[Dark Schala]

Gravol makes this game a ton better. I love running into dudes and making Zael walk into signs. I also agree that people should just walk around town (or use the map to warp around town) and talk to folks to start up sidequests or make Zael animate.

At least you can tell they put careful thought into making Zael react and animate for things, and for the townspeople to respond to you in an AC sort of way whenever you bump into them.

Also, I highly recommend doing the sidequest that lets you dive into the water. You might not be able to swim fast, but you can find extra stuff likethe guy who rewards you with stuff depending on how many times you bump into signs, run into people, etc.

Also, the town reminds me so much of Florence from AC2. They did a good job, pop-in aside.

I was thinking the same thing at some points. It sorta did remind me of AC2 a bit.

Edit: People should try ZL targeting npcs that are doing various things. You get additional dialogue. For example there were two guys in a back alley and it looked like the old man was under attack. The younger guy was talking about the money the older guy was making from his business. Then I targeted it them and I found out via additional dialogue that the older guy was a deadbeat dad and the other guy was trying to get him to pay his support. Walking down the different streets can be interesting at times.

Thanks for the tip. I didn't think to do that. What a nice little extra they put in.

[DavidDayton]

Still nothing from Deep Discount. Might just see if I can pick this up locally and just cancel the other :|

I ordered from them too -- various internet things SEEM to imply that they should EVENTUALLY fulfill the order, but that they tend to be slow...

[Dark Schala]

So let's say if I got all the stat boost items in town, saved, then reloaded to replenish the stat boosts, I could theoretically max out my stats before I consider levelling up a little bit and stuff? Granted, it'd take forever, but you know what I mean.

[Urban Scholar]

How's the pacing guys? I know the game is roughly 30 hrs sans side quests. Is there ever a lull type of feeling?

[VanillaCakeIsBurning]

This game is sitting on my table right now. I want to start it tomorrow but I don't think I'll be able to resist the temptation.

[ZombiePlatypus]

How's the story for this game? Does it have any or is it pretty much a dungeon crawler with a very light plot. (If it's actually story driven, is it more like standard JRPG fair or does it have some actually interesting or even ambitious stuff going on?)

[thefro]

So let's say if I got all the stat boost items in town, saved, then reloaded to replenish the stat boosts, I could theoretically max out my stats before I consider levelling up a little bit and stuff? Granted, it'd take forever, but you know what I mean.

There's no point in grinding for most of the game since there's basically a cap on the summon circles. Plus the game is pretty easy.

How's the story for this game? Does it have any or is it pretty much a dungeon crawler with a very light plot. (If it's actually story driven, is it more like standard JRPG fair or does it have some actually interesting or even ambitious stuff going on?)

Story is pretty standard JRPG fare... I liked it but it's not anything amazing. I'd say what's ambitous is how your party is constantly talking amongst itself during the game, almost like a FPS campaign. I think the characterization of your party is pretty good because of all that dialogue.

[jorgeton]

How's the story for this game? Does it have any or is it pretty much a dungeon crawler with a very light plot. (If it's actually story driven, is it more like standard JRPG fair or does it have some actually interesting or even ambitious stuff going on?)

Very story heavy. I wouldn't call the plot ambitious, but it's interesting and the characters are very endearing.

[EulaCapra]

Still haven't touched my copy. :(

I'm still waiting to finish Xenoblade after logging in 160+ hours and regret leaving that game for so long and forgetting where I left off sidequests-wise. See ya in 2013, The Last Story!

[Dark Schala]

I think the pacing is kinda alright. Someone brought up FF13 before, and I kinda see where they're getting that. The game is pretty story-driven, but I feel like it has better buildup and tension release (ie: do dungeons, come back to town and do sidequests that aren't always fetch quests), and the characters have better personalities to boot (which is enhanced by the party chat during battle/dungeoning).

There's no point in grinding for most of the game since there's basically a cap on the summon circles. Plus the game is pretty easy.

Yeah, the game is pretty darn easy so far. Kinda stopped using the summon circles, lol. What's the cap on them, btw?

[Chacranajxy]

Ended up quitting the game a few hours in. Not because it was bad or anything - it was getting to be pretty great. But with law school coming up in a week or so, I gotta adjust. So I'll probably restart the game in a couple of weeks. But it was pretty rad from what I'd played, which is more than I can say about just about any RPG released today... handheld or otherwise.

[PixyJunket]

I really like some of the oddball things this game does, like the random items in chests, the party stat boosting items, picking up junk in the city, even the summon circles as sort of a janky solution for giving you the option to fight extra battles in the scripted dungeons sequences. All of it is rather endearing to me.

The soundtrack is really not very Uematsu sounding at all, I take it he purposefully was going for a different direction given the game's Western inspirations. I was thinking of having him sign my game later in the year, but I might just stick to Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, unless I can somehow sneak in a third.

[Esura]

I found a use for the slip cover.

Shelf wear protector! Game in front of it is spaced away from TLS because of the slipcover and the slip cover protects it from my Twilight Princess.

[cooljeanius]

This is out already? Darn, I should have picked this up while I still had time left in summer break...

[Seik]

Dat sky. :)



Game is awesome imo.

Dat ground texture >_>

Yeah I know. :/

Dat Wii limitation, still looks great to me.

[Kazerei]

Dat ground texture >_>

[Dmax3901]

I'm using the lastest Lectrode revision. :) I had a bit of lag by times, and I was only at the beginning, I'll play a lot more tonight and my guess is that things will get bad when I'll reach the town, we'll see. For what I played yesterday though, it was awesome! :D Maybe it won't be as bad as when I tried it during the PAL version's launch.

I'll check it out, the one I'm using has various glitches (the clothes going all black is the most annoying one), and crashes occasionally.

[Dark Schala]

Did anyone else throw bananas on the ground and make NPCs/Zael trip and slide on the ground? Cuz that's fun.

I really like some of the oddball things this game does, like the random items in chests, the party stat boosting items, picking up junk in the city, even the summon circles as sort of a janky solution for giving you the option to fight extra battles in the scripted dungeons sequences. All of it is rather endearing to me.

It's really the little things that are adding up in some enjoyment.

I don't have a real opinion of the soundtrack in-game yet. I've heard it prior to playing the game, and preferred Sakura Note and Lord of Vermillion more.

[Seik]

I'll check it out, the one I'm using has various glitches (the clothes going all black is the most annoying one), and crashes occasionally.

You need to set your EFB on RAM and check 'cache' instead of texture. Fix'd pretty much everything for me. I'm running it 1080p no AA (I can add AA habitually but this one seems like its still fragile to mess with.).

My rig: Intel i5 2500k@4.5Ghz-GTX480-8GbRAM DDR3.

The game is pretty smooth for the moment, but I'm having constant stutters during flashbacks, no ideas why these happens...but as long as the gameplay is fine I'm ok with this. Dolphin is always getting better anyway.

[CorvoSol]

How's the story for this game? Does it have any or is it pretty much a dungeon crawler with a very light plot. (If it's actually story driven, is it more like standard JRPG fair or does it have some actually interesting or even ambitious stuff going on?)

It's a fairly standard JRPG story so far. Zael wants to be a knight, has a tragic past, and gained a mysterious power from a mysterious temple. Callista is a princess who is soon to be married to a man she doesn't love, so she longs to escape the castle and see the world. The "main villain" Is Ganondorf Dragmire, King of the Gerudo and Lord of the Sith.

Despite this, the cast is endearing. Yurick is a snot-nosed brat (I think so because he keeps berating me and whining about how I'm wasting time when HE was the one who stayed at the inn all night while I was out working.) Mirania looks like she should be the Team Lulu, but she's always talking about food. Lowell is Edgar and Setzer's apprentice, womanizing, but with a level head. Dagran is the Kain, and if anybody on the team is going to betray me, it's BOUND to be him. And Syrenne is the best character in the game because of the scene before you go into the Arena for the first time.

So, while much of it is very much the stuff you'd expect to find in an old Final Fantasy, that doesn't mean it's bad. The cast is endearing, the story has its fair share of mysteries, the combat is fun, the endless fashion show is enjoyable, upgrading is simple to do and easy to understand.

It's a very solid, straightforward AJRPG experience, and thus far, I really am loving it. My favorite characters have to be Syrenne, Lowell, and Mirania. They're absolutely hilarious.

"Zael, if you see a beautiful woman, you have to flirt with her. It's rude not to."
"Does that mean you've even flirted with Mirania?"
"Of course."
"And?"
*mutters*
"What about Syrenne?"
"Well, Zael, I'm not into men."


I love this game.

[jb1234]

Just started playing it. So far, it's okay. A little too easy but hopefully, it gets more challenging.

[Esura]

Do dialog choices matter? Cause I think I made Yurick angry.

[Dmax3901]

You need to set your EFB on RAM and check 'cache' instead of texture. Fix'd pretty much everything for me. I'm running it 1080p no AA (I can add AA habitually but this one seems like its still fragile to mess with.). My rig: Intel i5 2500k@4.5Ghz-GTX480-8GbRAM DDR3. The game is pretty smooth for the moment, but I'm having constant stutters during flashbacks, no ideas why these happens...but as long as the gameplay is fine I'm ok with this. Dolphin is always getting better anyway.

So this build seems to have fewer glitches, but how do you get rid of the blur filter? :/

[CorvoSol]

Do dialog choices matter? Cause I think I made Yurick angry.

GOOD. Yurick is a punk. He's all "Zael, we don't have time for you to waste on super hot dates!"
And I'm all "Oh yeah? It's funny you should mention work. Where were you last night?"

[Seik]

So this build seems to have fewer glitches, but how do you get rid of the blur filter? :/

You mean that blur when people are too close to the camera? If yes I think there's nothing to go around it, since its the game's engine that works like that.

FYI: I use DX9 for this one, DX11 cause me some graphical glitches. After many tests, the best way I found to attenuate the blur is to play the game at 4x native resolution, runs good for me and its even more beautiful...fuck.

[Yuterald]

I think the pacing is kinda alright. Someone brought up FF13 before, and I kinda see where they're getting that. The game is pretty story-driven, but I feel like it has better buildup and tension release (ie: do dungeons, come back to town and do sidequests that aren't always fetch quests), and the characters have better personalities to boot (which is enhanced by the party chat during battle/dungeoning). Yeah, the game is pretty darn easy so far. Kinda stopped using the summon circles, lol. What's the cap on them, btw?

I don't believe there's a cap on those summon circles. I think you can continue fighting enemies until the end of time! I actually had to use them towards the end of the game because some of the bosses are a bit difficult near the end, or at least I thought they were.

[jb1234]

It surprises me at how bland the music is in this game, given the composer. Most of the time, you can barely hear it. It's like Uematsu was ordered to write stuff that's as unobtrusive and generic as possible. The battle music sounds like the worst aspects of today's blockbuster film scores.

[jmizzal]

Does online ever have any story spoilers, or is it unlocked after a certain event? Hmm?

The death match you can play as all the characters from both sides good and bad, but from what I see all of those are meet pretty early in the game, I dont know if any new ones are added as u get further in the game.

The Co-Op you only play as the main team

Now the co-op you fight bosses so that could be the only spoilers
Death match is def arena levels so its not a big deal.

[CorvoSol]

OH GOD THESE BOSS FIGHTS UGH UGH UGH.

I swear, these boss fights are like, so good at making me rage. EVERY fight it's just all, "If you don't do this one poorly explained mechanic, the fight will be a constant struggle as your team mates continue to repeat the same stupid clue ad nauseum!"

UGH.

Like, my family was yammering so I didn't hear about using Gale in the spider fight. OH HO HO TOO BAD. Freaking tiny spiders mobbed Zael and I damn near broke the analog stick on my classic controller because every time I got one off of me another got me.

UGH UGH UGH.

I love this game, but MAN do I hate it's boss fights so far.

[jb1234]

OH GOD THESE BOSS FIGHTS UGH UGH UGH. I swear, these boss fights are like, so good at making me rage. EVERY fight it's just all, "If you don't do this one poorly explained mechanic, the fight will be a constant struggle as your team mates continue to repeat the same stupid clue ad nauseum!" UGH. Like, my family was yammering so I didn't hear about using Gale in the spider fight. OH HO HO TOO BAD. Freaking tiny spiders mobbed Zael and I damn near broke the analog stick on my classic controller because every time I got one off of me another got me. UGH UGH UGH. I love this game, but MAN do I hate it's boss fights so far.

Yeah, I just finished a boss battle (about four hours in, not doing sidequests) which took this to the extreme and made me rage.

The turtle on the ship.

[Gunloc]

Got my copy yesterday. :)

[Effect]

Yeah, I just finished a boss battle (about four hours in, not doing sidequests) which took this to the extreme and made me rage. The turtle on the ship.

The boss fights are interesting and you have to pay attention to the tutorials about what the abilities do. That particular fight I found somewhat easy once I started exploiting the magic circles on the ground. You can trigger multiple ones at the same time. There is one in particular that causes you to not take any damage during certain attacks. Though you have to be somewhat quick and time your attacks right.

[Criminal Upper]

What's the best way to control this? Classic Controller Pro? Or Wiimote/Nunchuck?

[VanillaCakeIsBurning]

Anyone think manual is better than normal for attacks? I'm not sure if you attack faster using manual or if it's just my imagination.

What's the best way to control this? Classic Controller Pro? Or Wiimote/Nunchuck?

Classic controller Pro feels pretty good to me. I haven't tried it with the nunchuk but the tutorials make it seem like it'd be decent to use as well if you don't have the classic pro.

[RedNumberFive]

Anyone think manual is better than normal for attacks? I'm not sure if you attack faster using manual or if it's just my imagination.

I believe the game tells you something along the lines of:

"Attacks will be faster in manual mode but will not deal as much damage."

So I guess it's a trade-off.

Anyhow, I think I've spent more time playing "dress-up" than taking down enemies so far.

[RedNumberFive]

Does equipping different sets of armor make any significant changes to your stats? I'm about 6 hours in, and so far I'm guessing the answer is no.

[Zornica]

What's the best way to control this? Classic Controller Pro? Or Wiimote/Nunchuck?

doesn't matter. Either one is fine I guess, but I can't tell you how the ccpro controls feel, because I hate that thing and never tried it.

Does equipping different sets of armor make any significant changes to your stats? I'm about 6 hours in, and so far I'm guessing the answer is no.

the only thing that matters in this game equipment wise is the weapon. you should always upgrade it, and never sell them. (at least ones you can upgrade above 300 attack)

[VanillaCakeIsBurning]

I believe the game tells you something along the lines of: "Attacks will be faster in manual mode but will not deal as much damage." So I guess it's a trade-off. Anyhow, I think I've spent more time playing "dress-up" than taking down enemies so far.

I see. I'm using Manual right now but I tend to miss quite a bit so I might move back to Normal.

Does equipping different sets of armor make any significant changes to your stats? I'm about 6 hours in, and so far I'm guessing the answer is no.

I don't think so. The guy in the tavern tells you that upgrading weapons is the most important thing. I like to upgrade armor just for the visual changes.

Playing dress up is fun in this.

[Criminal Upper]

doesn't matter. Either one is fine I guess, but I can't tell you how the ccpro controls feel, because I hate that thing and never tried it.

I see.

[Seik]

I see.

I laughed.

Confusing indeed. :P

[ozfunghi]

Enjoyed it... but where as Xenoblade occupied me for an entire month, this managed to keep me entertained for merely a week. But then again, Xenoblade > space-time continuum. Character models look great, combat was entertaining, but the story and setting really let me down (for a game with such a name).

[rhfb]

I ordered from them too -- various internet things SEEM to imply that they should EVENTUALLY fulfill the order, but that they tend to be slow...

Well that is good to know :| just sucks that they already charged my card with the item being back ordered.

[RedNumberFive]

I don't think so. The guy in the tavern tells you that upgrading weapons is the most important thing. I like to upgrade armor just for the visual changes.

Ah, yes. I remember that piece of dialog now. Thanks for jogging my memory.

[Dynedom]

It's all about the fully upgraded dragon armor for maxed out ridiculousness.

This is BEFORE you even start dying it pink...

[Zornica]

I laughed. Confusing indeed. :P

I see.

hadn't much time to write a proper answer.

I will try again:
There is no "better" controll option.
Wiimote+Nunchuck or ccpro, doesn't matter which one you choose, they are both the same in terms of functionality. there aren't any motion controlls, so you aren't missing/avoiding anything by choosing either.
I can't comment on the ccpro controlls, because I've beaten the game with mote+nunchuck. thats all I meant to say.

[Cow Mengde]

Glad this finaly made it to North America! Took long enough... Sorry about the slow downs (although they're mostly not really my fault...)

Who's fault is it for the slow-downs? I'm very curious as to what is causing it.

[Cheska]

So I had to order a new sensor bar since my kittens decided that the cord of my old one was their new favorite toy :/

But it's here now YAY! Got my coffee ready, the Wii all set up and the day off to devote to the game.

EDIT: I really, really wish I had a PC that could run Dolphin. This game would look so beautiful on there. I am enjoying what I've played so far, characters in particular are very likeable.

[jb1234]

Anyone think manual is better than normal for attacks? I'm not sure if you attack faster using manual or if it's just my imagination.

I tried both but ultimately, the battles didn't feel that much different to me, other than I was just wearing my thumb out with manual. Either way, you just rush into the mob without much strategy. I decided to stick with normal.

[Dark Schala]

Anyone think manual is better than normal for attacks? I'm not sure if you attack faster using manual or if it's just my imagination.

I like manual because I want control over Zael's attacks in general. Auto-battle/Semi-Auto doesn't really sit well with me in many RPGs.

I don't believe there's a cap on those summon circles. I think you can continue fighting enemies until the end of time! I actually had to use them towards the end of the game because some of the bosses are a bit difficult near the end, or at least I thought they were.

Thanks! I'm gonna play a bit of Darksiders II today, but I'll keep that in mind when I play TLS tomorrow.

*shrug* I think the game's pretty fun so far.

[CorvoSol]

The boss fights are interesting and you have to pay attention to the tutorials about what the abilities do. That particular fight I found somewhat easy once I started exploiting the magic circles on the ground. You can trigger multiple ones at the same time. There is one in particular that causes you to not take any damage during certain attacks. Though you have to be somewhat quick and time your attacks right.

It doesn't help that there is no tutorial on "how to diffuse spells" there's one for Gale, but if you don't know you need Gale to diffuse spells, you stare at the Diffuse tutorials in frustration as your party members shout "DIFFUSE MAGIC" forever. Meanwhile, opening the manual solves the problem instantly by having a box which reads: HOW TO DIFFUSE SPELLS.

What's the point of having tutorials every twenty steps if they're so poorly labeled that when I need to reread them I can't find what I want?

Anyway, I'm off the one island on to the other, and I think I like the Stealth Armor the most so far. It's sleek. I just can't decide which combination of Red/Black/White I want on Zael.