Skies of Arcadia Dreamcast
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Nov 13, 2000
User Score
8.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 26
  3. Negative: 2 out of 26

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  1. GeorgeM.
    Dec 2, 2005
    10
    Great game, but the easter eggs are just too good to be true! On level 7, if you cannon ball jump up the cliff located on the far side of the gravemound where you fight the Master of Hanged Men, you discover a cave that leads you to dazzling video presentation of Bungie's history and their games!
  2. Freakyboy
    Apr 1, 2006
    10
    Avast! There be no greater amount of pimpness aboard this industry. Truly the masterpiece to define slappin' on ye high seas for the ages to come. After all, it's the bling on your eye patch and the snakeskin on your wooden leg that matters. Yaargh!
  3. StringerB.
    Apr 1, 2004
    9
    Easily the best part of this game, IMHO, is the PimpCom hat. Mine came in tigerstripe with frosted tips (even though the peacock feather was a little warped). Pimpslapping your rivals has never been so scandalous than with the voice-masking chip. You'll be sippin' your Remy-Martin and makin hoes kiss the ring in no time.
  4. A.Barksdale
    Apr 1, 2004
    10
    You must be outta your mind, String! Look at the PimpWheel! (http://www.bungie.com/products/pimps/screens/pimpcon.jpg) That bad boy SteelBattalion-lookin' rig don't get much more pimped in my book. Maybe with in in-dash DVD-changer, but I ain't complainin....
  5. Xzibit
    Apr 25, 2004
    9
    Pimp my freakin' yacht, playa... West Coast Customs in the freakin' boat racks.
  6. BobB.
    Oct 30, 2005
    10
    Truly bungie's finest hour!
  7. Ghandi2
    Apr 1, 2005
    10
    This game will rule. Seriously, I've played the Beta, and this game is bettter than ANYTHING you've ever played before. The mix of pimping, pirating, and interaction between characters is perfect. My favorite character has got to be Sally Ho Ho. Remember, the only way you can be the best virtual pimp of them all is to buy the game!
  8. ToastyToast
    Jul 31, 2004
    10
    When it comes out, I will be the vrtual pimp of the world....forchizzle my nizzle....lo'wizzle
  9. w00tb
    Dec 13, 2007
    10
    It starts off a bit sloppy, but once you start getting into it, you can't stop. Dualwield the musket and blunderbuss pistol. It won't let you down.
  10. JmarcL.
    Apr 16, 2004
    10
    Kicks ass looking forward to this awesome game!
  11. CompmanJX3
    Feb 26, 2005
    10
    I've always been torn between pimping and pirating. Doing both at the same time was something that had never occured to me, but the concept alone assured me that this game would be gold. I was right, Bungie did a subperb job, and I was able to live my dreams.
  12. ConnanO'Brien
    Dec 1, 2006
    10
    This game is exquisite! The economy is unparalleled and unmatched in all respects. If only the video game retailers would get more in stock. Keep watching EBay kids.
  13. Spazzzh20
    Jul 12, 2012
    10
    While you get to watch every character in your party develop over time from your typical spiky haired RPG protagonists to characters with such astounding depth and complexity that you can't help but smile nowing that it was your hands that guided them towards such a path. The characters that you come across are equally as robust and interesting, with each step forward you discover something new. And unlike too many RPG's now days unfortunately every bit of dialog is intriguing and showcased in such a manner that actually makes you care about what goes on in this world. Every location that you traverse in this game is slightly more diverse than the last. That is because in the land of skies different continents from all over the world were levitated into the stratosphere. You will explore the native jungle of Ixa taka, submerge yourself in an underwater cave inside a volcano in the Asian Continent of Yafutoma or the dessert like region of Nasr. Every location in this game is incredibly detailed, and although a bit Stereotypical at some points bursting with liveliness. Though for me it was the more subtle moments of this game that I enjoyed the most and brought it to life. A palace that was frozen in a continent which had been abandoned for thousands of years, or an isle in the middle of no ware that at first seems to provide nothing more than a starting point for your adventure that will later on play a key role in the overarching plot of the game. Many people might not be able to enjoy these desolate environments, but for me this game's lack of on screen action at certain points is very similar to the lack of action in games such as Shadow of the colossus, sometimes it's the lack of a certain something that fills in the void with something else. The player's imagination is the true guiding light for Vse Inglebard and his crew. The game dares you to explore new places take risks when risks are needed, and although the game is scripted so that everything will happen the way the programmers intended the limited amount of dialog that you are given to chose from topped off with excellent presentation as well as facial and hand gestures make Skies feel as genuine and interactive as any open world non scripted game. These incredibly well scripted moments truly are the driving force behind progressing through the game. In one instance I was given a choice to either comfort a girl in my party by either talking to her or just putting my arm around her as we both gazed up into the night sky. But the gameplay is far from simply interacting with others and piloting your ship. The battle system is a fresh take on your typical turn based system. Rather than have you and your partners in a straight line facing your enemies you and your crew are spread throughout the deck of your ship or ground or wherever the battle takes place and depending on your position you can attack different enemies. either with your regular attacks, or by charging up your focus gauge to unleash horrific and beautiful techniques that will take up the entire screen for an epic presentation that would make any other RPG protagonist just a little jealous.
    On top of that the game also features a weakness/strength system. You have 6 different colors to chose from all of which are strong or weak against an enemy depending on that foes traits. It's sort of like a six-way rock paper scissors war, only don't depend on your weapons attributes to much because you still have a hefty amount of foes that you have to face off against and sometimes taking the time to figure out what enemies are weak against what can take time that you don't have, especially against the bosses. Your best bet against them would be to use your neutral weapons that don't have any color or if you really want to risk it have one or two of your strongest teammates use different weapon attributes while the others stay on the sideline ready to heal your partners if and when they've suffered enough damage. How you enter a battle and what tactics you should use are the driving points in the game just like any good RPG should be. You could always rely on luck hoping that the attributes that you give your weapons are a perfect match for the enemies weakness, but truly skilled players will only rely on that as a last resort. On top of the regular battles you will also partake in mandatory ship battles. These battles take place on a 4X4 grid each of your teammates selects a move that they want to use and when to use it. To help increase your ships potential during these fights you can recruit over 30 people from around the world who's specialties include increasing your ships primary attack power, secondary attack power, resistance to magic, resistance to physical damage etc etc. At some point this may seem to feel like information overkill but after you've invested about 40 hours or so into the game it starts to feel like second nature.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6
  1. Playboy
    90
    Finally a game for the pimps in us all.
  2. GamingTrend
    89
    This is the must-have title for the season, if only because riding your Pimp-N-Ator 4000 into a harbor then blinding the locals with the shine from your pearl walking staff is the sort of adventuring that comes around once in a lifetime.
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  3. GamerWeb Xbox
    25
    Everything is low quality and repetitive, you'll throw the game down in a number of minutes.
    Read full review
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