"Legaia fans will not be dissapointed."

Introduction

Legaia 2: Duel Saga is the second game in the Legaia series, although it's not a direct sequel to Legend Of Legaia. The main reason I bought Legaia 2 was probaly because I enjoyed the first one so much. If it was up to the bad reviews the game got I probably wouldn't of got it, but don't judge Legaia 2 due to some of the bad reviews try it out for yourself, you'll be surprised. Legaia 2 is definitely worth your money!

Gameplay 9/10

What I find most interesting about this game is the battle system which is original and fun. Just like Legaia 1, this game uses the TAS system(tactical art system). Basically in the battle selection you are given four commands High, Low, Left, and Right or in Maya's case Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire. Depending on your characters level, you are given a number of art blocks which you use to enter attacks. When you enter commands in a specific order you will be able to use an art combo. I loved the battle system which was the main thing that got me hooked onto the Legaia series in the first place. One of the changes since Legaia 1 are the summons. In Legend Of Legaia you summon Ra-seru and seru, but in Legaia 2 you summon Origins. Origins are pretty much just like the Ra-Seru from the first although I prefer the old system better because you were able to summon twenty-nine different creatures while in Legaia 2 you can only summon four. But the Origin attacks are much better looking so I guess it evens out. As for difficulty level, I would say Legaia 2 is very challenging yet fun. Something that adds to the fun factor of this game are the many minigames and sidequests. For example something new added to L2 which made it much more interesting is the new cooking feature. Your party members can learn different recipes and cook for the team in camp mode. Different recipes can have different effects on the characters stats. For example, Atomic Heat recipe raises all stats by 20% temporarily, while Princess cake both raises and lowers some stats. The cooking feature definitely adds fun to the game. The game controls were a big improvment to me. In Legaia 1 it was sometimes hard to control your character but now in Legaia 2 it's much easier to move around your character.

Story 8/10

Basically you start out with 17-year old boy named Lang who comes from a village called Nohl. It's your first day going out hunting with the Vigilance Corps. Eventually the villages Aqualith which gives them an endless water supply is stolen by the man with the ''gold eyes''. Lang ventures out on a quest to retrieve the stolen Aqualith and to learn more about himself. On the way, Lang meets up with other characters, each with a different story but all with a common goal to defeat the man with the ''gold eyes''. Personally I thought the ending of this game was a bit disappointing, and enjoyed the story from Legaia 1 better. But nevertheless the story was still interesting and intriguing with lot's of surprises and twists.

Graphics/Sound/Music 7/10

One thing that disappointed me about this game was the music. I loved the music from the first Legaia, but the second one seemed to be lacking a good music score. You'll find a lot of music from the first game in the second like the intro music. I especially like the music that plays in Yuno. The graphics in Legaia 2 weren't amazing, but they weren't horrible either. They have definatley improved since Legaia 1 and are up to date ps2 wise. The arts combo's look great and the origin summons are fantastic. The characters are no longer blocky, but are much smoother looking. You can now see the characters facial expressions much better. The sound in this game is also very good. The characters voices are done pretty well and suite the character. Now when the character's yell out there attacks you can actually understand what they're saying. Sound was definatley one major improvement.

Play Time/Replayability 9/10

This game can easily give you 60+ hours of gameplay not including some of the sidequests. As for replay value once you've beaten this game you'll want to play it again just because it's so fun and addictive although the game won't be any different second time around.

To Rent Or To Buy?

Definatley a buy! Legaia 2:Duel Saga is one of my favorite RPG's for the Playstation 2. Believe me if you were a fan of the first game you'll love it! If you played the first one but didn't like it try this one it's improved ALOT since LoL. If you haven't heard of this game go get it! The unique battle system will keep you hooked. You won't be dissapointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/29/03