SaGa Frontier 2

"Square's latest SaGa title really shines compared to its terrible prequel."

SaGa Frontier 1 sucked. Badly. All right, that's out of the way. Now, forget about SaGa 1 and let's move on to SaGa 2. It's a great game. Not like SaGa 1, which is a bad game. Did I make that clear? ^_^ Despite how terrible SaGa Frontier 1 might have been, part 2 is definitely a nicely done game. It obviously doesn't compare to Square's more prominent titles like the Chrono and FF series, but for what it is, it's good.

Graphics: 8/10
The visuals are very nicely done, and they're unique as well. The characters are, unfortunately, sprites - pretty much the same as Xenogears and Grandia... though the characters don't seem well proportioned as the ones in those two other games are. The backdrops, however, really shine; every backdrop is hand-painted flawlessly, and you can tell. It's really easy to catch yourself looking at the backgrounds alone - they have a light, pastel, fantasy feeling. But take heart - the game manages to retain its T rating very well. The actions that the characters perform (in one scene, Gustave's mother slaps him) are very adult-oriented and mature. And even though the backdrops are light and fantasy-like, the story more than sets the dark mood of the game. Now, a note of caution to FMV-happy simpleminded people - there is little to no FMV in SaGa Frontier 2. Most scenes are done using the in-game graphics, which is not a bad thing. The battle graphics are incredible for what they focus on. Actually, the battles look almost the same as those in Final Fantasy Tactics. The characters are bland sprites (though the FFT sprites are MUCH more well done), but almost every move in the game is visually wonderful to the eye. Even basic attacks like ''Slash'' and ''Thrust'' have colorful little animations to go with them. Of course, they're nothing compared to the Elemental Spells, but if you liked FFT's fantastic Spell and move visuals, then you'll find exactly that to a bigger degree in SaGa Frontier 2. In all, a very nice job by Square here. What a relief, after the ugly-arse graphics in SaGa 1...

Music and Sound: 8/10
What a pleasant surprise. The music in SaGa Frontier 2 is very nice and relaxing, and sets a beautiful mood for the player. No matter how nice the backdrops may be to look at, the music is even better to listen to. Most of the pieces are piano-based ones, but don't take that the wrong way - they aren't ONLY piano, but piano accompianed with lush strings and overtures. The battle themes in particular are mellow and melodic, which is a nice change from the fast-paced, action-packed battle themes of Final Fantasy VIII and Chrono Cross, though those games are more serious, so it makes sense. Don't worry, they still set the mood, but they're more calm than other battle themes. The individual pieces for the various story scenes, towns, and dungeons and such are all a lot alike - not in the actual compositions, but in the type of music; all of the scenes have that piano being first, with lush background instruments behind. It's the kind of music you'd want to listen to after a long, hard day - it relaxes you but at the same time sets the perfect tone for the game. Now, let me get this out of the way - the music in general is NOT better than what Mitsuda and Uematsu have done in Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Final Fantasy VIII, etc. It's just not. BUT, for what it is and what it tries to be, it is truly wonderful, and I can go so far as to say that the music is soundtrack-worthy. I'm thinking of importing the SaGa Frontier 2 OST as I write this. Now, to the sound effects - very well done. They aren't just your standard fare effects - you'll regularly hear effects such as someone running up steps, Water running, Wind blowing, etc., to get you more into the game. Of course, the battle sound effects are your basic weapon and Magic sounds, but they're clear, so there you go. But, in all truth, I was particularly impressed by some of the realistic sound effects employed to keep the story going. Nice job here.

Story: 7/10
This area is a mixed bag in SaGa Frontier 2. There are two main storylines in SaGa Frontier 2, as opposed to the seven in SF1; the Gustave story and the Wil Knights story. The main story, the one that centers around Gustave XIII, is the very good one. Gustave XIII, the son of Gustave XII, the King of Finney, is set to take the throne when he and his mother are exiled from the kingdom because it is discovered that Gustave cannot use ''Anima'' - more specifically, the Magic of SF2. And then, the story really takes off from there, showing off a very Final Fantasy Tactics-like story; it includes war, betrayal, assassination, and juicy stuff like that. Unfortunately, you can't just play through one storyline like I once thought - after you complete a certain Gustave ''scenario'' (the game is divided into these), you're forced to take on William Knights' story, which, in a word, just sucks. Basically, you watch Wil and his ragtag band of friends explore ruins for various treasure. And unfortunately, I never got past that before having to return the game, so I don't know how long this lasts or how soon you can go back to Gustave's story. If you can get through Wil's very mediocre storyline, you'll have lots of fun with Gustave's. Overall, a good job by Square but not anywhere close to their best effort.

Control: 7/10
Let's get this out of the way, first - the buttons are very responsive, and that's good. However... the button layout is extremely bogus. The usual ''select and cancel'' buttons, X and O, are present, and that's all nice and well - but god, the buttons to bring up the menus and the fact that the shoulder buttons do unknown things really turn me off. But then again, you don't really navigate menus in this game much anyway, so I suppose that's generally okay. At least the buttons are responsive, and that's what counts.

Fun Factor: 5/10
SaGa Frontier 2 is fun, but it can get EXTREMELY repetitive. I mean, there aren't a lot more RPGs that will try your patience more than this one. First of all, is the difficulty of navigating and understanding the seemingly endless number of menus there are. It got to the point where I stopped going into my menus at all, and just looked at my character status in battle, because it was just too hard to get in and out of the menus. Second, is the ''behind-the-scenes'' Leveling Up system this game uses, much like Quest 64 (ugh!). There are no Experience Points in SF2 - your party members' stats are randomly boosted after battles. I mean, TOTALLY randomly. Frequently, but randomly. I don't like that. I like having an experience level for my characters, so I know where they stand. With this kind of system, it's extremely easy to forget who excels in what area (physical attacks, Magic, etc.). Third off, is the constant party member changing. SF2 boasts a huge number of Spells in the different Anima fields (Flame, Water, Tree, Stone, Tone, and Beast), but no one remains in your party long enough to ever learn an adequate amount of them - and further more, the Skill Arts (weapon-based ones) are better than most Magic Spells anyway, so you actually learn a lot of them! That's a real turnoff for me - I've learned hardly any Spells in my gameplay time. Next, is the EXTREME length of the dungeons. Let me tell you - I was stuck in Wil Knights' first dungeon for a whole day. There were about five different paths to choose in EACH room. That makes for an extremely maddening experience. And this flaw is made even worse by the fact that there is a monster to run into around every corner - you're seriously battling almost every few seconds. And when the battles last really long themselves, that's a real pisser. Speaking of battles - the battles in SF2 are extremely fun... before you fight every five seconds. ^_^ The attacks and Spells look just like those in FFT - which is a GREAT thing, because the visual effects in that game were outstanding. The sprites are kinda ugly, but that's to be expected - they're sprites. And learning new Arts (even though it's random) is VERY fun - it makes you wonder just how many learnable Arts are out there. But, despite all these flaws, SF2 manages to be fun - you always want to beat that dungeon to see the next story sequence. I don't know how or why, but it's true. If you enjoy long dungeons, then you'll find absolutely nothing to hate about SF2 when it comes to gameplay. If you don't, though... you're in for some major hell playing this game.

Overall: 7/10
SaGa Frontier 2 is an enjoyable experience if you're willing to play a very different RPG that has some major flaws (but also, major good points). If you're a hardcore, straight RPGer, though, you won't like SF2 at all. It boasts too many ''new'' things to RPGs to make it enjoyable like that. But if you're open to new things, you'll probably love SF2 with it's mixture of excellent graphics, music, and story (kinda). Just be prepared for some long and arduous playing sessions when going through dungeons. ^_^ Overall, though, SaGa Frontier 2 is another quality game pumped out by THE God of video games, Square Soft.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/10/00, Updated 03/10/00