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The Growlanser Generations pack is due out soon, and we've had plenty of time with both games in the collection. The battle system is out of this world. Even though these are older games in Japan, I haven't played anything quite like it, and it feels like the next evolutionary step in strategy RPGs. The stories are great, and the voice work and written dialog are both top notch. We have a batch of screen shots from both games. Of particular note are the last two, which give you an idea of what the mission battle maps look like from an aerial view. The hand-drawn graphics are really fantastic and a breath of fresh air, especially the full-screen character portraits.
Below are some descriptions of the games from Working Designs. Hopefully those and the screen shots will tide you over for a few days until we can finish up our full review. Check back with us, and in the meantime, you might want to seriously consider putting your pre-order down. For RPG fans, these games are that good. Working Designs is offering the games by themselves for $49.99 as well as the big collector's set (watch, cards, soundtrack, etc.) for $89.99. Growlanser II Growlanser II: The Sense of Justice introduces players to a special world of melee and magic, where rings become weapons and war threatens to shatter the peace of three neighboring kingdoms at any moment. Players are allowed control of Wein Cruz and up to seven of his companions in battles of ever-increasing size, complexity, and importance against forces that are as devious as they are strong. The game features an extremely flexible power system that allows character abilities to be customized in a myriad of ways. Ring Weapons add special abilities and allow the use of up to three Power Gems. Power Gems can be mixed and matched to provide the most strength and flexibility in battle, while Magic and Techniques provide offensive and defensive benefits in battle. Players are awarded points when characters gain levels. Those points can be distributed by the player to give character any abilities desired, meaning that no two games will play exactly the same! Growlanser II: The Sense of Justice features a branched storyline with two major branches and a number of sub branches. To experience even half of what the game offers, it must be conquered at least twice. Along the way, players will see the story come alive by means of over seven hours of spoken dialogue! Nearly every major event is voiced by a cast that will pull you into the experience and not let go until the credits roll. And since Growlanser II is only half of Growlanser Generations, when the credits DO roll, it just mean's it's time to put in Growlanser III: The Dual Darkness! Growlanser III Growlanser:The Dual Darkness, the revealing third chapter in the Growlanser saga, takes players back to the beginning of the Growlanser universe. Back to a world being consumed by darkness, forcing its inhabitantants to seek a way to leave the world behind. Unfortunately, forces are gathering to prevent anyone from surviving the coming apocalypse. As Slayn, the player must find the source of the black scourge falling across the land and stop the plot that will result in mass genocide. A strong cast of supporting characters can be gathered during the quest, and they provide assistance, both in battle and with information gathered during the hours of spoken dialogue present in the game. The Dual Darkness features an upgraded battle system with towns that can be explored as well as a random dungeon generation system that keeps each quest fresh and exciting. Novice players will enjoy the straightforward story, while the game features hidden events and special features for hardcore players to find and exploit.
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