 [Larger view] | Vagrant Story
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 Finally, finally, finally... | |
| There are many good games. "Resident Evil," "Siphon Filter," "Metal Gear," "Tomb Raider," "Tekken," "Parasite Eve" all come to mind instantly for most of us. As good as they are, they all have blemishes. The machinegun you're holding mysteriously changes to a glock when FMVs play between rooms in "Resident Evil." The backrounds are stunning in "Tomb Raider" but many of the characters are animated so poorly it's distracting. The combat system in "Parasite Eve" is great, as far as RPGs go, but hardly involves the excitement that live combat controls bring. The grammar, acting, and backstories in most videogames... well, they're awful. Enter "Vagrant Story." The animation (mosters, humans, animals, elementals, water, magick) is better than any Playstation game yet; from the twitching ears on the Ogre to the slack jaws of the goblin kings. The combat system is perfect. Not being able to customize the key set is somewhat annoying, but it's so well designed you forget quickly and learn to lean on the O for combat instead of the X. The system is a perfect blend of RPG style (think of the "Parasite Eve" ranging system) with live buttons for defense and special attacks (there are about a dozen special attacks and defenses which you gain with experience and assign to 3 keys for live combat). The score and sound are fantastic as well. It's one of the few games you can play with headphones and not notice glitches or poor mixing in the sound and music. Load times are good and always smooth. Bosses are extremely tough (and there are many of them) but not impossible to beat on the first try if you're in the swing of the game and know how to use all your resources. All that and a story that's interesting *and* sensical. How often does that happen? You know you've bought the right game when watching the initial FMV. Ashley Riot (the hero) is told, "...we need to wait for reinforcements." He replies, "Reinforcements? I am the reinforcements." Buy this game. PS2 games will look better but it will be awhile before they play better. They finally, finally, finally got it all right. | |
| One of the greatest RPGs ever made. | |
| "Vagrant Story" is one of those games you keep coming back to, no matter how ticked at it you get. I suspect VS may get overlooked in the summer RPG rush, but I certainly hope it gets the attention it deserves. Part Tomb Raider, part Parasite Eve and part Metal Gear Solid, VS is brought to you from the team that brought you Final Fantasy Tactics and it shows. The storyline is complex and engaging, the combat system has depth that has to be seen to be believed and the amount of time the game will suck up is incredible. Even more than Parasite Eve, VS is a completely cinematic experience, from the opening shots to the last crash. If you haven't found yourself enjoying the heavy combat-based games Squaresoft has released over the last year (FFT and Front Mission 3) then you may want to gloss over VS, or at least rent it first. Any true RPG fan, though, this is one game you need to pick up. | |
 Both Good and Bad | |
| I hardly even know where to begin when it comes to an overrated game that turns out to collect dust in my room. I bought Vagrant Story over a year ago. Tried it, like the battle system, and then found myself hating it. The game play goes as follows: You start in a dungeon...there are cut scenes from time to time, but none of them make any sense...you run around by monsters and fight. You see the monsters as you are fighting them as there are no random battles. A menu pops up after you click near a monster such as, Head: 0, 100%, Right Leg: 2, 85% and so on. From there you choose which part of the body you want to attack. Sometimes you make NO hit points against the monsters because you have to work up your weapons for each type of monster. And it is impossible to make a master weapon against all monsters. More than one weapon has to be leveled up for different monsters, and many times weapons have to be changed in midst battle which is annoying. The other complaint I had in this game is that the only way you can heal yourself is either finding a save point or using a curing item. This doesn't sound so bad, but curing items CANNOT be purchased. Instead they only can be found fighting monsters. I never seemed to have enough curing items. By the end of the game, things still didn't seem to make sense. The conclusions were unsatisfying and overall pain in the neck. The last complaint I have of this game is the feeling I got from playing it. The color scheme is bad. Everything was shades of brown or blacks and occasional greens and reds. It was a depressing feel to it, and it seemed like I never saw the light in that game. However, I can still give this game some credit. I believe that it was an attempt of a good thing. There were bad qualities about it that if only fixed a little, this game could've been great. The battle system was actually fun at times, but when things got tough and a new type of monster approached, it took way too long to level up a weapon. It is possible to enjoy this game. I found myself struggling through it, but I knew a couple who actually half ways liked it. It isn't a masterpiece in my eyes, but it had potential I think that didn't see the light of day. Pros: Cons: Estimated time to complete game in a quicker runthrough: 20 - 30 hours. |
