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Pretty good for a port and even better for an RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: April 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I still think its sad that people don't know of RPGs such as Grandia or Grandia II. I think its even sadder that people think the only good RPG out there is Final Fantasy when Grandia II is a gem.

Anyway, while the graphics lack a little (Its a port of the 1999 version on Dreamcast so I understand that), the plot/story is solid and the battle system is awesome, and character developement is very much perfect.

As said, graphics are good, but for the 1000th time. Its not the graphics but the story thats important, and not just what the story is but how it is told, and Grandia II does this very well. While the story is something I've seen before (but then again so was FFVII and I loved that...) it was played out to its full extent. And this time unlike most RPGs, the story focuses more on the characters rather than the enviroment that surrounds them, which helps character developement.

The battle system is unique and with the exception of the first Grandia and FFX, actually requires me to use strategy and think before I act, unlike most other RPGs that forces me to see how fast I can end a battle (hence more Final Fantasy). However, while the battle system is very good, if you exploit it, the game becomes very easy. In fact not once did I ever see the words "Game Over" or ever get a single character KO'd throughout the game.

The Characters actually shine with an Aura that makes them memorable characters much like in the first Grandia. Magic animation is beautiful and not to mention that each character gets there own skills, making them more unique than before.

Also, while it doesn't seem like much, I was disappointed after playing the first Grandia with how many spells were in this one. While 40 spells is indeed a lot, the first 80 spells the first Grandia had gave me more time to tweek with my characters stats. Not to mention that in this one everyone only has four moves. In the first one they had 12 each.

The music, while not as good as in the first Grandia, really sets the mood. Boss fight music (especially when fighting parts of Valmar) is very good, and I find myself humming the tunes.

Using moves is done by using SP and learning moves requires SC. This is like expeirience points only more like coins to learn and raise levels of the move.

Anyway, the game is extremely good and I happen to like Grandia more than Final Fantasy. Not because of battling, but because of freedome as well. You won't be wrong in choosing this game.

Hmm... well, hooray for RPGs.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: July 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'm just gonna start by saying that I love this game. I've played through all of the Dreamcast version, and over half of the PS2 version. I know that the plot's pretty predictable to anyone who's ever picked up a fantasy book, but it's still fun. The characters are pretty predictable as well, but they're fun too. They're all here: sarcastic hero, sweet priestess, optimistic kid, not-really-that-evil demon, wise beast-person, unfeeling robot, overzealous priestess, evil guy with a connection to the hero who turns out not to be evil, you get the idea.
I've also played FFX, which many people are comparing this to. Stop it. FFX was revolutionary in the way it used graphics and voice acting, plus it had a really original story. It's a wonderful game. Grandia 2 is wonderfully not original. That's the point. It feels exactly like an old, 2-d RPG that got made 3-d by accident. For anyone who's worn out their copies of Lunar or the older FF games, this game is great.
The graphics are very cute, not to mention detailed like crazy. The SD character designs (think FF9) may be a turn-off for some, but you get used to them. The spell effects are sharp and clear. Just take a look at Elena's White Apocalypse or Millenia's Fallen Wings. The backgrounds are varied well, and the town designs are all very cool.
The music is basically unremarkable. There are only a few stand-out tracks: The part at the tower with the weird wailing, the great rift background music, and the aira's space background music. The voice acting is an abberation to god. The dialogue is already predictably and often very cheesy, and people saying it just makes it worse. There are three good voices in the game: Tio, Millenia, and Melfice. I recommend setting your tv to mute for Ryudo or Elena, especially if they're talking to each other.
The magic system is really good. Just about the best I've ever seen. Magic is contained in mana eggs, which level up individually from the characters using magic coins. The eggs are completely interchangable, so if you have a character that you know has a high magic level and you want them to be the healer instead of being the 'rain fire on the enemy' person, just switch the eggs. All characters have four special attacks that are leveled up using special coins. ALSO, you can aquire skill books from boss fights that will let you use special coins to enhance character attributes. As you level up, you can equip more and more skills.
Unfortunately, the PS2 version is indeed inferior to the Dreamcast version. Incredibly, you get slow down on the PS2, even though it has faster processing speed. There are a few graphics glitches as well: The gravity spell has a consistent glitch, the XP screen at the end of a battle will sometimes go pale and neon, and (this has only happened once) sometimes the characters will looks their textures and colors.
The difficulty level is basically easy. In once through the entire DC version and most of the way through the PS2 version, I've died 4 times, and 2 of them were in the same place. The only place where it's really necessary to actually go back and level up before a boss is Aira's Space. It's basically impossible to beat that boss if you're not at least level 29.
On the whole, if you have a dreamcast, this is probably the best RPG out for it (though I'm not exactly keeping up with the DC now it's obsolete). If you have a PS2, you should probably think hard before you buy it, or rent it first and then make a decision.

It was fun, simply fun...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: May 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

And being fun is what it's all about, right? Yeah graphics, yeah story line... those too can make a game worth it... but just all around fun is another part of a game that can just make it good for those long endless, half-mindless (in this case, really mindless) leveling sessions a lot of people do with RPG characters.

PROS: a unique battle system that's enjoyable and unique. The skill system is very unique and works on a point system. Customizing characters can provide for a whole new game experience and the development of new and interesting strategies.

CONS: the graphics are a little buggy (two common combat glitches will occur half the time) and the PS2 even slows down the performance just to handle the demand, could have been reworked. The music gets on my nerves in a lot of places, no Uematsu or Mitsuda... sounds a lot like Mega Man Legends. The voiceovers a great but there are too few of them.

The battle system is a nice new gem that shines brightly. It involves several things. Ok so you have a character and he progesses through this IP gauge based on his Agility and Speed. At the last quarter of the gauge comes the Command point where the character enters a command. Then he progesses to the Action, the end of the IP guage, where he executes the command. This short stretch between Com and Act is used for spell-casting time or the time it takes to charge or prepare a technique. Simpler commands like attack take hardly any time and the more you know the spell or skill the less time it takes. Some skills can be mastered out so that they occur instantly.

There are a who new set of commands for hte battle system which include defence, evade, combo(2 good hits, which hits for more HP damage) critical (a strong hit that cancles any command and knocks the target back in the IP guage, hits for less HP than the combo) and skills and magic and, of course, items. There is a chance to escape the battle.

The skill ranking system works on three things, XP, Skill Coins, (SC) and Magic Coints (MC). The XP level up characters, duh. The SC and MC are distributed among three more things... Moves (or character skills) use SC and Mana Eggs (Magic containing eggs) use MC. There are also skill books which can use either SC or MC. Moves are personal character skills... simple enough. Mana Eggs contain a list of spells that the character has access to if he/she has the mana egg equiped (only one can be equiped at a time). The Skill books are a list of skills that grant new abilities and attributes or 'up' current stats and attributes like HP MP, Speed, one grants evasion, one grands counter attack. Every entry in these Eggs, Books or character moves has 5 ranks, once filled up it is maxed out. Some can take 800 coins for their final ranks while some are around the 6000 mark.

Then there are the items, weapon, armor, headgear, footing, and accessory which can help modify your character. Experimenting and mixing all these around provides for a great customization and ability to up your party to its potential. Though you will see that certain characters fit certain roles and you just might end up not customizing them but advancing their natrual abilities.

The Story line is a little wierd and provides a few surprises along the way. The characters are smart (in most places) and don't do stupid things or not do the smart thing that could have prevented everything (Like if Fate had only started explaining first instead of attacking then maybe Serge would have listened and the Dragons would have lost -ChronoCross-). It is a rather easy game and doesn't have much replay value, excpet for customizing the characters and trying out new combinations of skills and Coin distribution. But i have never had a character die and have only fought 3 bosses that posed any threat, even the final boss seemed too easy at level 80, didn'y even heal once. There is only one secret in the game and no sidequests. But, like i said, it was simply fun... that's about it. No FF7 here but defenitly worth a rent or two, can be beaten in less than 50 hours.

GrandiaII deserves a lot more credit than it has, a LOT MORE

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: March 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is thee best game made for the PS2. It combines a great storyline/story with the most well thought out fighting system ever developed. With real-time fighting and deep'n'rich graphics, its no wonder It's Final Fantasy's first rival.

The battle system is great, as well as the ability to create your own players skills, magic, and moves, with coins and books. The Ready voices are quirky and fun to hear, as well as the dialouge, hilarious!!

But the thing that just blew me away was the nonstop action between fighting and story. For instance, I'm trapped in a tower, so the main charecter descides, "Well heck, I think I'll jump out the window on a rope with my princess by my side, while my eagle flies close behind me. Weeeeeeeee," I mean it doesnt get more exiting. Welll except when you enter a battle.

All in all, this game is a must have and you are missing the best game made of all time if you don't buy it. Buy it and you may never stop playing. "Are you game enough?"

Above Average Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: September 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First of all, I think this is a great game, what with the characters being believable for the most part, and very decent music to boot. Grandia 2's characters' voice-acting is very good, better than I had expected when I had first played and bought the game (6 or more months ago). The graphics aren't the best out there, and some people would say they're below average for a Playstation 2 game, but they serve their purpose well enough. Storyline in this game is very good, with a large cast of characters and solid, well built situations, and a decent plot as well. The game's sound effects are pretty good (sword swooshing and others) and the battle system is one of the BEST I've seen in a game ever(and I've played a lot of games). Replay value (secrets, minigames, alternate storylines, etc.) is minimal, but don't let that stop you, 'cause the story, music, and gameplay make up for all of that.
Ok, here's my ratings for all of this game's elements (out of a possible ten points):

Music: 9/10
Gameplay: 9 and a half/10
Storyline: 8/10
Replay Value: 4/10
Voice Acting: 8/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound Effects: 8 and a half/10
Overall, I'd have to give this game a 8 and a half/10, with points deducted because of it's low replay value and average graphics (althrough I like this type of graphics, many people don't)and such.

In addition to this RPG game, some other RPGs that I recommend are all of the Final Fantasy games, Chrono Cross, Jade Cocoon 2 (training Divine Beasts, which are monster-type creatures, is VERY addicting),and Emphemeral Fantasia (some people may not like this game for lots of reasons, mainly because of it's level of difficulty), to name a few of my favorites.

The Gamin' Girl

A Mixture of Great Things!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

More than just a few good Sonic games came from the Dreamcast. Grandia II, a compelling RPG by Game Arts is not only for the Dreamcast anymore, but also Playstation 2 and PC. The Playstation 2 version also includes all new, never seen before cinematics. If that's not enough, it's certainly okay because Grandia II has much more to offer.

First of all the battle system: I find many RPGs to be quite similar to one another. Their battle system is overall the same. This is not the case for Grandia II. It is a mixture of active time and turn base battle. There is one time bar that enemies and allies share. Everyone has his or her own icon on that bar. When they reach a certain point on the bar, a menu appears for that character. This is when the turn base battle takes place. You can take as long as you like to carefully choose your attack. Pick the correct attack and you could even destroy the enemy or send them back to the beginning of the time bar.
Overall, the battle system makes this game unique and addicting. Not only that, but the much dreaded "random battles" is eliminated. You see the enemies before you go into battle with them. And if you wish, many times you can simply run from them.

Next, the graphics and sound: In Grandia II, there is voice acting during many of the cutscenes. Voices are also heard during battle. I find them to be well done unlike some of the cheesy dialog in games. It's not the best voice acting around, but certainly didn't make me cringe as much as in the first Grandia. The graphics are also done well in the 3D world. Everything is colorful and carefully done.
The only complaint I have in this category is some of the battle animations were long and drawn out for what they were. Even the skill of poison had a long animation.

Finally, the story: I think that every RPG needs to have a decent story. Grandia II definitely has a deep story. It starts out with Ryudo the GeoHound and his bird companion Skye. They meet up with the talented vocalist named Elena, (part of the Sisters of Granas) who needs to be escorted to another location. From then on, the story unfolds. The story touches a lot on being yourself, the lighter side of evil, a church betrayal, love triangles, and alter egos. Even if it is a little predicting, it is still satisfying.

Pros:
Innovative and addicting battle system
Wonderful 3D graphics
Great level up system for skills
Great story and characters

Cons:

Seemed pretty short, (took me 34 hours to complete)
Long battle animations

Ultimate RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Grandia 2 is THE ultimate RPG. Everything is great about it, the special effects, the battle system, the story, just everything. I loved Grandia on Playstation, but this game is twice as good. The only thing that is a little weird are the graphics, but it's typical Grandia style and the magic and special moves makes everything alright. If you want to buy an RPG, buy this game, you won't regret it

eh....

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: August 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Well, Grandia 2 has come and gone. I was fairly happy with the derivative story (a cross between FF7 and BOF2 would be an accurate description), but the quest itself was too easy and brief.

The Good points:
1) The battle system is nice, allowing for strategy in both combat and player development (however, see below)]
2) The story, if not original, was at least entertaining.
3) The sound in the game was nice (some parts are stellar, some are merely OK).

The Bad points:
1) This game is TOO short (about 30 hours should do it),
2) This game is TOOOOOO easy! With recovery points every board or so, and massively powerful spells, I never had to use an item in the whole game. I didn't use many of the spells, since I didn't require them. In fact, the hardest boss in the game (according to one reviewer, and I think I agree) was made infinitely easier, since one of my characters went berserk and fired off her best spell, over and over, with almost no time in between castings.

All in all, the game is fun, and with the price drop, it is more than worth the money. However, I don't understand why people think this is the greatest game ever; it's not even as good as the first.

Grandia II, PS2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

For the Dreamcast version, I'd go all out with five stars, but the PS2 version only gets four. The reason is the problems the PS2 has handling the graphics and load times on this intense game. The music is great, the graphics are stunning, the plot is interesting, and the characters really come alive. Fans of Final Fantasy will want to check this out, just to see the fantasy RPG genre at its best.

The combat system is entertaining, being almost unique in the gaming world (only found in other Grandia titles). Once you get good at it, you can wipe out enemies without getting more than a couple of scratches, if that. Not only that, but the magic is fun, if only to see everybody cast all the spells and hear what they say for each one.

The graphics are breathtaking. I only wish the PS2 could have rendered it as smoothly as the Dreamcast.

ýIt Pains Me Not To Appraise Grandia II With 5 Starsý

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: January 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Grandia, originally for the Sega Saturn, is the essence of an out-and-out, underground landmark. Riding along the celestial gamut with the likes of Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG, the first Grandia bought forth a skillfully representation of the hero struggle and an extraordinary battle engine. However, GameArts' second attempt to reinstate their own Grandia principles doesn't rank up as climatic as the original. Their dagger to live up to the name of Grandia II is simultaneously sharp and dull. GameArts manages to rejuvenate the reincarnation of an unparalleled battle system and a fiercely polished graphical trimming, then leaving their previous strong points on plot and characters in the gutters of RPG degradation.

Let's not dwell on the fact that Grandia II has a few shortcomings in its story presentation. First, let's invest time on a breakdown on why Grandia II is noteworthy and slightly distant from a humdrum RPG. What serves as its vantage side is the impressive and addictive hybrid of real-time and turn-based clash. Ballooned on the screen are the selected combatants in a full-sized hoedown with enormous fiends. Grandia II's system is based on a bar found at the bottom of the screen. The bar contains Faces of each individual participating in the battle, enemies included. Adjoining on it are the three segments of WAIT, COM, and ACT. After the WAIT portion, a specified Face hits the COM, and an action for a character is selected. The Face then advances to the ACT sector, where the command is initiated. Technical actions such as skill moves or screen-bursting spells entail a longer delay to reach the ACT segment. Each hero has his or her identifiable imperfection and assets. Ryudo is best for fighting, Elena is ideal for healing the battered party, Millenia keeps an implicit armory of black magic, Roan attacks in impeccable speed, and the ferocious Mareg is frequently sent to deliver heavy duty damage. Grandia II warrants a blessing for employing such strategic order.

Gladly, monsters are visible throughout the game. The player may choose to charge head-on or avoid and hurriedly confront the huge boss. At times though, its mandatory to have a smack down with enemies when pulling some type of switch, but it sure beats the vexing randomness of countless RPGs. Moreover, learning and acquiring skills are caught in a breeze. Stockpiling MP and SP points from victories, the player determines the desired skills from Mana Eggs and Skill Books. In general, the fighting is easy to manipulate and is an unqualified joy to take a womppin' on.

On its graphical viewpoint the colors are crisp and super-clean. The involvedness in dungeons are good, and works well with the line of heroes plowing through it. In the battle shot, spells are among the most awe-inspiring and not as time-consuming as Square's ridiculous incantations. A mix of polygons, extreme lighting effects, and animation is truly something still fresh and worth the mention. Implemented on a quickie, non-sticky battle pace, Grandia II is pomp of what the Dreamcast could handle, but further indicates the force of the PS2.

And onto the dark side of Grandia II. To those who plan to seed hours on any RPG, it's estimated to read or watch a story of great magnitude unfold, but GameArts fails miserably. Nowhere near the past scenario, Grandia II is an entirely new tale featuring a mercenary and his conquest to escort a Songstress to slay an evil called Valmar (with all the sidequests in between). Slowly progressed, the story is a strain to watch and to scoop into. The central hero, Ryudo, seems like a mixed bag of Cloud from FFVII and Squall from FFVIII. Personally, I would love to see Cloud rip Ryudo from flesh and limb with his Limit Break, the Omnislash. For Squall -- well, who really did like him? The unceasing baddie, Melfice, though is not even worth a mention with his weak voice-over and boring intentions. And don't get me started on Roan and his "little secret." It's been duplicated so many times that the astonishment was not intended for the character but for GameArts who actually had the balls to comprise the hackneyed bombshell. And what's more irksome than predictable twists and the shortage of suspense is the dialogue that tries to be funny, clever, and philosophical. The poor construction of reworked characters and plot robbed Grandia II of its ancillary star.

Although feathery on the challenge, the weighty amount of dungeons will chain players down with the bulk of time gorged on quests and dialogue. About 45 hours will shed off your ticking machines. With all the hype and hope I had going for it, it pains me not to appraise Grandia II with 5 stars, but with all the chinks in its plot, justice has been served. Grandia II is a marvel to play but a nuisance to read. When all is said and done, the only thing that can really sweeten the Grandia pot is the wait for Grandia Xtreme, which is due later this month in Japan. Hopefully, GameArts will take their tight spots into account and nurture a Grandia that revolves on the "third time's a charm" tradition.

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