You see the bar at the bottom of the screen? Make friends with it, because it decides who's turn it is. The icon(s) go from left to right, depending on the character or monster's ACT depends on how fast it goes. If it gets lowered during battle, the longer it takes for the icon to get to the point, and depending on what skill you use and how well you can use it, the user will have to wait a bit for it to be executed. If an enemy is about to use a dangerous spell or skill, you'll have time to see if you could cancel it with a Critical Hit.
Some spells and skills can hit different enemies at the same time. When enemies are huddled together, you can choose to attack with a spell with long range, like Howl or Burnflame!. In a way, it really is like a 3D version of a Lunar game, which would make sense, since they're both Game Arts productions.
The bar idea is very original and does so well. It's deeper than that of Final Fantasy's, in which you make a command for the character and he instantly does it. You'd really have to play it for yourself to understand it.
It's the inside that counts[/size][/b][/u][/align]
If you consider these crappy graphics, you haven't played enough games in your lifetime.
Because it was on the Saturn, the game looks slightly dated (I guess that contradicts the above caption.) You really can't tell the difference unless you look at the other PSX RPGs which have full blown 3D Polygons and 3D Backgrounds. All Grandia has are 3D Backgrounds with 2D sprites (of course, you could tell just by looking at the screenshots.) The cutscenes, however, are stunning, like the Homecoming Queen that isn't a tramp. The introduction movie alone is more superior than all of the cutscenes in Final Fantasy VII combined, and I can say with a straight face... or faces.
Bipolar, no?
The characters mugshots really bring out the emotions. Some range from really funny to just plain silly. It's just so cool to see detail like that.
Music to my ears![/size][/b][/u][/align]
The music composed by Noriyuki Iwadare is, without a doubt, one of the most atmosphericly amazing soundtracks in gaming history. The tracks fit with each location and give an epic feel that can make your spines tingle when you hear them. From the nautical feel of your hometown, Parm, the didgeridoos of the Virgin Forest, the chapel bells of the Twin Towers... just listening to the music makes me want to play the game allllll over again. It's that honest-to-god pleasurable. God bless ya, Iwadare.
Move over, Uematsu. This is the REAL video game composer God.
[color=sky blue]Not everything can be perfect...[/size][/b][/color][/align]
Though I consider Grandia to be absolutely flawless, it's not without it's drawbacks. For one, the voice acting. The voice acting doesn't bother me one bit (I actually kind it finda funny... I mean... find it kinda funny), but it is said that people loathed it. During events when characters talk, there are occasional pauses, and sometimes it's cheesy. No biggie for me, but there is one flaw...
Just pretend the above screenshot is the game when it freezes.
When you play the game on a PlayStation 2, the game will occasionally crash like Crash Bandicoot sliding onto Nitro crates. It occurs mostly during battle, but it can occur pretty much anywhere. Outside of battle, and on rare occasions, on the Data Selection screen. By going into the PlayStation Driver in the BIOS screen, setting the Disc Speed to Fast and Texture Mapping to Smooth, not only can it reduce the chance of crashes, but it can make the game look better, too. Of course, you can pretty much cure the freezing problem by playing it on a PSX.
All good things must come to an end...[/size][/b][/u][/align]
So lessee... I talked about my memories and the game itself... I think that pretty much covers it.
So ends my article on a piece of RPG pie. If you are interested in having a slice, track down this game. You'll want to eat it over and over again, until the day you get married (or buried.) I thank thee for reading. Now go play it!
What lies ahead in the future? That's for them to find out.
(C) Game Arts
Pics came from various sites.
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