OT: any other games?

[MythicalMino]

cool...will be waiting for it....

right now, i am downloading the demo tour for king of dragon pass...

more than likely, I will just get Alpha Centuari & Alien Crossfire tomorrow morning...

[Taqwus]

King of Dragon Pass reminds me vaguely of the old empire-management games like "Hammurabi"; you make management decisions to help your clan prosper, such as which deities to propitiate when or how many hides of farmland you need versus wildlands, in contrast to pushing units around a map.

Micro is considerably reduced compared to most strategy games. In fact, you really /can't/ have a micro-intensive turn, because you can only initiate two actions a season. Actions include things like reorganizing your clan ring (the clan's high council, basically), changing your farmland distribution, sending diplomatic or trade missions, sending raids, sending exploration parties, building or destroying shrines, and so forth.

Also unusual, the game makes very heavy use of events, some of which are linked with each other... and frequently there's no single "right" answer in that you can viably take multiple paths.

Setting is based on the Gloranthan world. You don't have to be familiar with it, 'tho, as there's quite a bit of background supplied with the game.

Difficulty is fairly high. With a bit of bad luck -- say, starting surrounded by hostile War-happy clans combined with bad harvests -- you may find yourself in a starvation-induced death spiral. You do have to pay attention to having enough farmland and oxen and farmers to work it... or, perhaps, turn to the right deities for help. And even if you do know what you're doing, success is usually not guaranteed...

[Saber Cherry]

I've been playing SEIV:G.

I played a bit of FF: Tactics Advance, but... I can't say it sucked me in like FFT, even though it's better in some ways...

If anyone is looking for a great game, I suggest Xenogears. I always feel useless saying that, like when I suggested Dominions on AOW or MOO3 forums, proclaiming it the deepest strategy game ever, to overwhelming silence... But, hey, if you made it all the way to the Dominions forums, it means you're SERIOUS about finding good games! And I think Xenogears is the best game ever. Yes, better than Dominions, System Shock, or Star Control II. Though not better than all three combined

-Cherry

[PvK]

Oh, I should mention I also enjoyed playing Escape Velocity: Nova. It's an Asteroids-y space RPG, with a very complete demo. I don't know how many other Dominions players would enjoy that genre, though.

PvK

[PvK]

Xenogears is Playstation-only? What's it like and what do you like most about it, Sabre Cherry?

PvK

[Saber Cherry]

Actually, I have Escape Velocity Nova as well! I like it. That's the only shareware product I've ever registered, which shows how much I liked it. I never registered Dom I because I always thought Dom II was just around the corner...

Xenogears. I bought a Playstation just so I could play that game. And I considered it a worthwhile transaction, even though the only other Playstation game I liked was Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. But, Xenogears is not "Playstation only", per se, as it runs on the PS2 as well...

Um, I'm lazy. But the reason I brought this up is because I was just writing a letter to a friend, convincing her to get Xenogears... I gave my copy away... so allow me to quote that letter (modified a bit):

I was sooo looking forward to Chrono Cross, and it disappointed the heck out of me after Chrono Trigger. Inferior music, gameplay, plot, dialogue… the way you can’t level up except at boss battles… lack of cool items to find and equip… but you know what? The reason that (for me…) Chrono Cross did not live up to Chrono Trigger is that the team that made Chrono Trigger, did not make Chrono Cross! Instead, they (the complete team, including the composer) left Square to for their own company, which produced one of your favorite games, Xenosaga! That team produced Chrono Trigger (SNES), Xenogears (Playstation), and then Xenosaga (PS2). And I’ve never played Xenosaga, but I’ve been dying to do so! Because, you see… The best game of all time is Xenogears!!! It has the best music ever (in a video game – close seconds are Final Fantasy III and Chrono Trigger), the most interesting and complete character development ever – I mean, it has better character development than any movie I’ve ever seen, and even any book I’ve read – and I’ve read a lot! It also has a better plot than most books I’ve read, and the depth of the storyline is phenomenal – you could write 5 complete novels and wouldn’t cover all of what Xenogears hints at! And not dumb books, either, like you’d get if you transcribed the backstory for most other games. The feeling of excitement and anticipation, and just overwhelming coolness as you advance is… well… overwhelming! I cannot heap enough praise on this game.

Xenogears is an RPG that has giant robots. But those aren't what make it good, they just make it cool. Everything about Xenogears is awesome, except the graphics, which are about average Playstation quality. But, it still has the coolest FMV and game-engine cutscenes ever, regardless of the fact that the platform is dated. The thing about it is... you start off kind of confused, not really knowing what's going on. It's not, "Here, Light Warrior, defeat the Dragon Lord with this sword" like most RPGs. It's more like there are real people, in realistic (though sci-fi) situations...

And as you go through the game, every time you think, "Wow, this game just transcended the limits of depth and coolness", some shocking new revelation will occur! As a result, it does not have very high replay value, but it's such a massive game that it took me 99 hours to the end. So, I forgive it that one vice.

By the way, I was not impressed with the first hour of Xenogears, I thought it was dumb. Only when my friend convinced me that, yes, it was BETTER than Chrono Trigger, and kept telling me that, did I cave and buy a PS just so I could play Xenogears... which, by the way, is vastly superior to Xenosaga (the prequel) from all reports I've seen. Anyway, Xenogears is more than a game, it's like the coolest sci-fi movie you've ever seen combined with an excellent book (if you skip dialogue, skip this game. But, most game dialogue is bad and boring, so...) combined with a great game.

Well, I gotta go eat, so bye-bye! But I hope I convinced someone=)

-Cherry

[ October 24, 2003, 00:47: Message edited by: Saber Cherry ]

[PvK]

Thanks Sabre Cherry. I don't think I'll by a Playstation console just to play Xenogears, but if/when the opportunity presents itself to find out more, I will. I did check out some equally-impressed reviews and saw some screenshots. Sounds like a classic.

PvK