Grandia Ps1 Review
Admittedly, Grandia took its sweet time - Ubisoft didn't launch the game in Europe until early 2001, after US and Japanese launches in 1999 - but this, at least, is a game which European players. Grandia (Import) Review Grandia beats out FF7 in all of the ways that matter. PlayStation / Grandia Read Review. About the Author. Peter Bartholow. More GameSpot Reviews. Grandia is a role-playing video game, developed by Game Arts and published by ESP Software for the Sega Saturn console as the first game in their Grandia series. Released in Japan in 1997, the game was ported to the PlayStation in 1999, with an English version of the game appearing on the platform in North America in the following September by Sony Computer Entertainment, and in Europe in 2000.
For a good deal of 1997, when the Sega Saturn was still a player (however remotely) in the 32-Bit console wars, there was a raging debate over which RPG was superior: Square's Final Fantasy VII or Game Arts' Grandia. The problem was that Saturn owners had to continually refer to the import version, while U.S. PlayStation owners could gloat over the localized version of the RPG behemoth that was FFVII. While Saturn owners sent petition after petition for a translation of Grandia to make it stateside, those pleas fell on deaf ears, as it would never materialize via Sega of America, who opted instead to bring over their homegrown property Shining Force III.
It was still a good argument while it lasted though, as Grandia had on its side Game Arts' RPG legacy. This was, after all, the company that had brought us the highly revered Lunar series. Game Arts had always been a strong Sega supporter, and in tandem with Working Designs, had formed a substantial reputation among the U.S. gaming community.
The other thing that worked in the favor of Saturn owners was the belief (at that time) that Grandia could not be ported over to the PlayStation. The situation was that Grandia's backgrounds were completely 3D, filled with tons of little details, featured an expansive variety of textures, and were brightly colored. All these things, in addition to the sprite-based characters, music, text and spell-effects, were considered substantial memory-hoggers, and could not be managed into the PlayStation's measly 2 Megs of on-board RAM.However, rumors started filtering through the grapevine that Game Arts had found a way to get it done and that work had finally commenced on a PlayStation version of their critically acclaimed RPG. Good news for PlayStation owners and good news for Game Arts, since the Saturn version of Grandia had sold less than they had hoped in Japan (around 450,000-500,000 copies), where it had sat atop the most wanted lists for over a year.
While it may be difficult to find the last remaining Saturn fans out there, but wherever they are, surely it's a knife in the heart to know that not only is Grandia coming out for PlayStation, but that Sony themselves have snapped up the publishing rights to the FFVII 'killer.'While no one could say that Grandia was a technological tour de force, especially compared to the flashy wonders of Final Fantasy VII, Game Arts' strong point was always the quality of the story line and their characters. With Final Fantasy VII often accused of being a glitzy, but shallow experience, Grandia, conceivably serves as the perfect foil: less emphasis on the graphics, and a stronger focus on the story line and character development.
Grandia Ps1 Walkthrough
The story of Grandia centers around the adventures of a young boy named Justin and his friends Sue and Feena. Like most 15-year-olds, Justin is out to save the world from the tyrannical plans of the wicked General Baal. During gameplay, you can have up to three additional partners in the game, for a grand total of four in any given 'war party.' The game features a 'field radar' view that allows gamers to examine their surroundings from an overhead perspective, which in turn allows for easier item location. With over 200 different enemies to battle, it's a good thing you can see them on-field at all times. No random battles here, folks. No loud 'pssssshhhh!!!!!' and then a swirling distortion of the screen. In Grandia, if you can see your enemy, you can avoid your enemy, although doing so continuously will result in lower experience levels (very, very bad!). Battles are conducted in real time, with attack, critical attack, item use, magic spells, defend and retreat your principal options. Attacks are interesting (in a good way) in Grandia. With the battle timer continuously running, and different characters' timers running at different speeds, players can overlap attacks as they go. For example, if Justin's attack meter begins, and he starts a 'combo' attack, then Feena's starts a second after Justin begins his attack, and her actual attack-rate is faster, she'll jump in and join in on the carnage, resulting in both Feena and Justin attacking simultaneously. If timed right, all four members of the party could potentially wail on the same enemy at once. Magic spells are numerous and diverse, and can be learned by practically every member of your crew, unlike most RPGs where only certain characters are magic specialists. While their most powerful attacks will vary, they share the most common, lower-level attacks like healing, resurrection, elemental attacks and protective spells. Anyone concerned with the 'been there, done that' sensation regarding common use of spells need not worry since there are also over 200 weapons and 200 useful items to keep and collect, to go along with the 80-plus spells that gamers can use.
On an aesthetic level, Grandia features one of the most exhilarating soundtracks ever composed, video game or not. The score that accompanies the epic FMV intro is of particular beauty and warrants the purchase of the Grandia soundtrack (on import if you can find one). Grandia has also had its extensive voice-over work completely rerecorded in English, which should be a bonus for gamers who hate reading subtitles.
Enhanced for the PlayStation version of Grandia are an improved frame-rate, better light-sourcing effects and real transparencies (which the Saturn version sorely lacked). Loading times are slightly reduced as well, lessening the dread that used to accompany the simple process of entering the inventory screen in the Saturn game.
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Grandia Ps1 Review
Scheduled for release in October of this year, ironically, Grandia will arrive hot on the heels of its one-time archnemesis, the Final Fantasy series, only this time it will be on the PlayStation. Finally RPG nuts will be able to experience the wonders of Game Arts' finest hour in full-on English translation.
With the release of Grandia this fall, the PlayStation is definitely the place to be when it comes to RPGs. Already the system has had Legend of Legaia, Lunar: The Silver Star Story, and Star Ocean: Second Story on its roster. With the eventual addition of upcoming RPGs Thousand Arms, Final Fantasy VIII, Grandia, Lunar 2: Eternal Blue and others, the PlayStation currently owns the RPG market. To think the N64 has but two role-playing games in its entire library, with only Ogre Battle 64 on the distant horizon. Nevertheless, the opportunity to play one of the finest RPGs ever made is finally at hand. Do yourself a favor and preorder this one. Chandramukhi tamil full movie online youtube.