Luminous Arc

"When you think "Final Fantasy Tactics clone," your mind probably sees something like Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: a competent facsimile of the formula that stands on its own. But with Luminous Arc, you get the most similar, least-polished alternative yet."

Luminous Arc won't win a single "Best SRPG" award, but it should occupy the time of Atlus fans and fans of these Japanese SRPGs. It is standard, simple, and infectious because of those two qualities—if you let it be. If you are expecting Disgaea-like depth, look elsewhere (like the PSP, which has a Disgaea title on its way). Otherwise, give this one a chance—it might suck away a few dozen hours of your life, too.

"The best part of Luminous Arc is its balanced and accessible gameplay, though it lacks some narrative depth."

"We've got a long way to go in Luminous Arc, but from what we've played thus far Atlus's answer to tactics titles is a decent mix of the expected turn-based gameplay we've seen countless times before, a unique style, some solid presentation, and a no-BS game design that ensures you're always where you want to be in the story. In addition to the main single player mode the game also includes full multiplayer support both locally (DS multi-card) and via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and actually allows for not only friend battles online, but also bouts with random contenders. Depending on how you do you'll actually earn rare items that can then be brought back to the single player mode; nice touch."

"There’s far worse out there, but in the end, it doesn’t amount to either a genre defining game nor a must-have. What it does amount to is a quite enjoyable, if linear, Final Fantasy Tactics clone, one that may not be quite as polished, but one that also provide enough length and challenge to keep most gamers entertained."