Current Library ctrl+f to find the game.
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud 2
Lost Odyssey
Lunar: Silver Star Story
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Suikoden II
Tales of Vesperia
The World Ends With You
***
This could be EPIC, and I know that a lot of you like RPGs almost as much as I do, so let's make an amazing catalogue of them for reference material.
Here's what I was thinking. Take any number of rpgs that you've played and make a short review of them; then, when we get finished with the games that we currently are playing, we can come to this thread for more games. This will consolidate the often present
I'll start, of course; feel free to follow the format or not. Write as little or as much as you wish.
Also, please make sure that you do not duplicate reviews; if you have a disagreement of course, a second review might be needed. Just ctrl+f before posting.
Oh, one more thing; use spoiler tags if your post contains spoilers. If you do not know how to do this, copy the following into your post "[ bg=black][ black]ZOMG Spoiler goes here[ /black][ /bg]" and remove the spaces between the brackets. This will ensure that no one has a game ruined for them.
Edited, Dec 10th 2008 8:53pm by Pensive
- Forums
- Cross Site
- General Video Game Discussion
- Super RPG Library of Doom!
Super RPG Library of Doom!Follow
Game: Suikoden II
System: psx
Score: 10/10
Note: Suikoden is, iirc, based on an ancient Chinese novel, the name of which I cannot remember. As such, the game is developed by Japanese Konami, but the series is one of the only ones of what might be called a Chinese RPG.
Review: Suikoden 2 is my favorite game ever made and is the best rpg ever made, but I can assure you that, knowing the difference between preference and quality, my score still stands. It is the second in Konami's suikoden series, and can be played without having played the first game, though if you have a first game final boss save game, you may upload your save file for a few extras.
The plot of the suikoden series revolves around it's magic system: runes. In order to cast magic, you inscribe a rune onto your body and use the rune to cast various spells. Upon playing this game, you will discover a rich and deep attachment to your runes, both in combat and plotwise, but I shall not spoil the story.
The best thing about this game is it's story. The plot is remarkably large and spans continents, but each game gives you a glimpse into how the story of the runes involves itself in peoples lives. This game is not about choices, good or evil, friend or foe, it is about destiny and finding the proper way, not to accept one's fate, but to fill one's roll. The game starts in the Kingdom of Highland, where you (Riou) and your best friend Joei have enlisted in the Unicorn Brigade so that you may face the fierce City-State Alliance in a border war. Suddenly, fighting erupts and in the chaos you and your friend dive off of the mountain and into the river, and into a war that will span the two regions as you aim to find the truth
The music is fantastic, with a score written by Miki Hagashino, and an opening song played by the boston philharmonic, the soundtrack alone is worth getting. If nothing else, I recommend downloading the opening, gothic neclord, and la mia triztera.
Combat, like other rpgs, is turn based, and your battle party can contain up to six characters. Good luck choosing them, by the way, as there are precisely 108 characters to recruit, and you need to get them all in order to get one of the best endings (there are three).
Fortunately, only 3/108 are missable forever(use a walkthrough and just be aware of which ones are) and not all of them are battle members. Most of them manage shops and games and venues at your headquarters (obtained about 1/4th of the way through the game). The headquarters system is worth mentioning, as it is one of the best things about the game: every character can be used in some way and often you'll have new ones coming in and out of the party, but all of them are valuable, at least in major strategic battles, in which you have a bit of strategy thrown in to the game (they are all fun though, don't worry).
Overall, Suikoden II delivers a unique story (in a throng of final fantasy clones) and discusses issues of fate and chance, understanding that finding one's place is not some terrible fate to accept, but that fulfilling your destiny can, not only save your friends and country from disaster, and eventually, as the pieces fall into place, destiny delivers a feeling of what might be called the perfect path.
Edited, Dec 9th 2008 5:26pm by Pensive
System: psx
Score: 10/10
Note: Suikoden is, iirc, based on an ancient Chinese novel, the name of which I cannot remember. As such, the game is developed by Japanese Konami, but the series is one of the only ones of what might be called a Chinese RPG.
Review: Suikoden 2 is my favorite game ever made and is the best rpg ever made, but I can assure you that, knowing the difference between preference and quality, my score still stands. It is the second in Konami's suikoden series, and can be played without having played the first game, though if you have a first game final boss save game, you may upload your save file for a few extras.
The plot of the suikoden series revolves around it's magic system: runes. In order to cast magic, you inscribe a rune onto your body and use the rune to cast various spells. Upon playing this game, you will discover a rich and deep attachment to your runes, both in combat and plotwise, but I shall not spoil the story.
The best thing about this game is it's story. The plot is remarkably large and spans continents, but each game gives you a glimpse into how the story of the runes involves itself in peoples lives. This game is not about choices, good or evil, friend or foe, it is about destiny and finding the proper way, not to accept one's fate, but to fill one's roll. The game starts in the Kingdom of Highland, where you (Riou) and your best friend Joei have enlisted in the Unicorn Brigade so that you may face the fierce City-State Alliance in a border war. Suddenly, fighting erupts and in the chaos you and your friend dive off of the mountain and into the river, and into a war that will span the two regions as you aim to find the truth
The music is fantastic, with a score written by Miki Hagashino, and an opening song played by the boston philharmonic, the soundtrack alone is worth getting. If nothing else, I recommend downloading the opening, gothic neclord, and la mia triztera.
Combat, like other rpgs, is turn based, and your battle party can contain up to six characters. Good luck choosing them, by the way, as there are precisely 108 characters to recruit, and you need to get them all in order to get one of the best endings (there are three).
Fortunately, only 3/108 are missable forever(use a walkthrough and just be aware of which ones are) and not all of them are battle members. Most of them manage shops and games and venues at your headquarters (obtained about 1/4th of the way through the game). The headquarters system is worth mentioning, as it is one of the best things about the game: every character can be used in some way and often you'll have new ones coming in and out of the party, but all of them are valuable, at least in major strategic battles, in which you have a bit of strategy thrown in to the game (they are all fun though, don't worry).
Overall, Suikoden II delivers a unique story (in a throng of final fantasy clones) and discusses issues of fate and chance, understanding that finding one's place is not some terrible fate to accept, but that fulfilling your destiny can, not only save your friends and country from disaster, and eventually, as the pieces fall into place, destiny delivers a feeling of what might be called the perfect path.
Edited, Dec 9th 2008 5:26pm by Pensive
Game: Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
System: ps2
Score: 6.8/10
Review: Imagine what might result if Full Metal Alchemist and Disgaea had a secret love child. That child might look something like Atelier Iris. This was the first straight rpg that I played made by NIS. It stars a young guy named Klein Kiesling, who is one of the last alchemists in the world; for this reason, Atelier Iris is one of my favorite games ever, because the protagonist is basically a black mage. In a world of rpgs in which the young male protagonist is nigh invariably a meatheaded swordmaster, a game that focused on magic was a nice change of pace. Iris is in most other respects a typical jrpg: you have about 6 characters and can use three during battles, which occur by running into a monster on the field. Mana and alchemy are more than a weapon however, as the nature of mana serves as one of the primary plot devices in the game.
Graphics are typical NIS sprites with polygonal backgrounds, so the movement and such plays a bit like xenogears, only with sharper sprites. I like the art style; your mileage may vary. Music is pretty good but very typical; might be able to find it on blue laguna if you want a sample. Battle control is entirely turn based with activation speeds for various skills; in addition, you can augment your weapons through synthesis to give you other skills (which almost requires a guide to do properly).
One of the coolest features of the game is item synthesis though. The main character is an alchemist, and as such all of your spells come from the breakdown of items in the world into their base components, and the reconstitution of those components into various mana items. Even monsters can be attacked and broken down into base components, all of which have various elemental properties. You can hold 15 of each item, and they range in effect from stuff like meteor summoning to shooting fire to healing party members.
To any fans of work from NIS, or for those who like jrpgs, I'd highly recommend this game. One thing that I can't communicate adequately is the atmosphere and character development that comes into NIS's games with their unique art style and direction. The entire game is rife with lighthearted humor and really heart touching moments of character interaction though. I'd truly feel sad were someone to die or leave the party, which goes for most NIS characters, but is especially present in Iris.
Edited, Dec 9th 2008 5:26pm by Pensive
System: ps2
Score: 6.8/10
Review: Imagine what might result if Full Metal Alchemist and Disgaea had a secret love child. That child might look something like Atelier Iris. This was the first straight rpg that I played made by NIS. It stars a young guy named Klein Kiesling, who is one of the last alchemists in the world; for this reason, Atelier Iris is one of my favorite games ever, because the protagonist is basically a black mage. In a world of rpgs in which the young male protagonist is nigh invariably a meatheaded swordmaster, a game that focused on magic was a nice change of pace. Iris is in most other respects a typical jrpg: you have about 6 characters and can use three during battles, which occur by running into a monster on the field. Mana and alchemy are more than a weapon however, as the nature of mana serves as one of the primary plot devices in the game.
Graphics are typical NIS sprites with polygonal backgrounds, so the movement and such plays a bit like xenogears, only with sharper sprites. I like the art style; your mileage may vary. Music is pretty good but very typical; might be able to find it on blue laguna if you want a sample. Battle control is entirely turn based with activation speeds for various skills; in addition, you can augment your weapons through synthesis to give you other skills (which almost requires a guide to do properly).
One of the coolest features of the game is item synthesis though. The main character is an alchemist, and as such all of your spells come from the breakdown of items in the world into their base components, and the reconstitution of those components into various mana items. Even monsters can be attacked and broken down into base components, all of which have various elemental properties. You can hold 15 of each item, and they range in effect from stuff like meteor summoning to shooting fire to healing party members.
To any fans of work from NIS, or for those who like jrpgs, I'd highly recommend this game. One thing that I can't communicate adequately is the atmosphere and character development that comes into NIS's games with their unique art style and direction. The entire game is rife with lighthearted humor and really heart touching moments of character interaction though. I'd truly feel sad were someone to die or leave the party, which goes for most NIS characters, but is especially present in Iris.
Edited, Dec 9th 2008 5:26pm by Pensive
Aeris dies.
Can't sleep, clown will eat me.
I'll play Suikoden II someday...just as soon as the memory of the epic fail that was Suikoden IV leaves my mind.
10k before the site's inevitable death or bust
The World Is Not A Cold Dead Place.
The World Is Not A Cold Dead Place.
Alan Watts wrote:
I am omnipotent insofar as I am the Universe, but I am not an omnipotent in the role of Alan Watts, only cunning
Eske wrote:
I've always read Driftwood as the straight man in varus' double act. It helps if you read all of his posts in the voice of Droopy Dog.
Hopefully I'll play Suikoden II someday, as, even though it's been nearly 10 years since I played Suikoden I, the memory of it's awesomeness is still clear.
Suikoden 2 was an absolutely amazing game. You should definitely play it if you get the chance.
Edit: lol. Edited for lack of an adjective.
Edited, Dec 9th 2008 2:01am by Karlina
Edit: lol. Edited for lack of an adjective.
Edited, Dec 9th 2008 2:01am by Karlina
75 Rabbit/75 Sheep/75 Coeurl/75 Eft/75 Raptor/75 Hippogryph/75 Puk
75 Scorpion/75 Wamoura/75 Pixie/75 Peiste/64 Sabotender
51 Bird/41 Mandragora/40 Bee/37 Crawler/37 Bat
Items no one cares about: O
Missions no one cares about: O
Crafts no one cares about: O
75 Scorpion/75 Wamoura/75 Pixie/75 Peiste/64 Sabotender
51 Bird/41 Mandragora/40 Bee/37 Crawler/37 Bat
Items no one cares about: O
Missions no one cares about: O
Crafts no one cares about: O
Lady Karlina wrote:
Suikoden 2 was an absolutely game.
Can't sleep, clown will eat me.
Driftwood the Eccentric wrote:
I'll play Suikoden II someday...just as soon as the memory of the epic fail that was Suikoden IV leaves my mind.
Suikoden 4 wa a fine game...it just wasnt a great suikoden game.
Its goes better along side tactics too.
Edited, Dec 8th 2008 7:43pm by MasterOfWar
I neglected the hell out of this thread :(
Let this be a lesson to those who would do anything in particular at the same time as playing an rpg.
Time to start through the library!
***
I is a fantastic game but II takes everything good about it and makes it better. You get three rune points, a better tactical war system, a better true rune, a fantastic ending, mostly better characters... and so on. Tir McDohl is recruitable (though not as a star) also.
Edited, Dec 9th 2008 4:56pm by Pensive
Let this be a lesson to those who would do anything in particular at the same time as playing an rpg.
Time to start through the library!
***
Quote:
Hopefully I'll play Suikoden II someday, as, even though it's been nearly 10 years since I played Suikoden I, the memory of it's awesomeness is still clear.
I is a fantastic game but II takes everything good about it and makes it better. You get three rune points, a better tactical war system, a better true rune, a fantastic ending, mostly better characters... and so on. Tir McDohl is recruitable (though not as a star) also.
Edited, Dec 9th 2008 4:56pm by Pensive
Game: Dark Cloud
System: ps2
Score: 6.4/10
Review: Dark Cloud is an action rpg that found itself on the ps2, created by sony, and I think factor 5 had something to do with it also. The plot is pretty simple; there was this king that made an unholy pact with some wizard and ended up destroying both his enemies and his own kingdom. 300 years later, this dude named Flag unearths this creepy genie that tries to destroy everything again, but this other dude named the Spirit King took all of the towns and stuff and put them inside of magical balls of light which were then scattered into dungeons. Your job is to reconstruct all of the towns with the power of the atlamillia
Enough about the plot; it plays second fiddle for the entire game to the gameplay and mechanics and really isn't all that great. The fighting system is damn awesome though and the item system is spectacular. Unlike a lot of arpgs in which you just swing a sword at stuff forever, there are actually defensive and mobility options in the control system of Dark Cloud: you can backflip, strafe, sidestep, defend, lock on, etc. The main character is an average chap named Toan who can do some absolutely nasty stuff with a sword, and if you get tired of him, there are five other characters to keep you occupied. Over the course of the game you will choose from an anthropomorphisized cat named Xiao, a hunter, a genie, a warrior, and a cute flying rabbit creature that shoots you with machine guns.
The graphics are quite good, especially considering that the game was made in 2001. It looks better than most games made in 2005 or so. The environments are, while repetitive, highly detailed, and the characters are in full polygonal glory. I've forgotten most of the score, but upon listening to it again I can recommend it highly; it has a very unique style, almost like it belongs in an epic poem/western or something.
The other aspect of the game that I must mention is the georama. I told you that you have to rebuild the towns right? Well that's not just a plot point; you really get to rebuild them and repopulate them from the stones that you find in the dungeons; it's a very intuitive system and you aren't simply thrust into it, but you have guides and such that will make sure that all of the residents are happy with their houses and things. It's more entertaining than it sounds I'm sure. The dungeons are entirely random also; you will be doing a lot of dungeon crawling. One of the weaker points of the game is in the thirst and weapon durability. You get thirsty as you dungeon crawl and while water is plentiful, it's still annoying to deal with. Weapon durability isn't that bad until you break your awesome chronicle sword and it's lost forever. Keep on top of the status of your weapons and carry a lot of repair powder.
Perhaps the best part of this game for rpg fans is the weapon system. Each and every weapon can be upgraded by absorbing little blue gems from enemies, and the upgrade depends on what attachments you have equipped to the item. Upon an upgrade, the weapon will absorb the attachments; absorb enough of them and the weapon can evolve. When you get new weapons, you can even break the old weapons down into attachments and synthesize them with your new ones.
The game is not perfect of course; as mentioned, the plot is kind of thin, and the characters leave a bit to be desired (even if Xiao is adorable) and the only truly awesome plot points are in the final dungeon. The overall experience is a solid one though, with a really cool dungeon crawler and a lot of neat items.
System: ps2
Score: 6.4/10
Review: Dark Cloud is an action rpg that found itself on the ps2, created by sony, and I think factor 5 had something to do with it also. The plot is pretty simple; there was this king that made an unholy pact with some wizard and ended up destroying both his enemies and his own kingdom. 300 years later, this dude named Flag unearths this creepy genie that tries to destroy everything again, but this other dude named the Spirit King took all of the towns and stuff and put them inside of magical balls of light which were then scattered into dungeons. Your job is to reconstruct all of the towns with the power of the atlamillia
Enough about the plot; it plays second fiddle for the entire game to the gameplay and mechanics and really isn't all that great. The fighting system is damn awesome though and the item system is spectacular. Unlike a lot of arpgs in which you just swing a sword at stuff forever, there are actually defensive and mobility options in the control system of Dark Cloud: you can backflip, strafe, sidestep, defend, lock on, etc. The main character is an average chap named Toan who can do some absolutely nasty stuff with a sword, and if you get tired of him, there are five other characters to keep you occupied. Over the course of the game you will choose from an anthropomorphisized cat named Xiao, a hunter, a genie, a warrior, and a cute flying rabbit creature that shoots you with machine guns.
The graphics are quite good, especially considering that the game was made in 2001. It looks better than most games made in 2005 or so. The environments are, while repetitive, highly detailed, and the characters are in full polygonal glory. I've forgotten most of the score, but upon listening to it again I can recommend it highly; it has a very unique style, almost like it belongs in an epic poem/western or something.
The other aspect of the game that I must mention is the georama. I told you that you have to rebuild the towns right? Well that's not just a plot point; you really get to rebuild them and repopulate them from the stones that you find in the dungeons; it's a very intuitive system and you aren't simply thrust into it, but you have guides and such that will make sure that all of the residents are happy with their houses and things. It's more entertaining than it sounds I'm sure. The dungeons are entirely random also; you will be doing a lot of dungeon crawling. One of the weaker points of the game is in the thirst and weapon durability. You get thirsty as you dungeon crawl and while water is plentiful, it's still annoying to deal with. Weapon durability isn't that bad until you break your awesome chronicle sword and it's lost forever. Keep on top of the status of your weapons and carry a lot of repair powder.
Perhaps the best part of this game for rpg fans is the weapon system. Each and every weapon can be upgraded by absorbing little blue gems from enemies, and the upgrade depends on what attachments you have equipped to the item. Upon an upgrade, the weapon will absorb the attachments; absorb enough of them and the weapon can evolve. When you get new weapons, you can even break the old weapons down into attachments and synthesize them with your new ones.
The game is not perfect of course; as mentioned, the plot is kind of thin, and the characters leave a bit to be desired (even if Xiao is adorable) and the only truly awesome plot points are in the final dungeon. The overall experience is a solid one though, with a really cool dungeon crawler and a lot of neat items.
Game: Dark Cloud 2
System: ps2
Score: 7.8/10
Review: Dark Cloud 2 takes everything that was bad about it's predecessor and ditches it, while keeping everything else. For example, Dark Cloud 2 has a good plot, no thirst system, and if I recall correctly you can't lose weapons forever. It also restricts the number of characters to two (after seeing that everyone just used Toan and Ruby in the first game anyway) and gives you the ability to cart around support characters that do random stuff for you like make bread or repair guns.
The plot is worth talking about this time. Dark Cloud 2 begins in a small city, where the protagonist Max lives; Max is a rich boy with a penchant for fixing stuff with his wrench, and dreams of seeing the world outside the city. No one has actually gone outside of the town for years and years. Monica, the other protagonist, is from several (a hundred or so) years in the future, and uses her atlamillia to travel back in time a bit so that she can fix some bad juju that some other dude is causing. It all comes together nicely in the end.
DC2 introduces several new features, the most important of which is that both characters now have long range weapons. Max uses wrenches and guns, and Monica uses swords and magic. Other new features include a revamped georama system. Instead of repopulating certain towns, you are populating the entire world and you can put whatever structures you'd like into them. The population comes from finding new homes for the people of Max's city. Certain constructions of buildings and such will result in changes in the future of that area, which you travel to by using Max's atlamillia.
The graphics are stunning cel-shades. It reminds me of Tales of Symphonia a bit.
Most gameplay features are unchanged. You still crawl through randomly generated dungeons in search of the bosses and treasure and raw materials for georama building. There is the addition of a minigame called spheda (which is basically golf; you shoot small spheres into big spheres in a certain number of strokes and in doing so repair spatial distortions.) The only thing that I can't really like about this game is the monotony of some of the dungeons. In any randomly generated crawl you will experience a certain level of sameness though, and the rest of the game makes up for it.
System: ps2
Score: 7.8/10
Review: Dark Cloud 2 takes everything that was bad about it's predecessor and ditches it, while keeping everything else. For example, Dark Cloud 2 has a good plot, no thirst system, and if I recall correctly you can't lose weapons forever. It also restricts the number of characters to two (after seeing that everyone just used Toan and Ruby in the first game anyway) and gives you the ability to cart around support characters that do random stuff for you like make bread or repair guns.
The plot is worth talking about this time. Dark Cloud 2 begins in a small city, where the protagonist Max lives; Max is a rich boy with a penchant for fixing stuff with his wrench, and dreams of seeing the world outside the city. No one has actually gone outside of the town for years and years. Monica, the other protagonist, is from several (a hundred or so) years in the future, and uses her atlamillia to travel back in time a bit so that she can fix some bad juju that some other dude is causing. It all comes together nicely in the end.
DC2 introduces several new features, the most important of which is that both characters now have long range weapons. Max uses wrenches and guns, and Monica uses swords and magic. Other new features include a revamped georama system. Instead of repopulating certain towns, you are populating the entire world and you can put whatever structures you'd like into them. The population comes from finding new homes for the people of Max's city. Certain constructions of buildings and such will result in changes in the future of that area, which you travel to by using Max's atlamillia.
The graphics are stunning cel-shades. It reminds me of Tales of Symphonia a bit.
Most gameplay features are unchanged. You still crawl through randomly generated dungeons in search of the bosses and treasure and raw materials for georama building. There is the addition of a minigame called spheda (which is basically golf; you shoot small spheres into big spheres in a certain number of strokes and in doing so repair spatial distortions.) The only thing that I can't really like about this game is the monotony of some of the dungeons. In any randomly generated crawl you will experience a certain level of sameness though, and the rest of the game makes up for it.
Game: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
System: psx
Score: 6/10
Review: Lunar is an older rpg. It was released on the Sega CD originally (as the Silver Star) and eventually emerged on the psx as one of Working Designs' only games, but it's quality rivals that of the more popular games of the generation, even if its popularity does not. Alex is the young protagonist, living in the tiny little hamlet of Burg, with dreams of becoming the Dragonmaster of his time, just like his hero Dyne. His best friend Luna, and his other best friend Ramus, and his other other best friend Nall (the white flying cat) set off on some awesome adventuring starting with a visit to the white dragon Quark.
Dyne, by the way, was one of the four heroes who saved the goddess althena in the past generation. The story is a good one, and I'm not going to spoil it for anyone who hasn't played the game, however, the plot revolves around the relationship between the dragons, the goddess Althena, and the heroes of old, and how the new party interacts with all of these things. This of course culminates in a battle for the fate of the world.
More important than the story though are the characters of the game. Every plot point and decision is driven by the fantastic character designs and motivations. Alex is your typical sword guy, though he does get some awesome dragon spells later, and he is accompanied on his quest by (i think) seven different characters along the way. You don't get to pick who can be in your party (it's up to the story) but like final fantasy four, you are always handed people that can fill all of your rolls. The characters are: Luna, Ramus, Jess, Nash, Mia, and Kyle, all of whom have distinct personalities and very human foibles and assets.
Graphics are probably on par with chrono trigger, and the music is enjoyable with some really nice vocal tracks sung by Luna. Control is very typical, with turn based encounters. The combat is actually kind of like DnD, with each person getting a set amount of attacks per round and a movement limit; you can set up formation however you'd like, and move the characters around by having them defend. It doesn't have any random encounters which is always a plus.
I can't really talk about Lunar without mentioning the humor a little bit. The writing is really fantastic and Lunar is notorious for making suggestive jokes and pop culture references, but somehow it does it without being over-the-top with it all. You'll most likely laugh, but when it is time for srsbusiness, the atmosphere changes accordingly.
System: psx
Score: 6/10
Review: Lunar is an older rpg. It was released on the Sega CD originally (as the Silver Star) and eventually emerged on the psx as one of Working Designs' only games, but it's quality rivals that of the more popular games of the generation, even if its popularity does not. Alex is the young protagonist, living in the tiny little hamlet of Burg, with dreams of becoming the Dragonmaster of his time, just like his hero Dyne. His best friend Luna, and his other best friend Ramus, and his other other best friend Nall (the white flying cat) set off on some awesome adventuring starting with a visit to the white dragon Quark.
Dyne, by the way, was one of the four heroes who saved the goddess althena in the past generation. The story is a good one, and I'm not going to spoil it for anyone who hasn't played the game, however, the plot revolves around the relationship between the dragons, the goddess Althena, and the heroes of old, and how the new party interacts with all of these things. This of course culminates in a battle for the fate of the world.
More important than the story though are the characters of the game. Every plot point and decision is driven by the fantastic character designs and motivations. Alex is your typical sword guy, though he does get some awesome dragon spells later, and he is accompanied on his quest by (i think) seven different characters along the way. You don't get to pick who can be in your party (it's up to the story) but like final fantasy four, you are always handed people that can fill all of your rolls. The characters are: Luna, Ramus, Jess, Nash, Mia, and Kyle, all of whom have distinct personalities and very human foibles and assets.
Graphics are probably on par with chrono trigger, and the music is enjoyable with some really nice vocal tracks sung by Luna. Control is very typical, with turn based encounters. The combat is actually kind of like DnD, with each person getting a set amount of attacks per round and a movement limit; you can set up formation however you'd like, and move the characters around by having them defend. It doesn't have any random encounters which is always a plus.
I can't really talk about Lunar without mentioning the humor a little bit. The writing is really fantastic and Lunar is notorious for making suggestive jokes and pop culture references, but somehow it does it without being over-the-top with it all. You'll most likely laugh, but when it is time for srsbusiness, the atmosphere changes accordingly.
Game: Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
System: psx
Score: 8/10
Review: Much like Dark Cloud 2, Eternal Blue takes everything that was unsatisfactory about it's predecessor and hurls it out the window. It debuted on the Sega Saturn, and was quickly redesigned for the psx. It takes place a long, long time after the first game, but occurs on the same world with all of the same geographic locations; some cities are still intact, some are new, and others have vanished (like Burg). The cast is an entirely new bunch, and our new protagonist Hiro has no delusions whatsoever about becoming a Dragonmaster. Character interaction is more believable, world travel is easier, the story is better, and so is the cast.
You start as playing this cocky little kid named Hiro who is exploring some ruins with his bestest pal Ruby (a red flying cat) and on the way home this dog like dude named Leo comes out of freakin' nowhere and is like "We heard that the destroyer of the world is here; is it YOU?!" and Hiro is like "nope." Well, upon going home to his grandpa Gwyn, Hiro and Gwyn set off to some other ruins to see what the hell Leo was talking about, and they find this really determined blue haired lady that can destroy monsters just by breathing on them.
The lady, Lucia, declares that she is an emissary from the Blue Star (the planet that Lunar orbits) and that she needs to discuss some stuff with the goddess really quickly. The rest of the game is figuring out just what exactly is going on in the world of Lunar since the end of the first game, what became of the goddess, why her subordinates are such asses, and what Lucia's true purpose is. Hiro of course, being an adventurous young lad, is immediately smitten with Lucia and can't bring himself to leave her side.
Combat and graphics are identical to Lunar.
One thing worth mentioning is that while Lucia is in your party for most of the game, you can't control her. This is due to both certain plot points concerning her powers, and also that if you were given control of her powers, monsters would probably die in four seconds. It's okay though, because the rest of the characters make up for it. You have Lemina, a feisty witch, Jean, a seductive dancer, and Ronfar, a gambling preist. The characters are really the best part of the game and each one is a deep mess of conflicts and various motivations.
System: psx
Score: 8/10
Review: Much like Dark Cloud 2, Eternal Blue takes everything that was unsatisfactory about it's predecessor and hurls it out the window. It debuted on the Sega Saturn, and was quickly redesigned for the psx. It takes place a long, long time after the first game, but occurs on the same world with all of the same geographic locations; some cities are still intact, some are new, and others have vanished (like Burg). The cast is an entirely new bunch, and our new protagonist Hiro has no delusions whatsoever about becoming a Dragonmaster. Character interaction is more believable, world travel is easier, the story is better, and so is the cast.
You start as playing this cocky little kid named Hiro who is exploring some ruins with his bestest pal Ruby (a red flying cat) and on the way home this dog like dude named Leo comes out of freakin' nowhere and is like "We heard that the destroyer of the world is here; is it YOU?!" and Hiro is like "nope." Well, upon going home to his grandpa Gwyn, Hiro and Gwyn set off to some other ruins to see what the hell Leo was talking about, and they find this really determined blue haired lady that can destroy monsters just by breathing on them.
The lady, Lucia, declares that she is an emissary from the Blue Star (the planet that Lunar orbits) and that she needs to discuss some stuff with the goddess really quickly. The rest of the game is figuring out just what exactly is going on in the world of Lunar since the end of the first game, what became of the goddess, why her subordinates are such asses, and what Lucia's true purpose is. Hiro of course, being an adventurous young lad, is immediately smitten with Lucia and can't bring himself to leave her side.
Combat and graphics are identical to Lunar.
One thing worth mentioning is that while Lucia is in your party for most of the game, you can't control her. This is due to both certain plot points concerning her powers, and also that if you were given control of her powers, monsters would probably die in four seconds. It's okay though, because the rest of the characters make up for it. You have Lemina, a feisty witch, Jean, a seductive dancer, and Ronfar, a gambling preist. The characters are really the best part of the game and each one is a deep mess of conflicts and various motivations.
Game: The World Ends With You
System: Nintendo DS
Score: 9/10
It's difficult to find words to adequately describe twewy. It's probably the best new IP that SquareEnix has devised in years (even if it is one of the only new IPs to come out of that damn company), and I would venture that it even beats out a lot of the final fantasy lineage in terms of quality. The controls are extremely weird at first but you grow into them fairly easily, while both the plot and plot pacing are exceptionally well delivered, as are each of the characters.
You control Neku, a young kid in the Shibuya district of Tokyo chilling out listening to some music, who at first is just an arrogant and sociopathic *** to everyone. He gets attacked by some froggies and no one bats an eye. Fortunately, he changes over time as he discovers the value and necessity of having friends. In Shibuya, it actually is a necessity to have friends; if your partner dies, then you won't be far behind. I can't exactly reveal too much of the story but know that the enemies (called noise) are after your blood, and that to survive, you need to defeat them with a partner.
Graphics are highly detailed sprites and the animation is among the best I've seen on the DS. More importantly than graphics is the soundtrack, which is rich and varied; the developers really put a lot of thought into the music. It's got a lot of jpop, some cool rapping, stuff like that.
Combat is sometimes dicy and stops this game from being a ten. You control the bottom screen with the stylus, and the top with the directional pad. While you can certainly get used to it (and you will) I consider it a bit too much multitasking to be seen as a truly inspired design. The collection of weapons (pins) is quite daunting as well; it's the closest thing I've seen to pokemon in years. There are literally hundreds of various weapons that you can use and devising a good configuration can be time consuming. They are all very balanced though, so it's difficult to go wrong with weapons.
Leveling up, by the way, doesn't increase anything but your hitpoints, and you can set your level to whatever you want to, and thus increase drop rates from enemies. Increasing your defense or attack is done by eating food and wearing clothes, each of which have particular fashion trends which can increase or decrease their effectiveness. I normally played on about 1/8th of the max level; it's really not too tough except for some bosses.
Before I actually bought twewy I had heard that it catered heavily to the emo crowd, but after playing it to completion I can't say that such a description is at all accurate. If anything the completion of The World inspires the direct antithesis to mopey and self-centered cruelty; Neku discovers that there is a lot of value in other people. You walk away from the finish of the game with copious warm fuzzies; I almost cried really. I'd probably still be playing it if it weren't for so many other rpgs. It kind of proves that Square isn't entirely washed up.
System: Nintendo DS
Score: 9/10
It's difficult to find words to adequately describe twewy. It's probably the best new IP that SquareEnix has devised in years (even if it is one of the only new IPs to come out of that damn company), and I would venture that it even beats out a lot of the final fantasy lineage in terms of quality. The controls are extremely weird at first but you grow into them fairly easily, while both the plot and plot pacing are exceptionally well delivered, as are each of the characters.
You control Neku, a young kid in the Shibuya district of Tokyo chilling out listening to some music, who at first is just an arrogant and sociopathic *** to everyone. He gets attacked by some froggies and no one bats an eye. Fortunately, he changes over time as he discovers the value and necessity of having friends. In Shibuya, it actually is a necessity to have friends; if your partner dies, then you won't be far behind. I can't exactly reveal too much of the story but know that the enemies (called noise) are after your blood, and that to survive, you need to defeat them with a partner.
Graphics are highly detailed sprites and the animation is among the best I've seen on the DS. More importantly than graphics is the soundtrack, which is rich and varied; the developers really put a lot of thought into the music. It's got a lot of jpop, some cool rapping, stuff like that.
Combat is sometimes dicy and stops this game from being a ten. You control the bottom screen with the stylus, and the top with the directional pad. While you can certainly get used to it (and you will) I consider it a bit too much multitasking to be seen as a truly inspired design. The collection of weapons (pins) is quite daunting as well; it's the closest thing I've seen to pokemon in years. There are literally hundreds of various weapons that you can use and devising a good configuration can be time consuming. They are all very balanced though, so it's difficult to go wrong with weapons.
Leveling up, by the way, doesn't increase anything but your hitpoints, and you can set your level to whatever you want to, and thus increase drop rates from enemies. Increasing your defense or attack is done by eating food and wearing clothes, each of which have particular fashion trends which can increase or decrease their effectiveness. I normally played on about 1/8th of the max level; it's really not too tough except for some bosses.
Before I actually bought twewy I had heard that it catered heavily to the emo crowd, but after playing it to completion I can't say that such a description is at all accurate. If anything the completion of The World inspires the direct antithesis to mopey and self-centered cruelty; Neku discovers that there is a lot of value in other people. You walk away from the finish of the game with copious warm fuzzies; I almost cried really. I'd probably still be playing it if it weren't for so many other rpgs. It kind of proves that Square isn't entirely washed up.
Game: Lost Odyssey
System: Xbox360
Score: 7.2/10
Review: Lost Odyssey is the product of Mistwalker, the comp[any created by Hironobu Sakaguchi (of final fantasy fame) and also features music by Nobuo Uematsu. It is a very traditional and very solid rpg on the 360, with a good story, mostly likable characters, and a simple fighting system. If you enjoy traditional rpgs then you can't really go wrong here.
You take control of this immortal guy named Kaim; he's been alive for 1000 years, and has no memory whatsoever of his past. The game begins in the middle of a warzone between the Khents and the Uhrans, with Kaim fighting for the Uhrans. Upon returning to the kingdom after the battle you begin to explore the nature of what is going on. At first, Kaim is just a lackey of a court mage named Gongora, who sends him off on some mission to check out reports of a magic engine failing and causing all sorts of havoc. The story itself doesn't really pick up until the second disc (which is fortunately only about 10 hours into the game) and stuff will start to make sense around the third disc. What the story lacks in speed, however, it makes up in complexity and emotion. You will discover the nature of the immortals, the reason for their existences, and, of course, challenge the big bad guy in a fight for the direction of the world.
Combat is entirely turn based, and you can have a maximum of five characters (from a choice among nine) to serve in your active party. I personally recommend Kaim, Sarah, Seth and any other two dudes. Each action in battle has a wait time associated with it, and working with the characters speed, determines the turn order of each turn. At first complex spells might take even two turns to cast, but once you get fast cast and concentrate and such, spells become much more manageable. It's a mild strike against the fighting, but it's there. During fights, you can equip rings that have various effects on your attacks and must be activated by timing the button, as in final fantasy 8 (only for more than just gunblades). These can do anything from add damage to drain hitpioints to cause status effects.
The world itself is pretty large, but unfortunately you don't get to walk around on the map. Even so the towns and fields are rendered beautifully, and the graphics are among the best that I've seen on the xbox (perhaps that's why it's on four discs?). The music is classic Uematsu, with a lot of good battle songs (as is typical with him). Even the normal fighting music is worth a listen to; it kind of reminds me of the philharmonic in Xenosaga.
Lost Odyssey really doesn't do anything new or too exciting, but for some reason I found myself unable to put the damn thing down. The story is slow but seriously engaging; the characters are also a bit slow but eventually empathetic and likable. Boss fights are exciting and challenging. Odyssey seems to take a lot of tried and true rpg tricks and synthesize them into a good and satisfying experience.
Edited, Dec 10th 2008 8:32pm by Pensive
System: Xbox360
Score: 7.2/10
Review: Lost Odyssey is the product of Mistwalker, the comp[any created by Hironobu Sakaguchi (of final fantasy fame) and also features music by Nobuo Uematsu. It is a very traditional and very solid rpg on the 360, with a good story, mostly likable characters, and a simple fighting system. If you enjoy traditional rpgs then you can't really go wrong here.
You take control of this immortal guy named Kaim; he's been alive for 1000 years, and has no memory whatsoever of his past. The game begins in the middle of a warzone between the Khents and the Uhrans, with Kaim fighting for the Uhrans. Upon returning to the kingdom after the battle you begin to explore the nature of what is going on. At first, Kaim is just a lackey of a court mage named Gongora, who sends him off on some mission to check out reports of a magic engine failing and causing all sorts of havoc. The story itself doesn't really pick up until the second disc (which is fortunately only about 10 hours into the game) and stuff will start to make sense around the third disc. What the story lacks in speed, however, it makes up in complexity and emotion. You will discover the nature of the immortals, the reason for their existences, and, of course, challenge the big bad guy in a fight for the direction of the world.
Combat is entirely turn based, and you can have a maximum of five characters (from a choice among nine) to serve in your active party. I personally recommend Kaim, Sarah, Seth and any other two dudes. Each action in battle has a wait time associated with it, and working with the characters speed, determines the turn order of each turn. At first complex spells might take even two turns to cast, but once you get fast cast and concentrate and such, spells become much more manageable. It's a mild strike against the fighting, but it's there. During fights, you can equip rings that have various effects on your attacks and must be activated by timing the button, as in final fantasy 8 (only for more than just gunblades). These can do anything from add damage to drain hitpioints to cause status effects.
The world itself is pretty large, but unfortunately you don't get to walk around on the map. Even so the towns and fields are rendered beautifully, and the graphics are among the best that I've seen on the xbox (perhaps that's why it's on four discs?). The music is classic Uematsu, with a lot of good battle songs (as is typical with him). Even the normal fighting music is worth a listen to; it kind of reminds me of the philharmonic in Xenosaga.
Lost Odyssey really doesn't do anything new or too exciting, but for some reason I found myself unable to put the damn thing down. The story is slow but seriously engaging; the characters are also a bit slow but eventually empathetic and likable. Boss fights are exciting and challenging. Odyssey seems to take a lot of tried and true rpg tricks and synthesize them into a good and satisfying experience.
Edited, Dec 10th 2008 8:32pm by Pensive
Game: Tales of Vesperia
System: Xbox 360
Score: 8.8/10
Though I am not a connoisseur of the tales series, I've played about four of the games. Vesperia is easily the best of them that I have played. It is the latest addition in the Bandai Namco series and is a great successor to the line, with a very poignant and interesting (but slightly slow) story, with some truly rounded characters, and an atypical conflict between the antagonists. The plot of Vesperia somewhat revolves around the relationship of humans to the blastia, machines that provide various conveniences for society, such as providing water, or keeping out the monsters from the city. The blastia provide for every comfort of life, but the tale eventually reveals a more sinister side to the dependency, forcing a re-examination of the state of society.
Vesperia begins with a young dude named Yuri, who lives in the slums of the capital of the glorious empire. The fountain in the center of the lower quarter has begun to overflow severely, due to the theft of the core of the blastia. The quest begins to recapture the core and prevent the slums from becoming covered in water. After being locked up for attempting to forcibly retrieve the core, Yuri escapes from jail, and meets a mysterious young lady named Estelle, who can utilize a power of healing (kinda like in Phantasia really). The two set off on an adventure.
You'll eventually gain 5 other characters, all of which have really cool backstories and various motivations for doing what they do. The characters are one of the best reasons to play Vesperia.
Combat is quite nice for a real time system. You target enemies and run to them along a plane, but you can choose to free run at any point by pressing the left trigger. Combat is augmented over time by various skills that you learn and equip similar to final fantasy nine's magic stone system, including all sorts of nice things like the ability to backstep, do stuff in midair, increase strength and other things like that. The first couple of fights are a bit awkward without the various abilities, but once you get backstep and recover, it plays quite closely to tales of symphonia. Allies can be tweaked very specifically in terms of their AI as well, so you never really lose control over them, and of course you can pause and issue magic commands at any time if you so choose.
Graphics are rendered in nice Cel Shades, which are interspersed with some really nice hand-drawn cutscenes. There are no random encounters, which is always nice. Puzzles are present due to the classic sorcerer's ring. The score is solid.
I would mention one nice thing about the story. Very few of the antagonists are evil. There is certainly conflict between good and evil in the game, but the most interesting conflicts are between the various good factions. Yuri's friend Flynn, for instance, is a knight in the service of the empire. Both characters are good individuals, but despise each other's ways of doing things. The ultimate conflict in the game is not one between good and evil, but rather between law and chaos.
System: Xbox 360
Score: 8.8/10
Though I am not a connoisseur of the tales series, I've played about four of the games. Vesperia is easily the best of them that I have played. It is the latest addition in the Bandai Namco series and is a great successor to the line, with a very poignant and interesting (but slightly slow) story, with some truly rounded characters, and an atypical conflict between the antagonists. The plot of Vesperia somewhat revolves around the relationship of humans to the blastia, machines that provide various conveniences for society, such as providing water, or keeping out the monsters from the city. The blastia provide for every comfort of life, but the tale eventually reveals a more sinister side to the dependency, forcing a re-examination of the state of society.
Vesperia begins with a young dude named Yuri, who lives in the slums of the capital of the glorious empire. The fountain in the center of the lower quarter has begun to overflow severely, due to the theft of the core of the blastia. The quest begins to recapture the core and prevent the slums from becoming covered in water. After being locked up for attempting to forcibly retrieve the core, Yuri escapes from jail, and meets a mysterious young lady named Estelle, who can utilize a power of healing (kinda like in Phantasia really). The two set off on an adventure.
You'll eventually gain 5 other characters, all of which have really cool backstories and various motivations for doing what they do. The characters are one of the best reasons to play Vesperia.
Combat is quite nice for a real time system. You target enemies and run to them along a plane, but you can choose to free run at any point by pressing the left trigger. Combat is augmented over time by various skills that you learn and equip similar to final fantasy nine's magic stone system, including all sorts of nice things like the ability to backstep, do stuff in midair, increase strength and other things like that. The first couple of fights are a bit awkward without the various abilities, but once you get backstep and recover, it plays quite closely to tales of symphonia. Allies can be tweaked very specifically in terms of their AI as well, so you never really lose control over them, and of course you can pause and issue magic commands at any time if you so choose.
Graphics are rendered in nice Cel Shades, which are interspersed with some really nice hand-drawn cutscenes. There are no random encounters, which is always nice. Puzzles are present due to the classic sorcerer's ring. The score is solid.
I would mention one nice thing about the story. Very few of the antagonists are evil. There is certainly conflict between good and evil in the game, but the most interesting conflicts are between the various good factions. Yuri's friend Flynn, for instance, is a knight in the service of the empire. Both characters are good individuals, but despise each other's ways of doing things. The ultimate conflict in the game is not one between good and evil, but rather between law and chaos.
Recent Visitors: 29
All times are in CST
Anonymous Guests (29)
- Forums
- Cross Site
- General Video Game Discussion
- Super RPG Library of Doom!
© 2024 Fanbyte LLC