Game Reviews (image heavy)

[gunsage]

Hey guys! Since there are other writers here, I figured I'd start this off just to see how interested everyone is in the prospect. At a former site, I wrote a LOT of reviews, but I've been asked to tone them down, so let me know, okay? Anyway, for my first review...

Manhunt 2 - PS2 - Rated Mature

By Gun Sage

Introduction

When the first Manhunt came out, I thought "Man, this game is brutal! I can't believe they got away with making something like this!" It wasn't a great game (for most people anyway), but it was still a very good game and if you like violent titles, I highly recommend it. The premise of the original is you're dropped into some sort of abandoned urban playground while some sadistic businessman of sorts records you essentially creating one giant snuff film for him.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/gunsage/Manhunt2/MH2a.jpg
"Lemme AXE you a question!"

Okay, I lied...the playground is MOSTLY deserted. Each series of levels offers some new type of enemy. At first, it's some simple hoodlums. However, later in the game you're trying to survive militias, psychopaths, and much more. The idea is they're hunting you, a former mass murderer...and you're expected to do what you do best. The idea is sick, but it works. The real question now, however, is how does the sequel compare to the original? What exactly did they censor and was there enough/too much censoring?

Insert Clever Subtitle Here

So what was it the last one did so well? For starters, the controls were simple, tight, and WORKED. In Manhunt 2, there are so many things they try to satisfy (bear in mind I played this on the PS2) that the controls get a little...slippy. For example, there's no crouch button. Yeah, I have no idea WTF. I say this because, well, they didn't exactly use the L3 button (click left stick) for anything, and that's typically your universal crouch/stand button, so really...WTF?

Now, yes, if you're pressed up against a low wall, you'll crouch behind it...but again, why you can't manually crouch is unknown to me. That's another problem. Sometimes when you go to peek out from a wall, it treats it as if you want to STOP PRESSING AGAINST THE WALL. UM, YA THAT'S A PROBLEM! Spots where this seems to happen a lot are areas where you don't have a lot of different structures to hide behind, so those that are there are CRUCIAL.

So is there anything I can mention that was done RIGHT in the controls? Why yes, actually. But to properly explain this, I'll need to move on to information as far as new innovations in the game.

Innovations in Killing or Rockstar's Next Lawsuit

As you may know, in the last one you execute hunters by sneaking up behind them, then holding down the attack button until you've reached "desired rage." Basically put, just as soon as a hunter's oblivious and you're sneaking behind him, you have the option for a quick, simple kill with the weapon you're holding (certain weapons can only be used once). The longer you hold down the attack button and kept close to the hunter, the more violent the kill would be. White = quick, yellow = angry, red = insane...or something like that.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/gunsage/Manhunt2/MH2c.jpg
"Well, time to get Barry Bonds his 'medicine.'"

Naturally red is QUITE violent and therefore, excessive. The point? Well, there is none, really. For me, I enjoy seeing all possible executions, but it's not like you get points or anything that I'm aware of. Well, the same is true in this one, except they included a few new features...

- Environmental executions. You sneak up behind someone when they're in certain areas and WHAM with an enviro executo, even unarmed!
- Aerial executions. Basically put, if you're above an enemy and you're able to sneak up on them (pretty easy in most cases), you're able to INSTANTLY execute them with a sweet jumping execution.
- Firearm executions. In the last Manhunt, the only two types of weapons you couldn't execute people with were guns and distraction objects (bricks, cans, etc.). Well, you still can't execute people with distraction objects, but if you sneak up behind someone with a gun, you can pull off a sweet firearm execution.

As in the last one, there are three types of weapons...one time usage (ball point pens, plastic bags, garrote wire, etc.), small weapons (a lot of these also double as useful tools), and large weapons (typically the most powerful). The weapons, as usual, are all pretty cool...even the little stuff. The controls actually work pretty well as far as attacking, execution, etc. Plus, besides just hiding behind stuff, you can also climb or hop over stuff by pressing toward an object and hitting circle. This is nice, but for me at least, I accidentally get it confused with triangle, which means I hop over a barrier rather than take cover often! :p

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/gunsage/Manhunt2/MH2d.jpg
More fun than teeball. Guaranteed.

Beyond this, you use the left stick to move and the D-pad to change weapons as well as reload. The control system actually works pretty well with the new stuff, but surprisingly feels slippery and a little loose with previously good working controls. The final feature that's worth mentioning is that sometimes when a hunter approaches you in the shadows, you have to hit a key sequence in order to "hold your breath" AKA stay incognito.

Story

Finally, we have the story. Now, in the last one, you played as James Earl Cash, a man whose death was faked by "The Director" to participate in his little...game. In this one, you play as Daniel Lamb, an escaped mental patient who has no idea WTF is going on. This is significant because in the first one, you're a cold-blooded killer, but in this one...it's almost as if they try to label you innocent, which kinda kills the mood from time to time.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/gunsage/Manhunt2/MH2b.jpg
"Sexyback THIS, Timberlake!"

Plus, Rockstar tries to do too much with the plot in this one. The great part about the last one is it's very simple. You're a killer. You kill. End of story. Yes yes...there's more going on, but that's the gist of it. There's TOO MUCH going on in Manhunt 2 to the point that you really have no idea what to make of it...even after the crap they shill you on for the endings. And that's that.

Conclusion

Pros

- Plenty of gore. I have NO idea what they censored. In any case, it's fine as is.
- Plenty of new and old weapons.
- New styles of executions.

Cons

- Slippery controls that seem to fail at the most INCONVENIENT times in concerns to context-sensitivity.
- Too much story that causes more confusion than anything.
- A.I. can be a little lacking at times.

Final Thoughts

Is Manhunt 2 a bad game? Well, did you enjoy the first Manhunt? If so, then no, it's not a bad game, but you won't have the same experience you had with the first. There are so many new features that it seems like they could've made it SO much better. It's better than the original in terms of what you can do, but it's worse in how it operates. I'm sure there won't be another one, which makes this experience that much more bitter.

Rating (out of 10): 8.0

[Mr. Rager!]

I get all my game reviews from: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/2608-Zero-Punctuation-Zelda-Phantom-Hourglass

He's really the only way to go.

[gunsage]

That is hilarious! :lol:

[gunsage]

God Hand - PS2 - Mature

By Gun Sage

Introduction

When I was still in elementary school, way way back in the late 80s/early 90s, I remember popping in an endless array of quarters into various arcade brawler and fighter titles like Final Fight, Sengoku, Street Fighter 2, Fatal Fury, World Heroes 2, and much much more. Unfortunately, shortly after the PS2 came around, these games mostly lost their charm on me. The sad reality of it is that fighting games have been so overdone that nothing truly feels "original" anymore.

As far as brawlers go, very rarely does a company actually make a GOOD 3D brawler. It seemed like a good start...Fighting Force, Die Hard Arcade...but along with the few good ones, there were SO MANY bad ones. It almost looked like the brawler genre was over...then it happened. Capcom, Namco, Rockstar, and probably a few other companies I'm neglecting in mentioning seemingly simultaneously became interested in reviving the brawler genre.

Among the titles that came out were Urban Reign, Final Fight Streetwise, Beatdown: Fists of Vengeance, The Warriors, and, well, God Hand. Unfortunately, only The Warriors and God Hand are titles truly worth playing, but in any case, I feel much better about the possible future of the brawler. Without further ado...

It's "Crunch" Time!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/gunsage/GodHand/GHa.jpg
"I can see my house from up here!"

God Hand is the epitome of everything a new age brawler should be. It has lots of crude humor, intense fighting, relatively high difficulty level, good music, minigames, great graphics, funny story, and even a little bit of customization. There's very little that's "bad" that I can actually speak for in the game. In any case, I will try...

- Sometimes the difficulty stems from not really being able to hit the enemies because they surround you and block way too much.
- Though the levels follow different themes, they're still pretty generic.
- The fact that there's any customization at all leaves me frustrated that there isn't MORE customization (more on this later).
- Camera angle can get annoying (always behind you).
- Boss battles are ridiculous to the point that you need to be more lucky than skillful to win.
- THE CASINO IS WAY TOO FREAKIN' ADDICTIVE.

That's about it. Now to get into this customization that I keep putting off. Okay, when you first start the game, you can repeatedly wail on the square button to pull off a combo, or you can hit the triangle button to perform a maneuver, or the X button, or back and triangle, or back and X, or back and square. Now here's the thing...the defaults set by these give you a basic idea of how stuff works. The combo needs to be quick and flow well so that you can get off multiple hits while pretty much everything else can be set strategically...or not. Again, it's up to you because as you find or buy new moves, you can set them up as you see fit.

This includes even setting up the weirdest of combos that simply don't flow or work well. For example, what's the point of using a "blow away" move in the middle of the combo? Further, most "blow away" moves are slower, so really, they should be used more strategically. What I did was take the original combo and add in as many moves that balanced speed and strength well. For the other presets, I have a sweep, a blow away, a guard break, a heat up (automatically enhances your rage level), and another intense blow away.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/gunsage/GodHand/GHb.jpg
NOOGIE OF DOOM!!

The point is, why not two combo options? Why not add the ability to swap between points in a combo? Why not have it where an enemy can only guard upper or lower, therefore, one combo concentrates on upper body whereas the other concentrates on lower body? Why not have left or right plus a button? Yes, I'm knitpicking, but I feel this deserves addressing because they opened the floodgates of possibility, but only answered with a slow trickle of innovation.

Combat Mechanics

There are a few things I've yet to mention...namely, storyline, minigames, gameplay, etc. As far as the storyline, well...don't worry about it. It makes less sense than Viewtiful Joe, but plays a lot like a 3D brawler version of VJ, if that makes sense. The power moves in the game are awesome. See, alongside your standard attacks, you also have power moves that use up one or more, uh, "power orbs." They vary in damage and usefulness, but all are pretty awesome (you want funny, check out "ball buster").

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/gunsage/GodHand/GHc.jpg
Yeah, expect to see this alot.

As far as the minigames, well...

- Chihuahua racing. I kid you not. It's basically like betting on horse racing, but with chihuahuas.
- Video poker.
- Blackjack.
- Roullette.
- Pirate ship shootout.
- Battle arena.
- Car beatdown. Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking...it's the bonus stage from Final Fight redux. And yes, Final Fight Streetwise has something similar, but still.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/gunsage/GodHand/GHd.jpg
Yes, the power moves are great and quite grandstand-y.

And plenty more. I'd also like to point out that there is currency in the game. Obviously currency can be used in gambling, but primarily you'll be using it to buy new moves, powerups, etc. One more thing worth mentioning...triggering the god hand. Along with AAAAAALLL this stuff, you can use your rage meter to fly into a hyperactive frenzy, allowing you to be virtually invincible, insanely fast, and a bit more powerful for a short time. Yes, THAT'S what the rage meter's for. Look ma, no plot holes...or something. ANYWAY...

Conclusion

Pros

- Great graphics and animation.
- Hilarious, though sometimes overly crude dialogue.
- Plenty of insane moves that you can customize to your liking...mostly.
- Lots of minigames.
- Silly, nonsensical story.
- Solid difficulty.
- Lots of intense fighting.

Cons

- Simple level design.
- Not enough depth in customization or upgrades.
- No repeat level option.
- No adjustable camera angles.
- While most are okay, some boss battles are insane, and not in a good way.
- You WILL develop carpal tunnel from all the mindless button mashing.

Final Thoughts

God Hand won't be the key to reviving the brawler genre, but at the very least, it's a great stepping stone. If you like other Clover titles (Okami, Viewtiful Joe, etc.), you already know this should be in your inventory. And if you like brawlers, give it a shot!

Rating: 9.5

[gunsage]

Metal Saga

By Gun Sage

Introduction

A lot of people are willing to go on the record stating that Grand Theft Auto 3 really started the whole popularity of sandbox-style gaming, the style of gaming where the developers may or may not have created missions, but for the most part, the game is open and relies on your creativity, planning, and much more to really get a lot out of the game. In other words, you don't just keep moving in one preset direction...you can kind of do whatever you want.

For example, in GTA3, you don't have to do missions to have fun. In fact, you can simply steal a car, then cruise on a sidewalk and run several people over, follow it up by stealing an ambulance that eventually comes by to take care of your victims, and have a jolly good time causing absolute mayhem...just because you can. Of course, if that's all it takes to make a game sandbox-style, we're missing quite a many titles. For example, Driver, Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, Chrono Trigger...the list is endless if you go off this basic theory.

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/4/41/Mario64_-_Dire_Dire_Docks.png
Scenes from Mariowind :p

Want to split hairs about this? Okay, in Driver, you don't have to go on missions to have fun. No, you can do a free ride, complete with the ability to go back over it in director mode and set up various cameras, etc. Really fun stuff. Confused about Mario and PW? Well, in both of those, whether on a "mission" or not, you're able to explore all kinds of cool stuff and while there is an established "order" of things, it's not necessarily more restrictive than that of GTA's missions.

As far as CT, yes, for the first maybe 10 hours, you pretty much go mission to mission, but much like in Final Fantasy 6, there's a point at which there are numerous optional side quests, ways to just end the game NOW, etc. Actually, FF6 didn't have multiple endings, but after entering the world of ruin, once you got the airship, you were able to go after Kefka anytime you damn well pleased.

http://www.doupe.cz/vaulty/finalfantasy/pictures/ff6kefka.jpg
I think we can all agree that Kefka's the reason we don't like clowns

I think we can all agree that we don't "count" these titles as sandbox-style, which begs the question "What is a good example?" In most situations, I would not be supporting a sandbox-style RPG. Call me uncreative, but while I enjoy exploration and a multitude of optional side quests, most sandbox-style games aren't all that fun because it doesn't feel like there are goals and therefore, in most cases, very few if any rewards.

Think of it like a Zelda game, but without any powerups. Yeah...what would be the point of exploring then, right? There are some games, however, that get it right, but still manage to be...odd. So, now for my example!

Conundrum Saga

http://www.gamerankings.com/screens5/926834/1.jpg
Anygame that has turrets wearing fishnets is okay by me

Metal Saga, in my opinion, displays in concept exactly what a good sandbox RPG is, but still manages to be just weird enough to be a little offputting. For example, the game starts off with the hero wanting to be a hunter in a despaired, desolate future where crazy machines run rampant. However, if I'm not mistaken (see: haven't tried it), you can choose not to right there and end the game instantly.

http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/5462/2h/images.gamezone.com/screens/28/1/53/s28153_ps2_3.jpg
"...but especially those that wear flood pants"

And really, there are several instances of this throughout the game. You can choose to get married and game over, you can choose to quit and game over...yeah. One major gripe I have about Metal Saga is the point. What's the point? Don't ask me! Yes, you go about as a hunter making money, buying new equipment, modding your tanks, beating up badguys...but seriously, what's the point? There's no evil arch-nemesis. There are bounties, sure, but again, it's all purely optional. The developers painstakingly developed the game entirely around "whatever you want to do."

http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/5462/2h/images.gamezone.com/screens/28/1/53/s28153_ps2_4.jpg
"Whatever you want to do," huh? :p

The problem is it doesn't feel like there's any real "goals" in the game. Thus, this clearly illustrates what I was talking about in concerns to sandbox-style RPGs. However, there are a number of positive things I can say about the game. For starters, the game has a good sense of humor and often doesn't take itself seriously. Further, the game has good music and a neat GUI. Overall, the game is great if you like grinding and modding.

Conclusion

Pros

- Well developed sense of humor. Crazy enemies, NPCs, and much more.
- Nice music.
- Plenty of flexibility, side missions, grinding, modding, and much more.
- Lots of minigames.

Cons

- Mediocre graphics and yet, plenty of loading for some reason.
- Not enough explanation of things. For example, you can buy a round for everyone at bars, but it's never explained exactly what this does.
- No real point to the game. When everything feels like a side mission, you're left wondering what the REAL mission is.

Summary

Is Metal Saga worth buying? (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000E41KXS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_olp_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1205077062&sr=8-1) Well, let's put it this way. Currently, it's not hard to find and it's not very expensive either. It's not a BAD game. It's actually pretty fun, but don't expect it to be the next Final Fantasy 7 or something. If you go into the game understanding that it won't be the best game you've ever played, but you enjoy sandbox-style gaming, you'll probably get a lot out of it.

Verdict: 6.5

Edit: My images are NOT HEAVY. They're just big-boned! :p

[gunsage]

Shining Force Neo

By Gun Sage

Introduction

Hey gang, it's been a while. Yes, that's right...you're a gang now. Put down your baseball bats, brass knuckles, and the like and pull up a chair, it's storytime! Well...okay...not really a story, per se, but since there's a bit of a backstory, well, you get the idea. :p Anyway, this time I'll be reviewing Shining Force Neo for those of you completely oblivious to titles. Neo is a brilliant and yet annoying title all wrapped into one. How does it manage to be so brilliantly redundant? It combines a few excellent ideas here and there and couples them with a LOT of mildly annoying ones...all under the guise of being a Shining Force game in a retarded effort to drive up sales.

And now the backstory. Shining Force, originally debuting on the Sega Genesis unless I'm mistaken, was an interesting, old school, overhead, turn-based strategy/RPG that had anime-style cutscenes for encounters. Good stuff and I still highly recommend all of them including the ones I HAVEN'T played all the way up to the Saturn ones. Very fun, very classic, very addictive. Now, a Shining Force game on a brand new, cutting edge system? BAZOING! Well, or something like that, right? I mean, come on...how could they POSSIBLY screw it up with Sega at the helm?

Oh, right...Shadow the Hedgehog...and Altered Beast...and even further derivitives of 3D Sonic titles. *grimace* Please don't screw it up, Sega! Please don't screw up a classic! Please don't make me rethink how you let us down with such titles as those mentioned as well as Phantasy Star, Shenmue, and countless others! Please don't hurt 'em Hammer! Okay...uh...maybe not that last one. ANYWAY! On to the review!

How to ruin a classic in three easy steps

I'm done with the suspense of it. Folks, this is Diablo. Yeah, you heard me. Mash the attack button over and over and over and over and over and OVER FRIGGIN' AGAIN to kill off katamari-ball-throwing-up size hordes of various random enemies in order to progress. Sure, they try to keep it lively by offering different types of enemies, some that use spells, others that are ridiculously hard to kill, and yet even others that find the CHEAPEST ways to attack you, but yes, if you've played Diablo, Darkstone, Diablo 2, heck, even River City friggin' Ransom, you've pretty much got the idea of this one."But but but...what about all that strategy/RPG goodness you were talking about?"

Well, there is some good news, my teary-eyed fanboys. It can still be labelled an action/RPG. And really, it can be considered deep because of the one saving grace: the force frame. Yes, you can still level up like most traditional RPGs, but even more important is gathering force energy in order to "buy" various upgrades such as max HP, attack speed, attack power, critical rate, wolf killer, and much much more. It sounds very simple, but trust me, this is one of the major, if not THE major, draws of the game that has kept me interested for...oh...about 30 game hours now (obviously not including the very CHEAP game overs).

Yes, it's annoying that a once great series has become nothing more than a standard hack n slash. Yes, the voices in the game are TERRIBLE. Yes, the enemies really are as ridiculous as described. What I will say is somehow, it's still fun. Repetitive, yes. But fun. Further, there are movies and they're pretty well done...especially the anime ones. The plot is substandard, so it's more of a backdrop, but if you don't mind the fact that it's nothing like the classics and go into it understanding it's just another Diablo, you can still have a lot of fun grinding in this title. It's not a Shining Force game, in my opinion, which is disappointing, but fun nonetheless.

Conclusion

The Good

- Nice anime cutscenes. Not a lot, but they are nice.
- Cel-shading is done pretty well.
- Lots of fun for grinding addicts.
- Force frames add a LOT of depth to the game.

The Bad

- The voice acting. Is. Really quite. Terrible.
- Slowdown is frequent when more than...oh...maybe 50 enemies are on the screen at a time. Yes, it DOES happen.
- Hack n slash uber-monotony.

And The Forcey

I haven't checked on what the price is lately, but if you can get this game at $20, you're making out well. Again, don't think of it like a Shining Force game. Go into it knowing it's a Diablo clone and you might walk away with something fun.

Verdict: 7.5

*Note: I'm planning on adding pics later, if you think they'll help.

[gunsage]

Mana Khemia

By Gun Sage

Introduction

Though it's not explicitly stated, it should be known that this game should count as part of the Atelier series. If you don't know what that is, there's a lot here you probably won't get, so you really ought to play them. (http://www.projectwonderboy.com/index.php?archive=2160) In any case, I remember playing the original Atelier Iris. It's kind of an oldschool RPG type with a lot of depth/innovation. Clearly, though, each Atelier game had trademark flaws...

- Voice quality issues. Sometimes sounds would skip, get cut off, or have weird errors.
- Loading in the form of noticeable delays for JUST ABOUT ANYTHING...even though the games are 99% sprites.
- Almost obligatory ANNOYING voices, sometimes just in the form of a few enemies here and there while other times in the form of MAIN CHARACTERS. Ugh.

Despite this, Atelier Iris 1 and 2 are excellent titles. The third is just okay, but that's because of a weird timed dungeon thingy that just...isn't necessary. That said, they're excellent titles and definitely worth looking into if you like more oldschool style RPGs with a twist. In other words, Mana Khemia has quite a bit to answer for. Did they fall short of the mark or succeed with flying colors?

Better Than Atelier Iris 3!

http://gamezone.msnth2.com/ps2/1943/screenshot/images/big/scr_25904.jpg
Well, I suppose it's no surprise that Atlus made a fighting game next.

It's hard to say that this is the best of the series, but what the hell...it's still an excellent title for a number of reasons. First, let's analyze the game on a technical level. Did it succeed in wiping clean the errors of the past?

- Absolutely no voice quality issues. There are a few annoyances here and there as far as voice acting, but I'd have to say at least 90% of it is spot on.
- The delays are there, but it's a lot better.

Ah, but with the virtual ending of those problems comes new ones. How so? Well, remember, the previous entries in the Atelier series had completely pre-rendered backgrounds that, to a degree, kinda looked slapped together. Now, the good thing about this is they loaded quick and didn't cause delays, slowdown, etc. MK opted instead to have a standard, fixed camera angle with ye olde 3/4 isometric, but have the backgrounds still very spritey, but 3D.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_AMYGROFiQ4k/Rljz0DwzQFI/AAAAAAAAAI0/G8w30a7Oq90/s1600/mana34.jpg
Okay, I lied. It's a very VERY nice touch.

Yeah, it's a nice touch, but it can lead to slowdown in some areas, especially when there's a lot of objects that are breakable, enemies roaming about, etc. Now, that's truly the only new problem I can think of, so without further ado...

Better Than The Rest?

Much like the other Atelier games, you can/should/are expected to make various things via alchemy. If you switch around certain ingredients in a recipe, you can make something entirely new. You can also upgrade/downgrade the end result by having people help you make it, using better/worse base ingredients, and using good/bad sythesis types when using alchemy. Sound confusing? It's not really, I'm just running a bunch of stuff together is all.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_AMYGROFiQ4k/RljzVjwzQBI/AAAAAAAAAIU/48Arw_QwWiU/s1600/mana21.jpg
Yeah, you'll be seeing this a lot.

The good/bad thing about all this alchemy is the grow book. I know a way they could've made this work but still pandered to oldschool RPGers, but I'll get to that in a little bit. When you create certain things via alchemy, pathways within the grow book are opened. To a degree, the interface LOOKS a lot like FFX's sphere grid...but it operates based on making things via alchemy. You use AP gained through combat to acquire various skills based on areas opened up in the grow book for each person, which is an admirable way of developing your characters.

Unfortunately, it's the ONLY way to develop your characters. See, you don't get exp/level through combat...only AP and money. One way they could've resolved this is by including both the grow book, which is a good idea, with ye olde exp/levelling up...just sayin'. Anyway, beyond that, yes you can buy various pieces of armor, equipment, etc., but it's a MUCH better idea to try to make stuff instead and only buy armor and such when you have money and just need to use them as ingredients.

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20070223/mana12.jpg
I might be wrong, but I think next on the schedule is "Alchemy Girls Gone Wild!" WOOO!!! ...Yeah, I'm wrong.

The missions concept was brought over from Atelier Iris 3 and so was the timed dungeons. Ah, BUT...it's not done in a dumb way. No, this time it's simple day/night progression. As it gets later, enemies get tougher. There...not too bad, eh? Also in the game, since you're in alchemy school, you have assignments which directly pertain to the plot. Further, besides doing missions during free time, you can also do something somewhat similar to private actions a la the Star Ocean series which helps you understand individual characters better, etc.

All in all, this isn't a bad game and should definitely be part of your collection if you like the Atelier games.

Conclusion

The Good

- 3D backgrounds are a nice touch to the series.
- Nice music.
- Good voice acting.
- Burst system plus enemy dizzying plus dynamic character swapping in battle equals up to an awesome battle experience almost every time.

The Bad

- Slowdown issues and still some delays here and there for certain moves.
- When you max out your skills in certain areas, there's absolutely no reason to go into battles until you create something new, which leads to avoiding battles.
- Development of characters is dependent on learning new things via alchemy, which doesn't happen as often as it should.

And The...Beauty?

As I said, if you like the Atelier games, this is a no brainer. If you're new to the series, you may want to wait until the price goes down a little, but otherwise this is an excellent RPG.

Final Verdict: 7.8

Click here to see what the "professionals" had to say. (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/863/863767p1.html) Notice that my user review is strangely missing. HMMMM.