Reply With QuoteURLs to screenshots, FFS, man!!
On the double!
LOL
I just wanted to lift Doug's quote out of one of those perennial 'What games should I get for my <insert console system here>' threads.Originally Posted by Doug Erickson
I second Doug's sentiment and will have a full review on GD/Yahoo Games shortly. I'm having a great time with this one and don't understand the abysmal 62% its gotten on Gamerankings.
Personally, I'd rather have this sort of rougher-hewn rowdy replayability over Sudeki's one-shot linear playthrough and its unfocused gameplay driven by bad AI.
-Tom
URLs to screenshots, FFS, man!!
On the double!
LOL
is it as alluring as diablo 2, or is sudeki just that bad?
http://www.metacritic.com/games/plat.../crimsontears/
Metacritic hasn't been very kind to it....
I can't fathom the hate for it, save that the stylin' anime characters suggest I dunno, Metal Gear styled otaku linear plot dispensation, and you get random dungeons and minimal personality instead. In reality, though, it's a very lively and gorgeous round of punchy-kicky with tight controls and pretty graphics, and there's loads of loot. The production values are through the roof, and there's loads of Dark Cloud 2-style customization/upgrading (with a superior combat system and sans all of the mini-games).
There's a few problems that keep it from being above a B offering -- the combo development plateaus quickly; you hafta revisit levels to score the loot needed to tackle the later ones; and at the end of the game there's nothing that differentiates the characters besides looks and costumes. That said, it's a sure 85%, and vastly better than the shitty scores it's getting. I've been reading a few of the reviews, and the primary complaints are all the same: the reviewers hate random dungeons and emphasize "the boring environments". A few whine about having to revisit levels, although if you've ever played a game of the Roguelike variety, this shouldn't dissuade you in the slightest.
Basically, it's Dark Cloud 2 with edgy anime graphics instead of kiddy anime graphics, and with tighter fighting game sensibilities. I dig it, personally. It's a light, fun, and exceptionally pretty game that doesn't demand that much time from you, but is consistently rewarding.
The only time I've ever gotten angry over review scores remains when I saw the Gamerankings average for Torneko 2. Total. Conniption. Fit. "1 out of 10 in PSM? Are these people completely bereft of brain power?!" I thought. Can they not recognize a Roguelike when they see it?
Meanwhile Xenogears gets a 91%. No comment.
Ever since then I've been completely numb to this phenomenon.
I haven't checked Crimson Tears out, despite it being out for a while, mainly because I've been saving up for The Nightmare of Druaga, which has finally released. I absolutely loved Tobal 2's quest mode, though I would have liked to see the nutrition/body-building elements work themselves into Crimson Tears as well. Ergheiz wasn't as good, but it was still great fun, nonetheless. I can't imagine Dream Factory has messed up something they've done well three times before.
-Kitsune
Is it a good game for a roguelike, though? I see this for $10 at practically any TRU I go to.
Yeah, the Torneko 2 scores were appalling. It's creepy how Western game journalists simply DO. NOT. GET. the roguelike genre.
Torneko 2 is great, although it is in some ways the very antithesis of what Westerners have come to expect from Japanese RPGs -- random dungeons; levels aren't preserved between dungeons; every step must be meticulously planned and executed; item/equipment micromanagement is absolutely vital. In other words, it's a roguelike, a style of game that originated on our shores but has received much greater respect and treatment (outside of the Diablo series) in the East. Weird.
I really dislike the graphics style. And Crimson Tears is a horrible name. Still, maybe it's great. Can't be worse than the last few games they've developed.
Crimson Tears sounds a bit like Dynasty Warriors 2-4 to me. Not that I disliked DW3 Extreme. How does it compare?
As far as PS2 system exclusives go, VF4 Evo is the best place to start, if you like fighters.
I'd go back to PS1 for some great cheap gaming, though. I always recommend Valkyrie Profile (action RPG, of sorts). Street Fighter Collection: Vol. 2 features SF Alpha 2 Gold, the toughest title in the series. Final Fantasy Tactics rewards a high tolerance for simple-minded SRPG combat with highly customizable characters.
From the moment initial buzz from overseas leaked onto the 'internet', I've held marginal apprehension. NOT just because of the marketing blitz involving those aptly endowed vixens with pastel undergarments...Hell, half my console gaming collection has one of those on the cover I think! (You won't find any EA sports pinup hunks adorning my game shelves! No siree...My hunks carry axes! And the girls...oh yes, the girls...)
No, the reality is both Ehrgeiz and Bouncer [high-pitched voice]"Suu-uuu--cked!"[/high-pitched voice]. "Fool me once..."
Also the camera looks horrendous...ahem.
But what do I know? This gem must have some serious -loot- tucked under that skirt in deep dark areas if it gets Doug and Tom that excited. So long as we aren't talking empty promises of KrAzY loot like in CoN or BGDA, this mixed with the flashy combat may afterall just make for an unexpected extra sale.
Screenshots, in case you haven't already googled up some of your own.
All the comparisons to roguelike games had me thinking of the last good console roguelike game I played, Record of Lodoss on the dreamcast which I thought was brilliant. So I went and looked at the review for Crimson Tears at gamespot which was 6.8 then I looked at their review of Lodoss which was also 6.8.
Well that settles that, time to go pick up Crimson Tears =)
Maybe I'm not aware of the distinction.
I always placed Record of Lodoss Wars in the same category as Legend of Zelda, Crystalis, Faria , Alundra, and them. What exactly makes these games roguelike?
Record of Lodoss Wars and the aforementioned action titles were pretty light on the loot, weren't they? The dungeons weren't randomly generated in these games, either. If it's all about item/weapon micromanagement, then it doesn't sound like a big deal to me.
I suppose its my resistance to the transparent trend of "+1" gameplay model. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the PSX proved this: Strike the enemy there times, and they're dead. Who cares if you have a +2 sword, if that sword doesn't kill the enemies any faster? :/
I loved Record of Lodoss War on DC. Damn was that an addictive game.
I use the term roguelike to describe any game that is primarily a dungeon crawl, which Lodoss most definately was. While the dungeons might not have been random (don't quite remember) they where definately so numerous they might as well have been. You could spend forever leveling up till you could handle some caves filled with high lvl mobs (that had nothing to do with the main story arc). While you didn't switch out items all that often you did upgrade them constantly with runes. To this day my GF uses "A Mighty sword" to describe any phrase repeated ad nauseum.
This game gets bad reviews like Dynasty Warriors gets bad reviews. I think many reviewers (and their wannabes) just don't want to admit that just pushing the same button over and over again while your character whoops ass is a good thing. They want to justify their professions and the pure, unadulterated sublimity of button mashing doesn't forward their agenda.
CT looks as though it might be like Ehrgeiz.
Is it?
It feels a bit like Dark Cloud 2, strangely, although the combo system seems deeper. It almost has a boardgame-esque feel to it, where you enter new tiled rooms in the dungeon and encounter enemies, traps, or both, beat them, and move on to the next tile. There are no holds, throws, or grapples at all in the combat, but the variety of weapons and the characters' proficiencies with them does offer a bit of variety and depth. I'm currently using Amber the dual-sword chick, and alternate between two Frost Blades and two Combat Swords (wielded reverse-blade style). The combat is fast and fun, and encourages you to make massive combo strings (more hits = more money dropped). If I get tired of her, I'll try out Kadie with her dual-claws or buster-sword specialties, or Tokio and his twin-gun specialty.
So far, I'm finding it a good game to pick up and play for a half-hour or hour at a time, then stop and move on to something else.
Torneko 2 is, w/o a doubt my FAVORITE PS1 game ever made!
I was particualrly blown away how it seemed that nearly HALF of the game was unlocked only after you "finished it" (completed the main game's quest)! Being able to then play as a Wizard or Warrior who both had whole new sets of powers and game rules was incredible!
I see Torneko 3 has made it to the GBA, have you checked it out, Kitsune? I HOPE Square-Enix catches a clue and at least gives us the GBA port since we never got the PS2 game.
How does this game compare to Bujingai?
It doesn't have a 1-on-1 fighting game component like Ehrgeiz, and the dungeon hacking is much MUCH better realized.
It has very little in common with Bujingai save that it has pretty keen graphics and effects.
But the roguelike part... if the roguelike part is like Ehrgeiz but better, I'll get the game, for real.
I have no idea what a Ehrgeiz, a Bujingai, or a Torneko is, but the Crimson Tears comparison to Rogue is mainly a factor of randomized levels. There is none of Rogue's character development or its variety of loot and monsters. Instead, there's slickly animated cel-shaded artwork, a gratifying fighting system, and some really cool weapons. You basically just tear through randomized dungeons beating the shit out of bad guys.
I'll link to my Games Domain review as soon as it goes up, but I really liked this game a lot. It's perfect for 'kicked back on the couch beat-'em-up' gameplay.
-Tom
Hey Tom,
Do yourself a favor, if a roguelike fan, and snag Torneko for your PS, easily hands down the best roguelike console game ever made!!
Okay, my review is up, albeit with the score dinged down a notch for some reason.
I'm really enjoying the mindlessness of just sitting down and whacking through a level or two. I do wish they'd tacked on a better character development system, in which case it could have rivaled Diablo in terms of simple addictiveness.
So, Torneko? A PS One game? I don't know that I have the stomach for that! It's hard enough putting Unholy Wars in my PS2 every few months...
-Tom
I've been toying around with the game for a few weeks, so Ill drop a few observations:
+Great cel-shading and light-sourcing on the characters during the cinemas.
+Tight control for most of the characters and their respective weapons
+Great boss encounters: challenging and thrilling
+Great weapon customization/combination
-Tokio is useless: guns suck as weapons in this game, and are no fun to use against the mainly brainless enemies
-Kadie is almost useless: only knives and hand-to-hand combat are useful with her, and Amber's much better at them
-Mostly braindead enemies make traversing the dungeons a chore before too long. Once I realized what items were being dropped in what dungeons, and what items were necessary to make certian weapons, I wanted to spend as little time as possible levelling up.
-Level 4 sucks. Mines, narrow pathways, and all that really killed my interest in progressing. Maybe I'll need to use the guns to making travelling ess painful, but the level still sucks.
-Bland backgrounds
-Horrible story, voice acting, etc.
-I'm playing long enough to get EX mode. Maybe things will improve.
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