Metal Saga

Reviewed by Leland Bonaparte
July 9, 2006

Developer: Success / Crea tech Publisher: Altus Consoles Available: Playstation 2 Players: 1 ESRB Rating: T (Teen) Website: Click Here

Screenshot from Metal Saga. Courtesy Atlus. Click image to enlarge.

As gamers, we sometimes forget why we play games. One of the biggest concerns is whether we should choose graphics over gameplay? Well, Metal Saga is an RPG that shows us the light at the end of the tunnel.

The story of Metal Saga begins with the Great Destruction. Mankind made a desperate attempt to save the world from pollution by creating a gigantic super computer, named Noah. However, Noah's solution was to rid the world of mankind. With Noah's weapons and monsters of mass destruction, mankind was doomed. In the game, you assume the role of a surviving son of a veteran hunter (hunters were the people who stood up against Noah and its forces). Years have passed since the Great Destruction, and although the human population is slowly reviving, Noah has left behind its offspring to succeed its mission. Humanity has regrouped and formed small towns and villages, salvaging the technology that has tried to annihilate them.

The main character enters the hunter's office to find the outlaw and the monster of the week, a surprise element that was brought to the game. Gamers have the ability to roam the world with access to over 800 events and quests with countless hours of gameplay. There are many random battles that help in leveling characters very easily. Such encounters increase the attributes of the characters. Players also have access to vehicles and weapons. The choice of either using the mechanic or the weapon creator helps one customize whether melee or firepower is their main concentration. All the weapons and vehicles can be collected with materials to create them dropping all over the world. If you get bored of the questing and crafting, there are 12 additional mini games to peruse your interest.

The controls are not that great. Controlling the camera makes no sense what so ever. All it does is go up and down, and this makes the game camera angles confusing. Many great games are ruined because character views are distracting. During gameplay I noticed that players will need a tank or some type of vehicle to win most battles. This negates the idea of free roaming as it limits where one can travel. Venturing out on your own in the wrong area could be a crucial mistake.

This is one of the most interesting games that I have played in a while. The storyline really catches the eye and keeps the players involved starting early on in the game. Because of the big magazines griping on lack of graphics, many people will pass this one up. Metal Saga is not one of the most visually appealing games out there, but makes up for it in gameplay. I don't think this game is worth 49.99, so probably a used price of $29.99 to 34.99 would be the right price to pay. Atlus fans will enjoy it and hardcore RPG fans will embrace it. I've played a lot of terrible RPG's in my time (Summoner, just to name one) and this is not that bad. Gamers just don't like different. I take my hat off to Altus for giving me the gameplay that I want.

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