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[Plinko]

Over the past week, I've ordered Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery, and now The Last Remnant from Amazon for about $80 total.

For those who've played most/all of them--which one should I start first?

 

[Xevren]

I have played them all and I would recommend Vesperia first. It's probably my game of the year. I really love it.

 

[knitoe]

Over the past week, I've ordered Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery, and now The Last Remnant from Amazon for about $80 total.

For those who've played most/all of them--which one should I start first?

According GAF popular vote, ToV > TLR > IU.

Personally, TLR > IU, ToV. Hate ToV story. Think spent 1/2 game saving the princess just to miss here every time. Worst, part is she's really only healing type character.

 

[Takuhi]

Over the past week, I've ordered Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery, and now The Last Remnant from Amazon for about $80 total.

For those who've played most/all of them--which one should I start first?

Vesperia is the best, but you have to play them in reverse-quality order or Infinite Undiscovery will suck that much more. In/Un -> LasRem -> ToV

 

[indigo-cyclops]

Apparently if you reduce the resolution in your system settings, texture pop-in gets a lot better.

Really? That's interesting, I'm at 720p now, so should I go lower? May give this a try... But I've gotten used to it for the most part...Textures look great otherwise!

 

[GreenNight]

Vesperia is the best, but you have to play them in reverse-quality order or Infinite Undiscovery will suck that much more. In/Un -> LasRem -> ToV

Funny you should mention that. I got a 360 a few weeks ago and just beat IU today. Really considering not doing the secret dungeon. The fighting is really fun but the rest of the game, ugh.

Anyways, question about TLR. Someone mentioned that it seemed like enemies leveled up as you did - has this been confirmed?

 

[Xevren]

Funny you should mention that. I got a 360 a few weeks ago and just beat IU today. Really considering not doing the secret dungeon. The fighting is really fun but the rest of the game, ugh.

Anyways, question about TLR. Someone mentioned that it seemed like enemies leveled up as you did - has this been confirmed?

It's definitely confirmed. It seems like some dont scale up as much as you do, but anything big will be just as difficult if not moreso if you grind too much.

 

[GreenNight]

It's definitely confirmed. It seems like some dont scale up as much as you do, but anything big will be just as difficult if not moreso if you grind too much.

That's really disappointing. It's one of the reasons I dislike Oblivion.

 

[adversesolutions]

According GAF popular vote, ToV > TLR > IU.

Personally, TLR > IU, ToV. Hate ToV story. Think spent 1/2 game saving the princess just to miss here every time. Worst, part is she's really only healing type character.

I have an active hatred for traditional feudal bullshit RPG stories although I like the gameplay so I stick around. So half of ToV is just boring save the princess shit huh? How's the other half?

 

[Xevren]

For the most part its not that bad. So long as I keep upgrading gear I really don't have that much of a problem with anything. The dragons and anything with curse suck though. I hate curse so very much.

 

[Hazaro]

It's definitely confirmed. It seems like some dont scale up as much as you do, but anything big will be just as difficult if not moreso if you grind too much.

Wat.

If you can elaborate that would be nice.

Normal enemies never become COMPLETE OHKO cake walks?
Bosses are pretty much reliant on strategy?

 

[WYWY]

It's definitely confirmed. It seems like some dont scale up as much as you do, but anything big will be just as difficult if not moreso if you grind too much.

That sounds so like a SaGa game. They discourage grinding.

 

[Blackjack]

Wat.

If you can elaborate that would be nice.

Normal enemies never become COMPLETE OHKO cake walks?
Bosses are pretty much reliant on strategy?

Form what I've heard (NO IDEA if this is true or not), monsters (and bosses) will scale to your level when you first encounter them/enter the area with them and then become locked at that level.

 

[Xevren]

Wat.

If you can elaborate that would be nice.

Normal enemies never become COMPLETE OHKO cake walks?
Bosses are pretty much reliant on strategy?

It's basically what the guy above me said. There are some enemies that will always be weak but the stronger ones will always stay strong for the most part. Dragons will never be easy regardless of how much you level, its on how you play it. That's my experience anyway.

 

[Hazaro]

It's basically what the guy above me said. There are some enemies that will always be weak but the stronger ones will always stay strong for the most part. Dragons will never be easy regardless of how much you level, its on how you play it. That's my experience anyway.

That's fine by me.

No forced grinding in my JPRG? :lol

 

[adversesolutions]

Why does this game have to be so cocksuckingly incomprehensible? Is transparency too much to ask? :lol

 

[Hazaro]

Why does this game have to be so cocksuckingly incomprehensible? Is transparency too much to ask? :lol

Talking about the plot? Politics and what not?

Also any specific date for a PC release? (I'm assuming Q1 09)

 

[Piper Az]

I heard that TLR is released by Microsoft in Korea...BUT it's in Japanese/English! How do they expect Koreans to play this game??? What's the point of releasing an official title when the game isn't even localized? MS Korea is pretty damn lazy or cheap. Unbelievable.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

The level scaling doesn't seem too bad. I definitely feel like I am getting more powerful as I progress.

I don't think there is level scaling for battles that are part of the main story. If there is it is very small. I got stuck on a boss fight near the end of the first disc. I got destroyed like 5 times before deciding to go level up my guys before trying again. I went and gained 11 battle ranks and when I tried the battle again I completely trounced the enemies. There definitely is an advantage to grinding in the game should you do so. Just make sure you get huge chains and try to link as many enemies together as you can handle so you maximize your stat gains.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I heard that TLR is released by Microsoft in Korea...BUT it's in Japanese/English! How do they expect Koreans to play this game??? What's the point of releasing an official title when the game isn't even localized? MS Korea is pretty damn lazy or cheap. Unbelievable.

It is far more rare for games to be localized in Korean or Chinese when they get released in those markets. Japanese culture was officially banned in Korea until the late 90s and the ban was only gradually lifted in the following years. I may be mistaken, but I think the Nintendo DS was the first video game platform that Nintendo ever officially released in Korea. This is one of the reasons that computer games are so much more popular than console video games in Korea.

Most games and consoles get an "Asian" version that get sold in Asian countries outside of Japan. These often come with either the Japanese / English version of the game and maybe a manual translated into English / Chinese / Korean (often very poorly). The markets probably aren't deemed big enough for most publishers to justify fully localizing their products in Korean and Chinese yet.

 

[Rummy Bunnz]

I think the GC got a Korean release.

Why does this game have to be so cocksuckingly incomprehensible? Is transparency too much to ask? :lol

Yeah. Some would be nice. I'd probably be more interested in trying to figure shit out if I wasn't so bored right now. There's been so much talk about how challenging the game is but since gaining the ability to recruit soldiers it's been a total breeze. I don't even know what the hell I'm doing in combat, but it doesn't really matter. I just choose whichever art has the highest AP cost, sit through the too-fucking-long combat animations, and win.

In many ways this seems like a game I'd like. I've grown to love a lot of RPGs that I was initially bored and confused by. But man, I am growing weary of waiting for games to 'click'. I just wanna get to the fireworks factory already.

 

[Piper Az]

It is far more rare for games to be localized in Korean or Chinese when they get released in those markets. Japanese culture was officially banned in Korea until the late 90s and the ban was only gradually lifted in the following years. I may be mistaken, but I think the Nintendo DS was the first video game platform that Nintendo ever officially released in Korea. This is one of the reasons that computer games are so much more popular than console video games in Korea.

Most games and consoles get an "Asian" version that get sold in Asian countries outside of Japan. These often come with either the Japanese / English version of the game and maybe a manual translated into English / Chinese / Korean (often very poorly). The markets probably aren't deemed big enough for most publishers to justify fully localizing their products in Korean and Chinese yet.

Don't you think they ought to localize the games to foster some adoption? If I was some fool in Korea, and I saw all these games released by MS Korea but they are all in English or Japanese, I would not spend money on buying them.

It's like me buying some Japanese imports; I can't understand it - I'm not paying $60 for it (I used to buy them but always felt like my gaming experience was half full).

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Don't you think they ought to localize the games to foster some adoption? If I was some fool in Korea, and I saw all these games released by MS Korea but they are all in English or Japanese, I would not spend money on buying them.

It's like me buying some Japanese imports; I can't understand it - I'm not paying $60 for it (I used to buy them but always felt like my gaming experience was half full).

Some games do get localized. I believe most games that are fully published by Microsoft, for example, are fully localized. I'm sure as Korean interest in console gaming grows, publishers will increase their localization efforts as well.

Even games that do not get full localizations still have Asian versions made and if Korean retailers choose to order them then I don't see why the publisher wouldn't sell them in Korea.

 

[Hazaro]

Leave Korea untainted :[

Let them play their Starcrafts

 

[Phthisis]

Hey The Last Remnant, how's it going? What's that? Eagle's Nest? Oh, ha! Fuck you, game. I'm leaving you for your younger sister, Star Ocean. I don't have time to deal with shit like that.

 

[adversesolutions]

Hey The Last Remnant, how's it going? What's that? Eagle's Nest? Oh, ha! Fuck you, game. I'm leaving you for your younger sister, Star Ocean. I don't have time to deal with shit like that.

That's the battle with hammer dude and blondie right?

Man, that was a tough one. I dunno if I over-leveled or something but I lost that twice before beating it. Had to basically draw all the grunt units towards me before taking on the bosses.

 

[batbeg]

Hey The Last Remnant, how's it going? What's that? Eagle's Nest? Oh, ha! Fuck you, game. I'm leaving you for your younger sister, Star Ocean. I don't have time to deal with shit like that.

Not that hard. Just take out the grunts, let the reinforcement allies die, and take out the remaining enemies (which is probably just the bosses and one union).

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Hey The Last Remnant, how's it going? What's that? Eagle's Nest? Oh, ha! Fuck you, game. I'm leaving you for your younger sister, Star Ocean. I don't have time to deal with shit like that.

I had pretty much only progressed the main story and done very few side quests up until I got to that fight. I was around Battle Rank 28 when I got there and I kept getting obliterated no matter what strategy I tried. The boss characters could kill practically any of my unions in one turn. I figured I was just underleveled, so I went out and did some side quests and leveled up. I came back around Battle Rank 40 and destroyed them. It is best to clear all of the grunts first before taking on the bosses (this seems to be a good idea with most boss fights).

 

[BlazingDarkness]

Just finished Dillmoor
and yes GAF, this game is awesome.

 

[Monocle]

Okay, this game is obscenely good. A moment ago I won the boss battle in Numor Mine, and on the way down Rush learned five new abilities in a ten-minute period, with the battle chain in the low teens. What luck! I have completed 14 quests and my battle rank is 33. I know there are 42 quests on disk 1, so despite all this play time I've really only just gotten started.

Some disjointed impressions:

- I can't get over how much fun battles are. They're strategic and exciting, perfectly paced and completely absorbing. I think I'm addicted. I like how the QTEs keep me attentive after I issue my unions orders. Watching the fights play out never gets old. The lack of a traditional leveling system is the cherry atop this perfect sundae. Instead of having to slog through dozens of battles before I feel my characters have made the slightest progress, my party improves with every victory, and all gains are displayed simply and cleanly on the results screen.

- The enemy designs continue to be top notch. Most of the mobs I've encountered are dripping with personality.

- Now that the story's picking up I'm starting to get invested in the characters. Rush has the weakest characterization of the bunch, yet I still find him likable. I can't help but have a bit of a soft spot for guy that obliterates every monster in his way. He is a powerhouse.

- I'm used to RPGs that force me along a relatively linear path until the final act, when I'm finally allowed to travel where I will. As such, the rate at which TLR's world is opening up has surprised and delighted me. At this assumedly early stage in the game I have the freedom to grind, explore or mine in any of nearly a dozen locations.

- With the game installed, the performance issues are trivial. You'd have to be the most nitpicky stick-in-the-mud to let such pitiful quibbles discourage you from playing this wonderful game. Every RPG fan needs to experience TLR.

Honestly, right now I'm enjoying TLR more than I did FFXII, a title I absolutely adore. It just keeps getting better.

 

[batbeg]

Honestly, right now I'm enjoying TLR more than I did FFXII, a title I absolutely adore. It just keeps getting better.

Same. I know people talk shit about this generations RPGs, but honestly, this one has already joined an elite few in my ranks of favorites, which I seriously doubt to be diminished by the end of the game. I definitely can say it was worth every penny at the very least, and I'm constantly wanting to play more of it.

 

[Warm Machine]

Just installing this to my Hdd. I take it, it makes a slight difference?

 

[BlazingDarkness]

Just installing this to my Hdd. I take it, it makes a slight difference?

big difference

 

[Xevren]

Hearing the difference about it being installed is driving me crazy. Still waiting on my transfer cable so I have been playing off the disc. The load times are driving me insane.

 

[Zzoram]

So everyone loves this game then?

I'm working on Blue Dragon at the moment and beat Lost Odyssey. When I'm done BD, should I get Tales of Vesperia or The Last Remnant first?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

This game just keeps getting better and better. It is crazy how it went from being a dud (during the first confusing 5 hours when I was running off the DVD) to being close to becoming one of my favorite RPGs.

I just encountered a rare bird in the first area on the second disc and hid an epic 15 minute battle with it. I barely came out alive, but somehow I managed to win. This game really feels like you are part of a raid in some MMORPG at times. So much fun.

 

[TimeKillr]

Thanks GAF

I was on the fence about buying it - read a bit in this thread and decided to get it.

Wow. It's been a while since I enjoyed a new Squeenix game. Freaks me out

 

[duckroll]

Made my way across the Vale of the Gods, and got to Baaluk. I did the first quest there and that was a pretty tough fight. I was on the verge of totally losing, but now I've learned some pretty interesting tactics for boss style battles. Which Unions engage and disengage from a multi deadlock makes a huge difference, especially in terms of flexibility in the next turn for healing/etc. The conclusion to the quest was pretty interesting, and I wonder if there'll be more to this subplot line. Hmmmm...

 

[Zalasta]

MAJOR SPOILER QUESTION:

Spoiler

I just watched Emma's death on youtube :| So when 'emmy' joins, does she join the party? And if she does, is she exactly the same as Emma, as in she gets all her stats and move-sets?

She does join the party. I haven't used her yet but she did came with a lot of arts already, though I don't know if they are inherited. Also, she has her own unique art called "Hundred Flowers".

TLR is quite flawed, there are so many things you can rant about...but I'm enjoying it, and the similarities to FFXI certainly didn't hurt.

 

[Bossman]

The first DLC is up.

 

[Spoo]

Man, so I just got to the mines where they split you off with Emma, and I'm sad because...I die a lot by the enemies there. I have a battle rank of 22 or something, so I'm not sure why it's so hard :\ Do I just run passed the bad guys, or am I retarded? :lol

 

[duckroll]

Man, so I just got to the mines where they split you off with Emma, and I'm sad because...I die a lot by the enemies there. I have a battle rank of 22 or something, so I'm not sure why it's so hard :\ Do I just run passed the bad guys, or am I retarded? :lol

If you're dying a lot, there might be a fundamental problem with Emma. Have you been using her before this? Maybe their combined HP is just too weak. The mines shouldn't be hard, since the enemies aren't enough to kill you in a turn even if they flank you. Try engaging one enemy at a time instead of linking. You should be able to kill a single enemy union in a single turn if both Rush and Emma attacks. If not, leave the area and try training up Emma some more.

 

[Neil]

The first DLC is up.

Only on gold though, right?
Silver next week?

Love me some DLC.

I know everyone's saying it, but just to reiterate, I love how OPEN this game is.
I still am technically at Elysion before the catacombs, but these past 3 or 4 days I've been questing, exploring. I love it. I don't think I can possibly find anymore cities now without progressing on the story. I think I'm battle rank 43 :\

What weapons do you guys have Rush equip? I've gave him dual blade yesterday. Fierce. Before that he had used a sword and a 2 handed sword. I don't really want him with poles or axes.

 

[Amon37]

Hate ToV story. Think spent 1/2 game saving the princess just to miss here every time. Worst, part is she's really only healing type character.

A little hyperbole

Spoiler

Estelle is only gone from the about the halfway point in the game to the 3/4 of the way point. Maybe 25%.

 

[garath]

This is one of those games I would have HATED if it had long load times. The install feature is a HUGE contributor to how much I like it.

I didn't even think I liked it all that much until I found I put over 20 hours into it in a 2 day span. Consider me hooked. I love the sheer amount of sidequests and the surprising length of a lot of them. Really hurts though when you go "just one more sidequest" lol.

 

[duckroll]

Really hurts though when you go "just one more sidequest" lol.

That sums up the entire game in a nutshell.

 

[Indrew]

A little hyperbole

Spoiler

Estelle is only gone from the about the halfway point in the game to the 3/4 of the way point. Maybe 25%.

And she isn't the only healer! I'd take Raven and love shot over her anyday.

Back to TLR:

Anyone find the constant questions from your party members a bit redundant? At one point I had 5 consecutive leaders ask me the same question about leaving town to sharpen their skills. Does it matter if I say yes or no?

Much like Neil, I'm loving the openess of this game. Especially since I'm stuck at the Eagle's nest right now.

 

[duckroll]

Anyone find the constant questions from your party members a bit redundant? At one point I had 5 consecutive leaders ask me the same question about leaving town to sharpen their skills. Does it matter if I say yes or no? One of my tiny nit-picks so far.

Yeah, I dunno about that. Aside from the questions about what skill types to focus on, the other questions feel like the system wasn't really fully thought out. They ask for random materials or just to go practising, but it doesn't seem like the responses really matter much. Unless there's something in the background that is flagged that I'm not aware of it just seems rather annoying sometimes. Sometimes I just finish tearing through a field and get to a new town, and on the world map people IN MY PARTY go "hey we're not doing anything, wanna go kill monsters?" and I'm thinking WTF WE JUST KILLED LIKE A HUNDRED WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING?!?! :lol

 

[Spoo]

Have you been using her before this?

This. It's kind of annoying, because I used mostly Semry (a leader I got from the guild), McGrady (another leader), Torgal, and Rush.

In hindsight, this was probably stupid, but I figured I'd have to learn to depend on the grunts I could get outside of the main story, since you never know when you'll lose them.

Nor, I guess, are you ever aware of when you'll be paired, alone, with one of them. :\

I guess I'll try to level up, but then, since the enemies scale and she's quite underpowered, I don't think it's going to be any easier if I say, went to dillmoor or something and hacked away on guys over there.

It's annoying :| I wish those not in your party -- at the least the story characters -- can get better passively. I think our joint HP is like 800; not sufficient at all to fight the enemies at the opening to the mines (they hit for 400 or so with a move called Bodyslam or something, and it's not a move they're afraid to use, either!)

 

[duckroll]

This. It's kind of annoying, because I used mostly Semry (a leader I got from the guild), McGrady (another leader), Torgal, and Rush.

In hindsight, this was probably stupid, but I figured I'd have to learn to depend on the grunts I could get outside of the main story, since you never know when you'll lose them.

Nor, I guess, are you ever aware of when you'll be paired, alone, with one of them. :\

I guess I'll try to level up, but then, since the enemies scale and she's quite underpowered, I don't think it's going to be any easier if I say, went to dillmoor or something and hacked away on guys over there.

It's annoying :| I wish those not in your party -- at the least the story characters -- can get better passively. I think our joint HP is like 800; not sufficient at all to fight the enemies at the opening to the mines (they hit for 400 or so with a move called Bodyslam or something, and it's not a move they're afraid to use, either!)

I'm not recommending you train up in the mines. I totally recommend going OUT of the mines. You can do that, and the party will reform automatically. Put Emma in the lead of a new Union and go to some other map and take on a few side quests. It shouldn't take long for her to bounce back, the game knows if one character is significantly weaker than the others.