109 4 This game is amazing . The main character just makes this game . Jack Russel is hilarious . Other then taht there is alot of side quests and a great story . ALso there is a ton of characters . You can only use 4 at a time and most people u get suck . U find some ok people within do time . Overall graet game 5 stars .
033 4 This is a very cool game . The art is gorgeous . The game play is really awsome after you really get in to the game . My only problem with it is the lack of save points , but thats just a challenge . Just play it .
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Let me start off by saying that I have not finished the game ; rather I am probably at or beyond the halfway point of it clocking in around 19 - 20 hours . So , I can't really comment on the ultimate progression of the plot , or lame ending as others have written , but I can speak of Radiata's other qualities .
- Plot . So far , mildly interesting , but nothing that keeps me dangling on the edge of my sofa or makes me miss two nights of sleep . The concept of following a young knight as he progresses through life is engaging , but again it's not the best plot idea out there .
- Dialogue . Probably what makes this game shine . Or at least what kept me from giving it 3 stars overall . The humor in this game is refreshing , to say the least , with each character constantly teasing and chiding the others around him / her throughout the game . The main character , Jack , is pretty funny , especially at times when he gets really excited or really peeved at his squadmates . You're reminded that Jack is an immature and sometimes annoying brat just about every time he opens his mouth . Probably sounds like it can a little old , but it's more funny than obnoxious . At least , I tend to think so .
- 150 characters . Ho hum . Collecting characters fell out of favor with me after Suikoden . If this kinda thing is your bag , baby , then go for it . Stalking these fruitcakes throughout the city at all hours of the day and night trying to get a hold of them so they can ultimately tell you Hey buddy , F you I'm busy got REALLY OLD . I spoke with this one guy on the street , in the tavern , in the bar , and in the church and he kept saying the same stupid thing over and over . Why didn't he join my party , then ? Oh , it's because I have to talk to him at the NIGHTCLUB to get him to join , and not the other places . Yeah , let me spend hours tracking this twig down to get him to join my party . He's probably armed with a banana and a half-spent roll of toilet paper , and dies in two hits anyway , so who cares ? I also regret the developers ' decision to make some characters agree to join you only after you spoken with them every day for a certain number of days . Nothing quite like artificially running up the length of the game by making players carpetbomb the city every day with hellos . The city is enormous , by the way . Just . . . . never mind , I'm going to change the subject .
- Music . Sorry , this is one of the aspects of Radiata that I really really really didn't like . While there might be a song or two that's cool , most are of the irritating twangy jazz / almost bluegrass kinda crap that just plain grate . The battle music is ok , but the boss music is plain unforgivable . I was never sure if a fight was about to break out , or if a circus troupe was about to perform . How about at least a little serious battle music ?
- Battles . Pretty enjoyable . You basically control your main character while the CPU controls your teammates . However , you can influence your other characters through battle commands like attack that enemy or be my meat shield , but these are kinda stupid anyway , seeing as how the best way to be successful in battles is to simply forego the commands and just bring along teammates who have high Strength levels . These Attack Machines will often mow down most of the enemy number before you can lift your weapon .
- Kicking . That's right , kicking . You can kick just about everything in the game . It's how you find things . You can kick stones , pebbles , trees , insects , crates , lightposts , old ladies , treasure chests , whatever . It's the only way you can really obtain items aside from winning them in battle or wasting money on them . The kicking thing is funny at first ( when it's novel ) , but I soon became tired of the sport , mainly after seeing how large some of these areas are . Oh , and especially after I kicked that one flower-planting lady in the tush twice , only to have her sic guards on me , who kept regenerating endlessly throughout the battle , forcing me to run using one of my items . That was frustrating . And that did it .
- Saving . More irritating than it needs to be . Rather than give you the option of saving ad libitum in the overworld or , hell , wherever you want , you can only save at certain locations , AT certain times . Yes , that's right , a save point in one spot will often DISAPPEAR once you advance the story . You can also only recover health by sleeping in your own bed , which coincidentally is usually found at the CENTER of the game's map . So you get to save your game , travel out on a quest fighting enemies , kicking nature , and collecting items for a few hours , fight a particularly nasty group of enemies which happen to kick your arse , and guess what ? RESTART from the last save point . That happened to me twice early on in the game . Nothing like having to redo a few hours of work . Granted , this hasn't happened since the beginning of the game ( actually , save points sometimes occur TOO often where I am in the game ! ) but at least I can say , you've been warned .
- Story Progression / Time . Almost didn't mention this point . The game runs on a day / night time system . Whether you're traipsing across the meadowlands , chasing down townspeople , or standing completely still getting a sunburn , time is moving . Every time the clock hits 12 a new day begins . Often after the main plot takes a break , you're allowed to run around and do whatever you want . The thing is you only have a few days to talk to people , buy junk to equip yourself with , or work through some sidequests . If you spend too much time and those days all pass , the main story automatically moves on . This can get a little annoying sometimes . On the other hand if you're the kind of person to says screw it to sidequests and spending money , you can just sleep in your bed 2 - 4 times until the main story progresses . Remember , the whole game seems to be on a day system , like a calendar .
That's about all I can say at this point in the game . I was interested in collecting characters at first , but then I found out that there were ~ 150 of them , and that it took way too much trial and error talk to everyone you meet everyday with different people in your party crud in order to convince many of them to join . So now I'm just moving myself through the main game , only stopping to complete the occasional sidequest , and I figure I'll finish the game in another 10 hours or so . The game is nothing truly outstanding , but it's enjoyable for what it is . ( And don't buy this game if it's priced over $40 )
Will I play through it again after that ? Nope , no reason to - - even if there's an alternate storyline / ending . This game has enough charm for a good single play-thru and then it's exchangin ' time .
001 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I am a fan of the Tri-Ace company . Their games have often combined good storylines with excellent music , but most importantly , they have always given the gamer a little bit more . With Star Ocean 2 , and even more so , Valkyrie Profile , the gamer was ( gasp ! ) not bored to fight battles , as strategy played a key role in success . Furthermore , SO2 and VP had extensive bonus dungeons and multiple endings ( SO2 had 97 , if I'm not mistaken ) , which added to replay value . I was a bit disappointed in SO : Till the End of Time . Although the after-game bonus dungeons were incredible , there seemed to be little originality present ( including an item creation system that can only be described as baffling - where was the simplicity of SO2 and VP ? ) . I liked the game , but was left wanting more . . .
In the case of originality , Radiata Stories ( hereby dubbed RS ) delivers . A role playing game in which active recruitment is a driving force ( much like Suikoden ) , you play as Jack Russell , the son of a famous knight Cairn , as he attempts to follow in his father's footsteps by joining the Knights of Radiata . Throughout the game , you will make friends and enemies ( there are two separate paths that you can follow ! ) , and in all , you can recruit 177 new members of your party ( although I'm not sure that all of them may be called on in a single game ) .
The graphics of this game are beautiful ( I wish that the Suikoden series would take a page out of this game's book ! ) , and the recruiting is quite fun . However , as is often the case with these types of games , the story takes a back seat ( it is very difficult to get interested in the events around you when your focus is making friends ) . Much like Suikoden and VERY much like Suikoden IV , there really isn't much going on here . Recruit people to fight a war that seems ill-conceived ( and ill-defined - it is difficult to understand the motivation of the combatants ) until you realize that some overarching entity is the true puppet master , in which you stop the entity . Moreover , the ending ( or one of the endings - I haven't played through both paths yet ) can only be described by guh ? . It is difficult to understand why you are doing anything at all , other than making friends .
But in that respect , the game delivers . It is difficult to recruit all 177 friends , but much of the fun involved is trying ! Each person moves through the day according to some schedule , and at times might need your assistance . It is up to you to find those times , however . I found the recruiting to be a blast , in general . Of course , there is a secret character ( maybe more , I haven't found everyone ) that can only be recruited after defeating an after-game dungeon .
All in all , RS is a compelling title , and worthy of the legacy of Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile . I would however have liked more attention to be paid to the story . . .
002 4 I am a fan of the Tri-Ace company . Their games have often combined good storylines with excellent music , but most importantly , they have always given the gamer a little bit more . With Star Ocean 2 , and even more so , Valkyrie Profile , the gamer was ( gasp ! ) not bored to fight battles , as strategy played a key role in success . Furthermore , SO2 and VP had extensive bonus dungeons and multiple endings ( SO2 had 97 , if I'm not mistaken ) , which added to replay value . I was a bit disappointed in SO : Till the End of Time . Although the after-game bonus dungeons were incredible , there seemed to be little originality present ( including an item creation system that can only be described as baffling - where was the simplicity of SO2 and VP ? ) . I liked the game , but was left wanting more . . .
In the case of originality , Radiata Stories ( hereby dubbed RS ) delivers . A role playing game in which active recruitment is a driving force ( much like Suikoden ) , you play as Jack Russell , the son of a famous knight Cairn , as he attempts to follow in his father's footsteps by joining the Knights of Radiata . Throughout the game , you will make friends and enemies ( there are two separate paths that you can follow ! ) , and in all , you can recruit 177 new members of your party ( although I'm not sure that all of them may be called on in a single game ) .
The graphics of this game are beautiful ( I wish that the Suikoden series would take a page out of this game's book ! ) , and the recruiting is quite fun . However , as is often the case with these types of games , the story takes a back seat ( it is very difficult to get interested in the events around you when your focus is making friends ) . Much like Suikoden and VERY much like Suikoden IV , there really isn't much going on here . Recruit people to fight a war that seems ill-conceived ( and ill-defined - it is difficult to understand the motivation of the combatants ) until you realize that some overarching entity is the true puppet master , in which you stop the entity . Moreover , the ending ( or one of the endings - I haven't played through both paths yet ) can only be described by guh ? . It is difficult to understand why you are doing anything at all , other than making friends .
But in that respect , the game delivers . It is difficult to recruit all 177 friends , but much of the fun involved is trying ! Each person moves through the day according to some schedule , and at times might need your assistance . It is up to you to find those times , however . I found the recruiting to be a blast , in general . Of course , there is a secret character ( maybe more , I haven't found everyone ) that can only be recruited after defeating an after-game dungeon .
All in all , RS is a compelling title , and worthy of the legacy of Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile . I would however have liked more attention to be paid to the story . . .
003 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game is pretty standard issue story wise . You play hero X , get involved with a grand malevolent scheme , thwart evil plans . . . blah blah blah . The story takes a huge back seat in this game , moving on .
The combat is the highlight of this game I believe , as should be expected of the makers of the Star Ocean series . You have your choice from a few different weapons each having unique attacks that you earn through use . You can combine up to 5 of these standard attacks to form your combo any way you see fit . You eventually learn one power attack ( Volty Attack ) for each weapon . I pretty much hack and slashed my way through every battle even though you can block and counter . I found that after you had attacks that could break the enemies guard you had basically won the fight . You can also call on your partners to use their various attacks once you get to a point in the story . Finally you can change formations on the fly which allow you to surround enemies and pound them or do flanking formations and other such things . The only thing that sucks about all of this is that you gradually open these features with the story so you're forced to wait quite a while before combat gets even remotely interesting .
Combat aside , this game is basically one big distraction of collecting friends Suikoden style . The crappy part is you don't get a castle / stronghold like in Suikoden , you simply collect 100 + equally worthless allies ( Because your main character is all that really matters ) while you wait for something to happen in the story . This drove me completely bonkers . I was so bored sometimes in this game I would repeatedly have to sleep or leave my game running just to get the story to advance because quite frankly I didn't care to collect every character after a while . In Suikoden you felt compelled to collect everybody because every now and again they acutally did something additional for you like sell you stuff or teleport you , not the case in Radiata Stories .
In summary , this is a collection game . The story is superficial and cliche , the combat is fun but one dimensional , and everything takes a side note to making friends . It's really a shame because the game looks and sounds good but it's can be a terrible bore to play at times .
004 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game is pretty standard issue story wise . You play hero X , get involved with a grand malevolent scheme , thwart evil plans . . . blah blah blah . The story takes a huge back seat in this game , moving on .
The combat is the highlight of this game I believe , as should be expected of the makers of the Star Ocean series . You have your choice from a few different weapons each having unique attacks that you earn through use . You can combine up to 5 of these standard attacks to form your combo any way you see fit . You eventually learn one power attack ( Volty Attack ) for each weapon . I pretty much hack and slashed my way through every battle even though you can block and counter . I found that after you had attacks that could break the enemies guard you had basically won the fight . You can also call on your partners to use their various attacks once you get to a point in the story . Finally you can change formations on the fly which allow you to surround enemies and pound them or do flanking formations and other such things . The only thing that sucks about all of this is that you gradually open these features with the story so you're forced to wait quite a while before combat gets even remotely interesting .
Combat aside , this game is basically one big distraction of collecting friends Suikoden style . The crappy part is you don't get a castle / stronghold like in Suikoden , you simply collect 100 + equally worthless allies ( Because your main character is all that really matters ) while you wait for something to happen in the story . This drove me completely bonkers . I was so bored sometimes in this game I would repeatedly have to sleep or leave my game running just to get the story to advance because quite frankly I didn't care to collect every character after a while . In Suikoden you felt compelled to collect everybody because every now and again they acutally did something additional for you like sell you stuff or teleport you , not the case in Radiata Stories .
In summary , this is a collection game . The story is superficial and cliche , the combat is fun but one dimensional , and everything takes a side note to making friends . It's really a shame because the game looks and sounds good but it's can be a terrible bore to play at times .
005 4 This game is pretty standard issue story wise . You play hero X , get involved with a grand malevolent scheme , thwart evil plans . . . blah blah blah . The story takes a huge back seat in this game , moving on .
The combat is the highlight of this game I believe , as should be expected of the makers of the Star Ocean series . You have your choice from a few different weapons each having unique attacks that you earn through use . You can combine up to 5 of these standard attacks to form your combo any way you see fit . You eventually learn one power attack ( Volty Attack ) for each weapon . I pretty much hack and slashed my way through every battle even though you can block and counter . I found that after you had attacks that could break the enemies guard you had basically won the fight . You can also call on your partners to use their various attacks once you get to a point in the story . Finally you can change formations on the fly which allow you to surround enemies and pound them or do flanking formations and other such things . The only thing that sucks about all of this is that you gradually open these features with the story so you're forced to wait quite a while before combat gets even remotely interesting .
Combat aside , this game is basically one big distraction of collecting friends Suikoden style . The crappy part is you don't get a castle / stronghold like in Suikoden , you simply collect 100 + equally worthless allies ( Because your main character is all that really matters ) while you wait for something to happen in the story . This drove me completely bonkers . I was so bored sometimes in this game I would repeatedly have to sleep or leave my game running just to get the story to advance because quite frankly I didn't care to collect every character after a while . In Suikoden you felt compelled to collect everybody because every now and again they acutally did something additional for you like sell you stuff or teleport you , not the case in Radiata Stories .
In summary , this is a collection game . The story is superficial and cliche , the combat is fun but one dimensional , and everything takes a side note to making friends . It's really a shame because the game looks and sounds good but it's can be a terrible bore to play at times .
006 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Radiata Stories is a mission-oriented fantasy rpg set in Tottaus , a world which houses both humans , elves , dwarves and even orcs . They may all live there , but they don't always get along . Humans , the only mortal race are views with great suspicion and war is brewing once again . In the background the dragons charges with keeping the world's balance begin the moves that will once again signal the destruction of mankind .
In the midst of the disquiet , Jack Russell , the son of a famous knight , leaves home to find his on way to knighthood at castle Radiata . He will make friends and enemies as he follows quests , builds his powers , and on day has to make a fateful decision about whether he will play on the human sight or join Ridley Silverlake , a young woman who leaves the knights to take up the cause of the fairy world .
This is a critical decision . On the one hand Jack follows a path of duty and destiny , and on the other path he finds love and community . The choice is like a lightening strike in the middle of the story , as difficult a one for the player as it is for Jack . Whichever way you decide to go , the game will never be the same . For me this inserted an element of dissatisfaction in the tale , as one of the choices leaves you with disquieting doubts . And you really do have to play both to get the whole game .
Much of the game depends on Jack's efforts to befriend the people of Radiata and the surrounding lands . This will be how he creates his teams for the missions and to recruit the better characters he must recruit many of the others . Playing without a guide this is the real difficulty of the game . Some characters are easily recruited with a word or a quick battle , but others take an effort to discover what they want and how to satisfy their needs .
The battle system is real time , very much under Jack's control , with opportunities for him to learn skills from other characters . It takes a while to fully understand the system , but once you do it becomes fairly intuitive . Main story character interaction is primarily via cut scene , typical of mission game structures . This is compensated for by the need to talk to just about every other character of the game .
It is easy to understand the popularity of the game even though I much preferred one ending to the other . Despite a tremendous amount of leveling up needed , I never felt the battles were overly repetitive . Except when you're primed for battle level 70 team has to stop to demolish a couple of ants . Artwork , animation , and music are also well done . A worthwhile game , but one that needs the addition of a guide for complete enjoyment .
007 4 Radiata Stories is a mission-oriented fantasy rpg set in Tottaus , a world which houses both humans , elves , dwarves and even orcs . They may all live there , but they don't always get along . Humans , the only mortal race are views with great suspicion and war is brewing once again . In the background the dragons charges with keeping the world's balance begin the moves that will once again signal the destruction of mankind .
In the midst of the disquiet , Jack Russell , the son of a famous knight , leaves home to find his on way to knighthood at castle Radiata . He will make friends and enemies as he follows quests , builds his powers , and on day has to make a fateful decision about whether he will play on the human sight or join Ridley Silverlake , a young woman who leaves the knights to take up the cause of the fairy world .
This is a critical decision . On the one hand Jack follows a path of duty and destiny , and on the other path he finds love and community . The choice is like a lightening strike in the middle of the story , as difficult a one for the player as it is for Jack . Whichever way you decide to go , the game will never be the same . For me this inserted an element of dissatisfaction in the tale , as one of the choices leaves you with disquieting doubts . And you really do have to play both to get the whole game .
Much of the game depends on Jack's efforts to befriend the people of Radiata and the surrounding lands . This will be how he creates his teams for the missions and to recruit the better characters he must recruit many of the others . Playing without a guide this is the real difficulty of the game . Some characters are easily recruited with a word or a quick battle , but others take an effort to discover what they want and how to satisfy their needs .
The battle system is real time , very much under Jack's control , with opportunities for him to learn skills from other characters . It takes a while to fully understand the system , but once you do it becomes fairly intuitive . Main story character interaction is primarily via cut scene , typical of mission game structures . This is compensated for by the need to talk to just about every other character of the game .
It is easy to understand the popularity of the game even though I much preferred one ending to the other . Despite a tremendous amount of leveling up needed , I never felt the battles were overly repetitive . Except when you're primed for battle level 70 team has to stop to demolish a couple of ants . Artwork , animation , and music are also well done . A worthwhile game , but one that needs the addition of a guide for complete enjoyment .
008 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
is all part of destiny .
Pros :
- nice polished graphics
- nice voiceoveres
- addictive gameplay
- decent story
- 175 friends to get , man those who love this kinda stuff , is gonna have a ball .
- Days that go by like grand theft auto
- 2 diffrent paths along the way which makes playing a second time a near must
- This is a nice game by tri ace
Cons :
- If Jack dies , it's game over ( It doesn't matter if the rest of your crew is 100% healthy , if you lose , game's over )
- You can only control Jack ( Say like if I needed to be healed and my healer wouldn't do it until my HP was blinking red , it wouldn't be much help if I got struck before I was healed . )
- Too short ( Even with collecting friends as a hobby , I completed the game in 31 hours . Really says much about the lenght of the game's story . )
- Too much is given away before events ( Too much dromatic irony does get repetitive )
- Cutting ouy Nami Tamaki's opening song and Yuka Imaizumi's lyrics for the end making it a instrumental ain't cool . ( I'm the kinda person who loves hearing a nice ending theme after beating the game . And I love Nami Tamaki , so taking her out sux )
Nutral :
- Jack is the only one you have to buy for ( In a way it saves money , but yet if everyone else had a weapon to upgrade by buying , that be cool . )
- If you remember suikoden for all the good or bad reasons , collecting friends might be exciting or boring .
- Man I wish you could get Jack to get with any of all the other chicks than ridley ( Like maybe Flau , Miranda , Iris , Lily , Natale , Alicia , and Rachel )
Radiata stories is a decent game , altho it's definitly similar to suikoden , but more addctive gameplay , but too short for me . For those who like RPGs or suikoden , should give this a try .
peace
009 4 is all part of destiny .
Pros :
- nice polished graphics
- nice voiceoveres
- addictive gameplay
- decent story
- 175 friends to get , man those who love this kinda stuff , is gonna have a ball .
- Days that go by like grand theft auto
- 2 diffrent paths along the way which makes playing a second time a near must
- This is a nice game by tri ace
Cons :
- If Jack dies , it's game over ( It doesn't matter if the rest of your crew is 100% healthy , if you lose , game's over )
- You can only control Jack ( Say like if I needed to be healed and my healer wouldn't do it until my HP was blinking red , it wouldn't be much help if I got struck before I was healed . )
- Too short ( Even with collecting friends as a hobby , I completed the game in 31 hours . Really says much about the lenght of the game's story . )
- Too much is given away before events ( Too much dromatic irony does get repetitive )
- Cutting ouy Nami Tamaki's opening song and Yuka Imaizumi's lyrics for the end making it a instrumental ain't cool . ( I'm the kinda person who loves hearing a nice ending theme after beating the game . And I love Nami Tamaki , so taking her out sux )
Nutral :
- Jack is the only one you have to buy for ( In a way it saves money , but yet if everyone else had a weapon to upgrade by buying , that be cool . )
- If you remember suikoden for all the good or bad reasons , collecting friends might be exciting or boring .
- Man I wish you could get Jack to get with any of all the other chicks than ridley ( Like maybe Flau , Miranda , Iris , Lily , Natale , Alicia , and Rachel )
Radiata stories is a decent game , altho it's definitly similar to suikoden , but more addctive gameplay , but too short for me . For those who like RPGs or suikoden , should give this a try .
peace
010 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I would have loved this game had it not been for the in-game clock rushing me to do things I'm not ready to do . It was a constant aggravation hurrying from point A to point B in time so that I could meet a character simply to buy a few items from him or her , or to get a key to opening up that character later on to become a friend ( more on this saving grace later ) . And then , to add to that , there is only one permanent save point in the whole game , and going to that save point is often off-limits if you don't want to progress the story . In general , I felt rushed by the whole in-game clock system , and frustrated when real-life time-constraints forced me to move on .
The in-game clock also makes it hard to do one of the few things that makes this game fun : collecting characters to join in the quest . Even finding the characters that are recruit-able can be time-consuming , let alone getting the tasks done that is needed to recruit those specific characters . But as you collect more and more of these characters , the game turns into a Pokemon-like gotta catch all kind of thing . I constantly searched the back corners of the world of Radiata Stories in order to find absolutely every character possible , and though I failed in recruiting everyone I still want to go back through and try to find who I missed . Early on , most of the characters are weaker , but as the story progresses stronger ones make themselves available , and that means a better team when battling the monsters of the world .
That leads me to the battle-system . The main character , you , of the group must shout orders at the other three characters and , depending on what the characters are capable of , they will act accordingly . Most will attack if you tell them to , but only a few can heal . Plus , there is a link system where the four characters link up and perform special attacks or have special abilities . It adds a little something , I think , to constant , monotonous battle systems found in most RPGs . But still , there comes a point when shouting orders and linking becomes rather useless , as the characters get so strong that it turns into more of a button masher than anything else . Still , early on it's fun and unique .
The story is okay too . It follows Jack as he tries to go in the same path that his hero father did by becoming one of the famed Radiata Knights . Things don't go so well for him and he believes his hopes of becoming a knight are lost . It doesn't end that way , though , and Jack finds himself journeying with two other Radiata Knights on missions . Still , something goes wrong later and Jack suddenly finds himself ousted as a Radiata Knight . From there he must start over and joins the Theatre Vancoor , a warrior guild that accepts missions from the highest bidders ( or whoever needs a job ) .
The three positives - - the decent story , innovative battle system , and character collecting - - made up for the one thing that nearly killed this game for me , that being the in-game clock . I had fun doing the things the game was rushing me to do , though I feel a little cheated at not being able to do everything the first time . As for recommendations , I can only recommend this to poeple who have quite a bit of time on their hands as it will take three or four attempts through the game to collect every character ( or just two if you have an extremely large amount of time and a strategy guide ) .
011 4 I would have loved this game had it not been for the in-game clock rushing me to do things I'm not ready to do . It was a constant aggravation hurrying from point A to point B in time so that I could meet a character simply to buy a few items from him or her , or to get a key to opening up that character later on to become a friend ( more on this saving grace later ) . And then , to add to that , there is only one permanent save point in the whole game , and going to that save point is often off-limits if you don't want to progress the story . In general , I felt rushed by the whole in-game clock system , and frustrated when real-life time-constraints forced me to move on .
The in-game clock also makes it hard to do one of the few things that makes this game fun : collecting characters to join in the quest . Even finding the characters that are recruit-able can be time-consuming , let alone getting the tasks done that is needed to recruit those specific characters . But as you collect more and more of these characters , the game turns into a Pokemon-like gotta catch all kind of thing . I constantly searched the back corners of the world of Radiata Stories in order to find absolutely every character possible , and though I failed in recruiting everyone I still want to go back through and try to find who I missed . Early on , most of the characters are weaker , but as the story progresses stronger ones make themselves available , and that means a better team when battling the monsters of the world .
That leads me to the battle-system . The main character , you , of the group must shout orders at the other three characters and , depending on what the characters are capable of , they will act accordingly . Most will attack if you tell them to , but only a few can heal . Plus , there is a link system where the four characters link up and perform special attacks or have special abilities . It adds a little something , I think , to constant , monotonous battle systems found in most RPGs . But still , there comes a point when shouting orders and linking becomes rather useless , as the characters get so strong that it turns into more of a button masher than anything else . Still , early on it's fun and unique .
The story is okay too . It follows Jack as he tries to go in the same path that his hero father did by becoming one of the famed Radiata Knights . Things don't go so well for him and he believes his hopes of becoming a knight are lost . It doesn't end that way , though , and Jack finds himself journeying with two other Radiata Knights on missions . Still , something goes wrong later and Jack suddenly finds himself ousted as a Radiata Knight . From there he must start over and joins the Theatre Vancoor , a warrior guild that accepts missions from the highest bidders ( or whoever needs a job ) .
The three positives - - the decent story , innovative battle system , and character collecting - - made up for the one thing that nearly killed this game for me , that being the in-game clock . I had fun doing the things the game was rushing me to do , though I feel a little cheated at not being able to do everything the first time . As for recommendations , I can only recommend this to poeple who have quite a bit of time on their hands as it will take three or four attempts through the game to collect every character ( or just two if you have an extremely large amount of time and a strategy guide ) .
012 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
As a big fan of the Squaresoft RPGs , especially the Final Fantasy games , I was psyched to check Radiata Stories out . Game Informer gave it a great review , and they were absolutely right - it's a really fun , creative game that you can't help but love . Younger players and adults alike can enjoy this diverse game , especially since it gives the player tons of freedom . As another reviewer noted , it's not a super-serious RPG epic like Final Fantasy X . Rather , it is an entertaining and often funny story about a young man's coming-of-age in a beautifully realized fantasy world . The depth of this world is the real draw here . It's more about exploring , making friends , and doing things your own way than it is about following a linear storyline like Xenosaga or similar RPGs . When the story finally starts to kick in during the game's exciting second half , you get to choose one of two paths , ensuring a unique replay . By the time I reached this halfway point , I'd already been playing 30 hours - there are that many sidequests , recruitable characters , and explorable areas . The story is more interesting than it initially seems , with some subtle influences from Norse mythology and a few cool twists . Ultimately , I haven't had this much FUN with an RPG in a long time . At once lighthearted and full of depth , this game is a must for anyone who wants an original RPG experience with lots of freedom .
014 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Tri-ace used to make great games like Valkyrie profile and Star Ocean , then they made this . I agree completely with the reviewer Helel in that it's childish and dull . There is hardly any story and the main character is uncharismatic and very juvenile . Some good parts like Ethereal Queen and Valkyrie show how superior those games truly are .
Star Ocean 3 is much , much better than this third rate game which fails to deliver on so many levels . The goofy behaviour is just awful and makes you think this is aimed at those 12 and under . There are almost no interesting fights , and some very dull enemies .
A real disgrace to the name of Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean .
015 4 Tri-ace used to make great games like Valkyrie profile and Star Ocean , then they made this . I agree completely with the reviewer Helel in that it's childish and dull . There is hardly any story and the main character is uncharismatic and very juvenile . Some good parts like Ethereal Queen and Valkyrie show how superior those games truly are .
Star Ocean 3 is much , much better than this third rate game which fails to deliver on so many levels . The goofy behaviour is just awful and makes you think this is aimed at those 12 and under . There are almost no interesting fights , and some very dull enemies .
A real disgrace to the name of Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean .
016 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Let me start off by saying that I have not finished the game ; rather I am probably at or beyond the halfway point of it clocking in around 19 - 20 hours . So , I can't really comment on the ultimate progression of the plot , or lame ending as others have written , but I can speak of Radiata's other qualities .
- Plot . So far , mildly interesting , but nothing that keeps me dangling on the edge of my sofa or makes me miss two nights of sleep . The concept of following a young knight as he progresses through life is engaging , but again it's not the best plot idea out there .
- Dialogue . Probably what makes this game shine . Or at least what kept me from giving it 3 stars overall . The humor in this game is refreshing , to say the least , with each character constantly teasing and chiding the others around him / her throughout the game . The main character , Jack , is pretty funny , especially at times when he gets really excited or really peeved at his squadmates . You're reminded that Jack is an immature and sometimes annoying brat just about every time he opens his mouth . Probably sounds like it can a little old , but it's more funny than obnoxious . At least , I tend to think so .
- 150 characters . Ho hum . Collecting characters fell out of favor with me after Suikoden . If this kinda thing is your bag , baby , then go for it . Stalking these fruitcakes throughout the city at all hours of the day and night trying to get a hold of them so they can ultimately tell you Hey buddy , F you I'm busy got REALLY OLD . I spoke with this one guy on the street , in the tavern , in the bar , and in the church and he kept saying the same stupid thing over and over . Why didn't he join my party , then ? Oh , it's because I have to talk to him at the NIGHTCLUB to get him to join , and not the other places . Yeah , let me spend hours tracking this twig down to get him to join my party . He's probably armed with a banana and a half-spent roll of toilet paper , and dies in two hits anyway , so who cares ? I also regret the developers ' decision to make some characters agree to join you only after you spoken with them every day for a certain number of days . Nothing quite like artificially running up the length of the game by making players carpetbomb the city every day with hellos . The city is enormous , by the way . Just . . . . never mind , I'm going to change the subject .
- Music . Sorry , this is one of the aspects of Radiata that I really really really didn't like . While there might be a song or two that's cool , most are of the irritating twangy jazz / almost bluegrass kinda crap that just plain grate . The battle music is ok , but the boss music is plain unforgivable . I was never sure if a fight was about to break out , or if a circus troupe was about to perform . How about at least a little serious battle music ?
- Battles . Pretty enjoyable . You basically control your main character while the CPU controls your teammates . However , you can influence your other characters through battle commands like attack that enemy or be my meat shield , but these are kinda stupid anyway , seeing as how the best way to be successful in battles is to simply forego the commands and just bring along teammates who have high Strength levels . These Attack Machines will often mow down most of the enemy number before you can lift your weapon .
- Kicking . That's right , kicking . You can kick just about everything in the game . It's how you find things . You can kick stones , pebbles , trees , insects , crates , lightposts , old ladies , treasure chests , whatever . It's the only way you can really obtain items aside from winning them in battle or wasting money on them . The kicking thing is funny at first ( when it's novel ) , but I soon became tired of the sport , mainly after seeing how large some of these areas are . Oh , and especially after I kicked that one flower-planting lady in the tush twice , only to have her sic guards on me , who kept regenerating endlessly throughout the battle , forcing me to run using one of my items . That was frustrating . And that did it .
- Saving . More irritating than it needs to be . Rather than give you the option of saving ad libitum in the overworld or , hell , wherever you want , you can only save at certain locations , AT certain times . Yes , that's right , a save point in one spot will often DISAPPEAR once you advance the story . You can also only recover health by sleeping in your own bed , which coincidentally is usually found at the CENTER of the game's map . So you get to save your game , travel out on a quest fighting enemies , kicking nature , and collecting items for a few hours , fight a particularly nasty group of enemies which happen to kick your arse , and guess what ? RESTART from the last save point . That happened to me twice early on in the game . Nothing like having to redo a few hours of work . Granted , this hasn't happened since the beginning of the game ( actually , save points sometimes occur TOO often where I am in the game ! ) but at least I can say , you've been warned .
- Story Progression / Time . Almost didn't mention this point . The game runs on a day / night time system . Whether you're traipsing across the meadowlands , chasing down townspeople , or standing completely still getting a sunburn , time is moving . Every time the clock hits 12 a new day begins . Often after the main plot takes a break , you're allowed to run around and do whatever you want . The thing is you only have a few days to talk to people , buy junk to equip yourself with , or work through some sidequests . If you spend too much time and those days all pass , the main story automatically moves on . This can get a little annoying sometimes . On the other hand if you're the kind of person to says screw it to sidequests and spending money , you can just sleep in your bed 2 - 4 times until the main story progresses . Remember , the whole game seems to be on a day system , like a calendar .
That's about all I can say at this point in the game . I was interested in collecting characters at first , but then I found out that there were ~ 150 of them , and that it took way too much trial and error talk to everyone you meet everyday with different people in your party crud in order to convince many of them to join . So now I'm just moving myself through the main game , only stopping to complete the occasional sidequest , and I figure I'll finish the game in another 10 hours or so . The game is nothing truly outstanding , but it's enjoyable for what it is . ( And don't buy this game if it's priced over $40 )
Will I play through it again after that ? Nope , no reason to - - even if there's an alternate storyline / ending . This game has enough charm for a good single play-thru and then it's exchangin ' time .
017 4 Let me start off by saying that I have not finished the game ; rather I am probably at or beyond the halfway point of it clocking in around 19 - 20 hours . So , I can't really comment on the ultimate progression of the plot , or lame ending as others have written , but I can speak of Radiata's other qualities .
- Plot . So far , mildly interesting , but nothing that keeps me dangling on the edge of my sofa or makes me miss two nights of sleep . The concept of following a young knight as he progresses through life is engaging , but again it's not the best plot idea out there .
- Dialogue . Probably what makes this game shine . Or at least what kept me from giving it 3 stars overall . The humor in this game is refreshing , to say the least , with each character constantly teasing and chiding the others around him / her throughout the game . The main character , Jack , is pretty funny , especially at times when he gets really excited or really peeved at his squadmates . You're reminded that Jack is an immature and sometimes annoying brat just about every time he opens his mouth . Probably sounds like it can a little old , but it's more funny than obnoxious . At least , I tend to think so .
- 150 characters . Ho hum . Collecting characters fell out of favor with me after Suikoden . If this kinda thing is your bag , baby , then go for it . Stalking these fruitcakes throughout the city at all hours of the day and night trying to get a hold of them so they can ultimately tell you Hey buddy , F you I'm busy got REALLY OLD . I spoke with this one guy on the street , in the tavern , in the bar , and in the church and he kept saying the same stupid thing over and over . Why didn't he join my party , then ? Oh , it's because I have to talk to him at the NIGHTCLUB to get him to join , and not the other places . Yeah , let me spend hours tracking this twig down to get him to join my party . He's probably armed with a banana and a half-spent roll of toilet paper , and dies in two hits anyway , so who cares ? I also regret the developers ' decision to make some characters agree to join you only after you spoken with them every day for a certain number of days . Nothing quite like artificially running up the length of the game by making players carpetbomb the city every day with hellos . The city is enormous , by the way . Just . . . . never mind , I'm going to change the subject .
- Music . Sorry , this is one of the aspects of Radiata that I really really really didn't like . While there might be a song or two that's cool , most are of the irritating twangy jazz / almost bluegrass kinda crap that just plain grate . The battle music is ok , but the boss music is plain unforgivable . I was never sure if a fight was about to break out , or if a circus troupe was about to perform . How about at least a little serious battle music ?
- Battles . Pretty enjoyable . You basically control your main character while the CPU controls your teammates . However , you can influence your other characters through battle commands like attack that enemy or be my meat shield , but these are kinda stupid anyway , seeing as how the best way to be successful in battles is to simply forego the commands and just bring along teammates who have high Strength levels . These Attack Machines will often mow down most of the enemy number before you can lift your weapon .
- Kicking . That's right , kicking . You can kick just about everything in the game . It's how you find things . You can kick stones , pebbles , trees , insects , crates , lightposts , old ladies , treasure chests , whatever . It's the only way you can really obtain items aside from winning them in battle or wasting money on them . The kicking thing is funny at first ( when it's novel ) , but I soon became tired of the sport , mainly after seeing how large some of these areas are . Oh , and especially after I kicked that one flower-planting lady in the tush twice , only to have her sic guards on me , who kept regenerating endlessly throughout the battle , forcing me to run using one of my items . That was frustrating . And that did it .
- Saving . More irritating than it needs to be . Rather than give you the option of saving ad libitum in the overworld or , hell , wherever you want , you can only save at certain locations , AT certain times . Yes , that's right , a save point in one spot will often DISAPPEAR once you advance the story . You can also only recover health by sleeping in your own bed , which coincidentally is usually found at the CENTER of the game's map . So you get to save your game , travel out on a quest fighting enemies , kicking nature , and collecting items for a few hours , fight a particularly nasty group of enemies which happen to kick your arse , and guess what ? RESTART from the last save point . That happened to me twice early on in the game . Nothing like having to redo a few hours of work . Granted , this hasn't happened since the beginning of the game ( actually , save points sometimes occur TOO often where I am in the game ! ) but at least I can say , you've been warned .
- Story Progression / Time . Almost didn't mention this point . The game runs on a day / night time system . Whether you're traipsing across the meadowlands , chasing down townspeople , or standing completely still getting a sunburn , time is moving . Every time the clock hits 12 a new day begins . Often after the main plot takes a break , you're allowed to run around and do whatever you want . The thing is you only have a few days to talk to people , buy junk to equip yourself with , or work through some sidequests . If you spend too much time and those days all pass , the main story automatically moves on . This can get a little annoying sometimes . On the other hand if you're the kind of person to says screw it to sidequests and spending money , you can just sleep in your bed 2 - 4 times until the main story progresses . Remember , the whole game seems to be on a day system , like a calendar .
That's about all I can say at this point in the game . I was interested in collecting characters at first , but then I found out that there were ~ 150 of them , and that it took way too much trial and error talk to everyone you meet everyday with different people in your party crud in order to convince many of them to join . So now I'm just moving myself through the main game , only stopping to complete the occasional sidequest , and I figure I'll finish the game in another 10 hours or so . The game is nothing truly outstanding , but it's enjoyable for what it is . ( And don't buy this game if it's priced over $40 )
Will I play through it again after that ? Nope , no reason to - - even if there's an alternate storyline / ending . This game has enough charm for a good single play-thru and then it's exchangin ' time .
020 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Yeah , that's right , this game is really great . It's the only rpg that i did a lot of time ( except maybe shining force 2 a tactical rpg on the sega megadrive ) . It's simple , when you got beautiful graphics and musics , sharp controls , a pleasant story , a living world , and a great sense of humor , you can not really complain .
But nothing in this worls is perfect so maybe even if you can gather a lot of people in your friends list and have them in your party , you will always play the main charachter , Jack . Then , even if you can choose your side and finish the game twice , the main story itself is not very long . It took me about 80 hours to finish the game twice and recruit Lenneth Valkyrie , a hidden character , in the optionnal dungeon . And let me tell you that i'm no god of game . But it can be about 150 hours if you want to complete everything because you'll have to do the game over and over again to add everybody in your list , have the best items , and more . Plus , you do not loose your leveling when you restart the game .
But i speak too much . Still , i believe radiata stories is one of the best rpg games that the ps2 had . And when you know that it had been made by the ones who did the star ocean series and the valkyrie profile series , you just know what you have to do now . . .
021 4 Yeah , that's right , this game is really great . It's the only rpg that i did a lot of time ( except maybe shining force 2 a tactical rpg on the sega megadrive ) . It's simple , when you got beautiful graphics and musics , sharp controls , a pleasant story , a living world , and a great sense of humor , you can not really complain .
But nothing in this worls is perfect so maybe even if you can gather a lot of people in your friends list and have them in your party , you will always play the main charachter , Jack . Then , even if you can choose your side and finish the game twice , the main story itself is not very long . It took me about 80 hours to finish the game twice and recruit Lenneth Valkyrie , a hidden character , in the optionnal dungeon . And let me tell you that i'm no god of game . But it can be about 150 hours if you want to complete everything because you'll have to do the game over and over again to add everybody in your list , have the best items , and more . Plus , you do not loose your leveling when you restart the game .
But i speak too much . Still , i believe radiata stories is one of the best rpg games that the ps2 had . And when you know that it had been made by the ones who did the star ocean series and the valkyrie profile series , you just know what you have to do now . . .
022 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
There's so many great qualities about Radiata Stories that drives me to play it over and over again savoring every moment ! First of all , you have the option to recruit over 170 characters who each have a unique request you must fufill before they join you on your quest . I won't say much as to avoid spoiling anything but as you get further into the game you have to choose sides : the Human Side or the Non-Human Side . Whichever side you choose greatly affects what the ending will be like so choose wisely !
023 4 There's so many great qualities about Radiata Stories that drives me to play it over and over again savoring every moment ! First of all , you have the option to recruit over 170 characters who each have a unique request you must fufill before they join you on your quest . I won't say much as to avoid spoiling anything but as you get further into the game you have to choose sides : the Human Side or the Non-Human Side . Whichever side you choose greatly affects what the ending will be like so choose wisely !
024 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I got this game last christmas along with two other games . But later on my PS2 gave it a smudge and I couldn't replace the copy since I couldn't find the receipt . About this game , I think it's a really funny game . The dialog is humorous especially when Jack complains and claims how better anyone is , I can't resist that . The gameplay is quite similar to Star Ocean Till The End Of Time . Because of it's battles . You could move at any positions to attack your enimies and go to the option menu to change combos for Jack . The bad thing is that you can't change anyone elses . The graphics is the best part of this game , with the character models well designed and the environments remind me of an ol school RPG .
025 4 I got this game last christmas along with two other games . But later on my PS2 gave it a smudge and I couldn't replace the copy since I couldn't find the receipt . About this game , I think it's a really funny game . The dialog is humorous especially when Jack complains and claims how better anyone is , I can't resist that . The gameplay is quite similar to Star Ocean Till The End Of Time . Because of it's battles . You could move at any positions to attack your enimies and go to the option menu to change combos for Jack . The bad thing is that you can't change anyone elses . The graphics is the best part of this game , with the character models well designed and the environments remind me of an ol school RPG .
030 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Radiata Stories is one of those typical RPGs portraying an epic struggle between the forces of good and evil , where the fate of the world hangs in the balance , and a young nobody becomes the deciding factor in this ultimate struggle . The difference this time [ Slight Spoiler ] is that you get to decide which side to fight for . In short , Radiata Stories is no Final Fantasy , but for around $19.99 it has enough gameplay and charm to keep you occupied and entertained for a good 40 - 50 hours .
The main thing you will notice when starting Radiata Stories is the odd sense of humor throughout . Though the game gets plenty serious by the time things are building to a climax , the story and dialogue are constantly interrupted by bizarre gags and ridiculous characters . I found this to be very refreshing , especially since the voice acting for the main characters is nicely done . Another great aspect of the game is the gorgeous graphics - - both characters and world come alive in an anime-style cel-shading that rivals just about anything else I've seen on the PS2 . The only downside to the graphics is that cutscenes are few and far between , and most of the time , they don't vary much from the in-game graphics . Don't expect any breathtaking Final Fantasy style cinematic movies .
The battle system is also a little different . Instead of random encounters , you can see enemies on the map and avoid them if you choose ( similar to Chrono Cross on the PS1 , or perhaps Final Fantasy XII ) . Also , once you initiate combat , you're thrown into a real-time brawl where you have total control of the main character , and ( eventually ) limited ability to command your three allies . This combat system is quite fun at first , but becomes repetitive once you play deeper into the game . The main issue I had , was that once you level up sufficiently and learn the best approach to fighting the enemies , battles become far too easy . You can essentially do the exact same maneuver for every fight you get into , up to and including the final boss .
Another downside to the gameplay , is that there is not a whole lot of customization involved . You can switch to different weapons with the main character , choose which special ability everyone has , and select a list of combos to perform in battle . Other than that , you have little control over what's going on with your party .
The main area of depth in the game is your recruitment of allies throughout the game world . Essentially , every single character you talk to can be recruited into your party . And if you bother to fight alongside them enough , even the lowliest peasant boy can turn into a god on the battlefield . A lot of characters can only be recruited under a specific set of conditions , and finding out how when and where to satisfy these requirements is a lot of the fun . Being able to run around from one side of the world to the other ( from a decently early point in the game ) in search of party members and key items is thrilling as well , and it prevents the game from feeling linear . Since you also have a continual list of missions to perform in the order you choose , the game gives you a truly satisfying amount of freedom .
So all in all , there are some pretty major high points and some frustrating lows for Radiata Stories . If you are a hardcore RPG player , you might find this game too simplistic . If you are a fan of a good story , surprising wit , and a large world to freely explore , however , you'll probably get a lot of satisfaction out of it .
031 4 Radiata Stories is one of those typical RPGs portraying an epic struggle between the forces of good and evil , where the fate of the world hangs in the balance , and a young nobody becomes the deciding factor in this ultimate struggle . The difference this time [ Slight Spoiler ] is that you get to decide which side to fight for . In short , Radiata Stories is no Final Fantasy , but for around $19.99 it has enough gameplay and charm to keep you occupied and entertained for a good 40 - 50 hours .
The main thing you will notice when starting Radiata Stories is the odd sense of humor throughout . Though the game gets plenty serious by the time things are building to a climax , the story and dialogue are constantly interrupted by bizarre gags and ridiculous characters . I found this to be very refreshing , especially since the voice acting for the main characters is nicely done . Another great aspect of the game is the gorgeous graphics - - both characters and world come alive in an anime-style cel-shading that rivals just about anything else I've seen on the PS2 . The only downside to the graphics is that cutscenes are few and far between , and most of the time , they don't vary much from the in-game graphics . Don't expect any breathtaking Final Fantasy style cinematic movies .
The battle system is also a little different . Instead of random encounters , you can see enemies on the map and avoid them if you choose ( similar to Chrono Cross on the PS1 , or perhaps Final Fantasy XII ) . Also , once you initiate combat , you're thrown into a real-time brawl where you have total control of the main character , and ( eventually ) limited ability to command your three allies . This combat system is quite fun at first , but becomes repetitive once you play deeper into the game . The main issue I had , was that once you level up sufficiently and learn the best approach to fighting the enemies , battles become far too easy . You can essentially do the exact same maneuver for every fight you get into , up to and including the final boss .
Another downside to the gameplay , is that there is not a whole lot of customization involved . You can switch to different weapons with the main character , choose which special ability everyone has , and select a list of combos to perform in battle . Other than that , you have little control over what's going on with your party .
The main area of depth in the game is your recruitment of allies throughout the game world . Essentially , every single character you talk to can be recruited into your party . And if you bother to fight alongside them enough , even the lowliest peasant boy can turn into a god on the battlefield . A lot of characters can only be recruited under a specific set of conditions , and finding out how when and where to satisfy these requirements is a lot of the fun . Being able to run around from one side of the world to the other ( from a decently early point in the game ) in search of party members and key items is thrilling as well , and it prevents the game from feeling linear . Since you also have a continual list of missions to perform in the order you choose , the game gives you a truly satisfying amount of freedom .
So all in all , there are some pretty major high points and some frustrating lows for Radiata Stories . If you are a hardcore RPG player , you might find this game too simplistic . If you are a fan of a good story , surprising wit , and a large world to freely explore , however , you'll probably get a lot of satisfaction out of it .
032 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This is a very cool game . The art is gorgeous . The game play is really awsome after you really get in to the game . My only problem with it is the lack of save points , but thats just a challenge . Just play it .
036 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game ( as said in the title ) is one of the best I have played in awhile ! I have played it and beat it SIX ( 6 ) times ! The graphics were great and the gameplay was great . There's two sides to pick from both with different story lines and endings . Now I will say the ending on one side is some-what confuseing at first but I figured it out the second time around .
Even if you get bored with the fighting ( I didn't but a few people say they did ) the story is fun and funny each time around !
You can recruit up to 177 characters to use in your party for missions although about one or two of those you can't get untell after you beat the game then there's a bonus . . . . area to go to but thats the most I will tell you .
I was getting bored with most of the Roleplaying games but I havn't goten bored with this one yet ! Overall this is a GREAT game !
037 4 This game ( as said in the title ) is one of the best I have played in awhile ! I have played it and beat it SIX ( 6 ) times ! The graphics were great and the gameplay was great . There's two sides to pick from both with different story lines and endings . Now I will say the ending on one side is some-what confuseing at first but I figured it out the second time around .
Even if you get bored with the fighting ( I didn't but a few people say they did ) the story is fun and funny each time around !
You can recruit up to 177 characters to use in your party for missions although about one or two of those you can't get untell after you beat the game then there's a bonus . . . . area to go to but thats the most I will tell you .
I was getting bored with most of the Roleplaying games but I havn't goten bored with this one yet ! Overall this is a GREAT game !
039 4 I tried playing this game twice , and both times I got to a point where it was more of a chore than a fun experience .
Two things greatly contributed to this : first the real time clock . You can't do events unless the clock is exactly at the right time . For a supposedly non-linear RPG , I found this frustrating and extremely linear . Plus there is not an easy teleportation / movement system . If you are in one part of town , it may take you 5 - 10 minutes just to ' walk ' to another part of town .
Second is the combat system . It is incredibly easy to ' master ' each weapon just by repeatedly spamming it in random encounters . I wasn't challenged by the ultra-easy combat at all , to such a point where I didn't even need the hundreds of in-game ' friends ' to help me fight . So recruiting people for me was both tedious and pointless , especially because there is no ' fast forward ' for long spoken voice acting dialogue .
Finally , the graphics seemed blocky ( though the music was fine ) . Compared to the beautiful and smooth faces of Final Fantasy X , this title by the same company had inferior figure animation . Felt like bad claymation . I know Square can do better , but they didn't .
If like me , you are over 25 , don't buy the game . The story is too kiddie orientated , and the game play is tedious when it is not amazingly easy .
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First time ordering . . . I was a little nervous , but the item arrived super-fast , was in EXCELLENT condition . It was even still wrapped in the original package ! Thanks for helping me complete my collection ! I would definitely buy from this seller again !
045 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
First time ordering . . . I was a little nervous , but the item arrived super-fast , was in EXCELLENT condition . It was even still wrapped in the original package ! Thanks for helping me complete my collection ! I would definitely buy from this seller again !
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I did not intend to buy this , i was looking for the guide . I already have this game . However I ended up giving it to a friend as a gift so it worked out . It did arrive in good shape .
048 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I did not intend to buy this , i was looking for the guide . I already have this game . However I ended up giving it to a friend as a gift so it worked out . It did arrive in good shape .
049 4 I did not intend to buy this , i was looking for the guide . I already have this game . However I ended up giving it to a friend as a gift so it worked out . It did arrive in good shape .
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Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game has one of the largest list of playable characters of any game I have ever seen , almost any character you meet can join your party . It has more then one ending and The general pay off for play is pretty interesting as a whole . You can follow any character you encounter in the game through out the city during the day and night and see were they spend there time all day long . The characters also say something different to you depending on were they are . As you befriend and meet more characters who would not mind being in your group you are then capable of getting others to join you if there in your group or any other number of suggested things . The interaction with the other characters in this game is a big jewel of this game . But the game play and over all content and feel is also a big plus , the art style is great and seems to lend to the developer trying to get the most out of the game . I would greatly recommend this game to any player who likes story and development during play . Because growth and characters you make friends with and a number of other things affect players you can party with along with a number of other things Its a great take as a whole to how you might enjoy the game .
051 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game has one of the largest list of playable characters of any game I have ever seen , almost any character you meet can join your party . It has more then one ending and The general pay off for play is pretty interesting as a whole . You can follow any character you encounter in the game through out the city during the day and night and see were they spend there time all day long . The characters also say something different to you depending on were they are . As you befriend and meet more characters who would not mind being in your group you are then capable of getting others to join you if there in your group or any other number of suggested things . The interaction with the other characters in this game is a big jewel of this game . But the game play and over all content and feel is also a big plus , the art style is great and seems to lend to the developer trying to get the most out of the game . I would greatly recommend this game to any player who likes story and development during play . Because growth and characters you make friends with and a number of other things affect players you can party with along with a number of other things Its a great take as a whole to how you might enjoy the game .
052 4 This game has one of the largest list of playable characters of any game I have ever seen , almost any character you meet can join your party . It has more then one ending and The general pay off for play is pretty interesting as a whole . You can follow any character you encounter in the game through out the city during the day and night and see were they spend there time all day long . The characters also say something different to you depending on were they are . As you befriend and meet more characters who would not mind being in your group you are then capable of getting others to join you if there in your group or any other number of suggested things . The interaction with the other characters in this game is a big jewel of this game . But the game play and over all content and feel is also a big plus , the art style is great and seems to lend to the developer trying to get the most out of the game . I would greatly recommend this game to any player who likes story and development during play . Because growth and characters you make friends with and a number of other things affect players you can party with along with a number of other things Its a great take as a whole to how you might enjoy the game .
056 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I liked it a whole lot . It's a great RPG / adventure game . The story splits which allows for futher game play . I'd recommend playing it if you like this type of game . It's also very cute . = )
060 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
The story line and gameplay is alright .
But the way you have to enter fighting modes is ridiculous and the music is so annoying and childish that id like to kill myself when ever the sound is on
061 4 The story line and gameplay is alright .
But the way you have to enter fighting modes is ridiculous and the music is so annoying and childish that id like to kill myself when ever the sound is on
064 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
the game is ok so far , though i stopped playing after a couple of days to play a different game i bought at the same time . as i've enjoyed the other game so much , i'll get back to this one after . but . . . like i said , its ok so far . graphics are different , not bad though . voices aren't the best , but what they have to say is pretty bad indeed ! gameplay is ok , fighting can be frustrating at times though .
so yea , its OK so far !
065 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
the game is ok so far , though i stopped playing after a couple of days to play a different game i bought at the same time . as i've enjoyed the other game so much , i'll get back to this one after . but . . . like i said , its ok so far . graphics are different , not bad though . voices aren't the best , but what they have to say is pretty bad indeed ! gameplay is ok , fighting can be frustrating at times though .
so yea , its OK so far !
066 4 the game is ok so far , though i stopped playing after a couple of days to play a different game i bought at the same time . as i've enjoyed the other game so much , i'll get back to this one after . but . . . like i said , its ok so far . graphics are different , not bad though . voices aren't the best , but what they have to say is pretty bad indeed ! gameplay is ok , fighting can be frustrating at times though .
so yea , its OK so far !
067 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game is fun . It took me a second to realize that its best to make friends with everyone . The game was sort of short to me , but with two different endings depending on choices made , I ended up playing again . Definatly good for a gamer whos bored or for kids . If your looking for something more hardcore this is not for you .
068 4 This game is fun . It took me a second to realize that its best to make friends with everyone . The game was sort of short to me , but with two different endings depending on choices made , I ended up playing again . Definatly good for a gamer whos bored or for kids . If your looking for something more hardcore this is not for you .
069 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game does have an interesting storyline , however that could have been integrated with a stronger battle system , situation map , and deeper strategical challenge to make the game that much better .
The battle system is not very involved . You control the main character , Jack , and the enemies scatter around as you and your computer-controlled posse do battle . Within the battle system , you are rarely allowed to do special moves that consume volty points , where in most RPGs you can do special moves with all your team and frequently , at that .
In addition , I was looking forward to less linear gameplay . However , that was not the case as you are generally directed down a primrose path .
What I will say in the game's defense is that it creates some funny and intriguing characters that relate a plot that is inclusive of a record number of people . As the game's title implies , the main selling point is the story . However , some more in-depth fighting would be great incentive and filler in between the gaps of the unfolding plot .
070 4 This game does have an interesting storyline , however that could have been integrated with a stronger battle system , situation map , and deeper strategical challenge to make the game that much better .
The battle system is not very involved . You control the main character , Jack , and the enemies scatter around as you and your computer-controlled posse do battle . Within the battle system , you are rarely allowed to do special moves that consume volty points , where in most RPGs you can do special moves with all your team and frequently , at that .
In addition , I was looking forward to less linear gameplay . However , that was not the case as you are generally directed down a primrose path .
What I will say in the game's defense is that it creates some funny and intriguing characters that relate a plot that is inclusive of a record number of people . As the game's title implies , the main selling point is the story . However , some more in-depth fighting would be great incentive and filler in between the gaps of the unfolding plot .
071 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I am Roberts daughter Katie and when I played this game it was so good that I could not stop playing it .
First of all the graphics were very awesome . The best part was actually being able to walk through places in the game and explore the different parts of town . One of my favorite things to do was follow around my favorite characters and see what they did during the day and the night . It is just so cool because something is always going on .
The next part that I liked about this game was the fact that it had amazing characters . It was so fun to be able to choose who I wanted in my group and then get to see them develop along with the main character . All of the characters seemed pretty unique and it was fun getting to fight along my favorite looking characters .
The other part of this game that I liked is that I certain point you get to choose to fight on the human side or the mytical creature side . This way you can play one way and then restart the game when you are done and play the other way . This way you get to see the points of veiw of the story . I also really liked the music for this game . My favorite was the music from the fairy worlds .
Over all this is one of the best games that I have ever played and if you need inspiration for new characters if you draw or do your own mangas , this is a great game to explore ! ! !
072 4 I am Roberts daughter Katie and when I played this game it was so good that I could not stop playing it .
First of all the graphics were very awesome . The best part was actually being able to walk through places in the game and explore the different parts of town . One of my favorite things to do was follow around my favorite characters and see what they did during the day and the night . It is just so cool because something is always going on .
The next part that I liked about this game was the fact that it had amazing characters . It was so fun to be able to choose who I wanted in my group and then get to see them develop along with the main character . All of the characters seemed pretty unique and it was fun getting to fight along my favorite looking characters .
The other part of this game that I liked is that I certain point you get to choose to fight on the human side or the mytical creature side . This way you can play one way and then restart the game when you are done and play the other way . This way you get to see the points of veiw of the story . I also really liked the music for this game . My favorite was the music from the fairy worlds .
Over all this is one of the best games that I have ever played and if you need inspiration for new characters if you draw or do your own mangas , this is a great game to explore ! ! !
073 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
When I originally saw the Japanese version of this game , I thought it looked interesting , so I couldn't wait to play it . When I sat down to play it , I noticed it had a certain quality to it that sets apart from other games . The problem is , there are a lot of things that this game lacked to make it completely amazing .
First of all , the protagonist Jack . Um , what can I say ? He's a 16 year old twit who doesn't know when to shut his mouth at times . Sure he says some amusing things , but there are times he really needed to watch his mouth to avoid sounding like a complete idiot . There is also one specific part in the game where he truly bungles as a hero . I won't reveal it to avoid spoiling it for anyone yet to play this game , but trust me : you'll know it when you see it . Jack needed the most work done to his personality to make him seem more like he should have been . The female lead Ridley turned out much better than him , if only due to her two character themes and more interesting personality .
Second , the story , which is the game's biggest gripe from many RPG fans . There are far too many holes in the plot and overall structure of its consistency to satisfy a gamer . Many things that needed explanations didn't get them . It came off as a stale and contrived story of prejudice between humans and nonhumans , but the problems between us and them never get solved throughout the course of the so-called story . Many of us think to ourselves after the credits roll , That's it ?
Third , the battle system . Well , this didn't turn out too bad except that , as many have said , it's mostly hack n ' slash . The designers also made a habit of giving Volty Blasts ( the special attacks you can do when the Volty Gauge hits 100 in battle ) to a very small range of characters . It seems like only major characters received one , and these are characters you can't obtain easily by any means . That means Volty Blasts fall on Jack's shoulders , who thankfully has four different ones ( depending on what weapon he has equipped ) to create variety ; otherwise a lot of gamers make get sick of seeing the same one from one single character . It is cool that if you set up the right attack styles and time your attacks right , you can pull off an amazing number of combo hits , but it's hard because you have to choose characters whose moves complement one another's attacks ( which is difficult due to the low number of attack styles most of the others have ) . Also , the AI for the allies doesn't seem to be as bright as one would hope . You can give them orders to do things like back off or heal a friend , but it's not very efficient .
Four , the music . Well , Noriyuki Iwadare of Grandia / Lunar fame did this game's music and that would make one expect to hear a great soundtrack right ? Well , it's half and half here . The songs you hear in this game are actually pieces that Iwadare wasn't planning on using for Grandia 3 , which he was planning better music for at the time . I guess you could call it recycled jazz , because that's what it tends to sound like . Don't get me wrong , the standard battle theme and powerful boss theme scream of his legendary ability , but that's really not enough to call this a great musical score . On an interesting note , he remixed some of Motoi Sakuraba's special boss music from Star Ocean 3 for the extra dungeon's boss fights . Star Ocean fans will recognize which tunes they are .
Okay , I griped enough about the flaws . There are good points to this game . First , the character models and environments . The characters are drawn in anime style and the landscapes use a superb range of lush colors to capture the many different terrains of Tottaus . Second , the recruitment drive . At first , you can recruit either humans or nonhumans to Jack's cause until a certain part of the story's time constraint , but after that point , you can only recruit allies from one race . Since the story splits into two differing parts , you will be tempted to play again and see how the other half goes . Plus , the recruiting actually gets addictive after a while as you may want to just grab everyone you can before the branch off in the story . There is a reward for those of you who get every single human and nonhuman in the Friends book , but it may not feel very rewarding .
All and all , I would give this game at least a B + for effort . It's good , but not good enough . The main character , the story and the somewhat choppy battle system need some improvements . This game has a decent fun factor , but it leaves much to be desired .
074 4 When I originally saw the Japanese version of this game , I thought it looked interesting , so I couldn't wait to play it . When I sat down to play it , I noticed it had a certain quality to it that sets apart from other games . The problem is , there are a lot of things that this game lacked to make it completely amazing .
First of all , the protagonist Jack . Um , what can I say ? He's a 16 year old twit who doesn't know when to shut his mouth at times . Sure he says some amusing things , but there are times he really needed to watch his mouth to avoid sounding like a complete idiot . There is also one specific part in the game where he truly bungles as a hero . I won't reveal it to avoid spoiling it for anyone yet to play this game , but trust me : you'll know it when you see it . Jack needed the most work done to his personality to make him seem more like he should have been . The female lead Ridley turned out much better than him , if only due to her two character themes and more interesting personality .
Second , the story , which is the game's biggest gripe from many RPG fans . There are far too many holes in the plot and overall structure of its consistency to satisfy a gamer . Many things that needed explanations didn't get them . It came off as a stale and contrived story of prejudice between humans and nonhumans , but the problems between us and them never get solved throughout the course of the so-called story . Many of us think to ourselves after the credits roll , That's it ?
Third , the battle system . Well , this didn't turn out too bad except that , as many have said , it's mostly hack n ' slash . The designers also made a habit of giving Volty Blasts ( the special attacks you can do when the Volty Gauge hits 100 in battle ) to a very small range of characters . It seems like only major characters received one , and these are characters you can't obtain easily by any means . That means Volty Blasts fall on Jack's shoulders , who thankfully has four different ones ( depending on what weapon he has equipped ) to create variety ; otherwise a lot of gamers make get sick of seeing the same one from one single character . It is cool that if you set up the right attack styles and time your attacks right , you can pull off an amazing number of combo hits , but it's hard because you have to choose characters whose moves complement one another's attacks ( which is difficult due to the low number of attack styles most of the others have ) . Also , the AI for the allies doesn't seem to be as bright as one would hope . You can give them orders to do things like back off or heal a friend , but it's not very efficient .
Four , the music . Well , Noriyuki Iwadare of Grandia / Lunar fame did this game's music and that would make one expect to hear a great soundtrack right ? Well , it's half and half here . The songs you hear in this game are actually pieces that Iwadare wasn't planning on using for Grandia 3 , which he was planning better music for at the time . I guess you could call it recycled jazz , because that's what it tends to sound like . Don't get me wrong , the standard battle theme and powerful boss theme scream of his legendary ability , but that's really not enough to call this a great musical score . On an interesting note , he remixed some of Motoi Sakuraba's special boss music from Star Ocean 3 for the extra dungeon's boss fights . Star Ocean fans will recognize which tunes they are .
Okay , I griped enough about the flaws . There are good points to this game . First , the character models and environments . The characters are drawn in anime style and the landscapes use a superb range of lush colors to capture the many different terrains of Tottaus . Second , the recruitment drive . At first , you can recruit either humans or nonhumans to Jack's cause until a certain part of the story's time constraint , but after that point , you can only recruit allies from one race . Since the story splits into two differing parts , you will be tempted to play again and see how the other half goes . Plus , the recruiting actually gets addictive after a while as you may want to just grab everyone you can before the branch off in the story . There is a reward for those of you who get every single human and nonhuman in the Friends book , but it may not feel very rewarding .
All and all , I would give this game at least a B + for effort . It's good , but not good enough . The main character , the story and the somewhat choppy battle system need some improvements . This game has a decent fun factor , but it leaves much to be desired .
075 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Even without having any expectations for this game I couldn't help but to be disappointed with a story littered with cliches and a plot that seemed more like an outline than a finished product . After the initial start up screen and the typical prophesy as prose intro I am hit with a barrage of cliches in a matter of minutes . Boy whose father was a great knight , boy sets out to surpass father , girl who beats boy in a battle , boy and girl hate each other , well fifteen minutes into the game and I can already see where its going . However I still wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt , after all cliches are a standard part of RPGs . Then however came the split where I was forced to choose sides in a war that was completely avoidable between the non-humans and the humans . Having a momentary lapse of judgment I chose the non-human side not fully realizing that when they said that all humans would become my enemy that they meant it . That's no problem , I thought , these are my friends surely they'll stick beside me because I'm fighting ( I think ) for what I believe in . Sadly that was one cliche that was not forthcoming . My friend's list was wiped out basically making the first ten hours that I played null and void . After fighting alongside of the fairies I began to wonder why I even bothered siding with them . It definitely doesn't help their cause when you're in the middle of battle and they start spouting taunts such as humans are weak . Oh really ? Then why are you letting me do all of the work while your terrible AI simply tells you to sit there ?
Character development is nonexistent . I kind of liked Jack at first and hated Ridley . Unfortunately Jack goes from a thrill seeking smart aleck to a typical I just want to protect you hero and Ridley simply disappears into the background . Plodding through this disappointing game I eventually came to the realization that I didn't care what happened to any of the characters or even how the story played out , it was simply unenjoyable and insipid . Perseverance or a mild case of masochism kept me playing until the end where I was greeted by the frustrating get - to - the - top - by - dumb - luck board of the City of White Nights . I can't tell you how much time I spent going up and down ladders , running to dead ends , and getting knocked down by sand or dust or whatever it was , that fell from nowhere sending me back to the beginning . My hours of frustration were rewarded with one of the most uninspired lackluster endings that I have ever witnessed in a RPG .
To its credit however I have to say that at least it wasn't difficult to level up unlike some other RPGs that I've played and Jack's on screen model reflected the armor that was currently equipped on him which was nice . There were a few laugh out loud moments but not nearly enough to make this atrocity enjoyable and I don't see myself playing through it again to get the human side of the story . I'm certain that this review won't detract anyone from playing it who wants to , after all there certainly seem to be enough people who enjoyed it . As for me the disappointment was too great for me to recommend this to anyone .
076 4 Even without having any expectations for this game I couldn't help but to be disappointed with a story littered with cliches and a plot that seemed more like an outline than a finished product . After the initial start up screen and the typical prophesy as prose intro I am hit with a barrage of cliches in a matter of minutes . Boy whose father was a great knight , boy sets out to surpass father , girl who beats boy in a battle , boy and girl hate each other , well fifteen minutes into the game and I can already see where its going . However I still wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt , after all cliches are a standard part of RPGs . Then however came the split where I was forced to choose sides in a war that was completely avoidable between the non-humans and the humans . Having a momentary lapse of judgment I chose the non-human side not fully realizing that when they said that all humans would become my enemy that they meant it . That's no problem , I thought , these are my friends surely they'll stick beside me because I'm fighting ( I think ) for what I believe in . Sadly that was one cliche that was not forthcoming . My friend's list was wiped out basically making the first ten hours that I played null and void . After fighting alongside of the fairies I began to wonder why I even bothered siding with them . It definitely doesn't help their cause when you're in the middle of battle and they start spouting taunts such as humans are weak . Oh really ? Then why are you letting me do all of the work while your terrible AI simply tells you to sit there ?
Character development is nonexistent . I kind of liked Jack at first and hated Ridley . Unfortunately Jack goes from a thrill seeking smart aleck to a typical I just want to protect you hero and Ridley simply disappears into the background . Plodding through this disappointing game I eventually came to the realization that I didn't care what happened to any of the characters or even how the story played out , it was simply unenjoyable and insipid . Perseverance or a mild case of masochism kept me playing until the end where I was greeted by the frustrating get - to - the - top - by - dumb - luck board of the City of White Nights . I can't tell you how much time I spent going up and down ladders , running to dead ends , and getting knocked down by sand or dust or whatever it was , that fell from nowhere sending me back to the beginning . My hours of frustration were rewarded with one of the most uninspired lackluster endings that I have ever witnessed in a RPG .
To its credit however I have to say that at least it wasn't difficult to level up unlike some other RPGs that I've played and Jack's on screen model reflected the armor that was currently equipped on him which was nice . There were a few laugh out loud moments but not nearly enough to make this atrocity enjoyable and I don't see myself playing through it again to get the human side of the story . I'm certain that this review won't detract anyone from playing it who wants to , after all there certainly seem to be enough people who enjoyed it . As for me the disappointment was too great for me to recommend this to anyone .
077 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Radiata stories is very much like a childs version of Star Ocean 3 , it has hardly any mature moments and lots of unfunny goofy behaviour and jokes . I'll list whats bad and good .
What's Good . . .
+ Good Graphics with Prog scan and Widescreen support this is very pleasing , the character models are nice as well .
+ A lively atmosphere , people go about their daily business and it seems very real , everyone isn't just standing around waiting for you to talk to them like most RPGs . Also armour that you buy actually appears on your character in-game .
+ Combat with 3 other allies is decent if unspectacular , real time combat is always nice and gives you a feeling of being part of a team .
+ Optional boss Iseria Queen looks even more beautiful in this game than the others .
+ A surprise character joins you in the post-game dungeon-very pleasing to see her again .
What's not so good . .
- This is a very light hearted adventure that has you fighting rats , ants , animals and hardly any spectacular enemies at all . Boring .
- A very linear adventure , the sidequests are dull , and recruiting 150 + people can drag at times .
- The main character minces ( Power walks ) when you push the analogue stick moderately hard , it looks awfuly stupid .
- Dreadful ending , over in less than a minute or two - very dull .
- Only one extra dungeon that's very short and pretty easy .
- I strugled to get past the 30 hour mark , it becomes very predictable and you forget it as soon as you stop playing .
- Allies can never be equipped or have any stat changed , this is a single hero game .
- Very few weapons and armour to collect .
- Rigged fights that you cannot win , even if you are very powerful . You actually have to stand there and get beaten . . .
- Far too easy , where's the difficulty settings like SO3 .
Not worth the full price , maybe pick it up when it goes cheap .
078 4 Radiata stories is very much like a childs version of Star Ocean 3 , it has hardly any mature moments and lots of unfunny goofy behaviour and jokes . I'll list whats bad and good .
What's Good . . .
+ Good Graphics with Prog scan and Widescreen support this is very pleasing , the character models are nice as well .
+ A lively atmosphere , people go about their daily business and it seems very real , everyone isn't just standing around waiting for you to talk to them like most RPGs . Also armour that you buy actually appears on your character in-game .
+ Combat with 3 other allies is decent if unspectacular , real time combat is always nice and gives you a feeling of being part of a team .
+ Optional boss Iseria Queen looks even more beautiful in this game than the others .
+ A surprise character joins you in the post-game dungeon-very pleasing to see her again .
What's not so good . .
- This is a very light hearted adventure that has you fighting rats , ants , animals and hardly any spectacular enemies at all . Boring .
- A very linear adventure , the sidequests are dull , and recruiting 150 + people can drag at times .
- The main character minces ( Power walks ) when you push the analogue stick moderately hard , it looks awfuly stupid .
- Dreadful ending , over in less than a minute or two - very dull .
- Only one extra dungeon that's very short and pretty easy .
- I strugled to get past the 30 hour mark , it becomes very predictable and you forget it as soon as you stop playing .
- Allies can never be equipped or have any stat changed , this is a single hero game .
- Very few weapons and armour to collect .
- Rigged fights that you cannot win , even if you are very powerful . You actually have to stand there and get beaten . . .
- Far too easy , where's the difficulty settings like SO3 .
Not worth the full price , maybe pick it up when it goes cheap .
079 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Look all these other reviewers seem to think that this is a VERY SERIOUS RPG EPIC ! ! ! ! and in reality its not , its just a cool game with great features , and its meant to be humorous , I personally found it quite entertaining ! also half way through the story splits in half and you get to choose which one tickles your fancy , This game is pretty good , not the best , but pretty good , it doesnt deserve the kind of reviews its getting !
081 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
storyline was ok
playing through twice was good feature to have in an RPG , the hero kid main charachter has just gt to go , i wish they would start making RPGs with an adult figure . .
the while child being the hero is not credible all the time .
100 hour game ( including playing through twice to see everything )
for reduced price its totally worth it .
082 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
storyline was ok
playing through twice was good feature to have in an RPG , the hero kid main charachter has just gt to go , i wish they would start making RPGs with an adult figure . .
the while child being the hero is not credible all the time .
100 hour game ( including playing through twice to see everything )
for reduced price its totally worth it .
083 4 storyline was ok
playing through twice was good feature to have in an RPG , the hero kid main charachter has just gt to go , i wish they would start making RPGs with an adult figure . .
the while child being the hero is not credible all the time .
100 hour game ( including playing through twice to see everything )
for reduced price its totally worth it .
085 4 Many people had told me how wonderful this game was . I had been told that it was what would happen if Square-Enix had made the Suikoden games . To put it mildly , I was foaming at the mouth to get my hands on this game .
Twenty-nine hours later , I'm left wondering : Why ?
The main plot , even with the major fork near the end , is pitifully short , and it can be completed in twenty-odd hours . No matter how much time you put into levelling up your party members , their skill sets will never get better . You aren't allowed to upgrade your party members ' equipment . Other than having other people to act as targets , there really isn't much use for the people you recruit . When the game is touted as having an involving storyline with an emphasis on recruiting friends to help , I just can't help but think that the experience is incredibly lacking .
Certainly , the graphics are pleasant ( they have a very nice , almost watercolor look to them ) , and the music is decent , but that's not really enough to hang a game on .
Perhaps , if I hadn't heard any of the hype or the favorable comparisons to Suikoden ( which is one of my favorite RPG franchises and a MUCH better alternative to this tripe ) , I might've enjoyed myself . But as it is , I'm just glad I bought a used copy .
086 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Let me start by saying that I am a die hard square fan and usually they can do no wrong . Then I played this game . I have been playing games a long time , I got so bored with this one I actually TRADED it for Dragon Quest VIII after only investing 22 hours in it . The controls and battles are lack luster at best . In battle you can only control Jack and depend on everyone else to be smart enough to do what you want them to . You can not change their armor or equipment and thus far , they have not been the sharpest helpers ever . Jack is a touch slow on response time and enemies can get away from you before he even swings his sword .
I tried to get into the recruitment and all I can say is BORING ! Be at this place at this time three days in a row and this terribly boring character with nothing interesting will join you . You can not fast forward time and sleeping will sometimes force the next event . For someone with mild OCD it just gets worse and worse because I am not able to only ' collect a few ' . I have to go for them all . You also only have a single place to save , which I find really frustrating . In some quests it is over an hour before you can save , which in my busy life is terrible .
I give this game two stars because I did like Jack . He has a little bit of attitude and is generally a funny guy . It also looks really good and has minimal load times . Since I have traded Sunday , I have put over 8 hours into Dragon Quest and all I can say is WOW ! If you are choosing between them . . . . go with Dragon Quest !
087 4 Let me start by saying that I am a die hard square fan and usually they can do no wrong . Then I played this game . I have been playing games a long time , I got so bored with this one I actually TRADED it for Dragon Quest VIII after only investing 22 hours in it . The controls and battles are lack luster at best . In battle you can only control Jack and depend on everyone else to be smart enough to do what you want them to . You can not change their armor or equipment and thus far , they have not been the sharpest helpers ever . Jack is a touch slow on response time and enemies can get away from you before he even swings his sword .
I tried to get into the recruitment and all I can say is BORING ! Be at this place at this time three days in a row and this terribly boring character with nothing interesting will join you . You can not fast forward time and sleeping will sometimes force the next event . For someone with mild OCD it just gets worse and worse because I am not able to only ' collect a few ' . I have to go for them all . You also only have a single place to save , which I find really frustrating . In some quests it is over an hour before you can save , which in my busy life is terrible .
I give this game two stars because I did like Jack . He has a little bit of attitude and is generally a funny guy . It also looks really good and has minimal load times . Since I have traded Sunday , I have put over 8 hours into Dragon Quest and all I can say is WOW ! If you are choosing between them . . . . go with Dragon Quest !
088 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game has many different elements that make it a wonderful game . There are different kinds of music , at times when you're walking around classical music will play , and at times silly music makes everything seem cute and cozy . All the characters are great in their own way . Makes me feel happy when i think of some of them , and how all other things from this game come about to be . I definetley recommend this game to everyone , RPG fans will defintley love this one . New comers , welcome : )
089 4 This game has many different elements that make it a wonderful game . There are different kinds of music , at times when you're walking around classical music will play , and at times silly music makes everything seem cute and cozy . All the characters are great in their own way . Makes me feel happy when i think of some of them , and how all other things from this game come about to be . I definetley recommend this game to everyone , RPG fans will defintley love this one . New comers , welcome : )
090 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I have to say that fantasy games aren't my usual buys , but i took a chance and it has certainly delivered . The game play keeps the action rolling as it feels like the choices you make influence the path of the game . The universe is as deep as any final fantasy game i've played if not deeper . Great care was taken in giving each of the 177 charactors personalities so it feels like you are becoming a citizen of Radiata . I hope a sequel is in the works .
091 4 I have to say that fantasy games aren't my usual buys , but i took a chance and it has certainly delivered . The game play keeps the action rolling as it feels like the choices you make influence the path of the game . The universe is as deep as any final fantasy game i've played if not deeper . Great care was taken in giving each of the 177 charactors personalities so it feels like you are becoming a citizen of Radiata . I hope a sequel is in the works .
092 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
this game is horrible . from the stupid battle sequences to squeaky toy enemies to the playschool worldmap , this game is a triple threat to anyone with any love for rpg gaming . the dialog is laughable the storyline is mild at best , difficulty at an all-time low , little to no learning curve . my best friend could bare only 2 hours of this game . after the first half an hour , we concluded that we should spice it up with heavy drinking . like i said , we got through 2 hours before kickin it to then curb
094 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Radiata Stories is a fun , and ( for the most part ) light-hearted RPG . The battle system doesn't get as boring as some others .
Battle system : Easy to pick up , doesn't get as boring as most others .
Music : While there are no tracks that stick out in my mind , the music is very upbeat and I found myself humming along with it after a time .
Graphics : At first I was a little confused by the graphics ( and whether or not I liked them . . . ) , but they really are perfect for Radiata Stories and as I progressed I fell inlove with them .
Characters : Even though Radiata has a huge cast of characters , you really develop a fondness for them ( or most of them ) . Most of them have their subtle charm , or quirky aspects . ( Ex : There is a little girl that changes into a teen singer for the club durring nightfall . )
Story : The game itself is pretty upbeat but it does have it's depressing moments . It splits into two parts later on , and has some very unique aspects to it .
Gameplay - One time or replay ? : You will most likely beat the game at least twice , but I have found this is a game I will want to replay every so often for the memories , and the quirky storyline .
095 4 Radiata Stories is a fun , and ( for the most part ) light-hearted RPG . The battle system doesn't get as boring as some others .
Battle system : Easy to pick up , doesn't get as boring as most others .
Music : While there are no tracks that stick out in my mind , the music is very upbeat and I found myself humming along with it after a time .
Graphics : At first I was a little confused by the graphics ( and whether or not I liked them . . . ) , but they really are perfect for Radiata Stories and as I progressed I fell inlove with them .
Characters : Even though Radiata has a huge cast of characters , you really develop a fondness for them ( or most of them ) . Most of them have their subtle charm , or quirky aspects . ( Ex : There is a little girl that changes into a teen singer for the club durring nightfall . )
Story : The game itself is pretty upbeat but it does have it's depressing moments . It splits into two parts later on , and has some very unique aspects to it .
Gameplay - One time or replay ? : You will most likely beat the game at least twice , but I have found this is a game I will want to replay every so often for the memories , and the quirky storyline .
096 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I found this to be an entertaining game . It is not an amazing or mind blowing game with all kinds of new widgets and such . It keeps to a basic rpg format and story line , but has a sense of humor that you will not find often enough in these sort of games . While the story line is not very original it keeps me interested . There are some neat graphics in it but most of the graphics don't stand out . Over all I think this game is worth the money and will even stay on my shelf after I finish the game .
097 4 I found this to be an entertaining game . It is not an amazing or mind blowing game with all kinds of new widgets and such . It keeps to a basic rpg format and story line , but has a sense of humor that you will not find often enough in these sort of games . While the story line is not very original it keeps me interested . There are some neat graphics in it but most of the graphics don't stand out . Over all I think this game is worth the money and will even stay on my shelf after I finish the game .
098 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I love this game.The graphics are perfect and the story is great . The music is a little weird but it fits into the game perfectly . I recommend it and its worth the price .
099 4 I love this game.The graphics are perfect and the story is great . The music is a little weird but it fits into the game perfectly . I recommend it and its worth the price .
100 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game is really fun . It has an amazing and funny storyline . They had very good graphics and funny clips . This game made me laugh out loud plenty of times . It lasts longer than some games I've played where you finish the game in a couple of days and theres no challenge . I really like longer games with a challenge . You can follow people around on there daily schedules and make friends with them . One fun thing about this game is that you can start a fight with anyone if you kick them twice . And when you kick objects you can sometimes get items . I really can't understand how anyone could not like this game . I would rather play this game than play some bloody , gory , and violent videogame with no story line whatsoever . Its a classic for me , and I really would like to see a sequel . It gets better and better toward the end ! Good game three thumbs up ! ^ - ^
101 4 This game is really fun . It has an amazing and funny storyline . They had very good graphics and funny clips . This game made me laugh out loud plenty of times . It lasts longer than some games I've played where you finish the game in a couple of days and theres no challenge . I really like longer games with a challenge . You can follow people around on there daily schedules and make friends with them . One fun thing about this game is that you can start a fight with anyone if you kick them twice . And when you kick objects you can sometimes get items . I really can't understand how anyone could not like this game . I would rather play this game than play some bloody , gory , and violent videogame with no story line whatsoever . Its a classic for me , and I really would like to see a sequel . It gets better and better toward the end ! Good game three thumbs up ! ^ - ^
102 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
If you like RPGs and never played Radiata stories , now is the time ! With a very original system , where you can recruit or fight almost anyone you meet , complete the game several times with different stories ( not only the ending , half of the game is different ! ! ) , really interresting characters and a very nice heroic background , Radiata stories is a wonderful surprise .
You won't regret this , this game is just amazing . . .
103 4 If you like RPGs and never played Radiata stories , now is the time ! With a very original system , where you can recruit or fight almost anyone you meet , complete the game several times with different stories ( not only the ending , half of the game is different ! ! ) , really interresting characters and a very nice heroic background , Radiata stories is a wonderful surprise .
You won't regret this , this game is just amazing . . .
104 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
The low down is this : The recruitment part of the game is great and addictive . Battle ; likewuse fun . Graphics : Not too shabby .
The Story / Writing : Wow . Was this i the Speicial Olympics for Writing ? This has the most painful dialogeI've witnessed ; the worst plot ever partaken , the worst pacing possible . WHY ? ? ? Really , could've been a great game if it wasn't for the cringing for every cut scene .
105 4 The low down is this : The recruitment part of the game is great and addictive . Battle ; likewuse fun . Graphics : Not too shabby .
The Story / Writing : Wow . Was this i the Speicial Olympics for Writing ? This has the most painful dialogeI've witnessed ; the worst plot ever partaken , the worst pacing possible . WHY ? ? ? Really , could've been a great game if it wasn't for the cringing for every cut scene .
106 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
So . . . you are a plain little guy wandering around ' collecting ' friends - that's what this game is . It is a an ownership simulator .
RPGs have become merely some substitute for shopping in real life . Here you try to ' collect ' friends , in other games you collect magical weapons . . . and in life you buy MP3s and phones . I miss when you got allies or weapons to do something fun , interesting , or engrossing to the intellect . At least in some games , ie . Suikoden , the allies are actually useful . Here , the allies become a GOAL of the game ( and the sole one since the story is dumb ) , and are not a TOOL to advance a story line .
Other than some cute little moments and dialogue , there's not much story . I'm tired of this little caucasoid boy with a lost daddy , then meets a cute , big-eyed girl , but he's so absurdly hard-headed that he can't just say hey , I think you're hip , let's date so he fights to reveal his destiny . . . what ? . . . with all due respect , only pre-pubescents who never read can think that is an original story . Who writes this drivel ! Seriously , video game designers must hire the most inept writers in existence . ( Man , can you imagine a video game written by someone like Pynchon , Gibson , Nabokov , anyone not illiterate ? ) .
So , bottom line . . . not much fun . There are so many games that are at least more diverse in the items you collect or have more places to explore . It may be less expensive than some , but it just is not interesting .
107 4 So . . . you are a plain little guy wandering around ' collecting ' friends - that's what this game is . It is a an ownership simulator .
RPGs have become merely some substitute for shopping in real life . Here you try to ' collect ' friends , in other games you collect magical weapons . . . and in life you buy MP3s and phones . I miss when you got allies or weapons to do something fun , interesting , or engrossing to the intellect . At least in some games , ie . Suikoden , the allies are actually useful . Here , the allies become a GOAL of the game ( and the sole one since the story is dumb ) , and are not a TOOL to advance a story line .
Other than some cute little moments and dialogue , there's not much story . I'm tired of this little caucasoid boy with a lost daddy , then meets a cute , big-eyed girl , but he's so absurdly hard-headed that he can't just say hey , I think you're hip , let's date so he fights to reveal his destiny . . . what ? . . . with all due respect , only pre-pubescents who never read can think that is an original story . Who writes this drivel ! Seriously , video game designers must hire the most inept writers in existence . ( Man , can you imagine a video game written by someone like Pynchon , Gibson , Nabokov , anyone not illiterate ? ) .
So , bottom line . . . not much fun . There are so many games that are at least more diverse in the items you collect or have more places to explore . It may be less expensive than some , but it just is not interesting .
108 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game is amazing . The main character just makes this game . Jack Russel is hilarious . Other then taht there is alot of side quests and a great story . ALso there is a ton of characters . You can only use 4 at a time and most people u get suck . U find some ok people within do time . Overall graet game 5 stars .
110 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I liked the graphical style of the game & the voice overs were actually pretty good . But beyond that , the battle system isn't fun at all & this game is so childish . Maybe I would enjoy it more if I was 12 instead of 20 .
Also , this game started with so many clichés , my friend & I were laughing .
111 4 I liked the graphical style of the game & the voice overs were actually pretty good . But beyond that , the battle system isn't fun at all & this game is so childish . Maybe I would enjoy it more if I was 12 instead of 20 .
Also , this game started with so many clichés , my friend & I were laughing .
114 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
The game play is simplistic , the environments too restrictive ( it's little more than a side-scroller ) and the graphics sub par .
115 4 The game play is simplistic , the environments too restrictive ( it's little more than a side-scroller ) and the graphics sub par .
116 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
this game i think could have been much better if it wasn't filled with non stop lame sounds . like the kind you hear on the radio sometimes . and if the charecters weren't really lame and child like i mean your main guy is suppose to be the son of the greatest knight and he acts like a little girl . this game is definately targeted for younger audiences which is wierd why they gave it a teen rating . Also the combat was really lame , it was one button and if you hit a guy enough times you could do a power hit . . . yeah super exciting , but it was really boring and the whole game looks really cartoonish , like kingdom hearts . . . another bad game if you ask me who thought it would be could to put final fantasy and disney together ?
117 4 this game i think could have been much better if it wasn't filled with non stop lame sounds . like the kind you hear on the radio sometimes . and if the charecters weren't really lame and child like i mean your main guy is suppose to be the son of the greatest knight and he acts like a little girl . this game is definately targeted for younger audiences which is wierd why they gave it a teen rating . Also the combat was really lame , it was one button and if you hit a guy enough times you could do a power hit . . . yeah super exciting , but it was really boring and the whole game looks really cartoonish , like kingdom hearts . . . another bad game if you ask me who thought it would be could to put final fantasy and disney together ?
118 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Tri-ace made good games once they were called Star ocean and Valkyrie profile . This poor excuse is way below them in terms of quality .
It's a very childish and immature game , not a patch on the seminal kingdom hearts , It's not surprising that kids seem to be the ones enjoying it the most . It has a dull battle system unlike SO3 and has an almost non-existent storyline . Top that off with dull characters and an awful 1 minute ending and it's the worst rpg they have ever made .
Dreadful because it could have been good .
119 4 Tri-ace made good games once they were called Star ocean and Valkyrie profile . This poor excuse is way below them in terms of quality .
It's a very childish and immature game , not a patch on the seminal kingdom hearts , It's not surprising that kids seem to be the ones enjoying it the most . It has a dull battle system unlike SO3 and has an almost non-existent storyline . Top that off with dull characters and an awful 1 minute ending and it's the worst rpg they have ever made .
Dreadful because it could have been good .
120 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game was really bad and it [ . . . ] If you ever think of uying this game remember that it wont worth your money . The battle modes were good but the game was a complete [ . . . ] . I was very disappointed on this game made by square enix , because they are the best on RPG games . They rule , but the only game that I didn't like was this .
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This review is written by James Shea , my son .
A charming PS2 with a lot of unique touches , Radiata Stories is in many ways a standard RPG but distinguishes itself in many ways as well .
The story follows Jack Russell ( as in , the terrier ) , an enthusiastic young knight , as he negotiates the treacherous path carved out by his profession . The early parts of the game follow his unit , the Rose Cochon ( pink pig ) brigade , as it takes missions to protect the humans ' alliances with the other races of their world . The story doesn't really develop until later in the game , when Jack is forced to choose an alliance that will dictate the entire rest of the game . The game's main virtue , in terms of story , is the wide variety of characters that it has - 175 in all , similar in scale only to the Suikoden games . Depending on the path chosen , different characters can be gained .
The gameplay is a cross between standard RPGs ( encounters lead to mini-arenas where enemies are fought , just like most other RPGs ) and action RPGs like Kingdom Hearts ( the action is real-time , and the player must attack and dodge with the controller . The player is always Jack , who has four options : attacking , defending , using a charge attack ( that takes energy gained from regular attacks to do a more powerful one ) , and items . His companions tend to be more diverse and have a wider array of skills and weapons . Mages , clerics , and warriors - among others - are available .
One of the neatest things about the game is the fact that the NPCs live actual lives - depending on the time , they will be at a different place and can be observed moving back and forth . Stores will be closed at night ; not unusual , but unlike some others which have an arbitrary locked door and a sign , this one actually shows the shop owners heading home . One early puzzle involves getting a chest guarded by a dwarf ; at 5 o'clock game time , the dwarf will head for the pub , and you are free to get the chest's contents .
Despite some darker twists in the story , the graphics are bright , colorful , and cheerful , the music is bouncy and energetic , and the characters all have light-hearted moments . Graphically , the game resembles a cross between Final Fantasy IX and Dark Cloud 2 . It's cartoony and the characters are misproportioned like FF9 , and the colors more resemble DC2 . The voice acting is done pretty well , but can be turned off if preferred ( the options are text only , text and voice , or voice only ) .
As a whole , this game falls into the same categories as other RPGs , but also tends to stand out on its own merits . While a lot of the game is the same old stuff , it has a few quirks to make it unique .
Rating : 8 / 10 .
013 4 As a big fan of the Squaresoft RPGs , especially the Final Fantasy games , I was psyched to check Radiata Stories out . Game Informer gave it a great review , and they were absolutely right - it's a really fun , creative game that you can't help but love . Younger players and adults alike can enjoy this diverse game , especially since it gives the player tons of freedom . As another reviewer noted , it's not a super-serious RPG epic like Final Fantasy X . Rather , it is an entertaining and often funny story about a young man's coming-of-age in a beautifully realized fantasy world . The depth of this world is the real draw here . It's more about exploring , making friends , and doing things your own way than it is about following a linear storyline like Xenosaga or similar RPGs . When the story finally starts to kick in during the game's exciting second half , you get to choose one of two paths , ensuring a unique replay . By the time I reached this halfway point , I'd already been playing 30 hours - there are that many sidequests , recruitable characters , and explorable areas . The story is more interesting than it initially seems , with some subtle influences from Norse mythology and a few cool twists . Ultimately , I haven't had this much FUN with an RPG in a long time . At once lighthearted and full of depth , this game is a must for anyone who wants an original RPG experience with lots of freedom .
018 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This game is pretty good and original on SQUARE-ENIX's part . Sure , the time system can get annoying , but check out all of the stuff to do . Over 100 characters to recruit , pretty good graphics , and more . It also has an extremely large amount of voices done , basically every NPC has a voice .
If you want a fun RPG , this would be a good one to get .
019 4 This game is pretty good and original on SQUARE-ENIX's part . Sure , the time system can get annoying , but check out all of the stuff to do . Over 100 characters to recruit , pretty good graphics , and more . It also has an extremely large amount of voices done , basically every NPC has a voice .
If you want a fun RPG , this would be a good one to get .
026 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
As I sat around waiting for the next Final Fantasy I decided to try out the new game from Square and I am happy I did . The plot is interesting and trying to get all the characters is adictive . This isn't a must have but if you need an RPG fix it will satisfy .
027 4 As I sat around waiting for the next Final Fantasy I decided to try out the new game from Square and I am happy I did . The plot is interesting and trying to get all the characters is adictive . This isn't a must have but if you need an RPG fix it will satisfy .
028 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This review is written by James Shea , my son .
A charming PS2 with a lot of unique touches , Radiata Stories is in many ways a standard RPG but distinguishes itself in many ways as well .
The story follows Jack Russell ( as in , the terrier ) , an enthusiastic young knight , as he negotiates the treacherous path carved out by his profession . The early parts of the game follow his unit , the Rose Cochon ( pink pig ) brigade , as it takes missions to protect the humans ' alliances with the other races of their world . The story doesn't really develop until later in the game , when Jack is forced to choose an alliance that will dictate the entire rest of the game . The game's main virtue , in terms of story , is the wide variety of characters that it has - 175 in all , similar in scale only to the Suikoden games . Depending on the path chosen , different characters can be gained .
The gameplay is a cross between standard RPGs ( encounters lead to mini-arenas where enemies are fought , just like most other RPGs ) and action RPGs like Kingdom Hearts ( the action is real-time , and the player must attack and dodge with the controller . The player is always Jack , who has four options : attacking , defending , using a charge attack ( that takes energy gained from regular attacks to do a more powerful one ) , and items . His companions tend to be more diverse and have a wider array of skills and weapons . Mages , clerics , and warriors - among others - are available .
One of the neatest things about the game is the fact that the NPCs live actual lives - depending on the time , they will be at a different place and can be observed moving back and forth . Stores will be closed at night ; not unusual , but unlike some others which have an arbitrary locked door and a sign , this one actually shows the shop owners heading home . One early puzzle involves getting a chest guarded by a dwarf ; at 5 o'clock game time , the dwarf will head for the pub , and you are free to get the chest's contents .
Despite some darker twists in the story , the graphics are bright , colorful , and cheerful , the music is bouncy and energetic , and the characters all have light-hearted moments . Graphically , the game resembles a cross between Final Fantasy IX and Dark Cloud 2 . It's cartoony and the characters are misproportioned like FF9 , and the colors more resemble DC2 . The voice acting is done pretty well , but can be turned off if preferred ( the options are text only , text and voice , or voice only ) .
As a whole , this game falls into the same categories as other RPGs , but also tends to stand out on its own merits . While a lot of the game is the same old stuff , it has a few quirks to make it unique .
Rating : 8 / 10 .
029 4 This review is written by James Shea , my son .
A charming PS2 with a lot of unique touches , Radiata Stories is in many ways a standard RPG but distinguishes itself in many ways as well .
The story follows Jack Russell ( as in , the terrier ) , an enthusiastic young knight , as he negotiates the treacherous path carved out by his profession . The early parts of the game follow his unit , the Rose Cochon ( pink pig ) brigade , as it takes missions to protect the humans ' alliances with the other races of their world . The story doesn't really develop until later in the game , when Jack is forced to choose an alliance that will dictate the entire rest of the game . The game's main virtue , in terms of story , is the wide variety of characters that it has - 175 in all , similar in scale only to the Suikoden games . Depending on the path chosen , different characters can be gained .
The gameplay is a cross between standard RPGs ( encounters lead to mini-arenas where enemies are fought , just like most other RPGs ) and action RPGs like Kingdom Hearts ( the action is real-time , and the player must attack and dodge with the controller . The player is always Jack , who has four options : attacking , defending , using a charge attack ( that takes energy gained from regular attacks to do a more powerful one ) , and items . His companions tend to be more diverse and have a wider array of skills and weapons . Mages , clerics , and warriors - among others - are available .
One of the neatest things about the game is the fact that the NPCs live actual lives - depending on the time , they will be at a different place and can be observed moving back and forth . Stores will be closed at night ; not unusual , but unlike some others which have an arbitrary locked door and a sign , this one actually shows the shop owners heading home . One early puzzle involves getting a chest guarded by a dwarf ; at 5 o'clock game time , the dwarf will head for the pub , and you are free to get the chest's contents .
Despite some darker twists in the story , the graphics are bright , colorful , and cheerful , the music is bouncy and energetic , and the characters all have light-hearted moments . Graphically , the game resembles a cross between Final Fantasy IX and Dark Cloud 2 . It's cartoony and the characters are misproportioned like FF9 , and the colors more resemble DC2 . The voice acting is done pretty well , but can be turned off if preferred ( the options are text only , text and voice , or voice only ) .
As a whole , this game falls into the same categories as other RPGs , but also tends to stand out on its own merits . While a lot of the game is the same old stuff , it has a few quirks to make it unique .
Rating : 8 / 10 .
034 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
If you like RPGs and don't like complicated RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics or games you just get stuck at a boss and never beat the game . This game is for you . That is how I am anyways and I love this game . . . for the reasons many people don't seem to like it . It isn't too hard . . . I have not beaten this yet , but this is the longest I've played an RPG for a long time . I am having a blast too .
In this game it is similar to Harvest Moon and the Sims where you have days go by with a clock . You make friends too and it is like a hybrid of these games mixed with Chrono Cross or Suikoden . The combination makes it fun . Stores close at certain times and all the townsfolk run by a certain routine everyday and your goal is to recruit 177 of these characters . It is a fun task , but most of the time all you do you grab items for them . Square / Tri-Ace could've came up with something more original possibly , but it is still fun .
All in all , You may hate this game or love it . . . simple hater = don't buy simple liker = Buy !
035 4 If you like RPGs and don't like complicated RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics or games you just get stuck at a boss and never beat the game . This game is for you . That is how I am anyways and I love this game . . . for the reasons many people don't seem to like it . It isn't too hard . . . I have not beaten this yet , but this is the longest I've played an RPG for a long time . I am having a blast too .
In this game it is similar to Harvest Moon and the Sims where you have days go by with a clock . You make friends too and it is like a hybrid of these games mixed with Chrono Cross or Suikoden . The combination makes it fun . Stores close at certain times and all the townsfolk run by a certain routine everyday and your goal is to recruit 177 of these characters . It is a fun task , but most of the time all you do you grab items for them . Square / Tri-Ace could've came up with something more original possibly , but it is still fun .
All in all , You may hate this game or love it . . . simple hater = don't buy simple liker = Buy !
038 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I tried playing this game twice , and both times I got to a point where it was more of a chore than a fun experience .
Two things greatly contributed to this : first the real time clock . You can't do events unless the clock is exactly at the right time . For a supposedly non-linear RPG , I found this frustrating and extremely linear . Plus there is not an easy teleportation / movement system . If you are in one part of town , it may take you 5 - 10 minutes just to ' walk ' to another part of town .
Second is the combat system . It is incredibly easy to ' master ' each weapon just by repeatedly spamming it in random encounters . I wasn't challenged by the ultra-easy combat at all , to such a point where I didn't even need the hundreds of in-game ' friends ' to help me fight . So recruiting people for me was both tedious and pointless , especially because there is no ' fast forward ' for long spoken voice acting dialogue .
Finally , the graphics seemed blocky ( though the music was fine ) . Compared to the beautiful and smooth faces of Final Fantasy X , this title by the same company had inferior figure animation . Felt like bad claymation . I know Square can do better , but they didn't .
If like me , you are over 25 , don't buy the game . The story is too kiddie orientated , and the game play is tedious when it is not amazingly easy .
040 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Radiata Stories looks excellent , very polished , and if you like anime type art , it is visually amaziing . The gameplay is similar to stuff like Sudeki , only no changing primary characters . Instead of changing places with characters , you give them orders . Everything else is like any other Square-enix RPG , same ol ' level-up system , exploration , etc . , except that there is a continuous flow of clocked time , around which everything in the game is scheduled ( remember Majora's Mask ? ) . This might appeal to some , but personally I don't have time to memorize the daily schedules of over 200 make-believe people . I will say I like the fact that every NPC in the game is unique with his / her own personality and dialog , but it is sometimes overintricate . The worst thing is that the story is extremely slow-paced and must develop according to the clock , so if you aren't ready to do certain things , too bad . When a story event is not going on , you spend all your time going on little quests with your party . These fill the what begins as a few minutes and becomes several hours between story events . It is frustrating when you want to advance but can't yet because it isn't time . The pieces of story are fed to the player in such a disorganized way it seems almost random . You will probably love it if you don't mind the schedule system , because the game is very deep and immersive , with a good battle system . It just isn't for someone who works fifty hours a week and needs story progression of at least one event every time he stops to play a while .
041 4 Radiata Stories looks excellent , very polished , and if you like anime type art , it is visually amaziing . The gameplay is similar to stuff like Sudeki , only no changing primary characters . Instead of changing places with characters , you give them orders . Everything else is like any other Square-enix RPG , same ol ' level-up system , exploration , etc . , except that there is a continuous flow of clocked time , around which everything in the game is scheduled ( remember Majora's Mask ? ) . This might appeal to some , but personally I don't have time to memorize the daily schedules of over 200 make-believe people . I will say I like the fact that every NPC in the game is unique with his / her own personality and dialog , but it is sometimes overintricate . The worst thing is that the story is extremely slow-paced and must develop according to the clock , so if you aren't ready to do certain things , too bad . When a story event is not going on , you spend all your time going on little quests with your party . These fill the what begins as a few minutes and becomes several hours between story events . It is frustrating when you want to advance but can't yet because it isn't time . The pieces of story are fed to the player in such a disorganized way it seems almost random . You will probably love it if you don't mind the schedule system , because the game is very deep and immersive , with a good battle system . It just isn't for someone who works fifty hours a week and needs story progression of at least one event every time he stops to play a while .
042 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Graphics : Anime-style look , character designs are decent . Areas can be a long stretch because the games is pretty large-scale . But when you get to areas where enemies are populated , it's disappointing because many of the areas are simply left-to-right or right-to-left paths to get to the next time , sort of like a side-scroller , meaning there's not much exploration . Although when you equip new armor or weapons , it appears on the screen .
Sound : Music isn't bad , but not memorable either . The voice acting is quite good though , and there's plenty of it . The personality of the main character is shown through fun dialogue and voice-acting . All the NPCs have their own little sound bite and personality .
Battle : You get to manually run up to the enemy and beat them senseless , unlike many other RPGs . Unfortunately , that can get repetitive as well . And despite getting over 150 allies and choosing up to three to put into your party of four , you can only manually control the main character .
Difficulty : This game is not particularly hard , but it can stretch if you want to collect EVERY single character in the game ( you'll have a chance to do that because there is a New Game Plus option when you beat the game )
Other : 1 ) In this RPG , the place has it's own clock that goes 24 hours a day . I figure it takes around 10 or 20 minutes for one hour to pass on the clock . Because of that clock , all NPCs are controlled by their own routine by the hours .
2 ) You can get almost every NPC in this game , if they look different from everyone else . The game calls allies a more blunt name , Friends . Unfortunately , you may not actually want to use many of them in battle because , simply put , a lot of them suck . But some are needed to gain access to the much stronger allies along the way .
Fun ? : This game is not for everyone , but I like games that allow me more freedom to just go up to the enemy and beat the crap outta them then just issuing time-consuming orders . The dialogue and the voice-acting was funny , which is uncommon for many RPGs . The main character is a dork with a mind for justice , but he has funny lines . And lastly , NPCs are pretty fun to talk to too !
Score : Probably 7.5 or 8 out of 10
043 4 Graphics : Anime-style look , character designs are decent . Areas can be a long stretch because the games is pretty large-scale . But when you get to areas where enemies are populated , it's disappointing because many of the areas are simply left-to-right or right-to-left paths to get to the next time , sort of like a side-scroller , meaning there's not much exploration . Although when you equip new armor or weapons , it appears on the screen .
Sound : Music isn't bad , but not memorable either . The voice acting is quite good though , and there's plenty of it . The personality of the main character is shown through fun dialogue and voice-acting . All the NPCs have their own little sound bite and personality .
Battle : You get to manually run up to the enemy and beat them senseless , unlike many other RPGs . Unfortunately , that can get repetitive as well . And despite getting over 150 allies and choosing up to three to put into your party of four , you can only manually control the main character .
Difficulty : This game is not particularly hard , but it can stretch if you want to collect EVERY single character in the game ( you'll have a chance to do that because there is a New Game Plus option when you beat the game )
Other : 1 ) In this RPG , the place has it's own clock that goes 24 hours a day . I figure it takes around 10 or 20 minutes for one hour to pass on the clock . Because of that clock , all NPCs are controlled by their own routine by the hours .
2 ) You can get almost every NPC in this game , if they look different from everyone else . The game calls allies a more blunt name , Friends . Unfortunately , you may not actually want to use many of them in battle because , simply put , a lot of them suck . But some are needed to gain access to the much stronger allies along the way .
Fun ? : This game is not for everyone , but I like games that allow me more freedom to just go up to the enemy and beat the crap outta them then just issuing time-consuming orders . The dialogue and the voice-acting was funny , which is uncommon for many RPGs . The main character is a dork with a mind for justice , but he has funny lines . And lastly , NPCs are pretty fun to talk to too !
Score : Probably 7.5 or 8 out of 10
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This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This is a good game , and I had a lot of fun playing it . There is enough strategy to keep the game challenging all the way through as well as enough battles and storyline to keep it entertaining . The only real downside of this game is the storyline is either two easy or to hard to move along , mostly due to the time system in the game . There are certain times ( in game ) that you have to meet certain NPC's and do certain tasks . Because of this it's close to impossible to get all the possible friends unless you read a walk through or pay really close attention to all the NPC's around you .
great game , i liked it a lot , would recomend to anyone that likes rpg's or is a sucker for a storyline
~ Eman ~
054 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
This is a good game , and I had a lot of fun playing it . There is enough strategy to keep the game challenging all the way through as well as enough battles and storyline to keep it entertaining . The only real downside of this game is the storyline is either two easy or to hard to move along , mostly due to the time system in the game . There are certain times ( in game ) that you have to meet certain NPC's and do certain tasks . Because of this it's close to impossible to get all the possible friends unless you read a walk through or pay really close attention to all the NPC's around you .
great game , i liked it a lot , would recomend to anyone that likes rpg's or is a sucker for a storyline
~ Eman ~
055 4 This is a good game , and I had a lot of fun playing it . There is enough strategy to keep the game challenging all the way through as well as enough battles and storyline to keep it entertaining . The only real downside of this game is the storyline is either two easy or to hard to move along , mostly due to the time system in the game . There are certain times ( in game ) that you have to meet certain NPC's and do certain tasks . Because of this it's close to impossible to get all the possible friends unless you read a walk through or pay really close attention to all the NPC's around you .
great game , i liked it a lot , would recomend to anyone that likes rpg's or is a sucker for a storyline
~ Eman ~
057 4 I liked it a whole lot . It's a great RPG / adventure game . The story splits which allows for futher game play . I'd recommend playing it if you like this type of game . It's also very cute . = )
058 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
It's a fun and cheap game very pretty , music is good . It's one of those collect a ton of characters games ( 175 in all ) . The plot is pretty standard RPG stuff but the characters have a lot of personality . With all the character recruitment it make the game a little not linear . Cute enemies like FF7 .
059 4 It's a fun and cheap game very pretty , music is good . It's one of those collect a ton of characters games ( 175 in all ) . The plot is pretty standard RPG stuff but the characters have a lot of personality . With all the character recruitment it make the game a little not linear . Cute enemies like FF7 .
062 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
I first heard about this game when I visited Square Enix's website before it came out and when I heard about them using a Real Time system I was interested but of course I couldn't buy it because at the time I was working on beating another SQuare Enix title which was Dragon Quest 8 . I was finally able to get me a copy of this game and was impressed by the graphics and voices in this game but the thing that impress me the most was the way you can change the armor of your character and he would wear that exact same outfit on the screen . I haven't seen anything like that except for in Legaia during the battle scenes . I found this cool and really wish some of the newer rpgs would adapt this maybe when the Ps3 comes out we might see something like this . Wait Rogue Galaxy has a system like that where you can equip new outfits to your chars . Ok enough talking about other games on with the review . This game is very similar to the Suikodens but the hard part is recruiting the characters and picking a side to be on when the time comes . Like most Square Enix games nowadays for that fact like most Rpg games nowadays there are mulitple endings and it all depends on your choices . They also put in an old FF trick in this game simply known as the Limit break or Trance or whatever you want to call it which lets certain characters unleash special moves . The sad part is that unlike the Suikodens is the fact the endings is kinda sucky and leaves you guessing .
One of the best things about this game is the weapons you can use which is about five and each weapon has their own set of moves and limit break . For example let's say if you want to equip the main hero with a 1 hand sword well if he uses one hand swords enough he gains the ability to use it's limit break . Then you decided to try another weapon well you then equip him with a two hand sword you don't lose the skills you learn from the first weapon or the limit break you just can't use them with the two hand sword . That doesn't mean you can't use them during battles you can equip accessories , armor , weapons , and attacks to your characters . In other words during a battle let's say you want to do a limit break but you don't have any with your two hand sword but you do have a one hand sword in stock you can simply equip your one hand sword and do the limit break .
I do hope SE makes this game into a series which would be interesting and kinda cool seeing how the real time system works in it . There is only two other game series that I can think of that has real time in it and they are : Zelda and Harvest Moon .
063 4 I first heard about this game when I visited Square Enix's website before it came out and when I heard about them using a Real Time system I was interested but of course I couldn't buy it because at the time I was working on beating another SQuare Enix title which was Dragon Quest 8 . I was finally able to get me a copy of this game and was impressed by the graphics and voices in this game but the thing that impress me the most was the way you can change the armor of your character and he would wear that exact same outfit on the screen . I haven't seen anything like that except for in Legaia during the battle scenes . I found this cool and really wish some of the newer rpgs would adapt this maybe when the Ps3 comes out we might see something like this . Wait Rogue Galaxy has a system like that where you can equip new outfits to your chars . Ok enough talking about other games on with the review . This game is very similar to the Suikodens but the hard part is recruiting the characters and picking a side to be on when the time comes . Like most Square Enix games nowadays for that fact like most Rpg games nowadays there are mulitple endings and it all depends on your choices . They also put in an old FF trick in this game simply known as the Limit break or Trance or whatever you want to call it which lets certain characters unleash special moves . The sad part is that unlike the Suikodens is the fact the endings is kinda sucky and leaves you guessing .
One of the best things about this game is the weapons you can use which is about five and each weapon has their own set of moves and limit break . For example let's say if you want to equip the main hero with a 1 hand sword well if he uses one hand swords enough he gains the ability to use it's limit break . Then you decided to try another weapon well you then equip him with a two hand sword you don't lose the skills you learn from the first weapon or the limit break you just can't use them with the two hand sword . That doesn't mean you can't use them during battles you can equip accessories , armor , weapons , and attacks to your characters . In other words during a battle let's say you want to do a limit break but you don't have any with your two hand sword but you do have a one hand sword in stock you can simply equip your one hand sword and do the limit break .
I do hope SE makes this game into a series which would be interesting and kinda cool seeing how the real time system works in it . There is only two other game series that I can think of that has real time in it and they are : Zelda and Harvest Moon .
080 4 Look all these other reviewers seem to think that this is a VERY SERIOUS RPG EPIC ! ! ! ! and in reality its not , its just a cool game with great features , and its meant to be humorous , I personally found it quite entertaining ! also half way through the story splits in half and you get to choose which one tickles your fancy , This game is pretty good , not the best , but pretty good , it doesnt deserve the kind of reviews its getting !
084 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
Many people had told me how wonderful this game was . I had been told that it was what would happen if Square-Enix had made the Suikoden games . To put it mildly , I was foaming at the mouth to get my hands on this game .
Twenty-nine hours later , I'm left wondering : Why ?
The main plot , even with the major fork near the end , is pitifully short , and it can be completed in twenty-odd hours . No matter how much time you put into levelling up your party members , their skill sets will never get better . You aren't allowed to upgrade your party members ' equipment . Other than having other people to act as targets , there really isn't much use for the people you recruit . When the game is touted as having an involving storyline with an emphasis on recruiting friends to help , I just can't help but think that the experience is incredibly lacking .
Certainly , the graphics are pleasant ( they have a very nice , almost watercolor look to them ) , and the music is decent , but that's not really enough to hang a game on .
Perhaps , if I hadn't heard any of the hype or the favorable comparisons to Suikoden ( which is one of my favorite RPG franchises and a MUCH better alternative to this tripe ) , I might've enjoyed myself . But as it is , I'm just glad I bought a used copy .
112 4 This review is from :
Radiata Stories ( Video Game )
At first glance , playing this game doesn't seem like an experience that feels like tanning directly under the ozone's hole . But don't be fooled . Underneath the sunny exterior lies a sinister , insidious force that leaves you burnt to a crisp .
The graphics are gorgeous . Watching the first few cutscenes left me with a slack jaw , and the in-game graphics are head and shoulders above most everything else I've seen . Character models are incredibly vibrant , colors are bright , and everything seems bathed in a soft glow . If these visuals could somehow be transplanted into a completely different game , we might have something here .
The battle system earns a solid meh . At least it's not the mess that we bore witness to in Star Ocean 3 , but it's very mindless hack ' n slash . I just wish I had something more to do than mash the attack button !
As all RPG fans know , though , exploration , not battle , is the heart of this genre . In my opinion , a successful RPG must somehow get the player excited about exploring towns and talking to NPCs . However , this is the area in which RS emits an endless , unforgivable stream of greenhouse gases .
If you believe the PR , there is supposedly a real-time system that lets you recruit characters and complete sidequests as the day passes . But there are not nearly enough sidequests to do , and time passes veeeeery slowly . . . and the only way to fill it is with what I believe is the stupidest implementation of this generation : dueling the townsfolk .
In order to be of proper level to proceed , you must provoke NPCs into fighting you . The problem ? Most of these NPCs are as strong , if not stronger , than a boss , and you must fight them without the aid of your allies . This is extremely frustrating . I felt conned ; nowhere in any of the reviews or other coverage of this game was this mentioned .
Overall , RS made me feel stymied . Too much frustration , too little to do , and the added fact that you keep feeling like you should love it . Additionally , the game's much-touted humor seems like it was aimed at brain-damaged chimpanzees , although I admit that this is a matter of personal preference . I advise you to avoid this game , and all others by the developer , until Tri-Ace gets its act together .
113 4 At first glance , playing this game doesn't seem like an experience that feels like tanning directly under the ozone's hole . But don't be fooled . Underneath the sunny exterior lies a sinister , insidious force that leaves you burnt to a crisp .
The graphics are gorgeous . Watching the first few cutscenes left me with a slack jaw , and the in-game graphics are head and shoulders above most everything else I've seen . Character models are incredibly vibrant , colors are bright , and everything seems bathed in a soft glow . If these visuals could somehow be transplanted into a completely different game , we might have something here .
The battle system earns a solid meh . At least it's not the mess that we bore witness to in Star Ocean 3 , but it's very mindless hack ' n slash . I just wish I had something more to do than mash the attack button !
As all RPG fans know , though , exploration , not battle , is the heart of this genre . In my opinion , a successful RPG must somehow get the player excited about exploring towns and talking to NPCs . However , this is the area in which RS emits an endless , unforgivable stream of greenhouse gases .
If you believe the PR , there is supposedly a real-time system that lets you recruit characters and complete sidequests as the day passes . But there are not nearly enough sidequests to do , and time passes veeeeery slowly . . . and the only way to fill it is with what I believe is the stupidest implementation of this generation : dueling the townsfolk .
In order to be of proper level to proceed , you must provoke NPCs into fighting you . The problem ? Most of these NPCs are as strong , if not stronger , than a boss , and you must fight them without the aid of your allies . This is extremely frustrating . I felt conned ; nowhere in any of the reviews or other coverage of this game was this mentioned .
Overall , RS made me feel stymied . Too much frustration , too little to do , and the added fact that you keep feeling like you should love it . Additionally , the game's much-touted humor seems like it was aimed at brain-damaged chimpanzees , although I admit that this is a matter of personal preference . I advise you to avoid this game , and all others by the developer , until Tri-Ace gets its act together .
