While looking through the video game shop, scratching around the bargain bin games as I often do, I came across a Dreamcast game titled 'Silver'. The game's cover screamed 'RPG' to me, and being a demented RPG freak with no life, I flipped it over to see what it was instead of going off to buy something considered 'worthwhile' by so many RPG nuts out there. Also being a zany and odd RPGer that doesn't often listen to what the RPG nuts say, I decided to buy it- after all, it was cheap and I was feeling lucky. I've never regretted that decision. I also, after purchasing it, have discovered that Silver is a highly regarded RPG by some RPGers. 

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Silver is a very unique RPG, following along in the footsteps of Zelda like games- only Silver is on a pogostick. Though it carries out the simple RPG plot -Bad wizard must be destroyed with magic items that you seek out- Silver employs it in a different manner. I'll try to not ruin the plot for you, but well let you in on the factor that your bound to come across anyways. You play as David and must seek out eight magic orbs to destroy your nemesis, 'Silver'. Classic, huh? Another look around for all the stupid little magic balls type of game, huh? No, not a typical one at least. Yes you do search, but the searching will also give you great new items and weapons, and, though there is little guidance after the first orb is found, you seem to flow through the game , from one orb to the next- as if you knew where they where. You don't. 

"Half the fun is the chase" is what the famous 'they' say. Whats the other half? Well, in Silver its the battle system. By pressing in specific combinations, such as left A, will do specific attacks with your hand weapon, or by pressing the left trigger and aiming around you can fire a long ranged weapon. Its always great to go hacking and slashing your way through a mob of morons armed with butterknives. And what could be better than that? How about doing it with friends. Silver's battle system allows you to gain party members who will fight alongside you in battles. Although this leaves an cool first impression, as you venture further through the game, the flaws begin to show, especially with bosses. Your allies have instances where they'll stand still while the boss pounds away at them with mega beams. Nevertheless, it provides for some fun and solid gameplay. 

Another impressive strong point of 'Silver' would have to be the graphics. True the trend of 3D charecters on pre-rendered backgrounds set by Final Fantasy VII has become annoying to some RPGers, Silver shows off the true abilites. The pre-rendered backgrounds in which your polygonal charecters battle in are incredible, true eye-candy. Distancing created by the set camera positions add to the battles, so you could fight up close, or far off. The Land of Jarrah truly carries some remarkable landscapes, from the snow coverd mountains, to the mist flooded swamps, each with amazingly atmospheric backdrops.Silver's 3D models are good as well, simple and solid, they prove to be easily recognisable and different charecters carry different appearances. However, they do prove to have a fair amount of detail hidden beneath the false simplistic appearance. 

The music proves interesting and correct for each area, but has a slight muffled sound, but nothing unbearbly quiet. The game's music seems to try and pull out the steel clashing and armor clanging of your sword duels, which are of course helpful. Though the music is atmospheric, its mainly atmospheric for the location, not situation. Fights and peace are both the same, but this doesn't prove a bad thing, as the battles blend together. The text boxes do bring with them their own muffled, emotionless voice overs. Tough you might be a hardcore old schooler, and are against the idea of voice-overs, don't let that put you off the game, they are bearable, and if worst comes to worst skip past them. 

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Returning back to my bargain bin scraping, after playing this game I was surprised to find such a high quality game being discarded in a bargain bin. Oh well, it is the way of the world, one man's treasure, is another man's trash. Though, who could consider it trash I'll never know.