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[SNES] Lufia II - Rise of the Sinistrals Review, by GENOCIDEGeorge / CloudBoii12

Discussion in 'Review Submission' started by CloudBoii12, Jan 23, 2010.

  1. CloudBoii12

    CloudBoii12 Well-Known Member

    Lufia II - Rise of the Sinistrals Review, by GENOCIDEGeorge

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    Game: Lufia II - Rise of the Sinistrals
    Also Known As: Estopolis II/Estopolis Denkai II [Japan], Lufia: Rise of the Sinistrals [Australia]
    Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System [SNES]
    Release Date: 31/08/1996
    Developer: Neverland
    Publisher: Taito [Japan], Nintendo [Europe], Natsume [North America]
    Style/Genre: Strategy/JRPG
    Rating: Kids to Adults

    Another day, another old-school Nintendo game ported to a newer console. But this time? This time it's different. Lufia II's port to the Nintendo DS is NOT the average port - it's a full-on rebirth. So I'm here to talk to you about the wonders of this beautiful gem-of-a-game, that was HUGELY overshadowed.
    Lufia II: RotS, was released very soon to the date that the SNES "died out" - that is to say, newer systems were released and overshadowed its release. For the few people who did manage to see its true beauty, they have only praise for it. Lufia II is fun, clever, and will keep you playing for hours upon hours.
    Don't get me wrong - Lufia II is not a perfect game, nor is that what I am implying, but it is quite spectacular. From the get-go, the story is extremely enticing, making you not want to put down that SNES controller (or that keyboard, gamepad, PSP or Nintendo DS, if you're playing a rom version) for hours on end.
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    The dungeons are beatiful, the landscaping is tremendous, the towns are amazing, the sprites are done expertly and the battles are extremely absorbing. As a matter of fact, Lufia II is one of the ONLY games that I intentionally grind, because I love the battle system that much. The game can take anywhere from five to five hundred hours to complete, depending on how much you play, when you play, how you play, what you play and where you play. There are sidequests, casinos, hidden treasures, and more to boot, as if the gorgeous story line and battle system wasn't enough to get you hooked.
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    RPG's - especially JRPG's - are known, and quite frankly, expected to have appealing, if not orgasmic, soundtracks, in order to add to the experience. Lufia II, however, does not offer this. Instead, Lufia II sends you on a mystical trip fill with music and so and effects of which you have never seen - er, heard. From the second you insert the cartridge (or rom), you can hear the amazing sounds. As a matter of fact, the opening credits (which are, of course, optional to watch) themselves have simply amazing majestic soundtracks. Even the start screen, where you select which save data you wish to load, has exceptional music. Don't believe me about the high quality music? http://www.bluelaguna.net/music/lufia2ost/mp3s.php <-- Follow that link and you will have access to most, if not all, of the AMAZING tracks that can be found in game, in high quality mp3. Honestly, Yasunori Shiono really outdid himself. The music is so crazily addictive that you will find yourself humming, if not air-guitaring to the gentle themes of the Opening Motif or the HARDCORE Rock theme for the Sinistral Battles. And yes. All of these songs have been on my Phone/MP3 player at one point. They're that good.
    The Opening Motif can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-L5fh2smJ4
    The Sinistral Battle theme can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YXzH9swXrY

    One of the best things about Lufia II is the fact that you can pick it up after not playing for five years and still know exactly how to play, and after maybe a minute of snooping, remember the whole story line and what you're supposed to do next. Don't be fooled - it's not that easy to pick up your gamepad in your level-sixties areas and just run around pressing "A" every two seconds. It does require a bit of pre-game knowledge, but it still means you can play it whenever you want, without the hassle.
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    The battle system in Lufia II is so unique, so awesome, that it kept me grinding for hours on end. How many hours? I've clocked up a 80 hour game, mostly from battles - even after I reached level 99. They're so fun! Lufia II's unique "Crosshair" feature is just what JRPG's need to generate more interest, instead of just pressing "A, A" or "Down, A, A", it's more like this: Press Up to access your spells, scroll around and choose which one you want (might I add, the spells later on were absolutely GORGEOUS), cast; Pressing Left on your D-Pad will access your wide arrange of items; Pressing Right allows you to defend; IP attacks are achieved by pressing Down, and can also have great graphics. Pictures of the "Crosshair" can be found above.

    Lufia II's graphics are tremendous, considering the fact that it was released in the dying stages of the Super Nintendo. The scenery was - is - amazing, still to this day, the towns were above average, spectacular even, and the battles did not let this go to waste.
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    Lufia II is a JRPG with a strong, compelling story, matched with equally compelling battles and music pieces. It will leave you drooling and begging for more - good thing there'll be a remake in the near future!

    Presentation: 10/10 or A+ - Presented beautifully, the sound, graphics, battles, and dialogue work very well with eachother.

    Graphics: 9.5/10 or A - One of the best Graphical games on the SNES, think Crono Trigger

    Sound: 10/10 or A+ - I doubt there is a game that has EVER had music as good as this.

    Gameplay: 9.5/10 or A - Lufia II is not only nicely executed, but everything works together, and it really is compelling.

    Replay-ability: 10/10 or A+ - Honestly - this game is UNBELIEVABLE. I've gone through it at least 20 times, as I'm sure other people have. The Music, Battles, Clever Dialogues, and all together awesomeness will be sure to pull you back after a short while.

    Pros: It's fun, addictive, awesome, it's music is orgasmic, and you never want to put it down.
    Cons: There are often minor grammatical errors, and there are sometimes graphical errors

    Final Rating: 49/50 or A+
     
  2. ggrroohh

    ggrroohh Well-Known Member

    How can you not mention the 99 Floor optional dungeon? :eek:
    You also never mentioned the Worlds Hardest Puzzle :(
     
  3. CloudBoii12

    CloudBoii12 Well-Known Member

    Wasn't it long enough?
     
  4. ggrroohh

    ggrroohh Well-Known Member

    I just think those deserve a mention.
     
  5. CloudBoii12

    CloudBoii12 Well-Known Member

    Rightio, i think i'll change it a little later and include those :)
     
  6. meganova

    meganova Well-Known Member

    God, that score was the highest I've seen so far.

    *ahem*

    Another good review,
    what matter is the screenshots, which assume a good pick,
    with that, people can get a grasp on what is this game about,
    especially the gameplay, and then compare it with remake version.

    This game was good, especially with the Beast system.
    Too bad, I don't like the ending very much.

    Keep up the good work. :)
     
  7. evannick

    evannick Well-Known Member

    one of the first video game i have played but with an emulator i dont think theres snes in my area
     
  8. msg2009

    msg2009 Romulations sexiest member

    i totally agree with the score this game is amazing. It is only beat into 2nd place by FFVII in my best games ever.
    but you forgot to mention the new game+
    you get double experience 2nd time around so you dont have to grind, this is the only time you will be able to beat the ancient cave(unless your 10x better than me, i cant do it 1st time through) :p