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| Pollyanna 716th Post
 
Red Carpet Regular Member
  
    
    
|  "Re(10):Games of 2005" , posted Mon 3 Jan 11:57
quote:
Anything really I guess. I thought it was simply a single game, so are the two like Persona 2 IS and EP or are they unrelated?
Also I heard it's "Persona-esque" but that might have been early misinformation.
Forgive me if any of this information is a bit flawed. I haven't played the game since I won it and I won it soon after it came out.
It's not like Persona outside of the fact that you have a team of young adults instead of demons. It's more like SMT3's less cool little brother. Fortunately, SMT is SO cool that even the "uncool" brother comes across as pretty awesome.
The battle system uses "points" or whatever you want to call them like SMT3. Actually, everything is like SMT3. You can even switch out characters in battle. You can't recruit or negotiate with demons, however. All you can do to them is consume them (with special attacks) for more AP (or for instant death/healing/whatever). Unlike just about every early preview of it says, you can NOT learn moves from demons by eating them. Actually, eating is more or less a plot device. Every time you beat an enemy you "eat" them and that's how you get AP. There's a point where one character refuses to do so and doesn't get any AP.
The primary system (and use of AP) is the "mantra" system, which you can think of as like a "class" or just "set of skills". There are lots and lots of mantra classes and several levels of each class. So, for example, when you start out, anyone can equip level 1 fire/ice/physical/healing mantra, but cannot equip level 2 until they finish level 1. Each mantra teaches you several skills, some which effect stats and some that give you new techniques. You need however much AP to "buy" a mantra and you learn every skill in that mantra whether you like it or not.
Even though you don't have an immense number of party members (like SMT3) managing skills takes a lot of consideration. All of the characters are different and have different weaknesses. The weaknesses work like they do in SMT3 (you lose a turn), but if you get to the higher level mantra in your opposing element, then you can equip a skill that eliminates that disadvantage.
It's VERY dungeon oriented, just like SMT3, but the cinemas are much more impressive. That is to say, the characters move around a lot, animate well and are fully voice acted. The plot is...hmmm...well, on the surface, it's very basic, but trying to figure out what it's really about is very satisfying. Actually, the first game doesn't even answer all of your questions and ends on a huge cliffhanger...so the 2nd "game" is really just the "second half" of the story. Innocent Sin was complete without Eternal Punishment, but the first AT didn't really complete the storyline.
Uhm...oh, and the music is good. Lots of guitar and very original. It's also pretty challenging at times. Roughly equivalent to SMT3. Actually, I thought that by the end SMT3 had thrown every dirty trick they could at you on bosses, but they had a few new ones in AT that surprised me. One boss, in particular is "smart" enough to do the best possible thing in every situation (it never attacks with something that will be reflected or miss and hammers the weakest character with their weakness until they die) and the last boss, while not difficult, is rather devious.
I hope this helps. I can answer anything else, unless you want me to spoil the plot for you.
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| Ammadeau 1251th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
  
 
| "Re(2):Re(10):Games of 2005" , posted Mon 3 Jan 12:27
I have a shorter explanation. Avatar Tuner is the love child of SMT3 and FFX. Combat and 'end of the world' type setting from SMT3, characters, story, and other gameplay systems from FFX. Though the main character Serf never speaks, so he's more like a throwback to early mute RPG heroes.
In the end, I did not like it though I was a huge fan of SMT3. I did not like the story, the characters, the reusing of demons from SMT3, the inability to recruit them, and other minor elements. Not that it was a bad game in itself, but it felt inferior to SMT3 in nearly every way.
Got Next - it's a gaming site I write stupid things for
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| Pollyanna 728th Post
Red Carpet Regular Member+
| "Re(2):Re(10):Games of 2005" , posted Wed 5 Jan 13:34
I knew what was out and not out, but I just wondered if you were mixed up, since this topic was about upcoming games.
Anyway...
I wrote a review on the Jojo game for Gamefaqs. I think it's thorough enough. It's not a good game, it's just an OK "anime" game. In retrospect, I think I may have been too kind to the game, considering that I only played it for 3 days, then had no desire to ever touch it again. Even if Jojo had a so-so following in America, that would only guarantee so-so sales at BEST...and on the whole, the Jojo following is less than so-so. The game, I guess...is about so-so as well.
The Berserk game...ah...I guess I could write a review on that. It's not a great game. It has great boss fights if you like the series, but the levels are terrible. They come up with ways to make you suffer. Like...finding children, or talking to every townsperson or trash like that for objectives. You don't even have tof ight the enemies and sometimes your trekking from one end of the map to the other takes quite a while. It makes me think "ah, this is what Berserk is about...looking for children for hours. I sure am glad I'm not fighting." People who like the series shouldn't miss the game, though. The renders and character animations are wonderful, despite the occasional (or frequent) pain of poor level design. Anyway, it follows the manga very closely, which is a catch 22, because if you haven't read the manga, the execution is confusing, but if you have, then you've seen it all already. There are quite a few delightful fan services in the game, though...including a completely unecessary, but very appreciated lengthy FMV.
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| Shingo The One 341th Post
Bronze Customer
| "Re(10):Games of 2005" , posted Thu 13 Jan 16:39
quote:
Well let's see, for me:
Kingdom Hearts II
New GC Zelda
Final Fantasy XII
NeoGeo Battle Coliseum
Well, I think it's now time for me to do my list for the games of 2005.
For me, anything concerning anime and with fighting galore is down with me.And that means, at least, the following:
Naruto:Narutimate Hero 3
The New King Of Fighters
Dragonball GT Budokai
I may even get something cool in Japanese, like DBZ3(the true 100% Jap version of B3) or Naruto Adventure(the RPG action game), but of course, like any other game I may get besides those in the list, it depends if the (extra) features are worth it.Well, I made my contribution to this cool thread.Now, the patience kicks in yet again.Peace out.
There is a difference between doing it FIRST and doing it RIGHT.
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"Re(6):Games of 2005" , posted Mon 3 Jan 01:30
Viewtiful Joe
Best site EVER: 
