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What's so Grand about this game anyway?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'm rather baffled by all the positive reviews for this game. I bought it a couple months ago after reading all the good reviews and thinking this game must be a shining gem that has withstood the test of time. Well, now I'm rethinking that assumption... No doubt many people will disagree with me, but on with the review!

Graphics (6/10): Sigh. Everything is pixelated. I'm not sure whether the graphics for this game were considered good when the game was released or not. On the bright side, the character designs are good as well as the towns. The dungeons are another matter, but more on that later.

Music (6/10): I still can't figure out why people claim this game has a great soundtrack. I've even heard people claim that Grandia's music is some of their most favorite of all time. I wonder if Grandia is the only RPG they've ever played? Anyway, the majority of the tracks weren't too bad. Unfortuneately, I remember some pretty bad ones. There's one jungle where the "music" seems to only be ambient jungle wildlife sounds, which got annoying after the 50th bird call. Unlike others, I found the Gumbo song to be one of the most annoying village themes ever. It's okay right at first, but then starts to grate on your nerves the longer you stay in the village. One more thing-the voice acting deserves mention. It's bad. I rank it as the worst voiceing I've ever heard in a game. It sounds like they literally pulled people off the street and offered them $10 to read off some lines. Terrible.

Battle System (8/10): Nothing really wrong with the battle system. It's a variant of turn-based, with a small bar in the corner indicating who will go next. While the bar does let you see when you're characters will go, I didn't really find it all that useful. What keeps this section from a perfect score is the abilities-and how you level them up. Using them over and over again strengthens your magic, but not how you'd expect. SPEED increases, not strength. I found this very frustrating and pointless. The speed doesn't really increase enough to make much difference- and leveling spells takes forever.

Gameplay (4/10): Was the rotating camera really necessary? I've played games with rotating camera angles (like Xenogears) that worked just fine, but in this game it doesn't. The problem lies in dungeon navigation. If the graphics had been better, or if there had been better dungeon design, perhaps navigation wouldn't be so confusing. It's really hard to tell where you are because the dungeon design is so bland and repetitive; there are usually no landmarks with which to navigate, with the result that I actually wound up back at the entrance thinking it was the exit. On another note, something else that bothered me was the fact that even by the end of the game, you couldn't really return to much of anywhere you had been previously. I kept expecting be able to return to Parm eventually, but no such luck.

*NOTE: This part's an extremely important part--the game is glitchy. It would freeze randomly, forcing me to reset and start over. The cds themselves were in good condition with almost no scratches of any kind, and I've heard this same complaint before, which leads me to believe the glitches are a flaw of the game design. This is a huge turnoff--this added in extra frustration to an already boring game. This flaw knocks points off the score.

Characters (7/10): The characters are interesting at first, until you realize that everyone's the same. All possess the same plucky, happy-go-lucky adventurer personality. I have nothing against light-hearted games, but everyone really did seem to have the exact same personality; there was just no balance to the party. Speaking of party, there was a high rate of people joining and then permanently leaving, this (or something else?) really meant that no one really got any siginificant character development. Most everyone had no back story of interest (or at all) and were not well developed.

Story (5/10): Here's where Grandia really starts to "sag in the saddle", so to speak. The first 1/4 of the game and the last 1/4 are interesting and engaging. I really enjoyed the start in Parm; rummaging through people's houses, reading Justin's diary for some amusing stories, and laughing at the way any alcoholic references were changed to "coffee". Man, those were good times. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill from there. The middle of the game becomes a neverending series of filler events. The first couple "villages in need" or "musty old ruins to explore" didn't bother me at all, but after that, I started to feel like I was stuck on the wheel of karma or something. It just got really repetitive, until I just knew the next village I came to would have to be saved by me from some disaster. Well, what I refer to as the "main" story picked about the last quarter of the game, but it wasn't nearly original or interesting enough to make up for the huge amount of filler crap in the middle. By then, only my sheer will power kept me playing to the end.

Overall (4/10): Note this score is not an average, it's my subjective overall score. I must say, given the flaws of this game, I'd never play it again. It's too bad really, it could've been a decent game if the makers had cut out the middle of the "plot" and fixed the glitches. I really wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless they absolutely have played every other good RPG out there and are just dying for something else to play. Even then, it may be better to just replay an old favorite instead.

Classic RPG Game That Doesn't Get Old Playing It!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Reviewed for Big Boss Games by: T.R.C.

You start out as a boy named Justin. He dreams of becoming an adventurer just like his dad. Justin has a childhood friend and cousin named Sue. Sue has a great pet named Puffy, that Justin's Dad found on one of his many adventures. As you start your adventures you will meet tons of funny and interesting people. Like Feena, a fellow adventurer, Guido, a wise, if enigmatic bunny rabbit, Gadwin, the masterful warrior, Milda, an Amazonian that likes using her body instead her head, Rapp, a hot blooded young man with a bad attitude and a host of other cast members that make this game a joy to play.

The Story - 8/10: This Game starts out a bit slow till you are about 3 hours into the game. That is when this game starts to shine and keeps shining. You will laugh, Cry, get upset, and feel joy while playing this great game.

The Battle System - 7/10: This is your typical turn based battle system with a unique leveling system. You must use your attacks and magic over and over again because they gain experience with every use. Then that leads to new spells and attacks. You must also change your party's weapons, because each weapon type gains its own experience.

Game play - 9/10: The puzzles in this game were just hard enough to give you the feeling of accomplishment. I loved the mazes in this game because most of the dungeons had a 360-degree camera control, with a nice little compass to point you in the right direction. My advice is to use the compass if you get lost. (You will get lost at some point) This game has 50+ hours of game play.

Overall - 9/10: This game was a joy to play. It has it's ups and downs, like 40+ hours into the game you want it to be over, but the game's story keeps the plot twists coming and the game keeps you glued to your seat to find out what happens next.

If you want a great game this is one of the best RPG's for the Playstation.

P.S. Don't forget to get the strategy guide for this game. Grandia (Prima's Official Strategy Guide)

Reminiscent of a lost childhood

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: April 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I am an RPG player to the core. I only play RPG's and I tend to randomly pick them off the shelf at game stores and buy them. I have played and seen my fair share of depressingly bad RPG's.
This is how I happened to come across Grandia in my younger years. I instantly fell in love with the game. I do not look for graphics in a game (although good graphics are a plus), so this game was perfect for me. The story was decidely lack of some really new ideas, and the battles could be teadious. I enjoyed the humour of the game. Even when faced with grave danger Justin is calm and cool, at least he tries to be, just like any younger teenage boy would be.
The battle system was easy to use, and understand. Plus, the leveling up of your weapons and magic added a little twist to getting stronger.
I would definitly advice younger teenage boys to play this game if they wish to play a fun and interesting RPG. The story is easy to understand, the fighting is smooth yet challanging, and the love is to a minimum (which any teenage boy would love, no pun intended).
So, take a chance and play the game. Have fun, and if you don't like it then you don't, but if you do. Well if you like it then you have a game to play when you get really bored.

The Theme of Adventure

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I heard some many things about the original Grandia that I had to get a copy. Since it was the beginning of the series, I just had to see what started it all. I was impressed with this one despite it being really old. All three of the Grandias emphasize something grand in there stories:

Grandia 2: Story
Grandia Ex: Battle
Grandia 1: Adventure

This game has one of the most original themes I've ever known. This game is all about adventure and the places you visit come from a long list of destinations. The game itself started the unique IP gauge battle system and the most unique way of learning moves and spells: you have to have a certain numerical level to get a new technique. Some moves and magic have two or three required values, making this one interactive RPG that will mostly emphasize training. Once you get a new move, using it or its related statistic increases its power level and activation speed. Also, when a weapon or spell type levels up, you get a boost in the related parameter (for example: if Justin levels up his staff, he gets a bonus of 2 HP added on to his max total as well as 1 point more onto his Vitality). Not a bad system at all, a bit reminiscent of Saga Frontier 2's numerical value Arts system. Game Arts should have kept this on for the other two games. Maybe they might bring it back for the third one.

The music is a definite highlight of this game, considering the great Noriyuki Iwadare composed it. His town and battle themes are amazing, especially Disc 2's main battle theme (my favorite battle theme of all time). There are entertaining and sad themes too and a romantic one for all of us who want something a little heartfelt. The voice acting isn't really as bad as everyone says. Justin and Sue are pretty much right on the dot with their ages (14 and 8) while Guido's semi-Italian speech is really cute. Milda's southern girl accent is nice and burly and Rapp definitely sounds like a kid who has no manners at all.

The story seems a little closely related to Grandia Ex in terms of the Grandia world having elemental spirits residing in it as well as the story of an ancient civilization where man tasted the paradise of supreme knowledge. Not bad at all.

The game spans two discs and has three sidequests of great difficulty on the second disc. Unfortunately, they are very easy to miss and have some sweet rewards inside. Plus, after a certain point, you won't be able to go back and do them, so pay attention on the second disc.

The flaw with this game is that is clearly not meant for the PS2 (because of the constant data flow during battles and dungeons). If you still own a PS1, it will save you all the frustration of infrequent and unwelcome freezes (especially if you haven't saved in a while). Also, the music tracks on this Grandia are cut somewhat in comparison to the Saturn version, which has them all, so you might want to hunt down the OST (which is even rarer than the game these days). All and all, a great beginning game for a hopefully long running series in the future.

this is a great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 8
Date: June 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

it is a great game it's a fun and a long gameand if u think it's easy you think wrong i av completed the game three time and am not even bored and am doing it all over agen i wud by this games

Simple Clean Fun With a Price

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Grandia is simply a gem. The cast of characters are a little predictable, but definitely distinct and unique from one another. It is a decent port from the Dreamcast, but I have seen better.
+ Level Up System:
You level up just like any other RPG with experience points after each battle. However, your weapon level up upon their usage. Each character can use up to three different weapons. Upon leveling up a weapon, something is leveled up such as HP, Vitality, Strength ect. This is the same for magic. Magic is first aquired by finding Mana Eggs and using them to buy magic. Afterwards, the more you use a certain magic, (Fire, Water, Earth, Wind) you level it up, giving you more skills. This makes leveling up a lot more fun, and even adds to the battles as you need to use certain magics to aquire new skill.

+Battle System
This is one of the best types of Battle System. First of all, it is a mixture of active time and turn base battle. Every enemy shares the same Active Time Bar. Once a character reaches a certain point, you have all the time you need to select your attack. Not only that, but certain attacks can affect the active time greatly, sending the enemy, (or your characters) backwards in the active time bar. OH! And did I mention there are NO random battles. The enemies run around in the screen with you, and you see them before you come in contact. Once defeated they disappear. Come close enough to them, and they will chase you though.

+Characters
There are a few characters that join and leave the party. However, there are two that stay throughout the entire game, (Justin and Feena). Each character has their own history, personality, and special movies. This still does not make for good character development though. They are highly predictable. The voice acting and even dialog script is laughable. Such phrases such as; "100,000,000 DEGREES! TAKE THAT!" and "OH WIND, TWIST LIKE A TORNADO!" seems a little cheesy for me during battle.

+Graphics:
The graphics are decent, but there's nothing special about them. The world is in 3D and the camera can be rotated.

+Story:
The story seems very cliche to me. A young adventurer named Justin wants to find new quests for himself. He's a troublemaker and later finds himself on the journey of a lifetime. He meets up with many new people and eventually realizes only he (with the help of his friends) can save the world. It is not very unique or at all intriguing enough, but many of the small side stories is what makes it interesting.

+Overall:
This is a great game! It's fun and well worth your money. It claims to give over a hundred hours of gameplay, but I beat it in 47 hours. Though the character and stories are weak, the gameplay is not. Grandia II is just as good, and with the hopes of another Grandia to follow, things should only improve.

Pros:
Great system for leveling up magic/skills
Fun battle system!
Good length for a game

Cons:
Laughable dialog and voice acting
Weaker story / cliche / cheesy at times
Very linear

^-^

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Okay for starters. I am offical a member of the 1 member ABBA (anti Brain Bat Association). If you have played this game, found the optional dungeon, fought those little buggers at a lower level, you know why. (BABOOM)

Sorry.

The game is cool. Graphics are nice (not the best but better than some). The music is excellent. The voice acting is skippy but it works. The magic system can be difficult to figure out in the beggining and hard to level, but hey ^-^ there are places to level them without cheat codes. [For water, try standing in the green water at the tower and heal yourself. It does work, though it does take a few hours for each character--recommending Feena to level 99 water/wind.]

I love the game overall despite the bad voice acting. Nothing tops the original, I suppose. Oh, and who can ever pass up having their final boss fight inside of a coach-roach?

Not the best port, but still a fine game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Pros:
-A fun, stoyline.
-Charming, likable characters.
-One of the coolest battle engines for an rpg.
-Character development (ability-wise), one of the best seen on a console.

Cons:
-Voice acting is some of the worst I have ever heard.
-Game is a tad easy.
-Some slowdown.
-A few extra areas or mini games would have helped to break the linearality.

Overall:
The storyline will keep you engaged and with the exception of Gadwin, you will absolutely fall in love with the characters. The game is fun, has one of the coolest battle and ability upgrading systems seen on a console. Not perfect, but the good definitely outweighs the bad.

My Top 3 Favorite Game of All-Time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

When I read a review about this game being better than FF7, I thought they were nut. After all, FF7 is my favorite, and I thought anyone including Square couldn't do better. For good 3 years, I never gave second thought.
Summer of 2002, I saw brand new copy at FYE, and I decided to give a try. For [a low price], I told myself it cannot be waste of money.
When I started to play, I realized why Sega Saturn fans cherished this title. This is the one of two games that truly captured the ideal of Great RPG.
1. They feature likeable characters. All have style, and sense of existence. They are not just a filling, rather important part of story and the game itself.
I do not care about their age, or about drawing style. For me, it fits very well. After all, this is an adventure about Adventure itself.
2. Battle System!!... I can't stress importance about having good battle system. With no random encounter and isomatric, semi full-time battle, it is definitely more fun than conventional system set by FF for too long.
Generally battle is easy side if you took most battle. It eliminates the need of excessive dependence on Guardians.
3. Music. This is only title other than Chrono Cross that made me buy Soundtrack. The composer gave his best to capture the feeling of this game and raise the level.
4. Graphic. Other than character, and battle scene, they are completely 3-D. They did it without losing details. Much better than Xenogears (really!)
When you see this game, you may notice that so many could've gone wrong, instead, they perfectly excuted to create this amazing title. I just fell in love with it.
Oh, and FMV is done by LINKS, the specialist behind FF7, and Star Ocean 2.

A good game, but not great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: August 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Well, after a couple of months, I have finally beaten Grandia. All in all, the action of the game was good, the growth system fantastic, although the combat-laden progression of the story got tedious at times. In general, I would have beaten such a game in a couple of weeks, and it would have received 4 (maybe 4 and a half) stars.
HOWEVER...
This game took me a couple of months because I could not STAND the glitches. Ever so often, the game would freeze up on me, which caused me endless frustration. Were it not for the fact that I could save so often (which in general makes a game very easy), I would have returned the game long ago. However, I stayed the course, and the game itself was pretty good. I have to drop a star off of its rating, however.

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