Brave Story: New Traveler

[The Mana Knight]

http://www.ebgames.com/common/images/lbox/190465b.jpg

Official Site (http://www.bravestorynewtraveler.com/)

Some of you may remember that I was really excited about the game after hearing impressions on it from Japan (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93378) last year.

And when I heard it was coming stateside (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131899), I completely jumped out of my seat in a computer lab on my college campus after getting the email from XSeed Games.

So as you can guess, I'm extremely excited that I finally get to play this game tomorrow. I've been watching videos for around 1 year now, and I've been looking at images longer than that. Traditional, turn-based RPGs with random encounters, world map, young hero, etc. are definitely my favorite type.

The reviews seem to be mostly positive, with scores in the 70%-90% range. Here are two (http://www.rpgamer.com/pointsofview/archive/archive.cgi?mode=view_game&game=1142) good reviews at RPGamer.

Anyone else plan to pick this up? I have my copy preordered and almost paid in full. Only problem is that I won't be able to pick up the game until late tomorrow evening, or not until Thursday morning (due to moving into my new apartment 2 hours away). :(

[BREVITY]

This is due out today right? I will be getting it.

[The Mana Knight]

It's being shipped today.

[TLR]

Already paid the cash in full, just waiting for it to come in so I can pick it up.

I expect awesomeness. Total awesomeness.

The hero is 11 years old, so, in compensation, the boss fights in this game better be absolutely epic, and so challenging that I will have to curl in the corner and cry from all the Game Over screens.

Also, to compensate for the 11yr old hero, this games soundtrack better physically blow me out of my seat and dislocate my entire bone structure in a way that is superior to how Legend of Heroes and Ys PSP managed to.



Either way, I'll be kicking this game's ass, as a pre-requisite activity to the true ass-kicking that will happen when Dragoneer's Aria is released, which also better have a ridiculously awesome soundtrack and epic, challenging boss fights.

[NamPaehc]

Another review. (http://www.pspfanboy.com/2007/07/31/psp-fanboy-review-tales-of-the-world-radiant-mythology/)

[Draekon]

Had planned on getting this at launch for the last month or so. Heard good things about it and going out on a ledge getting the game at release. What intrigues me is that old comic book action, like the old live action batman television series I use to watch.

Now I wonder if I'll beat it before I get my hands on Persona 3. If not it may be a month or so before I finally pick it back up to finish it...


Another review.

Wrong game? :P

[willardhaven]

Wrong game? :P

Yeah he linked to Generic JRPG 46086432666 instead of 46086432667, whoops.

JK but sheesh, I love RPGs and even I think these games on the PSP are garbage.

[LostRoad]

Yeah he linked to Generic JRPG 46086432666 instead of 46086432667, whoops.

JK but sheesh, I love RPGs and even I think these games on the PSP are garbage.

So you came just to let us know you think PSP RPGs are junk. Shit I am sure someone will care.:roll:

Didn't get a chance to stop by and pick the game up today like I wanted to just a little to sleept after work. Though I am takeing a personal day tommorrow so I will be picking it up then. Must get this one beat before P3.

[willardhaven]

I just stopped by to make a joke and see what (if anything) was interesting about the game.

You have to admit there are a lot of boring RPGs on the PSP and it seems like they all have a standard 2 word + subtitle titular format.

[blackjaw]

I want to trade some PSP games in with the +$10 deal at EB to grab this one. I doubt I'll have it beat before P3, but it still looks pretty decent and is getting some good reviews.

I just wish they wouldn't have used an 11 year old protagonist, but whatev.

[62t]

I just stopped by to make a joke and see what (if anything) was interesting about the game.

You have to admit there are a lot of boring RPGs on the PSP and it seems like they all have a standard 2 word + subtitle titular format.
to be fair it is based on the manga/moive

[jer7583]

Pros: Shane from egm mentioned Chrono Trigger in describing the game.
Looks interesting, good graphics, decent review scores.
9.0 from 1up
Awesome sideways boxart
$34.99 at DD

Cons: Inspired by manga/anime-blech
11 yr old protagonist-yikes
Cliche story/name-warning
7.x review score at IGN

Still on the fence about this one..

[humanremains2]

I have plans to go see the movie Sunshine with my g/f after lunch, but I will "try" to pick it up afterwards. I will probably have some trouble finding it since I decided not to pre-order it.

[centracore]

I hadn't even heard of this game until now but it looks like it's right up my alley. I'm gonna try and pick it up at EB over the lunch hour.

[SL4IN]

i'll be picking it up hopefully after I get riviera and tales of the world for psp as well....

[Thomas96]

I see its an action RPG... it does look pretty good. The only RPG I want on PSP is FF VII

[TLR]

I see its an action RPG... it does look pretty good. The only RPG I want on PSP is FF VIIBS isn't an ARPG, it's turn-based.

And what's up with 1up giving a PSP game a unbiased review, was their site hacked?

EDIT: Got my copy, and a demo of Jeanne D'Arc.... looks like my plan to beat PoPoLoCrois is about to get delayed at least until December. Brave Story is freaking awesome.

[slidecage]

i should have this in hand from gamefly by saturday (shipped tuesday)

looks like wild arms 4

[Draekon]

Amazon decided to be assholes and delay my shipping (By a whole month according to their estimates). Looks like I'm canceling my order through them and picking it up from somewhere when I get gas after dinner tonight. Guess I'll continue Growlanser IV: Wayfarer of Time until then.

[slidecage]

Amazon decided to be assholes and delay my shipping (By a whole month according to their estimates). Looks like I'm canceling my order through them and picking it up from somewhere when I get gas after dinner tonight. Guess I'll continue Growlanser IV: Wayfarer of Time until then.


Call up and complain they did the same with hosigmai ds .

i got a 10 buck gift code + the game shipped out 2 days after i called to complain.

[snakelda]

can you post some impressions?BS isn't an ARPG, it's turn-based.

And what's up with 1up giving a PSP game a unbiased review, was their site hacked?

EDIT: Got my copy, and a demo of Jeanne D'Arc.... looks like my plan to beat PoPoLoCrois is about to get delayed at least until December. Brave Story is freaking awesome.

[TLR]

can you post some impressions?
Not really used to this, so feel free to ask some questions if this doesn't tell you what you want to know.

The game's about a little boy named Tatsuya and his friend Miki, who has fallen to this near-death situation, and can only be saved by Tatsuya.

Hate to start off on a bad note, but they didn't really do to well at introducing these characters and making the gamer "feel" for them.

After playing something like Kingdom Hearts 2, I expected to get all kinds of backstory of the friendship between Tatsuya and Miki (maybe some flashbacks to a time when Tatsuya didn't ignore her so much?) so I, as the gamer, would be able to feel how intense it is for Tatsuya to see his friend suddenly winding up in a near-death situation... that just felt incredibly hurried through and left me wondering what led to her fainting into this unknown critical status, or why I should even care.

Is she suffering through some kind of mentality complex where her closeness with Tatsuya plays a big role in her stabilty? Does the fact that he's constantly ignoring her for video games even play a role in this? All of this stuff kinda just went unanswered as they rushed me into the meat of the game.

In another part of the intro, it was hinted at that I'd be able to return to the "real world" at some other points in the game, so I'm hoping a little more background will be given there or something.

May be just because I'm coming directly out of TotW and Riviera, but the lack of full voice acting in all the important cutscenes is a bit bothersome.

Fortunately, that's about all the qualms I've got.

I didn't play too much into it, because I kinda stopped in the middle of Tales of the World to give Brave Story a run, but I did get to sample a fair bit of the game's technical aspects.

World map and cave navigation is all done on an isometric world view. While the protagonist moves fast enough as is, holding circle will make him run even faster. Didn't necessarily notice any issues to nag about here...

If the trial I did not too long after starting was any indication, I'm thinking a large portion of this game's dungeons are about to have some interesting puzzles to master.

The battle system, so far, seems like an upgrade to what was in Dragon Quest VIII. You can have up to 3 party members which all have their own "Brave" abilities, that deplete "Brave Points".

In combat, this seems to have picked up the feel of action and dramatic camera angles that other PSP RPGs(Blade Dancer, to cite an example) lacked. Every strike is accompanied by a comic-book like "TRAAASH!" image(and many others of the same nature), and this feels incredibly fast-paced, considering the genre it's in. There's also some interesting timing elements where, timed correctly, you can tap X to get an additional attack for the strategic advantage. The most interesting aspect of the battle are the unison attacks. The developers have no problem keeping the battle system interesting and fresh.

Something about the graphics in this game are just awesome, I don't know what to call the effect they're using, but it looks very nice and creates a great sense of atmosphere along with this game's soundtrack.

So far, it's just a very solid and well-done game.

[Draekon]

Call up and complain they did the same with hosigmai ds .

i got a 10 buck gift code + the game shipped out 2 days after i called to complain.

They usually ship it out that quickly after, yeah. Though you don't always get gift codes for bitching. I've done it before and got a $5 and another time and nothing. I feel too lazy to bother this time as I like to bitch in a particular way when bitching about such things. Takes too much time.

[pete5883]

And what's up with 1up giving a PSP game a unbiased review, was their site hacked?

So in your book, high score = unbiased, low score = biased?:roll:

[TLR]

So in your book, high score = unbiased, low score = biased?:roll:
No, it's 1up's general attitude, how they criticize PSP games for aspects they praised in other games, how they spend way too much time talking about one thing - forgetting to give an actual in-depth review, and how they often turn as low-quality as X-Play/GameInformer when it comes to the PSP - spending more time expressing their participation in the "Sony hate fad" than actually going in depth to review the game.

It's got absolutely nothing to do with any "high score = unbiased, low score = biased".

[The Mana Knight]

I bought the game today, but I have not opened my copy due to having a busy day. My goal tomorrow is to opened and play for a few hours. I'm really stoked right now. :D
So in your book, high score = unbiased, low score = biased?:roll:
No, TLR just happens to be one of the best CAG Members when writing impressions over RPGs. Definitely one of my most respected members.

[jer7583]

I wish I could just download this since it's so small, to give it a spin and see how I like it. It's all of 133MB..

[The Mana Knight]

I wish I could just download this since it's so small, to give it a spin and see how I like it. It's all of 133MB..Noooooo. You gotta give XSeed some support so they can bring more awesome RPGs stateside. ;) Also, I would want to see PSP games sell decently.

[rodeojones903]

Ordered my copy from estarland today.

[BREVITY]

Got it today, didnt play long but I got to say, what great graphics. Nice intro. So far I can tell I am going to like the story. I have to finnish up a few other handhelds so I am only going to play this a little for right now. I might not get to much play time in before the weekend.

[AdvOfJet]

Graphics are excellent for a PSP game. The main character looks a little childish (yes I know he is only 11 but it's kinda creepy). I am only through the trial dungeon so far as I just gave it a quick spin before work. Also a little strange seeing the comic book type WHAM!! and SWCHAPP!! whenever a hit is made in the battle.

[jer7583]

Noooooo. You gotta give XSeed some support so they can bring more awesome RPGs stateside. ;) Also, I would want to see PSP games sell decently to help Sony.

Well, I never said I wouldn't buy it. I do want to try the game, first. If I ended up enjoying it beyond an hour or two, I'd buy it. I don't pirate things. This is more a matter of convenience due to the small size of the game.

On second thought, I'll probably just pass on it and wait till it gets cheap, or shows up used. These things always ship short week of release. Best Buy will have plenty next week. I'm not that much of an RPG fan, anyway.

[The Mana Knight]

Well, I never said I wouldn't buy it. I do want to try the game, first. If I ended up enjoying it beyond an hour or two, I'd buy it. I don't pirate things. This is more a matter of convenience due to the small size of the game.

On second thought, I'll probably just pass on it and wait till it gets cheap, or shows up used. These things always ship short week of release. Best Buy will have plenty next week.You never know, because XSeed's last game, Dungeon Maker, Best Buy didn't even stock it.
Graphics are excellent for a PSP game. The main character looks a little childish (yes I know he is only 11 but it's kinda creepy). I am only through the trial dungeon so far as I just gave it a quick spin before work. Also a little strange seeing the comic book type WHAM!! and SWCHAPP!! whenever a hit is made in the battle.Nothing wrong with young characters.;) I love them more than big dudes who blow up crap oh course. :p

[TLR]

Yeah, I can't say I didn't express a mild "ARE YOU ****ING SERIOUS?!" when I saw that the hero was 11.

It's no bother though - Link in LoZ games is usually under 13 years old most of the time too, and they're both damn near mute.

FTR, Mana Knight, I'd like to see a total badass "big dude who blows crap up" as the hero in an RPG someday. He could go in dungeons, and when certain puzzles come up that require keys to open doors, he could be all "**** that" and just blow the door down.

[jer7583]

That would make a good meta kinda thing. A Don Quixote of RPGs.

A parody RPG in general is a golden idea.. there's so many bad cliches to spoof.

[snakelda]

Not really used to this, so feel free to ask some questions if this doesn't tell you what you want to know.

The game's about a little boy named Tatsuya and his friend Miki, who has fallen to this near-death situation, and can only be saved by Tatsuya.

Hate to start off on a bad note, but they didn't really do to well at introducing these characters and making the gamer "feel" for them.

After playing something like Kingdom Hearts 2, I expected to get all kinds of backstory of the friendship between Tatsuya and Miki (maybe some flashbacks to a time when Tatsuya didn't ignore her so much?) so I, as the gamer, would be able to feel how intense it is for Tatsuya to see his friend suddenly winding up in a near-death situation... that just felt incredibly hurried through and left me wondering what led to her fainting into this unknown critical status, or why I should even care.

Is she suffering through some kind of mentality complex where her closeness with Tatsuya plays a big role in her stabilty? Does the fact that he's constantly ignoring her for video games even play a role in this? All of this stuff kinda just went unanswered as they rushed me into the meat of the game.

In another part of the intro, it was hinted at that I'd be able to return to the "real world" at some other points in the game, so I'm hoping a little more background will be given there or something.

May be just because I'm coming directly out of TotW and Riviera, but the lack of full voice acting in all the important cutscenes is a bit bothersome.

Fortunately, that's about all the qualms I've got.

I didn't play too much into it, because I kinda stopped in the middle of Tales of the World to give Brave Story a run, but I did get to sample a fair bit of the game's technical aspects.

World map and cave navigation is all done on an isometric world view. While the protagonist moves fast enough as is, holding circle will make him run even faster. Didn't necessarily notice any issues to nag about here...

If the trial I did not too long after starting was any indication, I'm thinking a large portion of this game's dungeons are about to have some interesting puzzles to master.

The battle system, so far, seems like an upgrade to what was in Dragon Quest VIII. You can have up to 3 party members which all have their own "Brave" abilities, that deplete "Brave Points".

In combat, this seems to have picked up the feel of action and dramatic camera angles that other PSP RPGs(Blade Dancer, to cite an example) lacked. Every strike is accompanied by a comic-book like "TRAAASH!" image(and many others of the same nature), and this feels incredibly fast-paced, considering the genre it's in. There's also some interesting timing elements where, timed correctly, you can tap X to get an additional attack for the strategic advantage. The most interesting aspect of the battle are the unison attacks. The developers have no problem keeping the battle system interesting and fresh.

Something about the graphics in this game are just awesome, I don't know what to call the effect they're using, but it looks very nice and creates a great sense of atmosphere along with this game's soundtrack.

So far, it's just a very solid and well-done game.ok thanks,that was good.It seems like this will be the next game I pick up....

[Draekon]

There's also some interesting timing elements where, timed correctly, you can tap X to get an additional attack for the strategic advantage.

Are you sure that's how it works? I haven't read the manual so I wouldn't know if it clarifies it there, but in the game it stated that you have a chance to double attack when enemies are in a "weakened state" (Which is visually seen) and that's pretty much the only time I do a second attack and always involves the enemy dieing on the first attack thus far as well. Have tried X but haven't notice any change in attacks either. I figured I'd bring this up anyhow. ;o


Anyways, a pretty cool game so far. It's rather odd to watch everyone freak out about Travelers and the first boss (not the first fight) was a nice little fight. Nothing special but I didn't heal on my last two turns and thus Tatsuya died not gaining any exp at the end. Felt too lazy to use a healing item since it was in a weakened state. Damn bastage attacked first for the first time that turn too. ~_~



EDIT: The addition of Crazed monsters is pretty cool. Also Bird Brawls are cool and damn I got owned in the first one since I quit after catching a single bird, lol. Anyone who hasn't done that part yet, make sure to catch 5 and maybe you'll stand a chance but regardless you'll get a "win" in terms of reward.

[slidecage]

You never know, because XSeed's last game, Dungeon Maker, Best Buy didn't even stock it.
Nothing wrong with young characters.;) I love them more than big dudes who blow up crap oh course. :p

i thank best buy for not stocking dugeon maker. hopefully everyone will drop it to 10 bucks cause its just that awful LOL

[PhoenixT]

Dude bite your tongue! >_< my GF LOVES dungeon maker!

[AdvOfJet]

I think it's not so much the fact that he is 11. It's the fact that he doesn't even look 11. His face looks like a baby with a full head of hair.

[jshendel]

http://www.ebgames.com/common/images/lbox/190465b.jpg

Official Site (http://www.bravestorynewtraveler.com/)

Some of you may remember that I was really excited about the game after hearing impressions on it from Japan (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93378) last year.

And when I heard it was coming stateside (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131899), I completely jumped out of my seat in a computer lab on my college campus after getting the email from XSeed Games.

So as you can guess, I'm extremely excited that I finally get to play this game tomorrow. I've been watching videos for around 1 year now, and I've been looking at images longer than that. Traditional, turn-based RPGs with random encounters, world map, young hero, etc. are definitely my favorite type.

The reviews seem to be mostly positive, with scores in the 70%-90% range. Here are two (http://www.rpgamer.com/pointsofview/archive/archive.cgi?mode=view_game&game=1142) good reviews at RPGamer.

Anyone else plan to pick this up? I have my copy preordered and almost paid in full. Only problem is that I won't be able to pick up the game until late tomorrow evening, or not until Thursday morning (due to moving into my new apartment 2 hours away). :(
It sounds like you work for said company....

[Blackout]

This game is on my to buy list. I have yet to play a PSP rpg so I' m pumped for this game. Are we talking a 100 hour plus game here? LOL, I don't think I could play through all the side quests and stuff but does anyone know the length of the game?

[slidecage]

This game is on my to buy list. I have yet to play a PSP rpg so I' m pumped for this game. Are we talking a 100 hour plus game here? LOL, I don't think I could play through all the side quests and stuff but does anyone know the length of the game?

guessing probally 20 to 30 hours. tales of the world would problally clock in around 100 to 150 hours if you did all the quest

[humanremains2]

furries! -- FTW


Anyway, I picked this up yesterday with leftover credit at EB/GS. So far I like it a lot, but I'm quite a sucker for cute traditional RPGs.

If you are interested in this game at all, I would suggest you pick it up and support XSEED and localized original RPGs on the PSP. Lord knows I would love to see more. Don't get me wrong I like Final Fantasy as much as the next guy, but I can only play the same game with updated graphics so many times before I want to vomit.

[The Mana Knight]

I finally started playing this game earlier today, and all I gotta say is holy crap, I'm falling in love all over this game. It's so awesome to finally play a game I've been watching videos to for over a year. I'm really liked how the story started off (main character playing a video game, just like me, lol). I really enjoy the classic turn-based battles (but they are quite interesting due to zooming in on attacks with big words across the screen) and traditional world maps. The loading times are amazing that I can't tell I'm playing a PSP RPG. I'm actually really digging the soundtrack, especially the battle theme and victory fanfare. I put the voices on Japanese, since that's what I've been hearing forever in battle. The graphics are definitely amazing for a PSP RPG. I'm getting the feeling this may be my favorite RPG this year (right now, that goes to Ar Tonelico).

[slidecage]

I finally started playing this game earlier today, and all I gotta say is holy crap, I'm falling in love all over this game. It's so awesome to finally play a game I've been watching videos to for over a year. I'm really liked how the story started off (main character playing a video game, just like me, lol). I really enjoy the classic turn-based battles (but they are quite interesting due to zooming in on attacks with big words across the screen) and traditional world maps. The loading times are amazing that I can't tell I'm playing a PSP RPG. I'm actually really digging the soundtrack, especially the battle theme and victory fanfare. I put the voices on Japanese, since that's what I've been hearing forever in battle. The graphics are definitely amazing for a PSP RPG. I'm getting the feeling this may be my favorite RPG this year (right now, that goes to Ar Tonelico).


played it for around an hour and so far im still thinking this reminds me too much of breath of fire ... monster encounter is sort of high

the first 3 chapters are so short why even break them down into chapters.

[Rei no Otaku]

I'll be picking it up tomorrow. Now if I find time to play it, that's a different story.

[JEKKI]

ahh! too many RPG!!

I cant even play Persona 3 yet... :( too much back log!

[slidecage]

WOW im shocked they have chicken fights in this game. here comes PETA LOL

[TLR]

the first 3 chapters are so short why even break them down into chapters.
My thoughts exactly.

played it for around an hour and so far im still thinking this reminds me too much of breath of fire ...
That a bad thing to you? Personally, I wasn't reminded of BoF at all, but it wouldn't be a bad thing since I liked BoF1, 3 and DQ so much.

[The Mana Knight]

played it for around an hour and so far im still thinking this reminds me too much of breath of fire ... monster encounter is sort of high

the first 3 chapters are so short why even break them down into chapters.Yeah, I couldn't believe how fast Chapter 1 ended, but I think I understand why.

When thinking about it, the battles remind me of Romancing SaGa a little. I wonder if any of the devs who made Brave Story worked on Romancing SaGa.

[aerozero]

I'm playing this game right now and I love it so far, it is much better then I expected. The graphics are nice, dialouge is interesting, and the unity attacks remind me of Suikoden.

[BREVITY]

The game is making me stop playing all my other games I was involved in. DAM I shouldnt have started it.

[slidecage]

My thoughts exactly.


That a bad thing to you? Personally, I wasn't reminded of BoF at all, but it wouldn't be a bad thing since I liked BoF1, 3 and DQ so much.

no its not a bad thing. I used to love BOF, hell i even drove 40 miles to find a use BOF 1 and 2 for the GBA years ago LOL

love to see either

This game is sort of short (around 30 to 40 hours) plan on putting around 2 to 3 hours a night into it.

or gamefly sells it around 25 bucks .

i need an open spot by Aug 14 so i can get that mana ds game shipped


i doubt gamefly sells it anytime soon. I know with tales of the world they took almost 2 weeks before they did a buy it now

[pete5883]

ahh! too many RPG!!

I cant even play Persona 3 yet... :( too much back log!
I'd think the bigger problem is that it isn't out yet.

[TLR]

ahh! too many RPG!!
Yeah, my backlog is simply frightening.

Of the PSP RPGs alone, I've got Bounty Hounds, Generation of Chaos, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Monster Kingdom, Monster Hunter Freedom, The Wand of Wishing, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star IV, PoPoLoCrois, Spectral Souls, Sword of Vermillion left to beat, and haven't even scratched the surface of Valkyrie Profile & MUA

My friends have all officially passed me way up in Jewel Summoner and are bragging about all their cool new evolutions while I'm sitting here with lv12-16 basic monster garbage.

I recently finished Valhalla Knights (dunno what came over me, but I got super addicted and ended up pulling a 12-hour VK binge). Then, in just one short period, Breath of Fire 3, Tales of the World, Riviera, FF1 and Brave Story were added into my backlog when all my shipments and preorders arrived.

The PSP's been the RPGasm I bought it expecting alright(give or take a few mediocre games like Astonishia and Avatar) but now I'm swamped.

It's almost overwhelming now. Think I might take a break from Brave Story, TotW and RPGs altogether and just play some PoP: Revelations, Def Jam, Ghost Rider, Tenchu and MM Powered Up.

[JEKKI]

I'd think the bigger problem is that it isn't out yet.no believe me,

Persona 3 can come out next year for all I care, but the backlog problem would remain!!

[62t]

in the beginning who else laughed at flip the bird

[jer7583]

Not enjoying the furries, or the 11 year old hero, but overall the game is good. The settings and the anime cliches always turn me off to these games. I enjoy the whole setup and the underlying mechanics, but it's always under this veneer of a product made for a 12 year old. That's why I like western RPGs better.

[slidecage]

Yeah, my backlog is simply frightening.

Of the PSP RPGs alone, I've got Bounty Hounds, Generation of Chaos, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Monster Kingdom, Monster Hunter Freedom, The Wand of Wishing, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star IV, PoPoLoCrois, Spectral Souls, Sword of Vermillion left to beat, and haven't even scratched the surface of Valkyrie Profile & MUA

My friends have all officially passed me way up in Jewel Summoner and are bragging about all their cool new evolutions while I'm sitting here with lv12-16 basic monster garbage.

I recently finished Valhalla Knights (dunno what came over me, but I got super addicted and ended up pulling a 12-hour VK binge). Then, in just one short period, Breath of Fire 3, Tales of the World, Riviera, FF1 and Brave Story were added into my backlog when all my shipments and preorders arrived.

The PSP's been the RPGasm I bought it expecting alright(give or take a few mediocre games like Astonishia and Avatar) but now I'm swamped.

It's almost overwhelming now. Think I might take a break from Brave Story, TotW and RPGs altogether and just play some PoP: Revelations, Def Jam, Ghost Rider, Tenchu and MM Powered Up.


yea i got around 10 or so rpg games i need to play that is not even counting the sega collection on the psp (phansty star 2, 3,4 , sword of ver. )

i just stop buying cause by the time im done with 1 game the others might fell in price

is this game rated for nudity ? when you get to that one town (I think in chapter 4) when they say they are taking apps for highlander. you can tell that cat chic isnt wearing any underwere and you can see the bottom of her butt when her tail wags

got to admit this game has NO LOADING TIMES. maybe the rest of the companies can take a hint at this . I ended up putting around 6 hours into it last night and had to stop cause i was falling alsleep

[Draekon]

is this game rated for nudity ? when you get to that one town (I think in chapter 4) when they say they are taking apps for highlander. you can tell that cat chic isnt wearing any underwere and you can see the bottom of her butt when her tail wags

No, lol. I'm past that part and never noticed anything of the sort either, which includes many occasions when I've run into female kitkin.

got to admit this game has NO LOADING TIMES. maybe the rest of the companies can take a hint at this . I ended up putting around 6 hours into it last night and had to stop cause i was falling alsleep

I've had a few "long" white screens but in general, yeah, no loading times.




Man... I suck at Bird Brawling. Need to get better and the difficulty has ramped up in general since the beginning of the game. Though nothing difficult to the point of making me using items except for a mimic that one-shot my healer twice. Plus with the insane BP regain when you deal damage, it's not too bad usually.

[The Mana Knight]

Not enjoying the furries, or the 11 year old hero, but overall the game is good. The settings and the anime cliches always turn me off to these games. I enjoy the whole setup and the underlying mechanics, but it's always under this veneer of a product made for a 12 year old. That's why I like western RPGs better.I absolutely love young heroes in RPGs. I those anime styled ones with spiked up high, and are out to save the world. I wish more genres had characters like that. I can relate better to those characters and it's a little easier for me to become attached to them,

One reason I don't like too western RPGs so much is because of old generic characters that lack personality.

[slidecage]

No, lol. I'm past that part and never noticed anything of the sort either, which includes many occasions when I've run into female kitkin.



I've had a few "long" white screens but in general, yeah, no loading times.




Man... I suck at Bird Brawling. Need to get better and the difficulty has ramped up in general since the beginning of the game. Though nothing difficult to the point of making me using items except for a mimic that one-shot my healer twice. Plus with the insane BP regain when you deal damage, it's not too bad usually.

should go back and check it out : )

also does the game stay this easy or does it get harder as it goes along. right now starting chapter 5 and never lost one battle or got one person killed yet

[Draekon]

should go back and check it out : )

also does the game stay this easy or does it get harder as it goes along. right now starting chapter 5 and never lost one battle or got one person killed yet

Her shorts were probably a similar/same color as her skin seeing as how a lot of female kitkin look similar. Not really worth it where I'm at to go back I think.

Well, the monster difficulty ramps up by taking larger chunks off your health, but it's not a big problem since you regen your BP on damage. If you happen to accidently craze a monster though, it can hurt a hell of a lot. I was fighting two ox-like beasts you've probably seen around towns and I figured I would just use normal attacks and I nearly got one close to no health and then it went Crazed. Not only did the bastard have a about 3 times more health than normal and hit more, he used a skill called Uber Ram/Charge/Whatever that instantly killed Tastuya hitting him for 150 damage (I had around 120 HP max). Was a rather big 'oh shit' moment for me since it's the first I've been insta-killed from full health.

Also if you haven't noticed by now, the different sizes and color of the same enemy in battle does not mean they're the exact same state wise. Bigger sizes will hit for more and other colors may have status inflicting attacks and such.

Oh and be sure to talk to everyone in town. Not only for quests but some characters may learn new attacks and such that could come in useful. One of which is Yuno being able to shoot two arrows for her normal attack instead of just one.


...Got my first rare Bird too. I have 4 Red Birdies with 8/14/7/7 stats. Then I have a White Birdie with 10/16/9/9. Woo woo. As for how I managed to get one, it was totally random seeing as how I did nothing different for the other Red Birdies. I just make sure to try and feed whites and not catch the black birdie in the bird catching grounds.


EDIT: LOL. Just crazed a Mystinaga. Tatsuya died by getting hit for 3/4ths of his health the first turn and the enemy got the first attack second turn and finished him off. Then the next turn he one-hit Yuno. Lovely. :P

[slidecage]

Her shorts were probably a similar/same color as her skin seeing as how a lot of female kitkin look similar. Not really worth it where I'm at to go back I think.

Well, the monster difficulty ramps up by taking larger chunks off your health, but it's not a big problem since you regen your BP on damage. If you happen to accidently craze a monster though, it can hurt a hell of a lot. I was fighting two ox-like beasts you've probably seen around towns and I figured I would just use normal attacks and I nearly got one close to no health and then it went Crazed. Not only did the bastard have a about 3 times more health than normal and hit more, he used a skill called Uber Ram/Charge/Whatever that instantly killed Tastuya hitting him for 150 damage (I had around 120 HP max). Was a rather big 'oh shit' moment for me since it's the first I've been insta-killed from full health.

Also if you haven't noticed by now, the different sizes and color of the same enemy in battle does not mean they're the exact same state wise. Bigger sizes will hit for more and other colors may have status inflicting attacks and such.

Oh and be sure to talk to everyone in town. Not only for quests but some characters may learn new attacks and such that could come in useful. One of which is Yuno being able to shoot two arrows for her normal attack instead of just one.


...Got my first rare Bird too. I have 4 Red Birdies with 8/14/7/7 stats. Then I have a White Birdie with 10/16/9/9. Woo woo. As for how I managed to get one, it was totally random seeing as how I did nothing different for the other Red Birdies. I just make sure to try and feed whites and not catch the black birdie in the bird catching grounds.


EDIT: LOL. Just crazed a Mystinaga. Tatsuya died by getting hit for 3/4ths of his health the first turn and the enemy got the first attack second turn and finished him off. Then the next turn he one-hit Yuno. Lovely. :P

i doubt it was the shorts since you could make up the bumps where the bottom of the butt would be

[blackjaw]

Not enjoying the furries, or the 11 year old hero, but overall the game is good. The settings and the anime cliches always turn me off to these games. I enjoy the whole setup and the underlying mechanics, but it's always under this veneer of a product made for a 12 year old. That's why I like western RPGs better.

I agree. I think the game mechanics are good and the graphics and everything are amazing, but the young characters and cliches are annoying. Not so annoying that it would make me quit, but I do like older main characters as opposed to an 11 year old protagonist.

[slidecage]

i can see that this game is starting to get hard already

start chaper 5 the fake highlanders when you have to go into the banits housse. Hell i been playing over an hour so far and i havent even gotten to the house yet (keep getting killed )

Level 14 and not hitting worth crap for damage now. at least this game keeps me going like dragon warrior on the ps2.

i think after i get though this part i need to start buying healing and mp items that give you power back

[Rei no Otaku]

Having fun with the game, but the text scrolls far too slow even on the fast setting. I'm also against the ridiculously young protaganist. I love JRPGs, but I am getting a bit sick of these same heroes. Especially after playing games like KOTOR and Oblivion.

[slidecage]

anyone beat the game yet. just starting chapter 7 (put 4 hours in the game each night i had it (thur and friday) and unless something happens tonight i probally put another 4 to 6 hours into it.

I was lucky and was able to kill that ANT BOSS ? boss at the end of chapter 6

dude killed my 3rd person at the start of battle and i had no way to bring them back to life so i only had 2 people in this battle

I only had 3 hp left on my last person when the boss went down.

So i think im way under leveled in this game starting chapter 7 with people i think

Level 19 14 15 and that one extra person you picked up at the end of 6 at 18

now that i have exit spell i can mess around in dungeons and not worry about trying to find a save spot

[62t]

looks like amazon is selling the 820 pages Brave Story novel. Alexander O. Smith did the translation so it should be good. The novel is a bestseller in Japan actually came out people the anime/movie/game.

http://www.amazon.com/Brave-Story-Miyuki-Miyabe/dp/1421511967

[Draekon]

anyone beat the game yet. just starting chapter 7 (put 4 hours in the game each night i had it (thur and friday) and unless something happens tonight i probally put another 4 to 6 hours into it.

I was lucky and was able to kill that ANT BOSS ? boss at the end of chapter 6

dude killed my 3rd person at the start of battle and i had no way to bring them back to life so i only had 2 people in this battle

I only had 3 hp left on my last person when the boss went down.

So i think im way under leveled in this game starting chapter 7 with people i think

Level 19 14 15 and that one extra person you picked up at the end of 6 at 18

now that i have exit spell i can mess around in dungeons and not worry about trying to find a save spot

Well I haven't had any trouble with said bosses and I don't remember the levels I completed them at. I've had trouble with a few Crazed enemies since I last posted and got one-hit a few more times with Tatsuya but that shouldn't happen again now that I have some semi-decent accessories but who knows.

Also be sure to turn in your bounties into the highlander office. I didn't do that for some time and was wondering why I couldn't afford enough equipment to equip my main three party members. Then I randomly talked to a Highlander official and wham, 32k from 281 enemies slain, lol.

[slidecage]

Well I haven't had any trouble with said bosses and I don't remember the levels I completed them at. I've had trouble with a few Crazed enemies since I last posted and got one-hit a few more times with Tatsuya but that shouldn't happen again now that I have some semi-decent accessories but who knows.

Let me mention one thing though, you are coming up on a boss not long from where you are (not sure how many bosses/towns till that boss off hand) that drains like 30 BP from your entire party often. It's a real bitch because of that and make sure to try and not waste BP with your healer or you may die if you don't carry many decent healing items. I ended that fight with 0 BP on Tatsuya, Yuno, and 4 on Sorgeth somehow.

Also be sure to turn in your bounties into the highlander office. I didn't do that for some time and was wondering why I couldn't afford enough equipment to equip my main three party members. Then I randomly talked to a Highlander official and wham, 32k from 281 enemies slain, lol.



I think I *may* be in Chapter 8 or 9. They seem to be getting rather long and I'm like level 37/37/37 for my active party with the other inactive party around a couple levels of that. Have only run from around half a dozen fights total and tend to run around most of the dungeons looking for chests on my first run through them but not all are obtainable.

i think my main problem with that ant boss was i was letting my people get down to around 50hp and they ant hit for 55 crirital and killed my 3rd person (so i couldnt do the double bug attack )

personally i dont know to just buy this off gamefly for 18 (after 10 buck credit) or see if i have it beat in 2 weeks

game really needs to go back by aug 15 so i can get the next games in my line up. ONe bad thing about rpgs on psp or ds is if you dont get them the first week they come out they are a major pain in the ass to get off gamefly

[Draekon]

Game Over'd on a boss yesterday that attacks 2 times per turn. Tested a new skill called "Chaaaarge!" the second turn with Sorgeth and while it did a load a damage it killed him instantly too, lol. Then of course after battle Yuno learned resurrection when I went back and made sure not to use the skill. ~_~


Anyways, it seems this game has plenty of innuendo despite the main character being level 11. Kindof surprised to see it in there so blatently. Here's the last bit of the conversation I decided to record, but it's not really storyline related and is a side quest but tagged it as a spoiler anyways:



<Previous conversation interrupting someones hair washing, insulting her, then beating the crap out of her>

<Some missed post-beating party dialogue>

Ropple: Lesson learned: hell hath no fury like a giant rack--uh. I mean a pair of jugs--I mean--
Meladee: Can we go now?
Yuno: Tell them, Tatsuya! The tail is the measure of a lady's worth! Or her whiskers!




Wish I had recorded the full conversation as it was pretty interesting and riddled with innuendo. :P

[slidecage]

Game Over'd on a boss yesterday that attacks 2 times per turn. Tested a new skill called "Chaaaarge!" the second turn with Sorgeth and while it did a load a damage it killed him instantly too, lol. Then of course after battle Yuno learned resurrection when I went back and made sure not to use the skill. ~_~


Anyways, it seems this game has plenty of innuendo despite the main character being level 11. Kindof surprised to see it in there so blatently. Here's the last bit of the conversation I decided to record, but it's not really storyline related and is a side quest but tagged it as a spoiler anyways:







Wish I had recorded the full conversation as it was pretty interesting and riddled with innuendo. :P

just started chapter 8 last night 11 hours in. I must messed up with that ant boss or something cause the next 2 boss fights???

the 2 squids and the giant snail again both in that lake i killed every easy. the squids only did 1 to 4 hp of damage each time they hit for a combo

[Draekon]

Well, they did more damage to me than 1-4. It was more around 1-10 and the occasional 20 I *think*. I'm in Chapter 10 and doing some side quests. May or may not finish the game today since today I'm pretty much full R&R after working on putting up a wall on a house all day yesterday.



Looks like Xseed likes jokes. Had to fight a 'giant enemy crab' and then I turned in the quest we replied "We stabbed its wea-- It's, it's dead, <name>."

[slidecage]

just got everyone killed for the first time chapter 8 when you go into the mine to see why noone is talking , i got attacked and killed by a chest

first time in 14 hours i played this game i lost

man i was looking to get though this fast to get

Luminous Arc
and
Heroes of Mana

off gamefly (game will have to be shipped back by THursday for this to happen)

BUT with the bad reviews i been hearing from both games i might just take my time and just move to 3 at a time from gamefly.

this would also free me up into getting

Jeanne D'Arc
or
Dragoneer's Aria
or
Dungeons & Dragons Tactics

the week of AUG 21

by this time i think i will be so burned out on rpgs .... sadly after this bunch i dont think anything else is coming out for a long time

EST DATES FOR PSP GAMES



Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

Release: 10/31/07

Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness

Release: 11/1/07

DS games

Digimon World Dawn

Release: 9/20/07

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Release: 10/3/07 (EXPECT PUSH BACK TILL DEC)

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
Release: 11/30/07 ( DONT EXPECT TO SEE THIS TILL SUMMER 2008)


So probally i will fall to 1 at a time come sept and jump back to 2 at a time oct


nevermind i found out i skipped a town

Let me mention one thing though, you are coming up on a boss not long from where you are (not sure how many bosses/towns till that boss off hand) that drains like 30 BP from your entire party often. It's a real bitch because of that and make sure to try and not waste BP with your healer or you may die if you don't carry many decent healing items. I ended that fight with 0 BP on Tatsuya, Yuno, and 4 on Sorgeth somehow.


i just beat this guy and pesonally i didnt have any trouble with him,. he really didnt use the Drain move that much and i had tons of bp to kick his ass .

[slidecage]

crap now im really stuck. when you get the dragon and can fly back into the hospital to fight the other travel dude im getting my ass kicked. level 38 so im guessing my level is way too low cause i cant relive my people

[amicus]

i just picked this up. for those of you in canada.

ebgames $49.99 cdn
walmart $38 cdn

[brandonabley]

I really love the PSP as a piece of hardware, but in all honesty, of the 15 or so games I've bought, this is the first one that was really, really awesome. Pirates! is also excellent, but since it's a hugely gimped port of something I had already played, I didn't find it very compelling. It's too bad, because Pirates! is best as a portable.

Anyway

I'm with you guys in that I sunk like 15 hours into Brave Story within the first few days of getting it. I spent a lot of time on the road, to be sure, but I was actually LOOKING FORWARD to those long, boring drives, because this game is just so cool.

It's definitely lame as hell that the principle characters are like 12 years old, especially when Yuno clearly has a fully-developed physique and serves as your standard jRPG furry jailbait or whatever. Also, the wizard guy, who is probably supposed to come off as smart, has just about the worst and most forced lame dialogue I've ever seen in a video game!

Really, though, this is a completely competent jRPG, and would have probably had some accolades even as a PS2 title. It's also the first PSP game I've really been engrossed in without any game-breaking complaints (usually related to terrible controls that plague like every PSP game ever). Definitely not for the crowd that can't stand Dragon Quest clones, but man, this is one awesome handheld title.

[Draekon]

Also, the wizard guy, who is probably supposed to come off as smart, has just about the worst and most forced lame dialogue I've ever seen in a video game!

Ropple becomes much more tolerable later in the game I think. I hated his guts for a while when he first joined but I ended up letting out a light laugh or two towards the end and in some optional stuff. Especially the one where you have to remove a witch from a swamp.

[slidecage]

once you hit level 40 the game is a cake walk.

just use that lizard guy to cast the spell that gives back Hp every turn.

defence with the cat lady every time and use the hero to attack

using this way i easy beat the demon king at the end of chapter 10 in around 3 mins and never had anyone below 75% of normal hp

few cons

game is way too easy once you get past certain levels
game is way too short (doing no sub quest the game can be beat in 17 to 25 hours)

im 18 hours into the game right now and just staring chapter 11 (the final chatper)

chapter 8 and 9 took around 2 1/2 hours each
chapter 10 took only 2 hours

all my people are around level 46

[Draekon]

once you hit level 40 the game is a cake walk.

just use that lizard guy to cast the spell that gives back Hp every turn.

defence with the cat lady every time and use the hero to attack

using this way i easy beat the demon king at the end of chapter 10 in around 3 mins and never had anyone below 75% of normal hp

few cons

game is way too easy once you get past certain levels
game is way too short (doing no sub quest the game can be beat in 17 to 25 hours)

im 18 hours into the game right now and just staring chapter 11 (the final chatper)

chapter 8 and 9 took around 2 1/2 hours each
chapter 10 took only 2 hours

all my people are around level 46


Yeah, the Chapter 10 boss was pretty easy. More so since my hero was water element. Though I was overleveled at the last two bosses in Chapter 11 according to GameFAQs at level 60 (Should normally be done 50-55'ish supposedly). The second to last boss as rather longish compared to the others and because of that I had a couple turns where I could have run into some trouble due to various stat up/down spells cast. Plus it blocks attacks on occasion (which happened waaay to much to me). The last boss was a pain without an AoE healer but I pulled it off by using half a dozen items or so throughout the fight.


I actually peeked into the optional dungeon somewhere between 50 and 55 only to open up the first 'trigger unlocked' chest. Caused a fight where I barely saved my ass thanks to one of the heroes newer moves. Though Yuno had died on me the very first turn so I was healer-less. Regardless I somehow made it through and said 'hell no' to going in any further. I came out with the best bow for Yuno so it's not so bad.



Best armors are final dungeon armors and *some* demon armors. Best weapons are in the optional dungeon and each have a special accessory that accompany it by doing something in the cave of trials but I never went for Yunos.

[Draekon]

I had written this elsewhere for impressions on the game. Figured I'd re-post them here but didn't want to edit it into my last post. It's not exactly a review (and I may do one later), but it should give people who are interested in the game some info if they were unable to get any from reviews:



Anyways, I'm at the final dungeon in it. Played it a little more than I intended (such as while slacking off at work *cough*) and made it this far. I can say the game is anywhere from 20 hours if you're quick and skip side stuff or upwards of 40 if you plan to do everything. There is an optional bonus dungeon and around 100 or so quests you can complete for items and such. Plus there's a mini-game called Birdbrawling that's pretty fun. Although you can just wait until you gain access to the optional dungeon and make the birdbrawls pretty much easy mode by getting access to the secret Bird Catching Grounds.

My impressions are, it's basically a standard turn-based RPG when it comes down to gameplay. You can have up to three characters in your party at any one time with no ability to change them out mid battle. Each character will get bravura skills which are your basic attack skills that are mostly learned via leveling. Then you have team attacks that are called Unity Attacks and involve multiple characters. These are learned via character relationships in battle, which is pretty much just having those specific characters in battle together. Plus on top of that each character gets one special "Brave Soul" which is unique to that character. Most are useful but not all. Also, instead of MP you get BP, which is only regained when sleeping via items, inn, or storyline. The other way is to deal damage with that character which is obviously only doable in battle and thus allows you to use an attack skill that uses BP and have a chance to regain all BP used if you manage to do enough damage. And no, healing and other non-damaging spells/abilities will not regen your BP.

Equipment wise each character is limited to a weapon, armor, and three accessories. Unfortunetly you will not be able to change out your main characters weapon but that doesn't mean it will stay the game through the entire game. He will aquire upgrades which change it visually, among other things. As for accessories, you will aquire many diagrams throughout the game to craft them for yourself. You will not be able to buy any accessories or diagrams, but for the most part they're pretty easy to find via chests in dungeons and the such. The only other way to get them is through quests, which gives many very good accessories you can make but will require some difficult items you need to obtain. Not nessicarily difficult in the sense of 'I'm going to die' always unless you plan to make everything as soon as you possibly can. Which leads into the next section.

Monsters aren't entirely your run of the mill RPG enemies. This game seems to like to spice things up a bit from your generic RPG by doing a few things. One of said things is that in battle you will notice enemies of different sizes and colors. These will determine how high and low its stats are. So larger ones will have a higher strength and such compared to smaller ones. The colors I'm not too sure about but they may determine if the enemy uses specific status inflicting effects on your characters or not. Now the second said thing about enemies is that most can become "crazed" in battle. It is triggered by a specific action such as anything from it getting to low health, you casting a buff on yourself, using speicific skills, etc. What this does is ad in a specific item to the drop table with 100% chance to drop as well as far buff up the enemy than basic enemy sizes. Plus it can give them some new skills to use on your now puny party, in which case can hurt very much if you're not properly equipped and leveled.

Outside of the gameplay, the story is pretty basic. Your friend collapses and the only way to save her is to go into a fantasy world and collect five gems to gain a wish from the goddess. However there is a twist to this but such things I will not speak of for obvious reasons. So it's not entirely a straight of the mill RPG story about saving the world or some such so to speak. Plus through the story you will encounter various guest NPC's who will temporarily replace your party members for various storyline reasons. They will leave the party once the event is over but after you beat the game you are able to create a save and continue to play. This save will allow you to use the guest characters in your party once again if you so desire.

Overall I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys RPG's and owns a PSP. While it's a fairly basic RPG, it's still very fun and enthralling. Though don't let the 11-year-old protagonist turn you off as I can assure you it's not that bad. More so since he's a silent protagonist. This doesn't mean there won't be various older jokes/insults in the game and such as I've encountered a couple but mostly through optional quests. I'm generally not one to do basic side quests and I did quite a few and it's turned me off a little bit by not having finished the game already but it will definitely keep perfectionists occupied. Some are really interesting and/or funny and as thus I recommend you buy and/or rent the game (Pun! Not that you'd know unless you played the game).



Just finished up the game. Ending was decent I think.

Now all I have left is about half my quests which I probably won't do many of and the optional dungeon which I tested out before I started the final dungeon and barely survived opening chests. Overall the difficulty of the game starts out easy and becomes a better moderate difficulty if you don't overlevel. Then there are crazed enemies that heighten the sense of difficulty if you are rather unlucky at finding out triggers. Towards the later end of the game you can choose to use a healer that can spam AoE heal and make the game easier than it should be. If you don't the game is about at the right difficulty in my opinion and the last boss actually forced me to use items since I wasn't using an AoE healer. Can't speak on the bosses in the optional dungeon though and I hear they're quite hard are require grinding in order to be able to beat them (aka level 70+).

OH and I forgot to mention, load times are pretty much non-existant in this game. A major plus for a PSP RPG with the amount of loading in many older RPG games on the PSP. The graphics are also good looking for the PSP in this game, which is another plus I think. Not that it matters that much but it's always nice to have.


Unfortunetly with Persona 3 coming out next week, I think I'll probably skip on doing extra stuff in Brave Story and finish up my Growlanser IV: Wayferer of Time run. Probably about 1/3rd of the way through that currently.

[slidecage]

Yeah, the Chapter 10 boss was pretty easy. More so since my hero was water element. Though I was overleveled at the last two bosses in Chapter 11 according to GameFAQs at level 60 (Should normally be done 50-55'ish supposedly). The second to last boss as rather longish compared to the others and because of that I had a couple turns where I could have run into some trouble due to various stat up/down spells cast. Plus it blocks attacks on occasion (which happened waaay to much to me). The last boss was a pain without an AoE healer but I pulled it off by using half a dozen items or so throughout the fight.



I actually peeked into the optional dungeon somewhere between 50 and 55 only to open up the first 'trigger unlocked' chest. Caused a fight where I barely saved my ass thanks to the heroes skill that stops time for an extra free turn. Though Yuno had died on me the very first turn so I was healer-less. Regardless I somehow made it through and said 'hell no' to going in any further. I came out with the best bow for Yuno so it's not so bad.


Best armors are final dungeon armors and *some* demon armors. Best weapons are in the optional dungeon and each have a special accessory that accompany it by doing something in the cave of trials but I never went for Yunos.
where is the
optional dungeon at

thanks

[Draekon]

where is the
optional dungeon at

thanks

It's on your world map when you pull it up. Should be pretty obvious but it's in the upper right island.

[slidecage]

It's on your world map when you pull it up. Should be pretty obvious but it's in the upper right island.


oooooooo thanks LOL Never thought about going up there.

that crystal place place is sort of nuts. monster encouter is very high. and you got to find the stupid crystal frog and bird.

found the frog easy but cant find the stupid bird LOL then again i only put 25 mins into it and took a break maybe tonight i will be able to find it

[Draekon]

oooooooo thanks LOL Never thought about going up there.

that crystal place place is sort of nuts. monster encouter is very high. and you got to find the stupid crystal frog and bird.

found the frog easy but cant find the stupid bird LOL then again i only put 25 mins into it and took a break maybe tonight i will be able to find it

It's pretty easy. One on each side (East/West) in the center of each side. Also make sure to get every chest as many contain good armor upgrades for characters. Then once you've done that get the bird or frog depending on your side and use exit. Then re-enter to make it go quicker.

[Jesus_S_Preston]

A small question: when you equipt characters with different armor, do they visually change in appearance?

[Draekon]

A small question: when you equipt characters with different armor, do they visually change in appearance?

Yeah but it's not a total overhaul. Like Sorgeth uses spaulders and Yuno wears bracers. Though I don't remember if/how the main hero changes off hand. I never really noticed much with him.

[slidecage]

hell the final boss was easy

i never switched people out so i used

HERO catlady and lizard man

hero just kept hitting with triple hit
cat lady just kept on defence (used major heal if someone got down too much
Lizard dude defence and used that spell that gives back hp every turn

so mostly i just took down the final boss using one person to attack

LEVEL at end 52 51 51

time to beat 21 hours

never did the side dungeon (walked in there and got a few weapons but wasnt worth the time case just kept getting killed)

[brandonabley]

You guys shouldn't talk about bosses and the end of the game and cheap tactics and generally other things that spoil it for the rest of us :(

[slidecage]

You guys shouldn't talk about bosses and the end of the game and cheap tactics and generally other things that spoil it for the rest of us :(

i give one more small hint.

scroll down when your looking at your spells. after you earn so many you have to scroll down to see them. i had 2 or 3 spells i didnt even knew i had cause i didnt scroll down and didnt see them on the first page LOL

[Draekon]

You guys shouldn't talk about bosses and the end of the game and cheap tactics and generally other things that spoil it for the rest of us :(

Sorry, I'll try to be more discreet about it from now on and use more spoiler tags and such. I'll go back and add in a few posts when I get some time a little bit later.

[brandonabley]

SO

I wrote a thorough review on this game at my website. You can get it at:

www.brandonabley.com (http://www.brandonabley.com)

Just in case!

[PrinnyOtaku]

http://www.gamespot.com/psp/rpg/bravestory/show_msgs.php?topic_id=m-1-37558739&pid=932265

I want more people to read and be exposed to the discussion in the above thread. I'm curious what you people think about it and how it's been handled.

No blatant flaming plz. Thanks...

[brandonabley]

Well, in my opinion, I'm with the editor.

When you give a game a score like a 7, a site will usually explain, "Scores of 6-7 are games that we would recommend to hardcore fans of the genre, but not to everyone else." This is exactly what Brave Story is -- if you like Dragon Quest clones, it's a blast, but certainly not any fun if you don't like those games. Even people who like jRPGs, but play a lot of Tales Of or recent Final Fantasy will probably not like Brave Story!

I liked Brave Story a lot, but I'd probably rate it the same way as Gamespot! The dungeons DO suck, and they suck a lot, the encounter rate is WAY too high even for this type of game, and the game follows a strict formula establish sometime in 1990. I would only recommend this game to people like me who *like* old-school games like that. Usually, a 6.5 is the editor trying to tell you exactly that.

[slidecage]

Well, in my opinion, I'm with the editor.

When you give a game a score like a 7, a site will usually explain, "Scores of 6-7 are games that we would recommend to hardcore fans of the genre, but not to everyone else." This is exactly what Brave Story is -- if you like Dragon Quest clones, it's a blast, but certainly not any fun if you don't like those games. Even people who like jRPGs, but play a lot of Tales Of or recent Final Fantasy will probably not like Brave Story!

I liked Brave Story a lot, but I'd probably rate it the same way as Gamespot! The dungeons DO suck, and they suck a lot, the encounter rate is WAY too high even for this type of game, and the game follows a strict formula establish sometime in 1990. I would only recommend this game to people like me who *like* old-school games like that. Usually, a 6.5 is the editor trying to tell you exactly that.


i take games like this anyday over the AWFUL heroes of mana

[TLR]

http://www.gamespot.com/psp/rpg/bravestory/show_msgs.php?topic_id=m-1-37558739&pid=932265

I want more people to read and be exposed to the discussion in the above thread. I'm curious what you people think about it and how it's been handled.

No blatant flaming plz. Thanks...
That actually makes a lot of sense.

When making the transition from gamer reviews to "professional" reviews, people tend to forget how much the basis changes when determining what the score means.

• The gamer's the one who's actually focused on understanding the game's mechanics, means, and judging it by those to determine if the game is good or not
• Whereas the "professional" reviewer's score is good for nothing but estimating it's potential popularity amongst mainstreamers/casual gamers.

Ex:
• Gamers say Brave Story is a 8/10 game - Meaning it's a good game
• Professionals say Brave Story is a 7/10 game - Meaning it's not likely to become very popular

...and, in that sense, he's right; a 6.5 - while having no proper representation whatsoever pertaining to the quality of the actual game, does a good job of reflecting it's reception amongst the mainstream gaming audience.

The "professional reviewers are good for nothing but calculating popularity" thing is the whole reason that I don't pay any attention to "professional" gamer reviews, and instead go straight for the actual gamer reviews.

[brandonabley]

That actually makes a lot of sense.
The "professional reviewers are good for nothing but calculating popularity" thing is the whole reason that I don't pay any attention to "professional" gamer reviews, and instead go straight for the actual gamer reviews.

In my opinion, I believe the major media outlets like IGN and Gamespot are almost always completely fair and balanced in their reviews and that, overall, they rate games fairly. I think people forget that gamers write reviews for websites and that the editor usually volunteers to review a game. They're just as interested in the game as the "normal guy" reading the review.

If a game gets a low score from a major outlet, there's probably a very legitimate reason why you wouldn't unabashedly recommend the game to every gamer you meet. Would you honestly recommend Brave Story to every PSP owner you know? Or would you recommend it strictly to Japanofiles or people that love stale, ancient game design mechanics (like myself, and I assume, you)?

[TLR]

Would you honestly recommend Brave Story to every PSP owner you know? Or would you recommend it strictly to Japanofiles or people that love stale, ancient game design mechanics (like myself, and I assume, you)?
No; and that is my point exactly.

When I said that he was right in giving it a 6.5, I said so because I thought that was moreso a fair analysis of how the mainstream gaming audience would accept it, instead of a score that represents how good the game is;

....representing the exact mean of your argument: "It's a good game, but it's not for everyone."
...and the exact mean of my own argument: "Professionals' analyses are only good for determining mainstream popularity potential"

[PrinnyOtaku]

The 1-10 scale isn't a popularity contest, although that really is what it ends up being anyways.

GameSpot and bigger sites write reviews for the average consumer, not those in the niche.

Whether or not that's the way to go depends on every's own opinion, but the main problem I have with their reviewing games is the lack of diversity.

So (and I mean sooooooo) many RPGs on the PSP are given a 6.5 or something close, but those games are bogged by not only archaic gameplay, but also technical problems.

Are they rating the game, or what it could've been? Why is it that games bogged down with 5+ second loadtimes and other game-breaking problems receive the same score as BS? If they get the same score, does that mean that without the fast loadtimes, etc... BS would've received an even lower score?

These reviews hurt game sales for games. It's not a matter of try it out for yourself or YMMV. Dodson pretty much said flat out that this game is not worth it.
----
You agree with the score and how he came to it. But if you read his review, you can see that he is at fault. He doesn't give a damn for the game, and the review wasn't comprehensive at all.
*******

EDIT: Game Theory Podcast Episode 21 - 8/21

Worth a listen at around minute 33, talks about this kind of thing a bit.