Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land

"An excellent yet overlooked game"

While it is true that the Wizardry franchise has been around for many years I must admit, (while I shamelessly confess), that Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land for the PS2 was the first incarnation of the game I have ever played. After the first five minutes I came to a startling conclusion, I NEVER KNEW WHAT I WAS MISSING! My goodness what a spectacular delight for the senses. Whether it was the gripping gameplay or the simplistic yet enchanting music score that had me immersed from the start I cannot say, but then again when you are in love, does it really matter? And love it was from first sight, sound, and yes even smell, (I love that new game smell). From the moment I started playing to the painful point of relinquishing control I was aware of nothing more than my motley crew of heroes trying to fight the good fight. And is that not the purpose of videogames, a little escape from time to time? As you can tell I truelly love this masterpiece of gaming but now lets get move on to the nitty gritty, THE REVIEW!

Presentation: 9
The fact that the game is non-linear is the true selling point for anyone who both loves RPG's and is sick and tired of being told what to do and where to go. True you have to explore the cavern level by level, but as to what route you take or who is in your party is entirely your choice. It's nice to feel like you have some control, I only wish more games would follow suit and not lead you by the hand.

Graphics: 8
I personally thought the graphics were excellent, but I can see where some may disagree. I myself am an ''oldschool'' gamer and the graphics in Wizardry reminded me of an era when content and story, not graphics, was the most important aspect of the game. Not to say the graphics were hideous, but if compared to let’s say... FFX, Wizardry would be the hands down looser.

Sound: 9
As stated above, the music is rather ''simple'' but it fits the action and overall feel of the game to a T. It is not too fancy and it blends into the background very well, never trying to distract you from the gameplay.

Story: 7
Wizardry lacks in the story department slightly due to the fact that yes, there is a main story but you will spend a large amount of time on the side quests that make up the game, possibly forgetting what the original story was in the first place. This is the only setback to an otherwise fantastic game.

Overall: 9
Overall Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land is a diamond in the rough. In a time when the amounts of respectable RPG’s are very few, Wizardry is a savoir. I only wish more people would play Wizardry, I know anyone who did would not be disappointed and, dare I say, may even love this game as much as myself or even more.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/17/03, Updated 06/17/03