awsome multi player
k right off the bat I'm gonna tell you: the AI partners in this game are dumb as rocks, thats why im giving it a 4 1/2 instead of 5. however, that doesn't mean the game is unplayable, it just means that certain parts may require more of you're time. multiplayer, however, is probably one of the most fun experiances ive had on a ds. if you can get all 4 players in the same room then its an amazing experiance, with fun times to be had by all. also, with the lack of money, getting good items is alot easier with friends around. online is pretty good too, except for the lag. sometimes it would freeze for mabey 4 whole seconds BUT it would never disconnect, so you dont have to worry about losing any save data.
onto the game. first off i wanna bring up the graphics. fairly decent 3d that runs and plays smoothly. all items have models, so you can instantly see new armor and helmets you put on. weapons can only be drawn on maps where you fight, so you have to wait till you get there to see them. next is the engine: freaking awsome. standard a to attack b to jump, but as you gain levels your charactor gets more moves like charge attack, charge guard, and longer attack combos. press y to pick up items, or pick up enemies if you feel like it. if you have an enemy in youre hands, pressing a will attack it. you can pick up friends and toss them up to previously unreachable areas, etc. x is magic, press and hold to cast the magic that you have highlighted on the bottom screen. you can jump and attackc in the air, or hold the attack button to do a downwards stab. you can jump ontop of enemies and keep smashing a to stomp on them. a new addition is swimming, jump in the water, press x to dive (no magic in the water) a to attack, y to pick up items and be to jump out. all round i must say that this engine has alot of nifty things that i like, if they have more games like this, then i would buy them in a heartbeat.
the monsters are generally the same as the first ds cc, rin g of fates, with a few new additions. the bosses however are all 100% new, and all re-fightable for treasure. and a nice little thing is that they each have a gimmick that you can exploit to cause major damage. the first boss, for instance, has a loose helmet (due to an incident that is humourously explained in a cutscene a little farthur into the game) so after a few hits to the face it gets knocked off and his head is exposed so you can smash his face.
theres a quest system that is similar to tales of symphonia 2, you go to a moogle, select a quest, and you're brought to a stage where the quest takes place, and upon completion you are givin a box with the quest prize and then a moogle starts tossing bonus items everywhere. these are good for money and xp, and to get some rarer items to make orders at the custom order shop.
theres alot more to discover in this game, and im only part way through it, but im having fun with my friends and so shall you.