/vr/ - Retro Games

Played this for the first time about 4 years ago when I was 24 and thought it was awesome actually. Played the GC version though

Games don't age, kiddo

>>4002774
I'm playing the GC version as well and just keep getting fed up. I've resorted to importing my save into Dolphin just so I can speed through random battles, might finish it that way. Might not.

>>4002775
I'm 25.

>>4002772
Can't argue that the magic animations are painful to go through, or that the ship battles take longer than one thinks they should. All I CAN say is that it will get better(primarily because you won't have as many to worry about due to accessories). Focus more on the story and setting, which I think was SoA's real charm. Gameplay mechanics were a nice try, they just...didn't work out for everyone.

Played DC version long time ago, game was pretty good.
Animation were stiff, shitty and long.
Every design excluding main cast was horrible, looked like a kid designed them and regular battles should not have existed in this game because they are just so bad with the repetitive music.

>>4002818
At the very least they shouldn't exist on the overworld. I think the reason games like Chrono Cross and FFIX didn't get on my nerves as much even though they had slow battles was because there were long stretches where there were no random battles. The only time there aren't battles in SoA is in towns.

>>4002772
I can tolerate the ship battles. They're pretty "epic" and don't happen that often. But yeah I mostly agree. I still haven't finished it, but I'm planning on going back. Were they to release this again I hope they speed up the animations or something 'cuz that's really the only thing holding back this wonderful game.

I love how they handle the special attacks and magic in this game too, I should say. Having other characters charge up that meter of yours so your one character can keep doing their thing instead of being completely useless for the rest of the battle or relying on MP potions or something like that really sets a cool pace for battles.

The ship battles I found quite charming desu. Looking back on it I can see why some think they drag out too long but there was only a handful of ship battles iirc. Around 10 or so? And if I remember right I think they were all story related fights so it wasn't like you got into random ship battles

>>4002876
MP in this game is really stupid, they should have dropped it completely and just used SP for everything. Or done something like the Trails in the Sky games.

Every old game ages like shit.

And every old game doesn't.

Am I deep yet?

>>4002772
I still havnt gotten around to finishing it, but I got obsessed with the VMU game for a while when I last played.

>>4002821
In the later game, you can fly above the clouds to avoid random battles. Deep sky works too.

>>4002880
>it wasn't like you got into random ship battles

There are random ships flying about the world map. They're easily avoided, though.

Is there a penalty to swapping weapon colors? Because it feels like there should be, like I should have to spend a turn or focus points to switch color. It's weird that you can just do it so freely mid battle.

I loved SoA when it came out for the Dreamcast, and I loved it again when I got the rerelease for the Gamecube.

The world is interesting and fun to explore, the soundtrack is killer, but the thing that really resonated with me was the characters, especially the Vyse, Aika and Fiona trio. Enrique is kinda meh - he joins a bit too late to get much characterization, but Glider's cool. The main three are upbeat, intelligent, capable adventurers with clear motives and their relationship is blessedly free of needless drama, miscommunications, and misunderstandings. It would have been easy to write in emo feelings about the burden of having to save the world or a love triangle that needs resolving but no, fuck that, they all like each other, and have more important shit to worry about at the moment.

Airships are cool. That helps too.

>>4002772
+1

Everything about it just dragged and dragged. I'm not a fan of the FF menu-based-combat interactive-movie games to begin with, i'll admit. But Chrono Trigger held me in thrall, and this looks so awesome, and the floating inslands scenario is magical. And then the game turns out to be a garbage marathon.

I was sorely disappoint.

>>4002772
I was playing eschelon(?) rip version on DC with trainer built in which i used infinite SP for Vyse and in random battles just Rain of Swords everything

i love it, but agree the encounter rate sucks and the loading times were abysmal.

i hear the GC versiob fixes both of those problems at the cost of audio quality.

>>4004617
Really? You could have done the same thing without cheating buy using Aika's Lambda Burst and Omega Cyclone.

Game is much more tolerable to me in Dolphin with the ability to speed through battles. Also cleans up really well. Will probably finish it now that airship battles take 1/4th of the time.

doesnt really have to do with age its just that this game is fucking impossible. i swear i had an easier time playing this as a kid

I bought this game when i 13 back in 2001...its my favorite game ever..

I named my daughter after it.

One of the best games...i still cry when i beat it...soooo good

>>4002775
>books don't age
>movies don't age
>technologies don't age
>expressions like "old-fashioned thinking" and "ancient civilization" are invalid
>no concept has ever aged
>what is figurative language

>>4005771
you named your daughter skies of arcadia?

>>4002916
being right =/= being deep

>>4005738
TR was a strange series. Despite being such a popular IP subsequent entries became progressively harder culminating with TR3 being remembered as nearly impossible by most people. The designers cared fuck all about people that just got into the series it was made for vets.

>>4006121
Her middle name is "the GameCube one"

>>4006098
you don't say they have aged but that they are dated, two different things

>>4004551
Yeah, the fact that Vyse is not an edgelord ala Cloud / Squall, really makes the game more enjoyable.

>>4002772
Still one of my favorite games. Replayed it multiple times.
That said, it has a huge amount of flaws, even with the remake. I'm hoping that Sega will remake it so that they could address some of the flaws that make it hard to replay the game

>>4003221

Yes there is. It changes what color type your attacks are. For instance hitting a green enemy (their icon needs to be green colored, not their model) with a red weapon does more damage, whereas hitting them with a blue weapon does less.

Spells always use the color associated with them. Special attacks either either use the color your character is currently using (Vyse's cutlass furies will use his current color) or will always use one color regardless of what color the character currently is (all of Aika's specials use red always).

Your characters also take more or less damage in the same ways, so setting Enrique to a defensive color makes a lot of sense if he's going to just be doing justice shield for several turns.

>>4004624

The audio is fine, it just isn't CD quality. The GCN version also has lots of cool stuff like optional boss battles.

ITT: A bunch of faggots who didn't realize you could skip attack animations with the Start button. WTF do they think this game is? Final Fantasy VII?

>>4002772
I consider myself to be pretty harsh on games that haven't aged well, but I fucking love almost every aspect of Skies of Arcadia. Everything about this game just charms the hell out of me. If there was one game I could go back and experience for the first time all over again, it would be this. The sense of mystery and adventure in this game is second to none.

>>4004551
>Enrique is kinda meh - he joins a bit too late to get much characterization
What? I found him to be entirely the opposite. I mean, obviously Drachma got the most character development out of the extra party members, but Enrique's was far more interesting. He was a bit of a coddled Prince who finally had the guts to stand up to his asshole Empress of a mother. He had a great arc, even if it wasn't in your face like Drachma's was. And Enrique arguably has the most useful super move with Justice Shield. He was an invaluable addition to the team, especially for the optional bosses in the Gamecube version.

Meanwhile, Gilder is cool, but that's about it. He has no real story or intrigue, and his super moves are pretty boring. He's all flash and no substance.

>>4009035
Except they're not. It's an appropriation of the term. It's been in use and widely understood for decades, and is well within the parameters of the word according to every dictionary. The only people who have an issue with it are autists like you on a Laotian glass-blowing forum who are buttmad that people are criticizing your childhood videogames and the best rebuttal you can think of is to be pedantic.

>>4011425
>The GCN version also has lots of cool stuff like optional boss battles.

And tons of them, too. In fact, one of the problems with the Gamecube version is that if you haven't played the original, you won't get that the bounties are supposed to be these extra difficult bonus bosses, mainly there for players of the DC version. I found them pretty jarring as fights, because suddenly you end up in a fight significantly more difficult than anything else you've been facing at the time.

>>4002772
I remember not liking the gamecube version enough to return it, and I can't really remember why. Still have the Dreamcast version.

>>4014259
your definition, has aged

>>4014701
You get the hint quickly that Bounties are the actual challenge in Skies of Arcadia (Legends), where the battle system isn't as repetitive and you really have to get strategic and customize your team. It's certainly a nice change from popcorn fights which overload you with EXP while you skip most animations (I stopped using magic whenever possible because of this). After I got White Map, even the random encounters weren't a problem anymore, so my experience clearly fared better than most.

Ship combat really is a tedious waste, except when you duel Vigoro and the Looper. Those were fun encounters.

>>4014245
Gilder's the coolest form of his trope, but he gets much less development than other characters...you even learn more about Ramirez. Justice Shield is absolutely nuts for certain Bounties, and Enrique's both funny and admirable at intervals in the story (especially when Gregorio's involved).

Just a really cool and solid adventure.

>>4015063

Not him, but that was a completely autismal response.

>>4015118

I liked the ship battles. I would change a few things, but the pace is fine.

>>4015206
your response has aged

>>4015212

Take your (You) and just go back to /v/.

>>4002772
I must agree with you. I still have good memories of that game but I remember how cancer were ship battle. I also remember how was the treasure hunter part of the game and if you really want to finish and discover before the other pirate you must spoil yourself. I also remember how the final boss come from nowhere to the plot.

>>4002772

Skies of Arcadia was the first game where I experienced a bare bones RPG. I've been spoiled with optional and side shit you could do, where there is none in Skies.

>>4015237
Ain't that most japanese rpgs?

NiGHTS into dreams.

I love this game but whoever was in responsible for those horrifying chibi models needs to be sacked and never allowed to work in the industry ever again.

>>4014137
You can only skip Super Moves. You can't skip any magic or regular attacks, or boss attacks.