Support NeoGAF

[Shizuka]

Finally started chapter 4. I was hoping to get this review finished this morning, but

Spoiler

the story is finally turning into political and military warfare. Figured I'd see how things start to play out before I turn to the pen.

We've been neck to neck, I wonder who'll finish his review first.

 

[DangerMouse]

Just got my copy.

Hopefully I get to start playing over the holiday weekend.

Digging the English voice cast listed in the back of the book. Looking forward to hearing them. Really like the art book and box.

Finished the prologue, already can tell I'm going to really like this. Can already see the "tropes" along with the foundation that'll lead to the characters being far more then their tropes would initially reveal.

Nice, yeah. I like the sound of this. I remember hearing something similar when the Japanese version came out, I'm looking forward to the characters.

 

[sssstententen]

I had an amazon gift card and I'm just trying to be patient haha but I might break soon and just get one at gamestop .-.

Just use your amazon gc to but a gamestop Gc. you get it instantly

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

Quick question, will the vita version work on psTV?

 

[Aeana]

Quick question, will the vita version work on psTV?

It supposedly does after applying the day 1 patch.

 

[thematic]

I purchased Vita version from PSN, but I can download PS3 version too?

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I purchased Vita version from PSN, but I can download PS3 version too?

That's just to download it to your PS3 to then transfer it to a Vita.

 

[JPS Kai]

I purchased Vita version from PSN, but I can download PS3 version too?

I think that's so you can transfer it via wired connection. This one's not cross buy.

 

[Aeana]

I purchased Vita version from PSN, but I can download PS3 version too?
http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd338/IDComp/Screenshot_2015-12-23-10-43-28_zpswdtfkshi.jpg[img][/QUOTE]

No, you can download the Vita version to your PS3 (for transferring or archival).

 

[FlyinJ]

Anyone else getting sound bugs on the PS3?

I'm getting delayed sounds and sometimes sounds won't play at all..,

 

[LMN]

nvm

 

[Elaugaufein]

No, you can download the Vita version to your PS3 (for transferring or archival).

Vita downloads on PS3 are terrible as archives though, since they get automatically deleted on install (unlike the PSP on PS3 which prompts even though it defaults to yes for some idiotic reason).

 

[Sevyne]

Finally got my Lionheart Edition. Been super excited for this. I gotta say, this is a great edition for only being $10 more. Hell, that artbook alone is more than worth the extra cash. Love it.

 

[DangerMouse]

Finally got my Lionheart Edition. Been super excited for this. I gotta say, this is a great edition for only being $10 more. Hell, that artbook alone is more than worth the extra cash. Love it.

Completely agree.

 

[Jiraiza]

Anyone else getting sound bugs on the PS3?

I'm getting delayed sounds and sometimes sounds won't play at all..,

Happens a lot in the Japanese version. Guess they didn't fix it.

 

[names2hard4you]

Must say I'm quite impressed with the game so far, it is quite meaty and I've only just gotten to my first Free Time day, I'm about 3:30hrs in. I've been exploring the school and talking to NPCs like you guys suggested, and every one of them feels distinct. The school itself is massive too. This reminds me of when I played TitS and I went around every town exploring, except back then it was all 2D. So far the game has exceeded my expectations.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Beat prologue.

Battles are suuuuuuuuuuuuuper snappy.

Sara's cool.

All the boys wear cool slacks.

OK, kids, we can exhibit personalities now. By this point in FC, Estelle had accused her dad of infidelity and beat up a wounded kid for being loud.

I don't think you'll have to worry too much about that. Trails games' strength is their writing and character development, for the most part. Not everyone will like every character - some people hate Estelle in FC/SC which is beyond my understanding.

Philistines.

End of prologue

Spoiler

OLIVIER!

Spoiler

And in a position of authority, too! Erebonia's more fucked than I realized.

 

[Xeteh]

Man, I'm just starting but it feels so weird playing with the Trails battle system in 3D. My only experience has been Trails in the Sky FC/SC.

 

[Nightengale]

Chapter 1 minor spoiler:

Man, I totally forgot that the

Spoiler

uncomfortable period between Alisa and Rean lasted 2 whole weeks.

 

[Dio]

Blade is fun!

 

[YianGaruga]

The amount of promotion this is getting from Sony is so weird to see. The late December lauch might actually be the best thing that could have happened to this game.

Still waiting for my copy~

 

[Se7enSword]

The amount of promotion this is getting from Sony is so weird to see. The late December lauch might actually be the best thing that could have happened to this game.

Still waiting for my copy~

I wish Trails in the Sky SC also received this much promotion. If it did, I don't recall it :/

 

[YianGaruga]

I wish Trails in the Sky SC also received this much promotion. If it did, I don't recall it :/

It didn't, but it's a PSP game that launched in the busiest gaming period so it's more understandable. I hope it benefits from this, the PS Blog post is very in depth and explains the whole series.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I wish Trails in the Sky SC also received this much promotion. If it did, I don't recall it :/

It didn't. It just sort of staggered out the gates after being announced a week prior.
Cold Steel has physical stuff (including an LE), a longer amount of time between release date confirmation and release, and is coming out with very little competition besides maybe Xenoblade Chronicles X but even that's nearing three weeks since release.

Just seeing all the comments in here saying "I bought the game but won't have time to play it yet" is wildly different from the SC OT which was filled with "I will buy this after finishing FC."

 

[Basileus777]

XSeed did a good job with the LE. The box actually is well built and not flimsy and likely to fall apart at the seams like most of these end to be. And the art book is actually pretty substantial for a $10 extra LE.

 

[Lindsay]

Okay pause!

Time out!

This game just started in one of the worst ways any game can -_-; Going from Level 50 with all the cool magic and stats and items... right back to Level 1 of nothingness! This is especially bad with rpgs. You're not gonna take 30-50 hours ta get your powers back in Metroid but in an rpg? Ummm. Ya.

Dear all game developers: STOP DOING THIS.


Okies back to the game!

Animated talkity face portraits?! That's new and muuuuch better then the usual static ones!

 

[Aeana]

I flipped through the artbook from the LE, and I would definitely recommend totally avoiding it until you complete the game. Even the first part. There's a spoiler warning toward the end when it starts to cover Cold Steel 2 stuff, but frankly some of the Cold Steel 1 stuff could be considered spoilery too.

 

[jackdoe]

XSeed did a good job with the LE. The box actually is well built and not flimsy and likely to fall apart at the seams like most of these end to be. And the art book is actually pretty substantial for a $10 extra LE.

I completely agree. The first thing that stood out to me was how sturdy the box was. I bought the game from Best Buy, and they know how to package and ship LEs, but if I had bought it from Amazon, their crappy bubble mailer shipping wouldn't have damaged the box at all.

 

[YianGaruga]

Just seeing all the comments in here saying "I bought the game but won't have time to play it yet" is wildly different from the SC OT which was filled with "I will buy this after finishing FC."

That's the benefit of having physical copies and LEs. Just having it feels pretty good. With digital games it's easier to wait, at least for me.

 

[Basileus777]

I flipped through the artbook from the LE, and I would definitely recommend totally avoiding it until you complete the game. Even the first part. There's a spoiler warning toward the end when it starts to cover Cold Steel 2 stuff, but frankly some of the Cold Steel 1 stuff could be considered spoilery too.

I flipped through it and didn't read any of the text. So it does cover Cold Steel 2 material as well?

 

[Aeana]

I flipped through it and didn't read any of the text. So it does cover Cold Steel 2 material as well?

Yes, there is a CS2 section at the back.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I flipped through the artbook from the LE, and I would definitely recommend totally avoiding it until you complete the game. Even the first part. There's a spoiler warning toward the end when it starts to cover Cold Steel 2 stuff, but frankly some of the Cold Steel 1 stuff could be considered spoilery too.

Hm. Guess even the LE contents serve both games. Guess that means no artbook for CS2 if there's an LE, but maybe that'll be the one with a soundtrack. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Reluctant-Hero]

Anyone else still waiting for Amazon to ship their preorder?

 

[Basileus777]

Yes, there is a CS2 section at the back.

Ah, thanks. I suppose I'm going to have to wait a while to read everything.

Hm. Guess even the LE contents serve both games. Guess that means no artbook for CS2 if there's an LE, but maybe that'll be the one with a soundtrack. Thanks for the heads up!

I imagine there won't be another LE, there's the whole thing where the LE has space for both games in it.

 

[Eusis]

I've already spoiled myself on some Cold Steel stuff (partially by being too pessimistic for a timely release, so dip in a LITTLE, though also combined with curiosity about that big cliffhanger) but it's mostly out of context and was a year or so back mostly. I DID look up some new stuff while playing SC, but that's more to see if a named character becomes more relevant or not.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I imagine there won't be another LE, there's the whole thing where the LE has space for both games in it.

While it won't have a spiffy box, I sincerely doubt they'll just release the physical game and call it a day.
There'll be goodies available.

 

[Se7enSword]

It didn't, but it's a PSP game that launched in the busiest gaming period so it's more understandable. I hope it benefits from this, the PS Blog post is very in depth and explains the whole series.

It didn't. It just sort of staggered out the gates after being announced a week prior.
Cold Steel has physical stuff (including an LE), a longer amount of time between release date confirmation and release, and is coming out with very little competition besides maybe Xenoblade Chronicles X but even that's nearing three weeks since release.

Just seeing all the comments in here saying "I bought the game but won't have time to play it yet" is wildly different from the SC OT which was filled with "I will buy this after finishing FC."

Yeah, I just added that in case I was mistaken, thanks for confirming!

Yes, it is quite an interesting contrast with the SC release, nonetheless i'm happy that CS has received such a fantastic reception and I hope it translates to SC as well in the future.

 

[Nyoro SF]

Just finished the prologue, about ~2 hours in, starting at the school.

My thoughts so far:
Not a single character has really clicked for me yet except for Jusis. Probably because he reminds me of Kaiba just a little. (Video Reminder). Everyone else is really bland or annoying, poor Elliot... and Machias... and Fie. Thought I'd like the teacher's character based on pre-release footage, but so far all she's really done so far is mock and taunt everyone... most demoralizing and eye-rolling teacher ever. Rean's a smooth dude ("I guess I shouldn't be barging into a stranger's house on the way to school" lol) in some parts but rather typical in others, so no real opinion formed on this guy yet.

One thing I want to point out that's really bothering me and I have to get off my chest (no pun intended for that stupid slap scene). Now that I'm playing this game with some degree of concentration, the 3D animation in this game is horrifically bad. Special outstanding mention to this goes to with the battle against

Spoiler

the gargoyle, seriously this guy was such a pushover, and then that hilariously bad animation sequence where we gang up on him... holy shit, so, so bad

. Everything from the swinging and firing of weapons to cutscenes is really awful animation-wise. It's good for laughs for some parts but most of the time it makes the characters look pathetic. I collapsed internally when I saw Laura swing her sword for the first time.

Voice acting is more miss than hit so I turned off the voices.

Good parts:
Menus are really slick and intuitive, but I guess that's to be expected for the latest series. Some icons are way too small during battle, but if I squint I can deal with it; I'm just so glad I can see the timer on buffs and debuffs now.
Giving experience multiplier bonuses based on battle tactics is brilliant.
Being able to see an enemy's potential to be debuffed is very, very nice.
Zero Arts are cool. As are the notifications of delay timing.
Much more freedom and utility with attacks, crafts and arts. My jaw dropped when I saw that I could apply a general defense AND healing buff anywhere on the field with no locked-position limit; is that really OK?? Well, it's awesome, so...
Stunning enemies on the field adds a little fun tension of trying to avoid battles. I enjoy it.

So there we go, I look forward to completing the next chapter tomorrow, but I'm going to be away from home for a while after so I won't be able to complete this game until next year. That's fine though, I'm not in a rush. I look forward to picking and choosing the primary party members (if that's how it works).

 

[Dio]

One thing I want to point out that's really bothering me and I have to get off my chest (no pun intended for that stupid slap scene). Now that I'm playing this game with some degree of concentration, the 3D animation in this game is horrifically bad. Special outstanding mention to this goes to with the battle against

Spoiler

the gargoyle, seriously this guy was such a pushover, and then that hilariously bad animation sequence where we gang up on him... holy shit, so, so bad

. Everything from the swinging and firing of weapons to cutscenes is really awful animation-wise. It's good for laughs for some parts but most of the time it makes the characters look pathetic. I collapsed internally when I saw Laura swing her sword for the first time.

Cold Steel II improves drastically on the animation front. You can really tell the move from how they were making Kiseki before this was a rough change, going from isometric pre-rendered sprites to camera control and full 3D explorable environments and characters.

 

[Nightengale]

Just finished the prologue, about ~2 hours in, starting at the school.

My thoughts so far:
Not a single character has really clicked for me yet except for Jusis. Probably because he reminds me of Kaiba just a little.

I was personally expecting many people to share your opinion on the characters in regards to just their prologue impression, because among all the Kiseki core cast, Class VII imo starts out the weakest, given their need to basically give an overview of every character's "tropes" by the first sequence.

 

[Nyoro SF]

Cold Steel II improves drastically on the animation front. You can really tell the move from how they were making Kiseki before this was a rough change, going from isometric pre-rendered sprites to camera control and full 3D explorable environments and characters.

That is good to hear. Honestly, I've seen better animations from the first generation of 3D fighting games, so I'm kind of shocked. It really hurts presentation.

I was personally expecting many people to share your opinion on the characters in regards to just their prologue impression, because among all the Kiseki core cast, Class VII imo starts out the weakest, given their need to basically give an overview of every character's "tropes" by the first sequence.

I see. Hopefully once these characters start talking and they start getting woven into the story more we'll see what's really up.

 

[Eusis]

I was personally expecting many people to share your opinion on the characters in regards to just their prologue impression, because among all the Kiseki core cast, Class VII imo starts out the weakest, given their need to basically give an overview of every character's "tropes" by the first sequence.

Trails in the Sky definitely left an amazing first impression with their core character (or at least Estelle/Joshua and Olivier) so it's disappointing to hear Cold Steel falters there. But perhaps not too surprisingly?

 

[Pellegri Testament]

I imagine there won't be another LE, there's the whole thing where the LE has space for both games in it.

I'd say we'll see something for CS II as long as CS I proves to be successful. No reason to go the extra mile with an LE for 2 if the first venture doesn't pan out. Making the box for 1 hold both games just gave them something to fall back on if things didn't go well, same with the artbook being for both games. With that said though, it's not like we'll even be hearing about any major news for 2 for a good half a year if the turnaround for 2 is the same as it was for 1. We may not get a box or artbook for the game, but there's still a potential soundtrack for both games or other random little things.

 

[Jazz573]

Credit to our own jdkluv:



The history of the franchise on one picture. A more up-to-date history. "Sen no Kiseki" is Trails of Cold Steel's Japanese name.



Another 'history' made ages ago thanks to XSEED. This picture is a bit old so Cold Steel isn't on here, though. That unknown title after "Zero no Kiseki" aka Trails of Zero would be Trails of Azure. Trails of Cold Steel, the game this OT is about, is the one right after Trails of Azure.

Basically, Legend of Heroes 6 is Trails in the Sky First Chapter, Second Chapter and 3rd.
Legend of Heroes 7 is Trails of Zero and Trails of Azure (yet to be localized, set in a different country.)
Legend of Heroes 8 is Trails of Cold Steel I, II and III (set in Erebonia, and this OT is for the first game of that trilogy.)

Don't worry, this game is made for newcomers to the franchise to enjoy, you won't be lost if you jump in here.

Lol. Gharghav. It's Gagharv. It's written as ガガーブ (gagaabu).

 

[finalflame]

Where should this be played ideally, Vita or PS3? I'm leaning PS3 but wondering if there are any advantages to the Vita version.

 

[Dio]

Lol. Gharghav. It's Gagharv. It's written as ガガーブ (gagaabu).

I didn't feel like photoshopping his image. I realize it's Gagharv. Maybe I'll do it a little later.

 

[Jazz573]

Where should this be played ideally, Vita or PS3? I'm leaning PS3 but wondering if there are any advantages to the Vita version.

From the OT:

Which version should I buy? Are there any major differences between the two?

PS3 reportedly has some better shadows and slightly better performance (a couple seconds less loading time before a battle) but there are no content differences.
The Vita version is competent, and the differences in performance between the two systems is not enough that you should absolutely choose one over the other.
Whichever system you want to play the game on will be fine!

I didn't feel like photoshopping his image. I realize it's Gagharv. Maybe I'll do it a little later.

Nah. Not blaming you. I've accidentally called it Garghav before.

Anyways, I haven't even started SC, so I'll hold out on buying it for now.

 

[Basileus777]

Gharghav does roll off the English tongue much better than Gagharv.

 

[Jazz573]

Gharghav does roll off the English tongue much better than Gagharv.

Gharghav sounds like someone barfing, kind of like how I think Gahkthun sounds too.

 

[Psxphile]

Man, I'm not waiting for Amazon to ship. Tomorrow I'll check the local shops and see if I can score a Lionheart edition (at this point I don't care which version I get).

Gharghav sounds like someone barfing, kind of like how I think Gahkthun sounds too.

Gagharv