2/15/06 - Grandia III (PS2)

[schild]

Casa de Schild is boycotting Squeenix. If someone else wants to talk about this, go ahead.

[Velorath]

I must have missed the part where they did something worth boycotting them for.

[Signe]

I think they forgot his birthday.   

[schild]

Squeenix has been a disappointment since FFVII. They're acting like rockstars (no pun intended) and I'm sick of it.

[Velorath]

I'm in agreement that they've been a disappointment for many years now.  Then again I also feel like maybe I've outgrown their games.  These days I think of FF much the same way I think of Dragonlance.  It's Fantasy for young teens, and it's just not my thing anymore.  I don't know where the acting like rockstars thing comes from though, nor do I really see the need for a boycot since that would just insure that if they do manage to put out a decent game, you'd never play it.

But then I think they had some good post-FFVII games also (Kingdom Hearts, FFT, Front Mission 3, Parasite Eve, Legend of Mana, and Vagrant Story.)

[schild]

I should have said the FFVII era, which Vagrant Story fits right into. The Rockstars comment was because they have their own huge convention, don't really talk to press that much, basically they're the Blizzard of Japan. But with the lack of consistancy. Though they do bring out more than one game every 3 years.

[Kitsune]

You are only hurting yourself if you don't play Grandia II.  Fucking great console RPG, and the only one where I've actually given half a damn about the characters.  There's a PC version too, if you can dig it out of a used bin.

[schild]

Grandia II was fine. This boycott went into effect most recently when it took a roommate 95 hours to beat DQVIII, I beat 4 games in that time, all had a better storyline and ending. One of them was Resident Evil, all bonus stuff beaten and the game beaten twice.

[Velorath]

 I've never been a big fan of Enix's stuff.  Always wondered why the Japanese went crazy for those DQ games.

[Glazius]

You are only hurting yourself if you don't play Grandia II.  Fucking great console RPG, and the only one where I've actually given half a damn about the characters.  There's a PC version too, if you can dig it out of a used bin.

Don't dig out the PC version.

There's this thing where you can't control the volume of ambient sounds, like footsteps.

So running around inside the various giant abominations is like having someone slapping a steak against your ear, repeatedly.

--GF

[Velorath]

Squeenix stole schild's Cloudsong.

[SurfD]

You are only hurting yourself if you don't play Grandia II.  Fucking great console RPG, and the only one where I've actually given half a damn about the characters.  There's a PC version too, if you can dig it out of a used bin.

Don't dig out the PC version.

There's this thing where you can't control the volume of ambient sounds, like footsteps.

So running around inside the various giant abominations is like having someone slapping a steak against your ear, repeatedly.

--GF

I didnt particularly like playig the PS2 Version either.  Dont get me wrong. GREAT game (first one was better tho.  Ranks as one of my all time favourite RPG's), but the PS2 version had some crazy wierd problem in the Towns where it litterally dropped into single didgit FPS and just started to chug.  Slowdown was terrible in the towns, and I could never figure out why.

[fnddf2]

I managed to stumble upon and play the Dreamcast version of Grandia II for $20.  Some say that it was the best version.

The characters and story were very cookie-cutter in my opinion, but the battle system was the best JRPG battle system that I have ever played.  I wonder if Grandia III has a system that is just as good.

[Miasma]

Grandia II was fine. This boycott went into effect most recently when it took a roommate 95 hours to beat DQVIII, I beat 4 games in that time, all had a better storyline and ending. One of them was Resident Evil, all bonus stuff beaten and the game beaten twice.

Dragon Quest VIII was the first really good console rpg I've played in years, I have no problem with how long the game was because I enjoyed it all.  And it doesn't take 95 hours if you skip all the side quests and bonus things but they are all so fun you are compelled to do them.  Spoiler: I also beat DQ8 twice, and not because I replayed it, because it was part of the story.  The first time you win you don't get the girl at the end, if you go back in and defeat a new unlocked encounter then fight the end boss again you live happily ever after with the princess.

[SurfD]

Heh, I remember playing the hell out of FF7.  I think my record time on that was 70 some-odd hours played.......AFTER I rolled the clock timer over once..........

[schild]

Spoiler stuff.[/color]

I know. That game could have been cut down to 60-70 hours with everything done though. It was very artificially slow. The upper levels should not have needed that much experience (hunting metal slimes is not fun), the creature encounter rate was way too high for some places, and walking was terribly fucking slow. Even Final Fantasy knew they needed a run button and speed shoes in some games. I can't remember a single Dragon Warrior/Quest taking this long for me to beat. The game was fine, I just hate terribly thought out cockblocks.

[Signe]

I gave up playing it, at least for now.  I always say that and then can never bear to start up again.  I'll pass it to my nephew and then it'll live in a box for the rest of it's life or something.  I'm debating whether or not to start Wild Arms 4.

[Signe]

I just ordered Grandia III.  Another game I'll never finish.  I'm out of control.  I need an intervention.  (bring salsa)

[Yegolev]

I don't have a problem with DWVIII since it is fun.  I feel like I am getting my money's worth (not literally since it was a gift) and I don't finish most games anyway so the longer it is the better since I don't reach the shitty endgame as fast.  I don't remember much Enix stuff but I agree that Square has had problems since FFVII.  Before, really, but the commercial success of FFVII really solidified the path.  Vagrant Story was a separate group than the core FF team, I think, and wasn't that at least some of the same people that did FFT?  The tiles were basically the same, if nothing else.  Really most stuff they did without the FF brand was not-bad to great, but it is possible that I am romanticizing.

[Velorath]

Before, really, but the commercial success of FFVII really solidified the path.  Vagrant Story was a separate group than the core FF team, I think, and wasn't that at least some of the same people that did FFT?

A lot of the main people behind Vagrant Story worked on Ogre Battle, Tactics Ogre, and FFT (and are now working on FFXII).

[Hoax]

I really enjoyed Advent Children, in fact the nostalgia caused by the cell phone ring being the "level up" sound from FF-VII alone made it worth two hours of my life.  The fact that several of the fight scenes were pretty badass was a bonus too.

But yeah, consoles, dont really play those anymore.  In fact I left my PS1 in college and that was the most advanced system I ever owned.  Someone wake me up when somebody translates Magna Carta, I'd play that for the character portraits alone.

P.S.  PA is ripping this game to shreds on the front page today because they say the storyline is terrible even by the terrible standards they expect from JRPG's.

I think we may indeed just be too old for the simplistic stories of these games.  Then again, I do kind of miss Megaman...

[schild]

Magna Carta already came out and Magna Carta 2 was announced for the PS3. It ain't coming out on PC. Either way, it's not worth playing for the character portraits.

[Velorath]

I think we may indeed just be too old for the simplistic stories of these games.  Then again, I do kind of miss Megaman...

Megaman had a story?

[schild]

Not the original one but as the game got older and older the later versions kept getting pieces of story plopped onto them. Until they turned into 3 seperate series with seperate storylines and silliness. Try playing the Mega Man for Game Cube (Network Transmission) that shit is all over the map.

[Velorath]

I realize the later ones had stories, I was just being a smartass.  I stopped playing after the first three anyway.  As much as I liked the first couple games, I don't really think Mega Man needed anywhere near the number of sequels and spin-offs it got.