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Moldy Taxes posted:I gave the Lightning DLC for XIII-2 a shot today. Pretty interesting in terms of the abilities Lightning can use, but it's easy to win the first fight if you have a basic understanding of the battle system; I would've won the first fight at Level 2 if I hadn't gotten cocky when Caius was in COM mode. I have no idea what triggers going into the second fight, but I beat him three times in a row before it moved on. I was afraid I'd have to do the same fight over and over again until I hit Level 10, so I was glad when the fight transitioned at Level 5. The second fight occurs when you 5-star the first fight.
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Jul 7, 2012 00:56
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Winks posted:It's not just a futuristic setting though, it's a fantasy setting. There are giant god-like machines created by actual gods running the show. I was talking in general about the futuristic look, really, but yeah XIII's a fantasy setting with a sci-fi backdrop. Though that doesn't mean that the sci-fi parts are irrelvent, when it comes to taling about how it perceives a future setting. Lightning's house for example:   In thirty years time or so, if people looked at these designs on the internet 5.0, with holographic accoutrements, and jet-packs, they'd probably say, "that's such a 2010 idea of looking at the future". I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It's just something that happens. Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Jul 7, 2012 |
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Jul 7, 2012 01:05
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Azure_Horizon posted:The second fight occurs when you 5-star the first fight. Ah that makes sense. Quite a shame, too, because I'm sure I could do the second fight at level 2 or even level 1, but I'm certain the first fight would take me twenty+ minutes, which doesn't really earn high ratings.
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Jul 7, 2012 01:07
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Pesky Splinter posted:In thirty years time or so, if people looked at these designs on the internet 5.0, with holographic accoutrements, and jet-packs, they'd probably say, "that's such a 2010 idea of looking at the future". I'm saying that's a bad thing. It's just something that happens.
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Jul 7, 2012 01:22
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Pesky Splinter posted:Lightning's house for example: That is one hell of a pad.
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Jul 7, 2012 01:26
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Winks posted:When I look at that I don't think futuristic though. I think sci-fi fantasy. (I actually see a final fantasy-ish airship. Is her house an airship?!) Kind of like comparing Star Wars and Star Trek. Star Wars ages better than the original Trek series because of its fantasy backdrop. We see rocker switches in Star Wars and its easy to reconcile because its timeline is obviously not related to modern tech. We see them in Star Trek and we wonder why they aren't at least membrane switches if not touchscreens, because it's supposed to be based on our actual future. It's not that far off from more um..."modern art" designed places actually. Though I do see it looking like an airship now you mention it.     Our future*! If we're ever enslaved by the Robo-Gods  I'm not arguing that it's not Sci-Fantasy or fantasy with a sci-fi backdrop, I'm just saying that it's still subject to looking like when the work was created. I'm talking from a meta perspective here, rather than a story perspective. They're still very much a product of what time they are made, and show that with the design (or clothes or hairstyles). It's just more noticable in settings based in the future, or with what we deem to be futuristic, rather than an older setting, like FFIV's industrial revoultion aesthetic, or FFVII's cyberpunk or FFIX's medieval steampunk (mistpunk?  ) look.*Or past in one case.
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Jul 7, 2012 01:49
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Schwartzcough posted:Yeah, and then maybe they'll give us the original War of the Magi from VI, or the Adventures of Laguna from VIII, or Braska's Pilgrimage from X, or the Story of Zack Fair from VII, or two installments of the stupid adventures that nobody cared about after FFIV- wait, scratch those last two. Final Fantasy Tactics 2, and Dragon Quest Tactics with Matsuno given full creative control over both.
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Jul 7, 2012 03:11
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Evil Fluffy posted:Final Fantasy Tactics 2, and Dragon Quest Tactics with Matsuno given full creative control over both. Ehh, while I'm not a fan of Dragon Quest, truth told, giving the series to anyone but the creator who is clearly still doin' stuff with his own IP would really just be stealing his thunder. Pesky Splinter posted:It's just more noticable in settings based in the future, or with what we deem to be futuristic, rather than an older setting, like FFIV's industrial revoultion aesthetic, or FFVII's cyberpunk or FFIX's medieval steampunk (mistpunk? Anachronistic fantasy fiction where everything is powered by magic smoke. FF9 is, in fact, weedpunk Fur20 fucked around with this message at 03:57 on Jul 7, 2012 |
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Jul 7, 2012 03:55
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Mega64 posted:Finished my FF4: The After Years Edge solo run. Four Scholar FF3 run  How about an FFX Challenge? I know that game isn't particularly hard but I always thought a No Sphere Grid challenge or something similar would be fun if possible.
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Jul 7, 2012 04:33
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Minrad posted:Four Scholar FF3 run May I present the Final Fantasy X: NSGNSNCNONENNENBB Challenge Guide.
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Jul 7, 2012 04:57
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Couch Life posted:May I present the Final Fantasy X: NSGNSNCNONENNENBB Challenge Guide. Hahaha, what a completely ridiculous name.
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Jul 7, 2012 05:15
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Mega64 posted:Now to figure out what I want to do next. Maybe that "Extreme" FJF I was talking about. Do something with X-2. Not enough people do challenge runs in that game.
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Jul 7, 2012 05:48
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Minrad posted:Hahaha, what a completely ridiculous name. 
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Jul 7, 2012 05:49
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gigglefeimer posted:Do something with X-2. Not enough people do challenge runs in that game. Challenge runs in X-2 are actually really interesting because the game gives you a large number of Garment Grids/Accessories that provide a bevy of options but are usually wasted because why would you equip something to let you cast Fire/Cure/Protect when you could spherechange into the proper class instead? In a challenge run, weighing those options instead becomes incredibly important. In fact, that's making me want to get back to my Songstress only run. I might do that when I'm done with my current Fiesta run (which I have again been distracted from by Xenoblade. I may have overdrawn on my leisure activities...)
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Jul 7, 2012 08:42
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gigglefeimer posted:Do something with X-2. Not enough people do challenge runs in that game. X-2 is a really underrated game due to the deliberately silly plot and "GIRL POWAH" themes. It is actually pretty drat fun, especially with challenge runs. I'm all for it.
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Jul 7, 2012 09:21
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Me too. X-2 is fan-loving-tastic.
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Jul 7, 2012 09:59
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Gammatron 64 posted:I think we're overdue for a Final Fantasy game that has a early 20th century look, like 1920s-1940s. Yeah, I know people are getting sick of the WWII thing, but who doesn't want to fight Nazis driving around in Magitek Armor? Shadow Hearts. (actually that's WWI era but close enough.)
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Jul 7, 2012 11:37
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It's just a shame that X-2 is pretty much physically impossible to 100% without a guide of some sort. (I'm looking at you, Chapter 4 commsphere watchathon.)
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Jul 7, 2012 11:56
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Don't have a PS2, and while my computer can run a PS2 emulator, it's not that stellar with it. Plus I've never played X-2, so I probably wouldn't do a challenge run for my first time (though maybe I'll get around to it once I get more cash). I probably wouldn't start a challenge until tomorrow anyway, but I'll probably do something with FF5 ("Extreme" FJF, or a regular FJF where you can't mix and match abilities with other jobs), or maybe a FF4 solo Cecil run. I know 3-6 the best so I'll probably stick to those. Thinking about it, I always wanted to see a FF6 hack that limited spells to certain characters. Only Terra/Celes/Relm would get Firaga/Blizzaga/Thundaga, Locke, Shadow, and maybe another character or two would get the Slow/Haste spells, Sabin and Cyan would focus on buffs, Strago and Gau would get some of the odder spells, and so on. It'd keep characters distinct and would actually add some strategy in choosing your party. Then just rebalance some things (make SwordTech not suck, give Sabin more magic-boosting equipment, maybe lower the insane buffs Terra, Celes, and Edgar get from equipment, etc) to keep choices more interesting. Maybe not that practical, but I think it could be a fun little idea.
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Jul 7, 2012 12:28
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Like a decade ago, I was big into FFVI hacking and none of that stuff could be done without heavy assembly hacking, which is at a point you're rewriting the game. Game's pretty hardcoded into it's ways. I wanted to do a hack that did just that, but only Terra and Celes can ever learn magic naturally through leveling. Other things hard coded that prevent you from hacking in a class-ish system: HP/MP growth, no stat growth. Actually, second thought, you could do it if you restricted the hell out of equipment like FF9, and made espers give no magic. IE: Firaga Rod. Equippable by: Terra/Celes/Relm Teaches Firaga x3. Haste Dirk. Equippable by: Locke/Shadow Teaches Haste x5. You'd need a piece of gear for every spell though, and I'm not sure if relics can teach magic. I think there's a 255 item limit. Memory is foggy, the hacks on romhacking.net tell me there have not been huge steps forward otherwise since I stopped caring.
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Jul 7, 2012 14:08
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Saigyouji posted:It's just a shame that X-2 is pretty much physically impossible to 100% without a guide of some sort. (I'm looking at you, Chapter 4 commsphere watchathon.) It really isn't impossible at all, you just have to be thorough in finding those percentage points. Trasson posted:Challenge runs in X-2 are actually really interesting because the game gives you a large number of Garment Grids/Accessories that provide a bevy of options but are usually wasted because why would you equip something to let you cast Fire/Cure/Protect when you could spherechange into the proper class instead? In a challenge run, weighing those options instead becomes incredibly important. Another good thing about challenge runs in X-2 is that New Game+ lets you bypass sidequests and grinding. Instead of doing monkey mating in Chapter 2 for that Soul of Thamasa or grinding for AP, just start your challenge run on a file that already has those things. Another fun way to approach challenges in X-2 is to limit levels/garment grids/accessories/items but give full access to dresspheres. That will force you to take advantage of dressphere abilities and find uses for them you thought you never would, and it could require you to change DS during battle a lot (which was the intention with the battle system but normally the game is too easy to bother with doing that). gigglefeimer fucked around with this message at 15:57 on Jul 7, 2012 |
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Jul 7, 2012 15:18
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Wheresmy5bucks posted:You'd need a piece of gear for every spell though, and I'm not sure if relics can teach magic. I think there's a 255 item limit. Memory is foggy, the hacks on romhacking.net tell me there have not been huge steps forward otherwise since I stopped caring. Cursed Ring teaches X-Zone if I'm remembering right.
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Jul 7, 2012 16:35
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Wheresmy5bucks posted:Actually, second thought, you could do it if you restricted the hell out of equipment like FF9, and made espers give no magic. I like it. The smaller spells could be relics that everyone could learn, like Cure and the L1 elemental spells. Several people could learn some of the more intermediate spells through weapons and armor, and then each character would have their own exclusive ultimate spell. Of course, then things would have to be rebalanced a bit, and chests would have to be changed to have these items, which would make exploring for unique items much more fun not knowing where things would be. It could be a fun little hack that would add a bit of fresh air to a game many have played to death already. Maybe I'll dick around and see what all I can accomplish before I inevitably lose interest like I always do with these things.
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Jul 7, 2012 18:35
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Mega64 posted:Thinking about it, I always wanted to see a FF6 hack that limited spells to certain characters. Only Terra/Celes/Relm would get Firaga/Blizzaga/Thundaga, Locke, Shadow, and maybe another character or two would get the Slow/Haste spells, Sabin and Cyan would focus on buffs, Strago and Gau would get some of the odder spells, and so on. It'd keep characters distinct and would actually add some strategy in choosing your party. Then just rebalance some things (make SwordTech not suck, give Sabin more magic-boosting equipment, maybe lower the insane buffs Terra, Celes, and Edgar get from equipment, etc) to keep choices more interesting. http://ffhacktics.com/smf/index.php?topic=4193.0 It's called "Final Fantasy VI Hardtype" But it eventually didn't turn out that much more difficult then the original game, even the guy who made the hack admits it and thinks he should probably change the name. It also includes a few interesting bits of equipment changes.
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Jul 7, 2012 19:20
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Star Platinum posted:Shadow Hearts. (actually that's WWI era but close enough.) I'm pretty sure that Shadow Hearts 2 is set during World War II. I liked all of the Shadow Hearts games but Shadow Hearts 3 kind of went off of the deep end. vvvv - Aw, man, you're right. I haven't played 2 in years so I'm sorry Vanderdeath fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Jul 7, 2012 |
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Jul 7, 2012 19:23
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Nope, World War 1. The three games take place in 1913, 1916, and 1929.
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Jul 7, 2012 19:55
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The whole series has its ups and downs: Koudelka has a surprisingly decent story, atmosphere, and characters (and voice acting), but a loving terrible battle system. Shadow Hearts has a decent story and characters, terrible voice acting (*SHLOOORP SHLOOORP!*) and is really ugly when compared to games released around that time (it looks like they wanted it to be for the PS1, but moved it to the PS2). But the battle system is pretty okay and fun. SH:C has an okay story and characters, mediocre to good voice acting, it looks good, and the combat system is engaging and fun. It's lost a lot of the atmoshpere though. SH:FtNW has a lousy story, mediocre voice acting, characters that are mostly either trying too hard to be funny or ones so bland they blend into the background. The battle system is still pretty decent and engaging though (outside of the magic system and a certain character's gimmick). The music is excellent for all the games. Even, From the New World. 
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Jul 7, 2012 20:22
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I thought Shadow Hearts: Covenant was one of the worst rpgs I ever played. The combat system was fun, but there is subsystem upon subsystem in the game, and its content feels like it draws content because there's so much else about the game. The character were horrible, the voice acting good, but the scenario was batshit insanity. It was so hard for me to enjoy it, between the muscle man superheroes and the stereotypical gay shop clerks who appear in every town. Speaking of towns, the towns were small one screen fare. I remember being told how great the game was, ended up playing it, and didn't understand what all the praise was about.
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Jul 7, 2012 20:25
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Himuro posted:Speaking of towns, the towns were small one screen fare. The rest of your post was merely inaccurate and I suspect tailored specifically to piss off Azure Horizon, since he has the kind of obsession with that series that normally ends with people going to jail, but this one is just a flat-out lie. Even the smallest towns are three screens, minimum, and large screens at that.
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Jul 7, 2012 20:28
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Shadow Hearts: Covenant is honestly one of the RPGs I like best on the PS2. It has its problems but it also has a ton of personality, interesting combat systems and a fun setting. The insanity is part of why it is interesting. It's not a generic fantasy world or generic sci-fi world, it's a weird blend of modern/near modern and urban mythology and fantasy and a whole lot of crazy. Shadow Hearts 3 clearly tried to recapture this and ended up just sucking. I'd rather have a batshit insane game than a boring one and SH:C manages to be a fun kind of batshit insane. ImpAtom fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Jul 7, 2012 |
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Jul 7, 2012 20:31
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Yeah, I normally like modern settings, so the insanity was really off putting for me. Oxxidation posted:The rest of your post was merely inaccurate and I suspect tailored specifically to piss off Azure Horizon, since he has the kind of obsession with that series that normally ends with people going to jail, but this one is just a flat-out lie. Even the smallest towns are three screens, minimum, and large screens at that. I don't think it's a lie at all. Then again, I stopped playing half way. And none of what I said was inaccurate.
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Jul 7, 2012 20:40
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Himuro posted:I don't think it's a lie at all. Then again, I stopped playing half way. You're an evil man and I totally approve of what you're doing here
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Jul 7, 2012 20:41
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Look, Azure's love for and my distaste for Shadow Hearts Covenant is merely coincidental! I am not doing this on purpose! Promise! Azure and I just happen to have complete opposite tastes in games.
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Jul 7, 2012 20:43
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I've always thought the first half of the story was the strongest, up until they hit Japan and then it meanders pointlessly. Yuri is a likeable character, Karin and some of the others...not so much. It's goofy and it's fun and that why I like it. It's not everyday in a JRPG that the characters take the piss out of a boss or break the fourth wall, or goof off, without needing to be supergrim all the time. It was fun, and I was having fun playing it, even if it has flaws. FtNW just tried to hard. "Wow, these characters sure are zany! A Polish-ninja trained in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and collects weapons like Joachim! They'd love it if we shamelessly reuse character archtypes and not come up with anything new! Unless it's zany! Or annoying!" 
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Jul 7, 2012 20:47
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The first Shadow Hearts is probably the best, anyway, and I liked the other two. It manages to be goofy and not take itself amazingly seriously while still not falling into stupidity like FtNW, or kinda sorta meandering like Covenant.
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Jul 7, 2012 20:52
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Pesky Splinter posted:I've always thought the first half of the story was the strongest, up until they hit Japan and then it meanders pointlessly. What you thought about FtNW I felt about SHC. I'm all for rpgs that don't take themselves seriously, but it felt like it was trying too hard to be seen as unique/quirky, whatever. I have the same opinion about Earthbound and all Mario RPGS, where simple things are taken to such an extreme that they become quirky stuff seemingly just because it'd be cool to be quirky. Endorph posted:The first Shadow Hearts is probably the best, anyway, and I liked the other two. It manages to be goofy and not take itself amazingly seriously while still not falling into stupidity like FtNW, or kinda sorta meandering like Covenant. I did like SH1, which is a big proponent as to why I disliked SHC.
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Jul 7, 2012 20:53
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I guess I could see how you'd have that opinion about Earthbound, but how do you have that opinion about the Mario RPGs? They're pretty toned-down. I mean, yeah, they outright break the fourth wall sometimes but their quirkiness isn't really forced so much as just a result of the setting. They're Mario RPGs, of course they're gonna be a bit goofy. Not to mention Bowser's dialogue across all the Mario RPGs is some of the most amazing writing ever.
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Jul 7, 2012 20:56
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Well, I've only played Super Mario RPG and Mario & Luigi for GBA. M&L is the one I felt this most about, because it took place in this quirky setting with quirky characters where you'd fight quirky one thousand year old sodas that have turned evil and you're supposed to laugh because - haha - it's quirky! I tend to prefer the Dragon Quest/Chrono Trigger/Skies of Arcadia route, where its lightheartedness comes from its utter simplicity and the amount of heart that goes into the writing, rather than appearing transparently whimsical. This is why I like games like Blue Dragon, and in some ways Final Fantasy X-2. X-2 is weird, but it's also got a lot of serious moments, and it's lighthearted without trying to be edgy. But more than that, it has a great message that I wholeheartedly support. Somehow, I like Mother 3's tone more than Earthbound's. It's toned down to a point, but it still has the characteristically unique scenario and characters, but not to a degree where it's annoying. I'm really weird about tone. I dislike games that try too hard to be seen as quirky (the games discussed), but on the other hand can't stand games that take themselves too loving seriously (Metal Gear Solid 4). Jupiter Jazz fucked around with this message at 21:06 on Jul 7, 2012 |
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Jul 7, 2012 21:04
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Endorph posted:The first Shadow Hearts is probably the best, anyway, and I liked the other two. It manages to be goofy and not take itself amazingly seriously while still not falling into stupidity like FtNW, or kinda sorta meandering like Covenant. Basically. SH:C has some narrative issues but is perhaps more emotionally rich than the first game while sacrificing tons of atmosphere. FTNW has the finest gameplay on the PS2, and also a better soundtrack than Covenant, which is why I think it's a better game. Hirota put everyone else to shame musically for the whole PS2 generation, though. I wish he had more high-profile games to work with; a Final Fantasy game done in his musical style would be loving perfect. It's still probably the best overall series on the PS2. Azure_Horizon fucked around with this message at 21:09 on Jul 7, 2012 |
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Jul 7, 2012 21:06
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^^^ [e]: I would love to hear a FF soundtrack composed by them  Himuro posted:What you thought about FtNW I felt about SHC. I'm all for rpgs that don't take themselves seriously, but it felt like it was trying too hard to be seen as unique/quirky, whatever. I have the same opinion about Earthbound and all Mario RPGS, where simple things are taken to such an extreme that they become quirky stuff seemingly just because it'd be cool to be quirky. I can see why someone who liked SH1 could dislike SH:C for the changes in atomsphere and story, as I've said though, I just felt that FtNW was just too much an attempt to crank up the wacky, when the story itself should have been a bit more grim. The cast annoyed me too; the aformentioned ninja, the giant talking cat and the gothic Lolita Vampiress with that terrible mechanic. Natan never really says or does anything, and Shania is bland as hell. Ricardo and Johnny are okay though. Even if Johnny is just a generic good JRPG protagonist. The SH:C cast was okay if bland for the most part. Karin skirts the line between being a bland romantic interest in the first half of the game to the Rinoa-esque "Oh, I want to be with you forever!" type thing in the latter half. It's also really loving creepy when she goes back in time and becomes his mother because she can't be with him. Or rather, goes with his father, because she can't go with him. Reverse oedipus complex? Paging Dr Freud. SH1 had the best atomsphere and horror, and the most likable cast. The horror aspect really got shoved by the wayside in the others. And none of the antagonists have really be as good as Albert. Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Jul 7, 2012 |
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Jul 7, 2012 21:13
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