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Bibble-bibble Is that what you meant to say Issac?[Golden Sun 3 Thread of Out Now]
Xenogears of Bore
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What is this Crap?
A two part RPG released in 2001 and 2002 in Japan and 2002 and 2003 in the United States. Originally started as a late gen N64 RPG by Camelot, who had been working non stop on N64 sports games and equally excellent sports RPGs on the Game Boy Color, this excellent pair of early GBA RPGs was once imagined as one game, but they found it was too long to do properly in one go. First game deals with Issac and his party trying to stop a pair of really pale looking goof balls from lighting four Alchemic Lighthouses attuned to a specific element (Earth, Water are covered in the first game, Wind Fire in the Lost Age) and the second title involves a second group, lead by Issac's friends Felix and Jenna who are trying to light the two unlit Lighthouses and save the world from receding into the ocean. Yeah, they go over that little complication sometime late in the second game when the two parties fuse.
Sounds pretty basic, right? Well, it is, and yet it is awesome. The main characters in this game are Adepts, psychics attuned to an element who can cast spells and move shit with their minds and other crazy psychic shit. Instead of taking the easy way out and leaving it at Psychic powers=spells, they made various abilities that effect the world in various ways. Mind reading NPCs? Sure. Lifting crates, moving rocks from a distance? EXPLODING THINGS? BURSTING THINGS? Yep, yep. All done wonderfully in some generally clever puzzles. It's basically turn based RPG Zelda with a party...with that certain Camelot touch.
The graphics and music are also top notch, and everything you collect in the first game can be brought over to the second game.
Camelot Touch?
If you've ever played one of the first few Shining games, or one of the GBC/GBA Mario Tennis/Golf games then you know what this is. Annoying bibble-booble sound effects whenever someone speaks, usually ending in a one sided question with an obvious answer "Do we stop the bad guys? Yes/No." Answer "No" and your party will yell at you and ask you to stop joking, usually with an emoticon or four.
Other Issues.
Games are really easy. I'd never played all of The Lost Age until just this past week so I borrowed a game with Hard Mode unlocked, and...the only hard boss was the first one!
It has FF1 targeting, with a twist. It doesn't auto retarget in this game, so when you aim a hit at something that is going to die your character defends instead of hitting something else available.
The Class/Summon System
Besides the best of genre puzzle solving in this game, the class summon system is also absolutely top notch.
Kind of hard to explain though. Basically as you go along you get to pick up little summon creatures called Djinn of one of the four elementals. Each one can be equipped to a character, giving them new psyenergies (spells), increased or decreased stats, and usually a new class. During your turn you can use one of these djinn to cause a spell like effect to go off, damage, status effect, boost, heal, something like that, but it will lower your stats and possibly change your spell casting list for the next turn. To reset the djnn you need to cast a summon using your unset djinn stocks and then wait a few turns, these summons ranging from the little djinn coming out and doing a small amount of damage to one enemy or motherfucking THOR showing up and lightning the shit out of the opposition. Its a very interesting see saw as later in the game if you have all your Djinn unset the enemies are going to kick the shit out of you in one hit or so.
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I honestly developed a twitch because of how bad the first game was for it's repetitious dialogue. I beat it, but fuck, I had no interest in playing the second one. I probably missed out but I don't care.
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In the very beginning of GS if you keep saying fuck no I won't go save the world, you get a game over.
If in The Lost Age you keep giving Kraden sarcastic responses to all the earth shattering questions he will eventually flip out and tell you that this shit isn't a game, fate of the world, yadda, yadda.
Also of note is that some of the NPCs say some absolutely illuminating things if you read their thoughts.
I got bored with the first one partially because of this, and never bothered with the second one for the same reason.
It is too easy, the dialogue is horrendous, but at least it looks pretty.
I got the vibe that it was trying to be like "Tales of Phantasia" in the art and dialogue direction, with Final Fantasy in the battles, but it seems to be a weird mish-mash. I mean, don't get me wrong, it wasn't too bad to play, but I genuinely don't understand why it's so critically acclaimed. That was the reason why I bought it in the first place. But it was also not as good as the hype, so I took it back and never bothered with the second one.
Because the combat (while easy) is lightning quick?
Because even with the shitty dialogue it eventually tells a rather charming tale?
Because link battle mode actually kicks ass?
It's easily the best non-port RPG on the GBA
Edit: Also I'd like to add that fighting others in multiplayer was absolutely fantastic and one of the best features of the game as long as you both agreed to not use psy crystals (pp regen item)
This series also does not get enough credit for the role reversal from the story in the first game. Having heard nothing about the story of the second game when I got it I was shocked as hell seeing the whole picture and playing as Felix and co.
Saturos and Menardi were far more level headed than Karst and co. Still very very ruthless but they weren't complete and total bastards. And seeing their homeown at the end it seems Karst and Agatio's bloodthirstiness was an exception.
I do find it amusing how in the first one Isaac is the silent protagonist and yet once you find him in the lost age he won't shut up.
Worst part about Felix and the two idiots from TLA is that they think you are betraying them no matter what you say.
They're all like
"We're with Alex, going to light the two remaining lighthouses."
"Ok, we want to help you."
"Don't forget we kidnapped your parents. You better not betray us."
"Oh right, you did do that, didn't you. We were too busy thinking about saving the world."
Also I'm getting near the end of TLA and I'm guessing that the giant eyeball rock from waaay back in the beginning of the first game is just kinda an omniscient cock bag.
the golden sun series is basically my personal FFVII.
irrational, insane love for it? check.
automatic endorphin rush when thinking about playing it? check.
big-ass smile and humming the theme song at random moments? check.
i've played both games more than i can count, and they're probably my favorite games EVER (i did mention irrationality), so a new one is just sending shivers of giddiness up and down my spine.
Registered just for the Mass Effect threads | Steam: click ^^^ | Origin: curlyhairedboy
You are all my special people.
I love these games.
I am glad nintendo still remembers them.
Can't wait for the release this year.
3DS FC: 5343-7720-0490
Oh hey there, Isaac!
I love Golden Sun's summons!
IGN has nice artwork of the three main characters so far.
Not-Isaac Matthew
Not-Shebamia Karis
Not-Garet Terrell
Seriously, these poor kids got hand-me-downs.
all i'm hoping at this point is that the game has a smooth framerate
i'd hate for it to get chuggy at points, but it's in 3D so that may be inevitable...
i'm super happy that the battle backgrounds seem to have the same attention to detail as in the first games
Registered just for the Mass Effect threads | Steam: click ^^^ | Origin: curlyhairedboy
Here's hoping there are a few new insanely rare drops with awesome unleashes like Kikuichimonji and Lachesis' Rule.
Well you're Rent.
So that's to be expected.
Ed: I've never understood the love for this series. It barely has a plot, the gameplay system is old school in all the wrong ways, the series has stupid random spikes in difficulty (especially the final boss of TLA), the djinn shit is some of the worst "GOTTA GET THE GUIDE" shit I've ever seen (because god help you on some of the bosses if you don't have them all), and the "puzzles" are simplistic annoyances
These games aren't perfect. No where near it. A lot of people find them really fun though and have fond memories, and are happy to see a sequel after all these years.
Actually it's not so much to do with any fanboyism so much as it seems that, at least in terms of RPG tastes, we are bizzaro versions.
You'd think they'd try for something a little different. Still, looking forward to it.
Same reason I love Super Robot Wars games.
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
Well, they're direct descendants.
Cue who shacked who.