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[Genki]

Hi there, new member here

I would definitely have joined in this month had I not replayed Alundra last year. It was one of my favorites as a kid — even though the hints were mostly undecipherable(I must have been stuck at the entrance to Lars' Crypt for weeks) due to lacking English knowledge — and I'm happy to say it still holds up. Was refreshing to play after the DS Zeldas.

It's too bad most PS1 games on PSN are gimped 50hz versions for us Europeans. So, I vote for these:

Tomba! 1\2
Klonoa
Breath of Fire III (PSP\Vita only EU)

If anyone has a resource for discerning games that were properly localized to compensate for the hz difference, or a complete list of imports available on PSN that would be very useful!

 

[Number45]

Another hint:

Spoiler

It depends on your viewing direction and/or standing position once you hit the level

Spoiler

I also experimented with this. It has to be both the way you're facing AND where you're standing because I tried one or the other and still couldn't come up with a pattern.

 

[Toma]

Spoiler

I also experimented with this. It has to be both the way you're facing AND where you're standing because I tried one or the other and still couldn't come up with a pattern.

Yeah, thats the impression I got as well. In any case, once I tried that, it worked out reliably.

 

[Teggy]

I really wish they would give you some indication of how close you are to beating a boss.

Spoiler

I've beaten on the cave boss for so long and still haven't managed to take him down

 

[corrosivefrost]

I really wish they would give you some indication of how close you are to beating a boss.

Spoiler

I've beaten on the cave boss for so long and still haven't managed to take him down

This is where FAQs come in handy...

Spoiler

Watcher in the Water - (120 HP)

At this point in the game:
Sword attack - 4 HP
Flail attack - 3 HP
Sword charge attack - 12 HP
Earth Scroll - 12 HP
Bomb - 5 HP

 

[Zippedpinhead]

Sword charge attack


Wait, I did not even know the sword HAD a charge attack... how do you do that?

 

[Toma]

Sword charge attack


Wait, I did not even know the sword HAD a charge attack... how do you do that?

Hold down the attack button, does not work with the initial dagger.
It tells you in the "tooltip" of the first sword after the dagger.

 

[corrosivefrost]

Huh, guess that's why the charge attack made such short work of him. Who knew?

Well, I'd wager the charge attack would do 2x+ damage of a regular attack based on startup time/etc... but the dedicated gent who wrote the FAQ I consult apparently took the time to figure everything out killing the bosses and creatures multiple times with all weapons... so yeah, had a guess, but there are people in the know apparently.

 

[Teggy]

Well, I was trying to finish the game without resorting to a faq, but I'm glad I uncovered that spoiler

Spoiler

Seriously? You send me through a dungeon that requires extensive use of the flail and then make the boss vulnerable to the sword? WTF? It would have taken me 40 hits to kill him with the flail!

 

[corrosivefrost]

Well, I was trying to finish the game without resorting to a faq, but I'm glad I uncovered that spoiler

Spoiler

Seriously? You send me through a dungeon that requires extensive use of the flail and then make the boss vulnerable to the sword? WTF? It would have taken me 40 hits to kill him with the flail!

Hmmm -- remember, this isn't Zelda. It's more like... Metroid, maybe. You get new items that open up other areas, but that doesn't mean the item is the key to everything in the area.

The rule of thumb, as I have found in Alundra is that the last weapon you got is probably the most powerful. Since you got dagger > iron flail > sword, the sword is the most powerful at the moment. The

Spoiler

bow

is an exception to this rule (and, if you get any of the optional weapons, they're exceptions as well...)

 

[Toma]

Hmmm -- remember, this isn't Zelda. It's more like... Metroid, maybe. You get new items that open up other areas, but that doesn't mean the item is the key to everything in the area.

The rule of thumb, as I have found in Alundra is that the last weapon you got is probably the most powerful. Since you got dagger > iron flail > sword, the sword is the most powerful at the moment. The

Spoiler

bow

is an exception to this rule (and, if you get any of the optional weapons, they're exceptions as well...)

and.. everything else is an exception as well.

 

[vireland]

It's too bad most PS1 games on PSN are gimped 50hz versions for us Europeans. If anyone has a resource for discerning games that were properly localized to compensate for the hz difference, or a complete list of imports available on PSN that would be very useful!

We spent a LOT of time working with SCEE to fix the emulation problem of 50/60hz, since it should not affect the game refresh when they're displayed on modern tvs with progressive scan. It was a communication issue between SCEE and SCEI when these were emulated. After a lot of back and forth, they seem to be on the same page and Tombi/Alundra should be fixed already for Europe. Other Europeans have reported they're running properly now.

Confirmation of Arc I/II/III by a European would be nice. If it's NOT right yet, we can press on that until it's fixed, too. Since we pioneered it, this fix is open to ALL publishers who care enough to push for it.

 

[Teggy]

Hmmm -- remember, this isn't Zelda. It's more like... Metroid, maybe. You get new items that open up other areas, but that doesn't mean the item is the key to everything in the area.

The rule of thumb, as I have found in Alundra is that the last weapon you got is probably the most powerful. Since you got dagger > iron flail > sword, the sword is the most powerful at the moment. The

Spoiler

bow

is an exception to this rule (and, if you get any of the optional weapons, they're exceptions as well...)

Yeah, my videogame experience really skipped most everything between Atari and PS2, so I'm learning developers just thought differently in those days

 

[corrosivefrost]

and.. everything else is an exception as well.

Not really.

If you take the bows out of the equation (and put them toward the beginning as the exception) the weapons you equip on the attack button go like this, IIRC:

Spoiler

(bows) >= dagger > iron flail > sword > fire wand/ice wand >= steel flail > fiend sword# > holy sword > legend sword#

So, with the exception of the bows, if you take out the optional weapons, the weapons always get stronger as you get them, meaning yes, the sword was stronger than the iron flail and when he gets one of the wands or the upgraded flail, it will be stronger than everything before it.

 

[Number45]

We spent a LOT of time working with SCEE to fix the emulation problem of 50/60hz, since it should not affect the game refresh when they're displayed on modern tvs with progressive scan. It was a communication issue between SCEE and SCEI when these were emulated. After a lot of back and forth, they seem to be on the same page and Tombi/Alundra should be fixed already for Europe. Other Europeans have reported they're running properly now.

Confirmation of Arc I/II/III by a European would be nice. If it's NOT right yet, we can press on that until it's fixed, too. Since we pioneered it, this fix is open to ALL publishers who care enough to push for it.

This is great to read, thanks. Hopefully more will make the effort to do this in future.

 

[Genki]

We spent a LOT of time working with SCEE to fix the emulation problem of 50/60hz, since it should not affect the game refresh when they're displayed on modern tvs with progressive scan. It was a communication issue between SCEE and SCEI when these were emulated. After a lot of back and forth, they seem to be on the same page and Tombi/Alundra should be fixed already for Europe. Other Europeans have reported they're running properly now.

Confirmation of Arc I/II/III by a European would be nice. If it's NOT right yet, we can press on that until it's fixed, too. Since we pioneered it, this fix is open to ALL publishers who care enough to push for it.

Great work. This only goes for import games though, right? Most available PSN games are the original PAL releases unfortunately. It was never a problem on the Vita, right? I ask because AFAIK Klonoa has not been altered, but would still run correctly on the Vita.

 

[BomberMouse]

Wow, that boss in the dream sequence

Spoiler

Sara

, was such a PITA. Glad it's over.

 

[corrosivefrost]

Wow, that boss in the dream sequence

Spoiler

Sara

, was such a PITA. Glad it's over.

Buckle up, buddy. You're in for a ride.

 

[Toma]

Random question, how many of you played Disneys Hercules? It just released on PSN today and I am VERY tempted to use it. I remember it being a very fun game. Might play a bit myself before deciding on maybe including it in the lets plays. (Especially since we are still missing a few shorter/more light hearted games).

 

[vireland]

This is great to read, thanks. Hopefully more will make the effort to do this in future.

It should be the default configuration for all NA imports now from any pub through SCEE, and only have to be re-done on request for those that were put up before Alundra, which is when we became aware of the issue.

 

[vireland]

Random question, how many of you played Disneys Hercules? It just released on PSN today and I am VERY tempted to use it. I remember it being a very fun game. Might play a bit myself before deciding on maybe including it in the lets plays. (Especially since we are still missing a few shorter/more light hearted games).

It's *okay*, but Hercs Adventures (unavailable on PSN so far) is way better.

 

[Fodder76]

Finally got a chance to put some time into this. I'm at the save point in the Mines, and really enjoying it so far! I was pleasantly surprised how good this looks on the Vita, and how responsive the controls are. I'm a little intimidated by everyone getting stuck in this thread, but so far I haven't had any problems.

I never owned a PS1, so I'm hoping I can keep up with this thread and make up for a lot of lost time. I'm pretty slow to play through games though, so it will be tough. I really wish next month was a nice short 5 hour game or something. Ah well.

Thanks again!

 

[Toma]

Finally got a chance to put some time into this. I'm at the save point in the Mines, and really enjoying it so far! I was pleasantly surprised how good this looks on the Vita, and how responsive the controls are. I'm a little intimidated by everyone getting stuck in this thread, but so far I haven't had any problems.

I never owned a PS1, so I'm hoping I can keep up with this thread and make up for a lot of lost time. I'm pretty slow to play through games though, so it will be tough. I really wish next month was a nice short 5 hour game or something. Ah well.

Thanks again!

I promise to choose a shorter one in march

 

[corrosivefrost]

I promise to choose a shorter one in march

I would appreciate that greatly. Alundra is hefty... I can't believe how much I have left...

Spoiler

I'm in the Murgg woods after Giles dies.

 

[Bronzie]

Downloading now- I was looking for a way to not continue Assassin's Creed 3!

 

[Toma]

Hell, I'm not even that far.

Spoiler

Magyscar.

Forgot how goddamn long this game is. >_<

Currently still there as well, and goddamn is that place long.

 

[amstradcpc]

This is the crispiest game i have in my vita. And also the most difficult!. I almost was stuck in the beginning!. What about some strategy game for march?. I don´t know if there is something from PS1/PSP good enough.

 

[Toma]

This is the crispiest game i have in my vita. And also the most difficult!. I almost was stuck in the beginning!. What about some strategy game for march?. I don´t know if there is something from PS1/PSP good enough.

It is indeed pretty, cant wait to finally finish the dungeon I am at atm. Strategy games on PS1/PSP are usually SRPGs, and those are pretty long. I'll probably look for something lighter in march.

 

[Famassu]

This is the crispiest game i have in my vita. And also the most difficult!. I almost was stuck in the beginning!. What about some strategy game for march?. I don´t know if there is something from PS1/PSP good enough.

PSP & PS1 have plenty of great strategy games, especially in the SRPG genre. Final Fantasy Tactics is an obvious choice but I personally think Front Mission 3 would be a better choice since I doubt as many people have played it, so it'd be a new experience to more people.

 

[Toma]

PSP & PS1 have plenty of great strategy games, especially in the SRPG genre. Final Fantasy Tactics is an obvious choice but I personally think Front Mission 3 would be a better choice since I doubt as many people have played it, so it'd be a new experience to more people.

I'll look into it, thanks. Added it to the example list as well.

 

[Toma]

Platformer pls. Short platformer.

Yeah, those are my thoughts atm. I'll see what fits.

 

[Shalashaska161]

I'm late but I'll totally join you guys on this. I bought Alundra years ago and never really played it much. Time to fix that!

 

[quabba]

After some umming and ahhing I decided to join in on this. I had a ps one but missed out on a lot of titles.

Downloaded and started this last night but haven't got too far. Hopefully I can find the time to catch up and finish this by the end of the month. I'm hoping having some deadline makes me play more consistently and actually finish some games.

I won't vote for future games since I want to discover titles I have no idea about but Vagrant Story and Chrono Cross are two titles I want to get through at some point.

 

[Toma]

FINALLY BEATEN MAGY, oh man was that place long.

 

[vireland]

FINALLY BEATEN MAGY, oh man was that place long.

Magyscar and Lake Shrine are the two places I dread on replays, although Lake Shrine is easier once you wrap your head around how it's laid out and get a mental picture of the place to work from. First time it's *very* confusing to most people.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

Dang, bought this back in October when the $100 PSN sale was happening, haven't really played it since. This might be my excuse to go through it. Roughly how long does it take to beat?

 

[vireland]

Dang, bought this back in October when the $100 PSN sale was happening, haven't really played it since. This might be my excuse to go through it. Roughly how long does it take to beat?

About 30-40 hours. Maybe less since everyone here is playing it and help is readily available. The puzzles are the real sticklers for most, and platforming for the rest.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

About 30-40 hours. Maybe less since everyone here is playing it and help is readily available. The puzzles are the real sticklers for most, and platforming for the rest.

Straight from the horse's mouth! Thanks, Vic.

 

[Famassu]

Finally got around continuing this. Just got the desert dungeon done, about 5 hours in. So far there hasn't been anything too bad platforming or puzzle-wise. Haven't played Alundra in a long, looooong time, so my memories are a bit fuzzy, only remember bits & pieces of different places (those sliding puzzles in one of the dream sequences :S )

 

[Toma]

Post-Magy side quest spoiler:

Spoiler

Finally unlocked the casino and FUUUUUUUUUUUU are those games hard. Only thing I can sort of do is the crossbow thing, but its still hard. Anyone got these already?
Edit: Just managed to do the bow one once for a life vessel and a gilded falcon at least. Got me about 2000 gold too

 

[corrosivefrost]

Post-Magy side quest spoiler:

Spoiler

Finally unlocked the casino and FUUUUUUUUUUUU are those games hard. Only thing I can sort of do is the crossbow thing, but its still hard. Anyone got these already?
Edit: Just managed to do the bow one once for a life vessel and a gilded falcon at least. Got me about 2000 gold too

I found them extremely frustrating.

Spoiler

I got to the point in the bow game where I was shooting chickens (round 4?)

So yeah, I gave up.

Figured it wasn't worth the effort yet.

 

[Toma]

Once you got into the rhythm that particular one wasnt that bad actually. I'll leave the others for now though. The most infuriating thing is that

Spoiler

you need to do them 4 times to get the falcon -__-

 

[corrosivefrost]

Once you got into the rhythm that particular one wasnt that bad actually. I'll leave the others for now though. The most infuriating thing is that

Spoiler

you need to do them 4 times to get the falcon -__-

Spoiler

Say there's 5 rounds max -- you need to do 4 entire playthroughs of 5 rounds? On each one?

 

[Toma]

Spoiler

Say there's 5 rounds max -- you need to do 4 entire playthroughs of 5 rounds? On each one?

Correct.

Spoiler

If you do it at least once, you get the life thing though.

 

[Black Door]

I loved this game as a kid...when I got to the ice mansion/

Spoiler

Kline's

Dream I got so baffled that I drew a diagram of the puzzle and took it school and had half my teachers and classmates try to solve it (no easy access to the net back then.) Ended up figuring it out myself a day or two later because they were all stumped

 

[Miutsu]

I loved this game as a kid...when I got to the ice mansion/

Spoiler

Kline's

Dream I got so baffled that I drew a diagram of the puzzle and took it school and had half my teachers and classmates try to solve it (no easy access to the net back then.) Ended up figuring it out myself a day or two later because they were all stumped

I actually had trouble with the puzzle involving the ice pillars (the one with only one switch), had to re-enter the room several times, overall I like that the puzzles in this game are offering good difficulty sometimes (the ones that arent cheap).

Anyways, I'm right now at the

Spoiler

Reptiles Lair

and my supposedly short playthrough yesterday night got really extended because it took me a while to finally find a save point was stuck at some point at the dungeon until I figured out that I had already found the key and that I was supposed to go back.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

Got through the first hour and a half...the game is really well made, I just wish it didn't do that mid-90s thing of unexpectedly shoving you into a lengthy talking scene with no way to get out, then launching you into a dungeon with no way to save. Fortunately the dungeons were easy so far, but I nearly lost 45 minutes because the save opportunities are so few and far between.

Do you ever get a longer sword? This stubby one is tough to fight with.

 

[Famassu]

Made it through

Spoiler

Kline's

dream. That was surprisingly easy, I remembered it being much harder. Made it to the next dungeon after that too, but stopped there as it's getting late.

 

[Toma]

Made it through

Spoiler

Kline's

dream. That was surprisingly easy, I remembered it being much harder. Made it to the next dungeon after that too, but stopped there as it's getting late.

Yeah, I remember some parts to be quite harder as well. And then I get to the boss fights, and I wonder how I managed to beat some of those back then.

 

[Toma]

Just got the

Spoiler

Bean

, and man.. the game sure is mean.

Spoiler

They dont even tell you about the Fire Wand Dungeon and send you off to Nirude instead?

Guess I'll have some exploring to do now.