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Post by Sarge on Nov 25, 2019 9:48:30 GMT -5
toei is right. I think they either 1) intended for you to play through the game again or 2) buy a strategy guide, as Ex says. Either way, it's astoundingly esoteric. I still absolutely adore the game, though.
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Post by Ex on Nov 25, 2019 11:01:14 GMT -5
it sounds like a lot of content is easy to miss without a guide In fact, since I didn't beat any PSX games this year (yet?), maybe that should be my plan for next year: - Valkyrie Profile - Front Mission 3
- Vagrant Story - Tron Bonne
I've beaten all of those. As for Valkyrie Profile, it is definitely a good JRPG that consistently hints at greatness, though it lets rampant experimentation get in the way of rational game design too often. I don't hold that against it though, I admire innovation. I admire developers who are willing to push boundaries for the sake of evolving this medium. But I do hold the absolutely byzantine criteria needed to see this game's true ending against the designers.
Still, up until the very end of Valkyrie Profile, I had a mostly fun time. And I suppose that's what counts in the end. Even if the only ending I saw consisted of Freya's face and a short victory speech. Well, that is, until I went to Youtube for the true ending. Best five things about Valkyrie Profile:
Unusual plot for a JRPG with heartfelt stories within stories. Unique battle system (for its time) that is fun and fast. Really nice uptempo OST with lots of variety. Excellent 2D graphics, with parallax scrolling and tasteful dithering. Plenty of maturely written, well localized dialogue. Worst five things about Valkyrie Profile:The hidden true ending's discovery criteria = completely ridiculous. Too many areas are hidden and only accessible if you play the "hard" difficulty. Too many playable characters = overexposure. I can't keep up with all these motives! Some really bad platforming at times due to shoddy jumping physics. The game is too easy on "normal". Go for "hard".
I own and have played a fair bit of Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria on PS2. It is a GORGEOUS game, amazing graphics for PS2. And it was pretty fun to start with. Unfortunately I got brickwalled on a boss that I was doing practically zero damage too, meanwhile it was annihilating my party. This had more to do with me not fully understanding the intricacies of the battle system, which means I should have RTFM. That was many years ago, I plan to replay VP2 someday.
Front Mission 3 = Super fun mecha SRPG that is too easy, but makes up for that with loads of content (two separate campaigns!).
Vagrant Story = Best PS1 game in existence. My favorite game on the platform. I like it even more than the King's Field and Shadow Tower games on PS1 - that says something.
Tron Bonne = Brilliantly fun and just an uplifting game to play. I love being in the Legends' series' world, and this is an extension of that place. Too many people skipped this one, to their detriment.
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Post by Sarge on Nov 25, 2019 11:37:25 GMT -5
Yeah, VP2 easily ranks as one of the best-looking PS2 games. It wouldn't take much of a spit-shine to make it look like it belonged on PS3.
I got brick-walled myself in it, but I ended up doing some grinding on the Hydra to get back up to snuff.
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Post by toei on Nov 25, 2019 11:45:28 GMT -5
Yeah, I second Vagrant Story. It's a fantastic game. I played it in... maybe 2006 or 2007, and even by then it was rare for me to get involved in a game as much as I did with that one. Part of it is the challenge - enemies are strong, and every encounter feels significant, so you have to remain focused at all times, and getting into the blacksmithing thing (whatever it's called in that game) actually really matters since you want to have a good weapon for all three types of damage. Status-enhancing spells are extremely useful, too. People complained about the difficulty at the time, but it's pretty much completely fair, and I don't remember dying much once I got my bearings.
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Post by Sarge on Nov 25, 2019 11:54:19 GMT -5
Good abuse of the chain system can also get you by; I definitely spammed my way through a few fights by maintaining perfect timing. It's not easy, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily a difficult game, either, especially as toei says once you get adjusted. It's also a graphical tour-de-force. Not many PS1 games look that good.
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Post by Ex on Nov 25, 2019 12:37:57 GMT -5
you want to have a good weapon for all three types of damage This is the proper way you are supposed to do it.
I didn't do it that way though. I made a giant claymore that I enhanced with various properties, that covered the elemental damage bases needed to damage any kind of enemy. This jack-of-all-trades weapon - combined with copious chaining - got me through the game without issue.
That said, if you do take the time to make specific damage-type weapons, you can annihilate specific enemies much more quickly. God forbid somebody have to put some actual effort into learning how to play a game. It's also a graphical tour-de-force. Not many PS1 games look that good. Agreed. It's the only PS1 title I've seen that had light edging:
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Post by Xeogred on Nov 25, 2019 13:59:54 GMT -5
Worth mentioning I have played a lot of Vagrant Story before and loved it, but I didn't have any idea what I was doing with the mechanics at the time. I'm pretty sure the elemental weaknesses and such went over my head, that said I got really good at the chains and could do it near infinitely on some bosses, so that probably helped me get through. I might even remember the weapon type I had good timing with was some kind of mining pick or axe I believe. Should go easier another time through I imagine. I got stuck at the maze forest. It is still my favorite Hitoshi Sakimoto OST, saying a lot since most of this guys work is amazing. As for Front Mission 3, I think I plan to play the harder and shorter campaign that seems to be the one most people omit. I hear the other campaign is longer (with a lot of filler) and easier. Who knows, maybe I'll do both. But I think it would be fun to play the rare scenario that doesn't seem to be mentioned as much from what I've researched. It's exciting that Valkyrie Profile should still be a unique experience despite all the JRPG's I've played. At least I know I'll need to use a guide/FAQ step by step and I had no clue about the difficulties, so that's good to know too. It's definitely funny glancing at the A Ending here: strategywiki.org/wiki/Valkyrie_Profile/EndingsFound a PDF of the Lenneth guide, so hopefully that's fine. Bit more fun than reading a FAQ...
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Post by Ex on Nov 25, 2019 14:12:38 GMT -5
As for Front Mission 3, I think I plan to play the harder and shorter campaign that seems to be the one most people omit. I'm not sure which campaign you mean exactly. I have personally only played through Emma's campaign (back in 2009). It was easy and fun. Someday I'd like to play through Alisa's campaign. Hopefully that's the harder one? Honestly if you want challenging Front Mission battles then go for FM4 and FM5. I'm normally anti-walkthroughs with games, but Valkyrie Profile was clearly designed to be played with a guide (the official strategy guide that is), so yeah I suggest doing so!
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Post by Xeogred on Nov 25, 2019 16:01:55 GMT -5
Yeah, Alisa. The difficulty isn't the selling point, I'm just intrigued since not as many people talk about that campaign and it sounds better paced.
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Post by Sarge on Nov 27, 2019 1:05:39 GMT -5
Yeah, FM3 is a game that definitely ranks on my "I want to beat someday" list. I even picked up another copy a while back super cheap. It's pristine, unlike my older copy which was the disc in a generic case and the manual with the cover torn off.
Front Mission 4 also sits unfinished in my backlog. When I start feeling another urge to polish off old save games, hopefully that one will crop up.
Oh, right, I've got an old playthrough of Threads of Fate that I'd like to finish as well. Honestly, that might be a really good one to jump into; I can't be that far from the end.
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