Questionvania: Lords
of Answer
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| October 6th, 2010 |
10/06 - 12:00PM EST
Welcome to another week of Ask Wheels. This week we've got a
wide assortment of questions, which I shall answer assuming I can pull
myself away from Lords of Shadow,
Etrian Odyssey 3,
and
Valkyria Chronicles
2.
There are so many good games out, and many more to come. The news that
there will be a Valkyria Chronicles 3
gives me a lot of hope for that series. Now then, on to the questions!
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So you need more content, eh? That's what I've supplied in the
past, and I can do it again.
People have been giving you easy six degrees of separation questions,
I'm going to challenge you. Link Blade Runner to the Front Mission series.
Wheels
Oh man this is a tougher one. The Blade
Runner game was released by Westwood->Westwood got purchased
by EA-> EA owns Bioware-> Bioware worked with Obsidian on some
games-> Obsidian is working with Square-Enix on Dungeon Siege III -> Square-Enix
makes the Front Mission
series. That was tough!
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Which RPGs do you say would benefit from the inclusion of Godzilla?
Wheels
This is an odd question that's going to be tough to figure out. I would
have to say that no RPG would benefit from the inclusion of
Godzilla. He doesn't fit into any of the modern day RPG mechanics
at all. The only way I can think of making it work of would be some
kind of optional battle in a Valkyria
Chronicles game, using an entire squadron of tanks to take down
the king of monsters. Outside of that, he just doesn't belong.
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Weigh in on the eternal debate: is The
Legend
of
Zelda an RPG?
Wheels
Well to answer this question, we have to ask the question, what is an
RPG? Wait. I've already answered this before. The short of it is, no, Zelda is not an RPG in video game
terms because it doesn't have changeable stats that effect things
beyond player skill. At the same time, I think it's fine to talk about Zelda as an RPG, because the series
has had such a large effect on the RPG genre.
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So Square-Enix has been on a remake/sequel bent for quite awhile.
Will there be a Final Fantasy V-2
and a Final Fantasy VI-2,
will those games just be remade before The Big One gets remade, or will
they be skipped entirely?
Wheels
I'm not sold on the recent Final
Fantasy sequels, even though I enjoyed the one for Final Fantasy IV a lot. I
think a prequel could work well for Final
Fantasy VI, as the game had a definitive ending that a sequel
would undermine. Final Fantasy V
already has a sequel, in the form of a relatively mediocre anime.
Really though, that game is more about the job system, so I'd rather
just see a new game using those mechanics. Both of them definitely need
to be remade before the "big one" does. These are classic games
that shouldn't be skipped. The 3DS seems the perfect platform to
do remakes for these on, and I hope we see them sooner rather than
later.
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Of the games that didn't come out in English on the Saturn, which
always intrigued you? (Please do NOT mention Shining Force III, the better to
limit rage directed at Sega, along with my dismay at your not playing
Scenarios 2 and 3 yet).
Wheels
Back in the day I never really knew that much about what games didn't
come over, but I'd have to say the game that always interested me the
most would be Dragon Force 2.
The first one was a lot of fun and I always wondered exactly what the
second game was like. I'm not sure why I never imported it or anything,
since it's cheaper than the original, but I was always curious about it. Dragon Force was a fantastic
SRPG, and I always wanted another game like it. I suppose it's time to
just suck it up and import the thing.
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Voiced characters or text to read? Take a stand, or just point
out good aspects from your position.
Wheels
I think this needs to be decided on a game to game basis. For example
something like Etrian Odyssey,
or even Dragon Quest? These games do not need voice acting, since story
is not usually their main focus. However, in current story based
RPGs, voice acting is expected and should be there. Granted this is
mainly for bigger budget games, as I have no problem with low budget
games having no voice acting at all. It's all about what works best for
a specific game though, I don't think it's something that should be
applied to everything.
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Did you ever own a Sega CD? Even if not, what games stand out
among its lineup to you?
There. You have more content for awhile.
JuMeSyn
Wheels
I did not, but there a number of games for it that I always wanted to
play. First among them was of course Shining
Force CD, though had I known it was just the first two Game Gear
games with slightly better graphics, I probably wouldn't have cared as
much. What I really fawned over though, were the Lunar games. At that time there was
nothing I had really seen with that kind of cinematic quality, so I was
very interested in both of them. Of course when I actually did play
them years later on PS1, they didn't seem like a huge deal, but I still
enjoyed them. The only other Sega CD game that interested me, which I
still have never played, was Popful
Mail. Now that I'm a fan of a lot of Falcom games, it's
something I really need to get to.
Anyway, as always, thanks for the letter!
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Quest to Finish Dragon Quest
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So I'm wondering, when do you think, if at all, Square-Enix
will give North America a release date for Dragon Quest VI? They
have nothing for the DS coming now that FF: 4 Heroes of Light is out,
and frankly I am getting impatient waiting for this last title in the
Zenithia trilogy.
I've been to many forums where pessimists say it's not coming at all,
due to the lack of news or announcements, though they did recently
(July) trademark subtitles in Italian, German and Spanish.
I just want to finish my NA DQ
collection, and VI is the
last title to
not release overseas, plus of what I've played of the translation, I
believe it'll become one of my favorite DQ's.
Wheels
Well I'll try and calm your fears
the best I can. I think the silence on Dragon Quest VI so far has been to
give Dragon Quest IX room to
grow. The series is already small enough here, so I'm guessing they
really didn't want to interfere with the release of one of its biggest
games to date. So the best I can say is to have some patience. I think
we'll get some info soon, and the fact that Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded is already
confirmed for the US shows they aren't done with DS games yet. There is
of course the chance they could cancel the release of VI given that IV and V did not sell as much as they
hoped, but I still think they sold well enough to make another one well
worth Square-Enix's time (I saw an article on the sales numbers for a
bunch of Square-Enix games not too long ago, you can see it here.
These are official numbers from Square-Enix). So the best I can say is,
enjoy Dragon Quest IX
and keep holding out for it. You aren't the only one wondering when it
will be released!
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Also, what games are you looking forward to in the coming months? For
me, Fallout: New Vegas and Ys: The Oath in Felghana
definitely, as well
as Golden Sun 3 and The Sly Collection.
I'm contemplating picking up Lufia:
Curse of the Sinistrals next week
also.
~Tiael
Wheels
I'm very glad you have Ys: The Oath
in Felghana on your list. I've played through the PC version and
it is one of the best Action RPGs of all time. Enjoy!
Fallout: New
Vegas should be a very interesting experience. Though I enjoyed Fallout 3, to have some of the
original Fallout team working
on the franchise again is very exciting. We'll see if that results in a
good game or not, but at the very least it makes the game worth
checking out. At the very least I hope they fix some of the issues that
were present in Fallout 3.
I haven't played through Golden Sun
1 or 2 yet, but I
still will pick up the game and open it up after finishing the first
two. I loved Camelot's earlier work (Shining
series), so I want to support them. As
far as Sly goes, I never
played the original games so now is as good a time as any! They look
like a lot of fun.
I have never played much of the original Lufia games, but I'm going to pick
up this remake, as it looks pretty interesting. I know fans of the
original games are bashing it for going away from the original turn
based combat, but that should be taken with a grain of salt. It's just
good to see a classic series return after so many years. Also, it's
been long enough since Shining Force
Neo came out that I think I can forgive Neverland (the developer
of the Lufia series). Give it
a chance I say!
Anyway, great questions, write in again!
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Wheels what is your favorite online RPG? It doesn't need to be
massively multiplayer, any RPG with significant online play will do.
-Nodal
Wheels
This is a tough question. I've never
been a big fan of MMOs, so it won't be one of those. I've always been
kind of a solo-gamer, so even though I've played a lot of games like Diablo 2, they aren't always my
favorites. With this in mind, I'm going to have to go with Demon's Souls. The way it did
online was just perfect for anti-social gamers like myself. Seeing the
shadows of other players as you explore, along with the many notes
they've left was just completely fantastic, and helped to take a bit of
edge off the often brutal difficulty of the game. Having other players
invade your game, or invading other player's games, was an intense
experience, and added a whole new layer to the already difficult game.
The way it handled co-op made it very difficult to play with friends,
but at the same time you always knew the player you were bringing in
was not too much higher or lower than your own level, and you can even
see what kind of gear they're wearing before bringing them into your
game. At the same time, players coming to help had a good incentive to
stick with helping the player, as the reward for helping them defeat a
boss was being brought back to life, an always difficult prospect in Demon's Souls. The co-op could have
been better though, to help friends join games easier, some kind of
voice chat options so you could actually communicate. Overall it
was just a great and unique experience, and I hope From Software makes
it even better in the "sequel".
Anyway write in again Nodal, it's been awhile!
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Wheels I have a three week old newborn who needs RPGs. What would you
recommend?
-Lokii
Wheels
Well, the silly and fun answer would be to have your kid play Final Fantasy Mystic Quest since
it's a RPG for babies (just kidding), but I'd say start with the
classics. Games like Final Fantasy VI
and Chrono Trigger are the
obvious choices, and throw in Oath
in Felghana and Secret of Mana
for good measure. Those should cover Japanese RPGs well enough.
As far as Western RPGs go, well those aren't really what we would call
"kid friendly" based on their combat and settings, so I will suggest
instead the Avernum games
from Spiderweb software for PC/Mac. These games, though released in
this past decade, really capture the spirit of classic Western RPGs in
a great way, while remaining appropriate for all ages. Your
newborn should enjoy them just fine!
Eventually that newborn will become a toddler though, at which point I
think you should move on to some Etrian
Odyssey, 7th Dragon, Saga 2 DS (you're teaching this kid
Japanese, right?), Fallout 3,
Baldur's Gate 2, and of course the original two Fallout games and Planescape: Torment. These are much
more dense RPGs that I think younger kids (assuming you approve of them
playing Mature content) would not be able to grasp, but at the tender
age of three, I think you can give them a go. Just don't ever let your
kid play Xenogears.
Anyway, thanks for writing in Lokii!
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That's it for this week, and remember, send me a letter and you get
entered to win a copy of Ys: Oath in
Felghana for PSP! Still plenty more games coming out this year.
I'm waiting for 4 Warriors of Light to
come
in
the
mail
and
of
course
we've got Lufia
and New Vegas to come later
this month.
What games are you guys waiting for? Write in!
-Wheels
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What I can't wait for:
1. Ys: Oath in Felghana for PSP
2. 4 Warriors of Light
3. Fallout: New Vegas
4. Lords of Shadow (Alright I'm already playing it)
5. Z.H.P.
On my Playlist:
1. Oath in Felghana Soundtrack
2. Green Day
3. RPG Backtrack
Hot Topics:
1. Duke Nukem Forever is actually going to come
out, does this mean we still have a chance at getting Mother 3? and 7th
Dragon? and Secret of Mana 2?
2. After the SaGa 3 remake, should Square-Enix make a new SaGa game, or
go about remaking Romancing SaGa 2&3?
3. If someone were to make a Halo RPG, who would you want to make it,
and what should it be like?
4. If you had to choice for Atlus to release Persona 2 (both parts) on
PSP or Persona 4 on PSP (Persona 3 Portable style), which would you
choose?
5. The Tales series seems to be in decline, if you were in charge of
the series at Namco, what would you do to get things on the right track?
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