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Game Description: Radiata Stories offers real-time RPG action in a beautifully-rendered fantasy setting. In the land of Radiata, human and fairies coexist. 16-year-old Jack Russel lives in this world—he's a poor peasant whose father was a heroic soldier. When Jack enlists in the army to follow in dad's footsteps, he meets a wealthy young aristocrat who seeks to be a knight. With is unlikely new friend at his side, Jack will find his place in the world by fighting in a terrible war that may doom their world.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Fantasy Violence, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

When looking at RPGs lately, it seems to be getting harder and harder to tell them apart. You know how it goes—a young hero from a quiet town is thrown into circumstances beyond his control. He sets out to right a wrong and gathers together a band of friends to help him on his quest. After facing insumountable odds and legions of evil dragons/sorcerers/corrupt rulers, etc., our courageous hero emerges victorious to right all wrongs done to innocent townsfolk everywhere. Justice prevails, you win.

According to ESRB this game contains: Teen (13+), mild animated violence, mild language, suggestive themes

Game Description: In an interesting mix of side-scrolling action and role-playing games, Valkyrie Profile will have you scouring the ranks of the dead in search of suitable warriors for Odin, the Norse god of gods. But before these dearly departed can be entered into Odin's einherjar, or heavenly army, you've got to train them in the right battle skills.

Unlike so many of the role-playing games that are out now, here is one that is wonderfully fresh and endlessly interesting (in other words, the complete opposite of The Legend Of Dragoon). I love how the game creatively wraps itself in Norse mythology, and how it infuses the battles with such action and excitement. It has truly been a while since Ive played such an imaginative and energetic piece of work. However, I just cant justify giving Valkyrie Profile a higher score because the game goes a little overboard in the scope of both its gameplay and its epic story.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence, Mild Language

When it came to role-playing games (RPGs), there was Square, there was Enix, and then there was everyone else. Nowadays, however, Konami, Capcom, and Sony are entering the fray with competent RPGs that seem to improve with each consecutive release. Square apparently had taken notice and decided to blow them all away with Final Fantasy VII. Enix, on the other hand, is still sitting on its hands. I figured Star Ocean was supposed to hold us over until the latest Dragon Quest epic was completed, but after playing Star Ocean, I have to say they'd better come up with a new plan.

I think Dale was more insulted by this title than I was, though I was particularly appalled at the horrendous art direction. Like some kind of outsourced nightmare, everything from the cut sequence, to the pre-rendered backgrounds, to the character sprites, don't just look as if different teams did them, they look as if different companies did them! There isn't any visual cohesion to ground all the other elements in the game.

Game Description: The gods are out to destroy the universe. When their meteor collides with the planet Expel, the paths of two heroes will cross and the fate of the universe will lie in their hands. You take the role of either Rena or Claude. While both characters are on the same quest, there are times when they will take separate paths. Naturally, both characters develop different skills throughout the game and along the way their actions determine which other characters in the game can be recruited. You can also spend skill points to learn new abilities that will improve your chances of success. Ultimately, both Rena and Claude will be able to create new items with their skills and some raw material. When you encounter enemies, all of the battles take place in real-time in beautifully rendered environments. It’s up to you to try and save the universe from the gods in Star Ocean: The Second Story.