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Mystic Heroes ROCKS!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 20
Date: February 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Mystic Heroes is a very good game. The first-player mode is a series of battles in which you choose one of four characters with unique strengths and battle your way through the plot. Aside from the actual thrill of battling through hordes of monsters, the interesting part is the Runestones; you find them in various levels and they give you a wide range of magical abilties. Although the single-player is short, it has a lot of replay value with three different diffictulty levels, four characters to choose from and many Runestones to collect.

The truely fantastic part of Mystic Heroes, though, is the multi-player. The screen is split into four screens, and each player is unleashed in seperate locations in a land full of baddies. Teamwork is essential, and it's exciting and challenging. It's almost like the game Gauntlet, only a lot more fun. If you have a bunch of friends who love party games, this is the game for you!

Although the single-player of Mystic Heroes is pretty good, unless you have a bunch of Gamecube-playing friends or siblings you won't uncover the true beauty of the game. I highly recommend this for anyone who likes adventure or party games.

Hack and Slash fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: February 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Name: Battle Houshin (Mystic Heroes)
System: GameCube
Release and development: Koei
US release date: 9-30-2002
Development and/or staff origin: Japan
Supported devices: Memory Card, GBA link (Japanese only)
Genre: Action (Hack and Slash)

Story elements score: 5 out of 10

Story elements: Battle Houshin contains a somewhat shallow level of plot development and basis. The base of the plot lies in the area of the Asian good versus evil verity. The evil character posses a dragon orb that must be retrieved from the "good" character. Very bland development of the story and predictable character development is what can be expected. The story is not horrible in any comparison, yet appeals to a younger generation of gamers (age 8-12). Presentation of the story is also not of a great level, yet it does not distract other aspect of this game. In all, quality of the plot is not to be expected by this title.

Game play system score: 10 out of 10

Game play system: The problems that lie in the plot development and execution are made up for in game play value. Battle Houshin in consistent with the Hack and Slash genre of action gaming. This game does not really have deep game play but will be enjoyed by most of the gamer market. Difficulty is generally at a minimum but can be challenging in some boss fights. The game play can become a bit repetitive, yet it is a good game to keep since it only takes a few minutes to get back into it. The level up system adds to the game value, allowing upgrading of your characters. A strong point of Battle Houshin is the little skill needed to enjoy the game play, yet can be enhanced by gamer complexity.

Environment and artistic value score: 7.5 out of 10

Environment and artistic value: The character design for the main characters is of a good quality. Non playable characters and monsters can be a little on the bland side. The layout of the environments and design is excellent, yet it does not translate well in the graphics department.

Graphics score: 6 out of 10

Graphics: The environments are executed and rendered at a lower level than the GameCube hardware capable of displaying. The environments seem to have very little in the area of depth rendering, distant textures are very blurry. Textures in the near line of sight are a bit on the blurry side, but again this does not distract much from the overall fell of the game. In contrast, the lighting is fairly well integrated and shadows are generated fairly well. A few clipping issues were discovered in both the Japanese and American release, yet they don't pose too much of a threat. Character models of the playable character are of an excellent quality, very little artifacts add to the character quality. The camera movement and character movement is very fluid, frame rates remain very constant even when a great deal of graphic events are executed.

Sound score: 9 out of 10

Sound: The voice acting in both version (American and Japanese) is surprising good, but is excellent in the original Japanese version. Sample quality of the sound FX are high quality and looping is yet not to be detected.

Music score: 8 out of 10

Music: The music is in no way breath taking, but it is perfect for this title. After a while the music does render into a repetitive state.

Replay value score: 10 out of 10

Replay value: Battle Houshin integrates a good deal of replay value along with the excellent game play. Runes are used to upgrade character stats and over 70 will keep the gamer entertained for an extended amount of time. Also a selection of 4 separate characters with different plot view points are available to complete the game with.

Overall score: 9.5 out of 10

Bottom line: Lower quality graphics and a shallow story are overshadowed by excellent game play and replay value. Battle Houshin can be enjoyed by most age groups and genre preferences; it is worth getting a copy due to the currently low price.

Pros
Excellent Game play, awesome replay value, good for almost all ages, no learning curve

Cons
Low end graphics, shallow story, can get repetitive in long durations

A fun game to play!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 15 / 19
Date: January 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The poor N64 really did a number to Nintendo. Because of it's difficult programing nature, and it's lack of memory, RPG's were non-existant save for Quest 64. But with the Gamecube hot and ready, RPG's are finally slowly coming back!

To be truthfull, this really isn't so much an RPG as it is an adventure game. You pick one of 4 characters (each with special magical powers) and set upon a series of battles facing hundreds of foes. It's a very simple concept with easy controls, but one will soon realize how hard it is to master. Not only do you have to make sure you are ok throught the countless levels, but you must watch over your allies. If they get surrouned by enemies you have to go help them out or they might be killed. Likewise if they retreat to replenish their energy you have to make sure they have a clear path to their base.

The graphics are amazing, and the frame rate is quite high, giving many rich enviroments with lots of areas to explore. One of the coolest features is the Multi-play which allows for up to 4 people to participate in an epic battle. It is loads of fun with human companions rather than computer ones (though those can be fun too)

The only thing this game is lacking is it's acting. The voice acting us just downright horrible. There is a "story" mode, which explains WHY you are at these different battles, but the acting is so bad and the plot so [bad] that you just dont' care and skip it. One of the worse cliche lines in the game is "be afraid, be very afraid."

That aside, this game is very well designed. The enemies are numerious and varried, the levels are detailed and massive, the gameplay is easy and fun, and the extra features (such as the multi-plau or the incredibly hard "survival" modes are a nice touch.) All in all a very good game that's a ton of fun to play!

Zelda without the puzzles

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: October 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Mystic heros is like Zelda but with only the monster fights the story is kinda weak but the game play is awsome! You have four kinds a spells, direct(close range), ranged(long range), Sword( guess), and Jump( bombing). You'll love this game!

Bring on the killing!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: November 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

An unbelieveable indulgence of overwhelming odds against a hero in the heart of a battle onset in the first level!Any number of players will have a blast (literally with all the magic) destroying countless enemies. Of course the game counts them for you and rates players against eachother after each battle. The pace is fast, the bosses tough, and my pulse was racing from beginning to end. ten minutes playing and you've already gotten the hang of the controls, but don't expect the enemies to sit back and wait.

One of the truly great games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: October 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

this game is truly great. Its like Dynasty warriors 3 only with more magic. this is a fun game and anyone will like it. the battles are amazing and the magic is off the wall. get this game if you like games were there is 1 vs 1000 people. the best game ever. buy it now

Great multi-player game for all ages

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: January 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have 4 kids ages 3-16, and they all love this game. It is a favorite game in our house. It is a good game to teach team-work. In the 4-player mode you have to work together to defeat levels. This game is one you want to own!

Good but could have been SOO much better...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The title says it all. If you just want a quick fix during breaks between homework assignments, then pick it up. But if you're looking for something more adventurous and worthwhile-keep looking. The game play is easy. You use your joy stick to maneuver and where to place your attacks. Your actual attacks are just hack and slash meaning you only have to press one button. The bosses in each level are not difficult to beat either. Just dodge there main attack and when they aren't looking (which is usually 95% of the time), run behind them and start pressing the A button.

Story of the game is so,so. The game is based on a Japanese historical myth. You can get lost in the beginning because of this. The short cut scene introduces you a little bit to the history behind the story, but not much.

Thats really all I have to say.

Dont stand near me!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: January 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is awesome, the magic is cool and the multiplayer is the best. Fight with tons of monsters, archers, and more, or just beat up your friends. The controls are real easy, and the bosses are cool, like Tai' Shan..I think he's a boss, lol. Its a must have!

Great 1, 2, 3, and 4 player game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: January 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game. Graphics are at there peak when you play in one player mode and the story line is great. You try to imprison an evil sorsserer and his entirer family. Pick from one of four people. all have an element, wind, ice, fire, thunder. In two player mode you came choose from 2 types of co-op or 5 types of v.s. Best of all is the mystic combo. When two players are side by side in co-op and have full magic, they can push x at the same time to unleash a great blast. The best is when all 4 players use the combo at once. It kills all bad guys.

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