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Post by Sarge on May 2, 2023 21:42:33 GMT -5
There is a timer in battles - if you beat a battle before it expires, you get bonus EXP. You can also collect items from the pods that randomly are scattered across the battlefield while the timer is active - once it hits zero they all explode. They can give everything from items to a full energy restore, weapon levels (very important and useful!), or negative effects (they just blow up or hit you with rust).
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Post by toei on May 2, 2023 21:56:29 GMT -5
It's interesting that Robotrek is Quintet's only turn-based RPG, and it's far from a generic one. They really made an effort to make the fighting different and more fun. I'm sure Xeogred would want to beat it if he went back to it today, being a fan of both Quintet and robots. It's about 20 hours long, too, nice and breezy.
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Post by Xeogred on May 2, 2023 22:08:33 GMT -5
Yeah, it's cool to hear Sarge hitting it up again now and digging it (also I should have specified, just wondered if there was an in game save/played time, haha. Not always the case with 16bit games). But yeah a whopping 8 entries on HLTB, looks about 20-30 hours so standard fair for JRPG's of the era. Treasure of the Rudras is another one I need to give a look again. I fell off a few years ago, even during HRG's time I think... but some of you swear by it. Then there's 7th Saga... there probably is still a dozen or so SNES JRPG's I should check out. But Phantasy Star II is the #1 priority for that at the moment.
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Post by toei on May 2, 2023 22:38:12 GMT -5
Oh yeah, one RPG at a time is my policy. Mix and matching long-form games is a great way to fall off.
I think it's mostly Sarge and me that swear by Rudras. It's a 9/10 to me, one of the very best Squaresoft and SNES RPGs, point blank.
The 7th Saga is cool and it's worth playing, but it's not one of the greats or anything. I like it because it's more hardcore and less linear than most without being directionless. The sequel Mystic Ark has its highlights too. If you play it, be aware that there are two complete fan translations; I strongly recommend you go with AGTP's.
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Post by Xeogred on May 2, 2023 22:56:53 GMT -5
Is Bahamut Lagoon bad? I feel like I mix that and The 7th Saga up all the time. Thus, I need to seriously play these two someday so I can stop that.
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Post by toei on May 2, 2023 23:15:40 GMT -5
Is Bahamut Lagoon bad? I feel like I mix that and The 7th Saga up all the time. Thus, I need to seriously play these two someday so I can stop that. Oh, they're massively different. Bahamut Lagoon is a SRPG. The twist is that each unit on the battlefield is a RPG party, and when you attack another unit, it switches to a turn-based RPG combat screen for a round or two where you pick individual commands for everyone. There's also a gimmick where you raise a dragon by feeding it items, but it's not that well developed and it doesn't matter that much. I wouldn't say it's bad. I liked the story, the setting (IIRC, outside of battle it takes place almost entirely on a large traveling airship, and you get to walk around and talk to people between battles), the characters and the aesthetic. They're all peak mid-'90s Squaresoft. The problem is that it's so easy that there really is no strategy at all. Combat is basically just you methodically cleaning out the maps. It makes the gameplay pretty uninteresting. 7th Saga's a more early SNES-style turn-based RPG. That means a more minimalist core plot, fewer character moments, and more emphasis on substories in each town, like in DQ. The main thing gimmick is that you pick your character at first, and everyone you're not using becomes your rival in trying to find the 7 runes, except one who can be persuaded to join you (so it's a two-character team - you want to think carefully about your balance, because the game doesn't play). It's also just semi-linear.
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Post by Sarge on May 2, 2023 23:15:43 GMT -5
Bahamut Lagoon is considered really good, I just usually bounce off of SRPGs. It was also one of the very last things Near did, retranslating the game (and by all accounts the work is excellent). No in-game timer on the save file that I've seen. Maybe there's a stat elsewhere. Right now I'm just having to guess how long it's taking me, but from longplays I've seen (and per toei ), it's not a crazy long game. I figure I might be able to knock it out in ten hours or so. And yeah, Rudras rocks. The 7th Saga is brutal - if you want to experience it in the Japanese form, there's patches for that. I felt I had to take it down because of its rep, but it also does some interesting stuff. I like the battle system, much of the pixel art is fantastic, and the soundtrack is super unique. I liked it better than Mystic Ark, which looks even better but has some serious tonal whiplash - it's not afraid to be very goofy at times.
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Post by Ex on May 2, 2023 23:18:16 GMT -5
Title: Ikari no Yousai 2Platform: Game Boy Region release played: Japan Year of release: 1992 Developer: Jaleco Entertainment Publisher: Jaleco Entertainment Graphics: 4/5 Audio: 4/5 Challenge: 4/5 Fun factor: 3/5 Quick Thoughts: Ikari no Yousai 2 ( Fortress of Anger 2) is a Game Boy overhead maze shoot 'em up, being the second entry in the Ikari no Yousai series. Unlike its predecessor, Fortified Zone, Ikari no Yousai 2 did not receive an official localization, however a full English fan translation patch is available. This sequel has the same premise as the first game; A male and female commando infiltrate an enemy fortress (consisting of four large stages) to destroy it entirely. They will do this by destroying loads of robots and mechs, using a small variety of mostly competent guns. Ikari no Yousai 2 is considerably more challenging than its predecessor, which is a good thing for first game fans hoping for a stiffer fight.
+Strong graphics and audio for Game Boy.
+You can move and shoot diagonally now. +You can change your weapon with select button. +All guns have unlimited ammo (and there's a spread shot shotgun now). +Stage traversal is more cerebrally challenging than before. -Mapping system is inconsistent in showing doors in rooms. -Gotta find secret doors by blowing up walls and floors. -Enemies don't drop power-ups or life restoratives of any sort. -Most enemies take too many dang shots to kill. -The final stage is a three floor negotiation nightmare. Ex's time to beat: 1 hour 15 minutes Ex's rating: 7.5/10
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Post by Ex on May 2, 2023 23:39:00 GMT -5
But Phantasy Star II is the #1 priority for that at the moment.
Treasure of the Rudras - I've fallen off this one twice. Once because I was playing the original translation and it was pretty bad. Thankfully Gid redid that one and it's all good now. The second time because I was jumping around too much in the protagonists' chapters and lost interest in the plot. That is not to say it's a bad game. It's gorgeous looking and gorgeous sounding, has a very innovative battle system, and I bet if you do one protagonist at a time it's good. I plan to give this one a third try eventually. The 7th Saga - I made it about 70% of the way through this one before throwing in the towel. The problem is I was playing the wrong protagonist (Lejes the demon) and doing a solo run at that (no second party member). This ended up an unbalanced nightmare thanks to the USA's "we'll make it tougher!" screwed up balancing compared to the original Japanese version. I do plan to replay this one, but I'll play the English translated original, instead of the USA mess. The 7th Saga has amazing atmosphere, and outstanding OST, and great graphics. It's well worth playing if you choose the "right" team of protagonists. Bahamut Lagoon - Never played this one. I've heard it's easy (not a good thing for an SRPG) and you should play Near's translation. The screenshots I've seen show above average graphics as expected of Square at the time.
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Post by toei on May 3, 2023 6:47:00 GMT -5
Okay, here's my updated list for this theme. I will beat at least one of those. Priority goes to the Sega Genesis, SNES is second, because I don't have enough time and there are a lot of games outside of this theme that I want to play.
Genesis: Rolling Thunder 3 - I'm a fan of the first game in the arcades and the second on the Genesis, but somehow I still haven't played this one extensively. Dynamite Duke - I played this once and died on the final level. I had fun the whole time and meant to go back and beat it some day. Apparently this was actually a light gun game - I didn't realize that because with a controller it plays like Cabal, with a visible character at the bottom of the screen who can dodge shots. The original arcade game was by Seibu Kaihatsu, who are mostly known for the Raiden shmup series. Burning Force - This is a port of an arcade sprite-scaling shooter by Namco in which you play as girl on a jet ski. It's much more playable than other shooters of this type on the Genesis, for some reason. Aiming just seems to make more sense. The Immortal - Old-school hardcore Western third-person dungeon crawler.
SNES: Bushi Seiryuuden - A RPG/platformer hybrid released in 1997 by Game Freak. Clock Tower - I don't like running away and hiding in games (or in life), but I can't seem to shake my curiosity about this game. It seems unique and interesting, and I know it's only about 3 hours long. There are few real horror games on that generation of consoles, too, so this stands out even more. Dark Half - Seems like an unusual RPG with a dark atmosphere, in which you can play as a hero or a demon who goes around destroying towns. Far East of Eden Zero - The first entry in Red Company & Hudson Soft's flagship RPG series released outside of the PCE-CD. The Firemen - Seems like a cool action game, the SNES Burning Rangers. Never tried it. Glory of Heracles IV - I was just starting this game when my old laptop died. It seemed like the weirdest, wildest game in the series. III was excellent, and II was good even on the NES. I just think all that time wasted on Maten Soumetsu took me out of my turn-based RPG mood. G.O.D. - I don't know much about this one, other than it seems to take place in a modern city and involve a kid with a red baseball cap who rides a bike, plus it might even be comedic, so... Earthbound? But the tone is probably different. Also, it was translated by Dynamic Designs, but not edited by wildbill, so it should be fine. Last Bible III - MegaTen spin-off. Great graphics, late SNES release. Seems classy. Operation Logic Bomb - I barely even know what this is about, just that I meant to try it.
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