Sudeki (Xbox)

Reviewed by JON MINIFIE

Herald rating * * * *

Microsoft's Xbox console has been providing stiff competition for Sony's PlayStation 2 in most territories, except maybe Japan. Strong exclusive titles across many genres have helped its success, but there has been a distinct lack of role-playing games (RPGs) on the Xbox — certainly nothing in the vein of a Final Fantasy title — which have proved so popular with the PS2 crowd over the years.

Sudeki (which means "gorgeous" in Japanese) is a big, beautiful, sweeping RPG adventure that looks set to fill this void. The game aligns itself closely with the more traditional RPG-style games as opposed to the more open-ended ones such as NeverWinter Nights. You meet some locals in a town and maybe buy some equipment or find a side quest or two before being sent off to complete the next quest.

The land of Sudeki is being overrun by an otherworldly force. You play the parts of four different heroes (Tal, Buki, Ailish and Elco), all of whom have varying skills and abilities. The world of Sudeki is densely populated with interesting and often dangerous characters.

On your travels you will find countless items, weapons, armour and magic scrolls, providing much of the RPG flavour. Everything can be upgraded, giving you greater attack capabilities, immunity to poison or making you harder to hit.

Combat gives you the experience you need to get the chance to level up, and with an invading force occupying the land there's a lot of combat to be had.

At the beginning, battles are tough but as you join the others in your group you take part in some mammoth fights. The two magicians hang back and fire at your enemies with staves or pistols while the two fighters get stuck in and do the grunt work.

When you're controlling a fighter you see the world from a third-person perspective and use the A and X buttons to attack. Controlling the magicians, you enter first-person perspective, aiming and shooting at your enemy with a variety of weapons.

While Sudeki probably isn't the best RPG you'll ever see, the gorgeous graphics, well-crafted sound, exciting combat and the fact that it really has its own vibe, make for a thoroughly enjoyable game which will leave players wanting more.

jon@tenthplanet.co.nz