WTF Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 Publisher: NiSA (for PAL and NA territories). Developer: Gust Official Site: ENG Reviews: Worthplaying 8 GamesRadar 7 RPGamer 7 Playstation Lifestyle7 Release Dates JP 28th January 2010 NA 16th March 2011 PAL 1st April 2011 Screenshots: Game Includes: Soundtrack and ArtBook for PAL regions Those plus Calendar and another art book for the special edition first release for NA. Personal Notes: The game is chock full of innuendos, so if you are playing this it pretty much depends on how dirty your mind really is. The game does involve certain characters, Reyvateils, stripping when they go into song mode and the innuendos pretty much come from having to delve inside their heads sort of Simulacra/Matrix style and they say stuff like you need to go deeper which in the right context isn't pervy but of course everyone finds it uncomfortable for the most part because most people have a dirty mind. I mean a kid who plays this game isn't going to get that, though they'll see the stripping. The game isn't as weird as things like Agarest and the environments are quite pretty which is to be expected from Gust games. The Atelier series pretty much has art like an old European/UK fairy tale book and is quite pretty and girly in that way. This game is pretty similar in terms of IQ, though it's obvious they optimised it for 720p and thus lacks the crispness as in Rorona. The game is also quite positive in a way and it's not bad once you overlook those bits of weirdness. Much better than most jRPGs that have been out recently. It's also quite welcoming to new players. There's also DLC available for this game which I believe should be sizeable. It's non-voiced DLC that adds on to the 40hr or so game and is roughly about 700MB (you can try the first part of it for free and if you enjoy that I'd suggest getting all 5 since that saves money). It's very different to Neptunia in that it's actually not a chore to play and doesn't resort to the same tactics to keep you invested (also not the same type of DLC). There is humour in the game, and with a few exceptions it's not badly voiced and the story so far seems to be pretty ok. I wouldn't say it's the all time best, but it does seem to avoid only relying on tropes entirely and tries to carve a spot for itself. If you do play RPGs from Japan though I'll definitely recommend this. I'll write a review when I've finished the game. If anyone wants a review of Tactics Ogre or Third Birthday I can do that as well when I'm done (but that might take a while since I'm busy and don't know when I can finish any of these games...). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kovach_ Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 I still don't know if i like the new battle system or not. I like my turns damn it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturnine Tenshi Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 I'm a champion of the turn-based role-playing game. I bear their emblem and shoulder their flag. If you're on the battlefield of RPGs and you see some action hero skewered by a TBS standard, know that it was my work. I was apprehensive when it came to ATQ. An action battle system, Gust's shift from 2D to 3D and lingering concerns with localization and staying true to the vast lore. Yet Gust and NISA set me straight, pulled me from my wayward path and censured me for one-hundred and fifty hours. I emerged from the encounter with the understanding that Qoga, while not without a few foibles, was wholly captivating. Color me pleased. 10/10 pleased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxicitizen Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 I've been really intrigued by this series for a while now but never got around to getting the PS2 games. Whenever I thought about it, I couldn't find a copy at a decent price on ebay. Anyway, I was wondering, would I miss out on anything if I were to play this one without having played the first two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturnine Tenshi Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 (edited) Brief answer: Yes. TL;DR answer: Yes! There are returning characters from both Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia and Ar tonelico: Melody of Metafalica. There are references to both games that would leave you clueless without having played them. It is also — and this is the utmost reason why you should play the games in chronological order — a finale to narrative that spans all three games. Mind you, the game could stand on its own without the presence of its siblings. I just don't recommend playing them out of order. If you must, you could always play the earlier games later and view them as "prequels". Edited April 9, 2011 by Saturnine Tenshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxicitizen Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 (edited) Oh, I see. Thanks. In that case I'll have to get the PS2 games first. I'd rather experience the narrative in the proper order. Hopefully they won't look too horrible on my HD screen. Edited April 10, 2011 by FLD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturnine Tenshi Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 They're still great games, and many of the fans prefer them to the final entry. Qoga introduced quite a few changes to the established system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excel_excel Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Ok thinking of getting it I could use a good JRPG to get into but its got quite a few poor reviews... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturnine Tenshi Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 (edited) It's also been lauded. It depends on where you go. The game is sold out in many places, though. If you decide to get it, I know Fry's had it when I last checked their website. Edited April 20, 2011 by Saturnine Tenshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excel_excel Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 (edited) Its in stock on videogamesplus.ca....hmm I'll give it a whirl YAY! got it for €42 on Zavvi, not the super duper special edition but it does have a soundtrack CD Edited April 21, 2011 by excel_excel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturnine Tenshi Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 (edited) Nice. Did they even do the "Premium Edition" there? Not the Cosmosphere Calendar Set, but the edition released to retailers in the States? I recall reading that it wasn't being distributed by NISA Europe, but it's fuzzy. Regardless, good get. That should have came with the hardcover artbook, too? For anyone interested in the amalgam of VN and RPG, Aselia the Eternal is being localized by JastUSA and is scheduled to arrive sometime this year. Edited April 25, 2011 by Saturnine Tenshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excel_excel Posted April 26, 2011 Report Share Posted April 26, 2011 (edited) Ending up getting it on amazon for a similar price anyway but yeah I think we just got the same edition as you guys except the artbook in Europe was soft cover :/ Aselia the Eternal eh?...hmm seems good. Never really played any PC visual novels Edited April 26, 2011 by excel_excel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturnine Tenshi Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 Well, it's a mix of the role-playing affair and VN. So it's similar to the sort of experience you'd get from the Ar tonelico series. I like role-playing games and I like VNs, but a marriage of the two always works best for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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