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[PK Gaming]

Hm... I think perhaps there are fewer inconsistencies as you say in CS2, but they are more disconcerting because of the plot. It's extremely unusual to see a self-doubting person suddenly become a hotshot daredevil leader, and the number of times Rean seems to change his attitude depending on the villain he is facing is hard to understand. The V example is the most egregious, but showing excessive amounts of mercy or politeness to people who have no business receiving either is bad form throughout the game. Claiming to be independent, yet being anything but, is more plot-wide of a problem but Rean is the progenitor of that issue.

Oh, I definitely feel you on the self-doubt thing. When it's done well, it can be a really effective way of getting the player to connect to a character (see: Joshua, Kevin, even Estelle, etc). But when it isn't... well, it just becomes lip service. And for most of CS1, that pretty much applied Rean. Never feeling like you're good enough for your friends and family is relatable on paper, but Rean is such an extraordinary person, it almost feels facetious. To put it another way, I can fully understand why (3rd)

Spoiler

Kevin feels like a complete loser despite being one of the most powerful characters in the setting

. Not so much with Rean.

That said, CS2 is far better about this in regards to Rean's character. For one, Rean actually manages to curb his self-doubt in this game. In the

Spoiler

intermission, where instead of tripping over himself to praise his opponent, he bluntly tells Duvalie and Bleublanc that the difference between them isn't high, and proudly announces himself as a practioner of the Eight Leaves style before taking them on. This is in stark contrast to how he's usually like. He tells Crow, the guy who's been kicking his ass constantly that he'll win. He's also confidant about taking out Lloyd and Rixia, though that doesn't go as planned, haha. There's a clear, discernible difference here.

There's another fundamental difference between CS1 Rean and CS2 Rean that makes the latter better. In CS2, Rean is allowed to fail. He fails constantly. He

Spoiler

loses to Crow, and is forced to board the Pantagruel. He's unable to protect his home from getting torched, or prevent the princess and his sister from being kidnapped. He causes Vulcan's death. He fails to bring Crow back. His mission in the epilogue is a wash. The war ends, and he ends up becoming Osborne's puppet.

Compared to before with CS1, I can much better empathize with his feelings of frustration (which as I said, is far more balanced in CS2).

For CS3, I'm much more interested because Rean's setting has greatly changed and he's now in a role where his personality can shine in a more clear cut way, and also thanks to CS2's divertissement and ending where Falcom set him on a much more tightly defined course of actual self-conflict that I think they were trying to aim for in the Cold Steel series up to this point.

Also, and this is a big one, I honestly can't think of another JRPG where the main character is a (military) teacher who must lead his students; anyone is free to correct me. I think the idea is a unique, fun, and interesting one. Lots of potential for moments that you don't really see in JRPGs nowadays, and we can see hints of these moments in the CS3 trailer.

A-fucking-men. His body language alone conveys a HUGE departure from what he was like before. Getting to play as a grown ass instructor with a full-time job as a military officer has me immensely excited. And you just know they'll spit the focus between him and his students, which should make for some interesting scenarios.

Also he can also drink now! With Sara!!

 

[Jiraiza]

Also he can also drink now! With Sara!!

That feeling when no one ever stops to consider that Sara could drink with the other guys in the class, too. The problems with these types of MCs; feels bad, man.

 

[PK Gaming]

That feeling when no one ever stops to consider that Sara could drink with the other guys in the class, too. The problems with these types of MCs; feels bad, man.

Elliot isn't of age yet, Gaius

Spoiler

is in Nord

, Jusis is

Spoiler

too busy running a province

and Machias is a square.

CHECK AND MATE.

 

[Moonlight]

That feeling when no one ever stops to consider that Sara could drink with the other guys in the class, too. The problems with these types of MCs; feels bad, man.

I mean, people would probably stop to consider it if the other guys in class had a scene where Sara voices wanting to have a drink with them or at all shared a dynamic as close as Rean and Sara do.

And I don't really know how the 'type of MC' Rean is factors into that relationship.

 

[Jiraiza]

Elliot isn't of age yet, Gaius

Spoiler

is in Nord

, Jusis is

Spoiler

too busy running a province

and Machias is a square.

CHECK AND MATE.

But they (read: Gaius and Jusis) clearly get back together when they're about to face off with Arianhodr in the trailer. Obviously the best time for Sara to go "let's all go grab a drink" after the fight. And the guys are by no means a stranger to her drinking habits.

Let me uncheck and unmate that for you. I'll give you my Elliot and Machias pawns, though.

I mean, people would probably stop to consider it if the other guys in class had a scene where Sara voices wanting to have a drink with them or at all shared a dynamic as close as Rean and Sara do.

And I don't really know how the 'type of MC' Rean is factors into that relationship.

Type of MC as in "character that gets positioned in the story where he's able to develop deep bonds with other characters at the behest of the player while every other character gets some semblance of a relationship with another." I'll stop there though because I'm sure I'll just end up making the thread explode into another war about Rean again.

 

[Aters]

That feeling when no one ever stops to consider that Sara could drink with the other guys in the class, too. The problems with these types of MCs; feels bad, man.

I really want a Gaius drinking scene. He could be interesting after a few shots.

 

[Jiraiza]

I really want a Gaius drinking scene. He could be interesting after a few shots.

Bring in Schera and Aina and let's get everyone intoxicated. Gahaha.

 

[chaosblade]

I really want a Gaius drinking scene. He could be interesting after a few shots.

I don't know what he's like in CS2, but he could use it in CS1. He started as one of the only likable characters but never really went anywhere after that and was boring as hell.

 

[Moonlight]

I don't actually see how Rean and Sara having a close relationship is related to that. Or well, there certainly is an argument, but only if you've already made your conclusion. But personally, I think that operates on a number of faulty assumptions and is inherently very circular. I don't think your argument allows Rean to be anything other than a 'MC that exists at the behest of the player' when you argue literally every close bond he has must be at the expense of other characters and proof of what you see him to be. It kind of just self-reinforces itself.

And is probably why these arguments constantly seem to go in circles.

I don't know, Sara and Rean can be close without having it immediately be assumed that if Rean didn't exist that Sara would be sharing the love with everyone. There's pretty well reasoned circumstances inside the narrative that place them together frequently, and every Trails MC has characters they're closer to and characters they're less close to based on who they are (or well, idk about Lloyd, I'm assuming though) as people. It just seems weird to scrutinize every relationship that Rean has, on the other hand, as insincerely written to the player's benefit.

 

[PK Gaming]

But they (read: Gaius and Jusis) clearly get back together when they're about to face off with Arianhodr in the trailer. Obviously the best time for Sara to go "let's all go grab a drink" after the fight. And the guys are by no means a stranger to her drinking habits.

Let me uncheck and unmate that for you. I'll give you my Elliot and Machias pawns, though.

You're arguing on a total assumption. We don't know when Rean and Sara meet up; it could be coincidence or something related to the job. It's also unreasonable to assume that the "best time" for a drink would be after a boss fight, (especially since we don't even know if they have the time for it). It's waaaay too early to make such a cynical observation.

Type of MC as in "character that gets positioned in the story where he's able to develop deep bonds with other characters at the behest of the player while every other character gets some semblance of a relationship with another." I'll stop there though because I'm sure I'll just end up making the thread explode into another war about Rean again.

You're not really arguing in good faith here. You're essentially calling out Rean for having a special relationship because "he's the MC" but by using your logic, pretty much any of Rean's relationships can written off with "he's just the MC". The problem is of course the quantity, but Rean's individual relationships are fine for the most. Great even, in Sara's case. Their amazing chemistry and genuine connection across both games is absolutely worth celebrating in the sequel. Like as an obvious parallel to Schera/Estelle, i'm shocked that you're actually taking umbrage with Rean here. If there's anything he's earned, it's finally getting that damn drink with Sara after spending 2 games spurning her drink advances.

 

[Jiraiza]

I don't know, Sara and Rean can be close without having it immediately be assumed that if Rean didn't exist that Sara would be sharing the love with everyone. There's pretty well reasoned circumstances inside the narrative that place them together frequently, and every Trails MC has characters they're closer to and characters they're less close to based on who they are (or well, idk about Lloyd, I'm assuming though) as people. It just seems weird to scrutinize every relationship that Rean has, on the other hand, as insincerely written to the player's benefit.

You're not really arguing in good faith here. You're essentially calling out Rean for having a special relationship because "he's the MC" but by using your logic, pretty much any of Rean's relationships can written off with "he's just the MC". The problem is of course the quantity, but Rean's individual relationships are fine for the most. Great even, in Sara's case. Their amazing chemistry and genuine connection across both games is absolutely worth celebrating in the sequel. Like as an obvious parallel to Schera/Estelle, i'm shocked that you're actually taking umbrage with Rean here. If there's anything he's earned, it's finally getting that damn drink with Sara after spending 2 games spurning her drink advances.

It just boils down to my dislike for the bonding system and it being a detriment to the MC in my eyes (admittedly I was being obtuse about it). I don't quite agree with the Estelle/Schera parallel, because, well, Joshua exists. Schera's relationship with Estelle is a direct result of her wanting to become a bracer under Cassius' tutelage. Nothing "because she's the MC" about that.

Considering how much I hate the bonding system, it's starting to make me wonder how many more entries of this series I'll be able to take before just calling it quits since they're obviously going to stick with it all the way to the final entry. Or I can just beat the games without ever participating in a single event, ha ha.

 

[alpha69]

Claiming to be independent, yet being anything but, is more plot-wide of a problem but Rean is the progenitor of that issue.

What is "being independent"? By definition: free from outside control; not depending on another's authority.. As far as I saw it, Class VII was independent as all they did is based largely on personal beliefs and reasoning and not on anyone's order. Their primary goal is just to take back the academy. Whatever the effects of it doesn't make them not independent. If they concerned themselves whether their actions benefit the imperial army or noble alliance and stopped doing anything they want, that's being dependent. They are supposed to be a third force that answers to no one.

Spoiler

Did the imperial army ask them to save Fionna when the Noble Alliance took her hostage? No, they did it to save a friend's sister..
Did the Imperial army ask them to save Irina Reinford and Angelica? No, they did it to save a friend's mother and one of their senior friends.
Did anyone ask them to put Duke Albarea to justice for attacking Celdic? No, they did it to put a criminal to justice and for Jusis too.
Even the rescue of the imperial family is largely personal even if it is initially a request from the imperial army. Elise is there and Princess Alfin is their friend and just want to save her family.

.

Everything they did, they did largely on personal reasons, the effect just so happens to be in favor of the imperial army. Not to mention the aggressor is the Noble alliance

Spoiler

And it's probably planned by Osborne with the help of his secret Ironblood Rufus to create the false hero he needs for Sen 3

So I don't really understand why some are saying Class VII wasn't really independent

 

[bbkkristian]

Just beat Trails in the Sky the 3rd. brb gonna go cry in a corner now.

Spoiler

Seeing all of the party members off one-by-one hit home.

 

[ResourcefulStar]

I don't see the issue with the 3rd screen - it's an odd reference that wasn't in the JP version, but not an unfitting one.

The reference is wrong. It's Jonah who was swallowed by a fish, not Job. Job is the man who got everything taken away from him to test his faith.

 

[preta]

The reference is wrong. It's Jonah who was swallowed by a fish, not Job. Job is the man who got everything taken away from him to test his faith.

...damn it. Of course. Yeah, that's bad then.

 

[Nyoro SF]

Just beat Trails in the Sky the 3rd. brb gonna go cry in a corner now.

Spoiler

Seeing all of the party members off one-by-one hit home.

Cry for me... ;_;

 

[CrimsonFist]

I don't see the issue with the 3rd screen - it's an odd reference that wasn't in the JP version, but not an unfitting one.

The rest though... yikes. A few more that spring to mind - Falcom's mascot Mishy is "Michy", and

Spoiler

Breed of Dawn etc. was Breed of Dusk in the JP version,
meaning that the only one of its English names that could still be considered accurate is Kin of Twilight. And of course, Breed of Dawn screws up the connection with the Twilight Apostle.

Who even is

Spoiler

"King Neptune"

anyway?

Spoiler

Mikuriya

 

[Jiraiza]

Ao, final chapter, towers:

Spoiler

Arianhodr was a ridiculous ass fight. Took a long time to beat her even on normal, but thanks to Tio, I managed to pull through. She looks absolutely stunning without her helmet on. Her gorgeous looks to that mature-looking side braid... once again, I can see the Doobie infatuation. I'm glad Doobie's as big as a dork in Ao as she was in Cold Steel. She may be the biggest jobber, but she's also the cutest.

Final bonding events:

Spoiler

I was expecting Randy's to be a little more gruesome based on how the Red Constellation operated, but it was fairly light relative to my expectations. Then again, he did completely butcher two squads from Zephyr with an unfortunate innocent casualty, so that is pretty rough. The tidbits about his dad are interesting since there's Fie's foster dad to consider.

Wazy's backstory was intriguing as it involved the Grailsritter. I liked that it wasn't too horrific like Kevin's, but it was certainly a unique one compared to everyone else so far. It's a mystery how Abbas has managed to look the same this entire time.

Not much to say about the girls' because they all felt kind of generic and lame because of how it just had to end in romance. Wish I got a Tio hug myself, though. In conclusion, Randy and Wazy are the best. I feel like they could've easily written their backstories into the main plot without the bonding junk nonsense. As for Wazy, I can see where you're coming from now, Thud.

A hilarious, but awesome discovery:

Spoiler

I was not expecting Raines (?) to be an employee from Fast Crafts Man Inc. Crossbell really is the hot spot these days.

 

[Thud]

^Yes,

Spoiler

Fast Crafts Man

gets around. It's why I'm excited the series will shift towards Calvard.

 

[sbs2601]

A hilarious, but awesome discovery:

Spoiler

I was not expecting Reizon (?) to be an employee from Fast Crafts Man Inc. Crossbell really is the hot spot these days.

If you go rewatch the evo op, the guy even makes a cameo there. Which other

Spoiler

faceless npc in this series

gets that kind of treatment? Another piece of Falcom-style foreshadowing

Edit: can't believe I forgot this --- (the 3rd spoilers)

Spoiler

this guy was first name dropped in Fast Craft Man's Star Door

Foreshowing! Foreshadowing everywhere!

 

[Jiraiza]

If you go rewatch the evo op, the guy even makes a cameo there. Which other

Spoiler

faceless npc in this series

gets that kind of treatment? Another piece of Falcom-style foreshadowing

Edit: can't believe I forgot this --- (the 3rd spoilers)

Spoiler

this guy was first name dropped in Fast Craft Man's Star Door

Foreshowing! Foreshadowing everywhere!

Robert gets some love here and there, aside from the constant Tio bullying.

 

[PK Gaming]

Just beat Trails in the Sky the 3rd. brb gonna go cry in a corner now.

Spoiler

Seeing all of the party members off one-by-one hit home.

Cry for me... ;_;

KIMI NO KOE GA KIKOETERU

 

[c1d]

Didn't see this posted yet

 

[Loz246789]

Didn't see this posted yet

YEEESSSS!

... I mean, they'd have to be out of their minds to not have Durante work on CS2 as well, but it's good to see!

 

[Thud]

Didn't see this posted yet

Mishishi.

 

[Psxphile]

Didn't see this posted yet

 

[Novel Mike]

So replaying CS1 on PC and man I love the scene in Chapter 3....

Spoiler

Where Patrick becomes a total dick after losing to C7 and then Gaius handing him his ass. This being voiced now is fantastic and great job by the voice actors!

 

[PK Gaming]

Shut it down

CS3 was a msitake

 

[Psxphile]

Famitsu review scores

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (PS4) –

Spoiler

9/8/8/8 [33/40]

 

[vkrili]

Oh no I can't believe trails of cold steel 3 is a worse game than fire emblem warriors

 

[Aters]

Famitsu review scores

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (PS4) –

Spoiler

9/8/8/8 [33/40]

Sounds in line with the rest of the series.

 

[Erheller]

Famitsu review scores

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (PS4) –

Spoiler

9/8/8/8 [33/40]

worse than ffxiii

preorder cancelled

Spoiler

pretty sure most everyone who has finished CS2 has figured out whether they want to play CS3 or not, and I definitely want to see Sara drink Rean under the table

 

[Jiraiza]

https://my.mixtape.moe/exnysz.webm

Dear Aidios, never have I wanted to see a S-Craft realized in 3D more than this one. Holy shit, it's so cool. While we're at it, let's get Obari to draw the

Spoiler

Eidolon Gear

in the Sunrise Stance, too!

Randy and Tio have the best looking S-Crafts in these games, no contest. Next week can't come soon enough.

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

Shut it down

CS3 was a msitake

rean got fucking ripped though

 

[PK Gaming]

Hmmmm...

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

Hmmmm...

hmmmm

 

[godisntheradio]

Hmmmm...

well, they HAD to find a way to reuse that animation/pose, falcom excels at reuse.

 

[Aters]

Famitsu says combat is challenging, I have a good feeling about it.

 

[Loz246789]

Famitsu says combat is challenging, I have a good feeling about it.

"We never managed to find a domination quartz"
Famitsu, probably.

 

[Aters]

"We never managed to find a domination quartz"
Famitsu, probably.

Getting rid of domination is one step to the right direction.

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

Getting rid of domination is one step to the right direction.

well, Id say move it to NG+ only.

 

[MKIL65]

The Cryptids were the only real difficult bosses in Cold Steel II.

But that's only because they had super high HP, to compensate for the ridiculous damage that you could put out with Overdrive + Domination quartz.

If those are gone, then enemies wouldn't need 200k-300k HP to stand a chance.

 

[EndcatOmega]

Tauros and the like as well- I feel like Quartz like those shouldn't really affect S-crafts (as I recall Tauros didn't in CS1, but others like Vermillion did and they changed it for 2 anyway?). S-crafts are super strong as-is for turn manipulation.

On the other hand Tauros was a bit shit in CS1 for that reason, but it was hardly alone and the two MQ thing is going to throw everything up in the air.

 

[ResourcefulStar]

People are too hard on Domination and Hades, IMO. They only lead to broken cheese when you stack them with other damage multipliers (Vermillion, Orochi, Tauros, Calamity, Chevalier, Pandora, Murakumo, critical hits), and unlike those, they only apply to a single attack per fight, after which they just sit in your orbment and waste space. Compare to Vermillion, which offers the same multiplier for as long as the bearer is at full health. Since you can equip two Master Quartz now, simply removing Domination and Hades won't change anything. Damage multipliers have to lowered across the board to accommodate for the fact that munchkins will stack them.

 

[Taruranto]

Breaking stuff with quartzs is fun, stop trying to balance everything!

Shut it down

CS3 was a msitake

Can't they just license the moogles from SE or something.

 

[PK Gaming]

I don't mind of the OP MQ/skills, but Dominion and Hades were just bad. There's nothing to it; it's mindless extra damage without a cost, and you can tell they balanced some of the later bosses around Domination due to how much HP they have.

What's the point.

 

[Jiraiza]

Hmmmm...

On the one hand, I'm glad they seem to be pushing Kurt x Juna. On another, I'm conflicted on them still having to resort to tropey encounters/accidents like this. Hopefully he doesn't get slapped after the fall, at least. Then it'll be somewhat refreshing.

Edit: I like Kurt's line there. Funny.

 

[Aters]

On the one hand, I'm glad they seem to be pushing Kurt x Juna. On another, I'm conflicted on them still having to resort to tropey encounters/accidents like this. Hopefully he doesn't get slapped after the fall, at least. Then it'll be somewhat refreshing.

Whenever I see a screenshot that Rean is not in it, I'm happy.

 

[Asd202]

Famitsu review scores

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III (PS4) –

Spoiler

9/8/8/8 [33/40]

lol Famitsu.

 

[ThatChairMan]

Hmmmm...

I am completely fine with this, since it at least solidifies Kurt x Juna. Maybe even gives an easy bonding moment for Kurt and Rean.