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 - On Par With the GreatsThis was one of those games I found on the shelves of the rental store and thought 'heck, why not?' And not once did I regret my decision. Though Skies of Arcadia has its fair share of 'gaming cliches' (the mysterious girl who gets things rolling; every female is incurably attracted to the main character... that sort of thing) the story is compelling. Vyse and his cohorts are Blue Rouges, a faction of the 'Air Pirates' distinction who are easily likened to the Robin Hoods of the world. Their favourite target is the Valuan Empire, easily the ruling power of Arcadia. But it seems that Valua has developed a streak of imperialism, and is attacking the other countries of the world. After discovering a strangely garbed kidnapped girl in the Valuan ship they'd just attacked, Vyse and co. find out that Valua is really after the Moon Crystals. These items are each able to control a Gigas- 6 of them altogether (one for each Moon of Arcadia)- and Valua intends to use these powerful weapons against those who oppose them. Thus begins Vyse, Fina, and Aika's quest to gather the Crystals before Valua can. One of the great things about this game is that the villains are so delightfully evil and competent (at least most are, namely Galcian and Ramirez). No more wondering how they came into power; it's quite obvious that Galcian and Ramirez lied, cheated, and murdered to get where they are. The ship-battle system was a nice change of pace for players, breaking away from the repetitive random battle screens to give us a good old-fashioned cannons-and-torpedos aerial battle (no oceans in Arcadia- you sail the skies). These battles also aren't just dependent on brute-strength (though being strong helps keep you alive) but they also take some strategy, as you have to consider how far away the other ship is and if your cannons could reach, and because you input several commands at once you also have to consider 'how much damage do I think I'll sustain this round? Will I need to heal?' The side-quests in this game are extremely worthwhile, especially the sidequest involving feeding Moonfish to Maria's little pet. This will give you items as well as interesting insights to the back-story and how a certain villain fell from grace. The optional battles against Piastol are also worthwhile. All in all, Skies of Arcadia is a great game with a decent amount of replay value. Decent graphics make everything relatively easy to see (though don't expect breath-taking cutscenes), battle systems detract from the monotony of random battles, and the music offers a very fitting atmosphere. Rating:  - The Best!!!I love this RPG!The graphics and storyline are both awesome!The only thing that kind of gets on my nerves is the random battles,but otherwise,this game is great!It's the only game I can think of that explores the sky instead of on the ground.A must buy!! Rating:  - Very good Game!! but bad porting...I loved this game alot when it came out on the dreamcast! and was highly depressed when dreamcast met its doom and i was forced to sell it.....when i heard it came out for the gamecube i was really happy and didn't mind playing it again due to the extra features!! but once i played it, i was really shocked at how bad the audio mixing was!! it was so bad that it felt like i was playing the game on a regular nintendo system and to top that! the extras in this game are very unnoticable!!! graphics were the same thankfully!!.....anyways i regret selling my dreamcast because of this game!! it was sooo good , but like i said bad porting!! idk if its because gamecubes audio isnt as good as dreamcasts audio i couldn't tell! but i highly reccommend the dreamcast version it was just perfect!!!!!! Rating: - Best GameDecember 25, 2004 -- the fateful day I had ordered this game, as I had been wanting it for a while, but never actually got around to getting it, and so 12/25/04 I got it, played it, and definitely thought I couldn't love a game more, and I was right, but I recently re-played it, and I loved it even more then back then. This is surely the best game I've ever played, and ever will play. Tales of Symphonia probably takes 2nd to it. The battle system is just so incredible, as are the Bounty heads you defeat for money. I must say, if you're an R.P.G. lover, and you haven't tried this game, please do so now. Actually, even if you aren't an R.P.G. fan, you should still give this game a chance. I can guarantee you'll be satisfied, or at least you better be. I can also guarantee anywhere from 40-50+ gameplay hours. I have no more to say, except I wish for a sequel to it, or an Anime or something. And my last thing I'll say to you is: if you have a GameCube, buy this from online for only $20 now, and I can 99.9% guarantee you'll enjoy this game, and even if you don't have a GameCube, go and buy one for this game. And if you do, others game you should get for it are: Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, Tales of Symphonia, Sonic (if you're an old Sega Genesis fan of them, they have this deal where you get 7 games in 1, which is rather nice, I'd say), and Ty The Tasmanian Tiger. Rating: - Fly high Skies of Arcadia: Legends is a remake of a game with the same title for the Dreamcast. I never owned a Dreamcast, so I thought I might play it. I became quickly addicted. This is the best RPG for the GameCube. Vyse, a Blue Rogue, fights the evil Valua Empire with the help of his friends. Yes, the story isn't very oringal. What IS orginal is the ship vs. ship battles. You start with a small ship ('Little Jack') and then later upgrade to a warship called The Delfinus. The graphics are decent, and the story keeps you interested until the end of the game.
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