WWW.SILICON-FUSION.COM

Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       28th March 2001: Summoner  After months of waiting for the PAL release, is THQ’s Summoner still worth buying? Posted by John Grothier - PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe 'A Summoner's inheritance is a power greater than magic. With rings of channelling, Summoners call forth demons and golems, supernatural servants and elemental creatures. Summoners have toppled empires and challenged gods. They are venerated as saviours and feared as destroyers. The chosen are born with a mark on one hand, but the origins of the gift were forgotten long ago'. Brought into being by Volition, the people behind 'Descent' for the PC, and published by THQ, Summoner finally gets its PAL release. Summoner is the best RPG on the PS2 so far, that said, it is far from perfect. You Play Joseph, born a Summoner. As a child Joseph tried to save his village, but he summoned a demon that destroyed it instead. All he loved perished in the misguided attack. He left; exiled from the village and determined never to summon again. So begins what is sure to be a long quest. Originally a launch title, (it was everywhere else in the western world), Summoner is at least five months late. And it shows. The first thing to notice while playing summoner is its bizarre perspective, somewhere between a third person and top down view. When 'outdoors' the camera often changes so it's impossible to see what's in front of your character. As you explore you will discover Summoners other weakness, its loading times. While playing the game a yellow line will signal the end of the level, cross this and you have time not only to make a cup of tea but also to make a sandwich to go with it. The loading times are very bad and really break up the game play. They really are unforgivable. The amount of dialogue is also a problem, unless you like reading pages of text, which with very few exceptions appears useless and repetitive. You just won't care what is being said to your character. When you discover your first companion and team up to fight the game picks up slightly, but it still is a long and drawn out affair. When it comes to fighting in RPGs there have been many attempts at trying something different. Summoner has a real time turn based combat system. It also uses a 'chain attack'; while attacking, a chain symbol appears over your characters head, and by pressing one of the four D-pad buttons at the right moment, extra damage will be dealt to your enemy. Otherwise an annoying 'too slow' or 'too fast' message will be displayed. It is a brave attempt at a new combat system, but it is messy and awkward. Once spells are learnt, experience gained and you find a ring or two to summon beasts, it does become more enjoyable, but it may put many off until they get to that stage of the game. The graphics are both beautiful and ugly. The main problems are with the aforementioned perspective but there is also a lot of pop-up. Joseph and his party will be exploring a town when a church or other large structure will appear out of nowhere; as if summoned itself. However, the game can look stunning when you are inside a building or dungeon and the perspective is restored to something more playable. Although characters have a blocky appearance the graphics can look very nice at times. The sound is much better. It has a grand musical score, which especially shines during the cut scenes with some above average voice acting. Spot effects during the battles are, however, quite weak. The PAL version of Summoner is a big disappointment. After months of waiting for it to be released, we get no 60htz mode, resulting in a large black bar situated at the bottom of the screen. The lack of a screen adjust option could mean the picture bleeds off the edge - in fact, on my widescreen television I get an inverted 'L' effect, which spoils the game considerably. Summoner is a huge Role Playing Game, which will take over fifty hours to complete. It is the best RPG on the PS2 at the moment, but won't be for much longer. John Grothier             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  Players can control up to five characters on screen at all times, sixteen different creatures to summon and control in combat, such as minotaurs, golems, dragons and original fantastical creatures. Over fifty hours of game play with lots of mini-quests. A just above average RPG for the PS2, that's more than a little bit late.  Related Games:  Summoner for PlayStation 2  8  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
		Go Back To Main Page        Go To Top Of Page