Odin Sphere (PS2)
18/08/07 16:49
Concept: Play through the game as one of five
characters, each with their own fighting style and
special abilities. Playing as each character brings
something new to the storyline, and puts their own
spin on previous plot points. 9/10
Graphics: Superb. I have never seen sprites with this level of detail, and the animation is fluid. Rather than 3 or 4 frames of animation (up, middle, down, middle), each piece is lovingly constructed and animated. The only downside is that the character designs can get too ambitious (read; the poor system can't handle them), so some fairly irritating slowdown occurs at times, primarily during boss battles. 8.5/10
Sound: Excellent. The music is catchy (in my opinion), and players have the option to switch between English dubs and their Japanese counterparts. I wish more games offered this option... 10/10.
Story: I haven't gotten too far into it, but what I've seen is well-written and fairly original. It falls into some of the pitfalls of RPG cliches, but this doesn't detract from the overall experience. ?/10 (update to follow once I've played through more)
Gameplay: Fantastic. Dungeons (and I hesitate to use that word, since it conveys claustriphobic interiors that all look alike) consist of ring-shaped arenas that players must run through and clear of monsters before they can move onto the next. There are several sub-bosses in each dungeon that players can fight (but don't have to) to reap new items and experience. Which brings me to my next point. Items in this game are not only useful, but necessary for success. Rather than just the standard "heal, antidote, revive" potions of most RPGs, you get antidotes, explosive phials, auto-regen, poison, and other useful or detrimental potions through alchemy and cooking. Gameplay isn't without its flaws, though, as even with alchemy, items, and psyphers (spells), the majority of battles consist of button mashing until the opposing force is dead. 9.5/10
Overall: I would recommend this game to any PS2 owner who is either an RPG fan or just looking for a good time. It's not perfect by any means, but it would be criminal to not at least try it once.
Graphics: Superb. I have never seen sprites with this level of detail, and the animation is fluid. Rather than 3 or 4 frames of animation (up, middle, down, middle), each piece is lovingly constructed and animated. The only downside is that the character designs can get too ambitious (read; the poor system can't handle them), so some fairly irritating slowdown occurs at times, primarily during boss battles. 8.5/10
Sound: Excellent. The music is catchy (in my opinion), and players have the option to switch between English dubs and their Japanese counterparts. I wish more games offered this option... 10/10.
Story: I haven't gotten too far into it, but what I've seen is well-written and fairly original. It falls into some of the pitfalls of RPG cliches, but this doesn't detract from the overall experience. ?/10 (update to follow once I've played through more)
Gameplay: Fantastic. Dungeons (and I hesitate to use that word, since it conveys claustriphobic interiors that all look alike) consist of ring-shaped arenas that players must run through and clear of monsters before they can move onto the next. There are several sub-bosses in each dungeon that players can fight (but don't have to) to reap new items and experience. Which brings me to my next point. Items in this game are not only useful, but necessary for success. Rather than just the standard "heal, antidote, revive" potions of most RPGs, you get antidotes, explosive phials, auto-regen, poison, and other useful or detrimental potions through alchemy and cooking. Gameplay isn't without its flaws, though, as even with alchemy, items, and psyphers (spells), the majority of battles consist of button mashing until the opposing force is dead. 9.5/10
Overall: I would recommend this game to any PS2 owner who is either an RPG fan or just looking for a good time. It's not perfect by any means, but it would be criminal to not at least try it once.