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Whoa.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 10
Date: June 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

What can i say? Well one thing i could say that is if amazon had a review rating in the negatives this would still be considered very very very low. For one it was very prodictable...and i mean very! And the story line my god, it was horrible! ...

Technically excellent game is mired by clueless plot.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: September 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Grandia II is a beautiful game - in much the same way Skies of Arcadia is. Where it lags behind Skies is in the depth and breadth department. Skies is simply a much larger game with much more detail. While Grandia's playfield is a 3D environment - the camera view is eternally fixed above head. You are never given the option to sweep in and take a closer look - which is a shame - because you wind up missing many of the artistic details in the game.

The battle system is really fun. Slick menus and interfaces remind me of a fast paced action fighting game. The battle system is flexible enough to even allow for some strategy and planning. Unfortunately the battle system casts light on another of Grandia's shortcomings - lack of compelling monsters. Indeed the monsters are severely lacking in originality in this game - more so than almost any other RPG I've played.

Like most Japanese Role Playing Games the plot is hopelessly clueless and vague. If you've just come from playing AD&D based RPG's on the computer (such as Baldur's Gate) you'll be repulsed by this game linear play and murky story line.

Grandia II is a pretty game with a descent musical score and the combat system is entertaining. Sadly the game is not challenging and often I found myself seeking the next save point because the game routinely bored me....

Not bad, but not great.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: January 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Ah, Final Grandia... er, Grandia II. Basically, UBI Soft did the Final Fantasy "thing" and made a sequel that has nothing to do with the previous game, but has pretty much the same battle system. I'm not saying Final Fantasy is bad, but more and more RPG series' are starting to do this, and there's no reason for it, except that companies want to cash out on what is already a big name. Bah to them.

Anyways... Grandia II is the story of Ryudo, the Cloud Strife ripoff. (He has spiky hair, carries a sizable blade, and he's anti-social mercenary.) Early on, you leard that Valmar, the God of Darkness is reviving, and you have to stop it from doing so. Pretty standard light-vs-darkness story. There were a couple of interesting twists, but not too much more than that.

Grandia II's best feature, like the original Grandia, is its battle system. The best way to describe it is to say it's everything Final Fantasy's Active-Time Battles should have been by now. (How many years has it's been since they've changed anything major about it, other than the magic system?)

I liked some of the changes n the battle system, but disliked others. Now, instead of increasing skill levels for weapons and elements of magic, you get Special and Magic points that you can spend on anyone in the party. While this was good for magic, (No more casting a puny healing spell dozens of times so you can get an area effect) I liked the original Grandia's weapon levels more, and I liked that if you used a skill a lot, you got better with it. Oh, well.

All-in-all, an alright game. I'd get Skies of Arcadia first, though.

Great battle system too bad the rest of the game is dull

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: February 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I find it difficult to really pin down what made Grandia II a so-so game. Perhaps if I had played it before Skies of Arcadia I would not have found the story and characters so tepid. It is predictable and at times tiresome. The battle system is really a lot of fun though and it has the exact right amount of encounters. The music of the game is also very impressive. While the game was fun it just lacked any real empathy. In Skies, I felt an attachment to the characters and wanted them to overcome. In Grandia II, I was just waiting for the next fight, as the plot was silly. I would recommend this game if you like console RPGs but only as an after thought.

Good Beginner Role Playing Game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: March 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game functions real well as a starter RPG. More experienced RPG gamers might be a little bored with its shortcomings. The are four reasons for this: The story line, the linear game play, the semi-real time battle sequence, and the lack of any real challenge.

Story: The story fails almost completely in both presentation and substance. The main character is Ryudo. He is a mercenary with a troubled past sent out on a job to protect the pure good girl of the land. (Now where have we seen that before?) Of course you see where this is going...Ryudo uncovers his past and finds strength from within to stop fighting for money and start fighting for justice. Now, the story itself isn't bad per se, but the thing is, we have heard it all before. If you take two or three classic RPGs (any will do) and piece together the story lines you get this one. So, if you are new to RPGs then it will be new to you so you won't be bothered by it. However, RPGs are special because unlike other video games they rely heavily on the story. RPG fans won't find much to cheer about with this bland tale. Also the character's lines harp on the same points over and over again. For example, towards the end the game the word "heart" appears so much in the dialogue that you would think you are reading Cardiology Weekly. The story awkwardly stumbles along never quite gaining its footing. Presentation is also off key. Annoying voice-overs have Ryudo sounding more like a surfer dude than a sword-wielding hero. The in game movies are also sub-par for Dreamcast's capabilities.

Linear Game Play: This game is extremely linear. This meaning that you always know exactly where to go and what you have to do. Besides one or two "Special Areas" when you advance in the story you don't even have the option of going anywhere but forward. For people who object to RPGs by saying things like, "You spend hours fighting pointless battles searching for your next task" this is the game for you. Also, for a beginner RPG player this type of set-up puts frustration at a minimum. However, if you are into totally non-linear RPG's like Wizardry, for example, this game will be Boring with a capital B.

Battle Sequence: The battle sequence is the best part of this game. It is a semi-real time/turn based mode of battle. This makes fighting flow more evenly. Despite the times where my characters would attack an enemy out of view, I liked it immensely. It is an original action oriented way to structure the battle sequence. By strategizing your turns and types of moves you can limit certain enemy attacks. Also, you have the ability to make quick decisions to guard from an oncoming attack or evade before the enemy makes it to your side of the screen.

Challenge: The game is real easy. Probably too easy. There are many spells, special moves, and skills to learn. While all these enhance the game and add variety, after about 1/4 way through it is pretty hard to be hit much, forget about being killed. Moreover, at a save point you can automatically recover your entire HP/MP etc. Any enemy near a save point is toast because you can throw everything you have at them and after the battle fully recover. (at no cost to you). Also, since you can see your enemies (no random fight generator) before battle you can almost always sneak up behind them and get the first attack. After very little practice learning the ins and outs of the battle sequence you can usually kill off most non-boss enemies without them getting a hit off. Again, good for the beginner and sort of pointless monotony for the experienced gamer.

By far the worst part of the game was the story. If you can ignore that you have about 20-30 hours of fun, if not challenging, game play. I would recommend it to beginner RPGers and experienced RPGers that just can't get enough games under their belts.

Not bad ... but definitely NOT five stars good.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: December 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The combat system for Grandia II is fantastic, as is the character advancement system. Unfortunately the storyline is a bit dull, and after playing Grandia II for a few hours you are bound to recognize a pattern; (WARNING, mini SPOILER BELOW) the pattern goes like this: 1) Town X is troubled by a body part of a dark god. Find the body part and recover it. 2) Walk through two to three mazes to get to the end boss (aka Dark God possessed being) 3) Blast end boss, recover the dark god's body part. 4) Go to next town. 5) Repeat. That's it, for about thirty to forty hours or so. I got pretty tired of walking through the mazes myself. There is only one enterance and one exit in any given maze, so exploring is pretty limited. The scenery changes quite a bit, but in the end, it's just mazes and end bosses. This game doesn't "...", but it's hardly an awesome title as far as RPG's go. Don't spend ridiculous amounts of money or time trying to find this title, believe me, it can wait.

All Meat and Potatoes

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: March 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Being an RPG fanatic, as well as a Dreamcast owner, you can about imagine how much i was looking forward to this game.I'm not rich so it was either this or Skies of Arcadia. I bought this. While the graphics are crisp and attractive, the music is enjoyable (free soundtrack included),and the characters are well designed, there ain't much new here.The story is painfully familiar, and the dialogue can be super-corny.The best thing about the game is the battle system.It's kinda like Star Ocean 2, but with a meter system that allows for some lightweight strategy.I like this game, but i wasn't blown away. If you have to choose, buy Skies of Arcadia first.

Grandia 2's story starts out well, but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: October 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

....unfortunately goes on to become tedious, boring, and most of all- too damn preachy. The dialogue in the later parts of the game almost made me fall asleep. The characters repeat themselves so many times. Ugh...
Well, okay, it's not that bad.
Grandia 2 has a [bad] plot, though. It centers around a mercenary named Ryudo, and a girl named Elena. They are off on an epic adventure to stop the evil god Valmar from waking up and wrecking havoc on the entire world. Grandia 2 is chock full of religious overtones, and the characters themselves question their own faith as the storyline progresses. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just that in your 30th hour of gaming, the whole "good vs. evil" thing gets really old. This game shouldn't be noted for it's plot. It's too trite, too old, and it's been done to death. Also Grandia is very linear- there are no sidequests at all.
However this game has some good points, namely- the gameplay (the stuff you do between boring cutscenes ;)). Firstly, you can see your enemies, before they attack, and that gives you a chance to run away. No more random battles. Second, the battle system is deep and strategic. It is real- time mixed with turnbased action. You can even set the AI and the battles will run the course themselves. The graphics in this game are gorgeous and the animations are flawless. It truly shows off the power of the Dreamcast.
So in conclusion, if you're looking for solid Rpg gameplay and don't mind a rehashed plot with cookie- cutter characters- grandia 2 is your thing. If you want something a little more off beat- you're better off looking elsewhere.

Disappointing

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: January 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Like most Dreamcast owners, I was really excited about this game. However, having played it, here are some quick observations:

1. Graphically beautiful -- however, you can't interact with most of the objects you encounter in buildings -- makes exploration pointless in most cases.

2. Sound good, music bad (the one exception being Elena's singing). For the most part, the music doesn't set the scene, and in some areas is plain annoying.

3. Story -- Except for the dual nature of Elena/Millenia (which is a pretty cool idea), the rest is pretty bland -- if you want a good story, stear clear.

4. The battle system kicks some serious hiney --for that reason alon, get this game.

Mediocre RPG

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This RPG does not have a very interesting story to it. However, I like the game system. The gauge of initiative is pretty neat. The game is geared towards young babies. The battles are not very difficult and neither are the dungeons. The leveling of the characters are very fast.

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