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So Long, My PlayStation 2! The Official Thread of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
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Welcome one and all, to the official thread for Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love, being released on the PlayStation 2 and Wii in North America on March 30th and on the Wii in Europe on April 9th. The game is being released to the English speaking territories by NISA!

Sakura Wars (known in Japan as Sakura Taisen) is a series of Strategy RPGs developed by Red Entertainment (Tengai Makyo, Thousand Arms), Overworks/Sega WOW (Skies of Arcadia, Valkyria Chronicles), and published in Japan by Sega. The series features character designs by renowned manga artist Kosuke Fujishima (Tales of Phantasia, Symphonia, the Abyss, and Vesperia), music by Kohei Tanaka (Alundra, Resonance of Fate), and story by Ohji Hiroi (Moeyo Ken).

The concept is simple at first glance: Sakura Wars is a strategy RPG with an unusual twist for building your stats. In the game, you play as the captain of a specially created unit of female solders with high levels of spiritual energy to fight the forces of evil in large, steam powered robots.

story.png


New York, 1928: Demonic beings threaten the peace of the city. To combat this threat a special mechanized combat division known as the New York Combat Revue is assembled. Our hero, Shinjiro Taiga, has been sent from Japan to act as its advisor. What he didn't realize was that he'd also be leading a band of theatrical performers by night. Now he must find a way to balance his life as military leader and musical director, all while adjusting to the hustle and bustle of a fast-paced metropolis.

characters.png

(Descriptions taken from the official NISA website)

Shinjiro Taiga

Shinjiro_kimono.png
Shinjiro_battle.png


A young Navy Lt. from Japan who’s to become the new captain of the New York Combat Revue, Star Division. He is talented physically and academically, and addresses every problem wholeheartedly. However, his straightforwardedness often causes problems. He has admired his uncle, Ogami Ichiro, since childhood.

Gemini Sunrise

Gemini_Cowgirl.png
Gemini_Battle.png


A very cheerful cowgirl who tends to be a bit clumsy. Her master’s last words bring her from Texas to New York with her fellow horse, Larry. She’s not yet used to life in New York, but she dreams of becoming a broadway musical star. She currently works at the theater as a cleaning girl.

Cheiron Archer (English Dub) / Sagitta Weinberg (Japanese Dub)

Sagitta_Casual.png
Sagitta_Battle.png


A strong-willed lawyer who practices out of Harlem. She’s very intelligent and is recognized for her exceptional perseverance, toughness, independence, and confidence. Her calm and analytical, yet passionate, actions are a great asset to the Star Division.

Rosarita Aries (English Dub) / Rikuritta Aries (Japanese Dub)

Rikuritta_Casual.png
Rikuritta_Battle.png


An energetic and upbeat little girl from Mexico. She loves to sing and dance. Wielding a gold and silver gun in each hand, she earns bounties as a renowned bounty hunter. No matter how mad she gets, a little bit of food will put a smile back on her face. She and her ferret “Niccolo (Noco in the Japanese Dub)” are always running around New York looking for food and bounties together.

Diana Caprice

Diana_Casual.png
Diana_Battle.png


A young doctor whose compassion is comparable to a goddess. She studied medicine at Boston University before getting sent to New York as a doctor in training. She’s physically feeble and has to use a wheelchair. She loves to spend time reading with birds in the warm sun. The only vegetarian in the Star Division.

Subaru Kujo

Subaru_Casual.png
Subaru_Battle.png


Her (?) true identity is completely unknown. However, Subaru is definitely from a noble Japanese family and excels at Noh and other traditional Japanese dances. She (?) is also a genius and it shows in her (?) graceful and elegant performances. Subaru, like Ratchet, used to be a member of the European Star Division.

Ratchet Altair

Rachette_Casual.png
Rachette_Battle.png


Captain of the Star Division and Broadway’s number one star. Originally the Europe Fighting Troupe captain, she was transferred to Tokyo’s Flower Division. There she learned the importance of trust among all team members from Ogami and the rest of the Division. After demonstrating her leadership abilites, she was chosen to lead New York’s Star Division.

Sunnyside

Sunnyside.png


The commander of the New York Combat Revue and the owner of the Littlelip Theater. He is one of the wealthiest men in the world, even owning a mansion in the middle of Central Park. He thinks about things based on what people want, not what is good or bad.

Cherry Cocker (English Dub) / Plum Spaniel (Japanese Dub)

Plum.png


She rollerskates all around the Littlelip Theater, delivering drinks as a waitress. The fresh juice she prepares is tasty and healthy to boot. She has a great figure and an angelic smile. There are plenty of men after her heart. When an emergency arises, she supports the Star Division with another Rainbow Division member, Anri.

Anri Yoshino

Anju.png


The vendor at the shop inside Littlelip Theater. She also creates all of the stage costumes for the Star Division. She’s extremely shy around most guys, but is very aggressive when dealing with Shinjiro. Her grandparents immigrated from Japan. As a member of the Rainbow Division, it is her duty to support the Star Division with Cherry/Plum in an emergency.

Wong Xingzhi

“Mr. Wong” is Sunnyside’s assistant and the manager of the STAR maintenance team. He’s an expert in Eastern medicine, including acupuncture, herbal remedies, and qigong. He plays a great role in the research and development of STAR weapons.

Yuichi Kayama

The owner of “ROMANDO”, a shop that imports Japanese goods. He’s also the captain of the Imperial Assault Force Mood Division. He lives in New York as the Japanese government’s diplomat. How will he affect the story?

gameplay.png


Unlike most RPGS where characters improve by gaining levels through experience earned in battle, in Sakura Wars your squad members improve in strength and mobility the more they like/trust you. A typical episode in Sakura Wars consists of two modes:

1) Adventure Mode: Walk through the theater/town, talking to the various characters in the story
2) Battle Mode: Get into them mechs and take down the bad guys.

The Adventure Mode is where the stat building occurs. As you walk through the theater (your base) and the town itself, you’ll encounter the various members of your squad doing whatever it is the story feels like having them do at that particular moment. As you talk with them, you’ll come across questions or situations where you have to choose how to respond. Respond correctly, and the girl’s trust increases. Respond poorly, and you lose trust. But even this aspect of Sakura Wars is hardly standard fare; like everything else in this series, there’s a twist involved.

In most adventure games/dating sims/Elder Scrolls-style WRPGs, when the window of choices pops up, you have more than enough time to read each response, think it through, and select the best/worst/funniest choice accordingly. But that hardly seems interesting/realistic right? I mean seriously, what girl’s gonna stand there and wait for hours and hours for someone to respond to a simple question?

Sakura Wars utilizes a system called LIPS (Live Interactive Picture System) for your options, and these responses are timed. Usually, you’re given no more than 3-5 seconds to respond. That’s 3-5 seconds to read each response, decide on the best one, and then select it. So you’ve got to be on your toes. Let’s take a look at the following screen:

sakura5169.jpg


See that bar around the text window? That’s the timer, and it’s going to fill up fast so you better respond quickly or your character will say/do nothing instead. BUT this also brings up another interesting choice; sometimes the best course of action is to say/do nothing.

Additionally, there are times where you’re given one choice, but must adjust the volume/intensity with which you state it to the appropriate level using the analogue stick.

LIPS_screen02.jpg


There are also times where you’re given one long time frame to go through several timed options.

sakura5166.jpg


In addition to choices, some test your dexterity with analogue stick prompts ala Jet Set Radio.

sakura5144.jpg


As you can see, it’s anything but cookie cutter. All of these interactive scenes in Adventure Mode serve two purposes:

1) Determine the stats of the characters in Battle Mode
2) Determine which ending you’ll get at the end (i.e. which girl you “win” with)

During breaks in the Adventure segements (or segways into the Battle Mode), you can check the status of the girls as such.

sakura5146.jpg


Now, you might say to yourself “Well, that’s easy then! I’ll just make every girl trust me and they’ll all kick ass in battle!” Not so fast buddy! It’s not that easy. All of the girls have various and sometimes conflicting personalities. Some girls are easier to please than others. And sometimes, you’ll converse with two “conflicting” girls at once, meaning you’re liable to gain one’s trust while simultaneously losing trust from the other. And you can’t afford too many weak links when you enter Battle Mode, or you can get your ass handed to you if you’re not careful. So it’s a giant balancing act, one that’s much more addicting and interesting than it seems at first glance!

And this is just the Adventure Mode. Now let’s talk about the Battle Mode! Here’s a screenshot of a typical battle scene in Sakura Wars:

battle_screenshot.jpg


For those who’ve played Valkyria Chronicles, you might notice a couple of similarities (or at the very least, you might have read some of us mentioning them in the official VC thread). This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise; this is the game Overworks developed immediately prior to Valkyria Chronicles. Unlike the grid-based competitors like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea (or the first two Sakura Wars games I might add…), this Sakura Wars title features a free roaming battle field, with the Action Bar at the bottom of the screen determining how far you can move.

The major difference is that in Sakura Wars, the bar isn’t just for movement. It’s also used for actions like attacking (all mapped to a specific button, as shown). Each bar is split up into a set of partitions. Move a certain distance, and one partition will be drained. Thankfully, if you haven’t carried out any actions, you can also return to your starting position to refill your gauge. This system requires careful management of the Action Bar. Maximize it to make battle easier. However unlike Valkyria Chronicles there are no real-time elements to the battle system; it’s a strictly turn-based affair.

Release info:

boxart.png


Developed by: Sega, Red Entertainment and Overworks/SegaWOW. Wii port handled by Idea Factory.

English Localization: Nippon Ichi Software America (NISA)

Systems: PlayStation 2 and Wii in North America. Wii in Europe.

Language: English only on Wii (US and Europe). English and Japanese 2 disc Special Edition on PlayStation 2 (US only) FIRST PRESSING ONLY!! Once sold out, the Standard Edition will print and will be English only.

ESRB rating: T for Teen for Fantasy Violence, Language, and Sexual Themes (get your head out of the gutter, it’s not an icecream game!)

Release Date:

Price: $39.99 for the PS2 Special edition (2 disc), $29.99 for the Wii edition(1 disc) (US). £29.99 for the Wii edition (1 disc) (Europe).

ROSENQUEEN SPECIAL EDITIONS: PS2 limited $49.99 here comes with an artbook as well. Wii limited $39.99 here. Same deal, but for Wii.

Misc. Info/FAQ


I’ve heard the game NISA is bringing to America/Europe is actually the 5th game in the series. Am I going to be completely confused?

With the exception of a couple of cameos in the first 15 minutes, this is a pretty self-contained game. There’s no need to worry.

Why is Europe only getting the Wii edition?
Honestly, I’ve no idea. If I had to wager a guess, NISA might have had trouble getting European stores to carry a new PS2 game, or perhaps had trouble getting it rated for European release (or both). Honestly, we’ll probably never know.

I don’t like JRPGs that have light-hearted unrealistic stories, big eyed characters, peppy music, turn-based battles, and colors other than green and brown. Will Sakura Wars change my mind?

No, no it won’t. However, if you do like quirky off-beat humor, lovable characters, colors, and are willing to check your disbelief at the door, it’s a fun and entertaining ride.

What review scores did Sakura Wars: So Long My Love get in Japan?

Famitsu: 10, 10, 9, 8 (37/40)
Deigeki: 90, 85, 85, 85

US Review Scores

Edge: 7/10

Edge said:
The premise may be wild-eyed, but the systems that fire it are robust... Deserves the small but vociferous following it will no doubt find.

Nintendo Power: 7.5/10

Nintendo Power said:
Certainly Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love has its issues, but it's a game unlike any I've played before, and I applaud NIS America's willingness to finally bring the long-running franchise to North America.

Official Nintendo Magazine UK: 8.1/10

Official Nintendo Magazine UK said:
Flawed, but this is a unique, rewarding experience.

IGN: 9/10

IGN said:
It's something you could easily play over and over again for a few more years. Hopefully by then, we'll be lucky enough to get a follow-up, because this really is an experience you won't get from any other game. It's also one that shouldn't be missed.

1UP: B+

1UP said:
But even if you're a lapsed anime fan who's long since tossed your grainy Tenchi Muyo! VHS fansubs in the trash, don't simply dismiss this as glorified moe-infused fan service. Yes, the dialogue can be trite and vapid, but Sakura Wars goes much deeper than a simple "dating sim" -- Western gamers really haven't seen this mix of real-time, visual-novel storytelling and giant-mech strategy before. Besides, even if you're skeptical, don't you owe it to the 15-year-old version of yourself to at least give the game a shot?

Gaming Trend: 80 / 100

Gaming Trend said:
Yes, it's campy and silly in parts, and yes, it's not something many western audiences are going to be used to. However, I feel that Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love is definitely worth the look.

ZTGameDomain: 85 / 100

ZTGameDomain said:
This is one of the few times when a game does something so different it will make or break the game entirely, but if it is your thing, it will be hard to beat when it comes to overall quality.

RPGFan.com: 90%

RPGFan.com said:
Sakura Wars ~So Long, My Love~ is a great game in its own right. It sports NISA's best localization to date and has truckloads of replay value to boot.

Cheat Code Central: 4.6 / 5

Cheat Code Central said:
The worst part about So Long My Love is that awful feeling when you realize that there are at least four other Sakura Wars games that have never come to America. I desperately need to return to the warm and happy world of Sakura, but the best I can hope for is a second (or third) playthrough that takes advantage of Sakura's branching storyline.

Gaming Nexus: A-

Gaming Nexus said:
As a final farewell to the PS2, Sakura Wars: So Long My Love contains a subtitle that really applies to the console and its fan base. This is a fitting title to finish off my PS2 collection and it's been a long ten years of good times, good games, and a lot of fond memories. It's a little bittersweet, but the PS2's time has now passed, and Sakura Wars is a fine title to provide an encore to a console that I considered done after Persona 4. The gameplay is solid, the characters are memorable, the musicals are, in a word, unforgettable. If you've got any inkling to try this game I say go for it, you will not be disappointed. And if you're on the fence about this title, give it a shot anyway. Underneath the very Japanese surface you'll find a game with plenty to offer at a budget price. It may have been a five year waiting period to get this game, but in the end the patience paid off big.

Destructoid: 8/10

Destructoid said:
Sakura Wars is a game apart. It is a niche game within a niche genre, and is quite proud of it. The open-minded and unafraid will find a cheerful experience that is happily free of more contemporary obsessions with maturity and grit, content to be silly, fluffy, quirky and madly "anime".

Digital Chumps: 7.8/10

Digital Chumps said:
Ultimately, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love is a welcomed addition to the PS2 and Wii library. Who knows why it took this long to make it to the States -- or if we'll see other localizations from other titles in the series -- but for any gamer who enjoys anime or is looking for an unusual SRPG, give Sakura Wars a serious look.
 

Koren

Member
That's a great start for the official thread...

Just a minor thing: there's no mention of QTE that require you to make some sticks tricks in a limited time... That's not so frequent, but a nice addition of recent LIPS to build some tension.

Edit: I must add that the LIPS is a really interesting system. If you let time flow, sometimes you'll see an additionnal answer. Or an answer change in the list (you nearly hear your caracter thinking). Sometimes, you have a timer for several actions, and you have to make all you choices in a limited time...


I missed the minigames of ST3, by the way.

As for the scores, Edge give it a 7/10, which is a pleasant surprise.
 

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Koren said:
That's a great start for the official thread...

Just a minor thing: there's no mention of QTE that require you to make some sticks tricks in a limited time... That's not so frequent, but a nice addition of recent LIPS to build some tension.

Edit: I must add that the LIPS is a really interesting system. If you let time flow, sometimes you'll see an additionnal answer. Or an answer change in the list (you nearly hear your caracter thinking). Sometimes, you have a timer for several actions, and you have to make all you choices in a limited time...


I missed the minigames of ST3, by the way.

As for the scores, Edge give it a 7/10, which is a pleasant surprise.

Ah, I forgot those, I'll add them to the OP when I have some free time (I'm a little tired right now)

I added the Edge score though, thanks for the heads up! :)
 
I really don't know much about this, but this reminds me a lot of Persona 4 in that it's a PS2 JRPG, one of the last games released for the system, character interaction plays a large role, and it's really pretty. I bought Persona 4 on mostly a whim, and it's one of my favourite games ever. I'm hoping this will deliver too.

It pisses me off though that it's only being released on the Wii here in the UK. I'd much rather have got it on the PS2, considering it's pretty much the PS2's swansong. Not only that, but the PS2 version is a special edition. Even if the English dub is good, I'd obviously rather have a special edition. And not to mention, I'd rather use a normal controller over a Wii remote.

I'll have to get it on Wii, although if they shoehorn any waggling in, I might import instead.


Anyway, great topic.
 

nny

Member
Can't wait to finally play one of these games in English, but didn't expect that only the Wii version will come out here. Meh, I'll most likely import the US special edition.
 

andymcc

Banned
duckroll said:
Why is it called Sakura Wars if there's no Sakura in the game? :(

this was my hardest hurdle when playing (the great) Sakura Wars 3, and it at least had a pretty extensive Sakura cameo. i'm kind of uneasy to play a game without the original hanagumi.
 

Durante

Member
This is easily one of my most anticipated games in 2010.
I love games that mix adventure and (S)RPG elements, and the adventure mode in this one looks particularly inventive and fun. And considering that I think VC is one of the (if not the) best SRPG's ever I also have high hopes for the battle mode.

I'm particularly happy that it's the first game localization ever (to the best of my knowledge) that has not just dual audio but also separate dub/subtitle tracks -- even if the differences are rather small.

I can't wait!
 

Koren

Member
andymcc said:
this was my hardest hurdle when playing (the great) Sakura Wars 3, and it at least had a pretty extensive Sakura cameo.
Pretty extensive, indeed. Not exactly the same in V, especially since it's not Oogami at command.

All stories are related, though, and people are going from one team to another. I would really like to learn more about the original team in Europe, with Ratchet, Soretta, Reni and Subaru...
 

androvsky

Member
duckroll said:
Why is it called Sakura Wars if there's no Sakura in the game? :(

When NISA was being interviewed by some game TV show, the footage they showed of the dialog portion was a cameo by Sakura in the early part of the game. :(
 
I've always been curious about the series but never actually looked into it. Are there any games that this one can be compared to (SRPG or otherwise)?
 

Nekobo

Member
cosmicblizzard said:
I've always been curious about the series but never actually looked into it. Are there any games that this one can be compared to (SRPG or otherwise)?

Valkyria Chronicles. :)

Also the dating sim portions of Thousand Arms.

Or just read the op again.
 

Koren

Member
Nekobo said:
Valkyria Chronicles. :)
Closer to that than to Tetris, yes... But that's a stretch.

Yes, read the op, it's not really similar to anything. It's half adventure (think dating sims, indeed, but with a more interesting system), half combat (indeed VC-like, but without the real-time elements, and relationships plays a role).
 

nny

Member
Koren said:
Kinda :mdr: But since Ratchet Altair existed before Ratchet and before Altair*, I guess it's the opposite :lol

* don't remember if there's her name in ST2, I should replay this one someday... but she's in the 2001 movie.

oh, the opposite then :lol
 

kiryogi

Banned
Regulus Tera said:
Is the character designer Koisuke Fujishima?
Kosuke but yes as it always has been. Although he's not the guy you really should thank. And lord are his designs for STV ugly outside of Gemini. (Which maybe accredited also to said other guy)
 
Does anybody here know how a lowly UK peasant like myself can go about playing US PS2 games on a PAL system? Is there some kind of Action Replay or something that enables region-free gaming? Or am I better off just buying a US PS2?
 

Sad_Panda

Member
Ben2749 said:
Does anybody here know how a lowly UK peasant like myself can go about playing US PS2 games on a PAL system? Is there some kind of Action Replay or something that enables region-free gaming? Or am I better off just buying a US PS2?

Use a flip-top cover / Swap Magic combo, it works wonders with almost all PS2 games.
Well, except for DVD9 games, which won't boot at all with this method. And since Sakura Wars V is a DVD9 game....unless you install a modchip or buy a US PS2, there's no (legal) way to play it.
 

Quixzlizx

Member
Sad_Panda said:
Use a flip-top cover / Swap Magic combo, it works wonders with almost all PS2 games.
Well, except for DVD9 games, which won't boot at all with this method. And since Sakura Wars V is a DVD9 game....unless you install a modchip or buy a US PS2, there's no (legal) way to play it.

You can softmod a PS2 with HDLoader if you have a phat, an ethernet adapter, and a compatible hard drive.
 
Quixzlizx said:
You can softmod a PS2 with HDLoader if you have a phat, an ethernet adapter, and a compatible hard drive.

I'm not really that good with mods and hacks and stuff. Getting my head around Homebrew on the Wii was bad enough, and that's relatively straightforward.

I think I'll just buy a US PS2. I imagine they're pretty cheap, especially if I get a used one on eBay.
 

Koren

Member
kiryogi said:
And lord are his designs for STV ugly outside of Gemini.
So true... at least for the star division cast. I love Ratchet, but it was created before (in fact, cast included in episode 0 is good)

But damn, I love the star-shaped suit :lol Should I try cosplay, I may try this... It's so difficult to create something as ridiculous and classy at the same time.
 

Tellaerin

Member
I'm definitely going to have to pick this up. I've read about the series, but this'll be my first time actually playing one.

johnsmith said:
I hate these character designs. So bad.

I like them, myself. Then again, I'm a longtime Fujishima fan, so... yeah.

The only one there that I have a problem with is Taiga. I'm guessing the idea was to make the character you control kind of nondescript, so that the player can superimpose himself onto the character while he plays or something. Whatever the reason, Taiga looks like a wimpy drip. :p

And 'Cherry Cocker'? Really? I mean, I love me some witty innuendo, but that's about as subtle as an anvil to the head, guys. >.>
 
Tellaerin said:
And 'Cherry Cocker'? Really? I mean, I love me some witty innuendo, but that's about as subtle as an anvil to the head, guys. >.>
Definitely gonna get some :lol :lol :lol Cherry Cocker (English Dub) / Plum Spaniel (Japanese Dub) Still don't know how they got Cherry Cocker out of Plum Spaniel. @_@
 
zerokoolpsx said:
Definitely gonna get some :lol :lol :lol Cherry Cocker (English Dub) / Plum Spaniel (Japanese Dub) Still don't know how they got Cherry Cocker out of Plum Spaniel. @_@


Cocker Spaniel?
 

icecream

Public Health Threat
RurouniZel said:
Sakura Wars
(get your head out of the gutter, it’s not an icecream game!)
Oh but it is! Sakura Taisen ftw :D

Already said my thoughts on V months past, so will refrain here. If this is your first exposure to the series, have fun. If you like it, get hyped for the rest of them, because you haven't seen anything yet.

If you don't like it, you still haven't seen anything yet. ;)
 

-DarKaoZ-

Banned
I might get this, I was always curious for Sakura Teisen (sp?), now that I have a change I will try to get it.

Question, what is on the 2nd disc in the special edition??? Anything in particular?

Anyways, I hope this works on my 60GB PS3, since I don't own a PS2 anymore and so far my PS3 has played all the latest PS2 games I bought (Persona 4 been the last one).

Looking forward to this one! :D
 

C-Jo

Member
I'll be picking this up but I'm not really excited about it or anything. It's more just to appease my 1999 self when I wanted this series in English so bad.

Also, I think it's cool to be buying a new PS2 game in March 2010.
 

Pachael

Member
kiryogi said:
Kosuke but yes as it always has been. Although he's not the guy you really should thank. And lord are his designs for STV ugly outside of Gemini. (Which maybe accredited also to said other guy)

Presumably you're talking about Hidenori Matsubara. Nice guy, and did great work on the series.
 
So Edge gave this a higher score than FFXIII?! What?!

Anyways, this looks interesting. I always wanted to play a Sakura Wars game and ones finally coming here.

But so many other RPGs are coming out like Resonance of Fate, Fragile Dreams, Infinite Space, SMT Strange Journey...

...what horrible timing! I want them all! :(
 

Koren

Member
Lain said:
I hope the game will be fun to play.
Those timed stuff have me a little worried.
I really think that's the best idea they had. I'm not fluent (not even good) in japanese, so timed answers was really a pain when I was playing, and I still loved it.

It's not as you will be able to miss an answer... It's a way to improve the dialogs. If a girl ask "Am I pretty", there's a big difference between "yes", "... yes" and "... (too long to answer)" ;)

For those who played the games, speaking of timed answers, i really liked
the wish where you have three times the same question and answers, during the time where a flying star is passing by
, but isn't it an example of cultural reference which will be strange outside of Japan? It's in V, no?

-DarKaoZ- said:
Question, what is on the 2nd disc in the special edition??? Anything in particular?
The game dubbed in japanese, if I'm not mistaken. There's a lot of voice acting (plus music and videos), the original game is on DVD-9 so I think they couldn't fit both dubs on a single disc.

TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
So Edge gave this a higher score than FFXIII?! What?!
Technically, many many games have a score higher than FF XIII ;) And the series was huge in Japan, not many video games have yearly shows, themed shop and restautant (although they closed two years ago T_T But the waiting lines the last week were insane), it's not exactly as if the series where coming from nowhere and bad (even if many fans, myself included, think it's probably the weakest entry... it's still good and fun)

TheFLYINGManga_Ka said:
But so many other RPGs are coming out
I can see why it's put into "RPG" genre, but I can't convince myself that it's one...
 

kiryogi

Banned
Pachael said:
Presumably you're talking about Hidenori Matsubara. Nice guy, and did great work on the series.

Yup. But there was some politics and drama regarding his involvement with STV. XD I didn't bother mentioning his name since he's always second fiddle with Fujishima. But I believe the real credit should go to him for a lot of what's out there.
 

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
kiryogi said:
Yup. But there was some politics and drama regarding his involvement with STV. XD I didn't bother mentioning his name since he's always second fiddle with Fujishima. But I believe the real credit should go to him for a lot of what's out there.

I knew that Matsuraba didn't do the ingame art for this one, but I didn't know internal politics were involved! INTRIGUE!!
 

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
OP updated. Nintendo Power review is 7.5 / 10! A nice score!! :)

From this thread.

- characters are stereotypical
- minigames don't use motion controls, better with Classic
- mech parts aren't deep
- has issues, but worth playing
- no dual voice is kinda disappointing

Still a nice score for the game though, so they might have said more than that. I'll have to hunt down the mag and find out.
 

ILikeFeet

Banned
RurouniZel said:
Still a nice score for the game though, so they might have said more than that. I'll have to hunt down the mag and find out.

no, they didn't. it's a very short review. what I listed was all the critiquing part of the review. everything else was just basic detail about the game (which you covered in this thread so very nicely)
 

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
ILikeFeet said:
no, they didn't. it's a very short review. what I listed was all the critiquing part of the review. everything else was just basic detail about the game (which you covered in this thread so very nicely)

Ah, so those were the cons of the review. Makes sense. Either way they seem positive 'bout the game so that's good. ^^
 
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