Author Topic: Dear evilbore, what is Rogue Galaxy, and why should I care? IS IT ANIMU? (Read 3314 times)

Vizzys · « **on:** February 03, 2007, 05:56:44 AM »

It looks like it could be good. WIKIPEDIA FAILS ME

demi · « **Reply #1 on:** February 03, 2007, 05:57:30 AM »

Very heavy animu.

Vizzys · « **Reply #2 on:** February 03, 2007, 05:58:25 AM »

Its does look cel shady.

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #3 on:** February 03, 2007, 11:51:41 AM »

its dark cloud 2 without world building but a better fighting system.

Mondain · « **Reply #4 on:** February 04, 2007, 03:18:53 AM »

it's a high quality game, but frankly it's nothing we haven't seen dozens of time before in other RPGs, same "coming of age journey for a young guy" that a ton of other PS2 RPGs have

if you haven't played a lot of PS2 RPGs then you'll think it's awesome, if you did then you'll probably find that it's nothing special, especially considering that the story and characters are pretty corny-- nice real-time battle system though, it looks like a preview of what White Knight on PS3 will be, but overall it's too linear and straightforward to be truly memorable

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #5 on:** February 04, 2007, 03:52:05 AM »

FRANKLY GAMES ARENT WHAT WE'VE SEEN FROM GAMES DOZENS OF TIMES BEFORE

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #6 on:** February 04, 2007, 04:01:39 AM »

i've played a lot of ps2 rpgs and i think rogue galaxy is awesome

grind games ftw

Mondain · « **Reply #7 on:** February 04, 2007, 04:17:03 AM »

yeah it still plays very well but it should've been darker and more gripping, more dramatic, it should've taken cues from KOTOR 1 and 2

disappointing to see that PS2 RPG designers won't stray from the cliched anime plot conventions

and the battle system really works well, it's very entertaining to use in boss battles, and it's full of innovative ideas like say, the dynamic item suggestions by other party members that can be used by pressing one of the L buttons... it's time to give up on these antiquated Dragon Quest combat conventions and finally try something new

though it seems to rely too much on the infinite use of health potions (at least early on), and you're not able to buy more than fifty at a time

TVC15 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 04, 2007, 04:41:17 AM »

Quote from: Mondain on February 04, 2007, 04:17:03 AM

disappointing to see that PS2 RPG designers won't stray from the cliched anime plot conventions

Blame the Japanese. They're the ones that have boners over making every RPG have an animu-inspired storyline. I can't even play most JRPGs anymore because the stories and characters are just so repugnant. Rogue Galaxy is definitely very animu, but at least so far it seems to have gameplay interesting enough to keep me playing.

Mondain · « **Reply #9 on:** February 04, 2007, 06:39:30 AM »

Quote from: TVC 15 on February 04, 2007, 04:41:17 AM

Quote from: Mondain on February 04, 2007, 04:17:03 AM

disappointing to see that PS2 RPG designers won't stray from the cliched anime plot conventions

Blame the Japanese. They're the ones that have boners over making every RPG have an animu-inspired storyline. I can't even play most JRPGs anymore because the stories and characters are just so repugnant. Rogue Galaxy is definitely very animu, but at least so far it seems to have gameplay interesting enough to keep me playing.

save for rare exceptions their scenarios are too safe, as if they put boundaries to the amount of violence and darkness that could occur, like in order to be child friendly

Prost · « **Reply #10 on:** February 04, 2007, 06:43:54 AM »

You get these rogue-like guys, and then you patrol this galaxy, and then you

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #11 on:** February 04, 2007, 12:25:55 PM »

Quote from: Mondain on February 04, 2007, 04:17:03 AM

yeah it still plays very well but it should've been darker and more gripping, more dramatic, it should've taken cues from KOTOR 1 and 2

disappointing to see that PS2 RPG designers won't stray from the cliched anime plot conventions

and the battle system really works well, it's very entertaining to use in boss battles, and it's full of innovative ideas like say, the dynamic item suggestions by other party members that can be used by pressing one of the L buttons... it's time to give up on these antiquated Dragon Quest combat conventions and finally try something new

though it seems to rely too much on the infinite use of health potions (at least early on), and you're not able to buy more than fifty at a time

i don't need many health potions, since walking through a save point does a full restore. grind awhile, run back to a save, and yer good to go.

as for the jrpg storylines, well, after enduring the unpleasantry of the xeno* games, i've just learned to turn my brain off and skip cutscenes whenever they let me.

Mondain · « **Reply #12 on:** February 04, 2007, 01:42:14 PM »

yeah I've noticed that save points refill you fully, but sometimes you're not near any of them

and Xenosaga's plot was way more enjoyable because at least it had a lot of tragedy and an interesting mystical sci-fi side

TVC15 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 04, 2007, 02:31:07 PM »

Quote from: Mondain on February 04, 2007, 01:42:14 PM

and Xenosaga's plot was way more enjoyable because at least it had a lot of tragedy and an interesting mystical sci-fi side

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #14 on:** February 04, 2007, 03:08:42 PM »

The Fake Shemp · « **Reply #15 on:** February 04, 2007, 03:09:39 PM »

MrAngryFace · « **Reply #16 on:** February 04, 2007, 04:02:37 PM »

People who love Xenosaga games make me LOL

Mondain · « **Reply #17 on:** February 04, 2007, 05:04:50 PM »

eh why does this game get so loathed, the second one I'd understand since most parts of it are piss-poor

but like on GAF the original gets bashed so much that it's incomprehensible... guess it's a combination of it not following the Xenogears storyline and angering its rabid fans, being one of the first PS2 games/RPGs with extremely long cutscenes, and it having an anime style with doll-like character designs, making it an easy target for haters of the genre and other witch hunters

it's just a nice space opera that is at least a nice change of pace from all those pseudo-medieval "coming of age" quests that are so typical of Japanese RPGs, and it has some pretty impressive moments... like the first invasion of the Gnosis

the whole concept of the quest to stop the Gnosis is good... you guys are ridiculous

Himu · « **Reply #18 on:** February 05, 2007, 01:18:05 PM »

How is the quest to stop Gnosis interesting at all? In XS2, there aren't even gnosis attacks in the story once. The writers completely forgot that plot thread from the original and decided to make it as bare bones as possible. The entire XS storyline is one steaming pile of "let's stick as many references as possible to make it sound deep" I've ever seen.

The only reason I've ever bothered to put time into them is because of my undying love for Xenogears. I'm in fucking denial and goddamit I will play XS3 for that sole reason.

As far as jrpg plot lines go, who cares? The only one you need is Shin Megami Tensei series. Not only do their plots not insult your intelligence, in an age where people define plot and story development as 40 minute cutscenes instead of active themes, SMT manages to deliver deep, mature plots without shoving a cutscene down your throat every 5 minutes. But you don't like SMT do you?

Mondain · « **Reply #19 on:** February 05, 2007, 05:26:38 PM »

SMT/DDS games are great RPGs and I learned to appreciate the guitar airs for what they are (if you remember on OA), however these games' plots aren't that elaborated and are mildly corny, too much for me to be intimidated by them and take them seriously, although the demonic game worlds are very well made and the premises refreshing

Himu · « **Reply #20 on:** February 05, 2007, 05:36:27 PM »

I would take EATING SOMEONE'S FLESH corny over XENOSAGA corny.

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #21 on:** February 05, 2007, 06:01:22 PM »

and Xenosaga isn't corny? The entire game series reads like some dreadfully earnest animu-addled teenager's fanfic.

Mondain · « **Reply #22 on:** February 05, 2007, 07:16:03 PM »

Quote from: Himuro on February 05, 2007, 05:36:27 PM

I would take EATING SOMEONE'S FLESH corny over XENOSAGA corny.

dude, frankly, it's a nice world and all that, but most of your time consists of playing with monsters doing silly Looney Tunes-like animations in turn-based combats... it's got more in common with Pokémon than with an horror film

that kinda spoils these games' demonic premises since they're cool, but not scary

T234 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 05, 2007, 08:28:22 PM »

Mondain you have shitty taste in games.

Except for your av.

Shuri · « **Reply #24 on:** February 06, 2007, 07:21:58 AM »

why does anyone bothers with japanese rpgs? Unless you are a 12 year old, or are a manchild, why give a fuck about this tripe?

demi · « **Reply #25 on:** February 06, 2007, 07:44:09 AM »

I guess it's easy to come across that way when you hate games

Himu · « **Reply #26 on:** February 06, 2007, 11:02:52 AM »

Quote from: demi on February 06, 2007, 07:44:09 AM

I guess it's easy to come across that way when you hate games

For once, I agree.

Mondain · « **Reply #27 on:** February 06, 2007, 11:59:52 AM »

Quote from: Shuri on February 06, 2007, 07:21:58 AM

why does anyone bothers with japanese rpgs? Unless you are a 12 year old, or are a manchild, why give a fuck about this tripe?

even if most are tripe, some are good once in a while, some of them are good tales with colorful characters

it's like in every gaming genre, about 20% are great while the rest are wastes of time

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #28 on:** February 06, 2007, 12:27:03 PM »

Quote from: Mondain on February 06, 2007, 11:59:52 AM

it's like in every gaming genre, about 20% are great while the rest are wastes of time

The actual statistic is 5%, as 95% of everything is crap. This means you are 400% more lenient towards Japanese RPGs than someone with good taste.

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #29 on:** February 06, 2007, 12:36:04 PM »

Mondain · « **Reply #30 on:** February 06, 2007, 02:37:59 PM »

Quote from: Synthesizer Patel on February 06, 2007, 12:27:03 PM

Quote from: Mondain on February 06, 2007, 11:59:52 AM
it's like in every gaming genre, about 20% are great while the rest are wastes of time

The actual statistic is 5%, as 95% of everything is crap. This means you are 400% more lenient towards Japanese RPGs than someone with good taste.

5% of games are masterpieces that your random GAFer will truly love, this seems reasonable, but for the other 15% these are reasonably good games that the duder will get tired of after a bunch of hours

regardless of genres, though when a game has an elaborated story like RPGs do that's plus value that might convince that Joe gamer guy to complete it in spite of the game just being OK

JPellham · « **Reply #31 on:** March 04, 2007, 02:11:11 PM »

Mondain, if you only play JRPGs for their story (and that's what it sounds like since you keep saying things like "when a game has an elaborated story" or "some of them have good tales with colorful characters") then I think that's evidence enough that these games aren't actually worthwhile unless you're an animu fanboy manchild.

The only reason I still play JRPGs is for the joy of grinding and building the strongest party possible.

Ichirou · « **Reply #32 on:** March 04, 2007, 10:06:54 PM »

I thought it had been settled that the Xenosaga games contained the greatest story ever written since the Renaissance? Why do people keep harshin' on it?

tiesto · « **Reply #33 on:** March 05, 2007, 08:57:49 AM »

A lot of games, not just RPGs, but in many other genres, have similar storylines. Conflict (usually you vs the bad guys) is one of the main themes in video games, and there's not really too much you can do with that. I mean, having some big menacing baddie to fight is your incentive to grind through dungeons, building up levels and finding treasures, basically defining the whole gameplay. So on that note, what makes a good RPG story is not the overall plot, but how the plot is told. Some of my favorite RPG stories are from the Dragon Quest series - Totally basic at the core and usually a coming-of-age tale. But, the collection of sub-stories that make up the whole are what gives the series its charm. The sub-stories usually have unique character personalities and their own little conflicts (usually culminating in you tackling a dungeon or two to solve the conflict), that right there is much better than your typical RPG fetchquest (oh, you got the Dawn Shard, now go trek across half of the world and get the Dusk Shard!). For example in DQ6 (bear with me since it's been a long time playing this game) - one town's water is polluted.. colored a strange blood-red color. Your party is told to find out the reason, and you trace the flow of water back into a cave. While exploring the cave (fighting monsters, getting treasure, all that good RPG gameplay stuff), you find out that a guy accidentally killed his lover, was tricked into it by the evil boss of the dungeon, and now is trying to wash the hands free of blood. So now you have to help the guy atone for his mistake, then the water will clear up and you can advance to the next town.

The combination of appealing characters and clever sub-stories, as well as good pacing (the right balance of gameplay length and plot reveals), and a couple of twists, are what makes an RPG story "good" in my opinion.

One comment in this thread stuck out for me... how he complained how RPG storylines are too "safe", but you know what, in the age when they are trying to make Sonic the fucking Hedgehog "edgy", that's a relief! "Mature" in the video game world = teenage power fantasies, excess violence, sex, dirty language... there are EXTREMELY few games with a truly mature storyline. Silent Hill 2 being the only one I can think of off the top of my head, but I can't say it's worth putting up with its poor gameplay to experience it

Himu · « **Reply #34 on:** March 05, 2007, 11:04:21 AM »

Quote from: tiesto on March 05, 2007, 08:57:49 AM

One comment in this thread stuck out for me... how he complained how RPG storylines are too "safe", but you know what, in the age when they are trying to make Sonic the fucking Hedgehog "edgy", that's a relief! "Mature" in the video game world = teenage power fantasies, excess violence, sex, dirty language... there are EXTREMELY few games with a truly mature storyline. Silent Hill 2 being the only one I can think of off the top of my head, but I can't say it's worth putting up with its poor gameplay to experience it

Shadow of the Colossus
Final Fantasy Tactics (up until the stupid shit happens)
Vagrant Story

off the top of my head

The Sceneman · « **Reply #35 on:** March 06, 2007, 02:34:27 AM »

How is Shadow of the Colossus 'mature'?

Himu · « **Reply #36 on:** March 06, 2007, 02:41:46 AM »

the narrative is a heck of a lot more mature, focused, and interesting than 95% of console games

how is it not? Is it immature?

News:

Author Topic: Dear evilbore, what is Rogue Galaxy, and why should I care? IS IT ANIMU? (Read 3314 times)