Shizuka
Member
It's been almost a month since the game was released in the US and yet, not a single review for the game on Metacritic or Gamerankings as of yesterday. Today, finally one review was included, but not from a website (it's a 40 from PS Official Magazine UK). Won't gaming websites review the game?
RedEagleEX
Member
Well there is this review a friend showed me a few days ago:
http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/2012/07/record-of-agarest-war-2-review/
As stated in that review:
"Record of Agarest War 2 was provided by the publishers for review. It was played for a total of 29 grueling hours, finishing mid-way into the second generation before I just stopped caring. The game is a PS3 exclusive."
You can guess the outcome from that alone. >_>
ElixirelDaath
Member
I can't compare it to zero. I love compile/red games, but jesus did agarest 1 draw itself out, so i skipped zero. It's pretty much cross edge (half-assed world map+fast battle system) mixed with agarest (story). the story feels like it follows the same flow chart but with different names.....but, battles and farming for/trying out new skill combinations is pretty fun. It's probably my favorite sprite animated rpg this gen thus far (disgaea 4 excluded--game is too good. lol).
Griffinluna
Member
God. thats specifically why I avoid the video game media like the plague. they probably got a FPS fanboy to do the review. given, it is perverted to a...perverse degree, but the story and characters are interesting. certainly moreso than the paper cut-out characters in mainstream jrpgs *cough*FF13*cough*
I've reviewed Zero before this one but as of now, the game is a bit difficult to understand all the systems initially and it does a poor job at really explaining it to you. Though the changes they made to crafting are minor but welcomed, its only a minor improvement. I haven't been able to jump into the story much because I spent a couple hours just trying to get down with these changes to the battle system. To think that my first thought was "Agarest Cross Edge" before I saw exactly what changed with it. Jesus this is gonna take a while.
I'll get something written up in like the next week or 2. Depending on how long it takes me to get done with Hard Mode. Yes, I play these games on Hard for my first and only playthrough with True Ending. >.> Don't judge me.
Griffinluna
Member
haha. well thats understandable, but I honestly think the gaming community has gotten stupid. I mean, yeah, there is a resounding lack of tutorial. That was the case with almost every pre-ps2 jrpg. No one bothers exploring...if you had happened to GO to the arts shop, for example, it would have been immediately apparent that it was, in fact, the arts shop. And you can tell the reviewer played the game on easy mode. you cant just button mash and hope to win on Hard, or even normal mode.
I totally agree with you but the difference then and now is that games are just overall more complex. Games like Agarest 2 just wouldn't even exist back pre-PS2. I also feel that the focus on overall game design was better than what it is now. No need to be flashy or confusing to the user. Honestly, they could have just used a more in-depth battle system explanation and I would have been set. That was the only thing bugging me out. To many changes how skills work and obtaining of skills. @_@
Griffinluna
Member
Yep, its alot of work for very little result. The developers wanted to take a simple concept...and make it complicated x_x. and same with the battle system. im at the end of the 2nd gen, and I STILL dont understand why it forces you to change to Square or Circle moves after using X skills 3-6 times. oh well. For me, numero uno in any game is the storytelling and, over the top perversion aside, it delivers on more than a few "what if...'s" that the realm of fiction rarely touches. Its more than "facing the evil god!!" its a legitimate philosophical conflict, saving the world at the cost of condemning not only yourself, but your children. Ah, but I might be over analyzing XD I just love a good story.
D: Ummm... the reason that may be happening is because the combination skill being used might go into Square Attacks. If you don't do a combination skill, you can keep doing X attacks until you run out of AP. There are Triangle combinations that lead into the X attacks and such too. I've actually got this battle system understood in those hours I played to optimize my damage.
As for the games story, I like the Agarest series because it scratches a SRPG itch that just doesn't really get scratched all that often by a decent title. Sure I don't have the ability to change classes and such but it does its job in holding me over til something that does comes along.
Wrath
Member
Shizuka id suggest waching some LP's of the game...ive wached a few and to be honest besides the game being exactly like RoAW and Zero in concept the battle system seems to be a terror....
They did change a few things wich seem to be improved upon the other games but what they did to the battle system seems so convoluted and hard to grasp since the extensively long tutorials dont seem to answer any questions about certain things...Its just a mess now I think.
You cant freely move your charecters in battle anymore and are restricted by the leaders formation wich is awefull in the sence that magic and items are still restricted to a certain space area....wich is very odd to me since you now cant freely move your charecters I dont see the point in having items restricted by your location since you cant change that freely anymore....I could go on but I honestly am not looking forward to playing the game anymore...I think after waching the LP's of the game realy turned me off of playing it.
Griffinluna said:
Its a tweak of Cross Edge's combat system. you either loved it or hated it. or liked it a little bit. at least they are TRYING to innovate...not doing it very well, though.
The fact that the combat system is more confusing and not explained very well is the main determining factor as to why it isn't innovating. Not to mention the other technical problem we rarely had to deal with in the previous titles.
Wrath
Member
See I also just thought whats the point in having AP anymore? I mean if you get a "wait" factor attached to any skill you use your being limited in that regard so why bother having other limiting factors involved? Pluss your turn is restricted based on your wait value Its a lot to have to pay attention to in one fight...
Im not trying to hate on the game since some bits have been improved I think but the battle system just seems so overly complicated for no reason.
I think the system,even though id still dislike the no auto battle implememted,would be better if item/magic wasnt limited,since your movement is restricted to begin with why limit item space? A person cant change there charecters location freely and can only do it threw "formation" so whats the point? just to be more restricting? and if AP was removed entirely I just dont see the point in having it anymore since AP in previous games was the limiting factor in using skills and now you have a wait factor to do that even though its the limiting factor in turn order more so than using a skill but its a deturant in using said skill if you want average turn order times I think.... I'll give them the 1 up and 2 ups that can be gained though im still comfused as to how you get them honestly. I also think restricting movement in battle is for the worse,granted its restricted by formation but I think this is a serious step back for the series.....It just seems to me the over all battle system is one glob of restriction and after having played the previous games wich let the player at least move mostly freely and not have to worry about twenty different things in one fight I think this is not an innovative system but one hodgpodged together because an actuall inovative idea couldnt be found...
I like the agarest games even if the stories are all the same but if they wanted to be inovative in this game they seriously failed hardcore. I give them kudos for trying to make something new but combining two battle systems in one is not a good way to go when you dont take away certain things from both systems that made them bad/hard/restricting.
I personally liked the battle systems in the previous agarest games and had not one complaint with it,it was a good system in my mind. It didnt feel as restrictive as this game does and I think most gamers enjoy at least feeling like they have freedom in battle....
Oh i'll just throw this out there but even using skills and abilities appear to be overly complicated over the orriginal games and thats soley threw reading the manual...I never even had to read a manual for the first game it was simple enough to figure out on my own..
I do sound hatefull lol im sure i'll figure most things out on my own when I actually play the game but for now its not appearing as i'll get to it anytime quickly I normally go for the hardmode in my first run but im still kinda fearing doing that here since the battle system is what it is
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