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[ResourcefulStar]

So um, they just dropped the seamless combat thing all together? I don't see anything remotely seamless.

Take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-ml_NCinnU&t=6m10s

It seems that the battlefield matches the exact place where the monsters are encountered on the field instead of being a generic arena that shares the visual theme with the field. There's a camera wipe before the fight, but it appears that its purpose is to hide the spawning of additional character and monster models rather than to load a different location.

 

[Kalor]

Re: the CS3 footage

Hopeful that

Spoiler

Tio leading Class VII is a clue to how CS3 might be structured. I've been crossing my fingers that the story cast a wide net and jump around different groups around Erebonia instead of it all just being about Rean and it's starting to look likelier. I don't count myself among the people who don't like him, but the potential for CS3's story and how much it could do for the cast of it without it all being contextualized through Rean is crazy high.

Also in my extremely biased viewpoint, taking this as more credence to the thought that Juna will be the game's deuteragonist. I'm prepared to be disappointed, at this point I'd actually bet on Juna getting to take the lead without anyone overshadowing her for a good portion of the game.

Spoiler

Rean was in that Tio footage.
He just wasn't an active party member.

 

[PK Gaming]

So um, they just dropped the seamless combat thing all together? I don't see anything remotely seamless.

Battles start instantly, one could even say.... seamlessly.

 

[Moonlight]

Spoiler

Rean was in that Tio footage.
He just wasn't an active party member.

Ah, missed that. Well, still hope for the best!

 

[Aters]

Take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-ml_NCinnU&t=6m10s

It seems that the battlefield matches the exact place where the monsters are encountered on the field instead of being a generic arena that shares the visual theme with the field. There's a camera wipe before the fight, but it appears that its purpose is to hide the spawning of additional character and monster models rather than to load a different location.

Oh, that's better than nothing I guess. So it's a little bit more seamless than past Trails games, but still not as seamless as Tales of Zestiria.

 

[Novel Mike]

Oh, that's better than nothing I guess. So it's a little bit more seamless than past Trails games, but still not as seamless as Tales of Zestiria.

Why should it matter if its seamless like ToZ? ToZ isn't a game anyone should aspire to copy.

 

[Aters]

Why should it matter if its seamless like ToZ? ToZ isn't a game anyone should aspire to copy.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing though. I'm just curious. Seamless combat can be one of the major difference between CS3 and past Trails games.

 

[StarSketch]

Why should it matter if its seamless like ToZ? ToZ isn't a game anyone should aspire to copy.

Yeah uh

They even put in a transition for Berseria.

 

[Mivey]

Yeah uh

They even put in a transition for Berseria.

The issue in Zestiria was the camera, especially in dungeons the seamless system made for some really bad situations where you couldn't see your characters. Should be less of a problem in a turn-based game, since you can easily control the positioning at the beginning of the combat, as in that video. That's as seamless as turn-based combat, where you have to spawn characters in to the map, can ever be. The next step would be to have the entire party visible, at all times. The Sky games did that, but without seamless combat.

 

[NoctisCaelum]

Is there a japanese script for ao no kiseki somewhere? I'm playing the evo version now and having the script will make looking up words easier

 

[Jiraiza]

I don't think I've ever hated the ellipses bubble above a character's head so much as I do with Lloyd, good lord.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

I don't think I've ever hated the ellipses bubble above a character's head so much as I do with Lloyd, good lord.

Worse than Golden Sun? xD

 

[Jiraiza]

Worse than Golden Sun? xD

Isaac's a silent protagonist, so that's to be expected. But unpopular opinion, I'm in the last chapter of Ao and I'm genuinely finding Lloyd to be an awful MC. Anyway, gotta finish the game so I can post my thoughts and wait for CS3.

 

[Jolkien]

Just finished Ao,

Spoiler

What a roller coaster. I did not expect the SSS to have failed the first time and Kea changed the timeline so you get support from Estelle, Joshua and Renne. I wonder why did Ouroboros recruited Mariebelle to be an Anguis no less since her plan completely backfired in her face.

The final dungeon was quite long, I'd even say too long but I loved the major boss fight, they could've skipped the no-name ''boss'' monster that share all the same skin.

I think in the end I liked SC and CS2 more but as usual the series keep being excellent.

I can't wait to play Zero and Ao when they'll be properly translated once again to delve deeper in Crossbell. It feels weird to finally be up to date (until CS3 comes out)

 

[Sinh_Magnus]

In Zero/Ao for me, there was a point where I stopped focusing about individuals and saw the SSS as whole. Even so, I still think Lloyd had moments to shine and I think he did good as a Crosbell and SSS mc. I liked the detective angle they did with him.

On the other hand, If you can't stand otaku pandering and persona-esque moments and such, you are going to have a hard time with Lloyd/Rean and probably Calvard's protagonist because that's what we going to get until this trend dies out. I'm definitely on the side that doesn't care about pairings/bonding but try to enjoy what's there of value.

Isaac's a silent protagonist, so that's to be expected. But unpopular opinion, I'm in the last chapter of Ao and I'm genuinely finding Lloyd to be an awful MC. Anyway, gotta finish the game so I can post my thoughts and wait for CS3.

In your case, I think is less about Lloyd being awful and more about that you really like Randy and Tio and would love a game with them as a mc or close, and I'm with you in that matter

Just finished Ao

Congrats. Aside from Ao, where would you rank Zero?

 

[Thud]

Lloyd is great because irony is involved. (Ao/CS2)

Spoiler

Always talking about the barrier they have to get over and then a barrier appears on Crossbell.

And then more barriers stand in the way of truth. It doesn't get much better than that.

 

[Jolkien]

Congrats. Aside from Ao, where would you rank Zero?

Oh that's a tough question I guess I'd rank them this way:
3rd > CS2 > SC > Ao > Zero > FC > CS1
but ranking them is like asking someone which of it's children is it's favorite

Edit: Thinking about it I switched SC and 3rd

 

[Sinh_Magnus]

Oh that's a tough question I guess I'd rank them this way:

That's and interesting rank indeed. If you were to ask me, right now it would be like this:

Zero=3rd>Ao>CS1>CS2>SC>FC

But I agree with you, it's like asking what child is my favourite.

 

[Ascheroth]

For me it's probably something like
3rd > SC > FC >= CS1
looking forward to CS2 next year.

 

[Thud]

I ranked them a while ago somewhere else and still stand by it:

Ao > 3rd > Zero > SC > CS2 > FC > CS

The difference is marginal tho.

 

[sbs2601]

Isaac's a silent protagonist, so that's to be expected. But unpopular opinion, I'm in the last chapter of Ao and I'm genuinely finding Lloyd to be an awful MC. Anyway, gotta finish the game so I can post my thoughts and wait for CS3.

I hope the ending doesn't piss you off, but I have a feeling it will

 

[DodgeDusk]

I think for me it's something like:

SC > 3rd = Zero > CS1 = FC > CS2. Only just started Ao, so I can't rank it yet.

As much as I love FC's plot, I can't rank it higher than Zero, and I really can't say I prefer it over CS1. Maybe I'll do separate rankings for main story, optional dialogue, and gameplay.

 

[ResourcefulStar]

Crazy speculation based on Sky FC and the entire Erebonia arc, including pre-release information about CS III.

Spoiler

The similarities between the plots of the Madrigal of the White Magnolia and the Cold Steel games can't be just a coincidence, can they?

1. Both revolve around conflicts between the nobility and the commoners.
2. In both, two friends turned enemies, a commoner (Oscar, Crow) and a nobleman (Julius, Rean), have a duel to decide the fate of a member of a royal family (Cecilia, Cedric).
3. The blue knight is known as the Azure Knight in Sky FC and as the Azure Chevalier in CS.
4. Resurrection is involved. Aidios brings back Cecilia at the end of the Madrigal, and it seems that at least three people come back to life in the CS games: Osborne, Crow, and Rutger.

It is said at some point (by Celine, I think?) that the Divine Knights are destined to fight each other again and again. I think it's pretty tempting to assume that Julius and Oscar were Awakeners as well and that the purpose of the Knights is to help push the societal development of Zemurian countries in a particular direction, in accordance with some ancient plan.

What gives me pause is Julius' nickname, the Ruby Knight. The seven Divine Knights we know of probably correspond to the seven elements. We've already seen the Fire-aligned one, and it's known as the Vermillion Knight, not the Ruby Knight.

 

[Strings]

Graphics aren't the biggest deal for me, but it's kinda hard to not be disappointed with how CS3 is shaping up in terms of visuals. Like, CS and CS2 are fine since they run on Vita, but CS3... Seems like a really poor showing for a PS4 game.

At least something like Ys VIII has a bright colour palette. Iunno, am I only the one who feels this way?

 

[Jolkien]

Graphics aren't the biggest deal for me, but it's kinda hard to not be disappointed with how CS3 is shaping up in terms of visuals. Like, CS and CS2 are fine since they run on Vita, but CS3... Seems like a really poor showing for a PS4 game.

At least something like Ys VIII has a bright colour palette. Iunno, am I only the one who feels this way?

You're probably not alone. Personally it doesn't really bother me ? It's Falcom first game on PS4 and it seems to be running at 60fps.

I think it looks fine from the little footage I saw it appears to be better looking than the latest Tales which I consider a budget title like Trails, instead of a super production like other a triple a jrpg.The games are quite niche outside Japan so I think they try to keep their cost down.

 

[Novel Mike]

You're probably not alone. Personally it doesn't really bother me ? It's Falcom first game on PS4 and it seems to be running at 60fps.

I think it looks fine from the little footage I saw it appears to be better looking than the latest Tales which I consider a budget title like Trails, instead of a super production like other a triple a jrpg.The games are quite niche outside Japan so I think they try to keep their cost down.

Agreed and with what we know about how big this game is I think it looks great.

I mean if you think about it, on the new map most of Zero/Ao take place in Crossbell state which if you look on the map...

Cold Steel 2 ending spoilers:

Spoiler

Crossbell state is a TINY portion of that map, not even 1/10th of it and of course its unlikely we'll even explore a large fraction of that area or even most of this map in general but it does show the real scale that this game is going to have, its going to be absolutely massive.

Edit: Sine everyone else is ranking their games I'll do mine as well...

CS1=SC>CS2>3rd>FC

 

[Aters]

Oh ranking time


Ao > SC = Zero > 3rd > FC > CS > CS2

 

[Loz246789]

Ok listen up, the TRUE ranking is clearly

3rd>FC>CS1=CS2>SC

Spoiler

But they're so close that I could see someone going for any order. This series is surprisingly consistent.

 

[PK Gaming]

Overall, i'd rank em:

3rd=>CS2>CS>FC=SC

As far as story and characters go, the Sky games have the edge. But when you factor in gameplay, CS benefits tremendously (seriously, CS2 is ridiculously fun). 3rd is ahead of everything else because it literally has it all.

 

[Tonton]

I`m still not sure where to place the Crossbell games and that might change once i play them in a better way too, but right now my ranking is something like this

SC =FC > CS2 > Ao > Zero > CS1

I love them all

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

SC > CS2 > FC > CS > 3rd

 

[Fou-Lu]

I have only finished the Sky trilogy and am in Chapter 5 of CS, but so far:

3rd>SC>CS>FC

3rd is just an incredibly fun game and made me like every character in it, many of them I didn't like after FC and SC. SC brings everything about Estelle and Joshua's arc to an amazing and satisfying conclusion. Cold Steel is great, I love Persona and Harry Potter and everything by Falcom so this fits into my interests perfectly, if CSII is better I can see it surpassing SC and even the 3rd in my estimation. FC is still great though with an amazing ending.

I wish I could play Zero and Ao

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

3rd > SC > CS2 > CS1 >= FC

Sky the 3rd propelled my standard for JRPG character writing that I haven't quite recover from. Sky SC simply has too many memorable moments I treasure.

Sky FC kinda makes the characters do the heavy lifting for most of the game, as the plot itself is the least exciting, even if interesting enough. If not for the amazing finale, I would remember it only as "that pretty good game with great character and world-building".

 

[Kalor]

I haven't finished 3rd yet since my pc isn't working right now so its position is tentative but I would go:

Zero > SC = 3rd > CS2 > FC > CS

It's difficult to rank all of them since the highs in each game are great. It's easy for me to change the order around depending on how I'm feeling. The only game that I'd consider weaker on that list is CS but that's mainly because I wasn't really feeling it until I got to Nord. I might be more positive if I ever get round to replaying it.

 

[MKIL65]

FC > The 3rd > Cold Steel > Cold Steel II > SC

Wonder how good Cold Steel III will be.

 

[EndcatOmega]

3rd > FC > SC = CS1 > CS2

I don't like certain aspects of the CS gameplay style very much, even if it's more polished over all; hoping CS3 reigns damage back a bit.

 

[Nyoro SF]

It's ranking season!

Zero > 3rd > Ao > SC > FC > CS1 > CS2

Every time I look at my list I feel bad for putting FC so far down, because I honestly think it's a really great game, yet it's near the bottom of the list...

I also struggle with whether I should put Zero or 3rd first. CS2 is no doubt the weakest Trails game though. I enjoyed my time with it but, it just has too many things in it I don't like.

 

[Novel Mike]

3rd > FC > SC = CS1 > CS2

I don't like certain aspects of the CS gameplay style very much, even if it's more polished over all; hoping CS3 reigns damage back a bit.

Is the damage the only real problem you had with CS gameplay? I ask because 3rd has tons of broken characters as well and 3rd character spoiler

Spoiler

Richard

can give Laura a run for her money on overall damage just instead of putting it all into an S-craft hes able to chain normal crafts over and over again and output a crazy amount of damage as well and its comparable to the amount of damage Laura can put out if you think about the difference between HP pools between the various endgame enemies in both games.

 

[PK Gaming]

Is the damage the only real problem you had with CS gameplay? I ask because 3rd has tons of broken characters as well and 3rd character spoiler

Spoiler

Richard

can give Laura a run for her money on overall damage just instead of putting it all into an S-craft hes able to chain normal crafts over and over again and output a crazy amount of damage as well and its comparable to the amount of damage Laura can put out if you think about the difference between HP pools between the various endgame enemies in both games.

Quick aside, Laura isn't even in the running for most OP CS character. Rean, Emma(CS2) and Fie were way more broken.

 

[EndcatOmega]

Is the damage the only real problem you had with CS gameplay? I ask because 3rd has tons of broken characters as well and 3rd character spoiler

Spoiler

Richard

can give Laura a run for her money on overall damage just instead of putting it all into an S-craft hes able to chain normal crafts over and over again and output a crazy amount of damage as well and its comparable to the amount of damage Laura can put out if you think about the difference between HP pools between the various endgame enemies in both games.

His damage is pretty absurd yeah, but my main problem was the alpha striking- on Hard at least bosses still get to move late 3rd (barring melee-only bosses and certain knockback related hilarity) while in CS2 overdrive + domination etc meant bosses were dying before they got more than a single round of actions off (and yeah Rean with the right delay setup was even worse).

All games had cheese (FC had the height of Earth Wall's power, CS1 had cheapish Chronowhatever) but due to the ability to stack bonuses (and how utterly absurd Overdrive and certain Master Quartz were) CS2 felt way too easy to fall into it without even trying. Like I'm not good at these games at all and I immediately noticed how strong going all in offence and delay (well Delay's always been strong but never quite this absurd) was, without even touching many Lost Artes. Like I don't know the moveset of half the endgame bosses in CS2 where even with abusing Fast Crafts Man, Fast Crafts Woman, Gustaf etc enemies still fought back.

There's also the general power level of crafts? Like it feels like nearly everything in CS2 is a set aoe or wide enough that it doesn't matter, which makes manoeuvring less necessary. 3rd was getting to that direction, to be fair, but it feels kind of boring when most moves you have hit nearly the entire battlefield; which in turn feels smaller than the SC/FC/3rd one (there was a quiz question on this how did I forget it already).

On the other hand to be fair to CS I much prefer their way of handling buffs, and there was a couple of other general mechanics changes that I really liked.

 

[Aters]

It's not a particular character is OP, even Ao, which I think has the best system, has some OP skills that can ruin the game. The problem of CS for me is
1. dumbed down quartz system
2. boring boss fights and fewer challenging fights
3. too much focus on "one-hit" damage that shifts the core of the system from developing a strategy to getting the most out of first hit.

 

[Jiraiza]

In your case, I think is less about Lloyd being awful and more about that you really like Randy and Tio and would love a game with them as a mc or close, and I'm with you in that matter

True, I would've loved more Randy, Tio, and Mireille screentime without Lloyd involvement. Which I guess is the problem. I really, really dislike the way the game is framing him as the MC. At this point, it just feels like the game is trying to fellate him as much as possible or something. Not to mention he's not very interesting because he seemingly has zero flaws that the story ever bothers to capitalize on.

I don't know what it is about Kevin and Estelle that they did so right, but they did so wrong with Lloyd and Rean (I'd even say Rean's much more interesting than Lloyd despite not liking him as much). I guess it's just a hit-or-miss for me at this point when it comes to the MC. The whole harem/bonding events aspect definitely is a big factor, but everything else just doesn't sit right with me. It sucks because if the MC isn't likable, it makes playing through the game pretty hard. It's a crappy conundrum to be in, to say the least. Character complaints aside, the story itself is pretty top notch.

I hope the ending doesn't piss you off, but I have a feeling it will

Let me guess, Lloyd does x, says x, and everyone y. Yeah, it probably will. Turns out this final chapter is long as hell, so I might not finish today, after all. NO!

 

[PK Gaming]

Rean is going to surpass Lloyd and reach the heights of Estelle/Kevin in CS3.

Believe!

 

[Nyoro SF]

Yeah, Lloyd feels like a different character in Ao. He went from lovable goof with the SSS being his new family, to a kind of god character purely for plot mechanisms whose story involvement happens too late in the game.

Ao and Zero are fantastic games but I think Ao greatly suffers in the main character department compared to Zero. Randy and Tio are not as fun as they were in Zero, and Elie is invisible despite taking a brief leading role at the start. It's kind of the opposite of FC/SC, where SC has much stronger character development and involvement as the game goes on.

 

[Palette Swap]

I'm genuinely surprised by how many people rank CS2 so low. I loved the game (despite Rean and his harem bullshit) and so far, to me, it's second only to 3rd.

 

[Aters]

Yeah, Lloyd feels like a different character in Ao. He went from lovable goof with the SSS being his new family, to a kind of god character purely for plot mechanisms whose story involvement happens too late in the game.

Ao and Zero are fantastic games but I think Ao greatly suffers in the main character department compared to Zero. Randy and Tio are not as fun as they were in Zero, and Elie is invisible despite taking a brief leading role at the start. It's kind of the opposite of FC/SC, where SC has much stronger character development and involvement as the game goes on.

Think about it, she was supposed to be the "canon" girl. She was so boring in Ao that Falcom just seem to forget her ever since.

 

[PK Gaming]

I'm genuinely surprised by how many people rank CS2 so low. I loved the game (despite Rean and his harem bullshit) and so far, to me, it's second only to 3rd.

It's weird, because CS2 has so much going for it on the gameplay front. Even discounting that, the narrative disappointments don't make it that much worse than the Sky games (imo), let alone CS1, and the highs (such as the epilogue) more than make up for it. .

I guess people here really value story? Because SC is highly regarded despite the fact that the game's pacing is egregiously bad at certan points, and there's very little variance from the prequel. If the finale and individual moments weren't so strong i'd definitely put it below FC as a game.

 

[Ascheroth]

It's weird, because CS2 has so much going for it on the gameplay front. Even discounting that, the narrative disappointments don't make it that much worse than the Sky games (imo), let alone CS1, and the highs (such as the epilogue) more than make up for it. .

I guess people here really value story? Because SC is highly regarded despite the fact that the game's pacing is egregiously bad at certan points, and there's very little variance from the prequel. If the finale and individual moments weren't so strong i'd definitely put it below FC as a game.

Well, does CS2 have a poker minigame?
I spent hours in the casino in SC.

 

[Thud]

Think about it, she was supposed to be the "canon" girl. She was so boring in Ao that Falcom just seem to forget her ever since.

Then again they made Noel a bit too flawed. Elie is my sweetheart, will vote for her as mayor.

Randy, Tio, Łazy are the best. Of course I'm not forgetting Dudley, the hard boiled detective. Lloyd is a dunce when it comes to romance, but his wits as a detective shines through. His motivational speeches come from following his brother's footsteps ala Gurren Lagann. Although Lloyd is a bit more serious (with a few goofy sides).

One improvement Ao makes is characters being able to combo craft with all characters (not just Lloyd).

 

[Sinh_Magnus]

About Lloyd: They went with a persona-esque mc with him, pretty much like Rean. Which makes sense knowing that Zero and Ao came out in 2010 and 2011 respectively and persona 3 and 4 were starting to influence other series by that point. I think so far he's better than Rean, though a lot of it is thanks to the SSS and the quality of the arc in general. I like Rean by the way.