What are you playing?

[prfsnl_gmr]

prfsnl_gmr asked a question and by golly did he get an answer.

That is kind of my job...

Also, Gamerforlife's immensely helpful summary is easily the most in-depth reveiw of the game currently available anywhere on the internet!

[Gamerforlife]

Happy to be of service

[noiseredux]

prfsnl_gmr asked a question and by golly did he get an answer.

That is kind of my job...

Also, Gamerforlife's immensely helpful summary is easily the most in-depth reveiw of the game currently available anywhere on the internet!

this is good too: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/10 ... review-pc/

[Exhuminator]

During October I always try to play at least one spooky game. This time I decided I'd revisit Shadow Hearts on PS2.

The first time I played this JRPG was a little over four years go. During that play, I made it to the final boss, but I couldn't defeat it. (One of those JRPG trope cases where the final boss is 10x harder than anything that has come before.) After some spelunking I realized I'd missed some optional super powerful equipment and that had left me at a disadvantage. So I put the game away.

Well here we are over four years later and I decided to have my revenge. This time I'm playing the game more slowly, trying hard not to miss any necessary upgrades. I probably should be playing with a strategy guide to insure I don't miss stuff, but I don't like playing a game with a strategy guide because those things are by their nature full of spoilers.

It's funny to me how much I'd forgotten about this game, as I play there's a small sense of deja vu going on of course, but all the same I continuously am intrigued by plot elements and environments my mind had let slip. Shadow Hearts (like its underrated predecessor before it Koudelka) is a wholly unique type of JRPG, and well worth playing just to soak up its strangeness.

Here's a video showing the first 30 minutes of the game if anyone's curious:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVLSQWFnq48

[alienjesus]

During October I always try to play at least one spooky game. This time I decided I'd revisit Shadow Hearts on PS2.

The first time I played this JRPG was a little over four years go. During that play, I made it to the final boss, but I couldn't defeat it. (One of those JRPG trope cases where the final boss is 10x harder than anything that has come before.) After some spelunking I realized I'd missed some optional super powerful equipment and that had left me at a disadvantage. So I put the game away.

Well here we are over four years later and I decided to have my revenge. This time I'm playing the game more slowly, trying hard not to miss any necessary upgrades. I probably should be playing with a strategy guide to insure I don't miss stuff, but I don't like playing a game with a strategy guide because those things are by their nature full of spoilers.

It's funny to me how much I'd forgotten about this game, as I play there's a small sense of deja vu going on of course, but all the same I continuously am intrigued by plot elements and environments my mind had let slip. Shadow Hearts (like its underrated predecessor before it Koudelka) is a wholly unique type of JRPG, and well worth playing just to soak up its strangeness.

Here's a video showing the first 30 minutes of the game if anyone's curious:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVLSQWFnq48

I was gonna suggest Shadow Hearts or Koudelka as an option for Together Retro, but was disappointed by the lack of ports.

I'll just have to play it myself anohter time.

[BoneSnapDeez]

(One of those JRPG trope cases where the final boss is 10x harder than anything that has come before.)

I hate this trope. I remember breezing through Star Ocean 2 and then getting owned by the final boss. Had to look up a walkthrough and then spend hours grinding and collecting "necessary" equipment and then more time was spend trekking through the final dungeon yet again. Terrible game balance.

I was gonna suggest Shadow Hearts or Koudelka as an option for Together Retro, but was disappointed by the lack of ports.

Yeah, it is unfortunate. And I can't imagine anyone rushing out to buy those games for TR (if they didn't already own them).

[Ack]

(One of those JRPG trope cases where the final boss is 10x harder than anything that has come before.)

I hate this trope. I remember breezing through Star Ocean 2 and then getting owned by the final boss. Had to look up a walkthrough and then spend hours grinding and collecting "necessary" equipment and then more time was spend trekking through the final dungeon yet again. Terrible game balance.

I just put Claude in that 50-fight arena battle several times to get him beefy enough to slaughter that boss. He started leveling up so fast that when I took him into the final boss battle, he pretty much handled the job himself.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I don't even remember an "arena."

I do recall that the game felt designed to be played with a strategy guide in tow, which was also irritating. So much obscure secretive crap.

[Ack]

I don't even remember an "arena."

I do recall that the game felt designed to be played with a strategy guide in tow, which was also irritating. So much obscure secretive crap.

It was in that carnival area, if I remember correctly. I made it through all of the team fights and just decided to do the one-on-ones. Boom, instant level device. By the time I quit playing, I think I had Claude around level 170.

[Exhuminator]

And I can't imagine anyone rushing out to buy those games for TR (if they didn't already own them).

They can be a bit expensive these days relatively speaking. I just checked prices, and...

Koudelka averages $35 used.

Shadow Hearts averages $40 used.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant averages $25 used.

Shadow Hearts: From the New World averages $30 used.

Interesting that although Covenant is widely lauded as the best game in the series, somehow it's the cheapest one used. You'd think it'd be more rare than the others due to folks holding on to it out of nostalgia. Maybe it got more prints due to its popularity though.

Also, I forgot how crazy some of the enemy descriptions are in this game:



Injects powerful corrosive poison into the anus!



Feeding on fresh rump meat of young women!


Gee, I have no idea why this game wasn't a hit.