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[SerTapTap]

Beat Neptunia Victory 2 over the weekend, great game, easily the best they've made (though I can't say much for the humor/story due to Japanese). Great to see them keep improving, and perhaps most importantly the NG+ is fantastic now (lets you keep characters if you want and reset levels if you want, and you can keep almost everything)

Ended up selling Operation Abyss, game just never clicked for
me sadly..

I...haven't even opened my limited edition yet. #TooManyGames

I think tohr and neptunia would be a fine combo. I'm considering Omega Quintet, pretty sure someone here (Sir TapTap?) said it was worth checking out.

I think Tom already said it, but it sounds like if you want IA/VT you'll need to import.

I made a big ol' review of Omega Quintet if you want to check it out, not sure if the sale's over though. The combat system is great, but it's otherwise lacking in polish, and for better or worse it's a very long game.

 

[Li Kao]

I can understand what you are saying; the story (a big driving force of a JRPG) is far from the games strongest element, as it is birthed from conventions and stables of the genre that were covered/utilized better in many, many other JRPG's. But, the charming characters and great localization really help mask the 'samey-ness' the games story has most of the time.

The combat system is a blast, the presentation while nothing amazing looks colorful and clean and the cast, like I mentioned before, is really charming.

I am really enjoying the game myself, so I happily recommend it for this flash sale price .

Edit: Top of the page ! Everyone get Tales of Hearts R, Sword Art Online: Hallow Fragment and more while the flash sale is still live!

We are on the same page here, the game is overall pleasant to play.
But to develop a little on my combat reservations... I'm not sure if it's the somewhat convoluted mix of moving on a lane and free running, or maybe I'm just bad at it, or whatever... I have the feeling that I'm not fighting like I would like to, as in hitting, comboing, blocking when I want. I'm fighting the enemies and the game if you will. Some times the character won't project the target in the air and just jump, or a lot of the times the block move won't work when needed.
What I'm getting at is that while the core elements are here to make a solid combat system, I can't say I have really experienced it.

But maybe I'm not accustomed to the flow of things.

 

[RK128]

We are on the same page here, the game is overall pleasant to play.
But to develop a little on my combat reservations... I'm not sure if it's the somewhat convoluted mix of moving on a lane and free running, or maybe I'm just bad at it, or whatever... I have the feeling that I'm not fighting like I would like to, as in hitting, comboing, blocking when I want. I'm fighting the enemies and the game if you will. Some times the character won't project the target in the air and just jump, or a lot of the times the block move won't work when needed.
What I'm getting at is that while the core elements are here to make a solid combat system, I can't say I have really experienced it.

But maybe I'm not accustomed to the flow of things.

The combat is a bit tricky at first :l. I mean, I agree with you on the whole 'lane' system when you use the D-Pad for combat (and you have to, as jump is mapped to the Up instead of a button) alongside short-cuts for your skill attacks.

For me, the blocking/countering systems are a bit stiff like you mention (very rarely nail those attacks).

For chaining combos, here is a tip I learned at hour 3-4 of my time with the game; the 'chaining' system (where you keep attacking foes with a circle over them, then you get a little scene). This system allows you to warp to the foe, land one of two special attacks per character or do a team up attack when a character portrait gets a circle over it. The best part about this mode is the warping mechanic, as you can launch a foe in the air, and just keep warping after a few basic attacks, making your combos really long.

I also learned from watching a YouTube video on the game that you have complete control over the AI's behavior by going into the combat section of the menu and tinkering with everything; when do they heal you, what type of attacks they do, do they move closer/away from foes, ect. Never experimented with this yet but man, that is a great addition .

And I'm glad we are on the same page; I really enjoy the game so far despite the samey story .

 

[SerTapTap]

Playing with the Tales AI is a must, at the very least to save up SP then let them spam SP skills at bosses. It doesn't take very long either. It makes the AI-only buddies more tolerable (do they still let other players control the other characters? Last time I did that was with Symphonia but it was fun)

 

[bobohoro]

Thanks guys. It's only my second Tales game and the first one was years ago. I can't say I'm used to the way the series does things :O

So I played some good hours of it, I don't know, four or five hours maybe, and as I feared I'm not really into it. But not really displeased either. I guess if we go by a definition of 'doesn't do anything good (but nothing wrong either)', then Man God must be right by calling it mediocre. But since it's a very loaded term that everyone could take differently, let's settle for bland.

Like I said, it's NOT bad either. There is some nice humorous moments, the character design isn't bad, character's personalities are nice, a lot of things are pretty good.
It's just that, I don't know, there is this persistent feel of a game that tries to be good but fails at it somehow. Maybe the bland protag, or the story which has its moments but never really fascinates.

All in all I had fun with the game and will gladly continue playing. I have some reservation with the combat though. Feels somewhat unresponsive. Blocking and combos don't work as easily as I would like. But maybe I will grow accustomed to it.

That's actually a rather apt description of the game and one I would share right now. It's totally average in almost every way, but pleasant to play and rarely does anything to annoy you. It feels like one of the B-tier JRPGs of the old PSone/PS2-days, only with less loading instances and shorter loading times. Which is totally okay in my book, but certainly not for everyone. Still have to see if the story goes anywhere and how the battle system unfolds later on, as early and late-game Tales is always pretty different and some entries in the series do the progression thing better than others.

In terms of combat I'd agree as well. It feels rather clunky and unresponsive at times, and the hit-stagger-&-run tactics of the enemies add to that. But you just have to rethink your approach a bit. First of all, spacing is important. Don't just rush into packs of enemies, circle around, look out for ones that stray towards your casters and try to pick them off one after the other. Use your block if they come at you and attack second, so you're not staggered mid-combo. And maybe switch to manual control, to get attacks out quicker and anticipate enemy movements better.

 

[Li Kao]

Playing with the Tales AI is a must, at the very least to save up SP then let them spam SP skills at bosses. It doesn't take very long either. It makes the AI-only buddies more tolerable (do they still let other players control the other characters? Last time I did that was with Symphonia but it was fun)

You mean controlling another character in combat ? I think I saw that option somewhere (don't quote me).

 

[Ventara]

Hey guys, so the God Eater festival or whatever was yesterday, right? Was anything announced?

Do I want Ar Nosurge Plus physical? Hmm...

You don't know me, but I'm a very close friend of yours from the future, who has traveled back to impart to you a message. I had the honor of being by your side as you lay dying, and as you regaled me with your final words, you told me about your greatest regret in life. I'm here to fix that and set you on the correct timeline. Go buy Ar no Surge physical. Now.

Steins;Gate releases August 25 in NA

http://www.ricedigital.co.uk/na-ste...l-psy-kongroo-edition-exclusive-rice-digital/

So, is it still gonna be 50 pounds? If so, fuck that. I don't care about an ESRB rating that much.

Edit: Oh, it IS 50 pounds. LOL

 

[Vylash]

Playing with the Tales AI is a must, at the very least to save up SP then let them spam SP skills at bosses. It doesn't take very long either. It makes the AI-only buddies more tolerable (do they still let other players control the other characters? Last time I did that was with Symphonia but it was fun)

i set my party in abyss to conserve as much sp as possible and those idiots still burned through it in like 2 battles

and yeah tales still has co-op

 

[SerTapTap]

i set my party in abyss to conserve as much sp as possible and those idiots still burned through it in like 2 battles

and yeah tales still has co-op

I think there's a a "use less" and an "absolutely stop using skills" option, at least in Xillia...been a while though. I think you can also set them to only use skills to heal.

 

[names2hard4you]

Ended up selling Operation Abyss, game just never clicked for me sadly..

I didn't sell mine, but I didn't put more than 7 hours into it. And I was so excited for it too... /:

 

[ZeroAKA]

I didn't sell mine, but I didn't put more than 7 hours into it. And I was so excited for it too... /:

What was wrong with Operation Abyss? I haven't bought it yet because I still have a huge Vita/3DS backlog to go through, but I'm still interested.

 

[Saphirax]

What was wrong with Operation Abyss? I haven't bought it yet because I still have a huge Vita/3DS backlog to go through, but I'm still interested.

Most likely people were under the impression it'd be more like Demon Gaze. OA is a remake of older games, so not only can it be obtuse at times, some of the mechanics can be viewed as 'outdated' as well. Probably what turned people off from the game.

 

[names2hard4you]

What was wrong with Operation Abyss? I haven't bought it yet because I still have a huge Vita/3DS backlog to go through, but I'm still interested.

For me personally? Something that many may frown upon, this being an old DRPG that doesn't try to hide it: lack of clarity and old gameplay mechanics. The game truly throws you out in the wild and expects you to learn. It's not like this is a game that is easy to understand, the stuff is complex. Also the first real dungeon you get into is right off the bat intricate with teleporting mechanics that pretty much requires you to explore all floors before you figure out the pattern. So pacing was an issue for me too.

 

[ZeroAKA]

Most likely people were under the impression it'd be more like Demon Gaze. OA is a remake of older games, so not only can it be obtuse at times, some of the mechanics can be viewed as 'outdated' as well. Probably what turned people off from the game.

For me personally? Something that many may frown upon, this being an old DRPG that doesn't try to hide it: lack of clarity and old gameplay mechanics. The game truly throws you out in the wild and expects you to learn. It's not like this is a game that is easy to understand, the stuff is complex. Also the first real dungeon you get into is right off the bat intricate with teleporting mechanics that pretty much requires you to explore all floors before you figure out the pattern. So pacing was an issue for me too.

That shouldn't be too big of a problem for me. How is it compared to Etrian Odyssey?

 

[names2hard4you]

That shouldn't be too big of a problem for me. How is it compared to Etrian Odyssey?

When I said it isn't "simple" like certain games, Etrian Odyssey, Demon Gaze and such were what I was referring too. This is as old school, hardcore DRPG as an Elminage from back in the day, only with a fresh coat of paint on top. If you liked those then you'll be fine.

 

[Parakeetman]

That shouldn't be too big of a problem for me. How is it compared to Etrian Odyssey?

Its quite different, since its still the same general standard system as Demon Gaze, where leveling / character advancement you assign the stats points and skills are locked behind level caps.

Outside of that there is the whole crafting system which is basically putting together resources to make weapons or breaking down existing ones to regain resources.

Then there is story related stuff which folks are finding obtuse therefore getting stuck. Also in combination with having to use the "contact" option in specific locations for triggering events and such.

Game is older in design, but its not as if it is impossible to play.

When I said it isn't "simple" like certain games, Etrian Odyssey, Demon Gaze and such were what I was referring too. This is as old school, hardcore DRPG as an Elminage from back in the day, only with a fresh coat of paint on top. If you liked those then you'll be fine.

Nah this is not even close to being an Elminage as that is just straight out Wizardry in design with a different name due to what I imagine is Starfish no longer had the license for the Wizardry name at that point in time. But they kept most of the design mechanics straight up Wizardry with the earlier titles, then tweaked some things as the series advanced.

Exp Inc in general has stayed away from making their titles overly traditional in that sense and the only other ones that are close to being what Elminage was is basically the Wizardry games. Outside of the old system of needing to return to HQ to use the medbay to lv up, they did not go too heavy into a lot of the more traditional systems and kept their own identity with the design, which is what is still seen in most of their other DRPG titles.

What is closer to design mechanics wise would be the Class of Heroes series, as both that and Generation Xth was born from the Wizardry Xth series. Just that ZeroDiv and Exp Inc went their own separate ways to differentiate their titles from one another, but a lot of underlying mechanics were similar. The largest being the crafting system for example.

Overall the game itself too is not that difficult outside of the random deaths with enemies that have the 1HK ability. As with any DRPG things might start off a bit rough due to poor equipment / difference in stats, but as you progress things get a lot easier. The endgame contents is what puts up most of the challenge if any with this particular title. As Operation Abyss in general was not that difficult of a title in their library. Babel and Cross Blood step it up a little more though in the series. Cross Blood more in particular with its end game contents. The whole crafting system is what actually makes the game a lot easier than other titles, due to how simple it is to upgrade your equipment. Not to mention overall getting resources is not that hard. Even more so if you make a party specifically for that. Such as 2 samurai in the front to constantly grind down trash mobs for their drops.

 

[coredecepts]

As you level up in Tales of Hearts R, you'll unlock skills that do things like:

- Allow you to cancel attack animations into a dodge
- Regain HP/TP/TC when you achieve certain hit counts on your combos, like 9, 12, 14, etc.
- Have the spellcaster regain some HP when they cast a curative spell on a party member
- Regain more HP/TP at the end of a battle
- Regain HP or temporarily make skills cost 0 TC after a successful Guard Counter
- Let you easily string together a 25 hit combo on a normal enemy, if they even last that long...

Since it's an action game AND an rpg, you will continue to unlock functions that actually expand your suite of abilities, which means the combat will seem a little shallow at first.

If you're only a few hours in, you still haven't unlocked some of the major components of the combat system. Stick with it if you can, it'll open up.

 

[Hikami]

Already missing the intricate AI settings of later tales games..

Playing Symphonia now and I set my healer to well, heal.. and my magic casters to use skills only and stay away. But nope, they run up and hit the boss anyway and get killed in a few hits.

 

[ryseing]

Hand of Fate is pretty darn awesome. Shame that the Vita version is in limbo. Would be perfect for on the go play sessions.

 

[SerTapTap]

Already missing the intricate AI settings of later tales games..

Playing Symphonia now and I set my healer to well, heal.. and my magic casters to use skills only and stay away. But nope, they run up and hit the boss anyway and get killed in a few hits.

Hm, I seem to recall Raine at least acting fairly properly with the right settings...mostly just healed and spammed Photon once she learned it. But it';s been a long time and the combat system has not aged well. It's a shame they didn't retouch it for the PS3...port, it's barely even a remaster.

 

[Sondar]

North American El Psy Kongroo Edition PS3, PS Vita: pre-order in our store!

Hey there!

We all know Steins;Gate is great. Over here in Europe we've been enjoying it for a little while now. But we can now confirm it's coming to North America 25th August 2015! And the El Psy Kongroo Edition is exclusive to us (and pre-ordering now)!

Pre-order here: PS3 | PS Vita
We're massive fans of Steins;Gate over here at Rice Digital. It's a fantastic game, with a fantastic story. There's a reason it won Famitsu's Game of Excellence award in 2009, and that it placed in the top 10 in their most tear-inducing games of all time poll too. It's just got that quality and that class.
But what's in the El Psy Kongroo Edition
Limited Edition Game Box
Gorgeous, premium quality 126-page art book featuring CG and Key Artwork
RICE EXCLUSIVE Double Pin Badge Set for new Future Gadget Lab members
RICE EXCLUSIVE Exclusive Metal Upa Replica
RICE EXCLUSIVE Badge Set and Metal Upa Presentation Box
All for only $79.99, and with Free Worldwide Shipping <3

That's right, not $30 shipping, not €20, not £10. Free.

Pre-order here: PS3 | PS Vita

Free Worldwide Shipping!

While North Americans will probably love the North American version of Steins;Gate the most, it's important to let everyone know that you can get it wherever you are!

Thanks for reading!

El Psy Kongroo,

The Rice Team

 

[Shizuka]

Too much.

 

[Hikami]

Hm, I seem to recall Raine at least acting fairly properly with the right settings...mostly just healed and spammed Photon once she learned it. But it';s been a long time and the combat system has not aged well. It's a shame they didn't retouch it for the PS3...port, it's barely even a remaster.

Yeah, Raine is alright but she still walks right up to the boss sometimes.
I'm actually liking the combat though. Would've actually been better than Abyss for me if this had free running but it doesn't seem like it does.

 

[SerTapTap]

Yeah, Raine is alright but she still walks right up to the boss sometimes.
I'm actually liking the combat though. Would've actually been better than Abyss for me if this had free running but it doesn't seem like it does.

I think you can hold a button to do some really bad awkward free running? I don't think you want to though, not in Symphonia. I recall enjoying the combat system at the time but it does some really weird stuff they've improved on in sequels.

 

[Li Kao]

Yeah, Raine is alright but she still walks right up to the boss sometimes.
I'm actually liking the combat though. Would've actually been better than Abyss for me if this had free running but it doesn't seem like it does.

You mean the combat is only on a lane ? I think it would please me more, I'm still not used to the mix between lane and free roaming :-/

 

[Zhao_Yun]

According to a tweet from RPGsite NISA will publish P4DAN this fall in Europe. They'll release a physical version as well as a Disco Fever edition.

https://twitter.com/RPGSite/status/615566676847906816
https://twitter.com/RPGSite/status/615567068029562881

What would we Europeans do without NISA?

 

[YianGaruga]

According to a tweet from RPGsite NISA will publish P4DAN this fall in Europe. They'll release a physical version as well as a Disco Fever edition.

https://twitter.com/RPGSite/status/615566676847906816
https://twitter.com/RPGSite/status/615567068029562881

What would we Europeans do without NISA?

Based NISA

I will buy all your games

 

[SerTapTap]

It's still so weird that NIS America covers Atlus' ass in Europe of all things. Good on them though.

 

[Shizuka]

Amnesia LE doesn't have the game, just a Steam code for download.

 

[pariah164]

According to a tweet from RPGsite NISA will publish P4DAN this fall in Europe. They'll release a physical version as well as a Disco Fever edition.

https://twitter.com/RPGSite/status/615566676847906816
https://twitter.com/RPGSite/status/615567068029562881

What would we Europeans do without NISA?

I still think that's so weird, but hey, as long as EU gets P4DAN, it's all good.

 

[Sondar]

Amnesia LE doesn't have the game, just a Steam code for download.

Eh. Not even a PSN code? :/

 

[Shizuka]

Eh. Not even a PSN code? :/

Not even a PSN code.

 

[SerTapTap]

Amnesia LE doesn't have the game, just a Steam code for download.

Huh, Steam seems like a bit of an odd choice, most collectors, especially for IFI games, tend to be on console. Wonder if it was just easier to get (I'm 99.9% sure it is in fact easier) and they figured everyone has a PC anyway.

The PS4 retail disk of Retro City Rampage was a bit like that. When you bought it you got a digital copy...for PC. The nice thing is they emailed you so could leave the game unopened, which I did.

 

[Prelude.]

Based NISA

 

[autoduelist]

Ended up selling Operation Abyss, game just never clicked for me sadly..

What was wrong with Operation Abyss? I haven't bought it yet because I still have a huge Vita/3DS backlog to go through, but I'm still interested.

I am currently playing it, still very early in [very little time]. It took awhile to get its teeth in me, but I'm currently enjoying it. If you like drgps I'm sure you'll like this one. The interface is a bit more obtuse than, say, demon gaze (for example, inventory management, crafting) but so far, so good.

Dungeon design seems solid. First dungeon combat was too easy imo (autobattled) but I temporarily got warped to another area (story based, with instructions to instantly leave) and I can tell the combat gets harder since I stayed for awhile. Plus I'm early on enough that they're still adding mechanics -- for example, there is a danger gauge -- the longer you explore and fight, the more monsters come at you [leaving and coming back would reset this].

Definitely recommended, though some of the interface could use an overhaul.

Overall the game itself too is not that difficult outside of the random deaths with enemies that have the 1HK ability. As with any DRPG things might start off a bit rough due to poor equipment / difference in stats, but as you progress things get a lot easier. The endgame contents is what puts up most of the challenge if any with this particular title. As Operation Abyss in general was not that difficult of a title in their library. Babel and Cross Blood step it up a little more though in the series. Cross Blood more in particular with its end game contents. The whole crafting system is what actually makes the game a lot easier than other titles, due to how simple it is to upgrade your equipment. Not to mention overall getting resources is not that hard. Even more so if you make a party specifically for that. Such as 2 samurai in the front to constantly grind down trash mobs for their drops.

Question about crafting -- should I just be crafting all the time, using up materials? That is, say I finish a mission and can upgrade 2 of my party's weapons with materials. Should I? I tend to hoarde all upgrade materials to save them for 'a better weapon' and end up never using them. Are they plentiful enough that i should just craft craft craft or is their a need to save stuff for mid/late/post game?

Hand of Fate is pretty darn awesome. Shame that the Vita version is in limbo. Would be perfect for on the go play sessions.

It's definitely in limbo. I emailed awhile back to ask and basically got that as a response. Wouldn't hurt to have everyone email them about it, I'm sure the show of demand might help.

 

[Hikami]

You mean the combat is only on a lane ? I think it would please me more, I'm still not used to the mix between lane and free roaming :-/

It's on one lane, just for you. Enemies and allies can move around freely but nope not you.
Only way of moving around besides that one lane is targetting another enemy and having that one lane move towards/away from them now.
example

It's fine here since it's just one enemy. (in any other recent Tales game though, you could've moved around behind him)

The problem is when it's multple enemies. You can't position yourself to where you can like lure an enemy away from the rest, you have to take all of them on and it's easy to get surrounded and ganged on.

 

[jamsethoth]

Hey guys, so the God Eater festival or whatever was yesterday, right? Was anything announced?

I'm wondering the same thing. I had hopes of localization news. =/

 

[YianGaruga]

Square Enix opened an official english Dragon Quest twitter account

Welcome to the official Dragon Quest Twitter account! All tweets come from me - Healix the Heal Slime!

https://twitter.com/DragonQuest

More DQ presence in the west is always good ~

 

[RK128]

Square Enix opened an official english Dragon Quest twitter account





https://twitter.com/DragonQuest

More DQ presence in the west is always good ~

Cool ; will be a great way to hype up the release of Dragon Quest Heroes this fall.

 

[Saphirax]

I'm wondering the same thing. I had hopes of localization news. =/

If we don't hear anything by the end of this week, then we can despair .

 

[names2hard4you]

I'm wondering the same thing. I had hopes of localization news. =/

AX is pretty much the last hope for us. If it doesn't happen, we are better off forgetting it.

 

[YianGaruga]

AX is pretty much the last hope for us. If it doesn't happen, we are better off forgetting it.

Where is that deadline coming from? It's not like they have to announce it ant any specific event.

 

[pariah164]

Finally started to play Mind Zero. If nothing else, it has a banging theme song. Berserk Machine is catchy as fuck.

 

[Vylash]

Where is that deadline coming from? It's not like they have to announce it ant any specific event.

I think it's the last western conference of the year, but yeah that doesn't matter, they can announce it whenever

 

[YianGaruga]

I think it's the last western conference of the year, but yeah that doesn't matter, they can announce it whenever

gamescom is pretty big

 

[pariah164]

I think it's the last western conference of the year, but yeah that doesn't matter, they can announce it whenever

What about Comic Con? I know, it's a bit different gear than AX, but they could do an announce then.

 

[Saphirax]

Where is that deadline coming from? It's not like they have to announce it ant any specific event.

They don't, but from a marketing point it'd be quite a failure if they don't announce it at AX. The anime is going to air soon AND it's going to be shown at AX. Not announcing a localisation then would be pretty silly.

 

[YianGaruga]

They don't, but from a marketing point it'd be quite a failure if they don't announce it at AX. The anime is going to air soon AND it's going to be shown at AX. Not announcing a localisation then would be pretty silly.

Okay that makes more sense. I'm not giving up hope if it doesn't show up though. That's also silly

 

[Kresnik258]

NISA putting some serious legwork in with European releases lately.

I'm happy they picked up P4D. Seems to have a lot of DLC which I wouldn't want to be locked out of.

 

[Saphirax]

Okay that makes more sense. I'm not giving up hope if it doesn't show up though. That's also silly

Of course not. I mean they trademarked it in Europe for a reason . Not sure if they'll be showing off the anime at Comic Con though. That's only a few days after AX.