Crimson Sea
Crimson Sea (紅の海, Kurenai no Umi) is a 2002 video game released exclusively for the Microsoft Xbox. The game was developed by Koei. The game is a Hack and slash/third-person shooter with some RPG elements incorporated and is part of the Crimson Sea series. The game was followed by a sequel, Crimson Sea 2 (紅の海2, Beni no Umi 2), which was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004.
Crimson Sea | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Koei |
Publisher(s) | Koei |
Director(s) | Fumito Kozutsumi |
Producer(s) | Yoshiki Sugiyama |
Designer(s) | Takamitsu Yamamoto |
Programmer(s) | Hiroshi Kadowaki |
Writer(s) | Akira Ishiguro |
Composer(s) | Yoshihiro Ike |
Platform(s) | Xbox |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Third-person shooter, Hack and slash, Action adventure, RPG |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
The player takes control of Sho. The game features elements from role playing games and the action genre. When Sho isn't on a mission, he can wander around the IAG ship and talk to his comrades. He can chat with his coworkers, purchase training sessions, and buy new equipment at shops.
During battle sequences, Sho can fight with a short-ranged laser weapon, a gun, or a Neo-Psionic, an attack that has different effects. Weapons contain three different parts. Each part is customizable at any point in the game once you purchase them and will affect weapon stats along with special functions. Neo Psionics act as magic and can either be similar to a musou attack, implement additional buffs on Sho's stats, or temporarily add a field effect such as stopping time. Combos mainly utilize the blade and gun attacks, which can be customized to the player's liking. Other battle controls are similar to the Warriors games except Sho can also lock-on to targets and dash in short spurts to avoid attacks.
Completing missions with a high rank unlocks more items for Sho to buy. Earning an "S" Rank is the only way to unlock enhanced versions of some items and weapons.
Story
The game is set in the fictional star system of Theophilus. It features many planets including the metropolis planet of Grarve, the mountain/desert-like planet of Agitato, the jungle/forest planet of Semplice, the difficult to classify planet Gen and the mysterious Crimson Planet. The population consists of mostly humans but there are a few non-humans as well, though when humans first colonized the system they effectively took over.
The story revolves around a young man named Sho, who works as a private detective. Initially, he is hired to merely retrieve an item that was lost beneath Grarve, but is promptly drafted into the organization known as IAG (Intelligence Agency of the Galaxy). Sho becomes tasked with leading the unit known as G-Squad and must help do what he can to stop a terrifying threat against humanity known as the Mutons, as well as meeting Archeomusiologists (scholars that have studied sound) and discovers that IAG may be using him only as a weapon.
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 78/100[1] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.17/10[2] |
Eurogamer | 7/10[3] |
Famitsu | 33/40[4] |
Game Informer | 7.75/10[5] |
GamePro | [6] |
GameSpot | 7.5/10[7] |
GameSpy | [8] |
GameZone | 8.8/10[9] |
IGN | 8.1/10[10] |
Official Xbox Magazine (US) | 8.5/10[11] |
Crimson Sea received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] In Japan, Famitsu gave the game 33 out of 40.[4]
Sequel
Crimson Sea 2 | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Koei |
Publisher(s) | Koei |
Director(s) | Noriaki Toshikawa |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 75/100[13] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.17/10[14] |
Eurogamer | 6/10[15] |
Famitsu | 32/40[16] |
Game Informer | 7/10[17] |
GamePro | [18] |
GameSpot | 7.4/10[19] |
GameSpy | [20] |
GameZone | 8.9/10[21] |
IGN | 8.4/10[22] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [23] |
Maxim | 8/10[24] |
The Sydney Morning Herald | [25] |
Crimson Sea was followed by its sequel, Crimson Sea 2, which was released exclusively for the PlayStation 2 in North America on March 30, 2004, in Japan on April 15, and in Europe on September 3.[12] The sequel also received "favorable" reviews upon release, though slightly less than the original Crimson Sea, according to Metacritic.[13] Famitsu also gave the sequel 32 out of 40.[16]
References
- "Crimson Sea for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- EGM staff (February 2003). "Crimson Sea". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 163. p. 152. Archived from the original on 14 March 2004. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Bramwell, Tom (15 April 2003). "Crimson Sea". Eurogamer. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- "Xbox - 紅の海 Crimson Sea". Famitsu. Vol. 915. 30 June 2006. p. 106.
- "Crimson Sea". Game Informer. No. 118. February 2003. p. 103.
- DJ Dinobot (2 January 2003). "Crimson Sea Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 8 February 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Kasavin, Greg (3 January 2003). "Crimson Sea Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Gibson, Jon M. (11 January 2003). "GameSpy: Crimson Sea". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 5 November 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Knutson, Michael (14 January 2003). "Crimson Sea - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Hwang, Kaiser (9 January 2003). "Crimson Sea". IGN. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- "Crimson Sea". Official Xbox Magazine. February 2003. p. 68.
- "Crimson Sea 2 Release Information for PlayStation 2". GameFAQs. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- "Crimson Sea 2 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- EGM staff (May 2004). "Crimson Sea 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 178. p. 95.
- Reed, Kristan (15 September 2004). "Crimson Sea 2". Eurogamer. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- "紅の海2". Famitsu. Vol. 801. 23 April 2004.
- Kato, Matthew (April 2004). "Crimson Sea 2". Game Informer. No. 132. p. 98. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Test Monkey (June 2004). "Crimson Sea 2 Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. p. 71. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Kasavin, Greg (1 April 2004). "Crimson Sea 2 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Stratton, Bryan (31 March 2004). "GameSpy: Crimson Sea 2". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 17 November 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Knutson, Michael (13 April 2004). "Crimson Sea - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Dunham, Jeremy (26 March 2004). "Crimson Sea 2". IGN. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Nguyen, Thierry (May 2004). "Crimson Sea 2". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Archived from the original on 7 April 2004. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Walsh, John (30 March 2004). "Crimson Sea 2". Maxim. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- Hill, Jason (23 September 2004). "From hero to zero". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
External links
- GameCity.ne.jp: KOEI's site for Crimson Sea (in Japanese)
- Crimson Sea at MobyGames
- Crimson Sea 2 at MobyGames