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Excellent sequel

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 22 / 22
Date: June 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was a big fan of the first entry into the series, and this sequel doesn't disappoint. Besides adding 3 new classes, the new FOE behavior makes for a more challenging experience overall, the power curve is very much restructured. There is a wide variety of viability in party compositions now compared to the first game (anyone who played the first knows how necessary Protectors and Medics were).

Like the first it starts off pretty brutally hard, but as you experiment it gets easier. That being said, it just isn't for everybody. If you are not patient, I could see people shutting this game off after 30 minutes and not playing it again. The early game has a lot of fighting 3-4 battles, go back to town, sell, rest, repeat until you get a few decent skills and pick away at the labyrinth. Also it can be rather hard to figure out how classes interact with each other in a party, and the level of synergy can be a bit daunting to newcomers. It also is sparse about holding your hand, which is both good and bad - good if you seek to figure things out as a gamer, bad if you get easily frustrated by any challenge in games.

This is definitely a niche game, but a worthy addition to the DS library. If you are an old school Wizardry kind of player, you'll love it. The map making is to me at least a rather fun feature - I'm unsure about people who claim map making in this series is "tedious". I often map out while in combat after making my selections, and also the addition of auto battle has been a small but great addition making under leveled random encounters a bit less effort to get through.

If nothing else, it's a game that stands on its own merits in the current market. I can't think of any RPG I've played in this generation of gaming which stands out the way this series does (despite admittedly being an update to the truly old school CPRGs).

Glad they made another!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: July 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I just finished the first Etrian Odyssey and thought I was going to start a new game on it just so I wouldn't of gone through withdrawals, and then a friend tells me there is an Etrian Odyssey II!!! So I bought it right away.

If you haven't played an Etrian Odyssey game yet, it is a fun RPG that has you take 5 characters out and about fighting monsters, mapping a multi-level labrinth, finding treasures, and fulfilling missions and quests. You don't need to play the first one to enjoy this game, in fact this game gives you more of a tutorial as you go through for new people.

I really like the mapping feature, at first I thought it was dumb but then I found it really keeps me going, I want to keep seeing how the map will turn out on each floor. And the mapping tools are improved on this version, there are now more icons to use, including three different colors of item points (you can chop, mine or take in this game to collect things to sell or use) and there is now a open door and locked door icons, for those special doors that need a key.

Other new features I like - if you forget what you need to do for a quest, you can find out in your quest menu exactly what it is. Also in the store, you can look at your characters as you look at the weapons for sale and see how they would improve with a new weapon without having to go to "eqiup". Probably my favorite new feature is when you go to the custom list - this is how you upgrade your characters whenever you get a new skill point for them - the skills that are not available now show a prerequisite feature on the side, telling you which skills you need to add before you can aquire the skill. In the first game, some of the skills I wanted I could never figure out how to get to them.

There are extra types of players available now, War Magus and Beast, and Ronin and Hexer are available immediatly. Watch out though cause some of the characters that had certain skills do not have them and other characters do. Such as the Protector used to have Stalker, now the Survivalist has it.

The Geomagnetic fields are different now, at first I was thinking they were less convienient but then I discovered they are more helpful. There are poles every few floors now and you can warp to them from town, to the latest one anyway, but not from them to town. Always have a Warp Wire with you! Then there are the fields - you can use them both to the statum and to town, and you access these on the first option at the forest - the labrinth option. These go to the beginning of each stratum. By the way the second Statum is really pretty! I enjoy in this game and the last one seeing what the new stratums will be. Each one has about 5 floors on it, and has a different theme, so the forest looks that way for the 5 floors.

Some things I don't like about the new game - there is no Amrita right away! I found out on a website that you have to wait till floor 15 for it to show up at the store! In the first game it is there right away, and is an essential item as it allows you to replenish your TP, which is magic points that you use to use specialized skills. Also, there is only one file for saving on the game, bummer (was the same for the first game too).

Also, you do not get experience points for fighting FOES! This really bugs me. And they are really hard to fight. There are even some that don't show up on the map.
If you haven't played Etrian Odyssey yet, these are extra bad monsters that stalk a certain area until you kill them, and sometimes they even come back later. They show up on the map as purple arrows.
(Ordinary monsters just randomly show up every so often, and you can use Stalker to help lower the encounter rate.)

This game is more challenging than the first one. I am doing a lot more running around building up my characters than even in Etrian Odyssey. I have some advice. Make sure you have a gunner in your group. He/She can get the skill Haltshot right away if you give it to him/her. Then use it to freeze FOES for a few turns. You will need this on the 2nd and 3rd floor to even get past them in the beginning so you don't get bored on the first floor after you've mapped it.

Also, you can now register up to 30 characters. I registered my main 5 people, then one of each kind at at least (you may need other characters later for certain gameplay and quests) and then I am making additional Survivalists cause they can have all three of the collectings skills, Mine, Chop and Take. Then I take 4 of my main ones and one of the newer ones out to the 4-5 floors to collect stuff, when you take a weaker character out with stronger ones they upgrade in a hurry! So they can do a lot of collecting pretty quick. There is a limit each day so I try to take as many characters out as I can before I sleep. Remember to take strong characters with the weak one or you will die fast. This helps me gain money and also helps upgrade my main characters, and at the Take item points I can collect Sour Fruit or Mugwort, which gives you a little bit of TP. Since there is no Armirita right away, this is important. Also have some of your main party have Take as well so you can collect what you need when out and about doing new mapping.

Hardcore dungeon crawler that improves on the original!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: July 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is definitely a game that does not apply to everyone. It is an old-school style pen and paper dungeon crawling RPG, except in place of the pen and paper you use your DS. You map out the dungeons on your bottom screen while exploring the dungeon on the top. Monsters appear which you have to fight, all of which are creative and very well designed. There are of course bosses, quests, and many many types of character classes to choose from!

If you are looking for an RPG that will last you a long long while, and will keep you hooked the whole time, look no further. If you played the first Etrian Odyssey and liked it at ALL you definitely need to check this one out.

They made quite a few improvements over the previous version, the graphics of course are a little enhanced, they have all new character classes, weapons, items, and more. Of course all new dungeons and monsters. The mapping system now has more icons you can use which come in VERY handy in the more complex dungeons. Many tweaks and various improvements have been made to make it feel great overall.

Lastly, the soundtrack is AMAZING, one of my favorite soundtracks for any hand-held system by far, and even rivaling some of it's larger and more powerful counterpart's soundtracks.

For what this game sets out to do it is AMAZING, and I thank Atlus so much for bringing over and doing a great job with the localization. Definitely give this game a look!

More than a second helping

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Etrain Odyssey II retains much of what made the first game a treasure and expands on the franchise in a few key ways. Interface enhancements and additional map icons are just the beginning. Three new classes have been added: War Magus, Gunner and Beast along with sprite updates and an all new story. This time you are going up the tree.

Game play is essentially the same: A dungeon crawler with extreme rpg elements and the unique requirement to map out your progress. This time around there are more side quests and event areas in addition to environmental obstacles. The levels are more winding and maze like so be on the look out for plenty of hidden doors to reduce your back tracking as you make frequent return trips into town to sell your findings, stock up on goods and recover.

Heroes of Lagaard is a lot harder than the first game. Expect to run a lot, especially from FOES who are much tougher and no longer give that extreme boost in experience points. To assists and new set of skills and items have been built around stopping or luring FOES to a different location allowing you to use some guile or skill in passing difficult areas without altercation.

The skill tree for each class has been reworked with some new skills added and older ones either paired down or enhanced to even out the characters more. While you will definitely want to take a medic, the War Magus is a valuable asset in place of the Protector to provide both tanking and healing capabilities.

If you liked the first game, you'll love this one. If you enjoy dungeon crawlers, and have not played the first game, what are you waiting for? This is a game for you!

*Not* for the faint of heart. Really, really, hard RPG.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game has made no effort at all to be accessable to the general public. It will not bring new fans to the gaming world. It will not convert gamers who like other gaming styles, like real time strategy. Clearly it was made by, and for, hardcore role players. I mean the real hardcore, not the wannabe hardcore. Seriously, if you have never played an RPG before, or if you think that Diablo was an RPG, try Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest instead.

That said, by golly, there is no more authentic RPG on any platform. Lots of stats, lots of reloading after your whole party was wiped out, lots of items, lots of monsters (many of them willing and able to kick your sweet patootie). And just in case you thought it might be a little too forgiving, you make your own maps here. I mean it, it's not an option, it is how you do it. Keh. Bwahahaha.

This is for the few, the proud, the nerdy, the un-math-challenged, and the very, very, patient.

I love it.

PS: Wait a sec. I'm trying to get over certain materialistic tendancies, so let me amend.

I *love* my wife.

I *like* this game.

A lot. I do.

great game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Etrian odyssey II is a great game. so great I paid $60 for it plus $3 tax. I had to buy it from a local shop as the ordered one from Amazon was left on my doorstep by the Post office despite instructions otherwise and stolen either by local kids or by the postman. Who knows? Nothing that can be done about that. It is a great game though. seriously worth picking up for $30 if you are tired of games that are childishly easy. Etrian will challenge you.

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