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[kubricks]

the pacing is actually my favorite part.

Its nice and slow and most games don't have the patience to do that.

It is only good in retrospec.
Back when I started I have to force myself through first half in FC because it felt like a never ending fetch quest in small rural town or something. It is not until the later half where I got hold of the grand scheme of things then the game started to get interesting.

The start of CS1 sends you right in the middle of a furious battle, then go back in time to slowly reintroduce everything. It gives you a sense of what to expect, the later slow start seems much more tolarable because of that.

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

Has this been posted?

We have Trails of Cold Steel II well on track for a fall 2016 launch and Trails in the Sky the 3rd's translation has already begun, but if you happen to be a Falcom fan and need something to tide you over before then, we actually have one more non-Trails title that should be launching this summer: Xanadu Next! It's action-based instead of turn-based, but it's got a lovely little gothic story that wraps itself up in a neat bow. Heehee.

[The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II Pre-Order Links]

Amazon.com:
PS3: http://goo.gl/Rsg3D9
Vita: http://goo.gl/e9iOz1

Amazon.ca
PS3: https://goo.gl/97EqbD
Vita: https://goo.gl/VoCmNs

Gamestop:
PS3: http://goo.gl/TUdz09
Vita: http://goo.gl/pV0tNP

Best Buy:
PS3: http://goo.gl/OipQ57

Video Games Plus:
PS3: https://goo.gl/W4r1Fi
Vita: https://goo.gl/ihyMDv

(We'll add more pre-order links as we see them pop up!)

Facebook source

edit: messed up linking the source :lol should be working on.

 

[Nyoro SF]

Xanadu Next launching this summer, nice. Looking forward to that game after hearing some soundtrack samples.

 

[Xenoflare]

I'm looking at Xenogears and Solaris is giving me a

Spoiler

Liber Ark vibe,

Spoiler

The sealed area in FC as well

 

[Bebpo]

Yeah, the

Spoiler

final area

in SC is a total ripoff of Solaris in XG right down to the theme song.

The Kiseki series is very heavily influenced by Xenogears and Suikoden imo. Which is actually why I enjoy Kiseki so much since those were two of my favorite rpg franchises.

 

[Dio]

Yeah, the

Spoiler

final area

in SC is a total ripoff of Solaris in XG right down to the theme song.

The Kiseki series is very heavily influenced by Xenogears and Suikoden imo. Which is actually why I enjoy Kiseki so much since those were two of my favorite rpg franchises.

I'd also say the Sky trilogy was really, REALLY heavily influenced by Laputa: Castle in the Sky, because the main theme of the series is so similar to Castle in the Sky's (along with other elements)

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

And the setting of Valkyria Chronicles is heavily influenced by Sky.

Ain't a damn thing wrong with that too.

 

[aravuus]

Oh good, I'm finally past that prologue flash forward part in Cold Steel. Never really been a fan of getting shown what's going to happen later on in the story at the very beginning, maybe things can finally start getting a bit more unpredictable now.

This chapter has been fantastic otherwise, though. First actually interesting field study area, for one, with actually fun NPCs around (aside from the stupid

Spoiler

Laura fangirl brigade

)

 

[Bladenic]

Oh good, I'm finally past that prologue flash forward part in Cold Steel. Never really been a fan of getting shown what's going to happen later on in the story at the very beginning, maybe things can finally start getting a bit more unpredictable now.

The resolution to the cliffhanger was hilarious lmao

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Yeah, the

Spoiler

final area

in SC is a total ripoff of Solaris in XG right down to the theme song.

The Kiseki series is very heavily influenced by Xenogears and Suikoden imo. Which is actually why I enjoy Kiseki so much since those were two of my favorite rpg franchises.

Don't forget the first Grandia

 

[aravuus]

The resolution to the cliffhanger was hilarious lmao

Hahah yeah, it was pretty underwhelming to say the least

 

[Gu4n]

The resolution to the cliffhanger was hilarious lmao

Hahah yeah, it was pretty underwhelming to say the least

With the context provided in Ao, it's actually an incredibly terrifying scene. If you see the Prologue and the actual scene side by side, you might see what I'm getting at: http://imgur.com/a/aq0lr

 

[Sitrus]

With the context provided in Ao, it's actually an incredibly terrifying scene. If you see the Prologue and the actual scene side by side, you might see what I'm getting at: http://imgur.com/a/aq0lr

Whoa I didn't catch that

 

[aravuus]

With the context provided in Ao, it's actually an incredibly terrifying scene. If you see the Prologue and the actual scene side by side, you might see what I'm getting at: http://imgur.com/a/aq0lr

Hope Ao and Zero will come to the west in the near future, too. Really excited to play them, seems like pretty much everyone loves them. There hasn't been any news on that front recently, right?

 

[Gu4n]

Hope Ao and Zero will come to the west in the near future, too. Really excited to play them, seems like pretty much everyone loves them. There hasn't been any news on that front recently, right?

Nope. The 3rd is being translated while Cold Steel 2 is in QA. That ought to be enough to keep you busy for a while, right?

 

[aravuus]

Nope. The 3rd is being translated while Cold Steel 2 is in QA. That ought to be enough to keep you busy for a while, right?

Oh sure, I'm not complaining if it sounded like that lol

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I'd even be happy if we got Ao/Zero ten years down the line, haha. As long as we get them someday. To be honest I'm surprised (and very thankful) we're even getting 3rd. XSeed is going the extra mile.

 

[Bladenic]

With the context provided in Ao, it's actually an incredibly terrifying scene. If you see the Prologue and the actual scene side by side, you might see what I'm getting at: http://imgur.com/a/aq0lr

Oh nice never caught that!

 

[Young Magus]

With the context provided in Ao, it's actually an incredibly terrifying scene. If you see the Prologue and the actual scene side by side, you might see what I'm getting at: http://imgur.com/a/aq0lr

Does that get addressed in the second game?

 

[SolVanderlyn]

With the context provided in Ao, it's actually an incredibly terrifying scene. If you see the Prologue and the actual scene side by side, you might see what I'm getting at: http://imgur.com/a/aq0lr

Can this be explained? I don't mind spoilers.

 

[SpaceDrake]

I'd also say the Sky trilogy was really, REALLY heavily influenced by Laputa: Castle in the Sky, because the main theme of the series is so similar to Castle in the Sky's (along with other elements)

The other truly big influence on Trails as a whole, so far as I can tell, is Giant Robo the OVA. While the overall setting pulls more from other inspirations, the action and the organization of the "hero actors" is very much in the vein of GR - Ouroboros is patterned very heavily off of Big Fire, straight down to a couple of the SC Enforcers having very similar superpowers and/or designs to several of the Magnificent Ten, and there's a fair few similarities between the Bracers and the International Police, especially in concept. And then in Crossbell, you literally play as police, so

I definitely kept GR in mind when I did my work on SC; it felt like SC in particular was trying to strike a similar tone (although its final message is, I think, rather more hopeful than the somewhat bleak finale to GR).



Also, just sayin' to the wind, I am still 101% down to work on Crossbell because hot damn those games are good

 

[Bebpo]

With the context provided in Ao, it's actually an incredibly terrifying scene. If you see the Prologue and the actual scene side by side, you might see what I'm getting at: http://imgur.com/a/aq0lr

How so?

I actually thought it's the opposite since coming from Ao you know what's going to happen so there's no tension

Spoiler

because you know the rail cannons won't fire on the west zemuria meeting...because that didn't happen in Ao.

 

[Sitrus]

How so?

I actually thought it's the opposite since coming from Ao you know what's going to happen so there's no tension

Spoiler

because you know the rail cannons won't fire on the west zemuria meeting...because that didn't happen in Ao.

Reason is the same as the first scene in Zero due to

Spoiler

her

I guess.

 

[Gu4n]

Does that get addressed in the second game?

No. I doubt it will be ever addressed at all.

Can this be explained? I don't mind spoilers.

While still major spoilers for both games, I'll keep it as vague as possible: (Ao spoiler)

Spoiler

two different timelines.

(Cold Steel spoiler)

Spoiler

If Crow had never joined Class VII, he wouldn't have been among them and instead be would've been supporting Scarlet and Vulcan is firing the railway guns. No way Class VII, Sara and Neithard would've been able to break through that.

Reason is the same as the first scene in Zero due to

Spoiler

her

I guess.

Oh yes.

 

[aravuus]

Man, I'm really getting into this whole 'talk to every single NPC in-between story events' thing in Cold Steel. At first I only did it during the school parts, but now I've started talking to people during the field trips too and there's a ton of fun stuff to witness.

How's this stuff in TiTS? I've been fairly clear that I wasn't the biggest fan of FC and SC, but I'm definitely interested in replaying them if all the little NPC stories and interactions and such are as fun as they are in Cold Steel. Now that I know what to expect from the story, pacing and main characters, I can adjust my expectations and probably enjoy the games a lot more.

Watching/reading a let's okay could be fun too, though I doubt any of the let's players are as comprehensive as I'd like them to be (not just 100% quest completion, but talking to NPCs like I mentioned etc)

e: lmao let's play, not let's okay

 

[Gu4n]

Man, I'm really getting into this whole 'talk to every single NPC in-between story events' thing in Cold Steel. At first I only did it during the school parts, but now I've started talking to people during the field trips too and there's a ton of fun stuff to witness.

How's this stuff in TiTS? I've been fairly clear that I wasn't the biggest fan of FC and SC, but I'm definitely interested in replaying them if all the little NPC stories and interactions and such are as fun as they are in Cold Steel. Now that I know what to expect from the story, pacing and main characters, I can adjust my expectations and probably enjoy the games a lot more.

Watching/reading a let's okay could be fun too, though I doubt any of the let's players are as comprehensive as I'd like them to be (not just 100% quest completion, but talking to NPCs like I mentioned etc)

e: lmao let's play, not let's okay

The Trails Wikia contains the most comprehensive descriptions of NPC's individual stories. It's best to do it in-game, but reading up on it like this might be easier.

 

[Bebpo]

No. I doubt it will be ever addressed at all.


While still major spoilers for both games, I'll keep it as vague as possible: (Ao spoiler)

Spoiler

two different timelines.

(Cold Steel spoiler)

Spoiler

If Crow had never joined Class VII, he wouldn't have been among them and instead be would've been supporting Scarlet and Vulcan is firing the railway guns. No way Class VII, Sara and Neithard would've been able to break through that.

Oh yes.

I think you're reading way too much into this.

From Ao, the

Spoiler

only time the timeline was rewound was when Lloyd died at the end of Zero.

Also the intro scene & the later real same scene in Sen takes place during the current timeline in Ao because it's not only post that event, but because most likely if there is an alt timeline where Lloyd died, the DG group would have succeeded and things wouldn't be back to normal with the west trade conference going on months later.

Pretty sure the intro of Sen I was just a teaser and the difference was because Falcom didn't want to spoil who is in your party at the time. I don't think there's any plot significance imo.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

How's this stuff in TiTS? I've been fairly clear that I wasn't the biggest fan of FC and SC, but I'm definitely interested in replaying them if all the little NPC stories and interactions and such are as fun as they are in Cold Steel. Now that I know what to expect from the story, pacing and main characters, I can adjust my expectations and probably enjoy the games a lot more.

Some of the Trails in the Sky NPCs are so memorable and interesting that I wish they have portraits. I think they are also more well-integrated compared to Cold Steel, with some getting directly affected by the game's plot and experiencing character development as a result. Quite a few of them travel a lot, too, so you get to see them often.

 

[aravuus]

(Mild CS chp6-final spoilers) What was the point of telling us

Spoiler

the Class VII went to Olivert's summer cabin or whatever between chapter 6 and the final chapter and had a lot of fun and stuff happened... Then just say "not gonna tell you anything about it doe LOL"?

I don't get it. Is it gonna come up again later or something?

Some of the Trails in the Sky NPCs are so memorable and interesting that I wish they have portraits. I think they are also more well-integrated compared to Cold Steel, with some getting directly affected by the game's plot and experiencing character development as a result. Quite a few of them travel a lot, too, so you get to see them often.

Well, that's pretty much all I needed to hear! Just got to final chapter in CS last night, so I'm probably finishing the game today or tomorrow. Might start the replay right away.

 

[Psxphile]

(Mild CS chp6-final spoilers) What was the point of telling us

Spoiler

the Class VII went to Olivert's summer cabin or whatever between chapter 6 and the final chapter and had a lot of fun and stuff happened... Then just say "not gonna tell you anything about it doe LOL"?

I don't get it. Is it gonna come up again later or something?

Yeah I think it gets referenced in Cold Steel II. CSII spoiler:

Spoiler

You get to visit Ymir proper. Ymir is Rean's home province, btw. Pretty sure it has nothing to do with Olivert.

Truth of the matter, like a lot of things it got cut from the final release of Cold Steel because they ran out of time. However, a Drama CD was produced that details what went down. You can read a translation of it here.

 

[aravuus]

Yeah I think it gets referenced in Cold Steel II. CSII spoiler:

Spoiler

You get to visit Ymir proper. Ymir is Rean's home province, btw. Pretty sure it has nothing to do with Olivert.

Truth of the matter, like a lot of things it got cut from the final release of Cold Steel because they ran out of time. However, a Drama CD was produced that details what went down. You can read a translation of it here.

Oh cool, thanks for the link, will definitely check it out when I get home!

 

[Bebpo]

(Mild CS chp6-final spoilers) What was the point of telling us

Spoiler

the Class VII went to Olivert's summer cabin or whatever between chapter 6 and the final chapter and had a lot of fun and stuff happened... Then just say "not gonna tell you anything about it doe LOL"?

I don't get it. Is it gonna come up again later or something?

It's like that because that chapter takes place on the drama cd that came with the LE in Japan. Good way to sell more LE copies, dumb way to tell a story.

 

[omgfloofy]

It's like that because that chapter takes place on the drama cd that came with the LE in Japan. Good way to sell more LE copies, dumb way to tell a story.

And possibly a way to handle something they didn't have time to complete, in-game? Cold Steel ran headfirst into its deadline to go gold. I believe there were development issues with the game. That's why it had it's horrible loading issues when it launched. They couldn't iron them out before they had to have the game printed. In fact, no only that, but the game didn't even have a trailer. That implies that they didn't have time to make one.

 

[aravuus]

Fuck, I just realized how neat it would be to play TiTS a bit every night at bed before going to sleep, but I got a PSTV instead of a Vita when the urge to play Vita exclusives finally got strong enough. Even a used Vita is still well over 100 euros in Finland, hard to justify a purchase like that.

 

[Gu4n]

Fuck, I just realized how neat it would be to play TiTS a bit every night at bed before going to sleep, but I got a PSTV instead of a Vita when the urge to play Vita exclusives finally got strong enough. Even a used Vita is still well over 100 euros in Finland, hard to justify a purchase like that.

I love my PSP and Vita to bits, but the Steam version is really the version of Trails in the Sky you want to play. Apart from using the PS3 HD assets, the Steam version also features an updated translation to ensure consistency between the later games. In the PSP game, for example, Hamel was translated as Hemel and Sept-Terrion somehow ended up as Septillion.

If you don't have access to a PC, just download the PSP version to your PSTV and stalk all the NPC's for the love of Aidios!

 

[aravuus]

Holy fuck son, now that's a cliffhanger ending! Man am I glad CS2 is coming out soon.

I do have to say that Rean did start rubbing me the wrong way towards the end, like he seemed to do with a lot of people in the OT. He was alright for the first 3-4 chapters, but as the game went on it became clear that he's just this perfect, incredibly unselfish good guy who always does the right thing and is also a great leader who makes rousing (lol yeah right) speeches and has insane intuition and is good at everything and is the humblest guy you'll ever meet and yadda yadda yadda... In other words, a dull fuckface.

When he (CS ending spoilers)

Spoiler

started throwing that "but we're friends how could you did this mean nothing to you" etc bs at C, I was afraid he'd manage to pull off that super frustrating cliche/trope/w/e where he'd get C to ~~join the good guys again and realize his bad deeds because power of friendshiiiip~~... And then C's reply was more or less just a "pretty much so fuck you". It was so, so good. So.. Satisfying. C is fantastic, I'm sure he'll make a terrific villain in the future game(s).

Except for the guy whose role in the story was apparently just to somehow cram the word 'blow' in every single line he had and somehow making it incredibly boring and not filled with innuendo, I really liked pretty much everyone else in the cast, though, so Rean didn't manage to bring the overall experience down much. Just hope he gets at least a bit better in the later games. Or just focus less on him and how fucking perfect he is and more on the other, genuinely interesting characters.

Either way, great game. Definitely ended up exceeding my expectations, and I think I'm gonna pre-order CS2 as soon as I get paid. Can't wait! In the mean time, I'm going on a quest to talk to every single NPC in Liberl and learn all their little stories, starting... Now.

e: oh yeah, nice touch literally ending the game with the cheesiest fucking line from Rean too lmao

 

[Gu4n]

Rean didn't manage to bring the overall experience down much. Just hope he gets at least a bit better in the later games. Or just focus less on him and how fucking perfect he is and more on the other, genuinely interesting characters.

You'll love the sequel. Not because it focuses less on Rean, but because you'll see him grow.

 

[kubricks]

You'll love the sequel. Not because it focuses less on Rean, but because you'll see him grow.

CS2 have him progress a bit, but not enough.
I have high hopes for CS3, where things will start to get even more interesting.

Spoiler

I'd love Falcom to turn Rean into a Villian with a well justified reason, this will be so good.

 

[Exentryk]

Been eyeing these games on GOG. Please tell me they don't have random encounters?

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Been eyeing these games on GOG. Please tell me they don't have random encounters?

None. Boss fights are telegraphed at least a little bit ahead of time, and you can save anywhere in the game outside fights, letting you prepare for them.

 

[aravuus]

It's good to hear he does SOME growing in the second game, at least! But I'm sure I'm gonna love CS2 either way.

Due to the (understandable) fact that most/all NPCs in TiTS don't have a portrait and are kinda hard to recognize from the sprites, I'm gonna keep track of all of them on a small text file, I think. Did it with this huge ass scifi book I read some years ago (Pandora's Star or something) and it was pretty fun. Much more fun than checking the wiki every time I forget a name, which I was going to do but decided was too spoilery.

I have a terrible, TERRIBLE memory when it comes to names.

Also wtf, I just came to work and all I can think of is going home and just playing TiTS all evening lol

 

[Exentryk]

None. Boss fights are telegraphed at least a little bit ahead of time, and you can save anywhere in the game outside fights, letting you prepare for them.

Thank you.

 

[Famassu]

Re: Rean. He isn't perfect. The game hardly treats him as so. He is hard-working, humble (to a fault) and loyal and that gives him some clout in the eyes of many characters in the game, but he also has his faults (like that being too humble part, which is pointed out in the game numerous times). He THINKS he knows best when it comes to stuff about him personally but a lot of the time life would have been easier for him if he had some outside perspective. He pushes himself a bit too far alone without asking for any help, especially with that personal stuff. While he gets along with all kinds of people & can have some fairly deep conversations with them without any prejudices clouding his judgment, he does keep his distance to most people.

He's a good leader for the group but mostly just in comparison to most others in the class. Alisa is too impulsive & hot-headed, Elliot is too timid, Laura is a bit too much of a schooled aristocrat('s daughter) even if she's not snobby, Machias is an ass & too involved with the divide between the noble & common folk, Jusis is a bit too who-gives-a-fuck, Emma isn't one to put herself too much in the spotlight and Fie is too much of an outsider and not all that socially adept. Gaius could actually be a decent leader but I have a feeling he's a bit too much of a hippie to really want that top spot, unless forced upon him by chance.

He does get some development in those areas in the first Cold Steel (except the goofy grandiose motivational speech thing that is just encouraged by the class by the end, though in a joking "oh boy, here he goes again. Well, let it out already" manner), though I'd say the same things are a bit of a problem for his character arc that are a problem for all characters & the story as a whole. The cast & country is just so big + this is basically just the introductory first half of a game divided into two and as such it leaves a lot of character arcs without much resolution.

 

[aravuus]

Obviously I was exaggerating when I called him perfect. The final scene alone seemed to underline his major weaknesses. Many characters also comment on his stupid tendencies.

Maybe I just want him to actually listen to the others for once and tone that shit down.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Obviously I was exaggerating when I called him perfect. The final scene alone seemed to underline his major weaknesses. Many characters also comment on his stupid tendencies.

Maybe I just want him to actually listen to the others for once and tone that shit down.

Crow would have been my ideal protagonist

oozes personality and charm and actually has agency. Rean is dull as fuck

 

[aravuus]

Yeah, Crow is absolutely fantastic, probably one of my favorite characters in the whole series, really. Well okay, I've only played TiTS and CS so far, but point still stands lol.

Really like that guy. (Major CS spoilers)

Spoiler

Definitely has the potential to become one of my favorite JRPG villains, too. Hope they don't screw it up.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Yeah, Crow is absolutely fantastic, probably one of my favorite characters in the whole series, really. Well okay, I've only played TiTS and CS so far, but point still stands lol.

Really like that guy. (Major CS spoilers)

Spoiler

Definitely has the potential to become one of my favorite JRPG villains, too. Hope they don't screw it up.

Spoiler

His final turn certainly wasnt given the focus and weight it should have had

I have found the general script and storytelling in TiTs to be superior than CS

That said Im going into CS2 as optimistic as I can

 

[aravuus]

Spoiler

His final turn certainly wasnt given the focus and weight it should have had

Agreed. It wasn't terrible, though.

Also - goddamn. Been playing TiTS for the past couple of hours and I've been listing NPCs I've come across with short descriptions etc, just in case I forget some names (and I will, most of them probably), and I've already come across almost 40 unique, named ones during the first goddamn day. The NPC stuff is just insane in these games.

I have a good feeling about this playthrough, and I can already tell I'm definitely going to be enjoying this more than my first time with this game.

 

[DrROBschiz]

You'll love the sequel. Not because it focuses less on Rean, but because you'll see him grow.

See I've heard people say both ways on this topic

Rean gets better from one end

And "If you didn't care for him in CS1 then prepare for more of the same" from the other

 

[Bebpo]

I like Crow a lot too. That said his subplot of CS1&2 is unfortunately generic as they come. But he's a good character and he's got some good scenes in CS2, but he's a bit wasted and doesn't have a lot of screen time in that one.

Huge CS2 spoilers:

Spoiler

In the end though he's an FC antagonist, so he's just played, everything he does has almost no consequence to the world around him, and he lives a shitty life from start to finish. Pretty depressing. Even his backstory is depressing.