What RPG are you playing right now?

[dunpeal2064]

That sounds a lot like my experience with Star Ocean 3. I can forgive heavy cutscenes with tiresome dialog, poor acting, and juvenile plot if the combat is good. But the combat was largely just running to your enemy, striking, and running away. But that's action RPGs for you.

I assume you mean Star Ocean 4: Till the End of Time. If so, there is much more you can do in combat. You CAN get away with just hitting and running away, as you could in Secret of Mana or Tales of... , but the game is a lot more fun once you learn how to fight.

But yes, the games are hard to get into. However, like a good book, the long openings and tons of story have a purpose. Till the End of Time has one of the craziest twists I've seen in a game, not to mention a really epic end dungeon and a ridiculouos amount of different endings. Not to mention the trophy system, that rewarded you for beating bosses without taking damage, with certain weapons, etc, almost like the achievements for the 360 would come to be. Heck, this game even had a fighting game built in, so you and a buddy could take your teams against each other in an action rpg!

That was more rant-like than I intended, but like Brunoath said, some of the best jrpgs (and books) start out a little slow.

To be honest though, I could not get into Star Ocean: 2nd Story. I'll try again at some point, as I am more open to different game types than I was when I was young, but that game definitely starts out slow. Not Dragon Warrior VII slow, but slow.




As for me, I am playing Lost Oddysey. 2 of my good friends told me for years that this game was just terrible, that it had no story, and that it starts out slower than slow... I think they just don't like reading, because this game is Biiiiitchin. I am a diehard Final Fantasy fan (Read: The good ones), and this game, being done by Mistwalker, feels so similar in ways. It still has its own unique feel to it though, having both character development AND a war-like military story. Usually an rpg only does one or the other, and character development is why I play rpgs.

[AppleQueso]

Till the End of Time has one of the craziest twists I've seen in a game

If by "craziest" you mean "stupidest" then I'd agree.

Went all the way through Till the End of Time. Tried to seriously give it a fair chance, but between a mind-numbingly stupid story, idiotic AI, and some ill-concieved combat mechanics (fuck MP deaths, seriously), I just can't stand it.

I utterly loathe that game.

(Also, Star Ocean 4? I thought Till the End of Time was Star Ocean 3? Is there like, some portable installment we're counting that I've never heard of or something?)

[dunpeal2064]

Actually, I didn't mean stupidest. If I did, I probably would have used the phrase "most stupid", but alas, I used the word that I meant, which is why I used it.

Yes, there is a GBA Star Ocean, it is part 3

MP deaths just make it so you can't powerhouse through the game. RPGs are generally far too easy, I saw nothing wrong with this game challenging me.

Of course, I was only trying to share an opinion, which of course many people may disagree with. Perhaps you don't like that original style of action jrpgs? I've found that the three main stakes (Tales, Mana, Ocean) all play fairly similar, with slight differences in some areas, and I like most of those games. Ironically, the team that made Tales of Phantasia actually left Namco to form Tri-Ace and make Star Ocean. Namco continued the series from there, which is why you see a lot of similarities, and why those series were like FF and DQ. It also explains why Mana felt much more different than the others.

[brunoafh]

As for me, I am playing Lost Oddysey.

I need to finish that one. I got to disc 2 and loved just about every second of it, not sure why I lost steam and stopped, but I will go back to it for sure. I disliked some of the dungeon sections but overall the game was fantastic. Love the characters, the subtle FF references and tones, the music, everything is just spot on. To be fair the gameplay itself is very basic and doesn't bring anything new to the table, so I can see why people would be turned off by it, but the old school feel the gameplay gave sat very well with me.

Also, I don't know what game your friends were playing, but the "no story" comment is very ignorant. The game starts off very slow for sure, and people that aren't big on reading will probably be very turned off by the visual novel segments, but to say this game has "no story" is laughable.

[dunpeal2064]

Yeah, I agree man, the story is heavy! I am guessing so heavy that they skipped reading any of the dreams or anything. Thats the only thing I can think of, because there are parts of this game that feel more like a book.

I'm still only on disc 1, but man, the music and atmosphere is great. You are right in that the combat is pretty basic. I do like the skill setup though, and the difference between mortal and immortal characters.

Definitely far better than I had expected after hearing so much about it. JRPGs really have to be played, as there are some that very few people would enjoy that I have loved, and some that everyone loves that I just didn't get too into.

Your mood really has a lot to do with it too. If I'm not in the right mood for an rpg, I'll ruin the game for myself. I didn't play an rpg for a few months before starting this one, just because I found myself wanting to rush for instant satisfaction (I blame the shmups)

[Hatta]

Oh yeah, I played SOTET to the end. It did have some redeeming qualities. Graphics were great, and the dungeon exploration was fun. It was one of the first PS2 RPGs I played, so I wanted to stick with it until the end. I don't hate the game, but I wouldn't recommend it either.

[AppleQueso]

Of course, I was only trying to share an opinion, which of course many people may disagree with. Perhaps you don't like that original style of action jrpgs? I've found that the three main stakes (Tales, Mana, Ocean) all play fairly similar, with slight differences in some areas, and I like most of those games. Ironically, the team that made Tales of Phantasia actually left Namco to form Tri-Ace and make Star Ocean. Namco continued the series from there, which is why you see a lot of similarities, and why those series were like FF and DQ. It also explains why Mana felt much more different than the others.

I haven't played much of the Mana series and I've never played any of the Tales series, so I don't know. I didn't dislike what I played of the Mana series.

I really did try to enjoy Star Ocean and give it as fair a chance as possible, but it overall was just way too frustrating an experience at the end of the day. I don't think I'd bother with anything else in that series.

A weird gripe, but Star Ocean is supposed to be a sci-fi RPG right? I felt so damn ripped off when the majority of the game took place on an 'underdeveloped planet' that looks exactly like every fantasty-based JRPG ever anyway.

[dunpeal2064]

Oh yeah, I played SOTET to the end. It did have some redeeming qualities. Graphics were great, and the dungeon exploration was fun. It was one of the first PS2 RPGs I played, so I wanted to stick with it until the end. I don't hate the game, but I wouldn't recommend it either.

Yeah, its not the best the ps2 has to offer (granted, not really fair on the game, since its an rpg powerhouse), and it wouldn't be the first... or fifth game I recommended.

If someone told me that they LOVED synthesis and getting balls deep into it, and that they loved action rpgs with several difficulty levels, endings, and challenges to complete... well, this would be the first game I suggest.

One of the buddies I was talking about that hated Lost Odyssey absolutely LOVED TeoT, and has played through it on every difficulty level. He has also done this with the Tales games and Persona games. He also doesnt have a job or gf, so he has a lot more time to really explore a game like this.

I personally don't have that kind of time, and will probably never play TeoT again, but I still think it has a good amount to offer to certain gamers. If only it had a co-op option, like the Tales games do.

[dunpeal2064]

A weird gripe, but Star Ocean is supposed to be a sci-fi RPG right? I felt so damn ripped off when the majority of the game took place on an 'underdeveloped planet' that looks exactly like every fantasty-based JRPG ever anyway.

Heh, the most common gripe I have heard about this game, and it was brutal seeing all these badass ships and space gear, and then being stuck on that planet for 16 hours playtime. It makes you think, "Dammit, all these people know nothing. My guys are crazy space pirates, and these people suck"

... which is why I loved the twist. I don't want to say what happens for anyone who hasnt played it, but its like they make you feel that way for a reason. "Damn all these underdeveloped people, I wanna go explore this huge world, that we have explored all of. Our people know sooo much more than these underdeveloped humans"

Again, I could totally understand someone not liking this game. The first time I played it, I stopped in that 16 hour period. I came back to it years later, after I wasn't in a hurry to find the best game or to get through a game as quickly as possible (I used to approach games like this, and it prevented me from enjoy games that aren't 100% excellent), and I found myself quite enjoying certain aspects of the game.

Its no Final Fantasy X, and I wouldn't recommend it to most, but I am glad I played it. I still say I loved that twist, just because I felt so large and irritated ( )


EDIT: damn... why have I typed so much about a game that I'd give a 7/10 to, at best.

[AppleQueso]

I guess I can see why you like that twist. I'm sure it's not hard for you to see why it just pissed a lot of people off too. Personally, I just thought it was really, really dumb.

You know, I played Xenosaga I not long after Star Ocean, and it really felt nice to play a sci-fi themed RPG that didn't have the 'underdeveloped planet' copout.

I ended up never finishing Xenosaga I for various reasons, but yeah.

EDIT: damn... why have I typed so much about a game that I'd give a 7/10 to, at best.

I guess it's probably just easier to think of things to say about games you have mixed feelings on.