Legaia 2 What Level Do You Get Art Blocks

For those of yous that take talked to me virtually video games for more than x minutes probably know past now, I consider Legend of Legaia to exist i of the greatest video games of all time. I fifty-fifty place it number two in my all fourth dimension greatest video games list, backside only the every bit great RPG Final Fantasy Seven. It was a truly special game, with crawly battles, a very unique and fun magic system, and an original storyline with 3 of the best characters ever.

I wasn't expecting Contrail to ever make a sequel to the game, to exist honest with you. So, I was stunned when I read an issue of PSM many moons ago and discovered that plans were in the works for a Fable of Legaia 2. Pleasantly stunned, of grade, considering I could only imagine what a terrific game it could exist. Of course, I also knew that it could turn into a full disaster, as several game sequels have failed to live up to the hype (Legend of Mana, I'm looking at you.)

Fortunately, Legaia ii: Duel Saga was finally released, and I rushed to the shop, and I bought it. The day information technology came out. I never do this any more, but this game was special. It was the game I had to have, the side by side truthful great RPG. I was surprised to come across so few copies left when I got there, as the original Legend of Legaia was non exactly the almost pop game around, but I knew the 2 games were non related in any way, so I approximate many people just saw a new RPG and bought it.

That'due south right, Duel Saga is all the same another function playing game sequel that has very little to practice with the first. Too keeping some remants of the original battle system, Contrail completely reworked the game. Certain, the bones three characters are nonetheless for the most part: Lang is a sword user, Maya is a magic user (Noa wasn't, merely at to the lowest degree they're both girls), and Kazan is the old kung fu master of the group. He's much more proficient with his fists, just has the brains to dorsum it upward.

The problems showtime here. The characters are not developed enough compared to the original Legend of Legaia. In function one, I felt as if I was growing upward with the characters right before my eyes. Here, they are merely shallow deviants out to rid the world of a demon. Not helping the cause is the addition of two characters: Sharon, who reminds me of Noa, but with a sword, and a big brute named Ayne, who has the personality of a lawn gnome. And looks uglier.

The storyline, sadly, as well shows hopes of hope merely and so fails to deliver. You get-go off as Lang, and you lot acquire about your hometown having this Aqualith, which helps protect the boondocks and keep information technology overnice and rubber from ''the nightfall'', which would destroy crops and do other mean things. Lang goes on a mini chance and meets up with this guy named ''Golden Eyes'', who proceeds to destroy Lang with ease, and so steals the aqualith. The quest for the aqualith soon begins, but presently leads into a far deeper plotline involving *Gasp* 4 crystals needed to destroy or save the world. Guess what you have to do.

Fortunately, the game has some merits when it comes to storyline. Despite the lack of great graphic symbol development, Lang and Kazan accept some proficient dialogue, and the characters interact with each other surprisingly well. Anybody actually has a reason to be in the party, and each have different reasons. You lot get some background data into each of their lives throughout the quest, and I welcomed this. Also, sitting and resting and choosing the ''talk'' option at campsites added lots of depth to a somewhat empty storyline. And so, information technology's not all bad, but I just expected a little bit more. The storyline is withal a tad above average, only with better characters and a deeper meaning to the quest, it would have done even better.

Duel Saga won't win whatever awards for graphics, but I all the same felt satisfied with them. The game has a very unique look to it, as everything seems plastered onto the background, especially with the way the camera volition motion with you lot. Everything is done to an extreme amount of detail, from little drops of snowfall falling off snowmen, to bugs swirming around trees, and I for one welcomed the slap-up attention to detail the developers showed in creating this deep game.

The battle graphics are too improved. The system simply looks fresher, and definitely looks edgier and more than up to date. The menus have completely changed for the improve. The enemy designs are somewhat repeated from the original (Oh my god, I think I saw these Lyps before!), but they are still very nicely washed. I especially liked the variety of interesting creatures y'all volition face up. From the skeleton exteriors of Os Warriors to the devilish look of Bloodfeathers to the mammoth ogres known as Abysgigas, each enemy design is unique and creative... at first. Sadly, you lot will face the aforementioned enemy with different colors a agglomeration of times, simply welcome to the world of RPG graphics.

I loved the music in Duel Saga so much, I rushed out and bought the soundtrack for it. Too the music that was recycled from the original Fable of Legaia, which is quite good in and of itself, I enjoyed the diverseness of unlike songs. The town themes are cheery and upbeat, the dungeon themes are mysterious and deep, everything sounds just like information technology should. Plus, I enjoyed the boss themes in the game, and the battle theme never got on my fretfulness. I especially love the piddling vanquish that plays in the background of the battle theme.

The ''Human with Golden Optics'' was my favorite song in Legaia 2, as information technology was very drummy and dark. I love songs with a mysterious edge to it, and that song fit his character perfectly. If there's i matter I disliked, it was the victory song, as Legend of Legaia didn't have a victory song, and the one in Duel Saga is kind of disappointing. Plus, there'south non a lot of ''dungeon songs that play during boxing'' that in that location were in the original. Oh well. I even so loved the music regardless of the small flaws and ocassional bad song.

Sadly, the vocalisation interim during battles is HORRIBLE. Merely plain horrible. I could barely stand up to hear them by the cease of the game. Lang's vocalism is truly annoying, and his lines are pathetic. ''We tin can't afford... *suspension*... to lose'' and ''Come up on, allow's go!'' are some of the anti-classics. Trust me, once y'all hear his vocalism more a few times, it will start to get on your nerves. The only one I remotely liked was ''Let's Roll!'' when he swings his sword over his head. Kazan'southward vox was improve, but not much better. I only loved one vox in the game, and that was the one they stole from Gala's phonation in Legend of Legaia and gave Kazan (see if you lot can spot it out), so that says a lot virtually the voices.

The game controls brilliantly, but what else could you look from a office playing game? Inputting all the various commands during battle is a cinch. The game uses the same menu system every bit it did before, then you lot can only use up, downwards, left, and right, to input all commands during battle. I also like how yous tin can switch characters (exterior of boxing) and use their origin powers with the L2 and R2 buttons without having to go to the bill of fare screen at all.

Finally, to the area in which Legaia 2 completely owns everything: gameplay. I beloved information technology. I think it has terrific gameplay, with a deep battle system. For those of y'all unaware of the unique battle system the Legaia system brings to the genre, permit me explain it for you. You get arts moves: each Arts move is inputted using a commands system. If y'all input the correct concatenation of commands (upwardly, down, left, right), you do the arts move. The primal is to chain together several arts moves at 1 fourth dimension to really floor the enemy. Finding how to practice all the arts moves is a definite high bespeak.

Plus, in addition to the regular arts, super arts, and mystic arts, y'all now get to perform Variable Arts. A variable art is when 2 characters take the correct AP and amount of spaces on their bar to perform the move, and input the commands needed. If they both input the correct command, they combine their skills for 1 devastating assail. There is no triple Variable Art, but the improver of the Variable Art was a good move, in my book.

How practise you get to do these moves? Each motion is a sure length of commands, but y'all only get and then many commands before you run out of space. Then, if you get seven spaces, you tin only input 7 commands. And, if you want to exercise ii 4-space commands, you can't practise it, unless the last command of the 1st move matches the 1st command of the 2nd move, and so you tin can combine the moves together. Knowing how to combine moves and proceeding to practice and then makes battles a lot easier. Raising levels increases the amount of fine art blocks yous get, past the way.

The problem here is that each movement you exercise cost a certain amount of AP. In the original Legend of Legaia, you could spirit, which defended and also refilled most 40 percent of your AP. Now, sure moves help you regain AP, simply other moves take AP away. It makes battles much more than strategic, every bit you can't only ''spirit-super art-spirit-super fine art'' like you lot could in the original Legend of Legaia. Now, y'all have to concentrate on how much AP you accept, and have to do art moves that help you lot regain AP before doing the stronger ones that consume AP.

Now that I've bored yous with the boxing system, let me tell you about more innovations Duel Saga brings to the table. Now, you can customize your weapons, armor, and accessories. I liked this. Now, before you call me hypocritical because I usually hate customizing weapons, allow me explain why. You don't have to customize anything. Mostly whatsoever weapon can be found in a store and purchased using the coin y'all proceeds in battle. Then, this is no FF8 or Chrono Cantankerous here. Besides, if you lot exercise enough leveling up, you volition go all the materials you lot need, anyways.

To become the well-nigh powerful weapons, y'all need to get items called Heaven'southward Secrets, and yous do and then past doing side quests. Legaia 2: Duel Saga has a lot of great side quests to continue you busy. From cooking to gardening, everything is pretty much represented here. Some of the fun mini-games include rice planting and side jumping (although they can get frustrating without a turbo controller). And you also get real side quests, like the Centurion Challenge ( Do 100 battles in a row without saving), and the Hunter's Guild (which has you perform quests for increasing amounts of money). Add to that the city of Pharcoon, with a loonshit, casino, and auction house, and I fail to run into how y'all could ever go bored in Duel Saga.

Sadly, the coolest idea in Fable of Legaia, the seru system, is now gone and replaced with an average and blahful origins system. Now, instead of capturing seru and using their magic to level up, at present you get an origin and it just levels up along side you. I know they wanted to make a new storyline non involving seru, but is there any way they could have made a more than innovative magic organization like it? You get a very limited amount of magic spells to choose from, and the origin leveling upwardly never matters unless they learn a spell. Truly disappointing.

Fortunately, Contrail sort of fabricated upward for it past now adding skills for weapons, armor, and accessories. Each particular now has a certain amount of skills which can be unlocked, and finding the correct weapon with the perfect skills is key to battle. Equally you fight battles with the weapon/armor/accessory equipped, it levels up and learns more skills. Near skills are proficient and will assist you lot out, but in that location are too skills which cut certain stats (like Charsima Cut), so sometimes you are forced to stick with a negative skill to reap the benefits of positive skills. I truly liked the skills organisation in the game.

And so, Duel Saga succeeded on well-nigh of the new gameplay ideas. It's certainly a much more than complex game than Fable of Legaia was, and it'd take some time for veterans of the series to become used to all of the changes. I was disappointed with the new magic system, which is really just the aforementioned erstwhile boring rehash I've seen before, and the boxing system hasn't actually added anything new and got somewhat worse considering of the lack of a spirit to gain AP option, merely with the many side quests, and numerous amount of skills, the game is still plenty deep and complex for me.

This is why I kept coming back to Legaia 2... over fourth dimension. I don't know why, but this game can't continue my attention for long periods of time. It just seems like something is missing. The boxing organisation is fresh, merely doesn't seem to be fresh. The claiming level is sort of there, it'due south easier to level up, everything seems to be on course, but for some reason, the game is only not as replayable as the original. I think the spark of the original was lost in this, as information technology became more like an average RPG instead of a special game. Regardless, with the numerous side quests and special activities to do, y'all should observe plenty to keep you busy... until you lot beat information technology.

I think the thing I missed most about Fable of Legaia when playing Duel Saga is the lack of any true challenge. I never felt challenged by whatsoever of the bosses in Duel Saga, even the final boss. The only ones I had problems with were supposed to kill me. The fearfulness factor of the original (OMG IT'S TIME TO FIGHT BERSERKER, I Meliorate LEVEL UP FOR A WHILE) was replaced with a shallow walk through a game with many bosses, but few challenging ones. I was sorely disappointed with the challenge level.

In that location you have it. My 400th review is concluded with a look dorsum on a refreshingly good game that sadly failed to live up to my expectations. Information technology's a not bad game, merely it but feels like something is missing. The game feels less and less like a Fable of Legaia game, and more and more like a normal everyday RPG, and therefore it won't get higher than a 8 from me, despite the fact it's one of my 20 favorite games e'er. I have to be fair, and it's fair to say Duel Saga is a great RPG, but it has also many missing elements needed to be a truly special game. Information technology'due south still well worth a purchase, though.

But they need to bring back challenging bosses, Noa, and Seru in part 3. :(

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