Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel is one of Square-Enix's latest releases on the PS2. Based on the insanely popular anime Fullmetal Alchemist this game had a lot of hype. Yet, the hopes and dreams all those Fullmetal fanboys were shattered.

I had my own doubts about this game myself, as games based on movies and TV, or in this case anime, were never really good translations. In this case I was right Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel is repititve, simple-minded game.

Fans of the anime will be familiar with our hero Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse and will be already well-versed in the storyline. For those who are not fans, basically our two brothers are in a search for the Philosopher's Stone to restore Alphonse to his body and regenerate Edward's missing limbs.

Sounds good? Well, that villain in this game is as typical and bland as they come. An alchemist who wants to abuse his powers for domination? Been there, done that. Now that I have explained to you this game's rivetting storyline, it actually takes 7-9 hours of play before anything halfway interesting begins.

Adding insult to injury, is the gameplay, or lack therof. You spend the start of the game chasing around people for what seems like ages, so long that you can even forget whom what or why you were chasing them. You catch them and Mission Completed. Congratulations, you deserve an award.

Fullmetal Alchemist has a fairly simple battle system. Our hero can jump, attack, use gun turrets and of course, alchemy. Your big tin brother, Alphonse can be ordered to attack nearby enemies, but he is undoubtedly usleless most of the time. By using the Circle Button, Edward can prevent damage for a small period of time. Holding it down, displays what objects can be transmuted in random things...like a flying cow, for instance. The battle merely consist on smashing the Square Button, until you can smash no more. Unless, you transmuted an object, in which case you can use the circle button for one of the most difficult button taps in history. (Square, Square, Circle, Square, Square.) Genius.

The AI is no better. You might as well be shooting fish in a barrel, because the difficulty would be the same. Most of the time the AI runs around in circles waiting for you pick them off in anyway possible.

This game is so repititive, that your brain might go numb for seeing the same things over and over again. The environments look the same, the monsters look the same and regardless of your level, the battles will always be the same. (You might need to repair your Square Button after this game.)

The sound and music don't help the cause. The music...well let's not go there. Why don't we say that you'll be turning your stereo volume to zero.

Fullmetal Alchemist is a great anime, but a bad game. Hardcore fans of the anime might want to check it out, but even then, don't subject yourself to this punishment. If you are going to buy this game, buy it for some you hate...and hate a lot.