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What rpgs should be

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 19
Date: November 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

After playing Legaia1, i couldn't wait to get my hands on Legaia2, and let me say, the wait was worth it.

It doesn't have all the flashy voice acting and graphics that games like Final Fantasy X have. There is some, but it doesn't stop anyone from continuing the game as long as the story and gameplay is good. and it is.

Those familiar with Legaia 1, should expect the same form of battle with the Arts system, where you use the d-pad to put in Combos, which to me is a very original way of doing things, and fun, where other games it seems your just fighting all the time to get to the next area, Legaia 2 actually gives you a reason to fight (Besides of course, leveling up).

The story line is nice and long, just like the game, its PACKED with side quests and mini-games, which keeps the game enjoyable no matter how long it is. The character development is great, its not like you gain 4 people at once and you have to choose who you want to play with, you actually get the new members of your party spaced out a little so you can see which ones you like the best.

In conclusion, if you like RPGs, I would really suggest buying this game, its fun, good and lengthy and theres plenty of things in the game to keep it fresh. The only reason not to buy it is maybe because you want a lot of flashy cutscenes and voice acting by some famous people because the game isn't that great (*cough* grandia Xtreme).

Long review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: August 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The game's story opens in Nohl, a village that has thrived in a lush land because of a magical water crystal that has supplied the residents with an inexhaustible source of water. You'll take the role of a rookie member of Nohl's militia named Lang. The militia is charged with protecting the crystal and the residents of the town. The arrangement works well--until the game starts. Not long after you begin your adventure, things go horribly awry when a mysterious stranger shows up and steals the crystal. The ensuing solar eclipse and the appearance of a sinister black light, along with the increase in the local monster population, obviously spell trouble for the locals. In true RPG fashion, Lang ends up heading out to set everything right before evil overruns the world.

If you've played the import version of the game that was released last year, or even the PlayStation predecessor, you should be familiar with how Duel Saga will play. You'll explore areas, interact with the locals to get clues on the whereabouts of the grabby mysterious stranger, shop, combine items to create new accessories and weapons, and, of course, fight evil. The game retains its predecessor's innovative tactical arts system that lets you input attack commands during a brawl. Unlike other RPGs, where you'll select from a menu of set attacks, the system in Duel Saga gives you a greater amount of control. You'll use the D-pad to specify where you'll attack an enemy: high, low, left, and right. You'll also be able to discover new attack combos, called arts, which will do some serious damage.

...

In terms of the game's graphics, Legaia Duel Saga shows its age a bit more than most PlayStation 2 games. The characters are somewhat blocky but are balanced out by the game's environments, which are nicely detailed and quite large. While the game's polygon count may be a little modest by this year's standards, Duel Saga is still a solid-looking game. The frame rate is decent, and there's a nice assortment of eye candy during combat, especially when you use your party's origins to attack. Unfortunately, you can't rotate the camera.

Sound in the game is pretty low-key. Ambient noise is sparse but effective, and the game's soundtrack is in the same vein as that of the original Legaia on the PlayStation. The characters in the game are pretty silent for the most part, although they do speak a bit during combat. While it would be nice to get a little more out of the game's sound, Duel Saga's audio seems good enough so far.

From what we've seen, Legaia 2: Duel Saga is shaping up to be a solid game that should appeal to fans of the original. The unique combat system is fun and offers some depth for players eager to discover every art. A solid selection of minigames to play ensures that there will be plenty to do as you make your way through the main quest. The localization is coming along fine; the build of the game we checked out was easy to follow and didn't seem to have any translation weirdness. If you enjoyed the original Legaia or are looking for something a little different, you should keep an eye out for Legaia 2: Duel Saga when it ships this September for the PlayStation 2.

A sequel to a classic RPG

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: June 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The Original Legend of Legaia on the PSX was everything an RPGer could dream of. A unique battle system, lots of difficulty and a good storyline too. When I heard of the sequel, I waited and waited and when it finally got here it was very well done and the battle system was even refined. But the game didn't have that great storyline and the difficulty that the first one gave off was lost. But this was made up for with tons of sidequests and great character developement.

The gameplay is much like the first one. However, there's a difference. You'll be asked LOTS of question that you must make a choice too. This helps you develope your character. The choices you make affect the dialogue in the game and how others view your character. Thus, you're developing your OWN chracter. Also, characters get nicknames in this, which also define how they're viewed. Interesting boost of gameplay (and try and find ALL the nicknames for EVERY character).

The battle system has been a little redone. Where as in the first one, normal battles could get teadiously long, this one allows for you to shorten those battles. For example, there are arts that add AP to your AP gauge (I'm assuming that most of you have played the first one) and they never subtract. Then you've got super arts which detract from your AP gauge. The only way to fill up an AP gauge is to use normal arts. This is a good idea but there are tricks to the point where you could use the same combo over and over full of a bunch of normal arts and the use a super art or a hyper art (A VERY POWERFUL attack) and NEVER lose AP. This made the game severely easy and I was already doing 25000 HP of damage to enemies by level 30! That's really sad (and considering I'm a maniac at raising levels my level 90 characters killed the final boss in one round). You have art techniques that are much too powerful making the difficulty level of this game seem like a joke.

The storyline in the game was not as good as the first Legaia. You've got no serus or ra-serus this time. Instead each chracter has an "Origin" because they are a "Mystic." The main guy is trying to destory the world and revive it with only mystics or something like that...must've dozed off halfway through the storyline. Why? Because the story moves at an incredibly slow pace. Not only that but the way its told seems like a rip off of the very first FINAL FANTASY game! You go around collecting the sacred stones so that you can restore the world back to the way it was. Sort of like the role the crystal's played in Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy V. The dialogue is also a little annoying at times as there are parts where some of it is useless and meaningless. But at least whatever your next task to do is always highlighted in blue making it easier to never get lost.

Wandering on the world map isn't slow like it was in Legend of Legaia. But that's because you can't explore the overworld at all. I'm not mad at this very much but it makes so that you must talk to another character to reveal the location of the next town or dungeon. There aren't any hidden dungeons either. The only hidden locations on the world map are shops. But the shops are very useful...

As far as secrets and sidequests go this game is chalk full of them. There is a hunter's guild to do which contains several sidequests that provide a challenge. There is also a hidden dungeon in town that has 100 battles to do (and that takes a hell of a long time!). Also, your chracters are always hanging out around town when you visit them. Talking to them reveals different things and each time you leave the town and come back they're in a different location. This helps further develop the chracters and gives the game more interface.

THe music in the game is somewhat weak. Battle music is great but dungeons are annoying. They also took tunes from "Legend of Legaia" and that music was beautiful. The problem was that they took TOO MANY tunes. While some are remastered and played smoother, they got annoying at times.

The game presents a long 40 hour or so and it's A WHOLE LOT MORE if you decide to attempt all the sidequests in the game and learn all the nicknames and such.

OVERALL: I could tell you more but the game is immensely huge giving for much more RPG goodness than any other RPG I've seen before.

On the good side
+Improved Battle system
+More character developement
+Lots of interface
+A deep story nonetheless
+Nice graphcis
+Good music at some parts
+Lots of "Legend of Legaia" nostalgia
+TONS of sidequests

But on the downside
-Improved battle system makes the game VERY easy
-Too much old music and not enough new
-Magic animations are too long
-Slow paced story
-Weak story (though deep)

Excellent sequel to underrated gem.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: March 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I always thought I was one of the few people who really enjoyed Legend of Legaia on PlayStation. The reason for the divisiveness of opinion about the game was simple enough: the battle system was something you either really liked or not at all. Personally, I was absorbed by its innovative complexity and I also really enjoyed the game's story.

Honestly I totally forgot the sequel was on its way so I have only played through it recently. It begins simple, as RPGs are inclined to do -- your character, Lang, boldly rushes off to find the man who stole his town's magic crystal, without which the townsfolk cannot survive. Naturally, you discover that the thief and your character are closely linked and things move along nicely from there. It's really nothing groundbreaking or mind-blowing but the writing is excellent and the characters are very appealing. The script makes a ton of room for interpersonal relations rather than just plot-driven dialogue, and the characters who join your party swell with individuality and style. Cut-scenes unfold during battles and while traveling where your characters interact with each other, giving the whole dynamic of their interplay a more realistic, human feel. The voice acting is very well done, nothing underdone and nothing overdone.

My favorite part of the game is by far its battle system, although as with the first game, you are either going to find it numbing or impressive and absorbing. To echo another reviewer, this is a rare RPG where I *look forward* to combat. For other people, perhaps it boils down to patience -- the battles take a long time, with even simple random encounters requiring several _minutes_ to complete as the combat becomes more complex. Frankly, it started to irritate me a bit as the game was nearing the finale, but not to a point where it denigrated my opinion of the game.

It's worth the forbearance to accept its time-consuming nature. In Legaia 2, you do not simply select "Attack" -- you input individual combat actions. Certain combinations yield special combat arts, with more powerful ones requiring more actions. For example, one of Lang's early skills is Shadow Split, done by entering L, R, U, and L again. Normal attacks build your power, which is consumed by your arts. As your characters become more powerful, they can execute more actions and therefore more special attacks. Early in the game, you might only be able to unleash one moderately powerful special attack per round, but later you will be able to unleash two or even three super-powerful battle techniques, or various combinations of weaker ones. For example, if Lang has fourteen attack blocks, he can execute Thunder Sky (DLDRU), True Moon Slash (UDDU), and top it off with Sky Fang (UDRLU) all in one round, assuming he has built up enough power to do so. And don't forget that you get three characters in your party concurrently, and everyone has over 20 special arts (except Ayne, I think). Factor in Variables (arts requiring two characters), and clearly combat becomes an elaborate affair.

It's worth the complexity, as the battles tend towards difficult and a good use of your arts is essential for some of the harder battles. Regrettably, many RPGs these days design elaborate battle systems although it seems trivial when the games are so easy. Legaia 2 doesn't have this problem.

I spent a little over 50 hours with the game, carefully hunting for secrets, of which there are plenty (a big plus!). If one is wont to skip over the myriad extras, you would probably finish the game in about 30 hours. A good length, in my opinion.

Then there is the dumb pleasure of seeing huge damage numbers rack up later in the game. (Remember in Final Fantasy VII when you thought it was insane for the super-boss Emerald Weapon to have a million hit points? When you get really strong in Legaia 2, you can do that much damage in just a few rounds!)

The music is topnotch -- evocative and worldly. Sound effects are AWESOME -- much better than the synthesized c'rap most RPGs use. Graphically the game is pretty sharp, with towns and most of the dungeons being very imaginative and well done. Characters models are very well animated, and there are some terrific boss designs.

So...if you are into the battle system, you really should pick this one up. Just as Legend of Legaia was one of the best RPGs on the PSone, Legaia 2 is one of the best on the PS2. If you never played the first one, you may want to rent this to see if it is your cup of tea. An excellent game, and one that I wish I had picked up when it first came out.

No more FF fighting YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: March 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Am I the only one or does anyone else think the hit-and-run style of the Final Fantasy's is kinda dumb?? Like the first Legaia you actualy order your party to do a high, low, left, or right attack. When you begin you only have two attack slots in a turn however this is raised to about fourteen at the end of the game. This replaces the tiresome traditional "magic this and magic that" with tons of combos called arts, hyper arts, super arts, variable arts, and mystic arts. The great thing is we see a bit of Chrono Trigger in the variable arts. The variables work kinda like Chrono's dual techs in that two people combine their powers, very usefull. Oh yeah there is even a bit for the die hard magic fans. They are called Origins a bit like FF9's summons. Anyways....

Upsides:
Fighting System- (if you couldn't guess already)
Graphics- (a bit cartoony and not quite on level with FFX but still good)
Characters- (development, design, situations. Funny or serious its all good)
Towns- (each original with its own storry original people and adventures)
Side Quests- (Love the Guild quests)
Wepon and Item System- (no spoilers!!)

Downsides:
Storyline- (not all that engaging but not bad)
Battle Time- (14 slots no way to skip the sequence.... battles can last a while every now and then)
Repitition- (after finishing the game and all the guild quest you have gone through a certain sewer 5-6 times... ughhh)

Overall it is a great out of the ordinary RPG that will last you about 40 hours if you skip most of the sidequests 80 or so if you play it my way.

One of the Best of the Not Quite Best

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: January 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Duel Saga is the second game in the Legaia series, and probably the last, which is unfortunate. While unassuming and more than a little derivative of its bigger brothers (Final Fantasy, Suikoden, etc.), it manages to be a very entertaining game with few grievous faults and a lot to like. Sad to say, longer playing RPGs are viewed with an inordinately critical eye. With the result that playable games often get sentenced to the bargain heap ahead of their time.

Duel Sage is and upgraded version of the first Legends of Legaia. There are no Sera to go mad and overwhelm their human hosts, but there are Origin spirits that coexist with certain humans who are often subjected to mistrust and anger by the 'normal' folk. In this story, Avalon, the villain, is a host who was so mistreated that he has become determined to wipe humanity off the earth. Opposed to him are our heroes - young Lang the village guard, Maya the silent witch, Kazan the martial arts whiz, Sharon the pirate, and Ayne the mysterious giant.

Play is an adaptation of the first game's system, made a bit more complex. The Origins have more skills, you can make incredible weapons and armor out of what you find or win in battle. You can literally cook up spells, and even indulge in a bit of gambling and trading. Money remains an issue in this game, but there are some interesting ways to raise it instead of a couple of monotonous mini-games. Overall feel of the controls is better as well.

Play and storyline are fairly predictable, with enough twists to make this a genuine 60 to 80 hour game. Anyone who doesn't expect FFX-2 everytime they play a new game will find that, at this price, that game is a very good value. No, it isn't the best thing since sliced bread, but it's more than good enough.

YES!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 16
Date: September 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First of all, I'm a big freaking fan of the original game, Legend of Legaia. ... :) Third, I have been waiting for this game to come out ever since I heard they were making a sequel. I love the battle system, very innovative and makes you feel more into the action than with standard menu selection and such. For those of you who don't know, the battle system is based on the directional buttons in different combinations to execute either regular attacks or special techniques called arts. These take AP(attack points)and can be learned by experimentation or by training with other characters or certain items. Each individual attack in a sequence takes up one space on the attack bar, which displays the current sequence, and the attack bar gets longer as you increase in level. Of course, it is turn based, which is a down-side for me. Still, I understand why they chose to make it this way. It would be hard to put in special moves quickly enough to not get frusterated with combat. The last info I'm going to share with you is about the arts. The regular attacks build up AP, as well as getting hit/defending, and spirit-up-ing. The Arts are divided into categories. One is hyper arts, you get these in the original by acquiring the correct books and using them. Another is miracle arts, these are the most powerful and consume most of the characters AP. Normal arts are more powerful than basic attacks, but consume some AP. Super arts are somewhere in between normal arts and miracle arts. Try combining normal, super and hyper arts for dazzling attacks.

Overall:
strategy- 5
puzzles-lacking: 3
Gameplay- 5
Sound- it's there: 3
Graphix- 4, I'm not picky
Tilt- 1,000,000!!

*since the scale only goes to 5, I give it 5/5*

-Peace Out, E Pluribus Unum!

Flat-footed sequel to a charming original

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: April 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The original "Legend of Legaia" was a delightful game. Started out feeling simplistic and child-like, ended up surprisingly stirring and sophisticated. The graphics fit the style of the game, and it was the first game I ever played where the characters' outfits changed drastically in combat as they got new weapons, armor and accessories. It was truly a gem for the PSX.

The new game sacrifices most of the charm for "improved" graphics, which are shockingly bland. The colors are very drab, the characters festooned with strange lines that are supposed to delineate muscle tone, and the camera just sits squarely on the floor, with very few dramatic angles used throughout the game. It's a very boring game to look at, honestly.

The music...how can I say it? I understand reusing themes in new arrangements, but they've reused the music with no improvement in instrumentation or arrangement. It was a marked disappointment.

The only good thing this game kept from the original is the combat system, and the improvements made there are dubious at best: I liked the concept of "charging up" your AP gauge and your arts bar with a "Guard" move...it required me to make decisions about how to fight every single turn. In the new game, the Normal Arts moves add AP, and the Super Arts and Hyper Arts consume it. With special items, the length of your arts bar changes, but is always fixed, otherwise. As a result, I can set up an efficient combination of Normal Arts and Hyper Arts that will prevent my AP gauge from dropping at all. Entire lengthy battles played simply by mashing the X button repeatedly. Yawn.

Cooking is a fun addition to the game, as is combining to improve your Weapons, Armor, Items and Accessories. With Cooking, you can bump your stats up (and sometimes down) for several battles, plus get a little conversation going with your characters. The major complaint I have about Cooking is that the game doesn't keep the effects of Cooking a secret: the very first time you cook something, you know what impact it will have on your characters. Combining--particularly for Weapons and Armor--greatly resembles the weapon upgrade system in Final Fantasy 8, but with a lot more options available to you. It would have been nice to find a manual of sorts to tell you what could be upgraded to what, what you would need to make the upgrade, and where you'd be likely to find it. To fill my needs, I simply bought or traded for junk whenever I could, then tried to see what new combinations I could produce. Fun, but a bit aimless and frustrating. Combining Acessories was the most enjoyable to me, because I could always see what new skills I'd get before making the combination, and the skills can make-or-break your combat (for example, you really need anti-berserk to win the fight in the Gambler's Arena mini-game).

The story was...mmm...okay. I kept waiting for it to get started, or to throw a twist or two my way. As it is, the primary story consists of exactly what you expect it to: main character meets some other characters after initial meeting with the main bad guy, then goes and collects some stuff in the process of undermining the main bad guy's plan. No surprises.

The characters are reasonably interesting, and I really liked the firecracker attitude they gave Sharon (though her in-battle quips got seriously annoying after the thousandth battle). There does seem to be a lot of depth about the characters and many side opportunities to discover hidden surprises about them. I especially liked the consistent approach to responding to questions that was employed with Lang: whether you chose to have him agree, disagree, or tell someone off, his responses to questions posed by the NPCs were credible and in character. It was easy to make him a smart-mouth sometimes and have him be understated at other times without feeling like he was suddenly a different character.

Overall, it was an entertaining game, but a little shallow and with combat that looks spectacular but which was ultimately tedious--it was generally more entertaining to set the characters to Auto combat than to watch them perform the same moves over and over and over and over again.

If you liked the first one, you'll enjoy this one, yes. If you didn't like the first one, you'll like this even less. If you haven't played either but are interested, get "Legend of Legaia" instead--it plays well on the PS2 and has a much more engrossing storyline.

Legaia 2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First of all the battles are beautiful and fun, but after the tenth battle they just get long and boring.Plus this game is WAY TOO EASY!!!

A game full of surprises

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: September 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

what is this game?
its a wonderful game the sounds,graphics,characters,scenes and origins are the best.
I advise everybody likes RPG games to buy it.
Iam 13 years old and I liked this game very much and Iam so happy to write about this wonderful game....
In the end I hope that everyone would see my review and I hope that my review is good enough to make this game the best RPG game in the world...
good bye

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