Wow, 2 reviews in one day! I bet the rest of the guys are going to have a heart attack!
Sudeki
Sudeki is a...unique experience in roleplaying. I've played quite a few RPG's in my day and I have never seen anything like Sudeki. It has elements of so many different games: KOTOR and Ninja Gaiden to name the 2 biggest.
The protagonist of the story is Tal, an exceptionally skilled but inexperienced member of the Illuminia Elite Guard in the world of Haskonia, where the game takes place. He is in love with the queen's daugter, Ailish and his best friend is Elco, the queen's Chief Scientist. These 3 will join with Buki, an anthropomorth on a quest to reunite and save 2 worlds.
First of all, I have to say that the characters look beautiful. The world looks beautiful, everything looks beautiful. Graphically, this game is a gem. I was amazed at how everything looked.
When it comes to sounds, I am a big fan of spoken dialogue. It came as a great shock to me then, when I found that everyone you encounter has spoken dialogue. Everyone even has a different name. It was quite frankly, an astonishment to me and it really immersed me in the storyline. In addition, the voice actors do a superb job of lending life to the characters. Voice acting has come a long way folks, and this game is proof. The ambient sounds are extremely well done, especially the way everything sounds different when you run on it. A minor detail to be sure, but it's the little things that make the game for me. The background music is also well done and fits the locations appropriately. For instance, when I entered the aptly named Devil's Belch Canyon late in the game, the music was a twangy type, like something you'd hear in an old western movie. I actually laughed out loud the first time I heard it.
With a fantastic looking and sounding world, you'd think the gameplay might suffer a bit. Thankfully, you'd be wrong. Throughout the game, you will go from fighting with one person to four people at the same time. The combat is real-time and fast paced. The combat system is just deep enough to be engaging, with 2 characters that specialize in melee and 2 characters that specialize in ranged attacks. The melee is all done 3rd person and the ranged combat is all done in first person, but it works surprisingly well. You are able to switch between characters with the push of a button, which makes managing everyone's special abilities quite easy when you get the hang of it.
All things considered, I have to give this game a 4/5 and one thumb up and one down. Why, you ask? While the combat system is fluid, it's also forced. When you enter certain areas, the exits are walled off and enemies appear, sometimes staggering amounts of them. Although I pulled victory from almost certain defeat several times, the option to escape from battles would have been nice. Also, the game is short, clocking in at about 20 hours to finish. If this doesn't bother you, give Sudeki a try. You won't be dissapointed.
Tales of Symphonia
Dateline: July 24, 2004
11:35 PM
Location: My living room
I apologize that it's taken so long, but once I started this game, I had to finish it. Tales of Symphonia is the newest release in the Tales series of games and the first release in America. You play as Lloyd Irving, a dull-witted but good-hearted teenager in the remote village of Iselia in the world of Sylvarant. You start out your journey helping the Chosen of Mana (who happens to be your best friend) regenerate the world, but it quickly becomes a quest to save yourself, your friends, and your world.
The game is of decent length. I clocked my completion time at just over 45 hrs. although I didn't do nearly all the sidequests and minigames. Graphically, it looks beautiful, with the characters being 3D on a 2D background. They are cell-shaded, giving them a cartoon-like look without it looking stupid. As far as sound goes, the ambient sounds are well done but the real gem is the voice acting. All of the voice actors do an outstanding job bringing the characters to life and making you feel for them.
The gameplay is really fun, but it definitely takes some getting used to. The game uses what it calls a "linear motion combat system" which means the battles are in 3D and you are on a line with the monster you are fighting. You can run back and forth forth on the screen, using items and what not. The other party members are controlled by the A.I., although if you have 3 friends, you can all control a character in the battle.
The A.I. in this game deserves special mention, because I have never seen anything this deep in a game before. You have dozens of options for movement, spell casting and so on. It's not as good as your 3 best buddies playing the game with you, but it's close.
All in all, I give this game 5 starts, 2 thumbs up, and a 10/10. If you've been waiting for some RPG love for the Gamecube, your wait is over!
