X
- E10+
- Namco Bandai Games
- E10+
- Namco Bandai Games
- E10+
- Namco Bandai Games
- E10+
- Namco Bandai Games
Digimon World Data Squad
PlayStation 2
Released On: Sep 18, 2007
43
7.1
All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 12 Critic Reviews
43
0% Positive
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
25% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
75% Negative
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
Based on 12 Critic Reviews
43
0% Positive
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
25% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
75% Negative
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
I'll be honest here: Data Squad really isn't going to make a lot of converts. [Oct 2007, p.60]
Digimon World Data Squad was decent as far as gameplay was concerned, but the graphics weren’t the best. I’ve seen better cel-shaded games on the PS2 than this title.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 31 User Ratings
7.1
48% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
39% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
13% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 31 User Ratings
7.1
48% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
39% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
13% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Fun game that has a short storyline but it has numerous different while poison only has the set evolutions. Great game to play when bored and any digimon fan will love it.
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PlayStation 2
A really fun digimon game with cool graphics. It carries on from Digimon World 3 and 2 with it's battle mode but the game is unique enough to have it's own charm.
This era was a strange time for Digimon but atleast we got a decent game out of it.
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PlayStation 2
Data Squad has too much text for a five-year-old to enjoy it, too many annoyances for a 10-year-old to be amused. And the storyline is lacking.
The turn-based battles that make up the bulk of the game are tedious and boring, made worse by their constant bombardment upon the player. The story feels completely unimportant, and its telling by the main characters is too cheesy to make anyone care.
The game offers nothing but tedium to older gamers, but the six and under crowd may love it. [Nov 2007, p.90]
The slowness of Digimon World Data Squad might help to offset the grindingly boring gameplay, and the pretty colors might cheer you up despite the exceedingly poor production values of … well, everything.
The only thing we can say in this game’s defense is that it’s not necessarily broken. As annoying as it may be, the game is still technically playable, and you can still understand the plot if you want to.
I'd like to start off this review by saying that I believe the overwhelmingly negative reception by the critics is somewhat justified because I can see how frustrating and downright insufferable this game can be for an audience not familiar with (or interested in) the Digimon lore. However, as someone who literally grew up with the franchise, I definitely see this game in a very different light. As a Digimon game, this is actually one of the more solid ones due to the JRPG elements that allow the player to roam the Digital World and interact with different characters from the same universe as the anime (and specifically, the fifth season of the TV series). You can imagine how exciting that concept was to me as a fan; prior to Data Squad -- no other Digimon game delivered that in full 3D and on a modern (at the time) video game console like the PS2. Yes, if you compare "Digimon World Data Squad" (or "Digimon Savers: Another Mission" as it's known in Japan which is more fitting, imho, since it's not really connected with the original Digimon World trilogy) with other PlayStation 2 games of 2007, obviously, this game is lacking in a lot things -- however, I can still name some that I think weren't given enough credit. It is for this very reason that I can't help but think the critics were way too harsh on this game. Say what you want -- maybe I am blinded by nostalgia goggles and whatnot, but I've played way too many bad video games to classify this one as a complete disaster.
First of all, the graphics. People judging this game in hindsight are spoiled by the plethora of cel-shaded video games currently in existence, and don't realize that this was one of the first few titles on the PS2 to fully utilize cel-shaded graphics. Is it timeless, without a single flaw, and holding up extremely well in comparison to other cel-shaded games of today? No... but was it executed poorly? Absolutely not. I still enjoy the look of this game, it resembles the television series quite faithfully which was a breath of fresh air after the odd CGI/clay-like look of previous Digimon games on PlayStation. There are also some really nice visual details that further help to translate the concept of a 'digital world' -- the sky, ocean, as well as some specific areas of the terrain in the game have a hexagonal pattern hinting at the fact that you are not in the real world, and other decorations such as luminous tree stumps have been strategically placed in certain places to give the appearance of a futuristic/artificial realm. It's these little details that make the game world "pop." Also, all of the game missions have a nice & unique color scheme, which makes them quite memorable and pleasant to explore.
Other things I enjoyed were the music, animations, and certain gameplay features. Once again, none of them are exactly revolutionary, but they're far from bad. Obviously, one of the central features of any Digimon game is the ability to level up and evolve your Digimon into different forms. Data Squad introduces the concept of "galaxies" which are constellations of stars that provide the player with previews of possible evolution patterns for the six main partner Digimon. This is fun because each evolution has a certain set of requirements the player must meet in order to "unlock" it, some of which are quite challenging and/or require the completion of side quests and bonus boss battles.
And now that the fun stuff is out of the way, let's move onto the sources of frustration. The game can feel EXTREMELY repetitive with enemy encounters every 5 seconds or so which CANNOT be skipped unless one buys an item to repel enemies (and the said item is available for purchase fairly late into the game). This sole gameplay feature is so off-putting that I don't hold it against anybody if they quit playing the game after 30 seconds. Certain battles tend to drag on for ages which makes certain maze-like dungeons/levels with multiple floors literally a nightmare to explore. Then there's the story... oh boy. I pity everyone who purchased this game not knowing being a Digimon fan is more or less a requirement because the game is quite heavy on dialogue & text, and it assumes some previous knowledge of the Digimon lore. I enjoyed it, but I understand it's probably unbearable for the majority of people. The protagonists are bland and one-dimensional, and the plot twist near the end quite predictable to say the least.
For me -- this is one of my favorite Digimon games out there, although there's admittedly a lot of room for improvement, and I can see why a lot of people didn't enjoy playing it. It is, however, far from being the worst game ever. If you like Digimon, and if you can muster up some patience to get through the billion enemy encounters, there's a lot of great stuff waiting for you. If you don't like Digimon, this isn't a game for you. If you've never heard of Digimon, this game is not the best introduction.
7/10
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PlayStation 2
I never once thought I would say this about anything Digimon, but stop. Just stop. Bandai is ruining the good name of Digimon. The battle system is ridiculously under thought and the desire to keep playing is nonexistent.
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PlayStation 2
Summary Marcus Damon is both a smart 14 year old and an undefeated street fighter, but he does not fight with his fists alone. As a member of the secretive DATS (Data Squad), Marcus and his team examine the mysterious disappearance of numerous kids. During the course of the investigation, the Seven Demon Kings arrive, wreaking havoc across the w...
Rated E +10
for Everyone +10
Platforms:
- PlayStation 2
Initial Release Date: Sep 18, 2007
Developer:
- Bec
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Genres:
