Topic: Mistwalker's "The Last Story" out in NA via XSEED!

[Louieturkey]

Ew, a plasma TV?

Plasma TVs have their pros and cons. They can handle deeper shades of black, for example. They are a very poor choice for video games, though... especially if you leave a game paused, because Plasma TVs can potentially have images burned into the screen and then they are junk. This was the reason why screensavers were invented.

Old wives tale.  Plasmas made from about 2005 on rarely have this burn in problem anymore unless you left it on and on pause for 100 straight hours.  As long as you're not exclusively watching 4:3 material (and if that is the case, then why did you buy the 16:9 tv then?), a plasma will be just fine.

[Oblivion]

Except for the fact that they still don't last very long.

[Lithium]

Ew, a plasma TV?

Plasma TVs have their pros and cons. They can handle deeper shades of black, for example. They are a very poor choice for video games, though... especially if you leave a game paused, because Plasma TVs can potentially have images burned into the screen and then they are junk. This was the reason why screensavers were invented.

Old wives tale.  Plasmas made from about 2005 on rarely have this burn in problem anymore unless you left it on and on pause for 100 straight hours.  As long as you're not exclusively watching 4:3 material (and if that is the case, then why did you buy the 16:9 tv then?), a plasma will be just fine.

yeah i didn't bother to mention that because it almost always begins a pointless lcd vs plasma argument

[Sarail]

I love my 32" Sharp Aquos. Been treating me well since 2006. It hates Wii and 'Cube games, though.

[Louieturkey]

Except for the fact that they still don't last very long.

Depends on how well you treat it.  If you leave it on all day and all night, it probably won't last you very long.  If you only have it on when you're actually watching something, it'll probably last you a good while.  I don't know the estimated lifespan for every tv, but most outside of projection tvs and projectors usually say they last at least 20,000 hours.  Yes, CRT and tube tvs probably last longer.  But the picture quality of tubes isn't anything to write home about and CRT's don't get big enough for most big (screen size that is, the weight of those things is usually the size of a small airplane).  It's really a give and take.  Do you give up the deep blacks of a CRT (not giving up much with a plasma) for the convenience of not getting a hernia each time you need to move the tv?  There are other pros and cons as well. 

[Fatty The Hutt]

What about LED TVs? Any good? They seem all the rage in them 'lectronical stores these days.

[Oblivion]

LED TVs are LCD TVs with a different way to make the picture. If I remember, it uses a high tech version of a backlight. Don't quote me on that last part though.

[Fatty The Hutt]

LED TVs are LCD TVs with a different way to make the picture. If I remember, it uses a high tech version of a backlight. Don't quote me on that last part though.

Uh...so that's....good? No, wait, bad? Not bad?
 
Its very confusing for the average shmuck like me to tell what sort of swell TV to get without doing hours and hours of research. Even then, I don't understand half of the tech-speak on enthusiast websites that keep track of this stuff.
 
I want a huge-ass TV (57" to 60") that plays both Blu-Rays and games well, with pretty HD and no lag. I want enough inputs so all my favourite devices will plug into the damn thing. And I don't want to pay more than, say, $1800.
Why, Lord, is it so hard?

[Louieturkey]

What about LED TVs? Any good? They seem all the rage in them 'lectronical stores these days.

LED is more used for marketing than anything else.  LED is how the tv is lit.  Before LEDs (light emitting diodes), most LCD tvs used CCFL bulbs (cold-cathode fluorescent lamps) to light the tv.  The problems with those had more to do with the way we saw the light on our end and the power that they used to do what they did.  LED lighting uses less power and allows slightly better black levels as well.

For what type you want to get, most tvs will play blurays and games well at 57"-60".  Whether you want plasma or LED lit LCD tvs is up to preferences and where you are putting the tv.  If you have a room that gets a lot of light, you probably want the LCD tv with LED lighting as there won't be glass for any glare.  If the room light can be controlled, plasma is probably the best option.  I highly suggest Panasonic as they are the only ones still advancing the plasma tech (though you may not find a Panasonic plasma at the size you want for the price you want).  I did a little more research and most plasmas and lcd tvs are rated at 60,000 life hours. 

For more detailed differences between the two techs, I'd suggest reading this page.  The writer does an amazing job of giving you good information and it's pretty unbiased as well.

[Lithium]

If you have a room that gets a lot of light, you probably want the LCD tv with LED lighting as there won't be glass for any glare.  If the room light can be controlled, plasma is probably the best option.  I highly suggest Panasonic as they are the only ones still advancing the plasma tech (though you may not find a Panasonic plasma at the size you want for the price you want).  I did a little more research and most plasmas and lcd tvs are rated at 60,000 life hours. 

For more detailed differences between the two techs, I'd suggest reading this page.  The writer does an amazing job of giving you good information and it's pretty unbiased as well.

that pretty much sums it up, if you get overwhelmed by the techno babble that paragraph is pretty much all you need to know when deciding which TV technology to use. i live in a basement suite so i decided that i could take advantage of a plasma's black levels. HDTV are getting cheaper and cheaper all the time, my TV (samsung d550) cost me about $700 CAD

[Louieturkey]

If you have a room that gets a lot of light, you probably want the LCD tv with LED lighting as there won't be glass for any glare.  If the room light can be controlled, plasma is probably the best option.  I highly suggest Panasonic as they are the only ones still advancing the plasma tech (though you may not find a Panasonic plasma at the size you want for the price you want).  I did a little more research and most plasmas and lcd tvs are rated at 60,000 life hours. 

For more detailed differences between the two techs, I'd suggest reading this page.  The writer does an amazing job of giving you good information and it's pretty unbiased as well.

that pretty much sums it up, i live in a basement suite so i decided that i could take advantage of a plasma's black levels. HDTV are getting cheaper and cheaper all the time, my TV (samsung d550) cost me about $700 CAD

Nice price.  One of these days, I'm going to upgrade my Sony KDS-50A2000 rear projection tv to a plasma most likely.  Or if OLED tvs come down in price some day, I might splurge for one of those. 

[Enner]

Hit the 27+ hour mark and I just played through chapter 30: An extraterrestrial world seed! I should have made the connection with the words "Outsider" and "Ritual for Celestial Summoning" being thrown around. During the relevant cut scene, I thought I was playing Xenoblade Chronicles again.


The story and the game have been in a slump for the last couple of chapters. Things aren't helped by chapters that are short, easy, or uneventful. I've been trying to put a finger on why The Last Story hasn't been engaging me as much as Xenoblade Chronicles. One, the combat has been simple with encounters easy or relying on a single trick. The characters are nice, but I don't feel any familiarity since I haven't delved in to their backgrounds yet and that they seem interchangeable in combat. In contrast with Xenoblade, I became very familiar with each character through their different battle skills and heat-to-heart dialogues. The plot thus far hasn't developed a strong main thread that I'm really invested in. Instead, there 3-5 loosely strung threads that I have varying degrees of mild interest in.


I have hopes that the story will pick up in the next couple of chapters as I feel some big changes are ahead.

[Fatty The Hutt]

@Louieturkey, Lithium: thank you.

[Evan_B]

I guess I'm just an idiot for loving this game, then.

[Louieturkey]

I guess I'm just an idiot for loving this game, then.

Not an idiot.  Everyone has different tastes.  Most people are comparing the game to Xenoblade which seems to be the game that most people have chosen as superior.  Maybe if Last Story had been released here first, it may have gotten a fairer shake, but that wasn't the way the cards fell. 

With that, I know I'm playing Last Story before Xenoblade just because I want a less biased opinion about the game.  I don't want to be comparing it to Xenoblade as I play.

[Evan_B]

I think there's no comparing the two. Xenoblade does what it does extremely well, but the Last Story is also very good at making sure everything it does is necessary- that means not a lot of it is superfluous and expanse, but that's not really a bad thing.

[Oblivion]

I wasn't really comparing the two, I just don't think The Last Story lives up to a lot of RPGs I've played. I mean, it's very good for what it tries to be, but no cigar.

[Louieturkey]

I wasn't really comparing the two, I just don't think The Last Story lives up to a lot of RPGs I've played. I mean, it's very good for what it tries to be, but no cigar.

You weren't trying to compare them?

[Oblivion]

Not at all.

[broodwars]

I've reached Chapter 10 and have unlocked the "Command Mode" ability. So far, I'm pretty underwhelmed. The level of actual "strategy" in this game is pitifully low.  So far, I've won pretty much every battle by just turning on Gathering, running past the outer defenders, slaughtering their mages, and then turning around for clean-up.  And besides seemingly being pretty unnecessary for a game this easy, Command Mode also seems pretty useless since you can only issue commands to your AI teammates. You can't order them to move to a different location, and it doesn't look like you can aim their spells/pick their targets either.  So yeah, after all the build-up the game's been doing about how strategic you'd have to play as it went on, so far the combat's been pretty lame and Command Mode just seems to make it more so.

As for the love of all that is holy, ENOUGH with the pointless; obnoxious; and time-wasting pixel hunts between cutscenes. Just use a cutscene and get it over with.  There are certainly enough of them as it is, so what's a few dozen more if it keeps the game moving?

And WTF is up with having to catch 3 "lucky frogs" so my character can learn how to jump into water (especially after he'd already done that as part of the story?)? 

I did have to smirk, though, when Gannondorf suddenly stormed into the game.   

[Evan_B]

Dude, you can aim spells at targets and cause partners to retreat, and using spell aims in conjunction with your spell break ability will help with bosses a lot later.

The game introduces some of its best mechanics as you get deeper into the story, which may be unfortunate for you but was awesome for me. Pace yourself, and don't freak out about the frogs- because you're so not ready to tackle that dungeon anyway.

[Oblivion]

Evan is right, you can aim your spells and all that other ****. Maybe pay more attention to the tutorials?

[Enner]

I guess I'm just an idiot for loving this game, then.

Don't be so down on yourself. While I was being harsh to the game up there, I am finding the game enjoyable overall. It's just that the game has had some slumps for me in the middle of it. I've played to 31+ hours and have fought some really fun battles. Granted, they relied on one or two tricks, but their presentation has put them above the usual battle. Also, having the 2X skill meter gain makes three particular fights much more manageable.

I just wish the story developed particular characters more. I would love a few side chapters focusing on Syrenne and Lowell but they are absent so far. It's a shame since what's already there I enjoy.

As for the love of all that is holy, ENOUGH with the pointless; obnoxious; and time-wasting pixel hunts between cutscenes. Just use a cutscene and get it over with.  There are certainly enough of them as it is, so what's a few dozen more if it keeps the game moving?

And WTF is up with having to catch 3 "lucky frogs" so my character can learn how to jump into water (especially after he'd already done that as part of the story?)?   

Compared to Metroid: Other M, I am enjoying those pixel-hunting moments of The Last Story. They help draw attention to the details of the world. What you're looking for is usually obvious, but it doesn't hurt that the cursor eventually points you in the right direction.

The frog thing is weird and shameful side-activity padding. Didn't stop me from doing it or picking up multiple chains of shiny objects off the streets.

[Enner]

And at the 35 hour mark, the three-phase final boss of The Last Story (Wii) goes down! However, the game wasn't finished yet as the epilogue contains multiple chapters that had me waiting until the 38 hour mark to see the credits. Adding to these time shenanigans, checking in with the Nintendo channel reveals a count of 41 hours. I did not know I spent so much time idling on the title screen, reloading saves, or getting past a point where I got a game over.


The game was good, but it could have been much more.


The combat showed some challenge late in the game but not much. The majority of the battles don't have much depth beyond using Gathering to draw enemy aggression, taking out healers and ranged enemies first, and then mopping up the rest. While the tactical options offered by Gale and diffusing magic circles are quite useful, all too often it is easy enough to whack away at an enemy even if it has a guard up. Boss encounters can be on the other end of the difficulty spectrum where their large health bars and supremely damaging attacks are overcome by the one trick the game wants you to do again and again at that phase of the boss. Finally, even with the Command mode, there aren't enough combat options to consider in a typical battle.


While the battle system has its shortcomings, it is still a great moment to diffuse a fire magic circle to break the guard of the enemy then dispose of them. Mistwalker has the beginning of a great combat system. It just needs to pace the fights to be less hectic, provide more skills and commands, and balance the difficulty better.


The story plays out in the save-the-world manner typical of the genre; there's nothing surprising or offensive. The characters are a fun lot and it's a shame that the game doesn't develop them a bit more than it already does. Because of the lack of development, several character moments in the climax of the game fall flat in varying degrees. The lengthy epilogue helps in providing closure which is very welcome given how the previous chapter twists and turns. Lastly, the narrator is a great example of telling rather than showing.


The sound and music have appropriate slashes and beats. It is a shame that the game couldn't afford to have more orchestration. The visuals and graphics are surprisingly detailed and suffer from frequent slow down (especially in the late game where you can have several characters and effects on the field).


The Last Story is a game I like that I wanted to love. Despite my disappointments with the game, I really enjoy the adventure it offers. Now, onward to upgrading the last of my armor sets and taking a peek at what New Game + offers.

[broodwars]

From the looks of it, my final thoughts on The Last Story, Enner, will probably mirror your own when I eventually finish the game.  I don't hate the game, but I don't love it either.  There are just so many problems that feel like they could have been easily remedied had Mistwalker put a little more time and play-testing into the game.  Still, it's an interesting game and I'm glad we got it eventually.  In the end, however, it's pretty obvious which of the 3 Operation Rainfall games was the strongest (Xenoblade), though I'm hoping that Pandora's Tower still has a worthwhile experience to offer once I eventually import it.