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Squeenix Bravely Default

Joined
Mar 30, 2013
Messages
1
It's still kinda fitting, I guess. Lazy, but fitting.
I'm all for wanky 'the medium is the message' when it comes to videogames, but in this case I really wish they'd had a different message.
 

Arcks

Educated
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Messages
90
Game kinda obviously tells you that.
How so? I "skipped" a lot of dialogue.

I don't remember the exact dialogue, but they occasionally talk about crystalism and scripture and it mentions that you should NOT walk the predefined path and such. It should finally hit you by the time you get the dress repaired second time and talk with the sage. Also, when you are awakening crystals second time, you get prompt where agnes asks how to do the ritual, and questions whether that is it the right way. Also, games subtitle changes in the starting menu after revelation.
 

Zed

Codex Staff
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Staff Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
17,068
Codex USB, 2014
Game kinda obviously tells you that.
How so? I "skipped" a lot of dialogue.

I don't remember the exact dialogue, but they occasionally talk about crystalism and scripture and it mentions that you should NOT walk the predefined path and such. It should finally hit you by the time you get the dress repaired second time and talk with the sage. Also, when you are awakening crystals second time, you get prompt where agnes asks how to do the ritual, and questions whether that is it the right way. Also, games subtitle changes in the starting menu after revelation.
yeah it starts now, in chapter 6. before that, I hadn't really encountered anything about destroying crystals.
I'll put this shit on easy and steamroll my way towards the "true ending" then, whatever that is.
 

Whisky

The Solution
Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
8,555
Location
Banjoville, British Columbia
Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera
Playing the demo. Greatly enjoying it. I never played 4 Heroes of Light, but this is exactly what I was hoping for. It's so odd seeing Square making their modern output and releasing at least one old-style game on the handheld.

Can't wait for it to finally come out here.
 

Zed

Codex Staff
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Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
17,068
Codex USB, 2014
the last few chapters, if you want the "true ending", is a fucking travesty.

at least the final boss is fun. I'm kinda stuck on it but I guess I have to grind some levels for HP. having a fun boss again doesn't really make up for hours of repeating content though.

chapter 7 was kind of okay, because of the new spin on side-bosses. 5 & 6 can suck a dick tho.
 

Zed

Codex Staff
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Messages
17,068
Codex USB, 2014
52 hours, 20 minutes.
Max level (99) on all chars, all jobs I wanted maxed were maxed.
Went for the "true" ending which involves an additional few (really boring) hours.

Good:
Combat (brave/default system).
Job/class system.
Art direction.

Okay:
Music.
Characters (I like having four main characters with equal focus).

Meh:
Story.
Writing (good Q/A though, only noticed one typo).

Shit:
Nothing but combat to keep dungeons interesting.
Voice acting.

Abysmal:
Friend/town-building system.
Last few chapters of the game beside the very last bit.

For Bravely Second (the sequel), please:
remove any online friend bonus shit;
have less linear approach to job acquisition;
skip the fairy bullshit, it's gay as hell;
add FF9's card game;
avoid repetitive segments;
add puzzles to dungeons.

:3/5:
Best JRPG I've played on a handheld, which isn't saying much. If you like FF and have a 3DS, I would recommend it.

If this counts as a Final Fantasy game, this is how the leaderboard looks after this:
1| FF9
2| FF3/6
3| FF7
4| BD:FF <--- hear it is!11
5| FF8... I guess
6| FF Legends (super-generic gameboy game)
 

Crooked Bee

(no longer) a wide-wandering bee
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Jan 27, 2010
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In quarantine
Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire MCA Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Sounds like the combat may be better than in 4HoL, but I also thought it had a pretty great story/world building. It'd be a disappointment if BD were worse in that department.
 

felipepepe

Codex's Heretic
Patron
Joined
Feb 2, 2007
Messages
17,278
Location
Terra da Garoa
Yup, we are currently finishing the recommendation of the games, but this is the result of the best DS RPGs voting:

5wzbVV4.png
 

Vagiel

Augur
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
319
Location
Greece
Srw w in top 15!? Codex is realy a haven amidst the decline. Salute

Sent from my GT-I9105P using Tapatalk 2
 

Zed

Codex Staff
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Staff Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
17,068
Codex USB, 2014
The Dark Spire looks pretty cool but other than that they all look like melodramatic emo stinkers to me.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
6,174
PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Serpent in the Staglands Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
The Dark Spire looks pretty cool but other than that they all look like melodramatic emo stinkers to me.

Well as far as the SMT games go, beneath the emo there's usually a decent story, setting, or situation. And the game play is about as good as any that comes out of Japan.

They also have the benefit of not being generic Fantasy.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
6,174
PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Serpent in the Staglands Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
52 hours, 20 minutes.
Max level (99) on all chars, all jobs I wanted maxed were maxed.
Went for the "true" ending which involves an additional few (really boring) hours.

Good:
Combat (brave/default system).
Job/class system.
Art direction.

Okay:
Music.
Characters (I like having four main characters with equal focus).

Meh:
Story.
Writing (good Q/A though, only noticed one typo).

Shit:
Nothing but combat to keep dungeons interesting.
Voice acting.

Abysmal:
Friend/town-building system.
Last few chapters of the game beside the very last bit.

For Bravely Second (the sequel), please:
remove any online friend bonus shit;
have less linear approach to job acquisition;
skip the fairy bullshit, it's gay as hell;
add FF9's card game;
avoid repetitive segments;
add puzzles to dungeons.

:3/5:
Best JRPG I've played on a handheld, which isn't saying much. If you like FF and have a 3DS, I would recommend it.

If this counts as a Final Fantasy game, this is how the leaderboard looks after this:
1| FF9
2| FF3/6
3| FF7
4| BD:FF <--- hear it is!11
5| FF8... I guess
6| FF Legends (super-generic gameboy game)

Its more like the Classic Final Fantasies get progressively better, ending with 6 as the best in the series, and then the J-Pop decline begins with 7, destroys 8, and comes out of the tailspin in 9, probably placing 9 somewhere below 6 and 7 not even as high as 4. 10 is hard to quantify, 11 is Unmentionable, 12 tried and failed to blend the feel of the Nintendo Classics with the new MMO crap game play of the 2000s, and 13 is LOLOLLOOLLOLLOLL.

The Final Fantasy Legends series is actually Romancing Saga (in Japan). It got published as Final Fantasy in America because the other big jRPGs (Tales and Dragon Quest) never made it here and Square didn't want it to flop. It was a middleweight series in its time and provided a dungeon crawling experience superior to any but the best moments of the Final Fantasies, with much more challenging combat and character development.
 
Last edited:

Zed

Codex Staff
Patron
Staff Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
17,068
Codex USB, 2014
Well as far as the SMT games go, beneath the emo there's usually a decent story, setting, or situation. And the game play is about as good as any that comes out of Japan.

They also have the benefit of not being generic Fantasy.
A setting is only as good as the developer makes it. Generic fantasy can be great, and it's actually my favorite setting. It's what I grew up with and it rarely bores me just because I've seen it before.

However, I must admit I don't think I will ever be able to get into the 'fantasy adventure at high school' setting that seem so popular in Japan.

The Final Fantasy Legends series is actually Romancing Saga (in Japan). It got published as Final Fantasy in America because the other big jRPGs (Tales and Dragon Quest) never made it here and Square didn't want it to flop. It was a middleweight series in its time and provided a dungeon crawling experience superior to any but the best moments of the Final Fantasies, with much more challenging combat and character development.
Ah, that explains a thing or two.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
6,174
PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Serpent in the Staglands Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Well as far as the SMT games go, beneath the emo there's usually a decent story, setting, or situation. And the game play is about as good as any that comes out of Japan.

They also have the benefit of not being generic Fantasy.
A setting is only as good as the developer makes it. Generic fantasy can be great, and it's actually my favorite setting. It's what I grew up with and it rarely bores me just because I've seen it before.

However, I must admit I don't think I will ever be able to get into the 'fantasy adventure at high school' setting that seem so popular in Japan.

The Final Fantasy Legends series is actually Romancing Saga (in Japan). It got published as Final Fantasy in America because the other big jRPGs (Tales and Dragon Quest) never made it here and Square didn't want it to flop. It was a middleweight series in its time and provided a dungeon crawling experience superior to any but the best moments of the Final Fantasies, with much more challenging combat and character development.
Ah, that explains a thing or two.

It's an acquired taste; Shin Megami Tensei is the only notable example in video games. The appeal of high school as a setting is that it is a period of life with a lot of endings and beginnings. The Shin Megami Tensei universe is a lot like American Gods; belief, emotion, and perception are a powerful engine of supernatural occurrence. The apparently ordinary angst that accompanies these "endings and beginnings" feeds very strongly into the hidden mystical side of existence.
 

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