• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

where is the opoona hype?

S

SlasherJPC

Banned
Ilchymis said:
I'll post my review when I'm finally finished with the game, but I'll elaborate on a few of the questions you all have asked here, as there is so little information on this game out right now, it's practically criminal.

Re: Job System
The job system in Opoona is not like Harvest Moon, or a dating sim, or anything else where it plays too much into the storyline. Basically, the game progresses through the jobs that you find from town to town, which offer you little sidequests and minigames that allow for some extra diversions between the larger Ranger missions, which Opoona is really all about. In each town there are anywhere between 2-4 new jobs that range from farming and mining, to being a hotel clerk and selling clothes at a designer boutique. A few of these are necessary to advance the storyline immediately, while others may be later on (I haven't completed the game, so I can't say if fishing suddenly saves the world 30 hours in). On a whole they are fun little activities, and can be anywhere from picking up trash with hoverboard attachments, to beating the crap out of fish underwater. There are a few jobs that carry over from town to town, while others are just a one- or two-shot affair that net you a little cash and some fame/friendship/"personal growth."

The meat of the game comes from the ranger system, in which Opoona goes out into the wilderness and fights off rogues and saves people and such. Those progress your overall rank, and get you deeper into the story that you're trying to unravel as things go on.

Re:Battle System

I said the Opoona's battle system had "surprising depth" because of the way that it is much more than simply flicking the controlstick mindlessly until everyone is finished. While this may be the case early on, you can fire you BonBon in four different directions, and the strategy comes in how long you hold down the control stick (resulting in a stronger bonbon shot), or which direction the stick is held in (up, down, left or right). You can make the bonbon fire over smaller enemires by holding back and selecting the enemy behind the smaller one, or swerve around it by holding the control stick left. All the while you're doing this in real-time, so pansies like myself who usually choose "wait" in Final Fantasy should prepare to finally man up and experience some chaos. Don't go into it expecting a tactical RPG, but there's definitely more to it than just pressing the controlstick back and watching the bodies fall. Certain enemies take more damage from certain tosses of the bonbon, while other times you'll be forced to loop around bombs in order to strike foes. It's more than I expected, I'll admit.

A lot of time went into the game, and it definitely shows. There are a good amount of optional sidequests including hidden codes you can redeem for goodies, art pieces to find and enjoy, and lots of jobs that give you rewards for continuing them when you need not to. It's very easy on the eyes as well - even though HiDef GAF will probably disagree, Opoona actually looks pretty good for a Wii game. I personally enjoy the graphics and overall aesthetic of the game, but I know that it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

Be advised that it definitely has a lot of generic JRPG elements, so I'm sure I'll start saving the world in a matter of hours, but it's still enjoyable no matter how trite. The localization is noticeably poor, however it doesn't really "kill" the game, so much as you'll just have some chuckles every few screens. It will occasionally result in you answering "yes" to something you meant to say "no" to, but usually just results in some awkward phrasing and occasional mistranslations ("envelope" instead of "envelop," etc.). Also there is a bit of trekking back and forth, but the hoverboard makes things a bit quicker, and it's usually not to fruitless as you can generally do other things from place to place.

I'm enjoying it so far, but I can see how it couldn't be for everyone. Yeah, the fact that Opoona is practically a fisher-price playtoy on an adventure with a ball will detract some, but if you're looking for a solid (and quirky as all hell) JRPG experience for the Wii, I don't think Opoona would be a bad choice. It looks to be somewhere around 30-40 hours right now, and I'll confirm that once I see some end credits roll by.
Click to expand...

Great impressions. Just tell me, is there bosses?
 
D

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Nice impressions, Ilchymis! I was kind of interested in this game because I like the world design and I get a strange Robotrek kinda vibe from it. Didn't realize it dropped so soon, I'll have to wait a bit before picking it up I guess.
 
I

Ilchymis

Member
PantherLotus said:
Those impressions, while appreciated, sound like one big apology.
Click to expand...

The only area that ctands out as exceedingly apologetic in retrospect would be the part about the localization, as it is undeniably poor, and I should have made more of a fuss about it. I hold that while it doesn't make the game unplayable by any means, it certainly could have used a whole lot more work than it apparently received. My impressions were based on five hours with the game, which I explicity stated, and have a lot to do with what my first impressions of the game were like. It should not be taken as a critical review, as I've become more critical of the game as it has gone on. It's probably going to score somewhere between a 7 or an 8, but I think it brings a lot as a third-party exclusive to the Wii. It's not groundbreaking nor going to change your life, but it is enjoyable and feels rather original, which is a plus considering how easy it is for companies to pump out another cookie-cutter RPG.

And yes, there are boss battles. And if I may give you a hint to them, it would be to cure yourself to full whenever you get even the SLIGHTEST HINT as to a boss battle, because they don't present you with save points or extra time to prepare for the fight after hinting that it may occur. Luckily it doesn't take too long to get back to where you died (especially with the hoverboard, usually only 2-3 random battles per section), and you generally know what to change the second time around.
 
I

Ilchymis

Member
I'm kind of relieved that there hasn't been more discussion, as a conversation with PantherLotus made me realize that I haven't really tried to compare it to the "gold standard" of RPGs such as Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, or really any other RPGs. To those wondering how Opoona stacks up to JRPGs in the same category, I ask you this question: how well do you think a game about a boy and his ball compares to the far darker, metrosexual love-fests that Squeenix is so known for? Quite frankly, they're hardly even in the same category. The others pack a whole lot more story and character development, and generally focus on a lot deeper issues than the central story of Opoona and its eponymous hero reuniting with his family (and I'm assuming that the world get's saved along the way, more on that when it happens). It's a good, lighthearted game that has good elements of humor and drama, but it certainly wouldn't hold up to FF6 on comparison (but what does? We can bicker about that for 250 pages another time).

Ultimately, I think if you have a hunch that it might be enjoyable for you, there's a good chance it will be. Sure, Opoona has its flaws, but it's not an excruciating excursion by any means. If you hate the Tizian character designs (read:Opoona and friends, which only really apply to about 5-6 characters) and think the overall idea is too dopey and simplistic, then you probably won't be swayed much by playing it. If you find it interesting, and think something so quirky could be up your alley, then I say give it a go. I personally wouldn't feel screwed out of my $50 by any means, but that's my $0.02 and ultimately your decision in the end.
 
S

straydog1980

Banned
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I really want to buy this today but I just.......don't.........KNOW!!!!!

Dragon Quest Swords is ok I guess, but I really really really want an actual RPG for my wii! Does Opoona fit that bill? I like quirk, I like fun, it doesn't have to be super dramatic. But is the gameplay there??? Are the random battles fun? How is the level progression. Do you feel the need to grind? (I <3 grinding)

I'm just not sure....... OH GOD I'M GOING TO BUY IT I KNOW I AM.
 
C

Community Forum

Member
I tried reserving this over the weekend at GameStop, and they wouldn't let me. They didn't have a reserve SKU for it. I hope I can find it! I want it soooo badly! Thanks for the impressions Ilchymis.
 
B

birdchili

Member
gamepro review said:
The battles are also depressingly easy: most enemies can be taken down with a standard attack, which is performed by pulling back on the Nunchuk's analog stick and flicking it forward. While Opoona can learn special moves, it's rarely necessary to use them.
Click to expand...
famitsu review said:
old-school difficulty
Click to expand...
not that i'm giving *either* of these sources any credit, but ummm... anyone who is playing this want to comment on difficulty?
 
C

cleveridea

Member
just picked up the game at EB, they had about 4 or 5 copies (more than I thought) along with ninja gaiden DS (love the samurai sword stylus)
 
S

Sule

Member
I don't get why the big sites haven't reviewed this game yet. They all had previews for it that were rather positive but the game came out and no reviews. Are the reviews late because of an embargo on bad reviews? Or did they simply not send review copies? If the people who bought it don't mind doing it, please post reviews/impressions. Thanks for the impressions so far Ilchymis.
 
K

Kid Marin

Member
1UP's review :

1UP said:
Reviews: Opoona
A solid game for roundabout role-players.
1up_C.gif

(...)

Opoona's heart is undeniably in the right place. As an RPG, it's pretty standard, yet it manages to be just plain comforting thanks to its quirky looks and sounds -- and even its easy one-handed control option. The game only really stresses you out when you're figuring out what job to do next and where to go, but once you clear those barriers -- and don't always expect grandeur -- it's not a bad trip.
Click to expand...
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3167119&p=44
 
B

birdchili

Member
1up's review said:
hardcore battles, which seem aimed at advanced RPG fans
Click to expand...
yay.

1up's review really reinforces the "if you think you might like this, you probably will" theme. the actual text is pretty complimentary, with the notable exception of the localization, which sounds like a really low-rent job (they used the money from japanese sales to fund the localization?:):

1up's review said:
Opoona really stumbles in its localization. The game's English translation is rough and lifeless, with multiple typos and characters that barely sound different from one another
Click to expand...

controls, visuals, audio/music all sound really excellent.
 
A

_Alkaline_

Member
straydog1980 said:
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I really want to buy this today but I just.......don't.........KNOW!!!!!

Dragon Quest Swords is ok I guess, but I really really really want an actual RPG for my wii! Does Opoona fit that bill? I like quirk, I like fun, it doesn't have to be super dramatic. But is the gameplay there??? Are the random battles fun? How is the level progression. Do you feel the need to grind? (I <3 grinding)

I'm just not sure....... OH GOD I'M GOING TO BUY IT I KNOW I AM.
Click to expand...

Take one for the team!
 
S

straydog1980

Banned
man this is crazy.....nobody even got it! Walmart is only selling it online, and no gamestops in a 30 mile radius even got 1 copy in because there were no reserves....wtf?
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
straydog1980 said:
man this is crazy.....nobody even got it! Walmart is only selling it online, and no gamestops in a 30 mile radius even got 1 copy in because there were no reserves....wtf?
Click to expand...

Yep same thing happened with me. :(
 
S

straydog1980

Banned
I guess I'm going to have to wait till tomorrow, when I go by a gamestop that has it in stock. Usually they at least get 1 copy, you know? weird.
 
A

Ainaurdur

Member
straydog1980 said:
man this is crazy.....nobody even got it! Walmart is only selling it online, and no gamestops in a 30 mile radius even got 1 copy in because there were no reserves....wtf?
Click to expand...
:lol :lol
I just called the local Gamestop...
GSGirl: Hello, [Insert GS Sales Spiel], how may I help you?
Me: Yes, I'm calling to see if you have Opoona, for Wii, in stock?
GSGirl: Uhh, what?
Me: Opoona... it came out this week for the Wii. Have you gotten any copies?
GSGirl: Uhm, hold on just a sec, I'll go ask.
[muffled conversation in the background]
GSGuy: Sir? Yes, it shipped today, we should have it tomorrow.
Me: Ok, thank you. Bye.
Click to expand...
The high employee turn-around at that location provides me with regular amusement. And thankfully I already ordered it, just have to wait for it to arrive.
But I'm not really surprised that the game has been sorta ignored. Wish it wasn't, but that's the way it is.
 
S

Sule

Member
Too much wrong with that to be accidental :lol

Review sounds good. Unfortunate that the game is hard to find but there was zero hype for it so it's not surprising. I hope a PAL release is still on the table.
 
S

Sule

Member
I

Ilchymis

Member
I finally got my huge review of Opoona up, and it's probably the most comprehensive analysis of Opoona so far. Or at least the most verbose (I don't think you can argue much for that).

Opoona Review

I thought it was good, and someone here earlier said it best: "if you think you might like this, you probably will" . It's niche as all hell, and is quirky as shit, but it's a good game in my eyes. I couldn't score it much higher since the localization is so so bad, and there are definitely some problems with the battle system, but I would play through it again.

And it really does look and sound beautiful. The music is phenomenal.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
Ilchymis said:
I finally got my huge review of Opoona up, and it's probably the most comprehensive analysis of Opoona so far. Or at least the most verbose (I don't think you can argue much for that).

Opoona Review

I thought it was good, and someone here earlier said it best: "if you think you might like this, you probably will" . It's niche as all hell, and is quirky as shit, but it's a good game in my eyes. I couldn't score it much higher since the localization is so so bad, and there are definitely some problems with the battle system, but I would play through it again.

And it really does look and sound beautiful. The music is phenomenal.
Click to expand...


Can't read it just yet but YAY! Thanks for bringing this into the light of the masses! My copy can't come soon enough!
 
A

Ainaurdur

Member
Ilchymis said:
Other GAFfers play this and offer their thoughts?
Click to expand...
I have only had time to get to the very first training session with Goldy. I'm supposed to go meet his subordinate in the B1 Hallway.

I know I am going to enjoy it, the only annoyance has been getting used to the Nunchuck camera control. (Yes, that's being lazy and not using the Wiimote D-Pad.) :D
 
I

Ilchymis

Member
Ainaurdur said:
I have only had time to get to the very first training session with Goldy. I'm supposed to go meet his subordinate in the B1 Hallway.

I know I am going to enjoy it, the only annoyance has been getting used to the Nunchuck camera control. (Yes, that's being lazy and not using the Wiimote D-Pad.) :D
Click to expand...

Hmm! The Nunchuk camera is rather crappy, as you can't "run and gun" as you can in some other games. I found the D-Pad camera to always go the wrong way when I was running, so I soon mastered the C+Z combo for righting the camera. Works like a charm, and only takes an extra second to see wherever I want to.

The lack of camera control on the battlefield was one of my biggest pet peeves in the beginning, as it's really hard to see where the goodies are at on the battlefield. I just made it work, but on a whole it certainly could use a little work.

I'm still enjoying it, though.

Edit: Someone was asking about difficulty. The main difficulty from the battle system comes from the crazy amounts of enemies that get occasionally tossed at you, rather than a cunning foe taking you out in ways you didn't expect. This really only happens with bosses (even though I did die at unexpected times for random reasons), which you can count on dying on at least once each time since you'll need to figure out your battle plan and execute it flawlessly immediately a lot of the times in order to stay alive. Generally, if you make it past the first few turns of a boss battle, you're probably going to win.

Some reviewer somewhere said something about each battle wasting a minute of your time, which was apparently a huge problem for them. I don't mean to boast or challenge, but I would say that 85% of the battles are won within 10 seconds of starting them. It's speedy, as the active battle system punishes you for taking much more time. Man up, "wait" ATB'ers! (I had to..:lol )
 
T

Teasel

Member
i have read ilchymis review and it's pretty much spot on... some dull moment of the game includes doing 10 random battle at the start of the game and one of the subquest consist of doing another 100 random battle in a place with uber-hard fighting (although you get a lot of level and cool new skills which helped into defeating a incredibly tough enemy... felt pretty old school in a good way) oh any idea how to get the star and sweeper license?
 
I

Ilchymis

Member
Teasel said:
i have read ilchymis review and it's pretty much spot on... some dull moment of the game includes doing 10 random battle at the start of the game and one of the subquest consist of doing another 100 random battle in a place with uber-hard fighting (although you get a lot of level and cool new skills which helped into defeating a incredibly tough enemy... felt pretty old school in a good way) oh any idea how to get the star and sweeper license?
Click to expand...

Glad you agree.

As for the licenses, I haven't put too much time into getting them all done after the game is done, but I've done a few here and there and along the way. For the sweeper one, make sure that you have the cleaning attachment and then go to the Cafe in Artelia. I'm pretty sure the only thing you can do is pick up trash and get a new wallpaper, but there could be more to it. As for the "Star" and "Idol" stuffs, you need sufficient Fame to get involved with the superstars Nikita or whatever. I haven't pursued it it, but I think it has something to do with them.

There's so much to this game. I initially thought it was skimping on the bonuses, but found it to be QUITE the opposite.

You did the
100 fights for the 5 star license? You're nuts! Would you say it was worth it? I leveled there for a little bit, but eventaully just went on past it. I was pretty annoyed with the way you had to go back to Paradiso at the end to go back to the other domes, considering NO ONE told you that you could. I just kept expecting a magical trip to the other ends of the universe like what happened with Poleena, but that never happened.
Oh well, trial and error I suppose!
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
How was the plot towards the end of the game? Good? Bad? Decent?

Also how was then ending? Typical?

Thanks guys. Should have a copy in my hands next week.
 
I

Ilchymis

Member
slasher_thrasher21 said:
How was the plot towards the end of the game? Good? Bad? Decent?

Also how was then ending? Typical?

Thanks guys. Should have a copy in my hands next week.
Click to expand...

Aww, c'mon! I'm not gonna spoil it for you! :lol Let's just say it's certainly a JRPG, but it's still fun when everything suddenly becomes trite.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
Ilchymis said:
Aww, c'mon! I'm not gonna spoil it for you! :lol Let's just say it's certainly a JRPG, but it's still fun when everything suddenly becomes trite.
Click to expand...

Ok..Ok... as long as its there and servicable, I don't care how generic it gets. Game looks unique enough as it is to warrant a playthrough. Hell I played through Okage:Shadow King and enjoyed it!
 
T

Teasel

Member
Ilchymis said:
Glad you agree.

As for the licenses, I haven't put too much time into getting them all done after the game is done, but I've done a few here and there and along the way. For the sweeper one, make sure that you have the cleaning attachment and then go to the Cafe in Artelia. I'm pretty sure the only thing you can do is pick up trash and get a new wallpaper, but there could be more to it. As for the "Star" and "Idol" stuffs, you need sufficient Fame to get involved with the superstars Nikita or whatever. I haven't pursued it it, but I think it has something to do with them.

There's so much to this game. I initially thought it was skimping on the bonuses, but found it to be QUITE the opposite.

You did the
100 fights for the 5 star license? You're nuts! Would you say it was worth it? I leveled there for a little bit, but eventaully just went on past it. I was pretty annoyed with the way you had to go back to Paradiso at the end to go back to the other domes, considering NO ONE told you that you could. I just kept expecting a magical trip to the other ends of the universe like what happened with Poleena, but that never happened.
Oh well, trial and error I suppose!
Click to expand...
yeah the point is where do i get the cleaning equipment? and
yes i did the 100 battle for the 5-star license... so far i can't do nothing with the 5-star license but opoona and copoona got around to level 28... final results,copoona now can casts thunder for 160 damage and opoona has an uber attack called FINAL ARMAGGEBON! the uber enemy i'm talking about is the salamender... i beated it at lv 26,opoona spammed plasma dunk and copoona keeped hp high... i barely won the battle,it has 1400 HP but it's around 3000 XP if you kill one though... actualy tougher than some of the latest boss i fought
some other sidequest stuff
did you went to the pirate island? i found a wallpaper,a stacker and a crazy guy talking about a legendary ghost pirate... one of the npc talked about some piece of arts stolen by pirates (3 of them) so i thought i would find them here but i didn't find anything and i don't think they were talking about the stackers... also did you got the rogue observer license? does it raises after battling? i got it but since last time was all spent wandering into town i couldn't test if that was the way of raising it
 
B

Bloodworth

Member
Ilchymis said:
I was pretty annoyed with the way you had to go back to Paradiso at the end to go back to the other domes, considering NO ONE told you that you could. I just kept expecting a magical trip to the other ends of the universe like what happened with Poleena, but that never happened.
Oh well, trial and error I suppose!
Click to expand...

Well that skypod station isn't exactly hard to spot. Plus you can always buy a Pocket Taxi, but I think you have to revisit each area after you start Poleena's quest, which is kind of a pain.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
I just want to say that gaffer, Marvie_3 is the AWESOME! Since he knew I couldn't obtain a copy local, we had a transaction and he took the time to then send the game to me!

THANKS SO MUCH! Now its time to get in on the Opoona loving!
 
B

birdchili

Member
i was losing the love a bit yesterday.

there's so little customization you can do for your characters, and the combat is so frantic that you usually can't strategize much. the time limit just exacerbates the problem - you can have a fight well in hand, but because you weren't moving fast enough - you run out of time.

my opinion of action-based rpg battle systems has been reinforced: i don't like them nearly as much as turn-based systems - they lose the strategic element without giving the same visceral thrill that a real action game gives. of course, i didn't much like ff:x-2's battle-system either, and that's so very-well loved.

of course: i'm planning on clocking a few hours tonight so the love is not yet dead.

evening edit: 'tis hard to stay mad at this game. no one is seriously finding this *easy* are they? ack.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

IGN: How Alone in the Dark Has Been Reinvented for Modern Horror Fans (aka Hype Check ?!?!)
2
79
3K
adamsapple replied
Baldur's Gate 3 Baldur's Gate 3 had less crunch than Larian's previous RPGs, but its director says "you will always have a little bit" of overtime"
2
338
Killer8 replied
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Hype Check - Where's the hype?
2 3 4
170
9K
Revolutionary replied
The hype around Hellblade II is massive, and growing.
Hype 7 8 9 10 11
510
28K
DeepEnigma replied
  • Poll
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown GAF Hype Check Meter
Community
38
2K
Urban replied
Top Bottom