cpro said:
78% is not a low review, and certainly not for RPGfan. They have many more reviews that were lower than 78%.
The person who wrote the review had this to say in their forums:
http://www.rpgfan.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=3299&start=30
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Atlus' dungeon crawler "Baroque": what's the word?
- Thread starter RSLAEV
- Start date
78% is not a low review, and certainly not for RPGfan. They have many more reviews that were lower than 78%.
The person who wrote the review had this to say in their forums:
http://www.rpgfan.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=3299&start=30
straydog1980
Banned
Takeda Kenshi said:
the best I can offer are some more impressions and pictures after some more time with it this evening and tomorrow. I will post some updated impressions and try to get some non-blurry pics so you can get an idea of what the game is like.
Basically, for me it's like this. You start the game in this overworld, which is static it doesn't change. There are about 8 different characters in this overworld which you can communicate with and I'm assuming do more with throughout the game. You go and talk to this angel who gives you a gun, and tells you to purify the world and absolve your sins (which you don't understand) by going to the bottom of the Neuro Tower.
So you go into the Neuro Tower... there are multiple levels which change in design everytime you enter the dungeon. You have a 2D map that floats above your character so you can keep track of where you are. Some of the levels are small, some of them are quite expansive. You explore the levels thoroughly, defeating enemies, collecting items, managing your inventory, fusing spells and items to make yourself more powerfull. You pick up "torturers" which are basically spells that you can use. You can fuse items to your armor, your sword, or yourself to increase your attributes.
Every time you enter the tower you start at Level 1, but you gain experience quickly. By the end of my last run through the tower I was at level 28 I think, and that was after about 12 floors or so. The floors are pretty cool. Some of them are elementally charged, meaning it will be a fire level where there are grates you have to avoid or you will get burned... or an Ice level with walls that freeze you and icicles that drop onto you from the ceiling. Ice levels will lower the effect of an ice elemental weapon and vice versa.
The enemies are pretty varied, I am really having fun learning all their different quirks, as some enemies are weak on different sides of there body. Some enemies you want to rush, others you want to stay back and wait for them to attack. The one that is pissing me off the most right now is this "witch spider" thing. It's kind of hard to describe. The top half of the body looks like a naked goth chick, and the bottom half looks like....well a spider kinda. They have long pointy hands which they thrust into the ground from a distance, only to emerge underneath you and cause damage. Or they can attack you directly if you're close to them. The thing that really sucks about them though is that they can cause status changes, mainly Lethargy and Lust. Lethargy makes you move in half time which can really fuck you if the room is full of Meta Beings. Lust is the real loser though. As original as it is, I fucking hate being in Lust. Lust turns you, every item, and every enemy into a beautiful woman. So basically, it makes it very hard to see what's ahead of you because you don't know if it's an experience gem, an item, or an enemy. You just have to wait until it wears off or take your chances.
The whole item system is really cool IMO. You can fuse different elements with your equipment or even yourself. You can also use "brands" which i guess are like tattoos or something that you can put on yourself to give you special abilities. My favorite right now is a brand that causes status abnormalities to last half as long (Lust is really a long effect). You can also unbrand these effects with another item you find so that you can use a different one if so desired.
On some levels there is this things called the "collector". It looks different on different levels so you have to get used to all it's versions. You can throw items into it that will be transferred to this weird little dude in the overworld. This is the only way I can find of "saving" items for another run through the tower. Otherwise when you reach the bottom of the tower you lose all your items, reset to level 1 etc....
I hope this helps give some of you some more detail about the gameplay, if you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll answer to the best of my ability.
Basically all I can say in summary is that I'm a huge Atlus fan. I've loved every game I've ever played that they published. I do NOT feel like I wasted my money, and I see myself really enjoying this title over the long term.
Takeda Kenshi
blew Staal
Thanks for the excellent reply.
I myself am a huge fan of Atlus too. I recently picked up Shiren the Wanderer and enjoyed it a good bit. This may seem like a silly question, but do you feel like you are moving forward in the game? Is there a sense of accomplishment? Do you enjoy playing through the game? In Shiren I felt like I was advancing mainly because I was constantly upgrading items each time I played through and stored them. Do you feel like you're getting stronger/better?
I myself am a huge fan of Atlus too. I recently picked up Shiren the Wanderer and enjoyed it a good bit. This may seem like a silly question, but do you feel like you are moving forward in the game? Is there a sense of accomplishment? Do you enjoy playing through the game? In Shiren I felt like I was advancing mainly because I was constantly upgrading items each time I played through and stored them. Do you feel like you're getting stronger/better?
Xisiqomelir
Member
I asked GAF and GAF told me to buy the Saturn version for the better soundtrack.
This is totally not necessary to feel one 'progresses' through Shiren. Learning how to deal with each particualr challenge a floor or set of floors throws at you (goddamn poison marshes!) means that you improve, not the character in the game.Takeda Kenshi said:
Really, all I need to make a half decent run in Shiren is a plating scroll.
BUT ENOUGH OF THIS TANGENT
Regarding Baroque, I understand the game progresses with each character's death. So, I guess that answers your question?
straydog1980
Banned
Takeda Kenshi said:
Well, I'm still relatively new to it, I've only completed 2 runs of the tower so far. Yes, I feel as if every time I enter the tower I know I am going to learn something new about it, or the world, or one of the characters etc.... Every time I go through the tower I am rewarded for my exploration. I have come across easily half a dozen encounters with NPC's and/or bits of story that I would have and COULD have completely missed simply by not exploring the entire floor. The game doesn't force you to learn, but it allows you to.
Takeda Kenshi said:
Yes I am enjoying the game thoroughly.... I am constantly upgrading the items when I'm in the tower, however saving those items for a future playthrough is a tricky endeavor. For example, in the beginning of the game (where I am now), the "collector" can only hold 5 items. In my experience I've had to force myself to choose these 5 items carefully.
IMO Minor Spoilers below...
On the topic of story progression, in certain rooms you will discover these...
people I guess ? They look like they are trapped in some sort of Iron Maiden. They will give you a bit of information then ask you to Purify (kill) them. When you do, they drop this item called a Korian. The manual told me that these could give you information about the person that dropped it if you give it to one of the guys in the overworld.
Yes I feel as if I'm getting stronger or better as the more time I spend in the dungeon the more I know... hey I can throw this away because I know I'm going to get another one at some point, etc..... I'm also growing more familiar with the items and what they do, which ones are important. But remember you do reset to Level 1 each time you enter so you don't hold on to tangible character experience, but just general game experience... i.e. you know how to handle certain situations better the longer you play.
Does that help?
Saitou said:
this is exactly what I'm talking about above. Baroque gives me this same feeling.
SlasherJPC
Banned
There isn't a collector on every floor though right? Is there a set number floor they appear on?
As for me, I'm really enjoying the game. I can't say much more then what the others have commented on but its a very unique game and its addicting as crap. Playing more and more to discover more story is very neat and I did talk with someone on a forum that said once you do something on the overworld, it sorta gets the ball rolling with the story so.
Good times. This game is sure to dissapear off shelves right quick I believe.
As for me, I'm really enjoying the game. I can't say much more then what the others have commented on but its a very unique game and its addicting as crap. Playing more and more to discover more story is very neat and I did talk with someone on a forum that said once you do something on the overworld, it sorta gets the ball rolling with the story so.
Good times. This game is sure to dissapear off shelves right quick I believe.
straydog1980
Banned
slasher_thrasher21 said:
no there isn't a collector on each floor. They are random I think. The last time I went through I found 3 collectors in 12 floors, each of which will only accept 1 item. I fucked up on my playthrough though because I wasn't sure if one was a collector (it looked different) so to test the waters I through a guryu (healing item) at it, which it accepted. Then I tried to throw something i ACTUALLY wanted to save (korian ball) and it said "acceptance limit reached". That's how I learned that collectors differ in their appearance and they can only take 1 item each
game and learn, I guess.
SlasherJPC
Banned
straydog1980 said:I fucked up on my playthrough though because I wasn't sure if one was a collector (it looked different) so to test the waters I through a guryu (healing item) at it, which it accepted. Then I tried to throw something i ACTUALLY wanted to save (korian ball) and it said "acceptance limit reached". That's how I learned that collectors differ in their appearance and they can only take 1 item each
game and learn, I guess.
I did the SAME DAMN THING haha. Yes though, this game is all about learning how to play it. You as a gamer grow as you play.
BTW when I first played, I did something in the first tower and decided to reset started a new game again ( I was barely in the tower). Since the first time I talked to everybody I just ran right to the tower. The cutscene with the archangel actually was different and he gave me a little lip about not talking to anyone and his speech changed a little.
At first I was going to get this, now I'm sitting on the fence. Not sure if I should pick it up or not. Granted, I do enjoy these kinds of games...I beat Evolution and Evolution 2 on the DC way back in the day and played the hell out of Rogue a long time ago. My biggest problem stems from losing gear when you die. Just seems like a bad mechanic.
Played this last night and i felt insulted by everything the game does...and it does them horribly:
The animation looks like something I have done in my first semester of animation class i.e D grade stuff (although it was great for class standards).
Horrible combat, horrible controls, horrible interface.
I delved into this game without reading the intruction booklet and I had to go back and read it because there were no tutorials. a game that has no tutorials fail immediately in my eyes.
HOW CAN A GAME LIKE THIS BE MADE AND PUBLISHED IN THIS DAY AND AGE?.... EVEN THE MINIGAME GAMES THAT GAF DETESTS SO MUCH ARE IMMENSELY BETTER. This is the low of the low STAY AWAY.
The animation looks like something I have done in my first semester of animation class i.e D grade stuff (although it was great for class standards).
Horrible combat, horrible controls, horrible interface.
I delved into this game without reading the intruction booklet and I had to go back and read it because there were no tutorials. a game that has no tutorials fail immediately in my eyes.
HOW CAN A GAME LIKE THIS BE MADE AND PUBLISHED IN THIS DAY AND AGE?.... EVEN THE MINIGAME GAMES THAT GAF DETESTS SO MUCH ARE IMMENSELY BETTER. This is the low of the low STAY AWAY.
SlasherJPC
Banned
jrricky said:
Well after playing the initial short dungeon dive, there is a tutorial dungeon where they explain a good bit.
As for the complains on the combat or visuals, I can definetly see how some people wouldn't enjoy this game at all. Yet I feel this game is one of those, the more you put into it the more you get out of it. If you go in expecting instant gratification or a normal rpg setting/gameplay, you just won't get it. This game is NOT for everyone by far and I'm sure will garner quite a bit of hate.
Sorry to hear you don't like it, but with a game like this its really expected. I love the story elements and the overall atmosphere of the game.
Glad to hear all the positive impressions so far. I was going to write this game off, but looks like I can consider it again. Just too bad that I'm swamped right now, plus being Atlus waiting on this game may be a bad idea.
For the record, I love rogue and roguelike games. Hell I spent 40+ hours in Nightmare of Druaga, and still have more to do in it.
Also, can someone confirm if you can use the gamecube controller?
For the record, I love rogue and roguelike games. Hell I spent 40+ hours in Nightmare of Druaga, and still have more to do in it.
Also, can someone confirm if you can use the gamecube controller?
i finaly got a chance to try it and my initial impressions are meh... you guys know how much i love shiren and everything i like about it,isn't found in this one... i did around ten runs no cool item was found,no monster that didn't anything else beside rushing and attacking,everything looks so dull and everytime i died the feeling that it was because i didn't spend enough time hacking at fishes on the first few floors (the first time i was able to procede a little was after doing the tutorial dungeon)
what i'm missing to enjoy this one?
what i'm missing to enjoy this one?
Takeda Kenshi
blew Staal
straydog1980 said:
Definitely, thanks again. I look forward to your pics when you get home.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Teasel said:
Just give it a little more time. I've only died twice so far. Once you realize you can save some items for later use, start getting better items, and seeing more story open up, you might get hooked. Give it another hour or so and see if it grabs you, if not, then you might want to consider selling it to someone on the gaf or ebay.
VenusandBacchus
Member
So what system is everyone buying this for I know the Wii version has widescreen anyone know about the PS2 version? are there any other differences? thanks
jrricky said:
You know, I actually hate people like you that have me go through a forced tutorial in games where everything can easily be explained by reading the manual and a practice run through?
Why doesn't anybody like to read?
And then the game gets an extra point in my book by still having a tutorial dungeon after you've tried and failed (which was the point of the opening anyway).
Teasel said:
Well, from what others have said there's lots of item fusing and general resourcefulness. There are powerful items, and they're rare, so a lot of it is not finding one really awesome thing and keeping it the whole way, but rather finding one pretty cool thing and modifying it to suit your needs.
The other major thing about this game appears to be the story. If the atmosphere is not grabbing you, maybe you should skip this.
And as others are saying there are more interesting enemies and items, and yes, you do have to spend some time exploring every inch of every floor to also get you some extra experience. The game cannot be won on sheer brute wit alone.
straydog1980
Banned
jrricky said:
wow sorry you don't like it! I certainly have a different opinion of it.....
Horrible combat - this I can't agree with. There's a lot more to combat than meets the eye. Yes you are doing the same 3 hit combo over and over again, but it's with different weapons, different powers attached to them depending on what items you find and how you choose to use them, spell can be found and used as well.... this isn't a TBRPG, this isn't Devil May Cry. The combat is a LOT more like Diablo. Attack and kill. Rinse and repeat. I personally have had a lot of fun with it.
Horrible controls - I really don't agree with this at all. Especially with the Classic Controller I think the controls are great! The only problem I have is with the classic controller it's harder to make the camera pan straight left or right without making it also pan up or down. Besides that I haven't had any issues.
Horrible interface - can you explain this a bit more? Are you talking about the inventory system or what?
And about the no tutorial thing, and having to actually read the manual.....
SlasherJPC
Banned
Well I'm glad to see others really enjoying the game for what it is.
I can't wait to play more.
Ohhh Baroque, how I love thee.
I can't wait to play more.
Ohhh Baroque, how I love thee.
straydog1980
Banned
found some pretty good images here....
http://gamingconsolenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=651&Itemid=1
http://gamingconsolenetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=651&Itemid=1
crowphoenix
Banned
Damn it. The nearest copy is 45 minutes away. So much for impulse shopping that would give me plenty of time to realize I don't have the money.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Yeah.... seems this and Opoona are like trying to pull teeth when it comes to getting them. I had someone from GAF purchase me Opoona and ship it. I lucked out with Baroque and got the one and only copy in my town.
SlasherJPC
Banned
sk3tch said:Both are in stock at Amazon currently. Although $50 for Opoona turns me right off of that one. I did buy Baroque (Wii) and I will receive it tomorrow. Just in time for a Friday night gaming binge.
Yeah I hope you enjoy it.
I can't wait to get back to it honestly.straydog1980
Banned
slasher_thrasher21 said:Yeah I hope you enjoy it.
hah neither can i! i've been bumping this thread all day. PLAY THIS GAME DAMMIT! Atlus fans REJOICE!
straydog1980 said:
Horrible Combat - it is probably just me having higher standards in a real time action game, not even dragon blade was this bad. Feedback was horrible, battles were bland and boring.
Horrible controls - maybe I described this differently than what I meant i.e. uninteresting controls. Why was this on the Wii again?
Horrible Interface - confused the hell out of me is all I have to say.
And about the reading the manual thing - I mostly read manuals for all my games but because I was a little tired and lazy last night I decided to delve in...wrong idea. This was the first time I actually HAD to read the manual to know what to do. When I play my games I want the game to tell me want each button does a guide me through the game for the first level.
All I can say is that I gave it a shot and Im bringing it back to the store in the next half-hour.
These are the kinds of games that alienate people from trying out the genre.
SlasherJPC
Banned
jrricky said:
This is just an opinion though. I am not a fan of rogue like rpgs at all and I gave this game a chance and love it. Its the first one I've really gotten into. I remember trying to play the Breath of Fire game that was similar in design and just couldn't get into it. So I'm a newb and highly enjoying the game. Different strokes for different folks.
straydog1980
Banned
jrricky said:
dude...... I bought Dragon Blade on day 1 and no fucking way is the combat in this that bad!!! :lol
yeah like slasher said...different strokes for different folks i guess! *shrug*
SlasherJPC
Banned
straydog1980 said:
I bought it day one too. It was ok. Best part of the game was the Boss battles.
As for the combat, if anyone can stomach or play the Phantasy Star Online games, or similar titles, Baroques combat is fine. Maybe the animation for it is a little stiff which might make it seem inferior in a way but honestly, its good enough. Especially when you add in the elements, and different combination of swords, etc.
straydog1980
Banned
i am so making a Baroque Defense Force avatar :lol
SlasherJPC
Banned
straydog1980 said:
Do it! I'd use it!
the problem with combat is that you don't get any kind of feedback... the enemies don't flinch or seems to take any sort of hit,you just punch/slash at them until they die or they hit you in which case you take the hit and continue punching/slashingslasher_thrasher21 said:
they could at least tell you how much damage you deal
SlasherJPC
Banned
Teasel said:
Guess it just didn't really bother me. If you get your sword equiped with paralysis, sometimes it will stop them in their tracks.
BINGO..........Teasel said:
Um.. No. Dragonblade was lightyears away in combat...straydog1980 said:
DragonBlade
Barogue
This game deserves all the flack it gets. They need to make this genre more accessible. And please polish the crappy animations out.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
Has anyone made any Baroque Back Mountain photoshops yet?
dragonlife
Member
I bought it for my Wii today Kicked my ass (depleting HP and VT = death to new players) but I still like what I've played so far. And man, I can already tell I'm going to have a rogh beginning with this game...but I do love dungeon-crawlers
Kicked my ass (depleting HP and VT = death to new players) but I still like what I've played so far. And man, I can already tell I'm going to have a rogh beginning with this game...but I do love dungeon-crawlers dragonlife29 said:I bought it for my Wii today
Based on everything said so far, I think I'll wait for Shiren 3.
Good choice.cpro said:
I hope that one(shiren) is more accessible for a newb like me and not disappointing like this POS. Its very insulting, Im mad. I had high expectations (not really, but respectable expectations) for Barogue, so Im going to keep Shiren in the low expectations department.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOProven said:
NO! NO! NO! NO!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
*darthvadernooooooooooo.gif*
the guy said more accesible... not retardedly easy and boring... if he's gonna pick one of those two games he's gonna hate roguelike forever!
just pick shiren,if you have any problem with it i'll try to help
(also guys don't forget that chocobo mysterious dungeon is coming too! i don't expect a hard roguelike but ehy jobs system + music remakes from various final fantasy = instant wins)
Teasel said:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
NO! NO! NO! NO!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
*darthvadernooooooooooo.gif*
the guy said more accesible... not retardedly easy and boring... if he's gonna pick one of those two games he's gonna hate roguelike forever!
just pick shiren,if you have any problem with it i'll try to help
(also guys don't forget that chocobo mysterious dungeon is coming too! i don't expect a hard roguelike but ehy jobs system + music remakes from various final fantasy = instant wins)
I don't see how you can say Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is "retardedly easy and boring" and then turn around and recommend any Chocobo dungeon game.
Besides, PMD might be a little on the easy side for the main quest, but the extra stuff can get pretty difficult and there's far more content in the game; it'll last for a long time. There's nothing wrong with recommending PMD to anybody -- there are more games than Shiren out there.