Despite being a botched rendition of a pair of classics, Legacy of Ys is nevertheless a pair of classics, and that's what ultimately redeems this package -- that and Atlus's meticulous care with the localization. Ys fans will probably enjoy this opportunity to revisit some old favorites, even if the flaws grate their nerves, but 1UP doubts this will do much to turn anyone onto the Ys series. Their advice: skip this and download the Turbo Duo version on Virtual Console. They're almost entirely the same games, but one costs less and does justice to the subject matter.
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.
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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.
