OMG RPG

Ar Tonelico 2 did not appeal to me. After playing it for an hour and nearly falling asleep in front of the TV, I passed it over to my husband thinking that he will enjoy it more than I did, being an anime freak and all. True enough, he got hooked. As the days goes by, I kept hearing him laugh at the witty dialogues as the music wormed its way into my brain. It’s not a bad thing since the game does have beautiful music.

There were a couple of reasons why I cannot connect to the game. First of all, I’m a graphic snob. I just don’t like anime and 2D style games unless it’s for the DS. If it’s on the PS2 or next-gen console, I want my 3D figures! Second, as Mandifesto warned me, this game could be too sexy for my taste. Well, she was right. I sometimes wondered if this game was made by guys for guys. That would explain why my husband enjoys it so much. About 40 hours into the game, I got my husband to give me a few thoughts on Ar Tonelico 2 and what he thinks about it so far.

As we all know, the plot is the heart of the game. So what do you think of Ar Tonelico 2’s plot? 

The plot is not too bad - a couple of plot twists here and there. I guess it does have the typical save-the-world scenario, but what JRPG doesn't? The plot might be a bit slow at times but I think that's because the game wanted to explored the characters more which leads to the next part...

Do the detailed characters’ background stories slow down the plot for you? What about the sexual entendres? Do you think they are necessary to the game's story/plot at all?

I don't think the background stories slowed down the plot at all. At times, it is actually necessary to understand the plot and does use two of the main characters' back story to advance it. As for the numerous sexual entendres, the game could have done without it but it does add some comic relief.

What do you think of the gameplay? Do the battles go by fast or is the fighting a grind? 

The gameplay is simple enough. It is turn based but you get to choose the type of attack to pull off for each of your fighters and which spell to "charge up."  There is also a timing based mini game when your party is defending which spiced up the gameplay. However, since I’m playing the easy mode just to get through the story as quick as possible, the battles are not grueling. Sometimes, the boss fights can be challenging but nothing too hard.

Moving around the map is a very simple affair, but the only gripe I have is that there are certain events that happen at certain locations and at certain times and they are miss-able if you aren't careful. To add to that, the story branches off a quarter into the game so there will be scenes and dialog that you will not get depending on which path you choose to take. If I had all the time in the world, I would like to replay it four times to see all there is to see...

So far what do you like best about the game overall – the music, characters, or the gameplay mechanism?

I like the music the most. The game has very nice melodies and background music. It also has the option to play in Japanese as well as the Engluish dubbing which I think is very important and should be the norm for all JRPGs going forward. The characters are quite colorful and well drawn although they are usually (and sadly) just portraits with different facial expression. The in game graphics show a "mini" version character model which is very old school.

For the "spellcasters", they don't level up like regular RPGs with the experience you earn from a battle. Only the front line fighters do that. This is one of the things that make this JRPG stand out. The spellcasters level up by using crystals in a bath. One usually gets crystals from boss fights, treasure from dungeons or buying them from shops. That levels them up but to get new "spells", you have to "dive" into their "soulspace". It's like you are exploring their mind and "opening" them up so that they as a character will grow and along the way, you unlock new spells to use in combat. 

What do you think about the open ended ending where you can decide who the guy is going to end up with? What do you think of this trend? Do you think it makes a big difference at all?

As I mentioned earlier, there is apparently four endings and choosing two of them comes very earlier in the game. It's nice that you can decide on that but on the other hand, for people who really can't afford to replay a 40hr long JRPG four times, it's disappointing. Guess I’ll have to Youtube the scenes (if any) I think it makes a difference only to those who loves choices. For me, I prefer a more linear story that doesn't have me replaying three quarters of the whole game just to see a different ending. 

So in short, if you are an anime fan who likes a sexy game with great music, Ar Tonelico is the game for you. As for me, well...let's just say I'm waiting for Final Fantasy 13. Hopefully, it'll turn out great.