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Pandora's Tower |OT| - Black is Beautiful

sublimit

sublimit

Banned
The fact that the player is forced to play under a time limit,made me change my mind from buying the game at day one to whenever it drops to 15-20€.I really hate time limits.
 
G

Gambit

Member
Still torn whether I should or shouldn't buy. Not really in the mood for games atm.

Gaffer impressions would be very welcome.

@Shiggy: Thanks for making an OT.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
walking fiend said:
How is the voice acting? Does it have Japanese like Xenoblade?
Click to expand...

Apparently the voice acting is English-only. Based on my experience from The Last Story, it should be well done though.

sublimit said:
The fact that the player is forced to play under a time limit,made me change my mind from buying the game at day one to whenever it drops to 15-20€.I really hate time limits.
Click to expand...

That makes me worry too.




New reviews!

Many will look at Pandora’s Tower as being the weakest of the three Wii RPGs, with Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story easily making Ganbarion and Nintendo’s effort seem unworthy of attention. However, such a judgement would be unjust, since this Action RPG takes a totally different slant, offering an almost 3D Castlevania and Metroid feel to proceedings, mixing in a pleasant love story and a brilliantly smooth battle system that will widen its appeal. Pandora’s Tower certainly can stand proud amongst its fellow genre stablemates
Click to expand...

Cubed3.com 8/10



It's the sort of imaginative use of the Wii remote that Nintendo should have been encouraging for years, as you target enemies with the pointer and then rip shreds of flesh off them with a flick of the controller. The chain is used to even more imaginative effect in the various boss battles, while also doubling up as a grappling hook to swing across gaps.

It's a genuinely great invention and if Pandora's Tower had concentrated on being a straight Devil May Cry style action game it would've been a far stronger title overall. Unfortunately the combat isn't that nuanced though, with clunky, skill-less combos and a main character that is nowhere near the athletic equal of Dante or Kratos.

The rest of the game is even more mundane, with bland environments, a very restrictive camera, and insultingly simple puzzles. The difficultly curve lurches skywards around the halfway point, which alone will probably be cue enough for most people to give up.
Click to expand...

Metro.co.uk 6/10




__________________
From the Cubed3.com review:
On the controls:
In terms of controls for Pandora’s Tower, whereas it is possible to make use of the Classic Controller or Classic Controller PRO, unlike Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story, the use of the Wii Remote pointer system to lock onto targets with the chain works far more smoothly, with the Nunchuk acting perfectly for intricate movement around locations and the dodging of deadly blows.
Click to expand...

Backtracking:
Pandora’s Tower may only have just over a dozen towers to investigate, yet everything is played against an in-game timer, and repeat visits to the same tower are certainly the order of the day. Thankfully, the amount of back-tracking involved to quickly work through a level to find some flesh and then return to the Observatory to see Elena force herself to gulp down the entrails, is countered by how intuitive the almost point-and-click chain attack system works and the sheer depth of the thirteen towers that open up one-by-one.
Click to expand...
 
D

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
elenahead1rk7l.png


The kingdom of Elyria?? This is hilarious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elyria,_Ohio
 
2

2San

Member
I'm definitely interested in this game. Getting some Nier vibes from this game. Heard the story was decent as well. I'll probably get in 2 weeks when I have some cash again. :|
 
T

Torraz

Member
Hold on, what's this about a time limit I keep hearing about? I really hate those! That may push this into "wait for ~50% price-cut territory".

Also, how does this run on dolphin, better than last story?
 
sublimit

sublimit

Banned
Torraz said:
Hold on, what's this about a time limit I keep hearing about? I really hate those! That may push this into "wait for ~50% price-cut territory".
Click to expand...

When you go to get monster meat for Elena you are on a time limit that shows how much time is left before she turns into a monster.:/
Each level, then, is a race against the clock; a sprint to get in and get the Master's guts out before the timer runs out and your gal pal is condemned to a diet of lettuce leaves. If the clock strikes zero it's an instant game over, but you should be aiming to arrive back waaay before that becomes a possibility.
Click to expand...
http://www.computerandvideogames.co...inst-the-clock-in-wiis-last-great-rpg-review/
 
F

Firemind

Member
Ushojax said:
Why? I was expecting much lower from them given the reception of the Japanese game. 6 from Edge is decent.
Click to expand...

It's decent, but not €60 decent. I barely buy videogames as it is and next month is Diablo 3, which is almost assuredly going to be worth the €60 or whatever outlandish retailer price ActivisonBlizzard asks.
 
C

ColdBlooder

Banned
Firemind said:
It's decent, but not €60 decent. I barely buy videogames as it is and next month is Diablo 3, which is almost assuredly going to be worth the €60 or whatever outlandish retailer price ActivisonBlizzard asks.
Click to expand...

its 43€ on Amazon and will propably be available for 39.99 in some stores. Price shopuld drop pretty fast imo, since the Wii is on its last breath...
 
A

also

Banned
I'm still unsure on whether to get this game.
The LE is £37.95 on zavvi, are there any cheaper alternatives?
 
A

A Huge Battleship

Member
By returning to Elena to feed her meat from the smaller monsters, you can slow down the transformation - but only temporarily. You will need to carefully judge when it is best to return to her, as not coming back in time could lead to Elena’s permanent transformation into a demonic beast.

Multiple possible endings and a New Game+ mode means that Pandora’s Tower has great replay value and by mastering the unique relationship system you can change Aeron and Elena’s fate. You must not only decide when to return to Elena to stem the tide of her curse, but also what items to give to her. After spending time speaking to her you will become more familiar with her plight and leaving her to continue your quest may become more difficult. Taking the time to build a bond with Elena could even change the ultimate ending of the story.
Click to expand...
Looking forward to playing the best waifu simulator ever. I'll give it bonus points if any of the endings involve either of the main duo killing the other.
 
Refreshment.01

Refreshment.01

Member
Art design, setting and plot is fantastic in this game. Makes me thing of what a project like this could've been with a more robust budget. Nintendo some day should take a risk with something that holds similar potential.

To me in some aspects is more interesting than the stuff we have been getting from Nintendo in something like the Zelda series.
 
E

Effect

Member
wrowa said:
I don't think there will be an NA release, tbh. This game is just so low-key that I doubt that anyone would want to bother with it...
Click to expand...

I think the best hope is to look for possible a digital Wii U release. Once that's out I don't think we should end up in situations like this again where NoA or Noe won't bring certain games out. If a translation exist just put it on whatever the Wii U store is called and call it a day. This was always the least likely of the three games to come out.
 
H

HyperHip

Member
Man the more I see of this game the more it makes me want to import. Whip looks fun and might possibly be the closest thing to a 3dvania on the Wii. I hope potentially low sales doesn't stop Nintendo from trying more projects like this one.
 
F

frequency

Member
Name changes are weird. But I guess they did that with all three of the games for whatever reason.

I'll try to write up a more detailed impressions thingy after work. But I just wanted to drop this here for now:

For me, this game is definitely better than Last Story, and really gives Xenoblade a run in terms of enjoyability. It's not as big in scope or as epic as Xenoblade - it's an entirely different type of game - but when I'm actually playing, I think I might prefer this. It's just more fun. And I like Ende/Seres more than any of the characters in either Xenoblade or Last Story.

I can understand why Xenoblade is the big one of the three. But it makes me sad that this is overlooked when compared to Last Story.
 
C

Cheska

Member
Mdk7 said:
Will probably buy it, even if only god knows when i'll be able to play it: my backlog is getting bigger and bigger, and like every Wii game it's gonna look like SHIT on my TV. :(
Click to expand...

Get component cables! They really do make a difference in output.
 
Z

Zornica

Banned
Azure Phoenix said:
Already got the special edition ordered, I've bought all of the Wii's farewell trio but this is the only one I actually wanted to play. Hopefully Amazon's "release day delivery" actually pulls through this time.
Click to expand...
It's a quartet now :p(summer 2012) - at least for me it is

frequency said:
Name changes are weird. But I guess they did that with all three of the games for whatever reason.

I'll try to write up a more detailed impressions thingy after work. But I just wanted to drop this here for now:

For me, this game is definitely better than Last Story, and really gives Xenoblade a run in terms of enjoyability. It's not as big in scope or as epic as Xenoblade - it's an entirely different type of game - but when I'm actually playing, I think I might prefer this. It's just more fun. And I like Ende/Seres more than any of the characters in either Xenoblade or Last Story.

I can understand why Xenoblade is the big one of the three. But it makes me sad that this is overlooked when compared to Last Story.
Click to expand...

Sounds better than expected.
It's always nice to into a game without knowing anything at all about it.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
Confirmation on Pandora's Tower Coming to NA GameStops

As promised, I followed up with the local GameStop manager regarding the release of Pandora's Tower in the North American territory.

The short version is that GameStop is scheduled to being taking pre-orders for Pandora's Tower around June 20th - when The Last Story goes on sale. To hear the whole exchange, check out the latest covert audio recording provided below. Note: As luck would have it, I caught the manager right as he was heading to the bank on his break. Did fate do us a solid? Perhaps...

http://www.nintemple.com/extras/2012_04-11-GameStop.mp3
Click to expand...

http://nintemple.blogspot.de/2012/04/confirmation-on-pandoras-tower-coming.html

Not that surprising after the last two.
 
Spirit Icana

Spirit Icana

Member
Shiggy said:
http://nintemple.blogspot.de/2012/04/confirmation-on-pandoras-tower-coming.html

Not that surprising after the last two.
Click to expand...

Yes! I wanted this one.

Edit: Just listened to the audio. Basically the manager says that he was told via email to tell customers coming in to pick up Xenoblade about two other titles: The Last Story and Pandora's Tower.

Last Story's release date is June 20th? I may have missed the news on that. Pandora's Tower isn't in their systems or anything at this time. The manager is speculating that Pandora will be up for pre-order after The Last Story's release.
 
jesusraz

jesusraz

Member
Shiggy said:
New reviews!

Cubed3.com 8/10
Click to expand...
Thanks for linking to my review :) Really bowled over by this one...kind of reminded me a little of early .hack games, with a dash of 3D Castlevania and the time element made me think of Majora's Mask, which is no bad thing.

I love the chain and traditional weapon combination, as well. My first instinct was to shove in my Classic Controller PRO, but immediately regretted it...Worked really well for Xenoblade, and for TLS I was torn between the two control systems, but for PT it is definitely Wii Remote + Nunchuk all the way. Whilst there is no motion chain slinging, pointing and firing off the chain and then giving the Wii Remote a quick yank to rip it back out of enemies it very satisfying!

Dungeon exploration was a highlight as well, which definitely offset the need to backtrack to the Observatory to watch the delightful scene where Elena munches on the purple, pulsating flesh, drooling slightly as she does... ;)
 
N

nincompoop

Banned
jesusraz said:
I love the chain and traditional weapon combination, as well. My first instinct was to shove in my Classic Controller PRO, but immediately regretted it...Worked really well for Xenoblade, and for TLS I was torn between the two control systems, but for PT it is definitely Wii Remote + Nunchuk all the way. Whilst there is no motion chain slinging, pointing and firing off the chain and then giving the Wii Remote a quick yank to rip it back out of enemies it very satisfying!
Click to expand...

Why would your first instinct be to use the classic controller? It's pretty obvious that the game was designed around pointer controls, and that aiming the cursor with a thumbstick would be extremely horrible in comparison.
 
Nemesis_

Nemesis_

Member
I have this.

In Australia, the cover isn't even black. It's white but the slick inside the case is black.

#depression

Also, why would you even trust that old woman and that.....thing on her back?
 
A

arit

Member
Standard Edition ordered at amazon.de delivered today and I just finished the prologue.

If the framerate stays the same I am happy compared to Last Story. Time to try wiimote controls as classic controller sadly just seems wrong.
Two minor things though- japanese voice would have been nice and having to pick up items with x, instead of an auto pickup, might get tedious.
 
T

Torraz

Member
arit said:
Standard Edition ordered at amazon.de delivered today and I just finished the prologue.

If the framerate stays the same I am happy compared to Last Story. Time to try wiimote controls as classic controller sadly just seems wrong.
Two minor things though- japanese voice would have been nice and having to pick up items with x, instead of an auto pickup, might get tedious.
Click to expand...

How is the voice acting?
 
S

Shiggy

Member
Nemesis556 said:
I have this.

In Australia, the cover isn't even black. It's white but the slick inside the case is black.

#depression

Also, why would you even trust that old woman and that.....thing on her back?
Click to expand...

Could you take a photo? Is it just in Australia?
 
jesusraz

jesusraz

Member
I wonder why Zangeki no Reginleiv was never considered for Europe...

nincompoop said:
Why would your first instinct be to use the classic controller? It's pretty obvious that the game was designed around pointer controls, and that aiming the cursor with a thumbstick would be extremely horrible in comparison.
Click to expand...
The answer to that is simply because I hadn't read up on the control system before playing it - simple. Clearly I realised the error of my ways within seconds!
 
V

Vinterbird

Member
Received and ready to play. So weird seeing a black Wii box in the collection, and Nintendo really needs to add a title on alternate cover spine. Having just black is annoying.
 
jesusraz

jesusraz

Member
Shiggy said:
The French influence on NoE's strategy must have been pretty low back then.
Click to expand...
I still don't see why Nintendo can't revisit games like Captain Rainbow, Takt of Magic and Zangeki, to fill the schedule this year and early 2013. Same is true of several DS games, obviously. Strike whilst the iron's hot, etc...
 
A

Amalthea

Banned
It would be fantastic if NOE would bring Reginleiv over but the game is rather bloody.
Nintendo surely is much more liberal than back in the day but when you can cut an enemy in half and then his torso rockets trough the air ignited by the blood fountain it crosses a certain line. Sandlot is completely nuts (in a good way).
 
jesusraz

jesusraz

Member
Eating monster flesh seemed to get through okay... ;)

By the way, hype seems a little lower than expected for this...
 
Nemesis_

Nemesis_

Member
I've completed the first "dungeon" of sorts and the time limit isn't anywhere near as problematic as you would expect.
 
M

Midou

Member
BGBW said:
I bought LS and haven't even played it yet. Still have to finished Xenoblade. I just have had the time to settle in front of the tv for a couple of hours. I'm in no rush to add another game to my pile of backlogged Wii games (and people say the system has nothing).
Click to expand...

I loved TLS for like a couple hours, hate the bosses, most poorly designed I can ever think of, just no fun, a lot of tedious elements.

Xenoblade seems to be the only worthwhile thing in operation rainfall in the end.
 
V

vitacola

Member
Somebody else pre-ordered the Special Edition at Buch.de (had a voucher)?

The delivery time is set to unknown at the site. I'm not sure if I cancel and order at Amazon.de instead. I hate it if something like this happens ...
 
S

Shiggy

Member
vitacola said:
Somebody else pre-ordered the Special Edition at Buch.de (had a voucher)?

The delivery time is set to unknown at the site. I'm not sure if I cancel and order at Amazon.de instead. I hate it if something like this happens ...
Click to expand...

I wonder what went wrong there...they are usually pretty slow, but this is simply annoying.
 
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