Good video game deal (?)

[AppleQueso]

While the series definitely peaked at FFVI, I didn't think FFVII was bad. Not 'teh best gaem evar OMG ROFLCOPTER!', but a decent RPG.

I certainly haven't been able to play a Final Fantasy after they decided that the character design in FFVIII was the best character design ever and that all other FF games should strive to emulate it. The utterly colorless designs of FFVIII is one of my (many) grievances with that game.

I treasure Square for the contributions they made in the SNES and PSX era. In the SNES era, they made the best RPGs, period. FFIV, FFVI, Chrono Trigger, Bahamut Lagoon, Secret of Mana, Super Mario RPG, Seiken Densetsu 3 - they were a force to be reckoned with.

Then in the PSX era, while their RPGs were starting to lack, they began branching out with some really great titles. Tobal, Bushido Blade, Final Fantasy Tactics, Brave Fencer Musashi, Threads of Fate, Legend of Mana, Vagrant Story.

The when the PS2 era hits, what do we get? At first, we get The Bouncer, which was a nice effort - but shortly after that, Square Soft becomes Square Enix, and we then get nothing but a bunch of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy entries. Wake me when this nightmare ends.

Which do you prefer, colorless FFVIII or fashion victim FFX?

It really is a shame what happened to Square during the ps2 era, though really it seems like it was nearly universal. None of the follow ups to the great ps1 rpgs from anybody seemed to really stack up. Star Ocean 3 was terrible, Xenosaga was more of a movie with unfinished gameplay tacked on, I could go on.

[the7k]

Hey, I really liked the Bouncer

I wasn't knocking the Bouncer. I'd actually like to get it, as I am a beat 'em up fan.

I was knocking all the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts crap that followed in the wake of the Bouncer.

It really is a shame what happened to Square during the ps2 era, though really it seems like it was nearly universal. None of the follow ups to the great ps1 rpgs from anybody seemed to really stack up. Star Ocean 3 was terrible, Xenosaga was more of a movie with unfinished gameplay tacked on, I could go on.

Well, as for Star Ocean, tri-Ace really began to suffer after it became so deeply involved with - guess who? - Square Enix. As for Namco... honestly, I was never much of a fan of Namco's RPGs to begin with. Tales of Phantasia was a great concept - mixing 2D Fighters with RPGs - but the series soon became nothing but attack spamming. If they had implemented more of the tactical and technical aspects of 2D Fighters, rather than just fireball spamming and button mashing, it would have been a whole heck of a lot better.

I think RPGs have been going downhill because of Square Enix's changes. When Square Enix vomits in a keep case and people buy it in droves, its competition will think it can do the same thing.

[Velmeran]

I think RPGs have been going downhill because of Square Enix's changes. When Square Enix vomits in a keep case and people buy it in droves, its competition will think it can do the same thing.

Part, or most likely a large reason, is because of typically how well the Square-Enix RPG's sell.

And while Squaresoft had some issues with it's titles most of the issues stem from the Merger with Enix and the leadership changes.
DragonQuest was being dominated in sales both locally in Japan and globally.. yet because of the FF:TSW disaster, Enix had the upperhand. Some very key members of Squaresoft were either forced to leave, or have since left on their own and their departures is very much felt.

Then again, it's very much a preference on most things, as can be seen in sales of the KH series and FF games. I personally really enjoyed every FF from 1-12, with faves being FFT, FF12 and FF7 *shrugs* I'd love to see more Ivalice based RPG's but I like many do long for a return to the 'classic' feel of 4 or 3.

[tiktektak]

Hmmm... I also liked Kingdom Hearts.... *ducks behind a boulder*

[juan0tron]

Yeah Kingdom Hearts 2 felt like a solid game control wise, and I've like the series ever since middle school . I would like to see more games like The World End With You though, cause  that game was awesome and actually felt fresh.(I'd even go for another Bouncer type game)  I'm actually more interested in Atlus these days after playing something as awesome as Persona 4.

And I don't know about anyone else, but doesn't Sion from the Bouncer have quite a striking resemblance to Sora?

[the7k]

Atlus is all it is for me. I just got a factory sealed copy of SMT3:Nocturne for $30, by the way.

As for my views of Kingdom Hearts, especially no.2, they run almost exactly parallel to the views expressed at Hardcore Gaming 101.

http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/finalfantasy/ff1/ff1-1.htm

So. I finished Kingdom Hearts II not long ago. "Abandoned" would probably be a better word for it, though. Despite all its glitz and production values, the game is a trainwreck. About halfway though, you realize using magic, items, summons, limits, reaction commands, and even jumping are completely unnecessary for succeeding in combat. All you need to do is hit the "X" button a lot. You usually don't even have to look at the television screen while you're doing it. Keep an open book next to you as you play -- preferably something light, like a Calvin and Hobbes or The Far Side collection. When enemies appear, start mashing the X button and begin reading; you'll know to look back up when the battle music calms down. It doesn't take long to notice how small Kingdom Hearts II's various worlds are, either. You can run from one end of each Disney locale to the other in about five minutes if you keep moving and don't stop to fight the enemies that pop up. And the levels aren't just small, they're barren. The bazaar of Agrabah has no people or shops. The Pirates of the Carribean world is comprised of an empty town, a pirate cave, and about a dozen "surprise" battles on the deck of the same pirate ship. Even the dark city of the World That Never Was -- originally glimpsed in the secret ending of the first Kingdom Hearts and depicted on the World Map as being at least three times bigger than the other locations -- turns out to be a completely empty (save for a few treasure chests and enemies) area consisting of only three or four screens. There are no townspeople, no way of entering the buildings, no possibility of getting lost, no sense of exploration whatsoever.

But okay. Whatever. These days, an amazing story can sometimes compensate for a game's weaknesses. I mean, that's the only reason I played Soul Reaver 2 more than once. No dice here, either. Kingdom Hearts II is afflicted with what I like to call the "FF8 Complex:" it tries too hard to do too much and is completely all over the place as a result. Fans liked the Square cameos, so Square Enix gave them MORE cameos; therefore, about 50% of the characters you meet in Kingdom Hearts II serve no function whatsoever. I'm probably not in the position to criticize, but unnecessary characters usually equals sloppy storytelling. Kingdom Hearts fans liked Riku, the pretty boy with a mean streak, so Square packed the sequel full of as many pretty boys with mean streaks as they could. And thus did Organization XIII -- the most redundant and poorly-developed group of villains you will ever meet -- come into being. Fans liked the first game's metaphysical storyline, so Square Enix cranked it up a notch by adding the Nobodies to the Heartless/Disney Villains mix. The result is a tangled, contrived story that is really nothing but a semitransparent excuse for Sora to once again take up the Keyblade and battle evil so millions of eager fans will shell out fifty bucks a head to watch him do it. "Watching," come to think of it, is an especially apt term, seeing as how Kingdom Hearts II's innumerable cutscenes are substantially more enjoyable than its tedious "exploration" and half-mindless combat. God, this game sucks. Why did it take me thirty hours to realize it?

Square Enix is beginning to remind me of LucasFilms. I remember seeing Attack of the Clones in the theatre a few years back and being spellbound. OH MY GOD CHECK OUT THAT CGI PLANET! OH MY GOD SUCH A COOL BATTLE SEQUENCE! OH MY GOD YODA! On the way home, all my friends and I could talk about was REMEMBER THE PART WITH THE JEDIS AND THE ROBOTS AND STUFF? THAT WAS AWESOME! Then, about a week later, it dawned on us that Attack of the Clones was actually kind of a crappy movie. Sometimes it's hard to tell as you're watching. You get so caught up in the effects, pace and aesthetics that you don't realize how unimpressive just about everything else is. In Attack of the Clones's case, it took a week for it to sink in. It took twenty-four hours with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. If Kingdom Hearts II were a movie, I would have realized it during the last twenty minutes and walked out of the theatre. In the end, I watched the ending on YouTube and tossed Kingdom Hearts II into the closet to gather dust with the .hack games.

[Mick Dundee]

Atlus has a few good RPGs I have played. (Thousand Arms & Summon Knight Twin Age are the only two I can think of right now though)
 
 Atlus seems to keep messing around with different game genres, and they put out a LOT of strategic games. (I don't like strategic)

 I wish Working Designs didn't go under


 Oh, and my wife and I THOROUGHLY Enjoy KH 1 & 2

[the7k]

Thousand Arms is by Red Company. The Summon Night series is by Flight-Plan.

Atlus games would be the Shin Megami Tensei series, the Persona series, the Digital Devil Saga series, the Devil Summoner series, the Growlanser series, the Trauma Center series, Princess Crown, Prikura Daisakusen, Maken X, Kartia: The Word of Fate, the Power Instinct series, and various other obscure titles.

Atlus may publish a lot of strategy games, but the only one they developed is Growlanser - which, by the way, is one of the best titles on the PS2 (Growlanser Generations).

Too bad you dislike strategy RPGs. The only RPG I've played this gen that was worth even a fraction of my time was Valkyria Chronicles. Everything else has been nothing but mindlessly bashing the attack button over and over again, maybe throwing a potion every once in a while.

[juan0tron]

Yeah I like how Persona's strategy heavily relies on learning the opponents' strengths and weaknesses. Otherwise I'm getting kind of tired of turn based games. lol I'll get back into it after I play Timesplitters 3 for a week or so.

[Doom]

Yeah I like how Persona's strategy heavily relies on learning the opponents' strengths and weaknesses. Otherwise I'm getting kind of tired of turn based games. lol I'll get back into it after I play Timesplitters 3 for a week or so.

TS3 is the best FPS I have ever played.

[Mick Dundee]

Too bad you dislike strategy RPGs. The only RPG I've played this gen that was worth even a fraction of my time was Valkyria Chronicles. Everything else has been nothing but mindlessly bashing the attack button over and over again, maybe throwing a potion every once in a while.

Mindlessly mashing the attack button is what keeps my wife playing video games.
Not to mention it kept me buying the Dynasty Series. But I can understand wanting something with a bit more of a challenge.

 I grew up on Turn Based (Chrono Triger, Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star, Albert Odyssey) But as of lately, they are getting scarce and I find myself wanting more action. Though I'm not quite ready to leap into the Shooters yet. They seem to give me headaches after about a half hour.

[juan0tron]

Yeah I like how Persona's strategy heavily relies on learning the opponents' strengths and weaknesses. Otherwise I'm getting kind of tired of turn based games. lol I'll get back into it after I play Timesplitters 3 for a week or so.

TS3 is the best FPS I have ever played.

You know its a shame its not backwards compatible, because I'd love to play that game over XBL. Cramping 4 people in my room is just as fun though

[Dinog11]

How much would someone fairly pay for a Sega Genesis w/ original box and pack-in Sonic the Hedgehog?

[AppleQueso]

How much would someone fairly pay for a Sega Genesis w/ original box and pack-in Sonic the Hedgehog?

$5-10 at the most I'd think. Genesis's are a dime a dozen I'm afraid.

[Dinog11]

Thanx.