The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Sting Entertainment (NSF56K)
Captain K
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Because I'm bored at work, here is a thread to discuss Sting Entertainment and the fun games it has released.
Riviera: The Promised Land
Riviera is the first Sting game that most of us played. It's probably still the only Sting game that most of us have played. It released on the GBA in North America in the summer of '05, but it was originally developed for the WonderSwan Color back in '02.
The storyline here is a bit wonky, and hard to explain in just a few words, but it basically revolves around Ein, a "Grim Angel" (important person) who knows a bit more about what's actually going on in the game world than the other Grim Angels (other important people). Ein and his eventual gaggle of female tagalongs tromp around and set things to rights.
Riviera was a fucking great game. It took the RPG formula and added a "no backtracking whatsoever" clause, driving completists and sufferers of OCD batshit crazy. Nearly every decision you made, whether a dialogue choice or a turning-right-instead-of-left, opened up new avenues and closed off others.
fucking shit, should I go this way or not? THERE MIGHT BE IRREPARABLE CONSEQUENCES
As if that wasn't enough of a rub... your characters gained item-associated battle skills by repeatedly using the individual items in the game, as well as increased stats. But most of the items had limited uses before they broke and were gone forever! This led to even more hair-pulling for the completist (and a significant amount of time spent grinding in the practice battle mode, where items didn't deterioriate.
Riviera really shined in its production values, especially when compared to other GBA games with similar gameplay. The characters were well-illustrated, the backgrounds were lush, and some of the combat animations put other GBA RPGs to shame.
Basically the entire supporting cast consisted of female characters, and it took some of us a couple of game chapters to realize there was a subtle dating sim aspect to Riviera. But it was there, and the game contained multiple endings depending on the choices you made and how the female characters responded to them. There's also a hot springs bathing scene (of course) that you may or may not encounter on a particular playthrough. I'll refrain from posting a screencap.
Riviera was ported to the PSP last summer ('07) but I haven't played it, and it seemed to mostly fly under the radar. Offer your impressions here!
Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone
Yggdra Union was developed specifically for the GBA and we saw its NA release in the fall of '06. It sported pleasing character design and the same great art style and production values we saw in Riviera, but this time the gameplay was SRPG-style. Turn-based strategy, with a weird-but-fun card mechanic thrown in.
Yggdra Union's main character is, fittingly, Yggdra, the Princess of Fantasinia. She is forced to flee her castle with its conquerors, the Bronquian Empire, nipping at her heels. The rest of the game follows Yggdra and her ever-growing cast of companions as they stomp all over the Bronqiuan Empire and reclaim Yggdra's kingdom.
Yggdra Union was complicated, to put it mildly. It had all the unit stats and experience levels and items and equipment that every SRPG forces you to consider, but it was also based on a card mechanic that took a fair amount of head-scratching to really figure out.
At the beginning of each turn, you chose a card to play, and this determined a lot of factors--how far you could move your units, how powerful your units' attacks would be, and what special ability would be available to your (eligible) units during that turn.
You also had to become familiar with the "union" system--depending on the orientation of units on the combat map, a combat might be one unit against one unit, or it might be two-on-two, three-on-one or four-on-four.
Yggdra Union was ultimately a pretty good game. It was fun, and it innovated enough to separate itself from the pack, but eventually most players felt bogged down. The game introduced its mechanics at the mind-numbingly slow rate of "one concept per mission", if not slower, and almost immediately after teaching you the ropes it started sucker-punching you with ass-raping difficulty.
Baroque
Sting Entertainment's latest game, for the Wii and PS2, is Baroque. It plays something like a roguelike, and Xaquin already started a perfectly good thread about the game, so talk about it here.
Knights in the Nightmare
We don't know jack shit about this game, it seems, but Sting announced that it's being developed for the DS, and also that Riviera and Yggdra Union are two games from the same series, called the "Dept. Heaven" series:
Episode 1: Riviera
Episode 2: Yggdra Union
Episode 3: ?????
Episode 4: Knights in the Nightmare
So not only do we have no real clue about Knights in the Nightmare, we also don't know whether there's an episode 3 in this series or not. But Sting says they're skipping it for now, and that's all.
So, let's talk about Sting Entertainment. I'll openly admit that I never finished Riviera or Yggdra Union, but that's because I'm a lazy jerk with no dedication, not because they were bad games.
Also, if you know anything about the Evolution series of games (the only other games developed by Sting that were released in North America), feel free to share it here.
Riviera: The Promised Land
Riviera is the first Sting game that most of us played. It's probably still the only Sting game that most of us have played. It released on the GBA in North America in the summer of '05, but it was originally developed for the WonderSwan Color back in '02.
The storyline here is a bit wonky, and hard to explain in just a few words, but it basically revolves around Ein, a "Grim Angel" (important person) who knows a bit more about what's actually going on in the game world than the other Grim Angels (other important people). Ein and his eventual gaggle of female tagalongs tromp around and set things to rights.
Riviera was a fucking great game. It took the RPG formula and added a "no backtracking whatsoever" clause, driving completists and sufferers of OCD batshit crazy. Nearly every decision you made, whether a dialogue choice or a turning-right-instead-of-left, opened up new avenues and closed off others.
fucking shit, should I go this way or not? THERE MIGHT BE IRREPARABLE CONSEQUENCES
As if that wasn't enough of a rub... your characters gained item-associated battle skills by repeatedly using the individual items in the game, as well as increased stats. But most of the items had limited uses before they broke and were gone forever! This led to even more hair-pulling for the completist (and a significant amount of time spent grinding in the practice battle mode, where items didn't deterioriate.
Riviera really shined in its production values, especially when compared to other GBA games with similar gameplay. The characters were well-illustrated, the backgrounds were lush, and some of the combat animations put other GBA RPGs to shame.
Basically the entire supporting cast consisted of female characters, and it took some of us a couple of game chapters to realize there was a subtle dating sim aspect to Riviera. But it was there, and the game contained multiple endings depending on the choices you made and how the female characters responded to them. There's also a hot springs bathing scene (of course) that you may or may not encounter on a particular playthrough. I'll refrain from posting a screencap.
Riviera was ported to the PSP last summer ('07) but I haven't played it, and it seemed to mostly fly under the radar. Offer your impressions here!
Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone
Yggdra Union was developed specifically for the GBA and we saw its NA release in the fall of '06. It sported pleasing character design and the same great art style and production values we saw in Riviera, but this time the gameplay was SRPG-style. Turn-based strategy, with a weird-but-fun card mechanic thrown in.
Yggdra Union's main character is, fittingly, Yggdra, the Princess of Fantasinia. She is forced to flee her castle with its conquerors, the Bronquian Empire, nipping at her heels. The rest of the game follows Yggdra and her ever-growing cast of companions as they stomp all over the Bronqiuan Empire and reclaim Yggdra's kingdom.
Yggdra Union was complicated, to put it mildly. It had all the unit stats and experience levels and items and equipment that every SRPG forces you to consider, but it was also based on a card mechanic that took a fair amount of head-scratching to really figure out.
At the beginning of each turn, you chose a card to play, and this determined a lot of factors--how far you could move your units, how powerful your units' attacks would be, and what special ability would be available to your (eligible) units during that turn.
You also had to become familiar with the "union" system--depending on the orientation of units on the combat map, a combat might be one unit against one unit, or it might be two-on-two, three-on-one or four-on-four.
Yggdra Union was ultimately a pretty good game. It was fun, and it innovated enough to separate itself from the pack, but eventually most players felt bogged down. The game introduced its mechanics at the mind-numbingly slow rate of "one concept per mission", if not slower, and almost immediately after teaching you the ropes it started sucker-punching you with ass-raping difficulty.
Baroque
Sting Entertainment's latest game, for the Wii and PS2, is Baroque. It plays something like a roguelike, and Xaquin already started a perfectly good thread about the game, so talk about it here.
Knights in the Nightmare
We don't know jack shit about this game, it seems, but Sting announced that it's being developed for the DS, and also that Riviera and Yggdra Union are two games from the same series, called the "Dept. Heaven" series:
Episode 1: Riviera
Episode 2: Yggdra Union
Episode 3: ?????
Episode 4: Knights in the Nightmare
So not only do we have no real clue about Knights in the Nightmare, we also don't know whether there's an episode 3 in this series or not. But Sting says they're skipping it for now, and that's all.
So, let's talk about Sting Entertainment. I'll openly admit that I never finished Riviera or Yggdra Union, but that's because I'm a lazy jerk with no dedication, not because they were bad games.
Also, if you know anything about the Evolution series of games (the only other games developed by Sting that were released in North America), feel free to share it here.
Captain K on
0
Posts
Awesome thread!
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
But Riviera is so good. I don't know why I don't have the PSP version yet; I played the GBA version to completion twice just to see all the other stuff I missed(and another ending), and I almost wanted to do it a third time.
Cierra, then Serene. I probably would've picked Fia for the third.
I'll have to try Baroque eventually, even if it looks completely different from their other projects.
(It's also for the PS2.)
I didn't know they developed the Evolution games, but I always heard they were awful.
Interest piqued.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
And Yggdra Union got a PSP remake also; no word on whether or not it's coming out here yet.
Get to work you.
Since Riviera Sting has become one of my favourite developers. Currently enjoying Baroque and can't wait for Knights in the Nightmare.
Sting also developed Treasure Hunter G for Square back in the day.
(also Riviera is rad)
The narrator is terrible, but the characters are generally well done.
Having never played the GBA original, just seen screenshots and videos, I'm loving the heck out of it.
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
Hey, I love 2xSAI
The only really apparent problem is that the voice acting makes it spin the disc a lot -- it's loud and I feel like transitions are really slow.
Good to hear it! I just may have to pick it up then. Thanks.
PSN ID : Xander51 Steam ID : Xander51
It looks way better on the DS!
I do appreciate the stupidity of my own thread being the reason I've decided to play Riviera again. Thanks, me! ...I guess?
This is one of them.
Also, Yggdra Union has one of the strangest names for a character ever: Nietzsche the happy-go-lucky mermaid. Oh, Japan.
I should go back and play the PSP version some more. It tends to completely turn off my system though when I try to load data. Maybe my PSP is dying?
Hrm... i think i may have actually played through this game and forgotten it.
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
How do you pronounce Yggdra.
Yggdra comes from Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and Yggdrasil is pronounced [ig-drə-ˌsil], so it'd probably be the first two syllables: Ig-dra
Limited inventories? Played Earthbound and DQ, doesn't phase me.
Breakable Weapons? Played just about every single Fire Emblem game, makes me laugh.
All the different paths you can take in this game? Scares the beejeezus out of me.
It's sitting less than five feet away from me. Taunting me from on top of the television.
"Play me, you don't have any other portable RPGs on hand that you haven't beaten a thousand times before. I'm good looking, you had fun with me once, why not beat me?"
Damn Riviera.
Fixed. :x
Don't be a weenie. Flip a coin.
The problem is some of the more obscure paths in the actual levels are a bitch to activate. I know there's one that's hard to activate in the flooding dungeon. I don't remember what it is anymore but I know I never got it. Something about a giant book?
Riviera is one of the most fun NG+ experiences around.
I curse you Captain K. Good thing this thread wasn't more popular or it would convince me to go out and buy Yggdra too.
Also... As far as I can recall, there were actually two areas. One was indeed a library, the other was a detour across a giant, scantily clad goddess statue.
Or maybe those two came one after the other, but I seperated them in my mind because they both had a different feel to them.
Battles take so damn long in the beginning.
Also gotta do the leveling via item right away, especially if the item sucks so you can chuck it.
Then you got those trap chests of much losing stats and points, which make me want to reset over and over again.
This game is obsessed with stat loss.
I think I'm actually going to do it this time though, finally beat this stupid game.
I think the statue is the path I've never managed to get. I recall that you have to go through the area really fast and I can never pull myself away from examining things to get it. I'm not going to lose out on some good weapons to hear Ein get called a pervert but it just bugs me that I've never been able to see the scene for myself. I just saw a .gif of it a long while back.
I loved playing through Riviera. It's a great departure from the normal RPG and it looks beautiful, too. I'd play through it again on PSP for the voice acting, if I had a PSP and it didn't have to load so much.
I just restarted Yggdra Union again, so hopefully I'll beat it this time. I'm not looking forward to the first fight with Gulcasa. That was entirely too frustrating, but hopefully I won't toss my cart across the room again.
I also picked up Baroque last weekend. I like Sting's 2D sprite work a lot better, but the monsters and characters are well crafted. They also managed to do a good job transitioning a rogue-like game into real time. It doesn't hurt that I'm susceptible to rogue-like addictions.
Sting Entertainment has a knack for creating well thought out and well put together worlds and characters to inhabit them. They also do a great job with little details that enhance the polish of their games. I'd have to say that Sting is my favorite small developer.
Long live Sting! Long live Atlus!
Is Riviera faster paced on the PSP? It seemed like a wonderful game, but the pace was simply so incredibly slow as to drive me up the walls.
As for Yggdrasil Union... I honestly completely and utterly stopped caring right when I breached the castle walls.
I was reading in the manual last night and it says that stat loss from traps is temporary. I'll attempt to confirm tonight, and it doesn't say how temporary... but i would have to assume it only lasts for that 'scene'. (or whatever it's called between saves)
PSN: Dyvion -- Eternal: Dyvion+9393 -- Genshin Impact: Dyvion
Just fix the slow loading issue with custom firmware. I love having Portable Ops, Crush and Jeanne D' Arc all on my psp at once with faster loading and my UMDs safe back home on the self. (Portable Ops is in the UMD drive since it has quickest load times)
Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
It's either by scene or by chapter and it still manages to make me reset almost every time. I'd have to be facing losing about half an hour or more for me to not think about it. Good thing I've gotten so much better at most traps though.
I'm also just a bit before the mark where I previously got to, as I'm just about to recruit the red mage and I remember getting to the end of this chapter or maybe to the beginning of the next. I think her recruitment last time combined with talking with people on various forums is what convinced me to put the game down. I suppose the real lesson here is ignore people on message boards telling you what sort of awesome you missed and just roll with it.
That's what Riviera is all about in the end, compromise.
You can't get everything, and if you try you'll nerf your rating.
I do find it hilarious how influential the final attack is on the number of TP you get. You're pretty much guaranteed at least 3 TP from a battle if you end it with a level 3 or a meter crushing technique, and you have to take a ridiculous number of turns before they even consider giving you an A.