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 - A Kid's Review(This is my son talking) THIS IS THE BEST TURN-BASED RPG EVER!! I don't get why it's getting any bad hype at all. If you don't like all this elemental stuff, you didn't read the box; the graphics are amazing at some points; the plot is awesome; there are plenty of sidequests to go on, i.e Crossbone Isle; and the battle system is amazing. There is only one thing I have to complain about - the automatic defense. Seriously, people, if you were planning to attack someone, and someone else killed em, you seriously wouldn't just defend. But it is still awesome. Rating: - Classic GBA Game - Still one of the bestThere were two great role playing series released for the GBA. Final Fantasy 1-6 and the two Golden Sun games. Both series hold up very well, and are quite different. I would actually say that the GS games sported better graphics, quicker gameplay, and a much longer playing time. Rating: - golden sun rulesyou start out as the chracter issac (u can rename him if u want) and u basically go on an adventure of the world-fight monsters and bosses and get 3 other people in ure party along the way. I loved the game and i played about 48 hours total :). I beat the game so many times over and over again by killing the last boss which is the fusion dragon. Though the fusion dragon isn't tough, deadbeard is (hardest boss in the game) i killed him in like... 15 minutes.(my chracters are lvl 44+) He just takes forever so it's like the same thing over and over again, Issac and garet attacks ivan uses luff and mia heals. Rating: - "Rays of light give birth to shadows, revealing the way"---temple plaqueFor several months I was obsessed with this game. I logged over 40 hours of playing time and probably more like 60 counting the times I left the game w/o saving because I missed something, couldn't get passed a boss, or wanted to cheat my way at the slot machine at Tolbi Springs--and that was with the aid of a walkthrough. I can't imagine how long it would take to conquer this monster game w/o one; there are so many places to go, hidden things to uncover, and useful powers to master. Since Golden Sun was my first role-playing game, I needed all the help I could get. I loved this game! I was disappointed that there was no conclusion to the story here (that is on the sequel Golden Sun: The Lost Age), but then I realized that I would just need to play more GS, and the more is better when it comes to a game like this. It is very complicated and, at times, incredibly challenging but, with a detailed walkthrough, even a novice like me whose previous proudest video game moment was beating Pitfall II on my Atari 2600 can become a GS master (or mistress as it were). I love that you can save the game almost anytime save for during a battle. You can even save in the middle of a puzzle so you can get tricky parts out of the way and just focus on the next. I wish all games were like that. You start out as a kid named Isaac (you can customize the name; in fact, if you hit the select button a bunch of times at the start, you can name all the characters). Isaac lives with his mom in a town called Vale. Right away, there is danger lurking as the peaceful town will eventually be destroyed by a giant boulder. A kid named Felix will be swept away in a stream (he will be key to the sequel). You and buddy Garet meet two mysterious adepts, Saturos and Menardi, who are up to no good. They challenge you to a fight. Being just kids with no fighting psynergy, you have no chance. This defeat inspires you and Garet to build up your powers in the aftermath of the avalanche. There is a lot of dialog at the beginning which may make the game appear slow and boring but, be patient, the game will have you hooked before long. You will use the psynergy you acquire through the game in fighting and, especially, in completing certain tasks like lifting, moving, and carrying heavy objects, turning puddles into ice, and reading minds to help you in your adventure. You also have Djinn: cute little creatures who can fight for you or protect you in battle or, if placed on stand-by, can summon the planets to give you enormous powers. By the time you face Saturos and Menardi again at the end of the game, some 40 hours of logged playing time later, you will have no trouble leveling your revenge. The final boss isn't all that hard, even the Fusion Dragon they unleash. I defeated them twice, first try each time. The most difficult boss is Deadbeard who lives on a sunken ship at the bottom of the dungeon on Crossbone Island. It took me forever to beat this guy! The trick (and this trick can be used on other big bosses) is to alternate Djinn Flash (with Garet) and Ground (with Isaac) to limit the damage and fight only with Ivan using attack Djinn and summons while Mia is primarily used for healing. This strategy takes a long time--maybe 40 minutes--but it works! What I like the most about this game are all the neat places you see, various tasks you complete, and all that cool music you hear. There is a different tune for almost every place you visit. I would actually like a CD of all the different GS tunes. You do not have to complete GS to play Lost Age, but I highly recommend it as I recommend getting a thorough, detailed walkthrough. You will get the most out of the game and, before long, you will have mastered both! Good luck adept! Rating:  - Kinda Cool but not My ThingI bought this not knowing what I was getting into. I learned that I am not a real big fan of the Japanese-style RPGs and more of a fan of the DnD style whether it's Diablo or the TSR Goldbox games. What can I say? I likes me some hackin'! I had quite a bit of fun at first exploring, fighting, solving puzzles, etc. The game does really have some unique twists on things as others have noted like the magic system, the Djinn, the class options. Some of the locations attracted my imagination quite bit. Many attack effects were just plain neat. You gain a power to mind read early on and that combined with the dialog is by itself pretty satisfying a lot of the time. I have no trouble believing this is a superb title in its genre. I finished the game but it proved to be a forced march and I was very ready for it to be over. I really wanted that satisfaction of beating it, plus there were some nifty items and combats at the end that eased the monotony. Things that took its toll on me were: A) Combat. The "Bad guys line up here, good guys line up here. Guy 1 jumps to other side, swings, jumps back. Guy 2 jumps to other side, swings, jumps back" style of fighting isn't inspiring. There was a lot to like about combat but the style in general makes me a lot less interested. B) Railroading. I don't mind not having any options. What drives me insane is you are given the chance to choose but rarely does the choice matter and the execution of that is so clumsy that it's almost insulting. Example: Very early on, your friend Jenna asks you to go get the Stars for your mentor, Kraden. You get a choice on whether to do it. If you say "Yes", she says "Cool!!!" and you're on your way. If you say "No", she says "Don't make me mad!" and asks you again. This repeats until you say "Yes" - you can't even cancel the dialog and walk around. Why even offer the choice? That was the first time I thought about reselling my copy. So after a while I got the feeling I was watching the story more than participating, with periodic puzzles and combat in between. That said, I thought the story was A-OK but I also haven't been so spoiled for (apparently) boilerplate RPG story lines like other reviewers. I wish I'd played around with the nifty-looking class system more. Golden Sun was some fun and some good genre edification but I'm real glad it's over.
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