Baldur's Gate I & II
Platform: Xbox
Genre: Action Role-Playing
Ratings: 7.6/10                
Comments: 
The reason why I combined both parts into 1 review is that both
games are almost identical except for the storyline. Baldur's Gate
plays like PC's Diablo, with the player controlling a single 
character who will explore many areas armed with weapons and spells
which depends on the class chosen. Basically a hack-and-slash action
game, hotkeys can be assigned to a few spells to make spellcasting
easier in the heat of combat. Personally, I feel such games are more
suited for the PC, since more hotkeys can be assigned using the 
keyboard. As such, it is no surprise that the number of spells are
very limited(how many buttons are there on the PS2 controller??).
New hidden characters will be unlocked after the first completion of 
Baldur's Gate, but the maps and enemies will be the same though, even 
so there's at least some replay values here.



Xenosaga I: Der Wille zur Macht
Platform: Playstation 2
Genre: Role-Playing
Ratings: 9.0/10                
Comments: 
A very well-done role-playing game, completion of Xenosaga I leaves
you waiting eagerly for Episode II to arrive. Xenosaga I's standard 
is comparable with Final Fantasy X, with slightly poorer graphics
and manga-liked characters. There are tons of cutscenes, with some
very impressive ones. Almost all the playable characters in the game
seem to have a story of their own, and none are as simple as it first
appears to be. This aspect makes the storyline superb and complemented
by excellent voiceovers. Combat is again turn-based like most RPGs, but 
battles are not random - enemies can be seen clearly on the map and its
up to the player to decide whether to fight or sneak around. In a sentence,
this game is a definite must-play, especially since episode II is on the
way.



Warlords Battlecry III
Platform: PC
Genre: Strategy
Ratings: 8.2/10                
Comments: 
The third game in the Battlecry series, Warlords Battlecry III proves
to be better than the first two. Gameplay is much like the renowned 
Warcraft, but Warlords focus primarily on your hero whom you bring 
over from battles to battles. There are over 10 different races  
choose from and around 20 different hero classes to choose from.
Each race (such as knights, empire, swarm, undead, high elves, orcs
etc) have almost totally different units and each hero class (such
as warrior, archmage, deathknight, lichlord etc) have different 
abilities and spells. Even though there's not much story in the game,
just trying out all the different combinations of races and classes
will give players considerable satisfaction.



Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Platform: Playstation 2
Genre: Role-Playing
Ratings: 9.5/10                
Comments: 
Another fantastic RPG to add to the list, Shadow Hearts: Covenant has
an excellent storyline. The story follows immediately after Shadow Hearts 
I with the same main character - Yuri. Unlike part I, Covenant includes a
whole load of elements regarding the unique friendships and love lives
between Yuri and his friends. Some of the cutscenes (the one where Yuri
attempts to bring Alice back to life and the final scene) are so touching 
that I too felt like crying. As Covenant draws a lot of story based on 
past events in Part I, it is advised that interested gamers complete Part
I first before attempting Covenant to get the most out of the game. The
voice playings are extremely well done. Almost all the playable characters
have a unique voice that goes quite well with their personalities. As in
Part I, conversations often have some humor in them. And yes, the judgement
ring is back again for Part I fans, with a few minor add-ons to it.
In my opinion, Covenant is no less inferior to Final Fantasy X, therefore 
a definite must buy for RPG fans out there!



Legaia 2: Dual Saga
Platform: Playstation 2
Genre: Role-Playing
Ratings: 7.4/10                
Comments: 
The graphics is pretty ok for a standard RPG game but the plotline is a 
bit dry. The combat system is similar to Part I where you have to key in 
various combinations of keys to activate the characters' special moves. 
In general, this is a very 'normal game' with few surprises. What I don't 
like about this game - 1. Too many random encounters - gamers who enjoying 
training their characters will love it but I find that it simply waste too 
much time. 2. Combat moves take a long time to execute - at first you will
enjoy the various arts/moves of the different characters, but after a while,
you will get sick of seeing the same old stuffs over and over again.