The Legend of Dragoon

The copious story begins with Dart, a vengeful young man with spiky hair and red armor who embarks on a desperate rescue mission to break his childhood sweetheart out of a castle prison. The two join forces with a knight who is trying to end a war that's destroying the region. Dart soon learns that he is a Dragoon--a human who's privy to the spiritual power of dragons. Like all RPG heroes, Dart is up against impossible odds, but his newfound Dragoon magic and battle skills go a long way toward making the bet even money.

And that's just the beginning. Grab a spare memory card and a comfy chair and be prepared to spend at least 20 hours getting through the first disk (there are three others just like it in the double-wide case). It's hard to sustain a player through this kind of time span, but The Legend of Dragoon takes chances and wins. For example, its battle system is turn based, so you can actually use some strategy, but it also features special "additions," or fighting combos that unfold if you match the X button to that addition's timing. When handling three players' additions, each with unique sequences, it can be quite challenging. You can increase the potency of the elemental magic up to 160 percent by quickly tapping X during your cast. Also, the perspectives often change between battles--players will direct the action from behind the heroes, behind the villains, looking down from above, and off to the side.

There are a couple downsides to the game. First, the stylized transitions into and out of battle mode, while initially cool, quickly become exhausting--especially when running the gauntlet through lesser foes in the wilderness or lower ramparts of a castle. The game's story is built such that you're watching the sometimes goofy dialog as a spectator rather than participating in it. There are a few occasions when the game will prompt you to choose from two different responses, but often either response will bring about the same conclusion. That tightly controlled narrative, however, often works in the player's favor by keeping the game flowing instead of the wandering common in other RPGs, where players waste time looking to each townsperson for direction.

Overall, the game's wonderfully illustrated sets, light exploration and problem solving, and a handful of jaw-dropping full-motion video scenes make The Legend of Dragoon fun to play and hard to put down. --Porter Hall

Pros:

• Hours upon hours of story and gameplay
• Turn-based battle made more exciting by combo-attack-style "additions"
• Many different monsters, spells, weapons, and items

• Very linear gameplay offers no chance to affect outcome
• Stylish pre- and postbattle sequences quickly grow tiresome

The story is fairly standard RPG material. You play as the main character, Dart. Dart is on a journey to avenge the destruction of his village and the death of his parents. Along the way, he meets up with some very eccentric adventurers who follow him on his quests for their own personal reasons. What starts out as a journey for revenge turns out to be something more significant. As the story unfolds, it turns out that what people have believed for 10,000 years may not be the actual truth. What God had in mind for humans may not be in our best interest. Dart and company travel across three nations to try and unravel the mystery.

This game is a very good alternative to the Final Fantasy series for those who love to hack, slash, bash, and cast spells. The battle system here is much better than Final Fantasy X's. This is perhaps the most sophisticated RPG for the original playstation. Playing the game in a PS2 supposedly gives the graphics a boost, but I have not had a chance to compare them side by side. I can say that on a PS2, the graphics are very good. The soundtrack sounds great and the variety is wide enough so that the game is pleasant to play for long hours at a time. I believe it took me over 100 hours to finish the game and the side quests.


The Best RPG Ever Made   June 23, 2000
50 out of 56 found this review helpful

The Legend of Dragoon is the best RPG ever made for any game system. The graphics surpass even those of Final Fantasy VIII. The game itself has an extremely immersive storyline. After you get into the game a little, you get the ability to transform into a "Dragoon" during battle, (Similar to the "Limit Breaks" of the Final Fantasy games) Which is a warrior that has the power of a dragon. each magic spell has a cinema that is completely different from the one before, unlike Final Fantasy where each character kind of had their own little motion that they went through to cast a spell, Also there are things called "additions" that when you hit the attack button at a certain time you will unleash a devastating barrage of attacks. I reccomend this game for anyone who loves RPG's it is the best game I have ever played. It will take some doing for any future titles to even come close to what this game achieves. Did I mention that all the cutscenes have voice acting, and when you cast a spell or correctly achieve the addition that the character yells the name of the spell or addition.


Great battles-beautiful story-a must buy!   June 21, 2000
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

If you are looking for an RPG that is extremely well designed, you have found it! Here in Legend of Dragoon, you take controll of Dart, a guy on a quest to avenge the death of his parents. I must say that the battle system is one of the best I've ever seen...period. You take the standard three characters into battle with you. They have the usual commands: Attack, Defend, Item, and Run. But The Attack command is much different. By using this, you gain access to that character's special attacks. When the boxes align right on top of the attacker, a tap of the X button causes the character to attack again. You continue until the character executes the special attack. But enemies can counter attack during this sequence. Then the lines turn red, it's a sign to hit the O button rather X to block and keep attacking. But this isn't the end. The more you fight, the more SP (Spirit Points) you obtain. When you have at least one, you gain access to yet another command, Dragoon. When you select this, that character will transform into a Dragoon. Depending on how many SPs you have, the number of turns you remain in that form is determined. In this new form, your character dons really cool armor and wings. They now only have access to two commands, but they are the best you have. The first is Attack, but it's different from before. You now have a circle on the right side of the screen with a mark on the top. When you press the X button, a light will move clockwise around the side like a clock on steroids. Pressing X when the light meets the mark will increase your power. When finished, your character will pummel the target with devistating attacks. The next command enables you to cast spells. Depending on the character and level, different types of magic are avalible. The only real problem with the game are it's graphics. The backgrounds are great, but the characters could look better, although they still look okay. Also, the spells take almost as long as the Guardian Force summons in Final Fantasy VIII. Other than that, I highly suggest this to anybody looking for an RPG with a Final Fantasy type atmosphere, yet a highly original and addictive battle system.


~*An Amazing Epic RPG*~   July 9, 2000
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

Many people dislike Legend Of Dragoon, for various reasons. However, I couldnt believe the poor judgements people made on this game! As soon as I popped "Disc 1" into my Playstation, and watched the breath-taking opening scene, I knew this game was for me. The characters are beautifully detailed. From Dart, the mysterious young man, who is on a journey to pursue the Black Monster, to the lively Meru, the peppy dancer. The main villian often skips around a bit. There are shocking surprises throughout the game. The awesome looking towns, are full of Rich color. The battle system is simply unique, and you must press X at certain times, in order to execute a special move. The sound is impressive, and a few favorites of mine include the opening theme, and the World Map themes. The game expands on four Discs, with gameplay estimated up to 80 hours! The amazing plot will keep you on the edge of your chair, all the way from the beggining to the end! If you enjoyed Legend Of Legaia,or any other RPG then this game should be at the top of your shopping list...


The Legand of Dragoon   June 1, 2000
23 out of 28 found this review helpful

For all those who played and loved Final Fantasy VII, here is the sequal you've been waiting for! 3D redering background graghics, and select targeting,(meaning that when you attack with your sword, whip etc. you can target the waist, arm etc.) you'll love this game! Ohh and did I forget to mention that Legand of Dragoon is made by sony. Also, the difference between FF7 and LD is that remember those limit breaks, well now you have Dragoons. This is where you transform into a monster of that certain charecter, and as your charecter and your party get stronger, you're Dragoons learn new moves. Aside from the great graphics, Lengand of Dragoon seems to [draw] you into the story, and leaves you hanging on what's going to happen next. You'll also love the cinematic scenes!