Vagrant Storyis one of those games that wows you at the  start--a big "WOW!" in this case--but maintains only a tenuous hook in  the long haul. In this mix of action/adventure and fantasy role-playing,  players are cast as a Riskbreaker (think one-man army) named  Ashley Riot, whose pursuit of a villainous cult leader takes him to the  mysterious city of Lea Monde.The highly stylized graphics inVagrant Storyare easily some of  the best ever seen on the PlayStation, and give the game a gorgeous,  distinctive look to match its somber tone. Cinematic story sequences  blend in almost seamlessly with gameplay, which takes place in 3-D  environments (viewed from a third-person perspective) that can be  rotated to provide the best angle.Vagrant Storyfeatures a rich battle system that's built on both  strategy and quick reflexes. In addition to character statistics,  weapons and armor have detailed numbers of their own and can be  disassembled, assembled, or even combined to create new items. Hand/eye  coordination factors heavily into combat, as Ashley develops offensive  and defensive battle abilities that require perfectly timed button  pushing in order to be used.Unfortunately, it's all too easy to get bored withVagrant  Story. The painfully linear gameplay here doesn't rise above  killing enemy after enemy in room after room, and (oh boy!) solving  puzzles by manipulating boxes. If not for the wholly intriguing (but  sparsely littered) plot, one would be strongly tempted just to leave  Ashley to rot in the catacombs beneath Lea Monde.--Joe HonPros:Highly stylized graphicsRich battle systemIntriguing plotCons:Shallow, linear gameplay