The whole game is great.
Some people found the two player option a little clunky, but I really enjoyed the fact that a friend could pick up a controller and play as one of the other party members in battle.
The whole game is great.
Some people found the two player option a little clunky, but I really enjoyed the fact that a friend could pick up a controller and play as one of the other party members in battle.
44. Rune Factory 3
The hero of this story has amnesia and can also turn in to a sheep like monster. But one day he wakes up in a new town and is given a home inside a big special tree. Because this is a spinoff of Harvest Moon, you will do farming, socializing with the visitors, courting a bachelorette of choice, and participating in events. But the next part comes from going out and fighting monsters and defeating bosses to help Micah regain his memory.
This game has the typical Harvest Moon aspects. You do some crop farming. Livestock in this game takes the form of monsters. You catch monsters and they will work your farm or give you products. You can expand your home to include things like a pharmacy or a kitchen so you can make items to help you on your quest. Time passes in game as do days and there are different months representing the different seasons. There are events to participate in. You can also court a bachelorette of choice. The second part of the game is fighting enemies, gaining experience and leveling up, and fighting bosses to regain Micah's memory. You can also ask certain villagers to accompany you in to battle.
General impressions:
I was a bit nervous about this game which is why it took me so long to play it. I really like the Harvest Moon games, but they take up full game days just to do farming and socializing, so I was worried about how I would do both of those things and still find time to go adventuring. I saw sharky play another Rune Factory game on the PS3 and it seemed really enjoyable so I gave this one a try. The game is actually pretty well balanced to make that easy for you so you have ample time to get everything done. There's also no in game time limit so you can dilly dally all you want. The characters were fun and interesting, the game was easy to play and very intuitive as far as controls, very fluid. The game was pretty short (if you don't drag it on) and the world was pretty small, but overall it was very fun and I enjoyed it.
Story:
Not the deepest story by any means but still fun and interesting. Mostly the stories revolve around the individual characters and learning more about them, with the overarching plot being about Micah dealing with his transformations and worrying about some of the villagers who aren't as fond of monsters. The story is basically background noise in this game, which focuses more on gameplay and characters.
Gameplay:
A strong point for this game. It's a lot of fun, it's very easy to play (not just in difficulty) and there's always something to do. Whether it be cooking dishes, tending your farm, doing requests, socializing, fishing, fighting monsters, participating in events, or any other number of things. My favourite thing was doing requests, although the downside of them was that you could sometimes be offered to do requests that you couldn't complete and you'd have to wait another game day before accepting another one from that location. Other than that it was really fun.
World:
The world was very small, but it did have it's interesting spots. I was also happy that my bachelorette of choice liked my favourite icy location as her date spot. But the village did feel very lively, especially since the characters would have their own routine and wouldn't just be static and standing there.
Characters:
Another strong point for this game. There's a lot of interesting and unique characters, the dialogue and interactions are well written, and they really make you care about them. My favourite thing was that they would have their own relationships and conversations separate from the hero, which you don't see often. Sometimes they would include Micah, but other times you could just listen to them converse.
Favourite character: Sofia j4QkTqs.png
Honourable mentions: Gaius, Marian I8BAwy3.jpgjCP77MM.jpg
It was actually hard to narrow down my favourites list, there's so many good characters. I liked Sofia and her quirky backwards talk and how cheep she was to find gifts for. Her story of why she talks that way was also pretty touching. Gaius is silly and hardworking and absolutely adorable. I wish this game had a female option. I wasn't expecting to like Marian but she was quirky enough to make her way in.
Overall this is a great game if you like something very open. You make your own schedule and do what you want. The story takes a backseat, the game is short, the world is small, but the characters are awesome, they feel very genuine, and it's a lot of fun to play.
I also really dislike the character design of a lot of the Mana games.
Rune Factory 3 is fantastic. So glad you like it. More people need to play it.
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43. Atelier Escha & Logy
Atelier Escha & Logy follows two alchemists hired to the town's R&D department. They have certain jobs to complete and also spend some time working towards exploring some mysterious ruins.
There's a lot of stuff to do in this game. It has typical RPG fighting elements to it. In this game you will have 3 characters fighting with 3 as support for those characters, and they can be switched outside of or during battles. Unlike the other Atelier games I've played, this game allows support attack and defense for everyone, including support characters, as opposed to just support for the main character. Time management is also an important aspect. Every few months you will receive a list of tasks to complete. There is one mandatory one needed to be done to progress the game, and several smaller ones for extra points. Alchemy is also a large part. You can craft items from ingredients to healing items to weapons using alchemy. Every action takes a certain amount of time to do, like gathering, fighting, or creating items. You have a time limit for your tasks. Atelier Escha & Logy offers you the choice of which of the two protagonists to play as, but both will be present for most of the game.
General impressions:
I'd finished up Atelier Totori and Atelier Meruru and I was wanting to try another one. I'd read good reviews about Escha & Logy and how it was apparently easier than the others I'd played, which is a huge plus for me. I was a bit iffy about it because the environments were more drab than the other two games. That is one of my complaints, but overall it is a fun game, it improved on a lot of stuff, and it was much easier. It loses points for being more drab and having characters that interest me less, plus having too many DLC characters, but it's still a fun game.
Story:
The Atelier games I've played do have a story, but it mostly takes a backseat to gameplay and characters, and this one is no different. You're basically working Alchemists with a job to do every month and some mini-jobs to earn more points and money. I would say that this story interested me very little, but I'm not sure how much had to do with the characters and the presentation.
Gameplay:
A lot of fun, and improved on the others quite a bit. Alchemy is made more involving, the time limit is broken down in to smaller fragments, making the game easier, being able to support for and with every character and also being able to swap characters in the heat of battle so that your other ones can recover. Probably the biggest improvement is that when you return home your items are refilled so you don't have to spend precious days making more healing salves. Although the limitations on how many items you could bring were annoying. But overall it was really fun and the gameplay improved most of my complaints from the other ones.
World:
I don't have a lot good to say about the world. There were a few neat areas but overall it was drab, boring, and unpleasant. I didn't look forward to exploring or seeing more. But apparently there was some bad event called “The Dusk” that kind of ruined the place so I suppose it's justified. But I would have preferred brighter and more interesting environments.
Characters:
There were a lot of characters that I liked fine, but none of them had me excited or inspired. There were a few I really disliked. I was a bit disappointed that some characters with story involvement that I thought would be playable turned out to be DLC characters. I really hate when they expect me to pay more money for more of them and not just guests from previous games or something but characters that should very well be playable without me having to pay even more.
Favourite character: Lucille GLrgTY3.jpg
Honourable mention: Linca 6jeOIqN.jpg
I thought both were very sweet. Lucille, while kind of out of nowhere, was precious and her baskets were cute in battle. She was actually a pretty useful fighter despite her appearance. Linca was great in battle and I enjoyed seeing a character who wasn't perfect and had her own struggles. There was some really funny scenes with her trying to make friends.
Overall the world is kind of drab and the characters, while good, aren't anything special. But the gameplay is great, there's a lot to do, and it's a big improvement. It's a really fun game to play if not a bit short.
And tomorrow we finish up the 40's!
42. Rune Factory Tides of Destiny
This game is about two friends named Aden and Sonja who randomly end up somewhere they don't know and also oh yeah Sonja is trapped in Aden's body. This is of course not a situation they want to live with forever so they embark on a somewhat epic although mostly just nice quest to get Sonja her body back.
As this is a spin-off of Harvest Moon, there is of course the option to court some of the villagers and get married and have a baby. There is once again an in game clock that progresses the time and four months representing the four seasons. There are of course festivals and events. Farming is present in this game as well although it is a bit different. You'll get four farming islands as the story progresses, each of which can grow and produce different things. You recruit monsters to do your growing for you, so no need to water stuff. There's of course also the fighting part where you will go to certain islands and fight beasts with weapons of your choice. You can also expand your house and add things like a kitchen. Tamed monsters can accompany you on fights.
General impressions:
I watched sharky play a lot of this game and, as I mentioned in my Rune Factory 3 review, it eased a lot of my concerns with the series. Eventually, after watching him play about a year in game, I decided to try it for myself! I knew most of the story and stuff so I was mostly checking out the gameplay. It was fun and I really enjoyed it and I look forward to a full and proper playthrough sometime down the road. I would say a negative is that you don't get to play as Sonja, the female lead, until you've finished the main storyline, and there are a good deal less bachelors than bachelorettes. So you kind of have it stacked against you if you want to play a female character.
Story:
The story was pretty interesting, I think. I do find how upbeat and positive it is pretty amusing. You have a woman literally trapped inside a man's body, both of whom are aware of the fact, they've woken up on a strange island with a bunch of strangers, and they have to go defeat monsters and stuff to figure out what's going on. That story could have taken a much darker tone, but instead none of it is treated as anything more than a minor annoyance and everyone is just so happy and nice. It was pretty funny to me.
Gameplay:
The gameplay isn't as good as Rune Factory 3. The controls are kind of awkward and it's a bit difficult to get the hang of. They also don't really explain some stuff that they should. Farming is much easier but it feels more disconnected since a lot of it is done by your monster slave labour. But stuff like how to give them cookies, they don't explain that you just need it in your inventory so you're sitting there trying to figure out how to feed them. But I do like that now you can cancel and accept requests as often as you want with no limit. But they do get repetitive.
World:
The world feels both big and small. The ocean outside of the island is massive and it can take days (in game) to get to your destination. But the island is very small, so it gets kind of boring after a while. But still it was a very nice town and there are some interesting islands and some very cool dungeons.
Characters:
I am convinced that Fennith Island, the main game location, is a utopia. Everyone is so nice and so happy. Everyone helps everyone, everyone gets along. The worst thing to happen is like a kind of half-assed attempted burglary and a child having a tantrum. Other than that these people are the nicest people ever. I do wish there was more interaction and stuff, but I was quite fond of the cast and I can't think of one character that I disliked.
Favourite character: Electra kxwBCnj.jpg
Honourable mentions: Lily, Bismarck F8YEEvO.jpgRSNMmy1.jpg
Electra wasn't even on my radar originally, but I just found her very sweet and kind and polite. She was also an incredible hard worker and she does what she can to help out the family. Lily was like the older sister I never had and she had some really funny and sweet moments. Bismark is a nerdy workaholic, he's extremely shy, but he'll stand up for himself and others if he needs to.
Overall this game is cheesy and upbeat, but it's also just a lot of fun, it's sweet, and it has a good sense of humour. There's a lot of stuff to do to keep you occupied, but it isn't for someone who wants a more serious game.
I really enjoyed Tides of Destiny. It's not perfect, but I think it does most of what it does well.
I appreciated the crafting systems, and the fact that you could ad your little craft areas to the house. You could make food, clothing, weapons, healing items, and furniture.
The hardest part about the crafting was finding ways to up increase your skill level so that you could complete the higher level crafting requests.
The combat system plays like a hack 'n' slash platformer, and it can be a little awkward on occasion, but it's decent.
I also agree that it's just a happy, positive, fun game. All the characters are pretty great, and it's fun giving them clothes or finding what their favorite food is.
This is the one game in the series I haven't played. I find it hard to believe that it's better than RF3, though. I'll have to try it at some time to find out for myself.
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Okay so I'm thinking Pumpkin is my official go-to person whenever I want to know anything about a JRPG! This is a great thread
41. Atelier Meruru
I personally liked it betterOriginally Posted by Skyblade
ThanksOkay so I'm thinking Pumpkin is my official go-to person whenever I want to know anything about a JRPG! This is a great thread
Sorry, a bit late with the update, power outage. I'll post the third one up in about 3-4 hours
Atelier Meruru follows our protagonist, Meruru, a Princess trying to become an alchemist. Unfortunately her father isn't too keen on the idea, so they strike a deal. She has a few years to prove that alchemy can benefit and grow their tiny kingdom.
The game is an RPG and time management game. You have a set amount of time to accomplish certain goals, mostly growing the population. Almost everything in this game takes time, from resting to synthesizing to gathering and fighting. You will be given certain smaller quests to complete to go towards your rank, which you can use to develop the Kingdom and grow the population. You can also accept quests to improve your popularity and earn some extra coin. A big part of the game is synthesizing items that you'll need for the various quests. The battles are turn based, allowing three party members in battle at once. There is a good amount of playable characters and multiple available endings.
General Impressions:
Atelier Meruru was my first game in the series. I mostly got it because I was looking for Totori, but I couldn't find her game without ordering it online. But she was in this game so I gave it a try. At first I found it very stressful because of the time limit. I think you get 5 years total with a check up at 3. Which seems like massive amounts of time, but really isn't. Everything takes time. It goes by very very quickly. Honestly, having played other games in the series, I wouldn't recommend this one first as I find it more difficult. But it was easier when I went back and played after finishing Totori because I had a better grasp on what I was doing.
Story:
The story for an RPG is pretty shallow, but that's okay. As I said, time goes by quickly and before you know it you've spent five years fighting bunnies and making random stuff in your atelier. This game is much more character focused than story driven. You get to learn a lot about your companions if you trigger the right scenes and see how they get along and interact with each other. Heck even the shop owners get personalities in this game. So not a super strong story, but fine if you want something more lighthearted.
Gameplay:
The battles are overall pretty easy, although there were a few hard ones here and there. Synthesizing the right items definitely makes a difference if you can afford the time. The time management is the hard part. Knowing when to gather, when to synthesize, when to go fight. How much to gather in the dungeon. How much time to spend resting and recharging. But the good thing, if you like that type of thing, is that you aren't micromanaged. You chose which quests to focus on, where to distribute your points, how you spend your days. It's a refreshing kind of freedom rarely seen in RPG's.
World:
The world is very bright and cheery, which reflects well with the lighthearted tone of the game. You're not out to save the world from destruction, you're just trying to help a girl follow her dreams and help her country. The music is whimsical, which really adds to the atmosphere of the areas. The whole thing is just light and happy, which is a good thing. Some of the areas are gorgeous. There are also adorable little bubbles over the gathering areas.
Characters:
The characters are where the game shines for me. A lot of it is cliche stuff, but they still have solid personalities and strong interactions. The character development scenes were always what I looked forward to the most. Also a lot of the character art is gorgeous.
Favourite character: Totori KUMS3XQ.jpg
Honourable mentions: Mimi, Meruru EZjiJnR.jpgC32BOEu.jpg
I of course adored Totori. She was sweet, she was kind, she respected others and the weird ways they showed their affection. In battle she was pretty weak, but it was always cool to have a secondary item user. Mimi grew up a lot from Totori, acknowledged her faults, and worked to become a better person. While she isn't perfect, at least she's trying. I love the friendship between her and Totori. And she's pretty badass in battle. Meruru grew on me. I was worried about finding her annoyingly perky, but her determination and positivity won me over. Her angry silly moments also helped.
Overall it's a more lighthearted game, focusing a lot on time management. The characters are strong and interact well with each other. There's a lot of independence in how you play. It has good replay value for trying things differently and unlocking different endings, although you might need a guide because it gets pretty complicated. The atmosphere is very bright and upbeat.
Very interesting list so far Pumpkin, seeing lots of games I don't know which I feel tempted to check out now
I've hardly played any of the games on this list so far xD But good job with it!
40. Kingdom Hearts II
Thanks! Which games are catching your eye?Very interesting list so far Pumpkin, seeing lots of games I don't know which I feel tempted to check out now
This is a game about Sora, the wielder of the Keyblade, and also Donald and Goofy because why not. Sora travels from Disney world to Disney world meeting Final Fantasy and Disney characters and defeating the Heartless and the Nobodies. And no, they aren't just jerks and losers (well, debatable I suppose), they're actual monster things.
I think this is an action RPG, but I'm bad with genres so I could be wrong. But anyways you take Sora and you beat stuff up with his Keyblade. He can also cast magic and transform a la Sailor Moon. Donald, Goofy, and Guest Character From Relevant World will assist you as backup and their actions can be set as far as what you want them to do/not do. You can jump and flip and skateboard and there's also a space ship shooting game thing but I prefer not to speak of that.
General impressions:
Some of you already know my Kingdom Hearts I horror story, but basically I didn't get to play it for many many years despite the fact that I should have been able to play it, so I moved on to II. And it was so much funness! I loved traveling to new worlds and interacting with my favourite Disney characters. I love the amount of detail such as the outfit changes in different worlds and also the different command menu. Oh I loved those command menus. It was a lot of fun, it wasn't difficult, and it kept me interested. I did not like the Gummi ship things and I hated the beginning part with Roxas. Hated. I keep meaning to have a save right past that part to start up on because it's awful and long and drawn out. But other than that, it is so far the only KH game I enjoy.
Story:
I'll admit I'm a bit lost on some of it because I don't own every console in existence so that I can play all the games. Plus I skipped the first one. But I did like what I saw and there was some stuff that had me very interested, like Namine and the Nobodies. Mostly I just preferred the individual smaller stories of the worlds themselves.
Gameplay:
So much fun! It's easy, the controls always worked well for me, I like having the guest characters a lot and being able to play with Disney and Final Fantasy favourites. The worlds were a lot of fun to explore and I always enjoy games that let me jump everywhere. The game was somewhat linear but they changed things up enough that it didn't really bother me.
World:
Excellent because there are so many worlds. Some of them felt a bit small, but most were very exciting and fun and interesting. I especially liked the Nightmare Before Christmas world because it really felt like I was in the movie. There were some other great ones too, like Mulan world which was big and had some diverse areas in it.
Characters:
I like pretty much everyone in this game except Roxas but none of them stood out as I favourite. I liked how sweet Sora was and I found him pretty unique as far as most protagonists go. I like that just seeing the difference from KHI and KHII now that I've played both, you can tell how much more comfortable he is with his Keyblade. Goofy is also awesome because Goofy
Overall the story is interesting and it has good atmosphere, the characters are fun and cute, but I mostly like it for the gameplay and the visuals as well as just exploring the Disney worlds I loved as a child.
And that concludes the 40's! Thirties start tomorrow~
Ni No Kuni and Tales of Legendia, for example.
And Kingdom Hearts...which I've never played for some mysterious reason that shall forever elude me.
Just wanna echo Hux and Egami. I really feel you describe games in a way that makes me want to play them. You go into just enough detail and throw in just enough pictures to encourage people to read without making it a long-winded review (which are still good, but only when you are specifically looking for detail on a game, not so much when you're just being told about one randomly).
Bow before the mighty Javoo!
KH2
I'm discussing my 108, er, 111 favorite games of all time in THIS THREAD so go check it out and join the conversation!
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