Breath of Fire II

"Small system, big game..."

Usually when you play a portable game, you don't expect a lot out of it. The best it would probably do is partially entertain you on long trips right? However, Breath of Fire II for the Game Boy Advance is very different... I found that at times I was playing it instead of my Playstation 2! Here's why:

Gameplay (8/10)- The gaemeplay was amazing. It was very easy to navigate your way around cities and the world map. The battle system has about a 30 second learning curve, so you can get into the action right away. However, there were one specific thing I didn't like too much about the game.

The first thing was how the game made you wander around the world map so much. Many times I found quests that required me to go back through a forest, cross an ocean, and travel miles through the world map just to tell someone something.

Story (9/10)- It has been five hundred years since Ryu and his companions destroyed the evil goddess Milia and peace was restored to the world. However, the victorious warriors, including Ryu, felt responsible for exposing the world to their awesome powers. As a result, they hid themselves so that they could never be found again.

Now, you play the part of a smal-town village boy named Ryu. He has yet to figure out that his fate in entwined with the fate of the world...

Pretty good story for a portable game, huh?

Audio/ Video (10/10)- The audio is great, especially in the intro and in specific parts of the game. I've never seen a Game Boy game like this before.

The video is astounding. It looks the the Super Nintendo version of the game, only better! The environments and character models are very detailed. The graphics in BOF II are simply off the charts.

So, now that you've heard all of that, I'll now address two more important issues. First of, replayability. There is none, except to experience the adventure one more time.

The next, and most important issue, is whether or not to buy the game. If you're still not convinced by everyone else and this review, you must be crazy. There is no way you can have a Game Boy Advance and not buy this game. It's just that simple. The gameplay is great, the story makes you wonder how they fit all that stuff into a little cartridge, and the audio/video effects are astonishing.

I give Breath of Fire II for the Game Boy Advance a 9/10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/19/02, Updated 06/19/02