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Spirit Armor posted:... I'm horribly tempted to read your thread, but I'm equally tempted to actually play Tsukihime sometime (admittedly, mostly after having my brains turned to mush by this possibly spoiler-ish AMV(?)), so I might wait a bit first. ONE OF THESE DAYS I'd like to think I'm doing a decent job with the thread, at any rate. Even if you started reading it now, though, there's a pretty good chance it'll be over before you reach the end (unless you read a LOT in a short timespan). That video does have some very brief and vague spoilers that you probably won't realize are spoilery until you actually get to them in the game (Tsukihime is great like that). It is also, in the grand tradition of the game itself, a fine example of pure, unadulterated  Anyway, if you do want to play the game (and you do, believe me), AxeManiac gave me permission awhile back to toss up a download link. Either sneak to the end of the thread and grab the game links from there (I just re-posted them before checking this thread) or PM/IM me sometime. I'll hook you up  Spirit Armor posted:The video of the first battle is here. Good goddamn, why does this game have to look so awesome? 
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Jul 31, 2007 08:24
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Wow, that battle looked awesome. Although it strikes me as a bit odd from a videogame perspective, Ogami taking a breather from kicking rear end mid-battle to hit on chicks is a pretty cool thing to do.  I also like the lack of Iris in that update. I approve!
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Jul 31, 2007 10:19
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Spirit Armor posted:Haven't played Thousand Arms, but you really can't get much better than Sakura Wars when it comes to strategy RPGs-slash-dating sims (only Galaxy Angel comes close, and only by the strength of its characters rather than, say, an engaging plot). Glad you're liking this thread, tho'! early cutscene featuring the horribly obnxoius protagonist the absolutely poo poo battle system Atlus tried to do for this game what Working Designs did for Lunar, and it's the best example of "polishing a turd" I've ever seen. Atlus made some really questionable choices for games to bring over to the US in the late '90s. Lunacy for Sega Saturn was another one. Rollersnake fucked around with this message at 11:02 on Jul 31, 2007 |
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Jul 31, 2007 10:57
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Spirit Armor posted:I forgot to mention: I love this music, AND it's catchy as hell. It's not your standard RPG technorock, which is always nice- that it actually fits the theme and the setting is just icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. Spirit Armor posted:[Maria] I'm a little confused as to how this conversation flows. I'm assuming it's generic "Ogami and Maria say hi" and not sensitive of battlefield position, but I'm getting several possible meanings from this. Scenario 1: <Ogami> Maria, covering fire! <Maria> ...did you just copy that out of your training manual? We're in a largely open area fighting enemies who aren't using cover. Even if they were, they're all close-combat and suppressive fire would have no impact on their ability to perforate you before you got close. USE TACTICS, NEWB! Scenario 2: <Ogami> Maria, covering fire! <Maria> I am unfamiliar with this "covering fire" of which you speak. You can't possibly have more military acumen than I do, so I shall demean you for talking nonsense. Scenario 3: <Ogami> Maria, covering fire! <Maria> Sorry, Ogami. As much as I'd _like_ to run overwatch the game won't let me take any reactive actions. Besides, you've got a magic 360-degree bird's eye view, so I don't need to be on a high vantage point spotting threats and eliminating them, one by one, with cold, cruel precision... drat YOU PROGRAMMERS! TACHIBANA WANTS TO CLIMB THE BELLTOWER! From here it sounds like it's supposed to be 1, but it comes off as more 2, and the effect on the player is probably supposed to be 3. EDIT: Aaand I just realized that what was probably happening here is Scenario 4: <Ogami> Maria, we're going in! Cover us! <Maria> Cover "us"? You're going to be too busy charging in like a fool to actually pay attention to other threats? Last I checked, a commander needed to keep his eye on the _whole_ battlefield, "Captain" Ogami. Glazius fucked around with this message at 15:12 on Jul 31, 2007 |
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Jul 31, 2007 14:57
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I got more of a sense of "Maria, I'll count on you to cover us if we need it!" and she's saying "Shouldn't YOU be the one who decides if cover's needed or not?", but actually your scenario 4 seems to be closer. Maria was kind of being a jerk no matter what though 
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Jul 31, 2007 20:34
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Rollersnake posted:early cutscene featuring the horribly obnxoius protagonist This message brought to you by a grant from the Partnership for Bandaid-Patch Free Games Foundation.
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Aug 1, 2007 04:43
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seorin posted:I'd like to think I'm doing a decent job with the thread, at any rate. Even if you started reading it now, though, there's a pretty good chance it'll be over before you reach the end (unless you read a LOT in a short timespan). Oh ho. Thanks a lot- I'll check it out. quote:Good goddamn, why does this game have to look so awesome? Because... well, I guess you have to blame the stateside gaming industry for its haet for dating sim-style anime RPGs. Semiru posted:Wow, that battle looked awesome. Screw the fate of Japan and the dispensing of justice, there's ALWAYS time to try and score points with every girl in the brigade! 'Course, the girls themselves occasionally stop to chat amongst themselves in later stages, but that's another story completely.  quote:I also like the lack of Iris in that update. I approve! SAVOR IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN. Rollersnake posted:Atlus tried to do for this game what Working Designs did for Lunar, and it's the best example of "polishing a turd" I've ever seen. Atlus made some really questionable choices for games to bring over to the US in the late '90s. Lunacy for Sega Saturn was another one. .... I love how some of the answer choices don't match up at ALL to what Meis does next.  I have to admit, though, the occasional up-close conversation style is pretty awesome. Glazius posted:(really really big chunk o' text) Sorry for the confusion! I had a bit of trouble translating 'cover' (it could've been 'support', 'back me up', 'cover fire', etc, but I went for a more general term) and untangling what Maria was saying. You're pretty much on the money with Scenario 4 (with a bit of Rose wood's interpretation mixed in). Rose wood posted:Maria was kind of being a jerk no matter what though In her defense, the entire brigade (and the fate of her comrades) has been handed over to some random, spikey-haired Glazius posted:This message brought to you by a grant from the Partnership for Bandaid-Patch Free Games Foundation. ... that's like the reverse of what they did to The 7th Saga, except that they kept the moronic 'whoops, we forgot to compensate for stat gains!' mistakes. Spirit Armor fucked around with this message at 06:55 on Aug 1, 2007 |
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Aug 1, 2007 05:32
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----- Boss Battle Video! Video goes where? ----- (00:15)  ----  In the style of true masterminds everywhere, Aoi Satan makes his presence known in a truly dramatic fashion (instead of, say, popping up while Ogami and his crew were still busy with the Wakiji and gutting them all like fish. I guess he wants to give us a sporting chance?).  As you can well imagine.... [Satan]  I shall personally to be your opponent. Good ol' Satan ain't letting this go without a fight. I'm not sure HOW terrorizing Ueno Park figures into the Hive of Darkness's malicious plans, especially when they could've just tossed the Wakiji at a densely populated part of Tokyo (thus forcing the Imperial Assault Force to worry about avoiding collateral damage and civilian casualties). ... it's times like these that I want to go up to the guy masterminding these evil schemes and hammer the Evil Overlord Lists into his face.  Sword goes left,  Sword goes up,  Sword goes 'mmmrreeeaaooooorrrmmmm.' There are certain unwritten laws that every steampunk-based villian has to adhere to. The most important is knowing how to make a good entrance. It's cool, your typical hero will always wait around as the villain takes his time to suit up.  ----  Problem is, Maria isn't your typical hero...  ... and lets fly the bullets of hot death.  gently caress, THAT'D end this stage right quick! Sadly, not even Maria's badass gunslinging skills are enough to  ----  ----  ----  Demon-Driven Mechanical Soldier: KAMUI (I love how the antagonists in this game just summon their evil, demonic, industrially-made steampunk mecha. Hell, I just love how the antagonists have mecha of their very own.)  ---  Four against one, eh?  ----  I like these odds. Let's roll. (01:33)  This particular boss battle is... very straightforward. It's using the same map as the last battle, except that the Imperial Assault Force starts on the bridge. Satan and two Wakiji are in the corner in front of the temple- and there's a third Wakiji off-screen, standing just a bit behind Maria.  I've translated the menu for this particular screenshot. Most of them are self-explanatory. 'Info' basically means 'Look at pilot/unit stats', while 'Comm.' means 'Radio HQ to hear your Mission Objectives again'. None of them are particularly cruical at the moment. However, Ogami's menu has two unique options, both of which I'll be using more frequently from here on out. The currently highlighted one, 'Protect', is ridiculously useful:  ----  When an enemy attacks whoever Ogami's Protecting, he will automatically jump in and nullify all damage taken. It's kind of like a godly version of SRW's Support Guard, except Ogami doesn't actually need to be next to whoever he's Protecting- though the flip side is that he can only Protect his pilots three times per battle. It's also a great way to up your trust level with someone. More masochistic chauvinism, yay! I Protect Sumire because she's the slowest of us all- she might get attacked before her turn even comes around.  ... on second thought, I change my mind immediately afterwards  Next is Ogami's 'Captain' command, which is what makes these battles a bit more interesting.  You can choose between four different strategies. This not only tweaks everyone's stats, but it also alters the layout of your team's Action Gauge. Each strategy changes how much of the Action Gauge is required to Defend (Square button), Charge ('X' button), and Heal (Triangle button). For instance, under the default Wood strategy, it takes 2 blocks of your Action Gauge to Defend. Under the Mountain strategy, it only takes 1 block to Defend. If you're up against a hard-hitting boss, you'd want to switch to Mountain to cut the damage you're taking AND to make it easier to Defend. A nice way to adapt to a given situation, even though you can only change strategies during Ogami's turn. The four strategies are as follows: WIND: Increases movement speed at the cost of defense. Makes it easier to Charge and Heal, but you can't Defend. WOOD: The default all-rounder strategy. You can Defend, Charge, AND Heal, but at higher prices. FIRE: Increases attack power at the cost of defense. Makes it a LOT easier to Charge up your spirit gauge, but you can't Heal. MOUNTAIN: Increases defense power at the cost of movement. Makes it a LOT easier to Defend AND Heal, but you can't Charge up your spirit gauge.  Anyway, I don't change strategies quite yet.  (Given the way Ogami's hair sticks up and his ears stick out, it's got to be really, really hard to draw him without making him look like a complete dork.)  As cool as Satan's mech looks, this IS just the first boss battle. Pretty boy doesn't take damage very well- a few more final attacks and he's cooked. Anyways...  ----  ----  (Japanese lesson of the day: this means 'fire'.)  Swapped to the 'Fire' strategy to let Ogami charge up his spirit gauge really cheaply.  ----  ----  And then back to the 'Mountain' strategy for a cheap Defend. Man, it's great being the one who's calling the shots. ---- [Ogami]  Initiate the Mountain strategy!! [Sakura]  Yessir- [Ogami] Fire strategy!! [Sakura]  Eh?! Er, ye- [Ogami] Wind! Mountain! Wood! Fire! Mountain! [Sakura]  .... we'll be fighting over THERE. Just... join us when you're done. ---- (02:58)  Ogami ends his turn after smackin' Satan around a few more times. Sakura's up to bat!  ----  ----  As you can see, a happy pilot is a godly pilot.  ----  ... cripes, Sakura's normal attack did about as much as Ogami's FINAL. (03:37)  Wakiji's turn! It DOES go after Maria.  Ogami's cockblock is a success. No damage taken!  ... much to Maria's chagrin. See, he's (03:54)  ----  Annoyingly enough, everyone else immediately dogpiles Ogami. Since they tend to go after the weakest unit in range, I guess that means that Ogami looks a helluva lot less threatening than Sakura and her stalker aura.  ----  ... while the boss doesn't have a final attack, he still hits pretty drat hard, chunking off about half of Ogami's life bar. (04:26)  ----  ----  One Wakiji down and 173 damage on Satan (and another 137 with her normal attack). Ave Maria.  (05:09)  ----  ----  FINALLY, a chance to use Sumire's death flower again. (05:46)  By the second round of turns, Satan's got about 10 hp left. Sic 'im, Ogami!  ... and Sakura too, I guess! As far as I can tell, combination attacks randomly trigger if two of your guys are within attacking range of the same enemy. And that's the end of THAT. Congrats, you've just read through the game's shortest, easiest boss battle. (06:12)  ----  ... like all good pretty-boy villains, Satan doesn't even have the good grace to roll over and JUST loving DIE. (06:27)  [Maria]  The enemy's demonic energy signal has completely disappeared. Chasing after him would be useless, Ensign.  [Ogami]  .... it can't be helped. Let's return to the Grand Imperial Theater and plan out our countermeasures from here on out.  [Ogami]  Curtain call? Wh, what in the world? [Sakura] Come on, here we go!  ----  [Ogami] Wh, what?! ... and now that the battle's over, we're back to the eternally baffled Ogami that we all know and love. [Sumire]  You can't even decide on a single pose? You've still got a ways to go. [Maria] On the battlefield, the ability to make a split-second decision can be the difference between life and death. .... please be more careful next time. Maybe if you guys had TOLD him that some mystical hidden camera was going to take an after-battle photo of them?! [Ogami] Y, you've got to be kidding me.... ----- Optional Video Alert?!The above scene as a video. Get used to this. They do it after EVERY SINGLE BATTLE, after all! ----- Some Time Later...  They DO go on that cherry blossom viewing. Regretfully, we leave the robots behind first. [Ogami]  ... however... Manager Yoneda. Why hasn't there been a public announcement regarding the Hive of Darkness?  [Yoneda]  That'd be just what those demons wanted. To the very end, we must battle them in the utmost secrecy! [Ogami]  That makes sense. So that's what truly makes us a secret brigade, huh. It only took him the entire chapter, but by Jove, he's got it!   [Ogami] Aah. You too, Sakura-kun; good work. [Sakura]  Having you with us was a really big help.  Whatever you say, Sakura.  [Ogami] Leave it to me!  Gawd, woman, give him a break. It's probably a miracle that nobody's freakin' DIED under his direction. ... maybe I should rephrase that. [Ogami]  G-got it.  (Now that the battle's over, we're going to have to deal with Iris again.)  Am I the only one who's worried about the "make you my lover" part? 'Cause it sounds suspiciously like "I'm going to crush your mind and turn you into my love slave," and that's not exactly high up on my list of priorities. [Ogami] Hahaha, thank you. He's totally forcing that smile out and sweating out buckets of raw fear. Man, how could this night get any weirder-   ..... H-her voice. Why does she sound so much hotter like this? [Ogami] (Why is she drunk on sweet sake?) (Which has negligible alcohol content. It'd be something like managing to get drunk on apple cider.)  ... I think I like this version of Sumire better. Can we just, you know.... keep her drunk ALL the time?  [Yoneda]  A'right, drink up, keep drinkin' up! Ogamii! Your ticket-takin' work'sh gonna be waitin' fer you tomorrow~! [Ogami] Hah?!  And the scene pans up as everyone points and laughs at Ogami for being forced to clip tickets for life. ... we'll see how much they laugh when customers start walking out of the theater with only half their fingers left.  ----- Epilogue Video. Flower-viewing action! At the very least, I think you'll want to watch it for Sumire's voice. ----- ~ Episode 1: FIN  ---  "Being stuck with both ticket-taking and fighting, Ogami-san becomes a very busy man."  ---  "Without warning, mysterious beautiful women start appearing before him!"  "Next time on Sakura Wars..."  "'The Enemy's Name is the Hive of Darkness'! A storm of romance amongst the Taisho cherry blossoms!"  "How nice... it looks like YOU'RE having fun." Spirit Armor fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Nov 30, 2012 |
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Aug 1, 2007 05:48
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I'm sure that in 10 years, no one would mind being Iris' love slave.  Man's gotta have patience...
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Aug 1, 2007 06:05
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Dominic Hokage posted:I'm sure that in 10 years, no one would mind being Iris' love slave. 
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Aug 1, 2007 06:11
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If anyone was on the fence about Maria, her (trying to at least)going against the enemy before they have a chance to power up ought to get you fully in Camp M.
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Aug 1, 2007 06:13
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 Is it just me, or does Ogami look kind of  from this angle?Yay, the battle is over! Now we get to
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Aug 1, 2007 06:16
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Verbose posted:If anyone was on the fence about Maria, her (trying to at least)going against the enemy before they have a chance to power up ought to get you fully in Camp M.  Signing up for duty at Camp M, sir!The only real competition is Sakura, and while she's a samurai badass, Maria is a stone-cold sniping badass. I vote that nobody goes for Sumire, nobody goes for the drunk chick - just ask Karen from Harvest Moon
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Aug 1, 2007 14:21
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Spirit Armor posted:Problem is, Maria isn't your typical hero... Yeah, Camp M 4 lyfe. I guess this was just Satan's prototype or something. (Also, I had no idea that her final assault was an AOE, albeit a small one.) Spirit Armor posted:The currently highlighted one, 'Protect', is ridiculously useful: Protect is like, what, White Dragon Shield from the original Lunar? It nullifies the next attack and then Ogami has to have his turn come around and use another Protect charge? Or does Ogami get a chance to change his Protect target every turn, but every attack against the Protected target uses up one charge? quote:Next is Ogami's 'Captain' command, which is what makes these battles a bit more interesting. This is interesting. Can you unlock a "Void" strategy or am I just reading too far in? Also I note that despite being in Mountain the pilots pull off their special attacks. Did they start the battle with a full charge from the previous one, or what? Put together with his Protect command, I'm getting a very Book of Five Rings vibe from Ogami. The original twin-sword style wasn't designed to give you a second attack at -2/-4 every round, but as a superior method of defense and terrain control, suitable for any occasion. Spirit Armor posted:As you can see, a happy pilot is a godly pilot. You say this but I keep wondering. In the battle screens so far, I haven't noticed anything like XP in the game. The only way to improve a pilot is to get them to like Ogami more? That Protect command is hell of useful then - protect a weaker pilot while they get stronger. Basic priorities for Ogami then: 1) Don't Be An rear end. 2) Become a better field commander (which should get you in with Maria.) 3) Entertain us! 4) If at all possible, practice the piano. As much as Iris keeps me out, being an rear end to her is not a very good idea. Not for nothing is it said: "Meddle not in the affairs of psykers, for they are short-tempered and quick to cockblock."
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Aug 1, 2007 16:12
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Spirit Armor posted:(Now that the battle's over, we're going to have to deal with Iris again.) But... but... we were so happy  Spirit Armor posted:
No, you're not the only one...  I do like the sepia toned 'next time' though
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Aug 1, 2007 16:52
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This is the best kind of LP; one covering a game a lot of us know about but would never get the chance to experience otherwise. For years I've seen various Sakura Taisen characters, import reviews and references, and always wondered what the games themselves would be like- and thanks to you, all the other goons like me are finally getting a chance to see what all the fuss is about. Keep up the good work, man. There are undoubtedly plenty of us here that would follow you into the Sakura Taisen sequel LPs if the motivation is there.
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Aug 1, 2007 18:15
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One Legged Cat posted:There are undoubtedly plenty of us here that would follow you into the Sakura Taisen sequel LPs if the motivation is there. Hell yeah. I can't get enough of this series and he's only just started on the first one. I'm amazed something this awesome exists and depressed I can't play it
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Aug 1, 2007 18:24
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If the other pilots improve by crushing on Oogami, then how does Oogami get any better at steampunk-robot fighting? I can't imagine there's a "self-love" stat being tracked (and doubt that Oogami would have much of that, anyway ), so do his abilities increase automatically or are they dependent on some sort of average of how much all the girls love you? Also, casting in my hopes for an Iris-themed ending. Because good things come to those who wait. Keter fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Aug 1, 2007 |
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Aug 1, 2007 19:17
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Verbose posted:If anyone was on the fence about Maria, her (trying to at least)going against the enemy before they have a chance to power up ought to get you fully in Camp M. No nonsense. No hesitation. All business. seorin posted:Is it just me, or does Ogami look kind of There are... much worse pictures of Ogami. Remind me to dredge up one or two. seorin posted:Yay, the battle is over! Now we get to Yes, yes, and maybe. Changing clothes is a purty tall order for a man with Ogami's talents. Semiru posted:
b-but I LIKED Karen from Harvest Moon Glazius posted:Protect is like, what, White Dragon Shield from the original Lunar? It nullifies the next attack and then Ogami has to have his turn come around and use another Protect charge? Or does Ogami get a chance to change his Protect target every turn, but every attack against the Protected target uses up one charge? You got it right in the last sentence. If you don't do anything, Ogami will basically continue to Protect the selected pilot until all three charges are used up (or until you change Ogami's target when his turn rolls around). quote:This is interesting. Can you unlock a "Void" strategy or am I just reading too far in? Nope. You're stuck with the basic four elements the entire game. quote:Also I note that despite being in Mountain the pilots pull off their special attacks. Did they start the battle with a full charge from the previous one, or what? Their spirit gauges filled back up between the normal battle and the boss battle. Also, while pilots can't MANUALLY 'Charge' their spirit gauges under the Mountain strategy, this doesn't stop them from using their final attacks if their gauge is already full (their gauges also accumulate when they get hit). quote:Put together with his Protect command, I'm getting a very Book of Five Rings vibe from Ogami. The original twin-sword style wasn't designed to give you a second attack at -2/-4 every round, but as a superior method of defense and terrain control, suitable for any occasion. YA LOST ME. ... though come to think of it, I think the only reason they threw Ogami a second sword was to differentiate him from the OTHER sword-wielder, Sakura. In the original Sega Saturn version, the Koubu didn't have all those awesome differentiating accessories- each pilot's Koubu was a recolor of the same basic unit. quote:You say this but I keep wondering. In the battle screens so far, I haven't noticed anything like XP in the game. The only way to improve a pilot is to get them to like Ogami more? You got it in one. As far as I can tell, though, having a better trust level with Ogami doesn't lead to permanent stat gains. Each pilot's baseline statistics remain constant; prior to a battle, the game simply calculates their trust level with Ogami and applies the according boost (or penalty, if You're Doing It Wrong). After the battle ends, the pilots' stats are set back to the baseline, and you have to work to actively maintain your good standing with them. For instance, let's say that I totally botch up my relationship with Sakura before the next chapter's battle. Regardless of how she was in the first chapter, Sakura would move more slowly and crumple like a saltine cracker if focus-fired. It may seem odd at first that the battle bonuses don't accumulate- but they don't need to. If you play your cards right, the 'temporary' boosts are still enough to turn the pilot of your choice into a freakin' juggernaut. And behind the scenes, your trust levels with the pilots continue to accumulate.... I hope that explanation makes some sort of sense. In any case, it's an interesting system that prevents you from, say, breaking the game by focusing entirely on 'leveling' one character to level 100 by the fourth episode, and it keeps you on your toes. quote:Basic priorities for Ogami then: Truth. I'LL DO MY BEST Rose wood posted:(Picture that disturbs me because it looks like the picture of Iris will, in the tradition of true horror movies, open her eyes and unleash a psychic storm that will obliterate my mind)  One Legged Cat posted:This is the best kind of LP; one covering a game a lot of us know about but would never get the chance to experience otherwise. For years I've seen various Sakura Taisen characters, import reviews and references, and always wondered what the games themselves would be like- and thanks to you, all the other goons like me are finally getting a chance to see what all the fuss is about. Keep up the good work, man. There are undoubtedly plenty of us here that would follow you into the Sakura Taisen sequel LPs if the motivation is there. That's pretty much the whole reason I wanted to do this in the first place: even with all the anime series released in the US, Sakura Wars just isn't complete without the games. The series creator said himself that the reason he wasn't willing to make a full, comprehensive retelling of Sakura Wars in other mediums was because he just fans to experience it through the games themselves. I've said it before but I'll say it again (and will likely keep saying it FOREVER): I'm just glad that you're enjoying this. And thanks for sounding out! seorin posted:Hell yeah. I can't get enough of this series and he's only just started on the first one. I'm amazed something this awesome exists and depressed I can't play it ... I'm not even a fraction of the way through 1 and I'm already eager as hell to get started on 2, 3, 4, and 5.  Keter posted:If the other pilots improve by crushing on Oogami, then how does Oogami get any better at steampunk-robot fighting? I can't imagine there's a "self-love" stat being tracked (and doubt that Oogami would have much of that, anyway ), so do his abilities increase automatically or are they dependent on some sort of average of how much all the girls love you? I think it might actually depend on how well Ogami gets along with the rest of the theater staff- Yoneda and the Trio, etc. There are apparently hidden trust levels for THEM, as well. quote:Also, casting in my hopes for an Iris-themed ending. Because good things come to those who wait. ... that, that's one way to look at it, I suppose. In any case... the update will probably be delayed, for two major reasons. 1) I got a GameBridge. I spent a good chunk of the day trying to get it(s programs) to WORK, and the best I could get was a jittery-as-hell and hosed-up-sound thing on DScaler. I'd like to try and get it to work before next May, which is when I won't have access to my campus library's shiny video-capture devices.2) Played through the second chapter, but I sort of botched it up (and by 'sort of', I mean 'I think Sakura and Iris are going to team up to castrate Ogami'). Then I glanced at an FAQ and noticed that I'd been missing out on a lot of things. I'm planning on running through it again. Oh, I upgraded the format of the very first update (with the mini-portraits and the bold text and such), and trimmed away some unnecessary screenshots- I think the first page loads a bit more smoothly now. I'm planning on doing the same to the rest of the older updates. Spirit Armor fucked around with this message at 10:15 on Aug 2, 2007 |
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Aug 2, 2007 10:13
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Spirit Armor posted:b-but I LIKED Karen from Harvest Moon Sorry, my man, but we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. Team Elli, reporting in!
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Aug 2, 2007 12:13
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Spirit Armor posted:2) Played through the second chapter, but I sort of botched it up (and by 'sort of', I mean 'I think Sakura and Iris are going to team up to castrate Ogami'). Are we going to get to see the gory details of said botch-up? Because that sounds potentially hilarious.
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Aug 2, 2007 15:07
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Spirit Armor posted:I don't know the context of this picture. I'm pretty sure I never want to find out. One of the doujin groups that's heavily focused on Maria made a clothing-slot-machine game; it's online at http://urc.sakura.ne.jp/hp/playroom/slot_m/ (NWS if you play long enough) This thread -really needed- to exist, and I'm glad someone found the time and energy to make it. You're also doing a great job with the commentary, and it'll be interesting to see the great places the thread could take the playthough. Rooting for Kohran, even though I've already seen her route far too many times. 
Mandoric fucked around with this message at 02:40 on Aug 3, 2007 |
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Aug 2, 2007 20:50
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Semiru posted:Sorry, my man, but we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. Team Elli, reporting in! INFIDEL MY LIFE FOR  Thuryl posted:Are we going to get to see the gory details of said botch-up? Because that sounds potentially hilarious. I'll probably group some of them at the end of the chapter! Mandoric posted:One of the doujin groups that's heavily focused on Maria made a clothing-slot-machine game; it's online at http://urc.sakura.ne.jp/hp/playroom/slot_m/ (NWS if you play long enough) Duly noted. Thank you for the link, good citizen. quote:This thread -really needed- to exist, and I'm glad someone found the time and energy to make it. You're also doing a great job with the commentary, and it'll be interesting to see the great places the thread could take the playthough. Glad you're enjoying this! The (English-speaking) world can always use more Sakura Wars, after all. I have not actually gone through her route, so I can always hope that this playthrough goes in that direction. Your vote is noted! In any case, I was a bit busier over the past couple days than I'd anticipated, which is why this update was a bit delayed in coming. It's also a bit shorter than usual, because I also apparently hosed something up on the technical end and am missing a chunk of footage/screenshots.
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Aug 5, 2007 05:02
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 ... that chair looks like the most uncomfortable thing ever devised by man/demonkind. Granted, it might also be due to the guy sitting on it. Where the christ are his arms or his legs? Hell, does he even have an arse to sit on? hosed up demons. D:  (why must these groups have such hard-to-translate evil names?)  "Crimson Miroku... has now arrived."  "Pale-Blue Setsuna... has now arrived!"  wha-  Waitatic, could it be?  "Silver-White Rasetsu!!" ....... yes. Yes, he IS in fact wielding a demon-driven steam-powered chainsaw. A goddamn demon-driven steam-powered chainsaw.   "Black Satan."  "We, the Hive of Darkness's Death Emperors, have gathered to carry out the will of Lord Tenkai!!"  WHOOSH, DRAMATIC FLAMES IN THE BACKGROUND FOR THE PURPOSE OF DRAMA AND EVIL ..... (one new Hive of Darkness base later.... )  ---  ---- [Tenkai]  Satan, Setsuna, Rasetsu, go take a break. Miroku, twenty jumping jacks. ---- [Tenkai]  You fools! What was that sorry debacle?! [Setsuna]  Yes... a mysterious brigade by the name of the Imperial Assault Force interfered with our plans... [Tenkai] Worthless excuses! Well, at least Tenkai wasn't behind last battle's whole "lol let's NOT crush the Imperial Assault Force while they're still weak" thing.  ----   [Tenkai] We have perfected the means to tear down the Imperial Capital's steadfast spiritual barrier! The 'Roku-Hassei Kouma-Jin'! Literally the "Six Destructive Stars Fallen Demon Formation." ---- [Setsuna] What the hell is the 'Six Destructive Stars Fallen D-'... wait, are you talking about Plan Six? [Tenkai] Why yes. Yes I am. [Setsuna] Then why don't you just call it tha- [Tenkai] Shut up, I'M the one in charge here, I am completely in my right to give MY plans dramatic, vague, and forboding names!! Now, I am off to execute the forbidden demonic spell, the 'Galaxy Lord Fallen Demon Waterfall'!! [Setsuna] 'Galaxy Lord Fa-' ... my lord, if you're simply going to the lantrines- [Tenkai] STOP GIVING AWAY MY PLANS!! ---- ... but anyway, isn't he at least going to SACK them for being morons and loving up such an easy battle, though? Granted, it's probably difficult enough to find good hired help as it is. [Tenkai] Complete this dark spell and bring about the utter destruction of the Imperial Capital! The first target shall be Shiba Park! [Miroku]  Yes!! ... wait, if SHIBA Park is target number one, then what was the point of going to Ueno Park? Joyriding?  Oh, poo poo, the final boss HIMSELF is going out for a spin?! Welp, t'was nice knowing you, Imperial Assault Force. [Tenkai] Don't you? Satan.  ----  Dissension amongst the ranks of evil? Hot drat, lucky break.  Episode Two: The Enemey's Name is the Hive of Darkness Just in case there was ANY CONFUSION WHATSOEVER as to the name of the evil demonic group. ... I'm looking at you, Ichiro "HOW DO I SHOT SECRET BRIGADE" Ogami. ---- OPTIONAL VIDEO:Previous scene + voices and cutscene. ----  Yup, that's all he really needs to do to prepare for the ticket-clipping job. ... CAN IT BE CUTTAN TIEM NOW PLAES? [Ogami] But... I guess I've completely gotten used to being a ticket-taker, huh. ----- [Ogami] Hahaha, well, it's not like I give a crap anyway, 'cause I got me a mecha. As far as I'm concerned, life is PERFECT. -----  ----- [Ogami] Oh, right, I forgot! Iris! Ahahahaha.... [Ogami]  gently caress. ----- Fun Fact: You can blame LittleKuriboh's 'Abridged Yu-Gi-Oh Series' as being the reason I don't just translate 'Oniichan' as 'Big Brother'. Whenever I read 'Big Brother', I immediately hear  Biiiig broooootheeeer!! -- THIS sunnovabitch's vaguely whiny pronunciation. [Ogami] Hey, Iris. What's up? ---- [Iris]  THE CEILING!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. [Ogami] Aha... haha... haHAha... gephrghbl... [Iris] Oh, Oniichan, you shouldn't be bleeding from the mouth YET, Iris is just getting started!! [Ogami] ... please... just k... kill... me.... ----  [Ogami] Kohran? Who might that be? [Iris]  Um, she's one of the members of the Flower Division. You know, Kohran... she used to be here, but only for a little while. [Ogami] Heh... another member of the Flower Division, huh...  That's... yeah, that's [Ogami] ..... 'kabo~om'? This 'Kohran' person...  [Ogami] I guess she sounds like an interesting person. Though I don't quite understand what you mean.  [Iris] She always says that 'explosions are my way of laughing~!'. EVERYTIME KOHRAN LAUGHS, A CHILD'S HEAD EXPLODES. [Ogami] Hahahahahaha! She really DOES sound like an amusing person. I want to hurry up and meet her. You're just laughing because you want to see people explode.  YOU TOO, YOU LITTLE MONSTER [Iris] She made a promise to let me ride her steam-powered bike this time! [Ogami] Heh... it sounds like you get along well. Think I'll be able to become good friends with her as well?  Thousands of exclamation points have died to bring you this update.  ----  ---- [Ogami] Seeya Iris, break a ----  ----  VRRRM VRRRM VRRRRRRRRRRRRM Well, speak of the -SMAAAAAAASH!!- ...  Ri Kohran 1906-1923 Has departed this world and ascended to the Great Big Explosion in the sky.  ----  More importantly, isn't there a bloody dead corpse on the theater's doorstep?! ---- [Ogami] God, why'd this have to happen on MY shift? Okay, calm down, it's not OUR responsibility if the body's "accidentally" thrown into the river and lost foreve- ----  [Ogami]  Y... yes?  ... it looks like her bike  [Ogami] Ah... um....  Going with the answer that won't get Ogami caught up in a whirlwind of righteous NERD RAGE. [Ogami] ... are you okay? Um... by the way, who might you be?  As you can probably guess, she's the fifth pilot of the Flower Division- Li Kohran, techie extraordinaire (who looks good with a pair of glasses and a Chinese dress). Kohran's fairly awesome, but you may or may not discover this for yourselves in subsequent updates. [Kohran] From here on out, I'll be stayin' here. Good to meetcha! She's also got a fairly strong Kansai(?) accent. Japanese regional accents appear to have been the bane of translators and localizers in the US for years on end because it seems that no one can agree on HOW to represent them in the English language. The dub of Evangelion ignored Touji's thick accent, Azumanga Daioh went with a New Yorker accent, and I think the Excel Saga manga dipped into the vast base of British accents for some of the less commonly represented Japanese accents... The most common representation of the Kansai accent seems to be a southern twang, which I'll be doing my best to horribly butcher in written form.  [Ogami] Imperial Navy Ensign, Ichiro Ogami. I'm the Imperial Assault Force's... well, captain-in-training or something like that. The 'or something like that' probably refers to his status as ticket-taker, boy-toy, he-who-is-stalked, the theater's errand boy...  [Kohran]  Li Kohran reporting in, now transferred from the Flower Mansion branch to the main base in Ginza! Please direct me to Sir Lieutenant General Yoneda!  Isn't... isn't this part of your work anyway? YOU WILL ESCORT HER AND BE HAPPY ABOUT IT.  drat straight. [Ogami] In that case, allow me to show you the way. Please follow me.  [Ogami] Ah, but your bike...  [Kohran] I'll get it all cleaned up in a jiffy! ---- OPTIONAL VIDEOMeet Kohran. Yay, voices! ---- That said, they enter the theater. Spirit Armor fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Nov 30, 2012 |
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Aug 5, 2007 05:09
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Didn't Setsuna introduce himself as 'Aoi no Setsuna'? That would be Setsuna of the Blue, wouldn't it? (they're going for the whole celestial beasts schtick with the colours, I'm sure)
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Aug 5, 2007 05:23
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Dominic Hokage posted:Didn't Setsuna introduce himself as 'Aoi no Setsuna'? That would be Setsuna of the Blue, wouldn't it? (they're going for the whole celestial beasts schtick with the colours, I'm sure) When I went to double-check the movie, I kept hearing 'Aoki Setsuna,' which makes no sense to me. I double-checked a couple of translation FAQs, all of which ALSO peg him as 'Aoki Setsuna' without actually translating 'Aoki'. All that's left is the Tokyopop translation, which pegs him as 'Pale Setsuna'. Given that they've seemed to translate the other titles somewhat accurately ("Kurenai" as "Crimson", "Hakugin" as "Silver-White", "Kuroki" as "Black"), that's what I went with. ... I think you may be onto something with that Celestial Beasts coloring, so I'ma compromising and changing it to "Pale-Blue". Thanks for pointing it out.
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Aug 5, 2007 05:50
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Much like many others, I've always been very interested in seeing/playing Sakura Taisen (My love of steampunk mecha knows no end) and I'm very much enjoying this let's play for that reason as well as it's general well written commentary excellence. Some questions though. Given the free dating nature of the game, is our baffled hero ever given the chance to play on the other side of the fence? Also I heard this series gets pretty Anti American, is this true or have I gotten another series mixed up? Also another vote for Maria, despite being horribly mean and cold, everyone else is irredeemably horribly (Except maybe the new arrival she's got possibilities). Finally I demand you be rude and tell Sakura to push off at every opportunity, her obsessiveness and traditional mild mannered Japanese sweet girl nature disgusts me beyond compare. 
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Aug 5, 2007 11:06
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Spirit Armor posted:Fun Fact: You can blame LittleKuriboh's 'Abridged Yu-Gi-Oh Series' as being the reason I don't just translate 'Oniichan' as 'Big Brother'. Whenever I read 'Big Brother', I immediately hear Wow, now I hear everything Iris says in that voice. You... you've managed to make iris ok! 
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Aug 5, 2007 12:10
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ObMeiste posted:Finally I demand you be rude and tell Sakura to push off at every opportunity, her obsessiveness and traditional mild mannered Japanese sweet girl nature disgusts me beyond compare. Eh, there are already two LPs with people trying to fail so hard it's visible from space. I'd be more interested in "what crazy-rear end options do they respond favorably to?" How does someone from China wind up with an Osaka accent? We may never know.
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Aug 5, 2007 17:17
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Glazius posted:How does someone from China wind up with an Osaka accent? We may never know. Oh, but we will. If we get to game 2, and pick her, and have the best 'meet the prospective in-laws' scene ever.As for deliberately pissing off, or at least deliberately keeping things chilly with, Sakura, she's clingy enough and gets the heroine bonus enough where you kind of -have- to if you don't want her all over you constantly. It's not really a "let's play as horribly as possible' thing.
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Aug 5, 2007 18:08
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Aww man, so if Ogami doesn't treat her right, she'll fall into a slump and suck in battle? That sucks, but if that is the case then I guess more niceties and sickly sweet moments are in order.
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Aug 5, 2007 22:09
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Spirit Armor posted:When I went to double-check the movie, I kept hearing 'Aoki Setsuna,' which makes no sense to me. I double-checked a couple of translation FAQs, all of which ALSO peg him as 'Aoki Setsuna' without actually translating 'Aoki'. The entire Hive of Darkness uses old, oooolllldd Japanese (or rather modern writers using what they believe to be old Japanese.) Aoki is a throwback to that; it used to be the form of conjugating most adjectives to attach to a noun, which isn't done in modern Japanese, since they combined both into one conjugation for simplicity's sake.. ...just be glad they're only doing classical Japanese Diet (now with 100% less sugar!) and you don't have to deal with auxiliary verbs and words which have two contradictory meanings and  Anyway, looking forward to this. I've been wanting to play through the series myself ever since I played some of the imitators, like Galaxy Angel and Thousand Arms (loved the first, hated the second).
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Aug 5, 2007 22:24
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Mandoric posted:Oh, but we will. Hooboy. Do I want to know which of her parents she inherited what from? quote:As for deliberately pissing off, or at least deliberately keeping things chilly with, Sakura, she's clingy enough and gets the heroine bonus enough where you kind of -have- to if you don't want her all over you constantly. It's not really a "let's play as horribly as possible' thing. Well, yeah. But at the same time, time is tight enough that going out of our way to be an rear end to her for no other benefit just doesn't make sense.
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Aug 6, 2007 01:58
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Glazius posted:Hooboy. Do I want to know which of her parents she inherited what from? It's very not what you'd expect, even if you go for her in 1, IIRC. I'll leave it at that unless the hivemind or the OP settles on someone else. heresy heresy HERESY In a way it's a pity, in terms of being able to cheese influence, that this isn't the Saturn version. That gave a glorious eight Cover uses and associated mood ups a stage of combat.
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Aug 6, 2007 03:53
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ObMeiste posted:Much like many others, I've always been very interested in seeing/playing Sakura Taisen (My love of steampunk mecha knows no end) and I'm very much enjoying this let's play for that reason as well as it's general well written commentary excellence. Thanks! Glad this LP is right up your alley. 1) I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean by 'the other side of the fence'. If you mean Miroku and evil: no. You can influence Ogami's personality (?) to some extent with your choices, but he's a justice-lovin' asskicker at heart. If you mean, I dunno, YONEDA: doubly no. 2) Anti-American sentiment...? You've probably gotten that mixed up with another series. The Sakura Wars Movie puts an American corporation in the position of being EVIL, but Lachette more than makes up for it. And hell, the fifth game is BASED in New York, and gives the Americans its OWN Assault Force. It's a pretty awesome group in its own right. 3) Vote noted! 4) I'd do so if not for the fact that going out of my way to piss off pilots gives said pilots an excuse to go out of THEIR way to suck horribly during battles. An unhappy pilot quite literally takes a penalty to her stats. And getting a pilot stuck with wussier attack damage, slower speed, and paper armor is not at all fun. Rose wood posted:Wow, now I hear everything Iris says in that voice. ... The problem is that I'm hearing Maria in Kaiba's voice now. Glazius posted:Eh, there are already two LPs with people trying to fail so hard it's visible from space. I'd be more interested in "what crazy-rear end options do they respond favorably to?" ......... I think I might've nailed at least one or two later in the chapter. quote:How does someone from China wind up with an Osaka accent? We may never know. OR WON'T WE?! Mandoric posted:Oh, but we will. ... oh lawd. KOHRAN LOVE ObMeist posted:Aww man, so if Ogami doesn't treat her right, she'll fall into a slump and suck in battle? Actually, I can probably more or less ignore Sakura, or at least focus my energy on others (doubly so since no one's actually voted for her). Given her normal speed and how useful her final attack is, Sakura plays perfectly fine even when her trust level with Ogami just sort of breaks even. BlondRobin posted:(Japanese talk!) Hell, I'm just happy that the game isn't in CHINESE or something like that. Also, hell yes Galaxy Angel- I played those games before I knew about/got into Sakura Wars! ... though after Sakura Wars, I can't really help but see Galaxy Angel as 'Sakura Wars Lite (IN SPACE)'. :/ Glazius posted:Well, yeah. But at the same time, time is tight enough that going out of our way to be an rear end to her for no other benefit just doesn't make sense. I'm probably just going to focus on the other girls. The pilots' battle speech cools down when their trust levels break even (as opposed to Sakura's whole spiel LAST battle...). Mandoric posted:I'll leave it at that unless the hivemind or the OP settles on someone else. It looks like the hivemind is going to have it pegged at the Russian gunwoman. And I can see it solidifying when we get to Episode Three and the whole Maria-centric thing... quote:In a way it's a pity, in terms of being able to cheese influence, that this isn't the Saturn version. That gave a glorious eight Cover uses and associated mood ups a stage of combat. oh god no, that probably shattered the game's balance into a trillion pieces. If you just Protected your Chosen Pilot all eight times, you'd have a BATTLE GODDESS on your hands. ......... no update tonight, given that I got home like two hours ago. Not nearly enough progress made, and QUALITY commentary.
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Aug 6, 2007 05:09
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Spirit Armor posted:Hell, I'm just happy that the game isn't in CHINESE or something like that.  But it is! And Taiwanese, and Vietnamese, and pretty much every Asian language under the sun. As long as there is no chance of those filthy Western American white devils  playing it, I think it recieved a translated version of this game. I wouldn't be surprised to find that Sega had translated this game into Linear B... but NOT ENGLISH .Anyway, yeah, I've heard Sakura Wars is supposed to be much better than Galaxy Angel, and honestly at least in terms of plot I don't see that as being too hard since GA basically rips off every space opera ever, and then somehow manages to get *even more* cliched from there. But as you mentioned earlier, it's really the characters which made that game good. So I'll be watching this thread with interest to see how this series is better. Beat up a conveniently pilot-less demon mecha (with Kouran) for me. (and no, that's not a vote for Kouran; I'm waiting to see the sixth girl before I vote.)
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Aug 6, 2007 05:37
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Mandoric posted:One of the doujin groups that's heavily focused on Maria made a clothing-slot-machine game; it's online at http://urc.sakura.ne.jp/hp/playroom/slot_m/ (NWS if you play long enough) ...I never made the connection between that and this until now. Incidentally, Maria's cute in a white cotton button-down. and nothing else. 
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Aug 6, 2007 06:05
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Spirit Armor posted:... Screw the rules, I have bullets! Spirit Armor posted:I'm probably just going to focus on the other girls. The pilots' battle speech cools down when their trust levels break even (as opposed to Sakura's whole spiel LAST battle...). Wasn't that more of a function of it being "Sakura's chapter"? If not, you need to get every pilot up to "fawn over Ogami" at least once, if at all possible. Just for the sheer volume of inane chatter that is likely to ensue. I do not ask the impossible. I ask what is necessary.
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Aug 6, 2007 06:11
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    KOHRAN I don't ever remember seeing such a lovely depiction of her. I also never realized she had the Kansai/Osaka dialect, which probably explains why I liked her above all the other characters. Though, I thought Kanna had the Kansai dialect, while Kohran was just some kind of generic "strange" dialect used to represent her Chinese heritage? (I also like Kohran because, to the best of my knowledge, she's the only legal character not involved in lesbian sub-text, cough Sakura/Maria and Sumire/Kanna cough) novaSphere fucked around with this message at 06:29 on Aug 6, 2007 |
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Aug 6, 2007 06:24
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Spirit Armor posted:It looks like the hivemind is going to have it pegged at the Russian gunwoman. And I can see it solidifying when we get to Episode Three and the whole Maria-centric thing... Spirit Armor posted:oh god no, that probably shattered the game's balance into a trillion pieces. If you just Protected your Chosen Pilot all eight times, you'd have a BATTLE GODDESS on your hands. novaSphere posted:
novaSphere posted:I also never realized she had the Kansai/Osaka dialect, which probably explains why I liked her above all the other characters. Though, I thought Kanna had the Kansai dialect, while Kohran was just some kind of generic "strange" dialect used to represent her Chinese heritage? novaSphere posted:(I also like Kohran because, to the best of my knowledge, she's the only legal character not involved in lesbian sub-text, cough Sakura/Maria and Sumire/Kanna cough)
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Aug 6, 2007 08:04
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