Magna Carta: Tears of Blood [PS2]

Atlus generally takes the road less traveled when it comes to its games (see Cubivore, GoGo Hypergrind, the Shin Megami Tensei series). Magna Carta: Tears of Blood takes things to extremes even for Atlus -- with the zaniest characters and the most complex RPG battle system known to man. Magna Carta is an acquired taste, but one that will appeal to a good segment of the role playing public.

The game's story borrows from several RPG cliches. Humans are at war with the not-quite-human Yason. You're part of a rogue gang of fighters -- the Tears of Blood -- who work outside the typical channels. You find a girl with phenomenal powers, who happens to have lost her memory. If it weren't for the characters themselves, the story might be a good cure for insomnia.

Main character Calintz -- the leader of the Tears of Blood -- wears a revealing outfit, has teased-up hair, and some curvy proportions. Calintz also has a husky voice and is a male -- go figure. It's really hard to get over this oddity and hours in you'll still be telling yourself, "That's totally a chick!" The rest of the Tears of Blood are oddballs in their own right, and their rocky relationships with one another add intrigue to the quest.

Graphically, Magna Carta looks a lot like Final Fantasy X -- which is meant as a compliment. The character models are amazingly detailed, with crazy costumes and plenty of polygons. However, they're also a little stiff, like they OD'd on Botox. Keeping an automatic camera at all times allows for some stunning environments. Thankfully, a map sits on the corner of the screen to aid in navigation -- though it would've been nice to have during battles as well.

Speaking of combat, Magna Carta has a tremendously complex way of handling fights. It looks real-time at first, like Star Ocean or Radiata Stories, but it's as much turn-based. Both enemy and player sides have a meter that fills when you're not running around; one it reaches a certain point, you may attack. Attacking consists of hitting three button-presses as they rotate around a circular reticule. Your ability to time things perfectly affects the type of damage the hit causes. It takes the ring system of Shadow Hearts and expands on it even further.

That's only the tip of the battle iceberg, however. You have three allies onscreen and can only control one at a time. Each one may have up to four attack styles to choose from, and each may have a different range. Consistent great ratings will unlock new moves for your character's style. This all makes fighting very enjoyable and tension filled. When your meter and your enemy's meter are close to filling at the same time, it's a race to see who will attack first. The ability to run out of range is a neat idea, too, though the computer does it more than you will. All of this is great, but Magna Carta further complicates things with Chi reserves and other things that end up making it a bit of overkill.

Traversing the overworld is unique, as well. It's possible to get the jump on an enemy by sneaking up and slashing them before you engage in battle. Calintz has two stances while walking -- a ready stance that's slower but has more awareness of his surroundings or a sprint that makes you vulnerable to enemy attacks. Taking a page from MMOs, you can sit down to refill your energy at the risk of being jumped.

Magna Carta also tries to emulate the audio quality of Final Fantasy X but isn't as successful in this category as it is in the graphics department. For starters, Magna Carta has perhaps the worst theme song of all time; it comes off like a bad Celine Dion impression or something. Note to game-makers: Lay off the country music. Most of the game's music is pretty weak. Magna Carta does feature a lot of voiceovers -- even during battles -- but the performances are really uninspired. Couple that with expressionless faces, and you get the impression the characters don't really care about what they're doing.

This is a game that won't appeal to everyone; Calintz's girly ways alone may turn off a lot of people. However, if you're looking for an RPG with a great battle system, you'll definitely be a fan of Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. The story may be too cookie-cutter to inspire you to carry on, but the fighting is entertaining enough to keep you charging forward for dozens of hours. How many RPGs can you say that about?