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Originally Posted by jerry coeurl
I'm still very early in the game, and so far I'm enjoying the story. I read somewhere recently that Matsuno had originally intended the lead character the be Basch, but Square forced him to create Vaan, a more friendly marketable character. Either way, I just love the world created. Spotting numerous references to both FF Tactics and Tactics Advance are always fun. Makes me want to buy Vagrant Story.
I definitely recommend Vagrant Story! It plays kind of like an early build of FFXII, almost. The atmosphere is awesome, the script is great (possibly even better than FFXII's), and the story itself is phenomenal. I have played a lot of games, but Vagrant Story is the only one I would say could really stand on it's own if it were written as a book instead. It's so awesome, and the way the story unfolds is very cinematic, I hesitate to say it had great "direction," but I really don't know how else to put it. The opening is definitely the best set-up for a game I've ever seen. And the graphics are among the best to be found on the PSX.
Anyway, yeah! Pick it up, if you're willing to put some time into learning the game mechanics, you will not be disappointed!
I'm playing through Mass Effect right now, and it's a scifi fan's wet dream.
I love how, after discovering technology that allows for near-instantaneous intergalactic travel, humans were all 'sup can we be big players in the universe yet?' and everyone else is like 'um nope'. It's the future, but there's still bureaucrats to deal with, there's still interspecies mistrust, and there's still people who are dicks for the hell of it.
You're not given a world and a free ticket to explore like Fallout, but the story and setting more than make up for it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry coeurl
About how many hours does the game last? I want to pick it up, but the game (disk alone) goes for around $20. The shitty thing is that it's already been re-released on PSN in Japan!! I want to wait, but there's no telling if and when the game will see a stateside release.
I'd say maybe 8-9 hours if you rushed though, although I personally like to take my time with RPGs. If you scour everything and take your time to build up your weapons to be effective against all of the various enemy types, maybe you could get closer to 12-16 hours out of it. It really depends how much you enjoy the battle system, the crafting, etc.
If you're not opposed to emulation and have a decent usb dual shock-esque controller, I have an ISO I'd be willing to extract for you.
Runescape
Rise of the Triad SW episode.
Yeah, I don't get it. Landstalker is just so basic by comparison. It's like the difference between Shining Force and Shining Force III, or Shining in the Darkness and Shining the Holy Ark - there was just so much greater depth available on the Saturn. Dark Savior takes the cake, though. Depending on choices you make throughout the game (particularly the beginning) you branch off into different parallels. There are five listed in total (although I discovered a sixth that doesn't seem to be documented anywhere) and each one offers a vastly different story and experience than the other. It's not like Phantasy Star III or anything, where just the endings are different. The entire course of the game is completely altered by the choices you make. It's totally organic. I've never played any other RPG that has offered that much replayability and variety - and the great thing is that the story for all six parallels is rich, rousing and even moving.Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry coeurl
In its generation FF7, Panzer Dragoon Saga and Ocarina of Time get all the press, but honestly, I think Dark Savior is the one to beat. None of those games have had me coming back to play it more than twice, but when I sat down with Dark Savior I played through it six times back to back, it was that involving. I've got the fabulous five different end themes on my iPod and am always hoping my next RPG will captivate me the same way Savior did. So far, none such luck!
Play it, man, it's the hidden masterpiece in the Saturn library.
That's good to hear. I'm actually quite excited to play it now!
I'm having a Gears of War weekend: last night I plowed through #1 and tonight it's GoW2.
This thread is a year old!
Burning Rangers: I love the premise of the game, and actually leaping and maneuvering like a pro is fun. The Limit is a great touch that forces you to keep you moving (I get itchy above 40%!), and I like the way you radio for direction as opposed to pausing and viewing a map.
What I don't like is how you're not guided through the game world - you're dumped straight from the intro movie into the tutorial level, and that's the extent to which you learn about the Rangers. It sounds strange, but I feel there's too much substance and not enough style - like you're watching people do (cool) stuff, but not being told why. The manual's full of hints about the society where fire is the only real problem left, and the past exploits of the Rangers; the mail system, where you get notes from the survivors you rescue, is a great touch - a shame they're either bits of game art, or basically a thank-you note. I've no idea why the game pauses for a few seconds every time you pick someone up, either.
Really, the only improvement besides the daft / absent plot and agonising animated sequences I'd make would be to the camera (second thumbstick, sigh), but again that's obvious.
Everyone knows what I'm playing at the moment (just check out the sig!), but I'm also getting further in FF12. As I've said before the game's battle system really is incredible. I only have one complaint: why can't I invert the camera stick? It just doesn't feel right to me.
I'm going to whip this bad boy out:
http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0...arth_large.jpg
I'm counting the days until I go back home and can play Revenge of Shinobi again.
I got to the last level in Conquest of the Crystal Palace on the NES, but I never beat it.
Tomorrow I'm going to play it until I win.