I have to admit that I really enjoyed Jade Cacoon 2. I only played the first game once or twice at a friends house, but I liked it well enough that when the second came out I figured I would try it, and I wasn't disapointed.

Although the game does tend to be tedious, I find that I keep going back to play some more. The storyline is pretty simple, but entertaining just the same. It is also one of the longest adventure/stratagy games I've played, which is nice because you get your money's worth out of it.

The graphics arn't particularly spectacular, but it works out alright. One thing I miss from the old game is that when you merged creatures, the old game used to make them look like both of the creatures you merged, so it was fun to see what features you could get out of every merge. The new one just uses the same form as your original beast. Thats not as bad as it sounds because there is quite a selection of beasts so I'm sure you can find some that you like.

The battle sequences are entertaining, but if your used to fast paced action they are sometimes a little dull. Warning: Jade Cocoon is more of a stratagy game than an action game when it comes to battle, you don't charge in with a sword. You have sort of a grid deal, where you place monsters on certain sides of a "beast amulet" and you want to merge them to get powerful and helpful attacks and so on and so forth.

Winning the game is far harder then it may appear, and even after you beat your main opponent there is still plenty to do, so it never really gets old. Overall I rate this game a 4 out of 5, and if your into stratagy and making cool monsters this will work for you.

Hope this helps, Stolen Thunder

This is the sequel to Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu and quite a few things have been changed. No longer can you make completely original beasts, but instead they are an improved version of one of the parents. They are more powerful and learn skills faster, but the physical appearance will be the same, which does take some of the excitement away. Saying that however, it's still a fun game.

You don't play as Levant anymore (main character from previous game), but now as Kahu, a young cocoon master in training. There are many more levels, and at the end of each one you must beat a boss in order to advance. Shortly after you begin you are given a beast amulet which controls how many beasts you can use in battle. As you progress through the game the amulet is improved and once at it's max you will be able to fight with up to 8 creatures (if I remember correctly). The battle system is quite different from the first game, and in my opinion better. Different beasts are assigned to different areas of the battle, mainly due to the fact that they all have abilities unique to their type. For example, beasts of the element 'Fire' are used best to attack with, whilst 'Water' specialise in healing.

Like the first game, this one can require a bit of time and patience. The easiest way to find out whether you'd like it is by playing the first one (although it's quite hard to get hold of a copy). Also, Pokemon is a similar game. If you haven't played either, then I'd recommend renting this before buying, as it's not to everyone's taste.

Gameplay - 8
Story - 8
Graphics - 7
Music - 7
Replay - 8
Overall 8

monty