Ôgon no taiyô: Shitsu warate jidai

In the video games world is not hard to find a good sequel. But it certainly is when you try to find a sequel that is as great as this one is. It has everything the first installment of the series already had and then improved them. The story is better and really original, the music and even the graphics are better. The world map is just gigantic now and there are many more places to visit and many more bad guys as well.

What makes this title so original is that you now have to do what you were trying to prevent in the first game. That will show you both sides of the story making more appealing (at least for me). But you will need to beat the previous game in order to play this one since there many references to that game story. These two games can't be considered as two different games since both show you one long (and really good) story. These titles are like Kill Bill vol. 1 and 2, which can't be considered as a movie and its sequel because they are one.

You have all of the old features (Fighting system, Djinn, some characters, etc.) with improvements. You now have different special powers and many more Djinn.

You will understand the story once you beat both games. But even if these titles are really long, they are worth trying. If the creators decide to bring a new installment for the series in a new generation console, it will a smashing success, trust me on this.

With new Djinn, summons, and a bigger area to explore than the first Golden Sun, the above mentioned is a challenge all on it's own, without the plot. The plot is compelling, if you can stand the ranting of some of the characters throughout; there are twists in the story that lead these characters into something further than what they had originally expected.

Golden Sun is rather interesting, as it is one of the few games that let the player experience both sides of the coin- assuming that the player has already played the first installment. The first game takes the side of four young people on a journey to stop villains from lighting lighthouses (or risk destruction of the world, and to save dear friends taken hostage by these villains.

The Lost Age takes the role of the so-called villains, as well as the hostages, and the player learns as they play (along with the characters in the game) that lighting the beacons of the lighthouses may be better than not lighting the beacons at all. Especially since the first game ends with the first two of four lighthouses lit (and TLA refreshes players, new or old of this), and this has disrupted the balance of the world.

If one has not played Golden Sun, they may find themselves lost in the plot of Golden Sun: The Lost Age; as TLA constantly refers back to the first game's story quite often.

Though not all the twists are shocking, and many downright predictable, The story, battles, and all the little side quests along with the huge map give all RPG players enough incentive to go along with the game. Despite the long conversations within the game, I, being a seasoned RPG player found this game to be extremely fun and innovative, with its little quirks and a healthy dose of comic relief every now and then. With a wondrous musical score, it is as good as Golden Sun, and may be even better, so I give the game 9.5/10. The .5 missing is the silly little flaws I mentioned that kept the game from being truly perfect. -not actually made by Steven Walsh, but by his sister.

Golden Sun:The Lost Age,is a sequel to the popular Game Boy Advance RPG,Golden Sun. The first Golden Sun starred four teenage kids destined to save the world from another group of people trying to destroy it by releasing a great power onto the world. Golden Sun: The Lost Age,is the exact same thing,except that you play as a group trying to do what the group from the first tries to prevent:Lighting the Four elemental lighthouses and unleashing Alchemy(the great power) onto the world. Instead of the original 4,there are now 8 characters. The Djinn(Elemental monsters that you can summon) are back as well,with over 27 different Djinn,all from four different elemental bases(Earth,Fire,Water,Wind). Also there are new dual-Djinn summons,you can summon the regular four different summons that a Djin can become,and you can combine two elements to become one strong summon. (Like 2 Water Djinn and 2 Wind Djinn to create a summon composed of two elements instead of one). The world map is the same with the exception of Boat travel. You can go almost anywhere thanks to the boat you recieve later in the game. The enemies don't appear until mid-way through the game,and then you don't even have to win against them. In my eyes,the first Golden Sun is better,for these reasons: The main character,Issac is a mute in the first,no longer a mute in the second. Felix(the hero in the second)is a mute in the second,not in the first. In the first the wise man called Kraden talks a little too much,he talks even more in the second. While they are both good games with stunning graphics and great gameplay,I just like the first better. All in all I give this game a 9/10.