See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

5 used & new from £17.99
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Ephemeral Fantasia (PS2)
 
See larger image and other views 
Share your own customer images

Ephemeral Fantasia (PS2)

by Konami
Platform:   PlayStation2
3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


1 new from £29.95 4 used from £17.99

Game Information

  • Platform:   PlayStation2
  • BBFC Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over Suitable for 12 years and over. Not for sale to persons under age 12. By placing an order for this product, you declare that you are 12 years of age or over.
  • Media: Video Game

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Rogue Galaxy (PS2)

Rogue Galaxy (PS2)

3.5 out of 5 stars (13)  £17.31
Shadow Hearts: From the New World (PS2)

Shadow Hearts: From the New World (PS2)

3.6 out of 5 stars (8)  £9.82
Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny (PS2)

Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny (PS2)

4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £21.69
Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (PS2)

Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (PS2)

4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £18.03
Persona 4 (PS2)

Persona 4 (PS2)

5.0 out of 5 stars (11)  £17.99
› Explore similar items

Product Features

  • Innovative 360 battle environment where characters fight enemies from all sides
  • 10 characters with different abilities and characteristics can join your group
  • Multiple endings to the story
  • Over 160 types of imaginative monsters
  • Breathtaking magic spell effects

Product details

  • Delivery Destinations: Visit the Delivery Destinations Help page to see where this item can be delivered.
  • ASIN: B00005LR0K
  • Release Date: 7 Sep 2001
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14,271 in PC & Video Games (See Bestsellers in PC & Video Games)

    Popular in this category:

    #85 in  PC & Video Games > Sony PlayStation 2 > Games > Role Playing

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Konami made a very strange decision when it chose to release Ephemeral Fantasia in the West. While the selection of role-playing games for the PlayStation2 is currently limited, Konami could have selected from a number of strong RPGs it has published in Japan. Instead the company serves up a mediocre offering in the shape of a game that's originality is negated by frustrating and difficult gameplay, making it appealing only to hard-core RPG fans.

Unlike most RPGs, you won't be controlling a warrior. Instead you follow the adventures of a bard named Mouse. Some of Mouse's occupation-related tasks include composing songs and playing rhythm games similar to Konami's Beatmania. Most of the game has Mouse reliving the same day (think Groundhog Day). Although he's stuck in a time loop, he retains the items and allies acquired each time he relives the day. It's an interesting twist but the plot eventually devolves into the usual saving-the-world drivel.

The game's graphics aren't going to impress anyone--there are several PS One games that look better. Further hampering playability are several lulls in the game where you have to wait until a certain time until you can progress. This wouldn't be so bad if there were engaging side quests for you to take, but there aren't, so you're often stuck standing around town. When the action does pick up, it's often brought to a halt by extremely long load times. These frustrating aspects combined with the game's difficulty make it a poor choice for casual gamers. --Raymond M Padilla

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
(3)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars If at first you don't succeed..., 28 Feb 2004
Welcome to the Island of Pandule, the island where every day is summer & everyone is beautiful, but lately also the setting for the wedding of the century between the islands princess & Lord Xelpherpolis (is it just me or is this guy Sephiroth's long lost twin?). You are a travelling musician (and general rogue) & are invited to play at the wedding & so the saga begins...
The narrative is mainly restricted to an ever repeating 5 day cycle- from your first day on the island to the big day itself, whereupon xelpherpolis turns back time & takes you back to the first day again. The only problem being that within these 5 days all sorts of nasty things happen to the people around you- mostly dying (what else?!). The point of the game is to awaken the islanders from the spell of time so that they actually realise time is being reversed & ultimately defeat Lord Xel.
Unfotunately this is easier said than done as everything is determined by what time of day it is- you have to be in a certain place at a certain time & have certain characters with you all to trigger an event from even occuring- wow are you as confused as me?!
The truth is, is that this is a really really really confusing game. I would recommend dowloading some hints or walkthroughs just to get you started. You shouldn't be deterred though as once you get the hang of it & remember when key events are occuring etc it becomes a whole lot easier. On the whole, once you get into it, its a fantastic game with tons of content.
I would recommend that you only buy this game if you're willing to donate 6 months of your life to it, its well worth it if you do!!!!
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Convoluted but highly entertaining RPG, 12 Mar 2002
By Tom Wilkinson (Cardiff, Wales) - See all my reviews
Right. This game is great. I am writing this to rectify any misconceptions. It is only boring if you aren't able to get your head around the 5-day time loop and figure out how to free others from said loop. Admittedly, this can be rather difficult to do, but it is also very satisfying when you accomplish it.

You also don't need to remember when all the events happen, as you're automatically taken to most of the important ones, although it does sometimes help to keep a 'diary'.

The bemani element of the game is, um, unusual. It's quite good fun, but it isn't actually vital to the plot, and contrary to the manual, I don't think it's necessary to successfully perform any of the songs in the game (I did remarkably badly on several and still progressed).

Criticisms? Well, it's a little easy, if you spend just a little time level-building, which you'll probably do quite accidentally as you wander around the island looking for clues. Some dungeons are quite annoying, with their endless random encounters and confusing layouts. And Pattimo's 'scientific' reasoning behind time loops and time seizures and whatnot is clearly just thrown in by the developers to brush aside complex issues like why some people can remember things from loop to loop and some can't.

All in all, though, a great game that is only 'boring' if you don't have the patience or capacity for lateral thought necessary to progress in it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not as confusing as you'd think, 6 Sep 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 
The basic premise of this game is that you are a musician invited to play at the royal wedding on Padule, only to find that not everything is as it appears. So far, so pretty typical of RPGs (although a 300 year old talking intrument is a little different).

What's not typical is how the story progresses beyond the first two days - the main antagonist is quite happy to tell you what it is he's doing, despite being very friendly towards you at all other times. You then get to repeat the five days leading up to the wedding over and over and over, gaining levels and freeing more and more characters from the loop. If this sounds very confusing, don't worry, it's not once you get into it and listen to Pattimo explain it.

Another interesting feature is the guitar mini-game. At certain points in the game, you have to play a song in a beatmania style, holding down a note button and pressing the pick button to match it up. Score well and you get extra money/scenes/bragging rights to your mates. Now, some people would think that the songs can't be all that complicated, but whilst the first is pretty easy once you get used to the controls, the rest will have you pulling your hair out again and again until you get it right - the songs here make the hardest on Guitar Hero seem simple!

I won't lie to you, the graphics aren't up to Final Fantasy standard. They take some getting used to (though the game was released in 2001/2, so come on!), but the music is stunning. The characters are actually far more detailed than you'd expect from most RPGs (even some Final Fantasy games don't have the level of character development and complexity of this game), and the story is pretty unique - even if the antagonist looks like Sephiroth.

This is not a game for people who like short sharp bursts - there are a lot of things to do and a lot of story to go through. I've read that it's possible to play through in 50 game days, but that'll take you a good few months of real time to get through, and some of it will be a slog. But get through it, and you won't be disappointed.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Not boring just fun
Having played this game several times I still find new things to and it also makes a change from the usual hack and slash games around.
Published 14 months ago by C. R. Hanmer

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad game
At first looks, this looks like a very good game but when you start playing the game and ge into the whole time loop thing, you may start to feel like this is quite confusing... Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2003 by Mr. A. S. Wheeler

1.0 out of 5 stars The essence of failure
This game promised to be interesting or so they clamed, that it would use the ps2 to create a new type of role play game, a nice alternative to all these really violent games... Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring!!!
This game has to be one of the boringest games i have ever played. It takes forever to load one scene, you barely know where you are and you need to keep a diary just to make sure... Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2002 by Lee

4.0 out of 5 stars Bemani RPG!
This is a great RPG, and also a Guitar Freak mini game is present. The characters are great, the story is good, but the 5 day time limit can get tedious, but still does not ruin... Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2002 by frame_runner

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
video games
PS3 online help (connections) 		1 5 seconds ago
video games
The 360 Amazon Clan Thread Part 2 		1477 2 minutes ago
video games
Sacred 2 		895 5 minutes ago
video games
RATS on Gamebattles! 		140 11 minutes ago
video games
cod4 for £25 or red faction for £17.99? 		30 26 minutes ago
video games
Bioshock 2 delayed 		14 50 minutes ago
video games
Blu-Ray Help!! 		1 1 hour ago
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

Make A Wish

Get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List Make sure you always get what you want with an Amazon.co.uk Wish List.

›More info on Wish Lists

  

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (76)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (464)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (165)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (84)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates