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[Brandon F]

That 82% score at Gamerankings is a pretty fair score. I'm 35 hours in or so, but a 1/3rd of that gametime has gone to scooping up inventors 'Suikoden' style and crafting, crafting, crafting. It's become an addiction really, even if I have pretty much broken any chance of getting killed by a foe or boss for the next 10 hours of play with all this super swag now equipped, I love it.

Even the most egregious flaws you could aim at SO3, there IS plenty to really dig on here. Even the battle system has really begun to come around with skills like Berserk and 'Cancel Bonuses' being worked in for favor. (Haven't mentioned anyone talking about this stuff yet, but I do hope you people are aware of them...) With a bit of practice, the juggling can get pretty insane...

Though I have yet to really spend time with Grandia Xtreme, it's been awhile since a console RPG has tossed such massive dungeon layouts with puzzles that aren't built for the 'Playskool' market. (God I really should finally play Lufia 2...)

It's notsobadda!

 

[Kintaro]

Know what I'm wondering? Why should we have to trudge through 1-3 or even more long ass, boring hours in a game "before it gets good?" Why should we need to do this with any game? Mind you, I haven't played SO3 yet, but it's a question I wanted to pose.

If you can't get into a game in the first couple of hours, why bother? I'm sorry, but two hours should be long enough to make me play the game for 20-30+ more hours. Not want to chuck the disc out of a window in disgust.

So, why put up with it?

 

[Shouta]

Yes, that's the plot twist Dark10x. I thought it was an interesting plot twist that definitely wasn't the norm. My only complaint was that it wasn't taken as far as it should've because it would have been a REALLY interesting concept to explore for the SO universe.

Hey Folken, didn't I tell you about Cancels? =P

 

[djtiesto]

Know what I'm wondering? Why should we have to trudge through 1-3 or even more long ass, boring hours in a game "before it gets good?" Why should we need to do this with any game? Mind you, I haven't played SO3 yet, but it's a question I wanted to pose.

If you can't get into a game in the first couple of hours, why bother? I'm sorry, but two hours should be long enough to make me play the game for 20-30+ more hours. Not want to chuck the disc out of a window in disgust.

So, why put up with it?

Because if you have to work for something, it pays off much more than instant gratification... RPGs are a genre you have to be willing to invest in to get something out of it, if you don't want that, then maybe RPGs are the wrong genre for you to be playing...

 

[Shouta]

Well, Kintaro does play FFXI. Investing time into getting a reward shouldn't be foreign to him

 

[teiresias]

So basically . . . by the time you're having fun with Star Ocean . . . you could be finished with Fable.

 

[Brandon F]

I dug the game from the getgo really.

Ok, the whole 'vacation planet' used for the first hour or two of game introduction was a pretty bland way to begin this quest. Even from there, it does take several more hours before the narrative dies down enough to let you 'game' so to speak.

But yea it's silly sci-fi fun in my mind. Big Freespace-esque ships blasting at each other, the 'prime directive' getting in the way of interferring with the under-developed planet currently at war. I find it paced rather well, and rarely lets the current foreground junk interfere too much with the -encompassing- narrative in the background. Amazingly, it never really feels like it is buckling under the pressure of it's own tech terms and fictional lingo either. (Symphonia toppled about 20 hours in, and spends the rest of the game rebuilding in a feverish unorganized manner before the shoddy comstruction gives away a second time...that plot is a mess)

I also like how Fayt also isn't some spiky-haired, bull-headed boob like Lloyd or Squall, he is a college student that spends a great deal of time making personal observations and educated opinions on his current situation and surroundings. A nice change from the country that brought us Love Hina...

Shouta: I guess I missed your comments somewhere, sorry.

 

[Kintaro]

Because if you have to work for something, it pays off much more than instant gratification... RPGs are a genre you have to be willing to invest in to get something out of it, if you don't want that, then maybe RPGs are the wrong genre for you to be playing...

Sorry, this is bullshit.

It's not about instant gratification, it's about hooking you in from the get go in order for you to want to keep playing. Something interesting, intriquing, etc.

I've played RPGs for I dunno how long, but if something is boring from the get go to 2-3 hours in, I don't have that kind of time to care anymore.

 

[dark10x]

Yes, but the ending itself is even more stupid. I dunno, if you don't have problems with that, then you must be trying REALLY hard to like the game. It *is* the stupidest thing ever, hell people even complain about MGS2's plot and this is dumber than that.

I thought you were a Xeno fan?

I thought MGS2 had a very enjoyable storyline, though. Very unique attempt at a post-modern tale that isn't very common in the world of games. I guess I just really disagree with your tastes then or something.

I don't see what's so bad about SO3's twist. It's an interesting idea and isn't even really all that cliche for games. What the hell did you want? Time travel? Religious crap? Come on man, we don't need more of that. Then again, if you are a hardcore Xeno-fan...perhaps that IS where you wanted things to go (and if you aren't, I dunno).

I am not forcing myself to enjoy the game either. TRUST ME. There have been many games that I have purchased that, after a few days, end up sitting on my shelf never to be touched again (and this includes several RPGs). I dropped Suikoden III, Wild Arms 3, and Legaia 2...and I'll probably drop Tales of Symphonia. It isn't that I hate them, I just don't enjoy them enough to want to continue. If there is no hook or something to look forward to, I just won't play them. Hell, even the ULTRA SHORT Onimusha remains unfinished. The game wasn't interesting enough to me and I simply stopped playing. So, the fact that I have played so far in SO3 and want to continue suggests that I'm enjoying it. I haven't played an RPG so heavily since Dragon Quarter...and I'm enjoying it.

Yes, that's the plot twist Dark10x. I thought it was an interesting plot twist that definitely wasn't the norm. My only complaint was that it wasn't taken as far as it should've because it would have been a REALLY interesting concept to explore for the SO universe.

Yeah, I really do like it too. It's odd, but like I said, I'm so glad they didn't try to delve into all those recent RPG cliches. At one point, I was worried that they were going to try and touch on issues that just wouldn't seem right in the context of the game...but thankfully they didn't.

Well, Kintaro does play FFXI.

Yikes, if that's the case...his argument has NO BASIS. FFXI takes WAY too much time to get anything out of it.

 

[Shouta]

Nah, Kintaro's point was that if it doesn't hook you early on then why play =P.

 

[Kintaro]

Nah, Kintaro's point was that if it doesn't hook you early on then why play =P.

Aye. Thought that was rather clear. ^^; Of course, it all differs from player to player.

 

[dark10x]

Aye. Thought that was rather clear. ^^; Of course, it all differs from player to player.

Oh, well, I found FFXI to be boring not for hours...but for WEEKS. I eventually enjoyed it somewhat, though...but damn, it took a LOT of work to get there.