After a nearly 2-year hiatus, the Grandia series is back in fine form.  While this isn’t a full-fledged sequel to Grandia II, it does offer up an adventure that is worthy of its namesake.  This new installment of the Grandia series focuses on Evann, a young rebellious ranger who is voiced by none other than Superman-has-been Dean Cane.  It seems that four giant storms have unexpectedly appeared over four ancient ruins and thrown the world into elemental chaos.  It will be the job of Evann and his seven unlikely compatriots to venture through these four locations and retrieve the elemental slab inside each one in the hopes that it will quell the elemental disorder. 

Fans of Grandia II will find a lot to keep them busy in Grandia Xtreme until part III is released.  From the floating pre-hooters tavern in Escarre (where waitresses wear bottom-less buckets) to the undersea adventures in the Aqua Ruins, this game is overflowing with that Grandia flava that made the series so popular on the Playstation, Saturn, Dreamcast, and eventually, the PS2.

As fans of the Grandia series already know, the combat-system featured in this game is arguably the most interesting and entertaining turn-based RPG dynamics out there.  For those not in the know let me attempt to explain.  Each character in a fight, whether it be a playable character or enemy, gets assigned a position on a circular diagram called the IP gauge.  The opponents icon will move clockwise around this diagram and once they reach a certain point on it they will be able to issue a command, like attack.  After a command is issued the icon must traverse a small area on the diagram until the command is executed.  If you manage to strike a critical blow while an enemy is waiting to execute a command you will cancel out their turn and they’ll have to start all over again.  Keep in mind though that these rules also apply to your fighters.

Different characters will revolve around the IP gauge faster or slower depending on their unique attributes.  And while this may all sound like simple dynamics you also need to be aware that there are other factors which determine who will win, like the location of your characters on-screen, or the elemental alignment of the enemy.  The characters are represented on the fighting grid in full 3D and if, for instance, you shoot an arrow at a specific enemy but another monster wanders into the crossfire, your shot will end up hitting the wrong opponent.  Basically you need to think a few steps ahead to get out of fights without a scratch.  (Though it should be mentioned that the difficulty never really ramps up to an intolerable degree.)

Each of the eight controllable characters in Grandia Xtreme are completely unique with their own set of attributes and special attacks.  Special attacks work off the SP gauge, which regenerates as you conduct standard melee combat.  These moves are where you’ll find the majority of the devastating attacks in the game, and the more you use them the better and faster the character will become at executing it.  Also, new to the series: moves can be learned depending on circumstances.  For example, if Evann and Brandol issue a special maneuver command at the same time then they might team up for an attack, thus resulting in learning a new maneuver.  The included magic system is helpful and fun to play with but not nearly as intriguing as the aforementioned special maneuvers.

The magic system comes in the form of “mana eggs”, these eggs can be found scattered around the various locations in the game.  Each egg, depending on its elemental alignment, harbors different spells.  For instance, if you equip a lava egg you’ll be able to perform fire-type spells, etc.  This works similarly to the way Grandia II handles mana eggs, except this time you’ll be able to combine eggs for a small fee, which will in turn result in more powerful mana eggs.

At specific locations within a mission are geo-gates, Evann is adept at using these (hence his role in the adventure) portals that allow your party to instantly warp back to Locca Village where the main HQ is located.  In Locca Village you can save your game, stock up on supplies, buy new weapons and armor, customize the special abilities and magic of your party, swap characters, and chat up the locals for useful info.

Gone are the cool combat anime-style fighting sequences of Grandia II, but Enix did include cool pre-rendered 3D sequences in place of it, they aren’t FFX quality or anything, close to FFVIII actually, but it is a cool addition nonetheless.  The in-game visuals tend to be simple and straightforward, but enough detail is laden throughout the experience to keep you hooked in.  The character designs, by Kamui Fujiwara, are incredibly inspired and give each personality a flare that is rarely seen in RPGs.  Aurally, you can expect to hear top-notch voice acting as done by Mark Hamill, Dean Cane, and Lisa Loeb, among others.  The sequences with audible dialogue are an absolute blast to watch and listen to, though they are few and far between.  Sound effects are spot-on with exciting audio representations for nearly every on-screen action.  The music ranges from lighthearted ditties to sweeping orchestrations that are on par with the Final Fantasy series. 

Sure it may take a while to learn the many intricacies of Grandia’s system for customizing and powering up your party but that is a contributing factor to the game’s ability to keep things fresh and new, discovering new strategies like combining special powers will ensure that you’re never left twiddling your thumbs in boredom.  Playing this game, the hours seem to magically melt away, just when things are starting to feel repetitive you’ll learn a new special maneuver or witness a genuinely funny moment.  The battle system is, in my opinion, hands-down the best of any RPG on the market, the characters have more than enough personality, townsfolk never chat your ear off, and the ability to customize nearly every facet of your party rounds out the package nicely.  Grandia II fans won’t be disappointed either, Xtreme may be a side story to the series but you can bet that there is enough entertainment and adventure in this game for even the most uncompromising Grandia enthusiast.

Gameplay: 9.2
The foundation of Xtreme’s gameplay mechanics are very simple, and can be explained via in-game tutorials if need be.  As you progress you’ll pick up on all the subtleties and nuances that the Grandia engine offers -- what I mean to say is that playing Grandia Xtreme is just fun, plain and simple.

Graphics: 7.4
While the visual presentation is not quite up to snuff with other 3^rd generation PS2 titles it certainly gets the job done.  Environments are bright and colorful with enough variety peppered throughout to keep things interesting.  The cut-scenes can also be pretty impressive.

Sound: 8.6
The developers nailed it in this category, they covered every base: voice-work, sound-effects, music, they all culminate into one wonderfully cohesive package.  Dean Cain does an excellent job of voicing the game’s hero character.

Difficulty: Medium
While there are certainly some noodle-scratching sequences you won’t have to worry too much about getting stuck.  Xtreme is linear for the most part, meaning you are never left wondering where you are supposed to go or what you are supposed to do. 

Concept: 8.4 
Being that this is the third game in the series and does little to change to original formula you’d think that Grandia Xtreme would get a low score in this regard, but lets face it, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Overall: 8.2

Grandia Xtreme should be more than enough to tide people over until Grandia III is released, keep in mind though that the sole focus of this game is on the battle elements, which, for most people, should be good news.  There is a healthy amount of towns to visit, characters to talk to, and plot progression, just not as much as the previous games. 

Strategy Guide by Versus Books  - 8.1

The strategy guide used in this review includes a full bio of every hero in the game, not to mention a description and strategy for every beast, boss, spell, move, and combo.  And of course you can expect a well-written, thorough walkthrough complete with maps, screenshots, and entertaining illustrations.