I’m a sucker for games that feature characters from across different worlds and franchises banding together to take on a major threat. This is the reason I enjoyed games like Kingdom Hearts, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and even Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. Then a game like Cross Edge comes along for the PlayStation 3 that features characters from Capcom, Nippon Ichi Software, Idea Factory and Gust games that disappoints in nearly every possible way.

As Japanese role-playing game, Cross Edge’s retro-styled nature would have been charming had the game actually worked. Instead, it not only feels dated but it also doesn’t work as well as it should. The story finds a young couple named York and Miko waking up in a strange land that’s not their own. They soon discover that this world is not only filled with monsters but also with people that aren’t from the world as well. On top of that, a secret threat is lurking in the shadows waiting for York and his friends to find more lost souls

These new friends York and Miko find, as it turns out, will be familiar to anyone who played games like Disgaea or even Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia just to name a few of the franchises represented in this game. They meet and befriend Morrigan, Felicia and Demitri from Capcom’s Darkstalkers series. Then add Gust’s Mana Khemia 2: The Fall of Alchemy’s Raze, Whim and Lily. You’ll even Marie from Atelier Marie join your party that will also include Disgaea’s Prinny and Etna. Ar tonelico fans will love the fact that Lyner, Misha, Aurica and Shurelia are onboard as well. 

When the novelty of battling monsters with the likes of Morrigan and Lyner in your party wears off, you’ll see that the game doesn’t do anything refreshingly new or particularly right for that matter. With very little room for exploring the strange new surroundings, the story advances when you locate places of interest called Event Points. Oftentimes the Event Points are hidden so you are asked to perform an area search using a girl in your party named May who can sense other souls. It isn’t until you find an Event Point that the story continues. Now this would have been great if there was something interesting going on in the Event Points but each place of interest only introduces a new party member that is quickly ignored.

There are battles to fight in the game as well so it’s best to find the right four characters to use during combat. You can switch characters on the fly during battle, which is a nice touch seeing as different characters bring different attacks to combat. Those who know Morrigan, for instances, know she has a mean attack that can impale an opponent with her pronged tail. The problem is that, thanks to a confusing menu screen, battle will seem erratic and confusing at times. Battles tend to drag on because of this and the fact that they are turn-based like a strategy game. You can also perform attack combos but, once again, the interface isn’t very user-friendly.

When you’re not too busy wrestling with the interface, you’re trying to look for more Event Points along the way that will take you to towns you’ll never get to check out and dungeons with way too many random battles to really enjoy exploring. There are save points that allow you to rest up as well as upgrade your weapons and equipment. The upgrades are handled well but the fact that you have to pay your own party members for these services is nonsensical. Everything from upgrading to reviving a fallen comrade is expensive.

The good news is that your characters do level up nicely throughout the game so it’s possible that you’ll have five really strong characters to take you through the tougher fights. May even becomes more powerful to the point that her search range covers more area so you’ll want to backtrack to find everything in the world map.

As far as the graphics are concerned, Cross Edge isn’t impressive visually either. I would have accepted the retro-styled graphics if they weren’t so blurry and the visual effects really don’t scream PlayStation 3. In fact, this game could have easily been a good-looking PS2 game. The anime style is good when it comes to the cut scenes and you can always change each character’s wardrobe … if you’re into that kind of thing. 

The sound effects are also very generic and the music - although not bad at all - just isn’t as epic as it should be considering this is a game with characters from different franchises. The voice acting is not bad either, although there are some weak performances mixed in with the good ones.

I have to admit a deep admiration and fondness for Japanese role-playing games so it’s very unfortunate that Cross Edge for the PS3 turned out to be so painfully disappointing. The concept of having recognizable characters from different games take part in the adventure is nothing short of awesome but this game is way too frustrating and bland to be a game I would recommend likeminded gamers or anyone who adores the genre.

Gameplay: 4.5
The story is actually kind of fun and there are more than enough recognizable faces among your party’s roster. It’s just too bad that there are elements in the game that don’t make sense and the menu interface is downright confusing. Battles are both awkward and boring as well.

Graphics: 5.5
Cross Edge looks like an attractive original PlayStation game or even a PSP game but definitely not a next-generation title. The characters do look good during cut scenes, though, but the retro look of battles and exploration just isn’t acceptable.

Sound: 5.5
The music isn’t half-bad in this game, although it doesn’t soar like other games in this genre. Even the English voice acting is Ok with some performances that do a better job than others do. The sound effects are merely so-so.

Difficulty: Medium
The battles often tend to drag on too long but not because the enemy is wonderfully challenging but because the battle mechanic makes battles difficult to manage. Towards the middle of the game, you will encounter some tough enemies that do provide a good challenge.

Concept: 4.5
What other role-playing game has you joining a party that includes Darkstalkers’ Morrigan with Disgaea’s Etna? On top of that, you can customize and upgrade your equipment as well as weapons. Everything else in the game just doesn’t make sense or work. The replay value is high but I don’t see gamers playing this one more than once.

Overall: 4.5
Cross Edge for the PlayStation 3 is a great idea that should have really shined brightly on Sony’s console seeing as it features a great lineup of characters. Instead, Cross Edge not only fails to be a compelling Japanese RPG but it makes for one seriously awkward and uninspiring game. Skipping this game isn’t a bad idea unless you can look past the many things wrong with this game.