|
Post by Chainsaw Bilqis on Oct 19, 2020 21:56:43 GMT -5
I am testing out PS1 games on my computer (to get screenshots and stuff) and a few hours ago I tried King's Field III (well, it is the US release that is called King's Field II, but I would prefer to call it III) I think it looks pretty nice, very moody opening setting. The controls are good too (maybe playing and somehow beating Brahma Force helped me get used to this type of movement). Compared to when I attempted King's Field II (called King's Field for my copy) on my PS1 a few years ago and could not get the hang of it on even the first opponent, I think the enemies in this opening section are easier maybe. Maybe I should go play the older ones first but I really like the opening section of this one a lot. Well, now I have switched over to Juggernaut for a horror game, but if the rest of the game is like the opening this one could fit "horror" as well.
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Oct 19, 2020 22:21:33 GMT -5
Oh, yeah, the atmosphere in the King's Field games is thick. Definitely horror-adjacent at a minimum.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Oct 19, 2020 23:39:07 GMT -5
Chainsaw BilqisI would definitely consider the King's Field games to fall within the realm of horror.* And KF3 is the entry I consider the best in the series, and one of the greatest games I've ever played period. I usually recommend KF4 or Eternal Ring as someone's first FromSoftware first person dungeon crawl. Mainly because the graphics are nicer, so it makes for an easier entry. Once you get hooked on this style of game design, going back to the older graphics entries is a lot easier. But yeah, if you can hang with KF3 right off the bat, all the better. *The Shadow Tower games are straight up horror though.
|
|
|
Post by Chainsaw Bilqis on Oct 24, 2020 0:24:12 GMT -5
Tonight I started a new file on one of my favorite games. I still have a lot of "new to me" old games to complete that I started this month (I am playing Juggernaut for PS1 up through Halloween and after that will go back to Moon on Switch now that I have the microSD card, then I think I will start over on King's Field III since it seems really cool), but tonight I just wanted to play something familiar (having already completed my DQM2 GBC replay). So now I am typing this after playing about 2 hours of Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song (2005) which I have beaten multiple times before. Minstrel Song is a total remake of the original Romancing SaGa. Tomomi Kobayashi did the character designs for the original RS1, and she also does the designs for Minstrel Song but gives the characters brand new looks. Minstrel Song incorporates a lot of the later SaGa gameplay elements missing from RS1, even borrowing a couple interesting mechanics from Unlimited Saga. Minstrel Song also lays the groundwork for many things in The Last Remnant (another one of my favorite games). For this playthrough of Minstrel Song, I chose Jamil the Thief as my main character. One thing Minstrel Song does differently from the SaGa games preceding it is that it is full of documentation about how to play the game in a clear manner. This is probably a result of the developers taking to heart criticisms levied against previous titles (in particular the SaGa game developed before Minstrel Song: Unlimited Saga), finally moving SaGa into the age of in-game tutorials. Which is understandable, I have no problems with it (a person can always play the older SaGas if they want more mystery) . So, the obfuscation of previous titles is mostly gone in Minstrel Song...mostly. The game still has more than a few tricks up its sleeves (some of them a bit nasty haha) to give the player variance in playthroughs. And it is actually one of the more complicated games in the series due to the sheer amount of stuff to keep track of (well, if you want to, which I like to do). So, no, it doesn't play fair in all respects, but I would not want it to. Minstrel Song lends itself to multiple playthroughs well anyway due to the different main character quests and some secret stuff you can't get on your first playthrough. It isn't SaGa Frontier 1 level in character scenario uniqueness, but it does a respectable job. Lots of stuff to learn if you so choose: I think it is one of the most accessible titles in the series because of the documentation, and because it is a PS2 game. I wish you could zoom in and out on the screen or rotate the camera, but otherwise it feels pretty "at home" on the PS2. Some screenshots from tonight:
|
|
|
Post by Xeogred on Oct 26, 2020 12:19:40 GMT -5
I'm at the very end of FF12 now, approaching 60 hours. I've definitely slowed down on this one over the last week or so, maybe I need to knock it out sooner than later. I just keep getting caught up in wanting to do some of the end game stuff, but some of it seems annoying. Yiazmat apparently isn't even the hardest secret boss either, it's some Omega MK. XII. Traversing the Great Crystal again seems ridiculous too and could take hours.
I'm not sure who else here has beaten FF12 besides Ex? Maybe Sarge? I'm wondering when some others called it a wrap.
I enjoyed it a lot overall so I don't have any real negatives. All good things just have to come to an end eventually!
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Oct 26, 2020 13:52:03 GMT -5
Yeah, I've finished it. I wasn't as wild about it, but it was still a good time. I probably finished it at around 50 hours - I definitely didn't feel like spending too much time on all the optional stuff.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Oct 26, 2020 14:01:22 GMT -5
At his point, if you combined Xeogred's and Sarge's time together, you'd have the amount of time I sunk into FF12. Something about the experience was just crack for me.
|
|
|
Post by Xeogred on Oct 26, 2020 14:16:20 GMT -5
I'll try to at least finish up some of the last hunts, since I've done most of those along the way. I wouldn't mind if there were a lot more straightforward optional dungeons to explore. There's just that weird issue I mentioned awhile back, how cryptic some of the side quests and requirements are for re-exploring further into some earlier dungeons. Not a big fan of that aspect. It still might be my favorite Matsuno game at this point. I guess I have tiny nitpicks for some of them and FF12 is no different. The biggest issue to me is that the plot is still kind of bizarre as it goes and the game greatly lacks a good recurring rival antagonist. No, I don't need another Sephiroth or Kefka clone in every JRPG, but this weird evil Cid with his tech is the most standout villain in this and that's kind of sad, lol. So it just feels like you're going up against the blank "Empire" for most of the entire game. Nothing very personal or someone to challenge. If they made a sequel to this game that probably would have been cool. The combat does get extremely awesome in the more complicated fights. I guess this is something you can say about a lot of Matsuno games though. The systems and mechanics here are so unique and fleshed out, you can't help but simply wonder what more you could do with it, if there was more content or sequels. FF12 does some stuff better than other RPG's though. This still has to be one of the most "lived in" worlds I've ever explored in gaming. So, atmosphere, world building, lore, all fleshing out a creative world can carry a game like this for me. I can't explain why but I got Zelda vibes sometimes, which is my happy place. It's just a joy to be in FF12's world, from exploring dungeons, to exploring towns and talking to all the NPC's, and basking in the awesome sights and music.
FF13 was kind of similar in that regard to me, I mean I loved being in its world since it was so gorgeous and awesome to look at. But this game definitely has way more legit issues than FF12 to me and a cast of straight up hate worthy characters, haha. No cool rival villain either (FF13-2 fixed that and I thought the two main characters were likable again). I love FF13's combat system but it can't be denied that it literally takes 20-30 hours to fully open up and be flexible. This is a serious issue. But yeah FF13 has good peaks to me and FF12 is a little stronger all around.
This is how I'm feeling about FF at the moment:
S: FF4-FF7, FF7R A: FF10, FF12, maybe 13-2 B: FF8, FF13 C: FF1, FF3, FF9 D: FF2, FF15, LR, 10-2
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Oct 26, 2020 14:57:25 GMT -5
Ooh, are we ranking Final Fantasy games again? Since I'm lazy, I'm not going to use an image, ha. S: VI, III A: IV, X, VIII, XIII B: XV, I, VII, XII C: IX, V, II
Can't rate the others, not enough time into them to proclaim any sort of victory. I'm also tempted to put the first game into the A tier, and if we're talking the GBA Dawn of Souls, then FFII would go into the B tier.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Oct 26, 2020 16:26:37 GMT -5
Concerning the mainline FF series and ignoring offshoots: S: FF12, FF6 A: FF4 B: FF1, FF7 C: FF5, FF10 D: FF9 Haven't even played yet*: FF2, FF3, FF8, FF10-2, FF11, FF13, FF13-2, FF14, FF15 *Clearly I lack the compulsion to prioritize this series.
|
|