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LTTP: Ys I & II Chronicles (PSP/Vita)

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DimmuBurgerKing

Member
yschronicleslogo.jpg


I just received my newly bought PS Vita in the mail this morning, and decided I may as well start catching up on the last few years of PSP titles I missed. Being a huge fan of Oath in Felghana's PC release, I'm starting with Ys I & II Chronicles. The first few seconds of the opening was enough to hook me before I started playing. It took a while to get acclimated to the way combat works; i.e. "ramming" into enemies, which sounds simple enough until you realize that crashing head-on into the local fauna will harm you just as quickly. Once I got the hang of it, though, I was circling around and backstabbing Rehbolls with ease as First Step Towards War blasted forth from my speakers.

Fast forward to a short while later, and I've got the first Book of Ys and two defeated bosses under my belt. I've touched on the music before, but I think it bears repeating: this is one epic soundtrack, ranging from the frantic guitar riffs in dangerous areas and during boss fights to the mystique of the mountain shrine.

ys-chronicles-screen0d2ixs.jpg


The graphics are beautiful, standing up there with the very best of 2D roleplaying games. The colors are vibrant and pop very nicely on my Vita's OLED screen. The game also treats you to lovely artwork upon visiting a shop or other important NPC - a relatively small detail, but one that I greatly appreciate.

ys-i-ii6bi54.jpg


All in all, I'm pleasantly surprised to find that going to this title after the later Ys: Oath in Felghana serving as an introduction hasn't diminished its greatness in the slightest, and I'm very much looking forward to moving on to Ys Seven and Ys Origin afterwards!
 
lol what a co-inky-dinky! I too started playing this game yesterday!!

basically becoz Origin came out and I have both this and Napishtim in mine backlog that I wanna play thru before tackling Origin.

anywayz, I actually already beat this game on the virtua console but I loved it so much I really wanna play thru the new version too!!

and I'm doing that!
 
JEKKI said:
anywayz, I actually already beat this game on the virtua console but I loved it so much I really wanna play thru the new version too!!
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I watched a friend play Ys Books I & II on the Turbo CD as a kid, but I never owned one myself. I was an NES/SNES/Genesis kid. Now that you've played both, how do you feel the older version holds up? Could you go back and play it again after the remake? I was super tempted to get the VC release before I got a great deal on the Vita and thought.. "Eh, why not?" Now I can't put it down long enough to play anything else!

Kazerei said:
Falcom's music catalog is available on iTunes, by the way, including this game's soundtrack.

I liked Seven even more that Oath and I&II, so you're in for a treat. Parts of the story kind of dragged on, but IMO Seven was the most fun.
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Thanks! That's awesome. I don't buy many game soundtracks, but this and Oath's are going to be mine as soon as I get home.

I'm excited for Seven. I really missed out by not having a PSP for all these years. I noticed Ark of Naphistim is disappointingly absent from PSN, so I may end up having to grab the PS2 version when I can.
 
Congrats on playing these amazing classics! I will still put the TGCD version above it, but chronicles is still great. I really like switching between the three kinds of audio for each area I visit. Makes me never get bored of the music (like I ever would anyway). Thank god you didn't start with the DS version...as I doubt your impressions would be as positive.
 
These games are amazing. One of the few titles I actually purchased new last year.

The TG-16 versions of the games are not made obsolete by these newest editions. They're still quality, but I greatly prefer Chronicles.

Be sure to tinker around with the soundtrack choices, you may find yourself preferring different soundtrack choices for different songs.
 
Haven't played the psp version, but it's pretty much the same as I&II eternal/complete on pc, and those are AMAZING. That said I still prefer the PCE versions of the 4 Ys games. What can I say? I'm a sucker for simple pixel art and 90s synth rock. Eternal/Chronicles new arrangements just can't compare. :)

I really need to hit up the vita store and catch up with the newer games like seven.
 
I was debating between picking up this one and Ys Seven yesterday. In the end, I went with Ys Seven. I wanted something more direct in terms of combat (I like mashing buttons to kill an enemy), instead of ramming into them, but I'll definitely pick this collection up when I'm in the market for more PSP on Vita goodness.

So far, I'm really enjoying Ys Seven. Good to hear that I & II Chronicles is enjoyable.

The PSP has such a good library of JRPGs. It's almost overwhelming, because I missed out on a LOT of PSP games, despite owning one since the system launched. I just never played it much. With the Vita, I'm playing catch up, and I'm loving it. I already own more than just a few PSP titles, and there's still so many more that are on my list. God help me once PS1 BC gets added to the system.
 
Figboy79 said:
I was debating between picking up this one and Ys Seven yesterday. In the end, I went with Ys Seven. I wanted something more direct in terms of combat (I like mashing buttons to kill an enemy), instead of ramming into them, but I'll definitely pick this collection up when I'm in the market for more PSP on Vita goodness.

So far, I'm really enjoying Ys Seven. Good to hear that I & II Chronicles is enjoyable.

The PSP has such a good library of JRPGs. It's almost overwhelming, because I missed out on a LOT of PSP games, despite owning one since the system launched. I just never played it much. With the Vita, I'm playing catch up, and I'm loving it. I already own more than just a few PSP titles, and there's still so many more that are on my list. God help me once PS1 BC gets added to the system.
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I know, right? I had a PSP at one time, but the last game I played for it was Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (which I'd LOVE to be able to download to Vita) around the time it released. After getting my fill of that title, I ended up giving it away, so I missed out on.. pretty much everything except War of the Lions. I heard a snippet of that new localization and begged a friend to borrow his.

I'll probably get Seven for my next PSP game, so I'm glad to hear you and Kazerei singing its praises. I've heard elsewhere that a lot of Ys players didn't like that it deviated from the formula as much as it apparently did.
 
Is the original TurboDuo version soundtrack with voice acting selectable?

I know that the PC version has NO voice acting which kinda bugged me because I love Dark Facts speech right before you fight him. Also his battle track is awesome.
 
Souther said:
Is the original TurboDuo version soundtrack with voice acting selectable?

I know that the PC version has NO voice acting which kinda bugged me because I love Dark Facts speech right before you fight him. Also his battle track is awesome.
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I haven't encountered any voice acting at all, sadly! But the PC release of Oath on Steam didn't have it either.
 
Souther said:
Is the original TurboDuo version soundtrack with voice acting selectable?

I know that the PC version has NO voice acting which kinda bugged me because I love Dark Facts speech right before you fight him. Also his battle track is awesome.
Click to expand...

"You have no chance of defeating me without the silver eguipment, NAIVE prepair to die!" I will never get tired of that line.

And that song that plays in Dark Facts chamber is probably one of my favorites. The rendition of it in Chronicles is fantastic.
 
I've finished Ys I and now I'm well into Ys II - climbing the slopes of Nolta. So far, Ys II has taken everything I loved about the first game and done it better. The Alter magic was unexpected -
Roo Adol > Human Adol
- and it's starting to feel more like Oath in Felghana with the introduction of Fire Magic.

I like that there are more opportunities to interact with the townsfolk, but one thing I don't understand is the ability to give people apples. Is there a point to it, or is it just something to do to get a different piece of dialogue?

The standard enemies seem to be much easier to kill than those in Ys I, but it's hard for me to say why that is. I haven't even done any grinding this time around. That's hardly a complaint, though; I really am having a blast.
 
lol I actually jus beat Ys II!!

finished! done!! on to the next game!!

according to gamefaqs, if u give townsppl fruits n flowers they give u food or something.

like cakes n pies.

I donno... I didnt do it lol, but when I beat the game there were still empty slots in my item inventory screen.
 
Finally got around to finishing Ys II today - at work, like a real man. The back-to-back fights with
Dalles and Darm
had to be one of the most satisfying final boss battles ever. Now I'm just faced with the decision of what PSP RPG to play next: Ys Seven, TitS, or Tactics Ogre. I've got the next two days off work to think about it. Naturally, I'm open to any recommendations!
 
DimmuBurgerKing said:
Finally got around to finishing Ys II today - at work, like a real man. The back-to-back fights with
Dalles and Darm
had to be one of the most satisfying final boss battles ever. Now I'm just faced with the decision of what PSP RPG to play next: Ys Seven, TitS, or Tactics Ogre. I've got the next two days off work to think about it. Naturally, I'm open to any recommendations!
Click to expand...

Those are all some incredible games there. I'd recommend Tactics Ogre if you haven't played any of the earlier versions. It'll be a change of pace from Ys and it's easily one of the best strategy rpgs ever made.
 
Ys is a fantastic series, and Falcom does such an amazing job of updating the past games to make the whole series approachable.

It's nice to see people really into the games, because they deserve praise for having some of the tightest combat in ARPG history (even when the early titles are just football tackle sims).

DimmuBurgerKing said:
Finally got around to finishing Ys II today - at work, like a real man. The back-to-back fights with
Dalles and Darm
had to be one of the most satisfying final boss battles ever. Now I'm just faced with the decision of what PSP RPG to play next: Ys Seven, TitS, or Tactics Ogre. I've got the next two days off work to think about it. Naturally, I'm open to any recommendations!
Click to expand...

TO is amazing, but if you're still on an Ys kick, fire up Ys Seven. You'll be glad you did. It takes what you liked about Oath, and adds another element in the form of parties. It might sound lame and something that would slow down the game, but I really love the way it lets you switch characters on the fly.
 
DimmuBurgerKing said:
Finally got around to finishing Ys II today - at work, like a real man. The back-to-back fights with
Dalles and Darm
had to be one of the most satisfying final boss battles ever. Now I'm just faced with the decision of what PSP RPG to play next: Ys Seven, TitS, or Tactics Ogre. I've got the next two days off work to think about it. Naturally, I'm open to any recommendations!
Click to expand...

You can't go wrong with any of those games... but I'm currently playing TitS now so I'm gonna suggest that one so I'll have someone else to talk to about it!
 
DimmuBurgerKing said:
Finally got around to finishing Ys II today - at work, like a real man. The back-to-back fights with
Dalles and Darm
had to be one of the most satisfying final boss battles ever. Now I'm just faced with the decision of what PSP RPG to play next: Ys Seven, TitS, or Tactics Ogre. I've got the next two days off work to think about it. Naturally, I'm open to any recommendations!
Click to expand...

You really can't go wrong with any of those three. For me TO>Tits>Y7, but its like choosing which of your kids you like the best.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'll likely grab TO and TitS, since I'm hearing TO is a very long game. That way I can alternate between the two when I need a change of pace, and save Ys Seven for later.

I'm excited for both. The only TO games I've played have been the SNES Ogre Battle and 64. As for TitS.. well, it just looks like it came straight out of the classic 90's era of RPG's in a good way.
 
I've been interested in the series for a while now.
Thinking of getting a psp soon, which game should I start with?
there seems to be many on the psp alone.
 
DesertEater said:
I've been interested in the series for a while now.
Thinking of getting a psp soon, which game should I start with?
there seems to be many on the psp alone.
Click to expand...

Now that I've played it, I think Ys I & II Chronicles is as good a place to start as any. My first was Oath in Felghana, which has a little more "meat" to the action: the ability to jump, more attacks, and it's an altogether longer game than the first two. Chronicles doesn't feel too dated, though, despite the simplistic weapon combat. I think it's a very good introduction to Ys as a game and as the beginning of Adol's story.
 
Also if you start with Oath you might get spoiled by the gameplay innovations. When you go back and play 1&2 you might be put off by the simplicity. I would recommend starting with 1&2, so you can see the evolution of the series unfold.
 
My first time playing an Ys game was Ys I&II on the PSP. I fell in love with them right away. The games look great and play great, I loved the fast pace of the combat.
 
I've played Ys Seven, Oath, and Origin for the first time this year. I really liked them all, but I'm hesitant to pick this up simply because I've heard the dungeons in the game are a royal pain in the ass as far as getting lost and not knowing where to go. Is that true?
 
DimmuBurgerKing said:
Now that I've played it, I think Ys I & II Chronicles is as good a place to start as any. My first was Oath in Felghana, which has a little more "meat" to the action: the ability to jump, more attacks, and it's an altogether longer game than the first two. Chronicles doesn't feel too dated, though, despite the simplistic weapon combat. I think it's a very good introduction to Ys as a game and as the beginning of Adol's story.
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Yeah, I made that exact mistake with megaman. Started with the second and I feel like I can never play the first.
Thanks.
 
squall211 said:
I've played Ys Seven, Oath, and Origin for the first time this year. I really liked them all, but I'm hesitant to pick this up simply because I've heard the dungeons in the game are a royal pain in the ass as far as getting lost and not knowing where to go. Is that true?
Click to expand...
You'll want to look up maps online. Nothing is really bad in Ys I until the Tower of Darm, but the final area of Ys II is fucking humongous. It's made up of like three giant temple areas and a sewer system connecting them all in different ways.
 
Mzo said:
You'll want to look up maps online. Nothing is really bad in Ys I until the Tower of Darm, but the final area of Ys II is fucking humongous. It's made up of like three giant temple areas and a sewer system connecting them all in different ways.
Click to expand...

For me, what made the final area of Ys II a bit more of a chore was all the backtracking you have to do there.
 
The ramming mechanic really grew on me; makes thing so fast and fluid! Just be patient with some cheap, CHEAP, bosses.
 
I'd played games with ramming type of combat before; Orbquest, Hydlide, and Castle of the Winds come to mind. It was very weird playing it on such a good looking game as Chronicles, but I do understand why they didn't want to "mess" too muchwith the mechanics around which the game was balanced.
 
Part 1 finished. Pretty good. Ramming system grew on me pretty quickly. Anyone who has completed this game without guides/help deserves to be heralded as a true hero. That last dungeon, damn. Floor 16 back to 11...

Also, does the music when you find an item sound like Super Metroid, or am I crazy?

On to part 2 tomorrow.
 
Hero_of_the_Day said:
Part 1 finished. Pretty good. Ramming system grew on me pretty quickly. Anyone who has completed this game without guides/help deserves to be heralded as a true hero. That last dungeon, damn. Floor 16 back to 11...

Also, does the music when you find an item sound like Super Metroid, or am I crazy?

On to part 2 tomorrow.
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I thought the same thing; they do sound very similar. Part II really takes what made I awesome, adds magic to the mix, and gives you a much longer game.
 
lol, I actually completed Oath not too long ago, started Ark of Napishtim but really wasn't enjoying how dated it felt, especially right after Oath so I just moved on to Seven. Was thinking about doing I & II but passed.
 
Ys I has possibly the worst final boss ever conceived. Other than that, I&II are amazing games that I loved to play. I'd love to play the PC-Engine originals sometime, but I'd rather use that as an excuse to buy a Turbo Duo and hook it up to a CRT than buy them on the Wii.
 
DimmuBurgerKing said:
For me, what made the final area of Ys II a bit more of a chore was all the backtracking you have to do there.
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yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

I just beat 2 earlier today

Pretty sure I spent more time in Solomon Shrine than the rest of both games combined

Can only imagine what it's like to play through that without a guide.

Mzo said:
You'll want to look up maps online. Nothing is really bad in Ys I until the Tower of Darm, but the final area of Ys II is fucking humongous. It's made up of like three giant temple areas and a sewer system connecting them all in different ways.
Click to expand...

At least Tower of Darm had a consistent logic to it once you figured it out, making it pretty easy to navigate back up and down when the game requires you to. (steps takes you up a floor, balconies have two entrances)

Certain districts of Solomon Shrine just had completely nonsensical layouts. Can't just head right to go to the next screen on the right, gotta remember the series of doors to take that keeps you on the right path to the next screen. So often you'd come across alot of dead ends trying to just head in the direction you want to go and end up having to go backwards through like three buildings in the opposite direction to get on the correct path.

The ice mountain and the initial mine area also have the same problem.

It's what made Ys2 a whole lot less enjoyable than 1 to me. The bosses were ALOT better but getting to them was a fucking pain in the ass

Glad to be done with it and move onto Oath and Origins on steam
 
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