The simple mechanics and ability to save anywhere, anytime make it an excellent game to play on the road, in bed, or any other time a game must be played in short bursts. Still, when compared to other RPGs available on the DS, it rates right about on par since it does nothing extremely well nor obstructively poorly; the best that can be said about Ys is that it feels unique even today, and the worst that can be said is that its uniqueness does not stand out as being noticeably above or below average. It is enjoyable enough to be worth the money, but hard to outright recommend due to some of its old-school idiosyncrasies.
DG writes: "When Ys Book I & II was first released on the TurboGrafx-CD it was considered the first must-own game for NEC's fledgling console. Although it was largely ignored by the U.S. consumer, game critics of the time hailed it as one of the greatest role-playing games ever made. The game's revolutionary cinemas, amazing music and real voice acting (albeit ridiculously awful voice acting) set this game apart from the rest of the crowd, and may have been the reason why a very young Electronic Gaming Monthly handed out their first perfect 10 score to this adventure game."
When Ys Book I & II was first released on the TurboGrafx-CD it was considered the first must-own game for NEC's fledgling console. Although it was largely ignored by the U.S. consumer, game critics of the time hailed it as one of the greatest role-playing games ever made. The game's revolutionary cinemas, amazing music and real voice acting (albeit ridiculously awful voice acting) set this game apart from the rest of the crowd, and may have been the reason why a very young Electronic Gaming Monthly handed out their first perfect 10 score to this adventure game.
Stage Select:
The Legacy of Y's Books I and II is a reimagining of the classic, most closely aligning itself with the Turbo CD version of the game. While it compares favorably to that version, it also adds a few features that make sense given the passing of time. The addition of 3D graphics seems almost mandatory, and adding something simple like "press a button to swing your weapon" doesn't seem too out of place.
