batbeg said:Difficult for me to say about the leveling, as I'm honestly even at this point fairly uncertain how it works. I can say I have found it nearly impossible to do any sort of meaningful "grinding" (not that I've tried) - ten or so hours after leaving the dungeon Dilmoor, and a huge amount of side quests and story progression later, there were still enemies there that were able to offer me a very hefty challenge (especially fucking imps ). As to how it works, it's meant to be something like this:
The stats you implement increase more often, for example, using attacks more may boost your strength and attack, or using mystic artes may increase your intelligence (I have some qualms with this idea, as it does not necessarily seem true).
The more enemies you have defeated consecutively in a dungeon ("chains" which apply to all enemies you've killed, so long as you have not been ambushed), the swifter the status progression.
Weapons and the like are upgraded automatically by your teammates who will request certain items after battles, so that they can apply them to their weapons.
The battle system is definitely something I approve of, though I hadn't bothered commenting on it since it's what most people here are gushing about But I'll give it a go.
I love the strategic elements of not just forming a union, and finding out which units work best in which unions, but finding that you can never have 100% control over them. It's easy enough to know which of your moves will be used from a general command (indeed, pressing "X" shows you which moves they'll use), but at the same time, you are like a general giving out commands to separate groups instead of instructing every single soldier under your lead. The move "Keep your HP up!" will generally have someone using restorative artes, and the others attack with normal attacks or combat artes, depending on your AP at that time.
There is also a huge deal of freedom involved, but the AI is consistently top-notch. My units have consistently been able to reassess a situation and change their move, mid-turn, for the better. For example, with one person using Restore III (heals 800ish HP), the next character realized they did not need to use Life Powder (heals 1200ish HP), and thus reassessed and changed to using Restore III. Or finding that a unit will change from a normal attack to a combat arte if they've been granted more AP during that move.
Of course, the speed is something worth mentioning. For a game with such emphasis on strategy, and huge battles with a large amount of characters, they can be damn near instantaneous. In a good fight, I can end it in one or two turns, though the tougher ones will genuinely try my abilities, and push me as hard as possible. Of course, if you are finding an area too easy, it's incredibly easy to run from enemies - the game tells you when you are targeted, and if you are, all you need to do is freeze time momentarily, and run.
I don't know how much splurging I can do on this game, just hope I'm helping some people with my detailed, incoherent love letters to it I realize as well that everything I said has sounded overwhelmingly positive, and I would say there are definitely problems I have with the game, but they are mostly to do with the superficial and so don't stick out to me so much (technically ugly, main story poorly told, and er... not much else actually). I can see this as not for everyone, but I implore anyone who finds it interesting to try it for themselves, as almost all people who have played it have been positive.
Edit: Double post, sorry.
I went to 3*3 as soon as I was allowed to, and so far I didn't have much problems. I'm at battle rank 32.chespace said:I've been tearin' it up with only 2 unions.
Right now I have 4 union leaders, and a total of 9 units.
I have them split between 5 and 4 between my 2 unions, with 2 leaders in each union.
I'm scared to go 3 unions because it leaves them more vulnerable in terms of HP.
Ricker said:Anyone beat the sidequest with Emma that runs you through the Ruins?...I'm battle rank 15 and can't quite make 3 good Unions yet and I can't beat the Boss room(like some said,freakin Curse is annoying,I tried the trick someone posted here earlier but there's 2 of them so it doesn't really work).
Hopefully,I'm just to low still to beat it,I decided to warp out of the quest after 3 tries of getting slaughtered ;P
Ricker said:Anyone beat the sidequest with Emma that runs you through the Ruins?...I'm battle rank 15 and can't quite make 3 good Unions yet and I can't beat the Boss room(like some said,freakin Curse is annoying,I tried the trick someone posted here earlier but there's 2 of them so it doesn't really work).
Hopefully,I'm just to low still to beat it,I decided to warp out of the quest after 3 tries of getting slaughtered ;P
I was at a lower battle rank than that and I did it. I just engaged every minion with a union so I couldn't get flanked. I think I got flanked once (4 unions vs. 3 friendly?). You should be able to do it easily.Ricker said:Anyone beat the sidequest with Emma that runs you through the Ruins?...I'm battle rank 15 and can't quite make 3 good Unions yet and I can't beat the Boss room(like some said,freakin Curse is annoying,I tried the trick someone posted here earlier but there's 2 of them so it doesn't really work).
Hopefully,I'm just to low still to beat it,I decided to warp out of the quest after 3 tries of getting slaughtered ;P
duckroll said:Okay so I got to Elysion a few hours ago, and I figured I would explore around the city and then save and quit for the day. Here's what happened instead:I wander into the pub and lo, there's a guy who wants a SECRET LETTER delivered to a town I haven't been to yet, and it's just across the "southwestern road". Sounds easy enough! So I do that and end up there completing the quest. I figure I'll check out the rest of the town before heading back to Elysion.... I never made it out of the pub. I did the abandoned castle quest, then I did the Sandsea quest..... and now there's another quest in the Great Subterraean. So instead I'm going to save here and continue tomorrow.
It's fucking addictive. >_< :lol :lol :lol
Kyoufu said:So this game is more open-ended than the conventional linear JRPG? If so, interest rising...may have to go and pick this one up.
Aeana said:This is getting tiring. I don't like going out of my way to defend games, but the treatment of this game in particular by the media contrasts so greatly with not only my own personal feelings about it, but my observations of others'. I'm genuinely flabbergasted by what reviewers are saying about the game. Not only that, though, I'm saddened to see people decide that the game isn't worth their time based on these high-profile reviewers' opinions, completely ignoring the opinions of anyone else.
bigdaddygamebot said:Too Human says, "Hi."
Nolan. said:What do you mean?
Kyoufu said:So this game is more open-ended than the conventional linear JRPG? If so, interest rising...may have to go and pick this one up.
Kagari said:Looks like there will be new information on the PS3 version of this in the January 2009 issue of Famitsu PS3... which is out on 11/29.
ivysaur12 said:This is good? Huh, I was avoiding it because of all of the bad press. Interesting... I wonder where all of this disconnect comes from.
Whew that is good, at least Famitsu is concerned with the PS3 version.Kagari said:Looks like there will be new information on the PS3 version of this in the January 2009 issue of Famitsu PS3... which is out on 11/29.
Ninja99 said:So Emma and Caedmon are asking me which arts they should focus on. I can't decide whether I should reinforce their strengths or balance their abilities by having them focus on their weaker skills. I'm concerned that if I pick the wrong option I'll stunt their growth. What's working for you other players? Do these characters seem to benefit more from specializing in one type of art? Is all-rounder a good way to go?
Kagari said:Looks like there will be new information on the PS3 version of this in the January 2009 issue of Famitsu PS3... which is out on 11/29.
25.49?Shahadan said:If any Euro Gaffer is interested, play.com now sells this game for 2549 (free delivery)
http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/6061081/The-Last-Remnant/Product.html
And so I ordered it. If it's bad, I'll kill kittens because of you Duckroll !
Kagari said:Looks like there will be new information on the PS3 version of this in the January 2009 issue of Famitsu PS3... which is out on 11/29.
Shahadan said:If any Euro Gaffer is interested, play.com now sells this game for 2549 (free delivery)
http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/6061081/The-Last-Remnant/Product.html
Shahadan said:If any Euro Gaffer is interested, play.com now sells this game for 2549 (free delivery)
http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/6061081/The-Last-Remnant/Product.html
And so I ordered it. If it's bad, I'll kill kittens because of you Duckroll !
chespace said:Holy shit, has anyone beaten the Balterossa quest where you have to fight Mantrasyklo (this huge black dragon) in the canyon?
I tried it back when I was weaker and got completely raped, so I decided to come back after I've gotten more party members and feel a bit more badass (at battle rank 30 now).
Uhhh, no. I was doing fine for a while, and then the dragon pulls out "Vulcan Breath" and kills MY ENTIRE PARTY in one shot after I spent the last 20 minutes whittling him down to 3/4ths of his health. :lol
Yeah.
Aeana said:I've heard from a few people that some of the menu text is illegible on an SDTV, but I haven't checked myself. I got tired of barely being able to read text in some 360 games and just got a VGA cable, which will work until I manage to get myself an HDTV.
Blackjack said:
Okay, so, assume I am completely tech-retarded. How difficult is this VGA stuff?