Post by skylark on May 2, 2009 22:40:07 GMT -5
I have to say that Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier is a pretty damn fun game for the DS. It may be a niche title, but it's definitely gotten positive responses from others who have played it, and they seem to be the majority. (I don't trust 'professional' reviews anymore.)
Sweeping the obvious fanservice stuff out of the way, the battle system is actually pretty fun and addicting. You have four characters on the front lines, and each of them can have up to five 'normal attack' skills set up. Any of these attacks will launch your enemy into the air. The trick is to time your next four attacks to juggle the enemy, keeping them off the ground as long as possible.
Of course, you can let the combo end there and have your next ally be able to use spells or special skills. However...
If an ally is next on the turn list, one press of the right directional button will call that ally in to continue your combo. And considering that each of the front liners can call upon two of your back row characters for support attacks, a skilled player can launch up to twenty eight attacks in a single turn, ending (if your Frontier Gauge is full) in a flashy and damaging overdrive technique. Complete with animated close-ups.
Mmmmm... Kaguya....
!!! *slaps self* Focus, Lark! Focus...
The story of Endless Frontier is refreshingly lighthearted. I'm not too far yet, so I'm sure there might be one or two 'woah...' moments later on, but aside from that it's pretty good. And frickin hilarious, as expected from Atlus. The writers knew there would be an overabundance of fanservice, and penned the script accordingly. Some of the things that come out of Aschen's mouth are comedic gold.
Anyway, the characters...
Haken Browning - A guy Zero seriously needs to sit down and have a drink and talk about women with. I think his character designer was inspired by Greg of Wild Arms 5, cause this guy is a cowboy in almost every sense of the word. He has a pretty wicked gun which would make Caesar proud.
Aschen Brodel - A female combat android, and probably the most conservatively dressed of the female dominated party... as long as she isn't in overdrive mode. She is somewhat taciturn, and pretty much of a smart ass. She fights hand-to-hand. When she goes into overdrive mode, her personality changes... a bit for the weirder.
Kaguya Nanbu - A princess in her homeworld, and the most endowed of the party, which makes her the victim of a lot of flak. Like most princesses, she's naive... to a point, anyway. She uses a very long sword in battle. *Though not nearly as big as Galadine...*
Suzuka - Another princess in Kaguya's homeworld, one of the 'Shiki-Oni'. She pretty much covers the 'mid-drift demographic', but this is a bit more understandable due to the fact she's technically a dancer. She uses her fans to manipulate a rather large combat mech in battle.
Reiji Arisu - The only other male party member in the game, and the hero of Namco X Capcom. He works as an agent to of the Japanese paranormal agency Shinra. (Not that Shinra. Put the pitchfork down, Anon.) He is a powerful character who uses a variety of weapons in battle. A man after Lark's own heart.
Xiaomu - A female Sage Fox and Reiji's partner in Shinra. She's pretty childish for her age (Over 700 years old! WTF?), but aside from Aschen, she's also a good source of humor. She uses a combo of swordplay, gunplay, and sorcery in a fight.
KOS-MOS - Probably the real reason anyone would try this game. Her personality is basically unchanged from Xenosaga III. (That's right. Ver. 4, baby! And I'll give you one guess as to what her overdrive is.) She is apparently acquainted with Reiji and Xiaomu, since she was featured in Namco X Capcom as well.
Well, that's it. I guess I'll return to this topic after I beat the game and give a final verdict. The bosses are starting to get challenging where I am, so it might be a while.
Later!
Sweeping the obvious fanservice stuff out of the way, the battle system is actually pretty fun and addicting. You have four characters on the front lines, and each of them can have up to five 'normal attack' skills set up. Any of these attacks will launch your enemy into the air. The trick is to time your next four attacks to juggle the enemy, keeping them off the ground as long as possible.
Of course, you can let the combo end there and have your next ally be able to use spells or special skills. However...
If an ally is next on the turn list, one press of the right directional button will call that ally in to continue your combo. And considering that each of the front liners can call upon two of your back row characters for support attacks, a skilled player can launch up to twenty eight attacks in a single turn, ending (if your Frontier Gauge is full) in a flashy and damaging overdrive technique. Complete with animated close-ups.
Mmmmm... Kaguya....
!!! *slaps self* Focus, Lark! Focus...The story of Endless Frontier is refreshingly lighthearted. I'm not too far yet, so I'm sure there might be one or two 'woah...' moments later on, but aside from that it's pretty good. And frickin hilarious, as expected from Atlus. The writers knew there would be an overabundance of fanservice, and penned the script accordingly. Some of the things that come out of Aschen's mouth are comedic gold.
Anyway, the characters...
Haken Browning - A guy Zero seriously needs to sit down and have a drink and talk about women with. I think his character designer was inspired by Greg of Wild Arms 5, cause this guy is a cowboy in almost every sense of the word. He has a pretty wicked gun which would make Caesar proud.
Aschen Brodel - A female combat android, and probably the most conservatively dressed of the female dominated party... as long as she isn't in overdrive mode. She is somewhat taciturn, and pretty much of a smart ass. She fights hand-to-hand. When she goes into overdrive mode, her personality changes... a bit for the weirder.
Kaguya Nanbu - A princess in her homeworld, and the most endowed of the party, which makes her the victim of a lot of flak. Like most princesses, she's naive... to a point, anyway. She uses a very long sword in battle. *Though not nearly as big as Galadine...*
Suzuka - Another princess in Kaguya's homeworld, one of the 'Shiki-Oni'. She pretty much covers the 'mid-drift demographic', but this is a bit more understandable due to the fact she's technically a dancer. She uses her fans to manipulate a rather large combat mech in battle.
Reiji Arisu - The only other male party member in the game, and the hero of Namco X Capcom. He works as an agent to of the Japanese paranormal agency Shinra. (Not that Shinra. Put the pitchfork down, Anon.) He is a powerful character who uses a variety of weapons in battle. A man after Lark's own heart.
Xiaomu - A female Sage Fox and Reiji's partner in Shinra. She's pretty childish for her age (Over 700 years old! WTF?), but aside from Aschen, she's also a good source of humor. She uses a combo of swordplay, gunplay, and sorcery in a fight.
KOS-MOS - Probably the real reason anyone would try this game. Her personality is basically unchanged from Xenosaga III. (That's right. Ver. 4, baby! And I'll give you one guess as to what her overdrive is.) She is apparently acquainted with Reiji and Xiaomu, since she was featured in Namco X Capcom as well.
Well, that's it. I guess I'll return to this topic after I beat the game and give a final verdict. The bosses are starting to get challenging where I am, so it might be a while.
Later!
