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Baten Kaitos 1/2 - yes/no?

L

Llyranor

Member
Hi,

New Wii owner for a couple of months, and now exploring the Gamecube library. I've been meaning to pick up BK1/2, as I've heard good things about the battle system (and I enjoy card gameplay mechanics) and some of the music I've heard is really great.

A few Q's before I jump in.

1) I've heard Origins improves in many ways on the first game. Is the 1st still worth getting, though?

2) How's the pacing for the game? I don't like games that drag on for too long, don't go anywhere, or are just too plain slow. Slow walking speed, high encounter rate, slow combat animations, enemies with too much HP but not enough interesting abilities to justify it, dialogue text that crawls, filler content that just adds more hours to a game without contributing to its enjoyment. Does this series have any of that?

3) I've heard things about boring sidequests. Are they all optional?

Thanks!
 
Played like 6 hours of the first one. Couldn't really dig in the card based battles, the attrocious voice acting, and kinda ugly graphics.

It was the time I used to fall asleep everytime I started playing games, so between this, Wind waker and Primes I fell asleep plenty.
 
1st one is like a 7/10, second one is like a 8.5/10, but if you played the first one before you played the second one, the second one becomes 9.5/10.
 
Boney said:
Played like 6 hours of the first one. Couldn't really dig in the card based battles, the attrocious voice acting, and kinda ugly graphics.

It was the time I used to fall asleep everytime I started playing games, so between this, Wind waker and Primes I fell asleep plenty.
Click to expand...

Fell asleep because your mind was tired, it couldn't comprehend all the awesomeness.
 
Still need to pick up BK2 but the first one was really enjoyable. If you can and haven't already pick up Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube as well.
 
Played a good long while of origins. Card system was ok but nothing too interesting. Characters were atrocious. I don't remember much more than that about it. Rather forgettable.
 
Llyranor said:
Hi,

New Wii owner for a couple of months, and now exploring the Gamecube library. I've been meaning to pick up BK1/2, as I've heard good things about the battle system (and I enjoy card gameplay mechanics) and some of the music I've heard is really great.

A few Q's before I jump in.

1) I've heard Origins improves in many ways on the first game. Is the 1st still worth getting, though?

2) How's the pacing for the game? I don't like games that drag on for too long, don't go anywhere, or are just too plain slow. Slow walking speed, high encounter rate, slow combat animations, enemies with too much HP but not enough interesting abilities to justify it, dialogue text that crawls, filler content that just adds more hours to a game without contributing to its enjoyment. Does this series have any of that?

3) I've heard things about boring sidequests. Are they all optional?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I've only played through the first one and it was an amazing experience - after you get past the card battling. The cards play a role in just about every aspect of the game, including puzzles, etc. Also cards will change over time. I own both but I've only gotten a few hours into the 2nd, both games look amazing though. The first game was paced quite well with some really awesome boss fights and story progression - disable the voice overs if you can.
 
First game is ultimately my favorite of the Baten Kaitos and gamecube RPG. Memorable too these 5+ years later and I still have it. I disliked the idea of a combined deck for the Origins and preferred the individual decks for the players in the first one. Love generating more cards from recipes too, kept it fresh.

Loved the levels to cards too and the different sound effects used for each one, Light Flare, Light Flare, Light Flare!
 
I never played the first one and origins is one of my favorite rpgs of all time. I guess there was some things that were lost on me, but the core story (and THE TWIST) are so good, that I never felt lost in the narrative.

Great characters, good voice acting (there is some ham in the bunch, but 100X better than the first as I've heard), great battle system and it's an experience that is wholly unique, which even after all these years still remains unlike anything else.

Highly recommended.
 
LiK said:
Great RPG, get both but turn off the atrocious dub for the first game to really enjoy it.
Click to expand...

This, for the love of all that is good, this.

I was okay until the waterfall place with the "little girl" who sounded like a 40 year old woman on meth.
 
Android18a said:
This, for the love of all that is good, this.

I was okay until the waterfall place with the "little girl" who sounded like a 40 year old woman on meth.
Click to expand...
Yea, the writing wasn't bad at all but the dub did all it could to ruin it. I was full immersed once the voices were turned off. They got the worst people to dub the first game
 
Okay, looks like I'll need both and decide for myself. Thanks, GAF.

Two more games to my massive JRPG backlog, check. Maybe I should look up the GC/Wii Fire Emblems (still need to finish the GBA/DS ones, haha) while I'm at it.
 
Quadrangulum said:
I adore both and I think playing them in sequence is necessary for the full experience.
Click to expand...

.

Turn off the voices in the first game though. My god, Namco.

Also, the localization for the second game is one of the best that Nintendo has ever done, and one of the best from any JRPG last gen. Thanks, 8-4!
 
Llyranor said:
Okay, looks like I'll need both and decide for myself. Thanks, GAF.

Two more games to my massive JRPG backlog, check. Maybe I should look up the GC/Wii Fire Emblems (still need to finish the GBA/DS ones, haha) while I'm at it.
Click to expand...

You should pick up the GC/Wii Fire Emblems, particularly the gamecube one, but might as well grab both. Also might as well grab Skies of Arcadia too.
 
Still haven't played the second game, but good god the dub on the first game was awful. I can't remember if the plot was actually terrible, but the dub sure made it feel that way.
Nice battle system, though.
 
i have the first one, but haven't played it yet

second one wasn't even released here in europe, which sucks. Had this thread been made a couple of weeks ago i would flame nintendo so hard for that shit, but then xenoblade announcement came along, and there was much rejoicing.
 
The first games' battle system is rather slow, though. Be prepared that even normal encounters can last serveral minutes and if you want to have a decent deck you have to spent quite a while in menus. The slowness is the main reason why I don't like Baten Kaitos 1 that much.

Ironically enough, the battles of Baten Kaitos 2 are really fast and it's rather easy to create a great deck that you ony have to modify slightly during the progression of the game. Due to that it might be missing a bit of the tactical potential of the first game, but honestly, the battles of Origins are so damn fun that it's hard to bother about that. One of the best battle systems period.
 
Hell yes. Play one -- and sit through the slightly above average story -- and then play origins -- which by itself has an ok story -- but when you combine the stories together they become a freaking good story!


Fistwell said:
Played a good long while of origins. Card system was ok but nothing too interesting. Characters were atrocious. I don't remember much more than that about it. Rather forgettable.
Click to expand...


See. This is what happens when you don't play BK1 first. Characters are only forgettable if you don't beat the game.

The BK series is one of my favorite RPGs/games. BK 1 is slow, but it's really worth playing so BK2 will be all the more better.
 
Never played the first one, but I got pretty far in Origins before game-fatigue set in. It's *not* an easy game, and the battle system is pretty confusing and not for the timid. It's a great game though, I had lots of fun with it.

I would add it to my backlog but I'd have to re-learn the entire damn thing again and I'll never remember where I was or what I was doing in the game. :(
 
Malio said:
Never played the first one, but I got pretty far in Origins before game-fatigue set in. It's *not* an easy game, and the battle system is pretty confusing and not for the timid. It's a great game though, I had lots of fun with it.
Click to expand...
It's only hard if you don't have a good deck, though. Once you have one the game is actually quite easy apart of one or two exceptions.
 
I prefer the combat in the first game.

The real annoying part of BK1 is that it actually has a fairly good story for a JRPG that is completely marred by the cut rate voice acting.
 
Llyranor said:
2) How's the pacing for the game? I don't like games that drag on for too long, don't go anywhere, or are just too plain slow. Slow walking speed, high encounter rate, slow combat animations, enemies with too much HP but not enough interesting abilities to justify it, dialogue text that crawls, filler content that just adds more hours to a game without contributing to its enjoyment. Does this series have any of that?
Click to expand...
I loved 1 and liked 2, but the games have a lot of the above qualities, IIRC. The battle system in 1 is pretty slow, and a little longer than it should be.
 
Get them both, play them in order. If you play Origins first, Eternal Wings becomes a huge let down. Make sure you turn off the voices from the first game, as the voice acting really is horrible.
Also, if you do eventually end up playing Origins,
Holoholo bird! :(
 
Llyranor said:
Also, I suppose I need a GC memory card for the Wii. 251 enough to hold < 5-10 games' save data?
Click to expand...
Depends on the game. It can hold quite a bit of data as long as you avoid sports games.

Pretty sure both BK games use less than 5 blocks.
 
Only played BK1, and really wanted to like this game. I just didn't know. Wanted another really solid JRPG not named Tales on the Cube. I got IDK 10 or so hours in and just couldn't bring myself to play anymore. Never got engaged with the game, and just never seemed to really care about the characters or the world. Because of this I just skipped BK2 despite people saying it was better. BK1 just sort of burnt me so I didn't go back. I'm not a JRPG hater by any means either.
 
ShockingAlberto said:
BK2 is an undeniably better game, but things in it are less impactful if you haven't played BK1.
Click to expand...

I disagree...I played BKO first and was blown away. Music/characters/gameplay/story...incredible.
 
1. I really didn't like the battle system of Origins. Tbh I liked EWATLO much more than origins. That's just my two cents.

2. Every game has its bouts of bad pacing. I haven't played a game that hasn't. Overall I thought the pace was pretty good.

3. All sidequests are indeed optional :D
 
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