Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Dark Cloud 2

Written by Tony Kennetz on February 12, 2002

Hands-On Preview: If you enjoy cel-shading, but donСt enjoy Zelda, this could be the game for you.

For those gamers who had their PlayStation 2's near the release, RPGs were scarce. In many ways it seemed a lot like the scene for the GameCube and Xbox right now. There was one shining gem in the otherwise bleak mound of rocks, and its title was Dark Cloud.

For the un-initiated, Dark Cloud was one those games that really found a good audience because it lacked a solid competitor in its genre. It was mildly good looking, had some extremely repetitive dungeons, and a killer Geo-Rama village building system. It sold well enough to become a greatest hits title and gain a sequel. Now that's day coming close, and a trial demo has been released with three levels and 2 movies. Here you will find a break down of what was included in this early RPG of the Year contender demo and why we think it will be worth your purchase.

Demo Level One: Town
The first level of the demo is a simple mission of fetch. Max's (one of our two main heroes this time around) best friend will ask you to take a picture of a certain Claire. Its safe to say that he has extreme feelings for this classy lass. From there he will provide Max with a camera, and off he goes.

There is some exploring that can be done in this level, but nothing in the name of combat. Max can round around the town, talking to different people about different things - most importantly, the whereabouts of Claire. The level here is fairly simple, as the only thing Max can do outside his main goal is run around town checking out the scenery. But let it be said - the scenery is gorgeous. We're talking jaw to the floor, making weird noises gorgeous. The turnaround from the original's rather bland backgrounds and characters to this semi-cel-shaded approach are simply remarkable.

DC2's controls are solid and responsive. While there wasnСt much to test them abilities in town, Max was always quick to head in the direction you sent him, and perform actions you tell him to. Taking pictures was a breeze, and despite its amazingly dull premise, I walked around town for an hour taking random shots. Overall, there were very few, if any issues with the exploration portions of this game, and it must be said that that is a relief.

Demo Level Two: Dungeon
This is where the action really starts taking place. You start the level as Monica, the second playable character of the game, and while battling with Max is fun, its much more entertaining with Monica's swords compared to Max's drillЕ

The basics of the combat engine are fairly straight forward, almost insulting to the gamer. Hit X, kill the enemy. That's the battle system. However, this is solely due to the lack of length for the demo. There were many options available but simply not needed a trial of this menial size. For example, there are breads, which act as potions, and items to restore power to your weapons to help keep them from breaking after a long set of attacks. The simple fact remains, however, that they simply weren't needed in this version, so how these abilities will affect the total game remains to be seen.

Graphically, the dungeon is just as stunning as the town. The bushes are vibrant, the trees are realistically (in a cartoony sense) dull, and the enemies are well designed. Colors really are really one of this game's strong point visually, and here we can see that showing through here. They are used so convincingly on everything in the area. Character design is another portion of the eye candy that really stands out, and in the enemies here, its as clear as day that the development team put a lot of time into making them as original as possible.

Demo Level Three: Boss
The boss battle is the highlight of the three levels provided. You'll fight a beast of a robot named Halloween and his master Porcuss. As Max, your weapon of choice is nothing other than the bombs Halloween drops to destroy you. You'll pick them up, and whip them back into his face. From there, he will fall to the ground and become vulnerable to other physical attacks, such as the drill. This style is a clever way to break up the monotonous hack and slash battling of the dungeon. From time to time, Halloween will send out what appear to be heat seeking missiles that can really do some damage if you holding a bomb to throw at him. This is what makes this one difficult, but still manages to shy away from frustrating. Hopefully, most of the bosses will be like this in the final game.