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2006 was a brilliant year for PlayStation 2 RPG fans. With games like Disgaea 2, Final Fantasy XII, and Kingdom Hearts 2, Sony's monster console just destroyed when it came to RPGs. Although the sun is setting for the PS2, it continues its RPG kick in 2007 with Rogue Galaxy. From the developer that brought you Dragon Quest VIII and Dark Cloud 2, Rogue Galaxy is an action-heavy RPG that has lots of strengths, but also has plenty of weaknesses.

Long, Long Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

You get to play the part of Jaster Rogue--a boy that's from a dirtball of a planet on the outskirts of the galaxy. Young Jaster constantly dreams of exploring the universe and adventuring among the stars. Unfortunately, certain circumstances have him stuck on his planet. While he sounds a lot like Luke Skywalker and his planet sounds a lot like Tatooine, there are enough differences that will keep George Lucas from suing Level 5. Anyway, the requisite wackiness ensues and Jaster finds himself joining a crew of space pirates for a merry jaunt. This, of course, is followed by the expected plot twist that has Jaster leading an adventure of epic proportions. The story is pretty insipid, which isn't surprising since narrative has never been Level 5's strength.

While the story is a bit trite, the developers have done a good job at crafting the game's universe. The locales and characters are well designed with a heavy anime feel. The production values are fairly strong, so each time you visit a new planet you feel like you're going on a whole new adventure. All told, the developers did a fine job with the visuals, both from a technical and a storytelling standpoint. This is a great looking game with cool looking characters, enemies, environments, and cutscenes.

Twisted Gameplay

Rogue Galaxy's gameplay is a mix of classic RPG exploration and modern combat. You'll spend a lot of time wandering around the universe, talking to people, and learning clues. The exploration is seamlessly integrated into battles that are a mix of button mashing and button matching (similar to the combat sequences in God of War). Combat is in pseudo real time; you'll have periods where you can act freely, but you also have a meter that will require you to wait a bit between actions. The ally AI does a good job at having your two companion characters act intelligently while you're mashing, jumping, and bashing away. The battles are different from standard RPG fare, but they do get repetitive and if you have a short attention span they'll get downright boring.

One curious addition is how special abilities are handled. Rogue Galaxy uses a system that looks similar to the Sphere Grid in Final Fantasy X. The chief difference is that you'll plug in random objects into the board to advance each character's abilities. The upgrades include special attacks, attribute boosts, and more. Really potent upgrades require more and, in many cases, rarer items. It's just a weird system that seems stranger when you think about the fact that a twig can be used to improve your characters.

Boring Dungeons

The game's biggest flaw is its dungeons. While the planets in Rogue Galaxy are undeniably lush with detail, the dungeons are the polar opposite. They're just boring and dull and plain. While this was forgivable in a game like Dark Cloud with its randomly generated dungeons, the blandness of the dungeons here is puzzling. It's almost as if the developers forgot that they weren't shackled by a dungeon generator and made generic dungeons that are easily scalable. The end result is a sharp incongruity between the beautiful worlds and the crap dungeons.

Rogue Galaxy is a flawed but enjoyable game that's a blend of old-school RPG elements and modern sensibilities. The action is unique, the world and characters are well crafted, and the game is generally well made. That said, the action does get a bit repetitive, the story is generic, the dungeons are incredibly dull, and the upgrade system is kind of weird. The last year has been fantastic for PlayStation 2 RPG fans and Rogue Galaxy is another that's well worth considering despite its flaws. While this game will likely make RPG fans happy (to various extents), it probably doesn't have enough juice to grab casual players or those new to the genre.

Article by: Raymond M Padilla
Video produced by: Michael Benson