#14

Skies of Arcadia: Legends (Originally released on the Gamecube in 2002)

The skies the limit in this swashbuckling adventure! Takes control of Vyse, a young, brash, sky pirate as he sails into the unknown looking for grand adventure and of course, treasure. Skies of Arcadia Legends is a port of the Dreamcast game with the same name, just with extra content within. For some reason I left Skies slip by when it was on the Dreamcast, so I was extra excited about it getting a re-release. Skies is a light hearted rpg that lets you take to the skies of this fantasy world and sail the clouds as if you were on the open seas.

This game focuses on world exploration. Vyse and his crew are mostly pirate-esque individuals, all of them vastly different then each other. The cast gels very well together and they all make the story move so smooth. This game is by no means short, but since the story was so engaging I beat this game in almost no time at all. The game mixes comical villains with the more maniacal version of bad guys together very well also. The overall cast of this game is impressive. I caught myself smiling a lot during the conversations between the characters.

There are two types of battles in this game. Normal combat and ship versus ship fights. Both are unique and offer different ways to use strategy to succeed in either. I found the ship battles to be a tad bit harder then the normal combat, but that could be just me.

Exploration sets the tone for when you are not dealing the the main story lines. You can sail around the globe and discover new islands, treasures and even go on bounty hunts for rewards. The game offers you almost limitless possibilities. It really does give you the impression that you are like a Christopher Columbus type explorer and you are traveling through uncharted skies and uncovering areas no one else has ever seen. It makes exploring the world that much more fun.

In the end, Skies is a fantastic rpg with pretty environments for you to explore and a wonderful cast of heroes and villains. It is one of the best rpgs experiences I have ever had the privilege to enjoy and I hope if you have yet to play it, this small exert has you leaning to check it out.