LATE TO THE GAME: JEANNE D'ARC

LATE TO THE GAME: JEANNE D'ARC

At long last I was able to get my hands on Jeanne D'Arc for the PSP and boy is it worth the trouble. This definitely is the best PSP game out there (look out Kratos and Zack).

I was never a true fan of Strategy RPG games. I still have to finish a single game from this genre and hopefully Jeanne D'Arc will be it. Nevertheless, this didn't stop me from enjoying each and every bit of the few hours I spent with this game so far. I actually find myself compelled to say that this game is very sexy and attractive to look at. The colors, graphics, art style, character design and overall presentation are first class. Level-5, creators of wonders such as Rogue Galaxy and Dark Cloud, did a fabulous job brining this epic journey to PSP's small screen. The anime styled cutscenes coupled with nice voice acting and sweet script do a good job presenting the story. I also find myself thrilled to mention, though this might be considered as a spoiler and out of character for me but I'll say it anyway: the transformation version of Gilles is absolutely the best I've seen in or outside of video games. It's very cool and you better be looking forward to it.

One of the reasons I don't really like Strategy RPG games is the grid battle system and the complexity developers add to the combat trying to make it deep while only making it inaccessible to anyone other than the hardest of core. Here, you are introduced to different features, strategies and gameplay mechanics in a well paced manner through cute tutorials.

In IGN's review of the game, they state a fact:

"Extremely deep gameplay. Balanced tactical strategy and fast paced action with rich game mechanics. An intriguing twist on a well known tale. These three statements only scratch the surface of Jeanne d'Arc, which manages to deliver on all of these fronts."

But they also state that "transformed characters sometimes being too powerful" to which I ask: Did you play one of 2007's best games, Heavenly Sword? There's a section in Heavenly Sword where Kai gets the sword back to Nariko who's having trouble fighting Roach's "pets." Once you take control of the sword, the game asks you to "annihilate" your enemy but you will most likely find a hard time surviving the battle. One asks: Isn't the sword supposed to be the ultimate weapon? How come I'm loosing still? Well, that was not a smart design choice in Heavenly Sword and thankfully Jeanne does not have the same problem. In the contrary, transforming the selected few of your characters, which can be done once per character per battle, brings great deal of power to your party turning the tide to your favor just as it should.

In another review, Shane from 1UP, the same guy who gave Final Fantasy XII a very low score of 8.5, says that Jeanne is "an instant no-brainer for fans of the genre" to which I say: This game is for all gamers and is worth getting a PSP for.

I just want to conclude by saying that I am very much looking forward to Level-5's upcoming PS3 game, Shirokishi (aka White Knight Story or White Knight Chronicles).

Since I'm here anyway, if you like RPG games and Anime then you should definitely buy Persona 3.