MS Saga: A New Dawn
- December 07, 2005 00:00 AM PST
MS Saga, and no, it isn't the story of Microsoft and the Xbox 360 launch.
During a legendary cataclysm referred to only as The Great Fall, giant motorized battle suits disappeared from the world. Now they've returned, and a handful have laid waste to an orphanage, setting the only survivors, Tristan and Fritz, on a mission of vengeance. The first thing our young champions do is build their own metal hulk with the help of some ancient manufacturing technology.MS Saga features licensed mechs from Mobile Suit Gundam, G Gundam, and the Gundam Wing series--39 enormous and customizable metal monsters in all. There shouldn't be a shortage of variety, with 260-plus weapons and parts to bolt onto your rigs, and over 300 enemy types.
The story seems a fairly standard treatment of the avenging youngster motif we've already seen a few times too many. Town environments are bright and colorful, even if the world map seems a bit drab, and the character designs are attractive, though not yet bursting with personality. All told, it doesn't seem like there'll be a whole lot to set MS Saga apart in the PlayStation 2's crowded RPG marketplace aside from appealing to a younger audience. That may be enough: MS Saga could prove to be a simple and effective vehicle for recruiting newbies to a genre that's traditionally steeped in complex fighting and upgrade systems. Just as Tristan and Fritz learn to find their way in their world, let's hope MS Saga can carve a meaningful place for itself in ours
