Cheap Shadow Hearts: Covenant (Video Games) (PlayStation2) Price

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Customer Reviews of Shadow Hearts: Covenant

Best RPG of '04
Last year did not see too many great games until the final 4 months. During that time we saw some some great FPSs (Halo 2, Half Life 2), a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto saga, a new Metal Gear Solid and two really good rpgs, Nocturne and Shadow Hearts: Covenant. <
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>Covenant is a direct sequel to Shadow Hearts 1. While you don't have to play SH1 to understand the story to SH2, it really helps because it explains the backstory of the main character Yuri and why he is who he is and why the world is at the stage its at. What's interesting about the story is that, for those who have played SH1, everything you know from the first game changes. Motives are more fully revealed and twisted, people who you thought were evil were actually trying to do something good and some characters make surprising returns. <
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>The story is so good, in fact, that it has become my favorite RPG that I've seen in ages. Not only is it good but it is emotional and actually has a heart. I don't want to ruin too much of the plot because it really is a thrilling story; however, there are moments of emotion that hark back to days of FFVII and the death of that pivotal character. Along with the story, the characters are some of the most unique ones ever seen in an rpg. From the puppet master who has to find "stud cards" to give to tailors so they will make him new outfits for his dolls, to a vampire wrestler with the unfortunate name 'The Grand Papillon' (The Great Butterfly), they range the gamut from hillariously absurd to strikingly original. <
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>Also back from the first game is the Judgement Ring. This is part of the reason a lot of people were turned off by the first game. In fact, while the first game was a chore to play at times because of the wheel, the Judgement Ring makes the combat in Covenant fun. The wheel is now customizable so that you can increase the number of attacks, make the target areas smaller or larger to deal more damage. It's pretty easy yet complex and fun. <
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>The graphics was another sore spot for the original especially since it came out mere weeks after the release of the beautiful Final Fantasy X. Yet here in Covenant the graphics have had a major overhaul so that it is just as good as FFX. Fully voice dialogue helps move the story along and excellent voice actors round out the aural qualities. It's like the developers realized they needed to step up their game to compete. And compete they should because this game has a whole package. <
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>A third game is in the works right now and I am anxious to see what new twists will enter the picture of what's becoming a historical fantasy saga. For those looking for a unique and very good rpg, I would whole-heartedly recommend this game. My only complaint for the game is that it seemed toned down from the first Shadow Hearts which received a Mature rating. This game still has some tongue in cheek and darkly humorous moments, it is restrained in a way the first game was not. But that is a minor quibble. This game is excellent. I cannot think of a reason those who love rpgs should not play it. <
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>A must buy.

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Grown Up RPG.
I loved Shadow Hearts, and was very excited when the sequel was announced. Finally I have played it, and I have to say I'm impressed. First of all, the graphics have been vastly improved, ditching the static backgrounds in favour of fully realised 3-D locations (albeit with fixed viewpoints, like Final Fantasy X), and improving on the character models too. In fact, the improvements put the first game to shame, and make it look positively primitive. Everything else has been retained, and in most cases, tweaked for the better. In many ways, Covenant follows the well-established RPG pattern, with a drawn out story involving much duplicity and world travel, many side-missions and secret locations (which, like in the first game, you may only stumble across by chance if you address the right character at the right time), a series of stand alone challenges or "pit-fights" for the completists, and so on. Where Covenant distances itself from the crowd is with the adult nature of a lot of the material, and the continuation of some rather twisted themes carried over from the first game. Re-appearing here are the "graveyard" that exists in the hero's unconscious mind, his ability to morph into various monsters, along with some very fruity dialogue, plus a really sarcastic approach to the usually ponderous aspects of some RPG's that actually made me laugh out loud once or twice (example - meeting the "Ring Soul"...you'll see what I mean). There are even quizzes and memory games on offer throught this adventure just to keep the variety up. And, once again, the musical soundtrack is very impressive, and this time there is a lot of well acted voice-over dialogue, which was sorely missing from the first game. <
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>Plus of course, there's the game's unique slant on battles, involving the Judgement Ring. Newcomers need to know that battle success depends on lightening reflex button pressing everytime this little beauty appears on the screen, and even though the general battle action is turn based, if you don't press in time with onscreen prompts for each turn, you won't get much out of the game. What's more, the game now introduces a new concept of combos, by which means you can choose the order of turns for your characters and have them carry out a chained attack, at the risk of leaving themselves more vunerable to enemy attacks (launching a combo requires that the characters all stand next to each other, which means the enemy can do a ranged area attack that hits everybody at once). The success of a combo requires even more lightning fast button jabbing than normal attacks, and if you mess up, you lose the linking and the turn usually passes straight to the enemy. But the effects can be well worth it, as a successful combo adds accumulated damage for each hit landed, plus a 4-person combo gives you the choice of a super-strong bonus attack as the last move. Suffice to say that in boss battles, you will definitely be combo-ing, and it can be really satisfying to see the massive damage you dish out for pulling off a perfect run. <
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>It's actually far easier to play in practise than it might appear described in writing, so don't get put off if all the above sounds a bit involved. As in the majority of RPGs, there are multiple playable characters, and they all have personal skills and strengths that you can have fun with during battles. As an aside, make sure you fully explore the in-game "Help" section, as it is an exhaustive guide to every option, function and upgrade available (of which there are many). The central cast of eight characters is very colourful to say the least, for example one of them is the Russian princess Anastasia Romanov!! This continues the Shadow Hearts tradition of taking real historical events and twisting them to fit it's own fanciful storyline (you'll also meet the famous Rasputin, but his contribution to the plot goes quite far beyond what appears in most history books!). <
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>As for any drawbacks I would probably have to mention that nearly every dungeon is a labyrinth which can cause unnecessary frustration after the fourth of fifth lap trying to find the way out each time. Plus again, the game is not really that difficult. If you do all or most of the side missions you will be almost invincible once you reach the final boss. However, the side missions are nicely themed so that each member of the party gets to take a "starring role" for once, which means that you will have played as all the characters at some point instead of just sticking to your favourites. And there aren't mulitiple endings this time, well, technically there are two, but you won't have any trouble recognising the point when you make the all important choice. Thats a plus in my book, as I hate being penalised with a bad game ending for missing something even though I worked hard! <
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>Newcomers to the series will have to wrestle with the minor trouble of several references to the first game, as Shadow Hearts Covenant is rare among RPG's in that it directly relates to the events of it's precursor. However, this isn't really much of a handicap, just more of a treat for those of us who played the first one. My ideal advice for newcomers is to grab both and work through the first one (it should be fairly cheap to buy now), as a starter before enjoying the second. <
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The light at the end of the tunnel
As another dry year for RPGs closed, especially with the lack of good material for Square Enix, one game stands out as a shining beacon: Shadow Hearts II: Covenant. I had never even heard of the series until the day I bought the game, but I was incredibly glad I did. Not only was each of the characters interesting in their own way, but the overall plot of the game was facinating. It was a lot of fun playing in real areas of the world against historical figures such as Rasputin. The battle system was brilliant, much better than those being created today for games like Xenosaga II. To top that off, most of the minigames were quite fun and the rewards were well worth it. This game is of medium length (30 - 40 hrs.) You will really get involved in the story and just have a great time. Unlike most RPGs, this game doesn't get old, and has great replay value. Enjoy!