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So what do people here think of Baten Kaitos? The first oen, not Origins. (havent' played Origins yet) I thought it was a fun little game with a wonderful soundtrack and a really beautiful world. It took a while for the story to get going but I liked most of the twists the game offered up.
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Apr 4, 2012 09:56
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Bongo Bill posted:Baten Kaitos was creative to the point of virtual unplayability. You may be interested in this Let's Play of it. I'm actually following it already. I'm not sure how it was overly-creative though. It seems to have pretty standard RPG elements in most areas. Levantine posted:I enjoyed every entry in the Xenosaga series at the time I played them, but they are so not Xenogears. Even XS2 was a blast for me - I may be the only person on the planet who enjoyed the slower battles. They felt a bit more tactical in how you had to exploit, expose and attack weaknesses or get you rear end shredded. Wow, Xenosaga talk and just as I enter the thread! I have been a Xenosaga fan since I first played Episode 1 many years ago. I had not yet played Xenogears and I definitely admit Gears is a better game than any of the Trilogy but I still love Saga quite a lot. I agree with you on the slower battles being just fine. In fact, after repeated playthroughs of Episode 3, I've come to rather dislike it. They simplified and sped up the combat so much that it's painfully generic and ridiculously easy. I just find it a chore to really get trough these days. Mostly I rewatch cutscenes on YouTube. Might be some nostalgia talking but Episode 1 is my favorite.
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Apr 4, 2012 13:40
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Dolphin Fetus posted:I loved the hell out of Xenogears, one of my favorite games of all time, up there with Chrono Trigger....how bad is XS in comparison? If you liked Xenogears that much I would recommend Xenosaga Episode 1. It really is the most Gears-like game in the series, mainly because it was the one Tetsuya Takahashi (the mind behind Xenogears) was in direct control of. With 2 everything got out-of-control and by 3 they were kinda just winging it. 3 is to be commended somewhat for its mostly adequate closure, despite the countless obstacles that doomed it to failure. There are those who complain about Episode 1 being cutscene-heavy but they are really good cutscenes. You have Mitsuda music, an amazing English dub, wonderful cinematic direction, and so-forth. I have my DVD of the first game and love watching it. Episode 2 tried to do this too but it's horrible voicecast and nightmarish "realistic" art design just killed it. Episode 3 really threw me off because it uses speech boxes. Instead of really cool movie-like scenes, the characters mostly just stand thee while their lines are read out. I found it rather irritating, not least of all because you can tell this new style really played havoc with the VAs. A lot of the lines come off as stilted and unnatural, like they read one half of a sentence then had to stop and they put in the rest later. I like the story of Xenosaga and would heartily recommend both Episode 1 and 3 if you are interested in that. A couple little things like the generic gameplay, the speech boxes, the (IMO) excessive praise it gets when compared to 1, these all make the game far less enjoyable for me than it once was. Since you are a newcomer though, I think you'll like it fine. XS, like XG, is a very vibrant and well-detailed world, full of different characters with their own personalities and development. Even if you don't like Shion or some aspect of the story, there will be a lot of other characters and plots to focus on. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Apr 4, 2012 |
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Apr 4, 2012 19:49
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niggapolis posted:I will always remember Xenosaga 1 fondly, there really is a ridiculous amount of depth in the universe of that game. There was this one really minor villian that turned into a gnosis (and a really hard boss) and then died yet he got like a huge backstory that was both ridiculous and awesome. And who doesnt love Albedo? crazy motherfucker always had the best lines. That would be Cherenkov. I suppose some could turn it around and say it's a mark of how bad the game is, but I choose to see how one of the game's minor antagonists often being brought up as one of the best characters in the game is a testament to the storytelling. And you aren't kidding about the depth of the game. DolphiN Fetus, one of the best things about Episode 1 is the inclusion of a Database. I'm sure you got lost in all the terms and crap in Xenogears every now and then? Well in Xenosaga, there is a Database that you can look up at your leisure which gives background information on the world, the characters and so-on. It periodically updates as you progress through the game as well so you're up-to-date with all the new events and what certain lines mean. People often say that the Xenosaga writers just threw in stuff that looked and sounded cool. I think Episode 1's Database in particular shoots this idea down. There are detailed entries on pretty much everything, often having to do with the philosophical or scientific basis of it. For instance, a character mentions using an "EPR Radar" in a cutscene. The Database tells you what this is, as well as giving an entry on the EPR Paradox. just little stuff like that shows what loving detail they put into the futuristic world Xenosaga takes place in. U-DO Burger posted:The dialogue boxes in Episode III were there pretty much out of necessity, and they should have been in the series since Episode I. One reason the series floundered the way it did is because Takahashi didn't recognize his limitations and insisted that every scene in Episode I(save for a couple) be CG. It makes me sad whenever I watch a scene that's just the characters sitting around and talking. They could have saved time and money by doing speech boxes instead, and maybe have actually gotten the entirety of the plot into that game instead of having to wrap it up in Episode II. Your criticism of Takahashi over-stretching himself and the budget is objective fact so I can't say anything there. Even still, I can't imagine Episode 1 being like 3. Maybe if it utilized speech boxes better but I just didn't really care for it. I mean, FFX didn't have speech boxes. I guess they probably had a bigger budget though.
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Apr 4, 2012 20:53
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U-DO Burger posted:The difference is that FFX had only a few pre-rendered CG scenes, and the rest of the scenes were rendered in real time. On the other hand, aside from the one or two terrible speech box scenes, everything in Xenosaga I was pre-rendered. While it was helpful for the action scenes, it served no purpose for the talking scenes other than to eat up more disc space. I know it's kind of pointless to rant about bad design decisions made 10 years ago, but considering that the game cost Takahashi his control over the series, it still depresses me to think about. I want the full series dammit! You're not alone there then. I would have loved if Xenosaga continued on for 6 games. Hey, you might enjoy this if you haven't read it already. The Histroy of Xenogears and Xenosaga It's pretty much the definitive collection of background information on how the series came to be, Takahashi's plan for six games, and so-on. I find it particulrly interesting for all the info surrounding the Episode 2 controversy with Takahashi's wife. She seems like such a nice lady and I wonder why she wasn't involved with Xenoblade like she was with Gears and Xenosaga 1. Rascyc posted:Everyone always harps on the story/CG and stuff but it was really the new combat system in XS2 that crushed my soul. Combat was long, it was un-fun from the pace, and just not very rewarding at all. Like I said, my first time through Episode 3 I loved it to pieces. Second time trhough I still adored it as well. It's just that repeated playthroughs have made me quite nitpicky. I still love the game but I'm prone to pointing out its flaws compared to Episode 1. Like you I'm glad the series got a nice and memorable conclusion. And you're also right about the mecha combat. Episode 3 is easily the only Xenosaga game with fun robot gameplay. AGWs were poo poo and ESes were painfully slow and dull in 2. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 12:17 on Apr 5, 2012 |
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Apr 5, 2012 12:13
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Nate RFB posted:I don't think I've ever had more anticipation for a video game than I did for Xenosaga 1. I followed every bit of news as closely as I possibly could, from the 2001 TGS trailer to driving how many towns over to pick it up day of release in the states. While the game is "decent" at best, my expectations remained high even as XS2 trailers started to pop up (they actually were pretty cool IIRC). The let down of XS2 was monumental and nearly heartbreaking. I can definitely sympathize with your XS2 heartbreak. I expected a lot of things from 2 and none of them at all were realized in the game. It's hard for me to decide what I hate most about 2 but I think it must be the audio. That may sound weird but it's kinda like with MGS. I can forgive silly and stupid scenes if they're done well. Xenosaga II had terrible audio quality and most of the new voices were very bad. Fix that and even though the story would still be butchered and the gameplay would be dull, I wouldn't have to press mute every other word. Sionak posted:Thanks for this, I've loved Xenogears since it came out and it still had some interesting revelations on their inspiration and process. I am slowly reading through the whole article - it's pretty massive, but fun to read. You're very welcome. That entire site is jammed full of a lot of cool Xeno info. And ambitious is the perfect word for it. Xenogears and Xenosaga are far from perfect but you can tell Takahashi was really trying for something. How well he succeeded is a matter of opinion but I don't think anyone woudl ever accuse him of being lazy or unimaginative.
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Apr 5, 2012 19:55
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Conduit for Sale! posted:I've recently started replaying Xenogears, and I can't stop hearing everything Hammer says in the voice of that guy in the Chappelle's Show sketch "If the Internet Was a Real Place" who tries to sell Dave boner pills. Out of curiosity what part are you at? On my last playthrough with Dark Id's LP I noticed how much I liked Elly more. Her and Fei's romance was really sweet and I think it's a big reason why I could endure and even like Disk 2. (well that and Grahf's backstory, G-Elements and a few other things)
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Apr 15, 2012 12:42
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So I remember back in TDI's Xenogears LP we had a minor topic about non-evil churches in JRPGs. Having just completed Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, I wonder if anyone brought up the Church of Apris. I thought the game was being insulting when Fayt said "oh...theocracy" in what sounded like a condescending tone but the religion turned out to be quite benign.
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Jun 9, 2012 07:26
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The White Dragon posted:Ahahahaha. Oh, excuse me. I found it funny that you thought that a Star Ocean game actually had thought put into it, and it wasn't just the fact that they hired an rear end VA. Think what you want about the plot but by "rear end VA" do you mean voice-actors? Most of the prominent voice-actors in the are pretty well-known. I was quite surprised since I heard the game had lovely voice-acting. Yes the direction was pretty bad similar to FFX but you still had the likes of Dave Wittenberg, Wendee Lee, Crispin Freeman and many others to compensate for it. The only voice I was disappointed by was Michelle Ruff as Sophia and I put the blame on the fact Sophia is Rosa-level bland and terrible. quote:And besides, if that were actually the case, SO3 came out in like 2005--or very late in 2004--and "video games are so cliche these days, the church is always evil" was a tired internet joke in 1999. And people rag on Working Designs! And yet churches are still turning out to be evil so what is your point?
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Jun 10, 2012 00:57
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The White Dragon posted:"Everyone knows them" is a horrible litmus for quality, of course. Everyone knows Michael Bay, for example. I, on the other hand, neither know nor could care less about a game's "big name" voice acting cast. Their voices are all grating and they're all either over- or under-acted Well maybe I just have a high tolerance for these things but I didn't find any of them grating except for when Fayt tried screaming. That was indeed bad. But I think the actors who overacted were probably doing it on purpose. Cliff's voice in particular struck me as Wittenberg doing an overly macho voice to fit an overly macho character. ThePhenomenalBaby posted:Cliff had a cool voice actor/acting imo. That's about it! What about Nel? She ended up being my favorite character and she was voiced by the wonderful Wendee Lee who you might recognize from a lot of stuff.
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Jun 10, 2012 07:55
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Finished Star Ocean: The Last Hope. Liked it quite a bit despite the Anime. It certainly didn't disappoint me like Till the End of Time(we actually get to explore SPACE in this space JRPG - perish the thought) and FFXIII. Plus Sakuraba music is always good. And on the bright side for the old SO games, all the stuff on Roak made me quite curious to play SO1 and 2. Well, it made me curious to play SO1 but the fact I actually liked this game made me want to play SO2 because I actually want to play the rest of the series now. (SO3 really turned me off) And SO2 is generally agreed to be the best.
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May 20, 2013 09:43
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Polsy posted:You don't do that in 2 either so I hope that's not critical. Maybe not 1 either, plot summary doesn't sound much like it. Eh...it was kind of a combination of that and also the fact the entire first disk of SO3 was pointless. I wouldn't mind being on an underdeveloped planet or whatever if said planet and what we did on it was relevant to the plot. The second disk of SO3 is here <------ while the first is ----> here. You spent hours and hours backtracking and other crap for no real reason. Small praise I guess but SO4's story at least had logical progression. The time travel bit was a little out there but hey, the idea of 1950s Earth in an RPG was one of the things that got me motivated to at least try the game. quote:I didn't realise there were so many SO1 tie-ins in SO4 though, that's interesting. Yep, there be all sorts of connections. Kinda really makes me want to play 1 just so I can make all the connections myself. Plus there's all sorts of awesome music remixes which in turn made me look up the original music and it's pretty good. Music is apparently another area in which SO2 is supposed to be the fan favorite. I have high hopes for that game's OST after hearing it's better than 3 and 4. I wonder if it can rival Baten Kaitos. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 16:36 on May 20, 2013 |
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May 20, 2013 16:27
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exquisite tea posted:The other day I felt some weird desire to complete the Xenosaga trilogy, having only beaten the first game some 11 years ago (yikes)! From what I've heard, the second's combat is really bad, but the third picks up somewhat and is generally regarded as the best in the series. So two questions: 1) Do all the meandering storylines ever begin to come together at any point, and 2) Do they manage to write Chaos, who in my mind represents all the worst trends in JRPG characterization, out of the plot? I know I'm late but... 1. Like ImpAtom said, kind of. You get the definite impression some stuff was half-assed because they had to wrap everything up in a hurry. Episode 2 was such an abortion that a lot of the plot that was supposed to be developed in it had to be done in 3. Plus the series was repeatedly shortened until eventually it became a Trilogy. It really shows. Also if you really intend to finish the series, do check this out. http://zarathustra.kaisho.org/ It's a translation of Pied Piper, a Japanese-only mobile game that expands on ZIggy's backstory. It's actually really good I thought. I'm thankful that I read it before EP3 came out all those years ago as it really explains some things. 2. chaos does get a new voice-actor. You'd be surprised how muwh a voice can help a character and it does seem that most people vastly prefer the new dude. Also, to the earlier poster saying EP3 wasn't canon, then EP2 shouldn't be either. That game had such Executive Meddling that Soraya Saga, the director's wife and one of the main writers, complained about it on her website. She was also fired from the team. The fallout of Episode 2 is directly responsible for why 3 didn't really match up with the director's original vision. But his original vision or not, Episode 3 is at least interesting. Episode 2 is just...boring, in both gameplay and story. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 17:04 on Jul 7, 2013 |
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Jul 7, 2013 17:00
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Mill Village posted:Edge Maverick from SO4 immediately comes to mind, and that's a big budget RPG. Srice posted:Edge Maverick was a really cool name for an otherwise forgettable, bland as hell protagonist. You can't do worse than Fate Linegod in name or character. He's a key reason why I hate SO3 more than any other JRPG I've played in history.
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Dec 27, 2013 20:52
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Mill Village posted:Alexander O Smith worked on the translation for SO3, and he has been quoted as saying the game was "too anime." (Unfortunately I can no longer find the article that had that quote). I don't think changing his name from "Fate" to "Fayt" really helped, though. Dunno why he didn't just change his name entirely. I'm pretty sure most of the names in the English version were entirely new. Dr. Video Games 0031 posted:I think we should all just accept that Star Ocean 2 was an anomaly in that terrible series. I really want to play SO1 just because SO4 is so heavily littered with references to it that I want to understand said references better. As for SO2, it had a PSP remake just like SO1, right? Maybe I need to check those out. I know the PS1 version is popular around here but I've heard not too great things about the voice-acting. Maybe I'l just play both versions.
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Dec 28, 2013 01:04
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When placed next to SO3, I positively adore SO4. But yes, SO4 Welch is probably a good indicator of if you can even play the game. I like that she pops up early to talk with Edge as kind of a warning. "If you can't handle this, turn the PS3/Xbox off right now and return the game or maybe go and bury it with all those ET cartridges".
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Dec 28, 2013 01:53
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Kokoro Wish posted:Just be glad not all of what they had made the jump overseas. Eh? That scene is in the English version too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6eCYKtdTVI And yep, it is one of the better PAs in the game most definitely. I like when people can poke fun at themselves or, in this case, at their own fanbase.
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Dec 28, 2013 02:07
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I played Star Ocean: The Last Hope from start to (main storyline) finish and enjoyed myself most of the time. I gave up on Infinite Undiscovery after the first dungeon. Like the part where you are running around in the dark woods and guards and poo poo are after you. Stopped thrre. This is due to a couple of my own problems, like active menus instead of time being paused, and the really lazy text. This is a 360 game and yet there was hardly any voiced dialog to start off with. With my eyesight, I could not read that poo poo before it went away. Also from the....20 minutes I played, I didn't think it played like SO at all. Perhaps it was the lack of battle transitions and the menus being in real time or whatever you want to call it. I might have been willing to stick at it but nothing in what I knew of the story interested me. I only tried it to try it and when I had no fun, I returned it. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 08:25 on Jan 3, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 08:18
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That's the beauty of Private Actions. You can skip that scene and almost every other scene with Lymle. For all the poo poo a lot of old SO fans give the game for having no optional party members, you are free to ignore all of them if you want. I have completed five JRPGs in the past couple years (not counting replaying old ones) and of those five, The Last Hope takes third place after Final Fantasy IV and Baten Kaitos. In fourth comes FFXIII and in Worst Video Game I've Ever Played Place comes Till the End of Time.
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Jan 6, 2014 06:41
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I was misled. SO3 is a very popular game you know. I had no idea that, even if it sucked, it would be that level of awful. And I forgot that people on here like to poo poo on Baten Kaitos too it seems. What a shame. I loving loved that game and not at all in a sort of ironic way like with SO4. I wuld hold Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean right up there with my favorite FF games. Also I no longer have a 360 so no ToV.
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Jan 6, 2014 06:58
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I don't skip important cutscenes. PAs are completely optional though which was my point. Why do I hate Star Ocean 3 while I do not hate Star Ocean 4? Simple. One game manages to tell a story that actually flows. It might be the worst goddam story in the history of human existence but at least the Beginning goes to the Middle which goes to the End. This is a concept a preschooler can manage. yet the writers of Till the End of Time can't manage it. All the poo poo you do on Elicoor is utterly meaningless. Why did I meet a clone of Sophie, a character who somehow manages to be blander than FFIV's Rosa in spite of coming out two console gens later? Because you do. Why is she conveniently dying? Because she is. And now let's fight an evil empire by building a superweapon. Let's gather all the necessary matrials for that superweapon. Let's build up to a climactic battle. And now aliens invaded. And they are jerks. But wait, there they go, neverto be discussed again. now we fight new aliens. Only they're not aliens. They're the Malwarebytes of the 4D Beings who created the MMo we all play in. And now we are in "the real world" fighting Lucifer. Who deletes the universe but somehow the universe still exists. Now, I remember slogging through so many lovely dungeons on the first disk of SO3. I remember going to get a dragon and backtracking and some stupid Disintegration mechanic. I remember wasting several hours of my life on doing all of this poo poo and ultimately it boils down to nothing. It has nothing to do with the real plot of the game. The only connection is that the magic ball in one of the lovely dungeons was important. We didn't need not-Sophie dying of TB or whatever else just to increase the melodrama. SO4 starts with the Grigori and ends with the Grigori. I appreciate that. I appreciate some goddam cohesion after the clusteruck of SO3's storytelling. The only part of SO4 that felt a bit out of place was the time travel and Roak but that all had to do with explaining Edge's character and also showing how SO4 is a prequel to SO1. So it still served a function, unlike building a superweapon that does nothing because we are fighting an enemy who are invalidated right at the climactic moment and who are then replaced by another enemy who get written out of the plot even faster than the first group of enemies. So I loathe SO3 because it made me feel like I was wasting my life away. Which i guess I am but I have never had it so blatantly shoved in my face. And I guess I also enjoyed the fact that SO4 actually let you explore the "star ocean" while SO3 had me trapped on a lovely stock fantasy setting for so long. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 07:55 on Jan 6, 2014 |
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Jan 6, 2014 07:44
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So I've only played three games scored by Motoi Sakuraba - Baten Kaitos 1, Star Ocean 3 and Star Ocean 4. I liked the OSTs in SO3 and 4 well enough (with a slight preference to 4) but neither of them really could compare with how much I loved Baten Kaitos' music. There was just so much goodness. (just in case anyone reading this post hasn't played the game. I hope these videos would convince you to) Anyway, like I said, SO3 and 4 were decent enough but nothing compared to Baten Kaitos. I'd like to know what are considered his best musical efforts? What are the best games he's ever composed?
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Mar 7, 2014 04:24
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The soundtrack for SO4 is the last thing I would have thought people found grating about it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZFKsybhalE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN78MPuVquQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUn1bOEKG-I Even after three games I can see a definite preference on his part for synth and progressive rock but he's certainly not incapable of using orchestra well. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 05:37 on Mar 7, 2014 |
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Mar 7, 2014 05:35
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I played the beginning part back when I had a Gamecube (sold it and my games off since I was moving) but I didn't much care for the new battle system. I had fallen in love with pretty much everything about Eternal Wings so I was kinda annoyed by how different the gameplay was. I might like it more now since I'm not playing it right after beating EWatLO and I'm not like "in the mindset" of its gameplay if that makes any sense. But I'll have to get a new Gamecube for that and who knows when that will be.
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Mar 7, 2014 10:39
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Well when I do get a GCN again, I'd make sure to get both a new copy of Eternal Wings and Origins again. I remember the story of Baten Kaitos pretty well since I absolutely adored the game but I'd make sure to touch up on the lore before going into Origins. Right now though I think I'd rather just get a PSP. So many games for it I want to play - and all of them JRPGs. What would you guys say are the best JRPGs for the PSP?
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Mar 7, 2014 22:06
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Mainly looking for exclusive titles or maybe enhanced versions like the Star Ocean games. I guess Persona 2 Innocent Sin also counts as exclusive since we never got it here for the PS1. Ive heard a lot about the Lunar series over the years and it has a remake on the PSP, right? Was just watching a Top 5 JRPGs for the PSP list n YT and it was on it.
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Mar 7, 2014 22:27
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Well even if I do get a Wii it won't be for a good while. PSP and then a PS3 are my consoles to buy in the foreseeable future.' Thanks for the recs everyone. I think I'm gonna play both Persona 2 games first since now I know you can choose between whether it uses the original or remixed soundtracks. Thus no reason to bother with the PS1 version. Also Imp your response to both my questions can be the same since Valkyrie Profile has a remake for the PSP. I'd like to try that out too in addition to Brave Story and P2.
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Mar 8, 2014 20:20
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I'll say it again - SO4 is better than 3. It always has been, it always will be. That includes voice-acting. People just haven't played SO3 in a decade so they forgot this poo poo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwVuSl0t5zc And that's the big, epic climax finale. They pulled out all the stops for their voice-acting there. Also both those linked PAs are optional. You can easily go through the game without watching a single one of them. You just pick "Sleep for rest of voyage" or something. I should also point out that Sarah's voice-acting isn't better in Japanese. You know why? 'cuz her character is founded on being mentally retarded. So she sounds mentally retarded. Till the End of Time deserves to be buried with all those ET cartridges. I'll play SO4 every day for the rest of my life before I touch that poo poo again. But yeah...ignoring the fact I hate SO3 with a fiery passion, SO4 is a fun game. It has some cool music and pretty environments. I'd recommend trying it. Just play it for the gameplay, which is what tri-Ace is all about anyway. Also yes the PS3 version does allow you to switch to the Japanese audio. What a fabulous coincidence this is though as I also just got a PS3. I think I'm gonna finally try one of the Tales games since it apparently has similar combat to SO. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Apr 3, 2014 |
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Apr 3, 2014 15:16
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Even Mitsuda? Chrono Cross and Xenogears are supposed to be Mitsuda's crowning achievements I thought.
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Apr 3, 2014 15:34
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So VP1 is better than 2? By how much?
NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Apr 3, 2014 |
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Apr 3, 2014 16:09
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Yakiniku Teishoku posted:Cool, thanks. I actually didn't hate SO3 so SO4 sounds more promising. I haven't played any Tales newer than Symphonia GC version but they always hit that sweet spot too. Hope you enjoy. Yeah my plan for my first Tales game is going to be Symphonia as well but I'm gonna get the PS3 version (called Symphonia Chronicles) because it comes with the sequel too. So I'm getting two games for just the price I'd be paying for one with Graces F or Xillia. Presumably it will be a good indicator if I'm gonna be a fan of the Tales franchise. (I'm sure I will - not the hardest guy on the planet to please) Glad to help and I hope you enjoy yourself with SO4. kirbysuperstar posted:They're pretty different. VP2 is kinda linearish and has a similar battle system to the first but in 3D, on a map, with move-as-you-move placement, group splitting, all sorts of weird things. Also some of the most impressive graphics on the PS2, hands down. Hm, I'll keep that all in mind thanks. Is VP2 like a real sequel, as in I need to have played VP1 first to understand it? Or is it the Star Ocean thing where they are only vaguely connected and you can jump in any time?
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Apr 3, 2014 16:51
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Oh I'd definitely try to play both. I was just curious.
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Apr 3, 2014 17:04
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To this day Pain is my favorite JRPG ballad. "Small Two of Pieces" is equally great but I played Xenosaga first so that helps edge it out. Having the same singer return for Xenosaga was really cool.
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Apr 3, 2014 21:45
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Not sure if someone else has posted about this in another thread but apparently a new Wild ARMs game is in the works. What timing. I just got WA3. Well I ordered it off ebay because it was the cheapest of all five. WA is another series I've been wanting to get my foot in the door with.
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Apr 4, 2014 22:34
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I just had NieR recommended to me by a guy who considers the Compilation of FFVII and the Lightning Trilogy as the best stories in JRPGs. I'm worried about getting it...very worried. I know I like some unpopular games but even by my Xeno fanboy standards, I think those kinds of views are a bit unconventional and I pray that NieR's writing is nothing at all like XIII's.
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Apr 8, 2014 17:00
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Stelas posted:Nier owns. The writing is very good and the game is pretty solid with it. It's a good experience. Just don't worry about completing all the sidequests unless they give you nice things and you can do them easily. I'm not really a completionist. I like to play the games for the plots and sidequests are just something I may do if they interest me. I've heard NieR's soundtrack is among the best ever though so I am looking forward to that. Music means a lot to me in my JRPGs.
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Apr 8, 2014 17:08
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U-DO Burger posted:NieR is a really fun game with top-notch writing and breathtaking music. If you enjoy a good story in a video game, then you're doing yourself a huge disservice if you don't experience NieR. Just keep two things in mind: A fellow Xeno fan recommending it to me is heartening. Hakkesshu posted:Nier has one of the best RPG soundtracks ever in my opinion, so look forward to that. The only thing I don't like about it is that 95% of the sidequests suck rear end, so you're going into it with the right attitude. It just has such a great creepy atmosphere, it's really nothing like XIII, or any Final Fantasy for that matter. Anyone who's played it will tell you how ridiculous that sounds, it's like comparing Lord of the Rings to Berserk. Sounds good. I've been looking for something "different" which is also why I wanted to try Wild ARMs. I got 3 in the mail so hopefully that will occupy me until I can get NieR.
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Apr 8, 2014 17:57
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Relatively speaking, yeah. The whole subplot of the Crimson Squad (the three future leaders of Spira feat. Paine) was quite dark as X-2 goes anyway. Plus the whole game is rooted on a tormented spirit and tragedy and whatnot. But 98% of the time it's "Girl Power!!!" and Brother being a drug addict. Don't care what anyone says, Brother is amazing. "ATTTAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!" Such passion indeed, Buddy. I more recently learned the same guy who does Brother also did Al-Cid in XII. I can totally hear it now and it's hilarious. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 20:34 on May 27, 2014 |
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May 27, 2014 20:26
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Cake Attack posted:All JRPGs are good. Last Celebration posted:Star Ocean Fixed that for you. May Till the End of Time rot along with all those ET cartridges. thetoughestbean posted:If a segway from Suikoden II is allowed, I'd like to raise a question: For me, my "priorities" in games are these: Story/Characters Music Gameplay Graphics Voice-Acting (if applicable) This list applies to pretty much all games I play, JRPGs or Fighting Games or whatever else. (yes, I do play fighting games for the story sometimes) I can certainly get behind a game with poor writing as long as the gameplay is fun and addictive but I'd never cite that game as one of my favorites. Contrast with my darling Xenogears or even the Legacy of Kain games for a non-RPG example. You don't play those games for the gameplay, you play them for the writing. Whether it's worlbuilding or character development, something about the narrative sucks you in so you can forgive the other flaws in the game. I also can't stress enough how much a good game soundtrack can help either, at least in my case. A scene that otherwise might only have been decent can become unforgettable with the right music and direction. Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean became one of my favorite JRPGs largely because of the music. It was my first exposure to Motoi Sakuraba and while I can see why his style would grow repetitive if you've heard a lot of stuff by him, it was amazingly different from what I had mostly heard up to that point. (which was good but Sakuraba has a style most distinct from Mitsuda, Uematsu and others) Still need to play Valkyrie Profile and hear his best work ever... loving rare games. Maybe I'll ask for a PSP for my birthday or something and play the version of VP on there. Of course that's still a couple of months away but I guess I'll see. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Aug 4, 2014 |
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Aug 4, 2014 05:12
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Rascyc posted:Someone recently brought up a topic in a random thread of gameplay keeping crappy stories afloat being much more common than good stories keeping weak gameplay afloat. I also believed the former is much more true than the later, but I can't see how anyone can disagree with this. All the Xeno games. Well the ones I've played, so can't say anythinga bout Blade. But Xenogears and Xenosaga 1 and 3 both have pretty generic at best gameplay. You play through them for the story and charactes and music. XSIII was nice enough to have a few good dungeons for once too. The battle system in Gears and Episode 1 wasn't bad really...just kinda got old after a while. Especially Gear combat. I wish there had been a proper on-foot final boss. Forest Thief Pud posted:If you're enjoying the gameplay, yeah just go ahead and skip all the cutscenes and slog on through. Although post-game is a bitch an a half if you're playing on the 360 version. Never played the original but most fans of International (the one I own) say it's much harder on account of nerfing Reimi and some of the Synth tricks. Not super hard or anything but not as easy as the 360 version. SO4 is a fun game. People just take it too seriously.
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Aug 20, 2014 04:54
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