RPGs In English

[runinruder]

Yeah, it's the whole atmosphere (graphically, musically and story-wise) that makes Phantasy Star III so great.

I totally agree, PS3 had great atmosphere.  I enjoyed PS2's atmosphere too.  I don't really know how to describe it.  I guess it seemed more bizarre and abstract than most RPGs during that era.  But the super-huge, super-tough dungeons were what I loved most about PS2. 

[nodtveidt]

I remember playing PSIII back when it was new. I didn't like it at all. When PSIV came out, it was SO much better. I didn't play the original until recently though, and thought it was primitive but at least playable.

[SNKNostalgia]

SNKNostalgia: It's called.... Nostalgia. I'm sure it's all in your head. Besides, kids tend to be more serious with games, that's why you probably enjoyed the games more when you were little. Same with me.

Well yeah, Nostalgia and being that young had something to do with it. Also, it had to do with the systems that were available and other games that were made back then. There wasn't a PS2 back in those days, so the graphics and sound seemed to blow you away more. This was before I owned anything CD-Rom format until the Sega CD a little later, and then the PS1. I mean it is harder to go back to playing the NES and saying, "Damn, look at the graphics yo!!!"

[termis]

PS3 was certainly a good game on its own, but still, it was bit of a letdown for me as well.  I was soooo much looking forward to this game, but it just didn't deliver. 

The generation thing was really cool and added tons of replay value, but it didn't have the "punch in you the gut" type storylines of Neifirst scene or the endings of PS2, was missing the very cool fight animations, music wasn't as suspenseful, and just generally didn't feel very "Phantasy Star" -- and I know I'm not alone feeling that way. 

[ParanoiaDragon]

Now I'm wandering through 65 billion BC on Chrono Trigger.  I'm not stuck or anything, I'm just bored.  The music is complete ass in this era (if you can even call it music), the graphics are horrible and it's just not fun at all.  My desire to continue playing the game is decreasing rapidly.

Seems like the general opinion on this game is that it gets a LOT better after about 10 hours of playtime. I agree with that statement. The jungle is boring and ugly.

greedostick: Every game you mentioned ROCKS!! Awesome games, expecially Landstalker.

I've only played Lunar 1 for GBA. I assume it is the same game as the MCD one, sans the fmvs (they consist of pictures with text instead). I enjoyed the second (MCD) game more, but never actually found much enjoyment in either of those games.

I have the GBA version of 1 as well, it seems about as different as the Sega CD one is, in comarison to the PS1 version.

[nodtveidt]

Well, y'all have another English RPG coming your way from us at Frozen Utopia, and then down the road will come another...and I do mean a real epic, spanning multiple discs!

[Joe Redifer]

Well yeah, Nostalgia and being that young had something to do with it. Also, it had to do with the systems that were available and other games that were made back then.

I didn't play through Phantasy Star 3 and 4 until just a year or two ago at the most.  I had rented both games once when they came out and I didn't care for them.  Lots of things about PS4 blew me away.  Voices that are clean in cartridge games still blow me away.  When I see the TurboGrafx doing scrolling like it does in Gate of Thunder I am blown away.  I was blown away when I recently acquired Art of Fighting for the Arcade Card and saw it doing some sort of pseudo-scaling effect with the whole play area, having never have played the game before.  I was blown away by the scaling sprites in the race in Chrono Trigger.  Sprites cannot be scaled on the SNES, they just can't!  But Chrono Trigger has software-controlled sprite scaling and it looks great.  I was blown away by the graphics in The Adventures of Batman & Robin on the Genesis, having recently purchased it.  I feel it is still plenty possible to be blown away by old games this day in age.

[malducci]

I feel it is still plenty possible to be blown away by old games this day in age.

 I totally agree. Games from back in the day still impress me. Even on NES or SMS. You can still capture some of that excitement/feeling.

 I didn't get to play PS4 when it came out, but I remember my friend having it and how it was more like PS2 than PS3. I did play about 1/4 into it a few times, but I'm saving it for a vacation gaming week or a rainy day.

I did play Chrono Trigger back in the day. I didn't have a SNES anymore, but I got to borrow my brothers. I was never blown away by CT, but I admit it was really fun. I liked how the game was not Final Fantasy. 

[Keranu]

Dude, I even find a lot of pre-NES games that blow me away, especially for Intellivision. You can find treasure in any age.

[Black Tiger]

I've only played Lunar 1 for GBA. I assume it is the same game as the MCD one, sans the fmvs (they consist of pictures with text instead). I enjoyed the second (MCD) game more, but never actually found much enjoyment in either of those games.

I have the GBA version of 1 as well, it seems about as different as the Sega CD one is, in comarison to the PS1 version.

The GBA port is an original version based on assets from the Saturn/PSX 'Silver Star Story' game.

The cinema stills are all from the SSS fmv cinemas. Although most of the in game art has been redrawn once again, its made to look very similar to SSS and is very different from the Sega/Mega-CD 'Silver Star' game.

The gameplay was changed once again and I could only handle playing through once before selling it.

Dude, I even find a lot of pre-NES games that blow me away, especially for Intellivision. You can find treasure in any age.

You mean like Treasure of Tarmin's 3D dungeons that did Phantasy Star-style animated 3D 4 to 6 years before PS? 

I finally got an Intellivoice recently and was blown away by the amazing in-game voices.

[Keranu]

You mean like Treasure of Tarmin's 3D dungeons that did Phantasy Star-style animated 3D 4 to 6 years before PS? 

I finally got an Intellivoice recently and was blown away by the amazing in-game voices.

Exactly! I am impressed by both gameplay and technical sides of games from any generation. Heck, I think Atari and Intellivision games impress me even more these days because with how much things have evolved, I can really see how amazing a game was for it's time. Equally impressive are games made before the 70's like Spacewar! which was made in like 1962 and was the first "networked" game to my understanding or a game like Tennis For Two which is one of the earliest games ever made and was displayed on a oscilloscope.

By the way, I got an Intellivoice around a year ago, but still don't have any games for it. I have heard it in person before though and it's amazing.

[termis]

I finally got an Intellivoice recently and was blown away by the amazing in-game voices.

B-17 Bomber kicks major ass with the intellivoice.

[SNKNostalgia]

Don't get me wrong. I still can appreciate a game for what it was and is now. Still, there are times you can just pop in an outdated game and get the mood you get at times like: OK, time to play something newer-ish or something. It is like that Tool song Stinkfist, "It's not enough, I need more. Nothing seems to satiesfy. I don't want it, I just need it. To breath, to feel to know that I am alive." A little exagerating, but a nice metaphor. I still play my NES and everything, but it seems like you have to try harder to play it at times. You just tend to enjoy the games a hell of a lot more when you play them when they came out.

I didn't get into video games until the NES and Master system era around 86-87, so that may have to do with why I never play atari and other oldest school systems. I did always like the 1st person view tank combat game on atari that I played at my friends house when I was 5.

[Joe Redifer]

I'm pretty much the opposite.  I have to try harder to play systems like Xbox360 or even the PS2.  I can play them for awhile and I definitely do enjoy them, but after a bit I just start thinking "fuk dis sh!t, gimme a 2D sidescroller of some sort!"

[Keranu]

I was severely dissappointed with the last generation of games. Not saying it didn't have any good games, but to me it lacked great games. I also had to try harder to enjoy them.