Phantom Dust

"Worth the $20, but not much more."

Game Play: The game play in Phantom Dust is pretty good, and unbelievably horrible at different points. The game consists of two basic game play elements, above ground and underground. Above ground is where you fight, using dozens of different skills that look really nice, light up the screen, and can make some devastating impacts. When you see yourself get slammed into a staircase and then fall a story, you'll be amazed. The sense of destruction is really well done. Underground is where this game sucks. The underground is basically where the RPG part of the game takes place, and its one of the worst I've seen. You basically run around a very boring sewer, talk to people without voice acting just to see if they want to give you a job, and then run around again. I tried to spend as little time underground as possible. The story is good, and you want to play to see what happens next, but at the same time, you don't really care.

Game Play: 7/10

Audio/Visual: Audio wise, this game lacks. In the few cinematics they have, they are visually pleasing, though nothing to get excited about, and feature the only voice acting in the game. Sub par voice acting. My biggest problem in the audio is the lack of voice acting. Even bad voice acting is better than none. The game does let you use custom soundtracks, so it gets points for that. The graphics in battles are great with all of the flashy attacks going off, but sometimes the flashy lights and such impair you vision in the game. The underground's graphics are horrible. I know sewers are dirty, boring, and dull, but there is literally nothing in the underground that makes you think they tried to impress people in the visual department. Your starting to realize why this game is only $20.

Audio/Visual: 6/10

Replay Value: Eh, you may play this game again, but you may not. If you're a big fan, you'll love the X-Box Live modes, and will spend hours on it, but I'm not a big fan, and don't really care. You might play the game through again, just to try a different fighting style, but you might not. It really depends on you.

Replay Value: 5/10

Rent or Buy: The game may not be revolutionary, or incredible, but it is definitely worth the $20 price tag. You could rent it, but what would be the point? It's only $20, just buy it.

Rent or Buy: Buy

Overall: Overall, I'm impressed with Phantom Dust. It may not sound like it, but I was very surprised that a $20 game could be this fun. You can definitely tell it was meant to be $20, but the fights in the game are tough, and incredibly fun. It's a good game, and if you like RPG Action games, check this one out. It's nothing that will knock SquareEnix off their RPG throne, but it's pretty good.

Overall: 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/21/05