Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir is headed to retail in July, and after some lengthy playtime with this upcoming prequel to Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel, I have to say that this game is shaping up to be something fans of the ultra ultra popular anime series airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim late night cartoon block will really want to sink their teeth into. The game actually feels and plays out more like a series of lost episodes rather than an action RPG. But I'm getting way ahead of myself here because beyond the slick presentation, Square Enix and developer Racjin are really listening to what fans of the first game didn't like. These tweaks and changes include lots of improvements to Al's artificial intelligence (which was less than stellar in the first game), a graphical overhaul that makes the game look a heck of a lot slicker new objects and weapons that players can transmute and use and a storyline that is fun, moving, and avoids the conventions that make so many games based on anime series so pretentious and boring.

The biggest improvement to the game is the graphics, which have gotten a major overhaul over the previous title. Now the game sports cell-shaded graphics that are just a tick or two below the quality of the animated sequences in the game and the series its based on. The game just looks so much better this time around that players will be delighted with it - it's almost (but mot quite) close to playing in the actual anime world, with slick animations, nice special effects and lots of style. Monsters and bad guys, NPC's and everyone else have also gotten a hearty make-over making trhe game all the more pleasant to look at and more pleasant to run through. Square Enix realizes just how popular this anime series is and knows that with a bit of extra elbow grease the games based on it could rival any of their of hallmark series in terms of popularity.

The role-playing aspect of the game is still light, allowing both Al and Edward Elric to power up and level their respective skills. Each time these characters level up, players will be able to dole out points that come from a shared bonus pool. These can be used fro power, defense, alchemy skill on Ed's end and a lot more. Players can also equip two items each that will give them various bonuses to stats and special skills like the ability to get more item drops when they kill monsters, the ability to stun monsters and a boost to the amount of experience gained after each kill. While the RPG end of the game isn't all that complex (it's on par with Square Enix' Brave Fencer Musashi), it's a fine system that provides enough depth and enough of an in-game boost to be an effective element in gameplay.

While there's not a heavy emphasis on role-playing there's a massive amount of focus on fighting, alchemy skills, inflicting massive combos on your enemies and bonuses based on those combos. FMA 2 also puts more of an emphasis on making Alphonse a useful part of your team. Al is a heck of a lot smarter than he was in his last appearance on a videogame console, and because Edward can bring him back from the dead he's a smarter and more useful tank character than he was previously. You can make Al pick up alchemic weapons and use them, man turrets and various other devices that Elric can create and generally make him work more closely with you to handle thousands upon thousands of bad guys a creepy creatures effectively.

But when all is said and done, I have to say the most appealing thing about FMA 2 is the way it feels just like a whole new, previously unreleased season of the anime series. The FMA series is unlike many of the other anime series that are out there today and even many of the (awful) role-playing game storylines we're subjected to month after month and year after year. The Elric brothers are just so charming and wonderful and the creators have done a great job of giving viewers a sense that underneath all those earth moving powers and unstoppable strength are two boys that are at times frightened, vulnerable, unsure and determined to return their lives to normal no matter what they have to face. FMA 2 continues to portray those boys in that light, and does a good job of mixing grief, tragedy, comedy and inspirational moments to create a presentation that's as entertaining to watch as it is to play. Because the action is interspersed with this kind of slick presentation it could prove to be a magnet to draw more fans of the anime series into the game-playing fold.

In the end we don't have anything but good things to say about this follow-up title. It's as fun to play as watching the series on TV and has been refined so much that fans and critics alike will want to give this game a play through when it hits retail early next month. We'll definitely keep Fullmetal Alchemist2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir on our radar and you should too if you're smart - it looks to be worth the price of admission for its presentation featuring the voice actors from the series, the half-hour of original animation, its in-game commentary featuring the brothers Elric, the hit song "Ready Steady Go" by L'Arc-en-Ciel, numerous cameos and the fun and entertaining original prequel set storyline. We'll have a full review next month, so stay tuned!

Essential Information:

Developer: Racjin Co., Ltd.

Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.

Format: PlayStation 2

Genre: Action RPG

ESRB: T (Teen)

Ship Date: July 2005

• Square-Enix
• Adult Swim's FMA Page
• Official Site