"A fun action RPG that is overwith too quickly."

Fans of Sega’s ill-fated Saturn system are among some of the most die-hard video game fanatics there are (second only to Neo Geo fans). Out of a huge selection of great Japan only released Saturn games, I was glad to see this game come to the U.S. It would have been easy for Working Designs to stop the project for this game at the last minute, and say “screw it! Let’s make a Playstation game instead!” But Working Designs stuck it out, and brought this great game to the states.

Magic Knight Ray earth is a popular anime series in Japan that appeared on TV. you can buy the movies in the U.S. in both subtitled and dubbed format. The game does a fantastic job of sticking to the series. All of the cut scenes in the game are taken directly out of the show. The intro is the exact same. One thing they did mess with is the voice acting. The intro is sang by a female who sings entirely different lyrics. The voice to Hikaru is o.k. , But Umi and Fuu’s voice leave a bit to be desired. The game follows the show exactly the same, and I am glad to see that. Every day, you can read the girls diaries and see conflicts from different perspectives. There is noticeable slowdown, but there are also some rather neat effects, such as the fire when you get to the burning house. The music also deserves noticeable mention; it contains upbeat j-poppy stuff that is often found in these anime themed games. For a last Saturn game, it is quite a game. I heard a few other websites slander this game, but pay no attention to them, they are all stupid freaks who would rather sit around and play Jaguar c.d. and eat White Castle.

Game play: 9 the control is executed correctly. The overhead shooter type stages around the end of the game control well too. All in all, the game plays fine.

Story: 10 the game follows the series perfectly, and everything off the show is presented here nicely. If you liked the series, you will defiantly like the game. There are a lot of plot twist as well. I thank you will find the story very good. There are a few funny jokes at times, some may find them corny, but they do the job. At a hospital, there is a book on the table that reads “101 ways to give an enema”

Graphics: 7 There is noticeable slowdown, but the 2d graphics are passable. They’re not ugly by any means, and although the FMV is a bit pixilated, a lot of it is full screen. The game is very colorful.

Sound: 8 I really like the upbeat tempo of the games music. It fits the different levels. A lot of it is right out of the show. The music does a good job of adjusting to the different situations, (it gets slower when someone dies, faster when your fighting a boss, etc.) It is executed well overall.

Replay value: 6 I don’t thank you will play the game too much after you beat it. This brings me to another problem; the game is over with in about 11 hours of game play. You might replay the game in about a year, but don’t expect to be able to play it more than once every 6 months or more.

I feel you should go ahead and buy the game. It is the last game for the American Saturn and it’s actually good. The last game for the Japanese Saturn was Final Fight Revenge, and I hear that is horrible. You also get little stickers when you buy it. For a last effort, not bad at all.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/24/00, Updated 09/24/00