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A solid, if not unremarkable game for an intermediate level player. | | Stephen from Pittsburgh, PA says (19/Nov/2004): | While this game boasts solid graphics during battles and some of the best sound available in an RPG, it fell short in too many areas to call this game a Final Fantasy challenger as the game cover states. The cutscene graphics are PSOne at best, while the voiceover work is a far cry from the clean, emphatically charged voices in FFX. Also, the storyline lacks depth, and the character development in non-existent. Despite these shortcomings, the game does excel in combat mode by reviving the FFX battle engine and adding Grandia style info text. The animations are excellent (check out the Balrog Battle), and there is a real sense of epic fighting during some of the longer bouts. The game is relatively linear, but allows players to return to previously conquered areas to complete any missions left undone. The problem is that, for a thorough RPG gamer (the person who has to run along every wall in the dungeon tapping X just in case there is something hidden there - like me), there are no missions left undone after leaving the area. Some additional upside this game is the leveling system (a la KOTR) and the technique advancements which use a basic AP system. There is enough balance between fighting and leveling up to keep your party competitive if you don't feel like bulking up to uber-levels. If you are a LOTR fan, then you may feel more at home in this game than a general RPG player. The gameplay is good enough to make the game functional, but the lack of depth really prevents this title from becoming the must-have RPG I had hoped for.
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