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PSX  9.99$ 4.0
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by SepheroT
from 2d floor of hot, , damn Hell		Dec 4, 2004
Darkstone isn’t a bad game, it’s just that the Playstation port is a bit of a cop-out. When playing Darkstone it is so painfully and conspicuously a *port* that it is impossible to shake the feeling that something isn’t quite right with it. It plays like a PC RPG that has been gutted to fit into the console format and all of the things that make RPGs so expansive on the PC were missing in the ported version.

The town you begin the adventure in is lifeless and shallow with only a few stores and virtually no NPC interaction. The world beyond the town is broken up into self-contained areas each structured in exactly the same way: a square-shaped overworld with an artificial and obvious ring of trees around the perimeter to “fence off” the section. The overworld itself is a vast field of empty space, save for one dungeon entrance and one other structure of some kind where you must perform a small quest for whoever lives there. Once you have cleared an area the next one opens up and there is no reason to go back. The entire game is a rinse and repeat cycle with the occasional trip back into town to upgrade equipment and restock items. Instead of quests being random as I gather they were in the PC version, in the port they simply picked a few of the quests and put them in a specific fixed order.

Ok, so Darkstone is a little short in the quests department and is about as linear as they come. But it does do several things well. You are given many different character types to choose from and can specify male or female. Each character has a different way of fighting which makes it well worth your while to replay the game numerous times with different characters. The game uses an overhead perspective and fighting is done in real-time (like Ultima VIII or Diablo). Fighting and exploring the dungeons are the best parts of the game (which is fortunate since most of the game is spent doing this). So what Darkstone lacks in depth and development, it makes up for by supplying pure hack n’ slash fun. Your character levels up in the traditional way by fighting and gaining experience points, and there is a nice variety of items and spells to use.

Graphics are quite blocky (another consequence of being a port) but the game is far from awful to look at. The audio is also nicely done with tasteful bits of voice-acting included. For example, when your character levels up you’ll year a “Yes!!” and when he is out of mana but tries to cast a spell he’ll say “I do not have enough mana.” There is a full-length song MP3 which one of the town NPCs will sing if you give her a coin, which was a neat extra touch—almost like having a little music video within the game.

Is it original? Not really. The story of “dragon threatening the land who must be defeated by collecting shards of a crystal” is about as clichéd as they come. Are there similar games that do the same thing only better? Well, yes. But Darkstone is definitely worth picking up if you’re a fan of the genre. It probably won’t change your life, but it’s more than capable of holding your interest for at least one time through. (After that though, you might want to use those 6 blocks of memory for something else.)

6 out of 12 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  Dark Stone the Ultiment Review 5.0
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by Amara
from Rivendell, , Middle Earth		Mar 17, 2004
Blizzard's 1997 smash PC hit Diablo took the gaming community by storm, creating one of the most popular game franchises of all time. In an effort to cash in on the success of the Diablo formula, Delphine Software Interactive has released Darkstone for the PlayStation. While it may not have originally been planned for the bargain bin, Darkstone has a retail price of just under $10, making what would otherwise be an unremarkable title reasonably attractive to prospective game shoppers.

Most good RPGs have a strong foundation in character generation and advancement. Darkstone lets you take on the role of a warrior, thief, wizard, or priest, with alternate male or female versions of each class also available. Each character class has its strengths and weaknesses in the traits of strength, vitality, dexterity, and magic, and after creation, these traits are fully customizable to suit your individual style of play. Darkstone uses the familiar conventions of life, mana, and hunger, but management becomes something of a chore at times--the character inventory screen seems badly designed, the hunger indicator is hard to find, and manipulating your inventory isn't very intuitive.

Developing your character is enjoyable, with a multitude of spells, skills, and weapons available for customization. Monsters and items are randomized and continually spawn, leaving no shortage of things to kill and stuff to pillage. After reaching a certain level, you can proceed from novice mode to play in higher difficulties, where stronger creatures and better items await. Leveling up isn't as much of a chore as it is in other RPGs, given the game's action-based interface, which forces you to undertake timely maneuvering, spell casting, potion quaffing, and weapon use during any given melee. The point and click interface of Diablo has been replaced with an auto-aim attack that performs admirably well. If you're so inclined, you can hurl projectiles before the enemy has been targeted and land a few preemptive strikes--hitting characters offscreen is dirty, but it's effective.

Darkstone employs fully polygonal models and 3D environments, though when compared with other recent PlayStation releases, the game appears dated and crude. The particle effects and lighting are impressive considering the aging hardware, and they don't seem to cause any slowdown in the fast-paced action. The analog sticks and the triangle button control your camera angles and zoom, letting you alter the perspective to fit your mood. The more distant overhead views are the most suitable for the gameplay, as the closer views restrict movement and exploration. Shifting your camera angles on the fly as you navigate becomes a necessary skill, although the lack of a behind-the-back camera or other automatic perspective-shifting tool makes controlling your point of view yet another thing to struggle with during adventuring. The total lack of a compass or mapping feature is a grave oversight that mandates the use of the "teleport to previous location" function far too often. The load times are quite hefty, and they detract from the enjoyable exploration and leveling aspects of the game. Darkstone is not exactly stunning in the audio department, but there are a couple of enjoyable tunes strewn throughout the game, including the jovial minstrel and singer's anthem in the town square. The enemies are rather silent, though, and your character keeps quiet fairly often, save for an annoying exclamation of joy while leveling up.

Sadly, the ability to play as two characters at once, the distinction that set the PC game apart from Diablo, is not available in the PlayStation version, as was originally planned. The dated graphics and the lack of any kind of two-player mode also detract from the otherwise attractive package. However, with all the character options and its nearly infinite replayability, Darkstone makes an excellent case for making a modest $10 investment.
8 out of 14 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  The Biggest Little Game Ever 4.0
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by SerialZero
from Pumpkin Falls, AZ, United States		Mar 17, 2004
THE GOOD:
Great replay value, multiple character classes, unlockable bonus features, excellent music and sound.

THE BAD:
Chintzy graphics

SUMMARY:
Even though I like to refer to Darkstone as "Poor Man's Diablo", it's nevertheless a very fun and addictive game.

Darkstone allows for RPG-caliber gameplay time, because players won't be finishing this game in a week before they forget about it. With the wide array of missions and difficulty levels, it promises more entertainment value than the ten dollars most people have probably spent on it from the Bargain Bin.

The music is well-composed, and doesn't end up getting on your nerves because it's actually instrumental and atmospheric as opposed to the irritating twang of synthesized background sound. Another suprising factor was the Darkstone song that even has its own music video, which is unlockable by successfully finishing the game once.

The replay value is phenomenal. Not only do you have eight character classes that you can play with, but if you run into trouble progressing through the game, you can dismiss your character from the adventure, then have them restart a new game with the same stats they left off at. This, combined with the fact the missions for each land level change at random when you start a new game makes for unique runs.

The only problem I had with Darkstone is that the transfer of graphics from the PC version were a bit stilted. There's very little detail in character and monster design, though the rest of the game makes up for that quite a bit.

7 out of 12 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  Worth a look,, honest! 3.8
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by HellCloud
from , , 		Oct 19, 2003
THE GOOD:
A challenging RPG/Adventure game, that's for sure! The battle plan is a no brainer, but it makes that up for being difficult. To master Dark Stone, you will have to level up a lot, because bosses aren't what I would exactly call easy.

THE BAD:
The voice acting is obnoxious. The limitations to item holding. The amount of memory blocks Dark Stone takes up. The music is a little flat. And the sound effects aren't the best either.

SUMMARY:
But let's face the facts. Dark Stone isn't a bad game at all, and it is worthy of an RPG/Adventure game. Sure, it won't revolutionalize the way games are, but it is a game RPG fans should look into. Also, this game will probably only speak to the hardcore RPG gamers. Still, if you are interested, it doesn't hurt to check it out.

8 out of 13 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  DARK STONE Wizards at there BEST 4.9
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by Mac 101
Nov 14, 2002
THE GOOD:
U R able to get more than 8 heroes.The magic is the best i have ever seen.

THE BAD:
U can not find it nowere

SUMMARY:
The Wizard is the best.He is able to get all the magic and the master's sward.There are also a few cheats.I have found magic Weapons that make the game worth playing and buying.It is a great game all around.
I give it FIVE STARS.If u get this game and need help look me up @ cmcjk aol.com.

11 out of 18 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  good game 5.0
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by DeSoLaTiOn
from Richmond, KY, united states		Aug 24, 2002
THE GOOD:
lots of stuffs

THE BAD:
not much

SUMMARY:
this game basicly is a good game but the aging can screw you up badly. you can customize your dude the way you want them to be rather than some suck-ass automatic thing. i personally like the assassin class but that is just me. you have to get 7 crystals to go kill a shapeshifting bad guy called draak



14 out of 20 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  Darkstone: Good, but could've been better 2.9
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by Zeus Weapon
from , , 		Aug 19, 2002
THE GOOD:
Large weapon variety and decent spells. Plus, the Skills really helped. And the fact that you choose which stat you want to raise. Random quests arrangments boost the replay value. And don't forget the Elixers of Youth.

THE BAD:
Graphics were really chalky and pixelly, the music was too short, the sound effects weren't that great, storyline was kinda pathetic and the quests were a little too easy and got repetitive. I didn't quite like the aging system because then your characters can grow old, weaken and eventually die!

SUMMARY:
One thing I didn't like was that the PSX version had none of the features that the PC one did, like being able to create and control two characters, playing online, and the sidequests. Nonetheless, Darkstone's a decent action/RPG game that will tide my over 'till I get Dark Age of Camelot working again...

8 out of 16 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


PSX  Darkstone-BARELY WORTH IT 2.4
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by vecman
from oceanside, new york, usa		Oct 24, 2001
THE GOOD:
It's only 10 dollars .Cool music .Nice variety of characters .Characters are very custumizable .

THE BAD:
Graphics aren't too good .Story line isn't told good .It gets boreing quick .Sound isn't good .

SUMMARY:
You get what you pay for best describes this game .Although it is only $10 it has many problems .The biggest is that it is hard to stay intrested in the game .When a character levels up you can choose which stats to raise so you can make a character who really fits your style .Overall the game isn't really worth it .It would be a better investment to put the $10 to a greatest hits game .

8 out of 26 people found this review helpful.Did you find this review helpful? YES  NO


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