Our story with Metal Saga begins a long time into the future on planet Earth. Naturally, computers are used by humans to solve many problems and create a simpler life for everybody. But as the population levels of humans rise, so do the difficulties of life. Our only solution is to create a computer that will routinely take care of our little dilemma. The computer,s name was Noah. Humanity believed that Noah was the answer to a piercing cry for alleviation. After all, nothing could go wrong; the laws established for computers regulated their actions and shielded humans from any plans that could backfire.
After Noah completed running many simulations in regard to fixing the problem of over population, he concluded that only one solution would mend the crisis: obliterating humankind. Noah was determined that this was the one and only solution, and he would go to any extent to fix the problem even if it meant violating the First Law of Robotics. Noah launched an entire army of robotics to wipe out the human race. The war was forever known as The Great Destruction, and the aftereffects left humans to be a scarce race. Our story begins at this point, with humans fighting the leftovers of Noah,s army.Metal Saga is the latest title in the Metal Max series, and it,s the first game to be release on North American shores. The game follows the tale of a young nameless boy who sets out to become a famous hunter much like is father, Eddy. You,ll quickly come to realize that the poor boy has absolutely nothing to his name except for the clothes on his back and a determination as strong as titanium. It is this feature, his strong resolve, which will lead him across the world to meet future friends and companions to aid him on his quest.
The game opens up to an entire world that is yours to explore. But it possibly opens a bit too much in terms of gameplay, as a plot and storyline are almost non-apparent. A strong and epic story is a fundamental trait that role playing games, such as this one, heavily rely on. When that storyline is absent, things start to go downhill. Many RPGs try to create open-ended stories, but in doing so they rob the player from a good story. Metal Saga is a perfect example of this. Along your journey as a nameless youngling, you will encounter many friends who wish to be your companion and help you along your route. Thing is, though, is that you are limited to the amount you can take with you. Your first and probably most important recruit is a mechanic. With his help you are able to engage in vehicle renovation and upholding. A cowgirl soldier will also join your party, bringing with her some wonderful combat techniques that come in handy within battles. Last, but not least, a yellow-bellied mutt will join your party as well. He has a bayonet strapped onto his back and, even though you can,t control him, he is a pretty useful doggie.
No matter what assortment of characters you encompass, nothing measure up to having four tons of metal firepower at your fingertips. Metal Saga features over a dozen vehicles, each one having its own capabilities and qualities. When in a vehicle, you have the ability to attack with a sub gun, which has unlimited ammo but a short shooting range. There is a main gun, which has a longer range and causes more damage, but also uses up ammunition. Lastly, you have an SE weapon, which also uses ammo but carries out a precise function, like killing enemies in flight that other weapons cannot. The battles in Metal Saga are a variety of on-foot battles and vehicle battles. Not only can your vehicle help you in a fight, it can also do what it was intended to do; drive you around. "Oh, a Chocobo? No thank you, I have myself a vehicle that can turn your Chocobo into a turkey dinner."
The battles in Metal Saga are fairly ordinary as you clash with foes in a turn-based fashion subject to your onslaught. One thing to mention is that there is absolutely no magic involved with the game, but instead skills that each character can use. For example, you are able to cast a bunch of missiles into the defense of your enemy. Like a lot of things in the game, however, these missiles cost money. Your vehicles can take damage, and once it becomes disabled you have to either tow it to a repair shop or have a member of your party fix it. And trust me; it isn,t a rare thing to have to repair your vehicles. In fact, the majority of your expenses in the game are spent on repair costs. The rewards for missions you complete are barely enough to cover your expenses spent on the job, let alone your valued time.
If you,re not into the whole story thing, the game does present an assortment of mini-games to keep you occupied for at least a little while. These mini-games will eventually help you expand your wallet a bit and take your mind off of the post apocalypse world. The games include a casino featuring video poker, black jack and roulette. You can participate in an arcade style shooting game or wage your money on frog or dog races. Like the game itself, these mini-games are fun for a few minutes but quickly get old and pointless.
The graphics for Metal Saga are absolutely horrible. You would think that this game was an early PlayStation 2 title, perhaps even a launch title. But no – Metal Saga was released more than five years after the PlayStation 2,s launch. These outdated visuals really take away from the overall experience of the game. Don,t get me wrong, the team did an excellent job in terms of character and monster designs, mostly because of the uniqueness of the artwork. The dungeons, on the other hand, aren,t so unique and become repetitive rather quickly. And despite the anime-style introduction, the game supports no other cut scenes or full motion video sequences. The musical tracks for the game are actually quite enjoyable at first, but they become overused real quick. After a while you become annoyed by the music and also by the fact that you have to read… there isn,t even a trace of voice acting.
Metal Saga has roughly ten different endings. Once you beat the main story, you can save the game and go back through the story to find and beat more villains and see more endings. But to be honest, who would want to do that?
To wrap everything together for you, Metal Saga is definitely not your average RPG. The game features a cliché storyline, a nameless youngling as a main character, horrible graphics, an overused soundtrack and a nasty stream of currency. However, Metal Saga can brag about its somewhat entertaining mini-games, unique enemies and a plethora of alternate endings. I would only recommend this title to the hardcore role playing game fan that is looking for something different from the average RPG.
