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Magnacarta 2


Brandon Strader
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This is an RPG for the Xbox360. It's about some dude who lost his memory, and the adventure he goes on to get it back... and other stuff happens. The only reason I'm mentioning the game is because there are so many similarities to Final Fantasy VII in particular, and I know people love that game. The main character is pretty much a semi-clone of Cloud. He was created in a tube, doesn't remember his past... There's actually a scene in the game I just finished where you go inside his mind like the scene in FF7 in Cloud's mind, where Tifa sees his memories, except in this case it is the Princess going into Juto's mind.

Some people might consider this to be a ripoff, some others might call it a cool homage... I'm kinda slanted towards homage personally, because there's enough substance and a lot going on in the game that is original and pretty dern awesome. And if your RPG is going to be inspired by any other, it's good that it is inspired by one of the greatest ones!

Also worth mentioning is the soundtrack... This soundtrack is really incredible. When Nobuo Uematsu left Square, the musical style changed very drastically. The music started to sound more like elevator muzak compared to what it was before. The soundtrack for Magnacarta 2 reminds me of that harmony between composer and game developer that should always be present. It's a really fantastic soundtrack, and I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of remixes of it came along in the near future. I might even attempt one my own self.

So despite what you might have heard from the Hubb, this game is actually pretty sweet and I'd recommend a rental. ;)

Discuss!

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Taken from my official review:

So here is the setup. Take a drink anytime a cliché occurs (annotated with a (!)).

You start of on a remote island (!) in the middle of the ocean. Your character is a black AND white haired (!) young man girl (!) who has lost his or her memory (!) in a fight (!) or something. Your sister is a hot chick (!) voiced by Wendee Lee (I hate to say it but (!)) and you are out being the peaceful islander you are. Then a Princess shows up at your island (!) to unearth some mystical artifact beast (!) to help her and her army in a civil war with her Uncle (sort of) (!). THAT IS TEN DRINKS IN THREE SENTENCES!! I know good writing is hard to come by overseas but come on, it isn’t that hard. I swear this game falls into every cliché in the Japanese book.

It doesn’t end there either. How about a good guy, who three seconds later, turns out to be a bad guy? SURE!! Main protagonist hair not stupid enough? He get a full head of white locks half way through the game!! Giant Beast Man helper? ALWAYS!! Chick who wants GBM dick? OF COURSE!! All of the character dumb as paint? ABSOLUTLEY!! These are just the character complaints too. I won’t go into how terrible clichéd the story is written.

I can only come to one conclusion when it comes to these things. Japan has not got a Quality Control department.

Oinkness is completely wrong. About everything.

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And now a translation of Brushfire's review on Magna Carta 2 for the simple consumer of games.

Taken from my official review:

I see nothing but clichés up the ass in any jrpg and I hate for them burns brighter than anything you or any one can possibly imagine. JRPGs the the bane of my existence and you must all agree with me!

I wouldn't blame him too much for his disdain, however I never really expected the creators to imagine 25 year olds and older playing their games these days. That said I'm up for anything that can entertain well enough; especially since lately I'm having fun with Digital Devil Saga 1. Yeah I've heard others bitch about the frequency of random encounters but I found it rather balanced, even important at times since I wouldn't have to wander around for long when I'm feeling like grindan for stronger skills & cash.

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Cliché doesn't have to be bad, either. Skies of Arcadia pulled off cliché and made it great. Blue Dragon, meanwhile... didn't.

It takes a certain special something to make cliché compelling, though. Usually, it can be pulled off through snappy writing and characters that better twist the clichés they're based off.

I didn't play MC2, mind you, so I can't judge on it. But the character designs do tend towards the feminine side of the spectrum, so much so that the designs are unappealing.

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Gameplay looks like generic action-rpg stuff, except with slow-mo and more flashy lights. Story looks pretty much as brush described.

I'd probably still play it if i had a 360. With the exception of the beast dude, the character/monster designs are off the chain.

See I actually liked the Beast Guy as a character, but felt the designs overall were WAY too JRPG-y. I really hate turtleneck armor.

Now watch your thread die in my Right-eousness.

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The biggest thing about RPGs is the story.

I could flight clichebots with contrived party with formulaic mechanics all day if I had kickass music to do it to. I'm serious. Originality in plot is great, but it's overrated. Music, character likability, character interaction, and character development all come before plot.

But hey I'm all about the human factor.

I have no idea what this might or might not have to do with MC2 but them's my thoughts.

Kinda looks like the hero is stabbing Miss Busty in the back here.

She wasn't showcasing them enough. Took a little prodding.

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