Dark Cloud

"A nice combination of this and that..."

Playstation 2 games today are starting to get better and better. With a few RPGs for the system out there, it's still easy to point out who is the best among all. It's definitely Dark Cloud. Although this game won't par with the Final Fantasy series, it has it's own style of play. Here are my criteria where I based my judgement on the game.

Gameplay/Controls (8): Dark Cloud implements a lot of kind of gameplay. You'll see the RPG element in the story and the interaction of the main character to the people around him and the in-depth character statistics that are implemented for the characters. There is also the element of an action/adventure game during times where Toan navigates through dungeons and negotiate with enemies and bosses. There's also a puzzle/strategy element in the game when you re-build the town after it was being destroyed. Your creativity and patience comes into play. All-in-all, the game was nicely done but I somewhat got bored in some parts where you have to do things again, and again, and then again once more (especially in dungeons). As for the controls, they are well-mapped in the Dual Shock 2 controller. All the controls you'll need are included in the button setting. Controlling the characters are also a cinch!

Storyline (10): As an RPG game, this game has a original story and it's an excellent one at that. The story focuses on Toan, a young man from Norune. And when the Dark Genie destroys his town, he is meted with his destiny as the holder of the Atlamillia that will save the world from the ominous Dark Genie. The story is very compelling and you'll enjoy every second of it.

Graphics/Sounds (6): What can i say? This is the Playstation 2. Dark Cloud's graphics are stunning and you'll see the nice rendering of the environment of the character. Although it isn't as refined as the Bouncer (which is the has astounding graphics to date) did. Points are taken off from the sound system of the game (-4 pts). The music are for kiddies and they can get quite annoying after a while. Plus, I like games where the characters really speak. This game doesn't have that. The sound effects are also poor, especially inside dungeons and while fighting.

Re-play Value (7): The game will take you quite a long time to finish on your first try. Therefore, it isn't advisable to re-play the game again as you'll go through everything again. Unless, you really enjoy the game and you don't get bored by something that you see again and again, you can always re-play it again.

If you hunger for RPG games for your Playstation 2 console, this might be the game for you. ''Might'', since this game doesn't appeal to everyone. I suggest that you try it out first. Rent it for a while or borrow from someone and see if you'll like it. But in totality, this is a great game with a nice combination of various game types.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/22/01, Updated 07/22/01