Chewblaha Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) Before crappy modern-day games that prove what's wrong with games (like Uncharted and all that), there were the simpler times of Sony. Before good, but ultimately lame (by comparison and general quality) RPG's like Xenosaga and Final Fantasy X (Albeit, VII through IX are pretty lame, too), there were RPG's that decided to be not just good, but great. Legend of (FUCKIN') Legaia, was the ladder of that run-on. It's one of two games that I have (at least) a sealed copy, open copy, older open copy, and a downloaded version of. I received a demo for this game when I had my appendectomy in sixth grade. It was a Playstation magazine highlighting the shitfest that was Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace: The Movie: The Game: The Cash-in. In the back, I saw a full review for the game. When I got home and my navel stopped bleeding, I decided to play this demo. It is, and was, the only demo I've played through at least 20 times (Brutal Legend may come close to that). I used to not have a memory card and I would go on to rent the game around 20 times (StarFox 64 and Super Smash Bros. are close to this number) and would play through as much as possible in one sitting. I did not have a memory card. D: Then. One day. I had saved up 21.64 and my sister had bought me a memory card for my birthday. I bought the game (it had been out for so long when I finally had) and I played the fuck out of it. I've beaten the game well over 30 times. A feat that only KotOR has trumped. I love this game. Now. With that being said. Let's jump into it. Where to begin? I bet that's what you're asking? You want to start at the battle system, right? Right?.... WRONG! NUMBER ONE. THE BATTLE SYSTEM Legend of Legaia was not your common RPG that used a crappy battle system (See: Final Fantasy XII, XIII, and probably XV). No no. Legend of Legaia used a special kind of battle system. One that allowed you to place your own set of moves in and hope that your God-awful decision making would result in some kind of active combo. As you can see in the video, the guy uses Noa as his main fighter and inputs his set of commands to create the different combos. It makes you think as if you were actually fighting. Left-right-left with Gala would make him do a bonecrushing spinning backfist. Entering up to nine commands unlocked different levels of martial arts. Ranging from normal, combined, special, and to miracle. Miracle arts were your HOLYSHITNINECOMBO random input that caused you to essentially chain the most powerful arts of your character into one special one. Special arts took your character's main element (IE: Vahn used fire, Noa used Wind, Gala used Lightning) and allowed them to throw out some pretty slick moves with those. Combined arts were simply chaining several arts you had going for you. The Combat system itself was really fun mainly because you had to time when to use your spirit. In Legend of Legaia, Spirit is the character's main set of defense. It is essentially (if you want me to put it in a realistic standpoint) the notion of setting up an attack (Like that crappy Sherlock Holmes movie) and predicting it. It also gave your character time to raise a defense. Trust me. Maintaining your spirit was always necessary, because some of these bosses dished out some nasty combos. That's a fucking planet hitting you! Using spirit then extended your fight bar and allowed you to dish out better and longer moves. Including your Miracle Arts. The magic system was also an interesting one. But to understand the magic system, we must first understand the enemies of the game. The enemies of the game are the Seru. Beings created by God that were supposed to aid man in their building of the planet. But what is a Seru? A Seru is a jewel that latches on to a human or creature, and morphs that creature into something new. Each seru is essentially a self-aware being that has actual feelings comparable to humans. However, one day the Mist shows up. The mist is a generated...mist...that essentially drives the minds of the regular Seru insane. It doesn't just drive the Seru insane, but the fauna of the world as well. Though there are Seru that are able to resist the Mist. These are the Ra-Seru. These are the main Seru of the game that allow our three heroes to journey about the land safely. They also have a metaphysical connection with each of their bearers, all suited to their personalities. Vahn has Meta, of fire. Noa has Terra, of Wind. Gala has Ozma, of lightning. During fights with Seru (as denoted by an element symbol next to their name), you have a chance to have you Ra-Seru absorb the opposing Seru along with the creature it has locked itself onto. The magic combat...portion...of the battle system is essentially having these cleansed Seru summoned onto the battlefield and having them unleash a devastating attack to your opponents. The first three are your main Ra-Seru of the game after they've been fully upgraded. The ones that follow are special Ra-Seru you find throughout the game (secrets, but not spoilers in any way whatsoever) and the ones that follow those (specifically, after Horn) are your normal creatures affected by Seru. They all unleash some pretty awesome attacks and it was super fun to watch while I was younger. Hey...they're STILL super fun to watch! PART TWO. THE CHARACTERS. Now, I'm just gonna say this now. The character YOU control, Vahn, is your common mute hero. Though you do have your dialogue choices for him, he is not the one that truly expresses his feelings throughout the game. Legend of Legaia is not so much about shaping your own character, but watching the unfolding of the others around you. Watch Noa, an abandoned baby who was raised by Terra (as she had attached herself to a wolf) in a mountain grow up to go on her quest to find her family. Along the way learning about civilization as she was essentially raised as a hermit. She reminds me of Goku from Dragonball. Throughout the game she'll inquire about the world around both of you and asks of the origins and meaning of common things like money or pimps (No joke, that's a hilarious scene). Then you have Gala. A man who is a Biron Monk. A group of warrior monks (Xaolin. yeah. I know.) who dedicate their lives to training in the arts of fighting and traveling the world to also teach their skills to others. The mist, which has been reigning for ten years, has kept the monks inside their temple, as they can only go out to the Voz forest to sustain themselves. Watch as he and Songi, his child rival, battle it out for a higher ranking throughout the order. Though Gala wants to advance only for his skills to do so, Songi is out for his pride, and soon becomes a dangerous enemy of the group. Though the change doesn't take place simply with your PC's, but also with the plethora of NPC's you meet throughout the world. There are tons of characters ranging from prophets, to fighters, to thieves, to pimps, to war heroes, to fathers disconnected from families. There are tons of characters that pop out on the sides. Some have compelling tales and others have tales of sorrow. Each unfolds in such a great way. PART THREE. THE STORY. The story of Legend of Legaia begins in Rim Elm, Vahn's small village which is surrounded by giant, stone walls. One night, a group of hunters returns to the village, stating that the Mist had finally reached the small village. Later that night, there is a large banging on the gate to the village. As a dignitary of the Mist shows up to threaten the lives, he doesn't tell anyone that fucking Godzilla is gonna blow the wall up. Juggernaut, the giant thing there, decides to pretty much be like that internet meme with the laser mouth and blows up the village. At center of Rim Elm, however, lies a Genesis tree. Literally, a dead tree that people use as a place of zen-type of area. It is in this tree that Meta has been lying dormant, sustaining the life of his tree with his own. He speaks to Vahn from here and tells him of his struggles and how he can help the world. As Vahn gathers people around the tree to conduct prayers, the life force of the people feeds into the tree and causes it to grow. As the tree reaches it's peak of life (as seen in the above screen), it turns out that the tree is able to radiate energy that repulses the mist. Meta tells Vahn that there are Genesis Trees scattered throughout the world, and that a Ra-Seru lies dormant in each of them. As the mist is repelled, the village, and some surroundings outside of it, are safe enough now for the hunters to continue in sustaining the village. Vahn then sets out on his quest. Along the way he'll meet up with Noa and Gala and earn their respective Ra-Seru's and go along to cleanse the rest of the world from the Mist. The mist itself is powered by generators on each continent of the land. As you go throughout this land, you'll find different Genesis Trees and will activate them to cleanse the local areas of the Mist. This opens up new areas to explore as well as some fun chat with the local residents who had been possessed by the mist since they had a Seru on. From Rim Elm to the Vegas tower that is Sol, to the fishing village of Buma, there are tons of mini-games that you can also take part in. Even a type of Space-Channel 5/DDR dancing mini-game in Sol. Arcade games, fighting tournaments. They are all part of it. That's... I think that's it. Right? Riii-- WRONG. No. That's pretty much all I can think of writing at the moment. The story itself is great and offers lots of fun moments. I experienced a wide range of emotions throughout the game. There are some laugh-out-loud moments and some moments where you wonder why anyone would write something so depressing into the game. It's a roller coaster ride of fun and will last you a good sixty hours, at least. If you have any questions about the game or something, feel free to ask. Though If there's one Playstation game you're looking to play that you'll never forget, then Legend of Legaia is one game that I'd definitely recommend. Other than that, I must put my mandatory I FUCKIN' LOVE THIS GAME statement in here. Yeah. Edited May 31, 2011 by Chewblaha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Great game for sure. I love the battle system. I recall having to write down some of the longer combos since I kept on forgetting some of them. I should give this game a spin.... which brings me to this: Why the hell isn't this in the PSN Store!? Wild Arms is in it... I guess I will have to pirate it now but I would like to buy it. As a side note... this is how Final Fantasy XIII battle system should of been based on. This battle system has variety which XIII severely lacked. Well, time to look for it and play it at work tomorrow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewblaha Posted May 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 I have one travel copy with me I got from Demonoid. I have my cherished discs here as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercurial Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Hahahahahahaha an RPG the best game? Pfft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBeeferton Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Hahahahahahaha an RPG the best game? Pfft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewblaha Posted May 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) Hahahahahahaha an RPG the best game? Pfft. Not hate. But no. It IS the best game. Edited May 31, 2011 by Chewblaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBeeferton Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Every time I see that Legaia picture I just think of Legend of Dragoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Legend of Dragoon? Another good game. You had to be in good mental state to play that game effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrainHurtBoy...2 Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Legend of Legaia was a good game. Particularly the battle system. I don't agree with your bashing of other contemporary games, though, and I really love Xenosaga and FFX, as well as XII and XIII. Uncharted, too. A flaw Legaia had, though, was the art direction. That shit was godawful. And this isn't a complaint about Legaia in particular, but I always find CG cutscenes from that era painful to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewblaha Posted June 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 I actually liked Xenosaga. Though I couldn't think of another RPG other than FF when I was writing this. I've personally disliked every Final Fantasy after VI (Though I think VIII is salvageable). Just an opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxicitizen Posted June 7, 2011 Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 Yet another PSOne-era RPG that I need to play... Oh well, hopefully it'll see a PSN release someday because I don't see myself hunting down a copy. Oh and even though this feels like stepping on a landmine, I have to ask: what's so bad about Uncharted ? How exactly does it "prove what's wrong with games" ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewblaha Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 (edited) The idea that incredible presentation and non-playable scenes make up for shoddy gameplay. Ask Yant. He knows I feel about this. Edited June 8, 2011 by Chewblaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomTervo Posted June 11, 2011 Report Share Posted June 11, 2011 (edited) Shoddy gameplay? Uncharted 1 was, indeed, a bit bland, but in UC2 I've replayed many sections of the game purely for how fucking great the gameplay is. The combat system, enemy AI, and level design are almost unmatched imho. The blending of fisticuffs, gunfights, stealth, and climbing all roll into one amazing action-movie system that makes navigating and defeating any area like a breath of fresh air. To me, at least. If you're going to argue that it's "too easy" or some shit, try it on Crushing. It's pretty close to RL as to how many hits you can take, and how goddamn deadly most of the enemies are. It's never frustrating, either, fighting your way through the levels on Crushing. (You seem to note non-playable scenes, are you referring to cutscenes? I've looked through the cinematics list in UC2- and no single cutscene goes over 5 mins. Compare that to any JRPG. If you're talking about in-game scripted sequences- the aim of the game is to blend these with more open and traditional gameplay segments. And it works beautifully, it's not overabalanced in terms of scripted scenes vs. unscripted gameplay.) ... And on-Topic, I really need to play this and Xenogears. Got Vagrant Story on a whim a while back and it blew my tiny mind for the short period of time in which I played it. I really like FFVII and VIII but never got into the ones after that (though, if I recall, 2 + 3 seemed pretty great when I watched a friend play them.) One day I'll catch up on all this seminal JRPG shit. One day... Edited June 11, 2011 by kenshi_ryden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewblaha Posted June 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 As much as I'd love to argue about Uncharted 2 some more. I cannot. I'm not allowed to. http://talkamongstyourselves.freeforums.org/the-great-uncharted-2-debate-t2129.html Most people cite flow and excitement and movielike. I don't think that makes up for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewblaha Posted June 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 An ON-topic post: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=LEGEND+OF+LEGAIA&_sacat=See-All-Categories I was lucky enough to buy mine sealed and mint (my original was stolen :'() off some chump for 15 bucks. I also got Fear Effect and Fear Effect 2 for a dollar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkMalice Posted June 12, 2011 Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 (edited) Legaia 2 was actually the first JRPG game I ever played, and it made me a fan of RPGs. One of the greatest battle systems I`ve ever had the pleasure to play. Then, I played the original, and I went "HOLY FUCKING SHIT this is awesome". Sure, I preferred Legaia 2`s presentation since that was a PS2 game and the battle system wasn't exactly like Legaia 2 so it confused me for a good couple hours. But, the story of a world condemned by a powerful mist was a better than Legaia 2's. Both were fucking epic games though, but I was pissed because I never finished Legend of Legaia (scratched disk). Need to find a new copy somewhere. I'm just hoping it gets put up on the Playstation Store so I can geek out. P.S. Legaia 2's opening is still my favourite opening of anything. Edited June 12, 2011 by DarkMalice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewblaha Posted June 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 Legaia 2 was actually the first JRPG game I ever played, and it made me a fan of RPGs. One of the greatest battle systems I`ve ever had the pleasure to play. Then, I played the original, and I went "HOLY FUCKING SHIT this is awesome". Sure, I preferred Legaia 2`s presentation since that was a PS2 game and the battle system wasn't exactly like Legaia 2 so it confused me for a good couple hours. But, the story of a world condemned by a powerful mist was a better than Legaia 2's. Both were fucking epic games though, but I was pissed because I never finished Legend of Legaia (scratched disk). Need to find a new copy somewhere. I'm just hoping it gets put up on the Playstation Store so I can geek out. P.S. Legaia 2's opening is still my favourite opening of anything. I like this guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturnine Tenshi Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I actually liked Xenosaga. Everything else is rendered invalid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewblaha Posted August 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 I actually liked Xenosaga. Everything else is rendered invalid. Just the first one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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