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Bargain title, not a bad game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 18
Date: March 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I've just read some reviews for the game all over the net. Everyone is trashing it...and I really don't understand why. Is there a certain rule that bargain games cannot be good? Must a game cost fifty bucks for it to be good? That's what all magazine reviews seem to be leaning towards. Don't listen to them, it's just their opinion anyway. They're a bunch of spoiled babies who sit there and get paid to write ridiculous reviews on games like DS. I just got the game today, wanted to check out what it was like and surprisingly I found myself playing it for 2 hours. Bottom line is that if you like Diablo, you will probably like this game. Same style, same type of dungeons, same everything. Don't be fooled by those spoiled losers that work for these magazines who are trashing this game in their reviews. Just because it's not made by Squaresoft doesn't mean it cannot be fun. I've had more fun playing this game than I did Vagrant Story and that got great reviews. That's the last time I'll trust magazine reviews...it's all opinions. Can't lose price-wise on this one, and even if you don't like it as much, you won't be banging your head against the wall for buying the "editor's choice/pick" and finding out that a supposedly bigger, more expensive game is no different graphically than the one I'm writing this review for.

Here's the rundown on the game (1 worst - 10 best)

Graphics: 6 We've seen better graphics on playstation, but hey, this wasn't meant to be state of the art...then again, neither was Frogger but we played that for months now, didn't we?

Control: 8 Can you rotate the camera view at any time in Vagrant Story? I think not. Button-smashing (as some of the reviews claim)? Not at all. Movement could feel more realistic, but we're not here to complain.

Fun Factor: 10 After spending 2 hours with the game, it's about as much fun as Diablo was when I opened up the game and popped it in for the first time. How much longer will this last? Who knows.

Music: 6 Average sounds, nothing phenomenal...

In true Amazon fashion, I give this game 4 out of 5 stars.

Severely underrated game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: July 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

... This game is the most fun I've had since playing Diablo 1 on the PC. Don't believe the negative reviews! Try it for yourself. I've been gaming for over 20 years and I can with confidence say that this game is one of those underdogs that comes by every so often that I'm so glad to find.

GRAPHICS: Graphically, the game reminds me of a cross between Diablo and Gauntlet Legends. I think the graphics are very nice. The wilderness is colorful and woodsy and the dungeons are dark and sinister. There are neat lighting effects, such as magic spell effects and torches. The enemies are varied and well done, as are the character sprites.

SOUND: The sound effects are great, from the clink and clash of weapons to the thud of a club upside a goblin's head. The CD music is highly reminiscent of Diablo and really adds to the atmosphere, whether you're in a town, the wilderness, or a deep, dark dungeon. I like the tunes so much in fact that I wouldn't mind listening to them all on their own.

GAMEPLAY: Apart from being pleasing to the ears and eyes, the gameplay is where Darkstone really shines. The character classes are varied and include such professions as fighter, wizard, monk, and assassin, and both genders, so there's something for everyone. There are many different spells and weapons to acquire, as well as armor, potions, scrolls, and other various items. There are people you can interact with in towns and villages. There are quests and sub-quests and plenty of things to do. I can easily play this game for hours and often have to pull myself away -- it is very addictive, as much as Diablo was for me, I would say... The longest load is when the game is booting up for the first time after choosing to start or continue a quest from the main menu (about 40-45 seconds). After that, entering a town or dungeon or returning to the wilderness doesn't take that long at all (maybe 20 seconds, tops),... only time this game accesses the disc is when you are entering or exiting a dungeon level, town, or the wilderness, just like in Diablo.

Anyhow, to sum it up, Darkstone is a fantastic game, easily one of my Playstation favorites, and at its "bargain title" price it's an absolute steal. I'm so happy that Take2 Interactive released this game. Finally, an American, non-Anime PSX RPG! Sure, the storyline is pretty unoriginal but somehow I don't even notice. Please, do yourself a favor and buy this game. If you like Diablo or fantasy games in general I don't see how you won't really enjoy this one.

Darkstone

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 40 / 80
Date: December 21, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This game was pretty cool at first. When you do a quest you mainly only got 10,000 gold. (goes by really quickly.) The dungeons don't repop guys so you need to keep restarting the game (server if you are in mplayer). When my brother, cusion, and I played this game we played from about 3 in the after noon till 11:30 in the morning. We would have gone longer but my parents made us go to bed. So i definetly recommend this game.

For those who long for PC-style RPGs

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: February 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Truly a unique and pleasantly surprising Playstation game: good graphics, appropriate sounds, but above all a true old-school RPG in the style of Diablo. You can hire NPCs, you can purchase all kinds of equipment as you go, and finally: You can rotate the camera! Thank heavens Take 2 and Delphine finally got what so many RPG makers don't: we like to see multiple angles.

At ..., you really can't miss. I would recommend this game at three times that price. If you're tired of japanese-style RPGs and wish your Playstation was a PC sometimes, this game is for you.

Some Bugs - But Well Worth the Money!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: June 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is a very good RPG, but pretty light on the adventuring.

PROS * inexpensive * Decent graphics and sound * good variety of weapons and abilities * multiple character types with various difficulty levels * game can be saved in any location

CONS * slowest loading PSX game I've ever seen (3 loads just to turn it on and play your saved game!) * uses 6 blocks on the memory card! * only uses memory card slot #1 * some bad interface issues (must drop potions and pick them up to get multiple items to group together; must put scrolls on belt to use them, etc.) * the game will sometimes crash (when using Theft skill with Assassin in certain places)

Overall this is a very good game, and enjoyable to play repeatedly. When I played the same character in a harder difficulty mode after completing my first game, most of the quests were different, and it was definitely more difficult. Also, the items that you find and can buy get more elaborate the longer you play, with new attributes appearing in harder difficulty settings.

Although the quests are pretty difficult (or at least boring) sometimes, you are not limited to doing them in a linear order, so you can walk ahead to new lands and fight harder, more interesting things, which is nice.

For the money, this is a fantastic game, and the cheap price makes up for the few annoying issues that would be a bigger deal in an expensive game.

Severely underrated game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I really, really don't know why this game has gotten bad reviews. This is absolutely insane. This game is the most fun I've had since playing Diablo 1 on the PC. Don't believe the negative reviews! Try it for yourself. I've been gaming for over 20 years and I can with confidence say that this game is one of those underdogs that comes by every so often that I'm so glad to find.

GRAPHICS: Graphically, the game reminds me of a cross between Diablo and Gauntlet Legends. I think the graphics are very nice. The wilderness is colorful and woodsy and the dungeons are dark and sinister. There are neat lighting effects, such as magic spell effects and torches. The enemies are varied and well done, as are the character sprites.

SOUND: The sound effects are great, from the clink and clash of weapons to the thud of a club upside a goblin's head. The CD music is highly reminiscent of Diablo and really adds to the atmosphere, whether you're in a town, the wilderness, or a deep, dark dungeon. I like the tunes so much in fact that I wouldn't mind listening to them all on their own.

GAMEPLAY: Apart from being pleasing to the ears and eyes, the gameplay is where Darkstone really shines. The character classes are varied and include such professions as fighter, wizard, monk, and assassin, and both genders, so there's something for everyone. There are many different spells and weapons to acquire, as well as armor, potions, scrolls, and other various items. There are people you can interact with in towns and villages. There are quests and sub-quests and plenty of things to do. I can easily play this game for hours and often have to pull myself away -- it is very addictive, as much as Diablo was for me, I would say.

I also want to comment on the complaints I've been reading about this game having slow loading times. The longest load is when the game is booting up for the first time after choosing to start or continue a quest from the main menu (about 40-45 seconds). After that, entering a town or dungeon or returning to the wilderness doesn't take that long at all (maybe 20 seconds, tops), so I'm not sure what all the griping is all about, especially since the only time this game accesses the disc is when you are entering or exiting a dungeon level, town, or the wilderness, just like in Diablo.

Anyhow, to sum it up, Darkstone is a fantastic game, easily one of my Playstation favorites, and at its "bargain title" price it's an absolute steal. I'm so happy that Take2 Interactive released this game. Finally, an American, non-Anime PSX RPG! Sure, the storyline is pretty unoriginal but somehow I don't even notice. Please, do yourself a favor and buy this game. If you like Diablo or fantasy games in general I don't see how you won't really enjoy this one.

More Than Your Money's Worth

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I saw this game in a store, and the screen shots looked decent. I figured it was worth a shot for the low price. It was definitely worth the money.

That being said, I will start off with the game's flaws. The most glaring (at least in my mind) was the playing character's inability to want to go through doors. I had no problems getting him/her through an archway, but they just loved walking/running into the space right next to the doors, and trying to get them through the door then was a lucky try. The character's movements were definitely a little herky jerky. And, as another reviewer pointed out, this must be the longest PS1 game in loading time. Finally, although it's hard to believe one character could fit all those items in their pack, the fact that they can only wear four rings on eight fingers and two thumbsmakes me wonder how deformed their hands are.

But I can't ignore the game's plusses. The ability to upgrade weapons, or acquire weapons/shields/armor/rings with enhancing powers is a very nice plus. The playability keeps it challenging, especially how some levels change when you move up from the Novice level. The mini quests can sometimes be frustrating, but they are all solvable. And is there an easy way to defeat the wizards?

Graphics: 4 -- The faces are a bit... off, but otherwise the different looking swords, shields etc. is nicely done.
Sound: 3 -- Though most liked the music etc., I found I had to play something else on my stereo to cover it up.
Playability: 4 -- That door problem could not be more frustrating, but otherwise the movement works well enough.
Difficulty: 4 -- Sure, some levels are quite easy, but the ones that are difficult keeps it challenging.

And for all those people who thought mashing the X button would get you through the game, try using your level 8 character on something higher than the 1st dungeon. And for crying out loud, if it's too dark in the dungeon, use a light spell!

Try the PC version instead!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: April 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Long have I had the PC version of Darkstone, and last month I purchased the playstation version, it was HORRIBLE!! it wasnt worth the 10 dollars, instead i returned it to the store and reinstalled the PC version and played it that way. there's no 2-character usage in the playstation version, and the graphics are way worse, my PC is a 96' PC and it plays much better on it. I extremly highly reccomend the PC version, but the playstation version stinks.

PUT DIABLO 2 ON PS2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 16, 2001
Author: Amazon User

WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THIS GAME I WAS TRYING TO FIND DIABLO FOR PSX (LITTLE DID I KNOW) YOU CAN'T FIND ONE ANYWHERE. ANY WAY, I LIKED IT, IT HAD PROBABLE THE BEST CARACTER DEVELOPMENT I HAVE EVER SEEN. PUMPING UP ATTRIBUTES, BUYING SKILLS AND, LEARNING MAGIC (I LOVED IT). THE DUNGEONS WERE GOOD, NICE AND DARK YOU HAVE TO USE LIGHT SPELLS!! I HAVE PLAYED LOTS OF RPG'S AND NEVER USED A LIGHT SPELL (EXCEPT THE ORIGINAL ZELDA) THE 360 ROTATING VIEW WAS NICE, IT COMPINCATED LACK OF GRAPHICS. THE QUEST LEFT A LITTLE TO BE WANTED, BUT IT IS A HACK AND SLASH. THE LOAD TIME STINKS ALMOST AS MUCH AS DIABLO. BUT ALL IN ALL I LIKED IT.

Kirkmiester

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best games I've ever played. The big magazine critics think they're so cool by bashing the low budget games. Now, I know that some of those games need to be bashed, but there is no excuse in this game. Maybe if they actually played it, they'd like it. This game is great, the story isn't real deep but the gameplay is tons of fun. If you have ever played a Diablo game, and enjoyed it, this is the game for you. The fighting is great, none of this random battle junk. (Best regards to FF7 though). Any real RPG player knows that there is one thing the makers of almost all games don't get, a 360 degree camera. I highly recomend this game. Don't go by what those critics say, I've actually played the game!!

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