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Posted by @ 4:42 PM, EST
C&VG posted first impressions of Sony’s RPG, Dark Cloud:

As you take control of our dark haired hero, it becomes immediately obvious that Dark Cloud was made specifically for the PlayStation controller. You move the character with the left stick and rotate the camera with the right. Walking around and talking to NPCs will be instantly familiar, and the presentation comes over as a cross between Final Fantasy and Zelda. Take note of the small white hand in the option menus.

In addition to the stick control, you can spin the camera with the L1 and R1 buttons. Other touches include being able to transport yourself over massive spaces by pressing Select then moving the pointer to the desired location, all in the name of staving off boredom.

One major difference between this and previous incarnations of the F1 genre is the handling of the car. Instead of being twitchy, uncontrollable and unresponsive at speed, these cars (weather permitting) actually obey your analog movements precisely -- and make a good case for finally abandoning the D-pad. Braking seems realistic and finally provides an incentive to use it. No more sliding onto the gravel at every second turn. The rumble function is used sparingly and to good effect.

Your missions invariably involve you driving around, picking up the coins that are scattered about the city, and returning to a finish point, which is oddly represented by an eerie green mist, before your time runs out. With only 60 seconds to grab upward of 15 coins, you'll be depending on the nitro and time extension power-ups, which are also scattered across the city. The gameplay never deviates from this formula, and with the only variables being the start and finish points and the placement of the coins and power-ups, the game quickly loses any novelty it may have had and becomes an exercise in tedium.