RPG Progress Report

[Sarge]

Everyone should play Arc the Lad II. It's awesomesauce. Just make sure you don't miss the items necessary for Elc to get the Invincible spell, that makes the final boss a lot easier to handle for sure.

[Kuruwin]

I was actually reading a thread about difficulty spikes in RPG's because of Tactic Ogre and supposedly if you carry some useless stones from the first game those turn out to be really powerful tool agaings the last boss in second.

Though it supposedly still awful battle even if you do that.

So i don't know if i'm brave enough to face that game at some point. I sure don't want to touch any Japanese tactical RPG for while at least.

[PartridgeSenpai]

I've put a fair bit more quality time into Tales of Innocence, and it's still entertaining. I think I just hit the end of the first arch-ish, or perhaps the end of the first third. I just not only beat a pretty tough boss, but the overworld's battle music has changed, and that usually means you've hit a fairly important plot point

I'm of two minds about the AI. It's nice in a Tales game when the AI has some modicrum of how to pace its use of its own MP, but hooooly crap there are some guys who can drain almost their entire stock in one or two battles (mostly Sparta and Elmaana). They're good fighters with some good combos, but it's just a touch annoying to have to hit them up with orange gels every battle or two to keep them on their toes. Also, there are some normal encounters that are REALLY dangerous. I nearly died in a random encounter (they killed everyone but my PC), and I certainly can't say that's happened to me in one of these games before Xp

[pierrot]

I--

have produced spawn

--in Dragon Quest V, and seem to be coming up to the final stretch of the game, relatively soon. It's a little crazy how many, potential, party members the game is throwing at me, at this point. I can only have four active party members, and four languishing in a carriage, but apparently this is actually more than what the SFC version allows. On the other hand, the PS2 version also increases the variety of monsters that can be recruited. Still, it's not like Suikoden, where I could almost immediately get a party member up to the level of the rest of the party after a couple battles. I like the variety, but the grinding associated with bringing monsters up to snuff is a bit of a drag.

Still very much enjoying this, though. I kept a save file at a huge branching point in the story, so that I can revisit it later, if I so choose. I definitely understand why this game is so revered within the series (in Japan, at least). Strangely, while I think it's probably the best of the first five Dragon Quest games, it also seems to be the most derivative of other works in the genre: MegaTen, and Phantasy Star III, for instance. DQ III might have ripped off Final Fantasy's job system, though. I wonder what it says about the series that the quality of its sequels didn't really trend upward until they started aping design ques from other companies.

----

After I finish DQ V, I'm thinking that I will start some PCE RPG between: Emerald Dragon, Monster Maker, Sol Bianca, Makai Hakkenden Shada. I'm not sure which one to go with, though. I could also throw Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu in there, but I kind of wanted to, at least, play Eiyuu Densetsu II on the Mega Drive before that.

[PartridgeSenpai]

Granted I've only beaten 4-6, I'd definitely say that DQ V is my favorite of the bunch. I thought the way they approached the narrative was really cool. Not to mention all of the weird time stuff ON TOP of how you can recruit monsters and all that stuff. Very fun game. Probably the one who's phonetic accents I've laughed at the most as well. Sancho's dialogue is SO funny . I liked how the final boss talked as well. It gave his speech a very otherworldly, almost Cthuhlian vibe (kinda like something mortals aren't meant to understand, but he's twisting it into English). Maybe that's talking it up a bit too much, but I just remember thinking it was really cool. Also, this IS a DQ game after all, so the final boss is tough as nails of course! I'll definitely be interested to see what your final party layout is

[Sarge]

I'm the weirdo that prefers Dragon Quest III, IV, and VI over V. I certainly enjoyed it, just not as much. It took the DS version to do that, as I really didn't like the SFC version that much. Weird, I know.

[BoneSnapDeez]

After I finish DQ V, I'm thinking that I will start some PCE RPG between: Emerald Dragon, Monster Maker, Sol Bianca, Makai Hakkenden Shada. I'm not sure which one to go with, though. I could also throw Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu in there, but I kind of wanted to, at least, play Eiyuu Densetsu II on the Mega Drive before that.

I'm playing Super Famicom Emerald Dragon right now and am enjoying it quite a bit. By all accounts I've read, the PCE port is superior.

Makai Hakkenden Shada is heavy influenced by the first Ys. I'm being too generous actually, it outright rips it off. There are some very bizarre design choices (like an insta-death a few minutes into the game if you happen to lack a certain item) but it's only a few hours long and marginally entertaining and fun.

Eiyuu Densetsu II is just like the first game. Same graphical style, battle system, and so on. My biggest issue is that it's way too effing long for such a "generic" straightforward title. (I haven't played it on the Mega Drive but I imagine it's pretty similar to the Super Famicom and PCE variants).

Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu is pure bliss and the best one you mentioned.

Can't vouch for the others, as I have not played them.

[ElkinFencer10]

I should have Persona 5 finished tonight (hopefully). Be on the lookout tomorrow or Wednesday for my review.

[MrPopo]

Stupid Elkin taking advantage of me losing two nights to classes.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I decided to play through some DSiWare games while I was on vacation. I got through a few of them, and I think I am about half way through PicDun. Has anyone else played it? It is very strange...but I like it.