1. sebcheats

   10

   its aparently BETTER if u played the 1st 2, but since i havnt this already gets a 95% for being one of the best ds games...
   THE best non japanese rpg of 2010, and easliy awesome.
   speaking of easy, the game is a bit, well.. easy, but thats the only reason why it didnt get a perfect 100%, and the fact that the beggining is slow, and doesnt drag u in like dq9… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 1 users said Yes.
2. jtg00001

   9

   Golden Sun is as good as it ever was. That statement will mean one of two things for people: most fans will appreciate the details which are remeniscent of the original two GBA games and will smile at the similarities and embrace the nostalgia it brings; others, will likely find that the game is out-dated compared to today's standard of RPG. This should not be a deterrent however, embrace the finely crafted traditional J-RPG style of gaming, appreciate the effort that has went into providing a relatively seamless transition from the GBA to DS, and remember the fun that can be had with Camelot's Golden Sun series. Outstandingly familiar.… Expand

   • Helpful? 3 of 3 users said Yes.
3. BlacksitePSU

   8

   Unlike the first two games, Dark Dawn doesn't have the pseudo-3D visuals during the battles but it does retain the other familiar gameplay mechanics the series is known for as well as a couple new features (the in-game Glossary being a neat one, in my opinion).… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
4. Role

   6

   After seven years, the Golden Sun franchise finally gets a much desired sequel. It doesn't disappoint, either, it's exactly what the fans had been wanting. Though there were pros and cons to the game, just as in the previous games, the cons were things that often times got in the way of the entertainment. I'll get to that later, though.
   
   First is the pros. In terms of storytelling and characterization, Dark Dawn does a much better job than its predecessors. While the game gets off to a slow and rocky start, the actual storytelling, especially starting about halfway through, really improves, and it begins to become enjoyable. Also unlike the first couple games, this game did a lot of characterization into the first six or so characters, especially Sveta. While the last two characters simply game too late to get a good feel for them, you got to know the first six, and in conversation even got a feel for the silent protagonist's personality.
   
   However, the game has a few major faults. First is the ease of the game - simply put, you get too powerful too fast, and the rest of the game winds up becoming a joke. While the final boss does a good job in terms of giving a challenging battle, the combination of surprisingly high experience rewards and rapid acquiring of djinn just keep anything else from coming close to being a threat.
   
   This leads to the second complaint - poor pacing. Some character just plain and simple should have joined up earlier - the last two you get join you in the last hour or so of the game, too late to make any sort of impact. Even worse, one is used as a deus ex machina of sorts, rather jarring considering how well told the story had been up until then.
   
   The biggest kicker, though, had to be that the game suffered from the exact same flaws as its predecessors, little if any attempt to fix this was made. In fact, it's almost like it got worse - while psynergy is decent early game, with both rapid class upgrades and level ups, it's quickly overpowered by the unleashes. Near the middle of the game, it just stops being worth it to cast anything other than buffs and healing - enemies aren't enough of a threat to need debuffs or ailments, and even mages wind up doing more damage with their physical strikes than with psynergy. To add insult to injury, the only real saving grace psynergy had in The Lost Age, the advantage that it can strike an area, is gone as well.
   
   However, the negatives, while it may seem in the review to be greater than the positives, really don't outweigh it. The game is still plenty of fun, and while not phenomenal, it definitely above average. It may be easier than some prefer, but you'll quickly find when doing self-imposed challenges that the game can get very difficult if you skip too many djinn, either on purpose or by mistake. All and all, it's very enjoyable.
   
   However, it should go without saying that the next installment will need to start addressing ome of the problems with the series, as without the 7 year break, fans will be much less forgiving.… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 3 users said Yes.

See all 19 User Reviews