Gameplay Impressions
Gameplay ImpressionsAt first glance there's nothing much to get excited about Magna Carta 2's tried-and-trusted RPG forumula. The quest system has been implemented well, allowing you to stack multiple missions and pick and choose those quests that you actually enjoy, but largely it offers a familiar blend of herb-collecting, beast-slaying and general level-grinding sweat and tears. Personally, we've played these types of missions a hundred times before in no-end of Final Fantasy games, so they just feel a bit of a chore. What Magna Carta 2 does do well though is mix things up a bit with a challenging battle system that is very similar to that seen in Infinite Discovery, another JRPG that was released on Xbox 360 last year.
It's the combat system that offers the most challenge and satisfaction. Due to the steep learning curve and tactical battles, that require you to switch characters, weapons and upgrade your powers efficiently to defeat enemies, it's probably going to appeal to RPG veterans rather than anyone new to the genre. The in-depth character progression and wealth of items, magic and weapons helps enormously in adding extra depth to combat and as you progress and get to tackle tough enemies, there's satisfaction to be gleaned out of using strategic gameplay to see off your foes. There's constantly new moves added to the roster, so there's plenty of room to experiment as you progress through the game.
Questing is a bit of a mixed bag. There are a wealth of missions and side quests to get stuck into, but when you're going off on your dozenth fetch quest it does feel like the developer opted for quantity of quality. Still, RPG fans should know what to expect and if you follow the main missions there's a decent mix of different quests and entertainment to be had out of gathering loot and partaking in big boss battles. Indeed, many of the side quests are optional anyway.
Magna Carta 2 does look impressive. There are some excellent visual effects, such as when you switch between characters and chain attacks together, and alongside some beautiful character modeling, well-rendered CGI cut-scenes and a highly detailed and colourful environment, exploration is certainly made more pleasurable, though it would have been nice to see more variety in the type of locations.
The clichéd storyline may appeal to some people, but we were largely disappointed with the confusing text-based dialogue and predictable plot twists. Still, Magna Carta 2 may appeal to ardent fans of this particular genre who will get some satisfaction out of the wealth of familiar RPG quests, challenging combat system, intense character development and appealing graphics and character design. When all is said and done though, Magna Carta 2 largely failed to inspire us beyond the first few monster-slaying quests.
Final Score - 6.5/10
