Customer Reviews

Record of Lodoss War

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is probably my favorite game that I ever played on the Dreamcast. It is a very hard game at times(It took me forever to beat Wagnard the first time. Exploring every inch of the sixth level of the cold cave was also a doozy.)It also is a very long game for an action rpg. There are so many items that you can find. I have played it for a while and I still haven't found every one. It is definitely worth the time it takes to play through it though because it is a very fun game. I highly recommend it.

Record of Lodoss War is a lot like Diablo...owning only Diablo 1, I got bored with it after about a month and never picked up Diablo 2. So, after a while I decided to get a copy of Record of Lodoss War, which in my view is much better than Diablo. Since Diablo is on PC, the controls can get really annoying really fast...the mouse thing always annoyed me. So, with a DC controller the main chacter of Lodoss War can move much more freely. Furthermore, the game play is much more appealing and the ease of teleporting from "home" to "adventure" is much easiar. This game is a definte purchuse for Diablo fans, as well as those fans that choose not to jump themseleves into the Diablo infatuation, yet still play a similar theme'd game.

You play as a hero from the past brought to life again thanks to Wart, one of the six legendary heroes of Lodoss. He warns that Wagnard, an evil wizard, plans on resurrecting the evil goddess Kardice. Your mission is to find and help different characters from the anime, such as Parn and Deedlit. You will notice that the story line is much different from the anime series, being that Karla is actually helping Wagnard in the resurrection of Kardice. After you briefing from Wart, you will soon capture a goblin fortress and become its ruler. Before entering into the fortress you will meet a dwarven blacksmith, whom you can name. Which leads us to the weapon system. It is excellent and unique. You will find ancient inscriptions all across Marmo, then you will be able to inscribe them into your sword, shield, helmet, and armor. Some inscriptions can give you resistance to spells and others might give you an advantage against golems. Your dwarven blacksmith will inscribe them for you, being that you have enough mithril. There are two sub-plots along with the main plot that will keep you busy for some time. The endings are also based upon your replies to the different characters that you meet. It is defiantly a Diablo styled game, but with a rich story and a unique weapon system. A must have game for Lodoss fans and Diablo fans!

... the boot’s item description warns they are loud. In fact the monsters will be drawn by the sound of your boots, unless you’re wearing softer boots. Also it is possible to sneak past monsters while wearing softer boots.

Record of Lodoss War looks and plays similar to Diablo I/II and Blood Omen. This means no annoying random encounters like most RPGs. There are two VERY cool aspects to this game. For starters, you are given your own castle from which you can explore the island of Lodoss. Using a spell, you can return to this castle at any time (similar to the Town Portals used in Diablo II). By activating portals, you can transport to different locations throughout the island without having to walk the whole way every time you want to traverse Marmo. The second great aspect of this game is the weapons/armor system. After rescuing Wart, a blacksmith, you can have him forge weapons for you and emboss magic runes onto your weapons and armor that will become NECESSARY for completing the game. My only complaints about this game are the graphics and sound. The sound of your boots clanking againt the floor can get repetitive at best and aggravating at worst. The graphics and sound are what keep this otherwise great game from earning 5 stars, in my estimation.

I bought this game only because of the anime series, I did not know what to expect at the bargin... So let's get to the point, I never played a game with so much depth and freedom to roam around.To me what was really cool is that you can put inscriptions on your weapons and armor. I liked the fact when your in an area, like most games and you kill anything and everything in sight and you leave and come back the enimes are not there and you can walk around and say to your self that's it,but in this game they were back ten times fold.To all my fellow gamers you should take up the the challenge of this great highly forgotten and wonderful game.

This game is a lot of fun, it really lets you customize yourself and has a great system. Graphics and CG animations are terrific. Now the downside: It's nearly impossible. I have never heard of and RPG where a level 99 character still dies in the outworld. But you will in this. About 3000 enemies ambush you from all sides and stand around you just pounding. Forget the fact that you can do 2000 hit points of damage, you can barely attack. The game is beatable, but if you are easily frustrated...well, you may end up breaking it.

I found an original copy of this game when I was younger in a Toys R Us it was the only copy I had ever seen as well as the only one everyone I was with had ever seen. In fact none of us knew it existed at the time. Being a fan of the anime though made me buy it and I was not disappointed. I had lost/had my copy stolen and am so glad I was able to get another copy on Amazon for a reasonable price. It is a great hack 'n' slash and is reminiscent of the Diablo games.

Record of Lodoss War is one of those storied anime series that's been given the video game treatment several times in the past (mostly in Japan-only releases, on the PC Engine no less), with largely disappointing effects. While Record of Lodoss War on the Dreamcast has largely-gratifying gameplay (it should since it mimics Diablo quite shamelessly), those looking for a game truly faithful to the anime should keep looking. While the Lodoss characters do make an appearance of two, they are done in a very "cameo-like" manner, both in-game, and in the cinemas, which are oddly CG rendered rather than anime. For someone looking for a shameless dungeon slasher with LOTS of play time, this one's for you.

Graphics: 7.5 Record of Lodoss War is presented in the same isometric view presented in Diablo, which in this type of game, is a very good thing, as it gives you a pretty good look at the action from a 3D perspective without resorting to unplayable camera views (you can go with 2 other camera views, each of which is a 45 degree turn, left or right, from the isometric camera), a problem which has plagued many a game since polygonal 3D became common. While many of the in-game characters are rather drab in color, they animate fairly well, and in a game like this, they're not going to be onscreen for too long anyway. At times, when the screen is filled with baddies and projectiles, which happens quite a bit actually, the frame rate does slow to a crawl, but it really serves as a minor annoyance as opposed to a major gameplay-influence. Overall, the Record of Lodoss War, while not overwhelming in its graphical package, is not underwhelming either. It's solid, and for games like this or Diablo, that's enough.

Sound: 7.0 You would expect Record of Lodoss War to excel in the sound department, but again, it merely gets by. Voices, music and effects are clear, but not anything you haven't heard before, and done better. The music is your usual 'epic fantasy' fare, with a sometimes dark and brooding overtone. Voices are clear and well done, but the acting quality is barely better than that in the Resident Evil series ("Deedlit!"). You get all the clangs, groans and screams you expect in a Diablo clone, but they seem to lack the guttural and eerie quality found in this games inspiration.

Gameplay: 8.5 Luckily for Record of Lodoss war, this is the category that always counts, and it delivers. Game pacing is good, even though some of the side-items to be had later on are insanely difficult to get (Dragon items for instance). The fact that the game is largely non-linear is another plus, as you can more or less wander aimlessly through most of the game and still come across many of the optional dungeons you'll need to fine for better items. The user-decided Mithril upgrades are another ingenuity of this title that really adds to the overall effect, as the player can pick and choose where he wants to allocate the Mithril. While this is somewhat similar to Diablo's level up, where you could allocate points to the places that needed them, the fact that Mithril is really a monetary system makes it nearly a sidequest to itself. Control is tight and responsive, and frankly, in this area, it easily outshines Diablo, as the clumsy point and click is replaced by analog movement and exacting blows. As for time, well, you had better have plenty of it, because for a game like this, even with no multiplayer mode, you'll need it. You will lose hours of sleep with Lodoss, perhaps an area where it mimics Diablo even moreso than the game itself.

Theme: 8.5 Anyone who is a fan of the popular Lodoss War anime series will attest to its unique blend of Japanese style and classic fantasy themes. While the storyline would seem to work better in a party-based, traditional RPG, it works fine here, albeit greatly watered-down. To be honest, there is really a lot less 'Lodoss War' in this game, than there is of, say, Diablo. Though some fans might be a bit miffed at the fact that the cast members of Record of Lodoss War are reduced to mere cameos, and that the 'Lodoss War' label was added as an afterthought to increase sales, the Diablo-inspired gameplay is good enough that most will forgive that much. With it's extensive weapon/armor customization, faster-paced play mechanics and easy-to-learn control scheme, Record of Lodoss War may even give Diablo a run for its money in terms of its, shall we say, 'addictive' qualities.

Overall : 8.0 This is the real deal, and probably one of the last RPG's of this calibur you'll see on the Dreamcast. While it's not a perfect game (certain types of gamers need not apply, and you know who you are), for fans of the genre, this one is as close to Diablo II as you'll get on the Dreamcast. Don't put it in expecting to impress anyone with the aural or visual aspects of the game, let the gameplay speak for itself, and at less than $20 in many stores, it's easily one of the better DC bargains available now.

I played this game on my Dreamcast system and I enjoyed it much more than any Fantasy game on any system. The game play action flows much better than "Skies of Arcadia" and it has as good of a story line as Draconus Cult of the wyrm" Get this game! Get it! NOW!

An amazing game, but hey just read the other posts and you'll get the idea. Though, I can honostly see how this game would not be for everyone. The games a little on the darker side and not much for brighter colors (In other words, though graphics are good it's just not... PRETTY:(If you like the way Action RPGs play like Zelda,Lagoon,etc and don't like the way the diablos games play then you will not enjoy this game. But all that aside its a very enjoyable game. Yes, I know I practicaly bashed the game and yet gave it five stars. It's just that everyone else said it so well, as to how good the game is, that is. I just figured I would highlight why one might not like this game:) so please, don't stop here read the other reviews that people have written and they will explain how wonderful this game is;)