Quote:
Originally Posted by Zephyrseus
Thanks!! Great Review!! Looking forward to part 2....
Zenonia 2 definitely rocks. Spent every single boat/airplane trip playing that....
I HATE RPGs with pathetic graphics though... I forgot their names, but lucky me I still have Zenonia...  |
Thank you~
Gamevil has some of the most amazingly beautiful hand drawn graphics I've ever seen, and Zenonia 2's D-pad is the most comfortable and responsive virtual/on-screen control I have used. Anyway, since my school prohibits the use of iPhones/iPods, I haven't had the time to play much more RPGs, so this is like a small add-on of the first part. Without further ado, part 1.2.
Dungeon Hunter by Gameloft, and
Inotia 2 by Com2Us.
1: Dungeon Hunter
This was probably the first RPG I played on the iPhone and set a good example that a long and serious game (a.k.a rpg)
can be played on the iPhone. The story is a little clichι, in my opinion, but it's not terribly boring like a certain other RPG, heh. The graphics, from what I remember (I played it before they updated the graphics), were fine. Though I'm not the biggest fan of 3D on an iPhone. The fights aren't as fast paced when compared to other RPGs like Inotia or Zenonia, but that's a good thing as it actually feels like a console RPG in a way. I find the fairy system a little clumsy, but you'll need to remember which fairy reduces which elemental damage, and which one increase your damage. There is a level grind in this game, I'll warn you. Luckily if you die, you start at the beginning of the mission and you get to keep everything you've collected (if you started the mission at level 12 but died at level 14, you'll restart at the beginning still being 14). The downside of this is that it also means all the potions you've consumed are gone as well. There aren't a whole lot of side quests, but they take such a long time it works out. The levels are pretty linear, but there will be places you'll find yourself backtracking because of blocked paths that don't show up on the map. The only thing that ruined the game for me was the level grind. At a certain point in the game, I kept dying, and dying, and dying. I found this ridiculous as I did every side-quest and always manually exited the dungeons without using the map shortcut so I could rack up on experience, but I
still died.
It's a good game if you have an RPG itch, or are new to the iPhone's RPG titles, but if you've already played some of the better RGPs offered in the App Store, it's pretty hard to get into, especially since it has such a restricted class system. You choose from a warrior, rogue, and a mage... What? No ranger?
2: Inotia 2
Inotia 2 wins my vote for most satisfying class system. You have 6 to choose from: Ranger (bows), Cleric (1-handed healer/buffer/warrrior), White Mage (staffs), Black Mage (staffs), Warrior (1 or 2 handed weapons), and a Theif (1-handed weapons in both hands). Of course, if your favorite class has an undesirable picture, well... just deal with it. I like it's party system as well, but with all Inotia 2's features comes a learning curve as well. It's a little intimidating to get into the game at first, especially when you're left to wonder why your White Mage is constantly healing herself after getting hit once, argh! Though if you're the type of person who's deciding to check out Inotia 2 after a good marathon of Zenonia 2, the controls are a little awkward. Like I stated before, Zenonia 2 is my vote for best D-pad, and while Inotia 2's virtual control pad comes in a far second, it's a little cramped and it doesn't reach out as far as I'd like it to. Also, the battles are a little between semi-automatic and automatic. In Zenonia 2, for example, you are constantly active as you move around
and attack using both your hands. In Inotia 2, you'll -maybe- tap the attack button once and just sit back as the game continues to attack for you. Personally, I don't like this as I don't have control over how fast or slow I can attack, and it makes me have to stare at the screen patiently while sitting on my butt.
As for the story, eh.... I can't get into it. I mean, it's not boring or anything, but because of the way the game is, the story will always be the same no matter who you choose. I don't mean to compare it to Zenonia 2 again, but they're one of the only RPGs that puts a huge focus into it's storyline and got it right. In Zenonia 2, you could pick Ecne, Daza, Morpice, or Lu and the story will play out differently and you'll have different conversations. Accepting a quest as Ecne will yield a completely different response if you accepted the same quest as Daza. That said, Inotia 2 is a good game with a good hours (it'll take a very long time to get through even
half of it's storyline), but you won't find the story to be very moving, and you can't feel the impact of each character. It doesn't pull you in. In Zenonia 2, I continued to play because it was fun and I was extremely eager to further the storyline as it was like reading a good book, or watching a great movie. Inotia 2 is a great addition to the RPG collection, and you won't be disappointed, but don't expect to spend long continuous hours playing it. It's good for short bursts. It's features are rich, but it's lacking in several areas as well. I won't knock points off for minor gripes like the D-pad and battling system (no game is perfect), but for some game that has good visuals and a good party system, I just wish the story was just as good. If you're the type that isn't interested in a deep story, then I suppose this is the game for you. Beware, though, 'cause you'll die an awful lot. The level grinding is a little painful, and you'll get lost very frequently.
If you couldn't guess, I haven't played the first Inotia. I should really play the originals before playing their respective sequels, huh? /end part 1.2
If I'm still not wasting anyone's time, I'll have to hold off reviewing until I go get further into a few other RPGs because I'm not reviewing and listing
all the RPGs you'll find in the App Store, there's websites for that, but I'm rather, I'm listing quality titles, whether they be for graphics, story, or gameplay. That said, I'm busy playing Dodonpachi and living in bullet hell heaven.
Excellent RPG! 
Yes, as in NO!!! 
Anyway, brilliant game, too.
