Grandia II Review! [Dreamcast] - The Game Collection

[@RGT85]

I literally played this game for 26 hours straight and beat it. Fucking gem of a game.

[@SuperDerek]

+RGT 85 my only regret is not being able to play it for the first time, again.

[@fernandopaxeco7709]

RGT 85 wow!

[@samd2865]

RGT 85 dang dude. Idk what to say. Thats too much. I would probably suffer neurological damage lol. I feel you might have rushed such a gem.

[@fcancho]

I played this game for the ps2. It is a good game! I did not play it straight for 26 hours, but I did beat it in 2 days.

[@The_Archvile]

So is that how long it takes to beat it more or less then?

[@TIDbitRETRO]

This and Skies of Arcadia WERE the JRPG pillars of the Dreamcast. Amazing classic.

[@Jack_80]

i prefer skies of arcadia because it's not so overly easy as grandia. i wish the dc version had a hard mode.

[@Tetsu9701]

They really were. Both are in my top 10 RPGs, along with Shenmue, which I consider JRPG-ish.

[@ExviusGhost.]

Bro i really wish they would bring skies of arcadia to switch as an hd port.. man i loved that game too. 🥲

[@Woter_X]

Evolution??

[@solidcestlavie7]

Evolution The World of The Sacred Device was absolutely incredible and addictive as smmmmmnhf

[@OmegaEnvych]

Grandia 2 was my very first JRPG and RPG overall. What a great way to start my lifelong hobby.

[@kain7513]

Mine too! Haven't found a game like it since.

[@DreamcastGuy]

Grandia will always be one of my favorite series! I've beaten them all, even the terrible Japan only Grandia: Parallel Trippers. We need another one. :P

[@isaacrodriguez9960]

DreamcastGuy I agree with you too.

[@TheScrubNubb]

DreamcastGuy I like your videos too man

[@cristinamaiapm]

DreamcastGuy i love satan

[@pseudocalm]

I always thought the dreamcast was a shenmue machine. That's what I bought it for. I didnt know there were many other worthy rpgs on it. I suppose I always held out hope for a new shining force game but....

[@stokesa3122]

I read that in your voice. With inflection and all.

[@bdof1]

My first RPG. It set an extremely high bar as far as combat goes in an RPG. It's impossible nowadays to find RPGs like this, and makes me want to seek out a dreamcast and this game just to play it again.

[@jayesper4390]

I liked combat in Evolution: World Of Sacred Device too. The special attacks were just too amusing! I probably will find another copy of the original version of this game too, since mine kept getting stuck in one particular spot and only beat it once (I did sell it back to GameStop or Babbage's when I was through though)... Funnily enough I have an issue with my Evolution disc too -.-;

[@solidcestlavie7]

Evolution 1&2 were incredible. I loved how much customization you had with the different kind of attachments for Mag’s arm and how they changed up what your special moves were!

[@o0Azure0o]

I enjoy watching your videos because of your earnest joy at playing RPGs. The reviews are succinct, fairly spoiler-free aside from opening plot points, and delivered with a calm demeanor that makes them very fun! Thanks SuperDerek!

[@fisherinhailey]

I'm so happy you finally got around to reviewing this game! Grandia II happens to be my favorite rpg of all time!

[@kain7513]

It's THE BEST RPG of all time!

[@SilverArro]

You have outstanding taste in RPGs, I must say. Grandia 2 is such a fantastic and terribly under appreciated title (like most of GameArts work). I haven't played it in years myself, and this review has definitely made me want to dust off the Dreamcast and give it another go.

[@TheROBBY545]

Ryudo's voice actor was also Liquid Snake in Metal Gear Solid

[@leob4403]

TheROBBY545 David Hayter?

[@TheROBBY545]

David Hayter was Solid Snake. I'm talking about Cam Clarke, who did the voice of Liquid Snake.

[@apxutekctypa]

and Jennifer Hale as Elena? Never saw that coming, but oh boy did she deliver. I mean, how did she do that high pitched voice for this character, when her natural voice is quite lower (remember femShep from Mass Effect? that's what i'm taking 'bout)

[@daoyang223]

@@apxutekctypa Elena was female shepherd in ME??? Thats news to me

[@monowill8314]

Oh my gosh, you floored me in the first two minutes. I had no idea what to expect when I clicked on this video, but your personality made my day. Subscribed.

[@SuperDerek]

That's awesome! And welcome aboard, I hope you enjoy the rest of my reviews too! I'm really excited for the Grandia 1 and 2 HD port that's supposed to be on the way to Nintendo Switch. :)

[@monowill8314]

(Sorry for the ramblings) The part that floored me was when you did the poses and what not with the editing. It was just such a personal thing and so fitting for a JRPG review. I was just blissful as it was happening (if this seems like a weird reaction, maybe it is-- I'm sort of recovering from some things in my life right now). And the entire video just coasted by as I learned about this game. (I don't own the game, I was just getting a view of it for a friend I gifted it to! -- It seems like a great game! And you're the reason I'm not buying him a 2nd gift out of excessive worry, haha.) Yes, I will probably watch your other videos too as it's very relaxing to hear you talk about these games. All you have to do is continue to make people smile, and continue doing what you love, and I am sure you will be rich in all aspects of life! ;-) and, since I am being bold, have you considered reviewing any Slavic RPGs? My profile pic is from a Russian game called Pathologic. It is a bit of a cult-classic, with Pathologic 2 in beta right now. Not many people write about this game, I think it is actually a very challenging RPG to write about! I don't know if there is some sort of system where I can use my own money to buy games for the channel, but I would definitely do it.

[@milliethesillie]

Glad your back Super Derek! I like your well researched reviews, I use them to decide what games I try next sometimes, they're really top notch!

[@sebastianalarcon817]

I've only played like one third of the games you review but I love your style, and your voice is very relaxing.

[@boothy128]

Just here in 2019 watching Grandia reviews to get hyped for the Switch release

[@samfrito]

good review. you never disappoint and always remind me why a fan of jrpgs can always listen to your reviews and get a distinct taste of a game and know whether its worthwhile.

[@FredHerbert999]

So many great voice actors: Ryudo - Cam Clarke AKA Jimmy Flinders (MGS) Sky - Paul Eiding (MGS) Elena - Jennifer Hale (MGS) Mareg - forgot his name but he's Vulcan Raven from Metal Gear Freakin Solid. Kim Mai Guest also voiced a char.

[@adeelhussain2304]

Nice Super Derek - loved the review. I grew up with this game as my father gave this to me as my 13th birthday present - on a platform starved rpg, this and skies of Arcadia were amazing adventures for my childhood that felt like the evolution of the classic psone and snes rpgs.

[@drunkensailor112]

Oh yes! Imo skies of arcadia is like the perfect rpg. Still to this day!

[@solidcestlavie7]

That was smooth how you pulled out the game case in the beginning after introducing yourself man. Long live the Dreamcast!

[@musicretronanda132]

I guarantee that if this game got remake, it would be very good! The character development, the story are well written. I was curious what would be like if this game got remake.

[@USNavyVet_STG]

Great RPG. The timing system was brilliant. Aw the memories.

[@dcrossman]

I'm loving all your reviews Derek. Keep up the great work.

[@shaunantoniuk8843]

loved this game. worked all summer, got the dreamcast at age 14 . this game, and skies of arcadia really stand out. among a few others

[@RetroBreak]

You made me want to play Grandia 2 again!! Loved it so much when I first played it on the DC years ago! 😊

[@sorrellbrock8467]

So cool watching this since I just bought a dreamcast and this game! As always, great content Super Derek!

[@kendrabrock2717]

Wow, so fascinating...

[@Bonefoot]

One of the all-time greats! So impressive that they were pretty much able to match the greatness of the first game with the sequel. I personally still prefer the first one for it's amazing innocent sense of adventure, but the more mature take of Grandia II works so damn well too. Brilliant games, both of them. Good job on the video! ^^

[@SuperDerek]

I couldn't agree more. :)

[@bobsamurai]

loved the combat here, would probably more if i gave everyone jobs. back when i first played this i didnt know about the importance of tanking in RPGS so i just made everyone dps. curious to go back and see how that works out. awesome review of an awesome game

[@HybridAngelZero]

It's your birthday? Well happy birthday, dooood! Weirdly, I haven't ever gotten a chance to try Grandia II, even though I would love to play it. I also find it a bit odd that Grandia I and III are on PSN for PS3 and this game is not. But I'm loving these reviews of this classic series! Keep up the good work!

[@SuperDerek]

+Micaiah the Otaku Gamer [HybridAngelZero] thanks Micah, check out the steam release of you haven't already, I hear it works with gamepads too.

[@HybridAngelZero]

SuperDerek RPGs Sadly, the only PC I currently own is basically two steps away from etching things into stone tablets xD But once I get a new one, I will most assuredly snag that version... though I still want a Dreamcast copy eventually

[@jb0258]

The dinner discussions remind me of legaia 2, since it's the game that introduced it to me (although no one even knows this game exists lol). But I can never get enough if these discussions in grandia 1 and 2. These have some of my favorite parts if the games. Great review! Love seeing someone with the same enthusiasm over older games :D

[@hehaw4147]

Legaia 2 was pretty good, the first one was so much better though. Also one of those that flew under most peoples' radar.

[@ThirstWorldTTV]

i have this game for DREAMCAST and the PS2, the PS2 is LOADED with amazing RPGS, and the DREAMCAST has far less, I was so happy for this port, give some beautifull RPGS to the DREAMCASTS library

[@chigimonky]

It's funny that nobody stops the Dreamcast beep by replacing the battery in the controller. It's a cr2032 and you can find it at your local pharmacy.

[@NickEnlowe]

Thanks! Any soldering involved?

[@SuperDerek]

+chigimonky I know I can do it, but it doesn't bug me too much. Also, how often do I get a chance to play RPGs on the Dreamcast? I think there's just a couple left. ;)

[@capcom23]

meh it's fine. I always had the beep at startup but during gaming nothing at all. So why bother buying those if you won't use it outside the controller? smart people

[@drunkensailor112]

You need to switch that battery like every 2 hours. No thank you.

[@jayesper4390]

All you've got to do is sever a wire in your VMU. The only noise I hear on startup is noise from the console itself.

[@SeafoamSmiles]

Wow, talk about a glowing review. The Grandia series has been on my RPG bucket list for quite a while now. Some day I'll get around to it.

[@smgofdvld]

This game was something I always saw my uncle play along with other gba games like golden sun now as an adult I'm playing all of these glad I found the name from the old memory banks haha 😀

[@Starcat5]

I remember Grandia II. First the origional PC port, then the PS2 port I picked up at a pawn shop and never bothered to play, and then finally the PC release.

[@iamaghenor]

Hello, I love your vids. Do a review of Valkyrie Profile 2!!

[@CynicalGamingBlogTerry309]

Hell yes, that game is a masterpiece.

[@KeiBrightwing]

Didn't Grandia 2 get a PC release before the remastered version? I'm pretty sure I played it on PC years ago, and it wasn't on an emulator on anything of the sort.

[@SuperDerek]

+KeiBrightwing Yeah, a few people have mentioned it. I didn't know about that one until after this review was released though.

[@capcom23]

yes anniversary edition

[@jidar]

Fantastic review Derek. Also I really like your take on this. Over the past few years I've been completing retro JRPGs at a pretty decent pace and Grandia II on the Dreamcast is one of the absolute standouts. I was kind of surprised just how good this game was because at the time reviews were lukewarm. It's an excellent game that really needs to get more love.

[@SuperDerek]

+jidar I think for a long time, reviewers didn't know what to do with JRPGs. It was, and still sometimes is one of my pet peeves, to hear reviewers knock a game for having turn based battle systems. Ugh, like nails on a chalkboard.

[@tinyguy9398]

Wow. The two main vocal pieces on the soundtrack are in Portuguese. How cool!

[@tejber]

GREAT JOB with this and all ur videos. ur gonna be huge i can feel it. just remember your subs

[@miss_venus]

Love all your reviews Derek! This comes in handy in terms of knowing if it’s worth giving the Switch version a go. ✌🏻

[@jdventures1206]

Thanks for mentioning the other suggestions on other platforms

[@RobNoonanic]

Another excellent review Derek!

[@noshowjoe6596]

This game had the best battle system I've ever played in a turned based rpg. The way you have to factor in your timing and the movement of your players works amazingly.

[@Nevercraven]

That Dreamcast logo! Pure nostalgia for me. Wish I still had it 😢

[@jayesper4390]

The SFX too... Duun, de dun dun doo dee~

[@chrisschone782]

Never gets old lol

[@SiFTWofficial]

Great review I've actually always seen this game floating around for PS2 and occasionally for Dreamcast and never bought it. After seeing this review I'm going to grab it on Steam first, looks like it would be fun to play with the enhanced graphics. Great review as always!

[@mitchelldurocher]

Have you thought about taking a look at Legend of Legaia for the PSX?

[@udaaz]

Excellent video, you express genuine affection for this game. Very good

[@MrCodeCass]

I really need to give this one a try. May have to try out the HD remaster soon

[@odelay72]

Derek, if possible, turn the music a little bit down for your next videos.. It´s just a suggestion, due to the difficulty I had in listening to what you were saying.. Other than that, your channel is great! Congratulations for such an amazing work!

[@SuperDerek]

+Rodrigo Modenesi Thanks for the feedback! I'll try to quiet it down a bit next time. :)

[@Zolfka1]

Wanted to know if u plan on doing grandia 3. And if you had heard of grandia extreme

[@dustman_b6245]

I went from 1 right to 3 back in the day. I'll have to pick up 2 now. You made it sound fantastic.

[@dougdabandit2003]

i watched your live streams of this. i loved this game for dreamcast! i also just pre ordered the akura dreamcast hdmi box. i am so excited to see how good my dreamcast games can look!

[@SuperDerek]

+Douglas Guelich that HDMI box looks amazing doesn't it?

[@dougdabandit2003]

yes it does!!

[@kainhighwind2]

I legit got chills hearing that battle music, man. It's so goooood.

[@wesleybcrowen]

I have so much nostalgia towards this game. Even the most formulaic plot can be entertaining enough with a cast of enjoyable characters & bits of lore. And of course, the battle system is another reason for me to revisit every now and then.

[@hideknaze]

I love your reviews! Even when I disagree with a point, I easily see what you're saying and it makes me think.

[@DemonSlayer648]

I played this on ps2. My only complaint was no back tracking to explore previously visited area's or to train.

[@Zeldrak]

I'm guessing you'll be going for Grandia III next? I got the Anniversary edition of this one for the PC, need to finish it :)

[@SuperDerek]

Nope, I don't own it yet. But I will eventually. :)

[@n.b.2164]

Zeldrak Am playing III now. It doesn't compare to the first two. It's disappointing. At least it still has a great battle system.

[@RekkaAlexiel]

Oh, we sang this vocal song at Tokyo GameTakt during the Grandia medley. Fun times.

[@TruEcho]

Are you gonna play Grandia 3 aswell? :D

[@ashtonanchors4896]

Great review Derek. I played both Grandia 1 and 2 on playstation back in the days, but where i still have fond memories of the exploration journey of Justin in Grandia 1, i remember almost nothing about this game. Not the characters, the bosses or the plot and i usually have a very good memory when it comes to rpg's. Must not have made a very lasting impression i guess. In fact the only thing i do remember about this game, is that it had some broken equipment combination of an accesory (some sort of ring i believe) that made the last few hours of the game way too easy. This review makes me want to play it again though. I'll wait for the switch version coming at the end of this year i guess.

[@maychrzak]

Great review. Convinced me to grab it off the shelf and replay it... I'm also thinking of buying an extra copy for a friend who is unconvinced that great RPG's were on Sega consoles, and not made by Square

[@ogorham1996]

Derek is there any chance you'd one day review DQV?

[@Dariothehungry]

Solid review. I just finished Grandia 2 HD remastered, last time playing it was on thr Dreamcast back when it first released.

[@SuperDerek]

It's such a classic!

[@scruffydan8713]

Grandia II was the very first jrpg I ever completed. The genre has been my favorite since. Fantastic game.

[@kain7513]

A lot of people popped their rpg cherries to this game.

[@bluechicky2662]

Been putting off playing this. You have convinced me to give it a try.

[@nikkiwileman7033]

See you ain't reviewed panzer dragoon saga yet,would love to hear your views on that amazing game!

[@ChristineMason87]

welcome back dude did a short for u on that video I sent you. hope u are well where are you from?

[@daoyang6055]

The voice actor for Ryudo is also Liquid Snakes voice.

[@HighLevelReviews]

Love your stuff Derek!

[@mikeh.9954]

Loved me some Grandia II back in the day on the Dreamcast ...

[@StarlinkNova]

This was an amazing game that I still enjoyed despite playing the inferior PS2 version back in the day (the freezing and slowdown, ugh). I really ought to do it justice by tracking down and playing the Dreamcast version. Anyways, great review on a fantastic game.

[@rion7808]

It'd be interesting to hear your thoughts on Grandia Xtreme. Will you be playing that someday? :)

[@SuperDerek]

+YukiViolet yep! Some day I will for sure. :)

[@Jordan1000]

Great Review, loved Grandia & Grandia 2. A real shame that we didn't get Grandia 3 in the UK 😔

[@wesin_]

Man, the dinner scenes are the best

[@ultimateshadeofwar]

0:23 Ahh the dreamcast, sooo Young

[@ericsynnott6100]

How do you feel about the recent grandia remasters for the Switch? Worth getting?

[@SuperDerek]

I think so! I made an impressions video on the collection when it came out a while back, and all in all I think they did a nice job, though I wish they could turn off the sprite filters in the Grandia 1 port. And a physical release would have been nice. But I think otherwise it was pretty good for the price. :)

[@brandonsmusicpage1]

Great job SuperDerek!

[@retrorevolutions4590]

another great video your a hidden gem can't wait to play this for the first time myself still got to beat 1 first just got to disk 2 today

[@addekiller2]

Thank you Derek for all your videos. You really brings joy to my boring life :p :) Have a great day!! :)

[@lightdragoon88]

Have this for the PS2 and never finished it. Not because I didn't like it or because it was hard (which is was in some cases), but because it KEPT FREEZING!!!? My god the bugs in the PS2 version. I wished I could of finished it. Anyway I am hoping to see Wild Arms 3 review one day. More people need to know about it and with it being on PS4's PSN more people can get it now.

[@otakon17]

Lightdragoon88 it's on Steam now and the PC port is the ultimate version of the game mostly. And it's $20, well worth it.

[@SuperDerek]

+Lightdragoon88 it will happen some day, I promise! :)

[@gameblob6446]

SuperDerek RPGs only jrpg I played on the dreamcast was time stalkers it was mediocre but had a catchy soundtrack BTW are you thinking about reviewing the mass effect trilogy for the release of andromeda just a suggestion but anyway great review

[@SuperDerek]

Plus, in Time Stalkers you could play as Nigel from LandStalker! :D

[@gameblob6446]

SuperDerek RPGs cool anyway good luck with your next review

[@Tetsu9701]

@SuperDerek RPGs I just discovered, subscribed & love this channel! I think you may have reviewed almost all my top 10 JRPGs. Grandia 2 is on my list. I'm about to head off and watch your Shenmue review, another one in my top 10 RPGs. If you haven't already, maybe checkout Skies of Arcadia & the Mega Man Legends series.

[@Dirk1Steele]

I remember when I first booted this up on the DC and I immediately thought of Dogtanian from the Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds when I heard the lead character's voice

[@Xanaboy1]

There was also another PC version that one also had bugs. It was ported around the same time as PS2.

[@MSquared135]

Its a small thing but i love the game's attempt at soft shadows during the battles. In addition, the game is a textbook example of how to make appealing low poly characters through great art design and texture work that play to the Dreamcast's strengths.

[@GT6SuzukaTimeTrials]

I have all 3, but the one I played and beat when I was a kid (well, 16 to be exact back in the year 2000) was this exact one. It's in my top 5 rpg's of all time. I love that you can talk to everyone 2 or 3 times before and after events. The dialogue to me at the time was well executed. I recently downloaded Grandia 3 on the PS3. Never played the PS2 version. I have to say it's also excellent! Grandia 1 for me is better than 3, but the entire series impresses me. I hope they make a 4th installment.

[@CaptainMaakasu]

I loved Grandia (1) when I played it a couple of years ago on my Vita. So I just checked my Steam library and saw that I already had Grandia 2 there ^^

[@jongibson4866]

What is the main differences between the Dreamcast and PS2's versions?

[@dabsouljaboy]

enthusiast points for the trinitron. man knows his CRTs

[@TRUEGAS90]

Just subbed I love this channel

[@derylalexander189]

I was a newly-introduced RPG fan back then and I asked the clerk what were some good RPGs on the Dreamcast. He told me this game and Skies of Arcadia I walked out with both. Best decision I ever made.

[@lufasumafalu5069]

i just starting the PS2 version of grandia II , is it that bad ?

[@andrewclear8905]

I remember when I got a Dreamcast after Sega dropped out of the console market. It was dirt cheap at Gametop, so I picked it up with Grandia 2. Damn, Grandia 2 was such an awesome game, the best that I personally played on the dreamcast

[@kingtrode]

Definitely need to pick this up on steam!

[@Sinn0100]

I own them both and I bought the Grandia compilation for the Switch. I finished running through the first game last weekend. I am now paying through Grandia 2. Now, what's interesting is, even though I have owned the second Grandia title on the Dreamcast, I have never played it. I truly love the second game more than I do the first Grandia title, Lunar Silver Star, Lunar Eternal Blue, and any other Game Art title I simply cannot remember. I noticed you said the second game carries the same syatem...not entirely. The magic is far more nuanced than the first. It really reminds me of the amazing trend setting FF7. I live being able to equip anyone with anything I want. Further, I love the skill book system even more. I have only made it roughly 11 hours in and I would give Grandia 2 a solid 9.5 on the Switch and a 10 on the Dreamcast. The Switch version has quite a bit if slowdown in cluttered areas that run smoothly on the Dreamcast. Is it me or do some of the music tracks sound like Blue Dragon? Ryuda reminds me of Fei from Zenosaga especially when Fei went crazy. "Hey, you threw a ship at me. Take it back" -Fei picks up a ship and throws it....classic.

[@TheGameGrinder]

I have Grandia 1, but haven't had the chance to get to it yet. I really want to, but being an adult and playing through my backlog makes things really complicated all while keeping up with new releases. #FirstWorldProblems Great review! I can't wait to get to this some day!

[@otakon17]

I sat on a save of Grandia 1 on the PS1 for TEN.YEARS. I stopped playing right after hitting the second disc and life ensued. Finally finished it a while ago whoo boy.

[@TheGameGrinder]

That's quite the break! Did you start over or continue where you left off?

[@otakon17]

The Game Grinder continued! Finished that save.

[@Ribula1]

Wait. Is this a dreamcast exclusive? D:

[@EatingCtrlV]

I'm playing through Grandia right now, I hope to get Grandia 2 on DC very soon!

[@ThePerro]

I'm currently playing Grandia 3. I haven't played II yet but I'm planning on getting the Anniversary Edition on Steam. The 3rd game is pretty good!

[@megathesimper4050]

Grandia 2 Is one of my Top 5 All Time Favorite Video Games, also was one of my first video games ever when I was really young

[@2tehnik]

sorry for this comment being unrelated to the video but did you know megaten has it's 25th anniversary this year?

[@DosofOs]

Was the port for PS2 any better or worse than the one for Dreamcast?

[@SuperDerek]

+DosofOs Worse, from what I hear. It's said to be buggy and a downgrade in the graphics department.

[@KloudyWoolf]

Man we really need a remake of this