Mana-Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis First Impressions

As I mentioned yesterday, one of the games I'd like to play is the "new" game in the Atelier Iris series (and by "new", I mean new in North America, as it was released in Japan nearly almost a year ago). I went out and picked up Alchemists of Al-Revis yesterday. One of the good things about the PS2 being a "last generation" console now is that even new games are cheap. Its great that there are still quality games coming out for the PS2. I don't think any other console - even the PS1 - has lasted this long after the new generation kicked into high gear.

Back to the point, I played Alchemists of Al-Revis for a good four hours last night, and its actually quite fun. At first I thought, "A game just about synthesising items? What fun is that?" But its more than just that, although alchemy and synthesis play a large role in enhancing your characters.

I see elements of games such as Final Fantasy X, Dragon Quest VIII and the Star Ocean series all in this game, and, dare I say it, its rather refreshing. As an added bonus, the voice acting isn't that bad, either. The anime-style characters are diverse and likable, although sometimes a bit over the top. The game is presented with colorful pseudo-3D backdrops and very detailed sprites for the characters, but its not as bad as it sounds. Its actually a nice looking game, even on a large wide-screen television.

I'm definitely looking forward to playing more of this. I'm a huge supporter of the idea that the PS2 is still a great console with good games coming out for it. Alchemists of Al-Revis (along with the upcoming "re-release" of Persona 3) proves my point nicely.