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Post by PanbanRichard on Feb 12, 2015 7:09:12 GMT -5
I remember back when this game was released, that it got a lot of negative feedback mostly due to the 2D battle system feeling like a regression from the (then) rising 3D battle system. This led to negative impressions from the masses (myself included.) at that time.
After picking this up and playing it in 2013, I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the content of this game.
I'd like to preface this by saying that I am in no means a skill-oriented Tales player, but the battle system wasn't that bad for me to adjust to at all. It wasn't as bad as Phantasia GBA's system (which was the game I chose over this during release), in fact it wasn't even bad in the first place. I enjoyed the 2D plane that I was given, and I enjoyed exploring and discovering which of Senel's throws are compatible with different enemies. It certainly wasn't as bad as people made it out to be back then.
Exploring the Legacy was also an enjoyable experience, and the Main Quest's story is probably one of the most well structured out of the series in my opinion. The game knew when to be humorous, but also knew how to execute its dramatic points as well. It even delivered the usual discrimination trope that the Tales series is known for, but explores an approach that doesn't get much attention due to the focus of the "I hate you because you're born like this." mentality other Tales games have. I still have yet to finish the Character Quests however, though I've heard mixed opinions about that part.
Regardless, my experience with this game has been great, enough to even call it one of my top Tales games. Wondering what everyone else feels about this title in particular.
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yajuu
Half-Elf
Damn, I must be a genius!
Posts: 25
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Post by yajuu on Feb 12, 2015 9:45:36 GMT -5
This is probably one of the most divisive titles in the (already divisive) Tales series. That soundtrack is all gold though.
The gameplay is easily my least favorite part of the game, but it didn't stop me from really liking the game as a whole.
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Post by Viktor Forslund on Feb 12, 2015 10:02:30 GMT -5
I never got a chance to play it until fairly recently on an emulator since it never came to Europe, but what little I have played, I've enjoyed. The soundtrack is fantastic, and I'm certainly more interested in the story after reading your post. Maybe I'll fire it up again one of these days.
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Post by PanbanRichard on Feb 12, 2015 10:35:45 GMT -5
Yeah, the soundtrack is definitely a plus, though I didn't point it out since I think a lot of people already knew that. From what I've heard of Zestiria's OST so far, this soundtrack is more varied in instruments than Zestiria's constant strings--not that that's a bad thing, but variety is also nice.
I do recommended starting it up again. The story follows a clear three act structure that doesn't lend itself to feeling "out of nowhere" (ie: How some people felt Vesperia should've ended in Act 2 and how the third act felt pointless.). While the first act is a little weak, it's short lived and sets up the bigger plot points that are introduced in Act 2 and 3.
I wouldn't have had to adjust to the battle system so much if they reduced the random encounter rate. Even with a holy bottle up, it barely helps. Though by design, it does make sense since you wouldn't learn much skills without collecting Eres Stones. I just wish the holy bottles did more to reduce that encounter rate.
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Post by bigkahuna on Feb 12, 2015 11:27:47 GMT -5
I thought it was p good. If I had to give it an objective score I'd say a solid 5/10. So much good stuff in it, but it gets dragged down by a lot of bad design choices and some tedious gameplay(grinding for Crystal Eres, the non-stop backtrack-a-thon that are character quests, certain areas being blatant copy-pastes, and the boring dungeon design.) I really enjoyed the game up until the character quests, but I still think it is very good. It's just not for everyone, since most people probably wouldn't tolerate some of the game's flaws in order to get to the really good stuff. This is a love or hate it kind of game, imo.
The character designs and music are definitely my favorite parts of the game. I love how unlike most other jrpgs the characters look. I should really play more games and watch more anime designed by Kazuto Nakazawa, now that I think about it...
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Post by Pássaro on Feb 13, 2015 12:56:52 GMT -5
Great game.
I mentioned the underlying themes I felt from the story in the last marathon, but that alongside the...vibe of the Legacy and overall world was just more interesting than most Tales entries.
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Post by Moonlit Intermezzo on Feb 13, 2015 19:40:30 GMT -5
It's good, real good, but the flaws show themselves pretty early. I actually enjoyed the Character Quests, they provide backstory and conclusion to each character's development.
It's a hit-or-miss game, depending on who you speak to, but I personally would recommend this to anyone new to the series.
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Post by aifread on Feb 14, 2015 2:31:32 GMT -5
I'm really ambivalent about this game. The characters are some of the best in the series and the Character Quests really made them shine imo (especially Chloe and Moses). And the music is of course the best the series has ever had. The gameplay, however, is really grindy and repetitive for learning both skills and magic. It's mostly the characters and the music that kept me going, although there were a few questionable aspects to the story. And as others have said, the art and world were pretty damn engrossing. I'm still hesitant to recommend it to anyone, especially as a first Tales game.
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Post by Pássaro on Feb 14, 2015 8:47:48 GMT -5
I'm really ambivalent about this game. The characters are some of the best in the series and the Character Quests really made them shine imo (especially Chloe and Moses). And the music is of course the best the series has ever had. The gameplay, however, is really grindy and repetitive for learning both skills and magic. It's mostly the characters and the music that kept me going, although there were a few questionable aspects to the story. And as others have said, the art and world were pretty damn engrossing. I'm still hesitant to recommend it to anyone, especially as a first Tales game. Agreed completely. Legendia is one of those Tales where having a good background in Tales could warrant the patience to deal with those few negative aspects. However, for a first go I really did enjoy the plot and even the CQs. In subsequent runs noticing the questionable events and whatnot did turn it off a bit; but, I still enjoy a boot up here and there. It's one of those strange phenomenon where it's not a necessarily weak Tales game, but not up there as a strong one.
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Post by Youngster Joey on Feb 15, 2015 13:32:30 GMT -5
I didn't like the characters at all when I first played it and only finished the main quests. I really want to give the game a second go because I think I'd enjoy the characters and story a lot more now, but every single time I've tried to pick the game up since, I've never gotten in more than an hour in. The battle system isn't fun at all.
I've always really liked the music, though... one of the best soundtracks of any game I've played. I wish they had kept Go Shiina for all of the entries. Motoi Sakuraba's stuff is the same remixed brass game to game, and it's not even that good.
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Post by bigkahuna on Feb 19, 2015 13:57:35 GMT -5
I didn't like the characters at all when I first played it and only finished the main quests. I really want to give the game a second go because I think I'd enjoy the characters and story a lot more now, but every single time I've tried to pick the game up since, I've never gotten in more than an hour in. The battle system isn't fun at all. I've always really liked the music, though... one of the best soundtracks of any game I've played. I wish they had kept Go Shiina for all of the entries. Motoi Sakuraba's stuff is the same remixed brass game to game, and it's not even that good. You really do need to force yourself to play the game at times. I found my drive to keep at it go down drastically after the Character Chapters began. The story and music were pretty much what was keeping me going, because the gameplay really didn't pick up for me.
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Post by musaboriman2 on Feb 25, 2015 18:52:38 GMT -5
I mostly only have minor flaws with the game (random encounter rate is a bit too high, the camera being directly above you when walking around the world map so you can't see ahead of you, etc) but the major flaw is the battle system for me. Considering this game came out after Symphonia and Rebirth, you'd think they would have gotten it by now, but I guess that's what happens when you let Soul Calibur team develop the battle system. There are a lot of cool ideas in the battle system such as Senel's throws, and Chloe's counters, combining eres together to get new moves, and the Climax gauge, but none of them are implemented particularly well. Add to this the fact that the battles lack the impact and polish of earlier and later Tales games, no MULTIPLAYER (a big deal for me b/c I always play these games with either a friend or my little sister at some point), and no Hi-Ougis and it leaves the battle system feeling kind of uninteresting. Also, the game doesn't look that good, but that's really not a big issue for me, but I feel Symphonia looked better, especially in the magic animation department.
Other than the battle system, however, I feel the story is quite good so far (I have not completed the game yet), I love the party and their interactions, the writing is mostly good, the dub isn't good but not bad either, the music is great (though the battle themes could be a little more battle-y, if that makes sense), and the areas are mostly interesting to go around.
TL;DR: Legendia is a decent game overall, but it's biggest flaw is the battle system, a major component of a JRPG, making it feel like it could have been better. A remake with a revamped battle system and added multiplayer functionality would be a god-send
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Post by aifread on Feb 25, 2015 20:47:36 GMT -5
A remake with a revamped battle system and added multiplayer functionality would be a god-send This. The game did so much right but it also needed a lot more polish. If they put in a little effort, this game could shine with the best of the series.
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yajuu
Half-Elf
Damn, I must be a genius!
Posts: 25
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A Hidden Gem
Posted On: Feb 25, 2015 21:42:20 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by yajuu on Feb 25, 2015 21:42:20 GMT -5
I have always dreamed of a ToL R or something of that nature. Aside from the painful fact that it will never happen, even if it did I don't know who I could trust to make the battle system these days.
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Post by aifread on Feb 26, 2015 2:49:00 GMT -5
I have always dreamed of a ToL R or something of that nature. Aside from the painful fact that it will never happen, even if it did I don't know who I could trust to make the battle system these days. Falcom and Vanillaware are the only companies I can think of that know what the hell they're doing with action RPGs these days.
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