Final fantasy 6

Squaresoft's Final fantasy 6 bought the series to a different level in terms of a bigger and better story and more lustful graphics at the time. But this isn't what made the 6th installment special. What made a spot for this colourful sequel in the rpg history books and separated it from it's past presuccessor was much more then slighter detail and a new storyline.
And where to start? Well for starters the game had more battle customization options then it's predecessors and had the largest playable cast in the final fantasy to date excluding spin-off titles.
Final fantasy 6 featured fourteen permanent playable characters as well as several secondary characters who are only brieflycontrolled by the character.Characters you could play as included Locke cole, Terra branford and a host of other characters. Each character came with their own story but most had a hatred of a group of militants who called themselves the Empire.
Final fantasy has you start of as one of the main characters Terra participating in an imperial raid on the town Narshe in search of a frozen esper found in the city's mines. How ever she is under control by two imperial soidiers however during the raid of the mines her controllers are killed and the imperial control over her is broken. Anyone who is a fan of the ff series can get straight into this and will feel straight at home and even the untamed gamer can find a place here. The characters can easily be connected with and the battle system is straightfoward and can easily be gotten into. But if your expecting a easy game then your is mistaken as with each ff series you are expected to use your brain with each battle and task you meet. And if your into a quick quest or two this game might not be for you. As this game topples the 24 hour completion rate. If you have played the previous ff series then your jump straight into this but if you just want a quick and easy thud then your best looking elsewhere. This game get a smashing 8/10
GOLD AWARD


Breath of fire lll

Breath of fire lll was made by capcom this third installment made some much needed changes to break itself from the just another rpg streotype. This third installment made it's in debut in 1997 but came to oversees in1998 for the US and UK. What set the 3rd installment from it's two brothers was the new features like three-dimensional environments, effects as well as several new gameplay elements including a expanded combat system,the ability to learn enemy skills and environment interaction. Set in a fantasy world the storys involves you controlling a young bluehaired boy(again) who's has a mysterious ability to tramsfrom into a dragon. Ryu ends up being found and looked after by two theives by the name of Rei and Teepo. But soon after Ryu must locate his friends and find out about who he really is. Though a game by it's own standards it is classed as a throughly traditional yet classic role-playing game with a unique jazz inspired sountrack. Breath of fire lll is a great game to play if you enjoy rpgs the colourful backgrounds and characters can really really soak you in. The game also you to move at will while following the story intactly. The battle system while being quiet simple still challenges you to think about your next move. The towns you visit really feel cosy and have that warm feeling to them. But this game isn't for the impatient and if your more into a quick adventure you won't find it here. But if
you enjoy playing the ff series you might find a home here. The length of this game will keep you going for a while as there are lots of things to do here that you won't find in any average rpg. We give this a 7/10 for it's sheer ability to entertain.
SILVER AWARD

ALUNDRA

Alundra was developed by matrix software the game focuses around Alundra whos learns he has the power to enter people's dreams. He is shipwrecked near the a villiage called Inoa and proceeds to try and help the locals who has been suffering from a terriable curse. The narrative becomes gradually darker and more twisted as the game progresses. The gameplay is similar to the 2D legend of zelda series and zelda ites will feel almost right at home. There is a lot of emphasis on puzzle solving which makes this even more of a action rpg. The graphics are engaging and the game gives you a whole warm sense of feeling. Most rpg gamers will fit right in but be warned this aren't for the average gamer Alundra contains many extremly difficult puzzles, some of which cannot be accessed if the player progresses futher in the game,Making some items unattainable, which is unusual in rpgs. It is often sited as one of the most difficult video games ever made. Alundra has a wide range of selection in it's sountrack and it's graphics are also found to be engaging even though it was made in 1997.
Alundra will leave you feeling warm one minute and berzerd the next with it's insane puzzles but Alundra is still one of the best rpgs today and even though it's graphics doesn't match up with the next gen graphics of today it still has a place amonst the top. This game get a bonkers high 9/10
GOLD AWARD

Legend of legaia

legend of legaia was created by a company callled contrail The features RPG gamplay 3d graphics and a unqiue storyline to add to it's name.The game was originally realeased october 29 of 1998 but made it's way to the US in 1999 and the UK in 2000. Some people would class Legend of legaia to be a dark rpg but the town's astomsphere and game's colourful graphics say otherwise. the game's story revolves around The fantasy world of legaia which has been shrouded in mist. This might not sound bad at first but whatever comes into contact with mist is tramsformed into beastly and dangerous.You start of with a character by the game of Vahn, A youth living in the quiet town of Rim Elm which is protected from the mist by a an enormous wall.night, Vahn is awoken by his father as a strange smashing noise can be heard coming from the wall. Vahn rushes t One o the wall to discover the problem, and a mysterious being named Zeto enters Rim Elm and destroys the wall, leaving the town open to the Mist and to the Seru monsters. Vahn runs to the town's special Genesis Tree. The Ra-Seru (a sentient and Mist-resistant Seru) that resides in the tree, Meta, attaches to Vahn and utilizes the prayers of the town to revive the Genesis Tree, which pushes back the Mist. The next morning, Vahn embarks on a journey to destroy the Mist. One night, Vahn is awoken by his father as a strange smashing noise can be heard coming from the wall. Vahn rushes to the wall to discover the problem, and a mysterious being named Zeto enters Rim Elm and destroys the wall, leaving the town open to the Mist and to the Seru monsters. Vahn runs to the town's special Genesis Tree. The Ra-Seru (a sentient and Mist-resistant Seru) that resides in the tree, Meta, attaches to Vahn and utilizes the pray to destroy the Mist.ers of the town to revive the Genesis Tree, which pushes back the Mist. The next morning, Vahn embarks on a journey. On the hero's jouney he meets up with two other heroes by the names of Noa and Gala each with their own problems of the mist. Now Legend of legaia isn't the best RPG ever but Rpg gamers will still find somthing they like about it. Legaia seperates itself from been just another 3D rpg with it's Excellent storyline and host of characters. But this alone doesn't make Legend of Legaia a great Rpg what separates Legaia from it's rivals is the battle system it's incorparates. The battle system is turned based like any other traditional Rpg but beyond that lack resemblance to almost any game. Instead of simply choosing a spell or attack , the player chooses a combination of moves(example: a left handed punch, high kick ect) In addition there are no resting spots. Also available are Miracle arts which deal a great damage to your opponent.The game is huge and your be playing it for hours each day.The difficulty of game is average if your new to rpgs this might not be for you and if your a verteren rpg gamer you might find this a little bit soft for your liking.The soundtrack is a excellent compilation of sounds which sets your moods for what you are doing in the game wherever it be in town shopping or fightin your enemys. Most RPG gamers will feel right at home here but some verteran rpg gamers might want somthing else it all depends what your into really. This game gets a 8/10 for bringing somthing new to the tables with it's encore storyline and new battle system.
SILVER AWARD

Arc The Lad:Twilight of the Spirits

Twilight of the Spirits certainly leaves good impressions as an rpg game. Just like other rpgs, saving the world is part of the story and your priority, however its easier said than done, as in order to prevent a huge disaster humans and demons, fuelled by hate towards each other will need to combine powers together.
You start off playing as humans, getting to know the main protagonist and other characters, as the story progresses, it switches from focussing on humans and you find yourself in a control of a demon character and shown his struggle in the demon environment. Throughout the game, story keeps on switching from humans to demons, adding and developing characters which help you along the way. This continues until two main sets of your characters (humans and demons) meet at last, and the story takes one shape as a whole.
It is up to them and you now to join forces together and put an end to the evil which threatens the future of the world.

Pros:
Storyline in this game is interesting and keeps you drawn to it, at times showing sympathy towards the main two characters who as it turns out just happen to be actual brothers even though one of them has human appearance and managed to live alongside of humana and the other one has a demon look and was forced to live alongside of demons.
Graphics are fairly good in this game and have fairly good detailed features.
Characters are very likeable and it is hard to dislike any of them, also there are alot of them to choose from and they all have a unique abilities.
Ability to move your characters on a battlefield is a great feature allowing you to decide on your own battle strategy eg. having long ranged characters as far from the enemy as possible so that the enemy's attacks wont reach them and to have your close combat characters upfront.

Cons:
Story as good as it is, is quite linear and needed to have few more sidequests
As good as the battle system is, the battles usually are very long and levelling up can be very troublesome

Overall Score: 8/10

Shadow Madness

Shdow madness was published by Crave entertainment. The storyline is centred around saving the world from a mysterios plaque that is spreading quickly. The player takes the role as Stinger, Whose town has just been destroyed. The player meets many friends and foes on their to finding out how the chaos started and how it can be stopped. In Shadow mandness your party consists of three members but as you progress throught the game you meet others. Each characters have their strengths and weaknessess. In battle the player has a choice of physical attacks, items and escape. It also plays the same on the filed in terms of using your inventory. Like many traditional rpg Shadow madness battles are random. But a unique touch to the game is the monster escape system with lets players avoid random battles. When exploring, The growl of a monster is heard and by pressing L1 and R1 simultaneously will make Stinger hide on the ground and doing this allows the player to possibly avoid a battle altoghther is done correctly. Shadow madness uses some of Squaresoft's Active-Time Battle system. In particular, enemies will not wait to atttack you. In battle characters can also unleash Powerful summons during battle. The game has a deep storyline which really gets you involved with the game. Even the chracters has some indept. The music throughtout game is a great attempt to please the listener but doesn't match up to some of the greatest soundtracks in Rpg games. The game has a Dark theme to it which will leave the averge gamer tense. The towns in the game make up the game with some being dark and daunted while others have a warm touch to them. Verteran Gamers will find this game a simple task and won't find the ememies anything at all. While the normal rpg fan might find this a medium difficultty. The game even comes with it's own diffuculty settings. This game is a great rpg that manages to squeeze it's head through the door but that's all it does. Rpg gamers will find the storyline a nice touch and the characters a simple breeze but apart form that it doesn't make out more more that being a aVERAGE RPG so this gets a 7/10 and it barely made that. Here your looking for a rpg here is one but if your looking for more than look futher. BRONZE AWARD.

Harvest Moon:BACK TO NATURE

Harvest moon is created by a company of the name Natsume. Harvest moon isn't your originally rpg. Harvest Moon comes in a form of farm simulation/role play game the whole concept is quiet simple really. You control a young man who inherits a farm from his granfather and has to take the role had a farmer, looking after farm animal tending to crops and getting to know his neighbours. In the process the character which you name will have to live a normal live as well as grow a farm. The game takes place over 3 to 4 years in which is your limit to find a wife and grow a lifewise farm. The game is really relaxing and after the first few hours you will be straight into it. The game has a complete happy feeling to it. But the game aren't such a breeze has you have to look after the farm and ainmals, while interacting with the socials while finding time to rest. This is the challenge of the game, Finding time to balance out your time and not pushing your self to hard. The game's graphics are okay and look good for the ps1 era. The graphics are colourful and bubbly. The soundtrack to the game is a nice and relaxing flow of style taking you straight into the game. The game's lifespan is quiet long and impressive and will take over your hours of game time. The game is really fun and comes with it's line of mini-games in forms of festivals and other turrents. Finding a girlfriend is pretty fun and you have a choice of four girls who affections you have to complete with against the locals. The game is a complete woe and will have the average gamer in stitches. But the average rpg gamer might want to turn away and never never look back. The game has rpg elements but not complete rpg elements. There is NO battles and and NO experience points so the brawler will knock this away with a iron bat. But Harvest moon doesn't try to attract every gamer but it simply be's itself. Courting girls, looking after barn animals, finding magical creatures, Drinking Beer in the night after a long day's work,racing horses and the list go's on and on. The game won't appeal to everyone but it's a gold field waiting to be explored, This gets a 9/10 for it's original traits what a stunner. GOLD AWARD




Pokemon Red and Blue

Pokemon was made by Game Freak the series was first released in 1996 but came overboard 1998 over the rest of the world excluded from britain which came out in 1999. The game's story follows a pokemon trainer called ash who was on a quest to master Pokemon battling. Pokemon came out in two versions Red and blue, both being independent of each other but featured the same plot and while both can be played separately, It is necessary for the player to trade among the two in order to fully complete the game.
At the beginning of the games, players can choose Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle as their starter Pokémon from Professor Oak. They cannot catch any of the starters or their evolutions in the wild or by trading with in-game NPCs; therefore, to complete the Pokédex with all 151 Pokémon, the player must link games and trade with other players, as well as attending Nintendo Events. The basic point of the game is to become the best trainer in all of Kanto; this is done by raising Pokémon, defeating the eight Gym Leaders for Gym Badges, and eventually challenging the Elite Four and the Champion, the player's rival. Also, throughout the game, the player will have to battle against the forces of Team Rocket, a criminal organization that uses Pokémon for evil, and will eventually face off against their leader, Giovanni.
The player has a childhood rival, who happens to be the grandson of Professor Oak. This character's default name is the opposite color of the version owned (i.e. in Red version, the character's default name is Blue). He will battle the player at certain points in the game to test the player's Pokémon; being defeated is an indication for the player to level up his or her team. He will always choose for his starter a Pokémon that has a type advantage over the player's chosen one. For example, if the player chooses Charmander, a Fire-type Pokémon, he will choose Squirtle, a Water-type Pokémon, giving it an advantage over the Fire-type Charmander.
Like many console role-playing games, Pokémon Red and Blue are in third-person perspective, with players directly navigating the protagonist around the fictional universe, interacting with objects and people. As the player explores this world they encounter different terrains, such as grassy fields, forests, caves, and seas, in which different Pokémon species reside. As the player randomly encounters one of these creatures, the field switches to a turn-based "battle scene", where Pokémon take turns attacking.
A major aspect of the game is developing and raising the player's Pokémon by battling other Pokémon, which can be found in the wild or owned by other Trainers. This system of accumulating experience points and leveling up, characteristic of all Pokémon video games and integral to these games, controls the physical properties of the Pokémon, such as battle statistics and attacks learned.
There are two main goals within the games: defeating the toughest trainers at the end of the game, the Elite Four, and completing the Pokédex by capturing, evolving or trading to obtain all 151 monsters. The game's graphics wasn't the main strong point for Pokemon what made pokemon a success what originally being the top-Dog. Catching Pokemon felt good and was a another strong point for the series. The game's setting made pokemon all the more relaxing and the dungeons bought the intensity that was needed to make a successful rpg. The soundtrack to the game was a breeze and bought back memories of the cartoon series that appeared on television. This game sold millions and which makes Pokemon get a PIK-A-CHU 9/10 now that's a shock. GOLD AWARD

Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter

This installment in the series is hard to describe, as you will either love it and think its genius or you will hate it, which one its gonna be depends on you and your expectations.
The game is set in the underground sewers, where humans have been living for quite a while now. Just like all other series the game is focused around a blue haired guy Ryu who originally a ranger sets himself on a journey to protect a girl named Nina, thus eventually being chased by other rangers. Soon your party is joined by a sharp shooter Lin.
The story is very well thought off and draws the player into the world of BOF V, while battles are also relatively well done, they do seem to get repetitive quite a bit as you progress through the game.
Once again just like in the previous games, Ryu awakens a mysterious power which helps him along the way as you are headed for the world's surface. However this time this power has a limit of how much it can be used unlike in previous series. This means that if you use too much of this power and its percentage reaches a 100% you will face a certain death and will have to start the game from the beginning.
Battle system is in third person just like the game itself, only at a slighly higher elevated angle. During the battle are able to move around the battle field and your attacks have different range and impact area.
Overall the game is fairly good but the major drawback being the limit to the dragon power which you can use as the bosses get very tough and almost force you to use your powers in order to defeat them, which then adds up the D-ratio percentage which kills you eventually. However its not all as bad as it seems because if you do die this way you can bring all of your weapons and items over as well as third of your experience, meaning that when you do start game from the beginning you are much stronger and have a greater chance of progressing further in the game.
Good points:

• Interesting story
• Fairy good graphics
• Good battle system
• Ability to bring some of your experience and weapons and items over to start again

Bad points:

• Having to play the game all over again from the beginning(few times perhaps) as its almost impossible to advance through the game without dying from using your dragon power trying to beat the bosses.
• If you expected what you loved about the gameplay of the previous games in the series and prefer traditional BOF experience then there is a very high chance that you will feel utterly dissapointed with this installment.

Overall 6/10 (sorry if anyone is offended by this mark but I am being a bit biased here and from my point of view thats the best I could give it)


Grandstream saga

The game was made by THQ which was there first attempt at a RPG type. The Game takes you into the hands of red-haired Ion who lives on a floating continent with his dad but the floating continents powers are slowly fading which will result in the end of the continents. There are four Continents each with their own element like water, ice and ect. The residents of the continents have also found a temporary way to slow down thedemise of there planets, By cutting of pieces of the lands in attempt. The basic story around Grandstream saga is that the Ion must somehow travel to each of the continents and collect precious stones that will help relift the continents back into their original state. Along the way you will meet various characters like any other rpg. The gamplay was different for it's time as you fight in real-time. You can use different weapons including swords, axes and other hacking purposes you also can equip sheilds to defend yourself. Along the way you will aquire the ability to use magic spells to defeat your enemies. The graphics is captured in full 3D enviroments and character models. The soundtrack is nothing special, but just background music.
Now the game is a okay attempt at a rpg-attempt but that's were you draw the line. The battle system is SLOW and can somtimes drag on. The graphics aren't too bad but the character models have no faces which is original in it's own right. The storyline and Anime cutscenes are a plus for this game but the storyline aren't nothing to go crazy over. The towns aren't all that great but they do have some atsmosphere to them. The dungeons aren't so bad after you get into the gamplay and characters aren't spcial but you won't find them as boring. If your a Rpg fan then you might like this(OR NOT) but either way this game aren't as bad. But it's nothing special. If your new to rpgs then you might want something a litlle bit up-to date as this might seem a little rusty. This Grand(Not so grand) title gets a 6/10 the battle system lets this down extremely.

Legend of zelda ocarina of time

The game was made by Nintendo and is a 3D action-adventure game. You control Link the hero of time. The game opens as the fairy Navi awakens Link from a nightmare. Navi has been sent to bring Link to the guardian of his village, the Great Deku Tree, who is cursed and near death. Link breaks the curse, but cannot stop the tree from withering. The Deku Tree tells Link that a "wicked man of the desert" has cursed him and seeks to conquer the land of Hyrule, and that Link must stop him. He gives Link the spiritual stone of the forest, the Kokiri's Emerald, and sends him to Hyrule to speak with the princess of destiny, Zelda. He dies shortly after and the story continues. You control Link in a third-person
control. You have access to a sword and wooden shield at first but soon after you will have access to bombs and magic spells.When battling, the player can cause Link to focus on an enemy through a new feature called "Z Targeting" (L Targeting in the Game Cube version).When using this technique, the camera will follow the target and Link will constantly face it. Projectile attacks will be automatically directed at the target and do not require manual aiming. Although much of the game is spent in battle the game has many other things to do including mini-games like some parts encourage the player to use stealth—an uncommon situation for the series. Link must avoid guards at times in both Hyrule Castle and the Gerudo Fortress. If spotted, Link is thrown out or imprisoned, and thus forced to start over.
Link is given an ocarina near the beginning of the game, which is later replaced by the Ocarina of Time. Throughout the game, Link learns twelve melodies that allow him to solve music-based puzzles and to teleport. The Ocarina of Time is also used to claim the Master Sword in the Temple of Time. When Link takes the sword, he is transported seven years into the future and becomes an adult. Young Link and adult Link have different abilities. For example, only adult Link can use the Fairy Bow, and only young Link can fit through certain small passages. After completing certain tasks, Link can travel freely between the two time periods by replacing and taking the sword. Link gains strength and new abilities through the collection of items and weapons found in dungeons or in the overworld. Not all are required—like all games in the series, Ocarina of Time has several optional side quests, minor objectives that the player can choose to complete or ignore. Completing the side quests usually results in rewards, normally in the form of weapons or abilities. In one side quest, Link trades items he cannot use himself, among non-player characters. This trading sequence features ten items and ends with Link receiving an item he can use—the two-handed Biggoron Sword. In another side quest, Link can acquire a horse. This allows him to travel faster, but attacking while riding is restricted to arrows.This mechanism was expanded for future games and is now common in the Zelda series. The gameplay is great and really feels fresh and warm to this day. The mini-games have a great sense of relieve from the tense and thrilling storyline. The towns are a great relaxing pasture and the dungeons test your- brain poer and patience. The soundtrack is a great edition to the game making you intouched with the game from the ganondorf's theme to saria's theme. The graphics are 3D and really take on a solid look. And the game is pretty long. Not everyone will warm to this game but most of you will. This action Rpg gets a time changing 10/10 for it's original and then smashing gameplay.

Platinum AWARD

Alundra 2

Alundra 2: A New Legend Begins is an action/puzzle developed by Contrail and published by Activision. It was released in North America and Europe in the 2000. Unlike its predecessor, Alundra, Alundra 2 features a new 3D look which opens up a new world of puzzles. Because of its 3D look, rather simple plot, and the fact it has nothing to do with its predecessor apart from the name, Alundra 2 was not well received. No further Alundra titles were made, most likely because of Alundra 2's poor reception.
Alundra 2's story is set in the kingdom of Varuna. A powerful sorcerer Mephisto is using magical wind-up keys to control humans and turn animals into powerful killing machines. You play Flint, a young hero and Pirate Hunter who is wanted for some reason, and is after the pirates that caused his parents' death. The Gamplay is very similar to Legend of zelda series ans of coursr Alundra though there was some changes in all. The game's main focus is on Puzzle-solving and dungeon Exploring. The game allows you to only use(one sword) shield and one magic ring. Youdown have the freedom to fully explore the world map. The game graphics is bright and colourful. The soundtrack is a okay and is quiet similar to Alundra1 but even that doesn't save the game while nowhere near as difficult as some of the seemingly impossible puzzles from the first game, still occasionally proved a challenge to some. The towns as expected from the graphics are brigth and colourlful but the dungeons can seem a little bland compared to other rpgs. This game aren't nowhere as good as Alundra and even though they share the same name the game is pretty poor in terms of a good rpg. This game get's a poor but suited 4/10 Flint should have bought more swords.

Saga frontier 2

Saga Frontier was created by Square the story involves two separate storylines: The history of Gustave XIII of Finney (AKA Gustave the Steel), and the Knights family. The game takes place in the land of Sandail, roughly in the years 1200-1300. The game has you choose different storylines for characters on a world map. The gameplay doesn't match that of the final fantasy series and takes a different outlook in it's own right. Was it a good route to take? well the game takes a different approach which is a good start. Now the problem with saga frontier 2 is the game takes you through about over 20+ minutes of text reading, Instead of creating an awe-inspiring CG or animated intro to help setup the game's plot, SaGa Frontier 2 puts players through a half hour of tedious button pressing to get through the lackluster setup of the game's story. So if you decide to start the game again you have to go through it all again and you can't skip the scenes. Some people won't even find the storyline as interesting as other RPGs and might say that Square never even tried on this second installment. it's too bad that SaGa Frontier 2 fails in the first two areas because its battle system is good. The combat menus are quite intuitive and players can pick and choose from a wide array of weapons and attacks during battle. New attacks can be also discovered in-play and the use of a regular weapon can be improved as you use it more. The characters are unique from many other RPGS but a few characters can feel flat.
The graphics are bright and colourful and it sometimes feels like you are looking at cartoon story-book. The graphics are hand-drawn so many 3D obsessed fans might want some a bit more solid to look at. But the graphics are in no way bad to look at. And they feel relaxing.Some of the large enemy bosses, are awe-inspiring and do the wonderful background graphics justice The in-game music is a nice touch to the game and sounds really good. The soundtrack isn't the best in the world but it's really a nice touch indeed. The game isn't the best rpg to start with and other rpg-fans might want to look with for somthing with a bit more lustful magic. The game is a okay length like any Square game and will keep you entertained(if you stick around). If your a RPG-nut then you might swant to give this a try but others might want to look elsewhere. This get's a gustave-welcoming of 7/10. Bronze award