Review by Detritus |
|
When the words, The Lord of Golden Sun Book 2 flashed upon my screen I knew that I was in for the same fabulous trials and tribulations that I had faced in the first incarnation of the game. However I did not begin to fathom the depth and enjoyment that I could dicern from a single game, until I started playing the game. Well, many hours later I emerged from the last boss triumphant and extremely satisfied.
Golden Sun: The Lost Age is one of the most eagerly anticipated games amongst Gameboy Advance owners and many of us have awaited its release for many months. The level of anticipation that I felt while awaiting this gem, I have not felt since my time awaiting the release of Star Wars Episode I. Unlike that movie however, this game not only matched my expectations but it managed to exceeded them. Whoever said ''Bigger is better'' (Was it Confucious or the guys who promoted Godzilla?) was certainly correct. This game is very much like the first part of the series, only everything is bigger and better.
Storyline: Those who know me, know that I value a good story greatly. GS:TLA has not failed to dissapoint me in this area. The main characters are never short of interesting things to say (Except for Felix of course) but this in no way hinders the game. In my opinion it makes the game more compelling and draws the gamer into the decaying world of Wayard. Many cliffhangers and unresolved questions from Golden Sun are finally resolved in this game and I for one was fairly pleased with the outcomes. (10)
Gameplay: The game is a turn based RPG of old that hearkens back to the good old days of RPG gaming. The battle system is as brilliant as it was in the first game with a wide range of super powerful psynergy attacks being very fun to use. The Djinn are also back and as usefull as ever as now there are more than 70 of the little creatures to collect and swap to change classes of your party. The out of battle gameplay however is my favourite part of the game. The multitude of puzzles that the game throws at you, while not being very complicated, are incredibly fun and satisfying to complete and the game utilises the out of battle psynergy powers to new levels. Unlike the first game GS:TLA is brimming with side quests that should keep you entertained for many hours. All in all this game should give you many hours of enjoyment. (10)
Graphics: The game is a visual stunner. Need I say more? Oh well, Ok. The Towns and villages of the game are all very colorful and vibrant and as you journey, the towns and the townsfolk change with a wide range of sprites being implemented throughout the game. The new summons in the game are very well done and deserve some recognition. Catastophe is particular was very impressive. All in all the visuals are pleasing and unrivaled by any other RPG to date. (10)
Sound: This is perhaps the only area where the game has disapointed me. However it come as no suprise to me as the original scores used in the first game where not the greatest on a handheld. However this said, the sound is more than adequate with some very catchy and suitable melodies that fit situations well. The battle music for the Ship has a suitably Carribean feel to it and the Lighthouse musics don't fail to impress. However the music can be repetative in some cases and this is the games only real flaw. (8)
All in all this is one of the greatest games that I have had the pleasure of playing. In my 15 years of playing games this game has struck a cord with me and has impressed me with its intriguing story and characters. The game is sure to give you many hours of mirth and enjoyment. 9/10 Bravo Camelot! |
|
Reviewer's Score: 9 / 10 |
-----------------------------------------------------------
Review by Kikuichimonji |
|
I can't believe that Camelot gave off so much power on their RPGs. This game is a 100% sequel of the outstanding RPG ''Golden Sun''. As a sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age is more addictive than the original. Although the battle system is the same as Golden Sun, but it is more fun due to the brand new Djinn power and summons added into the game.
Gameplay: 10/10
This game is much more longer than Golden Sun, plus all the side-quests for you to complete. As I said, The Lost Age has almost twice as many Djinn as Golden Sun, each has their own elemental power which can be used and summoned during battles. The new summons in this game are now mixed of different elements of Djinn, instead of one type per summon. There are a total of 8 characters in this game, including the 4 from Golden Sun. The world map is almost triple-sized than the one from Golden Sun, with many many new places for you to discover, plus some very irritating dungeons. You can also bring over your status in Golden Sun to The Lost Age through the password system.
Story: 9/10
The Story is continued from Golden Sun. Overall the Story of The Lost Age is good but not THAT interesting. If you understood the Story in Golden Sun, you should have no problem understanding The Lost Age. Also, many questions from Golden Sun are answered here in The Lost Age.
Controls: 10/10
Very simple. You walk around on the world map, run into enemies, and battle. The controls in the battles are the same as in Golden Sun. Sometime in the game, you get to control your ship on the world map, which can be fun to do. This game isn't that hard, so the controls aren't really rough.
Graphics: 10/10
I should give an 11 out of 10 for this one. The graphics for this game is simply AWESOME, even better than Golden Sun in some places. The town are colorful and pretty. The summon graphics are awesome, too. Very colorful and eye-popping. You'd addicted to this game just by the graphics. This is probably one of the reasons that Golden Sun made it to the top GBA games. Other than those, the world map graphics looked like in Golden Sun. However, a few dungeon colors are just too plain.
Sound: 10/10
OMG, the sound for this game are cool! 3 out the of 8 characters have his or her own battle music! Also, Battle music changes when you encounter enemies on the sea. The town music are very catchy. The world map music is awesome. They used some new music for Dungeons, some are the old ones from Golden Sun, you'll recognize the old tunes when you're there. They've also used some old boss music for the new bosses, I guess they ran out of all the good songs =)
Replay Value: 10/10
You'll never get tired of playing The Lost Age! After you beat the game once, play it again! There are many secrets for you to find and many Djinn for you to collect. The second time playing, you should try the Black Smith, who will morph rare items into Weapons/Armor and try to beat the secret bosses. Lots to do!
Overall, Camelot has done a great job. This is definitly not a disappointing game. This game is simply AMAZING, try it out and you'll know.
|
|
Reviewer's Score: 10 / 10 |
-------------------------------------------------------
Review by MagnaBlaze |
|
When I first beat Golden Sun, I wondered when the second part of the story would come out... and this is it! This game uses pretty much the same engine as the first, however, it is much longer and way more complicated, and much more fun and elaborate!
Graphics: 10/10 The Graphics were just amazing, even for GBA! The spell effects were just magnificent, and the graphics in towns were just incredible, even the world map graphics were really something, and the battle graphics... were just incredible. For a Game Boy advance game, the graphics were just astronomical.
Story: 10/10 When I first started playing this game, I thought it'd be the same as the golden sun, just like a sequel... but I was way wrong. Your main character is Felix, who doesn't talk, and it takes place after the events of the 1st Golden Sun. The 4 original Golden Sun stars DO appear in the game however.
Gameplay: 9/10 This game plays a lot like the first one, only with quite a few changes, but still generally the same. Same Djinn system, same battle system, even the same item system. If you were familiar with the golden sun game engine, then you'll be familiar with this one too. But there's not much more to say here.
Sound/Music: 10/10 (I wanted to give this 25/10 so bad...) For being on a GBA, this game sure has kickass sound and music! The music is just the best, and there's sound effects for practically everything! The battle themes are awesome, and most of the music in towns give that great feel too... and battle sounds are just great... sounds for everything, from casting spells to moving to slashing your sword (or other weapon)! The sounds in this game really amazed me, even on the overworld map, there's sounds for everything you do! Wonderful.
Replayability: 8/10 What can I say? Just like any RPG, GS:TLA has great replayability value. So many sidequests, items, and ways to level up and fight, this game has quite some replayability value! The only reason it got an 8 is because sometimes it can get a bit tiring, make you want to stop playing... but other than that, kickass replay value.
To rent or buy: Buy.this.game! You're wondering whether to buy this game or just rent it? You really have to think about it? Buy this game as soon as it comes out, as soon as you can, as soon as you have the chance. Do whatever it takes to get this game! You won't regret it. |
|
Reviewer's Score: 10 / 10 |
----------------------------------------------------
Review by nonexistinghero |
|
This game is a must own and let me tell you why. (By the way: This is my first review, ever)
STORY: First of, I don't speak Japanese. And I can't read it either. It's hard to rate the story when you don't what's it's about. It takes place after Golden Sun and you play as Felix. This time, he is the mute. ?/10
GRAPHICS: The graphics are awesome for a 2d game. I really liked the summons a lot. And the other in-battle effects are also great. 10/10
GAMESPEED: And because the game is 2d, it also plays a lot faster than all those 3d rpg's. I hate it when it takes ages. Battles pretty fast too. You can also cancel big parts of summons so you don't have to watch them over and over. This game is just a fast as the first one. The only thing that can be annoying are some of the long conversations. 9,5/10
LENGTH: I had something too complain in the first part. The game wasn't long enough. Well, it was. But I wanted more. Because of the fast speed you could finish the first part with everything except for the leveling up in 20 hours. This game is a lot longer. It'll probably take you 25 to 35 hours to finish it for the first time, and then there are a lot of sidequests to accomplish. It may sound short but remember the fast speed of the game. Most rpg's may take longer too finish, but i've been yawning just cuz it doesn't go fast enough. In this game you won't have any trouble with that. It's exciting too the end. (Even more if I could understand Japanese) 10/10
CONTROLS: The controls are easy too learn. You can go to your menu with the SELECT and A buttons. The A button is also used too confirm choices. The B button cancels stuff and if you hold that button while pressing a directional button, you can run. The start button brings up another menu, in which you can save. And the L + R buttons are used too use psyenergy (That's how they call magic in the game)that you registered on those buttons. That's all. Simple, not? 10/10
GAMEPLAY: This game plays really smooth. It has a lot of puzzles. Most are easy, but there are some really hard puzzles. You get them one after another. The battle system is simple, but great. The commands and spells have a little icon in front of it so that you can understand most of the battle, if you can't read the language. (like me) There also are a lot of creatures you can collect. They are called Djinni. They were already introduced in the first part, and there were 28 Djinni too collect. In this game there's a total of 72 Djinni, but the only way too get them all is too transfer data from the first part. I'll explain that later. The Djinni adds a lot of strategy into battles. If your not prepared before boss battles you're dead meat. If you used at least 1 Djinni, (It's written in red, if you did. Or else white.) you can use them too summon other creatures. You can use a maximum of 4 of the same kind of Djinni, to summon. In the first part you could only summon Djinni from 1 element at once. In this part you can find combo tablets to combine them. Another really cool thing of this game is that you can transfer your data from the first part. You can do it the easy way, a link cable and 2 gba's. Or the hard way. There is a gold, silver and bronze password to use. The gold one is six pages long and transfers a lot of stuff. The silver is short compared too the gold one and transfers less. The bronze just transfers your current level, and Djinni. I highly advice you too use the golden password or link cable. That way, you can transfer all your hard work. 10/10
OVERALL SCORE: 9,9
This game is a must have for everyone who likes rpg's, or likes games with a long storyline. In my opinion it's a lot better and more fun too play than many disapointing rpg's that came out recently. This game, and the first part were the first games that I say they're at least as good as Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals. That's my favorite rpg. This game also proves that 2d rpg's have a lot more variation that 3d rpg's. It's a must buy for everyone that doesn't dislike rpg's. It's worth, getting a Gameboy Advance just for this game.
|
|
Reviewer's Score: 10 / 10 |
|