Together Retro: Xenogears
Just be warned that the FMV quality on that is lower because they had to recompress them.Ivo wrote:Has anyone tried the UNDUB version of this (there is a torrent on UG)? Apparently it is basically japanese audio with subtitles. Usually I prefer that sort of stuff in anime, so I was wondering if I should get that?
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aisforaquabat
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Re: Together Retro: Xenogears
Is anyone still playing this? Did you all finish, or just lose interest?
I only got started a couple weeks ago, mod chip was slow in arriving. Anyway, I'm almost 10 hours in, and I like the game a lot. But damned if it doesn't make me want to sleep. I dunno if it's the lack of voice acting, or the repetetive soothing music, or what, but after about an hour just want to close my eyes and drift off.
Still, I do really like the game, and I'll probably play this one through. It has some pretty dark themes, which is a nice change of pace for a JRPG. It's pretty long too isn't it?
One thing I can't figure out is the battle system. Some turns I'm able to get in two attacks, and others I'm not. I can't figure out why, or how to tell how many attacks I get before I actually make them. How exactly does that work?
I only got started a couple weeks ago, mod chip was slow in arriving. Anyway, I'm almost 10 hours in, and I like the game a lot. But damned if it doesn't make me want to sleep. I dunno if it's the lack of voice acting, or the repetetive soothing music, or what, but after about an hour just want to close my eyes and drift off.
Still, I do really like the game, and I'll probably play this one through. It has some pretty dark themes, which is a nice change of pace for a JRPG. It's pretty long too isn't it?
One thing I can't figure out is the battle system. Some turns I'm able to get in two attacks, and others I'm not. I can't figure out why, or how to tell how many attacks I get before I actually make them. How exactly does that work?
We are prepared to live in the plain and die in the plain!
Re: Together Retro: Xenogears
I haven't managed to start yet...Hatta wrote:Is anyone still playing this? Did you all finish, or just lose interest?
Re: Together Retro: Xenogears
The music is so beautiful that it relaxes me, and then like you said, I want to sleep.Hatta wrote:Is anyone still playing this? Did you all finish, or just lose interest?
I only got started a couple weeks ago, mod chip was slow in arriving. Anyway, I'm almost 10 hours in, and I like the game a lot. But damned if it doesn't make me want to sleep. I dunno if it's the lack of voice acting, or the repetetive soothing music, or what, but after about an hour just want to close my eyes and drift off.
Re: Together Retro: Xenogears
Ok, combat's a bit different from most RPGs, as you have seen. Basically whenever you hit the fight command, you get three buttons to press for an attack, either the Triangle, Square, or X button I believe. Each corresponds to a different strength, with Triangle the weakest and X the strongest. They also have a point value assigned to them, sort of an action limiter, so you don't get to just press the heaviest hit over and over again. Weak hits count as one point, medium as two, and heavy as three. Hence why pressing certain buttons get you more attacks. There should be a number icon in one of the corners to tell you how many remains.Hatta wrote:One thing I can't figure out is the battle system. Some turns I'm able to get in two attacks, and others I'm not. I can't figure out why, or how to tell how many attacks I get before I actually make them. How exactly does that work?
Then there's the special moves. You unlock these by trying various button combination over and over again. Things like triangle, square, triangle. After so many of these moves are performed, you learn a special move that can be used whenever you put in that combo. After you've learned a few, the game will start to show the possibilities to you at the bottom of the screen. You can also check to see your progress on learning new moves in the character menu, though it won't tell you the combination while you're still learning it, nor how many more times you'll have to input a certain command.
And, as you've probably guessed by now, the gears don't get to use these attacks.
Re: Together Retro: Xenogears
I've been playing this game (finally). I had a bit of trouble configuring everything properly.
I'm still in the first CD and I have been trying to keep saves more or less spread out in case someone needs some. I intend to save at least one in the start of the 2nd disc in case anyone needs that one in particular.
So far the game is nice, I don't know why they put some jumping sequences in the game - the game isn't exactly geared (geared, hehe) to handle it well. The camera thing is a bit annoying as well, and the mix of polygons with pixelated sprites doesn't hold as well as the graphics from e.g. "Chrono Trigger" or Lunar (IMO).
But it is a good game so far.
The combat is interesting, being handled differently inside or outside gears and as far as I know relatively original (probably very original at the time) and the story seems to be quite convoluted and probably the strongest point of the game.
I'm still in the first CD and I have been trying to keep saves more or less spread out in case someone needs some. I intend to save at least one in the start of the 2nd disc in case anyone needs that one in particular.
So far the game is nice, I don't know why they put some jumping sequences in the game - the game isn't exactly geared (geared, hehe) to handle it well. The camera thing is a bit annoying as well, and the mix of polygons with pixelated sprites doesn't hold as well as the graphics from e.g. "Chrono Trigger" or Lunar (IMO).
But it is a good game so far.
The combat is interesting, being handled differently inside or outside gears and as far as I know relatively original (probably very original at the time) and the story seems to be quite convoluted and probably the strongest point of the game.
Re: Together Retro: Xenogears
Finished the game. My opinions now, which may seem fairly critical - I really liked the game, I'm just pointing out the flaws more than the good parts (it is easier to identify what you don't like and explain it, than what you like).
Music is excellent on its own, and mostly appropriate. As noted by others before, I agree it is repeated often (not enough tracks for the length of the game?) and sometimes not totally appropriate for what is happening in game.
Story is rather good, but in my opinion overrated (and some people perhaps overrate it a lot). The underlying story is very good, the delivery is at least slightly flawed in being convoluted. If you play only once through the game (as I have, and I presume many considering how long it is) you are being bombarded by terms and stuff much earlier than you can understand and piece things together. Some mystery and suspense is good, but they overdo it here. Even so, when you do piece it together it is memorable, and as far as I know fairly original (although some elements of it seem to be rather prevalent in Japanese games / anime - the ending is really rather similar to that of another Together Retro RPG...).
Certain characters and story segments seemed a bit superfluous and it seemed a bit like a sophisticated way to just insert more content comparable than just "you need to go to dungeon X to get item Y to proceed" crap that you get in "lesser" JRPGs. In a complicated story like this I think they would have done better by trimming unnecessary extra complication.
The "Disc 2" issue wasn't so bad for me - personally in these games I'm not fond of wandering around the world map looking for the next place so I didn't mind just having the story monologues and essentially just jumping into the next battle. Granted, they should have tried to condense the text a bit but that goes for all the game - there were some stuff that felt superfluous and the game suffers for having it (more is not always better).
Gameplay is mostly standard for RPG - random encounters are not my cup of tea but are par for this sort of game (they didn't seem EXCESSIVELY frequent - although of course just existing makes them too frequent!). The novelty of the combat with Deathblows and the Gear attack levels helps differentiate it from other JRPGs, which is very good.
Its a good JRPG - I liked Chrono Trigger and Lunar more. I haven't played that many others, but I can believe that it is one of the better ones around. It just seems that it could have been better.
Ivo.
Music is excellent on its own, and mostly appropriate. As noted by others before, I agree it is repeated often (not enough tracks for the length of the game?) and sometimes not totally appropriate for what is happening in game.
Story is rather good, but in my opinion overrated (and some people perhaps overrate it a lot). The underlying story is very good, the delivery is at least slightly flawed in being convoluted. If you play only once through the game (as I have, and I presume many considering how long it is) you are being bombarded by terms and stuff much earlier than you can understand and piece things together. Some mystery and suspense is good, but they overdo it here. Even so, when you do piece it together it is memorable, and as far as I know fairly original (although some elements of it seem to be rather prevalent in Japanese games / anime - the ending is really rather similar to that of another Together Retro RPG...).
Certain characters and story segments seemed a bit superfluous and it seemed a bit like a sophisticated way to just insert more content comparable than just "you need to go to dungeon X to get item Y to proceed" crap that you get in "lesser" JRPGs. In a complicated story like this I think they would have done better by trimming unnecessary extra complication.
The "Disc 2" issue wasn't so bad for me - personally in these games I'm not fond of wandering around the world map looking for the next place so I didn't mind just having the story monologues and essentially just jumping into the next battle. Granted, they should have tried to condense the text a bit but that goes for all the game - there were some stuff that felt superfluous and the game suffers for having it (more is not always better).
Gameplay is mostly standard for RPG - random encounters are not my cup of tea but are par for this sort of game (they didn't seem EXCESSIVELY frequent - although of course just existing makes them too frequent!). The novelty of the combat with Deathblows and the Gear attack levels helps differentiate it from other JRPGs, which is very good.
Its a good JRPG - I liked Chrono Trigger and Lunar more. I haven't played that many others, but I can believe that it is one of the better ones around. It just seems that it could have been better.
Ivo.
Re: Together Retro: Xenogears
I bought this game on a whim right after Christmas the year it came out. It was a unique experience for certain. I played it through, and many months of gameplay later, finally managed to complete the game. I remember it fondly, but do not believe I will be taking on the monumentous task of trying to play it again. Definately one of the best PS1 RPGs.