Need help finding good games.

Mep · Post by **Mep** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:14 pm

Lately I've been craving some good multiplayer, seizure-inducing, hack n' slash, side-scrolling action. I plan on importing Tales of Destiny soon, but I need something to play until then. These are the systems I can use:

MAME?CPS1/CPS2 (Would love a game on this because of netplay.)
PS3
PS2
PS1
PSP
Nintendo DS
Gamecube

I also would like to know of any games that are worth importing. I feel as if I'm missing out on the good jRPGs and cross-over fighting games. As I am learning japanese, I would like to know your recommendations. Any help is appreciated.

EDIT: I recieved a GC from my cousin, so any games for that are welcome.

Dash · Post by **Dash** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:52 am

I will reccomend "Osu!Tatakae!Ouendan!" for the DS as I always do when this question arises. As a second year student in Japanese class myself, I'll say that in can be hard reading the stuff that flashes across the top screen, but it's not like you need to know what they're saying to play the game.

Shadow Hog · Post by **Shadow Hog** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:49 am

Or you can go for the Americanized <i>Elite Beat Agents</i>.

Post by **Pepperidge** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:41 pm

On that note, I finally got an HDTV late last year, and after picking up a set of component cables for my PS2, I've found my passion for it reinvigorated. Or rather, invigorated for the first time.

I've been playing Soul Calibur III and Shadow of the Colossus like crazy, but I need more! What games that are out now make the most of the PS2's 480p output? Despite the hours of my life it robbed me of, I really enjoyed Suikoden III, and hear that Suikoden V is good... would that one be worth a purchase?

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:34 pm

The PS2 has progressive output?

I haven't played Suikoden 5, but I know that 4 wasn't nearly in the same league as 2 and 3 and the original writer/director left Konami right as 3 was being finished up, so I wager the series' heyday is over.

Also, how is Soul Calibur 3? I've been curious since it came out but never quite enough to buy it and see. I keep asking people around here, but noone ever answers.

Majestic Joey · Post by **Majestic Joey** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 5:36 pm

get Gitarro Man Lives. its not a hack and slash or a side scroller but it is seizure inducing and has multiplayer (I never got to play multiplayer though because everyone I know with a psp is gay with Burnout).

DackAttac · Post by **DackAttac** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:37 pm

Shadow Hog wrote:Or you can go for the Americanized <i>Elite Beat Agents</i>.

Quoted for truth, unless you're the kind of person who can't enjoy pop music in the slightest. Although, I can't imagine Osu would be your cup of tea in that case either.

Neo Yi · Post by **Neo Yi** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:47 pm

Well, if you like RPGs, I recommend Skies of Arcadia for the GC and Guardian's Crusade for the PS1 (although this game might be very hard to find). And if you want good multiplayer, I recommend Crash Team Racing for the PS1, one of the best solid kart racer or whatever racing genre cartoony characters in karts are assiocated with.

Post by **Segaholic2** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:07 pm

Green Gibbon! wrote:Also, how is Soul Calibur 3? I've been curious since it came out but never quite enough to buy it and see. I keep asking people around here, but noone ever answers.

Each new Soul Calibur game manages to be worse than the previous.

Forza Johnman · Post by **Forza Johnman** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:52 am

Segaholic2 wrote:
Green Gibbon! wrote:Also, how is Soul Calibur 3? I've been curious since it came out but never quite enough to buy it and see. I keep asking people around here, but noone ever answers.
Each new Soul Calibur game manages to be worse than the previous.

Graphically its brilliant and the new characters are great but (just to echo Segaholic) the multiplayer is lacking, Chronicles of the Sword mode is dull, Edge Master Mode has been replaced by Soul Arena which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the AI being very cheap, the cog throwing scene in Tales of Souls gets old very quickly. Create a Character is alright, but its a bit limited and you only get 10 slots to make characters with.

The route to Night Terror can only be completed by not losing a round and not winning by ring out on the stage before you get the option to go to the labyrinth and after two fights you face Olcadan who is very hard to beat.

Its a fun game but for the same reasons that Soul Calibur 1 and 2 were fun - the fighting.

Tsuyoshi-kun · Post by **Tsuyoshi-kun** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:06 am

Soul Calibur III made me want to smash my PS2 controller more so than even Star Ocean III, the biggest waste of money of anything I've ever spend on a video game system in the last 6 years. The CPU is pure evil, and there's no option to change difficulty levels in any mode except the useless Quick Battle mode, which you get so little money for it's pointless.

Cuckooguy · Post by **Cuckooguy** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:12 pm

Suikoden V is definitely better than Suikoden IV, and it feels like a definite attempt to appease the fans who haven't liked a Suikoden since the second one.

But that is what I think is one of the game's flaws. The formula reminds me too much of Suikoden 1/2/4 at times, particularly after you get your base. A lot of people complain about what people call the long long intro, where you basically just learn the traditions of Falena and establishing those who play a role in the main character's life for the first ten hours, but those first ten hours were what I thought were the best parts of the game. Then after you get your base, it feels like Suikoden 1/2/4 deja vu where you liberate, liberate, and liberate (though not as shallow as Suikoden IV).

But you know, I can see myself telling everyone to play Suikoden V right now if it fixed one of two problems: The liberating aspect of the story or changing the outdated camera. If the story didn't become formulaic, I would've at least had an intimate view of the world like Dragon Quest VIII. Then maybe I wouldn't have minded it's formulaic approach, because the story is almost on par with Suikoden II and much much better than Suikoden IV. If the story was improved, then maybe I wouldn't mind it's current camera, but as it is, just having a "better than 95% of RPG stories out there" is not enough for the Suikoden series to survive like this.

I know I sound quite negative about it, because Suikoden V is actually quite good. It's just not exceptional, is all. As far as I know and what Pepperidge has alluded to, there have been very few negative impressions about the game, and of all the forums and reviews I've read, it seems I'm the only person on Earth who has this kind of opinion on Suikoden V.

One thing's for sure, I've never seen so many fine women in one game at once before.

<img src="http://www.vimscape.com/temp/suiko5girls.jpg">

Baba O'Reily · Post by **Baba O'Reily** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:16 pm

Using my intimate knowledge of Japanese comic art and my experience with Guilty Gear, I'd say at least 3 of those pictures are of guys.

Cuckooguy · Post by **Cuckooguy** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:43 pm

Well, one of them is probably a lesbian for another chick in that picture. It's unclear if the other chick returns her affection, though.

If you want androgyny, they're right here:

<img src="http://www.vimscape.com/temp/suiko5traps.jpg">

That's all I know of what I initially thought were girls at first (except the right one, but he's androgynous enough). The left one is the fucking main character. His girly face doesn't bother me so much, because when I look at his family, it's only natural that he'd contrast his sister by gaining his mom's hair color and (kind of) his dad's messier hair style, but he wears that horribly gaudy outfit of his own free will.

The main character and his (hot) family:

<img src="http://www.vimscape.com/temp/suikoden5novel1.jpg">

His hot mom, hot aunt, hot dad, and and (kind of) cute sister are all hot. Guess the main character got all the bad genes.

Senbei · Post by **Senbei** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:30 pm

Baba O'Reily wrote:Using my intimate knowledge of Japanese comic art and my experience with Guilty Gear, I'd say at least 3 of those pictures are of guys.

I was in Japan for a few weeks recently, for the first time in 6 years, and I can now say with confidence that the androgyny (to leech off Eggroll's vocab) is shared by the real-life young men of Japan, or at least of Kansai. It seems there's a "unisex" fashion going on, or something. It was really, really annoying to see a cute girl's back, only to quickly realize it was a dude with a Final Fantasy hairdo.

Brazillian Cara · Post by **Brazillian Cara** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 6:06 pm

If you want adrogenous character designs, just look for anything made by Masami Kurumada- even if his only part in the story is writing the script.

Neo Yi · Post by **Neo Yi** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:49 pm

Senbei wrote:I was in Japan for a few weeks recently, for the first time in 6 years, and I can now say with confidence that the androgyny (to leech off Eggroll's vocab) is shared by the real-life young men of Japan, or at least of Kansai. It seems there's a "unisex" fashion going on, or something. It was really, really annoying to see a cute girl's back, only to quickly realize it was a dude with a Final Fantasy hairdo.

I like to say this is true for Koreans, too. Granted, I haven't been there since I was nine, but my parents rent korean video tapes imported from there all the time and pretty much every single 20-something guys look like girls...all the damn time.

jenkins · Post by **jenkins** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:05 am

Senbei wrote:
Baba O'Reily wrote:Using my intimate knowledge of Japanese comic art and my experience with Guilty Gear, I'd say at least 3 of those pictures are of guys.
I was in Japan for a few weeks recently, for the first time in 6 years, and I can now say with confidence that the androgyny (to leech off Eggroll's vocab) is shared by the real-life young men of Japan, or at least of Kansai. It seems there's a "unisex" fashion going on, or something. It was really, really annoying to see a cute girl's back, only to quickly realize it was a dude with a Final Fantasy hairdo.

It's still tough to beat the genuine cross-dressers of Harajuku.

Post by **Delphine** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 11:15 am

It's pretty funny watching all you guys "discover" that androgyny is a thing over in Japan.

Post by **Pepperidge** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:45 pm

Green Gibbon! wrote:The PS2 has progressive output?

Um, as long as you use the component cables, yes. But not all games actually have a progressive option. I know you can switch it on and off on Shadow of the Colossus (which is the most impressive-looking game I've seen yet.)

Segaholic2 wrote: Each new Soul Calibur game manages to be worse than the previous. Also, I give out free rim jobs.

I must disagree. Soul Calibur 3, at the very least, is substantially better than Soul Calibur 2, and has quite a few improvements over the first game. Some people complain about a few minor glitches, but for those who don't overly scrutinize every frame of gameplay, the engine is improved quite a bit, and even if there aren't a lot of options for multi-player, just the sheer number of distinct characters alone tends to keep me and my crew busy for hours. (Actually, it's our multi-player game of choice at the moment.)

Unlocking items is a hell of a lot easier than it was in SCII, and while the story mode is incredibly repetitive, it's a step in the right direction, especially since the game in general actually seems to have a sense of progression, whereas SCII was just a rehash of the previous game. I haven't played Chronicles of the Sword at all, so I don't really give a shit about how bad it is.

Overall, I recommend the game. If you're a fan of the series, you'll love the game. Plus Olcadan is the greatest character the history of the franchise.

jenkins · Post by **jenkins** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:10 pm

Delphine wrote:It's pretty funny watching all you guys "discover" that androgyny is a thing over in Japan.

Discovering is one thing (I suspect most of us are already well aware of androgyny in Japan), but actually being there and seeing it is so much better.

Heroic One · Post by **Heroic One** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:51 pm

Define "better".

Madamluna · Post by **Madamluna** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:12 am

If you have a DS, then you should spring for Gunstar Super Heroes for the GBA! It's by Treasure, and though some people dislike the fact that it doesn't have weapon combining like the original, I think it holds up very well. Great graphics, lots of bosses, lots of enemies, lots of explosions and gunfire. And if you are into this sort of thing, it has an overarching plot that changes depending on what character and difficulty you use (all of Red's stuff is the same, but Blue's changes from easy > normal > hard; not sure if you have to play them in order, but that's what I did), and it really impressed me when I played it.

Similarly, import Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 25: Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box if you enjoy that and want more. It's Treasure's three Genesis games Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy and Alien Soldier, Japanese and overseas versions (and Game Gear+Master System versions in the case of DH), all wrapped up in a nice package, complete with bonus art galleries and sound tests and other fun things. It is heavenly and every day I am proud that I got a copy before they sold out on NCSx. It shouldn't put you back much, I got it for $30.

But if you are already a Treasure fan, then I'd be really embarassed if you already have all that, so what else...well, Viewtiful Joe is fantastic, but you might have that as well. So I'll second the suggestions of Gitaroo Man Lives (I love the original) and Elite Beat Agents, which are pretty much the two best rhythm games I've ever played. Aside from the pop'n music series, but that's got less frills and no plot.