Post by Bytor on Aug 2, 2011 7:31:18 GMT -5
-Visuals- 8.4/10
The visuals are nicely done and certainly a nice improvement over the previous Ys games. However, those improvements are also almost a detriment in the weird sense that it seems too much detail was attempted to be captured and at times the screen feels "busy" Not so much that it's really that difficult to see things but during battles at times I did lose track briefly on my exact bearings and the bearings of my enemies, which would occasionally cause some attacks to miss and I would find myself facing and/or going in the wrong direction. Now I expect this was as much a feature of the controls almost as much as the graphics, either way combine the two slight issues and there was some annoyance at times. The backgrounds and landscapes were also nicely done although once again I cannot help but wonder if the designers desires for graphics interfered with the gameplay. I basically feel the increased attention to detail and attempt to provide monumental backdrops environmentally caused Adol to be simply too small on the screen and lessened the feel of control I had over my character. A much more glaring issue in this design was the 3D aspects visually impaired your ability to distinguish depth pretty much at all. And this caused the platforming aspect to be simply ridiculously difficult and took away entirely too much from the ebb and flow of the gameplay, although thus admitted this is more of a gameplay issue than a graphical.
-Sound- 8.9/10
A case of the good and bad. The soundtrack itself is incredible, as almost all of the Ys games are. The music is at times majestic, at times up beat and hard and at times a slow piano crescendo which sets the mood ever so wonderfully. It's not quite on a grand scale to bring you to tears but it is extremely well done in setting the stage for exactly what is going on in the game at various times and locations. now, like many JRPG's the voice acting ranges from mediocre to simply bad. Dogi sounds like a whiny brat, not a muscle man side kick and Margo and Cynthia can be at best described as so over the top it simply comes across as silly. Seriously makes me wonder what the average Japanese must think we sound like, lol.
-Gameplay- 8.0/10
The mechanics of tis game are so flawed in three separate ways. One I could overlook. Two I could probably forgive one and somewhat overlook the other. but three, c'mon, seriously!?! let's dissect the issues in order. Number one, the button configuration will absolutely drive you crazy, and while mappable it's still simply silly. Let me give you an example. in order to use a wind assisted power jump over a crevice you have to hold down square to power up, use the analog nub to navigate, use circle to jump and then release square at the exact right time. Think about that for a moment and bask in it's ludicrousness. Now, secondly the graphically 3D rendering on the smaller PSP screen is somewhat impossible to platform, and platforming is what is required. It is unreal difficult to judge depth due to both size and the size of the environments rendered. Then to make matters more fun it's simply silly to jump 40 times and finally accomplish some ridiculous section only to die in a boss battle (and those are hard to say the least, although difficulty setting can be adjusted which is nice) and then be forced to do it all again and again and again until you finally defeat the boss. And thirdly Adol, because of the analog nub, moves like a sailor on shore leave, lol. I'm not sure if he acts drunk, stoned or simply stupid. battles are sometimes made ten times more difficult than they should be due to this lack of control. Now, having said all of this is still a fun game, but the fun does not outweigh these aggravations.
-Story- 8.4/10
Adol and Dogi have returned to Dogi's childhood home for a visit two years after the events in Ys I and II. Once there they find the town has been oppressed for years now by the Count and he as a diabolical plan to further his power and control. What makes this game strong is what makes the series strong. The character development, both Adol and Dogi, as well as the supporting cast is excellently done. While you won't find a rapport similar to a 80 hour epic you will find some nice personalities and nicely done (albeit) typical emotional themes and side stories.
-Overall- 8.4/10
IIf you are a fan of the Ys series then I recommend this. If you are simply wanting a nice little RPG then IO recommend this. if you are looking for a RPG epic then stop, put the game down and play something else. It's a good game, not great but not terrible...simply good.