Gaming Phantom Dust

[Semjaza]

Wondering if anyone else picked this up for Xbox. It's a new title that's being sold for $20 and it's definitely worth the money.

It was developed by MS's Japanese studios, but MS didn't pick it up for US release. Instead, Majesco stepped in (quickly becoming one of my favorite publishers with this and Psychonauts under their belts; they've really turned themselves around). I'm really glad they brought it over because it's a fun, interesting and well presented titled.

It's basically an RPG. Your character awakens in a place he doesn't know and finds he remembers very little. Strangely, just like everyone else around him. These people live underground and avoid the surface. The surface is full of enemies and some sort of chemical in the air that leads one to forget their past.

Your character (after proving himself more) and others act as scouts that go to the surface and ward off enemies and discover new things. These are presented in mission format where you have to fulfill certain objectives.

People compare it to a card RPG, but I find that very misleading. There are no cards to speak of. You don't have anything resembling a deck. Battles feel more like something out of an insane anime-esque action title where you use items you pick up. In this case, the "items" are actually glowing spheres that contain abilities. There are different types such as attack, status and defense.

When you find one of these spheres you're given the option to apply it to one of the Xbox's face buttons (A, B, X, Y). Obviously you can only store four different abilities at a time. Some are one use, some last the entire mission. From then on out, you basically just have to fulfill the objectives that include such things as finding and using new abilities, saving someone or killing something else.

It sounds simple, but it's a lot of fun. Later on the game gets incredibly hectic and enemies are well equipped to kick your ***. The environments the battles take place in are fully destructable which is insanely cool. If you jump off a high area, you'll leave a crater beneath you when you land. You can knock down entire bridges and platforms, destroy supports and poles, etc. It really gives the game this brutal feeling that you'd expect to see in some crazy anime series.

I'm not far enough in to say how interesting the story is, but it's servicable so far. The concept is interesting and well paced and the characters seem interesting in their own ways. We'll see how that goes.

Graphically the game is pretty impressive, especially when you think of what you usually get for $20. It has some really strong model and texture work and runs very smoothly. Again, the destructable environments are a really great touch. The only real complaint here is how damn compressed the video is. It looks pretty bad, especially when you consider that the engine could easily run these scenes itself.

The art style might turn some people off. The characters (even in their art) are very stylized and look a bit strange, in my opinion. You get used to the style and it's well applied, but it's still somewhat offputting.

Anyway, check this game out if you have the system. Only place I found it at was Gamestop.

[IMG]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/009/918888_20050110_screen010.jpg[/IMG]

[2010DigitalBoy]

Ive been thinking of buying this game for quite some time now. Is it worth putting of Final Fantasy and Zelda for a while? Also, do you know anything about the online mode?

[Semjaza]

Considering how far off the next Zelda title is, I guess it'd do the job. It's a really fun game with some unique qualities. There really isn't anything like it on Xbox, honestly.

Apparently it includes deathmatch type things. I've not gotten to play it, so I've honestly not looked into it much. I've not activated my latest free Live trial yet.

[Jin]

I had beated this game a week after it came up. I still play it, that's the catch. I don't have Live becasue I am to lazy to get it and all of that otehr stuff. I still play lan paties and such with friends and stuff and gambling. I have some sick arensals, I will post tem up. Everyone get this game, its $20!

[Otaku America]

[COLOR=Navy]This game is such a blast to play online. The single-player is just a giant 30 hour tutorial that prepares you for some intense battles online. On the surface it looks like a fighting game but underneath it's really a card game. Mix Dragonball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh and you get one addicting game.

Environments are fully destructible, 340 different skills to learn, this is a thinking man's game that relies with precisive skill and a stroke of luck. I like using this skill that launches you into the air and as you land you make a meteoric sized impact. The game's visuals and gameplay mechanics rock! The storyline borders anime-related as well.

For only $20, how can you lose? You only rip-off yourself if you don't own this in your xbox collection.[/COLOR] :animesmil