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Game Information
- Platform: PlayStation2
- ELSPA Minimum Age: 11
- Media: Video Game
Frequently Bought Together
Product Features
- Cinematic RPG
- Partially turn-based, partially real-time battle system
- Race to prevent a war between the gods of good and evil
- Detailed, real-time 3-D graphics
Product details
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
See if the storyline of Grandia 2. sounds familiar. You're part of an outcast mercenary class that upstanding folk don't want around until there's trouble. You're sent on a mission alongside an innocent, idealistic woman with whom you don't immediately get along. Forces of darkness, safely contained until recently, have escaped and are threatening a world-ending clash with the forces of light unless you successfully intercede. This is one of the safest templates for console role-playing games, and it pretty much covers the story.
Thankfully, everything else in the game is fresh and provides hours upon hours of fun. The backdrops and character designs are colourful without being flashy, the game has a great pace (for an RPG), and players never have to stand around too long looking for the next thing to do. Even the writing, within its cookie-cutter plot, is smart, well-translated, and occasionally funny.
The game's strongest element, however, is its battle system. Taking the best of turn-based and real-time battle engines, Grandia II forces you to choose your moves carefully with respect to timing and position. The battles are very simple in the beginning, but grow increasingly complex as you fight larger numbers of monsters with a growing party of allies. How you meet your encounters--whether you initiate the fight, are ambushed, or meet head on--affects both the timing of the blows and the positions of the contestants. Battles emphasise counter-attacks and combination blows, but you'll soon find that movement and defence keep you alive against the tougher enemies. Elemental magic, items, and skill books are just icing on the cake. Even if the battles do grow old, the random fights are fairly easy to avoid, and a versatile AI option lets you use cruise control through the rest.
Grandia 2 may be just the traditional role-playing game for which console owners have been waiting. The question of whether it's too traditional doesn't matter, as it offers a better experience than most that have come before.--Porter B. Hall
Note: This review refers to the Dreamcast version of the game.
Product Description
Your name is Ryudo, and you've been sent to protect a young priestess journeying to a distant land to participate in a special ceremony. Grandia 2, the new story-based RPG, features an innovative battle system that is partially turn-based, partially real-time. The entire game world is rendered in 3-D, with over 1,000 characters to interact with. Audio voice-overs accompany cinematic cut-scenes and serve to reinforce the strong cast of characters.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Not many console RPGs make it over to the shores of Britain. We get SOME of the big names, like Final Fantasy and... well Final Fantasy, but there are so many we miss out on. Going right back to the SNES, the continent and Europe remain ignorant of how many brilliant games there are out there (From Chrono Trigger, to Xenogears, Thousand Arms, Lunar and Lunar 2, and the hundred and one RPGs that are currently being released for the PS2 which no-one has even HEARD of, so it is always a happy occasion when - somehow, for some reason - a GOOD rpg makes its way to our shores. Perhaps it is because only a few make it over that they remain only a semi-popular genre. Perhaps if they began bringing more of them over more people would latch on to RPGs... but forgive an old timer his ramblings. This is Grandia 2 we're talking about.
Those who have played the first game will know the sheer joy of it; it wasn't hard (heck, it wasn't even challenging), the graphics were simple, yet it was still one of the best games to ever grace my Playstation. Its story was wonderful, and the characters were so well created and nurtured, that you found yourself WANTING them to succeed, for Justin to reach his goals... and at that one point in the game, which all those who played it will know about, when it looks as if he is about to give up... well, I have no shame in saying I actually shed a tear, something that games have never done for me. More blabbing, I know, but this has a point:
Grandia 2 was a good, if predictable game, but it missed that wonderful spark which the original held, the one which allows us to play the first one over and over again, and fall in love with it all over again. Yet there were other problems, as well. The graphics were not much of an improvement against those of the original, which wouldn't have been so bad if the story had captivated, but as it is one looks for different things when the plot does not pin one back to their seats. It was also easy, perhaps even easier than the original, which again wouldn't have been so bad... but it had nothing to back up this easiness with. And lastly... the characters... didn't touch base with me. I didn't feel connected to them at all. And after the shining brilliance that was the first game... well, I felt even more betrayed that the second did not even come close to attaining the same level of excellence.
However, and I say this again, it was a good game. If I had never played G1, I would think it was a VERY good game, but this is not the case. Play this game once, and enjoy it, and if you haven't played G1... GO BUY IT NOW!!! Oy, and I hear G3 is essentially going to be a 'dungeon' game, with very little story... so one might consider it worth it playing this game just to touch base with a true RPG. And as an additional note, I would have given this game 4 stars, IF I hadn't played the original. I knocked one point off for it not living up to my expectations.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Many gamers are already fimilliar with Grandia, one of the only RPGs around to inlove a truly "real time " combat system and a truly unique devleopment system with almost endless capabilities in the region of character development. The battles involved a single gauge in a 3D arena the use of one gauge means that it is highly probable that several units will be processing battle commands at the same time. Grandia incorparted a whole idea that niether you or your oppenent had the clear advantage in a battle, with special move sleaving your enimies with more time to charge themselves and maybe prevent your attack from even working! And the best thing is it works both ways!
Grandia 2, with the combat system running identically to the first installment, offers a fresher helping of "active battaling" and leveling up as you choose how tour characters and magic skills develop down to the dot. Simply put, at the end of each battle you gain a small ammount of gold(to buy new equipment), skill coins to buy new and improve on your characters skills and magic coins to buy and improve on your magical skills. This means it is possible to learn a characters most powerful special move at the start of the game, but it would do you much good as it would take to long to charge until you upgrade it to a high rating, which would dominte all your skill coins not allowing other charcters abilities to grow.
The story line and characters are intresting enough to pull you in with each of the six playable characters specialising in a certain area, whilst lacking in another. Buying the appropriote skills to mantain a strong overall party will take a fair ammount of time but is well worth it and makes strengthening characters later in the game ALOT easier. The bosses on the whole are not too challenging but one or two will give even the storngest teams a run for thier money.
Overall, Grandia 2 is an in-depth experiencs which is enjoyable to new and vetran gamers alike,with over 30 houur of gameplay,Grandia 2 is an excellent place to start exploring the world of RPGs whilst still proving to be a definitive game that will prove to be a worthwhile purchase for anybody willing to try something new.
Grandia 2, with the combat system running identically to the first installment, offers a fresher helping of "active battaling" and leveling up as you choose how tour characters and magic skills develop down to the dot. Simply put, at the end of each battle you gain a small ammount of gold(to buy new equipment), skill coins to buy new and improve on your characters skills and magic coins to buy and improve on your magical skills. This means it is possible to learn a characters most powerful special move at the start of the game, but it would do you much good as it would take to long to charge until you upgrade it to a high rating, which would dominte all your skill coins not allowing other charcters abilities to grow.
The story line and characters are intresting enough to pull you in with each of the six playable characters specialising in a certain area, whilst lacking in another. Buying the appropriote skills to mantain a strong overall party will take a fair ammount of time but is well worth it and makes strengthening characters later in the game ALOT easier. The bosses on the whole are not too challenging but one or two will give even the storngest teams a run for thier money.
Overall, Grandia 2 is an in-depth experiencs which is enjoyable to new and vetran gamers alike,with over 30 houur of gameplay,Grandia 2 is an excellent place to start exploring the world of RPGs whilst still proving to be a definitive game that will prove to be a worthwhile purchase for anybody willing to try something new.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Fun:
For those of you who are not rpg collectors then this game probally isn't for you. If you enjoy games such as final fantasy then you will love this game. With an in-depth storyline and a unique battle system, this game is deffinately a classic. The only annoying things that might put you off is the inability to skip speech and the boring old "save point" factor. However, the plot could rival even the best final fantasies and although the graphics are nothing to write home about, I would reccommend this game to any rpg fan.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Graphics Are Important
"DO NOT" play this game on the PS2, If you really want to see and play this game in all its majesty I beg you buy a DREAMCAST and buy a Grandia 2 dreamcast copy, The Dreamcast... Read more
Published 1 month ago by oldschool
Don't read the reviews that are one star!
Listen up folks! I'm telling you now, don't bother reading the reviews that have one star! Frankly it would be a waste of your time. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Geminicarol
Grandia continues its Greatness with this games story(although not a...
good points about this game and ratings
storyline
10/10!!its storyline is heart warming and it builds on the background of every charachter, by the end you will feel... Read more
storyline
10/10!!its storyline is heart warming and it builds on the background of every charachter, by the end you will feel... Read more
Published 14 months ago by K. Wright
Not happy!
I have no review as such because I had to send the game back, however I have not had a refund yet either?
Published 16 months ago by JAG9149
Lacks The Charm Of The Original
Grandia on the Saturn/PS1 was a very hard game to follow up. In fact it is one of the best RPGs on those systems if not ever. Read more
Published on 25 May 2009 by KenshinHitokiri
Not as good as the the first Grandia but not far from it.
I have to say i love Grandia and i love the first one better than any Final Fantasy games. I bought the second one thinking i would be dissapointed but i was far from it :) The... Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2007 by Master A. Moger
I didnt think Rpg games got this bad!
What on earth was i thinkin when i bought this! Has got to be the worst rpg game ever, nothin about it was fun it was borin form the word go! Read more
Published on 1 Aug 2006 by A. Payton
I loved this game:
... it's in the classic RPG format which i adore, serious gamers may find it a tad simple but it's a no brainer relaxing game with cute little anime characters although a lot of... Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2005 by Kate
WOW! & i fout da 1st one woz gd!!!!
dis game is amazin ive played da 1st one soooo much da disks dont work that well nemore but this game is soooo g8 i couldent put it down i completed it da other day and the ending... Read more
Published on 9 May 2004
I fell asleep....
I love RPG's and I was looking for a new one. I browsed the shops but there didn't seem to be any new ones out. Then I came across it: Grandia II. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2004 by J. Hall
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