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[Chaos17]

I'm playing Trail of Cold Steel, I like the world building and the effort in writing something that I liked in Trail of the sky but disliked a lot the battle.

Yet, Trail of Cold steel do make me want play Trail in the Sky because their stories connect. By that I mean, both stories take part of the same world but different countries so if some technology advance is made or some political stuff or etc, it will be quoted from time to time in Cold Steel.

Also, it's interesting to see the cultural references between both countries. In Cold Steel, teenagers go to military school while in Trail in the Sky they join instead a mercenary/militia guild, the Bracer. That's the first example I noticed, there're probably more but I won't know since I didn't play much Trail in the Sky.

Anyway, I can say that I'm happy with the battle system in Cold Steel, it's a total revamp/remake/improuvement.

"But aren't those heroes anime cliché tropes ?!"
Clichés are everywhere in any mediums (western included) and aren't always bad, they're bad when the writers aren't capable of developping the characters well by changing them through the story. In Cold Steel, my hero has already gone through 1 argument and he made up with the other party. Not everyone was his friend at first and he doesn't want to be the friend of everyone (it's not a priority). Yet, you can see that people come to like him because he is dependable (both intellectual and physicaly).

So yeah, I can say that in my 11 hours of playing, I wasn't annoyed by the writing and progression in Cold Steel for the moment while I could never liked FF13 at all even after trying 3 times to play it.

 

[kromeo]

Just started Magna Carta 2, although technically it's a KRPG rather than a JRPG.

Very generic story opening (main character has amnesia) but seems well made, looks nice and runs very smoothly.

There's an extremely annoying character you get about 5 hours in, just to warn you

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

I started Trails in the Sky FC a few weeks ago, and played through the prologue and a bit of first chapter. Was surprised with how the NPC dialogue changes after every event, and how much the NPCs talk. But overall, I found the beginning boring, and the combat system was extremely mind numbing. I might give the game another go next year, but for now, I've dropped it.

Started FFX-2 HD two days ago, and I've wasted both days just on the monster arena lol. It's a great meta-game. I'll start the rest of the game once I get the monsters to level 99 and get as far in the arena as possible.

I don't understand all the hype the Legend of Heroes games get. I haven't played them myself but I'm very wary:

-Characters/world look ultra generic.
-Game seems to be overstuffed with dialogue
-Said dialogue/story/characters seem to be anime trope after anime trope, cliche after cliche
-Long and grindy and paced to match

These are my outside observations, but as someone who finds generic anime archetypes and cliches to be abhorrent I'd love to read an argument that convinces me that the series is worth my time. The praise that the battle system gets has me intrigued.

I like weird, creative or goofy stuff and challenging battle systems. Not a fan of overabundant talking heads/enemy encounters. Definitely not a fan of melodrama unless it's so over the top that it borders on satire.

Read this.

Listen to this.

Look at this:

 

[Cornbread78]

Trails of Cold Steel 2
Yup, will be at this one for awhile on my Vita.


I've actually also gone back and have been playing Tales of Xillia II on my PS3:

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

~12 hours in Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE and ~3 hours in The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Read this.

Listen to this.

Look at this:

So there are 3 untranslated games between the western releases of Trails in the Sky and Cold Steel. Must suck to be a fan.

If there's missing games and Cold Steel is its own trilogy, why do people say playing Sky is so important? Seems like you are still missing out AND Sky's final chapter is M.I.A.

 

[Trumpets]

There's an extremely annoying character you get about 5 hours in, just to warn you

I've played enough of these things over the years to expect an annoying character or two. I'd almost be disappointed if one didn't turn up!

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

So there are 3 untranslated games between the western releases of Trails in the Sky and Cold Steel. Must suck to be a fan.

If there's missing games and Cold Steel is its own trilogy, why do people say playing Sky is so important? Seems like you are still missing out AND Sky's final chapter is M.I.A.

The 3rd is coming earlyish next year!

The 6th and 7th had to come out over the last year as the CEO of Falcom realized that the clock was ticking on the Vita and especially on the PS3, and the 4th & 5th games either don't have a PC/Vita/PS3 port or they're tied down with rights issues and godawful DRM.

Also the first three games take place 2 years before Cold Steel starts and since this series has a mass of plot, characterization, and cause & effect going on, you miss more than say (I hear) we miss out on skipping 4 & 5.

Plus Estelle and Joshua are god tier protags and battle couple. Marvelously executed. Just marvelous.

 

[HotHamBoy]

The 3rd is coming earlyish next year!

The 6th and 7th had to come out over the last year as the CEO of Falcom realized that the clock was ticking on the Vita and especially on the PS3, and the 4th & 5th games either don't have a PC/Vita/PS3 port or they're tied down with rights issues and godawful DRM.

Also the first three games take place 2 years before Cold Steel starts and since this series has a mass of plot, characterization, and cause & effect going on, you miss more than say (I hear) we miss out on skipping 4 & 5.

Plus Estelle and Joshua are god tier protags and battle couple. Marvelously executed. Just marvelous.

Apparently the PSP version isn't coming over, just PC. English on PC is better than nothing but that still sucks if you like playing this series on handheld.

Maybe some fans can take the PC translation and use it as a base for a PSP patch.

 

[Wazzy]

I'm currently playing Persona 2 Innocent Sin after recently finishing SMT IV and Final Fantasy Explorers. I love the characters so far and the music is great.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Went back to Final Fantasy XII. I was trying to wait until The Zodiac Age came out but I couldn't help myself. I figure the Zodiac Job System and speed up feature will keep Zodiac Age fresh for me. FFXII also isn't very difficult for me to blaze through. The story, especially the cutscenes, hold up remarkably well.

Thinking about doing a Persona series replay after I'm done with FFXII. We'll see.

 

[wtd2009]

Picked up where I left off in Lufia II, about halfway through. Determined to finally finish this game.

 

[Zyrox]

Caved and bought Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the first Sin in the recent psn sale finally after eyeing it for a long time.
Playing a sorcery build now since I've never done that in DS2. 60fps is glorious in a Souls game. Also the new enemy placement certainly makes things refreshing for those eho have already played through the game. I'm now in Lost Bastille and the

Spoiler

Pursuer

there in the beginning caught me off guard lol

 

[Hyperactivity]

I don't understand all the hype the Legend of Heroes games get. I haven't played them myself but I'm very wary:

-Characters/world look ultra generic.
-Game seems to be overstuffed with dialogue
-Said dialogue/story/characters seem to be anime trope after anime trope, cliche after cliche
-Long and grindy and paced to match

These are my outside observations, but as someone who finds generic anime archetypes and cliches to be abhorrent I'd love to read an argument that convinces me that the series is worth my time. The praise that the battle system gets has me intrigued.

I like weird, creative or goofy stuff and challenging battle systems. Not a fan of overabundant talking heads/enemy encounters. Definitely not a fan of melodrama unless it's so over the top that it borders on satire.

Haven't played it, but I just learned about the series from this video, and I suddenly really want to try these games out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaN2G-AEd9Q

 

[Labadal]

After a three year hiatus, I went back to Ni No Kuni. Fought several monster battles without any issues, then fought a boss. The "AI" was brain dead" so I switched to easy and I'm not going back. Despite the battle system, I am having a great time with almost everything to do with the game. Another problem this game suffers from is grinding. I was going to max out all monsters and stuff, but it looks that I might lack the patience to do everything. I have a feeling that I will be spending 100 hours or more on this.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Decided to start Trails in the Sky.

Woof, that banter... After twenty minutes of that I'm thinking maybe nevermind.

Would it be fair to say this series is like the video game equivalent of all those YA novel series that turn into movie franchises?

 

[Necrovex]

Decided to start Trails in the Sky.

Woof, that banter... After twenty minutes of that I'm thinking maybe nevermind.

Would it be fair to say this series is like the video game equivalent of all those YA novel series that turn into movie franchises?

Makes me think of Blazblue. I have a soft spot for that mediocre angsty writing.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

Decided to start Trails in the Sky.

Woof, that banter... After twenty minutes of that I'm thinking maybe nevermind.

Would it be fair to say this series is like the video game equivalent of all those YA novel series that turn into movie franchises?

I don't know how to interpret this weird comparison other than "both are things I don't like and feel comfortable to vaguely dismiss."

 

[DC1]

The Guided Fate Paradox:

I never has to engage in multiple 're-do-overs' on one game in my life.

Thank you PSNOW's 5 minute inactivity auto shutoff feature! 😠

 

[DNAbro]

In the middle of TMS:#FE. Honestly it might be one of my favorite turn based battle systems. Chaining sessions together feels so good. Characters are entertaining and the story is pretty great too. I didn't think I would like the J-pop/Idol music but it's actually pretty good. Some of the boss battle themes are also fantastic.

Not done with it yet but it is looking like it might be my current GOTY over games like Overwatch, Uncharted 4, Fire Emblem Fates, and Ratchet and Clank.

 

[djtiesto]

Been playing through FF Legend 3 and started playing Adventures of Mana (the Seiken Densetsu 1/Final Fantasy Adventure remake for Vita and phones).

In FFL3 I'm out hunting crew members for my airship/time machine, the battles have been getting a bit easier now that I have spells that can damage all enemies at once... this is a game that likes to burden you with large enemy groups. The scenario is still not as interesting as the other FFL games but it's not too bad if you're into oldskool RPGs. You get flushed with cash and there's a lot of shit to buy, but the interface for equipping items is awful. You can't tell what goes in each of your equipment slots (and there are ones for sword/shield/helm/armor/gloves/shoes/accessories), when you try to equip something you have to scroll through your item list to find the item you want to equip, scrolling through that list is really slow too. I'm one of those guys who usually just uses the "Optimum" when I play RPGs, inventory management was never one of my favorite parts of the genre, so in this game I dread getting to a new town and having to re-equip all my charas.

Apparently there's a DS remake, that has an English translation, but in reading about it it doesn't seem like it'd be very fun - they add a bunch of grindy filler quests, and have that ugly-ass chibi style that all of SE's DS games seem to use (the original FFL3 has some extremely gorgeous sprite art as far as Game Boy goes).

Adventures of Mana is cool, tons of nostalgia there, but the enemies seem to take too long to die (like, you'll kill them but it's a few seconds before they disappear, so you don't know if they are actually dead yet!). I just made it to Wendel and the girl got kidnapped, I can't progress because I forgot to buy the axe to cut down some trees standing in my way so I have to do some backtracking. Anyways, my enjoyment of the game increased tenfold when I realized you can listen to the original Game Boy chiptune soundtrack instead of the orchestral remixed one.

 

[Alric]

Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans

Also just re-started Trails of Cold Steel. On Ch.5 hoping to beat the game so I can start on II before next year hopefully.

 

[pbayne]

Finished up Suikoden 2. Simply wonderful game from start to finish.
Hardest thing to do in Suikoden games is choose your party since there are always 15-20 i think are cool and want to use.

In the end i went with Riou, Camus, Sierra, Nanami, Ellie, Rina-aka Team suave.

And now since an unworthy European i guess ill just be tidlying my thumbs for two months waiting for cold steel 2.

 

[AVolver00]

Chrono Trigger, unfortunately the PSX version. Load times are overall bearable though.
Big fan of warping between timelines and goddamn the enemy designs are on point!

 

[HotHamBoy]

I don't know how to interpret this weird comparison other than "both are things I don't like and feel comfortable to vaguely dismiss."

No, I just mean there's all these young adult books about teens fighting against governments,. Hunger Games, Divergent, etc.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

No, I just mean there's all these young adult books about teens fighting against governments,. Hunger Games, Divergent, etc.

There's also tons of YA literature that's not about those things? And that has no bearing on the quality of the work. Sure there are bad novels with that premise, there are also great ones with that premise. Same with JRPGs...and Trails is a great JRPG. I mean if you don't like it, that's your prerogative and you are totally entitled to your opinion. You just seem to be very dismissive of both forms of media in your comparison.

 

[HotHamBoy]

There's also tons of YA literature that's not about those things? And that has no bearing on the quality of the work. Sure there are bad novels with that premise, there are also great ones with that premise. Same with JRPGs...and Trails is a great JRPG. I mean if you don't like it, that's your prerogative and you are totally entitled to your opinion. You just seem to be very dismissive of both forms of media in your comparison.

You are extrapolating a whole lot from what I said... I'm not dismissing YA novels, I was specifically referring to a certain subset of YA novel serials that have been turned into film franchises recently. Those series have big followings that are very devoted but they aren't appealing to everyone. They also share a lot of themes and tropes.

I wasn't criticising them, either. You seem very defensive.

 

[Taruranto]

Alright so BoF2, I need to

Spoiler

enter into the tree mind

, so they send me to Melodia to get a magical instrument, but I can't talk to the people there without a magical music instrument, so they send me Highfort for a long-ass section that includes a solo dungeon for a character, then I go to Melodia and but the Queen turned fat so I need to find a mage that will turn her slim or she'll die, I find the mage on an island, I bring him to Melodia, he send me to his island again, where his servant makes me climb a mountain to get a mushroom.... (a specific one, so if you bring the wrong mushroom you'll have to climb the whole mountain again)

This questline is BULLSHIT

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Star Ocean 2 (PSX original!) Playing as Claude (which means no Dias... :/ )

This game is just a plain old good game. Nostalgia has nothing to do with it. Love the atypical sci-fi story and grounded main character. I kind of wanted to get Opera/Ernest for this run, but Ashton and his glorious VA are hard to pass up.

IIIII~ DID IT

 

[Fou-Lu]

Still playing Shadow Hearts 2, but going to start Baten Kaitos again afterwards. It's been years since I play Baten Kaitos and I have a question, do the photos you can take actually matter in any way?

 

[PrinnyBomb]

Im about 20 hours into Trails in the Sky SC, after finishing FC about two years ago. Loving it, sofar it seems like the perfect sequel.

I can understand the Trails series isnt for everyone, but its a really slow burn, a really charming slow burn that can really draw you in to its world and characters if you give it the chance.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

You are extrapolating a whole lot from what I said... I'm not dismissing YA novels, I was specifically referring to a certain subset of YA novel serials that have been turned into film franchises recently. Those series have big followings that are very devoted but they aren't appealing to everyone. They also share a lot of themes and tropes.

I wasn't criticising them, either. You seem very defensive.

Not defensive, just suggesting you not dismiss something without trying it first. Trails has a lot of acclaim for a reason. You might like it, you might not, but being so dismissive about it doesn't get you anywhere.

 

[jonno394]

Tales of Zestiria - Looks and runs great on my PC. Already put 4 hours in to this, i'm hooked. The main character and his bro are likeable, and the two female characters introduced so far are pretty good too.

Combat is a manic button mash fest, need to get better at this!

 

[HotHamBoy]

Not defensive, just suggesting you not dismiss something without trying it first. Trails has a lot of acclaim for a reason. You might like it, you might not, but being so dismissive about it doesn't get you anywhere.

...but i did try it.

That video above convinced me to keep with it for a bit lnger.

 

[Glitter and Gold]

So there are 3 untranslated games between the western releases of Trails in the Sky and Cold Steel. Must suck to be a fan.

We've gotten 3 of them in less than 2 years. One more on the way due the first half of next year and a new Japanese game in the second half, which we now are confident will be localized.

It's a pretty great time to be a fan of the series. 2011-2015 was a bad time

The Crossbell gap is not likely to be filled any time soon, but honestly I think there's way too much on the plates of english speaking fans to really complain about that.

Would it be fair to say this series is like the video game equivalent of all those YA novel series that turn into movie franchises?

Not really. No.

 

[Lynx_7]

I believe the FF II for android is comparable to the PSP version. I would recommend it in a heartbeat over PS1 because it lessens the amount of points needed to level up weapon and magic profficiency.

Thanks for the input, I'll probably go with the Android release after all. Portability helps a lot in pushing me to actually progress in these kinds of games since I get to play them on the bus and stuff.

_____

Final Fantasy V beaten. I still have some unfinished business with Omega and Shinryu, not to mention getting the Mime class and going through the bonus dungeon (which I'll probably skip if its too grindy), but I'll do those later. Best designed FF mainline title by a considerable margin even if it does suffer the same problem these kinds of games with a lot of customization tend to have, which is you getting really overpowered by the end of the playthrough. Time Mages are insane! Still, great gameplay and challenge felt just right (I could go for more difficulty but still satisfied with what I got). The plot is simple but it doesn't take itself too seriously which is a nice change of pace, characters are pretty charming and there are some legitimately memorable scenes here that would rank among my favorites of the franchise. Overall, one of the most underrated FF entries and I'd put it above IV and right up there with the best FFs.


Also, can someone recommend me any legitimately challenging turn based rpgs? Doesn't have to be limited to just JRPGs, though entries in the genre are obviously appreciated.
Something close to hard mode Nocturne or the Etrian Odyssey games for traditional jrpgs, and something akin to Hard/Lunatic mode in Fire Emblem: Conquest for tactical games.

 

[Taruranto]

Thanks for the input, I'll probably go with the Android release after all. Portability helps a lot in pushing me to actually progress in these kinds of games since I get to play them on the bus and stuff.

_____

Final Fantasy V beaten. I still have some unfinished business with Omega and Shinryu, not to mention getting the Mime class and going through the bonus dungeon (which I'll probably skip if its too grindy), but I'll do those later. Best designed FF mainline title by a considerable margin even if it does suffer the same problem these kinds of games with a lot of customization tend to have, which is you getting really overpowered by the end of the playthrough. Time Mages are insane! Still, great gameplay and challenge felt just right (I could go for more difficulty but still satisfied with what I got). The plot is simple but it doesn't take itself too seriously which is a nice change of pace, characters are pretty charming and there are some legitimately memorable scenes here that would rank among my favorites of the franchise. Overall, one of the most underrated FF entries and I'd put it above IV and right up there with the best FFs.


Also, can someone recommend me any legitimately challenging turn based rpgs? Doesn't have to be limited to just JRPGs, though entries in the genre are obviously appreciated.
Something close to hard mode Nocturne or the Etrian Odyssey games for traditional jrpgs, and something akin to Hard/Lunatic mode in Fire Emblem: Conquest for tactical games.

Hmm, you could try Bravely Default on hard mode if you really liked FFV, since the Job System the game uses it's an evolution of the FFV one.

 

[Labadal]

What I am doing in Ni No Kuni

 

[B4s5C]

Evilore is scum. This forum should burn.

Its time to Reset this new Era.

 

[natethegreat409]

Playing through FF6 mobile for first time. About to enter the WoR from what I know of the game.

 

[afternoon delight]

I feel comfortable stating that Earthbound (Mother 2) is perfect, flawless, 11/10, etc.

 

[Sinoox]

Thanks to PS Now I'm playing Ninokuni and Eternal Sonata; they're fucking amazing games.

 

[Lothar]

I feel comfortable stating that Earthbound (Mother 2) is perfect, flawless, 11/10, etc.

Agreed. Only Chrono Trigger comes close to being perfect but even that could have been more challenging. Earthbound has no flaws.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Agreed. Only Chrono Trigger comes close to being perfect but even that could have been more challenging. Earthbound has no flaws.

The dungeons can be brutal without save states. I feel like Mother 3 is a big improvement on the battle system, inventory managemeant and save points.

Both games are works of art.

 

[Lynx_7]

Hmm, you could try Bravely Default on hard mode if you really liked FFV, since the Job System the game uses it's an evolution of the FFV one.

I was playing through that one earlier this year actually but stopped when Fire Emblem Fates came out, I should probably go back to it. Hope the second half isn't as bad as most people claim.

How are Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Cyber Sleuth in the highest difficulty settings?

 

[carda114]

Previously I posted about how bad I was at starting and stopping on multiple games. Well, that hasn't changed very much. HOWEVER, I'm almost finished with Final Fantasy XII IJZS, and it'll be the first time I've completed any version of FFXII. So I feel legit proud after taking so long (first played this years and years ago).

Once I'm done, I may simply wait until SMT IV Apocalypse releases before committing any more time to JRPGs.

 

[lupinko]

I'm playing Dark Souls 2 SotfS right now, I'm utterly spellbounded by it.

 

[Korigama]

Trails of Cold Steel II, having taken the time to get the Platinum for the first one before starting. Very much enjoying seeing the old cast members return as I go along, as well as comparing the combat and animation changes.

 

[ys45]

Decided to start I am Setsuna yesterday until Dragon Quest VII .
I heard the game was not very long so I should have time to beat it before DQVII comes out .

The game is quite fun actually, of course, I was not expecting it to surpass Chrono Trigger (nothing will ever do that unless I erase my memory of it) .

I must have played a good 4-5 hour yesterday I'm right after

Spoiler

the second reaper battle on the airship

 

[afternoon delight]

The dungeons can be brutal without save states. I feel like Mother 3 is a big improvement on the battle system, inventory managemeant and save points.

Both games are works of art.

I feel like you're not really faulted for death though and as such, push yourself as far as you can go each time til you're appropriately stomping monsters.

Inventory, yeah, not the most fun without a mobile phone-like device. But it has a dream prince named Poo!