Slow pace and lots of detail will scare off some, but the hardcore D&D stats-hounds will be in heaven.
Very strict adherence to D&D rules. Lots of character customization with 'job-classes' and skills. Tons of armor and weapons to collect. Lengthy campaign makes it worth the pricetag.
The Bad:
Very strict adherence to D&D rules means it is extra complicated at times. Turn-based battles are slow and tedious at times. Ugly ugly menu interface makes even equipping a pain. A few side quests, but otherwise a linear series of scenarios.
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Let me just say, right off the bat, that I actually like this game, despite all the complaining I'm about to do. OK. On with the review.
So, a quick run-down of the game itself:
You start by creating a party of 6 characters, first by selecting a race, then a job, a God to worship, and an alignment (lawful good, bad, neutral, etc). Certain races are well-suited for certain jobs, and certain alignments go well with certain Gods and jobs. Folllowing this, you are given a set of points to distribute among the various attributes (charisma, intelligence, strength, etc). Once done that, you are given a set of points to allow you to learn certain 'feats', or special skills. After that, you are given yet another set of points to distribute among other specialized characteristics like being able to see hidden monsters, and so on. Sounds complicated?
Oh dear God, it is. And that says nothing about the armor you are allowed to wear, weapons you are allowed to use, or even how many hit points your character ends up with. If you have not played any D&D games in the past, you will be spending the first 45 minutes of this game just struggling to put together your group of six. The less patient among you will likely end up doing an auto-generate to build up your first party, but that would be losing out on all the nifty character customization options at your disposal.
Regardless, once you have your six, you are allowed to start the game. No turning back, no creating new characters after you've started. Ouch. While in game, there are other characters you can hire if you find yourself in need of, say, a good wizard and didn't bother making one, but otherwise, you are stuck with what you are stuck with.
The game itself consists of a series of pre-defined battles where your guys/gals warp into a large grid of a battlefield. From there, it is a turn-based affair, where you move your men around, kill the bad guys, and find the treasure in much the same way Tactics Ogre or Astonishia Story works. The problem is, the D&D rules make it very very difficult to score a hit when you are weak, so you will undoubtedly get frustrated as you spend the first battle swishing your swords through the air hitting nothing but...air. Things get a bit better once you start levelling up and finding/buying new gear, but that first set of battles will make you want to toss your PSP across the room, especially since the bad guys tend to connect a lot more than your guys do.
The other problem some might have with the battles is that they are very long and drawn out, forcing you to search around the sometimes quite sizeable field looking for the next bad guy. Later in the game, battles can last 30-45 minutes, not the best for a handheld. Luckily, you can save anywhere, anytime (mid battle, outside battle, etc.), so it is possible to put it down midway into a fight and pick it up again later. The battles are connected with semi-animated cut scenes where the characters talk to people, are told where to go next, and so on. You are also allowed to visit merchants, mercenary guilds, and shrines to buy stuff, hire guys, or resurrect dead characters. It is here that you will spend most of your time, trying to negotiate the obtuse and infuriating menus to sort out who is carrying what, who needs what armor, trading the armor, etc. Again, I can't describe how needlessly complicated the menu system is; you have to experience it for yourself.
If you can wade through these issues, however, you will be rewarded with a lengthy, interesting, and tactically challenging game. The complexity and depth the game offers goes a long way toward alleviating the aggravation experienced in that first hour. If you are used to the Final Fantasy Instant Job Creation system, where everything is smooth, easy, and intuitive, this game will put you off in a heartbeat. If, however, you enjoy tweaking every nuance of your characters, worrying about the smallest details (like how much the armor weighs), and nurturing them into a force to be reckoned with in a slow, methodical, planned manner, then you might find this one worth the cash.