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Ragnarok Tactics |OT| Retail PSP game in North America Fall 2012

T

Takao

Banned
l7Ary.jpg


Ragnarok Tactics
Platform: PSP, Supposedly playable on Vita
Publisher(s): Aksys Games (NA), Gungho Online Entertainment (JP)
Developer(s): Apollosoft, Chime
Release Date(s): October 27, 2011 (JP), November 6, 2012 (NA), lol (EU)
Genre: Strategy Role Playing Game

Story:
Long ago, a ferocious war, which came to be known as the Holy War, was waged. It was during this bloody conflict that humanity erected a magical barrier to keep both gods and demons from overrunning their world. Once the war was over, it was believed that peace would return. However, humanity soon began to turn on itself, and war began anew.

Many centuries after the Holy War, the Branshaldo Empire and the Aura Republic engaged in an extended war for control of the Grantria Peninsula. The conflict eventually ground to a halt and an uneasy truce was reached, as neither nation had the resources to continue fighting. Even so, the animosity between the two parties never faded, but smoldered beneath the surface, always threatening to explode into flames.

In the resulting tenuous peace, the people of the peninsula began to resume their normal lives, always aware that the war could resume at any time. It was against this backdrop that the protagonist begins their fight against rival factions, hordes of ravening monsters controlled by enigmatic puppet masters, and even their own dark impulses…
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Screenshots:


English Teaser Trailer
Japanese Teaser Trailer

Official English Site
Official Japanese Site
 
G

GunnerGlory

Member
Had this pre-ordered months ago but it seems the ship date has been pushed to December 19th, at least according to amazon. I am a bit worried it will never come out.
 
Boss Doggie

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Hmm =/

Neither games capture the "essence" of the RO game. The closest is the DS one and even then it's mostly barebones.
 
T

Toki767

Member
Boss Doggie said:
Hmm =/

Neither games capture the "essence" of the RO game. The closest is the DS one and even then it's mostly barebones.
Click to expand...

I think in that interview they did they said that they didn't want to just make a game that's exactly like RO but try different gameplay styles.
 
Boss Doggie

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Toki767 said:
I think in that interview they did they said that they didn't want to just make a game that's exactly like RO but try different gameplay styles.
Click to expand...

In the process it feels distant to the RO.

I mean, it doesn't have to be the game itself. The anime is a good example of doing it - they added an original plot and yet it feels like similar to RO (characters still wear the job classes, no unique jobs, etc.).

Also, MH clones seem to forget what MH is about mostly, I bet this one will too about tactical games :p
 
R

Ryuukan

Member
Boss Doggie said:
Hmm =/

Neither games capture the "essence" of the RO game. The closest is the DS one and even then it's mostly barebones.
Click to expand...

You really want a point and click looting game in 2012? Go play diablo 3 then.

Odyssey is fantastic and I'll give this one a try too.
 
M

MushroomSamba

Member
Cool, never heard of this until now. I love SRPGs...will definitely check this out.

Question for those in the know: Is this game chatty? I had a hard time getting into Devil Survivor and Gungnir because the dialogue segments felt like they never ended.
 
H

H.Protagonist

[-_-]/
Toki767 said:
Aksys and XSEED are in cahoots? :p



Yes it's like FFT and yes it looks like it is playable on the Vita based on the blog comment.
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He's my buddy. I take every chance to troll him that I get (as you'll see from my comment there). ^_^ I'm also interested in the game too, though. I like the strategy role-playing genre.
 
T

Toki767

Member
H.Protagonist said:
He's my buddy. I take every chance to troll him that I get (as you'll see from my comment there). ^_^ I'm also interested in the game too, though. I like the strategy role-playing genre.
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I will blame you if he actually cosplays as Alice from Virtue's Last Reward lol
 
P

Ponn

Banned
Mmmmmmm....I love me some SRPG's. I have enough to pick this up on PSN for $25 today. Or wait till next week and get RO after the 20 back drops. Decisions decisions.
 
S

SAB CA

Sketchbook Picasso
Game is showing up in searches on US PSN (East Coast), 500.9 MB, 24.99, with some horridly upscaled screenshots on PS3 PSN :)
 
S

SAB CA

Sketchbook Picasso
No Impressions at all yet, eh? Well, brother and I both have it now, between my old PSP which I gave to him, and my Vita, so I'll be giving it a shot at some point. He's a big RO head though, so now he has something else RO to play while I'm playing Odyssey!

Boss Doggie said:
In the process it feels distant to the RO.

I mean, it doesn't have to be the game itself. The anime is a good example of doing it - they added an original plot and yet it feels like similar to RO (characters still wear the job classes, no unique jobs, etc.).

Also, MH clones seem to forget what MH is about mostly, I bet this one will too about tactical games :p
Click to expand...

I think you're looking at this in slightly the wrong way. Odyssey is great once you get into it; It adds to the lore, by giving you this unexplored area that is heavily influenced by "MMO" RO; Characters talk about getting fashing trends from Prontera, military fights that took place outside of Morroc in Sograt desert, and relationships of knowledge with RO's NPCs. The items are obviously the same in name and often purpose, and the lore is a nice, more focused look on what before just felt like "MMO" fluff.

The gameplay is very refreshing for someone like me, who got tired of the drag of RO Click-play (Raising a Homunculus will easily do that to you!), but still loves the world and lore.

Can't speak for Tactics yet, but so far, it looks like an in-depth story in the world I've always wondered about.

I have to admit, the teases of tales of what happened in Geffen tower, what great battles took place on the way to Al De Baran, and what made the Savage / Elder Willow Map have such a tragic fate, that it plays such SAD music when you're on it? A game that gets to look at these things in detail is perfect. And a classic RPG seems like the right balance of "Grind" and "Fun" to explore it with.

Not only do you have the anime to take inspiration from (which we watched and criticized quite a lot, lol), but you also have the old Animated RO intro (Using the Song "You and I", as we called it), and the Mangas. They're all so very different from each other... that having a bit of variation seems quite fitting.

As long as the base lore, spells, "hardcore" personality, and attention to detail (like with the idle animations in both RO's), along with fitting revisionings of their systems (Cards, Weapon Grinding and Classes, etc) are kept, then I'll continue to welcome these different experiences with open arms, and quick purchases :)
 
R

Ri'Orius

Member
Any information out there about systems? Job systems, skill systems, etc.? It's been too long since I've seen a new SRPG with a good job system...
 
R

Ramune

Member
Will grab this game soon! Awesome on Aksys to release this retail too! For that alone, I have to support them! Growing PSP RPG backlog growing, but so much to look forward to! <3
 
S

SAB CA

Sketchbook Picasso
Quickie Notes:

Of course the game looks solid on the Vita screen. I really like the BGs, original, 2D organic elements, composed atop more dynamic 3D elements such as the water moving...

Enemies, skill names, etc... all outta RO. Cards drop like... every enemy kill. Got a scorp card from a wolf?!?

There's voice acting in battles, unlike Growlanser 4 XD All Japanese, all stuff you probably more of less recognize after years of JP games and anime.

The character models are a bit simple, but they have pretty nice textures, and they move very smoothly.

15 classes in the game, a frw cannot be chosen at the beginning, as you have to clear scenarios of the story to earn them.

Music is very nice, adn fitting. I haven't found a "THIS IS IT!" song yet, but I like what I DO hear.

Game has normal attack, Magic, And team-up attacks. Also, in a nice nod to RO, you can "rest" between rounds by sitting, which restores SP and MP.
 
R

Rootbeer

Banned
I need to see more gameplay... that video was terribly low-res and short.

How does it compare to other PSP SRPGS? More impressions please!
 
S

SAB CA

Sketchbook Picasso
I have to say, the game is quite beautiful, art wise. Love the portraits, and the battle maps have a nice element of life to them. Birds flapping in the distance, flowing water, clouds blowing... even stage intros? It's quite charming.

Playing this some alongside XSEED's RO, I have to say I probably like XSEEDs translations / localizations better. I can never tell with an AKSYS work if I'm getting the accurate JP character personalities, or something that's a bit "punched up" with a bit more of a crass and vulgur bend than that character would originally / naturally be. Classic "ADV Dub" style, lol. Which actually isn't that unlike some of the older RO translations, from back in the day, during the "International Beta".

Other than that, though, the character personalities have been pretty strong and well-defined. It's been a fun story so far, focusing strongly on class privilages and the outlook of those in different seats of society. Very similiar to how I felt early-on in FFT, so a good thing!

It's also full of very convenient features.

Such as the ability to view a log of your conversations while speaking, fast-forward, auto, scroll, clear the text off the screen to see art, and apparently, it'll even point out your past dialog choices, when you playthrough again, trying to get alternative paths.

I often miss the "Try On" feature when buying new equips in RPGs, very happy to see that utilized here.

You don't have to commit to your turn actions until you actually attack, either, so now "oops, I moved too far, LOCKED IN PLACE!" style junk, like many SRPGs have.

There is no DL game manual, but the help section seems to go in depth with what you need to know. A nice digital manual would have been appreciated, however.

I'm happy to see it Vita compatabile right upon release like this. The Digital Discount is also very nice. I find it a shame to see people complain about the game's price; The presentation, to me, obviously seems several cuts above a cheaper 10 of 15 dollar made-for-download title.

Considering you can get digital Ragnarok Odyssey + Ragnarok Tactics for about the same price as 1 brand new retail console game (after tax, even!), I think it's a good time to be an RO fan with a Vita:) Seems like loads of quality within a great, fleshed out universe.
 
T

Takao

Banned
http://www.siliconera.com/2012/11/0...m_campaign=Feed:+siliconera/MkOc+(Siliconera)

Ragnarok Tactics is a tactical take on the Ragnarok Online universe Aksys picked up the PSP strategy RPG and brought it to North America. In this interview, localization editor Mike Engler shares some strategies you can use in Ragnarok Tactics and talks about how the game connects to Ragnarok Online.

Where does Ragnarok Tactics fit into the Ragnarok universe or should we call it a multiverse now?

Mike Engler, Localization Editor: No, it is a still very much a single universe filled with wonders, secrets, and stories yet to be discovered. And like our own yet to be fully understood universe, the reality in which Ragnarok is firmly ensconced has many lands, worlds, and nations where the inhabitants live, die, and, in the case of Ragnarok Tactics, go on grand adventures across war-torn lands in a desperate attempt to save humanity from not only an ancient evil, but from itself.

Short version (with 100% less overly pompous and thesaurus-abusing language! Also; NO COMMAS!): Ragnarok Tactics is an entirely new and original cycle of stories that takes place in the Ragnarok Universe and is generally subject to its rules and limitations.

Gungho Online Entertainment has been using the Ragnarok mythos to make a bunch of different games. What elements from Ragnarok Online does Ragnarok Tactics use?

The two things that players will notice right off of the bat are job classes and the menagerie of monsters. In addition, Ragnarok Tactics (RT will be used occasionally from here on out to avoid repeating the name of the game 100+ times) also adds the ability to play as the two merchant families/clans found in the online games: the manly Jonda and the feminine (yet insanely lethal) Kafra. The art style and settings in RT also fall very much in line with the online game’s aesthetic.

As far as game mechanics go, RT uses a streamlined version of the level up system found in its PC-based progenitor. While you can’t reset your character back to level one, you can swap jobs and gain access to more advanced jobs by mastering their entry-level counterparts. You also get the requisite Base points and Job points to distribute however you want to build the ultimate monster-slaying machine. Or divinity-level healer. Or battlefield scavenger par excellence. Or a William Tell-tier archer. You get the point…I hope… If not, I can keep this up all day.

Ragnarok Tactics had a pretty big demo that let players "beat" the game once. Is Aksys bringing this over?

Unfortunately, the demo will not be making its way over across the stormy Pacific (we’re on the west coast, don’t ye ken) due to <insert a long-winded tale about cats and cake-symbiotes fighting it out for supremacy of the universe. Also, puppies wearing HATS!>.

Or something like that…

Did Aksys suggest or make any gameplay tweaks compared to the original version?

We didn’t make any game play tweaks or changes, but we did include most of the DLC offered in Japan so that you don’t have to fret about missing out on anything earth-shattering. I knew you’d be pleased.

Can you share some tips to help us out during the game’s battles?

Like in life, balance and a robust imagination are key. In addition to the standard swordsman/assassin/healer/sniper classes, Ragnarok Tactics also has a few unique classes that act as facilitators to other jobs by boosting stats and abilities. I found that having a Clown/Dancer combo in your party to be a lot of fun, and they have combo techniques that can be WTH-tier devastating.

I also HIGHLY recommend assigning two characters healing/support duties. I went with a traditional healer for spells and an assassin for item use due to their wide range and high turn rate. For straight-out carnage duties I went with the champion class as their charge-up skills ensure maximum damage when it’s time to take down a target.

A disclaimer: Due to time restriction I only played about 8 hours or so of the game so I didn’t unlock any advanced job classes or learn super-duper high-level skills. You’ll want to experiment with the different classes until you find a party that tickles your fancy/is capable of driving its enemies before them while enjoying the lamentations of their women.*

*Yes, I know the quote isn’t 100% accurate, but it fits so I went with it. Here, have a chocolate bunny. It’ll make you feel better.
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