/vr/ - Retro Games

How I forgot the 2 I don't know but 2 is what I have

Actually been meaning to try to track down a Wild Arms thread (they seem few and far between, be it here or /v/ if desperate enough). Been playing through the first game myself (heard generally good things about the series but hadn't given it much of a try until recently) and it's been surprisingly fun. Currently trying to work on mastering Jack's Fast Draw skills, but even with a luck rating of "BEST" it's been taking a while. Feels great when something finally gets mastered and shows itself though.

On a related note, I've been looking for concept art for the first game, but it's been proving pretty hard to find any besides the cover art and a few images of the Quarter Knights. Guessing it came out before a huge movement to put up concept art image online came about, or that the art for ACF is just that much more common to the point it makes it hard to find any art for the original game.

>>1755183
>Anything exciting in store for me?
I've heard the second game is generally quite good, but that having a rather poor translation doesn't do it credit. Still, I suppose I can't say much about just how much of an issue the translation is on a personal level; going to start that one after I beat the first game.

>>1755394
>poor translation

You can follow the game well enough at least until the Liz and Ard sections roll around.

All in all WA2 is an okay game, but it's not quite as good as the first and you probably won't ever play through it more than once.

The first one is one of my favorite JRPGs, but I found the second one to be a chore to play and never finished it. It did try a lot of new things that were kind of interesting whereas the first one is pretty standard fare, but it just didn't grab me for some reason.

It seems to me that most people think the second is way better than the first, though.

So, original or the remake?

>>1756283
I mostly agree with this.

The first was great, and it never crossed over into outright bullshit anime territory with it's plot. It managed to keep everything in perspective, and nothing came too far out of left field.

The second game was written by fucking elementary level school children, as far as I'm concerned. Plot is straight retarded (or at least the awful translation makes it seem as though this is the case), and the entire first half is hard to enjoy because of the slow pacing and jumping around. The second disc is pretty fun though, and I did enjoy the stupid story about the vamp you can read. Also, that intro for the second disc is God-tier when that trumpet starts blaring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tpoKq0X6xs

Also, while not retro, the rest of the series overall really blows because it's basically just more of the senseless garbage that almost ruined the second game.

>>1756362
>Also, that intro for the second disc is God-tier when that trumpet starts blaring.

Oh, man, I almost forgot about that. I think the intro changes several times depending on where you are in the game. The animation is top-notch, too.

Personally I don't understand the love WA2 gets. To me it was one of the weaker entries.

But I can tell you one thing:

WA1, the original and not that butchered remake, has the most amazing OST of them all.

>>1756358
I think a lot of people would say original (supposedly the remake misses the point in some areas, and Agetec didn't exactly do a better job translating the game that the original team; if they did it probably would have been a bit better received), but I do suppose that is up for debate. Especially if you're looking into physical copies, as the PS1 original goes for a lot less (about $16 minimum where I live) than the remake ($45-60).

Still, I've actually managed to find a cheap copy of ACF than I will play in due time. Least I can do when you find something that pricy for only $18.

I haven't played Wild Arms 2, but Breath of Fire 2 had a retarded translated-by-middle-schoolers plot and it was still fucking amazing

playing it when I was 14 and THE CHURCH IS EVIL HOLY SHIT was more shocking and intense helped though

>>1756957
>supposedly the remake misses the point in some areas

As someone who is playing the remake as his first WA, would someone mind explaining to me what it is it's missing exactly? New characters and encounter cancel seem like substantial enough additions to me.

>>1756451
>Personally I don't understand the love WA2 gets

trumpet

>>1757020
...a tear comes to my eye.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JfCYgxrQ_M

man I say it in every thread but WA does not get near the credit it deserves for having an amazing sound track

>>1757008
I've mainly just heard people say that some scenes handle a bit differently, to the point they don't carry the same weight as the original game. Still, I think the bigger issue is Agetec apparently not doing their research translation-wise in some instances (they fix a few things from what I hear, but manage their own mistranslated moments), since at the very least the translation for the game could have been given an opportunity to really be improved. And yeah, the additional party members and some of the things carried over from WA3's engine seem interesting if you ask me

Again, I still have to play the remake myself, so I can't speak from personal experience just yet. Currently playing the first on the PS1, and it's been pretty good, so I will have something to compare it to eventually.

>>1756362
>the rest of the series overall really blows
Odd. I've heard people generally really like the third game, though most do indeed dislike the fourth. People seem to be fairly split on the fifth as well.

>>1756979
At least Breath of Fire II managed to get a retranslation patch by an annoyed fan after the GBA port failed to be given an improved translation.

>>1757096
>Odd. I've heard people generally really like the third game

3 was pretty great. 4 and 5 where decent too.

>At least Breath of Fire II managed to get a retranslation patch by an annoyed fan

eh his translation was just as annoying and frankly only had the nice menus and dash button going for it.

it was less about him wanting a better translation and more about him showing off what a weab he is.

Id sooner play the shitty snes version than call her Lin

>>1757041
I didn't know you could cram this much cliches into one trailer, the soundtrack is nice though.

>>1756979
There isn't anything I hate more than seeing that and I'm 14

>>1757130
The third was my favorite by far. The art style still makes the game look good and while the encounter rate was high it had a fun story and I really liked the puzzles in that one.

Of course, all of them have great soundtracks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azMfhN4VRXE

>>1757130
>Worked on Tsukihime translation
>Still wished we had called her Wren.

>>1757130
Why exactly did he change the names for some of the characters in BoF II anyhow? At the very least that seems like something you might as well leave intact barring a name meant as a reference that wasn't translated entirely properly the first time around (like some of the names in Wild Arms, where some of the references aren't exactly all that noticeable in the English translation). Especially if the fans themselves are quite used to calling characters by an already established name.

>>1757150
>Why exactly did he change the names for some of the characters in BoF II anyhow?

because they weren't the Japanese ones

>>1757130
here, here!

I love BoF as much as anyone but lets try to keep shit on track and WA related

Guy who was working on getting Jack's Fast Draw artes mastered earlier. Is there any way to influence the chances of him mastering one other than capping out his luck and repeatedly using the currently unknown skills?

>>1757141
>That song in the third game that incorporates a bit of the opening to the first game in it.

>>1757186
>Is there any way to influence the chances of him mastering one other than capping out his luck and repeatedly using the currently unknown skills?

Not really. Just gotta sit down keep at it and be glad you ain't trying to grind Kanon

>>1757190
Well, at least I can stop worrying about missing some way to influence it (think I've got 8 of his mastered already; if I'd known they can pretty much take the place of using his regular attack and have a chance of learning stuff I'd have a lot more by now, first time playing a game in the series). Might as well stock up on those white flowers while I'm at it.

On that note, how exactly does Jack's Slash Rave work? Is the number of hits (and thus damage) random, or can you influence it? Because when he first unlocked it the attack his six times and did a lot of damage, but more often than not he seems to just do 2-3 slashes.

>be glad you ain't trying to grind Kanon
How does it handle with that Kanon chick? Going to play Wild Arms 2 next, so I figure it might be good to know a few things like that; maybe I can get an earlier start on her skills than I did with Jack.

>>1757208
>How does it handle with that Kanon chick?

you use one move to get the next and the chances get smaller and smaller as it goes down the list.

her last move has a 1% trance to trigger on BEST luck

>>1757247
That does sound annoying. Guess I'll try to keep her lucky up then when I get to it and hope for the best.

Do enemies still sound like cats and shit in Wild Arms 2? Because I think it's pretty funny how you can hit something like a goblin in the first game, only for it to let out some cat meow sort of sound in response.

>>1757290
>That does sound annoying. Guess I'll try to keep her lucky up then when I get to it and hope for the best.

there are tricks you can do to make it easier, it's not as bad as it seems

>>1757298
I'll keep that in mind, thanks.
Just encountered a pair of aliens as a random encounter while trying to work on Jack's mastery. Holy shit these things are strong.
>Human Experimentation inflicting all sorts of status shit.

>>1757096
>people say that some scenes handle a bit differently, to the point they don't carry the same weight as the original game

Well that's just silly. Sure, some cutscenes are awkward but that's more because of the noticeably absent voice acting more than the direction of the scenes. I'm sorry, but if that's the only case people can make against the remake then I'm afraid that's nothing more than nostalgiafaggotry.

>>1757398
Well, as I've stated before, I do still need to play it still so I can't speak personally (it's in my backlog, likely going to play it after I clear Wild Arms 2 and 3 first). I do think people might have a valid point with the redone soundtrack though. I've heard a bit of it and it seems a bit of a mixed bag.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2saPr88Omho

>>1756362
Dont you say SHIT about WA3, that was a very clever RPG. Know what im referring to?

>>1757418

Well of course I'm not criticizing you, but I have heard just about the same, low detailed complaints as you and if nobody can really add to that then... Whatever man.

>>1757479
>Know what im referring to?

I know WHO you are referring to

>>1757494
Yeah. Personally, from what I've heard, I'll probably find it fine myself (I'm fairly lenient on stuff as long as a game isn't too annoying), if a tad disappointed at Agetec for still finding ways to make the translation screwy here and there. And if not, I can at least know what exactly felt wrong about it for more detailed reasons as to why I might personally prefer the original. Either way it'll be be worth experiencing if you ask me.

>>1757514

Godspeed anon.

I should also try playing the original WA to find out for myself the big changes, but I'm honestly not that big on RPGs to begin with and I get the feeling that I would sorely miss the mechanics I've gotten attached to in ACF...

>>1757534
The first game on the PS1 is indeed a tad basic compared to the changes I've heard some of the later games have made, but it has had a lot of charm to it thus far, and has been pretty fun. Only big thing that might take some getting used to is how the game jumps from a well sprited overworld, towns, and dungeons (complete with being able to enter most buildings in towns and towns in general actually feeling like they have a population to them, even if small (though considering the fact that the world is something of a dangerous wasteland, I don't think a small population is that out of place) to some rather odd, early-ish 3D graphics in combat. That said, I wouldn't call them bad by any means, just that they take a bit of getting used to, and I've come to enjoy them (it can make it a bit hard to see the details of what enemies are supposed to look like though).

If you like ACF, you'll probably come to enjoy the original as well.

On that note, since you like how ACF handles, you might want to consider giving WA3 a try at least if you haven't yet, as I hear ACF's combat tweaks were based off the third game's.

>>1757561

Well, I didn't mind the lego look of FFVII's field models, and based on all the recent hate FFVII gets this is apparently a big deal breaker for many people lol. What bothers me most when going back to an older RPG is usually just the encounter rate or menus being more clunky than need be. I don't mind random encounters unlike most modern gamers, but if they are frequent without any easy way of cutting them down or cancelling them altogether then I'm not usually having a fun time. I will strongly consider buying in the near future though, especially considering how little I have to lose with its price.

>>1757643
I don't mind random encounters much myself, especially if the rest of the game more than makes up for it. Wild Arms (PS1 version, anyhow) seems to have a reasonable encounter rate (not too high, and not too low either) compared to a fair amount of games I've seen, and Cecilia can be taught spells to influence the encounter rate to temporarily be higher or lower depending on what you need from it (albeit the reduction one, Invisibility, requires you to have access to the boat and Outer Sea before you can find someone able to teach it, along with the other advanced spells (also of note, one of the guys at the building will warp to Adlehyde and allow Advanced Magic services there, so you don't have to wander all over to find one of the Isolated Guild locations).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlWDhtxiCmY

dat prologue

Man WA was the first playstation game I ever beat and at the time it blew me away. Still a great game because the story is stellar. Dream Chasers rule.

>>1757714
Been playing the PS1 version and I don't recall seeing that. Was that something that played upon starting a new game (in which case I have to question how I managed to miss that), or some sort of "leave the start up screen going long enough and this plays" thing?

>>1757752
>Been playing the PS1 version and I don't recall seeing that.

let the press start screen idle some

>>1757760
Thanks. I'll check that out later. Do the later games also do that sort of thing as well? Don't want to accidentally miss prologues for those as well when I get around to them.

>>1757768
>Do the later games also do that sort of thing as well?

Not that I remember but it's been a while since I touched them

Regarding original WA1 vs remake. The remake has these awful straight dungeons according to modern genre standards, they feel like you move on rails. Got bored and couldn't finish the remake. I liked the translation better, though.
>>1757331
They drop Duplicators, btw.

>>1759531
Yeah, the first set of them I killed dropped one. Fought about 2-3 other pairs of them so far and only first dropped them. Are they only dropped on the fist kill, or did I just get lucky with getting one? Either way they're good for experience and gella, provided you can get them to show up.

>>1759716
There's a chance of drop and you also can pickpocket those from them.
Lucky Cards can be useful too.

Man, one of the things WA2 did well was the enemy radar thing, holy shit.
Getting a complete bestiary was never this easy.

>>1759886
Neat. Might have to take another detour to find some more before heading back up through Ka Dingol.

>>1759947
Was the second game the first in the series to offer a bestiary to work at? I haven't seen one in the first game, even though you do have the analyze ability (which is nice in it's own right due to being helpful in combat, but still).

>>1759947

WA2 handled random encounters amazingly well

hello Chris Baker if you are in this thread please so say

That guys arms look perfectly sensible to me. I'll never understand these silly video game titles.

So, do the games in this series end at the final boss, or is there any sort of post game, or at least "you can keep playing after the final boss, do bonus stuff, fight final boss again" sort of thing? Just wondering if I need to take advantage of doing optional stuff before fully clearing Malduke in the first game, since I'm assuming that counts as the final area (unless they pull off some third section).

>>1761579
Nope, game ends for good. Do all the optional stuff before, even though some of it can be tougher than Zeikfried.

I just got WA1 and 2 on the 99 cent psn sale. After a week of playing ff9 and it's sloooow loading times this game is a godsend. Everything is faster.

Oh, a Wild Arms thread.
I decided to play the series from start to end (including XF, and maybe the anime and Flower Thieves) and finished Wild Arms 2 last night.

Fucking LOVED that last battle, the transformation, the music (oh man, this game has so many awesome tracks), the scenes...damn.
The translation was strange as fuck, but still enjoyable (but seriously, there were times I had no idea what the fuck they were talking about).
That scene with Marivel and Tony was really sweet, as was the ending...still, I felt really bad for Irving and his sister, even after the whole thing behind Odessa.

Also, Ashley totally banged his love interest...several times through the course of the game.

Now I just need to wait for my Wild Arms 3 copy to arrive so I can get on that.
Kind of sad Vita has no PS2 support, though, I had fun playing the two first games on my PSP. I'd definitely get a Vita for that.

>that scene where Mother eats Zeikfried
>screen goes black
>chewing sounds

>>1761932
Cool. Thanks for the info. I'll go see what I've been missing optional content-wise.

Bumping with a 8 year old video.

http://youtu.be/VVOFibwVMw0

>>1756358
The remake nerfs Cecilia hard in order to give the other girls a shot.
She no longer has Mystic which let her activate magic from old armor and weapons, and gave her mp independent healing.
Swapping out crests costs money.
Some of her high level spells get taken by the scientist girl.

In exchange for all this she becomes the exclusive summoner (everyone can summon in the original game), and she can whack enemies for one mp.

The most crippling nerf is that she no longer randomly dances in the victory animation.

I just bought 2 recently.
My hype is through the roof, but I refuse to play it until I beat 1.
My only question though is: When do I get to Lord Blaze it?

>>1757141

You know, I like 3 the most too. I think they nail the wasteland feel of a dead world unlike the other games since now is just a big endless sea of sand instead another jrpg world with a little bit of this a little bit of that.

I think the big problem of 3 is the short party. I would love to use the Schrodinger gang

>>1767690
>Tim-fy Cecilia

WHY

>>1757186
So good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHXq84f-HoA

>>1762201
>Also, Ashley totally banged his love interest...several times through the course of the game.

Yes, yes he did

also

Irving banged his sister many times through the game

>Fight a Nosferatu for the first time in Wild Arms 1.
>It reduces entire party's health to 1 with a single attack when I decide to analyze it instead of having Jack one hit kill it with Meteor Dive (considering he pretty much always attacks first).
>Lets its allies finish the party off with a single multi target magic spell.
Damn, those fuckers are cheap.

On a related note to monsters in the series, does the series tend to have a general pool of the same monsters in each game, or does each tend to have unique monsters in each game apart from a few standard ones? First time playing one of the games, so I'm just wondering how they handle it.

>>1772221
WA1 also has some fox-like enemies who can insta-kill. They are somewhat fast so 3 or more can theoretically TPK if you're not aggressive with Jack.

I don't think there are any recurring enemies besides the standard goblins or some secret bosses. I don't even recall any mascot enemies.

>>1772520
Only fox looking thing I recall was a boss. Haven't seen any standard ones thus far, unless they're somewhere I haven't been.

>>1762525
That scared me shitless.

I fucking hate anything vore and that scene left me scarred.

>>1774120
>>1762525
>"My sweet Zeik... from now on... me..."
Still not real sure how he managed to even retain his control for the first part of the final fight. Did Mother initially rebuild herself after the Gate Generator section with his form or something, and it was just his sheer will power that left him in partial control (until the Motherfried phase)? Just trying figure out how he would still have his form after being eaten.

>tfw there will never be a retranslation of WA2

>>1774917
Going to jump into Wild Arms 2 soon. I didn't think the translation for the first game was too bad apart from some names or terms meant as references getting lost in translation. Was there a different translation team for the second game, or was the translation just rushed? Doesn't seem like the translation would have been all that bad if it was handled by the same team and they were given adequate time to work with it.

>>1757150
The names are simple: for one the games after 2 didn't use them much at all.

Seems like an interesting series of games, though I do have a few questions.
How are the PAL conversions?
Can the series be fully enjoyed if one skips 2? Since that one was never released in PAL regions.

>>1775126
Not sure about PAL/Europe conversions, but you could always emulate 2, or try to get it off the US PSN if you make a US account and get a US PSN card somehow (which might be a good idea in general, seeing as a fair amount of JRPGs never made it to Europe at that time, like Xenogears). They had both 1 and 2 on sales out here for $1 each this past weekend.

>>1774947
I'm not sure myself but one thing is for sure: the translation for 2 is much worse.

It's still readable for the most part and enjoyable, but don't expect the same quality as the first.

>>1776404
So, is it just a few really egregious lines that bring the translation down due to making things cryptic or confusing, or is it just notably poor on the whole? Just wondering if it would just need a few lines touched up here and there to make it better, or if, in the case of retranslation, the entire thing would need to be redone from the original Japanese if someone ever decided to for there to be a huge improvement.

Kind of a shame it never saw a remake like the first one. Say what you want about ACF, but at least that gave the first game a chance to have some of the translation issues corrected (more than what Capcom did for Breath of Fire II's GBA port); shame Agetec still managed to screw up the translation in places.

>>1775235
He can use credit also instead of psn cards. I have American, European and Japanese accounts and typically use credit for all of them.

>>1776698
Really? The way I recall was that, at least with a Japanese PSN account, you had to have either a Japanese credit card or a Japanese PSN points card to buy anything off the store there, hence online places stocking imported Japanese PSN cards since it's a bit hard to get a Japanese credit card if you live in the US or Europe. Maybe I heard wrong, or something changed since then. Or maybe it just applied to the Japanese PSN and US and European PSN accounts are more lax about region restrictions for credit cards on there.