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Post by Imperial Khador on Mar 16, 2018 23:08:22 GMT
I figured I'd finally get around to trying some of the Project Rainfall releases, starting with the Last Story. I'd have to say, it definitely shows its age, but I'm really liking it.
It looks pretty rough for a 2011 release, as is the case with many Wii games. I've seen it running on higher resolution on the Dolphin Emulator, and it looks quite nice. Sadly, my computer doesn't run Dolphin very well, and the Wii U doesn't provide the same kind degree of enhancement.
That said, once I sit down with it for a while and adjust to the visuals, it has been pretty excellent so far. The combat is fast and varied, and provides different benefits depending on how much you want to manually manage, or leave up to the NPCs. The voice acting is decent, and the all-British cast is a nice departure from JRPG english localizations. The pacing is pretty decent, and the environments generally seem to be kept small so as not to tax the system (there is some noticable slowdown in the larger city environment).
I'm about 1/4 of the way in, but I'd definitely recommend it. It would be nice to see it get a remaster.
Edit: I figured I'd pop in the old Undertow Review from TJ
And the old Gametrailers review; voiceover by Brandon Jones, reviewer uncredited.
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stratogustav
Supreme Overlord
Warrior with Bandana
Posts: 7,646 
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Post by stratogustav on Mar 17, 2018 15:08:57 GMT
I heard that the only reason why this game wasn't part of the Final Fantasy franchise is because it wasn't published by Square Enix. I don't know how true is that, but the game looks like it could very well be one. Balder, perhaps you can add this discussion to the index. I don't think we have another The Last Story thread. |
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dschult3
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
The true heir to the Monado.
Posts: 2,881
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Post by dschult3 on Mar 18, 2018 3:00:30 GMT
I have beaten this game countless times. I even imported the soundtrack. I love this game.
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Post by Imperial Khador on Mar 18, 2018 4:54:57 GMT
I heard that the only reason why this game wasn't part of the Final Fantasy franchise is because it wasn't published by Square Enix. I don't know how true is that, but the game looks like it could very well be one. I don't think I'd go that far, though that is my opinion. Sakaguchi and Uematsu are involved, and the name definitely feels like a Final Fantasy reference, but it doesn't quite feel like any of those games to me. By comparison, Lost Odyssey, one of their previous games for the Xbox 360, definitely felt like it had a lot of classic Final Fantasy elements, and visually (character models and clothing, battle effects, etc) looked a lot like FFX. I had just recently played the remasters for X/X-2 when I got around to Lost Odyssey and it seemed particularly obvious. That's not a knock against the Last Story at all. I'm about half-way through now and it definitely stands out as its own thing. |
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dschult3
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
The true heir to the Monado.
Posts: 2,881
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Post by dschult3 on Mar 18, 2018 12:24:03 GMT
I figured I'd finally get around to trying some of the Project Rainfall releases, starting with the Last Story. I'd have to say, it definitely shows its age, but I'm really liking it. I really like the Operation Rainfall games. Xenoblade really shocked the hell out of me, because I didn't think a game THAT MASSIVE could exist on the Wii. I could go on and on about that one, but this isn't the thread for that. (I just beat 2 for the second time today. I'm an official fanboy.) Pandora's Tower was very good, and it used the motion controls in a pretty cool way. It had a Castlevania feel to it with its own flair. It's a shame that so few played that one. (By the way, if you play that Pandora's Tower, PLEASE look up the game breaking glitch. You don't want to mess up your experience just because of a glitch that was never fixed.) The Last Story is more of a character experience game, so the world is much smaller. At first it didn't bother me, but after beating it so many times, I wanted something more. I do like the post game chapter, because it does give you a sense of completion and character resolution, but this is a Wii game, so DLC didn't exist to keep my appetite at bay. The story itself isn't something groundbreaking, but there is something quaint to it which makes me love it even more. You are right about the graphics, but the visuals are the best on the Wii. It surprised me how good it looked at the time. The music is top notch, because the great Nobuo Uematsu did a fine job with his compositions. (I tried to get him to play "Toberu Mono" or "The One Who Rules All" at a Chicago Final Fantasy show, but the gods at Square Enix wouldn't allow it.) I can only hope that Sakaguchi and Uematsu team up together again and reboot this game and make it into a series. I want to know more about the empire, the Gurak, and Lazulis Island. There is a diary you can read from in Count Arganan's office at the end of the game, but it only made me want to learn more. All in all, the game has the elements of greatness, and it does hold a special place in may heart. |
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Post by ModeratorNumber2 on Mar 18, 2018 21:42:20 GMT
Added.
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Post by Imperial Khador on Mar 29, 2018 18:18:30 GMT
Finished this up last night, and had a good time with it aside from the gauntlet of kind of gimmicky boss fights at the end. I don't think I'll go for the new game+ as I'd rather move on to something else, but I'll remember this one fondly. I definitely would like to see more of this work. As dschult3 mentions, a lot of the game is restricted to a single city, and some surrounding locations. One thing I would say is that it did a great job of allowing the player to figure out the world intuitively. You just get a little slice of it, but you get some idea of how the politic, social structure, magic systems, etc. work just by watching the characters interact with the world. The mercenaries all clearly have some interesting backstories as well, though I'd love to see more of the Guardians like the one that raised Mirania, aside from the giant footprints we see in game. I'd contrast this with some of the Tales games which, much as I love them, tend to bash the player over the head with awkward exposition about everything. |
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dschult3
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
The true heir to the Monado.
Posts: 2,881
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Post by dschult3 on Mar 30, 2018 0:33:57 GMT
Finished this up last night, and had a good time with it aside from the gauntlet of kind of gimmicky boss fights at the end. I don't think I'll go for the new game+ as I'd rather move on to something else, but I'll remember this one fondly. I definitely would like to see more of this work. As dschult3 mentions, a lot of the game is restricted to a single city, and some surrounding locations. One thing I would say is that it did a great job of allowing the player to figure out the world intuitively. You just get a little slice of it, but you get some idea of how the politic, social structure, magic systems, etc. work just by watching the characters interact with the world. The mercenaries all clearly have some interesting backstories as well, though I'd love to see more of the Guardians like the one that raised Mirania, aside from the giant footprints we see in game. I'd contrast this with some of the Tales games which, much as I love them, tend to bash the player over the head with awkward exposition about everything. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I wonder if they will even consider revisiting this game to create a series. I doubt it, but you never know. Since you're into the Project Rainfall releases, are you going to hit up one of the others? |
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Post by Imperial Khador on Mar 30, 2018 19:49:16 GMT
Yes indeed. I started Pandora's Tower last night. I'm leaving Xenoblade Chronicles for last since it is the longest.
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leaon79s
Ace Bomber
Dishonorable Miscreant
Posts: 721
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Post by leaon79s on Mar 31, 2018 0:08:42 GMT
The problem I had with this game (aside from the grimacingly cliché story) was that it tried to be too many things without excelling at anything. The melee was competent but shallow, the TPS aspect seemed tacked on just for the sake of it, the strategy elements were bland, and the stealth was completely unnecessary. It was a fragmentary mix of all these genres without evolving any one of those elements adequately to the point of becoming engaging, or ultimately having them come together into a cohesively engrossing whole. The game essentially remained a point and hit affair for its entire duration, and everything else beyond that was derivative generic fantasy window dressing. (let's cosplay up, save the princess and LHEA...  )And don't remind me of that loop-around farce of a choice system. Sure, Metal Gear (specifically Solids 1,2 & 3) mixes things up too, but that had great stealth at the core and a cool one-of-a-kind story to gel everything together. The Last Story does not have any of those things. Wanna know a good Metal Gear-like fantasy title that's not a piecemeal mess which has great depth? - Vagrant Story. |
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dschult3
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
The true heir to the Monado.
Posts: 2,881
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Post by dschult3 on Jan 10, 2021 3:16:25 GMT
What a blast from the past!
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I pulled out an old Windows 7 laptop that I haven't used in at least 8 or 9 years. This was the last background I had up:
