Great Greed Game by Namco Reviewed by The Avardancer Size: 1 megabit Save: Battery Released: 1992 Works with: All versions of Game Boy. **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: To be honest... I went to the store to buy the game "Revelations: The Demon Slayer".. and I went into GameCo at the mall. They had their Game Boy games out.. and I saw "Great Greed". Something in my mind went: "Rare Game Boy game... $10... you NEED it.) I asked if I could try it. And I did.. my first words about it: "Hey! It's a Ghetto Final Fantasy Adventure." That is so far from the truth. I saw the BRILLIANT battle engine in it.. and I was only mildly interested in the plot. So, I said: "I'll go check and see if Babbages has Revelations; then I'll be back to buy this game." Babbages had Revelations.. I picked up the box; but I could not think about Revelations.. a voice in my mind said "Great Greed.. get Great Greed.. it may get snatched up fast.. and you know you need to play that game.. think of the innovative battle engine.. it has no battle menus... that's creative.. Revelations will still be here next week.. but Great Greed could be bought and gone.. forever..." I put Revelations back on the shelf and *ran* to GameCo. No.. really.. I ran in the mall... I'm not proud. But, I got to the counter and announced: "Gimme Great Greed!". I eagerly forked over the money and popped that puppy into my Game Boy Color.. only to find that it automatically saved the game I had started! Wow! That was just TOO sweet. **************************************************************************** Gameplay Descripion: Now.. this is an RPG; and it has a pretty interesting story. The idea? Well, it starts out when a Wizard and a Evil Creature are fighting. The Wizard warps from dimension to dimension and lands in your world; you are walking along and you find the Wizard; you go to help the Wizard, the monster attacks, the Wizard warps out of the way; and you end up accidentally warping along with the Wizard. And then.. the plot begins. You meet dozens of interesting characters and enemies; all of which have some weird names like "Microwave", "Cavity (Or Cadium as the out of battle text states -mistranslation-), The Greene Family (I like Citrus Greene.), and more interesting people. A lot of references to food. And even a little bit of an "attitude". Text Example: "So, the programmers gave use funny names; you got a PROBLEM with that?" ha ha ha ha I love the text in this game; and I like how the story -while predictable at points- is always changing and very... interesting. I can not think of a dull moment in the game. The game has some ecology themes; but that's better than being "death obssessed" like -say- Final Fantasy Adventure. The game does have some serious moments.. and some spots that make you think: "Hmm?". I like it. You never really know what is gonna happen next. You can rename your character. That's a plus. Oh, the battles are a big part of this games charm. Here's the idea.. there are no in battle menus. Your attack will always be the A button, the B button is dodge, the START button is run away, and the Control pad is your Magic Spells. You assaign a spell to a direction on the Control Pad. So.. you can have four spells at one time during the game. Down will ALWAYS be Healing Magic and MedKits. Umm.. you can not access the ITEMS from here.. so you need to be careful; but with an automatic save that saves when ever you finish a battle.. you don't have to worry too much. The battles are "active".. that means that the enemy does not wait for you to attack. Battles become quick things. Some can be quite long and you be sitting there pressing A, Down, Right, A, Right, Up, Down, Down, etc. That is fast paced and challenging to say the least; because you need to use a quick strategy to avoid losing. This makes the Battles FRANTIC and exciting; which is something I have rarely ever seen in an RPG. Wow. Liked: Excellent story! A better translation than most games, a sense of humour, that battle engine is genius! Hated: Umm.. some small mistranslations? Heck, a lot of RPGs have those mistranslations. **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: The normal over-head view graphics will remind many people of Final Fantasy Adventure.. that's why I thought it was a "Ghetto Final Fantasy Adventure". In battles, however, you'll discover very cool looking enemies and a lot of variety in graphics. Spell seems a little simple at times; but the battles whiz by so fast.. you won't care. There are no Super Game Boy or Game Boy Color enchancements. (Too bad..) There are close up pictures of the characters that follow you and they are done in a style similar to "anime". The text is easy to read; and the game seems "unique"; although it does reuse some graphics in caves, forests, and towns. (So do a LOT of the early Game Boy RPGs.) It's just a great game with a look that will not "wow" the audience; but it won't turn anyone away either. It looks good enough to play with the big boys. Liked: It looks great! Hated: Some reused textures, and graphic sets; but... HEY it's an early Game Boy game! What are you expecting to find? **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: At first.. I thought the sound was broken.. I had never heard that sound before.. on Game Boy. The music seems sparse if you are not paying attention, at first. If you pay attention to it and/or play for a while.. you'll realise that the music is rather... long and well orchestrated. It's happy, it's sad, it's a little "celtic", and it adds a little bit of atmosphere to the game. The sound effects are "standard for a RPG"; but there are some unique ones that stand out. Over all, the music and sound are above average in this title. Liked: Deep, long music. Hated: Some.. annoying rives in the music... but that's about it. **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: The story is long and involved; the game also features multiple endings based on what you do in the game. (Novel concept!) The game engine is awesome. I would so love to see this game get a sequel... it deserves it. It's an innovative game with dead on control, straight forward out of battle menus, that awesome battle engine, challenge, some very tough puzzles, and a great -if not slightly linear- story. There is Great Fun to be had with Great Greed. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will rock your world. Liked: It's awesome! Superb, excellent! Great! Easy to pick up and play, easy to get hooked on. I haven't felt this stuck on a Game Boy game since I bought Pokémon! Hated: I should probably mention that this gem is a VERY RARE game... and you should buy it the moment you see it.. if you ever see it. **************************************************************************** Improve: Add some color, make a sequel. RIYL: RPGs like the Final Fantasy Legend series, Pokémon. **************************************************************************** Final Words: If you can find this game.. you must buy this game.. it's that simple. Keep an eye out for it. **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: ***** Graphics: ***** Sound/Music: ***** Play Control/Game Design: ***** Personal Opinion: ***** Total: 25 out of 25 Final Score: 100% **************************************************************************** Currently Known Codes: None.. that I know of....