I gave up on Grandia after the first 12 hours or so. Justin's whole "I wanna be an adventurer" shtick was beyond annoying, the sexual chemistry between the older adventurer girl and Justin just plain freaked me out and while the combat was interesting enough the world, writing and story itself were simply terrible. Lunar 2 was fantastic, one of the best RPGs of the 16 bit era, but Grandia was just a pathetic mess. On the other hand I rather enjoyed Grandia 2.
Be that as it may, would you honestly say FFVII looks good today? That it's not "hard to bear"? The two are comparable at least and that's not factoring in the fullscreen dithering that comes into play in FFVII because the system outputs at 15 bpp while the framebuffer is 24 bpp.
I honestly think more 32 bit games should have gone for the "no texture" look. I think FF7 looks fine, outside of atrocious out of combat models that weren't good even at the time. Thing is, it also runs really fast, which you can't see in pictures. I've played it recently, and I got into it pretty quick.
Pixelated textures are pretty ugly. The n64's extremely blurry and lowres textures always looked better simply because they weren't a pixelated mess.
And yeah, Grandia is not even as good as the original Lunars, much less the remakes. Pretty typical 32bit RPG: way too easy, way too many words. It would be pretty cool to play the original Saturn version of the Lunar remakes however, as they have apparently better music than the Playstation versions. Of course neither can match the glorious SCD originals in the audio department. Not enough blast processing.
DisruptorX2 on
0
Options
cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
Yeah, I really don't want to hijack this thread, but even Lunar 2's somewhat muffled sounding music is better than the 32 bit ones (Probably lower quality than the first game's so that all the voice and video fits?).
DisruptorX2 on
0
Options
cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
It's part of the red book audio charm, IMO. Dark Wizard's OST is like that too, and boy is it nostalgic.
I am not seeing much wrong with the PS version of Grandia. The differences are pretty minor.
Yeah I'm not seeing how its vastly inferior either. The Saturn version has a better frame rate, but the PlayStation version does have better transparency effects (water and shadows).
Although the English dub is ghastly, so the Saturn version always has that advantage.
It's part of the red book audio charm, IMO. Dark Wizard's OST is like that too, and boy is it nostalgic.
Don't get me wrong, lunar 2 has great music. Its just noticeably fuzzy compared to lunar 1 on the same console.
When 1 got remade on Saturn it got all new soundtrack that's quite good. The remake is also a much better game.
2's remake remixed the same music and the remixes are weak. Though they are only bad by comparison. 2 was also already a great game that really showed off what the 16bit hardware could do so there wasn't as much to improve on and the remake feels somewhat unnecessary.
0
Options
cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
Yeah, Lunar 1 got redid from the ground up. I'm glad 2 didn't suffer the same amount of damage, but it was already a massive game, especially compared to TSS.
The thing that stuck out to me on the grandia comparison, just from the intro fly over and the little girl walking around town: The ground in the PS version looks tiled, with the tile having a little bit of every ground type, while the ground in the saturn version is actually laid out somewhat like a city, man holes in the center of intersections, sewer grates beneath pipes, stone paths for the center road with metal edging by buildings, etc. Though the flyover/spin around looked smoother in the PS than in the saturn.
Well, I'm going to be leaving Japan soon. This has left me with a difficult decision regarding what to do with my Japanese Saturn and games. The Saturn isn't in great condition (I bought it hilariously used) but it does play games, and will save me from having to do any welding to my old unit. I think I'm going to sell the controllers (because I have two of everything back home) and take the games and console with me.
Now I'm stuck debating whether or not to sell my NA collection and completely replace it with Japanese games. The magic eight-ball is saying yes, though.
Funny this thread bumped, because I found out the other day that Princess Crown is getting a fan translation. I played through using whats-his-faces incredible translation guide, the one made into a PDF with images and a stellar translation, bound into a book, but, by nature of such guide, it kills all branching paths and you have to play the game the way he played it. I'd love another go at the game.
Fan Translations are pretty much my favorite thing in the world. It's like getting a brand new game for these dead systems. The day I played Ys IV entirely in english - voices and all - was a glorious day.
0
Options
cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
The person at RHDC hasn't updated in some time, but I pray he gets there. Having worked on several fan translations, I can relate to it requiring a LOT of time and devotion.
It helps if it's a labor of love. I only take on games I personally would love to play.
The person at RHDC hasn't updated in some time, but I pray he gets there. Having worked on several fan translations, I can relate to it requiring a LOT of time and devotion.
It helps if it's a labor of love. I only take on games I personally would love to play.
I never really worry when these sorts of translations go cold, because, like you said, it's a labor of love. It might take years, but eventually the games worth translating do get translated - Shining Force III, Ys IV, Policenauts, Secret of Mana 2, Xak III, SD Snatcher, Mother 3, etc. I've seen projects go dead for years, only for there to suddenly be an enormous update out of the blue. Usually, it seems like the majority of the work is done in silence anyways - the biggest updates always seem to come at the beginning when they're first announced, and then again near the end when suddenly they have a lot to talk about. I'm almost certain this is intentional, too, because I can imagine the constant hounding people must get.
I'm still fully confident that the Segagaga translation will someday surface, for example. I figure if a game is really that loved then, like life, it will find a way.
I can fumble my way through a Japanese game if I need to - phone dictionary in hand, but I vastly prefer a translation or, at worse, a translation guide. I have no problems playing a game with a translation guide - I finished up Grandia on the Saturn not that long ago and I'm just about done with Wachenroder.
Incidentally, on the subject of Saturn and japanese games - does anybody else organize their collection based on readability? I'm particular about my Saturn games - the ones that can be enjoyed without any sort of translation or guide, I place on my shelf backwards so their english titles display. Those which require a guide or translation, I place normally, so that their Japanese title displays. Lets me see at a glance which games are which, although it's not like I would ever not-know about my own games. I guess it's just OCD haha.
When I finally get a gaming shelf set up at home, I'm going to arrange it like a total jackass. I'm thinking about dividing the whole thing first by genre, then alphabetically by series, and without regard for the system. That might just be my DS, Vita and 3DS games though.
Princess Crown, by the way, is very expensive in Japan too. I ended up getting the PSP version (digitally).
When I finally get a gaming shelf set up at home, I'm going to arrange it like a total jackass. I'm thinking about dividing the whole thing first by genre, then alphabetically by series, and without regard for the system. That might just be my DS, Vita and 3DS games though.
Princess Crown, by the way, is very expensive in Japan too. I ended up getting the PSP version (digitally).
I normally arrange stuff by company, then system, then by box color, then by alphabetical order:
So like that is one of my sega towers. Everything in there is related to Sega somehow. Each shelf is then broken down by system, and each system is broken down by box color, and then each box color is in alphabetical order. I have 2 more Sega towers, a nintendo tower, a sony tower, an atari tower, and a misc. tower for random stuff like the MSX or x68k.
EDIT: That tower is the only one I have out in the open, though. The rest of my games are in the walk-in closet to the left in that picture in several of those bookshelves. I don't like people being able to walk into my mancave and seeing wall-to-wall video game boxes, like a gamestop. I keep only my favorite Sega games out in the open.
TheSonicRetard on
+2
Options
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
I am not seeing much wrong with the PS version of Grandia. The differences are pretty minor.
Yeah I'm not seeing how its vastly inferior either. The Saturn version has a better frame rate, but the PlayStation version does have better transparency effects (water and shadows).
Although the English dub is ghastly, so the Saturn version always has that advantage.
The worse part about the US version is the translation, really. Sun Best and all that.
Virtual Hydlide - seriously one of the most memorable games I played as a kid. May be because it was my cousin's game, I didn't have a saturn, and I was jealous. Every time I would go there I would want to play that game. It had a very memorable song to it, and it was eerie. Plus the use of fairie and vampire related stuff seemed pretty unique to me at the time. the lack of any kind of explanation of how to play or what to do made it really mysterious too. I spent tons of time playing the game, just trying to figure out what the hell to do next.
EDIT: I just watched a walkthrough on it on youtube, that game did NOT age well. Ha!
I have nothing but ill memories of the entire hydlide range of games. I understand that virtually every one of them was groundbreaking in one way or another, and that the original directly lead to the creation of one of my favorite series - Ys. but man they've all just aged so poorly, Virtual Hydlide included (obviously).
+1
Options
cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
I actually bought that game for $5 at a flea market because I'd never seen it before. It's interesting, has hilarious live action FMV(always a plus), but I couldn't get far.
Amusing that that is actually the top result for 'vritual hydlide' now. I remember telling him he should play it when he showed a group of us the original Hydlide video. (I didn't know about the Super one at all.)
I have nothing but ill memories of the entire hydlide range of games. I understand that virtually every one of them was groundbreaking in one way or another, and that the original directly lead to the creation of one of my favorite series - Ys. but man they've all just aged so poorly, Virtual Hydlide included (obviously).
There is a pretty good Youtube reviewer called ProJared that did all the Hydlide games. His opening for the Virtual Hydlide review pretty much expresses my every emotion about it:
Edit: Beated!! See above post for best reaction! :P
He can be a touch spazzy at times, but all his Hydlide reviews are pretty spot on.
yeah but here's the thing - back then, the graphics were pretty great (they looked incredible to me at the time). and his complaints about the camera angles and stuff - yeah of course, those mechanics of the game are annoying. but its up to you as the person playing to either a) quit and complain about it, or b) man up and figure it out. its a little like dark souls - no freaking idea what to do, hard to play, and it doesn't hold your hand. like I said, when I went back and watched the gameplay videos the graphics and stuff don't really hold up. but its pretty easy to see the potential that game had if they had just polished it up a bit.
Virtual Hydlide was easily my favourite Saturn game. I played the hell out of that thing. It wasn't a good game and it didn't age well but I still absolutely loved it.
Virtual Hydlide was one of those games that I'd rent because I couldn't remember if I heard bad or good things about, and then my entire weekend would be ruined.
EDIT: in fact, I remember renting it once and bringing it back to blockbuster and pleading with the dude behind the counter, "but dude, this game blooooows" and he let me swap it out for NightWarriors: Dark Stalker's Revenge.
Virtual Hydlide was one of those games that I'd rent because I couldn't remember if I heard bad or good things about, and then my entire weekend would be ruined.
EDIT: in fact, I remember renting it once and bringing it back to blockbuster and pleading with the dude behind the counter, "but dude, this game blooooows" and he let me swap it out for NightWarriors: Dark Stalker's Revenge.
Which ruled.
The original Hydlide ruined an entire Christmas for me. It was the one game I had gotten that year for Christmas, and the only game I got for months after. The series was forever tainted for me from that point.
Edit: And argh, I just scrolled up the thread and got the shivers. Victor Ireland almost got his hands on Grandia? Ugh.
Victor Ireland almost got his hands on Grandia? Ugh.
Er, no, he did. On the Playstation.
Nope. He specifically didn't get it, and complained about it in an interview on the previous page. Grandia was published by Sony in the US, not Working Designs.
Posts
I honestly think more 32 bit games should have gone for the "no texture" look. I think FF7 looks fine, outside of atrocious out of combat models that weren't good even at the time. Thing is, it also runs really fast, which you can't see in pictures. I've played it recently, and I got into it pretty quick.
Pixelated textures are pretty ugly. The n64's extremely blurry and lowres textures always looked better simply because they weren't a pixelated mess.
And yeah, Grandia is not even as good as the original Lunars, much less the remakes. Pretty typical 32bit RPG: way too easy, way too many words. It would be pretty cool to play the original Saturn version of the Lunar remakes however, as they have apparently better music than the Playstation versions. Of course neither can match the glorious SCD originals in the audio department. Not enough blast processing.
You're being very generous with your definition of the word "man", woof.
Yeah I'm not seeing how its vastly inferior either. The Saturn version has a better frame rate, but the PlayStation version does have better transparency effects (water and shadows).
Although the English dub is ghastly, so the Saturn version always has that advantage.
Don't get me wrong, lunar 2 has great music. Its just noticeably fuzzy compared to lunar 1 on the same console.
When 1 got remade on Saturn it got all new soundtrack that's quite good. The remake is also a much better game.
2's remake remixed the same music and the remixes are weak. Though they are only bad by comparison. 2 was also already a great game that really showed off what the 16bit hardware could do so there wasn't as much to improve on and the remake feels somewhat unnecessary.
Now I'm stuck debating whether or not to sell my NA collection and completely replace it with Japanese games. The magic eight-ball is saying yes, though.
PSN: astronautcowboy 3DS: 5343-8146-1833
I have Sega, Nintendo and Xbox games and systems for sale. Please help me buy diapers.
But I'd say keep everything.
Fan Translations are pretty much my favorite thing in the world. It's like getting a brand new game for these dead systems. The day I played Ys IV entirely in english - voices and all - was a glorious day.
It helps if it's a labor of love. I only take on games I personally would love to play.
I never really worry when these sorts of translations go cold, because, like you said, it's a labor of love. It might take years, but eventually the games worth translating do get translated - Shining Force III, Ys IV, Policenauts, Secret of Mana 2, Xak III, SD Snatcher, Mother 3, etc. I've seen projects go dead for years, only for there to suddenly be an enormous update out of the blue. Usually, it seems like the majority of the work is done in silence anyways - the biggest updates always seem to come at the beginning when they're first announced, and then again near the end when suddenly they have a lot to talk about. I'm almost certain this is intentional, too, because I can imagine the constant hounding people must get.
I'm still fully confident that the Segagaga translation will someday surface, for example. I figure if a game is really that loved then, like life, it will find a way.
I can fumble my way through a Japanese game if I need to - phone dictionary in hand, but I vastly prefer a translation or, at worse, a translation guide. I have no problems playing a game with a translation guide - I finished up Grandia on the Saturn not that long ago and I'm just about done with Wachenroder.
Princess Crown, by the way, is very expensive in Japan too. I ended up getting the PSP version (digitally).
PSN: astronautcowboy 3DS: 5343-8146-1833
I have Sega, Nintendo and Xbox games and systems for sale. Please help me buy diapers.
I normally arrange stuff by company, then system, then by box color, then by alphabetical order:
So like that is one of my sega towers. Everything in there is related to Sega somehow. Each shelf is then broken down by system, and each system is broken down by box color, and then each box color is in alphabetical order. I have 2 more Sega towers, a nintendo tower, a sony tower, an atari tower, and a misc. tower for random stuff like the MSX or x68k.
EDIT: That tower is the only one I have out in the open, though. The rest of my games are in the walk-in closet to the left in that picture in several of those bookshelves. I don't like people being able to walk into my mancave and seeing wall-to-wall video game boxes, like a gamestop. I keep only my favorite Sega games out in the open.
The worse part about the US version is the translation, really. Sun Best and all that.
EDIT: I just watched a walkthrough on it on youtube, that game did NOT age well. Ha!
Amusing that that is actually the top result for 'vritual hydlide' now. I remember telling him he should play it when he showed a group of us the original Hydlide video. (I didn't know about the Super one at all.)
There is a pretty good Youtube reviewer called ProJared that did all the Hydlide games. His opening for the Virtual Hydlide review pretty much expresses my every emotion about it:
Edit: Beated!! See above post for best reaction! :P
He can be a touch spazzy at times, but all his Hydlide reviews are pretty spot on.
Oh god damn it!
EDIT: in fact, I remember renting it once and bringing it back to blockbuster and pleading with the dude behind the counter, "but dude, this game blooooows" and he let me swap it out for NightWarriors: Dark Stalker's Revenge.
Which ruled.
The original Hydlide ruined an entire Christmas for me. It was the one game I had gotten that year for Christmas, and the only game I got for months after. The series was forever tainted for me from that point.
Edit: And argh, I just scrolled up the thread and got the shivers. Victor Ireland almost got his hands on Grandia? Ugh.
Er, no, he did. On the Playstation.
No, he didn't. Victor had nothing to do with it.
Nope. He specifically didn't get it, and complained about it in an interview on the previous page. Grandia was published by Sony in the US, not Working Designs.