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XSEED Games releasing Akiba's Trip: Undead and Undressed/ Ys VI for PC this spring
- Thread starter Volcynika
- Start date
Paltheos
Member
I played the PS2 version for several hours. I think something is lost in the game's own feel from adding warping. Having to traverse that dangerous world to get anywhere fit the aesthetic of the game (plus it's a fun world to be in)
That started getting old though. Traversing the same areas, sometimes pretty sizeable, did become tedious. On the whole I think it will be a positive change too, yeah.
Pretty sure I implied this before, but I'm looking forward to this release.
Oath in Felghana is probably... my second favorite action game ever. What I played of the PS2 Napishtim isn't quite up to that level, but this is my favorite format of the Ys games (coming from someone who hasn't played the bumpers >_>)
That started getting old though. Traversing the same areas, sometimes pretty sizeable, did become tedious. On the whole I think it will be a positive change too, yeah.
Pretty sure I implied this before, but I'm looking forward to this release.
Oath in Felghana is probably... my second favorite action game ever. What I played of the PS2 Napishtim isn't quite up to that level, but this is my favorite format of the Ys games (coming from someone who hasn't played the bumpers >_>)That's why I asked him cheekily (to get that answer - sequels).
Actually, I said that it's no valid point for me to buy the game again when I already own it. Everyone has their preferences and for me it's more of a turn-off.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Warping is great because Napishtim's backtracking doesn't really add anything. It isn't like a Metroid game where you can use new abilities and unlock a new route or find a new upgrade. It's just point a to b running back and forth that doesn't do anything but pad the play time.
Pellegri Testament
Member
How exactly could it be seen as a turn off though? So much of the original game had meaningless padding that was literally nothing more than backtracking through earlier areas, because "reasons". Even then it's an optional thing in this version, everyone can still run through those areas with mobs you can one shot and have nothing more to do in them. All the backtracking did was make things tedious for no reason at all, it didn't make the game any harder or add anything to it.
I don't know a single thing about Ys but people were basically crying for joy on Twitter and Steam over added warp for Ys VI. So it must be good, whatever it is. Unless you want to object on grounds of purism or something, which is always a hilarious dead end argument. Also take less time of being a dick to developers who are going out of their way to bring you features with no direct benefit to themselves except trying to make the game better.
Also good to hear on those PC options for Akiba, the slider for NPCs is pretty interesting too. From first description it felt like bare bones but there are definitely more options than before.
Feels like the only things that would need to be modified user-side is resolution unlock (for downsampling and monitors >1080p) and framerate unlock (for anyone that wants to play this action/brawler at 60fps or above).
Everyone should suffer through the same flaws I had to deal with! <- actual argument I'm reading from him lol
Also good to hear on those PC options for Akiba, the slider for NPCs is pretty interesting too. From first description it felt like bare bones but there are definitely more options than before.
Feels like the only things that would need to be modified user-side is resolution unlock (for downsampling and monitors >1080p) and framerate unlock (for anyone that wants to play this action/brawler at 60fps or above).
Everyone should suffer through the same flaws I had to deal with! <- actual argument I'm reading from him lol
Pellegri Testament
Member
Was Ys 6 somehow different than all the rest when it came to xp? Because after gaining enough levels in all the others, you only get 1 xp from lower level mobs, making it a waste of time to even press the attack button unless there's a large chunk of them in some areas like in Oath/Origins. Even then, fast travel in this is 100% optional, just like it is in most games with it. It being in the game doesn't automatically mean that you have to use it. It helps the people who don't want pointless padding and just want to get through the game, and it does nothing for the people who don't like it, because they don't have to use it.
It was also likely they either added it or they didn't and nothing else took it's place as an addition, which means that it wasn't wasted dev time.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
More Falcom games are always nice.
My timing buying them tends to be pretty terrible. I got the PSP version of Napishtim (over the PS2 one because I didn't have a reliable way to play it and PC because it would have been significantly more expensive to import) literally days before Groupon gave it away for free. Then I bought Gurumin on PSN, very shortly before Mastiff put it on Greenlight for Steam.
charlequin
Banned
Every game in the series is significantly better with warping available, but I'm particularly thinking of Oath here. I don't think the case that there's some actual downside to including this this (as opposed to some weird elitist uphill-both-times routine) is actually supportable.
BassForever
Member
I'm pretty sure every Ys game I've played has had warping minus Ys 5 but that game is fairly linear in terms of progression and there are very few times you need to back track.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
Hmm, I wonder if people would complain about First Queen, or even its software-rendered Windows RTS sequel that can be run in all sorts of ways...
Personally I'd *really* like to see a new Ys game with Ys II's sense of progression.
I have a pretty beastly gaming PC (970) but I was thinking if it might be possible on a Windows tablet, portability was a big draw. Sounds like tablet is out though so I'll have to think on it. Guess it depends how much the PC version costs. Vita version can be had for around £15.
Hm, you still didn't get it though. Ignoring the part about more exp (whether it's 1 or 1000), it was about an incentive to buy the game again. I said that it isn't one for me because of x and y reasons. So there is no point in saying that I can just simply not use it.
That's why I said "for me". There are three things which matter for me. Gonna make it extremely short, have to get ready for work in like one minute...
1. Immersion (it's an action-adventure-rpg-like, so I don't like it...same in games such as TES as stated earlier)
2. Psychological aspect (reaffirming your progress in the game by seeing how much you got stronger in comparison to previous monsters
3. Extra exp gain (regardless of how much + you can always ignore them if you want)
Pellegri Testament
Member
All of which are still there if you just avoid the extra option that was put in for other players. He was wondering what the downside is to having a 100% optional feature in the game, not what could potentially be a problem to some people if said feature was forced on you (which again, it's not forced in most games with it). I would understand if you don't like said feature if it was forced on you. What I don't understand is how a game can suddenly become a "turn off" just because they add something that isn't even required to be used.
It doesn't matter how much content you had to backtrack through, what matters is what you do in said backtracked content. If you're just going to run through skipping everything anyway, then why not have a fast travel feature so you don't need to waste time by doing nothing but skipping everything? Elder Scrolls I can understand, since they built the world around immersion. But something like Ys? The worlds in these games aren't the most breathtaking thing ever if you haven't noticed. They are meant to be seen only a few times and that's it, anything more and you just want to move on due to things being too stale.
Not to put words in Lucumo's mouth, but I believe he's saying that his original statement was meant more along the lines of, "that's not a selling point for me personally." It didn't come across that way at first -- it definitely sounded like he was saying "that shouldn't be advertised as a selling point," which is why I kind of rushed to our defense on the matter -- but I do believe his intention here was simply to state "I don't personally care about that feature." Which is very much his prerogative.
Apologies for inferring otherwise, if I'm correct on this -- but to be fair, you really need to be a little clearer, Lucumo. This is the internet, after all, where misunderstandings reign supreme!
(Also, apologies if I have the wrong gender for you! I'm defaulting to "he" because, grammatically, that is the correct course of action when a person's gender is unknown... which just goes to show you, English be sexist, yo!)
Well, if you have the Vita version, the framerate WILL be an improvement for you. Both the PS4 and PC versions of the game have a completely stable 30fps framerate with between-frame processing to look smoother, whereas the PS3 and Vita versions have framerates that fluctuate based on how much is going on in the general vicinity.
-Tom
Not really. Most of the backtracking in the game is done between two towns and you go through introductory areas, where the monsters are weak and give very little experience for higher levels. When I look back on Napishtim, I remember the game that was often fun but had an ungodly amount of tedious backtracking. The game sometimes doesn't make it clear where you're supposed to go next and trial and error is necessary, a process that will be made infinitely more bearable with the warping feature.
But could you politely insist they put in 60fps as an option? This is something PC gamers want very badly in pretty much any game.
We've already made that very clear to them. But this is the best they were able to do, and like I said, the experience is very much equivalent to Akiba's Trip on consoles -- and that's a pretty damned good experience, if you ask me.
-Tom
Err, I thought it was clear that I made that point. That's also the reason why I wondered why people are trying to argue with me. I didn't expect to be misunderstood that way.Not to put words in Lucumo's mouth, but I believe he's saying that his original statement was meant more along the lines of, "that's not a selling point for me personally." It didn't come across that way at first -- it definitely sounded like he was saying "that shouldn't be advertised as a selling point," which is why I kind of rushed to our defense on the matter -- but I do believe his intention here was simply to state "I don't personally care about that feature." Which is very much his prerogative.
Apologies for inferring otherwise, if I'm correct on this -- but to be fair, you really need to be a little clearer, Lucumo. This is the internet, after all, where misunderstandings reign supreme!
(Also, apologies if I have the wrong gender for you! I'm defaulting to "he" because, grammatically, that is the correct course of action when a person's gender is unknown... which just goes to show you, English be sexist, yo!)
Wasn't it basically:
Person X: Great, I will double dip.
Me: Any reason to do so when you already own the physical version?
Person T: It has feature A and allows warping now.
Me: Warping isn't exactly a positive feature.
Several people: It has several positive sides such as X, Y and Z
Me: I dislike fast-travel in general.
That's why I thought it was clear that one of the reasons which got advertised to me doesn't apply to me. I even made that point again.
I didn't try to make a point for other people which maybe others thought I did? Oh well, analysis over(or apparently not) ^_^
That's for sure. Though, from the way I see it, people jumped on one statement while ignoring the context (the reason I initially posted in this thread). But in the end, we sometimes/often read something into actions/words/lines which aren't there, just because we are susceptible to certain aspects.
Welp, the daily challenges of communication...
"There are no girls on the internet." So when in doubt, I usually assume "he", unless claimed/confirmed otherwise.
We've already made that very clear to them. But this is the best they were able to do, and like I said, the experience is very much equivalent to Akiba's Trip on consoles -- and that's a pretty damned good experience, if you ask me.
-Tom
Thank you, I appreciate it.
I feel like I'm the only one here that's here solely for Akiba's Trip, lol.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
Cross-posting:
I wish Tom had posted images in a variety of aspect ratios just to show their version's flexibility in resizing.
PixyJunket
Member
They don't have much more to pull from.
Xanadu Next is more or less confirmed.
Trails in the Sky SC is coming (haha).
Trails in the Sky The Third is probably dead, as focus is likely being shifted to Trails in Cold Steel.
That pretty much leaves Dinosaur Resurrection and Zwei II in terms of modern Falcom PC stuff. I might be forgetting one or two, but I'm fairly confident I've got most of them.
Biggest game you didn't mention is Zero no Kiseki, which is probably not happening soon because it's a PSP game and they're focusing on Vita/PS3/PS4.
After that, there's the original Zwei!! (2001). Maybe Ys Seven and Celceta if they ever get around working on the chinese ports.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
It's likely they're skipping ahead to Sen knowing it's mostly it's own thing, even with references to the Liberl and Crossbell games. This doesn't rule out 3rd, as that's dependent mainly on how SC does on Steam.
After XN, Dinosaur, and the Zwei duo, there's a number of earlier Windows games worth localizing. I don't know how self-contained Brandish 4 is compared to previous installments, but that's being fan-translated at the moment. Sorcerian Forever and Original are both waiting in the wings (they could be tough sells...), and I really hope Monarch Monarch gets a release at some point. Finally we have Vantage Master and the Gagharv trilogy for Windows, not as big a task as the Kiseki games to localize.
I'm in for Akiba's Trip. =)
Yeah that might be true but iirc correctly they were very pleased with the western sales. So maybe they port the vita(ps3/4) games to pc or hire some Company for it.
That might be little offtopic but Idea Factory started the same and well they announced 3 Games (Rebirth 1/2 and Fairy Fencer) but have allready 3 more registered @ ESRB.
So Rebirth 1 must did well on Steam.
Well we will see whats gonna happen in the Future.
Pellegri Testament
Member
Would hope that they would be able to do this when it comes to Sen or other Ys games. When Trails in the Sky came out on PSP, the system was basically dead here in the West (which combined with it being a fairly unknown series, led to TiTS bombing), the same can almost be said for Vita now. Which would leave the PS3 version, which PS3 will likely be in the same place PSP/Vita are in now, by the time Sen would even come out on PS3. I'm sure they're in a much better place financially now than when TiTS came out on PSP, but I would think the last thing they need is another botched larger release on a dying/dead system.
PixyJunket
Member
Given what it took to get SC out the door, I don't see them getting to 3rd/Zero/Ao.
They'll be lucky to keep up with Sen at the rate Falcom is producing these things.
Most (all) of those older games (including the original Zwei) would probably need major retooling for modern systems, they're all Win95 apps, if I recall.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
I'm not sure Carpe Fulgur's going to aid XSEED again, but, if sales are strong as hopes go, then I don't see how 3rd would fall into the same localization circumstances as SC. XSEED mainly needs more horsepower to get these games edited and Q&A'd. Given how old the earlier installments are, FC launching better than previous Steam releases is a great sign.
And yes, the older games will probably give Sara a hard time. But they aren't impossible to shape into a state compatible with most customers' OSes.
not psycho
Member
This is so amazing. Falcom games have been my most wanted for a long time, and now I'm playing them one after another. We finally got Brandish, and now the last of the ultimate Ys "trilogy" is on the way. Only a matter of time for Xanadu Next, maybe even Zwei II and Dinosaur.
Pellegri Testament
Member
The main issue with 3rd likely isn't the potential localization issues (with 3rd), it's more of "why bring out 3rd if Zero/Ao aren't coming too? (when Ao would be a localization nightmare most likely)" It's more of the commitment to bringing out the 2 games it's story ties into, rather than bringing it out just to finish off some plot holes that SC didn't close up, because the main story for TiTS ended with SC.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
I remember Tom saying they'd only do 3rd with Crossbell and the games after that in mind, so I'm presuming that scenario when talking about the chances for 3rd if SC does well.
Khilandros
Member
Glad to see that Ys: The Ark of Napishtim will be coming to Steam soon, I played the heck out of it on PS2.
And of course for Akiba's Trip, oh man I can't wait to get this. Waiting eagerly for the release date announcement and/or steam page to show up....so close.
And of course for Akiba's Trip, oh man I can't wait to get this. Waiting eagerly for the release date announcement and/or steam page to show up....so close.
charlequin
Banned
It still works out pretty well in most possible scenarios. If XSEED catch up with Sen and find success with the series, they might be able to go through the three backlogged games in parallel and eventually get them out. If they don't and just focus their efforts on keeping up with future Kiseki releases (with the level of support it looks like they're getting from Falcom) then at least the set of games left behind is bounded on both sides (and it's three games that primarily connect to one another) and maybe at some point fan translation projects can focus their energy on getting to those in order.
Either way, this approach should hopefully lead to a much better future for Kiseki in the US.
Dinosaur Resurrection came out in 2002, it shouldn't be too far off from the older Ys/Kiseki stuff.
There are a number of older Falcom PC titles that were designed with "modern" Windows in mind, actually. Dinosaur: Resurrection, Sorcerian Original, VM Japan, Zwei!! and RINNE, off the top of my head, should all support at least Windows XP, I believe.
-Tom
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Supposed Sen 2 is basically tied to Ao. Some people seem adamant that you need to play Ao first, others have said reverse order could work.
Honestly I'd rather them just drop the series if it is just going to be a mess trying to play the games in a way that makes sense. The later games sound weaker gameplay-wise anyway. That unfortunately seems like a trend with Falcom games, the recent Ys games haven't been as good, and I can't say I'm enthusiastic about Tokyo Xanadu.
I'm a little worried about Tokyo Xanadu as well, but more for the story and setting than the gameplay. Nayuta no Kiseki proved that Falcom's still got it when it comes to action RPG quality (it really is one of the most genuinely fun experiences on the PSP, and one of the best 3D platformers I've played in the last decade, easily surpassing even most Ys games when it comes to gameplay), so I have every faith in their ability to produce a good game, even if it's cloaked in a facade I'm not personally very interested in.
I'm surprised to hear you say that the later Kiseki games "sound weaker gameplay-wise" than the earlier ones, though, as the bits I've played really do show an upward trend all the way through. Zero and Ao are almost unquestionably superior to the Trails trilogy when it comes to gameplay, and Sen is -- at least in my mind -- superior still. Story and setting aside, the Sen games play wonderfully, taking all the best elements from the previous titles and improving upon them in almost every regard. Battles are faster, deeper, flashier and more fun all around, and the ability to affect battles beforehand on the map by stunning enemies and approaching them from behind, or hitting them with your weapon, reminds me of that same system in Xenosaga Episode I (which I always really loved, and wondered why more games never adopted), and is something I'd've really liked to see in the Trails trilogy.
I'm pretty renowned for not being personally all that into the Kiseki lore compared to most other Falcom fans, but simply as games, the Sen titles seem to be much, much stronger than their predecessors, as far as I'm concerned. About the only part of them that's been toned down is the Orbment system, and even that's still deep enough -- it's just ever-so-slightly more streamlined than it was in the Trails trilogy, which I personally consider an improvement.
-Tom
Nightengale
Member
There's split opinions on the trajectory of the Ys franchise in terms of how they evolve their gameplay, and that seems to have bled into Kiseki, even though that's not true one bit.
Unlike Ys that has revamped its gameplay systems from the trilogy of Origins-Oath-Ark to the current party based VII-Celceta-VIII, Kiseki has remained true to its core mechanics and have instead evolved it.
And while it's not a popular opinion here, I'm in favour of the direction Ys is taking its franchise. It just needs to figure out how to bring back jump and traversal elegantly into the current system.
chaos, pls. You should honestly play the damn game if you're going to go off anecdotes.
If I remember correctly, you're not a fan of the whole school stuff, but that and the gameplay has nothing to do with each other.
Well... mostly.
Unlike Ys that has revamped its gameplay systems from the trilogy of Origins-Oath-Ark to the current party based VII-Celceta-VIII, Kiseki has remained true to its core mechanics and have instead evolved it.
And while it's not a popular opinion here, I'm in favour of the direction Ys is taking its franchise. It just needs to figure out how to bring back jump and traversal elegantly into the current system.
chaos, pls. You should honestly play the damn game if you're going to go off anecdotes.
If I remember correctly, you're not a fan of the whole school stuff, but that and the gameplay has nothing to do with each other.
Well... mostly.
Se7enSword
Banned
Jump is back in Ys 8!
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
I still haven't played Nayuta, at least not meaningfully. Was going to start bashing my way through but that was right around the time the fan translation picked back up. Should check up on that, it was moving along well last I looked.
The bolded is what I recall, gameplay-wise. But I guess opinions are mixed? Some comments make it sound simplied in a dumbed down sort of way while others say its fine.
And there is this, but the school junk isn't really what in was referring to.
It's really not that much different, honestly. They just made it so you don't have to micromanage quite as much as you did before.
Even if the Orbment system were totally gimped, though, the other improvements would MORE than make up for that. There's a lot more strategy than there was in previous installments, with the addition of things like Link abilities and such making combat far more involved and interesting, plus lots of small quality-of-life improvements like the ability to skip spell animations at will in order to speed things up.
Purely as a game, I feel confident in saying that Sen is way better than any of its predecessors. As a story, though... YMMV.
-Tom
Minister of the Dog
Member
I was considering getting Akiba's Trip for Vita in the near future, but this PC port news has made me reconsider. Are the framerate issues very big on Vita?
The framerate is kind of jittery on both the Vita and PS3 versions, but not so much that the gameplay is adversely affected or anything -- it's just slightly distracting at times. And I'd actually say it's a little better on Vita than it is on PS3.
But if you're easily bothered by frame drops or stuttering, PC or PS4 is definitely the way to go.
-Tom
Minister of the Dog
Member
I might go the Vita route then, I love the system and I want to support it. I hope we'll see more great games on the Vita by you guys
Thanks.