As the PS2 has now entered its golden years, it's sad that games like Digimon World Data Squad are how we herald the aging console. This latest entry in a long string of Digimon games is standard in many ways, and overly substandard in the rest. Data Squad sets players in the realm of the latest TV series of the same name, and apparently Namco Bandai assumed that the only people who would pick up the game would be fans of the series. There is little in the way of an introduction, providing little incentive for players to care at all about this generic, turn-based RPG.

Generic is the key word here. Gameplay consists of listening to inane dialogue, taking a few steps and engaging in one after the other of endless random battles; wash, rinse and repeat. Data Squad has Marcus, the protagonist, and his pals transport from location to location trying to put a stop to out-of-control digimon that wreak havoc in the real world. Once a mission commences, every few feet traveled will kick start a random battle encounter. This is clearly an attempt to extend the game's length, but battles are so frequent that all it succeeds in doing is slowing the game play to a crawl and sucking all the fun out of the experience.

The battles are slow, monotonous affairs. Combat is by the book in typical turn-based fashion, but each turn takes longer than usual to complete. There are needless camera shifts that try to make the engagements feel more cinematic, but they fail miserably, as every battle looks virtually identical. Menus take too long to load, and the uninspired animations for attacks eat up a boatload of time, without the opportunity to skip them.