Memoirs of a PAL RPG gamer. (News/releases/etc)

[Kyle Clarthy]

This is just a head's up. I don't really know what the game is like, but I want to bring people's attention to it, anyway. It's been discussed in the past, but the release date is very close, so I thought it would be nice to do a bit of a "write up" about it ... that is, steal stuff from other websites for the main part. If you're at all interested in RPGs, then this is probably something people might want to take notice of if you haven't even heard of it before, so take a gander.

While some of the news/info has been posted in the past, I thought I might as well post it again. I'll have to apologise for the lack of pictures, though, as the internet speed here is like dial up at the moment.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

Official Website

Siliconera wrote:

The story begins with Estelle Bright and Joshua joining the Bracer Guild. Estelle grew up in a rural town called Rolent known for its engineering advancements and healthy supply of septium. Years before Trails in the Sky begins Estelle’s father Cassius adopts Joshua. Even though they have the same last name they are just "friends." The duo will meet other characters like master mechanist Tita Russell and the self-absorbed musical virtuoso Olivier.

Jessica Chavez wrote:

Fair warning. If an all-consuming desire for a meaty RPG replete with a shiny metal Bracer badge, soundtrack and poster* should sacrifice your wallet to the gaming gods, your PSP is ours for the next 50+ hours of your life. You will be held hostage to its crushing narrative, and YOU WILL LIKE IT. Salutations, readers. My name is Jessica Chavez, and I have worked on such delights as Half-Minute Hero and Rune Factory: Frontier, and inserted something salacious about Pikkards into Ys I&II. I also toiled for months on the enormity that is The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, which hits the PSP on March 29, and I shall tell you about it today. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (also known affectionately as “TitS” thanks to the tender caress of the internet) is an RPG that was first released in 2004 for the PC. It gained fame and notoriety on the computer circuit by virtue of being both massive and the first 3D iteration of its kind within the Legend of Heroes series. Fast-forward to 2011 and you now have a PSP version crammed with all the original goodness, polished to a blinding sheen and accented with newly added battle voices. There’s also one crucial addition that is very relevant for you, the reader: those ~1.5 million characters of Japanese have since been put through the translation grinder. Trails in the Sky is ready for its Western debut. Which brings me to you, the buyer. How will you know if this is the game for you? Let us count the ways… 1) The script for the game was so huge that the translation/editing process straddled 3 separate years (November 2009 to February 2011), which translates to a) employee dementia and b) some serious value for your money. 2) You will travel this huge, detailed world and bludgeon things to death. 3) The dismembered body parts of your foes are great for cooking. 4) There are no random encounters. 5) You do not need to grind, but if that pleases you, you may mill your little heart into tiny, tiny stats. 6) There is a sizeable and painstakingly crafted plot under all those text windows. 7) There is a rotating 3D camera function, and holding either the L or R buttons for prolonged periods of time will make any secondary parties that are watching quite motion sick (I have tried this and enjoyed their suffering; you will too). 8) The soundtrack was composed by the Falcom Sound Team JDK 9) You get to go fishing. 10) A select few NPCs will say unexpected and offensive things. Please enjoy them. 11) There is a dictionary… for cats. 12) There are several in-game books and one very, VERY long novel. and finally, 13) There is a bath scene. Anyway, between all the unfolding plot points and dungeon crawling, you have rock-solid gameplay and a virtual interactive novel. As our in-house Falcom fanboy has said before, “It strikes a nice balance between hardcore and accessible, and as long as you don’t mind a game that’s about 70% narrative and 30% action, I guarantee you’ll be hooked.” He’s also said that Dinosaur Resurrection is the pinnacle of gaming, but I think he’s right on this one. Trails in the Sky will release on both PSN and UMD on March 29th for $29.99. As mentioned above, there will also be a Limited Edition package which will contain a soundtrack CD, a 13-inch by 19.5-inch poster and a Bracer Guild replica metal badge for the suggested retail price of $39.99.

If you want to look at the original post, go here. It's quite amazing, this Jessica chick has managed to respond directly to every single person's comments. That's pretty dedicated.

Here's some gameplay info from Wikipedia.

Quote:

Gameplay This game's constructed by a series of maps that make up the world. Generally maps are made up mainly of two types: field maps and town maps. Most maps are 3D rotatable. Field maps consists of mainly monster roaming around, which on touch will engage into combat screen. The background field for the battles will be determined by where the battle was engaged. These field maps often contain treasure chests that may just lie around or hidden, requiring the player to rotate their screen or see a "!" mark which indicates an object. Town maps are more loaded with NPCs and shops. Shops generally have their own buildings and logo on the minimap which can be toggled within the town. Players start off in the district of Rolent and travel around the world as the game progresses. The game has a main storyline and heaps of sidequests that can be started at the Bracer's guild or just by talking to NPCs. Sidequests are well-rewarded and will assist in the main story severely. Combat Combat is held in a separate screen with square tiles (default camera position at 45degrees to the squares). Each character and enemy takes their turn when their AT bar is full (on the left of combat screen). Options for characters are: Move, Attack, Arts, Craft, Item and Retreat. You are allowed to move before you do any other action except retreat, but all other actions will terminate the turn immediately after. * Move: allows the character to go onto a different tile than the one he/she is currently on. * Attack: uses equipped weapon to deal damage to the enemy. Different weapons have different ranges and areas of effect. * Arts: different spells that become available basing on the combination of quartz you have equipped on that character's orbment. Casting requires EP and takes time to cast; its also possible to have the cast canceled by special attacks. * Craft: these are the character's individual special skills which developed from each of their unique equipped weapons. They are unique to each character and require CP to use. However they are instantaneous and take place immediately. * S-Craft: A special type of craft that's categorized within it. When the character's CP reaches at least 100, the character's set "special" can be triggered on the press of a button that depends on the character's slot. After the current turn has finished, the character that was triggered will perform their special straight away, thus burning up his AT bar again. However it should be noted that the character can take their turn, then activate their S-craft straight after. Thus proving a useful tool for urgent needs. It is also very useful to steal bonus events (such as "critical" or "att up") with S-Craft to further enhance the damage output of the move.. Combat terminates when all enemies are destroyed and having your whole party wiped out will normally result in game over, with a few exceptions in events.

Here's some QandAs about the game that I thought were interesting enough to share.

Gamefaqs wrote:

Q- Is Trails in the Sky a stand-alone game? A- Definitely not: Trails in the Sky is the first chapter in a massive series that so far encompasses three entries for the Sora no Kiseki series plus Zero no Kiseki and upcoming Ao no Kiseki. The first two games are put in direct continuity one with the other, and one of the series's common feature is the import of previous chapters' save data in order to continue the adventure in the next game with some differences related to level and completed optional subquests which have a direct impact on the characters' relationships (aside from some differences, you could compare this feature to the import save data you can find in series like Arc the Lad, Mass Effect or Dragon Age). Q- Which kind of setting is employed in Trails? Is it your usual shounen fantasy fare? A- It's a peculiar mix of fantasy and steampunk-technological elements, all in the context of a continent with multiple nations and an extremely detailed lore, ranging from the political details, economy, the role of magic, technology, religion and so on (you have a newspaper and some series of books). The first chapters are based on the Liberl Kingdom, while Zero no Kiseki take place in the City-State of Crossbell, a trade center where the political influence of neighboring nations plays an important role. Other nations are the Erebonian Empire, Republic of Calvard and Holy Nation of Alteria (a sort of Vatican-like City State where the Septian Church is based). Trails’ limited edition includes a poster with a map of the Kingdom of Liberl, If you are interested. Q- Sounds like a big world, what kind of explorations can I expect? A- The Trails in the Sky games do not employ a traditional world map like many jrpg, nor are they free roaming like some wrpgs or jrpgs like Dragon Quest 8 or Xenoblade. Instead, they opt for a world composed by cities, dungeons and many field maps with roads, woods and the likes to travel in. While not as open to exploration as a sandbox setting, this system is really great in making you feel like you are really traveling the kingdom of Liberl, and the cities are really a sight to behold. Q- Is Trails turn based, action-jrpg or...? A- Trails in the Sky uses a particular kind of turn based battle system. Upon contact with the enemy you will start the fight in an arena, and the position of the characters and enemies, as well as the abilities' area of effects and the turn sequence, will have a deep impact on the battle. You could say that it's a turn based battle system with some tactical elements. Here’s some footage. Q- What about character customization? A good battle system is fine, but if I can’t change my characters’setup it’s all for naught. A- Luckily Trails delivers once again thanks to the Orbment system. Somewhat like the Final Fantasy 7 Materia system, you will be able to customize your characters’ skills in many ways. Let Guruda explain how it works: As for the Orbment system, I'll try to explain some of the more complex bits, though ultimately it's pretty easy to get the hang of. Every Quartz has two effects when placed. First, it provides some passive ability. Second, it grants points towards one or more of the seven families of Arts. It doesn't matter where a Quartz is placed to get the passive ability or points. It does matter when determining how all those points are added together however. Basically, each character has their own 'line' setup that links the different Slots. All the Slots in a given line are added together but the Quartz that aren't on that line aren't considered. For example, Kloe has only one line so the points for every Quartz she has equipped are added together. Estelle has two lines (with three and four associated Slots respectively). If you load both characters up with all water-elemental Quartz Kloe will add up all the points for her Arts list but Estelle will have two separate sets of points that don't combine so she'll only get the benefit of the highest point total for each Arts family between the two lists and the Quartz that contributed to the lower total will only be useful for passive abilities. Another factor is that most characters have a certain number of Slots restricted to a particular element. For example, Kloe has three Slots that can only accept Water-aligned Quartz. The combination of restricted Slots and lines contributes to making the characters somewhat unique despite the customization possible with the Orbment system (magic-wise, everyone's got their own unique Crafts and other attributes like attack range and stat distribution). Kloe for example makes a great mage because of her single line and the requirement that you have a certain minimal number of points towards Water Arts makes her tend towards healing and support. Estelle's lack of restrictions makes her customizable but her short lines limit her access to higher-level Arts. Q- Is it lenghty? I'm fed up with 20-30 hours jrpgs. A- While measuring a jrpg's length isn't always a good method to measure its value (think of Felghana), happily Trails manages to combine an highly enjoyable storyline with a length of approximately 50 hours (but you can easily double that quota if you're a completist).

So ... who here has played any of the PSP Ys games localized by Xseed? I haven't yet, but I have bought all three of them. From what I have heard, though, they're all pretty good games in their own right. Despite the fact that this Trails in the Sky is pretty niche and not well known in the slightest, it seems to have a lot of praise from people, so I'm really keen to see what the game is like. I'll definitely be posting something about it when I get around to playing it, but I have to admit that it is kind of funny how a game like this has captured my attention more so than some other big name title. I just hope that it is as good as they say.

And finally, here's an interview from RPGamer. I don't think they'll mind if I steal it!

RPGamer wrote:

Michael A Cunningham (RPGamer Editor-in-Chief): Greetings XSEED crew, we come to you today begging for more information about The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. This Falcom RPG from 2006 is now coming to North America after all this time. Please give us a rundown of what we should be expecting and what it is that makes TitS so special. Jess Chavez (Text Monkey): ... Your glee in typing "TitS" is most obvious, sir. (I share it.) Well, first: Salutations, RPGamers! It's our pleasure at XSEED to subject you to the massive adventure that is The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Thanks in advance for bearing with us through what is likely to be an equally massive interview with answers from myself, Tom (Wyrdwad), and Ken. Here is your rundown... LoH: TitS (ha ha) is a PSP RPG known infamously for its... generous amount of text and the occasional case of in-game food poisoning. Its specialty is in length (50+ hours of core gameplay), breadth (an extremely detailed world stuffed full of NPCs, quests, talking cats and in-game newspapers), and Olivier Lenheim (wandering bard and pervert). As for what to expect, I'd say you can look forward to some serious bang for your buck. This is an RPG that will keep you entertained for a VERY long time. MAC: All your TitS are belong to us??? Enough joking, did you create that subtitle on purpose or was it more an "oh crap" moment afterward? Jess: Bit of both, actually. After much wrangling on the implied/philosophical meaning of the game title (as Sora no Kiseki has quite a number of ways of being translated) we finally settled on a throw down between "Road to the Sky" or "Trails in the Sky." Road to the Sky had a nice upward trajectory ring to it, while Trails in the Sky conveyed a reoccurring theme within the game of the ever-crisscrossing lives of people and how they affect one another. In the end it was the importance of the journey of discovery/growth through interacting with people that won out. Once we were all agreed and had confirmed with Japan that that was the title we wanted, someone went and pointed out in the weekly meeting that the acronym was... mildly suggestive. I believe we all shared a moment of silence then to ponder the implications (someone may have snickered) (that someone may have been me). In the end I believe we settled on congratulating ourselves for the marketing coup, because, as everybody knows, TitS sell. MAC: When we last talked about Trails in the Sky, you mentioned it has "widely been regarded as one of the best RPGs around." Having gotten deep into the game, how true is that statement? Tom Lipschultz (Translation Ninja): Well, it's pretty unquestionable that Trails in the Sky is widely regarded in Japan as one of the best RPGs of this console/handheld generation. Its success for Falcom is quite notable, to the point where Legend of Heroes has really become Falcom's flagship series now, superseding even Ys. But I think your question is more whether or not it lives up to that reputation, no? As with any subjective statement like this, the answer will vary a great deal from person to person – amongst importers, most people seem to adore the game, while a select few (very vocal) others absolutely despise it. But if you're someone who loves a deep, involving story with a meticulous attention to detail and consistent, well-written characters, then yeah, you're going to absolutely flip for this game. Its reputation is well-earned. I think the key here is the way Trails is presented. JRPGs have been getting a bad rap lately, often regarded as havens for storylines that make no sense and characters with questionable motivations. Legend of Heroes games, however, aren't like that – in these games, everything that happens is thoroughly and meticulously explained, every action is made with intent, and every single character (be it a major player or a mere NPC townsperson) is accounted for at all times. And in Trails in the Sky, this is taken much farther than it ever has been before. In this game, you really get a sense for how the world works – its governmental structure, its economy, etc. It's hardcore. But if you're looking for a really meaty RPG you can lose yourself in, like a good book... then yeah, there's no doubt you'll be adding this to your favorite games list in the near future. MAC: The main reason it's taken so long to come to North America is the huge volume of text required to localize. From start to finish, how long did the process take and what problems did you run into along the way? Jess: Start to finish, huh? Oh, the horror... Well, initially we got the text sometime back in February(?), but as everyone at XSEED tends to juggle several projects at once, I didn't get a chance to really start devoting my full attention to it until April-ish. Around May we did some quick calculations and discovered, to our growing horror, that it wasn't humanly possible to get the text pushed through unless we took some drastic measures involving throwing my commute time (a delightful 3-3.5hr roundtrip venture a la the L.A. MTA) at the game. From then on I remained chained to a wobbly office chair in my apartment with a cold coffee mug clutched like a lifeline in one hand and a fat cat sprawled across my numb legs until December. So, let's say, 2 months of dabbling with system text, 1 month of fierce determination, and 7 months of "&*%#%#@%^&" Aside from the sheer size of the game, TitS presented other unique challenges. Tom will expand upon that. Tom: The Legend of Heroes series, in general, contains THE most difficult Japanese I've ever encountered in my (relatively) long history of playing import RPGs. Playing these games without a kanji dictionary on hand generally means your fluency is as good or better than that of most native Japanese college students, and understanding every line of text typically means that you're intimately familiar with Japanese slang and colloquialisms, as well as accents and speech patterns from virtually every corner of the country, and from almost any time in history. That's not ALWAYS the case, of course. I mean, there are plenty of very straight-forward conversations in these games – because honestly, who would want to read 1.5 million characters of archaic southern drawl using big sciencey words? But there are invariably enough difficult sections in any LoH title that if your Japanese is NOT up to snuff, you're probably going to miss some VERY important details. And as you might imagine, that makes life a lot harder for the people translating these games than it would for, say, an Ys title. Jess asked me to find an example of this game at its most lingually insane, and after a bit of searching, I think I succeeded. So I'll leave you with this line – UNTRANSLATED – just to give you an idea of how hard the Japanese in these games can get. If you can translate this line without breaking a sweat, then congratulations... you're probably Japanese! 手工業の導力化は、労働力の集約を経ずして生産性を向上させ、中世的な職人組合を企業化し、多種多様な製品を安定して市場へ供給する体制を築き上げていった。 "The introduction of orbal technology to the manual industry increased production without leading to a consolidation of the workforce, and allowed outdated worker unions to commercialize and thereby erect a framework which supplied the market with a stable flow of diverse goods." MAC: How hard was it to focus on giving the game the spark it needs with all the translating and editing that had to be done? Do you feel like you've succeeded with Trails? Jess: It's definitely hard to give spark or a bit of personal touch when you're pressed for time. It's doubly hard when you have hundreds of extraneous NPCs all clamoring to make inane statements about the weather. However, my home is blessed with a rather large coffee maker, and I (mostly) found the energy to ensure that the text has all the humor, drama and sense of adventure that was present in the Japanese version. Some of that text had to be cajoled, taunted and threatened into shape, while other bits minded their own business and said just fine what needed to be said. Hopefully, with the help of the translators, Ken (a conscripted QA squid that played and checked in-game text) and long-suffering Tom, I was able to cobble everything together all right and your experience will be one of unparalleled joy. Well, actually, as long as you just titter a bit about some of the more beloved lines in the game I'll be happy. MAC: The average gamer might not know the real difference between XSEED's Trails in the Sky, which was developed completely by Falcom, and the older Legends of Heroes PSP titles that were merely second hand ports of Falcom games. Any more details you'd like to share about why those who didn't care for those should not be scared away from Trails, how accessible it is to newcomers, etc.? Tom: This is a great question, and one I was hoping you'd ask! First, let's go over what's similar here. The Legend of Heroes games, for the most part, are travel stories. They usually take place on one single continent, and involve two characters (who've known each other practically all of their lives) setting off to walk the entire length of the continent on foot, generally in search of someone. Along the way they meet a great many people, befriend lots of townsfolk, and save more than a few days, culminating in some epic finale that ensures their names will go down in history, and from which they will emerge as better human beings. The series title, "The Legend of Heroes," is actually quite apt, as the main characters of each game invariably end up becoming part of something much larger than themselves, cementing their names as folk heroes in their own time. This is true of the previous Legend of Heroes games on PSP, known as the "Gagharv Trilogy," and it's just as true of Trails in the Sky. It's pretty much the Legend of Heroes formula... and it works. They're epic stories of travel and growth, celebrating the versatility and tenacity of the human spirit. The problem is, unlike the Ys games – which typically contain just enough story to justify their amazing gameplay – the Legend of Heroes games, you could say, contain just enough gameplay to justify their amazing stories. Most of your time in any LoH title will be spent advancing story scenes and talking to townsfolk... which means you'd better have a DAMN GOOD LOCALIZATION, or the real meat of the game is pretty much spoiled. Localization aside, though, the PSP Gagharv games were also quite heavily modified from their original Japanese PC versions. Believe it or not, the original games had battle systems that borrowed more than a little from the real-time strategy genre! Imagine a standard JRPG with random RTS battles, and you'll have some idea of how the Gagharv games originally played. The PSP versions completely retooled this battle system, and the end result was unabashedly generic, doing absolutely nothing to stand out from the pack. Trails in the Sky, on the other hand, has a completely new battle system that's actually quite deep and strategic. It's a big improvement over the original RTS system of the Gagharv games, and an even BIGGER improvement over the generic strategy battles of the PSP versions. Trails is also much less linear, offering a bevy of side-quests and optional dungeons not just at the end of the game, but throughout its entire length. It's basically Falcom reinventing the wheel – or reinventing the Legend of Heroes brand, anyway. It strikes a nice balance between hardcore and accessible, and as long as you don't mind a game that's about 70% narrative and 30% action, I guarantee you'll be hooked. Heck, all of Japan is pretty hooked, so this game HAS to be doing SOMETHING right, no? MAC: We have to wonder, with all the work going into localizing Trails in the Sky and other titles that Falcom also released on PC such as Ys: The Oath in Felghana, is there any plans to try and double dip by releasing these on PC? Ken Berry (Evil Business Troll): That does seem like a logical choice, especially since Falcom fans that don't own a PSP have been asking for the PC releases. We would love to support the PC fans and the platform in general, so we will continue to discuss with Falcom on the possibility of making it happen sometime in the future. MAC: I have to ask, what is the outlook for the completion of the series? The next PSP is just around the corner, and while it will play PSP games from PSN, Falcom wasn't able to get the second chapter of Sora no Kiseki on there because it was two UMDs. How worried should we be that we might only get a third of the series? Ken: We got into the project with the full intention of publishing the entire trilogy, and we've even recorded the English voices for all three games together already. Those are some interesting challenges that you bring up as the UMD media that we need in order to publish the next one could be practically non-existent by the time it would be ready, but we've overcome challenges before with this project and will continue to do so in the future. When we first signed on the series, there was no rational reason to think that we could get the first game out by our original goal of March 2011, but somehow our team got it done.

So, here's hoping the game is good, and here's hoping they release the entire trilogy ...
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[Luketheman5]

From the box art I was intrigued, I need a good PSP RPG. And I'm definitely going to have to keep my eye out for this one. Tits sounds very interesting! (Yes I just wanted to abbreviate it on purpose )
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Now playing: Binary Domain
Now Replaying: Mass Effect 2

[OropherX]

Heads up http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tonelico-Visual-Book-Ryou-Nagi/dp/192677826X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301216417&sr=8-1
this all Ar Tonelico series artbook is being published in english! I'm going to toss in the Atelier one as well in the order http://www.amazon.co.uk/Atelier-Official-Chronicle-Gust/dp/1926778200/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Also Pagan Ar Tonelico 1 PAL is really easy to find cheap on ebay from Italian sellers.

Also this message is probably for nothing but: if anyone here has a PAL copy of Demon's Souls and plays online, is on around lvl100-120 soul level and has a pure darkmoonstone or pure moonlightstone please PM me. I'm so close to the platinum.
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[Pagan's Mind]

I have a pure moonlightstone but I have the US version . I just need a pure darkmoonstone and a few bladestones then I'll have my platinum.

[OropherX]

hey I'm confused about displaying PS2 games on a widescreen TV. Am I meant to change aspect ratio to 4:3 when playing a game like Ar Tonelico ?

edit: lol why do I keep letting Aurica name the items i make.

edit 2: you know what sucks about being a JRPG collector? Being outbidded on ebay by $0.01 2 seconds before auction ending and having placed your bid 5 seconds before it :/ Ah well I will forever be missing the second Legend of Heroes game. I just picked up the first during the play-asia sale for cheap.
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[Kyle Clarthy]

So ...

Anyone played Tactics Ogre for the PSP yet? I keep on finding mysef drawn to it, and hear about all the praise it seems to be getting, but I just don't know .. I'm worried it will be too difficult. I'm not a major fan of tactical RPGs, but I don't hate them. I would say I don't have much experience, rather than anything.

For the record, I really liked the FFTA on the DS, despite that abysmal story, but I really didn't seem to like FFT on the PSP as I was even dying constantly in the first few battles, and I wasn't aware until I began playing the game that if a character dies, they're kind of carked it for good.

So ... yeah, someone let me know their opinion, please.
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[Luketheman5]

Last night I finished Dragon Age: Awakening. My ending was ok, but a few characters did indeed die. Luckily they were my least favourite characters so I don't mind too much. It was a pretty good expansion, taking me around 10 hours. But there were a lot of fetch quests, which I unfortunately didn't end up completing. So now I just need to conquer the DLC missions like Witch Hunt and then.....I don't know I guess I'll buy Yakuza 4 and start that.

I've also been playing Okamiden on the side, I haven't played the first one in years, so it is nice seeing all the characters again. I can't remember if it was like this in the first one, but the only way to gain EXP is from doing side quests? Not bad, because I love helping people, but then, what is left for battles, besides yen? Nothing really, but yen IS important! The graphics are just incredible for a DS game, but I do experience a lot of slowdown in some parts. They've even made it that when Chibi runs, flowers trail behind, just like the original. I thought Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days would be the best graphics they can achieve on the DS, but I was wrong. Okamiden's art style looks gorgeous.

Any one else playing Okamiden?
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Now playing: Binary Domain
Now Replaying: Mass Effect 2

[Scrav]

[admeister]

[Kyle Clarthy]

Thanks, Scrav, but don't feel the need to do it on my account! In your own time.

The special edition is/was still available at Ozgameshop, but I'm not really 100% sold. It's pretty cheap, though.

Lol @ Ad. You and your dislike of DA ... You do dislike it, right? It sounds like it.

Anyway, Luke, Witch Hunt will only take you like 2 hours at the most, so you won't have too much more to do. And didn't you say you would have trouble with it and uni? You did a pretty good job there.

Funnily enough, I just looked at Siliconera, and they had this there.

[admeister]

[Kyle Clarthy]

I think you're very wise beyond your years.

DA2 ... is an ... acquired taste. If you like bugs and flaws galore, then it's the game for you. If not, go with Yakuza. I really need to play 3, don't I? Curse you, time!
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[Pagan's Mind]

Find some time for Yakuza 3! I'm playing through it now and it's really an amazing game. Actually I'm watching a Let's play of Yakuza 4 at the same time and the story is fantastic. It's movie quality stuff.

[admeister]

Did someone say movie?
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"The first person to prove that cow's milk is drinkable was very, very thirsty." - Fact Sphere.

[Bish]

About Tactics Ogre, basically, if you loved FF Tactics War of The Lions, you'll love this. Battle system is more or less the same, and the story is very politics heavy, which I usually find pretty interesting. Gameplay may not be particularly innovative, but it is incredibly solid.
Faction intricacies are quite detailed, and spoilers aside, while it is quite logical as to how they implement it, it can really screw you up later, in relation to recruiting and story.
Most battles aren't too hard (challenging usually, but not super hard), but there are some mad frustrating moments. Highlights include taking down a boss character right on the opposite side of the map who has infinite reinforcements, and NPCs you need/want to save going in like Rambo before your healer can get anywhere near.
Incredibly solid, polished SRPG.

Also, still no Yakuza 4 for me. I hate you so much Australia Post.
>:C
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[Cyph]

I started playing Alteria Rorona (PS3) this weekend, only 2 hours worth, but I am surprisingly impressed. The game has a nice light and cute feel to it, masking the hectic and stressful time limits imposed. The crafting so far has been interesting but the combat could have been better. Still, it's a lighthearted feel good type of game and for the price I paid for it, it's value for money. I usually stay away from RPGs like this, so it has made for a welcomed change.

[Luketheman5]

@Admiester Yakuza 4 has to wait anyways until my birthday this wednesday! I can't afford it today .

@Kyle yeah I thought I would struggle but my homework wasn't as bad in the first 3 weeks as I thought, so many late nights and even a whole weekend devoted to DA helped me accomplish it!

Lucky for me, Okamiden and Pokemon will be easy to play thanks to their portability, as someone said earlier, a sneaky hour or so in bed never hurt anyone

@Pagan glad you like yakuza 3! Even my Dad walked in and thought I was playing Karate kid or something.

I don't want to sound too sadistic (lol) but the things you do in that game just make me laugh, especially cracking a bike on someone's head. Not to mention the last boss is epic! I am very excited for 4
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Now playing: Binary Domain
Now Replaying: Mass Effect 2

[Pagan's Mind]

[UWSguy]

Tactics Ogre was the first SRPG in a while that I totally loved (wasn't a fan of FFT... maybe because of the PSP port). It isn't hard (there are a few points that are annoying but not many) though I wouldn't recommend it if it was your first SRPG.
For that I'd recommend Jeanne D'arc or Shining Force.

TO felt to me like one of those games that is so good that it would be fun for people who usually didn't like the genre. It's one of those milestones, kind of like how people can hate westerns but everyone loves The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. That could just be my biased opinion talking though.

[Bish]

[Robo]

Beating up people with bikes is great fun.
Anyway yesterday I beat Yakuza 4.
It's a great game, with a compelling story, incredible boss fights, funny ways to defeat enemies (rooftop, heat action ). It focuses on a smaller group of people unlike 3, which makes a more intertwined story.
My only disappointment with Yakuza 4 is that there feels like a lacking of bosses with true personality, instead you get mid-boss yakuza which leave you wanting to take on a boss. This issue is fixed by the end.
It's beautiful game with plenty, exploration to do. My completion rate wasn't even 7% by the end (I ignored sub-stories as I realised I'd get sucked in and wouldn't focus on school if I tried to do them all).

May as well ask, does anyone know if you get the trophy for hard if you do it on premium new game?

I also beat the main game in Pokemon Black, N is my favourite character from Pokemon well maybe tied with Brock. Fantastic soundtrack for the most part especially the Plasma theme. Team Plasma is such a great "bad guy group" and while I found Cheren great, I felt Bianca was meh (might be the character design).

As for Skies of Arcadia :Legends
This game feels so alive, like it's full of vibrant personality. There has been something missing from most current-gen games and Skies just oozes with it. I think it's charm and feeling like the world around you is constantly changing. For example, there is a town that is so melancholic, so very sad, like it was once a place of promise but after multiple failures, they gave up and began waiting for their time to end. You enter this town and you just feel the town's spirit, discarded like an afterthought by their comrades. I won't say anymore due to spoilers, but it's truly quite an experience that is so rare to see currently (Yakuza 4 also has great skills, at making the world feel alive.).
I love this game for what it is. One of my hopes is that it will be remade again, featuring graphics akin to Valkryia Chronicles. Just feels like a fantastic match to me, possibly due to how they both are so unique.

Anyway to The Spensa
I've just gotten the 3rd moon Crystal, the battles to get it were no cake walk that's for sure. How are you going with the game?

I'm really tempted to play Tatics Orge, but I'm trying to hold off till the holidays, so that I don't fall way behind.

[admeister]

My copy of Ar Tonelico Qoga just arrived. See you guys in a week. Even Yakuza 4 can't compete.
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"The first person to prove that cow's milk is drinkable was very, very thirsty." - Fact Sphere.

[LegionX]

[OropherX]

lol don't sell it here, you can make a fortune on ebay if the sky series takes off and more people want to collect the rest of legend of heroes. Anyway I'll just pretend that the localisation is so bad it isn't worth having in my collection.

Anyway I'm going to give Dissidia 012 a go now, took enough time to slide the game case out of the legacy packaging -_-
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[Kyle Clarthy]