Too difficult for most to enjoy, but if you bypass the length and difficulty it can be rewarding.
49.99 for game
14.99 for guide
34.99 for the keyboard controller( which by the way wasn't working after 2 days of use) I suggest the real keyboard if you have the cash to get one.
Before you start doing anything play the premade game FuMa included in the RPG Maker 2. This will give you all the ideas on how to go about making your first game.
First of all very time consuming the overall factor of which makes this game so horrid and also the amount of tasks you have to input to create a simple setting. So many steps to this it takes 30 minutes just to make one shop or building and without the guide, for who knows how long it would take(ahem never). You have to go from menu to menu naming everything correctly or you'll be lost and have to start all over. This game is organized so that you can access them easily, but there are too many of THEM to keep track of.
An example, connecting passage ways to dungeons must have corresponding text in order for them to be linked an accessable...this takes another 20 min with knowledge of the strategy guide.
I highly recommend the strategy guide (helpful but new terminology makes it hard to follow), there is a tutorial on how to make your game(the first town, dungeon and boss) step by step which by the way took hours to make and minutes to complete. Also a PS2 compatable keyboard inputing text is very lenthy without it. The tutorial doesn't explain everything its just to get you familiar of what's to come. Well it does help to a certain point but still doesn't explain on how to put other areas such as world maps and new towns. All sections to the strategy guide use the tutorial as a guideline, the key to making your game a reality.
For graphics very blocky like Legend of Legia and you dont even see the characters when you fight. The camera angle is set up kind of from first person view which sucks because you want to see the characters. Well thats to be expected of graphics because its not supposed to excell in that so you'll have enough to create your game. On that note there is a memory limit on how much you can put into a town or world map. You can't put too many items unless you want to have the game set in one place.
The sound is the good thing about this game. At least its easy to put in the many sound effects, such as when you speak to a baby or a cat they say "baboo" or "meow." Environmental sound effects as well such as rain wind, and earthquake occurs they have it. The slashing and spell casting effects are good too.
Pros:
There are a 100 characters and 100 enemy characters.
There are classes in which you can upgrade into at a certain level.
Large quantities of weapons.
Hundreds of basic items and building blocks to make that detailed town.
Great music classified for dungeons, towns, and world maps.
Satisfying once you have completed creating game.
A fresh new gaming experience creating your own game and then playing it and then letting a friend play your completed game.
Save ur cash and just by a real game, or maybe RPG Maker 3 i heard that one is more common user friendly.
Cons:
Time consuming
Difficult to follow
Expensive need to spend extra cash for strategy guide and USB keyboard
Too many menus
Patcience buster
Environment blurs when you are walking.
Overall its a good game none the less, but even when I got everything down with the guide it was still far too difficult to enjoy IMO. This is actually a program and game because you create a game and play it too.
I recommend it only to those with patience, willing to read, and those with a lot of free time on their hands.