Diving into the Ys series for the first time. Advice?

ckonze

ckonze

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I've decided to stop resisting and jump on into the Ys series. I understand that this series is not well represented in the U.S. (where I live). I've tried to read as much as I could about this series, but there is surprisingly little information around. I do not own any of the really obscure consoles that this series seems best represented on (NEC, SMS, etc.), nor do I own an SNES anymore so Ys III is out, but I do have all of the current gen systems. I have purchased both Ys Seven and Ys: Oath in Felghana for my PSP. They are both currently being shipped to my house. Am I correct in my understanding that The Ark of Napishtim is better owned on the PS2 as opposed to the PSP? Also with Ys I & II Chronicles coming out for the PSP early next year (which I do plan on picking up), is there any need to play Book I & II on the Virtual Console? What about the DS release? Are Book I & II just a compilation of Ancient Ys Vanished and Vanished - The Final Chapter? Am I missing any other Y's games that have been released in the states (I know there are a bunch of JP Ys titles that never crossed the Pacific)? Obviously, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with the series at this point. Any clarification would be much appreciated. Thanks!
 
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Well Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a remake of Ys III. Beyond that I got no advice for you.

I'm waiting for Ys Seven in the mail, and I had Ys III on my SNES. Trying to pick up Oath and Ark, then going to get I and II on PSP myself. So in the same boat.

Edit: If you are looking for Ark on PS2, check Gamestop used or shop around to find a price $20 or lower. It goes pretty expensive new ($68 on Amazon)
 
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Not a direhard fan of the series myself, but here's my take.

Ys Book I&II. That's your Ancient Ys Vanished and The Final Chapter, or whatever it's called. I haven't played the PSP version (it's not out yet, duh), but I have heard good things about the Japanese PC version that it's based on. The Virtual Console release is worthwhile. I played it myself. Personally, I'd rather buy an old TurboGrafx CD copy of the game and play it on my PC with an emulator.

*Interlude time!* I think Ys I (not II) came out in America on the SEGA Master System. I've never played it, but you can probably skip it.

Ys III. I haven't played the SNES, Genesis, or TurboGrafx CD versions, but the Oath in Felghana remake kicks so much ass that you will wish that it never ends. The PSP version is based on the Japanese PC version.

Ys IV. It never came out in America officially. It got a TurboGrafx CD release in Japan, but that version isn't considered canon. The SNES version is considered canon, and a fan translation was done. I haven't played it myself.

Ys V. I don't know what this came out on, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't gotten a fan translation yet.

Ys VI. This is the Ark of Napathism or however you spell it. I haven't played this yet myself, but I really want the US PS2 release. I heard it's good. The PSP version suffers from problems. It has the most problems with the PSP1000 because of less caching memory. The PSP2000 and 3000 run it a bit better, but you're still better off with the PS2 version.

Ys Seven. They dropped the Roman numerals. I dunno. This is PSP exclusive. It is built for the ground up for the PSP. I haven't yet played this game for myself, but I do have it. I'll probably get the PS2 Ark of whatever game and play that first.

Other Japanese exclusive games include Ys Origin and a number of other remakes, including an earlier remake of Ys III that blows chunks compared to Oath in Felghana. Seriously. If you only play one Ys game, make it Oath in Felghana. It rules.
 
Play the TurboGrafx version of Ys I&II. The soundtrack is awesome, and the game was so addicting, it's still one of my favorites to this day
 
plays Ys I + II on virtua console, which is the TG16 version. the game is freakin amazing and also essential if u wanna play an Ys game.

then play Oath in Felghana becoz it's freakin awesome.

then play Ys I + II again when it comes out on PSP coz you will love the virtua console version so much you'll wanna play it again.

I played Ys 7, it's definitely a real fun game but imo loses a lot of Ys spirit.

i.e. instead of being this badass & silent one man army you get tagged along with a bunch of annoying sonic the hedgehog friends who talk for you instead of talk to you.
 
Alright. Oath in Felghana arrived in the mail today. I had to open that up and check out all the neat goodies it came with. Popped the game in an watched the opening, but have resisted the urge to jump in before playing I and II. Downloading Book I & II on the VC now. Will play those first. Has anybody played the original release of III and fan translations of IV and V? I'm considering downloading the required emulators and fan translated roms in order to play through this series the way it's intended. Also, does anybody have an opinion on the Atlus remake of Book I & II on the DS? I'm getting conflicting reports. Some say if you love the original, you'll appreciate it. Others say avoid it like the plague.
 
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I have played only the YS remakes on the DS (I and II) and the US PS2 version which I own. The PS2 version is excellent and worth playing while the DS versions were pretty horrible in that they were poorly detailed, poorly translated heaps of confusion. Neither of them were interesting or fun to play in my experience.

So, tl;dr yes definitely play the PS2 version of YS (Ark of Napishtim), but I'd skip the DS remakes and just play the originals I guess.
 
If you've played Ys I + II then of course you will appreciate the DS version becoz it's basically yet another version of a fantastic game, albeit a very terrible version of it so I hear.

I + II, the PC version of Felghana, and 7 are the only games I played btw so I cant offer advice on any of the other games, but I do own Napishtm for PS2 so hopefully I will play it one day.

and of course Im sure you've seen this but if not; http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ys/ys.htm

that page is pretty much some of the best info u can find on the series

EDIT:

btw, I will say that I am interested in checking out Ys IV, coz apparently it's the only other game other than I+II that actually takes place in the land of Ys.

all the other Ys games are about Adol going to other places and just so happening to be at the right place at the right time.
 
I've only beaten a couple Ys games. Like you I got into the series just recently. But with only a few titles to reach the states and more remakes than I can count it's difficult to know where to start. I started with Ys book I & II for the TG-16 Virtual Console. It was simple but refreshing and quite addicting. The music is fantastic. It's amazing considering this came out in 1990. I'm not sure how the PSP remake is but you can't go wrong with the original. I remember a few parts where I was a bit lost with little direction as to what to do. I guess I'm not as patient as I used to be when it comes to games so I resorted to gamefaqs more than a few times.

Next I jumped far ahead in the series and played Ark of Napishtim. Solid game, no complaints. I remember getting lost and frustrated in the cave dungeon. I'm surprised I was so quick to pass this up back when it came out several years ago. Must've been overshadowed by other games.

I got a few hours into Ys III for the SNES but I'm thinking about dropping my progress in favor of playing the PSP remake.

I love Hardcore Gaming 101. Awesome site. Their article on the SMT series is good stuff.
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']Not a direhard fan of the series myself, but here's my take.

Ys Book I&II. That's your Ancient Ys Vanished and The Final Chapter, or whatever it's called. I haven't played the PSP version (it's not out yet, duh), but I have heard good things about the Japanese PC version that it's based on. The Virtual Console release is worthwhile. I played it myself. Personally, I'd rather buy an old TurboGrafx CD copy of the game and play it on my PC with an emulator.

*Interlude time!* I think Ys I (not II) came out in America on the SEGA Master System. I've never played it, but you can probably skip it.

Ys III. I haven't played the SNES, Genesis, or TurboGrafx CD versions, but the Oath in Felghana remake kicks so much ass that you will wish that it never ends. The PSP version is based on the Japanese PC version.

Ys IV. It never came out in America officially. It got a TurboGrafx CD release in Japan, but that version isn't considered canon. The SNES version is considered canon, and a fan translation was done. I haven't played it myself.

Ys V. I don't know what this came out on, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't gotten a fan translation yet.

Ys VI. This is the Ark of Napathism or however you spell it. I haven't played this yet myself, but I really want the US PS2 release. I heard it's good. The PSP version suffers from problems. It has the most problems with the PSP1000 because of less caching memory. The PSP2000 and 3000 run it a bit better, but you're still better off with the PS2 version.

Ys Seven. They dropped the Roman numerals. I dunno. This is PSP exclusive. It is built for the ground up for the PSP. I haven't yet played this game for myself, but I do have it. I'll probably get the PS2 Ark of whatever game and play that first.

Other Japanese exclusive games include Ys Origin and a number of other remakes, including an earlier remake of Ys III that blows chunks compared to Oath in Felghana. Seriously. If you only play one Ys game, make it Oath in Felghana. It rules.[/QUOTE]

neat i was wondering how many ys i had

got Ys 1 and 2 on the DS picked up ys 3 on the psp limited ed... and got 6 and 7

now only if they would put out 4 and 5 on a handheld ...

Part 6 does have major bugs in it... i remember playing it a few years back.. got poisoned and there was no way to cure the poison.. even called up the makers and they said the game had major bugs in it
 
Thanks for everyone's responses. I am playing through Book I & II right now on the Virtual Console. Just recovered the first book. Loving it so far. Takes me back to my youth. I have downloaded/installed a TurboGrafx-CD emulator with Ys III and translated Ys IV (I know it isn't canon, but I've read that many consider it superior) as well as an SNES emulator w/ translated Ys IV (canon). Unfortunately, I don't think there is an English translation of Ys V, but I am still looking. I will play through the games in this order (based on release dates):
Ys Book I & II (VC)
Ys III: Wanderers From Ys (TCD)
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys
Ys V: Kefin, The Lost City of Sand (assuming I can find a translation)
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PS2)
Legacy of Ys: Books I & II
Ys Seven
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Ys I & II Chronicles

I've got my work cut out for me, but it should be fun.

Edit: Found some information regarding an ongoing fan translation project of Ys V. There's also some developments regarding a possible translation of Ys Origin. I'm hesitant to post links as it would probably be breaking a forum rule. There's also a game called Ys Strategy which was released in Europe so there's probably an English language rom floating around.

Edit 2: Just completed Ys I. Now on Ys II.
 
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Storyline wise does it matter the order to play in? Are any actual direct sequels of the others where they reference earlier installments?
 
^ I can't speak for every Ys game but from what I've played each story is pretty much self contained. There are a few returning characters but nothing that leaves you lost in the story.
 
[quote name='Hell Monkey']Storyline wise does it matter the order to play in? Are any actual direct sequels of the others where they reference earlier installments?[/QUOTE]chronology wise, I believe the games are supposed to be in order with the exception of III and IV, switch those two around.

but yah, each game is a separate story as it's jus Adol going to a new land and having an adventure.

the story isnt by any means deep or meaningful so u wont ever get any character development, however Ys 7 has a returning character from the previous game who's like "sup Adol, it's me, we got beef or something I guess..."
 
LOL ok thanks.

Ys: Ark just came in the mail yesterday. I'm still waiting for Ys 7 to show up from a lowball last month. Will try to grab Oath this paycheck I'm guessing.
 
I beat Book I & II on VC last night. Darm has got to be one of the toughest bosses I've ever fought in an RPG before. Moved onto Oath in Felghana. Mother of mercy this game is awesome! I can't put it down!
 
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[quote name='ckonze']I beat Book I & II on VC last night. Darm has got to be one of the toughest bosses I've ever fought in an RPG before. Moved onto Oath in Felghana. Mother of mercy this game is awesome! I can't put it down![/QUOTE]

I know! It rules!
 
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