Magna Carta 2 [마그나카르타 2] Game Sample - Xbox 360
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- Опубликовано: 8 окт 2024
- "Magna Carta 2" is an above average RPG developed exclusively for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and it's a bit of a bittersweet one as well. Released Internationally in 2009 by Namco Bandai Games (except in South Korea, where it was published by Banpresto) with development handled by SoftMax, it is, by many accounts, the last major title produced by the company... here's a little dose of history folks.
Formed originally in 1993 and officially founded in 1994, SoftMax was one of the premier South Korean development outlets and one of the most famous game studios in South Korea's history (it was also founded by a woman, Jeong Younghee / Jeong Youngwon, struggling in an industry dominated by men, making her one of the field's visionaries). Softmax created many fine games on a variety of platforms from MS-DOS like Lychnis, Sky & Rica, The War of Genesis (a strategy series that was essentially their bread and butter), Aimpoint and more to their migration to Windows with Panthalassa: The Alternative NOAH (a wonderfully weird aquatic TRPG), Tempest (a WoG spinoff), Rhapsody of Zephyr (another WoG spinoff which was inspired by "The Count of Monte Cristo") and the original Magna Carta (MC: The Phantom of Avalanche, NOT the PS2 follow-up) to their introduction to mobile and MMOs (with "Talesweaver" being a breakaway success and one of the most enduring MMOs in Korea, it's based on the fantasy novel "Children of the Rune") to really trying to break into console development and publishing (MC: Tears of Blood / MC2, the fun Golf Shiyouyo games, etc.).
While they released several mobile games like Magna Carta M and TrainCrasher and tagged their name to some popular works like Dungeon Fighter Live, they ceased existing as we knew it by the early 2010s and, after being acquired and renamed to ESA, became insignificant as a game production company despite roughly two decades of success in the field. By the mid 2010s, SoftMax's IPs were essentially sold off (to whom, it is not entirely clear, though the WoG IP was sold to Next Floor / LINE Games), and they effectively no longer exist. The company had already mounted plenty of controversy among gamers and consumers over the years, but they were still an important cornerstone of the industry... you can get some comprehensive info on their history here (it's actually pretty fascinating):
namu.wiki/w/%E...
But I digress friends. Let's talk MC2. It's your run-of-the-mill story of a mysterious OP youth (Juto) who suffers from amnesia and gets swept up in a war with a beautiful warrior princess (Zephie of the Southern Forces) and tyrannical usurper (Shuenzeit of the Northern Forces). Much chaos and wonder ensues for the fate of Lanzheim, but not much actually goes on as the pace of the plot is admittedly very slow when it doesn't matter and fast (i.e. rushed) when it does and also predictable. It's at least delivered in a satisfactory manner due to a great dub crew (Johnny Yong Bosch, Steve Blum, Yuri Lowenthal, Stephanie Sheh, Wendee Lee, etc.). It's not "bad" and there's plenty of worldbuilding if you care to look, but not before countless menial / optional quests.
The gameplay is where MC2 excels; it's generally seen as a large improvement over previous entries in the series and ditches the superfluous (albeit unique) combat and system mechanics of the previous games in favor of something more streamlined and somewhat reminiscent of the Seiken Densetsu / Mana games and Level 5's "White Knight Chronicles" (without the MMO aspects). Characters can alternate between a movement mode while travelling the field and a combat mode when approaching enemies in real-time combat. The game doesn't have a typical skill / magic system with MP or the like and instead utilizes points you accumulate through fighting and other means called "Kan" as well as a cooldown system triggered by excessive use of combos and skills which adds a strategic element. Exceeding your cooldown threshold causes characters to go into Overdrive where they deal more damage with continued attacks but are stunned when they run out of attacks, but they can also switch to another character beforehand to form a "Chain" and when all active members activate overdrives and chains without overheating, a "Chain Break" occurs and restores everyone's stamina. Successful use of this system gets the most out of combat. Players can also indulge in quests, mini-games and an enhancement system using "Kamonds" (think of it as a sort of materia / sphere grid system), among other conveniences. Another cool factor is each character has two different fighting styles based on weapons and skill tree for both.
The graphics and sound are also above average with sexy illustrations / designs by the great chad, Hyung-tae Kim (now leading Shift Up w/ Stellar Blade and Nikke), and the game spans two discs. Overall, it's another noteworthy 360 exclusive. This is a video showcasing various things. Enjoy.
I absolutely love the writeups in the description! This is one of the best channels for finding cool, obscure games
Absolutely agree
Love the storyline! this is one of those games I'd sit and play through!🎮🎮
Vyse, may I ask, where did you get your modded Xbox? I recently have been looking to get another Xbox 360 to hunt down some exclusives from that gen, and noticed they're pretty cheap at Gamestop since they started putting up "retro" stuff again, but I have a modded *OGXbox* and didn't even think to look into modded Xbox 360s. But that dashboard at the start of the video is so slick. I would rather pay more for a 360 loaded with digital games, especially some of the old XBLA ones that are delisted now and can ONLY be played on modded consoles now, than buy a vanilla console and hunt down games one at a time on eBay.
Magna Carta 2 is definitely one of those games that's locked on the 360 that I would like to try sometime.
Howdy! Unfortunately, it's just my original OG Xbox that's modded (and needs to go out for repairs at the moment) but I don't have a modded 360, I just bought a lot of games, lol. It's something I need to look into as there are a few region-specific 360 exclusives I'd like to hunt down.
I might be the minority,but i prefer and like Magna Carta 1 more than 2