Jade Cocoon 2

"Could have been a 10+, but there were a few crucial mistakes"

Gameplay - 8/10
I do like the concept of breeding monsters, and it's surely better than the first part, but because the game is so linear you get bored quite fast, and I think that really brings the game down. One more bad thing about the game is that it's a little bit childish.It's also so easy because of the linear gameplay, and there's just one or two ways to walk in, and there a map in the bottom of the screen, witch makes it almost impossible to get lost. What makes this game so unique is the breeding of monsters, and because there are so many different combinations it's worth playing. Me as a true rpg-freak set high standards to a rpg-game, that is why the gameplay only gets a 7/10 instead of a 10/10, it's just not good enough. One more thing that good about this game is that the fights aren't random encounters, because with final fantasy I sometimes get so irritated by them, it's just nice to see what you're gonna fight, and that you can try to avoid it. I also liked the unique battle system, it's better than in part one, so that also one +.

Story - 7/10
It's not the best story there is, but it ain't the worst either. It's definitely not your everyday story, it's about a guy named kahu,and his first task is to complete four different ''worlds''. The worlds are pretty big, to bad there's actually just one route to walk, so that's not really fun.The one thing that kinda makes it more worth playing are the dialogs of Nico (your fairy).

Sound - 8/10
I guess the sound is okay, it certainly isn't irritating. They're also no catchy tunes, so it's basically okay. The music is kinda boring so they could have put some more work in that. It's also nice that you can hear your footsteps.

Graphics - 9/10
The graphics are gorgeous, their so great. It's just one more thing that makes this game worth playing.

Replay value - 6/10
It's the kind of game, when it's finished you leave it on your gameshelf, and maybe, just maybe you want to play it again, in like 10 years maybe (not). I don't think I'm gonna play it again, because it was so easy.

Overall - 7/10
My main comment on this game is that it's so linear, that makes it so easy. What's cool is that you're able to breed monsters, that makes it worth playing, and also the great graphics.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/03, Updated 02/26/03