Dragon Force [PS2 Classic] added to J-PSN

cj iwakura

Yeah, it's import only, but you can get it for 800Y, roughly $10, which amounts to $18 if you grab a digital code from play-asia or some such.

I felt it's worth it for a game I've beaten over 10 times, so here's some screens!















Forgotten this had VA. Exciting!




Rolling with my girl in Tristan Empire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq9YbzLjLJQ


If anyone needs help creating a J-PSN account solely for purchasing this game, I'll be happy to help.

It's worth it.

chocobolicious

I sure still have my working Saturn disc and a working console.

Reinhart still had the oddest campaign.

TheSonicRetard

One of my absolute favorite Sega Saturn games. I got my copy for under $15 when EB games was liquidating their stock of Saturn stuff. Pocket Kingdom on the N-Gage is a spiritual sequel.

chocobolicious

Course it isn't like there wasn't a real sequel. I'm still full of all the bitters that we never got that one.

Out of curiosity, which label does your disc have? I know there was 4 different ones.



I know two people with the bottom right one. I have the top left one. I've never actually seen the bottom left one.

TheSonicRetard

I don't think mine is any of those. I'll check when I get home. EDIT: Actually, now I'm pretty sure it's the top right.

Pocket Kingdom is hilarious, though. Where Dragon Force (and its sequel) take themselves very seriously, Pocket Kingdom plays itself off like a big joke. It takes place on a fictional message board for a fictional online game, where an ultra powerful greifer has been banned and it's thrown the game into chaos as all other players scramble to become top dog (obvious spoiler: the greifer gets unbanned at the end and you have to take him out yourself). But they play it off so well, with certain characters imitating online personality types, like the one who speaks in nothing but 1337 speak, or the one who types in all caps (which causes other people to constantly tell him to stop yelling). And unit names are randomized to stuff like i-ribbit, goldirocks, bad britches, n00bly 1337, etc.



Great game. I wish Sega would make another game in this style, either dragonforce flavored or pocket kingdom flavored. The gameplay is what's so great, and it translates so well into a variety of scenarios.

EDIT: Oh, I should say about Dragonforce - it has a HUGE learning curve. And the manual doesn't really explain how to play, and there is no tutorial. I'd imagine it'd be just about impossible for someone to buy the PS2 version, in japanese, without the ability to speak japanese, to be able to figure out how to play it. It took me a while to figure it out. Pocket Kingdom at least has a tutorial character that helps you understand how to play, but since it plays just like dragon force, it's not that helpful if you've played the original.

cj iwakura

Mine is the upper right. Bought it new in stores with my Saturn, so worth it.

Also, there's a DF2 translation patch in the works.
(It's not as good, not even close, but worth playing for sure.)

I'm not too worried about the language barrier since I know the game inside and out, but I can help anyone new to the series who wants to take the plunge.

Steel Angel

I have the bottom left disc art. Always thought it was odd that they'd have Astea on the art, especially since there was a hole from the CD that took out her neck and then ended where her cleavage started. Glad to see there is more tastefully done disc art.

TheSonicRetard

cj iwakura wrote: »

Mine is the upper right. Bought it new in stores with my Saturn, so worth it.

Also, there's a DF2 translation patch in the works.
(It's not as good, not even close, but worth playing for sure.)

I'm not too worried about the language barrier since I know the game inside and out, but I can help anyone new to the series who wants to take the plunge.

Yeah, once you know the game, you don't really need to read to play it, beyond advancing the story. But figuring out how to play is difficult, and with no readable text to help out, I'd think it would be near impossible. Even with a FAQ, the game is tough to pick up. It's one of those games that you need to play to understand fully.

TheSonicRetard

Steel Angel wrote: »

I have the bottom left disc art. Always thought it was odd that they'd have Astea on the art, especially since there was a hole from the CD that took out her neck and then ended where her cleavage started. Glad to see there is more tastefully done disc art.

Almost all of Working Designs discs after the original Lunar come in variations. It was a trademark feature of a WD game (along with the high quality manuals and reflective covers).



A collection that contains all their variations.

cj iwakura

I've heard the Fuu disc for MKR is the rarest. I have Hikaru.

TheSonicRetard

cj iwakura wrote: »

I've heard the Fuu disc for MKR is the rarest. I have Hikaru.

Really? I got a Fuu disc.

cj iwakura

Well, not all the art was redone.


This image is identical in the PS2 version, coloring aside.

Gaming-Freak

I would love to play this game; if it was available in english.

redraptor

It is Japanese language only right?

I am considering this mainly since I have played it so much that I could easily navigate it on memory fumes alone. But I suppose I should just wait for another option.

RainbowDespair

Gaming-Freak wrote: »

I would love to play this game; if it was available in english.

Well, it is available in English...on the Saturn. It's a bit on the expensive side (Amazon has a couple used copies for around $80) but not Suikoden 2 or Panzer Dragoon Saga expensive (both of which are in the triple digits). And Saturn systems are dirt-cheap.

cj iwakura

redraptor wrote: »

It is Japanese language only right?

I am considering this mainly since I have played it so much that I could easily navigate it on memory fumes alone. But I suppose I should just wait for another option.

Japanese only, and I'm doing just that. I'll probably put up some very simple 'here is what this is for' screens later for gameplay.

cj iwakura

A Beginner's Guide To Dragon Force (Moonspeak Edition)

So I love this game, a lot. Beaten it ten times or so, a lot.

Hopefully you've played the game before if you plan on getting it, but if not, here's a primer; both on how the game works, and how to play it in Japanese.

First, the overworld map.

From here, you can wage war to conquer Legendra.


(First option shows who's in the castle, second option is for deploying generals, third is for recruiting their troops.)

First, we select a castle.



Then we decide who will be in the attack party.



Here we go!



Let's go show Laine in Palemoon why Junon's called the Black Knight of Masked Death.



Invasion time!



And now the prebattles.



Here we decide who gets to do battle.



Cinna can take the vanguard.



Opening smack talk.



Battle! As you'll see, formation is key. The enemy general is using Protect formation, ideal for archers and weaker troops. Boosts defense and lets them hold the fort with ease.




So I put Cinna's Mages on Standard formation; hold the line and open fire.
(The others are for Offense[front focus], Defense[rear focus], and Special[varies by general).



Then, Standby tactics to keep them from rushing to an early death.
(Other options are, in order: Advance, Retreat, Disperse, Gather, and Melee is last; which means a full charge that is a final, unchanging order.)



Eventually Varshal's archers are toast.



And Tristan advances for the kill.



Some magic helps bridge the gap, too.



Then it's time for the boss to die.


This is for Cinna's fire spell.

Every general has a different type of ability. Cinna's a mage, so he gets fire magic.



Toasty!



Protip, mage users: the general can't hit them at range. Keep a space or two away once the troops are gone and OPEN FIRE!



Standby keeps them in place around the general's position.



And he's screwed.



Unless of course he runs.


Next Segment: Domestic Affairs

TheSonicRetard

I'm so glad you did that, CJ. Back when I was posting about Pocket Kingdom, I had considered breaking down how to play the game, considering how I was going on about how it's not very intuitive your first go around, but I couldn't find enough time to devote to doing so. When you said you were going to post a few screens explaining important functions, I'd hope you'd explain how to actually play so I wouldn't do it.

If anybody is on the fence about this game from a gameplay perspective, give it a go. Definitely one of the more unique and fun games to play.

EDIT: That said, I will say that the only major fault with the game is that, once you do finally learn how to play and get the general tactic down, you can ride said tactic all the way to the end of the game with relative ease.

It's the same sort of knock that can be applied to, say, Panzer Dragoon Saga, But that doesn't diminish how excellent this game is.

cj iwakura

I was scared some of my broken tactics would've been fixed, i.e. having mages wait and open fire and immediately dispatching to catch retreating generals(essential to saving your patience).

Fortunately, both are still just as broken.

redraptor

Eh the game softens up as you grab more territory, but the second arc of the story has some decent elevation. It might not be outwardly hard near the end, but the scale of everything certainly gives it enough tension to keep you on your toes through the end.

redraptor

Also worth mentioning here, was there ever a formal connection made between Dragon Force and Brigandine?

The games must draw influenced from one another, but I haven't ever seen if the teams were derivative or what not.

cj iwakura

The endgame was so much easier when I did my 'no recruitment' run. I didn't have to worry about managing 30 castles against endless dragon armies.

cj iwakura

Yes, that was my tactic as well, and I skipped around it too to make Reinhart's challenging. I also did NO recruitment besides story generals. Just a castle full of prisoners. Lastly, no troop changes.

Also, generals can still retreat from that second fight, which means they run BACK to the castle and get in a third fight. And if you can't capture them then, well...

cj iwakura

No recruitment in some ways makes it easier(less divided forces & castle management), but also a totally different game, like guerrilla warfare.

cj iwakura

How to Buy Dragon Force [Moonspeak Edition]

I presume if you're reading this, you have a PS3.
(If not, go buy one, I'll wait.

...

[Update Time Allowance]

...

Good job! Okay then.)

Now, here's how to put it to FULL use.




First, create a new user.



Then sign up for the PSN.
(This is kind of required. Also free.)



Then create a new user.

Here's where you break from the norm.



You want the Japan region.



The first two fields are good.



Put a fake DOB in the third, ideally 20 years out just to be sure.



Then continue, third option on the bottom.



Bla bla bla, continue to accept and give SCEJ your mortal soul.



This is the tricky part, creating a PSN ID.

First email and password.

Final two prompts are for a security question.

Here's a better primer than mine:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=14868403


Then PSN ID.



Then confirm, and the rest is cake.

Time to enter a fake address. Enter numbers in the first input box.

For the drop-down box choose anything you want.

For the next 4 boxes you can input anything you want, Sony doesn't check the address.

Select 次へ to continue.

Then confirm.



Congrats, welcome to [strike]hell, sucka[/strike] the J-PSN!

Now let's go purchase Dragona Forceo.



First we go to this section.



Then, new PS2 games.



Dragon Force is nice and easy to find.



Orange button to purchase.



Then go to the cart icon to check out.



Confirm.



Confirm that you want to add $$$ to your account.



Select the second option for a PSN code.



Enter code, ideally getting one from Play-Asia, which is digital. $18 or so for the 1000Y card, which is all you need for Dragon Force.


Bam, you can has epic Legendrian warfare.


Next time is more gameplay stuff. Now get to signing!

Hematophilia

Hello everyone! Hematophilia (or TheRobofish on Gamefaqs) here, I started a Dragon Force LP a long time ago, but had to abandon the project due to some RL issues. With Dragon Force coming to the PS3, I figured I'd start over with a brand new abbreviated LP to take you through the world of Legendra (in Japanese, however, so I won't be able to tell much of the storyline, aside from what I can remember). Just tell me which ruler you would like me to play as (except Junon because I'm a hipster, and Reinhart/Goldark because I haven't unlocked them yet), and I'll have a few updates ready before you know it!



Edit: if I can get my hands on some "tools", I'll even start an english LP in a different thread.

cj iwakura

Mikhal!

cj iwakura

Here ya go, Robo.

How To Play Dragon Force (Moonspeak Edition)
Part 3: Domestic Affairs


This will be the final section. From here on it's all you.
Domestic affairs have to be regulated every week. It's just like real ruling!

Well, minus marrying Kate and Ashley I suppose.



The four options are pretty simple:
-Domestic Affairs
-End week(return to world map)
-Save
-View overworld

The most content is in the first.


We'll go through them one by one.



The first option is for distributing awards at the start of each week, earned from battles, which let your generals use an extra ten troops per reward.


The next option is for item distribution. Giving your generals weapons, crests, stat boosting items, etc. Mostly self-explanatory.

The third option is for talking with your generals and captives, respectively.
The first can boost morale and warn you who's dissatisfied with your rule, so you can [strike]smite[/strike] bribe them.



The second lets you talk captured generals into joining your side.



Don't expect Commanders like Lone here to join until you beat their Ruler.



Freelancers like Ms. Spirit Mage? Yes indeed!

(She could be yours!)



The next option is for searching castles to find rare items and, sometimes, new recruits. This is often the only, and best, way to get new crests for other troop types, like the vaunted Dragon Crest, which breaks the game wide open. Unless you're fighting Izumo Nation, anyway.


The next is for fortifying castles. Good for looks and adding higher quantities of troops.
Searching should take priority, but don't neglect this if you can. Levels also auto-gain as long as you keep a castle occupied, so it helps to keep your territory staffed.


The tricky thing with crests(and J-Dragon Force in general) is, of course, knowing what crests do what.



The order should be the same, but you can also search the map for examples of staple troop users.


Leon, for instance, always has Monks as his primary. (The top two are Soldiers and Cavalry.)


Lastly, saving. The first one is for making a new file, the second for overwriting. The bottom two are for loading and deleting, and the third is for returning to the main menu.




Bastion is ours!

And now it's your turn, wayward dragon knight.



Go make Legendra yours.