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Monday, August 3, 2009

Games Played 07/11/2009

Rhythm Heaven - NDS
Savage 2: A Tortured Soul - PC
Street Fighter IV - PlayStation 3


RANDOM GAME OF THE DAY:


Dawn of Mana (2007)
Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Platform: PlayStation 2
Purchase Date: 05/25/2007


Yes, turn around slowly then run away as fast as you can and don't ever look back.

Dawn of Mana could have easily been the perfect addition to the classic action role playing series if not for one serious design flaw that manages to turn off many of the series followers - your character's inability to retain his level progression. At the start of each stage, Keldy goes back to level one. The problem with this is that you lose access to the special abilities that are unlocked when you level up your weapon and magic - to me, it makes the game feel quite awkward but this problem is not necessarily game-breaking. What's more problematic is the poor camera and the game's unbalanced focus on its physics engine: You have to constantly throw objects towards your enemies or the other way around to gain strategical advantage over them. The game is a prequel and it is the first tale in the entire Mana timeline, so even though the game isn't the greatest, it is an essential play for fans of the series. The one thing that made me stick to the game was the incredible graphics. It is definitely one of the best on the PlayStation 2 with great looking animations, special effects, and use of vibrant color. This extraordinary visual quality is hard to find even with the current technology video game developers have access to these days.

LIBRARY STATUS: 3 out of 5

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