Grandia II

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Jan 28, 2002
  • Also On: PC
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19
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  1. GameZone
    83
    It's got excellent battle mechanics, plenty of character building choices, a bright airy feel, some witty interjections from Ryduo and Skye, and has hours and hours of gameplay.
  2. PSX Nation
    80
    Enjoy Grandia II for its appealing characters, interesting story, 30+ hour length and the best active-time battle engine in the business.
  3. GamePro
    80
    The voice-acting is noteworthy, but there are some just rudimentary audio effects and the music is sometimes dramatic, sometimes just unexciting...Good, basic RPG fare.
  5. GamerWeb Sony
    80
    The battle system still rocks the house if you're a fan of fast-paced turn-based systems.
  6. Adrenaline Vault
    80
    Grandia II happily dwells in a genre where its players will sacrifice a bit of visual quality for a compelling story and excellent combat and character mechanics. Luckily, these are delivered in spades.
  7. Gaming Age
    75
    Grandia II still stands out as a fantastic RPG...[though] the graphics took a punch in the teeth in the translation.
  8. GameSpot
    74
    Grandia II may not look like much from a technical standpoint--disappointingly, the game actually looks a bit worse than the original Dreamcast version--but its visual design is well done.
  9. GameBrink
    72
    It’s not the best RPG out there, far from that. But it’s still pretty fun o play, although it might need some getting used to.
  10. GameSpy
    71
    A great game... that you should be playing on another system.
  11. Electric Playground
    70
    The graphics are dated and Ryundo's bad-boy character has been done to death. But those are only small faults in an otherwise excellent game.
  12. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    70
    To put it bluntly, this game's graphics are a mess...still a great RPG. [Feb 2002, p.107]
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  13. PSM Magazine
    70
    The biggest feather in the game's cap lies in it's amazing battle system. [Feb 2002, p.42]
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  14. TotalPlayStation
    70
    A fantastic break from the Final Fantasy-dominated RPG genre.
  15. IGN
    70
    It has its ups and its downs, and it certainly isn't the equal of its predecessor, but it's a good-looking game and an absolutely great-playing one.
  16. TotalGames.net
    69
    An above average RPG when released on the lesser Dreamcast system, on the PS2 it is merely average.
  17. Game Informer
    65
    Tie the archaic visual presentation to the nauseating plot and uninteresting character personalities, and the end result is yet another RPG that doesn't live up to the expectations. [Mar 2002, p.79]
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  18. Yahoo!
    60
    It has an original take on the combat system but its average graphics and strictly linear gameplay will not guarantee a long shelf life.
  19. Armchair Empire
    55
    The game suffers from slowdown that drags the game to a slowdown, clipping, and worst of all it has a tendency to freeze up, requiring the PS2 to be reset.
  20. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    40
    Inexplicably horrible graphics completely ruin an otherwise splendid title. [Feb 2002, p.156]
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Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2002
94
#94 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2002

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 61 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 61
  3. Negative: 4 out of 61
  1. FFallen
    May 2, 2013
    10
    I loved this game, I couldn't put it down once the story picked up. The characters, battle system and story really held my attention and madeI loved this game, I couldn't put it down once the story picked up. The characters, battle system and story really held my attention and made this a game I played constantly, I'm looking forward to picking up more in the Grandia series someday.… Full Review »
  2. RPGROB
    May 18, 2011
    10
    This is one of the best RPG games I've played. Without giving away too much, you go around destroying different parts of an evil god. He needsThis is one of the best RPG games I've played. Without giving away too much, you go around destroying different parts of an evil god. He needs to absorb all of these pieces to become whole again. Where the game really shines is the battle system. Your characters and enemies are constantly moving around, though the game pauses to give you a chance to give commands to your characters. Depending on how far away a character is from an enemy depends on how long it will take to attack them. You can use "critical" attacks to cancel out an enemy's move if timed carefully.

    You should know this is a Dreamcast port, so the graphics are Dreamcast era. This is one of those games that would have been better by not using 3-D real-time graphics. However, the characters are animated well, doing everything from scooting out of bed to going into an angry pose while speaking.

    For people that like to read, the characters consistently have outrageous and funny puns to say. An alter ego of one of the characters flirts with the main character, who likes to think of himself as a tough guy, but he eventually softens up. The dialogue reminds me of that written for Disgaea.

    It would be unfair of me to rate the game lower because of the technical flaws, but it's way TOO noticeable. The graphics clip in and out constantly, there's MASSIVE slowdowns within towns and a few dungeons. Fog and reflection effects double the slowdown. There's even glitches that affect the menus and text sometimes, but they are not deal breakers. Gold coins that appear after defeating enemies turn black half of the time. To be fair, the game never froze once. I give this game a 10 despite its technical flaws, which I feel shouldn't detract from the game. It's definitely worth trying, but pickup the Dreamcast version if you can.    … Full Review »
  3. Kai82
    Jan 8, 2022
    10
    A really good sequel that fully delivers for me. It looks like they want a more „Adult“ look for the sequel which is strange as Grandia dealtA really good sequel that fully delivers for me. It looks like they want a more „Adult“ look for the sequel which is strange as Grandia dealt with a lot of serious motives later on. However I like both games and the cast and ideas of Grandia 2 won me over. Like the Final Fantasy sequels Grandia 2 is set in a different world, with new characters and new lore while having some similarities. Also there are some improvements compared to the first game. Story: A long time ago Granas the god of light and Valmar his evil counterpart clashed. While Granas won he was seriously weakened and Valmar was not destroyed but neutralized. However this has happen very long ago. At the present Ryudo and his eagle partner Skye are working as Geohounds (Soldiers). They are tasked to escort Elena who is a Songstress of the church of Granas to an old tower for a regular cleansing ritual. They do not know that this is the start of a great adventure that will challenge them and the world. I wont spoil the story and end it with this set up. I like the story and the characters. There are genuine developments, twists, backstories, reveals and conflicts that always kept my interest high. Even after many years I remember the story and many emotional scenes. The characters are excellent and won me completely over. The main trio of Ryudo, Elena and Millenia are so enjoyable and became my favorites. It ended not there as Zera, Tio, Roan, Tio, Mareg and Melfice are also really good. Together with the story this is a strength of the game. Also the humor is spot on and it was entertaining too. Like Grandia 1 there are many good jokes, quirks and humorous situations. Gameplay: Grandia has a bit of a unique turn based battle system. You can see enemies and depending how you engage or the enemies vice versa can get the initiative (Touch them behind and avoid the opposite). Then the battle starts. It is close to the Final Fantasy active time turn based battles but with a twist. There is an IP bar that shows which party member or enemy will act next. If you reach a marker you can input your command. The twist is that you have to reach the next marker to execute the command. This gives tactical options as special attacks and powerful magics take longer to perform. It is possible to cancel attacks or delay your enemies and vice versa. For this you have a fast and strong normal basic attack. Some special attacks and magic will also do the trick. It total this was a good system that added tactical depth to the battles. Each character has unique abilities he / she can use. The magic system was improved. In Grandia you had to find fairy eggs that unlock one element for 1 character (out of 4). Here fairy eggs have spells on them. You can develop those and switch to different eggs. I like this a lot better. It is more of the improved same. Presentation: I fully admit that the graphics have not aged that well but the art style is still good. Maybe it was not on the highest level back then. However I say it is not ugly. The soundtrack is amazing and still worth listening. Especially Elenas song is remarkable but the rest also delivers. Luckily we got a good cast of voice actors and a better translation. Bugs / negatives: I had no bugs or glitches during my playthrough. I see no mayor negatives but the battle system got a bit repetitive towards the end. Overall I see this as a really great game but must warn you that I am influenced by nostalgia. Worth a try a least for RPG fans.… Full Review »
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