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[LiK]

For anyone playing the first time thru, an FAQ on the game mechanics is REQUIRED READING. Seriously. If you don't study up on at least how to properly train your weapons you WILL get stuck.

happened to me when it first came out. i shall read it when i play the game again.

 

[CozMick]

@ Die Squirrel Die,

Thanks for the code, appreciate it

Downloading............

 

[Amir0x]

Can we get some screenshots up in this joint? I loved VS in the day but I can't imagine it looking any good on a 50" HD display.

jaggies out the fucking ass

iirc I remember it being one of the few games that benefited in a meaningful way from the PS2 PSOne game "enhancements" lol

 

[Peff]

Considering the image and guide posted, I understand this is a difficult RPG not for the beginner?

No, it's not easy to get into because most people go in with the mindset of "just attacking with the newest weapon I find will do the trick" when you actually have to use most of the mechanics. Buffs and debuffs are really helpful, the starting weapon can remain a powerful ally and crafting ingredient throughout the game and knowing the enemy is key. Each enemy has several body parts with different (or bigger) weaknesses and different chances of avoiding your attacks. If you take everything into account it's more methodical than hard.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

Also just to remind people. This is an old style Japanese game, from before the time when they consistantly remembered that westerners like to press X to confirm and O to cancel.

I almost freaked out when I first DL'd it and it did nothing on the title screen when I pressed X.

 

[h3ro]

Like a kid in a Candy Store! My original PSOne Vagrant Story disc don't work no more!

At least you bought it. I was a young fool and didn't. It's been my Unicorn for years. Didn't want to drop $90+ that I was seeing for copies on Amazon/Ebay.

Happy to finally own this.

 

[LiK]

jaggies out the fucking ass

iirc I remember it being one of the few games that benefited in a meaningful way from the PS2 PSOne game "enhancements" lol

yea, was pretty jaggie on a CRT so i don't expect it to look better on a big screen.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

When the number one negative about a title is "It needs a quick weapon swap button.", you know you have stumbled upon one of the greatest of all time, easily Top 10, and Lord Matsuno & Co.'s finest work.

For anyone playing the first time thru, an FAQ on the game mechanics is REQUIRED READING. Seriously. If you don't study up on at least how to properly train your weapons you WILL get stuck.

It's rather logical, and nearly nothing is hidden from the player. "One goes up, one goes down" it says as you attack an enemy type. Wind <-> Earth, Fire <-> Water, Light <-> Dark...usual RPG pairing fare. "Pay attention and experiment" is stronger advise.

 

[vic2020]

It takes me like ten minutes to kill these ghosts even with a weapon that has a positive phantom rating. I wouldn't have a problem if it weren't for their constant strength debuffing. I found it frustrating and so I gave up but I should try again.

 

[Pinko Marx]

It's rather logical, and nearly nothing is hidden from the player. "One goes up, one goes down" it says as you attack an enemy type. Wind <-> Earth, Fire <-> Water, Light <-> Dark...usual RPG pairing fare. "Pay attention and experiment" is stronger advise.

Its easy to say that it logical in hindsight, but most people will go in thinking with a normal RPG mindset, whereas the mechanics of VS are pretty much completely different from anything else. So its logical, sure, but obtuse and foreign.

 

[Amir0x]

When the number one negative about a title is "It needs a quick weapon swap button.", you know you have stumbled upon one of the greatest of all time, easily Top 10, and Lord Matsuno & Co.'s finest work.



It's rather logical, and nearly nothing is hidden from the player. "One goes up, one goes down" it says as you attack an enemy type. Wind <-> Earth, Fire <-> Water, Light <-> Dark...usual RPG pairing fare. "Pay attention and experiment" is stronger advise.

if they did add a quick weapon swap though... would the game be TOO good?

 

[Captain_Spanky]

Look guys anyone telling you how complicated the game mechanics are is a liar. Aside from the rhythm based fighting, which is simple, the thing most people seem to have trouble with is the weapon crafting system.

I'm going to say this loud and big because it is so important to enjoying Vagrant Story.

THE ONLY PART OF THE WEAPON CRAFTING SYSTEM THAT YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IS WHETHER YOUR WEAPON IS BLUNT (BLT)/EDGED (EGD)/ PIERCED (PRC)

I'll say that again. When crafting weapons or using them against enemies the thing that makes the greatest difference is blunt, edged or pierced. So therefore you only need 3 weapons to get through the game. Of course you can mess about with the other properties and they will give you nice bonuses, but having one weapon for each of those classes will see you sail through. Worry about the rest later. Treat it a little like Demon's Souls and you'll be fine.

 

[Incendiary]

I've never played Vagrant Story or Xenogears, and with both on the PSN I feel like I have no excuse for not playing them now, since I've heard great things about both.

Now the question is, which one do I play first?

 

[Prince of Space]

Just finished a replay a month ago, and the game is as brilliant as it ever was. I'll say it again, if the developers simply added a weapon quick select button (R2 isn't even used!!), VS would pretty much be the best game ever. As it is, it'll have to settle for being the best PlayStation game ever.

Have fun, GAFfers playing this for the first time!

 

[Pinko Marx]

You don't necessarily need one weapon for each enemy type. You can get away with having one weapon for 2 types, as long as they aren't right next to each other.

 

[Peff]

You don't necessarily need one weapon for each enemy type. You can get away with having one weapon for 2 types, as long as they aren't right next to each other.

Type is blunt/edged/piercing, which is the most important aspect of melee damage. You mean Class, which can be safely ignored. There's also Affinity, which is fire/air/earth... but you can modify these with gems.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Type is blunt/edged/piercing, which is the most important aspect of melee damage. You mean Class, which can be safely ignored. There's also Affinity, which is fire/air/earth... but you can modify these with gems.

I meant enemy typing; Beast, Dragon, Undead, Human, etc.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

if they did add a quick weapon swap though... would the game be TOO good?

That comment of mine was about *this* close to pulling a Luke Smith, wasn't it?

Spoiler

WORTH it for VS!

Its easy to say that it logical in hindsight, but most people will go in thinking with a normal RPG mindset, whereas the mechanics of VS are pretty much completely different from anything else. So its logical, sure, but obtuse and foreign.

People just have to pay attention and experiment. If the spark of enjoyment is there, it can fuel alot of progress. That first phantom, Earth Dragon, and the end boss were wakeup calls for me, and I worked my way past them to victory by doing that. The game is probably the poster child of my "opportunities to BE clever instead of FEEL clever" mantra.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

I wish I had money.

 

[Absoludacrous]

I've never played Vagrant Story or Xenogears, and with both on the PSN I feel like I have no excuse for not playing them now, since I've heard great things about both.

Now the question is, which one do I play first?

If you've never played either, Vagrant Story holds up the best. Xenogears is good but gets held back more by being a product of its era.

 

[MikeE21286]

herewego.gif


97 MB?

 

[Peff]

I meant enemy typing; Beast, Dragon, Undead, Human, etc.

Yes, what I mean is that training that stuff is an annoying, tedious grind that'll probably sour some people on the game, when it's easy to finish it without touching a single dummy just by carrying one Piercing weapon, one Edged weapon and one Blunt weapon and upgrading them with other weapons and gems.

 

[Masaki_]

People just have to pay attention and experiment. If the spark of enjoyment is there, it can fuel alot of progress. That first phantom, Earth Dragon, and the end boss were wakeup calls for me, and I worked my way past them to victory by doing that. The game is probably the poster child of my "opportunities to BE clever instead of FEEL clever" mantra.

Definitely. What I love the most about Matsuno games, Vagrant Story in particular, is the rich game systems that reward taking the time to grasp them. Old vS players will know that feeling when you switch to the right weapon and suddenly your damage goes from 1 to 100. It's pure bliss, I tell you!

 

[The Elite]

If Sony would only let my Custom Firwared ass get online so I could buy it.

I know, I know... I could get rid of CFW.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

herewego.gif


97 MB?

There's a tiny attract mode CG sequence and no VA = tiny file size.

 

[badcrumble]

Look guys anyone telling you how complicated the game mechanics are is a liar. Aside from the rhythm based fighting, which is simple, the thing most people seem to have trouble with is the weapon crafting system.

I'm going to say this loud and big because it is so important to enjoying Vagrant Story.

THE ONLY PART OF THE WEAPON CRAFTING SYSTEM THAT YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IS WHETHER YOUR WEAPON IS BLUNT (BLT)/EDGED (EGD)/ PIERCED (PRC)

I'll say that again. When crafting weapons or using them against enemies the thing that makes the greatest difference is blunt, edged or pierced. So therefore you only need 3 weapons to get through the game. Of course you can mess about with the other properties and they will give you nice bonuses, but having one weapon for each of those classes will see you sail through. Worry about the rest later. Treat it a little like Demon's Souls and you'll be fine.

Sure blunt/edged/pierced make the biggest difference, but you also can't level them up whatsoever. It's best to pick an edge type that'll work well against a given enemy type (blunt against undead, edged against evil, piercing against phantom, piercing against dragon, edged against human, whatever against beast) and stick with the weapon-for-enemy-type thing for pretty good gains.

Sure you can try your damnedest to ignore the weapon crafting system, or you can, you know, actually have fun with the meat of the game.

Name your weapons cool imaginative shit that reminds you of which enemy type they're supposed to kill! Feel the thrill as you smith them into Hagane! Beat the living shit out of enemies with weapons that you crafted specifically to obliterate them!

 

[MoogPaul]

herewego.gif


97 MB?

transfered onto my psp it's only 95, lol.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Assless chaps!

Yoshida is clearly a fan of asses:

 

[witchedwiz]

got this one too for us psx.. and can't play on eu ps33 Q_Q

 

[graywolf323]

If Sony would only let my Custom Firwared ass get online so I could buy it.

I know, I know... I could get rid of CFW.

or you could just use MediaGo on your computer :-/

http://us.playstation.com/psn/mediago/

 

[calder]

For anyone playing the first time thru, an FAQ on the game mechanics is REQUIRED READING. Seriously. If you don't study up on at least how to properly train your weapons you WILL get stuck.

*nods*

I'll have to give this another play. I played this game twice back in the day, and both times I eventually hit a brick wall due to weapon making mistakes. You should have seen the look on my face after I irretrievably broke down my mats and made one awesome monster killing blade... only to quickly run into a human that TOOK NO FUCKING DAMAGE AT ALL from me. I'd give my reaction as equal parts horrified disbelief and incandescent rage, especially as I realized I couldn't go back to an older save as my oldest save was after the bad crafting.

Hmm, now that I think about it, my only memories of this game are a) how awesome it was, b) how I had to rage-quit due to fucking up my sword twice and c) how the looooooong loading times in general and especially at the forge made b) so painful I couldn't go back a third time.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Yes, what I mean is that training that stuff is an annoying, tedious grind that'll probably sour some people on the game, when it's easy to finish it without touching a single dummy just by carrying one Piercing weapon, one Edged weapon and one Blunt weapon and upgrading them with other weapons and gems.

I've played thru the game twice and not once have I had to sit there and whack on a dummy to train my weapons. BUT, training your weapons against monster types is mandatory in my experience. But I mean training simply as in using the right weapon against the right monster and keeping it that way, not by hitting a dummy for 2 hours, thats for min/maxers.

 

[Evolved1]

I probably don't have time for this game... :/

But as usual I'll buy it anyway.

 

[Amir0x]

I probably don't have time for this game... :/

But as usual I'll buy it anyway.

It's not a very long game really.

 

[Peff]

I've played thru the game twice and not once have I had to sit there and whack on a dummy to train my weapons. BUT, training your weapons against monster types is mandatory in my experience. But I mean training simply as in using the right weapon against the right monster and keeping it that way, not by hitting a dummy for 2 hours, thats for min/maxers.

Oh, sure, I'm just trying to drive that point home because I've seen the whole "six weapons and hit the dummies until you get the value high enough" too many times for what is basically the wrong way to play the game, heh.

 

[Zwei]

Assless chaps!

Dat chaps.

The atmosphere in Vagrant Story is simply unmatched.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

I probably don't have time for this game... :/

But as usual I'll buy it anyway.

It's only a bit longer than a standard action game actually(15 or so hours).

Man, next time Square wants to a make an ultra linear game (because exploration is hard) they need to look back and say "holy crap, we made Vagrant Story by proxy".

 

[Jigsaw]

Yoshida is clearly a fan of asses:

he should have drawn artworks for samantha and neesa too : (

 

[Pinko Marx]

It's only a bit longer than a standard action game actually(15 or so hours).

Man, next time Square wants to a make an ultra linear game (because exploration is hard) they need to look back and say "holy crap, we made Vagrant Story by proxy".

And then they look at the sales and say "AW HAIL NAW"

 

[Moobabe]

Still have my disk AND a copy from the EU store but never got round to finishing it Love the writing though

 

[MikeE21286]

ahhh, there are those good old PS1 textures I've forgotten :lol

 

[badcrumble]

he should have drawn artworks for samantha and neesa too : (

They're both in the credits!

 

[Fimbulvetr]

And then they look at the sales and say "AW HAIL NAW"

All they need is some bad character designs and an inconsistent art direction and they will be rolling in cash.

 

[Evolved1]

It's only a bit longer than a standard action game actually(15 or so hours).

Oh... then that's great news. (for me)

 

[Pinko Marx]

The box pushing puzzles add about 30 hrs to the game.

 

[keanerie]

Last week I casually mentioned how amazing this would be. It's here.

This, and Tactics Ogre?

Matsuno lives.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

They're both in the credits!

Thank you for pointing this out. I never knew:

 

[badcrumble]

Middle Ages S&M is, like, the best character design theme ever.

 

[Xena]

I miss Squaresoft so much... *sigh*

 

[keanerie]

Hours spent honing weapons. Alexander O. Smith's localization.

Riskbreakers. Dragons. Sphere Grids. I LOVE THIS GAME.