Review By

Dale Weir

Unlike Ben, I happened to like the "Additions" system. It seems pretty apparent to me that RPGs could use a few touches of interactivity during battles. Case in point, is one of my all-time favorite RPGs, Final Fantasy III, which went so far as to incorporate Street Fighter II-esque moves into the action. In my opinion, Additions were just the ticket to break up the inevitable wait time and monotony associated with attack animations in modern RPGs. What I did not like was the same principle being applied to spell casting. Having to press a button that ferociously and often during every battle throughout the game should have sent up red flags from the get go. Then again, after learning of Ben's unfortunate Dual Shock controller situation, perhaps Legend Of Dragoon was an ingenious way to make tons of cash through sales of a landmark RPG and Dual Shock controllers.

Usually when I come across a game that copies an originator as blatantly as Sony's Legend Of Dragoon does Squaresoft's FF7, I go after the game and lambaste the developer and publisher alike for lacking integrity, creativity and respect for gamers. However, in the case of Legend Of Dragoon, with its extraordinarily high-quality full-motion video sequences and computer-generated art, solid gameplay elements and (barely) above average story, I can't help but feel bad. I genuinely liked the game and believe it could have earned a higher rating had Sony created a more original set of characters, stronger storyline and lost many of the clearly FF7 inspired themes. As is, hindsight is 20/20, and the fact of the matter is that this was just a wasted opportunity on Sony's part.

Manda says...
I think Ben's and Dale's reviews were CRAP. I love the game. And I think it is better than FF7. It has some similarities, sure, but it is by far better. And who cares about the opening battle scenes taking a little time? It's a GAME, so don't be so serious. Calm down and enjoy it. And how can you expect to use more than 3 characters in battle? I can't imagine trying to control that many of them at once. So chill out, take a break, and have a little fun. You both sound like workaholics.

RATING: 10

There IS such a thing as a "bastard sword." In medieval times it was a sword that the blade was about 6 inches longer than a normal long sword. Longer than a normal sword, but not long enough for a great sword... hence "bastard sword." Anyway, as RPGs go, Dragoon isn't the best, but it is FAR from the worst. There are enough small twists (that are predictable, but still) to keep the story interesting. And keep in mind this is a PS1 game... not a PS2, and was released with FF7 as the bar. The graphics aren't going to be like FFX. I also agree with Manda. Chill! So the translations aren't spot perfect... see the humor in that! It could always be worse. Instead of saying "look out behind you," it could say "it came from backwards!"

RATING: 7.5

As for the people who posted public opinions on the reviews given, I think that you people need to reevaluate your criticism. You think that it would make more sense for a game reviewer, someone who plays and reviews games on a regular basis, to 'relax' while pointing out the severe flaws in a game? Do you think that Ben has some hidden vendetta against LOD or something? He was simply addressing the major shortcomings of the game. If a game suffers from terrible translation, I would expect a reviewer to do his job and let us know.

RATING: 5.5

I'll make a point here. Almost every RPG I have ever played has random battles in it. Grandia 2 was an exception because you could see the enemies and were usually able to avoid them. Through the Final Fantasy games, the battles have 'always' been random. Why is Ben so p***ed off with The Legend Of Dragoon's random battles when Final Fantasy 7 and all the other Final Fantasy games did as well. Not to mention older RPGs like the Phantasy Star saga.

I did find the battle system in The Legend Of Dragoon irritating when bosses were able to execute up to six moves in one go, leaving me to wait, and sometimes die after not having my own turn. The additions however, I felt was an effective way of fighting. Personally, it helps you to gain more skill with the buttons on the controller. I would have said more, but there's not enough space.

RATING: 10

I was pleasantly surprised of how much I enjoyed this little 50-hour interactive movie. It was a welcome and relaxing change of pace to the hack 'n slash fare that I'm used to, like playing battle chess. I didn't mind the game being linear, seeing as that how it fit with story being a pilgrimage. I also enjoyed the religion vs. science aspect of the story, although I do agree it was written in a rather tame tone. Overall, I love this game very much and am hoping they port over that second FFX game to the U. S.

One complaint: Blitzball. I hate math; I hate Blitzball.

RATING: 8.0

I played The Legend Of Dragoon all the way to the end and I'm playing it again. This game is awesome. So what if the game goes along the same way as Final Fantasy VII? Most RPGs do. I thought that the addittions were great. It would actually let you battle instead of just hitting a button. And if you don't like having to hit a button for magic, then don't use magic. I didn't I had fun I did fine. The Legend Of Dragoon's story line, in my opinion, is much better than FFVII's. FFVII's story was hard to follow and too unrealistic. The random battles were fine. It wouldn't be a good game if you just walked from boss to boss and you don't fight anything else. So Ben, you need to get off that The Legend Of Dragoon is kind of like FFVII stuff and actually play the game. Over all, The Legend Of Dragoon is a very good game.

RATING: 10

RATING: 10

RATING: 9.5
Published:April 13, 2005

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