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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best of the Not Quite Best, 2 Feb 2005
Duel Saga is the second game in the Legaia series, and probably the last, which is unfortunate. While unassuming and more than a little derivative of its bigger brothers (Final Fantasy, Suikoden, etc.), it manages to be a very entertaining game with few grievous faults and a lot to like. Sad to say, longer playing RPGs are viewed with an inordinately critical eye. With the result that playable games often get sentenced to the bargain heap ahead of their time. Duel Sage is and upgraded version of the first Legends of Legaia. There are no Sera to go mad and overwhelm their human hosts, but there are Origin spirits that coexist with certain humans who are often subjected to mistrust and anger by the 'normal' folk. In this story, Avalon, the villain, is a host who was so mistreated that he has become determined to wipe humanity off the earth. Opposed to him are our heroes - young Lang the village guard, Maya the silent witch, Kazan the martial arts whiz, Sharon the pirate, and Ayne the mysterious giant. Play is an adaptation of the first game's system, made a bit more complex. The Origins have more skills, you can make incredible weapons and armor out of what you find or win in battle. You can literally cook up spells, and even indulge in a bit of gambling and trading. Money remains an issue in this game, but there are some interesting ways to raise it instead of a couple of monotonous mini-games. Overall feel of the controls is better as well. Play and storyline are fairly predictable, with enough twists to make this a genuine 60 to 80 hour game. Anyone who doesn't expect FFX-2 everytime they play a new game will find that, at this price, that game is a very good value. No, it isn't the best thing since sliced bread, but it's more than good enough.
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