Sise-Neg's Legaia 2: Duel Saga review

You nailed it in this review. I adored LOL and was terribly disappointed with Duel Saga but could never quite put my finger on what was so wrong with it. Of course the fact it was on the PS2 whereas the original was a PS1 game made an instant difference which at the time I didn't appreciate, but the problems with the game were deeper than that. It just felt like any generic RPG albeit with the Arts.

Me, I really liked Legaia 2 for some odd reason. It reminded me very much of Legend of Dragoon in just how it grasps every single cliche in the book. I liked the characters, the music, the cooking system and all the little things, and yet I find myself agreeing with pretty much every point in the review, though to be honest, I would place all of those faults with Legend of Legaia too.

Legend of Legaia did have some of the same problems as Duel Saga. For me, however, the problems are amplified in Legaia 2 because while it improved on some aspects (the hidden scenes, mini-game variety, crafting and cooking), it felt like a devolution in other respects. The Arts were much less fluid due to all the zoom-ins, the hit detection was shoddy - often times it looked like characters whacked the air without actually hitting the enemy, etc. The fact that armor didn't show up really bugged me, too. I know not a whole lot of JRPGs do it, but if it was included in the prequel I expect it to be continued.

Also, something that I didn't really mention in the review, but it felt as if Duel Saga was building up to some great climax yet never really delivered. Meaning, it seemed like the story was going to develop and grow, but then the game just sort of ends a few locations later. I got the feeling that the developers just got bored or ran out of time and cut a whole lot out in order to release the product. Something about the story just seemed unfinished.

Good review. I've played the first game back in the day. Unfortunately, I don't own it any more, or I might play it again to review. This game is kind of on my backlog to buy at some point and time, so it was nice to read an opinion of it. Even if it's an opinion that will put this game lower on my priority list.