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Dissapointing for a TRUE RPG fan....

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: November 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Although the graphics are good, and I was impressed with the Anime style of the FMV scenes, the game could have been much better. Not a classic RPG game, the battle sequences are not the traditional turn based style attacks you might expect. During group battles, you can't even control the other characters in your party, and items can't be used in battle either, so you can't heal during a rough fight. There aren't any shops to upgrade armor, in fact there is no armor at all. No shops to spend any gold, and although you discover new spells after a boss fight, you never advance in level. Another thing that is dissapointing, is that there is no discovery aspect in the game. There are no secret, hidden goodies to find: everything you find is in a clearly visible treasure chest. On the eye candy scale, the game gets 5 stars for it's graphics. But true RPG fans will find the game something to do until Dark Cloud is released, or something to rent on a rainy weekend. Not a must have game for the PS2.

good but not great

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: October 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

a good game but not a great game. activision's Orpen: Scion of Sorcery is probably the best rpg out there for the PS2 so far. Great graphics and a great story line makes this the rpg choice for the PS2. the only thing that makes this game not a great game is that the battle system is not quite of a rpg type. the game feels and plays almost like zelda. this game is recommended to all PS2 owners who loves rpg but if action/rpg is not ur type then dont even think about buying this game. the best thing about this game is that it has anime in it(yes i said anime). so if u like anime and a good game then go out and buy this game right now. trust me u wont be dissapointed.

Annoying game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: February 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I rented this game recently to decide if I want to purchase this title. I'm a die-hard RPG gamer, and enjoy all forms of RPG. As has been mentioned, you can not stop the extended cinematics (it seems like there's one for every single room). The most annoying aspect of the game, in my opinion, is the banter between characters. It's a voice over game, which is usually pretty cool. But this one in particular is nothing but people yelling at each other in the most snide way possible. After a few minutes, I felt so on edge and upset that I was tempted to just turn it off right then. But I figured, hey, maybe it'll get better. It never does. Don't bother.

Orphen great Action-Adventure Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 21
Date: November 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Orphen great game, story animation, etc... This game is NOT a Role-playing game. This game is an Action-Adventure. If you like Zelda for the 64 (which also is a Action-Adventure) you will like this game as well. I find a lot of people complaining that the game has these animation parts that won't shut up or stop. Will the thing is, that's the way you get a good story. The game does need to work on a few problems, but those problems are only very noticeable to people who enjoy games like: Mario 64. This game is only for anime fans for the series or people who like anime. This is a game to buy if you like: Great stories, power ball fighting, great action-adventure games, and anime style drawings. Activision has really out done it self for a launch title.

The goodness lasted about 15 seconds

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

And those 15 seconds was the beautiful PS2 startup screen. Within the first 10 minutes I was in probably the worst battle engine I've ever scene. The reason I bought this game cause it was anime and the first thing you see when you start is an anime sequence, but that was about the only thing that made me happy. I didn't even bother to save the game on to my memory card. Maybe I'll pull this game out on one of those long and i do mean LONG rainy nites where I have already beatin all other games at my disposal and have nothing better to do.

No... simply, NO...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: May 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Orphen is by far one of the worst... no, it is THE worst game that I have EVER played, or any of my friends have played, or anyone that I KNOW PERSONALLY have EVER played. Yeah, I know anime, I draw anime, and I KNOW there are bad dubs as WELL as GOOD dubs out in the world of anime, and that ain't EVEN WHOLLY why this game sucks! But dude, I like to think I know how to make a good game... or at least RECOGNIZE a good game when I see one! C'mon folks... When I go into a game store, to prove to one odd friend that never heard of this game (lucky fools...), that it really IS bad, I ask the clerk how great he thought the game was. First, the clerk always seems to choke, then looks at me wide eyed, stutters some polite response, until I say "Sucks, don't it?" At which point, they look both relieved and sympathetic, AND I have no doubt that they'd be very embarressed if they had a brand new copy of it for sale on their shelves.

I couldn't even SELL mine to EB, the mall, or ANYONE for less than $1, at which point I just gave it to the kid down the street for his B-day, and HE HATES me for it! People... GO WATCH THE ANIME IF YOU LIKE ANIME. Otherwise, PLEASE get SOME FF game to REMIND yourself that we have not yet fallen THAT far to call "Orphen" a GREAT GAME.

Dudes... I'm not joking, this is NOT the game you want to buy, and all you poor souls that fell into the same trap I did (saw the half nifty anime cover at a flea market for $10) DO WHAT I DID AND GET RID OF IT AS FAST AS YOU CAN BEFORE YOUR FRIENDS FIND OUT ABOUT IT!

And to those who DID like it, take my earlier advice and FOR GODS SAKE buy an FF game or SOMETHING. Get this crud off your hands man... not to be rude, but it's just INSULTING to call this game "one of the greats" when it SOOOOOO aint!

decent....but could be better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 13
Date: November 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

My girlfriend bought this game, but also got FFIX right afterwards so this was put on the backburner for her. So to take a break from Tekken, ssx, and smugglers run i decided to give this game a go. From my understanding it is based on an anime tv series, that i have never seen (but am now curious of). The fmv anime scenes are definitely top notch, but the main problems lie within the game itself.

When i first started playing it the characters got really annoying, but soon they began to grow on me (except Magnus....) Orphen, the main character, has his oh so witty comebacks (and yes that was meant to be sarcastic) but after hearing Magnus whine and such, you start to understand why Orphen is the way he is....but i digress.

I personally liked the gameplay for the most part, though i don't consider myself a hardcore RPGer. I think it is a good mixture of an action/adventure game and a straight rpg. And the storyline seems a bit confusing at first, but it sucks you in after awhile.

I thought the game was a bit too easy, i am currently trying to beat the final boss, and played less than 11 hours..... i would expect a little more gaming hours out of it....but after all it is a launch title, and you usually can't expect too much from them....SSX was a fluke.

The graphics are amazing, the control is nice and smooth, and the use of the vibration function is good as well. If you want a quick easy game to play, and you have the money to burn, pick it up.....otherwise wait till it drops in price or borrow it from someone else.

It's pretty good. At this price give it a shot.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: January 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This really isn't all that bad a game. Sure, it's nothing like most console RPG's--it seems that most complaints have been that it's not just like Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross, or anything else Square has made or been copied. As someone else said, it's more like playing a Zelda game or a Castlevania game, where you are doing as much platforming as fighting. Admittedly, a lot of the items seem pretty useless and it can be annoying to watch the same long cutscene fifty times until you manage to beat the boss--something that can be avoided by making a change to your setup and which resets the battle.

Like most dubs, there is of course something lacking. The cutscenes can look pretty ugly, but that can be made up for in part by the good anime cutscenes. The battle system could have used a little more interactivity to it, but it is not the huge problem that other reviewers have made it out to be.

The game's major problem is that it is too linear and short in terms of actual gameplay. If I remember correctly, I managed to beat the game in about 15 hours. I've just started to replay it after not touching it for nearly six months. If you don't have a problem with linear games then this won't be a problem for you. Be warned that there are no side quests, no mini games, and while things like the diary entries and enemy list make for an interesting extra, you can survive without them.

One more thing now that the anime is out. All you people that hated the characters in this game try watching the anime--just make sure you're watching the subtitled version. The characters for the game are just about right based on the anime--Cleao (Cleo) is somewhat annoying and bossy, Majic (Magus) is not bad with magic but looks up to Orphen, Orphen is dead on, and Dortin and Volcan are pretty close as well.

Give it a shot. If I hadn't played this game I would have never tried Zelda or Castlevania.

starting the ps2 rpg game craze orphen

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: October 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game has every thing you would think in an opener rpg the graphics are great but the gameplay lackes alot the fighting gets repetative and the game takes you from point a to b to fast i only wish that you had more room in the game to walk around but if you liked the cartoon and followed it this game may jest be for you

More Mistake-ridden than Stupid; a Nice Attempt from Shade

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This was my first PS2 game...I bought it two weeks before I even got my PS2. I remember looking at the super hi-res graphics in the pics (it both looked more impressive than it was, and I never played a Dreamcast by this point), and practically dreaming about it. While my every hope and dream wasn't met with the revolutionary game I was expecting, this game was a nice unique adventure that I still occasionally play today.

This game was IMO easily better than Evergrace, Eternal Ring, and even Summoner, the other three launch PS2 games, and I liked it more than some that have come out since. The game isn't stupid like many people say; it was just shrouded in a large number of bad decisions for the overall production. The graphics were nice, the battle system inventive, the plot decent, and the voice acting good.

The game's story involves a time-lapse in which Orphen is shot into a time and particular story, and when it's over, he is shot back to the begining, only to play through another. While remembering that something is odd between times he goes back and starts over, his memory of those he met, the places he's been, or the searching for the artifact called the Crystal Egg (which can control time), soon no longer exist, and similar plot twists occur in the three scenarios.

While not as linear as Final Fantasy X, it's also nowhere near as epic, nor does it make as much sense. Really the plot, while with some nice original moments, really seems like an excuse to have a game starring the decently famous character: the Sorcerous Stabber Orphen. The ending is pretty weak, despite the gorgeous music during the big end-credit sequence (there are two kinds of end credit sequences), and the writting of some scenes is simply terrible. Not to mention, there are just too many parts where something just happens to go wrong or right, and as such, things happen the way they do...which is sometimes the way they just happened, only now again, but ever so slightly different. However, due to the game's shortness (about 12 hours altogether), if you can tolerate a chunk of cheezy lines and repeditive or silly sequences, this game isn't much to bear.

The voice work during the cutscenes is great, however. Sure, they're all very, very annoying, but it's because the original writers only partially understood the true character of the Orphen anime saga. The voices are full of life, energy, emotion, and Quinton Flynn being chosen to play Orphen's role was one of the most brilliant moments of game-voice casting, ever! The character movement during the game isn't anywhere as nice...the big thing about it is that when a character is knocked over, the common thing for them to do isn't to stand back up, but to reverse-fall. Moments of almost unbearable tackiness start to clutter up any feelings of reality the game offers.

The game is, apart from the now outdated graphics and terrible movement, a rather believable and entertaining fantasy epic. This mostly comes because the ways the graphics are handled. The polygon counts in almost every other launch title was higher than in this, but the colors are vibrant, saturated and glowing, as well as the lighting very true-to-life, and the art direction rather decent. The monster battles are very cinematic in feel as unless hit by an attack, no enemy or ally HP display is projected onto the screen, while the camera follows the action very flashily, full of rapid camera-cuts, fast motion, and tons of flying effects. And, my favorite graphical touch by far: the sun, when looked upon, shines that great line of light that just barely misses hitting your eye perpendictularly, like in the movies...a great zenith, nice color temperature, and nice shadow work too.

Truthfully, while I love this game, I do not recommend it to anyone except the most patient of gamers. However, since it has so many of my memories in it, and it's well acted out and well colored (and that I'm trying to write an Orphen movie, inspired to be a sequel to the series), I know I'm going to be playing this game for years to come...despite that I know it's just me. I REALLY wish that they would either remake this title, or create another Orphen game (sequel, or side-story), since this game had shining potential, and nice imagination. If only the testers were able to mouth opinions as well as say simply: "yup, when I hit the square, I jump."

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