FullmetalPain
Banned
One of my favorite games of all time :0
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Grandia 2 Anniversary Edition on August 24, $20 (25% off sale at launch)
- Thread starter Robert at Zeboyd Games
- Start date
Hedonism Bot
Member
On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 3's battle system is like a mix of Final Fantasy and Grandia.
Child of Light was another recent one with a very Grandia-inspired battle system.
What separates Grandia's battle system from a lot of games that it inspires is that its characters move around on the battlefield without any direct control.
The studio behind Child of Light actually gave Grandia some credit in a video somewhere. It was weird as they referred to it as a general RPG-esque battle system on most sites or flat out used final fantasy as an example of "turn-based", so they obviously didn't think everyone would have heard of grandia. Still, that one mention of it had me buy the game day one, and I shall do the same with this!
Oh, and couldn't you at points spend a turn simply moving some characters to another position? You're right in that they would kind of decide their movement for themselves during combat, and I don't recall ever NEEDING to move them strategy wise, maybe this hard difficulty will call on that mechanic more.
I respect your opinion. But it's wrong.
I'll probably pick this up. I still have the Dreamcast version and remember playing through it on my awesome Trinitron VGA monitor via the DC VGA adapter while I was doing an internship and staying at my grandparent's house all summer (or maybe it was one of the semesters I took off to co-op instead, I can't remember, since I played through Dark Cloud 2 there too).
Dragging out the DC is just a pain nowadays and I don't have a good place to setup my CRT monitor.
After this we need the PC port of Soul Reaver updated with the DC assets, that game is godly.
Dragging out the DC is just a pain nowadays and I don't have a good place to setup my CRT monitor.
After this we need the PC port of Soul Reaver updated with the DC assets, that game is godly.
It has one of the more interesting (and better) battle systems to be found in a JRPG!
I didn't have a problem with the story, and my teenage self found it sort of funny - main character is a dickhead (but an enjoyable one), + a sleazy character + a repressed character. A good deal of innuendo, if I recall correctly.
ldcommando
Banned
Agreed.
How does it compare to something like The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky? I'm on the last chapter of that at the moment & really enjoying the grid/movement based combat system, and I believe Grandia is somewhat similar?
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Yes, we took inspiration from Grandia for the battle system in PA3&4.
I think the full extent of the "movement" mechanic is that the time needed for a character to travel to its destination and do an attack might be enough for another enemy attack to come up and get the hit off first, sending the character back to the beginning of the Act bar.
I haven't played Grandia II in 15 years, though, I'm going off (hazy) memory.
R_thanatos
Member
3 was a gorgeous game.
3 had : good visuals, excellent battle system and a good soundtrack. And good character designs
Story, difficulty and event planning were the places that lowered 3
You could use the Evade command to run to one of a few spots on the field. You could use it to outrun enemies that were trying to attack you, and if your timing was good enough, you could move out of their attack range after they already started their attack animation. The advantage was that after you reached the spot you evaded to, you would start way further up on the IP meter than if you had done anything else, making it the most efficient way to avoid damage if the situation allowed for it.
cj_iwakura
Member
Then godspeed. The definitive Lunars deserve wider notice. (And it sure isn't the PS1 version)
Mr_Antimatter
Member
I own the ps2 port, but this is very tempting.
I rather liked the ps1 versions though. Someday, Vic will get them on PSN and I can die a happy man.
I rather liked the ps1 versions though. Someday, Vic will get them on PSN and I can die a happy man.
cj_iwakura
Member
The originals are even better. Harder battles, bigger dungeons, the works.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Yep, it's the Saturn versions!
Saturn versions were sooooooooo good.
I would quite possibly actually kill to get spruced up ports of those. Or Saturn Grandia.
cj_iwakura
Member
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
And for comparison, the 32-bit version.
I think the newer soundtrack is noticeably better than the older one (and that's not even including the horror of having to use an actual Sega CD system), but I'd still be all in favor of a PC ultimate edition that let you pick & choose between the two soundtracks.
bodine1231
Member
Greatest jrpg combat system of all time,loved this game and the first. Will buy for sure.
cj_iwakura
Member
And for comparison, the 32-bit version.
I think the newer soundtrack is noticeably better than the older one (and that's not even including the horror of having to use an actual Sega CD system), but I'd still be all in favor of a PC ultimate edition that let you pick & choose between the two soundtracks.
That would be phenomenal, but there's no denying that the original game had the most content, especially Eternal Blue. The remake removed the Star Dragon Tower.
Sort of. Star Dragon was a (very good) Working Designs-made track for the foreign release that they apparently didn't have time/ability to put into the remake. But there is indeed a ton missing in the EB remake even on Saturn, including about five really excellent tracks.
TALKING ABOUT GRANDIA NOW
Fun fact: from what I read of the old English translation of Grandia II, they wrote Ryude as a jerk for a much longer time than in the original script, where he softened up pretty quickly. Maybe they were hoping for a Cloud/Squall/Han Solo thing.
Yep, it's the Saturn versions!
What are the benefits of the Saturn versions over the Sega CD or PSX versions? Honest question. I always though that the Saturn versions were mostly the basis for the PSX versions.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
It's been a long time, but Saturn & PS1 versions of the Lunar games are mostly the same with the Saturn version having better audio quality. It was mostly a joke at cjiwakura with whom I have a longstanding SCD vs 32-bit Lunar soundtrack battle going on.
For Grandia 1, on the other hand, the Saturn version is clearly superior overall - it was really pushing the system's hardware to the limits and they had to cut some corners to port it over to the PS1. Better graphics & performance on the Saturn version, but the PS1 version is the one that got translated into English.
Like the Grandia II port on PS2 after DC, Lunar~Eternal Blue port on PS1 after Saturn is sloppy. The awful PS midi music is on painful display, making the instrumentation worse than the Saturn or Mega CD versions even if the sound quality is higher. Think of the PC versions of FFVII and VIII that you've heard so much about. Iwadare's tracks are violin- and oboe-heavy, and they suffer a lot.
Mega CD Eternal Blue is significantly better put-together, with better art direction (remake cinemas are totally off-model), better dungeon design (original's mazes and architecture are delightful and maddening), and better sound direction (certain tracks are weirdly placed or overused in the remake).
Mega CD Silver Star is...a totally different game, with many flaws but many of its own merits. There was also a Silver Star comparison thread, if it helps.
Maybe the Lunar community thread should come back.
It's been a long time, but Saturn & PS1 versions of the Lunar games are mostly the same with the Saturn version having better audio quality. It was mostly a joke at cjiwakura with whom I have a longstanding SCD vs 32-bit Lunar soundtrack battle going on.
For Grandia 1, on the other hand, the Saturn version is clearly superior overall - it was really pushing the system's hardware to the limits and they had to cut some corners to port it over to the PS1. Better graphics & performance on the Saturn version, but the PS1 version is the one that got translated into English.
Thank you both for the detailed responses. The only "original" I played of any of the games was the Sega CD Lunar 2, and I'd agree with your comments regarding the dungeon design. I have no idea what they were thinking with some of the changes for those. There is no way that I'd ever concede the FMV cutscenes in the original are better, though. Nope. And the load times were absolutely horrendous.
eternalblue
Member
I don't know when I'll have enough time to get to playing it anytime soon, but I'll definitely get this once it's out. I remember playing some of this on PS2 and enjoying it, but wanting to wait until I could play the superior Dreamcast version instead. Looks like this will be better than either of those versions.
And holy crap at all this talk of possible Lunar games in the future! As someone who owns nearly every NA and JPN version of the first two Lunars on S(M)ega CD, Saturn, and PS, I would absolutely buy Steam releases for any of the games, but would particularly love to get the Sega CD version of Lunar: EB and the Saturn version of Lunar:SSSC.
And holy crap at all this talk of possible Lunar games in the future! As someone who owns nearly every NA and JPN version of the first two Lunars on S(M)ega CD, Saturn, and PS, I would absolutely buy Steam releases for any of the games, but would particularly love to get the Sega CD version of Lunar: EB and the Saturn version of Lunar:SSSC.
ClayKavalier
Banned
Cool, never got around to 4 but 3 was really fun. Might grab this if it's similar.
A gentleman/woman and a scholar! This is the ideal choice for the best version of each tale, assuming you can tolerate the jump backwards in tech to the superior sequel.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
So will this actually be playable at widescreen resolutions without stretching or is it still 4:3? Not fussed if I can't, but just puzzled that it's called Grandia 2 HD but the released screenshots are all in the original aspect ratio.
Saint Anima
Member
Man, this thread reminded me that I've yet to play through Sega CD Eternal Blue. Gotta get on that.
Can't wait for this, though. Keep checking Steam to see if I could pre-purchase this. Have the PS2 version but I've heard too many bad things.
Can't wait for this, though. Keep checking Steam to see if I could pre-purchase this. Have the PS2 version but I've heard too many bad things.
It's not called Grandia 2 HD, it's Grandia II Anniversary Edition.
Feel free to speculate whether the name change was really because the game isn't actually HD.
thanks, look great
The_Super_Inframan
"the journey to a thousand games ends with bad rats. ~Lao Tzu" ~Gabe Newell
You will love the Grandia system! It's somewhat similar but much more dynamic, to this day the best JRPG battle system imo
Also team Grandia 1 here, but two is an awesome game too
You will love the Grandia system! It's somewhat similar but much more dynamic, to this day the best JRPG battle system imo
Also team Grandia 1 here, but two is an awesome game too
Cheers! Sounds pretty damn cool... I'll be there day one.
Next week is damn expensive!