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[mollipen]

I'm not sure what you mean with random battles...but just to make things clear to people who haven't played the game - there aren't any random encounters in SO3, you can avoid any enemy (at the very least theoretically) on the overworld map except for the bosses.

Well, to be clear, when I say random battles, I mean ANY sort of fight that has no connection to the storyline. While the way to get into them has thankfully changed over time (there should be no RPG in this day and age where you can't see these battles coming beforehand), they are still technically "random" battles.

Whatever you want to call them, they are a relic of the older RPG days, when they were "needed" as a technique to fake a longer game length, and should have been completely eradicated long before now.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Gah...I forgot about the atrocious VA, especially Cliffs

 

[My Arms Your Hearse]

Well, to be clear, when I say random battles, I mean ANY sort of fight that has no connection to the storyline. While the way to get into them has thankfully changed over time (there should be no RPG in this day and age where you can't see these battles coming beforehand), they are still technically "random" battles.

Whatever you want to call them, they are a relic of the older RPG days, when they were "needed" as a technique to fake a longer game length, and should have been completely eradicated long before now.

You're completely insane.

Also, go play Xenosaga, it is 95% "story" 5% fighting. You should like it.

Some of us, however, really get into the GAMEPLAY aspect.

Oh, and I'm still not seeing anything harder than 4D

Spoiler

Freya

. She takes a minimum of 30 minutes to kill (if you are a SO3 god), during which she continually spams a KILL ALL one hit move that covers half the fighting area. Frustation doesn't even begin to describe it.

We could also go into the INSANE battle trophies.

 

[Community Forum]

Well, to be clear, when I say random battles, I mean ANY sort of fight that has no connection to the storyline. While the way to get into them has thankfully changed over time (there should be no RPG in this day and age where you can't see these battles coming beforehand), they are still technically "random" battles.

Whatever you want to call them, they are a relic of the older RPG days, when they were "needed" as a technique to fake a longer game length, and should have been completely eradicated long before now.

Well to be more clear in the future, a random battle is a pretty common RPG term for just that... unavoidable combat. It is bizarre that you have a different definition of the term... how long have you been playing RPGs?

 

[dog$]

No overworld map.
No 4th character in battles.
No point in raising character levels since the items do all the work.

Three strikes, you're out.

 

[gamergirly]

You're completely insane.

Also, go play Xenosaga, it is 95% "story" 5% fighting. You should like it.

Some of us, however, really get into the GAMEPLAY aspect.

Very few people(who know anything about videogames that is) play a ROLE PLAYING GAME for the battle system

 

[MoxManiac]

Very few people(who know anything about videogames that is) play a ROLE PLAYING GAME for the battle system

I do, along with the other gameplay trappings that come with genre, and I know there's at least a couple other people on this board that do to. As i've said before, with the typical quality of JRPG narratives, I would have given up on the genre a long time ago if that was my focus.

 

[Jagwire1141]

Yea, Dog$ WTF were you thinking wanting GAME play in a game. You need to just appreciate the shitty, boring story instead of wanting to "fight".

 

[dog$]

Yeah wtf was I thinking.

I mean, hell, here I thought RPGs were about roles to play but in I guess the highest priority in them should be the story and not the actual game.

Truth be told this is the same thing I should do for movies, right?

"Man, the acting and directing is all a gigantic pile of fetid shit but oh man what a great story. Four stars."

 

[CompositeMolar]

To bad most RPGs just suck gameplay wise. The battles in alot of games are like doing the same simple puzzles over and over again. The fun is mostly in the characters development and management.

 

[Tarazet]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8261210854&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MESE:IT&rd=1

If nothing else, the box really is stunning.

 

[Mejilan]

Fuck SO3. Get Grandia III.

 

[CompositeMolar]

Fuck SO3. Get Grandia III.

Yuck, no.

 

[jj984jj]

Meh, it wasn't very good. Most of it were on those underdeveloped planets and that made the whole game boring. SO2 was better since at least the story got a bit more interesting as you progressed on the planet, but most of the time in SO3 you are doing stuff just to get off the planets. And that is about 80% of the game.

 

[Link1110]

Very few people(who know anything about videogames that is) play a ROLE PLAYING GAME for the battle system

What about the Tales series?

 

[nitewulf]

in short, "it sucks."

 

[djtiesto]

Very few people(who know anything about videogames that is) play a ROLE PLAYING GAME for the battle system

You don't know a lot of people then... if you're gonna spend 75% of your time playing a video game in battle (like most RPGs), it damn well better have good, well-balanced system...

 

[mollipen]

You're completely insane.

Also, go play Xenosaga, it is 95% "story" 5% fighting. You should like it.

Some of us, however, really get into the GAMEPLAY aspect.

See, this is a perfect example of not having a clue what somebody else was talking about.

I never said anything about not wanting gameplay in my RPGs. I love gameplay in my RPGs. I said there should no longer be non-storyline random battles. They are useless, annoying, and only exist to falsly lengthen the game.

 

[Tarazet]

See, this is a perfect example of not having a clue what somebody else was talking about.

I never said anything about not wanting gameplay in my RPGs. I love gameplay in my RPGs. I said there should no longer be non-storyline random battles. They are useless, annoying, and only exist to falsly lengthen the game.

...They also give you a flexible means to customize your party (if it's done right, anyway). Personally, I don't like the Fire Emblem style of "no wasted battles." It feels rigid.

 

[mollipen]

Well to be more clear in the future, a random battle is a pretty common RPG term for just that... unavoidable combat. It is bizarre that you have a different definition of the term... how long have you been playing RPGs?

My first RPGs were Phantasy Star and Miracle Warrios on the SMS, followed by Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, and Ultima 3 on the NES. So, pretty much since the kind of RPGs we're talking about here have existed in the States.

It the grand scheme of things, it hasn't been that long that the player has actively been able to see and avoid those kinds of battles, so old habits die hard. For anybody who has been playing RPGs for a long time, it isn't "bizarre" to continue to think of them that way.

...They also give you a flexible means to customize your party (if it's done right, anyway). Personally, I don't like the Fire Emblem style of "no wasted battles." It feels rigid.

Well, let me give you an example of a game that I though had a good idea - Chrono Cross. There were random battles (yes I'm calling them that, bitch at me if you'd like) around, but they were totally optional, and they wouldn't do you any good as far as leveling up. So, you didn't find yourself having to experience grind when getting to a particularly tough spot. Instead, there were far more "boss" battles, you got your experience from those, and a decent amout of party customization could come from that.

I've not played Fire Emblem, though, so I'm not familiar with what you disliked about it. I think if it did something wrong, that doesn't mean the idea can't work, it just needs to be worked on more. Again, I thought Chrono Cross had a good idea, but one that could of course be made much better.

 

[Tarazet]

Well, let me give you an example of a game that I though had a good idea - Chrono Cross. There were random battles (yes I'm calling them that, bitch at me if you'd like) around, but they were totally optional, and they wouldn't do you any good as far as leveling up. So, you didn't find yourself having to experience grind when getting to a particularly tough spot. Instead, there were far more "boss" battles, you got your experience from those, and a decent amout of party customization could come from that.

I've not played Fire Emblem, though, so I'm not familiar with what you disliked about it. I think if it did something wrong, that doesn't mean the idea can't work, it just needs to be worked on more. Again, I thought Chrono Cross had a good idea, but one that could of course be made much better.

Fire Emblem takes your idea much further - every battle advances the storyline. It's not until very late in the game that there are any random battles at all. I think this is a fairly commonplace thing in a lot of SRPGs, but personally, I like Final Fantasy Tactics' approach much more. If you want to just squat somewhere and level grind, then you're more than welcome to.

 

[Mudo]

I know I'm in the vast minority here, but I loved SO3. I played 1 and 2 and didn't really get into them as much, but 3 was a lot of fun...for me

Voice Acting is eh on some characters, no overworld map (doesn't hurt this game a bit), framerate issues on some boards. There are negative aspects, but the graphics are nice, the music is really good, the story is fun and engaging and the minigames are also enjoyable.

/hides