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

[Sarail]

I'm about to go into an RPG frenzy starting today with DQIX (even though it sorta began with FFXIII earlier this year), and it's only going to continue on into the year.

I mean, seriously...  DQIX, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, Xenoblade, The Last Story, Arc Rise Fantasia, and previous games in my backlog I need to catch up on such as Tales of Symphonia 2, Rogue Galaxy, and DQVIII.  Sheesh.. I hope I don't get RPGed out.

But I am all too excited about The Last Story.  Gameplay, from what I can tell in the trailer, looks really fun.

[broodwars]

I'm about to go into an RPG frenzy starting today with DQIX (even though it sorta began with FFXIII earlier this year), and it's only going to continue on into the year.

I mean, seriously...  DQIX, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, Xenoblade, The Last Story, Arc Rise Fantasia, and previous games in my backlog I need to catch up on such as Tales of Symphonia 2, Rogue Galaxy, and DQVIII.  Sheesh.. I hope I don't get RPGed out.

Allow me to assist you by trimming your backlog down a bit: Tales of Symphonia 2 is garbage, Rogue Galaxy is extremely average and tedious (argh, the twin towers dungeon haunts my nightmares!), and DQ VIII is...a Dragon Quest game.  Just pick any of the other 8 entries and play/replay them while watching an animated series of your choice.  Congratulations, you just played DQ VIII.   
 
If you're looking at old RPGs you might have missed on PS2, I highly recommend Wild Arms 5 and Shadow Hearts Covenant (and Shadow Hearts: From the New World, though I haven't played much of it due to it being unplayable on my PS3).

[Sarail]

Awww... c'mon. I loved the first Tales of Symphonia, and my brother, who shares my gaming tastes, loved the second one, too.  Thanks for raining on my parade!

I've heard good things about the Wild Arms series... I've just never made the jump into it. Oh well.

[broodwars]

I've heard good things about the Wild Arms series... I've just never made the jump into it. Oh well.

IMO, Wild Arms 5 is the best and most accessible of the series (which are all standalone games, btw), which is a kind of Steampunk Western franchise.  It's a goofy game, but it knows it's goofy and just runs with it.  Decent production values for a PS2 game, too.  Pity it doesn't run without crashing every 1-10 minutes on my PS3.  Wild Arms 4 is a fine game as well, though a very different kind of game.  Unfortunate, it also doesn't run very well on the PS3.
 
And I loved Tales of Symphonia as well.  It was my favorite Tales game until I got Vesperia (which the Symphonia team went on to make).

[Kytim89]

If this Xenoblade picture is indicative that wii games are catching up to the PS3 not in performance, but in style or quality proves that the wii is evolving into something that may soon match the HD consoles if the wii 2 does not emerge soon. I see it this way, the can longer be considered a last generation system, but a hybrid between SD and HD.

Well, to be more accurate what I think we're seeing is the natural progression of the console lifecycle.  This typically happens with every console: when it first launches, companies are just learning how to work with the hardware so their output is very similar to the last generation's work and the quality varies.  Towards the end of the lifecyle, the companies have worked with the machine for so long that they're comfortable developing on it, so we tend to get products that better reflect the full potential of the machine's specifications.  This isn't Wii specific, as the other two consoles are going through this as well.  We've been getting some seriously good games over the last year or so (Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, Final Fantasy XIII, Alan Wake, Split/Second, Mario Galaxy 2, etc.).  I'm looking forward to the next 1-2 years, which (aside from perhaps the 360, which looks just about dead in the water on 3rd party exclusivity) should be the best all 3 platforms have had.

Yes, I agree that all consoles go through a cycle where the quality ofthe games goes from meager to oustanding and then the cycle starts over once a new console is released. A while back I read an article where a big shot at Microsoft said that the 360 might be on the market until atleast 2015. If we wager that the PS3 will last that long, can we do the same for the wii? THis is where I get the most confused because Nintendo could releases the wii 2 any time between now and 2015. I have to wonder what the wii market will look like by that time if it were allowed to stay on the market for that long? Hypothetically, if the wii lasts until 2015, I am very interested to see the quality of games for it then comared to now.
 
 

[broodwars]

Yes, I agree that all consoles go through a cycle where the quality ofthe games goes from meager to oustanding and then the cycle starts over once a new console is released. A while back I read an article where a big shot at Microsoft said that the 360 might be on the market until atleast 2015. If we wager that the PS3 will last that long, can we do the same for the wii? THis is where I get the most confused because Nintendo could releases the wii 2 any time between now and 2015. I have to wonder what the wii market will look like by that time if it were allowed to stay on the market for that long? Hypothetically, if the wii lasts until 2015, I am very interested to see the quality of games for it then comared to now.

No way the Wii's life cycle extends into 2015, not on its own (I could see it alongside a Wii 2 much as the PS2 stayed alongside the PS3 for several years before support dried up entirely).  Hardware sales are already on decline and 3rd party support has been dropping for years now.  Whether it's the low 3rd party sales; Nintendo's seeming disinterest in 3rd parties; general gaming philosophy differences with Nintendo; or the increasingly archaic tech of the Wii, developers are ready to move on to something more powerful, something that allows them to better express their projects' vision.  Honestly, I don't even see the HD consoles lasting as primary platforms going into 2015, especially the 360.  New tech just gets less expensive with each passing year, making it much more viable to create a new platform around.  And bad economies have to end sometime.
 
No, I think the Wii's successor will be announced next year and then released in 2012/2013.  That's why I said the next 1-2 years should be quite interesting.  Some of my favorite games on Nintendo consoles released in the last few years of their respective life cycles (Chrono Trigger, Perfect Dark, Ogre Battle 64, Baten Kaitos Origins, etc.)  It should be fun.

[Sarail]

And I think that's exactly what we're seeing with games such as Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Zelda: Skyward Sword coming out later this winter into next year.

I fully expect the unveiling of Nintendo's next console at E3 next year, too. The time is just right for it.


EDIT:  To get this thread back on topic, what kind of job/class/weapon/etc. system do you think The Last Story might contain? I'm very intrigued by what Sakaguchi has up his sleeve.

[Arbok]

Tales of Symphonia 2 is garbage

Disagree there. The problem with the game is that its close to the original, and yet not as good. All of the changes seem to be for the worse

The monster leveling aspect is a great time sink though, but Pokémon its not.

Still, the game is far from garbage as I had a lot of fun with it and would recommend it to people who liked the first. Just... they should be aware its not the same caliber of game.

[broodwars]

EDIT:  To get this thread back on topic, what kind of job/class/weapon/etc. system do you think The Last Story might contain? I'm very intrigued by what Sakaguchi has up his sleeve.

Dunno.  Whatever it is, I have a feeling it will have an extremely silly and pretentious name, judging by most JRPGs.  My guess, considering the Western design influence on this game, is that character development will be something like Mass Effect's (but simplified): your characters have a limited set of abilities they level-up by acquiring skill points gotten from level-ups.  Considering all the hinting about the importance of conversation, I'm going to bet that certain abilities are only learned by talking with your teammates.  I wouldn't be surprised if they also borrowed an element of Mass Effect and gave experience points for talking with people.  I doubt the characters will learn to use any weapon other than their own, leading to a tactical element of picking the right characters for the right situation.

[Sarail]

That sounds awesome enough for me, man. 

I just hope the characters are endearing enough to capture my attention and keep it.  When I first heard the notion that character conversation was going to play a primary role in this game, I immediately thought of Fire Emblem... which makes me go gaga anyway.

[Ymeegod]

Agree with BW on ToS2 and RQ but I loved DQVIII.  Sure it was simple ole-school grind feast RPG but the characters were lovable and the plot was nice and start forward.  To many JRPG's tend to have to same "twist" in the storyline.  AoF is still set for July 29th I believe so that should keep me busy until Sept at least.

Still not sure about DQIX though--I tend to play solo and that game tends to be MP joyfeast.  Once FIOS comes in my area I might get this along with MH3 but right now my connection is pretty damn weak at the best of times.

And Tales of Graces looks like it's going be a no-show for NA/Europe.  Anybody hear anything different?

[broodwars]

And Tales of Graces looks like it's going be a no-show for NA/Europe.  Anybody hear anything different?

No, but I highly doubt we're going to get it.  Namco-Bandai's been going through some very rough financial times lately, and the Tales series (outside of Symphonia) has never done particularly well over in North America so I doubt we'll see Graces any more than the PS3 version of Vesperia.  We might see it if someone like Atlus manages to pick it up, but that's very unlikely.

[NWR_insanolord]

All the controversy in this thread got me to go and watch the trailer. The art style doesn't do much for me, but the battle system looks very interesting. I'm definitely more excited than I was before.

[Stratos]

And Tales of Graces looks like it's going be a no-show for NA/Europe.  Anybody hear anything different?

No, but I highly doubt we're going to get it.  Namco-Bandai's been going through some very rough financial times lately, and the Tales series (outside of Symphonia) has never done particularly well over in North America so I doubt we'll see Graces any more than the PS3 version of Vesperia.  We might see it if someone like Atlus manages to pick it up, but that's very unlikely.

Well, X Seed could possibly do it. As far as I know they don't have a whole lot on their plate since most of their big titles all released earlier this year. I think they only have one or two PSP titles announced at the moment.

[broodwars]

And Tales of Graces looks like it's going be a no-show for NA/Europe.  Anybody hear anything different?

No, but I highly doubt we're going to get it.  Namco-Bandai's been going through some very rough financial times lately, and the Tales series (outside of Symphonia) has never done particularly well over in North America so I doubt we'll see Graces any more than the PS3 version of Vesperia.  We might see it if someone like Atlus manages to pick it up, but that's very unlikely.

Well, X Seed could possibly do it. As far as I know they don't have a whole lot on their plate since most of their big titles all released earlier this year. I think they only have one or two PSP titles announced at the moment.

XSEED could do it, but I'd rather they didn't if Fragile Dreams' bland localization is any indication of their work these days.  Of course, I do have a little chip on my shoulder about them considering that three of the PS2 games in my library I want to play the most on my PS3 (Wild Arms 4-5 and Shadow Hearts 3), I can't because they were all brought over by XSEED and no XSEED PS2 game works on the PS3.   : : :
 
Besides, if XSEED did get it, they'd just delay it for over a year before announcing that Ignition took it from them, and Ignition's localization tends to be even more bland (if Muramasa is any indication).

[BlackNMild2k1]

Has anyone seen this yet?

The Last Story's Focus System Detailed

Place Your Focus on an Enemy
Your basic attack method in The Last Story is Elza's sword. However, you can place your focus on a distant enemy to have Elza use his bowgun to take the enemy out from afar. Enemies that are placed in focus will reveal their special abilities and weak points. Famitsu suggests using this system to snipe out the healers from groups of enemies. After identifying which enemies are healers, you can sneak up to the enemy by sticking closely to walls or boulders. When you get close enough, turn your focus on the enemy. The game will switch to a behind-the-should view, allowing you to take out the enemy. The behind-the-shoulder view displays a targeting reticle, but Famitsu doesn't say if you'll be able to directly point using the Wiimote (this was suggested in the trailer, though -- see below).

Place Your Focus on an Object
The focus system can reveal its real destructive power when you put your sights on objects. In one particular case introduced in the magazine, you can see a group of enemy archers on a bridge in the distance. The archers could end up delivering long range attacks. Turn your focus to the bridge, and you'll have a couple of options. You can make Elza use his bowgun to attack the archers. Or you can tell Yuris to cast powerful magic at the bridge. Go with the magic and the bridge collapses, killing the enemies. Another example involves making a boulder fall atop a large group of enemies. You'll want to look around at your surroundings to see if you can use things. You can actually see the focus system in action if you look closely at the trailer Nintendo shared a couple of weeks back, so I've included it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sppl7PGDJPE&feature=player_embedded

They also talk about some the characters @ the link

Also: Updates
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/slsj/worldoflaststory/world_1.html
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/slsj/character/index.html

[broodwars]

Has anyone seen this yet?

The Last Story's Focus System Detailed

Place Your Focus on an Enemy
Your basic attack method in The Last Story is Elza's sword. However, you can place your focus on a distant enemy to have Elza use his bowgun to take the enemy out from afar. Enemies that are placed in focus will reveal their special abilities and weak points. Famitsu suggests using this system to snipe out the healers from groups of enemies. After identifying which enemies are healers, you can sneak up to the enemy by sticking closely to walls or boulders. When you get close enough, turn your focus on the enemy. The game will switch to a behind-the-should view, allowing you to take out the enemy. The behind-the-shoulder view displays a targeting reticle, but Famitsu doesn't say if you'll be able to directly point using the Wiimote (this was suggested in the trailer, though -- see below).

Place Your Focus on an Object
The focus system can reveal its real destructive power when you put your sights on objects. In one particular case introduced in the magazine, you can see a group of enemy archers on a bridge in the distance. The archers could end up delivering long range attacks. Turn your focus to the bridge, and you'll have a couple of options. You can make Elza use his bowgun to attack the archers. Or you can tell Yuris to cast powerful magic at the bridge. Go with the magic and the bridge collapses, killing the enemies. Another example involves making a boulder fall atop a large group of enemies. You'll want to look around at your surroundings to see if you can use things. You can actually see the focus system in action if you look closely at the trailer Nintendo shared a couple of weeks back, so I've included it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sppl7PGDJPE&feature=player_embedded

They also talk about some the characters @ the link

Also: Updates
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/slsj/worldoflaststory/world_1.html
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/slsj/character/index.html

Interesting.  I like the idea of being able to use the environment against your enemy, which is used surprisingly rarely in RPGs.

[Caliban]

Those are some cool game mechanics for an RPG.

[vudu]

Do you gain experience points for beating enemies (like in most RPGS)?  And if so, would you get those experience points for destroying the bridge in the example BNM gave above?  Sounds like a neat mechanic, but I can't ever see myself using it if it robs me of EXP.

[Sarail]

Oh, I would hope so.  This is a Sakaguchi game, so I'm betting that EXP will be in someway or another.

Those new screenshots are quite yummy for a Wii game.  I like 'em a lot.  Looks good.

[broodwars]

Do you gain experience points for beating enemies (like in most RPGS)?  And if so, would you get those experience points for destroying the bridge in the example BNM gave above?  Sounds like a neat mechanic, but I can't ever see myself using it if it robs me of EXP.

I don't see why you wouldn't get EXP in that scenario.  A dead enemy is a dead enemy.  I guess it depends on whether the game works like Mass Effect (real-time combat with EXP for killing enemies) or whether it works like Rogue Galaxy (characters level-up using items).

[Kytim89]

I want this game as soon as possible.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Another NEW trailer for The Last Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daW8F7HvW1U

[broodwars]

Another NEW trailer for The Last Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daW8F7HvW1U

Meh, the game looks nice (though I'm curious how much of that trailer is FMV), but at this point we kind of know that already.  How about giving us a gameplay trailer showing a full battle, Mistwalker?  We've seen clips of an actual batle in these trailers before, but I'd like to see more of that.
 
And what the hell, Nintendo?  Just announce the game for North America already!   

[Dasmos]

Ugh, so brown.