"Very good RPG for it's time"

Legaia 2: Duel Saga is a fun game. It is one of the few RPG's I have ever played all the way through because I never got bored and the story kept me going (even if it wasn't all that great I was still curious to see the ending.) I got this game awhile back (back in 2002) and I finished the game in mid 2003 because I had to stop and play all the other games I had just gotten for that Christmas. The game as a whole took me 2 weeks to a month to finish without a FAQ or guide and now I have started to replay through the game once again. How is the game you ask? Well I would be glad to tell you.

Story: The story is basic for any RPG game but with a small twist. Lang (or whatever you choose to name him) is a lazy teenager who has just been enlisted in the Vigilance Corps. Vigilance Corps basically just goes to the nearby "Hunter's Wood" for game. However on his first day on the job Lang is doing fairly well. He even learns some new attacks while gaining a little bit of experience. Then it happens, the Aquilith is stolen. The Aquilith is a floating rock that keeps his village alive and without it the people that live there will end up dying. The man who stole it has a power beyond anything he or anyone else has ever seen before and he calls it his "Supreme Origin." Later on, (NOT A SPOILER) Lang will find out that he too has an Origin and it will be awakened later on in the game. Along the way to getting back the Aquilith Lang will meet up with friends to help him combat the nemesis.. And there you have it..The story for the game. I give the story a 7/10.

Graphics: The graphics are pretty average for a first generation PS2 game. I still like them after all these years and found them to be very colorful. The only problem I have with the graphics is that you have to revisit alot of areas, and it basically looks the same! There might be a weather change (which is beautiful when it rains) but other than that it looks the same. They are a beauty to look at the first 10 or so hours but after that time has expired..You really start to lose interest. I give the graphics an 8/10

Sound: Very disappointing aspect of the game. The voice acting in my opinion..is just horrible. I mean I HAVE seen worse but during some of the cut scenes when you have a feeling something cool is about to happen..Somebody just comes out and utters a cheesy line or the line they say doesn't seem to fit the situation at all. The music is pretty good though..very cheery..It fits all of the backgrounds and it seems like all of the characters have their own "theme music." You can tell when something bad is happening because a dark type of music comes on..and you can tell when you are in a safe spot because soft music starts playing..Stuff like that. Because of this..I give sound a 6.5/10 but I'm going to be nice and round it up to a 7/10.

Challenge: This game's challenge ranges from being super easy that my 9 year old cousin can complete it..to being "I WANNA THROW MY PS2 OUT OF THE WINDOW BECAUSE THIS MONSTER KEEPS KILLING ME!" At first the game's pace seems to be very well done..You go through your first "dungeon" and start killing all the monsters..But then it happens. Out of nowhere you fight one of the most annoying bosses that you can face in video game history..His name is Elfin. This boss is very strong and will chew you up and spit you out WHILE mocking you. Stuff like this happens almost every time you get comfortable in the game. It doesn't even have to be a boss! It can be a random battle and you get ambushed by one of the stronger enemies, and then you look on in frustration as they KO one of your characters. Then you try to heal the person that has been defeated only to get defeated your own self before you can even cast the potion. GAME OVER. The game can be very very cheap but still kind of fun at the same time because when you beat an overpowered boss in this game (TIME CONSUMING) you feel very accomplished. I give the challenge a 5/10 since the game itself isn't very challenging..It's just very cheap.

Replay Value: Let's face it. After you spend around 40 hours collecting everything to take down the final boss there is hardly anything left to do. You can go around completing the numerous amount of sidequests but those are basically for the hardcore RPG fans and those kind of fans probably will look at the case of this game and pass it up. It's rather cheap now I suppose (around 10 bucks at Gamestop if I'm not mistaken) so you could pick it up if you want an average RPG. I have completed this game 3 times over the past couple years when I just want to revisit some of my old glory, but other than all of the sidequests and leveling up your party, there is hardly anything else to do. I give replay value a 6/10.

Final Opinion: The game is good and I think everybody who enjoys RPG's should give this a rent. If not then just pass this up and go for a more recent RPG...Man, they really need to hurry up and make the third installment!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/04/06