omg Valkyrie Profile 2

[Himu]

I really wanna play it but I'm tied down with other games. How connected is it to the original?

[MrAngryFace]

Takes place before the original but IS tied to the original, you don't really need to have played through the original so much as know what the general conflict was in the first game.

The battle system is...well its amazing. Imagine VP1's battle system but better. The move to 3D was a massive improvement and the orb system introduced tons of strategy.

People bitch that the game doesnt do that einjeriar (sp) focus but the story is not ABOUT THEM. I swear GAF has no fucking clue what makes RPGs great anymore they just want the shit that is FFXII shoveled into their stinky holes.

I did a minor write up on VP2's gameplay that includes a few MINOR spoilers that ARE marked so you can avoid them if you read it. It gives you a great idea of how awesome the game is tho:

http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php?topic=1502.0

[Himu]

I love the original but when I was reading up on VP2, I kinda freaked and didn't bother getting it on day one.

[MrAngryFace]

VP2 has amazing gameplay, a great story that doesnt get lost trying to play with your emotions, solid VA, really good music, omg visuals.

People liking FFXII over VP2 is a CRIME

[Himu]

VP2 is awesome.  The active battle system is probably my all time favorite and the game is actually difficult unlike a certain other "game" that came out last year.

FFXII?

Sounds like my thing. The battle system sounds and looks fucking CRAZY.

[MrAngryFace]

The battle system + spheres = OMG good shit. You can make a situation so favorable in a dungeon with spheres.

Word to the wise, if you get this game pass on the strat guide. Past chapter 3 or so its worthless. It doesnt even provide good advice on beating some of the later chapter bosses and iirc actually recommended I use a spell that doesnt exist. I ended up using a sphere it didnt even mention which made the fight soooo easy.

[demi]

It's probably better than the absolutely horrible worst RPG I've ever played first one.

[Van Cruncheon]

how am i supposed to tell the difference betwen demi and phoenix dark these days

[Himu]

omg Maf that thread you linked makes it sound killer. I may snag this up today and say FUCK OFF to The Red Star because those fucks wouldn't release it on time.

[demi]

how am i supposed to tell the difference betwen demi and phoenix dark these days

It was absolutely horrid. To think people pay upwards to $100 for this turd.

[MrAngryFace]

Yeah the game is really awesome, im about 3 hours into my second playthrough.

[Himu]

Maybe we can play it together and you can pass me some tips.

[MrAngryFace]

Ill give tips, ive made a few threads on evilbore about the game tho, that should be enough lol

[Mr. Gundam]

Valkyrie Profile 2 was awesome.


















Even though I liked Final Fantasy XII more. 

[MrAngryFace]

I just dont see how thats possible, but whatever!

[Mr. Gundam]

I'm just weird like that, I guess.

In any event, VP2 is a great game, and it's only $30 now!

[Himu]

I'm just weird like that, I guess.

In any event, VP2 is a great game, and it's only $30 now!

And where is it 30 dollars now? I went to gamestop today and it was still 50.

[Mr. Gundam]

I'm just weird like that, I guess.

In any event, VP2 is a great game, and it's only $30 now!

And where is it 30 dollars now? I went to gamestop today and it was still 50.

Huh. I thought it was a universal price drop? I've seen it mentioned on CAG a few times. Try Amazon.

[Himu]

You're right. Those fucks lied.

[MrAngryFace]

Its WORTH 50 but if you can get it for 30, BONUS

[Himu]

Those fucks sold it to me new but it WAS OUTSIDE THE CASE

[MrAngryFace]

Oh well, doesnt matter really

[Himu]

I know, it's just annoying haha

[Himu]

Holy shit these graphics are amazing.

I hate this submissive bitch Alicia! Give me Lenneth!  :'(

[Himu]

Holy shit this battle system is genius. It's like Dragon Quarter meets VP and it's AWESOME. 

[Mr. Gundam]

Holy shit these graphics are amazing.

Did you get your HDTV yet? Wait until you check it out in progressive 16:9 mode...

[MrAngryFace]

Alicia isn't submissive at all, she's actually the strongest character in the game personality wise. The valkyrie inside of her rocks too.

[MrAngryFace]

As a character she sacrifices more than anyone! She rocks!

[Himu]

Maf: She seems submissive at first. I guess I'm just spoiled by my Lenneth <3

I am loving this!

Holy shit these graphics are amazing.

Did you get your HDTV yet? Wait until you check it out in progressive 16:9 mode...

Naw, not yet. I can't play in 16:9!

[MrAngryFace]

I dunno, I think the most important choices she makes, and the hardest ones in the game, are done by her without the influence of silmeria.

[Himu]

My thoughts so far:

+ Great battle system. Dashing adds a lot of depth, because half of the fun is figuring out when to dash or not. Splitting parties up and taking out enemies one at a time is boss and a welcome strategic element.
+ Great graphics.
+ Decent voice acting.
+ I like the plot. surprisingly! When I heard that you could no long recruit your characters like you did in VP1, it seemed like they took away one of my favorite plot devices that game used, so I'm surprised I'm enjoying the plot so much here. I guess it's because it's traditional, but on the flip side, that's also a negative.
+ Music, as per usual for Sakuraba, is excellent.
+ Alicia/Silmeria is pretty cool, suprisingly! Similarly to the plot worries I had earlier, I was kinda hesitant being in control of her since she's kinda whiny compared to Lenneth, who's pretty much always,"OKAY I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS RIGHT NOW." and I love that in female characters. She's not that bad, which is a good thing.
+ Platforming and puzzles are standard Valkyrie Profile A+ stuff, and that's a great thing. I love the new teleport move.
+ Hrist!

- It's traditional. This was one of the reasons I didn't get the game when it first came out. Apart of the first game's charm was that it was a totally different experience compared to the other rpgs on the market, even now. The way you progressed the plot was new, the way picked quests was neat, the Valhalla soldier recruitment added a layer of depth making it more replayable, instead of being a typical main character in an rpg who defies the gods...you WERE a god, and it was awesome. Now VP2 is good and all, but unlike the original it feels by the numbers. Wow, point and click world map! Another Japanese game story where I fight against god! Linear story progression! In many ways, it feels like a step back and yet, it still remains awesome and fun because the battle system kicks so much ass.
- I can't break up crystals into little bitty pieces and solve puzzles with them any more.
- Alicia can get kinda whiny, but she's gotten better. Silmeria however is a badass. Hopefully she gets just as badass as Lenneth.
- Not enough Hrist so far.

[Van Cruncheon]

the bottom three minuses will change to pluses quickly

[MrAngryFace]

The game honestly isnt by the numbers, the plot is linear, but that doesnt mean 'by the numbers'. All the gameplay is completely different.

[Himu]

Yeah, that's true, but it still feels like a step back from VP1, aside from the battle system. But alas, I'm only in the 2nd dungeon so they could evolve it.

[MrAngryFace]

Story wise it isnt a step back, in fact the quality of story and VA is BETTER because it is focused. The overwrought crap in VP1 is honestly a little uncomfortable and at times boring. The battle system in VP2 + sphere system makes it a MUCh deeper game than VP1.

VP1 gets a LITTLE too much hero worship.

[Error2k4]

the bonus dungeon is amazing, some really epic fights there. it's also very looooong I put like 15 hours into it and Im still not done with the dungeon. some really evil platforming puzzles too.

and wtf is wrong with a game being traditional (even tho VP2 is far from it) I never understand why you always see that as something bad.

[MrAngryFace]

its as 'traditional' as breath of fire V and thats regarded as one of those 'different' RPGS. The story is linear, and thats about as 'traditional' as it gets.

[Himu]

Is it possible to go on quests in this game at all?

and wtf is wrong with a game being traditional (even tho VP2 is far from it) I never understand why you always see that as something bad.

There's nothing wrong a game being traditional. You know I like DQVIII. However, when the original has all of these things going for it and the sequel completely abolishes them, makes it more friendly to get into, it is a little disappointing to see some of your favorite elements not evolve.

Story wise it isnt a step back, in fact the quality of story and VA is BETTER because it is focused.

Meh. Like I said before, I think people see it like that because it's presented in a traditonal rpg story format. I don't see how VP1's story isn't focused at all. Just like the rest of the game, it's not traditional in any sense. You aren't going on some epic journey in VP1, like how it was presented in the 9999 rpgs before it. Yes, you're saving the world in VP, but it's done so well. Apart of the original's charm for me that every character is dead. This makes the story much more interesting because it's not about the characters you meet, or recruit, it's about the world you travel in. The  people who say VP1 doesn't have a story seem a bit silly to me, the games is just completely different from anything else.

VP2, despite being different compared to it's peers, aside from the battles and trade mark Valkyrie Profile dungeons, is a complete step back compared to the orignal. For me, the linear story progression is the biggest difference.

and thats about as 'traditional' as it gets.

The way you get characters is traditional. A story where you rebel against the gods is traditional. The way you accept quests (if there are any) is traditional. The way you move through the plot is traditional, and you don't feel as if you have to be strategical and pull risk vs reward in the way you move from area to area like you did in the original, something that made it very replayable.

I don't think it's a bad game by any means, but hey, that's the fate of sequels/prequels to classic games. At least it's not a steaming turd like Chrono Cross.

[MrAngryFace]

VP1's story is full of emo crap with the really interesting stuff near the middle to end. You knocking it for a linear story is a lot of nonsense. VP1 is actually a very mediocre game with a fantastic battle system and pretty graphics.

[Himu]

Agree to disagree.

When and where the hell can I do quests?

[Himu]

1. How do you learn skills? Alicia learned a skill somehow, and I went into the skills menu and it wasn't there.
2. When and where the hell can I go on quests? This linear story is killing me. Can you even do quests?
3. Should I concentrate on my main story characters or my Einherjar?
4. Anyone got any battle tips? What constitutes going into break mode? Just kicking ass and getting lucky? It's annoying that I go into break mode on the minions and not the enemy party leaders.

[Van Cruncheon]

gamefaqs.com

[MrAngryFace]

I'd help you but yer dead to me buddy. muhahah

[demi]

Surprisingly!

[Himu]

I'd help you but yer dead to me buddy. muhahah

Hey now, don't let subway get in the way of our friendship!

gamefaqs.com

Faqs are for pussies.

[tiesto]

1. How do you learn skills? Alicia learned a skill somehow, and I went into the skills menu and it wasn't there.
2. When and where the hell can I go on quests? This linear story is killing me. Can you even do quests?
3. Should I concentrate on my main story characters or my Einherjar?
4. Anyone got any battle tips? What constitutes going into break mode? Just kicking ass and getting lucky? It's annoying that I go into break mode on the minions and not the enemy party leaders.

1. Alright, I'm shite at explaining stuff... but I'll try. You see how each weapon/armor/helm/shield/accessory has a symbol corresponding to it? Connecting several of the proper symbols on the diamond-shaped equip menu, and then fighting in battle while they are connected, allows you to raise your points in getting that skill. For example, say for the skill "Observation", you need redX, redY, redZ... equipping weapons/armor/etc with those symbols and having them connect, something like:

Code: [Select]

     redX
  redY   blah
redZ        blah
  blah    blah
      blah

Pressing /\ on the equip menu, I believe, lets you see what skills you are currently learning. The average party member's levels have something to do with the rate of learning skills. Haven't played the game since November, tho, so this might not be entirely correct. Just experiment, I didn't really get a lot of skills till the end of the game.

2. There's like a few side quests/optional dungeons you can do (for some spheres, loot, experience), most of the game is extremely linear.

3. I kept a few einherijar levelled up throughout my adventure, replacing them every so often. Sending them up to valhalla rewards you with several nice bonuses. There are a few people you want to level up pretty highly before the end of chapter 3, if you're interested in getting some mega-awesome weapons (and making the game a lot easier, I did this and kinda regretted I did ), I'm not gonna say more tho.

4. Just when you pwn really hard, smash off a piece of the monster or something, you'll get into break mode... this usually happened for me against big monsters like the giant enemy crabs.

[Himu]

Holy shit this game is fucking AWESOME.

Last night I went to a dungeon and sealstones were unlocked. Sealstones offer a vast amount of strategy and fun to the dungeon, but I wish the dungeon was longer. Anyways, the thing that REALLY shines in that dungeon is the boss fight.

This game reminds me of Dragon Quarter in that your movement and position actually will effect that environment you're in. Also, like like Dragon Quarter it's a mixture of a few genres. It's got strategy rpg like gameplay in a semi-traditional rpg set up. This one boss had large attack cone but I had to get in close, I was close to the edge of the cliff I was on and the guy blew half of my party off the cliff. I had only 2 more members in my party so I couldn't continue the battle so I just let him blow the rest of my party off and get a game over. When I reloaded my save file and refought him, I came up with a strategy. I would divide my team up in to two's. Leone and Arngrim (<3! <3!) were in the red team, with Alicia and Dylan on the blue team. I used Leone and Arngrim as bait because Arngrim is a good tank, Dylan could be a tank for Alicia. So I dashed behind the boss so he couldn't scope me out. The terrain was extremely confined so I had to be tricky when I maneuvered past him.The red team chipped away the bosses hp a bit at a time as I led them towards blue team, who was hiding behind a pillar. They had a wall behind them, so even if the boss used his gawd damn wing attack, I would have support. I lured him over to blue team while maintaining my AP via walking and when he got to where I wanted him, I reformed all four members into one party and pummeled him to death.

God damn what a boss fight! If you go into the battles in this game solely with offense, you will get screwed pretty fast, especially when it comes to the boss fights.

Excellent dungeon crawling + amazing boss fight + Arngrim + badass story = AWESOME game.

This game kicks Final Fantasy XII (not that hard), Suikoden V, Devil Summoner, and likely any other console rpg released last year in the nuts. If even normal fights get like that, this game will be something special. I'm just now getting used to learning skills, learning new attacks, and what not. I am loving this game. Apart of the reason I like it so much is that, like the original VP the learning curve for the battle system is above the roof. You really feel like you accomplished something when you find something new about it, or a new strategy.

[MrAngryFace]

I think the only thing you MUST do in the game is find and restore the sphere that keeps an enemy from healing themselves. There is a boss fight near the end that is honestly impossible without it. Its detailed in the thread I linked to earlier on in this thread. I go over most of the harder boss fights and sphere strategies. Its worth reading.

Also: Don't bothering using the option to split your party. iirc this is mostly there for people who want to play 2 player vp2. I mean if you can do it, props, but you get the best bonus situations as one group. Only the final boss fight requires that you split your party in some manner.

[Himu]

I didn't even know it had 2 player!

[MrAngryFace]

iirc it does. I remembering trying to figure out why splitting your team would be useful. The last boss fight you HAVE to, I mean you just cant let your entire team soak that much damage. If you can make it work the rest of the game you'll probably find some neat strategies I never uncovered. I was obsessed with the sphere system myself.

Also make sure you remember to do some grinding for material to make equipment and to level up and release your people. Took me 50 hours to beat the game because there are certain conditions to get certain weapons when certain people leave the party through the game. These conditions usually involved being at certain levels and what not.

Whats great is playing through it a second time EVERYTHING seems easy.

[Himu]

I haven't really bothered with my Einherjar yet. I've leveled them up like 3 or 4 levels.

As for equipment, hmm, that's one thing I'm not fond of in the game. I guess it's because I've never been much of a synthesis person.

I really wish you had a goddamn appendix or something for the monsters you encounter, because it's hard remember (and sometimes seeing) what shit they drop and from what body part.

[MrAngryFace]

Equipment is VERY important in the game, you uncover all your new skills through the combination of the various pieces of equipment via the RUNE system. Also some of the equipment you can make is OMG OMG OMG. Different merchants in different towns offer different items you can make. What you wanna do is sell a little bit of every raw material you gather from fights to each merchant. Even selling them ONE element of a weapon that can be made will reveal its name and what it is on the buy list along with all the other required materials.

Also, make sure you go into the menu for characters you level up and look at their attacks, they gain new ones as they level up. I actually forgot to muck with this till the water shrine, so im just sayin in the event you missed it too

[Himu]

Sounds like a good plan. I thought that I would have to get all the supplies for these items all in one go. Nice suggestion.

Yeah I found out about attacks last night.

[MrAngryFace]

Ive actually grinded for materials, there's faqs online that tell you where certain materials drop off of what monsters i think.

[Himu]

Holy shit I just kicked some Griffon's ass who did one hit kills.

He had a charge attack THAT TOOK OUT MY WHOLE PARTY IN ONE HIT.

I love this! I kicked his ass though!

Now, these dragon things on the other side of the forest...I can't take those guys at all!

[MrAngryFace]

Yeah the games pretty challenging.

[Himu]

So maf, when you want to sell merchants items to remove the "????"'s as their names you sell the ones that are highlighted yellow right?

[MrAngryFace]

I forget if they're yellow before the item isnt ? or after. But yeah in general the yellow items are ones they can use.

[Himu]

I think the thing that gets rid of the ?'s is buying so much stuff to unlock it.

[MrAngryFace]

Nah I think its selling one of the materials...pretty sure anyway. Least it was consistant for me that way.