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Trails of Cold Steel (Sen no Kiseki) coming to PS3, Vita in North America, Fall 2015

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Vylash

Member
I love how this post reads as someone with context for the Cold Steel narrative. XD It's great.

Yeah, it's interesting reading first impressions from folks who are are going to get to experience it soon, lol

The other Trails games are pretty anime though. It's just a different set of tropes and accompanying aesthetic. The school setting is seen pretty often so a lot people are more sensitive to it when they see it. Somewhat understandable but Falcom is definitely the developer to keep that initial reaction in check.

so i take it this means his impressions are completely off the mark?
 
Yeah, it's interesting reading first impressions from folks who are are going to get to experience it soon, lol

The other Trails games are pretty anime though. It's just a different set of tropes and accompanying aesthetic. The school setting is seen pretty often so a lot people are more sensitive to it when they see it. Somewhat understandable but Falcom is definitely the developer to keep that initial reaction in check.

Yup.

And much like in those other games, it's how Falcom ultimately plays with those tropes that makes it work.

RPGs generally demo awfully, and Trails is no exception to that rule.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Complained to Best Buy that it's still not up for preorder on their site. Probably won't amount to anything though.
 

Shouta

Member
so i take it this means his impressions are completely off the mark?

His impressions are only off the mark because of a lack of experience with the series. In that respect, they're actually kind of what some newer players will see on initial reaction. However, it's an extremely fantastic game with great characters and story. The technicals aren't great, so he's right on that, but this is the first 3D Trails game, who has done mostly 2D or limited 3D even in recent years.

It's really important to separate the trope and it's quality. The fact it is a trope doesn't mean it's bad, just that it's following a pattern. When it's done poorly, it's bad but many of the best characters are tropes that are twisted as the work progresses into something richer and better. Trails 1 has tropes up the wazoo but the reason the chars are endearing is they're given a chance to grow from them. I mean at the beginning of FC, Estelle and Joshua can be boiled down to Tomboy and Loner, two really common character tropes, for example. See how well they turned out?
 

Nyoro SF

Member
Yup.

And much like in those other games, it's how Falcom ultimately plays with those tropes that makes it work.

RPGs generally demo awfully, and Trails is no exception to that rule.

You say RPGs demo awfully, but I was pretty hooked on Sora from the very beginning of the game; the intro and buildup to who you are, and the mystery surrounding Joshua's "entrance" with Cassius, the timeskip and the lovely harmonica music and Estelle being lazy, forgetful and impatient as a counter to Joshua's serious (except when he makes fun of Estelle, which is funny) nature. It was really fun from the start with their personalities bouncing off each other while exploring the home town and talking to Schera/NPCs. And of course the battle system itself is great fun and hints at the challenges ahead with the grid system.

You set the tone of your game at the beginning and what you expect out of it because dialogue from characters are normally consistent throughout the game (unless the writer in question is exceptionally bad) and the battle system and music are set in stone early on as well. In the many RPGs I've played, I don't think I've played a single one where the beginning was very bad to the point of quitting but got better over time to where it could be passable.

I don't deny that tropes exist in every game, but saying that all games are just tropes everywhere is disingenuous. If Falcom can take these heavily copy and pasted anime tropes and turn them into something great I'm all for that, but I'm not getting that impression right now after almost an hour into the game. This game better not be like "you'll eventually like this annoying sugoi-onii-chan-eating-toast or too-cool-for-school character when you learn their tragic backstory" nonsense, because that is the cheapest of cop-outs ever!
 
I've heard people I've recommended Sky 1 to say they couldn't get past an hour due to how annoying Estelle is, the few that kept with it came around on her because of how well she's written despite being a tomboy/tsundere.
 
I've heard people I've recommended Sky 1 to say they couldn't get past an hour due to how annoying Estelle is, the few that kept with it came around on her because of how well she's written despite being a tomboy/tsundere.
Tomboy, definitely. I would not classify her as tsundere at all though. That's a first for me.
 

Rhapsody

Banned
In a JRPG, tropes are always going to exist. Doesn't necessarily have to be ones you see in anime, but you're going to see those JRPG cliches everywhere. I don't find tropes as an absolute bad thing, and they don't bother me as much as others. But what matters is if the trope is more of a starting point rather also being an ending point of a character.

With how crazy Falcom is with world building in Kiseki by fleshing it out, I don't really doubt them on getting the characters right.
 

Shengar

Member
TiTS was made around early 2000's IIRC, so maybe that's why people feel it doesn't feel "trope-y" while in fact, it probably does in the original year it got released.

How can you hate Estelle? She's great

A friend of mine dismiss her because of the twintails lol

I don't deny that tropes exist in every game, but saying that all games are just tropes everywhere is disingenuous. If Falcom can take these heavily copy and pasted anime tropes and turn them into something great I'm all for that, but I'm not getting that impression right now after almost an hour into the game. This game better not be like "you'll eventually like this annoying sugoi-onii-chan-eating-toast or too-cool-for-school character when you learn their tragic backstory" nonsense, because that is the cheapest of cop-outs ever!

Well, the game is supposedly around 25-40 hours so you're still long way to go before can pass up any judgement.
 

Vylash

Member
I've heard people I've recommended Sky 1 to say they couldn't get past an hour due to how annoying Estelle is, the few that kept with it came around on her because of how well she's written despite being a tomboy/tsundere.
hopefully you don't keep contact with these monsters anymore
 
Since we're talking futures, how about a release of the 1997 Legend of Heroes I Windows remake?

K8r1PNV.jpg


I just want to know why it and II are dubbed the "British Legend Series" overseas.

Enjoy waiting 30 seconds before entering battle.
 

Terxus

Neo Member
Evolution versions pls. I don't know how but they really need to work it out with Kadokawa.

I don't get why so many people want the evolution versions.
As I understand it the only real improvement is the voice acting and they won't be able to use it anyway.

It doesn't seem to be worth it considering the additional workload/negotiations with more companies.
 

kswiston

Member
So is the general consensus that this game (and its sequels) holds up pretty well against the Trails in the Sky series?
 

Sitrus

Member
So is the general consensus that this game (and its sequels) holds up pretty well against the Trails in the Sky series?

Sen I is probably the weakest in the series. Mostly due to how it's just an introduction to the Erebonian Empire. However, by being weakest, it just means compared to the rest. The game is pretty good, and with Sen II, it becomes a great entry in the series. Just not as good as the previous ones.
 

Vylash

Member
I don't get why so many people want the evolution versions.
As I understand it the only real improvement is the voice acting and they won't be able to use it anyway.

It doesn't seem to be worth it considering the additional workload/negotiations with more companies.
there are a bunch of cool gameplay tweaks, some good aesthetic stuff like improved visuals, new character portraits and s break animations, and a remixed soundtrack, also you can actually read the map
 

wrowa

Member
I don't get why so many people want the evolution versions.
As I understand it the only real improvement is the voice acting and they won't be able to use it anyway.

It doesn't seem to be worth it considering the additional workload/negotiations with more companies.

They run natively on Vita. I think that's the long and short of it.
 

Terxus

Neo Member
there are a bunch of cool gameplay tweaks, some good aesthetic stuff like improved visuals, new character portraits and s break animations, and a remixed soundtrack, also you can actually read the map

They run natively on Vita. I think that's the long and short of it.

That's true, I guess I looked at it more from a perspective of an eventual PC release, Sara could probably implement some of these improvements without the need to license the evolution games.

As of now the Vita versions would be the best option for a western release, but I don't see them releasing the crossbell games before late 2017/early 2018 considering they have 3 kiseki games on their plate before them.

They should try to go with the evolution games if they somehow manage to do it (much) sooner, but i doubt that.
 

StereoVsn

Gold Member
I am really afraid that this is going to tank hard in the West. I was reading through the Fall/Winter games thread and number of high profile games is huge. Heck, that even includes RPGs with Fallout 4, Tales of Z, Sword Art Online games and possibly Persona 5.

So Trails is coming smack in the beginning of November with everything else happening at that time and it's coming to Vita and PS3. Man, that's a death toll in the West. It's going to be even worse for the sequel.

I am sure hard core fans will buy it (myself included, probably will double dip), but I am doubtful this can even hit 30K sales in the West since PS3 software sales are all but dead and Vita...well, it's Vita. July/August would have been much, much better dates for the game :(.

It's really too bad that a PS4 and PC ports are not going to happen since judging by Trails performance on Steam and PS4 general software performance and hunger for RPGs it could have done pretty well on those platforms.
 

Shizuka

Member
I am really afraid that this is going to tank hard in the West. I was reading through the Fall/Winter games thread and number of high profile games is huge. Heck, that even includes RPGs with Fallout 4, Tales of Z, Sword Art Online games and possibly Persona 5.

So Trails is coming smack in the beginning of November with everything else happening at that time and it's coming to Vita and PS3. Man, that's a death toll in the West. It's going to be even worse for the sequel.

I am sure hard core fans will buy it (myself included, probably will double dip), but I am doubtful this can even hit 30K sales in the West since PS3 software sales are all but dead and Vita...well, it's Vita. July/August would have been much, much better dates for the game :(.

It's really too bad that a PS4 and PC ports are not going to happen since judging by Trails performance on Steam and PS4 general software performance and hunger for RPGs it could have done pretty well on those platforms.

That just means the Vita crowd might make up for it. What other epic JRPG is releasing for the Vita at the end of the year?
 
Yeah, it's interesting reading first impressions from folks who are are going to get to experience it soon, lol

The other Trails games are pretty anime though. It's just a different set of tropes and accompanying aesthetic. The school setting is seen pretty often so a lot people are more sensitive to it when they see it. Somewhat understandable but Falcom is definitely the developer to keep that initial reaction in check.

I will admit, that those first impressions back in 2012 from the art went over bad with me (toast in the mouth! just goddamn), but further Falcom play and assuring feedback from those like yourself put me at ease.

Tomboy, definitely. I would not classify her as tsundere at all though. That's a first for me.

I'm almost assured that comes from people who put characters in specific 'boxes' whether they spill out or not. Although, alot of lesser anime has developed a bigger habit of specifically enforcing that perspective...
 

Shouta

Member
So is the general consensus that this game (and its sequels) holds up pretty well against the Trails in the Sky series?

Yes. I like Sen I and II more than I do Trails in the Sky, personally. However, I might be the odd duck as Skies are my least favorite in the series. They're great games but I didn't enjoy them as much as I did the Sen/Cold Steel games.
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
I loved what little I played of the game at E3. It just hit all the right notes for me -- visually appealing, great music (well, from what I could hear), combat seems interesting.

I'm really excited for this one.
 
With four party members on screen and the ridiculous amount of crafts everyone has at their disposal I am seriously worried that this game will provide no challenge,

I played the demo as well (just briefly since I had to run back to my own booth) and I'm guessing that they seriously beefed up your party for demo purposes compared to what you'd have in the actual game. Many of the abilities looked & acted like late game ultimate moves more than the kind of thing you'd have at the beginning of a game.
 
Oddly enough, as hyped as I am over several of the E3 announcements, I am still most hyped for this game, if only because I will be able to potentially play it this year. I am still holding out hope for an LE though.

I am not worried at all about the setting or the tropes. Until they give me a reason to doubt them, I trust Falcom (and XSEED to a lesser degree) to do a Marvelous job at developing the characters and building the world. What little I have heard of the soundtrack sounds great, so I am stoked.

At first, I was a little nervous at playing them out of order because of potential spoilers and what not. But then I remembered that most spoilers are only spoilers if you know they are in fact spoilers. For instance, for those that have read Ender's Game
The trailer for the movie spoiled the big twist in the book,
but if you didn't know about it, you were blissfully unaware that anything had been spoiled. Though some spoilers are more like Harry Potter book 6
Where Snape kills Dumbledore
, though even that one, without the context from book 7, is only semi-spoilerish.

Either way, by the time we would potentially get the Crossbell Arc in 2019-2020 or beyond, I will have likely forgotten many of the details, so even if something was spoiled; I can have a fresh perspective.
 

Negator

Member
Do I need to play trails in the sky to understand the story here?

From what was said, it's not necessary. You will miss nods from the other games but it's possible to play them out of order.

Should you play Trails in the Sky? Absolutely yes why aren't you playing it right now oh my god.
 

bomblord1

Banned
From what was said, it's not necessary. You will miss nods from the other games but it's possible to play them out of order.

Should you play Trails in the Sky? Absolutely yes why aren't you playing it right now oh my god.

Own it on my PSTV but it's basically unplayable it looks awful blown up to a 42" TV
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
From what was said, it's not necessary. You will miss nods from the other games but it's possible to play them out of order.

Should you play Trails in the Sky? Absolutely yes why aren't you playing it right now oh my god.

It seems like it is a bit more complicated than that, you can supposedly play the story arcs out of order (FC/SC, Zero/Ao, CS 1/2, not sure where 3rd falls). Some people are adamant that playing the arcs out of order weakens the overall experience though.
 

kurahador

Member
It seems like it is a bit more complicated than that, you can supposedly play the story arcs out of order (FC/SC, Zero/Ao, CS 1/2, not sure where 3rd falls). Some people are adamant that playing the arcs out of order weakens the overall experience though.

I've heard that by playing Cold Steel before Zero/Ao, you'll missed out on the
villain's motivation
.
 
I've heard that by playing Cold Steel before Zero/Ao, you'll missed out on the
villain's motivation
.


I am at the intermission chapter in Ao but I am guessing it's something to do with what happened in chapter 2? Just a y/n will do lol. Game is great, not sure how I stopped playing it for a while but real life take priority lol

Edit

Actually I really hope Xseed localised 3rd before Zero and Ao, the sense of holy shit what is going to happen!? And some of its story threads continuing, solved and being elaborated on during Zero and Ao is great. You will also miss out the one of the most badass priest and nun playable characters in video games.
 

Mr.Jeff

Member
Still slated for "Summer" at the moment but it's going through QA right now. I'd imagine they're not wanting to state a date until they're 100% sure it's all done and dusted.

If I recall correctly, I think it was said because it's getting a "PSP" release, there's no opportunity to release a patch if something needs fixing.
 
They probably don't want to launch it full of problems like the PC version of SC did. And that was dated really soon before release too.
 
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