PyroPlayer Magazine - PPM Adventurer's Guild

Dragon Force

J-Force * Working Designs * SATURN * Now Available

It's exceedingly rare to see a strategy wargame make its way westward, and that alone increased a fair bit of hype for the English translation of Dragon Force on the Saturn. This disc is a relatively straightforward strategic simulator that seamlessly blends action with brain-busting tactics. Simply form an army, conquer a castle, rinse and repeat! Micro-manage as needed with more detailed control over loyalty and fortifications. The simple interface here is a thing of beauty, making complex choices accessible without the need for a mouse and keyboard. War scenes are enormous in scope, with up to 100 units assigned per general - though expert players can use their wits to triumph with smaller forces. The finest attribute in Dragon Force is undoubtedly the storyline. Unlike some strategy games that focus entirely on gameplay at the expense of story, this narrative is deeply integrated in the action.

Players are given a unique motivation for world conquest depending on which of eight kingdoms they decide to choose - from Victor Goldark's few allies to Wein's entire nations joining his cause. Kudos to Working Designs for fleshing out an abundance of characters with minimal dialogue to work with. Despite these positives, the graphical style is surprisingly weak. Map-mode visuals are stiff and unpleasant, and the fight scenes can be choppy and pixelated. Additionally, prepare to read carefully through the manual, as some of those early menus are a slog to figure out. Though from its brilliant and bloodthirsty combat mechanics and engaging storyline, not to mention the added element of humor, this is certainly one of the most entertaining and captivating role-players available for Sega's Saturn.

Printed in Issue #42, Oct-Nov 1997

Suikoden

Ent. Tokyo * Konami * PLAYSTATION * Now Available

Those of you ready and willing to dedicate two or so weeks to a single adventure better hold tight. Suikoden is a mind-boggling, ambitious title on the PlayStation worth checking out. While, yes, spending over 70 hours of your game time may sound intimidating, this RPG will keep you in its snares from start to finish. Leaping above and beyond the lackluster competition on the console, Suikoden encompasses an engrossing storyline, totally sensational sound effects and music, and an easy-to-use interface. You begin as the son of an Imperial General who must make his choice between loyalty to the empire or keeping true to your word. Dialogue is exceptionally high-quality, well-translated, and is backed up with a moving, orchestrated score. Build up a party composed of more than 100 individual characters, each of whom players recruit along their journey.

Combat is outstanding, handling both one-on-one fights with randomly encountered monsters and the more impressive army-vs.-army skirmishes. The latter micro wars are truly a sight to bold, strategic with huge stakes as any fighter lost in battle is permanently out of the game - a feature typically reserved for the Japan-only lot like the somewhat infamous Fire Emblem series on Super Famicom. Its graphical presentation and visualizations are fine enough, nothing spectacular but much stronger than one would see on 16-Bit. Alas, close-up sprites still look ugly and pixelated. Two minor gripes we had were the lack of fun problem-solving puzzles and the idiotic decision to disallow running in large cities. But otherwise, Suikoden is top shelf all the way and is a highly recommended pick-up for fans of the genre - or fans of steller stories!

Printed in Issue #42, Oct-Nov 1997