User Reviews (1 - 8 of 8)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Overlooked sequel to an underappreciated game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: August 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When Koei switched systems for the sequel to its Xbox-exclusive action-RPG Crimson Sea, many people were surprised. The company probably felt that the PS2's larger user base would give Crimson Sea 2 more exposure, but gamers were concerned that the game might change too much during the system switch.

Worries are unwarranted. Crimson Sea 2 is superior in all aspects to its predecessor. Unfortunately, despite these improvements, Koei's futuristic hack-and-slasher seems to have gotten LESS attention on Sony's machine than on Microsoft's.

Gamers who missed out on the Xbox original need not worry. There are no major plotlines that carry over to the sequel. However, if you are interested in learning about main character Sho's heroics during the Ekdahl Wars, you can find out all about it via in-game conversations. The original cinemas are included for your viewing pleasure.

Either way, the story of Crimson Sea is anime-level bizarre. Sho is a Vipa, a superhuman soldier who uses Neo-Psionics to destroy an invading alien Menace that's turning peaceful people into monsters by inserting plugs into them. Your job is to kill em all. There are twists and mysteries along the way that will keep your attention, but the story is secondary.

Much like the original, Crimson Sea 2 is all about combat. You'll progress through sixty-odd missions, most of which are populated with swarms of icky creatures just begging to be destroyed. Luckily, Sho is more than equipped for the task. He has upgradeable guns and melee weapons, and puts them to fantastic use. New for the sequel are gravity blade, overdrive attacks, and Time Extends. Gravity blade attacks add effects like stunning the enemy, throwing them backwards, or tossing them into midair, and can be applied to any of the four melee attacks. Overdrives are gun attacks that are combined with the gravity blade for even further carnage. Rack up a 30-hit combo and Sho enters Time Extend, in which enemy movements move to a crawl but Sho speeds up, gaining the ability to teleport faster than the eye can follow and land major damage on his foes. All of these moves are easy to execute, and beginners will be creating huge-combo dances of destruction with only a little practice. The additions to CS2's combat make the constant fighting much more enjoyable and less repetitive than before.

All this destruction is rendered with amazing visuals. Koei was somehow able to retain the one-against-a-million odds of the Xbox original on the PS2, while increasing the detail and combat effects. Add to that the best FMV this side of Square, and you've got quite a graphical feast.

Koei listened to criticisms of the original Crimson Sea and took extra care in improving the sequel. The equipment upgrade system is much more efficient. There is a second playable character, Feaney. There are multiplayer modes, which are fun to experiment with but not very deep. You can replay any mission at any time to try and get all "S" rankings, but you only gain a fraction of the experience.

Fans of the original should not hesitate to pick up Crimson Sea 2. It is an improvement in all aspects - longer, deeper, better-looking, and more enjoyable - while keeping the all the quirkiness from before. IAG Headquarters is the same, and much of the soundtrack will be familiar. Those new to the series should not feel daunted about not playing the first game - it's easy to get into but deep enough to replay.

Crimson Sea 2 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but provides a vastly fun, lengthy, and visceral experience that manages to stay fresh despite the one-track gameplay. In addition to its swarms of creatures, RPG elements, weirdo story, and beautiful graphics, Koei has crafted a game that feels different and unique, and will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Nice Surprise...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I am surprised that this game hasnt gotten much coverage. It really is fun and challenging at the same time. Crimson Sea 2 comes to us from the makers of the Dynasty Warriors series and the new one, Samurai Warriors. Koei is known for having hundreds of enemies on screen at one time...giving the player an overwhelming sense of frenzied battle.
This game is set in the future with an alien race known only as the Menace threatening to overtake all mankind. All efforts to halt their advance have failed, and so one man, Sho is called in to save the day.
Sho progresses through the game being given various missions that he must accomplish. These missions range from simple seek and destroy, escort and even some retrieval missions thrown in.
Along the way, he can upgrade the power, range, and fire rate of his two guns...upgrade the gravity blade (sword) attacks and even upgrade his NeoPsionics (magic) abilities to become a one man army in all sense of the word.
The missions are short and not super-challenging at first. The player is given ample time to learn the controls with the addition of the training mode. Sho can target, strafe, slash, jump and teleport to amazing effectivness and ease of control. The button layout makes sense and feels effortless in its execution.
The only thing that is missing is the ability to guard against enemy attacks. While a seemingly petty thing to gripe about, in missions where you are graded on the amount of damage you have taken, it would make sense to have this feature included.
Other than that, this game is really fun. It is fast paced, woven into a awesome storyline and features many unlockables. All in all, its a good way to spend some time saving the universe from your living room.

Definite sleeper hit!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: August 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is going to be a sleeper hit for the action-RPG people. The flow and feel of the game is a lot like a really great single player version of Phantasy Star Online, except the fighting is more like Ninja Gaiden/Devil May Cry. You also have a magic meter that builds up as you fight and take damage. Unlike most action RPGs, you will often find yourself fighting up to 30+ enemies on the screen at once; the sound and feel of slashing through such a large horde is definitely gratifying. There are experience points and weapon upgrade points as well as special moves that you can do in battle. Controls and camera are spot on!

I never played Crimson Sea on the Xbox, but I heard it was really bad. Supposedly, this version cleaned up a lot of issues that people had with the Xbox version. You can also view all the cutscenes from the first game in this sequel. There are multiplayer modes in the game (co-op, competitive), but they do not intersect with the single player mode at all.

If you are looking for a level treadmill game that requires some dexterity to play, then this should definitely be on your list.

The perfect action game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'm a very picky gamer; I finish very few games. I often dislike games that the mainstream press gives great reviews. However, this game instantly had me glued to the screen and hasn't let go yet. I'm about 16 hours into it and I'm ready for what looks to be another 14 hours of sheer greatness.

The Graphics- are fantastic. Scores of aliens will be onscreen at a time, yet there is no slowdown, and all of your attacks look fantastic. I haven't gotten tired of all the different attacks yet- they just look so awesome.

The Gameplay- there are plenty of games that try to do what this game succeeds at, but most of them suck. You face off against hoards of aliens while slowly upgrading a very broad array of skills. The game is accessible both to advanced and beginning gamers- old levels can be replayed to get more experience to beat the new ones. The game has 60+ missions, and to get a perfect 100 percent, you will probably have to play them multiple times to get all-S ranks. I'm not usually the type of guy to go for 100 percent completion, but for this game I'm making an exception.

The Story- The really cool thing is that this game comes with all of the cinematics from the first game- some 30-40 minutes. I have yet to find out how the good the story is for this actual game (halfway through), but it is safe to say that the story is, at the very least, solid and stands up as more than just an excuse to kill literally thousands of aliens. The cinematics definitely look nice, too.

The Soundtrack- This is another one of those games where I could see listening to the soundtrack elsewhere. I really hope I can find an import or something.

This is the rare action game that doesn't feel old even after 16 hours of play. Pick it up and prepare to be sucked in.

Definitely worth checking out!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: March 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I played the first one. Imagine Devil May Cry (cause you can buy multiple guns and swords and use them at any time) in third person view (meaning you can actually control the camera) with more story and cutscenes, more monsters, bigger environments, even less puzzles, more missions that you can choose the order of, NPCs, two playable characters (remember Im comparing this to the first DMC cause DMC2 just didnt have it), a two player mode, set in a futuristic world where you kill slime and bug creatures instead of puppets and ghost (not bashing the puppets and ghosts, infact I thought the puppets were an awesome idea, Im just saying youre fighting different things) and you get an idea of what Crimson is all about!

Sounds good?

If I wasnt hard up for cash right now Id buy it the day it came out!

Floods of insects...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Crimson Sea 2 packs a lot of insects... but you also are packing the fire power to deal with said insects. Featuring tons of different levels to play on, different difficulty levels, and a couple different modes of play, CS2 gives the player a lot of action to mess with. And if that is not enough, it also has all of the cinimatic scenes from the original CS packed into it if you never played the first one (which is a strong chance since the first CS was on the X-Box.)

The music in CS is a little on the weak side, which is strange since Koei is usualy pretty good about giving their games decent soundtracks (look no further than the Dynasty Warrior games). The graphics on the other hand are quite good, although a little grainey and reptetetive in places. That being said, they do capture the sci-fi massive slaughter feel the game has, and much to many's delight, the game does NOT slow down if the screen is covered in tons of enemies... which happens QUITE often.

The two different characters in the game are different in several respects, but for the most part you could play as either one and never use the other if you wished. You will probably have to master both of them in order to get a 100% completion rate for the game though, which is a hefty challange in itself.

Crimson Sea 2 is a highly recomended game for those seeking some heavy fire-powered monster/insect slaughtering fests. It is faster than Chaos Legion in many places, has a more highly structured combo system as well and has a more futuristic approach than Dynasty Warriors (and more power per character than any of the Dynasty Warriors).

Pretentious and repetitive

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: September 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Crimson Sea 2 for PS2, which is perhaps one of the most annoying games I've ever played. Beneath a load of pretentious storyline, there is an even bigger pile of redundant and frustrating gameplay. Regardless of the mission outline, what every one really entails is mowing down hordes upon hordes of enemies with either some type of gun, or a glaive-style weapon.

Every few missions you'll be faced with a "new" type of enemy which requires more than just holding down the fire button and moving from side to side. You might actually have to STOP holding the button long enough for its temporary invincibility to wear off, or be forced to use only your glaive. Just in case straying from the norm of button-holding proved too difficult, the game tells you the "trick" to beating the enemies each time.

I should have been suspicious the moment I saw the Koei logo, being as though that company only seems capable of making games where you fight millions of enemies endlessly (See Dynasty Warriors series). At least this one's not set to the backdrop of the Three Kingdoms period and has a story of its own, but unfortunately, it's scattered amongst quest after quest of mindless repetition. To put it bluntly, this game is crap.

Crimson Sea 2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

An older game for the PS2, but still a very awesome game. Found new and cheap, arrived on time and in excellent condition.

Review Page: 1 

Actions