| Welcome to Dreamcast Magic |
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| Story: 10/10 You play the part of Vyse, an aspiring pirate ship captain with a good heart. You'll literally travel the "Skies of Arcadia" in search of treasure, fame, friendship, adventure, and your very own airship! Graphics: 9/10 As soon as you see the opening sequence, it's apparent this game is something special. The many continents you'll traverse are varied and sometimes stunning. You can always see far away. The skies are referred to as oceans, some are clear; some have clouds; tornados; flying debris, etc. Of course, you'll see plenty of airships, which are needed to travel in the sea of skies. The sheer number of different ships you'll come across is mind boggling. Everything from pirate ships to merchant ships, and cruisers to battleships! It's almost as interesting to watch these ships move in battle, as it is to partake in a battle. On to the characters again the sheer variety is amazing. Each land has a unique culture, which is partially represented in the clothing they wear. In addition, the character movement is fluid and realistic. Top that off with numerous enemies and bosses (which have a surprising uniqueness in look, abilities, and animation). Not to metion the polygon generated magic effects. Controls: 8/10 In an RPG, control can't get very bad, so it isn't hard to predict what this game offers control-wise. Basically, you'll deal with search, talk, hand-to-hand battle, ship-to-ship battle, and flight modes of gameplay. I know it sounds like a lot (and it is), but it's not hard to learn and play. Sound: 9/10 Music is important in all games, especially rpgs. Skies of Arcadia comes through with flying colors. It's a good thing too, because this game is long, and you'll be listening to all the songs alot. As for the type of songs it's a great mix of mainly orchestral tunes. There's a song which is perfect for every situation in the game. No matter where you are, or what gameplay mode you're in, the environmental effects will be there in convincing fashion too! One more thing while the speech is sparse it sounds good none the less. Game Play / Replay Value: 8/10 The level of involvement in Skies of Arcadia is amazing. Not only do you walk places, you also have to sail to distant locales in an airship! Buying items and weapons isn't reserved for people either. Once you get a ship, items, weapons, upgrades, and crew need to be acquired. Of course, winning battles, gaining experience, making discoveries, and finding treasure is imperative. Top all that off with a great story line and its easy to think of playing this game over again. Overall: 9/10 This is (hands down) the number one straight rpg for Dreamcast. If you consider yourself an rpg fan, then don't deprive yourself the wonderful experience Sega and Overworks have created. History: -The in-game website is not online anymore but you are takes you to page where you can still download the 3 downloadable quests. -The limited edition was only released in Japan and came with Skies of Arcadia and the following: Skull Bracele: This is the symbol of a Sky Pirate! This leather bracelet holds the symbol contained on the flag wielded by the group to which main character Vyse belongs. Blue Sky Pirate Bandana: This reproduction of an in-game item is meant to be worn by fans everywhere! Visual Book: This 64 page all color book is size A4 (around 8 1/2 by 11 inches) and features illustrations and conceptual work. Mascot Strap: A strap based on Fina's little friend, the Cupil character. All of this will be encased in packaging meant to resemble a log-book, according to Sega of Japan's site. Sega states that fans will definitely want to obtain it, and you can be sure that we will, come September 14th. Expect some hands-on impressions as we touch all the goodies in various ways. |
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| Note: these pictures are in low resolution and the game looks much better on a TV. |
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