Dark Cloud

"Addictive, Great RPG!"

Playstation 2 is still a new system, and the quantity of RPG's isn't outstanding as of yet. But if Dark Cloud is a hint of things to come, then we are all in for some real treats in the future, as games should only improve from here on. For a fledgling system to create such a wonderful game so soon, it makes you wonder, whats next?

GamePlay/Controls: (8) The movements are smooth, in fact, almost everything about the controls is great, one of my few gripes is that the targeting system seems to be a little off, well, more than a little off actually. When you hit the O button, the character should target the nearest monster right? It doesnt always work that though, you hit O and sometimes the character TURNS AROUND and faces the wrong way, which can be a pain seeing how a monster is right behind you and it can get real annoying when this repeatedly occurs. Other than that, its excellent, its easy to build the towns, no complications at all, and its one of the highlights of the game.One of the other negatives about the gameplay that people have been saying, is that all you are doing is the same thing, over and over again, that is not entirely true, as each ''town'' has a different type of dungeon (eg. First you do Caves, then you are in a Forest and so on) I don't think its as repetitive as everyone says. Also it would be nice if all your characters could jump. It would make for more interesting fights. You also don't ''level Up'' the traditional way, your weapon gains experience, and IT levels up and you can customize so it levels up with abilities of your choosing, which I thought was really nice. But a lack of armor and accessories is a downer, I mean come on, Toan eats a fluffy donut and that increases his defense??

Storyline: (7) This has been done a hundred times before, though I personally don't mind the ''save the world from destruction'' plot, but there should have been more to it, it seems quite unrealistic that a boy, probably around the age of 12, could defeat the Dark Genie, and tons of other powerful and dastardly creatures. It could have been more like someone that is in their early twenties, and a hunter or something along those lines, think of all the twelve year old you know, (if any) and imagine giving them a sword and saying, ''Go save the world'' Come on, it isn't happening.

Graphics/Sound: (9) One of the high points in the game, everything is done beautifully, once you start building towns, you look at it and think ''wow it looks good!'' The sound effects are excellent and the music isn't bad but it is repetitive, but again, you don't really notice it as much as you think. One of the cool things about the people in the towns and your character, is they actually have a full face! (you know, eyes, mouth, nose, ears etc..unlike other RPG games)

Replay: (7) I think you would want to replay this game maybe a year down the road when you have some time to waste, once you beat it the first time, you will fully understand the weapon system and everything else, and would want to start a new game and upgrading your weapons right away as thats one of the creative points of the game.

Overall: I think this game is worth buying as it is one of the first RPG's for PS2, and I am sure it will be rare a year or two down the line. It has something to satisfy almost everyone, from building cities, to customizing weapons, lots of exploration and lots of problems to solve. I think its a must have for any RPG fanatic!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/26/01, Updated 07/26/01