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Baten Kaitos english site opens

Eric-GCA

Banned
Well, they're certainly advertising it a heck of a lot more than they did for ToS, so I'd like to think they'll put out enough copies if they anticipate that the ads will create good demand.
 

Culex

Banned
It's almost as if Namco wanted ToS to fail. The advertisement (commercials) should have gone to it, instead.
 

Miburou

Member
I'm definitely getting this game. Did someone who worked on Chrono Cross also work on this one, 'cause the art looks pretty damn similar.

I still don't understand how the card/battle system is supposed to work.
 

explodet

Member
Miburou said:
I'm definitely getting this game. Did someone who worked on Chrono Cross also work on this one, 'cause the art looks pretty damn similar.
Yeah, quite a few who worked on Chrono Cross worked on this title as well - Couldn't tell you who specifically, though.
 

Deg

Banned
Culex said:
It's almost as if Namco wanted ToS to fail. The advertisement (commercials) should have gone to it, instead.

Nintendo are publishing these in Europe. Then again SC2 GC in the UK didnt have tv adverts at all.
 

Wario64

works for Gamestop (lol)
explodet said:
Yeah, quite a few who worked on Chrono Cross worked on this title as well - Couldn't tell you who specifically, though.


But didn't they also work for Xenosaga? Oh noes!!!
 

Sagitario

Member
The website is really cool...
Hopefully, a friend of mine will buy this game, I'll borrow it and if I like it, I'll buy it (just like Symphonia).
 

Deg

Banned
TOS is more liked around here(its out in the US). BK is good tho and has many selling points but its out in 2005 for Europe.

edit: the extra wallpaper is abit dissapointing althugh more will come...
 

Socreges

Banned
Wario64 said:
So far, sounds like yay. Hell, even Drinky Crow is interested in the game.
I think he meant: of those who have played it, what do they think? I'd like to know as well. Beautiful game and an interesting battle system, but so much could be damaging.
 

Mashing

Member
The music alone is almost worth the price of admission. I haven't played the game mind you, but the OST is beautiful.
 

Scrow

Still Tagged Accordingly
This is a question for anyone who has had the opportunity to play both games... which is better, Tales of Symphonia or Baten Kaitos?
 
They're very different games. I would probably say Baten Kaitos just based on the fact that I like the style and gameplay a little more.

I totally see why they're advertising BK more, though. It's got more mainstream appeal, with its realistic FMV etc. I hope they do longer spots that aren't Who Are You style closer to its release, though. A fifteen second spot that's just the FMV from the game would look great on TV.
 

Li Mu Bai

Banned
Looking good, I've read many indepth impressions regarding this game & the majority have been very positive. The art is beautiful, & some of the best water I've seen since FF:CC. The maturing of the cards I find very interesting, & a multitude of sidequests & a great OST to boot. Easily 40+hrs. from what I've read, I just wish it wasn't releasing in NOV. of all times! Mario:Tennis, Metroid Prime:Echoes, etc.
 

aparisi2274

Member
Oh What the fuck!!!!!!!!

This is a card battle game????????


I hate these fucking types of games. Just let me attack an enemy and either select ATTACK, MAGIC, DEFENSE, ect... Why the fuck must I have to select a card I want to use.


ARRGGGHH!!!! Someone please tell me this aint like a Yu-Ghi-Oh game or something, and that its more like a FF game or DQ game.

PLEASE!!!!!
 

Soul4ger

Member
aparisi2274 said:
Oh What the fuck!!!!!!!!

This is a card battle game????????


I hate these fucking types of games. Just let me attack an enemy and either select ATTACK, MAGIC, DEFENSE, ect... Why the fuck must I have to select a card I want to use.


ARRGGGHH!!!! Someone please tell me this aint like a Yu-Ghi-Oh game or something, and that its more like a FF game or DQ game.

PLEASE!!!!!

It's like FF or DQ, just with cards. It's rather fast-paced, traditional-type stuff.
 

aparisi2274

Member
Soul4ger said:
It's like FF or DQ, just with cards. It's rather fast-paced, traditional-type stuff.


Ok but do I have to like collect cards to do better in battle? I mean do u buy weapons and armor like other games.

I mean I really was looking foward to this game, but now that I see it is a card battle game, I get nervous.
 

Eric-GCA

Banned
Its absolutely nothing like Yu-Gi-Oh, or that ilk.

It's just an RPG that replaces the attack, defend, and item/magic commands with cards, and its fast-paced.
 

aparisi2274

Member
Eric-GCA said:
Its absolutely nothing like Yu-Gi-Oh, or that ilk.

It's just an RPG that replaces the attack, defend, and item/magic commands with cards, and its fast-paced.


Ok cool. thanks guys for clearing it up. I really am a big RPG Fan, so when I saw this game was coming, I was very excited, and that was almost ruined by the idea of using cards.
 
The general consensus on BK is that it has INCREDIBLE graphics, artwork, and music, a really fun, fast-paced card battle system, and an unfortunately cliched story whose "big twist" doesn't really save it by the end. Still, for people who liked Chrono Cross or enjoy semi-strategic RPG battle systems it's pretty much "must play."

Two things I'm not sure Namco's pushing in the game: "you," the person playing the game, are present in the game as a "spirit" inside the head of the main character. A la Square's underrated classic "Another Mind"! Okay, maybe that's not the best example. But instead of actually choosing dialogue options, you "suggest" them to the main character, etc... a bit different.

Also, you gain some cards by "capturing" enemies or objects in the environment. Captured cards will change as the game clock passes, so if you capture an unripe banana it'll eventually ripen, then overripen, then spoil. Its healing (or poisoning!) power varies as the card "type" changes.

Bepbo and duckroll both played more than I did, maybe they'll show up and enlighten folks.
 

Socreges

Banned
JackFrost2012 said:
and an unfortunately cliched story whose "big twist" doesn't really save it by the end.
I won't mind some cliches so long as the characters aren't irritating and the story isn't insulting to my intelligence (ie, self-righteous while we sit there completely unimpressed).

This is where you tell me I have nothing to worry about.
 
Socreges said:
This is where you tell me I have nothing to worry about.

You have nothing to worry about!

Don't worry, it's not like Tales of Symphonia level cliched. It's more that the music/graphics/battles/dungeons are all A+ and the story is a B. You keep expecting THE STORY WILL GET REALLY AWESOME TO MATCH THE REST OF THE GAME!!! but no.
 

Socreges

Banned
Alright, so finally I think I can anticipate BK. I've always thought it was beautiful, of course, but knew nothing of otherwise.

Btw, I thought TOS was just alright, so that's good to hear.
 

king zell

Member
I hope this one will do as good as ToS.. the game has been selling well during Augast too

I'm getting BK for sure if only for the music alone.. many liked BK more than ToS for different reasons.. and the comparision to CC only make my anticipation bigger
 

Bebpo

Banned
As possibly the only person on here's who has finished BK. I'll say that overall the game gets my thumb of approval but the game could have really been so much better.

The problem with BK is not that the story is bad. It has some really interesting cool themes running throughout it. Also the idea that you are actually a person in the story is executed very well. The characters are ok, but probably the most cliche'd part of the story. None of them are really developed beyond having 1 problem in their past which they have to overcome.

The problem actually stems from the game itself and how it's told. The game is told really well with this growing feeling you get through bits and pieces of the story that the game will be epic. In fact if you asked anyone 50% through the game what they guessed would happen before the final I think pretty much everyone would have a similar answer. The game sets up that major events will take place and hints strongly at what they are. But then as you play the 2nd half and you keep waiting for the turning point you start to realize more and more that while you're conquering these dungeons and doing these small story things waiting for the major story....what you are doing is the major story. Blah blah blah things continue at a normal pace and then, bam! final boss fight. Ending happens and you're STILL WAITING FOR THE MAJOR PLOT HAPPENINGS finally by the very end of the ending you're somewhat satisfied with the game and when you think back about what the actual plot was that happened while you were looking for the real plot...you realize that it was actually a pretty good plot just it's a small plot on a personal level rather than an epic plot that the game leads you to think is going to happen. I guess the easiest way to but it is the top layer of the game which you are playing seems like a soul-less journey from point A to point B while doing big things, but the layer underneath has a nicely written character journey that is tough to be thinking of while you're fighting GIGANTOR BEAST B in ICE CAVE #2. So yea, the game does not have a bad story nor does it have bad presentation, it's just messed up in a way that the actually plot is not the focus when it should be.

Other than that the art, length (full 55-60 hour quest), music (though they repeat too many songs), and fantasticly awesome battle system get my full praise. Slight problem is only that it's really really easy is you're a seasoned rpg player (which many people will become after finishing SMT3 [though US normal mode is easier than non-maniacs normal]). Also no real sub-quests. So once you finish the main game you are done.

Despite the paper-thin characters, story and challenge issues, the beauty of it all and just overall fun experience puts it in the high 8.9ish range for me.

ToS is still better though since it has an even more fun battle system and the story is satisfying even if simple.
 

SantaC

Member
I don't know. ToS seems better because it will be sucky to go back to a turnbased battle system again :(
 

Deg

Banned
Hehe story should have been better to match the art and music. I hope more games with this feel come along.
 

speedpop

Has problems recognising girls
Miburou said:
Did someone who worked on Chrono Cross also work on this one, 'cause the art looks pretty damn similar.

Masato Kato is the scenario writer for Baten Kaitos and seems to be the main man behind it, he also happened to be scenario writer for both Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross - also was the director of CC.

Yasuyuki Honne is also behind the art direction, taking up that position also for CC. Also did some field graphic designs for CT.

Other than that, the mixture is definitely made up of people whom had left tri-Ace and Square. Chuck in a few veterans from Xenogears and there you have it.

Personally I think the best part about this whole bunch is the addition of Motoi Sakuraba, although not a gigantic fan of his compositions at times.. Baten Kaitos is easily his best achievement since Golden Sun's limited yet powerful tunes.
 

Bebpo

Banned
AssMan said:
Are the character developments deep in this game, say something along the lines of FF7?

The protagonist and antagonist are developed decently. But the rest of the cast is "Oh I tripped you 10 years ago and still feel guilty about it, I must work up the courage to apologize" level of depth.
 
Wow just watched the trailer. How did I not know about this RPG?
The protagonist and antagonist are developed decently. But the rest of the cast is "Oh I tripped you 10 years ago and still feel guilty about it, I must work up the courage to apologize" level of depth.
Sounds like Chrono Cross.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
ToS is still better though since it has an even more fun battle system and the story is satisfying even if simple.

Does the story ever really pick up, though? It reminds me of Grandia (only less compelling) in the way that you just seem to travel about the world while solving little problems in each village. It just doesn't feel as if I am going anywhere...
 

RevenantKioku

PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS oh god i am drowning in them
I've been messing around with the import for some time now, but my weak ass Japanese doesn't really help me much. All I can do is visit two places on the map, and I can't figure out how to get past a fallen tree or ... in the other area I forget what stops me. Still, I messed with the battle system for a few hours, and its really fucking fun.
Once I finish Symphonia, which should be a while, I just
beat Magnius
and have been wandering around getting some levels (be right back to that) I'll work on Baten Kaitos some more.
Is it just me or is Symphonia a lot fucking harder than say Destiny or Eternia? I don't recall ever dying in Destiny, and Etneria I only played about 10 hours and I didn't die there either, but I keep getting my ass kicked periodically in Symphonia.
 

speedpop

Has problems recognising girls
I always thought of the first few hours into ToS was pretty hard, since I couldn't combo for shit with my weak sauce techs. But after level 10-15 or so, you start to get the handle of things in linking your combo's and such. I would always walk into a boss fight expecting the worst fight of my life but they went down pretty easily.

Never really levelled myself up at all, besides maybe around level 30-40 when I decided to put funds into Luin - so I went to fight the dragon non-stop till 350K Gald. That's about it..
 
aparisi2274 said:
Oh What the fuck!!!!!!!!

This is a card battle game????????


I hate these fucking types of games. Just let me attack an enemy and either select ATTACK, MAGIC, DEFENSE, ect... Why the fuck must I have to select a card I want to use.


ARRGGGHH!!!! Someone please tell me this aint like a Yu-Ghi-Oh game or something, and that its more like a FF game or DQ game.

PLEASE!!!!!

That's exactly what you do though. Each card symbolizes an attack, magical attack and armour. It's really really neat. Very well thought out combo laden battle system.

Especially awesome is how Elemental Damage is handled independently of physical damage.

You should read my review at PGC for an indepth explanation of how the battle system works and why I really enjoyed the game.

To compare it to TOS is a bit of a problem as they're entirely different RPGs. The fact that Monolith actually made a good game is almost enough to make it better... however TOS's battle system and overall layout feels a little less "experimental" than BK.

BK feels like a well fleshed out "experiment game", in that things aren't quite as "polished'" (even though the game IS polished) as other more mainstream RPGs.

It's great though, and awesome artwork (drawn, not CG. The CG sucks ass, as do the in game models, compared to the drawn art anyway) and a great battle system that works even with a bit of quirkiness thrown in.

And I was so ready to hate this game because it came from Monolith...

But then again, none of the Xenocrap team worked on BK. Plus it had the battle director from Valkyrie Profile.
 
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