Zakizdaman

Repetitive missions, clunky menus, and slow progression - this game takes some getting used to. It is a highly strategic game which requires you to use fast manuvering and good use of your escort ships, otherwise you will be sunk. Out of the 80 missions, there are only a few unique ones. Destroy this harbor, destroy these ships, and escort these ships - those are the 3 missions you will be completing. Sound: The sounds of the game are awesome. Once you get bigger guns and shoot them off, it is incredibly satisfying to hear the loud pop and slam when they connect with enemy ships. The voiceovers are a little bit cheesy, but that is to be expected for a game localized for North America, coming from Japan. Gameplay: The gameplay is very slow, until the middle and later stages of the game. Your ships don't travel very fast, and the enemy ships don't die very fast. The strategy starts from the beginning of the game, making you have to think about your moves from the very beginning. The difficulty curves at the first boss fight, however it is not as steep as games such as FFXIII, or Ni No Kuni. Menus: Like I stated before, the menus are very clunky. Trying to save your game makes you go through 3-4 different menus every time, which gets pretty annoying because the load times are not that fast (even when installed on the PS3). Other than that, buying ships and selling parts is very easy, and you won't need a strategy guide for either. Creativity: You need to be creative with your ships to go far. If you just slap some guns and engines on a hull, don't expect to go far. As for the game itself, for it's time a console real-time-strategy wasn't really a thing. Sure there were others such as Command & Conquer, but this one just feels right. The concept is great, however the missions are mundane. I don't quite know what people were expecting, but if you wan to go really fast and shoot things a lot, then I suggest playing a flight simulator. This is a naval simulator of sorts, and that is why the gameplay is slow and the missions are repetitive. Overall: This is a game I have been playing for quite a long time. It has great replay value but is lacking in very many different departments. even through that, it is still a great game that you should try out if you are a real time strategy enthusiast, as this is one of the few that works on console.

Although being a bit repetitive and difficult to master, the game definitely rewards patience and cunning with an amazing plot and a great lead-up to the sequel. Starting with the few negatives, the game is very repetitive. Being a JRPG, it's expected to have a bit of grinding here and there however it is not as bad as some other JRPG titles. Second off, the way that you find chests and such is quite difficult. Doors and chests are blended into the environment so well that it is sometimes hard to tell what is usable and what is not. The camera system was a tad weird and some combat situations were difficult to maneuver. Once you died a couple of times though it becomes much easier. Lastly, the inventory system was a bit hard to manage, and could have had some work done on it. Now that that's out of the way, we can focus on the things that made this game amazing. Being a direct sequel to a novel, I feel that the game adapted very well. The few "important" characters were a bit under-developed but with the way that the game gets you tied in emotionally, that hardly becomes a problem. The cinematics were beautiful for being released 4 years after the console's debut, as well as the in-game graphics. They are easily compared to other leading titles. Overall, Square did not dissapoint. Giving the score some numbers, this what I could come up with; Visuals: 10 Controls: 8 Story: 9 Difficulty: 8 (10 being most difficult) Overall: 8 Thanks for reading!