Post by The Silent Orator on Jan 22, 2008 11:53:00 GMT -5
Storyline: 10/10
Radiant Dawn has a superb storyline. Despite it being a sequel to the previous game for the GameCube, you do not need to know much about the previous game to be able to understand this story. For those who have played the previous game, it is a game that neatly and perfectly shores up the story of the continent of Tellius.
Down to the character endings, the many "how"'s of the previous game answered, a greater in-depth feel and understanding of the events of the previous game, and a puppetmaster all contribute to the storyline. In addition, the final boss of the game, although unexpected at first, is definitely a boss to contend with.
Graphics: 8/10
This is probably Radiant Dawn's only weak point. For a next gen system, it doesn't exactly do much to improve. Granted, this game was originally supposed to be for the GameCube, I still think that perhaps they could have done a better job.
Not that it's horrible, mind you. They are a step up from the previous game in the series. The different battle animations are pretty nice too. A character isn't just locked to just the same animations per battle. They actually have different animations at times, aside from the usual different animations of criticals and skills. Also, the victory poses at the end of every kill is a nice touch in a way.
Sound: 10/10
Epic music. That's all I really can say about it. The music is awesome, the sound effects are nice. Great way to get further immersed into this already great game.
Control & Interface: 10/10
Control was rather easy. If you're new to the series, a series of extremely helpful tutorials can help guide you as you get used to the controls. Controls are fairly straightforward, and the turn-based system basically allows you not to learn complicated button mashing combos in strategic timing. Similar to a game of chess, this game is more about strategy, technique, and a little bit of luck.
Interface is okay. I personally had no problems traveling through the menus, and I haven't hear any complaints about this yet. They're straightforward and direct to the point, and you won't find yourself really having any trouble getting from Point A to Point B.
Replay: 8/10
Normally, I give a low replay score. For me, once I beat a game, that game is done. I rarely find fun in playing a game a second time. However, this game is a bit different. Because it is a strategy game where you are a tactician, I prefer these kinds of challenges. When you beat the game on Normal Mode, a hard mode is opened up. Hard mode is exactly the same as Normal and Easy Modes, with the exception that enemies are stronger, you get less exp per battle/kill, and a few other things that make the game more challenging.
Personally, I find Hard Mode to be JUST the right difiuculty level for me. It's really hard... and I have to pull up all my cunning and strategic skills for it, but it's not so hard as to be frustrating...
Overall: 9.6/10
Very great game. Graphics may be slightly lacking, but I really don't care. The reason I subtrated .4 is because I realize that not everyone may like this type of game. For its type, and for my personal preference, I give it a 10/10. However, I realize that this type of genre is something that not everyone likes. A game can only be 10/10 when it's perfect and EVERYONE will like it. This caters more to a specific type of gamer and their style... and the difficulty level, even on easy, could POSSIBLY be too hard for some gamers.
Radiant Dawn has a superb storyline. Despite it being a sequel to the previous game for the GameCube, you do not need to know much about the previous game to be able to understand this story. For those who have played the previous game, it is a game that neatly and perfectly shores up the story of the continent of Tellius.
Down to the character endings, the many "how"'s of the previous game answered, a greater in-depth feel and understanding of the events of the previous game, and a puppetmaster all contribute to the storyline. In addition, the final boss of the game, although unexpected at first, is definitely a boss to contend with.
Graphics: 8/10
This is probably Radiant Dawn's only weak point. For a next gen system, it doesn't exactly do much to improve. Granted, this game was originally supposed to be for the GameCube, I still think that perhaps they could have done a better job.
Not that it's horrible, mind you. They are a step up from the previous game in the series. The different battle animations are pretty nice too. A character isn't just locked to just the same animations per battle. They actually have different animations at times, aside from the usual different animations of criticals and skills. Also, the victory poses at the end of every kill is a nice touch in a way.
Sound: 10/10
Epic music. That's all I really can say about it. The music is awesome, the sound effects are nice. Great way to get further immersed into this already great game.
Control & Interface: 10/10
Control was rather easy. If you're new to the series, a series of extremely helpful tutorials can help guide you as you get used to the controls. Controls are fairly straightforward, and the turn-based system basically allows you not to learn complicated button mashing combos in strategic timing. Similar to a game of chess, this game is more about strategy, technique, and a little bit of luck.
Interface is okay. I personally had no problems traveling through the menus, and I haven't hear any complaints about this yet. They're straightforward and direct to the point, and you won't find yourself really having any trouble getting from Point A to Point B.
Replay: 8/10
Normally, I give a low replay score. For me, once I beat a game, that game is done. I rarely find fun in playing a game a second time. However, this game is a bit different. Because it is a strategy game where you are a tactician, I prefer these kinds of challenges. When you beat the game on Normal Mode, a hard mode is opened up. Hard mode is exactly the same as Normal and Easy Modes, with the exception that enemies are stronger, you get less exp per battle/kill, and a few other things that make the game more challenging.
Personally, I find Hard Mode to be JUST the right difiuculty level for me. It's really hard... and I have to pull up all my cunning and strategic skills for it, but it's not so hard as to be frustrating...
Overall: 9.6/10
Very great game. Graphics may be slightly lacking, but I really don't care. The reason I subtrated .4 is because I realize that not everyone may like this type of game. For its type, and for my personal preference, I give it a 10/10. However, I realize that this type of genre is something that not everyone likes. A game can only be 10/10 when it's perfect and EVERYONE will like it. This caters more to a specific type of gamer and their style... and the difficulty level, even on easy, could POSSIBLY be too hard for some gamers.