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Post by Anon Mous on May 11, 2009 0:48:02 GMT -5
Okay, so I am sure we all remember when they came out with a little Gamestop exclusive, video game crossover called Chaos Wars. This was the strat RPG where (I believe it was) the developer's president's kids did the voice acting. It . . . was . . . bad.
Then there was that Namco X Capcom that Lark was talking about in the Super Robot Taisen thread (Oh, and SRT).
It seems the crossovers are set to continue. The difference . . . this one might be quite good. Cross Edge exclusively on PS3 will feature characters from Disgaea (yes prinnies), Darkstalkers (how cool is that?), Ar Tonelico (this game rocks), Atelier (not just Atelier Iris so it seems), Spectral Forces (so not every one is a major winner), and more.
We just got marketing in for it and I almost reserved it right there. The gameplay actually looks solid, the graphics look colorful and right, If they can have a good story and correct voice acting, we may just have a good Jrpg on the PS3.
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Post by Roas on May 11, 2009 1:35:12 GMT -5
I've been watching this one. If it actually had series I was interested in, I'd probably be excited...but I'm just not into any of those games.
Plus after playing the last game they put out, Soul Nomad, I don't really like how those games are played, you know with the uber levels and crazy damage. I kinda lose all connection.
I'm sure it'll be fun, but it's not calling to me.
Sadly nothing calls to me these days. The Suikoden DS game was not Suikoden...so I ended up returning it since after 30 hours I was not developing any attatchment to any characters. That and the story was bleh.
Right now I'm replaying FF X for the first time in 7 years, and I'm having fun. Good characters, good story, and the best mini game ever in Blitzball.
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Post by Ambrienne on May 11, 2009 15:56:13 GMT -5
Well, I did reserve Cross Edge, so... If you think you can wait safely a day or two after it comes out, I'll be sure to tell you what I think so that you can spare yourself, if necessary, Anon. You probably wouldn't think so little of the Spectral series if you'd first seen it the way I did (not that I like any of the ones they brought over here except the first of the two Gen Chaos games). I saw the opening for the first game, Spectral Force a long, long time ago. The piece to it's a real beautiful one. Think Hiro's (not Hillo, curse them all) battle theme, only done in a soft female vocal instead of distortion guitars. Though, ah, I must admit for the longest time that I thought Hiro was a guy because of that opening.  Probably that's one series that suffered from having too many off shoots. There were about 3 or 4 games under the original flagship Spectral Force (this was more like classical strategy a la Shining Force or an early Growlanser), the GoC offshoots, and I think there was another offshoot set as well under the Souls banner (a few characters in CW were from one of those, Blazing Souls). By the way, if you didn't buy it already, don't play Dark Spire. Don't do it, I say! ...If you must know, the music drove me insane and I gave up and turned in the game when I came upon the ridiculosity on the 4th floor known as the circus tent. After the pirate ship in the middle of the sewer level (this is a tower and we're starting above ground, so what's up with that?), that was the last straw that destroyed any hope I had that there was logic to the plot or integrity of the 'dungeon'. And Roas, the last major game that NIS put out from their own camp and not on behalf of another group (if you don't count the Prinny action game which appears to be outside the 'good ending' timeline), was actually Disgaea 3. That game is worth it... or at least I thought so. But then, I liked Soul Nomad and hated FFX (except for the music) and blitzball. To each their own, I guess.  |
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Post by Ambrienne on May 27, 2009 22:47:08 GMT -5
So, I picked up Cross Edge. And... Well... Er... It maybe just be off to a bad/lame start. I hope.  The VAs I've heard up 'til now (I managed to force myself to choose English instead of Japanese) are a mixed bag. Not the worst I've heard, but I'm not very thrilled with what I'm hearing, either. And I have yet to hear a single music piece that's on a par with the stuff I've come to love from Nippon Ichi originals or from Gust works. Game mechanics-wise, it's feeling a little clunky for me. Like the battles are an attempt to copy the Ar Tonelico/Mana Khemia structure and aren't quite making it. Battle flow is not as smooth as it could (and should) be. Story-wise, I'm really hoping it's a slow starter. We have no explanation for why the hero just happens to have a gun on him and why the heroine is not surprised by this. (They don't look like they come from a world where people whip weapons out of nowhere just for kicks.) The person that kind of bullies them into helping 'save' souls has one of the worst explanations ever for how many worlds there are, why they're connected, blah, blah. And... get ready for this... everyone has apparently been visited by the amnesia fairy! (Okay, so the fairy part is exaggeration, but you get the point.) Characters from the same game world have trouble even recognizing each other. I am not even chuckling about it; it's just plain sad. I'm going to give it a little more time tomorrow, but if it doesn't improve soon, I'm going back to playing my imports. |
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Post by Anon Mous on May 31, 2009 21:24:00 GMT -5
So, I picked up Cross Edge. And... Well... Er... It maybe just be off to a bad/lame start. I hope. See this is where I kind of have to disagree. I'll admit that the starting was a bit weak, but bad/lame . . . I see them trying to take a little different approach to the alternate universes thought pattern. The VAs I've heard up 'til now (I managed to force myself to choose English instead of Japanese) are a mixed bag. Not the worst I've heard, but I'm not very thrilled with what I'm hearing, either. That one I'll give you. Though the only ones that don't seem to fit to well for me are the two main characters. And I have yet to hear a single music piece that's on a par with the stuff I've come to love from Nippon Ichi originals or from Gust works. Soundtracks are nice, but most of the time for me . . . well let me put it this way. Music is like condiments. Sure they make food taste better, but is it really make or break if you don't have it. Granted their are always exceptions (Lunar), but while the NIS label is on this one, it was ultimately the project of Idea Factory. Game mechanics-wise, it's feeling a little clunky for me. Like the battles are an attempt to copy the Ar Tonelico/Mana Khemia structure and aren't quite making it. Battle flow is not as smooth as it could (and should) be. Wow. I do not see this at all. It's amazing how two people can play the same game and come out of it with completely different outlooks on it. If I had to compare it to any games I would say Suikoden's frontline/backline system mixed with the mini strat style of Wild Arms 4&5, with a dash of BoF4's skill combining. As far as the flow of battle goes, I'm not sure what you mean by unsmooth. There is a learning curve where the player has to get used to when to use skills, who to attack with and who should conserve, and in that respect the game can seem like it goes a bit more rough than it could, but once you get the hang of it and how characters play, it becomes much easier. Story-wise, I'm really hoping it's a slow starter. We have no explanation for why the hero just happens to have a gun on him and why the heroine is not surprised by this. (They don't look like they come from a world where people whip weapons out of nowhere just for kicks.) The person that kind of bullies them into helping 'save' souls has one of the worst explanations ever for how many worlds there are, why they're connected, blah, blah. And... get ready for this... everyone has apparently been visited by the amnesia fairy! (Okay, so the fairy part is exaggeration, but you get the point.) Characters from the same game world have trouble even recognizing each other. I am not even chuckling about it; it's just plain sad. Yes, the girl's explaination is terrible. She is also hiding something. I got that right off the bat. That becomes easier to tell later on. As far as the amnesia thing goes, I have a theory. Souls are being transported to this world. A soul is the essence of one's being. My theory is that even these "people" are really just the essence of people. In other words they are not really there either. They wouldn't necessarily have full on memories because they are just the essence, they would, however, have a familiarity with those that they are close to. As far as the weapons go. The first weapons you have are a Sports Pistol (something used in Track and Field, Football, and a few other sports), and a Wooden Ningata. Considering they were walking home from school they could have had these from a extracirricular activity. Then again if they are the essences as I theorize, the weapons could just be manifestations of their personalities. They do fit he characters. Come on Amby, you're just not thinking fourth dimensionally (  grauitous BTTF reference). I'm going to give it a little more time tomorrow, but if it doesn't improve soon, I'm going back to playing my imports. Don't count it out yet. I just got Felicia in my party while chasing after Etna and Prinny. Granted maybe I am just thrilled to have a light hearted J-RPG where even the lower end bad guys can give you a run for your money, but I am having a good time. |
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Post by Ambrienne on May 31, 2009 22:57:39 GMT -5
I knew that the girl was hiding things right away, too. But then, so was that person in Chaos Wars. I still don't like it. It seems like they're using it as an excuse to rehash old story elements from the games the characters are drawn from like they're new revelations. And, if what I suspect is true, they're going to use it to mirror the same old betrayals in at least one case. And yeah, those comments about the battle system I gave were before I got used to it. If you know a way to force it to end the battle turn directly instead of waiting for that battle meter countdown, though, I'd like to hear it. However... it gets pretty boring dealing with the battles over and over when you have to keep going back all over the different world maps checking for new souls that may have appeared. There are only so many renditions of the Vanishing Trick/Shadow Stepping thing and Scarlet Cactus that I'm willing to go through without going crackers (I'm using Ayatane, York, and Aurica to get that combo, if you're wondering.). And yet, you can't just ignore all those battles. The event enemies will quickly kick your tail, if you do. They even do that same 'forcing you to use character x and y in a boss battle' like they did in CW. Only it's extra evil, because you can only have (of course) 4 characters in play at the same time, and residual exp/item synthesis is not enough to make up for the stat differential. The specific x and y I'm referring two this time are the two characters you first pick up from Mana Khemia 2. I didn't ignore the girl, because I was using her as stand in for Aurica when I encountered fire monsters, but the guy was totally off my usage radar. That's currently where I've left off at, gameplay wise. A battle requiring the two of them just ended badly for me. Bleh. About whether music was a make or break for me... It is sometimes. Not completely, but if it grates on my nerves enough, it lowers my tolerance for other factors. Like frequent, repetitive battles (obvious, I know). ::coughs:: Basically, it cuts down on my willingness to play this versus the other games that are in my backlog. Especially since the other backlog games are all on handhelds and don't require me sitting in a torture device disguised as a chair. ...And no, I'm not exaggerating. Don't ask. Overall, I'll have to agree that I was a bit hasty with the comments. Lazarus' interactions with Etna and the rest of the party, for instance, are awesome. Just wait and see. ;D Unless your theory of it being only an essence tied to a persona is true, I still find the Sports Pistol to be lame. Because, you know, unless the noise scared the monsters off, there's no way you could expect to stand up to the slavering beasties. I think even a chihuahua could stand up to it (or if not that, a spaniel certainly could). But yes, they do fit the characters. Thou hast made thy point(s), and I stand corrected. ::bows:: I'm still not sure that I'm ever going to be willing to play this again once I'm finished (or even if I will finish), but I'm still going for the time being. |
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Post by Anon Mous on Jun 1, 2009 0:03:21 GMT -5
If you know a way to force it to end the battle turn directly instead of waiting for that battle meter countdown, though, I'd like to hear it.  I'm not sure I should tell you. It's one of those simple things that just makes you say, "Really?" Eh, whatever. Hit right on the left analog stick to clear the countdown meter, then down to end turn. |
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Post by Ambrienne on Jun 1, 2009 0:47:37 GMT -5
I thought you knew by now that I'm a master at missing the obvious, especially when I'm low on sleep. This has been a spectacularly bad week in that respect. |
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grauitous BTTF reference).
I'm not sure I should tell you. It's one of those simple things that just makes you say, "Really?" Eh, whatever.