Squaresoft is a company that is known for making high quality games. So when the release of SaGa Frontier was announced, fans were eager to get their hands on the newest title from their favorite game company. Unfortunately, the game was terrible, and millions of Square's loyal fans were extremely disappointed. SaGa Frontier, which was part of the long line of respected SaGa RPGs, failed to impress us with its drab visuals and masochistic length. It was locked away in a vault for two long years, only to be revived in the year 2000 for one last shot at regaining its dignity.

The sequel, SaGa Frontier 2, improves upon the original game in so many ways. Leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, SaGa Frontier 2's graphics are jaw-dropping. Each character, town, and dungeon was hand-drawn and then painted using watercolor. The graphical style is reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics, even improving upon it with more life-like characters. All of this combined made playing the game more like playing a cartoon. The only aspects of SF2 that are not 2-Dimensional goodness are the magic spells, which are transparent 3D models. This once again proves that 2D is not dead, and it's more beautiful than ever.

The music is, simply put, not good enough to notice, and not bad enough to notice. It just doesn't seem like there's much depth to it, and it sort of just fades into the background. The sound is just about the same way. Take an over-used sword-slashing effect and that sums up the sound pretty well.

The story, while not as deep as one would expect from Square, is captivating. There are two main characters in SaGa Frontier 2: Gustave, and Wil Knights. Gustave the XIII, the heir to his families' thrown, is exiled from his hometown (like all Square characters) after it is revealed that he does not possess anima -- The force that allows a person to cast spells and magic. Wil, on the other hand, is a Quell digger who is searching for answers about his parents' deaths, and at the same time, for priceless artifacts. The thing I like and didn't like at the same time was that you are forced to play both of their scenarios, rather than choosing between them a la Star Ocean 2. But then again, the game would be even shorter than it already is if you only played with one of the characters.

The world map is very different from the norm in SF2. Instead of being able to roam free around the globe, you simply choose a "Chapter," or point in history, and you are taken to so-and-so location at so-and-so point of time. Some chapters are very short, while others take more time and patience to complete. That's where one of my major gripes comes in. About half of the chapters are just characters interacting with each other where you have no control over your character. This problem is mainly in Gustave's scenario, whereas Wil's is more like a standard RPG.

One thing that really bothers me are the battles. They're fun, yes, but it just seems like too many characters inflict too little damage. It was not until around the end of the game that I discovered why: I had been using weapons for my characters that were not their specialty. It turns out that it makes a huge difference if you use the right weapons for the right character. This brings back the issue about having better instructions or some kind of mandatory tutorial so gamers wouldn't be completely in the dark. I also found that after about 12 hours of gameplay, you begin to dread fighting altogether.

The battle system consists of three major modes: One-on-one, team, and strategic.

The one-on-one mode is unique in its own right, which is like Xenogears' system, but is more complex. Instead of using high, medium, and low attacks, SF2 consists of Cleaves, slashes, thrusts, etc., giving you more control over your character. For example, if you choose cleave, and slash, the combo you get is a backslash. Spells are cast the same way, only with different battle commands. The system could have been accompanied by instructions, since it is very difficult to understand.

Team battles are more like the old traditional way of dealing with skirmishes. Up to four of your characters are allowed in a single battle, and they battle it out like in any other RPG. At the beginning of each turn, you input the commands that you want your characters to do, are given the option to heal, and then the process is repeated. It may sound boring, but once you play for a while, it's lots of fun.

Strategic, or army-versus-army battles are similar to chess. There are a number of parties on a grid, and it is your job to move them to intercept with other troops. When your troops hit the enemy troops, a normal team battle begins. During the mini-battles, only one turn is played out. Whoever loses the skirmish retreats, and the process is repeated with different sets of troops. In strategic fights, there is an objective or "goal" that must be reached before your army can be declared the victor. For example, the goal in the first army-versus-army battle is to kill Gustave's brother. If you've ever played Final Fantasy Tactics, this is remotely similar.

In SaGa Frontier 2, (along with SF1) leveling up is a thing of the past. Unlike the traditional way -- where a certain amount of experience points add up for an experience level -- SF2 randomly increases your character's statistics at the end of each battle. Spells are learned through repeated use of a weapon. What kinds of spells you get depend on what weapons you use. The problem with this is that novice RPG players won't know.

Despite a few problems with the story and battle system, SaGa Frontier is a good game for anyone fond of Squaresoft. Try something new for a change and buy (or rent, since it's possible to beat in 5 days) SF2. You have to remember that a lot of points were taken off for annoying things that, in the end, don't really matter.

But before I end this review, I would like to give you one last thing to think about.

It seems that SaGa Frontier 2 will be one of the last great 2D games for the Playstation. This will excite gamers who despise 2D, and sadden those who remember the good 'ol days. So if you're old fashioned, I advise you to enjoy this game now. Think of it as one last 2D gift from the king of RPGs…