|
Post by Ex on Sept 6, 2021 20:41:02 GMT -5
Majin Tensei 2, a SRPG Megami Tensei spin-off on the SNES that was translated a couple years ago. I wonder if the Devil Survivor games share any commonality with these? I love the box art: - Just Breed looks good. Sounds like some have beaten it around here. What's the play-length like? A dozen hours, thirty?
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Sept 6, 2021 21:31:22 GMT -5
Judging by a multi-part longplay I saw on Twitter, I'm wagering in the 30 hour range. Pretty meaty, in that case. I'd love to hear estimates from others here, though.
Also, check out this tune from the intro - really neat to hear the MMC5 actually using its expansion sound channels. (We got some MMC5 games here in the States, but sadly no expansion sound, even for something like Castlevania III, which uses the mapper.)
|
|
|
Post by Xeogred on Sept 6, 2021 21:44:26 GMT -5
Dang, this tune reminds me to catch up on some VGM podcasts I'm into. That cover art gives me Suikoden vibes.
|
|
|
Post by toei on Sept 6, 2021 22:23:36 GMT -5
Ex Yeah, I took notice of that cover art too. I played the first Devil Survivor game, it's quite decent, especially for a DS original. I'd recommend checking it out. I don't remember how long Just Breed is, but 12 hours isn't really a reasonable expectation for a SRPG. It's probably at least 25-30. Xeogred 3X3 Eyes partly takes place in Hong Kong, so there's a Chinese theme to some of the art. Just Breed doesn't, but that cover art is very similar to what the artist was doing in his main manga stylistically. And Suikoden is based on a famous Chinese novel (Water Margin). So the resemblance you feel is probably there; Japanese manga artists & illustrators games artists of the '80s and '90s had a particular way of drawing ancient-China inspired art. For another example, Data East's 2D fighter Suiko Enbu aka Dark Legend: Ren from the Shenmue games also looks like he belongs in the Suikoden series.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Sept 6, 2021 22:31:16 GMT -5
12 hours isn't really a reasonable expectation for a SRPG I was taking into account it's an 8-bit SRPG. I haven't finished too many 8-bit SRPGs, if any. I have finished a few sub-12 hour long SRPGs. Arc the Lad, Faselei!, and Onimusha Tactics come to mind. Though I agree genre entries tend to run 20-40 hours long generally.
|
|
|
Post by toei on Sept 6, 2021 22:42:07 GMT -5
12 hours isn't really a reasonable expectation for a SRPG I was taking into account it's an 8-bit SRPG. I haven't finished too many 8-bit SRPGs, if any. I have finished a few sub-12 hour long SRPGs. Arc the Lad, Faselei!, and Onimusha Tactics come to mind. Though I agree genre entries tend to run 20-40 hours long generally. There aren't many. Off the top, on the NES, in addition to Just Breed, there's Fire Emblem and Fire Emblem Gaiden, the first of which has a ton of remakes. The Game Gear has Crystal Warriors, Royal Stone, and the three Shining Force Gaidens. And there's a handful on the Game Boy, like Another Bible. In general, all the portable SRPGs are probably much shorter than the console SRPGs of the time, as portable games were typical less ambitious than console games. I would recommend the third SF Gaiden and Royal Stone, if you want to play one of those. Just Breed is probably the best 8-bit SRPG out there, though.
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Sept 6, 2021 23:13:42 GMT -5
I played through a couple of battles in Just Breed and a battle in FEDA: Emblem of Justice. I have a middling length save file (level 21) in the latter, and I'm debating if I want to try to dive in again. While it certainly goes hard on the Shining Force vibes, I still can't shake the feeling that it just feels "off".
|
|
|
Post by toei on Sept 7, 2021 0:03:34 GMT -5
I liked FEDA. My only issue with it is the Dynamic Designs fan translation inserting their nonsense in places.
Just a reminder that "Max Entertainment" was really Climax Entertainment, so the game was made by the co-developers of the original Shining Force (Sonic Software Planning, which later became Camelot, weren't involved with FEDA). I'm not sure why they used that name. Besides "Max" being one half of "Climax", it's also the name of the Shining Force protagonist... I used to think it had to do with getting around contractual obligations with Sega, but I'm not sure. They did make LadyStalker on the SNES as Climax the following year.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Sept 7, 2021 9:21:18 GMT -5
I've put a few hours in Blue Dragon Plus now for DS. The gameplay mechanics have evolved enough to where it's starting to become strategically interesting. You can for example meticulously equip gear to each individual unit, affecting their stats accordingly. You can also equip independent skills (basically magic attacks). The game world takes place in a cube that acts like a dungeon, which you send out different parties of characters to explore. The RTS gameplay can be frantic because unlike Heroes of Mana you can't alter this game's speed slower, so you have to really keep up. The plot written by Hironobu Sakaguchi isn't doing much for me, but it was written as a direct sequel to the first Blue Dragon. So if I'd played the original game before this one, I might find the plot more intriguing (doubt it). However mechanically speaking this little handheld RTS is definitely intriguing so far. I'd still call this an RTS/beat 'em up hybrid, that's ultimately what it feels like.
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Sept 7, 2021 14:53:35 GMT -5
You're not missing much with Blue Dragon's plot, honestly.
|
|