I read one review of this Grandia III that said the story was 'uninspired', and I couldn't help but wonder if we played the same RPG. A brother gone mad, a sister on a quest to save him, a boy who dreams to fly like the eagles--I personally found the story to be completely captivating.
The same review also mentioned that the reoccurring theme of hope and dreams was 'hokey', and once more I had to boggle a bit. If having the passion that Yuki has for his dream of flying is corny, then sign me up--I'll gladly trade in my procrastinating, worrisome attitude for a bit of his 'insipid' courage...
What is refreshing about Grandia III is the lack of melodramatic heroes. The emo level of your party is low, if non existent. That is a breath of fresh air, if you ask me. Personally, I think the sulky, angry, dark type of character is far more over-played than a young boy who dares to have a dream and the will to make it come true.
So on that note, the characters in Grandia III are totally likeable. Sadly there isn't a lot of delving into their pasts, but since there's quite a bit of dialogue between them, you learn about their personalities as the game goes on by talking with them. There are plenty of funny movements between them, which adds a good dose of humor to the game.
The scripting is good too, keeping well with in the tone of the game and I absolutely loved the voice acting. Even the bad guys were well done--when more often than not, they're over done (the laugh of Albel Nox, anyone? Or how about Albedo in Xenosaga? Ugh...now that I think about it, they were voice acted by the same person, I believe...).
The settings were beautiful, though I did have issues with the 'jaggies' in the graphics at first. Eventually I got used to them, but I think with a little more effort this game could've been totally breath-taking in the scenery department. Still, the different environments are interesting and not hard on the eyes in the least.
Speaking of environments, I do wish they were more interactive and not so linear. Town exploration is fun, but when out in the wild more often than not your stuck to following a single trail--and you can't get off of it. There are a few places where the setting is wide and trail-less, but only a couple. I suppose this is made up for by the expanse of some of these dungeons, many of which can be confusing to navigate as the game progresses--so you spend a lot of time wandering around. You can interact with the environment at given points, such as making plants blow up, cutting down trees and mushrooms to find stuff, treasure chests, etc. Every so often a ledge will fall out from under you or you'll have to push things around.
Music is always important and the opening song for Grandia III is a prime pick for this game--upbeat, inspiring, and fun. As for the rest, I'll have to say it was pretty good, though not outstanding (as was the music in say, Star Ocean 3).
But the big clincher for this game is the battle system. It's fantastic! In the left hand corner is a circle with all the combatants. Their icons and those of your characters rotate around this circle, going through stages of command entry, command execution, and wait. The entire premise of this system is to try and stop the enemy from executing their attack--and during boss fights this is a necessity. To optimize your rotation around the IP Gauge, it's imperative to boost skills, find equipment that enhances movement, etc. Some of the enemies are so fast they'll make two rotations before you've even made one (tears hair out). Though it's a bit complicated, it's pretty easy to learn after about an hour or so. In no time, you'll be executing cancel attacks and arial finishes right and left.
Another important factor in the battle system is learning the numerous special moves that each character has. Special moves use SP, and as the character grows the SP bar grows with them. It is imperative to manage SP wisely. Special moves often cancel enemy attacks and the bigger ones can downright kill their asses. However, if you drain your SP, you'll have to wait for it to fill back up. Depending on what skills, accessory, armor you have equipped, this might take awhile. In certain battles, that's not an option.
Skills and magic aren't learned in this game. You have to buy them or find them in the field. And even when you do find them, you have to have the money to extract them from the gems and books they're locked inside of. AND then you have to make sure your magic level or skill level is high enough to equip them. AND you can only equip them in a shop or at a save point. Not only that, each character uses a mana egg to boost their magic, so if a character has mainly fire spells, it's best to hook them up with something like a Blaze Egg, Volcano Egg, Blast Egg, for example. Skills are boosted by equipping the characters with skill books you find laying around--the concept is the same as that of the mana eggs.
It took me about 50 hours to finish this game. I hear it can be done in 30, though I think you'd have to rush through it. I spend a lot of time exploring and talking to people. The NPC's in Grandia III often have interesting things to say and sometimes it's fun to hear the exchange between them and your characters. Sometimes if you come back to a town later, you'll get to listen to more of an on going drama going on between city folk or villagers. There's no side quests really, which makes me sad. Well, in one town you can help a boy solve a mystery, but that takes about five seconds. *laughs*
Over all, while this game has a few flaws, it's a stellar RPG. I highly recommend it to any of the RPG fans here. BTW, this game has one of the most fantastic endings!
Posted by Zoso at March 4, 2006 08:27 AM One of these days, I will go out an purchase this game. Just not now. :-) After all, it's this or
KH II, and I'll be damned if I'll miss out on that. Can't get it next month either thanks to Advent Children. But I will get it eventually.
While we're on the topic, Final Fantasy XII will be released in Japan on March 16-17, somewhere around that time. Xenosaga Episode III will be released on July 6 in Japan, but that's a big 'MAYBE' at the moment, seeing as how it is still a good few months away, and is susceptible to delay.
http://namco-ch.net/xenosaga3/index.php
The date is right next to the CERO symbol.
On a side note, Are you going to be updating any of your fanfics anytime soon, or post some new ones? What about original fiction? I am big fan, and would really like to see something fresh from you.
Posted by: gamma000 at March 4, 2006 02:28 PMI kinda lost interest in Xenosaga after that second one. I made it halfway through and got bored. I suppose I should play it, in hopes that the third one turns out better.
I haven't been in the mood to write lately. :( Eventually I'll work on more stuff, once I get the whole job thing squared away. It's hard to be creative when your bummed out all the time. *laughs* Nothing has been abandoned though...thanks for the support! :)
Posted by: Zoso at March 4, 2006 03:09 PM Yeah, Episode II was very disappointing indeed. But, the plot was still engaging, and the characters were still pretty cool. Besides, Episode III is sure to improve on its predecessor's faults.
I live to support people, so anytime! :D You have no idea how much your stories have inspired me. I love your writing, and look up to you a lot.
I love to write, and in fact I hope to become a novelist in the future. That, or create comics, since I also have a love of drawing (I still need a lot of work in that area.:P or, if I feel really ambitious, become game designer. I know that would require much work on my part, but hey, if it is something I want to do, then I'll do whatever is necessary to be able to accomplish my goal.
Like I said before, I love to write, but lately I've also been out of it. Most likely it is due to my friend, who is technically not my friend anymore. You see, I asked her to proofread one of
my rough drafts for a story I am currently writing. nothing out of this world, just another person's view on how I could improve. I was prepared to receive some constructive criticism when I saw her the next day. Instead, I had the honor of being flamed in real life. She told me that my writing was too discriptive, leaving nothing for the reader's imagination, and proceeded to condemn my story (Which she so eloquently called a piece of sh*t) and my writing style. She actually told me that I had no hope of becoming a writer, and that no publisher would ever go near my work. I was just so shocked at her comments; I actually cied a bit during gym class. Boys don't cry in gym class! Later on, She came up to me, and told me that the truth hurts, but that I should just accept it and move on to something that I could actually accomplish. Jesus!
It wasn't as if she was just pissed off that particular day either. She is so sarcastic, and so very cruel to others. She sys that it's just that she has a very dry wit. No. Just no. I could go on and on about her, but I'd rather not.
Sory, if I wasted your time with my little rant. :(
You need better friends. LOL Dry wit? How about rude twit? There's nothing witty about her--she's just nasty and mean.
Yes, truth often does hurt, but some tactless goons enjoy twisting the knife. Misery loves company, you see?
There is a reason why constructive criticism has the word 'constructive' in it. I don't recommend having anyone beta your work who can't grasp the concept behind such a simple word (apparently she doesn't know what 'wit' is either). That's kinda like not being able to spell the word 'the'. Amazing how so many wanna be editors lack grade school level word comprehension. *sigh*
Anyway, getting critiqued on your stuff isn't always roses, but it doesn't need to be a massacre. If I were you, I'd try to glean at least a little something from her less than stellar critique--too descriptive? Yeah, that's a common trap everyone falls into sometimes. Too much info right up front? The whole point of a story is to keep it moving. You always want forward motion, so stopping to describe things can bring the story to a screeching halt. Of course, the tricky part is working in settings without being over descriptive and without stopping the story.
If you want, I'll look over your stuff. I can't promise on how long it'll me to get back to you though. But I'll give you my honest opinion and I won't be mean about it either. LOL
That being said, just keep writing. Read a lot. Read books on writing. Just keep doing it. And give the big finger to anyone who tells you otherwise. You let them get to you, they win.
Posted by: Zoso at March 4, 2006 04:06 PM Yeah, I have wonderful friends. But sometimes, someone comes by, and they may seem like a good person, but are in fact trash in a pretty wrapper. Thankfully she was the only person of her kind that I have encountered thus far.
Oh yeah, I'm not going to stop doing something just because of one person's opinion. I'm still young, and there is plenty of time to improve. Besides that whole "too descripitve" thing, I've managed to tone down the boring parts. (Looks like I did manage to get something out of it. :D)
Besides, I won't have to worry about description once I get to animating my fiction. I've already found an institute that caters to aspiring comic book artists, so I think I'll be heading over there after I graduate. :D :D
Not only that, they also have classes in game design and fine arts, including creative writing classes! It's like my dream come true!
Uninspired, eh. I've run through like 4 magazines this week, and in not ONE review have I read that the story was anything but above average. In fact, most're calling the story-telling "masterful." ...But you know what they say about opinions. One reviewer's trash is another's "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY TALKING ABOUT?!"
Posted by: J00kst3r at March 4, 2006 09:35 PM