Customer Reviews

Dark Stone

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've just read some reviews for the game all over the net. Everyone is trashing it...and I really don't understand why. Is there a certain rule that bargain games cannot be good? Must a game cost fifty bucks for it to be good? That's what all magazine reviews seem to be leaning towards. Don't listen to them, it's just their opinion anyway. They're a bunch of spoiled babies who sit there and get paid to write ridiculous reviews on games like DS. I just got the game today, wanted to check out what it was like and surprisingly I found myself playing it for 2 hours. Bottom line is that if you like Diablo, you will probably like this game. Same style, same type of dungeons, same everything. Don't be fooled by those spoiled losers that work for these magazines who are trashing this game in their reviews. Just because it's not made by Squaresoft doesn't mean it cannot be fun. I've had more fun playing this game than I did Vagrant Story and that got great reviews. That's the last time I'll trust magazine reviews...it's all opinions. Can't lose price-wise on this one, and even if you don't like it as much, you won't be banging your head against the wall for buying the "editor's choice/pick" and finding out that a supposedly bigger, more expensive game is no different graphically than the one I'm writing this review for.

Here's the rundown on the game (1 worst - 10 best)

Graphics: 6 We've seen better graphics on playstation, but hey, this wasn't meant to be state of the art...then again, neither was Frogger but we played that for months now, didn't we?

Control: 8 Can you rotate the camera view at any time in Vagrant Story? I think not. Button-smashing (as some of the reviews claim)? Not at all. Movement could feel more realistic, but we're not here to complain.

Fun Factor: 10 After spending 2 hours with the game, it's about as much fun as Diablo was when I opened up the game and popped it in for the first time. How much longer will this last? Who knows.

Music: 6 Average sounds, nothing phenomenal...

In true Amazon fashion, I give this game 4 out of 5 stars.

... This game is the most fun I've had since playing Diablo 1 on the PC. Don't believe the negative reviews! Try it for yourself. I've been gaming for over 20 years and I can with confidence say that this game is one of those underdogs that comes by every so often that I'm so glad to find.

GRAPHICS: Graphically, the game reminds me of a cross between Diablo and Gauntlet Legends. I think the graphics are very nice. The wilderness is colorful and woodsy and the dungeons are dark and sinister. There are neat lighting effects, such as magic spell effects and torches. The enemies are varied and well done, as are the character sprites.

SOUND: The sound effects are great, from the clink and clash of weapons to the thud of a club upside a goblin's head. The CD music is highly reminiscent of Diablo and really adds to the atmosphere, whether you're in a town, the wilderness, or a deep, dark dungeon. I like the tunes so much in fact that I wouldn't mind listening to them all on their own.

GAMEPLAY: Apart from being pleasing to the ears and eyes, the gameplay is where Darkstone really shines. The character classes are varied and include such professions as fighter, wizard, monk, and assassin, and both genders, so there's something for everyone. There are many different spells and weapons to acquire, as well as armor, potions, scrolls, and other various items. There are people you can interact with in towns and villages. There are quests and sub-quests and plenty of things to do. I can easily play this game for hours and often have to pull myself away -- it is very addictive, as much as Diablo was for me, I would say... The longest load is when the game is booting up for the first time after choosing to start or continue a quest from the main menu (about 40-45 seconds). After that, entering a town or dungeon or returning to the wilderness doesn't take that long at all (maybe 20 seconds, tops),... only time this game accesses the disc is when you are entering or exiting a dungeon level, town, or the wilderness, just like in Diablo.

Anyhow, to sum it up, Darkstone is a fantastic game, easily one of my Playstation favorites, and at its "bargain title" price it's an absolute steal. I'm so happy that Take2 Interactive released this game. Finally, an American, non-Anime PSX RPG! Sure, the storyline is pretty unoriginal but somehow I don't even notice. Please, do yourself a favor and buy this game. If you like Diablo or fantasy games in general I don't see how you won't really enjoy this one.

I really, really don't know why this game has gotten bad reviews. This is absolutely insane. This game is the most fun I've had since playing Diablo 1 on the PC. Don't believe the negative reviews! Try it for yourself. I've been gaming for over 20 years and I can with confidence say that this game is one of those underdogs that comes by every so often that I'm so glad to find.

GRAPHICS: Graphically, the game reminds me of a cross between Diablo and Gauntlet Legends. I think the graphics are very nice. The wilderness is colorful and woodsy and the dungeons are dark and sinister. There are neat lighting effects, such as magic spell effects and torches. The enemies are varied and well done, as are the character sprites.

SOUND: The sound effects are great, from the clink and clash of weapons to the thud of a club upside a goblin's head. The CD music is highly reminiscent of Diablo and really adds to the atmosphere, whether you're in a town, the wilderness, or a deep, dark dungeon. I like the tunes so much in fact that I wouldn't mind listening to them all on their own.

GAMEPLAY: Apart from being pleasing to the ears and eyes, the gameplay is where Darkstone really shines. The character classes are varied and include such professions as fighter, wizard, monk, and assassin, and both genders, so there's something for everyone. There are many different spells and weapons to acquire, as well as armor, potions, scrolls, and other various items. There are people you can interact with in towns and villages. There are quests and sub-quests and plenty of things to do. I can easily play this game for hours and often have to pull myself away -- it is very addictive, as much as Diablo was for me, I would say.

I also want to comment on the complaints I've been reading about this game having slow loading times. The longest load is when the game is booting up for the first time after choosing to start or continue a quest from the main menu (about 40-45 seconds). After that, entering a town or dungeon or returning to the wilderness doesn't take that long at all (maybe 20 seconds, tops), so I'm not sure what all the griping is all about, especially since the only time this game accesses the disc is when you are entering or exiting a dungeon level, town, or the wilderness, just like in Diablo.

Anyhow, to sum it up, Darkstone is a fantastic game, easily one of my Playstation favorites, and at its "bargain title" price it's an absolute steal. I'm so happy that Take2 Interactive released this game. Finally, an American, non-Anime PSX RPG! Sure, the storyline is pretty unoriginal but somehow I don't even notice. Please, do yourself a favor and buy this game. If you like Diablo or fantasy games in general I don't see how you won't really enjoy this one.

This is a very good RPG, but pretty light on the adventuring.

PROS * inexpensive * Decent graphics and sound * good variety of weapons and abilities * multiple character types with various difficulty levels * game can be saved in any location

CONS * slowest loading PSX game I've ever seen (3 loads just to turn it on and play your saved game!) * uses 6 blocks on the memory card! * only uses memory card slot #1 * some bad interface issues (must drop potions and pick them up to get multiple items to group together; must put scrolls on belt to use them, etc.) * the game will sometimes crash (when using Theft skill with Assassin in certain places)

Overall this is a very good game, and enjoyable to play repeatedly. When I played the same character in a harder difficulty mode after completing my first game, most of the quests were different, and it was definitely more difficult. Also, the items that you find and can buy get more elaborate the longer you play, with new attributes appearing in harder difficulty settings.

Although the quests are pretty difficult (or at least boring) sometimes, you are not limited to doing them in a linear order, so you can walk ahead to new lands and fight harder, more interesting things, which is nice.

For the money, this is a fantastic game, and the cheap price makes up for the few annoying issues that would be a bigger deal in an expensive game.

Truly a unique and pleasantly surprising Playstation game: good graphics, appropriate sounds, but above all a true old-school RPG in the style of Diablo. You can hire NPCs, you can purchase all kinds of equipment as you go, and finally: You can rotate the camera! Thank heavens Take 2 and Delphine finally got what so many RPG makers don't: we like to see multiple angles.

At ..., you really can't miss. I would recommend this game at three times that price. If you're tired of japanese-style RPGs and wish your Playstation was a PC sometimes, this game is for you.

I saw this game in a store, and the screen shots looked decent. I figured it was worth a shot for the low price. It was definitely worth the money.

That being said, I will start off with the game's flaws. The most glaring (at least in my mind) was the playing character's inability to want to go through doors. I had no problems getting him/her through an archway, but they just loved walking/running into the space right next to the doors, and trying to get them through the door then was a lucky try. The character's movements were definitely a little herky jerky. And, as another reviewer pointed out, this must be the longest PS1 game in loading time. Finally, although it's hard to believe one character could fit all those items in their pack, the fact that they can only wear four rings on eight fingers and two thumbsmakes me wonder how deformed their hands are.

But I can't ignore the game's plusses. The ability to upgrade weapons, or acquire weapons/shields/armor/rings with enhancing powers is a very nice plus. The playability keeps it challenging, especially how some levels change when you move up from the Novice level. The mini quests can sometimes be frustrating, but they are all solvable. And is there an easy way to defeat the wizards?

Graphics: 4 -- The faces are a bit... off, but otherwise the different looking swords, shields etc. is nicely done.
Sound: 3 -- Though most liked the music etc., I found I had to play something else on my stereo to cover it up.
Playability: 4 -- That door problem could not be more frustrating, but otherwise the movement works well enough.
Difficulty: 4 -- Sure, some levels are quite easy, but the ones that are difficult keeps it challenging.

And for all those people who thought mashing the X button would get you through the game, try using your level 8 character on something higher than the 1st dungeon. And for crying out loud, if it's too dark in the dungeon, use a light spell!

I really, really don't know why this game has gotten bad reviews. This is absolutely insane. This game is the most fun I've had since playing Diablo 1 on the PC. Don't believe the negative reviews! Try it for yourself. I've been gaming for over 20 years and I can with confidence say that this game is one of those underdogs that comes by every so often that I'm so glad to find.

GRAPHICS: Graphically, the game reminds me of a cross between Diablo and Gauntlet Legends. I think the graphics are very nice. The wilderness is colorful and woodsy and the dungeons are dark and sinister. There are neat lighting effects, such as magic spell effects and torches. The enemies are varied and well done, as are the character sprites.

SOUND: The sound effects are great, from the clink and clash of weapons to the thud of a club upside a goblin's head. The CD music is highly reminiscent of Diablo and really adds to the atmosphere, whether you're in a town, the wilderness, or a deep, dark dungeon. I like the tunes so much in fact that I wouldn't mind listening to them all on their own.

GAMEPLAY: Apart from being pleasing to the ears and eyes, the gameplay is where Darkstone really shines. The character classes are varied and include such professions as fighter, wizard, monk, and assassin, and both genders, so there's something for everyone. There are many different spells and weapons to acquire, as well as armor, potions, scrolls, and other various items. There are people you can interact with in towns and villages. There are quests and sub-quests and plenty of things to do. I can easily play this game for hours and often have to pull myself away -- it is very addictive, as much as Diablo was for me, I would say.

I also want to comment on the complaints I've been reading about this game having slow loading times. The longest load is when the game is booting up for the first time after choosing to start or continue a quest from the main menu (about 40-45 seconds). After that, entering a town or dungeon or returning to the wilderness doesn't take that long at all (maybe 20 seconds, tops), so I'm not sure what all the griping is all about, especially since the only time this game accesses the disc is when you are entering or exiting a dungeon level, town, or the wilderness, just like in Diablo.

Anyhow, to sum it up, Darkstone is a fantastic game, easily one of my Playstation favorites, and at its "bargain title" price it's an absolute steal. I'm so happy that Take2 Interactive released this game. Finally, an American, non-Anime PSX RPG! Sure, the storyline is pretty unoriginal but somehow I don't even notice. Please, do yourself a favor and buy this game. If you like Diablo or fantasy games in general I don't see how you won't really enjoy this one.

Did this one ever surprise me. I'm still basically at the early stages of the game but for the money you can't beat it. Actually its better than 95% of the games I have paid $50 for. Control is good, game play is fun, its not a rental, its a buy!

Pretty much, this game is purely a dungeon crawl. It's roaming from screen to screen, fighting the monsters & collecting items, while gaining experience to improve your character. While there is an overall plot, in addition to sub-plots that take place in each area, mainly you're just trying to get bigger & badder so you can do away with more beasties. If you're out to go roaming through the caves, just looking for things to take out, I'd highly recommend this game.

Plus #1: There are far more sub-plots available than there are areas, so you can play the game multiple times and encounter new things along the way.

Plus #2: Three choices of viewing: Overhead, set-perspective, or the more common roaving-perspective (which personally gives me a headache).

this game is extremely fun if you follow the story along. starting by reading the history in the instruction manuel, watching the opening cinematic when you start a new game, and then going from level 1 up until the end. this game throws in harder enemies as you progress in the game. the graphics aren't top of the line, but if graphics dont bother you, go and have fun. the gameplay is wut makes this game fun, if your a thief/assassin the funnest thing to do is get a long range weapon were your fast with and run up to your enemy, (if more then 2 dont do it), and just swing away. the sound is good in some parts, like if you or an enemy hits a shield it sounds realistic, or if the swords clash. the blood looks kind of like sparkly colored dust, but that makes the game not gore-filled like diablo. well all-in-all i give this game a 5-star rating, or if possible, more. i love this game and will want to take it to the grave with me.(not really, but still worthy enough.) well i hope this review helped you decide to purchase or not to purchase. bye!