Grandia II

"Grandia 2 gets released in Europe with a fantastic PAL Conversion........"

Introduction
Grandia 2 gets released in Europe with a fantastic PAL Conversion........Better than ever. The borders are tiny, there is no slowdown (stated in the American version there seems to be a lot of slowdown). The PAL version is probably one of the best conversions for the PlayStation 2. The actual game it self is fantastic, the battle system is truly amazing and the music is also decent.

Graphics
The graphics are good but its not something PlayStation 2 would be doing. The reason the graphics arent so good is because it was originally on the DreamCast and got ported over to the PlayStation 2. There are some good graphical moments when you are in battle, when you cast special skills - its kinda like a mixture of in game graphics and FMV graphics, and some look amazing. There are some minor flaws about the graphics when it comes to flickering, because in some parts of the games you barely see the flickering in the background of graphics but other times its noticeable, but these kind of glitches do not interrupt the gameplay department. So the graphics are solid, but its not quite up there.

Music/Sound/Voice Acting
The music is fantastic in this game but its not a Final Fantasy beater, its almost there though. It has a mixture of music for different situations such as a baddy boss or a regular battle. There enough here to keep away from the mute button. The sound effects are also good in this, with swords slashing, monsters groaning, spells going off, fantastic. The voice acting is somewhat good in away and bad in away. Because some voice acting parts are good and some are sluggish. But apart from that brilliant.

Gameplay
Now, this is where its best at. The battle system, its truly an amazing battle system and its one of my best battle system in any RPG on the planet, there is no waiting time (only when you have just attacked) because all your characters can attack at the same time rather than one at a time. There is a lot of leveling up to do and lots of power ups to learn, great characters. Walking around the world is nice to see as there are events that happen which make it more exciting and want you to play the game more just to see what happens next. Brilliant

Story Line
**Warning this may contain spoilers**
The story isnt so bad, You play Ryudo, a cynical, heartless Geohound who's been hired to protect an innocent young girl. Geohounds are mercenaries who'll do anything for cash, so he's received with distrust, even before his deficient personality leaps in to clear things up. It all starts innocently, as Ryudo escorts Elena the songstress to a ceremony in the woods nearby her town. A religious rite is to be performed in a creepy old tower town, and it seems Elena is the most important part of the whole thing - hence the bodyguard. Then suddenly something goes terribly wrong at the ceremony, and you guess, you need to save her........**i wont give away to much but its basic like that, to be continued when you bye the game (LOL)**

Overall
Best because
*Theres an interesting battle system
*Amusingly rude hero offers a different perspective

Worst because
*Mostly ugly visuals (but like i say it doesnt tend to ruin the game that much its the gameplay that counts)
*Slow script (and cant be fast forwards e.g keep finger on X to speed up the dialogues) But in some parts its speedy.

First Opinions
Even if it doesnt turn out to be a good looker, Grandia 2 should still offer some absorbing battles. A must buy if you are a hard core RPG fan

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/03/02, Updated 04/03/02