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Skies of Arcadia Legends for Gamecube; By Ooburi
Topic Started: Apr 3 2005, 10:10 PM (197 Views)
Makokam
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Skies of Arcadia by Sega was originally developed for the Dreamcast then ported to the GC with some very small changes.

Graphics - They remain almost exactly the same when compared to the Dreamcast counterpart. For the days of the DC, the graphics were top-notch, they had colorful and vibrant colors, the game does show its age on the GC but is still one of the best RPG's available for the system. The characters sport a bit of a polygon upgrade from the DC version but isn't too noticeable at first glance.

Gameplay - The one thing I've hated about this game is the amount of random battles, while the GC version does tone it down a bit compared to the DC, you will still be fighting for a very big portion of the game. It IS an RPG and fighting and story have always been the genre's strong points, but this game is a little unbalanced in those areas. Not to say that this game doesn't have much of a story, it is in fact a very good story, even if it is a bit cheezy at times. Most of the characters are very likable but unfortunately fall into the stereotypes of the typical anime chacters. The fighting system is turn based and pauses to let you select your next move, every turn your "SP" gauge goes up a bit, if you can fill it enough you can do special moves that do more damage or hit more than one enemy on screen. Another use of the "SP" gauge is for casting magic, but it also takes MP when you do that. One cool idea is that you can change the attribute of your weapons on the fly in battle. Depending on the element of your weapon, it will change the amount of damage you deal the enemy you're fighting. It will make the game much easier to remember how all of the different elements correspond to one another. The game difficulty is usually right where it used to be where it won't frustrate you but I'll admit that many of the boss battles were difficult and required alot of planning. This is one of the longer RPGs I've played, it's up there with Xenogears, so it mostly depends on how much you like the fighting system to how far you'll progress, you'll be doing that more than most RPGs.

Sound - The music is actually very good, while it is all synthesized, it fits the mood of the game perfectly and gives the game a more epic feel. I have couple gripes in this department, while the music sounds good, but there should be more of it. Also there is no actual talking in the game, it was been replaced with repetitive "uh-hu" and "lets go!" Then you read what they're ACTUALLY saying. It is meant to give them more life but it ends up reminding you that this game is silent. There should be an option for turning their voices off because they can get annoying at times.

Overall - This game does not stray far from the typical Japanese console RPG but it does have some novel idea's and became a DC classic. The characters are likable but seem like cookie cutter's at the same time. The story is the main reason for me to play this game, the combat is fun but after 60 hours into the game, it can get very played out. This game has been compared to Grandia 2 as fans of both titles argue about which one is better. While this game is not perfect, it will give you great satisfaction, if you are an RPG enthusiast and like to get into more than just the Final Fantasy games and haven't played the DC version then you shouldn't miss out on this one.

7/10
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"Good and Evil" is too complicated. I prefer, "Us and Them".
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Xantarcube: *Throws Makokam down on the bed*

Dalmar: Dalmar runs from no man! ... Bees, on the other hand...

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Xantar
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So I finally got around to reading this, and if Ooburi is still around, he or she needs to do some revising. This article has a number of grammar problems that should be unacceptable for your site. On top of that, it's a totally conversational piece of writing that doesn't really tell me anything. Ok, so the graphics are good for the Dreamcast but look a little dated now. Any particular reason? I can think of a good number of them based on my own playthrough of the game (the textures are lower quality and the characters are noticeably made of a small number of polygons). And what does it mean that while the music was good, there should have bene more of it?

It wouldn't really have hurt to tell us a little bit about the plot just so that we can see why it seems so cookie-cutter anyway. While I agree that the story isn't anything great, this review here doesn't tell me anything.

And why doesn't Ooburi mention the magic system and how magic is learned in this game? That's given a whole post-battle screen. And why doesn't this review say anything about ship battles? That's really the most unique aspect of the game altogether. Otherwise, somebody reading this review would think its battle system is exactly the same as every other RPG.
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Xantarcube: Dragon, I need you to render a thief. She should be a 15-year old girl with ninja-like abilities and a knife. Try to give her a badass pose, too.
Dragon of DTT: Ok. How's this? http://www.purevideogames.net/images/Character_Art/thief_full.jpg
Mortal Kombat: Dragon. Wins. L33tality!

Dragon of DTT: Don't complain. Buy a hooker.
Xantarcube: What am I going to do with a hooker?
Dragon of DTT: Wii Sports.

Shadyshark: but adrienne may be pregnant
Shadyshark: or have cancer
Shadyshark: she's hoping for cancer


Seriously. Even I'm in my signature. Fix yours.
 
hostilecrayon
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I agree with you Xantar. This piece will not be used on the main site. Thank you for taking the time to review this piece and bring this to my attention.
Marci: What is the world coming to? You've become me, Xantar's become Slappy...

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Dragon: I bet Xantar is like the ultimate designated driver
Dragon: drops off all his drunk buddies at each other's ex-girlfriends' houses


Mystic Gohan: xantar has had his lasting effects on our easily influenced minds
Mystic Gohan: hes probably at home cackling as we speak


Me: Xantar never really talks unless you talk to him first.
Marci: And that will hold until he makes the first move. I've learned. Don't ever go into a Xantar conversation blind.
It's like going swimming naked. You make sure there aren't any sharks nearby and that you don't have any open wounds first.


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kowru
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I AM THE ONE CALLED OOBURI, my account didn't work anymore...not sure why, so i am now known as kowru. sure i can revise this if u want, this along with ikaruga were my first reviews so it isn't exactly something i do professionally as u can tell. now that i think about it i'd like to go into detail again, either way i think the review of this game should be allowed on this site as one of the 2 major landmark titles that made the DC rpg drought bareable, as well as something not expected from sega.
 
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