Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land

"A Beautiful Masterpiece"

Wizardry brings back many fond memories, the constant hours of pure enjoyment while sitting in front of my computer screen. Bashing and slashing all the enemies I came across. Many of us cannot wait for the next sequel to hit the stores.

Since a sequel has never made it's way to the stores yet. Atlus decided to release a new version on the PS2 console. The story line does not follow the PC's version but keeps the classic feel to it. With plenty of monster bashing and a well thought out story line, Wizardry is guaranteed to keep you hooked for hours! Not to mention one of the best RPG's that people have never heard of.

All aspects of the game are done in a first person point of view to help pull you into the role of the hero. From quick load times to awesome game play, Wizardry delivers plenty of bangs for you buck. Dozens of horrendous monsters that are blood thirsty and are willing to fight you to the death. Each monster has been so well designed, that they will taunt and snarl at you even before the battle begins. Along with their arrogant attitude come some vicious attack animations. Not to say enemies shrug off the blows that are dealt to them, but act according to human physics. When an enemy is smashed over the head with your weapon, the force of the blow will drive them to a hunched over position for a moment to recover from the blow that was generously given by you. The designer's also beefed up their battle engine that allows you to fight more than a dozen enemies at once! Once you have completed the game it will open up the Abyss that is 9999 floors and loaded with plenty of powered up monsters to fulfill your monster bashing appetite.

As you mount up and head out to battle, don't forget that you are the leader of your team. You can choose up to five friends that will help ensure victory throughout your journey. You can also receive allied action or AA's if you will, that will help deliver a fatal blow to the enemy with a team-based attack. In being the leader you must learn to act like one. Let's not forget the golden rule ''Do unto others as you want them to do unto you''. If you make wise decisions your friendship level goes up. Just remember that each character has different ''needs'' in order to gain their trust and with their trust comes true power.

Let's not forget the composer's who also put a lot of time and effort into this game. Each weapon has a unique sound to it. The swords make a nice flesh cutting sound while blunt weapons have a nice crushing sound to boast your ego on your monster-bashing quest. There is not a whole lot of music as you navigate your way around the complex dungeon, but the battle music more than makes up for it. The battle music allows you to feel the tension with only one thought on your mind; it's them or us. Not only are there plenty of tense scores to keep you hooked to the battle system, but also there are some very slow and emotional scores that reach out and pull you into the sadness of the once beautiful town of Duhan.

The desolate and crumbled town of Duhan lay off in the distance. The once beautiful and prosperous town now lay in piles of ruble. The air began to thicken with solid and cold pieces of ice. A cold and icy shiver ran up my back, a bad omen. I try and recollect my thoughts of who I am. My years of memories and dreams shattered like the town. ''WHO AM I?'' was the only thought on my mind. After a few minutes of contemplating who I am, I head toward Duhan stepping on the freshly laid snow. While I passed the toppled houses, many lay dead with a few survivors blaming the ''Flash''. A light that was centered at the castle and within a few minutes destroyed Duhan and killed many. I felt sadness tug at the strings of my heart. What happened here? Who am I? Did our God forget us?. The confusing thoughts seemed only to mount more questions with no answers. As I approached a broken down house that was still somehow standing, I looked up and saw a light of hope. The bar ''Luna Light'' stood in front of me with many voices to be heard on the other side.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/02, Updated 08/14/02