Konami seems to have a knack for picking up the strange and the classic. They have recently released games that were probably put up in front of other publishers and turned down without even batting an eye. Lucky for us, or unlucky if you consider McFarlane's Evil Prophecies, they are risk takers, and have faithfully brought back one of my favorite RPG franchises. In my youth, before I became a sports nut, my life was all about the RPG. I played the old school Final Fantasies, the Chrono Triggers, The Dragon Warriors, the Phantasy Stars, and the Ys series. While the latter may not ring as many bells as the other titles, I can assure you that the Ys series had just as much character and value as the big boys. In fact, I can remember the first time I heard voice acting in an RPG and it came from Ys on my TurboGrafx-16 CD! Ah, those were the days. Nowadays most games in the genre are full of fluff and I haven't been a big fan of the modern day RPG. Then Konami comes along and re-issues the Ys series to my PS2 and of course, I have to get it!

Ys: The Ark of Napishtim comes to us over a decade later since the last game was released to the U.S. audience, so this is a blessing for us old timers. It could however prove fatal for younger gamers who can't even properly pronounce "Ys". For the most part, the game isn't going to wow anyone with a novel worthy storyline and puts you in the role of Adol, a commander of a naval group. You find yourself swept away into a Bermuda triangle event, lost in the midst of three islands. It is here where you uncover the islands secrets and try to get home. Along the way, you encounter strange allies and foes that will help to unravel the plotline and provide clues for you to guide you on your quest. Two things that make the Ys series so endearing is the lush environments and fantastic game play, and Ys: AON succeeds in both accounts.

Visually the game holds its own against games of its own ilk. While never boasting or depending on over the top visuals and cut scenes, Ys does it old school providing beauty in the artwork and designs. You will meet a large cast of characters, each with a unique wit and style about them. They have a good assortment of animation which helps to give them life rather than being a dull NPC. The landscapes are wonderfully drawn and the design will keep gamers interested from the opening credits to the final boss fight. Speaking of bosses, expect some epic ones in Ys as the bosses range from the crazy weird, to the large and cool, each designed with the same loving care as the rest of the title. What is a RPG if there aren't any special effects, and Ys has a slew of them with some great lighting too boot. This is one of the better-looking Action/RPG's and I am proud to say it has the title of Ys attached to it.

Audio is hit and miss. First off, the score is magnificently orchestrated. Each melody fits the mood of the environment you are in; Whether it's upbeat or somber you will feel the emotion that each song fills the air with. On the flip side, the voice acting is not as attractive as the music, as a matter of fact; I suggest reading along with the subtitles and set the voices to the original Japanese. Granted, some of the main cast of characters does a stand up job, but it is some of the side characters that utilize silly cartoon voices that make for an insulting experience. I mean, can't we hire better people than this? Game play is straightforward and tight. For a dungeon crawl, it is surprising how much the level design keeps the game from feeling monotonous and boring. While a hack and slash title, you never get the feeling of repetitiveness as you might with hack and slash from the action genre. The game play becomes addicting when you must use your wit and skill against some of the cool boss fights in the game. These really break up the action and actually invite you into enduring longer levels just to get the reward of fighting such beasts. The menu system and items are your tried and true natured RPG, with little to no innovativeness about them. There is not much to dislike about the game play style of Ys. It provides a fun romp through some beautiful scenery only to have it out with a baddie at the end of each level. Nostalgic and cool, 'nuff said.

The only thing that really puts a damper on the game is that for an RPG, it isn't very long. In fact, if you go from point A to B with very little interaction between character and side quests, you will find yourself through this one in no time. However, what self respecting RPG fan just wisps through a game without finding all the goodies?

Overall, Ys is old school, it's fun, and you should buy it. This is a no brainer for gamers over 25 who remember a better time, as for those under 25 you may get what us geezers have been talking about all this time when we say, "That game was good, but it's not old school good." Ys is old school good.