bit-tech Shopping: Sega Skies Of Arcadia (GC)

Rating: 8

Time with product: 1 Year

Strengths: Storyline and gameplay

Weaknesses: Graphics and voiceacting

Summary: Skies of Arcadia Legends is an excellent RPG for the Gamecube console. Originally released on the Sega Dreamcast, the game shows that it has aged by the now outdated graphics. The voiceacting isn't all that good as well. However, if you can overlook those 2 features, you will be rewarded with an excellent storyline and many great RPG elements. The action mostly occurs through random battles and it does get a little repetitive, but stil, this is a wonderfully made RPG. I would highly recommend the purchase.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 5

Strengths: Good Story & Swashbuckling Style

Weaknesses: Random Encounters

Summary: I really enjoyed the storyline (even if it was a bit predictable) and especially the swashbuckling style and 'feel' this game very accurately conveyed. In my experience it takes a lot for an RPG to exude the right kind of atmosphere, and Skies of Arcadia Legends does so with aplomb. I never played the Dreamcast version (because I never owned a Dreamcast) so I can't compare it to that version, but I agree with other reviewers here that the graphics while good aren't spectacular. As for actual gameplay, the camera has mobility and perspective issues (but so do most games) but you get used to them pretty quickly. Aside from that I found this game to be a very enjoyable RPG experience for Gamecube.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 4 Weeks

Strengths: Innovative ship-based battle system, good story

Weaknesses:

Summary: Solid RPGs with depth are rare to find on the GameCube. Skies of Arcadia Legends is one that helps the genre dramatically. While RPGs are always trying to differentiate with battle systems, Skies really found something with two forms of battle: The normal party-based battle scene we all know and love, and additionally, ship-to-ship battle, high in the sky. It's almost like a real-time game of Battleship in those moments. Overall, this is a game that managed to grab my attention out of the backlog of games sitting on my shelf, and kept it for quite some time. Good buy.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Years

Strengths: Story, Gameplay.

Weaknesses: Random Battles. Graphics, sound.

Summary: Originally released on the Dreamcast where it became and instant classic, Skies of Arcadia is remade on Gamecube. Skies of Arcadia Legends is an excellent addition to the Gamecube library, A vibrant and fun world of pirates and swashbuckling in RPG form. Skies of Arcadia Legends is a old-school style rpg in 3d, set in a world of flying ships and an ocean made of air. As with almost all RPGs, the worth in the game is determined by the content of the story and the overall balance in the game system. The story in Skies is based around a young pirate and his friends, eventually their devil may care attitudes get them wrapped up in a world shaking war. Be warned, this game starts out really slow, the story doesn't really get interesting for the first few hours of gameplay, but after that it gets very interesting. The game's battle system, while not blindingly original, is new enough and very solid. Skies allows a level of customization amongst magic skills, each player can learn almost all of the spells, attributes affecting their competency. Each character can also learn several special moves unique to that person, only be used in battle. Graphics and Sound in Skies aren't a whole lot to write home about. They aren't horrible by any stretch of the imagination, but they do look dated. Sound fares better, as the score has it's moments. The game does have a great sense of design and an art style that's hard not to love, a next generation sequel could be stunning. RPGs are extremely dependent on story and this game manages to separate itself from the pack. Skies does have problems: dated graphics and sound,Random Battles that are a real a killer,not enough to overshadow the good in the game. It is an great Rpg adventure, well worth looking at.

Rating: 8

Time with product:

Strengths: Good, old school RPG, good story and characters

Weaknesses: Not much innovation, battle system a bit too shallow

Summary: Skies of Arcadia: Legends is a very good, albeit old school RPG. The battle system is very basic, and while that may turn off some gamers, this is made up for by the wonderful story, characters, and humor.The game is fairly challenging, and provides many hours of exploring and adventuring. The Gamecube version features significant upgrades over the Dreamcast version, as well.If you're looking for a solid RPG experience on the Gamecube, look no further than Skies of Arcadia. Highly recommended!