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Welcome to another edition of the
mailbag! I had planned on talking more about Tales of
Hearts R here but that's all been covered on the
forums. This week we talk about Final Fantasy
(with more on that subject in the coming weeks). I also
respond to the brave soul who took my extra copy of Unlimited
Saga and gave it a try. The results are surprising!
Let's get right to it...
- Michael
"Wheels" Apps
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This Edition's Contents:
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Grand Space Emperor of Content
Mr. Cartwheels, I presume! The last time I sent you a
letter, it was consumed with hatred for Idea Factory and
didn't get into much else. So how about I broaden the
palette this time?
Like starting with one of your favorites! Put James
Cagney into an RPG!
Wheels' Comment
Yay!
Wait, not yay! Curse your vast knowledge of
legendary Hollywood stars. How about an RPG
loosely based on the Roaring Twenties where
you play as James Cagney's character, Eddie
Bartlett and have to navigate the bootlegging
business. That could be interesting!
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Now, this opened-mind Final Fantasy thingy you're
MC-ing does prompt thoughts in me. I'm not about to go
back and replay anything right now when I'm finding games
that are brand new to me suck up plenty of time as it is,
but I can mention what the many titles in the series I've
experienced caused me to think on a first playing.
The original title. I played its GBA incarnation, and
had fun without remembering much, except that it was a great
thing to play in the line of a student dining hall at
night. That's an original GBA mind you, so obviously
seeing everything on the screen wasn't necessary. If I
was to play it again, I'd have to try the PS1
incarnation. Unless you think digging up a working NES
cartridge is a smart move. Actually, even if you do,
I'm not doing it. Sorry.
Wait, I might have had an SP by that point. Dammit,
can't remember.
Wheels' Comment
That's OK, with or
without a glorious back-lit screen the original
game on GBA is a fun time sink, and there's many
challenging ways to replay it by using oddball
parties. I'd highly recommend against replaying
the original NES version. The combat was about
ten times slower, and really hasn't aged well.
The various updates do a much better job of
this, though I'd love a version with faster
combat that retains the sprites from the
original. Final Fantasy I is a good
classic time. Of course I'd never recommend it
over any of the newer titles.
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Final Fantasy II! I'll say that being stuck on
a plane going across the Atlantic was a great stimulus for
me to just smack my people over & over. That's my
memory of the game, though I did finish it and saw that the
bonus content (this is GBA, incidentally) forced me to use
all those fourth characters who kept dying as the thing went
on. I said 'nuts to you!' and was done after I killed
the emperor. I think he was the final boss, really
don't remember. His castle's musical theme was cool.
Wheels' Comment
Final Fantasy
II is an odd game, but one I'm very glad
Square experimented with as it resulted in the SaGa
series. I don't think I played the bonus content
but I do believe the emperor was the last boss.
I'm not sure why this and Final Fantasy IV
on the GBA were so intent on ruining the
dramatic moments of losing party members by just
giving you access to all of them as if nothing
ever happened. Oh well, not that big of a deal
since it is a nice bonus for longtime fans.
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Final Fantasy III. I did
the DS version, and I remember being intrigued but not
exactly falling in love with the thing. Final
Fantasy V did it better, and I will not recant that
statement for anything. III was interesting to
experience once, I see no need to do so again, especially
when it would mean going through the final dungeon gauntlet
again.
Wheels' Comment
Final
Fantasy III seems to be another
experimental game just like II. It
doesn't quite get the job system right, since
ultimately not all of them are very useful, and
the game too often forces you to use certain
ones. Not bad for a game from the NES era
though. I'd say it's a shame that we never got
the original, but the DS version is a fantastic
remake. It would be nice just for historical
purposes if we had access to the original
version in legit English, of course.
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Final Fantasy IV. Wait, I played it on SNES, on
GBA, and on DS. What else is there, the PS1's load
time-plagued port or the PSP's prettier version? Um...
dates back to the time when I would replay things willy
nilly unless I hated their guts the first time. I have
nothing fresh to say on the thing ready to go.
Sorry. Is The After Years anything worth
experiencing?
Wheels' Comment
IV is a
classic and we'll just leave it at that, though
I am curious about your opinion of the DS
version since it is a bit different. The
After Years isn't great or anything, but a
good time if you're a fan of the original. Makes
a nice addition to the already gorgeous PSP
version. I'd recommend that over the original
Wii version, which required you to download all
the chapters as separate dlc. Plus, if it hasn't
been said enough, the PSP version has nice
graphics.
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Final Fantasy V. Sunk something like 70 hours
into the GBA version. This game rocks. Job
system is awesome. If it gets remade I'll certainly
play it again. Plot ain't much, but who cares?
Wheels' Comment
Yeah the plot of V
is awful but the battle system is so good it's
hard to really care much at all. Besides, it
never takes itself too seriously so it manages
some funny moments. Odd that an anime was made
as a sequel to this game considering the
lackluster plot. Anyway, nothing much to add,
I'd love a remake with some extra jobs. Seems
overdue don't you think?
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Final Fantasy VI. I've got nothing worthy of
this ready to say, nor do I really need to. It's good
enough that pretty much anyone who gives it a shot will come
away saying that it deserves all the accolades it's gotten
over the years. Oddly, even in these times of rampant
sequels, Square Enix hasn't touched it. Good
thing? Couldn't say, but the game doesn't need any
updating to be worthy.
Final Fantasy VII. This thing. Sure I
COULD play it again. I don't really want to though -
all the hours I put in the first time (about one of which
came from Sephiroth being a jerk with his attack animations
that lasted forever) were enough. Not a fan of
slimming the combat lineup down to 3. For a 17-year
old game now, its translation is horrible. Never
touched its sequels either, though I think you said Dirge
of Cerberus wasn't as bad as its reputation.
Wheels' Comment
Well sure, Dirge
of Cerberus didn't have an overly bad
reputation, though it still isn't a great
shooter. Still, as an RPG-ish shooter it can be
fun at times. I won't say Final Fantasy VII
is in need of a full remake, but looking at the
nice updated ports some of the older titles have
received, I could certainly see that happening
for the game. Just something to get rid of those
blocky hands and that translation, you know what
I mean? The game still offers a very good time
despite my many issues with it.
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Final Fantasy VIII. No. I got through it
once. An extensive remake would have to improve on
everything I hated the first time, which was a lot. I
only played it about 4 years ago so my mental state hasn't
changed sufficiently to make me suddenly tolerate what
angered me so intensely the first time. Want me to
play it again? Here, I'm holding out my palm.
Without monetary compensation it isn't gonna happen.
-JuMeSyn
(TO BE CONTINUED...)
Wheels' Comment
I can't really
blame you. My own replay required the purchase
of a guide so I could be assured of getting
through the thing (I wanted to finish all the
main Final Fantasy games I hadn't yet
completed before XIII came out).
An odd thing happened, in that I actually
learned to appreciate and like the thing. I
can't recommend it or even describe why I
enjoyed it, but I did. It's an odd game, even
odder than SaGa in some ways. Would love
to read a documentary about the making of VIII.
Anyway I'm splitting your letter between two
weeks, so look for the rest next week!
There better not be a connection challenge in
the second half...
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The Unlimited Sagas
For many years, I’ve been hearing how notoriously bad Unlimited
Saga is. Gamers mentioned how flawed, unintuitive, and
confusing the whole gameplay is. Nonetheless, I did want to
give it a shot myself to see myself what all the fuss is
about. I decided to wait until it became very cheap or
getting a free copy. It was probably in bargain bin prices
for a while, but still never felt that itch or mood in
making an impulsive purchase for a poorly received game.
When RPGamer’s mailbag host offered a free copy on twitter,
I impulsively jumped in on the opportunity. All this time,
I'd never really seen any of the footage or know about the
gameplay details for some reason. I was going in blind, not
really knowing what’s in store for me. I heard it was very
bad, but never felt compelled to actually look into why it
is so bad. If the game is as bad as people say, then it’s
simply another game to add to my collection.
Wheels' Comment
I've found it's
always important to do a little digging whenever
you see the general gaming population hating on
a game endlessly. Sometimes that can be the sign
of an under appreciated gem that just doesn't
jive with the expectations of your average
gamer. Of course it can just as often be a
complete and utter turd, but it is worth
investigating. Otherwise I never would have
tried Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter or
Resonance of Fate.
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When I finally did start it up during a weekend, it is… erm…
quite something to say the least. I was highly suggested to
check out the tutorial videos on the gameplay mechanics
before starting. I only watched three of the eight videos,
and then went on to play to get a feel for some of the
learnt mechanics before delving further. I was very glad I
watched some of the tutorials; otherwise I would’ve been
completely lost. The game does nothing at all to teach you
any of the mechanics. The instruction booklet covers some
things, but only some of the basic parts. I chose Laura as
my hero since her scenario is considered to be one of the
easier ones.
Wheels' Comment
Possibly the
number one issue with Unlimited Saga:
the game does very little to teach you how to
play it. Now it's important to note that this is
a very different ambiguity than that of say Dark
Souls. Dark Souls presents the
player with everything they need to learn
everything about the game, just doesn't outright
explain things. Unlimited Saga does no
such thing, and for some mechanics like learning
magic, it's largely so obtuse that it's nearly
impossible for the player to figure out. Easily
the game's biggest flaw in addition to some
weird control issues, like requiring the use of
the R3 button (in a game that is menu-based).
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There are lots of little things that are off or needlessly
complicated, but I’ll try to keep it simple. Main problem is
a lot of the mechanics are convoluted that require you to go
through several menus whereas it would be an extremely
simple task in other RPGs. Actions such as opening up a
treasure chest require repeatedly go through several menus
to take several actions whereas most other RPGs, all you do
is press a button and viola, you get an item. If I want to
initiate a battle with a monster I encountered, I need to go
through several menus to start fighting. I also needed
to wrap my around some of the game’s terminology such as HP
acting as sort of an armor whereas the LP stat is the “HP”
stat as we know it.
Wheels' Comment
Yeah, it's fine
for a game to be complicated, and largely Unlimited
Saga's design as an analog to table top
RPGs works fine. The interface is just
incredibly poorly designed. I'm not sure how
that went so wrong. There's just so many things
that could have been done very simply and made
for a much better game. I wish that some day
someone could go through and clean this thing
up.
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At least combat is not so bad after getting a feel for what
does what. Only issue is feeling a little overwhelmed by
having a lot of different attack and skill options. I don’t
really know what some of the skills do, due to lack of
descriptions during battle, and not sure which attack does
better or not. At least I’ve been winning battles pretty
easily so I stick to what works best, and keep an eye out on
equipment durability. However, you gain no EXP for battles.
According to the tutorial video, battles supposedly help
increase your HP the more you fight. The way to actually
build up your character is through some other complicated
mechanic I have yet to grasp. While I had no trouble with
the battles so far, not figuring out how to strengthen my
team will likely cost me in the long run. That is if I stick
to the game for whatever reason.
Wheels' Comment
There's a whole
thing at the end of quests where you get
different icons to place on a board to enhance
your character. The odd thing is I think you
have no choice but to immediately place
something, so you can mess your character up if
you already have a good build. It was something
weird like that. I haven't played Unlimited
Saga in awhile. Finishing quests is the
important thing though, so I think it is
important to try some side quests and not just
go through the main story for your character of
choice.
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In spite of all the negativity, I actually didn’t have much
of a bad time from the three to four hours I’ve played. I’m
alright with the board-game approach to navigating around
dungeons. I find the aesthetics and art style pretty
interesting for what it is. The game’s presentation is
pretty abstract, but it works for me. Being a sucker for 2D
graphics, I thought all the battle sprites looked great. It
still holds up quite well for a 2003 game. There were
moments I felt were pretty intense during one of the quest
where I went around trying to pick up cargo while a very
dangerous enemy could pounce on me any moment. I can keep it
away for a limited time with an item, but my supply was
limited, and almost ran out before completing the quest. And
of course, the biggest positive is the fantastic music.
Somehow, I overlooked that whole soundtrack for all these
years. I ended up listening to the battle theme on repeat
after playing. It’s unfortunate that Masashi Hamauzu’s great
compositions come from either hated games (this), smaller
games that never got a Western Release (Sigma Harmonics) or
from polarizing installments (Final Fantasy XIII).
Wheels' Comment
Yeah the
soundtrack is fantastic, and under-appreciated
for obvious reasons. There are a number of
different battle themes, all of which are great.
The audio/visual design is easily the best
aspect of the game. I'm glad you enjoyed the
board game type approach, as it seems most
didn't get that. There's really a lot to like
about the game, but so much of the design was
botched that getting to what is good about Unlimited
Saga just takes an unreasonable amount of
work. It's a crying shame.
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I guess it also helped that I studied up briefly right
before playing. At least I knew what I was doing somewhat
and avoided being completely dumbfounded on how to do
anything. I can only imagine how daunting it could be for a
player to jump right into a game like this blindly. As
previously mentioned, I chose one of the supposedly easy
characters to play through. I wonder how brutal it would be
to play the harder characters, especially with the Rat guy,
Armic, who I got repeated warnings not to start with him.
Again, the biggest problem with Unlimited Saga is
that a lot of its mechanics are needlessly complicated, and
the game teaches you none of it. You have to do various
things in a roundabout manner to get simple things done. It
is complex for the sake of being complex.
Wheels' Comment
It should probably
be taught to interface designers as an example
of how not to design your game.
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I’m not sure whether or not I will continue onward with Unlimited
Saga. A normal, sane gamer would drop it right then
and there. However, there are some small aspects I find a
little interesting, and I kind of felt proud when I began to
have a bit of a feel for the game. I also barely got into
the story to see how it plays out. Maybe I would feel
engrossed in a tale in spite of the gameplay working against
me, or maybe I have not delved into the true horrors of the
game. Maybe I want to play it to see if I can conquer its
oddities and showcase to friends that I am crazy. I’m
primarily a handheld gamer like the Editor in Chief so most
of my time and effort is more with portables. I may or may
not try Unlimited Saga again, but at least I gave a
shot, and it didn’t break me.
-TBD87
Wheels' Comment
This would make a
nice portable game (note: if they also fixed
some of the many issues). I encourage you to
stick with it. It's a very interesting game once
you learn to navigate the glaring flaws, with a
lot of depth to it. There's even the replay
opportunity thanks to the different characters
having their own stories. When I decided to give
away my extra copy I was hoping whoever ended up
with it would be able to navigate beyond all the
issues to see that there is something to the
game, and you've succeeded admirably. Unlimited
Saga is a dire warning on how bad things
can get when a developer fails to get the little
things about a game right. With a better
interface, controls, and a better way for the
player to learn the mechanics, Unlimited
Saga could have been a fun little gem of a
game. As it stands, it will remain the game that
seemed to derail the SaGa series (at
least in the West), and an adventure only had by
those brave enough to dig through its mountain
of flaws.
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Top Tweets
Wheels' Comment
Worst RPG: Mugen
Souls
Best: Dark Souls 1/ 2
Worst Best: You mean a "best" RPG that is
bad? I dunno, Final Fantasy VII?
Best Worst: Unlimited Saga
Most Overrated: Mugen Souls
Most Underrated: Resonance of Fate / Breath
of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Most Rated: What? Most Rated? Zelda
Most Known Unknown: Persona 4 Golden
Most #Swag: Ys: Memories of Celceta.
That game's collectors edition came with some
serious swag, including a four disc soundtrack
with music spanning the whole series.
Russ, if Dragon Quest 7 gets announced I
will record myself doing this William Regal
dance, wearing a silly hat, and buy an extra
copy to give away.
This is for you Jim:
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Hot Topics
Here are some hot topics I've seen around
the net:
- JRPGs don't seem to be having much trouble selling
decently in the West, so where has Dragon Quest
gone?
- Atlus has announced localizations for the upcoming
bananza of Persona games, but what of Devil
Survivor 2: Break Record?
- If Child of Light is a success, will we see
more RPGs with the UbiArt engine?
- Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
See you next week!
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