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What was I thinking waiting this long to review it? Oh Well

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I can't believe that I have waited THIS long to review this game. I feel somewhat stupid actually. I purchased Vagrant Story when it was first release because I was expecting alot out of it. I'm sure you all will understand how great this game is when you understand that I am still playing it. It's not as if I am playing this game all day long everyday, but because of the New Game Plus feature this game offers, I have beaten this game through and through about seventy nine, or maybe eighty times by now. My stats are incredibly high, I can now go through the entire game with just my fists and beat down bosses and smite everything that walks. I still need a weapon for the final boss,... But hey, that's my opinion. Basically if you end up reading this review and havent' played this game YET, then my suggestion is to get ahold of it ASAP. This game is one of the best square has put out in a long time. I know that now there is FFX and some others, but still this game was way ahead of its time in the gaming community. Play It, Buy It, or just Watch others, but do something you don't know what your missing. Enjoy!!!

A Masterpiece in every sense of the word

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

When I first heard that Vagrant Story was reputed to be "Medieval Gear Solid", I wasn't impressed, as I didn't care for Metal Gear Solid. However, after hearing some more about Vagrant's storyline, and its similarities to Parasite Eve (my favorite PS game ever), I tried it out. Result? I have a New Favorite PS Game. Gameplay-wise, Vagrant Story is a mixed bag: it's too action-oriented for RPG purists, and too RPG-ish for action purists. To me, it combines the best features of RPGs and action-adventure games, resulting in one of the most innovative, challenging, and gripping games I've ever been lucky enough to experience. Using manga/comic-style voice bubbles was a stroke of genius -- too often voice translation RUINS games. It's hard to believe the fading PS can produce such incredible graphics. When the Wyvern came crashing through the ceiling at the game's beginning, my heart lept. The "hero", Ashley Riot, is one of the most intriguing characters ever. I was unsure until deep into the convoluted, immersive plot if Ashley's intent were for good or ill. The story is fantastic, the characters memorable, the soundtrack and sound effects atmospheric perfection, and even the dialogue is amazing. And the battle system....ah, the battle system. It's a masterful blend of strategy and reflex. First you must choose the correct weapon with the correct affinity -- doing this is half the challenge. For example, you'd want to use a weapon with fire-based affinity against, say, a water elemental, AND you'd want to make sure your weapon has a high Phantom class ranking (an elemental is considered a Phantom class creature), in order to have a maximum chance of inflicting a maximum amount of damage. Then, timing becomes precise as you could allegedly Chain attacks together until the end of time, although a Risk factor (which simulates tiredness during battle) makes this highly unlikely. Ashley also has defense abilities that could, in theory, render him impervious...with the right decisions and perfect timing (and Risk allowing). How's that for a twist? Add to that various spells, both offensive and defensive, and Ashley is a force to be reckoned with. Add to THAT his determined nature and hazy memory, and you have an unprecedentedly heroic character. As you wander the dungeons beneath the city of Lea Monde in pursuit of the mysterious Sydney Losstarot, Ashley will encounter dozens of creatures: bats to dragons, zombies to minotaurs, ogres to elementals, and enemy human soldiers, many of which are Ashley's match, physically and/or magically. A battle I fought against a particular dragon lasted almost thirty minutes! But Vagrant Story has more to it than a shining battle system. The story is told through seamless cutscenes that are a Square trademark, bearing you along with revelation upon revelation. And if that's not enough, after playing through the game, you gain access to new areas, foes, and weapons -- talk about replayability! Vagrant Story is one of those games that demands a lot of time to experience fully, and rewards without question. It has as much depth as any game I've ever played, both in terms of gameplay and story (plus I love the fact you can name your various weapons -- watch out for the Brain Flayer!). Any gamer who is looking for a fresh challenge coupled with a riveting, twist-packed plot and fabulous characters should look no further than the genre-bending Vagrant Story -- a definite highlight in the outstanding PS library.

Vagrant Story - Search of Past memorys and Revenge

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: June 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

1 word-Amazing! Vagrant Story is truly one of the best games Squaresoft has created. With great control, sound, graphics, and fun factor, this is truly worth buying. A true medieval time with sorcery of great power!

Excellent game, one of the best!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 27
Date: April 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I loved this game. It had all the characteristics of FF and more. The graphics weren't as good as FF, but the creatures were amazing and so was the plot. I think everyone there should buy this viddeo game it's so cool!

Mixed Feelings...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: July 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Okay. I have very mixed feelings regarding this game. On the one hand, the story is extremely complex, as most Squaresoft titles are. On the other hand, the battle system is just completely inane. It redefines the word "overcomplicated". Essentially, all enemies are divided into 6 classes: Human, Beast, Dragon, Undead, Evil, and Phantom. When you use a weapon against a particular class of enemy, it becomes stronger toward that class, but weaker towards others. What this means in practical terms is that you will be doing a LOT of weapon switching, unless you want to end up with one weapon that has mediocre stats toward all classes. Also, there is the Chain Attack system. As you progress through the game, you learn new chain attacks, which you can assign to your controller buttons. To use a chain, you have to enter a sequence of timed button presses after your initial attack. To make matters frustrating, the timing changes based on your weapon type and the exact chain attacks you're using. Also, your character has a "Risk Meter", a combination of mental and physical fatigue, which causes your accuracy and attack strength to decline as it fills up. Attacking causes it to fill up. Chain Attacks fill it up even faster. This all adds together to form the most frustrating battle system I have ever experienced.

My other complaints deal mainly with character design and gameplay. The characters are designed in the weirdest outfits imaginable. They all look like extras from some bizarre S&M movie. Also, there is no real interaction with other characters. All character interaction is shown through cut-scene movies. This makes the game more like an action game like "Tomb Raider" rather than a true RPG.

Why did I give as high a rating as I did, if my opinion seems that low? Well, the storyline is first-rate, as complex and involving as only a Squaresoft title can be. Also, the game has a very solid replay value. After completing the game once, you can start a new game with your weapons and stats intact. There are secret areas of the game you can only access after completing the game at least once. Assuming you didn't get your fill of the first game.

If Square puts out a sequel, I hope they get rid of some of the more glaring flaws. My suggestion would be to get rid of the class-specific weapon upgrades and especially get rid of that @#$& Risk Meter.

What is this???

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 12
Date: November 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

awful. Absolutely awful. I am 13 and spent 2 months allowace on this .... the game looks great and the characters move smoothly, until you find out there are about 40 different character animations. This means that ashley does the same thing while attacking. He attempts to stab a 40 foot tall golem with a sledgehammer. Pathetic excuse of a story: play for two hours having no Idea what you're doing, and some nameless character comes up and tells you what happened. ultra repetitive gameplay: run in a dungeon and kill stuff. wwwwweeee. 'nuff said there. The programmers decided to leave out character customization. Want to be a mage? too bad, computer says to be a fighter. don't bother. I have more fun in math class.

Both Good and Bad

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 13
Date: April 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I hardly even know where to begin when it comes to an overrated game that turns out to collect dust in my room. I bought Vagrant Story over a year ago. Tried it, like the battle system, and then found myself hating it.

The game play goes as follows: You start in a dungeon...there are cut scenes from time to time, but none of them make any sense...you run around by monsters and fight. You see the monsters as you are fighting them as there are no random battles. A menu pops up after you click near a monster such as, Head: 0, 100%, Right Leg: 2, 85% and so on. From there you choose which part of the body you want to attack. Sometimes you make NO hit points against the monsters because you have to work up your weapons for each type of monster. And it is impossible to make a master weapon against all monsters. More than one weapon has to be leveled up for different monsters, and many times weapons have to be changed in midst battle which is annoying. The other complaint I had in this game is that the only way you can heal yourself is either finding a save point or using a curing item. This doesn't sound so bad, but curing items CANNOT be purchased. Instead they only can be found fighting monsters. I never seemed to have enough curing items. By the end of the game, things still didn't seem to make sense. The conclusions were unsatisfying and overall pain in the neck.

The last complaint I have of this game is the feeling I got from playing it. The color scheme is bad. Everything was shades of brown or blacks and occasional greens and reds. It was a depressing feel to it, and it seemed like I never saw the light in that game.

However, I can still give this game some credit. I believe that it was an attempt of a good thing. There were bad qualities about it that if only fixed a little, this game could've been great. The battle system was actually fun at times, but when things got tough and a new type of monster approached, it took way too long to level up a weapon.
I thought for its time, the cut scenes looked nice. There are no special movies throughout the game, just a short one as an intro before you start your game up.

It is possible to enjoy this game. I found myself struggling through it, but I knew a couple who actually half ways liked it. It isn't a masterpiece in my eyes, but it had potential I think that didn't see the light of day.

Pros:
Innovative battle system
Well done cut scenes for its time
New Game Plus + feature

Cons:
Dull game, hardly any change of scenery besides dungeons and boxes
Confusing Plot - (yet it was deep)
Bad color scheme: browns, browns, tans, green,and more browns
Annoying weapon level up system

Estimated time to complete game in a quicker runthrough: 20 - 30 hours.
Detailed gameplay estimated time to complete: 30 - 50 hours.

6 star game, cept it doesnt go that high

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

this game is awesome. its hard but not 2 hard that u give up like tr3. chain system is cool + teaches u 2 use it only if u need 2 otherwise ull get tired. too many bosses + not enough exploring tho. could have been better but not by a lot. play control is awesome + responsive. graphics are good, could be better - some blocky areas. music is phenominal. don't play this one w/ the strat. guide cuz it'll be 2 easy that way. play it on ur own + this 1 will last a month, easy.

Don't be put off, this is one of the greatest!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: July 18, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I'd like to start off by saying that I came dangerously close to avoiding this game after reading some of the reviews found on these very pages. This is the greatest game to come out on the playstation for a while now.

The graphics are superb, with some of the best lighting effects I've seen on the playstation. The general style serves well to enhance the gothic feeling of the tiltle. The sound is simply amazing........period. But the two areas where this game outshines the rest are gameplay and replay value. (The battle system is the best in any console game I've seen, with never a dull fight). There have been some complaints about overly complex menu-systems, but even if this were true, the clever shortcut menu will work well for you. Some have said the game is too short... It took me a good 25 hours, AND the replay value is off the chart due to outstanding record-keeping with a few ingenious incentives added in...

Basically it comes down to this: If you own a playstation and have a concentration span beyond that of the average 10-year-old, buy this game today!

RPG's were lost, but now found.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: July 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

What can I say? This is absolutely one of the best games I have ever played. Everything about it is extraordinary: the graphics, story, gameplay, replay value. Its all there. I really didn't think Final Fantasy VIII was that great of a game and I thought this game might be the same, but I WAS WRONG. This game is very original, and has one of the best game systems I have ever seen. Go rent it because there are some people who think this game isn't very good because you only have one character, but if you like it BUY IT.

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