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Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica delayed until 1/09, US page live

cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
edited October 2008 in Games and Technology
at2.png

Since playing the original Ar Tonelico and enjoying it for what it was(a fun if ridiculously easy RPG), I've had my eye on the sequel for some time, waiting for NIS America's inevitable news of a US release.

Well, they're finally done keeping it a secret, and they're going all out.

US webpage is now live.


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If the series looks familiar, that's probably because it was developed by Gust; makers of the Atelier/Mana Khemia games.

Ar Tonelico had its fair share of issues; a mediocre story, very low difficulty; but the music was quite good, especially the vocal tracks.

A trend the sequel seems to be continuing.

While the official JP website above offers some info, from what I gather, ATII's going to be more of the same supporting female-driven battle as the first, though with a few updates.


In the first, the main party was supported by the Reyvateils; one of a number of girls the protagonist could
attempt to connect with for added benefit. Basically, the more intimate the relationship, the more spells they could learn.

Shallow, but effective.

AT2 most likely continues the dating sim-esque gameplay of the original, wherein the main character has to 'dive' into the psyche of the Reyvateils to gain access to more of their abilities.

It's as messed up as it sounds.

at223.png


In the second, it seems like two Reyvateils are available for usage in one battle. Even having one around meant for some ridiculous amounts of damage in the first.

artone2.jpg

Also, there appears to be some kind of strategic element to the sequel involving building armies, but I think it's for supporting the Reyvateils. Not too sure about what this means yet.

at22.png



In addition to the sequel including an artbook like the first, some company you might've heard of is offering an exclusive artbook/OST deal.

at2_rqbonus_sm.jpg

It's also shipping to retailers with some of the same freebies, but Rosenqueen's getting a bonus hookup, from the looks of things.

Oh, and there's also a story of some sort like with the original, c/o the wiki
The region of Metafalss surrounds Infel Pira, the second Tower, which is said to represent the Goddess Frelia of the Trio A mysterious epidemic called Infel Pira Dependency (IPD) has been killing Reyvateils. Croix, a young knight from the Church of Pastalia, is sent to contain the epidemic. However, many more challenges await, which lead him to unraveling the mysteries of the planet Ar Ciel and seek the legend handed down by the people of Metafalss: the lost Song of Metafalica.

Doesn't make much sense to me either, but it's Ar Tonelico. The main appeal is the battle system, the music, and fan service, I guess.

The release is dated during a ridiculously busy time period, but if it's anything like the original, it should be a fun short-lived distraction.

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cj iwakura on

Posts

  • AroducAroduc regular
    edited October 2008
    The battle system is also massively reworked from the first game. The card system inherited from Atelier is totally gone and you just exchange turns with the enemy. On their turn, you need to time button presses to their attack rhythms (like a swing meter) in order to guard the revyteils. You have limited time on yours to chain attacks and shit (only two characters plus the mages) and try to sync the harmonization up for the better attacks... or something. I'm not 100% on it. The 'teils also get combination attacks and shit.

    Aroduc on
  • Forever ZefiroForever Zefiro cloaked in the midnight glory of an event horizonRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    The first thing I saw was Melody of Metallica

    And then I reread it and realized it's Metafalica. Like, phallic.

    Forever Zefiro on
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    XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
  • GilderGilder Aw snap Macaroni PartyRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Totally buying this. It's my guilty pleasure game. I hate fanservice but for some reason it didn't bug me in the first game. I have no idea why. It should have, you could fight in a towel for god's sake. Nothing though. The worst I've felt towards the fanservice is the total "Here's some hot lesbian action" wallpaper image for this game but the charm of the first game just makes me only slightly irked by it.

    Gilder on
  • CrashmoCrashmo Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Iiiiiinteresting. Might look into this for my old lady.

    Crashmo on
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  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Forever Zefiro wrote: »
    The first thing I saw was Melody of Metallica

    And then I reread it and realized it's Metafalica. Like, phallic.

    Have you seen how they market this game?
    You never forget your first.
    Always come back for seconds.


    I somehow think it's deliberate.

    cj iwakura on
    z48g7weaopj2.png
  • BarrakkethBarrakketh Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    cj iwakura wrote: »
    Forever Zefiro wrote: »
    The first thing I saw was Melody of Metallica

    And then I reread it and realized it's Metafalica. Like, phallic.

    Have you seen how they market this game?
    You never forget your first.
    Always come back for seconds.


    I somehow think it's deliberate.

    Maybe.

    They always gotta complain about how big it is.

    Barrakketh on
    Rollers are red, chargers are blue....omae wa mou shindeiru
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    I'm not sure whether I should be relieved or worried that I forgot about that entire scene.

    That's some priceless delivery on the VAs' part.

    I think the fan service in AT isn't so bad because it knows kind of game it is, and practically makes fun of itself.

    cj iwakura on
    z48g7weaopj2.png
  • AroducAroduc regular
    edited October 2008
    Barrakketh wrote: »
    cj iwakura wrote: »
    Forever Zefiro wrote: »
    The first thing I saw was Melody of Metallica

    And then I reread it and realized it's Metafalica. Like, phallic.

    Have you seen how they market this game?
    You never forget your first.
    Always come back for seconds.


    I somehow think it's deliberate.

    Maybe.

    They always gotta complain about how big it is.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJOLN-07EEw

    "Idiot! It... it hurts! Do it slower!"

    Aroduc on
  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    So, hopefully the Reyvateils are better characters in this one. I couldn't stand the first one because I hated all three of the Revateils.

    Blackjack on
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    3DS: 1607-3034-6970
  • AntihippyAntihippy Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Edit: Whao wait a minute. Apparantly I'm thinking of some other game.

    Carry on.

    Antihippy on
    10454_nujabes2.pngPSN: Antiwhippy
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Helluva deal on RQ. I'll have to preorder it.

    DarkPrimus on
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    Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
  • BlackDragon480BlackDragon480 Bluster Kerfuffle Master of Windy ImportRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Helluva deal on RQ. I'll have to preorder it.

    Same here, I'm just hoping I can scrape together 40 bucks in the next couple of weeks to get in on it.

    I was a big fan of the first one, and I actually liked Misha's character but Aurica got on my nerves quite a bit.

    BlackDragon480 on
    No matter where you go...there you are.
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  • Mx. QuillMx. Quill I now prefer "Myr. Quill", actually... {They/Them}Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
    Oh man, all the innuendo memories are coming back. Like how Misha complained that Lyner needed to Dive harder and make her feel it. Or how both she and Aurica tried to chain Lyner down in their Cosmospheres.

    I recall there being a "Top 7 Games That Needed Boobs For Gameplay" kinda thing, and Ar tonelico made it to the top three.


    Addendum: Fighting evil monsters while wearing bath towels confirmed for the sequel!

    Mx. Quill on
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited October 2008
    So the US webpage is live now. Carbon copy of the JP one, but that's not a bad thing.

    http://www.nisamerica.com/games/AT2/index.html

    The battle system looks twice as complicated.

    At least Croix looks like a more interesting character than whatshisname from AT1.


    Oh, and it was delayed until January. Ah well, more time to prepare.

    cj iwakura on
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  • EliminationElimination Registered User regular
    edited October 2008
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    Metal Phal....oh

    Elimination on
    PSN: PA_Elimination 3DS: 4399-2012-1711 Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/TheElimination/
  • AroducAroduc regular
    edited October 2008
    Good. Not coming out on the same day as P4.

    Aroduc on
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