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Post by Ex on Nov 16, 2018 11:18:49 GMT -5
LOVE BoF2 - top ten RPG ever made, amazing story, memorable cast, I don't know what the hell you're all talking about It's hard for me to remember a whole lot about BoF2 right now, as my play was about seventeen years ago. I recall when I quit the game, the scenario had been about a frog kingdom I think, and my party was fighting an evil chef while we were burning in his frying pan. The silliness of it all didn't really jive with me at the time. Maybe someday I'll try the game again via the fan re-translation, perhaps that would help. The graphics and music were good at least. BoF4 / this was peak Capcom JRPG surpassing even some of Square Soft's stuff. Breath of Fire IV was so good. BoF4 / it was such a huge step down. I'm thankful for the wildly opposing opinions HRG members have. Keeps this place interesting. Also thanks Xeogred / Sarge for telling me why you thought BoF4 is worth playing. Always appreciate info! --- Soma Bringer | Nintendo DS | 2008
Why people don't play it: Nintendo were damned fools and didn't release this game in the west. I believe it would have done well in the west. As a result most people never heard of this game, despite it being a AAA handheld production by Monolith Soft. Folks that did hear of the game, didn't import it, because they likely couldn't read Japanese, and being an RPG this game is full of text. However, not too long after Soma Bringer released, a high quality FULL English patch was produced. Regardless, many genre fans still didn't try this game, either because they "don't do handheld gaming" (foolish decision), or because they had no prior frame of reference in which to mentally process this entry's potential worth. Or they still never heard of it despite the English patch. Why people should play it: You may have heard of a little game called Xenoblade Chronicles. Soma Bringer was developed by the same team. And Soma Bringer shares a lot of design concepts with XC. But, as someone who has beaten both XC and SB, I will staunchly say that SB is the better game. Yes, it is better for many reasons I won't go into multiple paragraphs about. So I'll say this instead; if you combined Secret of Mana with Diablo, you'd have something not entirely unlike Soma Bringer. This is highly addictive action-RPG goodness, with all the map filling, loot dropping love one could ever desire. The graphics are tremendously good for the platform, and Soma Bringer probably has the greatest OST you can find in any DS game. The plot is nothing to get super excited about, but easily holds its own against typical JRPGs, and is better than XC's overwrought dreck of a story. Soma Bringer is the perfect length, taking about 30 hours to beat, never overstaying its welcome like XC did.
A good game for: Players who enjoy Japanese action-RPGs in general. Players who enjoy exploring colorful alien worlds while listening to soothing music. Gamers who enjoy collecting loot and synthesizing new gear from that loot. Anyone who wants a fabulous co-op experience via Wi-Fi (my wife and I beat this game together back in 2010). Fans of Secret of Mana.
Not a game for: Impatient people who can't get past a slow start - the beginning is a bit slow - but after that SB is full speed to the end. Handheld haters. Folks who are too technically incompetent to patch a Japanese game into English, and then find a way to play it. People who ignore unusual RPGs because they have no frame of reference regarding them.
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Post by Sarge on Nov 16, 2018 12:34:25 GMT -5
Heh, different strokes for different folks. But I agree on BoFII, at any rate. The third game just never, ever clicked with me, and I put over thirty hours into it. I still need to play some Soma Bringer. Seems like perhaps the best way to get an action-RPG fix on the DS.
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Post by Ex on Nov 16, 2018 12:40:52 GMT -5
I still need to play some Soma Bringer. Seems like perhaps the best way to get an action-RPG fix on the DS. As someone who knows how big a fan you are of Japanese action-RPGs, I recommend you play all three of these ASAP: Nayuta no Kiseki (" Trails of Nayuta") (PSP) Soma Bringer (DS) Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection (PC) I've beaten all of those, I vouch for their quality. All are fun, colorful, life affirming goodness. Meanwhile, I still need to beat the two Ys games released on Vita stateside.
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Post by Sarge on Nov 16, 2018 13:34:06 GMT -5
Believe me, I've got 'em all installed! I've briefly played all of them, as well. Just... too many distractions. I think you'll dig the most recent Ys game. I know I did.
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Post by bonesnapdeez on Nov 16, 2018 13:47:14 GMT -5
I do indeed enjoy several of the games mentioned so far.
Lost Kingdoms, The Immortal, Eternal Ring -- all good titles.
Interesting Breath of Fire tangent. I've always enjoyed the first two the most, which perhaps doesn't say a lot as I vastly prefer the 4th gen to the 5th (and 2D games to 3D) as a general rule. Parts III and IV are also solid; though I dislike V and, uh, let's pretend the sixth installment never existed. Can't believe I configured a Japanese Google profile to download that abomination.
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Post by Sarge on Nov 16, 2018 13:59:01 GMT -5
Dragon Quarter was definitely a polarizing title. I didn't care for the play-restart mechanic, which would get reused in Dead Rising (and probably to better effect there).
I realize the following titles are more obscure simply because they never got a Western release, but deep dives into the Japanese library tend to produce some real gems.
Anyway, I hesitate to roll with a SquareSoft title, but Rudra no Hihou was a ton of fun; very polished, interesting spell casting system, and a split character system that sees you experience the stories of three protagonists, who then team up with a fourth for the final chapter.
Speaking of SquareSoft, there's always Gun Hazard. Mech games tend to get overlooked, and this one even more so since most assume it's just another SRPG in the series. No, it's directly inspired by the Assault Suits series, with an awesome sheen of SquareSoft RPG goodness on the top.
And for a sort of exploratory platformer, I'd like to recommend Holy Umbrella: Dondera's Wild! It starts pretty slowly, but really grew to a solid experience. I'd be willing to wager that even with a translation patch, most haven't played through it.
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Post by anayo on Nov 17, 2018 10:19:46 GMT -5
Of all the genny games I've played during my Year of the Sega Genesis, so far I think the most underrated is "Dynamite Headdy" by Treasure. It's kind of like Ristar meets Gunstar Heroes. No one seems to talk about it much, though. My favorite song so far is "South Town's Theme". I just love it when Genesis games have Jazz bass lines.
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Post by bonesnapdeez on Nov 17, 2018 11:56:11 GMT -5
I'm gonna be the voice of dissent here... I think Dynamite Headdy is pretty well-known (at least among retro gamers) and also utter trash. Perfect example of the "style over substance" type of platformer which was all too common on the Genesis.
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Post by toei on Nov 17, 2018 12:08:10 GMT -5
While I wouldn't call it trash (I've never been too attracted to it and haven't played it enough to say), Dynamite Headdy is kind of a cult game, like most Treasure titles from that era.
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Post by Sarge on Nov 17, 2018 12:56:03 GMT -5
I very much disagree that it is trash. I like it quite a bit. Sadly, though, the US release makes the game much, much harder. Play the Japanese version for a more balanced experience.
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