If there is one genre that has exploded in popularity more than any other since the launch of the PlayStation, that would have to be RPGs. Once known to only a select few gamers, the massively addictive game-type has now grown into one of the most popular genres in gaming. While it is readily accepted that the PlayStation 2 is the unrivaled king-of-RPGs console (considering nearly every well known RPG franchise is exclusive to it), the console has yet to receive even a handful of great role-players, apart from Final Fantasy X of course. This Fall many developers were looking to alleviate that problem, and one thought (Eidos new label, Fresh Games) the solution was resurrecting the oldest RPG known to the PlayStation. Legend of Legaia will always be remembered as the first ever PlayStation RPG, while its successor however, Legaia 2, probably wont be remembered at all.

Visuals like those in Legaia 2 infuriate me to no end, even for an RPG. There ass-ugly, bland, and overall just plain garbage. What Im displeased with the most however isnt technical, but is rather the horrifically uninspired locales and character designs. Seriously, theyre all so terribly clichd it makes me wonder why this game was made. RPGs are supposed to memorable, yet with Legaia I felt as if Id already seen everything there is to see, and that was within the first 30 minutes! As far as Im concerned, graphics such as these have no business residing on the PlayStation 2.

Thankfully, Legaia 2 fairs much better in its gameplay department, where the developers realized its actually good to try to make a decent game. The highlight of Legaia 2 (much like Legend of Legaia) is its wicked-cool battle system, which is as innovative as it is fun. Through various buttons combos (much like a fighter) your characters perform moves of varying strengths and effects. Its a blast to figure out all the different combos for each character, all of which total about 30 apiece. The downside to this though is that due to the amount of battles you partake, youll find yourself performing the same combos very, very frequently. Sadly, the fighting wears thin far too quickly. Why this is so sad is because in terms of story, Legaia 2 is an absolute joke. Frankly, my 10-year old stepdaughter could create a more compelling and detailed story, and all in only about 20 minutes. The quest is boring, the characters are lame and never did I begin to care about any of em, not even the girls! If youre hoping the story will help you struggle through the monotony of the battling and harshness of the graphics, dont. This is the type of RPG that only crazed, have-to-play-every-one fans need apply, or those who enjoy torturing themselves, and well, thats a whole other genre

As with the rest of Legaia 2, the sound is uninspired and forgettable. The effects are very average, and at times jarring and quite lame. The score though at times can be pretty decent, if a little bit generic. But dragging it all done are the horrid voices during fighting, some of which are so bad youre going to want to scrap your nails along a blackboard just to drown them out. Why, why have they done this to us?

In my opinion, this game should get a 1 for value, because after about 30 minutes, the majority of us will walk away in disgust. Yet in reality, there is a fairly lengthy quest to the game (albeit with a crap-for-crap story), not to mention a fair number of side quests. Whether or not anyone will ever get that much out of it is debatable, but its always nice to know that its there I guess.

Well thats that, Legaia 2 is no good. In an age of Final Fantasies and Suikodens, uninspired drivel such as this isnt worth anyones time, or more importantly, money. Had Legaia 2 been released at a (much) lower price point, then maybe I wouldnt have been so harsh. But its full price, and yet its barely worth $10 bucks. Youve been warned.