Shadow Hearts 2 : Covenant

[w07]

This game is one of greatest RPG's ever and the best RPG for the PS2 (even better then FFX,X-2,XII dont get me wrong i stil love FF except for 12) any way this is the 2nd game in the series and is a sequall to Shdow hearts which was overshadowed by FFX release ,but u dont need to play the first game to enjoy this one u can pick up the whole story during the second game .OK lets start the review:

Graphics: 9/10
this game has great graphics(not as great as ff12 though) but it has a good use of use of textures, great expressions, and realistic animations abound.

Gameplay: 10/10
One word to describe the gamplay of this game AWASOME it's even beter than the FF series battle system (even 12) it's fun and orignal, this game aslo has a wealth of customization, upgrade, and battle options that get better with every fight.

Sound: 9/10
Great has strong musical soundtrack my fav is the boss theme it just great, as for the voice overs the english voice actors did a good job but u cant compare them to the orignal japaness voice overs(i have played both the english and japaness version of the game ) i find Nicolai's voice in the english version to be annoying.

Storyline: 9/10
Now unlike the mainline Final Fantasy sequels, Shadow Hearts is a direct continuation of the storyline established in the first game. Taking place two years after the events of the original and not too long after the start of World War I, our chronicle begins in a dramatic fashion with the return of familiar face. Set within the eerie deserted village of Domremy in Northern France, a cautious unit of Elite German soldiers are quickly and brutally wiped out by a giant winged demon in the town church. Of course, the number one reason that the Imperial Army hasn't taken this village yet is because of this demon -- which is, as you might have guessed, the paranormal badass Yuri from the previous game. There is one survivor, though, a young female lieutenant known as Karin Koenig, who's left unharmed by the protective Yuri because of her resemblance to someone he once knew.After debriefing her superiors in Germany of the situation, the game begins for real when her superiors send Karin and a new ally, an exorcist named Nicholai, on a quest to take over the town.What follows is an event that players who are unfamiliar with the original probably won't expect, but suffice it to say, Yuri comes back to the party and brings his Harmonixer abilities with him. Well okay, so that's not entirely true -- Yuri has lost all of his monster transformation powers because of a curse given to him by a mysterious secret society. For a good while afterwards, the whole premise of the adventure is to travel the world in search of this secret society to find out why Yuri has been cursed, what can be done to remove it, and to discover what the enemy's true plan really is.

Playability: 8/10
Plenty of bonus dungeons, two different endings, a handful of secret goodies, and a fantastic plot should give you more than enough reason to go back.

Rating: TEEN 16+ - Contains,Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Media Size: 2 DVD
Overall: Critic Score: 9.1/10 - My Score 9.8/10
Similar Games: FF series, Tales of series,Star ocean 3 ,etc.
This game is a MUST-HAVE for any turn based rpg fan .

[ridorana]

Hmm, an old ps2 rpg that I don't own.. And, one that looks like it would be cool. Maybe it means I should get it ..

[w07]

here's some vids fof the gameplay
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[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

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[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

and here's the video for
Shadow Hearts: Covenant Opening (original version)


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and here's the opening of the game
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enjoy

[Ryuuojin]

o.O yea, dis game.. i played it b4.

[Sil3ntSlay3rz]

Hmm this game look nice.Hmm maybe i buy it right away

[zanet]

Graphics look pretty good. Well if you say it's better than the FF series it's got to be worth a look.

Lol I still have to get me a PS2 .

[megamanst]

ok so both the first and second one are worth getting correct?

[w07]

if u mean the first shadow heart ....weeeeeeeeeeell i'd say u may be disappointedsince it's graphics is as good as FFVIII and the voice acting is only in CG cut scenes or inbattle besides if it's for the story the second game tell's u about it but itsll has a great battle system and music (PS: spolier: this game(covenant) follow's the bad ending of the 1st game.)

[megamanst]

im still confused i mean should i or should i not buy the first game?

[w07]

this is getting no where i'd say 1st play the second game if u like it then rent(borrow) the 1st game cause u may be dissapointed about some thing's in the 1st game (like i was) like the graphics and such.(P.S i played the 2nd game then i played the 1st )