Radiata Stories (PS2) Impressions?

[PDorr3]

I have not bought a new game in a long time, and Radiata Stories looks interesting. I am undecided if I should buy this or not... I am a fan of fantasy setting RPG's (like FF9) and I enjoy bright graphichs and a light hearted, easy to follow story.
This game seems to have all of that, but reading reviews I am a bit cautious that I will not like the character recruitment system.
I dont like RPG's that thorow tons of characters at you to level up, but this game only allows you to control one character, which seems fine, but I am afraid I wont like having 100 characters to choose from to level up, how is this handled? will characters you never use slack behind and be weak?
I like RPG's that are on average 20-30 hours long, and I also dont like overly complicated equiping and ability learning systems (Like FF8)
I read it becomes tiring recruiting characters and the time cycle becomes a pain when doing quests.

I am wondering here if anyone has played this game and can give me some impressions.

[SoulBlazer]

I'm also hearing if anyone has bought this yet. It IS from Tri-Ace, after all, makers of the wonderfull Valkrie Profile and Star Ocean games.

GameSpot has a good review on it. They gave it a 7.7. Said it's really only average but the humor of the game and the way it pokes fun at the genre makes up for it. The battle system is almost exactly like Star Ocean 3.

[PDorr3]

I'm also hearing if anyone has bought this yet. It IS from Tri-Ace, after all, makers of the wonderfull Valkrie Profile and Star Ocean games.

GameSpot has a good review on it. They gave it a 7.7. Said it's really only average but the humor of the game and the way it pokes fun at the genre makes up for it. The battle system is almost exactly like Star Ocean 3.

I only played a little bit of SO3 but I did enjoy the combat system, and wouldent minda simpler version of it. Also Im not into the whole item synthesis thing (only game that I enjoyed that from was Dark Cloud)

[Kid Fenris]

I spent last weekend playing this. It's a decent little RPG. The story is seldom original, but there's a charming sense of humor about everything. The hero, Jack, is a complete headstrong idiot, and he plays off of the other characters quite well. You've also got a major plot branch around the 12-hour mark, and your decision changes the story as well as the selection of characters you can pick up.

As far as character recruitment goes, there are indeed over 150 potential party members, but you're free to recruit only the ones who interest you. I doubt that many players will bother getting everyone, so it's fun to talk to all the townspeople and then concentrate on snagging your ten or so favorite characters. Me, I just want to find Lenneth and Lezard from Valkyrie Profile.

Radiata actually reminded me of Brave Fencer Musashi and Threads of Fate more than anything else. It has the same lighthearted appeal, a similar cast of amusing characters, and a pretty good localization. (Ganz's actor nails the character perfectly.) If you liked Final Fantasy IX, you'll probably dig Radiata.

Pity that the battle system's kind of dull. It's action-based like Star Ocean 3, but combat is even more repetitive, as you control no one but Jack. You can't switch between characters, and the enemies are just boring to fight. It's also a slow-paced game; you don't even learn about team tactics until you're about eight hours in.

It's no Valkyrie Profile, but I liked Radiata much better than any of the Star Ocean games, which bore me. I'm not sure if I'd pay fifty bucks for it, but Radiata's worth checking out, especially if you're into cute, unpretentious fantasy RPGs.

Now then, who wants some shocking out-of-context screenshots?

[PDorr3]

I also read that save points are a problem, that there arent even any save points before bosses, so if you die you gotta start back at the start of the dungeon. I have read about people losing over 2 hours of gameplay because of this.
I got Jak 3 today so that will keep me busy for awhile, and I think I will wait until I can pick this up for under $30 before I buy it.

[josekortez]

Those out of context screenshots are hilarious, esp. the second one.

[Aussie2B]

Me, I just want to find Lenneth and Lezard from Valkyrie Profile.

You can't actually recruit Lezard. You just fight him. And you'll automatically get Lenneth when you come across her and defeat her, but that's at the very end of the game in the bonus dungeon.

(Ganz's actor nails the character perfectly.)

Meh, I don't like Gantz's US voice from what I've heard. I find his Japanese voice much more fitting. Not to offend anyone, but his US voice makes him sound like he swings the opposite way that your third posted image suggests, if you get what I mean. And I still don't get why they changed his name. o_O The "t" sound makes his name sound cooler I think, and better looking when written out.

Anyway, I've had Radiata Stories since it was brand new in Japan, so I've had plenty of time to thoroughly play through it. I haven't completed EVERYTHING yet, but I've done a whole lot. I just need to replay to get the last 60-some characters I need.

I really love the game, but it's definitely not everybody's cup of tea. The main problem I think is that most people don't "get" the game, and the misleading marketing (both in Japan and the US) didn't help any. Anybody going into it wanting a Final Fantasy story-focused kind of experience is likely to be disappointed, and anybody expecting it to be a battle-focused Star Ocean style of game will also likely be a bit disappointed.

I believe Radiata Stories is best compared to games like Shenmue and Majora's Mask. While the story, battles, and dungeon crawling are enjoyable enough, the true heart and focus of the game is its "real", time-driven, interactive world. In other games, character recruiting is often just a chore. Just a little mini-quest to work your way through to be able to add the character to your party to experience their story and their battle abilities. However, the true joy of Radiata Stories is in the ACT of recruiting the characters. THAT is the game's true gameplay, not the battling. Following the characters around, interacting with their lives, learning what they do, solving their problems, and figuring the puzzle of just how to get them to join is what really racked up the hours on my file. I got way more enjoyment out of that aspect of the game than any battling or cinematic scenes. I don't believe it's any coincidence that the game is called "Radiata Stories". It's telling you that the city itself is the focus of the game, not any of the dungeons outside of its gates. And while lost on Americans (who got the generic "strike a pose with a sword" cover), the Japanese cover of the game further proved this with the city front and center, a nice artsy rendition of it consuming nearly the whole case (with Jack and Ridley holding hands below, symbolizing the adventures they're going to embark on in this living city).

The battles are really just the icing on the already very sweet cake. I wouldn't say they're exactly the same as in Star Ocean 3, but it's undeniable that it's a similar battle system. I think the main point in this is that tri-Ace didn't want to completely alienate their fans by making such as unusual game to begin with (I feel it easily could've have been just as well off if the battles and dungeon-exploring didn't exist in the game at all and all you'd do is interact with people in the city like in Shenmue [of course, the structure of the game would have to change a bit to accommodate this, but it wouldn't change the feel that much]).

The battle system definitely does feel simplified in comparison to Star Ocean 3, but Radiata Stories does have its fair share of improvements and innovations upon the Star Ocean 3 system. Unlike in Star Ocean 3, the AI is actually smart, and you really control your troops with lots of different formations and commands you can use on the fly. And the combo system for Jack absolutely rocks. It says "To hell with useless flashy attacks!" and gets down to the nitty-gritty basics, giving you full customization of how Jack performs, as opposed to Star Ocean 3 where you get a couple basic attacks you can do over and over and a few special moves. I can toy with which attacks to use and in which order endlessly, trying to come up with the perfect combo for a particular set of enemies.

Since this is already getting quite lengthy, I'll just wrap this up by saying that the aesthetics are a breath of fresh air. The beautiful story book world and the funky jazzy Iwadare music compliment the light-hearted, whimsical plot perfectly, and there's a lot of comedy in there for good measure. In an industry flooded with RPGs filled to the brim with teenage angst and melodrama, it's just what we need.

[Daria]

Crap. After reading Aussie's description I actually want to play the game now. Before I just putting it off as yet another mediocre PS2 RPG.

It's like how I enjoyed Atlier Iris for the special events triggered by racking up the fusions. Only mixed indepth stories that revolve around the recruitment of characters aspect ala Valkryie Profile.

Or it could be another Chrono Cross... *shudders*

[Aussie2B]

I found Chrono Cross dull and the characters useless, so I wouldn't compare them myself. :P The problem with Chrono Cross is that it tries to be a traditional RPG, so the large cast just feels tacked on. I think they didn't really get their priorities straight in that game. They tried to create a strong story, a unique battle system, and a large cast to recruit, yet dividing the game up like that caused everything to fall short and not be particularly engaging. Sometimes it's best just to pick a focus, and if that means it won't suit some people's tastes, then so be it. Despite that Radiata Stories had the odds against it just from the numbers alone, I believe it actually put to better use its 177 characters than Chrono Cross did with its 40-some. The focus on the character interaction and recruitment really shows in the game, so that's while you'll hear people bemoan the fact that the story, dungeons, and battles are a bit simplistic, but I believe they nailed exactly what they were going for. That's why I always suggest to people that they ask themselves what exactly they want to get out of Radiata Stories, and to some, I would recommend against buying it, despite that I love it myself.

[SoulBlazer]

I allready had made my mind to pick this up once I can get the game for $30-35, but the information helps confirm my decision. Thanks.

And I guess I'm the only one who really enjoyed Chrono Cross.....

[Kid Fenris]

You know, in defense of Chrono Cross, it at least let you control all of your recruited characters in the same manner as the game's protagonist. The lack of a similar feature was probably my biggest gripe with Radiata, especially after Star Ocean 3 let you switch between party members in the heat of combat. I was looking forward to playing as Ganz and Ridley after the game's Japanese advertising suggested that they were just as important as Jack.

And I still don't get why they changed his name. o_O The "t" sound makes his name sound cooler I think, and better looking when written out.

I'm just surprised that you aren't calling for the heads of Square Enix translators on account of their heinous crime of changing Ridley's last name from "Timberlake" to "Silverlake."

You know what else struck me as interesting in a really geeky way? If the game's instruction manual was accurate, tri-Ace regulars like Yoshiharu Gotanda and Masaki Norimoto didn't have all that much to do with Radiata Stories; they were credited with "animation direction" or something like that. The director and chief designers were, as far as I could tell, new blood. I couldn't even be sure if they were with tri-Ace or not. I wish that I remembered their names, but I had to give the game back after I reviewed it.

[josekortez]

Isn't Radiata Stories on sale at Best Buy this week along with pretty much everything else?

[Daria]

Isn't Radiata Stories on sale at Best Buy this week along with pretty much everything else?

How? It just came out last week.

[poe]

$39.99. Cheaper than most other places this week, but not actually clearanced.

[Aussie2B]

I'm just surprised that you aren't calling for the heads of Square Enix translators on account of their heinous crime of changing Ridley's last name from "Timberlake" to "Silverlake."

You trying to be snide with that comment or what? I didn't mention that change because I don't find it to be better or worse. I don't see why it was necessary, though, and if that's what the developer's intended her name to be, they may as well have just left it. I'm going to continue to call her Ridley Timberlake just because that's what I'm used to and that what the developer's wanted, but I'm not going to flip out and go all otaku on everyone over the change, if that's what you think.

You know what else struck me as interesting in a really geeky way? If the game's instruction manual was accurate, tri-Ace regulars like Yoshiharu Gotanda and Masaki Norimoto didn't have all that much to do with Radiata Stories; they were credited with "animation direction" or something like that. The director and chief designers were, as far as I could tell, new blood. I couldn't even be sure if they were with tri-Ace or not. I wish that I remembered their names, but I had to give the game back after I reviewed it.

They're definitely tri-Ace employees, I can tell you that much. From what I heard, a lot of the staff were those who worked on Star Ocean: Blue Sphere. For the most part, Star Ocean 3 and Radiata Stories were being worked on simultaneously, so they had different people working on different projects. Radiata Stories, being the new franchise, got mostly newer tri-Ace employees. Gotanda, being the president of tri-Ace, will likely have less and less of a direct involvement in the games as the company grows, I expect.

[Kid Fenris]

I'm just surprised that you aren't calling for the heads of Square Enix translators on account of their heinous crime of changing Ridley's last name from "Timberlake" to "Silverlake."

You trying to be snide with that comment or what? I didn't mention that change because I don't find it to be better or worse. I don't see why it was necessary, though, and if that's what the developer's intended her name to be, they may as well have just left it. I'm going to continue to call her Ridley Timberlake just because that's what I'm used to and that what the developer's wanted, but I'm not going to flip out and go all otaku on everyone over the change, if that's what you think.

Settle down, TRI-ACE SUPER FAN. I'm a snide bastard indeed, but a lot of what I do is just good-natured ribbing.

Fun Yoshiharu Gotanda Fact: According to MobyGames, his first programming job came in Wolfteam's Neugier/The Journey Home, which he worked on when he was only 17.

[Aussie2B]

Hmmm, I could've sworn Hiouden came before Neugier. Maybe he only worked on the Super Famicom port of it, though, which did come after Neugier. It would be strange, and maybe explain some things, if he did start off with Neugier. It's an oddity for Wolf Team considering it's the one and only non-port they made for the Super Famicom (and since it was their first SFC game, maybe after Neugier they decided it would be easier to do ports than specifically design a game FOR the Super Famicom). It also shows off a lack of experience (be it in a general sense or with the hardware). Granted, it's still a fun little game, but there are plenty of issues with the programming and the design. Hiouden, on the other hand, while not without any flaws, is more polished. But for a 17-18 year old, they're both very impressive games.

As for my comment about explaining some things, tri-Ace has never developed for any Sega system or Japanese PC, which was nearly all of Wolf Team's development. Instead, they started right off with the Super Famicom, a system Wolf Team neglected, and then moved on to Sony (and briefly to GBC).

[Kid Fenris]

Hmmm, I could've sworn Hiouden came before Neugier. Maybe he only worked on the Super Famicom port of it, though, which did come after Neugier. It would be strange, and maybe explain some things, if he did start off with Neugier. It's an oddity for Wolf Team considering it's the one and only non-port they made for the Super Famicom.

Not counting Tales of Phantasia, right? I've been told that it was actually a Wolfteam game developed for Namco. I also understand that after Gotanda, Norimoto, and Joe left, whoever remained of Wolfteam ended up working on other Tales games, to the point where they were renamed Namco Tales Studio.

Then again, there are lots of hard-to-confirm stories about Wolfteam; Masaki Uno left them in 1994 to start Camelot Software Planning, the guy who programmed Earnest Evans also programmed Gau/Nextech's Ranger-X, and so on. For a developer that never made a huge breakout hit (again, Phantasia excepted), Wolfteam's a pretty interesting study.

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, I should've said Wolf Team/Telenet-published games, since Tales of Phantasia is indeed an original Wolf Team created game for Super Famicom.

Wolf Team and Telenet as a whole were pretty much on their last leg after Gotanda and company left (although I wouldn't say that was the sole or even main reason; to the contrary, that was probably why many employees left over the years). Wolf Team did manage to develop and publish Cybernetic Empire for PlayStation, before what was left got completely absorbed into Tales Studio a few years ago. I imagine starting with Tales of Destiny and the port of Phantasia, Namco probably added more and more of their own employees to the Tales projects.

[josekortez]

I had been planning to play through this game for the longest time, and I finally put a few more hours into it after it had been dormant for almost 2 years. It really isn't that bad, except the points in the game when you have no idea where to go next and of course Jack kicking any and everything in the game. There was one point where I came across a shopkeeper right before the Dark Elf Village where I mistakenly kicked the guy and he squared off against Jack in a battle. I went back and reloaded my last save because I wasn't sure how that would affect the game overall, but it certainly was weird.

I'm more of a fan of turn-based RPGs and Star Ocean 3 took too long to get rolling, but I think I'll stick with this one for a while...