Customer Reviews

Sudeki

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

At present I am almost finished with the game (at only 17 or so hours into it, mind you). So, I thought it an apt time to voice my opinions on the game.

Gameplay: The place where this game truly shines is its real-time combat system, which is quite unique to a RPG. Depending on which character you use, the game is played as a FPS (first person shooter) or as third person action game. The FPS mode is fairly traditional, but the melee combat is unique. It is comprised of a combo system in which the player must enter in three button combos to complete attacks. Each combo is unique and may yield an interesting effect on your opponent (such as stunning or double damage). Here's the catch. The combos have to be inputted in a particular beat. If you mash the buttons, your character will still attack, but you won't get the desired combo. The system takes a few battles to get used to, but once you do it functions well and is enjoyable.

There are several attempts at puzzles in this game. Most of them are far too simple to be interesting, although a few block pushing puzzles at the end are rather interesting. For the most part, though, the puzzles fall rather flat and seem to be used only as a way to break up combat (something which wasn't necessary in the first place).

The level up system borrows a bit from titles like Arcanum. Each level, you receive a few points (one or two) which can be used to increase stats, hit points, spell points, or grant your character new spells. The system offers an interesting amount of customization not usually afforded in linear RPG's. Also, a bit of exploration will unearth items which permanently increase specific stats, thus allowing even more customization on the player's part.

Graphics: The game looks quite good. It is very stylized and cartoonish. The game does occasionally suffer from slow frame rates, particularly just before reaching a new area. Thankfully this slow down never happened during combat and it never hampered the gameplay. The camera could occasionally be tricky, but it was usually quickly resolved by moving the right thumbstick.

Sound: Here is where most people will probably be split. The voice acting is Sudeki is campy, and by campy I mean full blown campy. I must admit that when I first turned on the game and watched the opening sequence, I grit my teeth when I heard the voice acting. However, as time went on, and I got a better feel for the game, I began to realize that the campy voices really did fit with the game. For the most part, Sudeki is a fairly comedic and cartoonish game. The campy voice acting does seem to help bring out these qualities. The voice makes the game feel like an anime, like those old translated episodes of Dragon Ball.

The soundtrack for the game is quite good. It's an interesting mix of New Age acoustic guitars, heavy techno, with a little bit of roadhouse twang thrown into the mix. The theme from New Brightwater is certainly one of the standout songs in the game.

Story: The story in Sudeki is rather a mixed blessing, probably because it is so end loaded. The beginning of the game eases you into the world, giving you just the slightest tidbits of information about the bigger story. You explore the entirety of the first and second world, as well as part of the third, before the plot finally starts moving. Then, it seems like too much information is being thrown at you at one time. There are a few major plot twists, but the story itself is not intracately layered. It seems to be delivered bluntly.

The characters are alright, if a bit two dimensional. Tal, your main character, is a soldier how constantly feels the need to prove himself to his father. Allish is a princess mage who wants to do what she wants when she wants to. Buki is your typical tribal warrior, cold and impersonal with a distrust of human society. My favorite character, Elco, is a steam-punk scientist who's given his life and his hand for the kingdom of Illumina. The game actually seems to take a bit of advice from Classical Theater by using the original meaning of Deus ex Machina. The gods literally appear before the heroes and tell them what to do. Although it may come off as trite, it is an interesting choice, especially given that the pantheon of this world seems quite classical.

The world of Sudeki is fairly interesting. It is a combination of pretty much every RPG world concept ever used (save for Fallout's post nuclear apocalypse). Illumina is a sort of a steam-punk city, large gears coinciding with parapets and high castle towers. Brightwater is your classic medieval town by the bay. Shadani-Mo is a tribal city out in the desert. Transentia is a cyber punk city with ray guns and clockwork robots. The only complaint I have about the world is that I want to see more. What is already there is interesting, but it does seem as though some aspect could have been flesh out a bit more.

Closing comments: Sudeki is a very fun game with an interesting combat system. The world is vibrant and interesting, although I do wish it had been fleshed out a bit more. The story is alright, but the combat really is where this game shines.

4.5

When i first heard about the upcoming release of Sudeki i was pretty stoked. The XBox has been lacking exclusive RPGs and Sudeki (along with Fable) looked like it might fill in some gapping holes. However after picking up a demo of the game at Gamestop prior to it's release my entire opinion flipped. The demo was plain awful, the combat seemed to be lacking and to put it lightly i wasn't at all impressed. So what did i do? I cancelled my reservation.

Several months latter (after watching Sudeki pretty much bomb sales wise) i decided to pick up a copy because of the price drop and i have to say that my opinion completly changed. Hidden behind all of the hype (both negative and positive) i found Sudeki suprisingly addictive and enjoyable.

Graphically the game is beutiful and despite the simplicity of the combat it's enjoyable (not bad hack and slash at all) - the boss fights are also alot of fun. The story has depth and despite the annoying voice acting (and it is very annoying) i can't say anything other then i enjoyed the game.

I guess i leaned my lesson - don't trust a demo to give you an honest accesment of a game and don't believe the hype. There are quite a few games that were overlooked and have become classics. (especially RPGs)

Give Sudeki a shot.

I just finished playing Sudeki, and overall I found it to be quite enjoyable. It's an RPG game with a anime look and feel. It features a real time battle system. Some characters are melee characters where battle is like a fighting game where there are various combos. Some characters have ranged weapons where it's like a first person shooter. It can sometimes be a bit frustrating to try to manage all 4 characters in real time, but a 'QuickMenu' helps you quickly execute actions for each character and then cycle to others.

The game is quite linear, and it does a good job keeping you on track. You really need to complete side quests you get when you get them, otherwise, who knows when you'll get the chance to get back to do them. It can actually be frustrating at times to not be able to get back to the right place with the right character to finish a side quest. The story line of the game puts you in control of different sets of characters over time, which keeps things interesting. Each characters have their strengths and weaknesses, so you have to learn to make the best of each character. I found the storyline to be fairly interesting, although it's not very original.

The graphics are very good, although I wish it had support for a higher HDTV resolution. The sound effects make good use of surround sound. I ended up spending a couple hours a day on the game over a couple weeks.

If you are looking for an open ended in depth RPG, this isn't the game for you. If you are looking for a fun linear RPG game to entertain you for 30 hours or so of game play, I think Sudeki is a good buy.

The Xbox has very few RPG's worth mentioning. This is, without a doubt, one of the system's main weaknesses. For years Microsoft had been promoting Sudeki as one of the games that would change all that. Well... as it turns out it wasn't. What happened?

Contrary to every advertisement and preview, contrary even to certain reviews seen here, Sudeki is not truly a role playing game. Allow me to emphasize this. Examples of RPG's would include the original Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, or just about any RPG on the PS2. Sudeki could be more accurately described as a linear adventure game. If you are looking for a meaty, 40-hour epic this isn't it. There is exactly ONE point in the game that allows you to control one of your character's decisions, and even that turns out to be rather inconsequential. Dialogue with NPC's is humorous, but pretty superficial. Aside from leveling there is no player-controlled character development whatsoever. And as I noted earlier the adventure itself is very linear. In many cases other areas of the world are inaccessible until you complete a certain quest. This usually takes the form of a gate that is inexplicably locked.

The story isn't too original either, although it does get more interesting a few hours in. And speaking of character development, I find it odd that 3 of the 4 main characters have supposedly known each other for years and yet they don't even act like it until almost halfway through.

Sudeki uses a lot of voice acting, which is good, but a lot of it is quite cheesy. I thought that was ok, since it's kind of in the same lighthearted spirit as the world, but your mileage may vary.

Also be aware that Sudeki is short. I finished it in just under 20 hours, not including retries, and that was with every side quest completed and taking my time. Sadly there isn't really any replay value since the game is so short and you have absolutely no control over initial character creation. You do, at least, have full control over the leveling process.

Now... if you're willing to forgive some of these flaws, you might still find Sudeki to be surprisingly enjoyable, as I did. To start off, this is just simply a gorgeous game. Nominations should be awarded. Every single environment has been crafted with a loving attention that is often absent in modern games. The game is awash in bright colors, slightly super-deformed characters, and fairy-tale buildings. For me, at least, it really did feel like I was playing in a cartoon. More importantly there is simply no repetitiveness in the levels. Take some time to look around instead of just speeding through, and you'll be surprised at all the little (and big) details you might see.

Sudeki also has quite a few cutscenes. Generally they are pretty darn well done and even wryly humorous, often giving unexpected insight into the world and the characters. The last cutscene that occurs just before the final battle is a real treat... unfortunately, after you win, the game just sort of ends. Abruptly.

Aside from visual appeal and charm, combat is Sudeki's other main strength. The two melee characters, Tal and Buki, feature a combo attack system. By pressing the A and B buttons in certain combinations you can get different attack combos, but timing is important. Mashing the buttons too slow or too fast will cause the combo to fail. The two other characters, Ailish and Elco, utilize first-person ranged attacks when under your control. Every character also features skill strikes, which are very powerful special moves that use up Skill Points. Time slows down during a skill strike, which allows you to ensure that the strike affects the most enemies, or in the case of buffs, goes off correctly. Each character also learns two or three Spirit Strikes during the game. Spirit Strikes take a fairly long time to build up but are pretty much guaranteed to destroy every non-boss enemy in the immediate area. However, keep in mind that even when you have all four characters fighting together you can only directly control one at a time (although you can switch freely during combat). Combat is a lot of fun but at times it does seem a bit too easy. The bosses are pretty cool but none of them pose a real challenge if you fight smart and are prepared, and any random encounter in the wilderness can be defeated as long as you have a Spirit Strike saved up. Each character also features a special ability. Tal can pull and push heavy objects, Buki can climb certain walls, Ailish can dispel magic, and Elco can fly. These abilities are key to getting past certain areas.

Finally a word about Sudeki's Mature rating. There are definitely parts of the game that can be a little gory. In a world full of anthropomorphic characters and cutesy scenery it can be quite jarring to see innocent people get brutally slaughtered, but while Sudeki has a lot of cheerful sunshine it does have its dark moments too. And yes, there is definitely a "T&A" factor to this game. If you don't know what T&A is, then look at the box cover. There is enough here to inspire a legion of naughty fanart. Let it be known that Buki has by far one of the most unattainably perfect tushes ever to be seen in a video game, and see it you will, since she spends most of it running around with little more than a piece of floss to preserve her dignity. You've been warned (or encouraged, if you're into that I suppose).

Overall Sudeki has great production quality but it fails to deliver as a true RPG. However despite its flaws it still has a lighthearted, oddly addictive appeal to it. This is definitely a game that doesn't take itself too seriously. As long as you don't expect it to be anything more than a visually interesting adventure romp with strong combat elements it will probably be worth your time. At the current discounted prices, or as a weekend rental, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something short and sweet.

Sudeki was an excellent game in terms of graphics, ease of play, and general fun. However, I had two problems with the game: The game was too short. I defeated the final boss after only a week of play. I guess this is to be expected, though. With the exceptions of such titan computer titles like Neverwinter Nights and Morrowind, most of the RPG titles released for Xbox suffer the same lack of content that could keep a gamer interested for months not weeks or days. Basically, Sudeki was all show with little substance.

My other problem with Sudeki was the ending. The story just ends much like it begins. What the hell?

after playing fable, i thought i would try another rpg. this game was a dissapointment. the story line isnt as interesting and the gameplay didnt feel right. i was bored after an hour of playing.

Right. Held my comments until I finished it. (was ready to pan it from barely an hour in though!)

Sound- Who cares? Good voice acting, but nothing that you absolutely had to listen to, so why bother? Music is fine, but not really inspiring or epic. That said, probably the best part of the game!

Graphics- "Pretty", but very static. Everything is what it is, and, other than pushing a few locked outhouses around, it all stays that way. Not much to see with only three small worlds to explore, but the variety that is present is alright. The lead character looks like a woman, and despite clothing designs on the actual female characters that leave nothing to the imagination, that familiar Xbox bounciness just isn't there. Coolest thing is an intro bit with backlit cutouts/puppets/marionettes.

Gameplay- Tackles many genres and succeeds to really master none, the last people who will really love this game are hardcore RPG enthusiasts. Plays more like a shooter, except the paths you travel are devoid of anything more than the occasional merchant or breakable box. Another one of those games where barrels and boxes reappear in the same place over and over again, and you break them each time wondering, "Am I really irritating some poor sanitation worker who has to keep replacing these?" Interaction with NPCs is lifeless, and a bit pointless, and worst of all it continually falls out of context. For instance, some fisherman or whoever will give a reply fitting to the barbarian stranger in town, but switch to the princess and the guy still talks to you the same way (what, no "Your Highness"?! Off with his head!). Seems odd like when you are running around as a character FROM the place you are exploring, yet she/he is asking questions like, "So, what's it like around here?"

Puzzles- None to speak of. There are a few rooms that require you to do the old push/pull the box ordeal, but they are so simplistic as to be pointless. If you call being told to collect a bunch of gems, having to run in and out of the same area fighting the same enemy over and over to get them, and then returning them to the NPC for some cheapo potion, then yes, there are puzzles.

Battle- Combat takes place in mini-arenas that seal their exits shut until fighting ends, and you pretty much have three choices: One, play like a shooter game and use one of the gun/magic using PCs to strafe in circles around the baddies. Two, play like a slasher game and hack-hack-chop your way to victory. Or three, recycle all your income into potions for spell points, and use special attacks over and over. I used the third method to beat the end of the game, did not even have to use a single health potion. If you broke those three parts up into individual games, each would make a mediocre shooting/fighting/magic game not much worthy of attention.

It is nice to have another RPG on the Xbox, but with games like KoTOR behind us and Fable coming quickly, people are starting to expect a bit more life in their adventures. Some meaningful choices. In Sudeki, you the player just don't really matter.

I've read a lot of reviews by people bashing this game. Some seem to have played it, while others seem to have only played the demo. The demo came out something like a year before the game, and it was very beta, and unpolished. Please don't judge the game on the demo.
Having said that I'll get to the game itself. First of all the big draw for me was the combat system. I've really gotten tired of the "active-time battle system" from the Final Fantasy series. More often than not it's an incredibly monotonous affair that is repeated ad nauseum. It's just calmy pressing one button over and over, and if things get really crazy you just might have to tap the control pad a couple times as well.
Sudeki is real "active-time" combat. You run around your enemies in real-time and have to time your strikes to get combos. If things get crazy you've always got the "step-back-Fool!" button that knocks everyone away. Also the ranged characters are controlled from a first-person perspective, a la Doom. How cool is that?!
The only thing that's ever kept me from finishing an RPG before is the crappy combat system that everyone in Japan seems to think is so great. Well I'm sick of it and I'm ecstatic to play a game where you actually get to DO something in combat. That REALLY helps this game out as far as I'm concerned.
Some have voiced complaints about the voice acting. ...Well I can't whole-heartedly deny this. There are some moments where you just have to wince at how poorly the voice-overs are. That and the mish-mosh of accents was a little uncalled for. (Maybe the developers were putting that in as an homage to Chrono Cross...) The main characters however were all well done as far as I'm concerned. Especially the gal behind Ailish. Wow. That girl needs more voice acting gigs. I think everyone was a bit thrown by the anime stylizings while the characters, for the most part, had British accents. I never had a problem with it.
The story also gets bashed a lot. True, it wasn't incredibly deep or complex. It was, however, concise, and fast-moving. No melodramatic, pretentious, stabs at psycho-babble philosophy, like you might find in some other RPGs. (What is life, but the spark of the mind's will to concieve form, from that which has none...) Sorry. I've just gotten tired of the bloated, esoteric, meandering pretensions of many Japanese RPGs. Not to mention a lot of anime as well. (<cough> Neon Genesis Evangelion <cough>)
So something short and sweet was just what I needed.
The graphics are a mixed bag. Sometimes I just had to stop and take in my surroundings, while other times it seemed like they used a two-color palet for the sky in places.
The "puzzles" are annoyingly simplistic. There's nothing I can say to soften that up, except that they are mercifully kept to a reasonable number.
My only real gripe is the ending. Don't worry there's no spoilers here... I'll just say that it's almost as bad as the NES days. You don't get any kind of denoument. In fact the ending is the very definition of anti-climactic. I think the developers were forced to wrap this one up a little early because it feels like there were some things missing.
Oh and for those who would like to compare it to KOTOR, I won't argue with you. KOTOR was a vastly superior effort...
Sudeki was still a very fun game however. It just had one of the worst endings in video game history.

Sudeki is one of the best looking games I've ever played. The gameplay is closer to games like Kingdom Hearts and very heavy on action. I hope they continue this series and make a sequel.

If only they put as much time into creating a quality RPG as they seem to have spent on the backsides of female character models.

This fits in my category of adventure, with several RPG elements. It's about as close to an RPG as Riddick (also on XBOX), which I enjoyed more.

I started this game very impressed with the visuals, and quickly became more and more disappointed with the actual gaming experience.

Exploration sucks. It's a beautiful world, but very small. You spend a lot of time going back and forth over one particular path. There are only a total of 5 very small towns. I spent a lot of time hitting locked doors, and never finding a way to open them.

Side quests invariably involve going someplace you have already been and fighting more of the same creatures.

Dialogue is often inane. Between nonsensical sexual innuendo from shopkeepers, to oddball monologues about the tension between science and faith (poorly delivered), dialogue kills a lot of the fun. Having to listen to that stuff dragged the review down a star.

Character development on your first two PCs suddenly stops about halfway through, when they start developing the other two PCs. In the end, I felt unsatisfied with the story regarding any of the four.

Added to the rest... you don't get to buy armor at all, and weapons are acquired in various locations. Modifications are a nice touch, but more weapon options would have been nice.

If you're curious, it makes a decent weekend rental, but I doubt you will find it worth purchasing.