Record of Lodoss War

"Broken Record or Hack'n' Slash Epic"

Fundamentally sound and a very intense expierience with all the trimmings. ROLW is based on the anime that just ROCKS! It is a title for a gamers niche. The niche this time is the action RPG. If you try this game it won't be long before you realize that this game HAD to be made. It is chillingly awesome. Who would of thought this liscense would make it to a home console, it is SO much better than an original storyline and it is the nicest suprise to have it released. The japanimation stories were excellent with a unique flair, but I don't think it was captured significantly in the disc. Ironically there is no anime in the game, granted it is done in nice 3D, but the cutscenes would have been truly spectacular in the cartoon look. When was the last time that was done?(SEGA CD?)
INTERFACE:
Looks familiar. Looks Diablo2. The menu is very accesible for suiting up well. Magic is done nicely an original. Every item you possess is at your disposal with a few button presses. The stock treasure chests are nice to have for the lots of items amassed. When first loaded the game takes you through a brief 3D intro collage of the journey about to be traversed. Then the title screen, very dark undertones and shows just where your money went on in this game. Blood and Gore.
GRAPHICS:
Clean crisp highly detailed charcter models round out the visual dept.. Looking very sharp with explosions taking the cake as the coolest happenings around. The game is imbued with a dark almost cinematic quality which renders the player in a trance. These graphics are very realistic but at the same time hardly applicable to anything real life. Notice when you walk up to a Golem or other large monster and how HUGE it is compared to the player. All the equipment you equip during the game is shown on your character. That I am a big fan of.
SOUND:
... ... ... That is what I hear now after taking a break from the game. Some of the most outlandish yet transcending battle/TV themesong music is withinthis disc. Music rocks like your own theme music as you hack and slash. Wait the battle music stopped, NO PROBLEM , run into another foe and it starts up again making for really hectic and frantically intense battles. The sword stroke sounds good enough to want to hit every time. Everything from goblins laughter to characters war cry are flooded with emotion. Gotta love the BANG of the explosions!
GAMEPLAY:
It takes alot of patience and retry. One button for attack, one for item and one for magic, and the map. Sounds simple,huh, yeah and done really well. Standard RPG fair.
DIFFICULTY:
In the beginning... you will level up very fast and think of how cool this is. That slows down. The game is tough as nails. With all the many utensils to equip there is always a time when you may need a specific sword to pass an area. With over 50 hours of gameplay the game is a testament to video game difficulty. The enemies are hard the maps are huge and hard, the next level in the game is at least 10 times harder than the one just beat. Not for anyone that is for sure.
GOOD:
This game has a killer liscense and happening graphics with unique tunes that keep on rolling as you would probably be crying over a challenging game. With quick load times and a strong engine, blood squirting is done with class. Highly customizable artillery is its strong point and that next level you keep striving for always satisfies. A great BUY!
BAD:
Lots of slowdown when the screen is full of foes. It really is too bad. Especially when surrounded and the slowdown takes away an oppurtunity to attack.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/01/02, Updated 04/01/02