Grandia Xtreme

 PlayStation 2
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
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  1. PSX Nation
    70
    A Grandia worth playing, it just fails to reach that level of Square.
  2. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    70
    Approach it clinically, and you'll dig Xtreme's versatile, well-designed skill and magic systems. [Nov 2002, p.283]
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  3. GamePro
    70
    Beyond the fantastic gameplay on the battlefield, Grandia Xtreme doesn’t offer a complete RPG package.
  5. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    70
    Even the most basic encounter requires loads of strategy. [Nov 2002, p.184]
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  6. eToychest
    70
    It is a dungeon crawl, plain and simple, though thinly masked behind a veil of role-playing icing. If you enjoy character building, combat, and dungeon exploring, then this game is a "can't miss" for your collection.
  7. Armchair Empire
    69
    Unfortunately, while they are GrX’s greatest trait, the battles are also GrX’s biggest weakness. The problem is there are simply too many of them.
  8. GameSpy
    68
    The combat system is definitely one of the best I've played with, but that's all there is. If you want character development, or even characters who aren't one-dimensional, go elsewhere.
  9. GameNow
    67
    Grandia Lite. Nothing more, nothing less. [Nov 2002, p.75]
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  10. GameSpot
    62
    There's not much plot development, and more importantly, the gameplay has numerous shortcomings.
  11. PSM Magazine
    60
    The game does teeter on the monotonous for much of the adventure, with little or no payoff in terms of stoyline or character development. [Nov 2002, p.38]
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  12. Play Magazine
    50
    The game's battles are simply the best in the turn-based bunch...Oh, how I wish this game was more polished outside of the battles. [Nov 2002, p.85]
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Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2002
39
#39 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2002

User Reviews

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User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 19
  3. Negative: 3 out of 19
  1. Ayreos
    Sep 25, 2018
    9
    Hugely underrated game. It's not an RPG with dungeon exploring like other Grandia titles, which seems to get this game negative reviews, butHugely underrated game. It's not an RPG with dungeon exploring like other Grandia titles, which seems to get this game negative reviews, but it's a dungeon crawler with light RPG narrative. It has the same battle mechanics of Grandia 3, which makes it one of the best, if not the best combat system on the console, with the perk of having more likable characters and less fluff to get distracted by. The dungeons are expansive and provide different challenges. If you really miss the narrative you'll be glad to find out the few NPCs present refresh their dialogue very often and the meal scenes from previous games deepen the relationships between characters egregiously. Post-game content is also great. I can't find a single complaint, if not a few animations and the damn english voice-over. Remember Nanao from RAD? She's going to be your party member in this one. Gave me PTSD.… Full Review »
  2. Mistoltean
    Jul 28, 2020
    10
    After Grandia 1 and 2, most expected Grandia Xtreme to be the same in line: the spirit of world exploration and full narratives. However, thisAfter Grandia 1 and 2, most expected Grandia Xtreme to be the same in line: the spirit of world exploration and full narratives. However, this game does not focus on narrative or story as much as battle and gameplay. This is a dungeon crawler game in disguise with a turn-based battle system and storytelling of RPG style.

    I can understand the mis-expectation from its processors caused this game to get more negative opinions than it deserved. People complained about what it lacks from their Grandia 1&2 and forgot about what it excels as its own game. To give this game justice, as rogue-like RPG, no game can surpass this even in 2020. Here are its pros.
    1. The best battle system in Grandia series and fast pace. No long animation like GD3 that mobs keep spamming skills. This makes grinding in itself never boring.
    2. The story is not the best and admittedly the worst out of GD series, but it is consistent and satisfactory, even very good for the rogue-like genre to keep you hooked.
    3. It did the right thing for rogue-like. The randomness and plethora of item drops are what make dungeon crawlers interesting and high replay value. This game is the best in this regard.
    4. As the game does not focus on storytelling but gameplay, there is almost no restriction whom you can bring in the party. This game offers a high level of customization and DIY. No bs of backtracking from town to town to interrupt you from exploring dungeons. You just have 1 (or 2) town.
    5. The level of character customization is astonishing and, believe me, they balanced it very well.

    In conclusion, if you seek one, if not the best, of rogue-like RPG, this game is a must-play. If you like RPG and do not mind a simplistic but coherent story and dungeon crawler, this game is great. If you look for GD1 and GD2 storytelling style or playing for the story, I would say avoid this game as it is RPG in 90' where gameplay overrides the story.    … Full Review »
  3. Canadyan
    Sep 3, 2018
    7
    Grandia Xtreme is a fun but average RPG. If you're looking for a story in the same vein as the rest of the Grandia series, you will beGrandia Xtreme is a fun but average RPG. If you're looking for a story in the same vein as the rest of the Grandia series, you will be disappointed. The game has a very minimal storyline and is most concerned with making a dungeon-crawler with a fun combat system.

    The combat system is definitely where the game shines. Paired with this is the option to use any of the 7 side characters to create the party you want to use while exploring dungeons. Where this does falter though is the fact that characters who are not being used, don't gain experience, so it's not viable to switch characters when you want too and it's designed more to choose a party at the beginning and continue with that formation.

    The dungeon-crawling aspect of the game is actually quite fun but comes with two major drawbacks. The first is that you can never save in a dungeon, meaning you can be committing to gaming sessions of 1 hour+ at least when you sit down to play the game. The second issue with the dungeons is that at two separate points in the game, the game choose to re-use the 4 main dungeons instead of creating new ones for you to explore. This obviously leads to some repetition during a playthrough.

    Overall, Grandia Xtreme does have fun gameplay that is tied to a minimal story and does provide some player choice with the characters you can choose to build your party with, as well as customizing what types of magic your characters can use as you find and craft Mana Eggs.

    If you're a fan of the other Grandia games, you will feel at home with the combat system and likely find the gameplay fun enough to pull you through the entirety of the game, which is decent in length but can be repetitive with the re-used dungeons. Newcomers to the series may not find enough here to keep them engaged when compared to the rest of the Playstation 2's library of high-quality RPG's and well-written storylines.    … Full Review »
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