Curse

Spooky · Feb 24, 2005, 10:01 PM // 22:01

This one deserved a thread of its own, because i've got a feeling most people haven't even heard of the game. It's not surprising, considering the last time we got an Ys game (I believe,) was Wanderers from Ys on the SNES.
However, we've finally got a new entry to the series on the PS2 - and I highly recommend picking it up to anyone who is a fan of the more traditional 'Adventure' genre of games; i.e. the Seiken Densetsu series (Secret of Mana), or the Legend of Zelda games. You know.. back before they turned Link into a Mogwai.

It is surprisingly addictive, probably the most fun i've had with a console game since Growlanser II (Sorry Suikoden 4.. I just couldn't seem to get into it like I could the earlier games.) has anyone else picked it up?
And for that matter - anyone pick up Xenosaga II yet? I intended to do so yesterday, but unfortunately, they were sold out.

Bgnome · Feb 24, 2005, 10:06 PM // 22:06

wow..i havent even heard about the new Ys..
i havent had much time to play a decent RPG. the last ps2 game i really got into was katamari damancy..

Dajii · Feb 24, 2005, 11:11 PM // 23:11

Damn you spooky and your Ps2! Why can't I have both... gamecube *and* Ps2.. bah. If I knew RPG was with Ps2, I wouldn't have taken it (rather.. asked for it as a christmas present). I realy like Adventure games... really. I played hours of Zeldas on gameboy, pretty fun, I must admit. I also love adventure PC games, like Syberia or the king of the genre: King's Quest series

!

For anyone who cares to know, King's Quest was the first adventure game created in 2D with the feel of 3D. They aren't sold anymore since Sierra stoped producing these kind of games but, if anyone is interested (and need something to occupy themselves during BWEs), I suggest trying the free fan remades here, you literaly have around 120 hours of gameplay with the KQ1 and KQ2!

But yeah, I'm stuck with the GC with stupid RPG games like Final Fantasy Chronicles (really don't like it), but some other game types are ok... like Metroid Prime. Spooky, could you tell more about Ys series? Sounds fun!

Spooky · Feb 24, 2005, 11:32 PM // 23:32

The GameCube has Tales of Symphonia at least, and that's a great game. I'm a big fan of the Tales series, it's unfortunate that it's pretty much relegated to the B-Tier of RPGs in North America.

As for Ys, you can find the site for it here. There's some information and some examples of the excellent in-game character art.
As for the series itself, there's not really any overarching story to tell - each game is pretty much its own adventure following Adol (the main character), so you don't need to go through previous installments to have any idea what's going on. The only thing it would explain is who some of Adol's companions are from previous games.
The combat is thematically similar to games like A Link to the Past, only a good deal more involved. Jumping skills play into more, as does a good sense of rhythm, needed to pull off some of the more involved skills. Things can get pretty hectic, and the boss fights are challenging but fun. Also, the music in the game is awesome. The voice acting, at times, is not. It can be pretty bad .. in an endearing way.
But all in all, yeah .. it's a lot of fun without getting overcomplicated .. an, at times, unfortunate trend among most mainstream RPGs.

Bgnome · Feb 24, 2005, 11:36 PM // 23:36

freesci can run those old sierra games if you still have them around:
http://freesci.linuxgames.com

on the same token, Scumm VM is a great program that can run those lassic adventures from lucasarts and many more:
http://www.scummvm.org

here are a few rpgs to note that are available on the GC:
tales of symphonia
eternal darkness
lost kingdoms
phantasy star online series
skies of arcadia
baiten kaitos
paper mario

Dajii · Feb 24, 2005, 11:44 PM // 23:44

Oh my, how could I forget about Tales of Symphonia? It is good (never finished, since I rent most of my games (~6$ CND for 3 days.. thats not bad

). But, I msut admit that *the* game that I preffer over any games on the GC is, Skies of Arcadia, now *that* is awesome.. I might even paid more in rent then it would have cost me to actualy buy it... everyone should give it a try, if you own a gamecube, you will *not* be unsatisfied!

Edit:
tales of symphonia -> very good
eternal darkness -> awesome
lost kingdoms -> I saw the publicity, looked good but a bit childish though, am I right?
phantasy star online series -> looked good, from gamespot movies
skies of arcadia -> extreme
baiten kaitos -> never heard of it
paper mario -> looked dumb form comercials -_-

efiloN · Feb 25, 2005, 08:28 AM // 08:28

Yes!
This just made my month sooo much better.

I was about to stop playing games for a whole month until next Guild Wars event. And then I see that Ys been released. Yay!

Edit: Just played it, and I love it!

Really nice.