Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim

This is the first Y's PS2 adventure game, and the first one I have ever played. A guy with red hair who apparently is a bit of a notorious adventurer gets knocked off a boat during a battle at sea and is washed up on a island. Unable to escape because of the surrounding whirlpool, he soon makes friends with the inhabitants, which include strange beings with tails and big ears plus human refugees who were shipwrecked there before him. Another quest awaits the guy when he discovers that there is a strange force trying to escape an ancient seal to rule the world. He enlists the help of a priestess, her psychic little sister and a mysterious hatchet wielding man, but will he make it? That all depends on YOU.

Putting this on is like returning to the mid 90's. Everything about it screams SUPER Nintendo, and apart from some fancy FMVs, recorded voiceovers and the orchestral soundtrack, it could just have easily have been made in the 16-bit era. That doesn't mean to say it is a bad game, it is easy to pick up and play.. with an simple to follow plot and a very uncomplicated control mechanism. It's just that you expect a bit more out of the next generation consoles, and my overriding reaction when it was completed after 15 hours gametime was "Is that it?" Without much in the way of secret areas and bonuses to find either, the longevity is probably limited too. Y's will have to do better next time if the series is to hold my interest. 6/10