Could Have Been So Much Better
There's a lot here to like, but unfortunately, there's also a lot here to dislike.
Getting the main trouble spots out of the way, let me enumerate what this game has wrong with it:
The camera is terrible.
The load times are intrusive and long.
The frame rate is awful.
Now, with those things in mind - and granted that's enough to ruin any gaming experience - there is enough in this game to warrant a play through.
The main reason to play through it is the story. It's actually quite a very well told tale.
The game is really wordy, too. Granted, you'll either love that or hate it. But you'll come across characters galore that have quite a bit of stuff to tell you. You'll find yourself pushing X and reading a lot. Personally, I liked how much each character had to say in the towns and cities.
Now, while the graphics are pretty bland, even for a PS 2 launch title, the art in the game is completely fine. In fact, some of the character models are really impressive.
Likewise, the cities and terrain in the game have some nice looking designs and sport some creative ideas of their own.
So the problem with the graphics isn't the design, the problem is you usually can't see anything very well to really be wowed by them.
There are a few characters, cities and terrain that really should have been awesome in this game.
But, again, due to the poor frame rate and terrible camera angles, you just can't get to see anything to appreciate it.
However, Summoner does go a long way in succeeding to build a whole new world with lots of it's own charm and mythology.
Again, I was impressed with the thought and ideas that were in the game.
It's just a shame the creators couldn't create a good enough package to make their game more enjoyable.
If you find it on the cheap, and are looking to try out a neat story, this will definitely do.
Just make sure you have your expectations set for "Low" before you fire up your PS 2 to play this one.