I take it it's a bit more like Ys: The Vanished Omen, then? I certainly hope it is. I really liked that game.

Geez, I still gotta get Ys Seven first, but this one will definitely be next.

Hexyz Force was localized by Atlus. As for announcements, well...there's Knights in the Nightmare, Trine 2 (I hear the first Trine was pretty good, it's not my kinda game, though), and Rock of the Ages. Otherwise I find it would be unwise for them to release anything until the Spring when there are fewer block-busters that would surely overshadow them.

I think I really wish I hadn't spent the money I had saved up for it on ClaDun, but whatever, now I got something to play while I wait until I have more money saved up. I certainly looks pretty damn good, in fact, I'd say it's just what I could use right now. And really...why hasn't there been a topic like this yet? Oh well.

Isn't the point of Atlus that they publish niche games that few people are gonna like outside of its target audience?

Anyways, Atlus has put out plenty of games I like this gen, including Shiren The Wanderer, and I hope they continue to impress with the remake of Innocent Sin. Speaking of which, thank you hell_snake for pointing out the music on the official website. I may not be as quick to change to the original soundtrack as I thought I might.

Me too. But it doesn't bother me. I'm just glad it means a high likeliness that we'll get some good games, since Sting has never disappointed me. Actually, Atlus rarely disappoints me either, and I'm always interested in any game they publish.

Man, Red Entertainment's character looks BA! I hope she is included in the NA version, I'd love to have her in my party.=)


It gives me a sense of satisfaction. Grinding gives the game a sense of progression, and I enjoy seeing how far I had come. Plus, I just enjoy raising something from nothing. I also enjoy trying to find the quickest and most efficient way to complete any battle in an RPG, and if the battles naturally take a lot of time, then it has a greater impact when I figure out the best way to make it go faster. It's only really annoying if you have a battle every 5 seconds, which I hope HN doesn't suffer from. I don't like it when any game is too easy, or if battles are too quick (unless they're only quick because I found some trick), because then it's not satisfying and I get bored of it quickly.

I would've bought 7th Dragon, Wizardry, and Growlanser PSP in a heartbeat, not to mention the Tales games and OG Saga EXCEED, which I'm already saving up to import. I liked Growlanser 5 a lot, and if that's the worst, and Growlanser 1 is the best, then it must be pretty damn good!

Same here, and I'm looking forward to playing Trinity Universe and Cross Edge along with Hyperdimension Neptunia when I get a PS3.


Thanks, man. I'm liking the style, to say the least.

Again I fail to clarify.=P By "aged poorly", I should say "it doesn't impress as much anymore." Which is natural, of course, especially for a long running series, but that's why I rarely, if ever, start a series out with the first game unless I'm looking for a reason to hate said series (see Dragon Quest). I think the only exception so far is Xenosaga, but that's assuming there really is no connection between it and Xenogears. Really, I just need to become familiar enough with the brand so I can feel confident enough in it to purchase the rest of the series.

Anyways, I do recall someone mentioning that Suikoden doesn't do one thing well, it does everything just right. And while that may very well be the case, that's not really what I'm looking for when choosing whether or not to buy a game. I usually prefer to find something knowing that there's an aspect I that I'm sure I'll like and differentiates it from other games that I own. So long as it has that, I know I'll like the game and it'll be worth it, and if any other aspect of the game is also interesting/impressive, then that just makes it that much more worth it.

Not that I don't like it when a game does everything well, quite the contrary, in fact. However, I don't think it's smart to go into a game expecting it to be perfect, especially since I'm so terrible at handling disappointment. Case in point, I still can't get myself to play Nocturne, just because I was expecting it to be played from a First-Person point of view. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not what I expected, but that's still a disappointment. Now try to imagine my disappointment if I went into Suikoden expecting it to be perfect and there turned out to be even one thing wrong! I don't think I'd want to go through with that, so I just try to make sure that the game does at least one think right and hope for the best.

With that said, I looked more into Suikoden III. I don't know why I didn't before. Heck, I thought it was an action-RPG of some sort before I checked it out. Apparently it shows a war from three different sides, which sounds interesting. I don't think I've seen any other game do that, not in a Turn-based, story-focused JRPG at least. That might be worth it if it can pull it off. The combat also sounds fairly unique, as I had hoped. Much more unique than in the first two games, at least. I didn't read too much into it, so I still don't know if I'll like it, but the fact that it's different should make it that much more interesting. SuiV also has some interesting features to its battle system, but not as much as SuiIII, so I think it'd be best if I start with III then hope for the best. Too bad that game's so expensive...

I would join in, but I only liked the original Phantasy Star and the MMOs. Still, good luck to the rest!

It's aged poorly compared to other games in the series, and even for a game on the Playstation. At least that's the impression I get, not just from the videos and descriptions but even from what others have told me.

I found them all to be difficult but still very managable. While Persona 3 has the easiest combat, it's got a ton of outside-combat mechanics that can make it a pain at times, and it requires you to think of a lot of things that you never have to deal with in other entries in the series.

Personally, the first SMT game I got into was the original Shin Megami Tensei, and while it was difficult at first, I found it to be pretty managable from then on so long as I kept on top of my levels and made sure I upgraded my demons and did a lot of experimentation with the fusion system. And of course, every game afterwards has been a wimp in comparison. I was actually disappointed with Nocturne and Strange Journey at first because they were (and still are) so easy. I rarely had much trouble so long I did some extra grinding here and there and made sure I incorperated and upgraded/fused every demon I could. Of course, I love both games now for those mechanics, but hey.

It's not like Lard's the first one to call me a fool for not wanting to buy Suikoden.=P Pretty much everyone I know who have played the series loves them, but few are willing to explain to my why they're so good in a way that entices me. Luckily, everyone here has been more cooperative than I'm used to, thank you all. I have a strong feeling I'd be better off starting out either the best or easiest to obtain entry in the series that isn't the first and most poorly aged, and so far, it seems that most of that feeling is spot on, still not quite there: While technically the easiest to obtain Tierkris, it would seem that it's not a very wise choice, no? And that the best is Suikoden II, which is also the hardest to obtain? If so, I'll probably just wait to get one of the others cheap or just wait for Suikoden II to get a rerelease or remake. Who knows, Maybe it'll be like Lufia II where I actually find the remake more interesting and fun?

Again, thanks for your help, all.

Well, I went to three different major retailers today and there were maybe 1 RPG per store, and it was always a Square-Enix RPG that I already owned.:( Looks like I'll have to grab something off of PSN when I finally have some money in my account that I can spend on games. Probably Ys Seven or Hexyz Force, after reading the review. Anyways, thanks for your help everybody.