Video Games : Lost Kingdoms II

Rating: - A great game, but there are better on the market
Don't get me wrong, this is a good game, but thats all it is.

The story follows a young girl who is supposed to be heir to the throne getting caught up in a struggle between two nations at war. She has the special ability to summon monsters from cards. A gizmo given to her by her mother when she was younger allows her to do this.

The gameplay allows you to attack, summon, transform using your cards. Some have single attacks, some summon a monster to attack, or defend, or heal for you and some allow you to transform so you can fly or break down walls. There are over 200 cards to collect, and many monsters to defeat of all types. Cards gain experience through use, which allows them to be upgraded to stronger cards. The game sees you going to many locations, deserts, towns, abandoned castles, major ice caves etc. These are all beautifully rendered, and therefore the graphics aren't a problem either.

However, to just complete the game takes just under ten hours, thats a lot less than most of the games available for this console. Secondly, despite it being an RPG, there isn't much in the way of story, you just don't get into it the way you can with some games. Finally, just attacking monsters with cards can be slow and dull. This is a good game, and the 3/5 stars show it, but there are better. (Tales of Syphonia, Skies of Arcadia, Baten Kaitos.)

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Rating: - Ok.... but not so great
I can never decide. Should a game that like this be allowed?
To me, an RPG must be fast paced, exciting and supported by a wonderful storyline. Unfortunately, Lost Kingdoms 2 fails to do this. True, it can be exciting, and the writers have tried their best to apply a good storyline to what can only be hailed as a mediocre game. However, the truth of the matter is that for a game where you can summon monsters and go all wild with them, this game is sincerely lacking in fun. you'd think they could at least make the enemies.... well.... evil....even annoying would do. But no, their just boring. I'd advise this game to 10 year olds, and no-one older. Even then, its only really good for your birthday.

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Rating: - Lost Kingdoms II
I think this game is well worth a look! If your an RPG fan its like necter!!!!! If fantasy is your thing then this is your type of game! combining the best parts of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon with fantasy RPG its takes about 3-4 weeks to complete which is long enough in my opinion!

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Rating: - A fairly good RPG
I actually enjoyed this game very much, although I have seen many reviews giving it a average rating.
The game takes place 200 years after the first lost Kindoms game where you control Tara a girl with the true runestone just like Katia from the first game, where you fight enemies with using your cards and collecting magic stones and the usual elements same as the first one. The story is quite good and with over 200 cards to collect it will keep you busy for weeks,the only bad thing is that the graphics still lacks not much better than the first. But apart from that, this is a good RPG which will keep you entertained for ages.

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Rating: - LoW down on the sequel to Lost Kingdoms
Visuals: An improvement from the first one but still not very impressive!
-6.6/10

Audio: There's not much of an atmosphere created by the dull bursts of sounds. Not a strong point lets just say!
-6.4/10

Gameplay: Begins as a very interesting story but, like the first one, it's just too straightforward!
-6.8/10

Lifespan: This is one of the strong points. It takes around 3 and a bit weeks to complete on average and there's also a 2-player battle mode.
-7.6/10

Originality: There aren't many substantial differences from the first one, except the difference that the combat system is better.
-7.2/10

OVERALL SCORE AND THOUGHTS:
-6.9/10_69%
Not much of an improvement over the original but still one of few standard RPG's for the game cube and thats okay i guess!