JRPG Catch-All

He gets way better in a very satisfying way. And as shoptroll referenced, the supporting cast in this game is amazing. Of the three partners you get, the first one is the lamest by far....and even her story gets interesting later.

Definitely count me in the "breathless with anticipation" camp.

One of these days I really should get hold of TWEWY and play through it. For some reason it just didn't catch my interest when it came out, and I've been too busy with way too many games ever since.

gravity wrote:

Wow, all this love for TWEWY. I put in a few hours and while the mechanics seemed interesting, the main character annoyed the sh*t out of me. I can't think of any whiny Japanese hero that's annoyed me until TWEWY, but I just couldn't stand the guy. Certainly, I've never put down a game because of the main character before. Does he get any better? Enable me please, I'd like to get my money's worth on this one.

Yes. Minor spoiler: you end up playing the game for three "weeks" in-game, and the first week is all about the main character's transformation as a person.

After finishing the game, you open up a "parody" chapter of sorts as an epilogue, and much fun is made of his initial personality. "Must... resist... emo... urges..."

TWEWY is indeed one of the rare games where the characters actually change (at least in a way more meaningful than "I was reluctant to go out adventuring, but now I'm all about adventuring!") And the characters actually seem like real teenagers with real teenage insecurities.

That's one reason that I hope a TWEWY sequel will involve a new cast, since most of the original cast had distinct character arcs that concluded satisfactorily.

Demyx wrote:

TWEWY is indeed one of the rare games where the characters actually change (at least in a way more meaningful than "I was reluctant to go out adventuring, but now I'm all about adventuring!") And the characters actually seem like real teenagers with real teenage insecurities.

In other words, it is the most Atlus of all the Square games.

In other news, I finally sunk a decent amount of time into The Last Story last night, roughly three hours (much of which was spent laconically meandering through the city). It's good. Daddy like.

Minarchist wrote:

In other words, it is the most Atlus of all the Square games. :)

Oddly enough I read there's some Persona cameos appearing in the next iteration of Lords of Vermillion which is S-E's CCG arcade game thingy.

I need to get TWEWY. My copy of Last Story is burning a hole in my desk - I can vouch that the soundtrack is classic Uematsu though (the CD came with the game).

momgamer wrote:

I need to get TWEWY. My copy of Last Story is burning a hole in my desk - I can vouch that the soundtrack is classic Uematsu though (the CD came with the game).

I've actually been really disappointed in the performance of it so far. Almost entirely sampled, and not even particularly good samples (or very poorly manipulated). No Vienna Symphonic Library here, at least to my ears. I'm starting to think that Uematsu's fees for composition are so high that it leaves no money left for actual musicians.

Minarchist wrote:
momgamer wrote:

I need to get TWEWY. My copy of Last Story is burning a hole in my desk - I can vouch that the soundtrack is classic Uematsu though (the CD came with the game).

I've actually been really disappointed in the performance of it so far. Almost entirely sampled, and not even particularly good samples (or very poorly manipulated). No Vienna Symphonic Library here, at least to my ears. I'm starting to think that Uematsu's fees for composition are so high that it leaves no money left for actual musicians. :neutral:

I was just commenting on the shape and structure of the music, not the quality of the performance. I also felt it was thin, but assumed it was because the CD was a cheap pack-in and my car stereo is crappy. Drat.

I guess we look for the next Tour de Japon or something for a good rendition. In other news, I woke up with the main theme to Lost Odyssey stuck in my head. I'm idly trying to figure out if it's something Freudian or not.

Speaking of TWEWY and soundtracks, I realized that I'm somehow actually missing the TWEWY soundtrack from my collection and bought it immediately.

Demyx wrote:

Speaking of TWEWY and soundtracks, I realized that I'm somehow actually missing the TWEWY soundtrack from my collection and bought it immediately.

Just so you know, the soundtrack we're kvetching about is the Last Story soundtrack. I can't comment on the TWEWY one.

momgamer wrote:

Just so you know, the soundtrack we're kvetching about is the Last Story soundtrack. I can't comment on the TWEWY one.

Oh, I realize, I'm just saying, TWEWY has a great soundtrack, as long as one is okay with j-pop.

Demyx wrote:
momgamer wrote:

Just so you know, the soundtrack we're kvetching about is the Last Story soundtrack. I can't comment on the TWEWY one.

Oh, I realize, I'm just saying, TWEWY has a great soundtrack, as long as one is okay with j-pop.

Yay. Something else I need to go track down.

Demyx wrote:

Speaking of TWEWY and soundtracks, I realized that I'm somehow actually missing the TWEWY soundtrack from my collection and bought it immediately.

Don't forget the EP which has all the international tracks. Or you know, you could've just grabbed my copy :p

momgamer wrote:

Something else I need to go track down. ;)

A quick trip to iTunes will solve that.

I know I could get it from you, but some things deserve my monetary support.

shoptroll wrote:
momgamer wrote:

Something else I need to go track down. ;)

A quick trip to iTunes will solve that.

I'm a disk-based Luddite when it comes to this stuff.

momgamer wrote:

I was just commenting on the shape and structure of the music, not the quality of the performance. I also felt it was thin, but assumed it was because the CD was a cheap pack-in and my car stereo is crappy. Drat. :(

Oh, I know. Sorry, I should have given that a bit more context.

I do like the main theme. The underlying chord structure is pretty cliché Uematsu, but since it is actually Uematsu writing this, I guess that can be forgiven

About 30 min into TWEWY now. This game is weird... Good weird though!

I am a bit confused about what to do with the top screen combat atm.

Dyni wrote:

I am a bit confused about what to do with the top screen combat atm.

Flip the AI control to have it immediately take over until you really want to learn how to pass the puck (the glowy thing) back and forth quickly. Or just spaz on the d-pad. But probably best to let the AI handle the top screen until you get familiar with Neku and/or up the difficulty.

Dyni wrote:

About 30 min into TWEWY now. This game is weird... Good weird though!

I am a bit confused about what to do with the top screen combat atm.

Just mash left and right.

If you tire of that, you can try focusing on the screen with the green puck.

It is hard for me to hold on from buying a Wii to play the Last Story and Xenosaga. The WiiU will be out soon, I hope.

Ulairi wrote:

It is hard for me to hold on from buying a Wii to play the Last Story and Xenosaga. The WiiU will be out soon, I hope.

Thanksgiving.

shoptroll wrote:
Dyni wrote:

I am a bit confused about what to do with the top screen combat atm.

Or just spaz on the d-pad.

Ok, but why does it look like I should be playing DDR up there? Is there a proper technique one is supposed to use?

beeporama wrote:

Yes. Minor spoiler: you end up playing the game for three "weeks" in-game, and the first week is all about the main character's transformation as a person.

After finishing the game, you open up a "parody" chapter of sorts as an epilogue, and much fun is made of his initial personality. "Must... resist... emo... urges..."

Ok, thanks everyone for the feedback on this. It's just what I needed to hear. That they're conscious of how bad he was and make a real effort to make him and the other characters evolve is exactly what I'd like to see in an RPG. I'll be traveling soon and I'll charge up my DS and make TWEWY the priority gaming time during the trip.

Dyni wrote:
shoptroll wrote:
Dyni wrote:

I am a bit confused about what to do with the top screen combat atm.

Or just spaz on the d-pad.

Ok, but why does it look like I should be playing DDR up there? Is there a proper technique one is supposed to use?

So that's Shiki. Basically if you follow one of the sequences of arrows you get a card. I think (it's been a few years since I played this) once you get a couple of cards that make a sequence you can use a special attack (basically a summon). You're not penalized if you don't complete a sequence which is why it's suggested you just button mash for now while you focus on Neku.

This is basically how all three companions work with each having their own variation. Joshua is about comparing numbers, and Beat is about making Poker hands. It's completely optional and at the lower difficulties random mashing works just as well as focusing on the top character

TWEWY has a thread ya know.

Stele wrote:

TWEWY has a thread ya know. ;)

FTFY.

Rgr, thanks shoptroll.

Stele wrote:

TWEWY has a thread ya know. ;)

So it does. Good to know.

Yeah, get outta here til you graduate to grown up games like The Last Story

Speaking of The Last Story, there's an edition of the always-interesting "Iwata Asks" interview series with genre legend Hironobu Sakaguchi focused on the game. Recommended reading if you're...well, if you're in this thread.

Also, here's a quote I pulled from this Kat Bailey article advising designers to embrace the new ideas presented by the game:

The nice thing about Last Story is that it fills so many niches; it has both action elements and tactical elements, and it demonstrates a deft touch in maximizing both without allowing one to overwhelm the other. It doesn't quite feel like an MMO, and it definitely isn't an action game like Kingdom Hearts. It is, as Sakaguchi said, something new.

Bolded that last sentence for emphasis. It's a remarkably hard game to pin down using established conventions. It has some of the interesting character work from Final Fantasy, but with a more intimate scope that I've seen in games like Resonance of Fate or Dragon Age 2. People have compared it to Mass Effect, but the truth is there is a lot more complexity and strategy required in the minute-to-minute gameplay. You can't brute force your way through TLS. You have to embrace its systems, and when they're all working together fluidly in your mind it's a refreshing sensation. I'm gushing a bit, but I value experimentation and new experiences over anything else. I can't get enough.

Ed. - Sorry if this is too rambly.

For whatever reason, the game brings to mind Gears of War 3, for me. I really enjoyed both prior Gears games, but after the third, I am taking a wait and see on the entire franchise. Cliff Bleszinski is fond of saying that successful shooter design is thirty seconds of fun, repeated (I'm paraphrasing). He may be right, but what the Last Story does is take that idea further.

In Gears, the gameplay formula to me looks like this: you take the environment, put any variety of enemies in it, place the player in it, and give them the tools to deal with the enemy. That worked for me for two games. At some point though, there was a disconnect, and I wasn't quite able to pin it down until playing TLS. The disconnect lies in the tools. You have a decently sizable toolbox in Gears, but you can apply the hammer to every situation, or the wrench, or the screwdriver. It doesn't matter. In TLS, the tool required for many fights is very specific, and that challenge of figuring it out in time is what makes it a more engaging experience. The environments are more varied too, but that's of lesser import.

Alright, I'll stop drooling now and get back to playing.

Edit:

Wanted to post a really good snippet from that Iwata/Gooch interview:

Iwata: How would you describe the game system you finally settled on for The Last Story?

Sakaguchi: This may be a rather highfalutin way of putting it, but I would say it’s all about ‘order’ and ‘chaos’. In battle, the side that manages to impose ‘order’ on the battlefield will secure victory. Or to put it the other way round, disrupting the ‘order’ of your enemy so it degenerates into ‘chaos’ is the key to victory. That’s something I wanted to express in the battle scenes in the game. But I didn’t want this to be achieved in a logical, methodical manner like Japanese chess. I was looking for a more intuitive battle system in which you can feel the flow of time.

Didn't realize there are two more interviews, with Uematsu and Matsumoto. Lots to read -_-