 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Aruze |
| Publisher: | XSEED Games | |
| Genre: | RPG | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Memory Card | |
| Buy Now: |   |
Honestly, the Stellar Chart system is one area of the game I was somewhat disappointed in. It's basically a watered-down version of a mix between the Sphere Grid system found in Final Fantasy X and the Garment Grid system in Final Fantasy X-2. There are no upgrade paths to follow, and it doesn't matter where you place Stellars on the board (other than putting it in the right type of node of course), as they'll function the same regardless. It's also fairly difficult to decide which nodes to upgrade and what types to upgrade them to, since there's no easy way to see exactly how many Stellars you have unequipped at once.
As far as actually using magic in battle, I wish there was a way to see the whole battlefield at once versus set camera perspectives on each character's turn. Since almost all offensive magic is area-based, it's difficult to properly plan the types of attacks to use. All too often, I found myself wasting time searching through all of a character's magic attacks until I found the one that best fit the situation. A simple way to see an overview of the battlefield that shows each character's relative position to the enemy would've made that much easier.
Graphically, Shadow Hearts: From the New World is very solid. As you can probably imagine by now, the character designs are all unique and certainly help each to stand out. While dungeons do suffer from some repetitive and bland environments, they're varied enough that you probably won't get lost. On the other hand, cities and towns look excellent, even if they are a bit on the small side. Magic spells look excellent as well, particularly the higher-level spells. The CG is excellent, although unfortunately there's much less of it than in Covenant (which actually required two DVDs).
Sound wise, the game isn't quite as strong. The voice acting is much too stereotypical; Ricardo talks like a Spanish heartthrob (No no, it's too sexy!), Natan has the lame "strong like bull" accent (and of course spouts ancient Indian platitudes), Hilde has the super cute accent, etc. Shania sounds decent, but oddly doesn't have a trace of the Indian accent that Natan has. I'm not asking that Shania be stereotyped as well, but if Natan has it she should too in some form. On the other hand the series delivers yet another stellar and quirky soundtrack, with tracks that perfectly match the atmosphere of each area while having an unique feel all their own. I find myself once again humming the series' tunes long after I turn the console off.
Bottom Line:
I know the PS2 is littered with excellent RPGs and gamer interest in general is turning toward the next-gen, but it would be a shame for RPG fans to miss out on something as unique as Shadow Hearts: From the New World. Although the game is not without its faults and doesn't quite match up to its predecessor, it's truly unlike anything else on the market today. In particular the Judgment Ring continues to shine, making this one of the few Japanese RPGs where combat is actually enjoyable throughout the entire adventure.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
|
| 8.0 |
Posted: 2006-04-20 19:55:07 PST