Shadow Hearts: From The New World $20 at Amazon

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[URL="http://www.amazon.com/XSEED-Games-853466001025-Shadow-Hearts/dp/B000E0VMVM/ref=pd_bbs_10?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1200110125&sr=8-10"]http://www.amazon.com/XSEED-Games-853466001025-Shadow-Hearts/dp/B000E0VMVM/ref=pd_bbs_10?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1200110125&sr=8-10

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Yes, I know the game came out like a year ago, but it's still a good price.

It might be hard to find this at a B&M store, and $20 is a pretty good price for this game.

I liked it, not as good as Covenant, but definitely worth $20. The combat is a bit more fun in this game imo.

Gamerankings Score=79%
 
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[quote name='phear3d']thats the retail for it. GS and GC has it for that price.[/QUOTE]
I've never even seen it at my Gamestop. A nice deal really since the game itself is somewhat rare.
 
I've seen the original Shadow Hearts at two or three of my Gamestops...I think it was $30 or $40 though. I traded for my copy so I never expressed interest on checking if they were complete copies.
 
Shadow Hearts, best series ever. Buy buy buy!

Majority of the staff worked on Lost Odyssey, for those interested

Buy that too!
 
[quote name='nnthomas']Majority of the staff worked on Lost Odyssey, for those interested[/quote]

Huh, no kidding? I wiped that game completely out of my memory after watching the debut trailer, but with that in mind I might have to investigate.
 
[quote name='nnthomas']Shadow Hearts, best series ever. Buy buy buy!

Majority of the staff worked on Lost Odyssey, for those interested

Buy that too![/QUOTE]

Well, my interested in Lost Odyssey just skyrocketed... SH is easily my most favorite RPG series of last gen.
 
[quote name='SleepyBum']Saw this for $19.99 @ Fry's today. Any easy way to get the previous two?[/quote]
The previous two games are uncommon, not necessarily rare, so keep your eyes open at Gamestop, or you can check ebay for a decent price.
 
The first one's a little hard to find, but it's no Shin Megami Tensei. I'd say the max you'd have to pay for a copy is $40. I think I got mine for $30. Covenant's easier to find, I've seen it a lot for $20. And this one's easy to find for under $20 - just won an auction for it on eBay for $18.49 shipped. And that's new, still in the plastic.
 
What's it like? The setting sounds interesting, but I'm turned off by the apparently timing based battle mechanic. Hate that (accept in Mario & Luigi, I guess).

Only thing worse than 3 billion random battles is 3 billion random battles that require you to hit buttons at the right time :whistle2:(

Oh, and is it too hard, and how's the story?
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']What's it like? The setting sounds interesting, but I'm turned off by the apparently timing based battle mechanic. Hate that (accept in Mario & Luigi, I guess).

Only thing worse than 3 billion random battles is 3 billion random battles that require you to hit buttons at the right time :whistle2:(

Oh, and is it too hard, and how's the story?[/quote]
The timing based system actually adds a whole new dimension to the game. You have a ring, with usually 1-5 zones on it, and at the end of every zone, a red strike zone you can try to hit for extra damage. If you hit, say 3 zones, but miss the fourth one, you only get two attacks. It also allows you to equip items that affect the judgement ring, and there are also ring status effects.

As for the setting and story,
]I'll just say that you help break Al Capone out of prison.
 
All the Shadow Hearts games are linked, but Shadow Hearts 3 is its own game - with maybe one or two random connections. I wouldn't be concerned with continuity with this game. Buy buy buy! Shadow Hearts!
 
I just finished this game. I was pretty excited about it, having played the other two in the series, but I wound up being a little bit dissapointed. The first Shadow Hearts game is flawed (terrible graphics, uneven pacing, a few unintentionally hilarious voice actors) but still fun because of its quirks and charm. The second, Shadow Hearts Covenant, is a minor masterpiece, vastly improved over the first game: great story, graphics, characters, everything. So the third one being just ok was sort of a dissapointment. I was actually really itching to just be done with it after about 30 hours, and annoyed when it basically forced me to finish every side quest in order to level up enough to finish the final boss. Its not a bad game, but the story is an afterthought, and the characters are just not as interesting or developed as the previous games. Its fun that its set in 1920's America (viewed through a very skewed and absurd Japanese lens) but they could have done more with the setting, and the humour is less sharp than in the previous games. Its worth playing, but if you're only going to play one Shadow Hearts game, play Covenant instead, even if you have to pay twice as much.
 
[quote name='Sarre']I just finished this game. I was pretty excited about it, having played the other two in the series, but I wound up being a little bit dissapointed. The first Shadow Hearts game is flawed (terrible graphics, uneven pacing, a few unintentionally hilarious voice actors) but still fun because of its quirks and charm. The second, Shadow Hearts Covenant, is a minor masterpiece, vastly improved over the first game: great story, graphics, characters, everything. So the third one being just ok was sort of a dissapointment. I was actually really itching to just be done with it after about 30 hours, and annoyed when it basically forced me to finish every side quest in order to level up enough to finish the final boss. Its not a bad game, but the story is an afterthought, and the characters are just not as interesting or developed as the previous games. Its fun that its set in 1920's America (viewed through a very skewed and absurd Japanese lens) but they could have done more with the setting, and the humour is less sharp than in the previous games. Its worth playing, but if you're only going to play one Shadow Hearts game, play Covenant instead, even if you have to pay twice as much.[/QUOTE]
Spot on. Sadly, From the New World is one of the biggest disappointments I've ever played. The game is nowhere near as good as its prequels.
 
I thought it was good. Covenant was better, but the problem with Covenant is the sleep-inducing lack of difficulty. SH3 fixed that a little.
 
It's good game & it re-reprinted. Possible you'll find this game at local BB check lane for $10! Still don't want to spend $20 for over 2 years old game.
 
how closely tied is SH1 to SH2? i can still find the second one but i'd like to play the first one if the stories are closely tied together.
 
[quote name='phear3d']thats the retail for it. GS and GC has it for that price.[/QUOTE]
In the fairly unlikely event that they have it.

Anyways, nice price (or rather, nice that it's in stock), but I don't regret paying $40 on release one bit (seeing as how pre-ordering it got me a free, sealed copy of SH1). I only paid $60 to get the entire series, all new and sealed at retail. One of best deal accomplishments.
 
[quote name='Sarre']I just finished this game. I was pretty excited about it, having played the other two in the series, but I wound up being a little bit dissapointed. The first Shadow Hearts game is flawed (terrible graphics, uneven pacing, a few unintentionally hilarious voice actors) but still fun because of its quirks and charm. The second, Shadow Hearts Covenant, is a minor masterpiece, vastly improved over the first game: great story, graphics, characters, everything. So the third one being just ok was sort of a dissapointment. I was actually really itching to just be done with it after about 30 hours, and annoyed when it basically forced me to finish every side quest in order to level up enough to finish the final boss. Its not a bad game, but the story is an afterthought, and the characters are just not as interesting or developed as the previous games. Its fun that its set in 1920's America (viewed through a very skewed and absurd Japanese lens) but they could have done more with the setting, and the humour is less sharp than in the previous games. Its worth playing, but if you're only going to play one Shadow Hearts game, play Covenant instead, even if you have to pay twice as much.[/quote]

You should keep in mind that the first Shadow Hearts came out in 2001, graphics weren't too terribly amazing at the time, especially on a budget that doesn't belong to SquareEnix. ;)
 
[quote name='LiK']how closely tied is SH1 to SH2? i can still find the second one but i'd like to play the first one if the stories are closely tied together.[/QUOTE]

They're very closely connected. Covenant takes place a few months after the original and has several returning characters, including the hero. There are many other references to the original game too. If you really want to start at the beginning, play Koudelka (PS1) first. It takes place a few years before Shadow Hearts. Although, by todays standards, Koudelka is a bit of a chore to play.
 
[quote name='Jack']They're very closely connected. Covenant takes place a few months after the original and has several returning characters, including the hero. There are many other references to the original game too. If you really want to start at the beginning, play Koudelka (PS1) first. It takes place a few years before Shadow Hearts. Although, by todays standards, Koudelka is a bit of a chore to play.[/QUOTE]

Not to mention that SH2 has a great plot twist at the very end that you'll only fully appreciate if you've played SH1, IMO...
 
Yeah, unfortunately you can't fully appreciate SH2 without SH1. The ending and Yuri's relationship with Alice loses a lot of its impact. Not to mention there's a lot of plot points that go back to the first game.
 
ah, thanks for the info guys. guess i'll hunt down for a mint copy of SH1 cuz that one is pretty hard to find.
 
[quote name='e-PReDATOR']You should keep in mind that the first Shadow Hearts came out in 2001, graphics weren't too terribly amazing at the time, especially on a budget that doesn't belong to SquareEnix. ;)[/quote]

Yup - I bought it back in 2001 the day it came out tho - the graphics were poor even for its time, it looks just a tiny step up from a PS1 game - its pretty clear it started out as a PS1 game and just got an extra coat of paint. The visual design is very good tho, just not very well realized on the system. Its still fun, and blessedly short too, only about 25 hours.

The graphics aren't really an issue now tho - almost everyhting from the PS2 era suffers in comparison to games in HD - SH1 is just slightly more fuzzy. Its still worth playing, but its kind of like a really ugly smelly old dog that you love anyway :) I haven't tried SH1 on the PS3, maybe the upscaling will improve it?

I think you'll want to play SH1 before SH2 - SH2 is really about grief and recovering from loss - you need the set-up from 1 to appreciate what's going on with the characters in 2. And its so rare that RPGs get direct sequels, you may as well take advantage of this one. SH1 is short too, so its not that big a commitment. But if you can ONLY play one SH game, make it 2, even if you haven't played 1.

SH3 is totally seperate - there are some very minor character cameos from 1 and 2 but you won't be missing anything if you haven't played the first two games. Except for what makes them really fun...
 
[quote name='nnthomas']Majority of the staff worked on Lost Odyssey, for those interested[/quote]

am curious as to the basis for this statement
 
I feel pretty stupid for selling my brother's copy of Shadow Hearts now...I don't think I even realized it was an RPG.

Shadow Hearts 2's apparent "sleep inducing lack of difficulty" sounds like a SELLING POINT to me :D

I *HATE* hard games and consider it a flaw with a game if I'm ever seriously stuck or die for no good reason or whatever.
 
[quote name='buckythekat']am curious as to the basis for this statement[/QUOTE]
"Mistwalker is developing the title, with cooperation with a studio named Feel Plus, a subsidiary of Microsoft created specifically to aid Mistwalker. Feel Plus is made up of around 40 former Nautilus/Sacnoth developers, most famous for the cult favorite Shadow Hearts RPG series. (Sacnoth was officially announced as being dissolved in 2007.) [1] Former Square employees at Microsoft are also involved."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Odyssey
 
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