Growlanser: Heritage of War

Atlus pulled out all the stops when they brought us the next installment of Growlanser, "Heritage of War," for the PS2. Released in the U.S. just 2 days ago, this limited edition is definitely packed with goodies galore (no standard edition has been released). Along with the game itself, the limited edition comes with 2 lenticular pocket-sized cards, 3 pins, 1 keychain, a media DVD, and a stunning 100-page full-color illustration archive.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, on to why we're here in the first place: the game. The world's resources have nearly vanished and creatures threaten what's left of the human world. War has erupted to claim what little viable land there is. But legend speaks of a certain paradise, the goal of one of our main characters in "Growlanser: Heritage of War." Real-time gameplay and the easibility of the battle menu has improved and from what I've played thus far, the storyline seems to have a strong hold. The graphics are done well in Growlanser standards, but may not be able to hold its own against next-gen roleplaying games. Even for a PS2 game, the graphics may be seen a little under par. Nevertheless, this isn't to say that "Growlanser: HOW" is not worth your time. In fact, this game shouldn't be one to be passed below your radar.