"The REVIEW of JUDGEMENT!!"
This was one of the early releases for the PS2 and unfortunately it shows. Based on a Japanese anime, the game's hero is Orphen, a somewhat lazy sorcerer for hire. He and his friends get on the wrong boat when embarking on a scheme to make money and end up on ... Read review
With its odd blend of role-playing action and platform-type gameplay,Orphen-Scion of ... more
Sorceryis an interesting PS2 title which definitely sets the benchmark for RPGs to come.As Orphen--it's his name apparently, rather than Frank or even Martin--it's you...
Postage & Packaging: £1.94 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Anime intro and cut sequences Disadvantages: Bad voice acting. No real challenge. Limited character progression.
"The REVIEW of JUDGEMENT!!"
This was one of the early releases for the PS2 and unfortunately it shows. Based on a Japanese anime, the game's hero is Orphen, a somewhat lazy sorcerer for hire. He and his friends get on the wrong boat when embarking on a scheme to make money and end up on a strange island. Orphan and his comrades meet several strangers who have interesting tales to tell, and Orphen has to resolve the truth ... ...leave.
The control system is fairly basic, as the characters are moved with the analog stick and menus and attacks are controlled by the buttons and D-pad. You can assign spells to your buttons which allows you to cast the in combat. Unfortunately the characters sometime do not respond as desired, or may pause which can be a problem in battle sequences.
The game's cut sequences are anime, and to an extent the games ... more
"The REVIEW of JUDGEMENT!!"
This was one of the early releases for the PS2 and unfortunately it shows. Based on a Japanese anime, the game's hero is Orphen, a somewhat lazy sorcerer for hire. He and his friends get on the wrong boat when embarking on a scheme to make money and end up on a strange island. Orphan and his comrades meet several strangers who have interesting tales to tell, and Orphen has to resolve the truth behind the island if he and his friends are to leave.
The control system is fairly basic, as the characters are moved with the analog stick and menus and attacks are controlled by the buttons and D-pad. You can assign spells to your buttons which allows you to cast the in combat. Unfortunately the characters sometime do not respond as desired, or may pause which can be a problem in battle sequences.
The game's cut sequences are anime, and to an extent the games engine mimics it, giving a fairly continous look to the game. The graphics are early PS2 and are not bad although they have been overshadowed by more recent games. The voice acting on the other hand is not outstanding, not least because the voices used in battle are repeated every time you use a spell. Admittedly after Orphen had yelled "HAND of PYRO!" for the tenth time I turned my sound off for the rest of that fight, the reason for this review's title. At their worst they are definitely hammed up which fits the anime feel but rapidly becomes annoying, as does the fact the lipsync is occassionally rather out.
Characters don't advance by beating monsters, instead Orphen gains extra spells by defeating boss monsters in story events. Despite having a choice of what order to tackle the subquests in the game feels extremely linear, and the subquests are independent rather than building towards a goal.
The game is not very long (we finished it in a evening) and there are not very many details in the story. In some ways the game feels more like a side quest from a larger RPG. More disappointingly, despite learning many spells throughout the game, you only actually need the three you start off with, and in fact the final boss is designed to be beaten with just these spells. The battle sequences are disapointing, as the enemies act in strict rotation and normally signal their attacks in plenty of time for you to counter. The game is less about tactics than about hitting the right buttons in rotation. The final boss is slightly tricky, but is unfortunately the only challenge to the game.
All in all Orphen feels rather rushed, and could probably have done with longer in development to deal with the control system and lip syncing. If you are looking for a challenge this game doesn't offer it. However, if you want something to spend and evening or two on and find a copy of this in a bargain box, or can rent it, it is worth a look. Also this game is suitable for younger players.
Advantages: Looks good, sounds good, plays good Disadvantages: Just doesnt compete with other RPGs on the market
Orphen could have been so much better.
I know its not a nice way to start a review but that’s the way it is. I had been thinking about buying this game for a while and was never really convinced that it would be very good. In the end I rented it from Blockbuster, and settle down to play it over the course of a few days.
The first thing that stuck me was the style of the graphics, the cut sequences done in typical anime style and the game graphics ... ...thought this was a strange combination, and it never really sat right with me.
The game play itself was very simple, too simple for hardened RPG fans like myself I feel, as the majority of the time I found myself bored even in the midst of battle performing the same button pressing routines over and over again. Most of the fights could be won by using the same tactics so that was no real strategy to any of the fights.
The plot is based around the ...
AdamCristos 10.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Orphen: Scion of Sorcery (PS2)
Advantages: Nice plot, well made game Disadvantages: Some areas can be tedious
Orphen is an RPG where you assume the role of Orphen, a lazy sorcerer who must help others in order to complete his destiny.
The game is well implemented, with a nice blend of platform and RPG elements. It featurs a good real-time combat system and nice graphics.
This was the first PS2 game i got, mainly because I like RPGs.
The graphics aren't groundbreaking but they are cleanly presented and do the job very well.
The gameplay is very good, ... ...tedious.
There are a wide range of characters, which vary greatly in personality.
One of the good points of this game is it's anime, which must be great :) but seriously the game features some nice anime cut scenes which help to hold the story line together well.
Once completed the games offers little replay value, but most RPGs don't...
I would recommend this game if you are a fan of RPGs or looking for something different for you PS2... ...
davidmuk 21.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Orphen: Scion of Sorcery (PS2)
Advantages: good graphics, good sounds Disadvantages: Little replay value, boring storyline
I was looking forward to Orphen, hoping it would entertain me while I waited for Final Fantasy X, but I was disappointed (sorry). It started off pretty good but I must admit I found it very repetitive, literally! There is no real challenge to the game, and all it does is constantly repeat a short storyline.
You basically run around various parts of the same island with different characters, supposedly fulfilling their destinies. In most RPG's there ... ...not here, you can almost hear the programmers whispering "look in there, push that and don't go there". The overall game is so easy as to be almost ludicrous, I completed it within two days!
On the plus side it does have nice graphics and OK sounds, but that's about all the positive things I can think of. It has absolutely no replayability value, and (I can only speak for myself here), it went to the back of the shelf as soon as I had completed ...
Bapaptis 11.10.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Orphen: Scion of Sorcery (PS2)
This is one of the best Role playing games ou for the ps2 in my opinion it has brilliant grafix using the complete role an power of the ps 2. You paly the role of a sorceror (lazy) and you can take your own path around the game there 3 different endings. It consists of unpredicable magic and traps with amazing monsters that u kill using 31 different types of magic truly magic.
U are joined with other characters on you quest through the game to find ...
rayner 20.02.2001 (13.02.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Orphen: Scion of Sorcery (PS2)
