Why do some people keep picking this game apart?

I am really sick of some fools on here who say things like,"the graphics are a bit outdated" or "not up to the PS2 standards".

Ok jokers,obviously you say things like this just to pick apart a really cool game because of your mindless devotion to FF and even the horrible disney kingdom hearts.Look if you like FF so much,THEN PLAY FF!Stop comparing everything to FF.Does anybody do that to any other game?I don't think anybody sits to play mario and says this isn't as good as crash bandicoot,or play spyro and keep chanting that it isn't as good as sonic.They are all different games on there own.

The graphics are really cool,with deep dark colors,grim animations and beautiful,fluid tones.This game is a dvd-rom (with the blue backside) for goodness sake!You know the same as devil may cry 1?When a monster casts a spell and a bunch of demon arms rip out of the ground you are standing on to claw and grasp at you;I'm sorry,but that's pretty impressive.When you first play the game and fight Roger Bacon on top of the train,watch the drak fusion transformation and watch the revelation spell.Yeah.... those are REALLY poor graphics...please;give me a break people.

What's with putting so much emphasis on graphics anyway?I still think dragon warrior 1-4 is really fun to play,and those don't have top notch graphics.The main thing is that IT'S FUN TO PLAY!

And enough ranting from the few who are so completely lost on the judgement ring battle system.A little line spins around a circle and you have to push the button when it's in the orange area.NOT A REAL DIFFICULT THING TO DO...
The orange areas are pretty big,and you can wear accesories to help you if you are having THAT hard of a time.If anything else complain about some of the battle aspects in FF8;now THOSE were bad!

The voice acting is average,but I don't really think that much of it in a game I like to play.There are only a few cinema breaks in the main flow of the game when voice acting occurs anyway.Again this is just something for FF zealots to pick apart.I found the voice over of Tidus from FF10 cocky and highly annoying.
As for the music in shadowhearts,it is outstanding and easily beats the background elevator music in FF10-12.Here there is chanting,violin string plucking,occult new wave,a little rave....... everything is a bit different, but fits the mood and works great.

The storyline is superb;though like all other great RPGs,it gets better and more addicting the longer you play.It takes place in pre WWI and you deal with imperial japan among other things.When it first opens up and a typewriter spells out that a priest has been brutaly murdered in France....THATS AN ATTENTION GRABER!

You travel through a cannibal village,a possessed dollhouse,a warlock's tower,a vampire's castle,an orphanage where children are being sacrificed to raise the dead,a cursed monastery.... does any of that sound interesting to you?You get attached to all of the characters,and the way that Yuri and Alice draw closer and sacrifice for eachother is very touching.You feel for Hailey and Zuzhen;Keith gives a nice mix to the bunch and Margarette adds some great comic appeal.

The issue of sanity points,the extremely bizzare demons you encounter,the hidden sidequests... all of this is fantastic.

To all the people that can only bash something this cool for childish reasons;
leave us alone and go play the FF games you worship so much,you're not ruining all of the fun we are having anyway

This is one of my top 5 favorite RPG's of all time!

This is one of the most innovative RPG games of all time. The story is fun, intense, comical, and dark all in one. The ring based battle system gives a new spin to turn based combat, and it is very fun! Also the Yuri's Fusions are awesome, and add a lot of variety to the game. If all of that isn't enough to convince you to at least try the game I don't know what will be. This is one of my top 5 favorite GAMES of ALL TIME!!!!

Unforgettable

If possible, play Koudelka first. It is not necessary, but helpful. Absolutely DO NOT play SH:Covenant before you play this. SH:C, watered down the difficulty dramatically, and you will be spoiled. This game is awesome. The entire series is my absolute favorite RPG series ever, and I am a hardcore RPG gamer. The characters and storyline of the first Shadow Hearts are unique. If you like gothic horror RPGs (and the genre is scarce), this is a must-own. Once you play SH:Covenant, you will yearn for the intense monster design and extreme macabre of Koudelka and Shadow Hearts. I cannot say enough about this brilliant series except everyone should give it a try. I have converted shooter-only gamers--who would never dream of playing an RPG--over to RPGs through this title and SH: Covenant. Yes, it is that good.

Great story, great challenges, never ending fun!

A classic RPG game but with an ever challenging game-play. Implementing the Judgement Ring system provides a better challenge compared to most RPG's by putting hit or miss in the hands of the player. For its age its graphics are mediocre, but it makes up for that with a captivating story line and unique character plots.
For first time players you learn that there are two possible endings and a unique challenge is learning which decisions at certain parts of the game results in the good (or preferred) ending.
With all the different facets of this game it will keep you busy the entire time with different sidequests and the culmination of the ending.

A quick review

I really haven't had time to play that much of this game, but so far the game is pretty good. Much better than I expected it to be. Most rpg games start off kind of dry or show you a bunch of clips that you almost have to beat the game to understand. But in this game the story line was good from the beginning and the dialogue between the characters is good too. It isn't random nonsense that is put in most rpg games that has nothing to do with the story. And I think the character Yuri is hilarious. The amount I paid for this game used is usually the amount I would pay for a new game, so I was a little hesistant about buying it. But this game proved itself to be more than worthy of the price I paid for it.