Alas, RPGs not named Final Fantasy exist!
User Rating: 8.3 | Arc: Twilight of the Spirits PS2
I don't like monopolies. They mean a company can push out the same crap every year and no one can do anything about it because they're the only game in town. This is what Square Enix is dangerously close to becoming. The name "Final Fantasy" on a box can guarantee great sales.So competition is in order. And ATL: TOTS delivers a fresh new experience. Graphics: 7 It may not be FFX, but it's pretty good. SCEA put a healthy budget into this game. Some low-resolution textures and botched voiceless lip-syncing may make you grimace. But then you see the spell effects. Elaborate, colorful and fun to watch. Sound: 8 The voices are provided by people who actually have had experience in the recording studio. It shows whenever you get a cut-scene with full-voice overs. The characters also vocalize during the fights- which sometimes gets really annoying. But there is an option to turn off "Battle Voices" if you get really sick of them. Sound effects work well. The music though is where FF tramples this game - too many cases of the same music being reused. Game-play: 9 This is where any RPG must shine - or any game for that matter really. But RPGs especially. And this one doesn't disappoint. The battle system is unique - you have a blue area surrounding your character when its their turn which determines where they can move. This free-roaming system allows you to position yourself behind and to the side of your foes. The game rewards you for doing so with extra damage dealt. But it works both ways - so you need to strategies how to move so you do more damage while not exposing yourself. Items are found in the walk-around areas and in battles. And interesting twist is, you need to pick up any items dropped on the battleground to take them with you. Random battles are here, but just exploring a walk-around area doesn't activate them - you'll navigate with a large map with several stop points. It's much less annoying than looking for a save point and getting stopped every 3 steps. I won't go into story details, but don't think this is suitable for the real youngsters: the themes are heavily into racism. Humans vs a naturalist race of being called demois. It's like the orcs vs. humans in Warcraft, only the intricacies are explored. Bottom line: If you like RPGs, you should at least give this a try.
