Crimson Gem Saga is one of the PSP's newer RPG games, yet it falls back on what the genre is best at: throwing a well done game chock full of clichés and a gamut of experiences we've gone through before. Yet, is this necessarily a bad thing, especially when the game isn't trying to innovate in any possible way. For the most part, yes, and this game succeeds solely on this reason alone.

Graphics: 10/10

The game's graphics are easily the best trait the game possesses. Not only is each sprite fully detailed and beautiful, they all have their own unique animations and some of the best character art I have ever seen in a JRPG. Almost every aspect is reminiscent of days gone by, and even the enemies have their own subtle charm. It is the isometric view that does this game justice, giving an incredible view on the bright, vivid world and all of the different, albeit 2D graphics.

Sound: 8/10

As for the audio, the game shines here, although not quite as much when compared to the graphics. The music itself is the standard JRPG medley, with quiet little melodies to ominous dungeon overtures that set the mood of the environment you are in. But, it's nothing you haven't heard before, especially if you've played any RPG’s before the GameCube/Xbox generation came out. As for the sound effects, they are basically the same as always. A clashing of metal for a sword slash, the explosive noise of a fire spell, the chink of ice spells, the bzzzt of electricity spells, the whoosh of wind, and all the standard RPG noises that we all love so dearly.

This game features quite a bit of voice acting, and before you decide to rupture your own eardrums with a wooden spoon listen to them. The game's voice acting is some of the best I’ve ever witnessed. Each line is delivered with life and spirit, not as if the actors are reading off script cards. All of your party members have a distinct voice that bring out their characters personalities and pulls you further into the story.

Gameplay: 7/10

The gameplay in itself is completely solid. In saying that, and if you've been reading so far which hopefully you have, you'll realizes that it is the same as almost every other turn based game out there. It serves its purpose, and with flying colors. I will repeat that one more time and in capital letters so you understand well…. THIS IS A TURN BASED RPG. If you are not a fan of that play style then walk away now, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you jump headfirst into the game and groan and complain when you realize it is turn based.

First, you will realize that there are almost no innovative features in the gameplay department. Imagine that, after all this talk of sticking to old school formatting there is nothing new and exciting about the gameplay!!! Like The Legend of Heroes, the Atelier/ Mana Khemia series, or any Tales of... game, the enemies wander around the field without forcing you to drudge through random encounter battles every few seconds. This is a unanimous plus, though all of the enemies look the same on the map so there is no telling what exactly you will end up fighting. The game allows you to use your stealth skills obtained from Metal Gear Solid games and sneak up upon the foes by running behind them and touching them when they aren’t looking, granted there is no cardboard box to hide in, obtaining a preemptive strike where your fighting party smacks the enemies for decent, initial damage. Your opponents can do the same to you though, with a large exclamation point appearing over their heads if they spot you, so be ever vigilant for monsters when out on the field.

The most disappointing thing about the game play is the skill system that allows your characters to learn special moves. At the conclusion of every successful battle your party is awarded with some money, experience, and skill points. You read right, the party is rewarded skill points and not each individual character like Star Ocean does. So you’re entire party shares a pool of skill points and things can’t get worse right? WRONG. The skill tree branches off like any other game, but the advanced skills are not revealed when you learn the preceding set of skills. They actually cost skill points to show themselves so you can know what you have to pay even more skill points to actually use.  This is the only aspect of the game that I will admit I utterly despise.

Overall: 8/10

For those who read all the way through my review I thank you and hope you will consider playing this classic style JRPG. For those too lazy I will summarize everything real quick. Crimson Gem Saga is an old school style JRPG with breathtaking sprites and character art along with splendid music and voice acting. The gameplay is fun with a great, standard turn based system, though frustrating at times with a bad skill system and a lot of grinding. The story is generic and has enough twists to make it entertaining. Overall, this is a more than adequate current day make of old school style gaming.

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