Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5503 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Midway Games Ltd
• Released on: 2005-03-11
• Platform: PlayStation2

Manufacturer's Description
Shadow Hearts 2 is a sequel to the critically acclaimed first installment, released in 2001. Taking place over a year after the original ended, Yuri embarks on a new expedition set during World War I in a fantastical world of magic and creatures. Cursed by a secret cult that is taking advantage of the war to fulfil their evil ambitions, Yuri’s morphing abilities are weakened. Yuri and his companions must journey to find a cure for his curse and defeat the malevolent cult.

Customer Reviews

Has Final Fantasy found a rival?
Being a huge fan of the Final Fantasy game I was a little weary at first at the thought of a different RPG under the name "shadow hearts". I read the reviews and the battle system sounded like fun. The price of the game was reduced to £17.00 on amazon so I thought I'd take a chance. I'm glad I did.

The storyline within Shadow Hearts, although I havent played the first one, was understandable and fairly easy to understand. Within around 3 hours playing time (I like to train my players up early on!) more of the first story is uncovered, meaning the producers of this game put a lot of thought into their target market. Although only halfway through the game, the storyline is gripping and the characters are distinguised easily. It's rare in a game where you feel emotionally attached to 1 particular character, let alone the whole bunch of them. I even found myself enjoying encountering a brain-less foe calld Lenny.

The battle system is an extremely enjoyable element of Shadow Hearts and I enjoy laoding up the fight scenes just for the judgement ring. On many RPG games I found myself groaning halfway through the game with the annoying whooshing sound (Final Fantasy) that is evident in almost all RPG games. Shadow Hearts makes this part of the game extremely enjoyable, even if it is a turn-based battle system still.

The sound effects and music are also fairly enjoyable but after 8 hours playing time I found myself getting slightly bored of the repetitive battle music. That's my personal opinion though, the music overall is extremely effective in capturing the mood in each of the different areas and the boss music really brings an element of suspense and tension when trying to beat those tough buggers! And yes the bosses on this game are extremely difficult, I would advise training your players up in each area as it really helps with the bosses.

The combo system is another enjoyable and tricky element which really helps with big bosses. Get one move wrong and your combo is gone. Phenominal. Getting a combo wrong could be the difference between a win and a loss in a boss fight. I was reluctant to try the combo system to start off with but the pay-off is worth it and is almost compulsory if you want to get past the bosses.

Overall I would recommend this game to anyone who is passionate about RPG games and wants something refreshingly different but still maintaining the same light-hearted feel of Final Fantasy, this is the perfect game and in my opinion one of the best RPG games to come out on the PS2. Don't delay, buy it today!

One of the best RPG Games for Playstation 2!!!
I have played almost every RPG game for Playstation 2 and, believe me, this was one of the best! I could even dare to say that it is as good as the final fantasy games are! The graphics are perfect, the battle system quite interesting and the plot amazing! I had to spend almost 50 hours to finish this game (including the time spent on sidequests) but it was worth it! If I had to point out one disadvantage, I found it quite hard to follow the plot in the beginning, as I had not played the Shadow Hearts I title... But this problem was solved in a couple of hours. I woud give it a 9/10 for its graphics, an 8/10 for the sound, a 9.5/10 for the plot and an overall 9/10. Believe me, this game is great! I totally recommend it to RPG lovers!

Simply Great
I wasn't to sure about the 'Judgement Ring' as battles form the bulk of any RPG. If the battle system is flawed you won't enjoy the game.

Every game that I play, I always like to do a little free run. Skip the intro's and dialogue and get into the main part of the game.
I was pleased you could skip the cutscenes for that purpose.

I won't give you the story outline as many before me have done that honor.

Graphics: 8
Beautifully rendered backdrops with characters that seemed to fit the whole scene. Battle graphics aren't to bad - not as detailed as it could have been.. but acceptable - and the rule of thumb is - Graphics don't make a good game.

Music: 9
As quite a game music lover - I found the music pleasing to the ear. Usually the battle music tends to get monotonous but I found myself humming along to it during every fight.

Sound: 7
Well the voice acting was a bit on the disappointing side. One of the playable characters looks like a little girl but the voice actress sounds mid/late 20's.
I think they could have chosen a more suitable actress that was nearer the age of the character they were trying to portray.
Other grating voice talents were a guy on a cushion and those awful shopkeepers.. ugh.
Other than that the acting was average. Although if someone is from Japan, you would expect them to have a Japanese accent and this was not the case.

Gameplay: 9
Back to the 'Judgement Ring' which is used for many different things throughout the game. Not just the battles, but in shops, some mini games and various other places.
The 'Judgement Ring System is interactivity unlike any other - always keeping you on your toes. If you miss a vital strike range (especially with magic) you won't cast it.
Also characters can link their attacks to form a combo which is always satisfying.
Outside the battles, you have a rich storyline covering Europe and Japan spanning 2 discs.

Overall: 8.9
Playing Shadow Hearts 2: Covenant has been addictivingly great. I haven't finished it yet, but already on Disc 2, I can safely say this came highly recommended forcing me to buy the original title today.
Eagerly awaiting the third installment.