Well, I bought the game this spring but have just gotten to playing it last week and this week. I've only just finished getting the Green Moon Crystal, but I was hooked on the game after about an hour or two playing.
I also bought a booklet from Prima. The booklet is fair at best. If I were giving stars, I'd say 3/5 at best, maybe 2.5. It covers no bounties. It often reports the incorrect color weapon or magic to use against a boss. Discovery locations have vague descriptions, aren't complete (don't tell you what it's called before you find it, nor how to find all of them, like how to get the cham from the sky merchant by trading stuff, yet the merchant doesn't appear to have any trade dialogue, and if you sell the type and quantity described in the Prima guide, nothing happens, nor if I need to come back at a specific time to get the required dialogue, after which events, or when something else is too late, etc.), often pinpoints the incorrect location on the printed map. All enemies in the game are listed, but not all the details like experience, gold, where to find, level to beat them, notes on strategies, etc.. Anyone remember the original Final Fantasy on the NES and the special Nintendo Power issue that covered just that game? Or the Ninja Gaiden special issue? Or am I just showing my age? Anyways those were the last game guides I've seen that covered any game to that level of detail. Ahh, just like treasure hunting: you shell out good money for a half-done map that only gets you so far and then leaves you high and dry. In that regard I suppose one could wryly say that it makes the whole experience seem much more real, tangible. ;-)
I've found some half-done walkthroughs online, but none mentioned the Ixa'Ness Demons bounty, except one possible hit on a pay-site. But Google had half or that FAQ cached, which had half the info about the Ixa'ness Demons bounty: how to fight, but not where or when to find. ;-) I'd rather avoid stumbling blindly on to a bounty in air while exploring, when I expect to find a different bounty. I have just been trying to collate search results from a few online sources, and what little info is in the Prima guide.
To those who say the game wasn't well advertised, well, I never pay much attention to ads. I do not need advertisements to tell me that I am going to like a game because some weird guy with a voice modulator makes it sound cool with a 5 second sound byte on TV, and custom CGI sceenes which are exclusive to the TV ad and not related to or representative of the actual game. I bought a GameCube system, went to Nintendo's game list, looked at each of the 400+ games, and this was one of about 10 that I liked. The game sold itself on the Nintendo game list. And after playing the game, it proved itself worthy and kept itself from being sold to anyone else.
Those who complain about the distribution, I have one word for you: eBay. That's where I got my games, some used, some new, some slightly scratched, but all playable and some half the price of new including the shipping. I had no problem finding this game in new condition when I bought it in late winter/early spring 2004. Furthermore, there's something else to worry about. Out of 400+ games, only about 10 seemed interesting for a serious gamer and that's pretty pathetic.
Fans of the GameCube should maybe worry that it'll become another dead platform like the DreamCast or TurboGrafix 16, both of which had decent hardware in their day, but suffered from decent titles. Sony with PSX/PS2/PS? and M$ with it's XboX are likely to persuade most smaller game makers to release builds only for their platform, by simply paying the software company outright for all the copies of the game that anyone would ever buy on the competing platforms, minus the added costs to the developer of supporting multiple platforms.
About buying online, I would only advise against buying a GameCube online from anywhere, unless you actually know the person and can trust them to pack it competently (get them to take pictures of a product that is currently being packaged, if they won't do it, forget them) and use a good shipper (I've had mostly good luck with UPS, FedEx, and USPS, but an item like this would maybe do better in one 3-hour jet flight than 7 days cross country by road). You need a box at least twice as long, wide, and high (that's 8 times the volume) and packed almost full of peanuts, or foam blocks, or crumpled (not popped) bubble wrap. Of course it's ok to buy online to reserve your copy and go pick it up at the store in person. :-)
I got 2 DOA systems in a row from one online seller, complained about the packaging each time and cited it as the likely cause of malfunction, explaining that the DVD-like drive can't take vibrations of an icy road and potholes with a driver going 50-60 m.p.h. on small side streets. ;-) I'm sorry but 1/2" of air (no, not even the air-cells, just air) and 6-12 foam peanuts is not going to absorb the vibrations from pot holes, or even the guys tossing the box around the trucks! They promised a refund, but sent a 3rd unit! It has sat on a shelf unopened, as I am at least 75% sure that it's a dead unit, and I was so angry at not getting my refund, I would have destroyed the unit (package and all) if I handled it more than a few seconds. I may eventually test the unit when I am sure I won't destroy it. If it fails, I will likely throw it on the sidewalk several dozen times, and whatever is left I will smash to pieces with a hammer! Maybe tie a rope around it so I can swing it and get the most momentum. I will NEVER sell anyone junk, or skimp on the packaging, or refuse a refund for DOA because of something I did! Unless someone knows how to repair it and would want to pay shipping? ;-)
Well, I sure hope a few more decent games come out on the GameCube. But, if Nintendo ever decides to drop the platform, I hope they release the programming specs and drive specs, so other companies or even game developer enthusiasts could continue to make their own titles and spread them freely and let people burn their own discs. ;-) The system is OK in my book. Maybe not 100% spectacular, and a major flaw with the proprietary disc format and limited size.
Anyone know how much disc space (not memory blocks) Skies of Arcadia Legends uses? I bet if Nintendo had gone with a full DVD we'd have a full audio dialogue with this game! That is the only thing I would strongly recommend for a sequel. Also, I do not like losing control of the character to walk slowly between two buildings in the same town. It should all be loaded and seamless. I understand it's going to happen in the bigger dungeons. And also, would having background battle scenes which actually correspond to a snapshot of your current background and angle be too much to ask? It gets boring looking at the same 2-3 static backgrounds per area. And what else... oh yes. I'd strongly recommend the ability to jump off the ladder! What the heck?! I'm an Air Pirate! I'm a risk taker! Yet I walk down to the last step on every ladder like an opld lady because I'm afraid to fall off, afraid of heights? If you jump too high, you get ingured, if you jump way too high, you die. But if you jump maybe 1-2 body lengths, it saves time from going all the way down, and no injury.
If one must stick to the ladder, at least let the characters choose to hold the sides only and swing their feet out and slide down really fast, like on the pole or rope thing. :-) The ability to jump in general would be a great addition. The combat system is way too easy so far and very simplistic. I've had one challenging battle, Rupee and Barta. I'd get rid of all the "mass destruction" super moves, or at least add some major magic point penalties, or unable to move for 1-2 rounds after. They make the game way too easy. On the other hand, I'd add some high-level item which lets you repel all enemies while wandering. When you're full of money and physical and magical experience, I can see how the game will be pretty retarded and more of a nuisance to play when you hit enemies every 1.5 seconds on the world map! I'm a big pirate! See my ship and run in fear, stupid creatures! Hmm, and while it is nice to have 6 stones for variation of magic, I become more of a bean-counter than a pirate, watching numbers and juggling stones around. It's the limitation of many RPGs. Maybe I've changed, because I never was bothered by spending 12 hours fighting little nothings with no plot elements, just to watch some numbers go up. ;-) Now it's just incredibly boring! I'd rather achieve the power quickly after key battles, exploratory missions, or otherwise plot-related events. It makes the game progress much smoother such that I don't forget where I was supposed to go before I started powering up to be able to survive when I get there. On the other hand, I'd like to see some more physical skills as well. The special moves are physical for some and magical for others, but are mostly way too powerful and make the game too easy, and there are far too few, and they overlap with magical spells or items and are thus redundant. Finally, if there's a sequel, I think it should at the very least pay homage to the original cast, both for sake of fluidity of the story and from a marketing strategy. Instead of selling an entirely new game, they can latch on to the previous game's name recognition and storyline familiarity. At the least they should be the elders, or the grandparents telling kids their stories of old, or maybe a strange kid from another land joins their community and is inspired by the old stories and given some substantial guidance at key points by key members from the previous crew. It would probably be a dismal failuire to try and force this current group through a second or even worse a perpetual adolescence. Maybe the second story has them as adults and growing older towards retirement, and the third has them as really old up to when they die and the mysteries of their lives are further explored by the younger generation in addition to newer original adventures. ;-)
Oh well, here's to decent games which not only raise the electric bill and waste time, but stimulate the mind and present at least something challenging, humorous, exciting, and intriguing to pass the time and stir the imagination!
Topic: Skies of Arcadia... (Read 9312 times)
