Any titles to avoid in the Tales series?
Re: Any titles to avoid in the Tales series?
OK, update on the GBA Phantasia experience. I'm almost done with the section of the game spent in the Past, which seems to be a goodly portion of the game. So far most of my complaints have to do with the game itself and the growing gap between what I want out of an RPG and what a JRPG wants to give me. Nothing that's likely to be related to the technical quality of it as a port is really bothering me much, not that I have anything to compare it to. I'm assuming play-wise this is largely the same as the PS and SNES versions and that it's music, graphics, and other stuff that's possibly sub-par. If someone wants to inform me otherwise, please do so. I'll have more write up once I'm further along.
Re: Any titles to avoid in the Tales series?
As I recally it's basically an exact port of the PSX version, which was an enhanced version of the original SNES. But enhanced here is like how FFVI Advance was an enhanced version of the original on the SNES. So if you are having problems with the gameplay or the way the story is presented then it's the same across all the versions.
So I'm curious what you want to get out of an RPG that you're not getting from ToP?
So I'm curious what you want to get out of an RPG that you're not getting from ToP?
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
Re: Any titles to avoid in the Tales series?
**Spoilers may be present**
Well, I think the story is actually alright. It's cheesy, but it has some cool moments, like how the elves drew away from the world and moral ambiguity is being cast upon Dhaos and his motives. And for a game that's been supposedly edited, it's still pretty clear Arche has some desire issues for Cress.
What's annoying are the puzzles and the forced-leveling sections. The Morlia Mines were all about stupid puzzles that act more to force you to grind more and level up. And the Valhalla Plains was also just a mess of grinding. I mean, I like the whole TP recovery thing every battle which allows you to regularly use your big guns rather than hoard spells and spell points like in most RPGs, but the grinding is still getting annoying. Most modern computer RPGs have solved the problem with grinding by having more strategic battles and fewer of them. Japanese SRPGs largely have this beat as well. But the traditional JRPG can't see to get its head out of the grind. Battle battle battle! And not a one of them has a battle system worth experiencing 16 bazillion times in a row.
Well, I think the story is actually alright. It's cheesy, but it has some cool moments, like how the elves drew away from the world and moral ambiguity is being cast upon Dhaos and his motives. And for a game that's been supposedly edited, it's still pretty clear Arche has some desire issues for Cress.
What's annoying are the puzzles and the forced-leveling sections. The Morlia Mines were all about stupid puzzles that act more to force you to grind more and level up. And the Valhalla Plains was also just a mess of grinding. I mean, I like the whole TP recovery thing every battle which allows you to regularly use your big guns rather than hoard spells and spell points like in most RPGs, but the grinding is still getting annoying. Most modern computer RPGs have solved the problem with grinding by having more strategic battles and fewer of them. Japanese SRPGs largely have this beat as well. But the traditional JRPG can't see to get its head out of the grind. Battle battle battle! And not a one of them has a battle system worth experiencing 16 bazillion times in a row.
Re: Any titles to avoid in the Tales series?
Ahh, well, once again the grind is to be expected, as this was a game released back in the SNES days. But pretty much any Tales game will send you through a lot of combat (albiet active combat) and every Tales game has the Sorcerer's Ring puzzles.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
Re: Any titles to avoid in the Tales series?
Just about every JRPG has the grind. This one is just less bashful about throwing it in your face and laughing at you at times. The music isn't as good as an old-school FF title, but the plot is light-years better than any of the SNES FF games.