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Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call (PS2)
by megidolaon
Storyline 8/10 - The main character found himself involved in what is called the conception (the world as we know is destroyed and preparation for it's rebirth). The main character awakens after witnessing the destruction of Tokyo, and the new world is inhabited with demons and incarnation of death. And he also transformed into a demon ... itself. SMT : Nocturne had a great story with many twists and keep you wondering what'll happen next.
Gameplay 9/10 - The game system is a 'turn based system'. You turn depends on how many character in your party. And if you hit an enemy weakness(every demon have it's weak and strong element) you will get an extra turn, and vice versa. You'll lose your turn if you miss or they repel/drain/block your attack. So, you'll need to know what's your enemy weakness before taking a fight, because if you don't, they can sweep all of your party in 15 sec. And another one is Demonic Summoning system, you can combine a lot of demon to get a new demon. Also, you can recruit any demon that you encounter in battle.
Music 10/10 - Music in this game is awesome composed by Shoji Meguro, the atmosphere is very dark, combined from hard rock and techno. 'Boss battle' and 'Final Battle' is one of the best soundtracks I ever heard.
Graphic 9/10 - This game use cell shaded and I think it's very good. Usually, game creator only focusing on main party or something, but not in this game. All of the demon animation is very smooth and fits with the dark story.
Overall 9/10
Information : Dante from 'Devil May Cry' is on this game, he has a major role. And of course, can be obtained as your party.
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Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)
by matbubbles
Where's Sora gone?
This was the first thing I asked myself when I started playing Kingdom Hearts II, the superb sequel to Kingdom Hearts. I could hardly wait to start playing after the agonising cliff-hanger of Kingdom Hearts (don't play this game if you haven't completed it's predecessor, it will spoil a lot) and was full of ... questions. Has Riku survived? What happened to Kairi? What's gone wrong now so I can bust out my keyblade skills? And so forth.
In stead of addressing all these questions, the tantalising introduction to the game (which involves about three hours of gameplay) means you play as some guy called Roxas, and you don't know who he is. The gameplay around Twilight Town is interspersed with annoyingly (in a good way) unclear flashback style cutscenes from the previous game, memories of Sora and other stuff which is full of hints and leaves you guessing. Now, I won't spoil it, but the plot line of Kingdom Hearts II is even more awesome than Kingdom Hearts and the marriage of Final Fantasy and Disney definitely delivers the goods.
Okay, okay, what is this game again?
As an overview to the game, Kingdom Hearts II involves fighting Disney villains with Disney Heroes in Disney-themed worlds (such as fighting Jafar in Agrabah) whilst meeting Final Fantasy characters, fighting with and against them, and a huge over-arching anime style "destiny" storyline, with loads of twists and turns, involving Sora, as in the previous game, just trying to reunite with his friends. It sounds like it shouldn't work, but it totally does.
So what's different from the first game?
The main differences are now that battlescenes and fighting is much more visually "flashy" involving "reaction commands." These mean you can fight in cool ways you wouldn't be able to do normally on the controller. Also, there are "forms" which Sora can shift into in battle, meaning you have more abilities and can fight with more than one keyblade (!). I thought initially these would be a bit ridiculous and make fighting less engaging but it actually really adds to the battle sequences and is an improvement. Also, there are more Disney worlds like Pirates of the Carribean and Sora is older. There are a few other little things like different quests etc. but it's essentially the same kind of game.
What's so great about it?
The story is so tense you won't put the controller down, the characters are real and exciting, you really feel like you're on a mission to save the world, and the ENDING! Well, I cried. It' so beautiful. It's just a good story combined with good gameplay that makes Kingdom Hearts II practically an experience, not just a game. Also with 90 hours of pretty difficult gameplay, you'll be entertained for a while.
I would recommend this game to fans of Disney, fans of Final Fantasy, and just fans of gaming. Because overall, it is a Very Good Game.
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Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
by matbubbles
I LOVE THIS GAME!
This game - the love child of final fantasy and Disney - never should have worked, but it does, SO WELL. If you've ever got angry at a Disney villain you at last have the chance to fight them yourself! In the World, or should I say worlds, of Kingdom Hearts you fight with the Disney Heroes, against Disney and ... Final Fantasy Villains with epic fight scenes and destiny-filled plot lines typical of anime games.
You play Sora, a boy who grows on Destiny Island with his friends Kairi and Riku. However, he is much more important than he realises as he discovers he can wield the powerful weapon - the Keyblade - and a whole load of worlds he was unaware of are soon to need his services. And he has therefore just made himself a whole load of enemies. Due to his destiny his world is torn and he is separated from his friends. He then quests, with Donald and Goofy who have sworn to aid the Keyblade Master, to reunite with them.
The story is engaging, the gameplay entertaining, and the World of Kingdom Hearts is entrancing. The detail of the worlds and characters compared to original Disney films is fantastic and the battles are intense and often enjoyably challenging. You can swing vines with Tarzan, drink and shrink with Alice, be a streetrat with Aladdin and I could go on. With all the extra bosses and quests this game takes around 90 hours to complete and every minute is fun. The plot twists and turns and at the suspenseful game finale you will be desperate to play Kingdom Hearts II. Everyone will love this game.
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