What RPG are you playing right now?

[Xeogred]

I would. ~20 hours would be great.

I'm pretty disappointed the new Star Ocean doesn't sound too hot and I don't think anyone here has gotten to it yet? I still feel like I might check it out instead of trying out another Tales game again though, since they seem a tiny bit comparable combat wise. Maybe Star Ocean will have a story I'll care a little more about. But now that people are praising 4 in comparison, I swear I only heard negative things about that one too. So... it kind of feels like a series I'll just need to play myself or wait for others here to throw in some input. I never played 3 but saw a friend play a lot, and the insane dub was a turn off to say the least... I'm more tolerant for game dubs than anime, but holy balls that was BAD.

I have been wondering what current/last gen JRPG I should pickup sometime and keep thinking Valkyrie Chronicles.

[MrPopo]

I'm pretty disappointed the new Star Ocean doesn't sound too hot and I don't think anyone here has gotten to it yet?

It's like no one reads my posts

The combat is more chaotic than any Tales game in this one because you get to have everyone in your party involved at once, without an appreciable increase in number of enemies. And with a full party of 6 + 1 support that's a lot going on. Your options for using techs is definitely more confined than a Tales game; you only get four slots, and two of them only trigger if you're at long range compared to the enemy. That doesn't mean you can only use long ranged techs, though; if you put a melee tech in the long range spot and target an enemy at long range you automatically move into melee range and then use that tech.

The game has a modern quest system of getting requests, frequently for areas you've already visited, to go back and do some task. Only collection quests allow you to have finished them ahead of time; the monster hunting ones don't even spawn the monster in question unless you're on the quest. But the real annoying ones are when you have a quest for area X, do it, then you get a second quest for area X. It ends up feeling like busywork, but at the same time it unlocks a lot of your party skills so you still have to do them.

Storywise so far it seems to be drawing a lot from Star Ocean 1. The specific story beats are different, but a lot of the framework is identical.

[BoneSnapDeez]

That does not sound like a game I'd enjoy. For me the series ends with Blue Sphere. Get off my lawnz.

[MrPopo]

That does not sound like a game I'd enjoy. For me the series ends with Blue Sphere. Get off my lawnz.

Well, it has polygons, so I figure you wouldn't be into it

I think the way the game handles having almost no cutscenes is interesting. It sort of reminds me of in Half Life 2 where you'd have a narrative section but you could still faff about. Here they slow you to walking pace, so you know it's a story section, but it feels like less of a "ok, go get a soda" time.

[BoneSnapDeez]

no cutscenes

Interest (somewhat) regained.

[Xeogred]

Not sure if that sells me on it or not Popo... maybe I should play more Tales?

[noiseredux]

You'd think I'd jump all over I Am Setsuna., but I have some reservations about the game. I'll probably wait for a bit.

It is pretty high on my list once I am less busy.

[MrPopo]

Not sure if that sells me on it or not Popo... maybe I should play more Tales?

I'd say that Integrity & Faithlessness should not be someone's first Star Ocean. The first two are both really solid, I haven't played the third (I had the plot twist spoiled and I said nope), and I enjoyed the fourth although in retrospect it's probably not as good as the first two. The fourth game does deliver best on the fantasy of the setting, though.

[Sarge]

That plot twist...

[Ack]

Well, since I have now beaten it on the PC, I went ahead and ordered a copy of Might and Magic III for the SNES. There is no effective difference between the two(a couple of sprites were redrawn and controls were modified for the SNES version), but I needed a copy in my collection. It's one less game in my way. I also ordered Soul Blazer, so maybe later this year I'll get around to that and knock out yet another SNES RPG. If I include M&M3, I'm already at four beaten SNES RPGs for the year, so a 5th wouldn't bother me at all.