User Reviews (1 - 11 of 26)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

One of the most beautiful games to ever grace the PS2

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I had low expectations for Rygar. After all, my only contact with the game was when it was an extremely difficult side-scroller in the arcades. Sure, Rygar's concept was cool - a barbarian who throws a Yo-yo of Death (okay, it's called Diskarmor, but you get the idea). What's not to like?

Rygar: The Legendary Adventure changed my perceptions of what Rygar was about. Rygar was reimagined as a Greek tale, much the same way that Link was reimagined as a Celtic hero. Being an avid role-player, I appreciated the change.

But there's a lot more to Rygar than just throwing a shield at weird caterpillars. The realm is firmly (if rather inaccurately) rooted in Greek mythology. Echidna, Typhon, Minotaur, Centaur, Sphinx, Cretus, Greek gods...the whole gang is here. And the settings are beautiful - backgrounds look and feel like Greek landscapes and vistas. Even better, Rygar is encouraged to destroy everything in sight and his efforts are rewarded by the massive collapse of pillars, statues, and caverns. It's like Classical graffiti. Unlike Superman: Shadow of Apokolips, you actually feel as if you're hitting hard things when you hit them with your Diskarmor. The Diskarmor sparks and bounces as it hits solid rock.

The princess you have to rescue is a spitting image of Britney Spears. Depending on your opinion of Britney, that's a good or bad thing.

The game revels in its beautiful levels, giving Rygar ample opportunity to explore it all. The Temple of Poseidonia is especially breathtaking, with sparkling waterfalls and glowing seashells. Equally impressive are the Skies of Arcadia, where Rygar must do battle miles above the earth and clouds. Fortunately, if you fall off you don't die but rather start over at the nearest large floating island. This single piece of thoughtful design is what stopped me from completing Akuji the Heartless. It's a compliment to say that Rygar got everything right that Akuji tried to do - take an unusual setting and make it both visually interesting and fun to play.

Like Final Fantasy, there are familiars that can be summoned to unleash even more damage on Rygar's enemies. There are three: Siren, Cerberus, and the not-quote-phonetically-correct Taros (that'd be Talos, but the Engrish translation screwed it up). The Diskarmors can also be improved by gaining experience (er, sorry, "sfaira" which means "sphere" in Greek). By improving the three different types of Diskarmor, Rygar can add mystic stones. Mystic stones enhance the powers of the shield, including the ability to heal, inflict more damage, or defend better. Some people call this a "role-playing element." I don't, but it's still neat.

There are a few things wrong with Rygar. For one, the voice acting is awful. I know voice actors - they have brains, and anyone who speaks English should not be reciting the badly translated crap from Japanese that was foisted upon Rygar. Don't any of these voice actors turn to the guy handing them the script and say, "Nobody would say it like that!"? In one instance, the bad guy is trying to get Rygar's soul. So he states, "I will crush your soul, and steal your body." That'd be "Crush your body so I can steal your soul." The voice acting is bad enough that it detract from the game.

Rygar's plot is nearly impenetrable due to the bad translation. It loosely involves Aristotle (yes, THAT Aristotle), Cleopatra, and Julius Casear (along with his son, Caesarion). Because of the poorly constructed plot, the whole thing comes off as if someone threw a bunch of Greek names in a blender and made a story out of it.

The monsters are strangely out of place in an adventure set in mythic Greece. The rollers are a cross between pissed off centipedes and caterpillars. They move just like caterpillars too. But why is Rygar fighting so many of them? Or the strangely acrobatic Hycanithus (wouldja believe they're killer flowers)? Or the Harpuai, which are floating arms. The only Ancient Greek monster that shows up on a regular basis are the cylcopes, but they're rare. C'mon folks, this is Greek myth, there's plenty of other critters to thrown into the game.

But I quibble. Although Rygar isn't as good as it could be, it's still one of the most beautiful games to ever grace the Playstation 2. I played it obsessively until I beat it. And that's the best recommendation I can give any game.

The dead shall rise and repopulate the systems.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Ok so the title is really weird, however this is an example of the lack of ideas that companies have anymore. Rygar debuted on the NES, and then died. For almost 20 years the game lied in wait for a sequel and Tecmo eventually delivered, in what is an example of a Badass Character for a Badass system.

The story of Rygar revolves around tha argonian gladiator who at his awards ceremony is attacked by the TItans, evil beings that in some ways look human, but have supernatural abilites. The princess is kidnapped and Rygar is thrust deep into the earth. The gods grant him the gift of the diskarmour and from there the game begins.

The diskarmour is probably the most badass weapon ever created. It is basically a spiked yo-yo that you can use to create some wicked attacks with (and later summon creatures). Although for some creatures only minor combos need apply. But that is not the only thing that seperates this from the average action game. The ability to destroy literally almost every thing you see. And it works because for the most part the items blend into the background thus it makes it more fun.

Overall this game is in the feel of Devil May Cry and overall this is a badass game for a badass system.

Visually Impressive Adventure!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Rygar: The legendary adventure puts you on the island of "Argus" where you set out to find & rescue the princess "Harmonia". I don't wana give too much away, but you will be fighting a bunch of really cool enemies & bosses with one of the coolest and original weapons too come along in video games in recent years. The "Diskarmor" (i think i spelled it right?). Well you should check out the game.....trust me this diskarmor is one [awesome] weapon! The atmospehere in the game is of greek mythology, so you can count this game has educational (not really). My only problem with the game was that it wasn't long enough....other than that, I think it's worth buying!

Rygar: The cool...game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: December 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is load of fun. It's got lots going for it like:
-The best graphics on PS2
-Being able to destroy beautiful Greek inspired enviroments
-The most original weapon since... the first Rygar.
Your being awarded by a real looking princess when Titans take her. You fall and then you kill a bunch of bugs while running through the most entertaining platformer I've ever played.
I haven't beaten this game yet, but thats because I got it yesterday. Also, when I was sliding down the stairs in this game, it showed realistic sand floating up in the air and falling. WOW! This game is so detailed and fun that I couldn't give it anything lower than 5 stars.

THE LEGEND IS BACK

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game adeptly captures the feel of the original Rygar for the NES. If you were old enough to battle Lygar in his castle then, you NEED this game. If you are too young to remember it, saddle up to some outstanding adventures. Wonderful play mechanic and control, this is a magnificent game.

'' A REALLY COOL GREEK GAME '' !!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: December 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF BAD THE BAD REVIEWS ABOUT THIS GAME! PLAY IT FOR YOURSELF ..I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED PLAYING THIS GAME , EVEN THOUGH IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO GET HIS MANEUVERING DOWN GOOD. ALL OF HIS DISKARMORS ARE COOL , AND YOU'LL SEE WHAT ONES WORK BEST AGAINST WHICH ENEMIES .AND THE PARTS WHEN YOU USE THE DISKARMOR TO REACH HARD PLACES BY SWINGING , IS REALLY NEAT !GRANTED THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF DIFFERENT VARITIES OF MONSTERS , BUT THE BOSSES MAKE UP FOR IT A LOT. PLUS YOU CAN GET COOL STUFF BY SMASHING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT TOO..IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF HE HAD A SWORD , MACE, WHIP, OR OTHER SORT OF WEAPON YOU COULD USE AS WELL.BUT IIT WAS FUN TO PLAY ALTOGETHER.SO GET IT TODAY , AND PICK UP AS WELL COOL GAMES LIKE:'' MARK OF KRI ''''BATMAN VENGEANCE AND ''RISE IF SIN TZU '' '' HULK '' ''TWO TOWERS '' AND '' BUFFY '' TO NAME A FEW ..HAVE FUN AND KEEP GAMING ALIVE !!

One of my favorites

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is definately among my favorite PS2 games. The game play is enjoyable, and provides the right amount of challenge (the difficulty level is adjustable). The graphics are quite good, the music is great. The game control is really easy, and I can not think of any problems I had with it. While you can't control the camera angle, it never caused a problem for me in this game.
It is almost nothing like the NES version of the game, and I would have liked to see more from that version brought over to this game. However with how much fun this one is I really can't complain. My only real complaint is that the game is a bit short, and there should have been a much greater diversity of enemies.
The storyline is nothing special, nor is the voice acting during the cut scenes good but that's what I was expecting from this sort of game anyhow. Rygar is a great action game with a strong fantasy element, goregous and interesting scenery (some of the most beautiful I've seen in any game), and very well done game play.

Description of a game people might not have heard of.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 10
Date: November 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Rygar was a semi popular game for the first Nintendo system (very old). (I only put 5 stars because it's a required fill in, I have not heard anything about this game though so don't buy till you hear about this version. This review is for those who don't know what Rygar is).
People who are into games now probably have no idea what to expect so I'll briefly tell you what the old game was like.
Rygar is like a hercules type game character (or Strider from the Strider series).
The old game was fun because he had this really cool standard weapon that was like a flaming or lighting yo-yo (he slung it and it would come back to him), yo-yo sounds weak but the weapon was really cool looking.
You went through levels fighting enemies while acquiring more items that help you out through the game. Some are a cross bow that you would shoot arrows attached to ropes across cliffs to get to the other side, power ups, and I think there was a glider type item but I'm not sure (my brother said there was but I never got that far, I was only 6). The difficulty was enough to keep you from being disappointed.
I have not heard anything about this game but if it's based on the NES version, it should be very good.
Just wrote this to give you an idea of what it's about.

This version may or may NOT be the original

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 7
Date: November 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The Nintendo verison of Rygar was an excellent game, I agree with the first reveiwer. It had a great sound track(some NES games had the best music I've heard in games) and wicked levels and sinister enemies like the shadowlords in the cloud fortress. Hopefully the Flaming Disk wheapon will be in this too.(probably a higher level wheapon) on the PS2 box Rygar has a shield and probably a sword of some kind to start with. Hopefully you will be able to save. In the original you could not save. (I had to keep the NES powered while I rested between playing.) I should probably e-mail my brother about this PS2 version...

Rygar Returns

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: March 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

"Rygar: The Legendary Adventure," sequel to the classic Nintendo side-scroller, "Rygar," casts you as, well, Rygar (in at least one of his aliases), and trades its earlier setting for one that is supposedly based on Greek mythology - though elements of Greek and Roman mythologies are used, albeit inaccurately, during the course of the game. In another nod to the nonsensical, Rygar is supposedly the greatest swordsman in the land, but instead of a sword he employs a weapon called a Diskarmor, which is essentially a bladed shield lashed to the end of a whipping chain (and resembles a deadly yo-yo). The plotline is very convoluted in an entertaining anime style, and essentially boils down to "good guy slaying bad guy to rescue kidnapped princess," with some twists along the way.

The gameplay is so bloody fun, though, that any gaping holes in the narrative are easy to overlook. Rygar, as the playable character, is a strange amalgam of Indiana Jones and the guy from "Onimusha." In fact, Rygar plays very much like "Onimusha," and even the interface is similar. Those familiar with that game will be right at home here - but they should be pleased to discover that Rygar offers a beautiful 3D engine, a more intuitive combat system, and considerably less frustrating camera angles. Add top-of-the-line production values to the mix, and you've got yourself a standout game for the PS2.

Speaking of those production values, the music is nearly as good (and sometimes better) than what you might hear accompanying a big budget Hollywood feature. The sound effects are noteworthy as well, and provide the appropriate ambience. Best of all, though, are the graphics, which are easily some of the finest yet employed in a Playstation 2 title. The rendered cutscenes adhere to this same pervading quality, creating a gaming environment that is truly cinematic.

It's not perfect, though. "Rygar: The Legendary Adventure" is over too quickly, and doesn't provide much of a challenge until you come face-to-face with some of the final bosses. Experienced players will probably breeze through this one in less than a week, and never even break a sweat on the normal difficulty setting. On top of that, Rygar's short list of enemies is uninspiring (not counting the memorable boss battles), and poses little threat to the Diskarmor-wielding hero. Aside from these niggles, though, "Rygar: The Legendary Adventure" is a satisfying experience, and is even worth several play-throughs. It is one of the best action-adventure games for the PS2 console, and shouldn't be missed.

Final Grade: B (or 4 stars)

Review Page: 1 2 3 Next 

Actions