Ys Series

[Devi]

Some of you were talking about the Ys series in another thread and I've been wanting to get into it for a while now but I'm not really sure where to start, what with all the installments and remakes.

So, which game is the first, and what system is it best to play on? I was trying to read up on it and the Windows versions looked pretty nice, are they any good?

Thanks

[Cairn1111]

You can't go wrong with Ys I & II Complete. They are a remake of the very first game for Windows. It has better sound track and better graphics.

[Colamisu]

If you've got a PSP, I'd go with those versions. The I and II for PSP don't come out in the US until late February, but it's supposed to be one of the better versions of those two. Anyways, after that you can go straight into the PSP version of Oath in Felghana, which is a Ys III remake.

EDIT: Also, the Oath in Felghana translation is very well done. Apparently XSEED bought the translation from the guy who did the PC fan translation patch, then went back and fixed what was necessary. And the PC version was already fantastic, aside from lacking a translation for the mural.

[Aeolus Aeneas]

The DS version of books I and II is basically broken, as the company that did it (which wasn't Falcom, because if it was they would have NEVER screwed it up) added an attack function while putting the ramming of the original as a touch gimmick meaning that to do it the proper way, you gotta use the touch screen, and that's a pain in the ass. They also added a new area and then didn't bother to rebalance the others, making you overly leveled after the fact. Plus, the new area is pointless anyway, as they didn't bother to rewrite the story to take it into account, so it's promptly dropped and forgotten about.

PSP is the way to go, as it has (coming soon to the US) ys 1 and 2, Ys 3 (Oath), Ys 6 (Ark of Napishtim) and Ys 7. There hasn't been a remake of 4 and 5 yet, so you'll have to go to other systems, most notably the SNES (though 4 isn;t that great, and I haven't played 5 yet), though there are other consoles they appeared on.

There's also Origins for the PC (no clue on fan translation status of that), an MMO (again, not in English), a strategy game and a crossover game between Ys and some other series which MIGHT see the light of day, as supposedly the game series it crosses over with is going to get an official release.

[Quiji]

Every game has a seperate storyline, only with two familiar characters in each game: Adol (red-haired swordsman), and Dogi (blue0haired brute). It barely matters where you start.

As far as when each came out in the US, here it is (top being earliest):

Ys: The Ark in Napishtim (either PS2 or PSP, PS2 is better)
Ys Seven (PSP only)
Ys: The Oath in Falghana (PSP only)
Ys: I & II Chronciles (PSP only, Feb)

There are some weird ones like Ys Eternal for the PC and Ys II Eternal, but I have no idea what they are.

I never really played the PC88 or PC98 versions, but I heard they're ok. Ys is a series that only really has been released in Japan, and didn't have much of a fan-base there either. Games are not connected to each other and are fairly obscure.

[Aeolus Aeneas]

Well no, several games make references to other games in the series. Example, Ark and Ys Seven; Seven has several direct references to Ark, be it Geis and his familiars, to the talisman that lets you breathe under water and the infamous GETTING OFF THE BOAT SAFELY in the opening, which is directly referenced to not only Ark, but several games where Adol has poor luck with boats (meaning he either gets thrown off them, or they sink while he's on them). Oath also references Ark in the final boss, and there's the overall references to the people, land, and goddesses of Ys in numerous games.

So while there's generally no solid connections between the games (beyond Adol's wanderlust and Dogi being his best friend who CRUSHES WALLS as a hobby), there are many connections that will leave you feeling lost if you play them out of order.

[Colamisu]

Every game has a seperate storyline, only with two familiar characters in each game: Adol (red-haired swordsman), and Dogi (blue0haired brute). It barely matters where you start.

As far as when each came out in the US, here it is (top being earliest):

Ys: The Ark in Napishtim (either PS2 or PSP, PS2 is better)
Ys Seven (PSP only)
Ys: The Oath in Falghana (PSP only)
Ys: I & II Chronciles (PSP only, Feb)

There are some weird ones like Ys Eternal for the PC and Ys II Eternal, but I have no idea what they are.

I never really played the PC88 or PC98 versions, but I heard they're ok. Ys is a series that only really has been released in Japan, and didn't have much of a fan-base there either. Games are not connected to each other and are fairly obscure.

Eternal and II Eternal are just another remake of the first two games.

Also, a lot of the games have English translation patches, despite not being released in the US. The PC version of Oath in Felghana, and the SNES versions of most of the games, I believe.

And as Aeolus said, there are some connections. It would have been nice if he had left out the spoilers since the OP hasn't played them yet, but yeah. Technically there's continuity, as they do all happen chronologically. The only important continuity is between the first two, though. And you can skip them and watch the anime series if you can't handle the bump battle.

[Aliengrounder]

Some of you were talking about the Ys series in another thread and I've been wanting to get into it for a while now but I'm not really sure where to start, what with all the installments and remakes.

So, which game is the first, and what system is it best to play on? I was trying to read up on it and the Windows versions looked pretty nice, are they any good?

Thanks

Newgrounds character Pico was my choice to parody the Ys series.

Eternal and II Eternal are just another remake of the first two games.

Also, a lot of the games have English translation patches, despite not being released in the US. The PC version of Oath in Felghana, and the SNES versions of most of the games, I believe.

And as Aeolus said, there are some connections. It would have been nice if he had left out the spoilers since the OP hasn't played them yet, but yeah. Technically there's continuity, as they do all happen chronologically. The only important continuity is between the first two, though. And you can skip them and watch the anime series if you can't handle the bump battle.

Where I can find the english patch for Eternal Complete?

The DS version of books I and II is basically broken, as the company that did it (which wasn't Falcom, because if it was they would have NEVER screwed it up) added an attack function while putting the ramming of the original as a touch gimmick meaning that to do it the proper way, you gotta use the touch screen, and that's a pain in the ass. They also added a new area and then didn't bother to rebalance the others, making you overly leveled after the fact. Plus, the new area is pointless anyway, as they didn't bother to rewrite the story to take it into account, so it's promptly dropped and forgotten about.

PSP is the way to go, as it has (coming soon to the US) ys 1 and 2, Ys 3 (Oath), Ys 6 (Ark of Napishtim) and Ys 7. There hasn't been a remake of 4 and 5 yet, so you'll have to go to other systems, most notably the SNES (though 4 isn;t that great, and I haven't played 5 yet), though there are other consoles they appeared on.

There's also Origins for the PC (no clue on fan translation status of that), an MMO (again, not in English), a strategy game and a crossover game between Ys and some other series which MIGHT see the light of day, as supposedly the game series it crosses over with is going to get an official release.

The Books DS game was developed by Interchannel-Holon (Gamebridge). This combines the (never released in USA) Ys DS titles.

Aeon Genesis translated the SNES Ys IV into English, and about the crossover with some other series? The Alternative Saga game also features the characters of The Legend of Heroes: Trails In the Sky (Sora no Kiseki). The Call of Solum MMO was released only in Korea, Japan and Europe (by Key of Play). Konami published Ark of Napishtim.
Note: Hardcore Gaming 101 has the complete games and the comparison between Ys III and Oath in Felghana. For other games and complete list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ys_media

Newgrounds' Pico Day is coming!

[Colamisu]

It's rather presumptuous to say that every thread you post in should be renamed as if it's your thread.

Anyways, I don't even know if there is a patch for Eternal Complete. It seems that it would be rather silly if the only difference between Eternal and Eternal complete is color depth (as Wikipedia leads me to believe). But if you're really interested, Google is a treasure trove of information.

[Quiji]

Yes, yes, there are cameo appearances and vague references. Sorry for not getting every detail.

[Devi]

Thanks, guys, that was a big help.

It's good to know there aren't huge connections between all the games. I'll probably look into Ys I & II Complete first.

[Quiji]

It's coming out Feb. 22, so you'll have to wait. As far as chronologically, I think it's:

Ys: I & II - PSP
Ys: The Oath in Felghana - PSP/PC
Ys: Wanderers of Ys - SNES
Ys: The Ark in N~ - PSP/PS2
Ys Seven - PSP

Ys 5 (between Wanderers and Ark) never has been released in the US, but finding a translation isn't hard.

[Chocobolicious]

Oath is Wanderers.

Just, heavily remade so it isn't a sidescroller. (As it was the odd man out.)

AGTP has Mask of the sun (Ys IV) patch. Solid game. There are 2 different versions of 5 from what I recall, I dont remember the translation status of either of those, though.

[Aeolus Aeneas]

The Ys chronology is as follows;

Ys Origin (No Adol, takes place atleast a century before he's born)
Ys 1
Ys 2
Ys 4
Ys 3 (Oath)
Ys 5
Ys 6 (Ark)
Ys 7
MMO (Takes place after Adol dies. I guess from old age, because if anything does kill Adol, it had better be God Himself, and even then Adol would likely kill God at the same time.)

[Aliengrounder]

YOU MEAN THE KEFIN ONE? http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=ys5