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Dreamcast now has one of the best RPGs ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 27 / 28
Date: November 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Positive reviews made me give a shot at this game even after buying Jet Grind Radio (awesome!). I don't have much time to play RPG's, but I have made time for the very best (Panzer Dragoon Saga, Final Fantasy 2 & 3 on SNES, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger). Amazingly, Skies of Arcadia jumps right into this batch of greats!

In every way, be it innovative gameplay (traditional RPG battle plus turn-based ship battles), incredible graphics (the spell effects are INCREDIBLE and DC-powered, the towns are full 3D, textures galore), or personality (characters change 3D facial characteristics to emote), it's all here.

The storyline is interesting and fun and the environments expansive and truly multidimensional. The quest seems quite long too, I'm at 18 hours and on disc 1 of 2 and have only about 30% of the game's "event log" tallied.

As I said, I don't have much time for RPG's, but this one is so good it's hard not to think the inverse: I don't have much time for everything else...lest it get in the way of playing Skies of Arcadia.

The First Great RPG of the Next Generation Consoles

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 23 / 23
Date: December 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Skies of Arcadia is great in so many ways, I don't think I can cover it all. This is the first excellent RPG of the next generation consoles, and it will be a hard act to follow. Almost everything is wonderful and fresh. The graphics, the story, the fighting system, the world of Arcadia - this is the stuff of gaming legend!

Naturally, the graphics are jaw-dropping. Just imagine the static backgrounds in Playstation RPGs, except that you can move about them in full 3D, and you'll get the idea. These textures are the most detailed I have every seen in a game - you'll stop just to study a mosaic in the floor. The towns and dungeons are impossible complex and detailed. Each seem to be more spectacular than the last. What impressed me the most, though, was how completely the graphics combined with the rest of the game to give you a great experience. For example, the character animation not only amazes you at how life-like it is, but draws you into the story and the characters.

The plot starts slow and predictable, but finishes incredibly strong. Everyone who's played this game agrees that somewhere in the first 3rd of the story, something grabs your attention and doesn't let go. Maybe it's the spectacular world of Arcadia, which basically combines the Age of Discovery and pirates with magic, and throws everything into the skies. People live on floating islands, with magic powered sailboats sailing to and from, clouds pouring down like waterfalls, and strange cultures sitting undiscovered by the Old World. Like in any good RPG, the story stirs emotion by taking you to new places and introducing new characters. I don't want to ruin anything for you, so I'll just say that Skies of Arcadia makes discovery *fun* again - you'll look forward to finding that new island, or meeting that new character, or challenging that new enemy. What a blast.

The combat system is actually broken into 2 seperate parts - your standard, run-of-the-mill random monster fights that any fan of Final Fantasy is familiar with and probably getting sick of. This type of battle is actually too frequent for my tastes, especially when exploring the world map. At least Sega has thrown in some new strategic elements to spice things up, like a group-shared spirit pool, or the most user-friendly elemental system on any RPG ever. The second type of combat is a more strategic battle between 2 seperate airships. These battles are very cinematic and a blast to play. They also require more thought and planning then your ordinary turn-based combat. You can spend a lot of time recruiting the perfect crew, or choosing the best combination of weapons and defense.

If you can only get 1 Dreamcast game this X-mas, definitely get Skies of Arcadia. Besides all of the above, this RPG had so many extras and hidden sights that you can easily spend an extra 10 hours finding it all. You can even download entire continents from the Sega web site! I don't want to tell you about all the neat stuff you get to do, so just trust me, and get this game.

A superb blend of old and new

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: January 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Skies of Arcadia is one of the first next-generation console RPGs. However, outside of a graphical upgrade, Skies conforms to many traditional RPG conventions. But while this game doesn't really offer any new innovations, its execution of tried-and-true gameplay mechanics is nearly flawless.

Let me first just cover my one main complaint of the game - random battles. By no means is this problem unique to Skies. This is a problem that has long plagued console RPGs in general. In my opinion, random encounters are just a cheap trick to extend the life of the game. Some RPGs, like Chrono Cross, have already gone away from this. I think the rest should follow suit. The problem with Skies is that random battles happen far too frequently...as often as every five to ten seconds. This gets really annoying really quickly, especially since a battle on average takes a couple minutes to complete. The good news is that the game is really paced quite well and you will not have to spend extra time fighting random battles to level up your characters.

So what is good about Skies? A lot. Like almost all RPGs out there, the basic premise is that your ragtag group of characters are the unlikely heroes in a quest to save the world from total destruction. The characters exhibit the cute, childish quality prevalent in many Japanese-designed RPGs, but are never sickeningly so. The personalities are optimistic, but the story line has tragic moments as well. And while the basic flow of the plot is predictable, there is just enough suspense and mystery in the details, compelling you to find out more.

One of the themes of the game is exploration, and I eagerly anticipated discovering a new environment to explore. The locations are rich and diverse. Among other places, you will explore jungle villages, underground labyrinths, Asian-styled temples, and even a futuristic spaceship. All of the environments are beautifully designed and despite the variety, all make sense given the context of the Skies' world and story. The game engine is fully 3D and is gorgeous. No more 3D characters superimposed on 2D backgrounds, which I feel really improves the immersion of the game. All the cutscenes use the 3D engine as well and are well executed.

Battles follow the traditional turn-based RPG style. You decide what your characters are going to do in the current round and they go and do it. One nuance is a party spirit pool. Spirit points are used to perform special attacks or cast spells. Having everyone draw from one unified pool adds a little more to the strategy of each round. Another little nuance is that party members don't stay still while waiting for their turn to act. They will move around and engage enemies (not actually causing or taking any damage). The movements are fairly random and can both help and hinder the avoidance of enemy attacks.

Skies has a second mode of combat for encounters between airships. It is also turn-based and strongly tactical. Each turn is divided into four slots which are planned at the start of each round. A danger meter gives some indication as to potential enemy activity. In this mode as well, the airships move about between slots. The movements are not entirely random, but not entirely predictable as well and do impact the success of attacks and defenses. I found this randomness to add a sense of tension to each round. It definitely made me pay more attention to strategy...watching the danger meter, choosing to concentrate or spread out attacks, etc.

Overall, Skies of Arcadia is a fantastic game. It does not break new ground, instead sticking with traditional gameplay mechanics. But what it does, it does exceptionally well - interesting characters and story, beautiful environments, engaging combat mechanics, etc. I highly recommend this game for seasoned console RPGers or for those people just getting into console RPGs...Skies of Arcadia is among the best the genre has to offer.

Surprisingly delightful gaming experience!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 17
Date: December 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Never having been a big fan of the Phantasy Star series and knowing that the same team responsible for them was also responsible for Skies of Arcadia, I wasn't expecting much. But, boy, was I surprised!

Arcadia features great and, at times, stunning graphics; a soundtrack that fits the environments and moods of the game; some silly and, perhaps, obnoxious voices similar to those heard in Grandia; and a story that, though simple in plot, has some great twists. For instance: early on, your adventures are interrupted by the sudden kidnapping of your father and friends, and you have to go into enemy territory and make a daring rescue.

There was no shortage of time spent on the battle system either. Battles in Arcadia are fun and challenging; no longer can you just wait to heal your party after the battle -- you may actually have to use some strategy and find the right time to heal your party in between attacks. Arcadia's battles are similar to Chrono Cross' in that they, too, use a color system. A player can change his weapon to a different color (green, red, purple, blue, yellow, or silver) that may be more powerful against certain enemies. For instance: say you're fighting against an ice-based monster; if you change your weapon's color to red, you will inflict more damage since red represents fire.

All magic cast in Skies of Arcadia costs only a single magic point, but each spell expends several "Spirit Points." The statistics of each character in your party include a "Spirit" value and a "Max Spirit" value. The combined "Spirit" of the characters is the amount of "Spirit Points" that your party will start each battle with and is also the amount they will gain every turn, while the combined "Max Spirit" of the characters is the maximum amount of "Spirit Points" that they are allowed to accumulate in a battle. Here's an example: say you have two characters, one with a "Spirit" of 2 and a "Max Spirit" of 5, and the other with a "Spirit" of 1 and a "Max Spirit" of 4. This means you'll start each battle with 3 "Spirit Points" and will gain 3 every turn, but you will only be able to get a maximum of 9. So if you wish to use a magic spell that costs 4 "Spirit Points," you will have to wait until you have accumulated enough. You are, however, allowed to have a character "Focus" for his turn, which will add that character's "Spirit" to the collected "Spirit Points," speeding up the process. I think that this "Spirit Point" system adds a little bit more strategy to battles; you might have just enough "Spirit Points" to cast one spell and would have to decide whether to use it to heal your party or to inflict heavy damage upon your enemies. Magic is put into the six classes of colors previously mentioned, and you learn new magic by gaining "Magic Experience" at the end of battles. If you want a particular character to learn green magic, you'll have to end a battle with that character's weapon colored green. A character will gain double the amount of "Magic Experience" gained at the end of a battle for the color of his weapon, and only a single helping of "Magic Experience" for the colors of his comrades' weapons. For example: at the end of a battle a character's weapon is yellow, his comrade's weapon is green, and the "Magic Experience" gained is 2. Thus, the character will gain 4 experience in yellow and 2 in green, while his comrade will gain 4 in green and 2 in yellow.

In addition to magic, there are certain abilities specific to each character that can be executed during battle. These "Super Moves," unlike magic, which costs one magic point, only cost "Spirit Points," though often a lot. Also, the only way to learn more "Super Moves" is by finding and eating a certain amount of Moonberries. But you'll have to be careful in choosing who learns the next "Super Move," as Moonberries are hard to come by.

The world of Skies of Arcadia takes place in the sky where there are several small islands to travel to, and the only way to travel is in an air ship. Also, in the skies you will oftentimes see other ships; they may be merchant ships, from whom you may obtain information and wares, or they may be enemy ships...which brings me now to ship battles. These battles are different than the common hand-to-hand battles in that your ship is attacking another ship; they can last for quite some time and require a greater degree of tactical thinking. In ship battles you give orders to each of your characters; these commands can include firing the cannons, steering the ship to evade an attack, or repairing any damage inflicted by the enemy ship. Firing cannons will use "Spirit Points," so you can't just fire nilly willy; you'll have to use strategy and know when to fire and when to evade.

Skies of Arcadia is a fun, solid, lengthy, and challenging RPG. My only real gripe is that at times there seem to be too many hand-to-hand battle encounters as you're exploring the world in your air ship. But Arcadia makes up for that in other areas, and that's why it is one of my favorite RPG's.

Dreamcast Owners Rejoice

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: January 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If I were to write a review of this game for any other system (except perhaps the Playstation 2), I would be forced to give it four stars. However, given the total draught of RPGs for the DC, it seems only fair to give this role-player its due as the first solid and true entry into the genre for the system.

You're not going to find the innovation in graphics, music, storyline, or battle system that Chrono Cross or Final Fantasy VII delivered. This particular RPG is better suited for the role-player who has been around the block and enjoys the more basic elements, with an emphasis on adventuring and not incredible plot twists, orchestral score, or eye-popping CG.

That's not to say that Skies of Arcadia looks or feels totally old-school. Obviously, this is not a re-hash of FF2 or the like. With fully polygonal graphics that are gorgeous at times (check out the desert temple), and a few changes to the tried-and-true "fight,magic,item,run" battle system, this game will definitely hold your attention while bringing a few solid new elements to the table.

Despite its few faults, I would give this game a 9 out of 10 in most categories, and I think that its place as the first true RPG on the Dreamcast safely bumps its overall rating to 5 stars. Basically, if you played and enjoyed RPGs before the powerhouses like FF7 arrived, I can safely say that you'll enjoy this one as well.

Memories!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: November 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Way back in middle-school and high school, I used to love playing videogames, but since then, I've sort of given it up as a hobby. I don't know if I've changed or the games have changed, but I just haven't come across anything like the old Super Nintendo Final Fantasy games or Lunar for the Sega-CD.... until now. Skies of Arcadia is a really classic style, old-school RPG with incredible, "new-school" visuals. The world of Arcadia is really mesmerizing; it's one of those games where you can't wait to move on just so you can see what the next area looks like. Those guys at Sega... they're very creative. You can tell the probably had alot of fun making this game.

Anyways, SOA is a really cool game, and the first in like 5 years to really captivate me. Recommended for new gamers, or anyone whos become dissillusioned with the style over substance games of recent years.

One of the best games of the year!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: December 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Skies of Arcadia is one of the best games I have played all year and I own a PSXone and a Dreamcast and a PC. This is a true console rpg in every way and is influenced by many other rpgs to create a unique experience. Unique? Yes, you get an airship from the start and the map is a series of floating islands with seperate cultures and architecture and music. The characters have very memorable design and the airships are spectacular. My fav part of the game is the airship battles which can be long but are way interesting to watch. The graphics are superb although not near the calibur as say Resident Evil: Code Veronica or Shenmue, this is anime meets polygons and it is very well done. The voices aren't bad at all since they are kept to a minimum to be used as battle cries and emotion indicators. The game truly is a good buy for a Christmas present if your a parent, it is good for 13+ ages I would suspect with some language and character interaction that only mature users will pick up on. The story is very good and original unlike Grandia 2. The battle system is very simple and the enemy random encounters can be a bit too often but your levels will increase quickly. I have spent 30 hours on it so far and I am on Disc 2/2. The game may be quicker to beat but I generally take my time and look around etc. to get the most out of my purchase. GET THIS GAME and prepare for the sequel which is already in development. Yes, it is in development as of IGN news.

One word: Outstanding

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: January 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing RPGs since I had to sneak into my father's office and tinker with stick figures through lined mazes on his Commodore 64. After all that gaming experience I can confidently say that Skies of Arcadia is without a doubt one of my ten favorite RPGs ever.

Thank the Heavens that someone still knows how to make an RPG. I was beging to worry for awhile. If you have played any new "RPGs" recently you know what I mean. This is by far the best RPG for Dreamcast. Period. It has all the elements necessary for a great Role Playing Game: diverse enemies, a likeable cast, a solid storyline, new innovations, a element of strategy, and at times it is downright challenging. In addition, the game also has stunning graphics and a great soundtrack. (Bonuses not necessary for die-hard RPG gamers, but help make the game playable for everyone)

The makers of "Skies" borrow from other classic RPGs. Things like airships, mode of character interaction, and epic villains show a heavy influence from such classics as the Final Fantasy series, Wizardry and Dragon Warrior to name only a few. However, instead of a "rip-off", "Skies" uses these more as influences the way a songwriter would use the Beatles or Kiss. I think it is great, the makers looked at past RPG's, saw what worked, and added to it. They did not try to reinvent the RPG, unlike some newer games. They stuck with a classic template and added their own creativity. It works wonderfully.

There are parts of the game (like Airship Battles) that are completely unique to "Skies". These aspects only add to an already magnificent game. Furthermore, the game is not easy. Not "not easy" in the way of annoying puzzles that are more stupid than "hard", but "not easy" in the way that the enemies are not pushovers. There is definitely some strategy involved in winning the major battles and losing is quite often a possibility. Now, the game isn't incredibly difficult, but many games today fall into the trap of being just too easy and it seems pointless to play. By no means will the average gamer need a strategy guide or other such aid to simply beat the game, but the game does keep you thinking and don't be surprised if you die a few times along the way. I did, and it pleases me immensely to say that. I am ecstatic that they made a game that at times the enemy can just get the best of you.(for a little while)

The game has an incredible collection of enemies, all graphically superb. They throw all kinds of spells and bring multitudes of "friends" with them. By no means will you be bored fighting the same old enemies for hours.

There are many characters and villains as well. I won't lie to you, the villains are pure evil bent on taking over the world and the good guys all want to help each other and are trying to save the world. I know, how nice...but, it is a video game and not a plot twisting thriller. So the characters interact with each other quite nicely even though they are more or less predictable. (Even though there are surprises along the way) At times there is some limited cheesy dialogue and quirky "high-fiving" and "thumbs-uping", but not nearly enough to even notice unless you are looking for things to critique like I was.

The best part of the game, in my opinion, is the Airship Battles. This is most likely because of how unique it is. The ship you travel on is, at times, like another member of your party. It is a fantastic idea and the graphics during the airship battles are awesome.

On a whole this is a game every Dreamcast owner must own. I own many games for Dreamcast including touted RPGs like D2, Silver, and Shenmue and none of them hold a candle to a true RPG the likes of Skies of Arcadia. This game, in fact, is the only true RPG now out for Dreamcast. It is well worth the price of admission. You won't be disappointed picking it up.

Headline: Only decent RPG for Dreamcast also best one ever.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: April 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

OK. This game...words...cannot describe. OK, lets take a logical look at this. I would rate this game up with Final Fantasy games, and Chrono Trigger. You heard me, Chrono Trigger. First off, the graphics are unbelievable. Now, you probably are wondering, "Oh.. and RPG with good graphics can't be good in any thing else" WRONG! This game has everything. You may have read other reviews, saying stuff about the annoying battles that plauge you every 5 seconds. Well, true, there are a lot of battles, but it won't bore you. There is quite a bit of variety. And just when you're tired of fighting, and exploring, you can sit back and enjoy an airship battle, which are, to quote this generation, WICKED! The sound is incredible. Plus, if you're a fan of Japanese anime, this game will please you. I don't know why. It just does. Anyway, the whole story line is fabulous. I don't want to spoil it, so just trust me. If you own a Dreamcast, a VMU, and 50 bucks to use, buy this. Not Phantasy Star Online. I hear its good, but it is not a true RPG. In fact, I would say Chrono Trigger is, 20 times better than PSO. And Skies rubs shoulder's with it? 3 words: Buy this game! Please. If we can get enough sales, then maybe we can persuade Sega to make a sequel!

The Skies the Limit

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is my fave RPG of all time! Admitedly, I didn't get a chance to play many old skool RPG's, but I'm young and for some reason boys get priorites on the computer and consoles no matter HOW MANY times they've played that racing game over and over. But I'm also not easy to please, since I won't waste my time with a game if it's not extra addictive to play, and let me tell you, this game is! When I was younger, I always fantazied about being either a Knight or a pirate, and I've always loved ships. So for me, this is the perfect RPG! Not only do I get my own ship and crew, there's so many extras that you're not neccesarily limited to just dungeon exploring and random battle bashing! I spent over forty hours on the first disk alone, making "Dicovery" after discovery. Not to mention halfway through the game you get your very own ship, I was so excited!, so then you can amass a crew and build up your home base. And each character has their own story and personality, it's a veritable cast of thousands! (Call me a "girl" but I think Enrique and Moegi are so cute together!) I'm not neccessarily a hard core gamer, but that doesn't mean that I don't have a taste in games. It just means it takes a helluva game for me to sit up and take notice, and when I'm addicted, it's got to be a great RPG. It's got adventure, a swash-buckling if rash hero, humor (i.e. Clara and Gilder), good if not the most original story and people with really silly names! (Centime? C'est l'argent, pas un nom!) It's cutesy but fun, and way more interesting to play than FFVIII. (Am I the only one who's getting a LITTLE bored with the depressing hero type? And it'd be nice to tie all those loose ends together, too.) It's basically a fun, immerisive and addictive game you should buy. Right now. Shoo shoo, stop reading this review and join the consuming public already!

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