Recently got this off of the PSN. It's supposedly an overlooked gem of a game with great art, a good story, blah blah blah...but why do YOU like/dislike it? What do you think about it? Weigh in.
The Spuzziest of Spuzzes
Vagrant Story
Recently got this off of the PSN. It's supposedly an overlooked gem of a game with great art, a good story, blah blah blah...but why do YOU like/dislike it? What do you think about it? Weigh in.
Last edited by SpuzzHardwick; 30th-June-2012 at 07:15.
C is for Cookie.
I don't like it, I love it. PSX had all kind of great RPG but for me this is the best in it's category, definitely a game that I've enjoyed immensely.
The best about it? Story, graphics, replayability... everything about it is outstanding but I particularly enjoyed it being a defiant game and the music score, it's superb.
The Spuzziest of Spuzzes
Wow! Thanks for the reply Cookie! I definitely trust your opinion. I look forward to playing it nowI love the art style which is of course anime-ish but just different enough to stand out from other Japanese illustration styles in my opinion.
Moderator
Pretty much what Cookie said. It's not quite one of my absolute favourite games ever, but it would easily be in my top ten, and from an objective standpoint it's one of the most perfect games I've ever played. The graphics are arguably the best of any fully polygonal game on the PS1, the soundtrack (both in composition and quality of instruments) is outstanding, the engine-driven cutscenes are as slick in their direction as anything to come out today, the gameplay mechanics are amazingly deep and well designed, and the difficulty is perfect, brutally punishing you for playing badly but happily bending to your will when you play well. And the story? Rarely was so much done with so little. The game is at its heart a dungeon crawler, and is fairly sparse on cutscenes and dialogue despite what its opening hours would suggest, yet it still manages to conjure up a beautiful and believable setting, a captivating and deeply intriguing story, and some of the most interesting characters to ever come out of a videogame. Sydney, in particular, will stick with you long after the game is over.
Oh, and while the term "better than the original" is often thrown around with regards to English translations by people who don't actually speak Japanese to compare the two, I do speak Japanese, and Vagrant Story is one that really is better in English. The choice to use old English was absolutely inspired given the game's aesthetics and setting, and its English writing was in a different universe to anything else in the PS1 era short of perhaps Metal Gear Solid. Actually, I think you could make a pretty fair case for it being the best videogame localisation ever even today. It's not surprising that the translator, Alexander O. Smith, now mainly focuses on the much more challenging medium of literature, as he was and is leagues ahead of most other people involved in videogame localisation.
What do I dislike? Almost nothing, really. My only real issue with it is that the menu system is kind of clunky and unintuitive at times and that there are maybe one too many block puzzles. Aside from that, about the only qualms I could see people having with it would be related to the balance of story to gameplay, which for better or worse is somewhat more skewed toward the latter than other Square games of the era. I guess there's also the fact that if one doesn't take the time to understand how the various game systems work, the difficulty is brutal. But I'd be more inclined to blame that on the player than the game itself.
Last edited by Elin; 30th-June-2012 at 11:35.
not actually a catgirl
One of my favorites, though it's not for everyone. If you want a fairly challenging solo dungeon crawler, Vagrant Story's your game. It's also the most cinematic and well-choreographed game on PSX as far as the cutscenes are concerned. Has a really cool mature feel to it that is pretty much expected from Matsuno's games, and is often lacking in other JRPGs. Just playing through the first 30 or so minutes of the intro sequence will tell you more about the game's feel than a dozen paragraphs.
From what I gathered, people who dislike it do so because they... well, I don't want to say they suck at it, but mostly because they fail to realize that crafting good weapons is everything in this game. That, and the fact that it doesn't really play like more traditional JRPGs. Like I said, it's basically a Metroidvania-esque dungeon crawler with no open world, no traditional "party" (you're just one dude) and similar hijinks.
The Spuzziest of Spuzzes
Wow great insight guys. Are there random encounters or can you engage enemies you see moving about in battle?
Fear and Loathing
Vagrant Story is a very good game that does its damndest to hide the positive qualities under a sluggish starter section and complex subsystems made opaque because getting any clarification from the game or its supporting documentation is like pulling teeth from an unanaesthetised dingo.
The Spuzziest of Spuzzes
Ouch. Perhaps a strategy guide would be in order then?
not actually a catgirl
Gamefaqs will do just fine, I'd imagine.
Meat suit
Until the man takes it down. Every guide view is an official guide sale lost!Originally Posted by Gare
Gamefaqs will do just fine, I'd imagine.
The Spuzziest of Spuzzes
Surely that's sarcasm given the nature of this site. Speaking of which I think I'll check for a Vagrant Story guide under the guide scans section on the EP home page...Every guide view is an official guide sale lost!
Meat suit
It's a direct mock of the logic that every downloaded copy of a game is a sale lost.
The Spuzziest of Spuzzes
Finally started playing VS. It's a beautiful and challenging game so far. You all weren't kidding about the complexity of the menus/weapons/battle system. Wow. O_o
wat
Challenge accepted
Edit: Holy shit, 84mb for the archived image? Crazy
Last edited by MaslowK; 13th-July-2012 at 23:07.
"I think that the problem with this video is it is highly derivative of many popular bands within the genre. Although when viewed on its own merits, it does have a deeper groove. However what it has in groove, it lacks in originality. One can't help but be reminded of such bands as Pearl Jam, White Zombie, Suicidal Tendencies and other bands that bear the mantle of so called "Alternative Rock". One is even reminded of Lorie Anderson when she wore curlers. Hehehmhm! This video speaks less to the heart and more to the sphincter. In closing, I think Korn would do well to learn more from -"
The Spuzziest of Spuzzes
Is that bigger than most Psx image files? And if so why do you think that is?Challenge accepted
Edit: Holy shit, 84mb for the archived image? Crazy
If youre gonna be playing it too, keep me posted on where you're at in the game. I'm finding it to be pretty tough.
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