Breath of Fire IV

THE BAD:
I don't really know but the controlling system a little bit hard,just a little bit......

SUMMARY:
Very good game......I don't know what to say.....I still playing this game because I did not finished this game yet!But from my observation,the graphics are superb,and the storyline not boring at all.The unique of this game is it have mini-games like fishing and the others.Don't play-play haaa....

I've got a hints for Hide and Seek mini-games!!
-First,talk to the small kid playing with his dumb toy near the collapsed wall in orphanage to get the first kid.
-Go east,the second kid must be under the archway near the orphanage .
-The next kid is under the opening where the town entrance is,easy to find.
-Other kid is on the stairs next to the entrance that lead to the walkway(I spend time to search this kid)
-Next kid is hiding down the stairs near the wall,and behind the house with a guy guarding in front of the door.
-Next kid is in the inn and go up the stairs(there is a creature selling item in there)
-And for the last one.....try to find it yourself

THE BAD:
a bit too easy, irksome music, the endings

SUMMARY:
I learned of Breath of Fire IV through a friend at the university. I'm quite a diehard fan of RPG titles, and she never was until she picked up this title; she couldn't keep her hands off of it. If that were the case, I figured there was something redeeming, to say the least, about this sequel in the series.

Having played through the third installment, I was incredibly glad to see a much thicker plot in this title. Unlike the loosely connected quests before that really are glorified dungeon hacks and scavenger searches for who needs what item to get to the next area, Breath of Fire IV features a flowing tale of the battle between gods and a corrupt humanity seeking to destroy itself through war. Ryu reappears as the main character except he's given an immense importance as one of the Endless -- or, of such beings comparable to "gods" whose movements through time and space are profound. For Nina, Cray, Ershin, Scias, and Ursula of the Fou Empire, their lives become, in a word, entangled in Ryu's fate as he journeys to find his other half, Fou-Lu, the First Emperor. Why these two come together become crucial to the plot. In humanity bringing Fou-Lu to the world to unite the all-powerful Empire, the summoners' ineptness with the ancient magic resulted in a partite split. The God become embodied partially in Ryu and in Fou-Lu; the two halves seek each other for completion. In the meantime, Nina and Cray search for her sister, Elina, of Wyndia; and it makes sense, per definition of Ryu's place in the world, that the remaining five party members become thoroughly caught in Ryu's overriding quest. Needless to say, the writers were skilled enough to pen an encompassing tale -- in few occasions such as this one, I want to keep going to find out what happens next! Big plus.

Though gamers will spend the greater part in Ryu's company, there are moments in which you control Fou-Lu. As you battle with him, you learn that he, for all intents and purposes, is Ryu's counterpart; they carry the same skills and Ascension rites to dragonhood, but Ryu represents the "fire" element contradicting Fou-Lu's "water." Don't get carried away, though. If Breath of Fire IV were a play, then Fou-Lu's actions serve as mere intermissions. He does little to shape the main quest, only by inconveniently taking (or having the chance to, anyway) the items Ryu and company discover because they visit the same few areas in the Western continent.

Gameplay is vastly improved over the third title. Unlike BoF 3, your entourage travels with you the entire time. There is no swapping in-and-out of party members; your inactive characters rest and recover AP in the back ranks while your favored three fight the battles. Everyone picks up the experience points, shares the Zenny, and all can use Guard to learn new skills from enemies. Aurum is plentiful; you can easily swap skills and abilities (as well as Pool unused ones) as you see fit.

Moreover, your party can seek apprenticeships from one of twelve masters scattered throughout the world. It isn't incredibly difficult to master them all, provided you've got the patience to do some extra mini-game play or practicing combo attacks and super moves in the field. For the most part, the abilities you can pick up from the Masters are useful and the level-up modifiers they bestow are more practical and effective than not. Better still, you can change your master at a moment's notice in the Camp screen -- in case you want to boost Nina's power and HP instead of lending her even more Wisdom points than usual. (Still, I found myself expediting the characters' natural strengths: boosting Nina's Wisdom, Scia's Agility, or Cray's Power and Defense.) And for what it's worth, you benefit greatly from the Master's teachings, though you'll find yourself a bit frustrated at picking through "useful" techniques.

Unlike the Genetics system of BoF 3, Ryu and Fou-Lu discover enchanted crystals in the world to ascend to one of six different dragon types. Truth be told, even the novice gamer should be able to find all six crystals; the game designers interspersed them almost evenly throughout the game. Unfortunately, you'll really get the most use out of one or two different types. Though each dragon represents a specific element and has its corresponding useful skills, non-elemental breath attacks will usually play the biggest part in felling encountered bosses.

Much of my 60 hours with the title was spent fiddling around with the mini-games. While some are important to move the plot along (i.e. working for Marlok at Fisherman's Wharf to secure passage into the Empire), you can easily get your fill of fishing, the Faerie Village, or for selling your wares to the Manillo to pick up improved items. You can race your sandflier to secure the best time and to practice tricks. And you'll have to do that to pick up the Sand Dragon, so hey, there's plenty to do here. With mini-games though you get as much fun out of it as you would with most titles, so if you don't care too much about completing the title, no big whoop. But, hey, it's still an improvement over what BoF 3 featured.

Gamers may be a bit dissatisfied with the difficulty. I managed to get through it without my team dying, and though I would say strategy helped in the endeavor, your characters tend to be strong and fast enough to put in that last ditch effort to save themselves instead of expiring. (If you think that's something, you should see Ursula whenever she's knocked out in battle. Forget the Soul Gem. She'll get up almost every time.) The music, though nicely done, tends to drone on about midway through the game; you'll hear the same few tracks over and over, and that can become grating. But the most painful blow comes with completing the game.

Spoiler warning!

The obviously more challenging choice is to resist joining with Fou-Lu at the game's conclusion. You will, predictably, fight Fou-Lu in all his forms (human, dragon, superior dragon); he's not too terribly difficult to beat if you're patient enough. I think the writers wanted a quick finish for the tale, so after Ryu absorbs Fou-Lu, he (get this!) talks for the first time and intends to chase off all the other gods to keep the world at ease. Japanese credits and an end song later, everybody returns to their homes. The end. If clearing the game didn't enable you to pick up right where you left off at Imperial Castle and gives some extra adventuring on top of it, then I wouldn't have opted to do the second ending.

Unfortunately, the "bad" ending (joining with Fou-Lu) sucks. You can easily best your former friends with Soul Rend and a nicely placed elemental attack. The new Fou-Lu says he's made the right choice. That's it.

Don't let a bad ending deter you. You might not want to pick up this title for a second replay until you're tired of your other games, but for what it's worth, the first round through is a stellar performance. Unlike Dragon Warrior VII which produced all but role playing nausea, this sequel is worth the price and the effort.

THE BAD:
some citys are too small

SUMMARY:
i didn't the breath of fire games until i played this one it just blow me away.i spend over 35£ renting this game out.i just love it so much the anime fmv are coool the graphic are 100% ace and the summoing dragoon part was truely ace.the storyline is one to die for.well you be mad to buy or rent this game out

THE BAD:
Gets boring after about 2 hours. All the music sounds the same.

SUMMARY:
Altogether, this isn't a bad game. Good character designs. Cities seem like actual cities because of how crowded cities are. The world map is different as well.
Personally, this world map seems more suitable for a breath of fire.

THE BAD:
-Lame 2d graphics
-Gets boring after 1 or 2 times of playing it
-Gets kinda annoiying swiching back and forth through main chracters

SUMMARY:
Well, I thought this was a pretty good game not the best but good none the less. It features 2d and 3d graphics at once, which gets kinda weird sometimes but is still cool to see. Some of you might not like it as much because of Final Fantasy, but personally, I like it a little bit better. It is pretty cool to see a Tight looking dragon suddenly appear in battle, when you summon or transform into one. Oh yeah, it also comebines anime into the fight, which is sweeet. But if you want a good RPG, with at least 40 hours or more of play, with alot of side quests and mini games, extremely hard bosses, and alot of cool spells, then this game is for you.

THE BAD:
The bosses at the end are way to hard, unless you use my good friend Gameshark Ver 2.0 Hehe. But if your not into having Uber char's make sure to get the strategy guide

SUMMARY:
Blah Blah Blah did I mention that ryu's dragon powers are awsome, *Spoiler* Especially when he messes baddies up with the Kaiser dragon *Spoiler end*