A solid RPG that does everything well.
584647
Tales of Veseria is a wonderful experience for anyone who likes RPGs.  The great thing about the game is how simple and streamlined the story is.  Unlike larger scale RPGs like "Oblivion" or "Dragon Age" Tales of Versperia doesn't contain many sidequests that distract you from the main mission.  Rather the game progresses on a very A to B format that never manages to feel like filler.  And for the most part, you always know what you should do next.  That doesn't mean this is a short game either.  The World you explore is vast and once you have completed the game you can restart the game in "New Game Plus" mode that lets you replay the game with enhancements that tweak the game depending on what upgrades you choose.  This is a no-brainer for any RPG lover.
1805260
Game came quickly and in great condition (as it should since it was new). Game looks great. Its more of a laid back rpg with lots of item-creation through alchemy and lots of time management. Battles are a little too easy but its forgivable since the game isn't based on battles. I would highly recommend this title.
4034473
I found this game to be more fun that any other RPG I've played.  While the story doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat, it is interesting and takes many unforseen and amusing turns.  The items system is the best thing about this game.  It is based off of the use of alchemy, where you create items as Visse using components.  Once you have unlocked an item by creating it once, you can make more of them wherever you are using elements which are found across the world.  The result is that you are not afraid to use items, which makes the game far more enjoyable. At the same time, money is still important as you need it to buy recipies so you can create armor, accessories, and more expendable items.  I suppose the item system makes the game less challenging, but I was too busy having fun to notice.

The battle system is innovative, and still remains simple.  You can use a break attack, which delays the enemies turn and can allow you to do critical damage if you keep the enemy broken.  You can use a charge attack which increases your skill bar, allowing your team to use powerful special attacks or healing magic.  Or you can a skill or item.  Simply breaking an enemy is not a path to victory, as bosses will not stay broken for long and will just bash you while you are doing small amounts of damage because you are not using skills.  Against normal enemies, they show up in groups so it is rare you can keep them all broken unless they are so weak they die in one or two hits anyway.  A combination of breaking, charging, and skills is required to effectively defeat enemies.

A large part of the game is spent playing as Viesse on Eden where there are no battles.  However, even this part is surprisingly fun.  As Viesse you go around Eden making pacts with Mana spirits to increase your alchemy abilities and to help the people who live there.  Her part of the game is primarily character development as you learn about those who live on Eden and what Felt, the other main character, is up against.

The characters are an amusing group of rebels freeing a Kingdom that has been conquered by a foreign empire.  The graphics are not amasing, but suit the world very well.  The voiceovers add alot to that characters, giving them a great deal of personality.  Between the item system and the skill bar systems, I never found myself worried that I'm running low on mana and items deep into the dungeon.  Overall, I would describe this game as easy and convenient.  It's the kind of game that doesn't challenge you too much, but also doesn't have any of those frustrating moments that  usually accompany a more challenging title.
1593997
The story is pretty linear, but that's what you should expect from a JRPG anyways. Expect around 30+ hours for the first play through if you're not playing the lower difficulties. You can actually play with friends (not online, only local) and it's pretty enjoyable too. All the characters play somewhat differently and the party gets pretty large so there are many choices and much to do before you can consider yourself a master. All the equips will visually change the appearance of your characters so collecting them all or at least the ones that interest you is something that might take you a while to complete as well.

The fighting system is different from that of say ... Final Fantasy (another JRPG series) in that it's more real time and there are different combos depending on who you are "linked" with. Linking basically makes 2 members of the party become an army of two; the two members cover each other's backs and do amazing combo attacks together.

I was reminded of the Metal Gear Series while playing this; there are plenty of cutscenes to keep the story interesting and optional chats between the characters further character development. The story itself is also pretty long!

The graphics are superb and the soundtrack is fitting.

All in all, the game has both a wonderful story and fun gaming mechanics. It's definitely worth the purchase!
2966398
This WA is by far an excellent addition to anyone's RPG drawer. Unlike SOME people's bland analyses, this WA is unique in many ways in comparison to its previous cousins.

First of all, the story will feel familiar to those of you who played the first WA. A lot of references and names are used in conjunction with this one (including two big surprises in the middle I won't spoil for anyone yet to play this game) and make this game more engrossing. Second, the main character of this game is the first female protagonist for the Wild Arms series and she does a good job of playing the courageous heroine. While she's no Lenneth Valkyrie or Elly Van Houten, Virginia Maxwell performs well fighting injustice throughout Filgaia. To make it more interesting, she is the only female member of the team and the leader of a party that composes males. How's that for girl power? Third, if you loved the ARMS in the last two games, you'll be surprised to know that in this WA, ARMS are your regular weapons and that they are the main weapon of just about everyone you come across in the story. This brings on a feeling of classic wild west since cowboys and cowgirls relied on the same trusty pistols.

Now, for the gameplay stats:

Story-This WA's story is a tad on the huge side, so you must pay careful attention to details as they come. Of course, if you remember any info from the first WA, this won't be a problem for you. Most of the story's content centers around a lot of scientific detail and terms though, so be prepared for complex explanations.

Characters-Your party will compose the same four people for the entire game and each of them develops quite nicely as the story rolls along. In fact, each character has a tough dungeon later on that exclusively stars him/her as the central figure for the plot and helps explain some things that may have confused you before (a.k.a plot fillers, but by no means boring ones).

Music-Michiko Naruke, what a genius! She knows her wild west music. Reading everyone's other comments, I'm appalled by your rudeness and lack of musical comprehension. These are some of Naruke's best pieces to date. The use of strings, whistles and drums blend into some nice wild west themes, especially the many town and battle themes. Don't forget that there are also the traditional dark, sad, heroic, goofy and serious themes.

Battle System-This WA keeps the tradition of Force Points but now has a newer simplified setup. Each character has one unique Force move (ex: Virginia uses Mystic) and two that they all share, Gatling and Summon. Also, a new feature lets you turn monsters into magic gems when defeated by an elemental guardian summon or spell. The gems can be sold for quick money (which is scarce) or used to cast the same elemental spell that made it. Your ARMS can be upgraded and there are countless setups to have for each ally and while quite expensive, can improve your odds against tougher monsters. Each character's gun is unique in its stats, so you must consider carefully what parameters to build (especially since you can reset them but you don't get your money back). Guardians play a bigger role than before. There are 12 in all and each character can equip three. Each one ups certain parameters and gives the equipper four spells to use (sorry folks, no Crest magic in this WA). There are once again, endless setups, but certain Guardians work best with certain characters.

Sound-Magic spells, guns, explosions, horseriding and monster noises all in one game? Quite a coloful bunch of sound FX if you ask me. The gun sounds are especially on the mark.

I give this Wild Arms a 5/5. Buy it and enjoy, it rocks! And for those of you who want an extra challenge, the Abyss is back from WA1, but it's now 100 floors and a familiar face awaits at the end. Good luck!
3486652
I still think its sad that people don't know of RPGs such as Grandia or Grandia II.  I think its even sadder that people think the only good RPG out there is Final Fantasy when Grandia II is a gem.
Anyway, while the graphics lack a little (Its a port of the 1999 version on Dreamcast so I understand that), the plot/story is solid and the battle system is awesome, and character developement is very much perfect.
As said, graphics are good, but for the 1000th time.  Its not the graphics but the story thats important, and not just what the story is but how it is told, and Grandia II does this very well.  While the story is something I've seen before (but then again so was FFVII and I loved that...) it was played out to its full extent.  And this time unlike most RPGs, the story focuses more on the characters rather than the enviroment that surrounds them, which helps character developement.
The battle system is unique and with the exception of the first Grandia and FFX, actually requires me to use strategy and think before I act, unlike most other RPGs that forces me to see how fast I can end a battle (hence more Final Fantasy).  However, while the battle system is very good, if you exploit it, the game becomes very easy.  In fact not once did I ever see the words "Game Over" or ever get a single character KO'd throughout the game.
The Characters actually shine with an Aura that makes them memorable characters much like in the first Grandia.  Magic animation is beautiful and not to mention that each character gets there own skills, making them more unique than before.
Also, while it doesn't seem like much, I was disappointed after playing the first Grandia with how many spells were in this one.  While 40 spells is indeed a lot, the first 80 spells the first Grandia had gave me more time to tweek with my characters stats.  Not to mention that in this one everyone only has four moves.  In the first one they had 12 each.
The music, while not as good as in the first Grandia, really sets the mood.  Boss fight music (especially when fighting parts of Valmar) is very good, and I find myself humming the tunes.
Using moves is done by using SP and learning moves requires SC.  This is like expeirience points only more like coins to learn and raise levels of the move.
Anyway, the game is extremely good and I happen to like Grandia more than Final Fantasy.  Not because of battling, but because of freedome as well.  You won't be wrong in choosing this game.
917400
Final Fantasy X is the newest entry in the classic series of console role-playing games. While it keeps many of the series traditions - such as Chocobo birds and airship owner Cid - it also dispenses with quite a few of the more antiquated ones. This is the first Final Fantasy game since the series moved to the Super NES (Final Fantasy IV, to give a sense of the elapsed time) to eschew the Active Time Battle system. With a new director fresh from the Front Mission games (tactical mecha combat), combat plays out much more strategically. Characters can be swapped in or out at any time as needed; helpful, since each character is especially good against different kinds of enemies.
The graphics have been drastically updated with the move to PlayStation 2; the slick and gorgeous graphics are everything you'd expect from a Square game on the PS2. Most of the in-game story scenes are beautifully rendered in real-time, and even include real-time facial expressions; you may think it's full-motion video at first, it's so smooth and glossy. That is, of course, until you actually see the FMV; the frames per second of the FMV has been doubled, bringing it up to digital video standards, and it shows. The beautiful CGI is flawlessly rendered and outshines any I've ever seen.
The music, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, is the best since Final Fantasy VII. While the music in the last two Final Fantasies has been subpar, Uematsu is back up to form in this latest installment. Especially good is "In Zanarkand," the delicate piano solo played during the opening scene, and "Sight of Spira," the tropical-feeling theme played in Besaid Village. The now-requisite Final Fantasy pop song, "Suteki Da Ne" (Isn't It Beautiful?) by Japanese folksinger Rikki, is merely all right when sung by her. In its various instrumental forms that pop up at various places in the games, however, it's an elegant, touching melody that you won't get tired of hearing.
The story is typical of your Final Fantasy games; mostly unoriginal, but with a few brilliant twists that keep the story interesting enough to keep you playing. But the true draw of Final Fantasy X, like its predecessors, is its characters. Boyish Tidus, dutiful Yuna, cheerful Wakka, mature Lulu, taciturn Kimahri, world-weary Auron, and perky Rikku each have their own goals, hopes and fears. Each characters is likable and well-written. The addition of voice acting and the aforementioned facial expressions as humanizing factors should not be ignored; they're the reason I feel closer to these characters than I have to any Final Fantasy cast to date. (Don't be surprised if you shed a tear or two at the poignant ending.)
Final Fantasy X is the best entry in the Final Fantasy series to date, and one of the best games on the PlayStation 2. If you're even remotely interested, give this one a try.
4748686
Bioware has a pretty impressive track record for RPGs. Their most famous work to date,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Star-Wars-Knights-of-the-Old-Republic/dp/B000067DPM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic</a>, garnered almost every "Game of the Year" award in the video game industry back when it was released.

Now a few years later, we get 'Mass Effect'. A Sci-Fi adventure that at times can seem as if it has endless choices for you to make. A few examples are things such as your character customization options (including gender and specializations), weapon and armor customization, and your "good or evil" path choices.

Actually, boiling it down to Good or Evil is a mistatement. It isn't that simple with Mass Effect. You are set out to be a 'hero', but how you get there is your choice. You can choose to work with the citizens you encounter to get complete your mission and be a Paragon. You can also choose to be a take-no-prisoners type of character and be a Renegade. If neither of those suit you, play it right down the middle a be a balance of both or neither. Your choice.

The story is Bioware's best plot ever. If you played the original Knights of the Old Republic, that's saying something. I won't give anything away, because the story is one of the main selling points of the game.

The combat is simple. In fact, some might find it overly so. However, I think people are missing the point. This isn't trying to be the greatest Third Person Shooter ever created. It's trying to revolutionize what RPGs can be.

The graphics are beyond stunning. Sometimes you will find yourself staring at your surrondings in awe and completely forget what you were doing. There is a minor buffering issue where all of the textures are loaded a second or two after you regain control of your characters, but it's nothing that really detracts from the games overall beauty.

In my opinion, I think Bioware succeeded in once again showing us the true potential of what the RPG genre can put forth. In fact, if there is one RPG out this year that is a must have, Mass Effect is it. Do not hesitate to order because you won't regret the purchase.
4968098
One of the best games I have ever played. There are some bugs that the developer has to address though, but they don't seem to interfere with the missions and their outcomes. Excellent game for anyone who loves RPG, a good story and cool combat situations. It is a massive world where one can get lost and explore everything that has much detail to it.
296891
This is the greatest timesuck I have ever experienced in gaming. MMO's are too slow paced for me. I found Destiny stale and confusing at times. This hits the sweet spot of MMO and RPG mechanics. The single player campaign is really great. The story line right off the bat lets you feel the magnitude of what has happened to NYC and the rest of the world for that matter. Gameplay is rock solid. I am a big fan of third person shooters, and this game has excellent cover and shooting mechanics. I can already see I'm going to spend a ton of time in this game.

Pros:
- Story is compelling
- Game looks and sounds great
- Incredibly detailed  and immersive environment
- RPG elements are strong and addictive
- Diverse set of missions that let you sculpt the game how you want to play it

Cons:
- Enemy diversity is weak. I have already killed a bunch of people named Alex.
- Some of the deep RPG elements are not well explained, but they do a good job of introducing them to you slowly so its not overwhelming
- Certain control scheme elements take some getting used to, but with an Elite controller you can map that as you want
- Pre order and bundle perks aren't available at the beginning
503205
This is probably the first X-box game that I ever got into.  I played Halo a couple of times with a friend but this was the first game that I really enjoyed.  I guess I am more of an rpg man than an action gamer.  There is so much depth to this game that I can't do it justice with words but I will dig in and make the effort.  First off you can choose from many different races and character classes with different emphasis on skills.  A lizardman warrior?  Check.  How about a catman Acrobat?  They got you covered.  Big barbarian with a penchant for magic. Yep although he might have a rough time of it.  You could even make a high elf with crazy eyes and an even crazier name like Sweet Ghandi McGillicuddy(I hate rpgs that only let you have five or six letters in your dude's name)  And if you can't find a class that you think suits you you can just make up a custom class of your own. (I actually think this is the only way to go.  Half the fun of making a custom class is making up a goofy class title for your character.  Underpants king for example.)

  Once your new hero gets out into the wide open world and finds his way to the town of Balmora he will discover just how many roads he can travel down.  There are least four or five different factions he or she can join up with right away and even more that become avaialbe in other towns. Warriors, assasins, thieves, mages and not one but two types of clergy mean you will never run out of things to do. That's where the fun of the game comes from,rising to the head of this guild or that.  Sometimes you completley forget about the main quest because you are so keen on the various sidequests that are scattered like glittery diamonds all over the world.

  The only bad thing about the game is that if you play it too long it kind of takes on a drudging worklike quality after awhile.  Go into dungeon at nine, find yet another artifact, leave dungeon, head back to stronghold, put your precious booty in treasure chests and barrels, go to bed.  Wake up and repeat.  There's a rather noticible lack of Final Fantasy-esque Cinematic pomp and circumstance throughout the game.  But for the ability to do almost anything and develop my character in whatever way I want I am willing to lose a few of the more theatrical moments.

  Another minor problem is the lack of mulitple characters.  No, I don't mean mulitplayer.  No real rpg has ever had a multiplayer option to my knowledge.  I mean you literally go through the game with only one character.  Occasionally you have to have people travel with you to complete certain quests but they are not with you for long.  This lack of a traditional rpg party forces your character to be more flexible than he might be if he had more people with him.  For example in a normal rpg if you had a big warrior character you wouldn't bother to learn magic to unlock a door because you could just have the nerdy wizard in your party cast the spell but here you would be screwed unless you had a magic item that accomplished the same thing.  But these are minor things not worth taking away a star for.

  Anyway, this is easily the best rpg I have ever played.  I have spent more time on this game than any other rpg, the only game I have played as much is the romance of the three kingdoms series which is a different style of game altogether.
1157344
This is one of the best RPGs to date - period. Part of the appeal is that few have heard of it and even fewer have played it, but there's plenty of appeal beyond that. The epic-scale land and sea battles are a treat. The characters are intelligent and memorable. The plot is comfortable but full of surprises. All in all if you like classic-style RPGs, you'd be a fool not to get this game. My only setback is how androgynous the main character is. As setbacks go, that's hardly a deal-breaker. Buy this game.
2714250
This game is just fun to play. If you've played System Shock 2, then you have a good idea what Deus Ex is.  This game is hard core RPG with FPS  thrown in. Let's start the review:
Graphics: Graphics uses the Unreal  Engine therefore it doesnt have good D3D support. The game will run on D3D  but expect some slow FPS when polygons start accumulating. A beta patch to  fix D3D performance did help a bit. If you're using a GeForce card, dload  this beta patch. Voodoo owners shouldnt have any problems.
Interface:  There's a lot of control keys to memorize but with a little practice,  you'll be able to memorize each function. Prepare to use a lot of the USE  ITEM key since there's a ton of items you can pick up in this game. Like  System Shock 2 and Thief, Deus Ex gives you the action to lean left and  right however I didn't find any option to lean forward (very helpful though  when sniping from an elevated position).
Gameplay: This is where the game  shines. The story is based on several conspiracy theories eg. secret  governments, roswell, etc. Your mission is to investigate the relationship  of each conspiracy and discover that all of these conspiracies are part of  a worldwide organization to control and subjugate people. Game runs via  mission objectives. You are given primary and secondary goals and you can  accomplish them in any order you want. There are some primary goals that  you can skip too as long as you've accomplished the most important goal.  Lots of skills building is involved (it's RPG). You get skill points for  every goal you accomplish; goals from as simple as talking to someone in  your HQ to arresting a terrorist. Most missions involve stealth,  infiltration. You don't have to go into a mission with guns blazing. You can  move in as quietly as possible and still achieve success.
AI: Very  inconsistent. In a way this is a good thing because it makes the game very  unpredictable. AI here are smart. They can hear you if you make too much  noise or expose yourself too much. They run away if critically wounded, and  they'll gang up on you when you're cornered. Also, the AI remembers things  you've done whether they were good or bad. For example, i tried to hack the  ATM machine in the game. When I spoke to my boss, he warned not to try  hacking into any facilities in the area. And I did my hacking almost like  30 minutes ago. That scene made me smile.  Inconsistent AI can be a bad  thing too. Sometimes they won't react when they see their dead buddy in  front of them, and sometimes they'll sound the alarm. Must suggestion:  dispose of the bodies properly.
Story and Overall: The game has a lot to  offer. The story is multi-varied because it runs on several conspiracy  theories. And we know how much we love to listen to conspiracies. This game  involves a lot of mind thinking and not senseless shooting. It requires  resource management, analysis of tons of information, and a lot of stealth  moves. This game is a must buy. Pick it up.
1705458
This game is exactly what I've been searching for ever since I finished Final Fantasy III (or VI, depending on where you're from)...  It has all the great elements of an old school RPG, but it incorporates new elements into both the battle system AND the story development which implements more tactics.  Now when I say "tactics", I don't mean "tactical RPG", this game is a true-blue turn based RPG at it's core, but the battle system gives you a little more meat to chew on than just the plain old "fight, magic, guard, escape" layout.  The ONLY complaint I have is that when you go back in time, you have to sit through the plot development again, and even with the "quickly skip through the dialogue" button, you still have to wait a while before you can jump back into the action.  But honestly, the game is so good that I really don't mind waiting.

Excellent game, excellent battle system, awesome story that is well written, and colorful and believable characters.  Worth every penny.
2923183
In today's age of gaming, products tend to be rushed by the major gaming companies. The Dark Eye: Drakensang is not one of those products. Drakensang, executes the RPG experience to near perfection. Drakensang does have it's flaws, they are few and not subtle. Drakensang offers the player a linear storyline, enriched graphics, above par mechanics and solid fantasy atmosphere. I'll focus more on the pro's and con's of this game, rather than spoil the storyline.

Pro's:
1. Graphics, they are amazing and not taxing on your system like other RPG products on the market. I run the game on full settings with a older ATI Radeon x1650 pro turbo. Anti-Aliasing is only supported up to x4 in the game. I usually get 30-35 FPS. Visual effects do not hinder your game play experience.
2. Sound and Enviroment, they did a wonderful job with ambient effects. The soundtrack is very good too.
3. The storyline is simply constructed to make the player feel they are the actual hero. There are some mystery elements to the game.
4. The Rule set can be a little confusing at first, The Dark Eye role-playing game follows D&D influenced rules. Constructed differently though, Your character will gain adventure points which is associated to their level. They will also gain experience points which is associated to their talent and abilities.

Con's:
1. No multiplayer, it can be a problem for many gamers. I do not see it as a issue but for the consumer you should be aware of this.
2. Camera control lacks panning, there's mouse scrolling and free control camera. When in tight spaces, the camera angle will focus in, zooming out is limited in such spaces too. It's annoying at times but nothing you can't over come.
3. Character customization, you are given the choice from a range of different races with preset character titles, abilities and skills. If you enjoy customization from the start you may frown upon the games approach.
4. Lacking animations and model diversity.

Overall, Radon Labs managed to put together a great RPG experience.
2391971
This is without a doubt one of the best rpg games I have EVER played.  The graphics are incredible, the story is dynamic and engrossing, and the characters are quite unlike any I have seen in any previous rpgs of this kind.  I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes the genre.
56857
Having waited for "Wild Arms 3" for quite some time, and considering the minimal promotion behind it (seen any screenshots online? I doubt it), I seriously didn't know what to expect. But I am happy to see that the attributes that made the first game great, and even gave some quality to part 2, are alive and well in part 3.
The first thing you'll notice is the cell-shading graphics, which you will either love or hate. I am not familiar with how cell-shading works, but it gives the game a cartoony, almost hyper-reality feel. I think the graphics are nicely done, with fluid animation and colorful characters and enemies alike. The settings are nicely detailed, and the camera is nice and easy to control. The cell-shading might turn a few people off, as it is already doing with the latest installment of Zelda for Gamecube, but as with all RPGs you need to look beyond the graphics. The music is also excellent, hailing from the composer of the first two games. Veteran "Wild Arms" players will notices quite a few familiar tunes, especially in battles. My one gripe in the sound department is the lack of voice acting, which would have greatly enhanced the gameplay, as it did in "Final Fantasy X". Otherwise, it is pleasing to the eyes and ears.
Storyline wise, it is very similar to the first "Wild Arms", with each character having a separate story that the player goes through before they all meet up. I like that because it nicely sets the stage for events that happen later in the game. The game is set in a fantasy version of the Wild West, but don't expect any "High Noon" moments. One thing that will attract the more seasoned RPGamers is the turn-based battle system, which is almost identical to the first "Wild Arms". In "Wild Arms 3", you have the ability to use a variety of magic and, as a nice twist, the ability to summon guardian powers. This is an idea that has been used countless times before, but somehow works on a whole new level here.
The control in "Wild Arms 3", again, is almost identical to the first game, with the ability to dash by holding down the X button, and the square button uses the tool command, so whatever tool you have equipped is that you can use.  The camera is controlled quite easily by the L1 or R1 buttons, which does a smooth 360 when held down. One noticeable improvement in this installment is the menus, which are much easier to navigate, thus making it easier to find what you are looking for. My only complaint here is that your characters cannot jump, and jumping down from a ledge is a chore, because you have to push the directional button twice. Overall, the control needed little improvement in the first place, and is a simple learning curve on the first time playing.
"Wild Arms 3" fares quite in 128-bit, and is a fine addition to the fast-growing PS2 library of RPGs. Despite what others might tell you, the cell-shading graphics are very nice, and this is by no means a cartoon game. Fans of the first two games will feel at home here, but the challenge of dungeon-crawling and battling will please almost any gamer, regardless of taste.