Publisher: Developer: ESRB Rating: Console: Genre: Namco Namco Teen PSone RPG - Overall: 9.0 Graphics: 8.5 Sound: 8.5 Durability: Unspecified Gameplay: 10

Namco once again has managed to make a great RPG, although it may not win any awards with casual gamers. The main reason it may be overlooked is because it’s not very flashy compared to more recent RPG’s, such as Final Fantasy 10. But overlooking this game is something true RPG fans will not want to do. This game was originally released in Japan under the name Tales of Eternia,
and has been out for a good amount of time. We are lucky to get it released here though, as the successor to the original TOD, Tales of Phantasia was never released in the U.S.

The graphics in TOD2 aren’t bad, but they aren’t exactly amazing either. Considering the game is for PS1, this is understandable, although the game was released around the time FF10 was. I’m sure this is one of the reasons that many gamers managed to overlook the game. The graphics
remind me of Suikoden, having a look that reminds me of Chrono Trigger. However, the colors are vibrant and the worlds in the game look great. The graphics have also improved over the original, as the characters now look normal and are no longer super-deformed. While the graphics are great, they don’t seem as good when compared to games like Final Fantasy 8. However, don’t shun this game just because you may not like that it doesn’t look as good as many of Squaresoft’s recent efforts.

The background music in the game is pretty good, although it isn’t as memorable as the music in other games. You probably won’t find yourself humming them while doing something else, but you will recognize that the music is pretty good. Surprisingly, the voice acting isn’t too bad.
The voices aren’t as good as the ones used in Grandia 2, but they aren’t awful either. Although the voice of some characters can be annoying when they do have voices, for the most part you won’t mind that the game has them. They are used in a Grandia like fashion, as the characters only have voices during important scenes in the game. For the most part the sound is great,
although some of it could have been improved.

Gameplay is one of the areas where Tales of Destiny 2 really comes on strong. Although a majority of the time is spent in towns and dungeons, the game never seems to get boring. Since the game is still basically 2D, the gamer never has to worry about a camera to rotate, and that is a plus. The dungeons are also excellent, as many of them have puzzles, which the gamer will need to solve in order to continue. Since a majority of the RPG’s out there right now don’t seem to include that many puzzles anymore, it’s good to see a change of pace. On the combat system is also really good. Although the system used isn’t that different from the original TOD, it still is great. For the uninitiated, the combat system is sort of like a fighting game. You can assign yourself to one of the characters in your party, who you will have complete control over. By pressing different buttons, you will be able to block, attack, and use special moves. AI controls the other members of your party, which for the most part get the job done. However, if you dislike what they are doing, you can go to the menu screen in battle and decide for them what they will do. This kind of battle system works great, and helps the game a lot.

The presentation is another area where the game excels. The story may not be that different from other RPG’s in the beginning, but give it a little bit of time and it will start to get interesting. There are also a good amount of mini-games you can do to occupy yourself, ranging from cooking to playing a dodge ball like game. The game also has a huge amount of sub-quests, ranging from getting special items to getting an extra vehicle you can use to get around the game world. TOD2 gives you so much to do that you will not get tired of it easily. Ultimately, TOD2 manages to be an excellent RPG. If you can manage to look past the surface of this game, you will find an incredibly deep experience that you will love. If you are an RPG fan, you must have this game. And even if you are a casual fan, be sure to check TOD2 out anyway.

Review by dragonryu

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