"Could this be the Best game on the PS2?"

Could this be the Best game on the PS2? Maybe...

I sat awake last night thinking about just how I could word this review. I want to say that this is the greatest thing since sliced toast, but I wonder is sliced toast is really that great. So I will try this on instead If I had to chose between winning the lottery and playing Dark Cloud 2, I would chose the lottery, but it would be close, really close. So now that that has been said I shall explain my logic. (I have rounded my fractions to make it simple).

Graphics: 9/10

On a sliding scale like this it is hard to give you an idea of what it takes to get a 10 or a 1 for that matter, but I will give it a shot. The graphics in this game are great. I have to admit when I saw the previews of the game on the web I thought like many of my friends, WHY? Why does everyone want to Cell shade everything these days? I wondered about the decision to do this to one of my favorite games. I have always thought cell shading was a cool idea but that was it. Well let me tell you this. I WAS WRONG!! Some games were just meant to be Cell shaded and Dark Clod 2 was one of them. The color full ''hand drawn'' feel that the Cell shading gives the game makes it look and feel like you are watching your favorite Saturday morning cartoon. It creates a great atmosphere for the action/RPG. They manage to use Cell shading to great effect, without over doing it in the least. The characters and backgrounds are colorful and engaging and the transitions and effects in the game look and feel natural.

Characters: 10/10

The characters are a huge part of any game and therefore I fell it is only fair to rate them separately. I mean I have finished some really bad games because I loved the character and wanted to see what happens to them. I almost never give 10, I mean it is so hard to say that these are the greatest characters. Then give a ten to the characters in another game. (To give you and idea the only other 10s I would give would be the characters from FF8 and FFT). The characters in this game and perfect for the story. From the opening you know what drives Max, (Main character) and you can see the growth of him throughout the game. I found that I was really into the story and I really wondered what was going to happen next. The characters were so good that I found myself feeling the same was as them. The interaction between them is what makes them so cool. There are moments when Monica will say something to Max and you totally want to slap her for being so mean. Like I said the characters really hooked me. 10 out of 10.

Story: 9/10

How to talk about the story without talking about the story? Well here goes.... I can't do it. I will tell you this. Everything has been integrated this time. Do you remember in Dark Cloud 1 how you just kind of got stuck rebuilding cities because it was the nice thing to do. In this one the story really explains why and even how you have to rebuild the world. The story has it all a great villain, time travel, evil clowns. Nuff Said.

Game play: 9/10

I want to give it a ten, I really want to give it a ten. But I can't. If you liked the first one you will love this one even more. Reasons. Does anyone else remember unfondly building the dagger all the way up to Heaven's Cloud only to have it break when you hit that rock monster. My response was some thing like this:

Toan: (Speaking to rock monster) Now you're going to die. Heaven's Cloud attack! *snap*.

Monster: Heh Heh heh ... (Laughs)

Toan: What the $%@#%! A Dagger!

Meanwhile in the real world I take my shattered PS2 and busted game back to my game store for replacement. That frustration is gone. Now when you weapon breaks it attack power goes to Zero until you fix it. That's it. Weapons also last a bit longer. The annoying thirst gauge from the first game is gone as well it is a status effect now (thirst stops you from eating). Fountains will only restore health one time for one of the characters so you have to use them carefully. There are all sorts of ''Mission objectives'' to accomplish on each floor of the dungeon. So you will likely play each one at least twice. The georama has been expanded, it is a lot tougher to get all of the components you need, but also more fun when you get into it. The mini games rock the house. And there are a whole heap of side quests to do. The combat is relatively similar. There are a few new things you can do and each person has 2 weapons and close and long range one. Then there is the Ridepod and monster Transformations, but I won't get into those because they are story related. You are probably asking why not a ten, well here is the reason. As much as it is great fun it gets repetitive and you still need to keep a really healthy stock of healing and weapon repair items in your inventory. This can be really expensive and cause you to sell some item you need for Georama. I found myself doing a floor and going to town over and over. Sometimes early on that is the case it gets easier to succeed as your weapons get tougher. That is why it's a nine.

Overall: 9/10

This is arguably the best RPG on the system right now (I only get one game month Xenosaga is my target for March) Great graphics, cool game play an awesome story, and some of the best characters to date make this game a must have for any Dark Cloud fan. Even if you are on a fan I would suggest picking it up and giving it a shot. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Rent or Buy?

If you liked the first one, buy it. If you like good RPG's buy it. If you are unsure rent. Even if you hated DC1 Rent it you might like this one.

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