The Last Remnant

[Matthew Rorie]

So...I kind of already bought this (it's ten bucks), but I was curious if any of you have any experience with The Last Remnant. All I've really heard about it is that it's a lot better on PC than it is on the 360, but that's not much to go on.

 

What am I in for? It's been a while since I played a JRPG. I never quite finished Tales of Symphonia (although I need to polish it off during the holidays, I guess).

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Last I checked: Ignore the story, stay for the combat.

[Bos_hybrid]

Last I checked: Ignore the story, stay for the combat.

 

Isn't that what JRPG stands for?

[Syraxis]

Isn't that what JRPG stands for?

 

Not always.

 

Although, I'm hoping for a FFXIII PC port.

[Purkake]

@Syraxis: I'm pretty sure the double negative thing doesn't apply to video games. A bad port of a bad game doesn't make it good.

 

If you really want to play it get a next-gen console.

Edited December 17, 2009 by Purkake

[Pidesco]

Lots of flexibility and depth to the gameplay, innovative in good ways and it's a JRPG where you can actually skip the whole plot, because there's a skip button for every single annoying cutscene.

 

Technically, it's great: gorgeous at times, very stable, good performance, highly customizable, supports keyboard, mouse and various gamepads, and has the option for Japanese or English voice overs.

 

It does have a couple of problems, however. Firstly, the combat only really shines with a full army, which is a real issue as it takes quite some time before you can control a full army. Also, the fact that the gameplay is a bit unlike anything else out there may mean that you will take a while before you've mastered the system. Finally, artistically the game follows the JRPG school of style which means its art design makes rococo seem somewhat muted.

 

The combat is unusual because you don't control the characters directly in battle, instead picking from a random list of possible orders for each unit, that you then see being carried out. To influence your army's success in battle you have to pick warriors from a huge pool of unique characters, organize them in units of 5 or less soldiers, pick the units' formations, upgrade their equipment, and direct their character growth. The way the characters level up is determined by what they do in battle and by what areas you tell them to study outside of combat.

 

This is a fairly well balanced review of the console version of the game. Here is a list of differences between the PC and and the 360 versions.

 

 

All in all this is one of the games I enjoyed most this year, and it's the first game in a long time to make me feel like I was playing something really new.

[Mamoulian War]

@Syraxis: I'm pretty sure the double negative thing doesn't apply to video games. A bad port of a bad game doesn't make it good.

 

If you really want to play it get a next-gen console.

 

Seriously, you are starting to be even more annoying with your JRPG hate, than i am with my EA hate...

[Majek]

The combat only looks complex at first glance, but if you want to enjoy it don't try to understand it as you'll start to hate it soon. The story could be worse, they always can be, but the protagonist is one of the worst there are.

 

It could end as an enjoyable experience, you just don't have to expect too much and resent the flaws ( once you spot them of course).

[Morgoth]

It's a Square-Enix title.

 

What else do you expect from the story/characters?

[Mamoulian War]

It's a Square-Enix title.

 

What else do you expect from the story/characters?

 

More than i do expect from Activision or EA

[Morgoth]

It's a Square-Enix title.

 

What else do you expect from the story/characters?

 

More than i do expect from Activision or EA

 

Seriously, you gotta be brain damaged to dig such characters.

[Purkake]

@Syraxis: I'm pretty sure the double negative thing doesn't apply to video games. A bad port of a bad game doesn't make it good.

 

If you really want to play it get a next-gen console.

 

Seriously, you are starting to be even more annoying with your JRPG hate, than i am with my EA hate...

A challenger appears!?

 

Seriously, FF XIII looks about as generic as the other 412562 JRPGs. I'll stop calling them bad when they make a good one. I loved Tales of Phantasia, Lufia II and a whole bunch of them on SNES, but I don't think there's another genre as stagnant as the JRPG.

[Lare Kikkeli]

I don't think there's another genre as stagnant as the JRPG.

 

western rpgs

[Purkake]

Come on, we have got dialog wheels, third person cover-based combat, a trilogy where each game affects the next one and games where you don't save the world.

 

Beat that, JRPGs!

Edited December 17, 2009 by Purkake

[Oner]

Seriously, FF XIII looks about as generic as the other 412562 JRPGs.

Good thing we have space marines, abandoned space stations, elves, dwarves, zombies and dragons.

[Purkake]

We also have infinite planes, green-lipped guerrilla journalists, balls of goo, non-lame vampires, cyberpunk, sarcastic, yet lovable heroines and best of all the awesomest JRPG parody ever. B-Ballnacht, never forget.

Edited December 17, 2009 by Purkake

[Morgoth]

Seriously, FF XIII looks about as generic as the other 412562 JRPGs.

Good thing we have space marines, abandoned space stations, elves, dwarves, zombies and dragons.

Which are all pretty cool in my book. Moar please.

[Majek]

Come on, we have got dialog wheels, third person cover-based combat, a trilogy where each game affects the next one and games where you don't save the world.

 

Beat that, JRPGs!

 

We have games where you don't save the world? Really?

[Purkake]

Well, Planescape Torment, Max Payne, Mask of the Betrayer. I'm sure there's a couple more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[Bos_hybrid]

I decided to give it a try.(Truth:Steam sale addiction) May I ask what is with JRPG and the small effeminate male(?) PCs? Meh going back to King Arthur.

 

We have games where you don't save the world? Really?

 

MoTB, VTM:B.

[Pidesco]

I decided to give it a try.(Truth:Steam sale addiction) May I ask what is with JRPG and the small effeminate male(?) PCs? Meh going back to King Arthur.

 

We have games where you don't save the world? Really?

 

MoTB, VTM:B.

 

 

Ignore the plot and characters and you'll find an awesome game.

[Oner]

I decided to give it a try.(Truth:Steam sale addiction) May I ask what is with JRPG and the small effeminate male(?) PCs? Meh going back to King Arthur.

Don't know, but it's funny that FF VII is mentioned often with it's girly Cloud, even though he is the only char ever that is more or less confirmed to be intentional.

[Purkake]

I believe Yahtzee used the term "androgynous teenage girl" when referring to the generic JRPG protagonist.

[Mamoulian War]

It's a Square-Enix title.

 

What else do you expect from the story/characters?

 

More than i do expect from Activision or EA

 

Seriously, you gotta be brain damaged to dig such characters.

 

at least we in the westhave some realy non-generic characters like this... right?

 

Edited December 17, 2009 by Mamoulian War

[Oner]

I saw what you did there.