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Skies of Arcadia So far, the Dreamcast has been starved of great RPG's. The PlayStation has had many (Final Fantasies 7 to 9, Chrono Cross and Vagrant Story coming to mind...) and even the Saturn had greats (like the original Grandia, Shining Force 3 and the all powerful Panzer Dragoon Saga...). But where has our great RPG got to? Well, it is actually almost upon us! And so, it's preview time!!!
Skies
of Arcadia... funny name! Well,
there is a reason behind it. Is
there? Well,
yes... Oh!
Do proceed! Thank
you... I shall! You see the game, a role-playing game, is set in a world known as Arcadia. The funny thing about Arcadia, however, is that it is situated in the skies! The land floats in the sky.
So,
how do the people get from place to place? Well,
how would you usually? By magical flying ships, of course!!! Of
course... So,
basically, you fly around on your pirate ship, from island to island. So,
basically, you fly around on your pirate ship, from island to island? Yes... that’s what I said!
Oh!
Okay! Just making sure... Yes,
quite... Anyway, the main hero is a pirate named Vyse. He is a
light-hearted fellow who is the leader of the Blue Rogues. He and his
friend and colleague, Aika, fly the skies stealing from the rich so they
can enjoy the riches themselves. They are actually the good pirates in
this game. There are much darker powers in the world of Arcadia, And at
the beginning, you encounter one of these evils... a warship from the
all-conquering bad empire called Valua. The leader of the nasty Valua
Empire is trying to capture the pilot of a small vessel. Vyse and Aika go
to the rescue, but when they save the pilot, they have no idea what they
are getting themselves into, as it seems that this person is very
important... and this drags you into the main plot! Ooh!
I'm engrossed already!!! I know! Sounds great huh?
Well,
typical RPG fare, but still... The
story goes a lot deeper than that, you know! After a few hours of playing,
I'm told the story takes a great turn! Anyway, enough about the story!
Suffice to say, it is very, VERY good! Okie
Dokie! So... on to the gameplay then, I guess! Yup! This baby has so much going for it in this department! Along with the engrossing story, there are many, many sub quests that can be engaged in and some secret areas to find! Also, battles are fun!
Yes,
all RPG's have battles! I
know, smart arse! The battles in Skies of Arcadia are just as good as any
other game too! Turn-based affairs, they incorporate a few new ideas.
These include the 'spirit meter' which power for special attacks and magic
spells is taken from. You can charge this up in battle using the 'charge'
ability. This may take up a turn, but it will give you more 'spirit' to
perform a great attack or magic spell a little later on! Whoa!
Sounds pretty cool! So, what about these graphics I've been hearing about
then? In a word... breathtaking! They look bright and colourful and full of life. Some of, if not the best, graphics on the Dreamcast so far. See for yourself in the pictures!!!
Oh
yeah! Impressive! So, when will I be seeing this fantastic RPG? It
is due for release here in mid-April (check our release calendar!). Cool!
Well, I'll be looking out for that then! And
so you should! Any further questions? Well,
now you mention it, you DIDN'T mention anything about Grandia 2 and PSO at
the beginning of this here preview! Are they not great RPG's? Well, of course! But they don't look quite like Skies of Arcadia! We will have reviews of all three games up as soon as possible; so keep an eye out, as we tell you which is best!!!
Will
do mate! Thanks a lot! No
probs! Andrew Dickinson, andy@dreamcastsource.co.uk
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All copyrighted images and names are trademarks of their respective copyright holders. All original work is copyrighted by Farooq Asif. Unauthorised reproduction of any material from this site is strictly prohibited. © 2001 DreamcastSource.co.uk |
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