that matters when he runs around breakin' stuff. You'll probably keep him in the party. He joins you in a bar of course.
-Cagen: a good mix of physical and magical skills here, which is understandable since he's a monk. Throw him in with Jug and you've got yourself a nice lil' party. He joins after finding out his monestary has been poisoned.
-Chiaro: he'd be useless if it weren't for being the strongest magic user. That's all though: his physical attacks are pitiful, and he doesn't take damage very well. He joins for...no reason really. Probably just for the sake of having a strong mage.
-Vivienne: she's a feisty redhead (again, how original is that?) who's a well rounded fighter. Her magic is average too. After you have Jug and Cagen, you won't be using her ever again. She's a friend of David's apparently.
-Sekune: I honestly forgot all about her until I got to this point in the review. She's an archer you get when the foresters ambush you. She's also your permanent party member until you get actual good ones to replace her with. Being an archer, she's useful at times, but there aren't many enemies smart enough to attack you from a distance. When that happens, that's when you whip out a fire blast or whatever. Dump her once you get Jug.
If you ever played that other [bad] game Secret of Mana, that's how the combat is here. Ring menus and all. Most of the game is hack 'n slash, and there's maybe one puzzle thrown in just to keep you on your toes *sarcasm*. Fighting some of the bosses is annoying though, especially early on when you don't have any magic. It can take 15+ minutes to take out a simple boss just because your weapons do so little damage. But later on, when you get all the spells, one round of Light and a few whacks with dual swords will take down just about anything. Oh, and most of the bosses are blatantly obvious on which element they're weak against.
The graphics are annoying. The backgrounds are very well done, but the character models are...I don't even know how to describe them. They're almost as bad as the FF7 ones. But here's the thing- most of the time you don't even really get to see the details in your character(s) because of the weird-ass angles. Most of the time, your party is microscopic on the screen, so it doesn't really matter on "who looks cool" here. Some of the enemies have cool desings, the werewolf in particular. At least the music's good...for the majority. A lot of the tunes are used over and over, and some areas just have silence save the sounds made in combat.
I won't ruin the ending [like there's anything to ruin at all with the crummy thing] for you, but turn it off right when the credits start to roll. These are the longest credits I've ever seen. They scroll up so slooooooowly that it makes you want to cry. You know how long Shenmue's credits were? Well those went by 50 times faster than these stupid things do. 'just thought I'd warn you ahead of time.
What I'm giving the second star in the "fun" category in this rating is for two things. Half of that star is for the Light spell. I've always been big on holy spells (probably because they're always some of the strongest). It looks pretty cool, but usually ends up costing 3/4 of your spell points. The other half of that star comes from a mere recovery item: the roast rat. When I got a few of those, I laughed since I've never seen such an item in an rpg. Let alone one like that that heals you. But that does seem like something they would've eaten in this time period, so that gets .5 originality points. Other than that, I can't reccomend this to anyone unless they're trying to get a perfect DC collection going.
Rating: - This game should be smashed, melted, and urinated on
Do your self a favor and avoid this "game" at all costs. The graphics are terrible, the fighting is boring and the idiotic camera will drive you INSANE. I only played this game for about 10 minutes, but that was enough to see how terrible it was. It's a steaming pile of fecal matter so don't contaminate your Dreamcast by putting this filth in it!
Rating: - Fun...but short
Silver is a very fun, and easy, game to play. The settings and story are well-designed and will keep your attention for the duration.
However, the enemies are really just medieval Double Dragon rejects who attack you in waves, and the bosses are pushovers. The game doesn't offer much of a challenge. But for the low price, it is worth a purchase.
Rating: - Silver, perhaps the greatest RPG for DC
Although untrue to most of the RPG genre in its battle system (real-time), the gameplay is addictive, the story is amazing, and the moves and magic look really cool. If you want a break from the run-of-the-mill RPG, this is the game for you. The only cons are, the camera angle can be irritating (about three times in the game), and the game is rather short (I beat it in 15-20 hours).
Rating: - SilveR fOx
It's a cool game,you play as David a skill warror,who's wife as taken by Silver&evil sorceer&David tries everything in his power to save her.The graphics are awesome,and their demons,dragons,imps,werewolfs& a giantRAT.If you like action this is your game.
- No, this is not the best rpg on the DC.
- Fun...but short
- Silver, perhaps the greatest RPG for DC
