Summoner 2

Of a grand rebirth the Prophets spake, an epic PS2 action/RPG incarnated anew. This grand event?could it Summoner 2 be?

Sometimes heroes are just born that way. Rather than placing you in the traditional RPG role of a Level 1 small-town yokel, the heroine of Summoner 2 will be a gal named Maia?beloved queen of a powerful nation and a reborn goddess who?s already fully aware of her position as future savior of all things breathing and good. Right off the bat, Summoner 2 gets points for doing things a bit differently.

Volition?s sequel to the PS2 launch action/RPG will place more of an emphasis on action than the original game did. The revamped real-time combat system will undoubtedly be the game?s biggest draw with its closer-in camera, and huge variety of moves and fighting techniques. Complexity, however, always comes at a price?control in the demo version was a little sluggish and had quite a learning curve; each of the attacks (there were lots of them, ranging from standard sword combos to unblockable kicks to elemental magic assaults) was assigned its own unique combination of shoulder and attack buttons and made for some daunting combat situations. Multiply the Daunt Factor by eight (the number of playable characters?three of which can be in your party at any given time), then factor in Maia?s 12 creature summons, and give yourself plenty of time to memorize the move list.

If you?re concerned that Summoner 2 is going to shirk the RPG elements in favor of the action, concern ye not. The demo featured plenty of stat-building, gold-collecting, and leveling as well as a highly flexible skill system that enabled you to choose which talents to pursue (including the A.I. level of your party members when you weren?t directly controlling them) and which ones to blissfully ignore. The story (one of the key strengths of the first game) will also promise a richness in plot and unique characters rivaled by the best fantasy novels.

While the graphics in an early build weren?t technically great (a step above the first Summoner, no doubt, but still first- or second-generation quality), the character and world designs were very cool, indeed, a sort of science-fantasy-tinted cross between Aeon Flux and Vampire Hunter D. The sound was solid, too, with every line of dialogue spoken by a cast of more-than-competent voice-actors.

Summoner 2 definitely has the potential within its soul to reach the great action/RPG status that the original couldn?t quite achieve. Its strengths right now lie in its surreal world and grand depth of combat techniques. Hopefully the graphical weaknesses and current control issues won?t keep it from fulfilling its prophecy.

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