very complicated but rewarding, can be tedious at times
sure d&d is fun because you get to deconstruct a world by it's own rules so you can manipulate them and design strategies to beat villains in a swords and sorcery world. but this doesn't translate well to the psp as you still have to know what each spell does before deciding to cast it, as well as dealing with the micromanagement of your troops' health, weapons, armor, items, position, etc... for the first 20 minutes i did more planning than playing.
graphics : character design is topnotch and you get the typical elf, dwarf, gnome, human, half-people (i wish there were giants to choose from) and color palette and structures are designed so you can make out your characters from the backgrounds easily. no fmv so far, i think they're going by in-game graphics for driving the story forward.
sound : at times the game is silent such as when you're designing your character and on the world map, you'll suddenly realize what's missing is the bgm that's staple in rpgs. you get the usual deathcries when killing and grunts when swinging and blades clashing but the background music builds emotion and it isn't working in this game.
gameplay : this reminds me of vandal hearts from konami, an out of left field surprise for your time. it isnt the best but it emulates enough to be an excuse to be called a tactical rpg but the controls get in the way when you're supposed to be traversing an open area without anything to do, you still need to move by using the menus. more tedium that interrupts enjoying the game. lots of spells and stats and you'll need some form of factbook or compendium to keep up with the volume of info you go through while playing.
production : the game is a lot like lord of the rings tactics whereas there was more presentation in LOTR, this has more charm if only cuz you don't already know the story. i wish there was more of a summer blockbuster movie feel here but it's more like going to see the simpsons movie; a lot of expectations and while you aren't let down by any particular aspect... you've done all this before.
i have nothing against playing a game that copies enough from other great games but the timing on this stinks. this close (1 week) to the release of jeanne d'arc and the ff tactics remake?
I'LL SAVE THIS GEM TO PLAY LATER!