Ys: Book I & II

For its time, Ys Book I & II introduced us to a fantastical world created with cutting edge technology. It told a story of tragedy, hope and life. It wove a convincing and enthralling experience that has made it legend, and with good cause. Though not an epic like the 80+ hours of Xenogears, the game (both books) will take a seasoned gamer little over 14 hours to complete. But, those brief moments spent under the spell of Nihon Falcom's classic will last you for the rest of your days. Heck, it still puts a smile on my face.

Ys is a difficult game to rate, because when it’s judged in parts – such as graphics, combat, depth and so on – it’s comfortably bettered by practically every RPG released since. However, when everything is pulled together Ys becomes an epic proposition that will have a profound impact on anyone who gives it the time of day. Everything clicks together perfectly and it’s a testament to quality of the game that it remains appealing even today.

Due to the failure of the TurboGrafx-16, Ys 1 and 2 has been relatively unknown in the US. However, it is one of the best action RPGs that I've ever played. If you ever get a chance to play through it, don't pass it up.

Ys Book I & II is a bit of an odd beast, as it's an early '90s remake of two late '80s action RPGs now emulated on the Wii in 2008. And its core combat mechanic, in which you don't attack enemies so much as you just run straight into them, is sure to both baffle and amuse even the most hardcore of adventure gamers. But that undeniable uniqueness is just what makes a download of this 800 Wii Point package worth consideration. TurboGrafx fans have been clamoring for this game since the first TGCD titles starting appearing in the Wii Shop, and it's easy to see why it's held in such high regard. So give it a look, and prepare to make those random baddies take a taste of their own body-collision medicine.