Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
(For Playstation 2)
The Ark of Napishtim takes our hero,
Adol, to a brand new land. The cut scenes are breathtaking, the
characters rich and beautifully designed , and the gameplay intuitive.
Although this more recent Ys game has been highly upgraded,
graphics-wise, there is still the old RPG feel to it. It's amazing how
they were able to take the 2-D overhead look and translate it to a 3-D
environment.
Like the original Ys game, there are 3 difficulty levels to choose from.
I played through easy my first time, and missed that there are special
things you can do with your sword if you play on the medium or
difficult mode. I don't recommend the hardest mode, as it is more
frustrating than fun.
If you are not high enough level when you fight a "boss", there isn't a
way for your to win - you simply cannot hit hard enough. This is true
of any RPG, really, but especially evident in Napishtim. When you play
on the hardest mode, you really have to keep an eye on what level you
are, and it creeps by... Not so bad on the first two modes
The very coolest thing about this game is that once you complete the
game, you have a "cheat" you can put in that will let you play the
original Japanese version! In both modes, every single character is
voiced, and in the Japanese mode, you get to hear what the original
characters were supposed to sound like! Not only that, but the opening
sequence and one of the middle sequences is different, too.
I cannot express how incredible the graphics are in this game - it's
worth playing just to see the story unfold, though it is good enough
that I've played it through 3 times since I got it :
: As much as I enjoy this game, I still prefer Ys Eternal, but I think a big part of that may be explained by nostalgia 
(For Playstation 2)
The Ark of Napishtim takes our hero,
Adol, to a brand new land. The cut scenes are breathtaking, the
characters rich and beautifully designed , and the gameplay intuitive.
Although this more recent Ys game has been highly upgraded,
graphics-wise, there is still the old RPG feel to it. It's amazing how
they were able to take the 2-D overhead look and translate it to a 3-D
environment.
Like the original Ys game, there are 3 difficulty levels to choose from.
I played through easy my first time, and missed that there are special
things you can do with your sword if you play on the medium or
difficult mode. I don't recommend the hardest mode, as it is more
frustrating than fun.
If you are not high enough level when you fight a "boss", there isn't a
way for your to win - you simply cannot hit hard enough. This is true
of any RPG, really, but especially evident in Napishtim. When you play
on the hardest mode, you really have to keep an eye on what level you
are, and it creeps by... Not so bad on the first two modes
The very coolest thing about this game is that once you complete the
game, you have a "cheat" you can put in that will let you play the
original Japanese version! In both modes, every single character is
voiced, and in the Japanese mode, you get to hear what the original
characters were supposed to sound like! Not only that, but the opening
sequence and one of the middle sequences is different, too.
I cannot express how incredible the graphics are in this game - it's
worth playing just to see the story unfold, though it is good enough
that I've played it through 3 times since I got it :
: As much as I enjoy this game, I still prefer Ys Eternal, but I think a big part of that may be explained by nostalgia 
