What's with everyone's boner for Skies of Arcadia

m0nkeybl1tz

m0nkeybl1tz

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I was recently looking at a thread about the best PS2 RPG, which got sidetracked into talking about the best RPGs ever. A lot of the stuff I didn't really know about, but one thing really bugged me: a lot of people say the two best are FF7 and Skies of Arcadia. Now, FF7 was one of the best games I've ever played, while SoA was the definition of mediocre. Can anyone here point to the good parts of this game?
 
[quote name='m0nkeybl1tz'] Now, FF7 was one of the best games I've ever played, while SoA was the definition of mediocre.[/QUOTE]

You answered your own question! Now I've not played Skies, but talking RPG shop with an "FF7 is the greatest RPG ever made" person is like trying to explain a sunset to a blind man.
 
[quote name='m0nkeybl1tz']Really? Didn't like FF7? Which RPG's do you feel are good? (This isn't meant to sound taunting, I'm genuinely curious).[/QUOTE]

youre suprised people dont like ff7? thats the most overated game of all time. i liked FF and PSO more than ff7.
 
Just because FF7 was overrated doesn't mean it was bad. I liked FF7, but have had a wide enough RPG experience to know that other games were better. FF7, though, was genre-defining to a certain extent and many people mistake that for being the best.
 
I have to agree with your 'Skies of Arcadia' statement. I would have to say Skies of Arcadia at best was mediocre.
I bought it when it first came out for the GameCube. Because it was the only RPG out at the time. I didn't know about any of the hype around it. I just figured it was Sega porting over another Dreamcast games. And after I finished it and started seeing people talking about it. The only thing that came to my mind was; Are these people talking about the same 'Skies of Arcadia' I played?

'Skies of Arcadia' doesn't even wind up on my top 50 RPGs of all time. It was a mediocre game at best, and not even a game I would recomend for a cheap buy.
 
hm. . . Secret of mana was great fun, very possibly because a friend played the second charceter on the Snes. US FF3(6 for the japanese order, and don't ask me to only call it 6) of course is the best of the Final Fantasys. Personally I think US 2(4 i beleive in Japan order) also beats FF7 a little but thats an old school Snes RPGers take.

Stop with the debates, most fans in most polls over the years decieded that FF3(6) was the best FF game, just like SNES beat genesis. It was a tie but in the end the SNES lasted longer and had more memorable games. I'm a nintendo fan and even I admit certian things. Like no matter how fun n64 is playstation in the end was better all around. But really i don't think i've encountered anyone who thinks 7 is better then 3 (6) who played it back in the day and not many if any who played it after. The music and depth of story hold up pretty well. Unlike some other games.

Skies, the crewmember feature and the little VMU mini game were entertaining andthe fact that the story wasn't cliche anime charecters. Vyse for example wan't a winy fumbling guy inept with woman or any of the other stereotypical anime charecters. The story was interesting and beatable not a 60-80+ hour marathon that can agrevate the perfectionists like me. Interesting story I thought. Those are the reasons that come to mind for skies. Plus when it originally came out it was very good graphically.
 
[quote name='CapAmerica']I have to agree with your 'Skies of Arcadia' statement. I would have to say Skies of Arcadia at best was mediocre.
I bought it when it first came out for the GameCube. Because it was the only RPG out at the time. I didn't know about any of the hype around it. I just figured it was Sega porting over another Dreamcast games. And after I finished it and started seeing people talking about it. The only thing that came to my mind was; Are these people talking about the same 'Skies of Arcadia' I played?

'Skies of Arcadia' doesn't even wind up on my top 50 RPGs of all time. It was a mediocre game at best, and not even a game I would recomend for a cheap buy.[/QUOTE]

Stop using. Periods to. Break up. Your sentences.
 
[quote name='m0nkeybl1tz']Really? Didn't like FF7? Which RPG's do you feel are good? (This isn't meant to sound taunting, I'm genuinely curious).[/QUOTE]

I'm in the "I enjoyed playing it, and still love some of the music, but fanboys have ruined it for me" camp. It's by no means the best RPG ever made. If anything, it's pretty standard with the exception (at the time) of 'revolutionary' presentation. I enjoyed 8 more for its characters, and 9 more for it's presentation, so I wouldn't even go as far as saying that FF7 was the best FF of the PSX era.

My favorite RPGs are... (no particular order)

- FF3/6
- FF2/4
- Kingdom Hearts
- Ogre Battle 64
- Vagrant Story
- Fire Emblem Sacred Stones
- Mario & Luigi SS
 
[quote name='SpottedNigel']Love skies...but Grandia 2 (DC) beats them all[/QUOTE]

QFT. The battle system in Grandia 2 is probably my favorite "turn-based" battle system of all time.
 
[quote name='The VGM']Stop using. Periods to. Break up. Your sentences.[/QUOTE]

Why must you criticise everyone? A few little dots won't kill you.
 
[quote name='m0nkeybl1tz']I was recently looking at a thread about the best PS2 RPG, which got sidetracked into talking about the best RPGs ever. A lot of the stuff I didn't really know about, but one thing really bugged me: a lot of people say the two best are FF7 and Skies of Arcadia. Now, FF7 was one of the best games I've ever played, while SoA was the definition of mediocre. Can anyone here point to the good parts of this game?[/QUOTE]
Skies of Arcadia is one of the best games I've ever played, period. Then again, I didn't think much of FF7. We'll have to agree to disagree.
 
Heh. This is an interesting argument.

I haven't played Skies, but I liked 9 better than 7. I like a lot of the more recent PS2 RPGs more than FF7. In addition, The PS1 Breath of Fires were really good. As is Valkyrie Profile, the Lunars, Vagrant Story, etc.
 
[quote name='Zakman86']but I liked 9 better than 7.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. I don't see what was so great about 7, but I liked 9 a lot more.
 
If we're going to include Final Fantasy Tactics as being in the same genre as these game, then I cast my vote for it being the best ever.

The intricacies and overwhelming customability of each and every character gave it infinite depth. I didn't really understand the storyline (any of the seven times I played through it); the translation was abhorrent. Then again, I didn't really get FF7 either, which to me seemed a bit too long and convoluted.

I agree with the sentiment that FF3 (FF6j) was a better game than FF7, and whoever said that anybody who played both in their respective heydeys tends to side with FF6, you present an interesting notion. I've never heard of that one before, but it sounds about right.

That said, I don't hate FF7, 8, or 9. I've never fully played through SoA either, but from the 10 hours or so I put it, it didn't really seem groundbreaking at all. Entertaining, though.
 
Breath of fire was square co developed or something right. Man that series went down. FF 8 the depth wasn't there for mein the charecters and stuff. Thought it was a little to cliched personally. That's why skies was refreshing. It didn't do that.
 
[quote name='Genocidal']QFT. The battle system in Grandia 2 is probably my favorite "turn-based" battle system of all time.[/QUOTE]

hmmm, FFVI avatars... enjoy the innovative Grandia 2 battles system?

HIDEY HO! :D

Skies of Arcadia was amazing when it came out for DC.

Come on, you're a fucking air pirate!! Ain't nothin else to say 'bout it.
 
Skies of Arcadia's ship battles are what did it for me. The on-foot battles were extremely mediocre, just as much as FF7s were.
 
[quote name='Genocidal']nwaugh has the best avatar on the site, so he must know what he's talking about. Listen to him. ;)[/QUOTE]

I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree; you, sir, have the best avatar on the site.
 
Y'know, this brings me to another thing I've been contemplating regarding how the Final Fantasy series has dropped off for me: graphical quality.

I like the graphics of the earlier games better. Why? Because the low level of detail allows you to imagine yourself more as a part of the game. I'd always name Locke after myself in FF3; seeing as how I'm a blonde, averagely built guy, it fits. I think if the game were of PS2 quality, it would be nearly impossible to imagine myself as being in the game, to the same degree. Others worked pretty well, too; one of the things I loved about the games the most as a kid was the ability to image myself and my friends as being in a fantasy world and saving it.

Any thoughts? That might sound pretty nuts, I guess,.
 
I enjoyed SOA a lot myself. The ship to ship battle broke stuff up nicely. Plus i thought the story was just enough different to make it seem fresh. It not top 5 for me but definetly top 15.
 
Ok, I'll give Skies points for having pirates. In the sky. That's fucking cool. But it jsut didn't do it for me: the story was the same evil leader trying to unleash the ultimate power (granted FF7 had the same story, but there was cloning, and lost memories, and social issues and stuff). FF7 also had the Gold Saucer. Granted the gameplay is kinda "eh," but it definitely kept me hooked. I'm not gonna say it's the best ever (there does seem to be a consensus on FF 3/6), but it was a damn fine game. Also, how's Star Ocean fit into this? I know it's supposed to be good, but I've also heard some mixed reviews...
 
Ah Star ocean. Long. Really long. Longest RPG i've ever played. Great game but voice acting can me 'meh' quite a bit but I thought the story was great. Plus there were multiple endings where he would go off with each charecter. Have yet to beat it for all but i'm pretty sure theres one for the male charecters to which is creepy.

It's really the feel of Skies. And since you didn't play it when it first came out your opinions are probably colored. But the ship to ship battles, getting all the extra crewmen, and the extra features for your island that you could mess with combined with the likable fairly original take on charecter types made this game A+ for me. Plus I thought the discoveries you could do were neat. The journal like entries to let you know what some of the charecters were thinking during certain events in the game was a nice touch. All in all I have to say FF7 is good and this was good. If I had to pick it would be hard. But fanboys killed it a lot for me as well, just like some of the creepy ff8 Yaoi (gay) stuff ruined that game completly for me. All I was thinking about was the overtones, like superfriends after the SNL ambi-gay duo sketch.

Was locke blonde. I was never sure. I thought it was sandy brown or something. Edgar was blond as was Sabin, my favorite charecter.

But really I can't think of any game that had more memorable moments for me then FF3 (6). Of course it is the first RPG I ever beat. And man was that a good feeling when I finally took down Kefka at the top of that boss tower. I still can't beleive they killed Leo.
 
I tried on three seperate occasions to play through skies.. and just got bored every time. Smae thing that happened when I played shenmue. I'm usually pretty patient at letting a game grab me but it just never did. I think it had potential and going by how many others really liked it... maybe you too can one of the few, the proud, the Arcadians.
 
I tried on three seperate occasions to play through skies.. and just got bored every time. Smae thing that happened when I played shenmue. I'm usually pretty patient at letting a game grab me but it just never did. I think it had potential and going by how many others really liked it... maybe you too can one of the few, the proud, the Arcadians.
 
I feel you on Shenmue. I wouldn't say bored though. Just really annoyed with the time flow system.

Boring. Skies of Arcardia. Not for an RPG. I'd say it kept my interest pretty well. In terms of fast paced RPG I thought this was above average. If you thought this was slow theres a long list of great games you would never finish.
 
Try the folling:
(And no, many of these are not for a console- computer RPG's were out well before they were out for the console)

Wasteland
Bards Tale 3
Fallout 1 & 2
Menzoberranzan
Star Trails
PlaneScape Torment
 
[quote name='theq87']Y'know, this brings me to another thing I've been contemplating regarding how the Final Fantasy series has dropped off for me: graphical quality.

I like the graphics of the earlier games better. Why? Because the low level of detail allows you to imagine yourself more as a part of the game. I'd always name Locke after myself in FF3; seeing as how I'm a blonde, averagely built guy, it fits. I think if the game were of PS2 quality, it would be nearly impossible to imagine myself as being in the game, to the same degree. Others worked pretty well, too; one of the things I loved about the games the most as a kid was the ability to image myself and my friends as being in a fantasy world and saving it.

Any thoughts? That might sound pretty nuts, I guess,.[/QUOTE]

that's not nuts at all. One of the most appealing aspects of RPGs are the fact that you can vicariously experience adventure through the main character. That's a big reason why you usually can name the main character.

In truth, RPGs stem from D&D, which is really about nerdy kid wanting to be more than they think they are - the idea of being in the thick of the adventure and controlling the way things pan out, in truth, being the ONLY control to the way things pan out (granted, along a guided course) is an extremely addicting and cathartic experience.

that's why those who love RPGs are total suckers for boring plot lines about saving the world. IT IS TEH AWESOME!
 
[quote name='j.elles']Breath of fire was square co developed or something right. Man that series went down. [/QUOTE]

To clarify, the first BoF on SNES was distributed by Square in the US because they were the bigger name for RPGs in a time when RPGs were really just starting to catch on. Capcom developed all of the games in the BoF series.
 
I wish someone would make more 2-d for RPGs. After playing Chrono Trigger and FF3, I feel like 2-d got cheated before it could really shine. Nippon-Ichi is still pushing it, but they need a good turn based RPG (more than Atelier Iris.) I guess FF7 is responsible for the death of 2-d, in a way, though I still like it, mainly because the begining can't be beat-- blowing up reactors and infiltrating Shinra was a lot of fun. Of course, like most RPGs, it then deviates to the overdone drama...
that said I couldn't get into SoA....
 
Skies of Arcadia wasn't perfect but I do agree that it's one of the best RPGs made. I wouldn't say it's up there with Final Fantasy VII but it is pretty high on the list. What made Skies so good was the enjoyable story, the fun characters, and the neat locations. Later on the game gets very cool too. I never did beat it because my 2nd disc had an error in it and I put it in two different DCs and none of them read it past this boss battle. So now I need to hunt down another copy and try to complete it.
 
I just loved Skies' ship battles, the Suikoden-esque acquiring crewmates, and the importance placed on strategy.

It wasn't so very strategic but with the focus meter (if i remember correctly), and the importance of planning ahead in the leveling up of people, it was just enough.

FF7 has a mediocre story, horrible leveling up system wherein all characters are essentially the same boring template with 1 different move, and boring battle system (given that the ultimate tactic is to summon Knights of the Round have people equipped with w-summon and mimic s.t. enemies are fucked and 27 minutes of your life are gone in one fell swoop).
 
[quote name='jelles']
Was locke blonde. I was never sure. I thought it was sandy brown or something. Edgar was blond as was Sabin, my favorite charecter.

.[/QUOTE]


Yes and no, Locke was blonde. Amano's artwork of him has his hair as being blond(but then again, most of his artwork in general has very light tones to everything), but the in-game sprite has his hair as brown. It's open to interpretation, I think, it depends on whether you think the game is right or the artist was right.
 
I enjoyed Skies more than FF 7 also. I never beat either of them because I got lost in Skies and just lost interest in FF 7. I need to play skies again to see if I can figure out where to go. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 5 years since I got that game.
 
you have to remember Skies of Arcadia is first release on Dreamcast. It is just a lot better than other Square games released around the same time. Now they made some improvements on the gamecube version, but at that point it wasnt as impressive.
 
I'm not going to bother reading the rest of the opinions here, I'll just throw in my own two cents: Skies of Arcadia was one of the most mediocre RPGs I've played in recent memory...it's right up there with Grandia 2.
 
[quote name='Blind the Thief']I'm not going to bother reading the rest of the opinions here, I'll just throw in my own two cents: Skies of Arcadia was one of the most mediocre RPGs I've played in recent memory...it's right up there with Grandia 2.[/QUOTE]

um, why are you joining this thread if you don't want to read what everyone else said?

and why would anyone give a shit about what you say when you blatantly ignore what everyone else said?

just a thought.

Can you give some more info about why you thought SoA and grandia 2 were mediocre?
 
Ok, here's an example of what's wrong with Skies: the Gigas. Forgive me if I get the names slightly wrong, but they were called Blueheim, Yelgar, and Silveros or somesuch nonsense. Granted, FF7 had the Weapons of various jewelery, but at least they weren't pretending to name them.
 
[quote name='Sleepkyng']um, why are you joining this thread if you don't want to read what everyone else said?

and why would anyone give a shit about what you say when you blatantly ignore what everyone else said?

just a thought.

Can you give some more info about why you thought SoA and grandia 2 were mediocre?[/QUOTE]

Heh, sorry, didn't mean to come off as rude. I just saw it start to deteriorate into a discussion about FF7, and decided to skip all that.

It hit me that Skies was mediocre when I had to start travelling aroudn to destroy/collect/protect (it was a long time ago) the colored crystals to save the world. That's when I realized, "Hey, this story is boring, and I don't even care about the characters. Why should I keep going?" Sure, the sky world was a cool setting, but the novelty quickly faded.

Grandia 2 was the same thing...after a certain point, I just saw sterotypes that had been played out many times before in other RPGs, and didn't care for any of the characters. The combat system was cool, though.
 
The way I see it, there are basically two type of RPG players, Pre-FF7 and post-FF7. Prior to FF7 RPG gaming was not really that big a segment of the gaming population, relative to other mainstream areas like platformers or sports games. When FF7 was released it was a marketing blitz of epic proportions and the setting was retooled to a futuristic sci-fi universe. Hundreds of Thousands of gamers who did not even know what exactly an RPG was ran out and picked it up. They were exposed to a gaming style they had never experienced before, and thus a favorable imprint of the genre was placed upon them. As is the case with most new things you like, the first time is usually the most memorable, and most well remembered of the experience. Lots of people automically say "FF7" because it was the game which brought them into the genre.

For instance, even though the battle system is shallow, my favorite RPG of all is the original Super Mario RPG, partly because of the humor involved, and partly because it was my first RPG.

That, and there are just people who inherently hate anything that is popular. PS2 #1, PS2 sucks. Metal Gear Solid is highly praised, MGS sucks. PC's outnumber Macs, PC's suck. People such as these especially hate it when something they like moves from underappreciated or niche into the mainstream.
 
I'll admit to being a post-FF7 RPGer, if only because I didn't get a next-gen system from Genesis until PS2.

However, the first RPG I actually played was Rhapsody. As kiddish as that game is, it was awesome. Then I played FF7 on PC, then FF9. It's all in opinion.
 
For me it was the first RPG I beat. And that was FF 3(6). As for skies you either like it or you don't I think people and myself have listed more then enough reasons to account for it's fairly high popularity. As for FF. Myself and many others don't say it's a bad game. It's just that the charecters seem to get shallower and fewer in # the more the game goes on.

I mean look at FF3. 14 charecters and all but 3 had very deep storys. If you knew how to find them as some of you might not have like Shadows dream seqences and waiting to the last second for him and feeding Cid the fresh fish. Sabin, Edgar, Terra, Celes, Gau, Cyan, Locke, Setzler, Relm, Shadow, Strago, and the small charecters like Mog, Umaro, and Mimic. Then there was the returners leader you controlled briefly and oh I could go on for much longer if I felt like it. But you get the point. Undeniably at least FF depth in charecters has gone down and that disapoints me.
 
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