JRPG Catch-All

BishopRS wrote:

So, I downloaded Valkyria Chronicles 2 from the PSN. Pretty sweet so far.

I've never downloaded a game to a memory stick before, do I still do the "Install" option on the main menu? It seems a silly notion since the whole thing is on the flash drive (with fast load times) but could there be missing features if you don't install?

I never have. In fact I can't recall there ever being an install option on any of the games I've downloaded, but I don't know what all it would install, it's already on the memory stick which is where it would install to.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/08/31...

SaGa 3 Ruler of Space-Time: Shadow or Light has been updated with 3D graphics, but uses the same system where characters can turn into mechs or beasts depending on what they eat. Dion, a temporary character in the original game, appears to play a larger role in the Nintendo DS remake. Arthur, the hero who traveled through time, isn’t on the scan.

Cross-posting this from the deals thread: buy a launch copy of Knights in the Nightmare for PSP either in stores or through PSN, and you'll receive a free copy (via PSN) of Yggdra Union.

Also, I traded in my copy of Sakura Wars last night after finally getting back to it. The Wii version was just too much of a sloppy port job. It's largely unplayable without a classic controller, and the English voice acting is grating. The game definitely has potential, and if I had a PS2 I'd play it on that, but I cannot recommend the Wii version at all.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Cross-posting this from the deals thread: buy a launch copy of Knights in the Nightmare for PSP either in stores or through PSN, and you'll receive a free copy (via PSN) of Yggdra Union.

Man, the Japanese sure dig Yggdrasil. I have like 3 games in the pile that reference it.

Valkyria Chronicles 3 has been announced for the PSP.

http://kotaku.com/5638203/valkyria-c...

cube wrote:

Valkyria Chronicles 3 has been announced for the PSP.

http://kotaku.com/5638203/valkyria-c...

Yay! The second one will be arriving at my door this week. Thanks to Amazon credit I only paid $20 for the thing. Steal!

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn has a release date: 11/29/10.

garion333 wrote:
cube wrote:

Valkyria Chronicles 3 has been announced for the PSP.

http://kotaku.com/5638203/valkyria-c...

Yay! The second one will be arriving at my door this week. Thanks to Amazon credit I only paid $20 for the thing. Steal!

KHAAAAAAAN! I still don't have a PSP, and don't expect to get one any time soon. I don't commute in that style enough to justify it.

garion333, you need to stop posting reasons why I should consider a PSP. It's not appreciated, okay?

(ZHP looks pretty cool, actually.)

KH: Birth by Sleep is coming to the PSP, and from early rumor, it seems that it hearkens back to the great days of KH in terms of story and gameplay. Granted, it's an action-RPG, but it's still a JRPG, right?

Just to clarify, were I to pick up a PS3, I would be able to purchase PSN games such as ZHP, correct?

(The preceding sentence probably needs more acronyms)

garion333 wrote:
Minarchist wrote:

Just to clarify, were I to pick up a PS3, I would be able to purchase PSN games such as ZHP, correct?

(The preceding sentence probably needs more acronyms)

You could buy them, it would certainly let you, but you'd need a PSP to play them. You can play PSP games through your PS3 onto a tv, but you need the PSP.

That's not to say there aren't plenty of PSN games out there for the PS3, but the two I mentioned are PSP games that are only getting digitally released.

I've put a couple hours into Valkyria Chronicles 2 and I'm actually really liking it ... even the story. The story isn't anywhere as annoying as I was expecting and the games moves at a good pace, so I'm happy. It's a bit like riding a bike and I'm definitely enjoying the ride.

So I've got two sorta JRPG games for the list or just for people to be aware of. They're both from Nippon Ichi, so they're not going to get a ton of press and they're most likey not going to appeal to everyone. The first is coming out for the PSP as a digital download only on September 21st, so right around the corner. It's called Cladun: This is an RPG and is basically a dungeon crawler/action rpg. It's one of those self-referential, 8-bit throwback games, though it does seem to have some new ideas other than just being retro. After reading a little bit and watching a trailer it doesn't appeal to me as the retro thing just doesn't work for me anymore. Ah well.

The other game, however, I am excited about. It's from the same dev team at NIS that does Disgaea and their touch of humor (which, I might add, is certainly in Cladun) is readily apparent. This game is titled (wait for it) Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman. Yup. ZHP stands for Zettai Hero Project, which doesn't help. This game seems to be an action rpg with a death mechanic that doesn't penalize you ... or something a rogue-like. I don't know, there's not a whole heck of a lot of info out on the game, but I'll paste the trailer below as it'll explain it better than I ever could. ZHP is also a PSP release and will be stores and hitting PSN on October 26th.

(I must admit, though, every time I see Z.H.P. I keep reading it as Zettai Hentai Project. Forgive me, I just watched the second Catherine trailer. ;))

Edited to provide more correct into. ZHP appears to be a roguelike. My interest just skyrocketed. It's also on UMD.

Minarchist wrote:

Just to clarify, were I to pick up a PS3, I would be able to purchase PSN games such as ZHP, correct?

(The preceding sentence probably needs more acronyms)

You could buy them, it would certainly let you, but you'd need a PSP to play them. You can play PSP games through your PS3 onto a tv, but you need the PSP.

That's not to say there aren't plenty of PSN games out there for the PS3, but the two I mentioned are PSP games that are only getting digitally released that are getting released digitally, though ZHP is going to be in stores too.

garion333 wrote:

You can play PSP games through your PS3 onto a tv, but you need the PSP.

Am I missing a function I didn't know existed? I have a video out cable for my PSP which lets me play games on it hooked straight to the TV without using a PS3. I also know that using Remote Play I can display what is playing on the PS3 on my PSP screen. Additionally, I know that using the PSPGo you can use your Dual Shock to control PSP games via a Bluetooth connection. However, I have a PSP-3000 not a PSPGo. Are you saying there a way to plug the PSP into the PS3 that will allow me to play PSP games on my TV using a regular controller?

Jasonofindy wrote:
garion333 wrote:

You can play PSP games through your PS3 onto a tv, but you need the PSP.

Am I missing a function I didn't know existed? I have a video out cable for my PSP which lets me play games on it hooked straight to the TV without using a PS3. I also know that using Remote Play I can display what is playing on the PS3 on my PSP screen. Additionally, I know that using the PSPGo you can use your Dual Shock to control PSP games via a Bluetooth connection. However, I have a PSP-3000 not a PSPGo. Are you saying there a way to plug the PSP into the PS3 that will allow me to play PSP games on my TV using a regular controller?

No, I thought you had to use the PSP through the PS3. I didn't realize it was a straight connection to the tv. It's, clearly, not something I'm interested in doing.

garion333 wrote:

No, I thought you had to use the PSP through the PS3. I didn't realize it was a straight connection to the tv. It's, clearly, not something I'm interested in doing.

Thanks, I was just making sure I hadn't missed a feature added in one of Sony's multiple firmware updates. I HATE playing games on handhelds, but LOVE a lot of the niche games and 2D games that can only be found on handhelds. I'm always looking for ways to play them more comfortably.

Sorry for the Off-topic post.

Yay! I can talk about it now. Disgaea 4 has been officially announced for release in Japan on February 24th, 2011. I was going to post about it yesterday, but everything coming out of TGS was still in the rumor realm, so I figured I could hold off until today. Anyway, Jeremy Parish already has a preview up.

garion333 wrote:

Yay! I can talk about it now. Disgaea 4 has been officially announced for release in Japan on February 24th, 2011. I was going to post about it yesterday, but everything coming out of TGS was still in the rumor realm, so I figured I could hold off until today. Anyway, Jeremy Parish already has a preview up.

NISA's newsletter says it'll be out in the US next summer.

Also, I don't know anything about the characters, but it looks like LobsterMobster got demoted:

IMAGE(http://imgur.com/tbVhX.jpg)

Has anyone picked up Etrian Odyssey 3? I am alternating between being intrigued, excited, and terrified by the prospect of playing it.

imbiginjapan wrote:

Has anyone picked up Etrian Odyssey 3? I am alternating between being intrigued, excited, and terrified by the prospect of playing it.

Nope, but since I never finished EO2 I figured it wouldn't behoove me to get the third one. Did you play the other two?

I have it. It's pretty much in the same vein as the last two, but 'morer and betterer'. The classes are all new this time (and most don't even fit in common RPG stereotypes), and there's some new twists on the exploration process, but this really is a case of "if you loved the last two, you'll love this one, if you hated them, this one won't change your mind."

If never played either, EO3 is basically an old school build-your-party dungeon crawl, complete with the fairly high level of difficulty those games are known for. It has some unique twists on the genre (FOEs, monsters of extremely high power for their depth that are visible on the map and match you move for move) as well as including pretty much everything you'd expect (all sorts of devious traps/map puzzles, tons of quests, fairly involved character progression including subclasses and equipment modification, etc) in any such game.

Me, I can't get enough of this stuff. But some of my work friends who love most RPGs can't stand the idea of one where the main characters don't have backgrounds outside of what you imagine for them, or they hate being wiped out by a random encounter on B1F.

Ferret wrote:

I have it. It's pretty much in the same vein as the last two, but 'morer and betterer'. The classes are all new this time (and most don't even fit in common RPG stereotypes), and there's some new twists on the exploration process, but this really is a case of "if you loved the last two, you'll love this one, if you hated them, this one won't change your mind."

If never played either, EO3 is basically an old school build-your-party dungeon crawl, complete with the fairly high level of difficulty those games are known for. It has some unique twists on the genre (FOEs, monsters of extremely high power for their depth that are visible on the map and match you move for move) as well as including pretty much everything you'd expect (all sorts of devious traps/map puzzles, tons of quests, fairly involved character progression including subclasses and equipment modification, etc) in any such game.

Me, I can't get enough of this stuff. But some of my work friends who love most RPGs can't stand the idea of one where the main characters don't have backgrounds outside of what you imagine for them, or they hate being wiped out by a random encounter on B1F. :P

I haven't played the others, but have gotten through 99% of SMT Strange Journey which uses the same engine and similar dungeon-crawling mechanics. The build-your-party stuff is what interests me the most, and I like the exploration angle. The manual map making is a neat touch and a step up from the at-times inadequate auto map in SMT. I really like skill allocation and building a party that synergizes well, and the classes in this game seem to be a step outside the norm.

The two components that I know will frustrate me is
1. The necessary grinding - I am pretty much done with SMT Strange Journey two boss battles from the end. I don't have an optimal group to beat the current boss and would need to grind out enough money to buy a cheat code demon. Blech. I just watched the ending I was heading towards on Youtube and called it quits.

2. Wasting time because I missed an invisible door or something. I don't mind backtracking and I don't mind random encounters but when you combine backtracking with frequent random encounters (particularly when those encounters give very little experience because you're over level) becomes tedious because you have to stop searching, hit A or X a bunch of times and then regain your bearings.

imbiginjapan wrote:

I haven't played the others, but have gotten through 99% of SMT Strange Journey which uses the same engine and similar dungeon-crawling mechanics. The build-your-party stuff is what interests me the most, and I like the exploration angle. The manual map making is a neat touch and a step up from the at-times inadequate auto map in SMT. I really like skill allocation and building a party that synergizes well, and the classes in this game seem to be a step outside the norm.

The two components that I know will frustrate me is
1. The necessary grinding - I am pretty much done with SMT Strange Journey two boss battles from the end. I don't have an optimal group to beat the current boss and would need to grind out enough money to buy a cheat code demon. Blech. I just watched the ending I was heading towards on Youtube and called it quits.

2. Wasting time because I missed an invisible door or something. I don't mind backtracking and I don't mind random encounters but when you combine backtracking with frequent random encounters (particularly when those encounters give very little experience because you're over level) becomes tedious because you have to stop searching, hit A or X a bunch of times and then regain your bearings.

Well, I haven't had to grind yet, but I'm only on B2F To be honest though, if I'm remembering the previous two EO games properly, if you kept up on the side-quests, you didn't have to do much true grinding prior to the post end-game content. But, this is probably greatly a function of party composition too. Some parties will handle whatever bosses exist in the game better/worse than others, and you may trip over (or dodge) specific problem children out of sheer luck (i.e.: your Zodiac happens to be ice-focused when you hit an Ice-weak boss = yay... Ice-strong boss = probably going to grind a bit to overcome it) Full disclosure: I didn't have to grind in SMT:SJ until the very end myself (at which point I had to grind a fair bit), so you can take that as a barometer of where I'm coming from.

As for #2, EO3 has to plead guilty. Even in B1F and B2F, there have been all kinds of secret passages that you only detect if you actually turn and face the wall they're in. Just walking by them facing the wrong way isn't enough. Before you run off in disgust though I would mention that this mechanic, at least for me, is somewhat more tolerable here because it tends to fit in nice with the 'gradual, rewarding exploration' the whole map-making deal promotes. If the combination of secrets + encounters bugs you, there are classes with abilities that reduce or even completely prevent encounters that may be able to make this work for you.

My copy of Lunar for PSP arrived today (LE), digging it so far

Well, I'm officially addicted to Cladun. (The name of the game in Japan, apparently, was Classic Dungeon, hence Cladun. Less hokey name now.) The self referential retro humor isn't actually a huge part of the game, which is nice as I'm tired of the same jokes being retread. That aside, the humor is pretty decent, if weird (it is Nippon Ichi) though you don't actually have to read a lick of dialogue in the game if you don't want to (though you should in the beginning as it's a running tutorial). The graphics are actually a bit of a drawback for me, as is the sound. The art on the characters just isn't all that interesting, but it gets the job done.

So, what am I addicted to? Well, the gameplay. This game is basically the character creation and Item World aspects of Disgaea stuck in an action rpg. I love it. The story missions are okay, but its when I started getting into the (almost) neverending dungeon coupled with the depth of strategy in the magic circle that sucked me in. In that way, it's a lot like Diablo in that I keep trying to go down one more level to find that next awesome item. The Magic Circle is really cool and is much more varied than I thought it would be based on previews, reviews and videos. There's a pretty deep amount of customization to be found in the magic circle and a bunch of weapons and artifacts to go along with it. It's super fun ... for me.

The closest thing I can say on whether or not you should even look at Cladun is whether or not you like grinding in Disgaea or (to a lesser extent) Diablo. Cladun constantly rewards you and dungeon levels can be completed in such a short time that it's incredibly easy to get sucked in if you can look past the bland sounds and visuals and somewhat wonky controls. And I can't complain about the $20 price tag.

Man, I hope they port that to the DS, looks like great fun for my commute.

I'm currently playing Super Robot Taisen for the DS on said commute. Love every thing about it. Humor, battles, characters, graphics, music and boobs. They only thing it doesn't have is detailed character customization. And the character abilities in fights aren't very diverse, either. But it's fun and funny and there's not a lot of grind so far.

http://www.talesunion.com/news/tales...

Why did the first RPG have to be a Tales game?

They're worse than Star Ocean 4!

UGH

Lard wrote:

http://www.talesunion.com/news/tales...

Why did the first RPG have to be a Tales game?

They're worse than Star Ocean 4!

UGH

You go too far, sir! Pistols at dawn!

It's not even an original! It's another bloody port!