Editorial Review
Talk about going out with a bang! Sony Computer Entertainment released its four-disc
The Legend of Dragoon for the PlayStation only months before the release of that console's successor, the PlayStation2. This very absorbing role-playing game, with hours upon hours of story and inventive gameplay, might just be the last great title for the glorious PSX.
The copious story begins with Dart, a vengeful young man with spiky hair and red armor who embarks on a desperate rescue mission to break his childhood sweetheart out of a castle prison. The two join forces with a knight who is trying to end a war that's destroying the region. Dart soon learns that he is a Dragoon--a human who's privy to the spiritual power of dragons. Like all RPG heroes, Dart is up against impossible odds, but his newfound Dragoon magic and battle skills go a long way toward making the bet even money.
And that's just the beginning. Grab a spare memory card and a comfy chair and be prepared to spend at least 20 hours getting through the first disk (there are three others just like it in the double-wide case). It's hard to sustain a player through this kind of time span, but The Legend of Dragoon takes chances and wins. For example, its battle system is turn based, so you can actually use some strategy, but it also features special "additions," or fighting combos that unfold if you match the X button to that addition's timing. When handling three players' additions, each with unique sequences, it can be quite challenging. You can increase the potency of the elemental magic up to 160 percent by quickly tapping X during your cast. Also, the perspectives often change between battles--players will direct the action from behind the heroes, behind the villains, looking down from above, and off to the side.
There are a couple downsides to the game. First, the stylized transitions into and out of battle mode, while initially cool, quickly become exhausting--especially when running the gauntlet through lesser foes in the wilderness or lower ramparts of a castle. The game's story is built such that you're watching the sometimes goofy dialog as a spectator rather than participating in it. There are a few occasions when the game will prompt you to choose from two different responses, but often either response will bring about the same conclusion. That tightly controlled narrative, however, often works in the player's favor by keeping the game flowing instead of the wandering common in other RPGs, where players waste time looking to each townsperson for direction.
Overall, the game's wonderfully illustrated sets, light exploration and problem solving, and a handful of jaw-dropping full-motion video scenes make The Legend of Dragoon fun to play and hard to put down. --Porter Hall
Pros:
- Hours upon hours of story and gameplay
- Turn-based battle made more exciting by combo-attack-style "additions"
- Many different monsters, spells, weapons, and items
Cons: - Very linear gameplay offers no chance to affect outcome
- Stylish pre- and postbattle sequences quickly grow tiresome
Product Description
A four-disc RPG epic, The Legend of Dragoon is set in a time of swords, magic, and dragons. Ten thousand years prior, the Dragon War pitted Dragoons--humans with the power to control dragons--against Enslavers, magicians who sought to enslave the humans. Now Dart, a young warrior, is on a quest to find the demon that killed his parents. The Legend of Dragoon features prerendered, 3-D backgrounds and detailed, polygonal figures. Several nonplaying characters and many full-motion video scenes take you through the complex story. The game's turn-based battle engine allows you to increase the strength of an attack through repeated button taps and shows the percentage increase you've created. A timing feature in the battle modes allows you to add devastating combinations to your attacks. The Spirit Points you accumulate during your quest can be used to unlock a special power, known as the Dragon attack.
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