SaGa Series Thread (Legends, Frontier, Romancing, Unlimited)

[Suwako Moriya]

Since SaGa is my favorite RPG series, I feel obligated to make a thread for the series. It also helps that I got the proper motivation to do so. For the record I started the series with the Final Fantasy Legend series, but did not realize at first they were the first three SaGas renamed.

Still eventually around the time I played SaGa Frontier, I found out the truth. It also helps that SaGa Frontier reminded me of Final Fantasy Legend 2 . Thus around the time of playing SaGa Frontier, I became a huge fan of the series. Although it was ultimately Final Fantasy Legend 2 that started me on the dark path.

The reason I say FFL2 as opposed to FFL1 is simple. FFL1 was an okay game all things considered, but it needed well more polish to it. FFL2 gives provides that needed more polish and gives a much more balanced gaming experience. Thus making it easier to get into.

I've played most of the SaGa save for a few. I have yet to really play Romancing SaGa 2 because I'm waiting for something to happen. Let's leave it at that. In terms of Romancing SaGa 3, I've completed 7 of the 8 quests. However I refuse to play the pure evil Mikhail quest since Tatiana Razajev can't join his party.

Then there is Romancing SaGa for the SNES or maybe I should say Super Famicom. I have not bothered to complete a quest besides Aisha's quest. With the PS2 version, I just don't see the need to play the original anymore. A major reason is the PS2 version has a much larger list of playable characters. The whole "Darn it, she's not playable in this version" would just bother me a LOT.

In any case I'll end this introductory post by saying the following. Captain Silver is my favorite girl of Romancing SaGa, Tatiana is my favorite girl of Romancing SaGa 3. Princess Rei for SaGa Frontier, Meythia for SaGa Frontier. Finally Michelle for Unlimited SaGa. As for the rest, I'm a bit undecided on that right now.

[ColoradoJim]

I've played and beat both GB Saga games. (I assume there were just two of those misleadingly named as FF games?) I still have the GB game guide book which shows nice maps and all for these games. Much better than Gamefaqs, especially for the maps.

I also have Saga Frontier 2 for the Playstation which I haven't played yet since it is yet another title in my huge RPG backlog. I got that one mainly because I love the watercolor look of the screenshots. I also have Unlimited Saga for the PS2 as it was dirt cheap and I've played with it a little on just one of the player missions. Is the reel really all that important since I can't seem to get the timing down to get a section that I really want? I do like the very strange design of the game and I assume the paths are randomly generated for each character? Since you replay Saga games a lot I assume they must have some sort of New game + mode?

What would you recommend among the remaining PS and PS2 Saga games? You might as well post a list of of your favorite Saga games in order. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[Suwako Moriya]

[ QUOTE ]
Colorado Jim said:
I've played and beat both GB Saga games. (I assume there were just two of those misleadingly named as FF games?) I still have the GB game guide book which shows nice maps and all for these games. Much better than Gamefaqs, especially for the maps.

[/ QUOTE ]

There are three Final Fantasy Legends for GB. All three are SaGa games. However it should be noted that Final Fantasy Legend 3 is the only SaGa game not developed by 2nd Division. However I can't remember which development team was actually involved in making the game.

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Colorado Jim said:
I also have Saga Frontier 2 for the Playstation which I haven't played yet since it is yet another title in my huge RPG backlog. I got that one mainly because I love the watercolor look of the screenshots.

[/ QUOTE ]

SaGa Frontier 2 is a rather pretty game. I just wish they spent more time with some of the scenarios. I still remember how I was stupid enough to save in the final area without making a safe save. The final boss crushed me. I was forced to start the entire game over. You would think having played other games in the series, I wouldn't have made such a huge mistake. At least I got revenge the second time around.

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Colorado Jim said:
I also have Unlimited Saga for the PS2 as it was dirt cheap and I've played with it a little on just one of the player missions.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which quest are you playing? The recommended quest is Laura. You'll want to avoid playing Armic first as you need to be more used to some of the elements of the system. If you play Ventus first then remember this. Do NOT take any deliveries to Sadavos or Serin until you have more members. You must cross the Vales of Swords. Which forces your party to split up. Ventus' first party member is Tiffon. Tiffon starts with "Undead Phobia" which makes her suck against undead or heck any enemy when undead are around. Personally speaking while I make use of her in Ventus' quest due to more chances to level up. In Mythe's quest, I'd rather not waste my time on her.

Speaking of which Mythe's quest has one of the more interesting final battles in the game. Most characters face the personal final boss and then their final boss. Mythe gets to face a gauntlet of bosses then the personal final boss then the final boss. In total his final battle has the most LP to destroy. Also the LP total of his party is this the lowest.

I guess this is probably a good sign not to play him as your first quest. My order to be exact was Ruby, Judy, Laura, Mythe, Kurt, Ventus, and finally Armic. That's the way I ended up completing them.

[ QUOTE ]
Colorado Jim said:
Is the reel really all that important since I can't seem to get the timing down to get a section that I really want?

[/ QUOTE ]

The timing of the battle reels is very important. However you can make it much easier to hit the higher level panels. If you want for example Michelle to use Spears then you should have a Spear Panel in her grid. The higher the level the easier time, you'll have of using the stronger Spear techs you learned. The idea level is "Level 4" as level 5 panels are rare. Also to be honest there are very few level 5 techs in the game.

In general I tend to get each member a level 4 panel in the weapon I want them to use. However I am flexible. In short I may plan for Spear, but if I get a level 4 Axe, I'm willing to switch to that weapon instead.

I think one way to describe the panel system in this game is the following. Pretend you start off with 90 MP and you're trying to cast a spell that costs 70 MP. That's what it's like early on. Now imagine you now have 700 MP and thanks to an economizer, the spells only cost 1MP.

To be honest I find it a joke to be able to use the level 4 techs once I have the appropriate level 4 panel. The reason being is that the pattern on the level 4 version of the grid is much easier to recognize than the level 0 version. Which would be no panel at all.

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Colorado Jim said:
I do like the very strange design of the game and I assume the paths are randomly generated for each character?

[/ QUOTE ]

As far as I can tell they are not. However I can tell you this much. Some side quests are not available for some mains. The general rule of thumb is this. If it is a main quest, it won't be a side quest. Also while the progress in most quests boil down to choose the top quest. In some cases it's quite different.

For example Armic is required to collect items in order to progress his story. Which is the reason you do not want to start as him. As Kurt completes side quests, his story moves forward. There also cases where you may need to enter a specific building to progress the story.

Advice for you. If the game asks if you want to save at the Tetra Force then save to a different slot. For all mains, but Ruby the Tetra Force is only in the final dungeon. Ruby gets it in her last seven dungeons. Well because Ruby is special that's why.

Also on occasion talk to people at the Inns, in some cases you may pick up new members. For example Judy will join Laura's quest if you talk to her at Wanda. However if you progress the story, before doing that she'll be gone for good. Except for Iskandar, every single character is involved in two different quests. You can only use Iskandar in Ruby's quest. However even if a character does not join in a quest, s/he may still have a role. Although in some cases I didn't notice until replaying a quest later.


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Colorado Jim said:
Since you replay Saga games a lot I assume they must have some sort of New game + mode?

[/ QUOTE ]

Only two SaGa games so far contain new game+. The two are SaGa Frontier 2 and Romancing SaGa (PS2). However they don't exactly work the same way as traditional new game plus where you start at off at level 99 crushing the first boss.

In the case of SaGa Frontier 2, you start with most if not all scenarios open. Heck you can even go directly into the final battle. You even retain your learned techs and spells. However at the same time you must level up your members again.

Romancing SaGa works like this. The game keeps a record of your past events which effect your future play through in various ways. An example that avoids spoilers is "Jewels". The more events you've done total in the past play through(s) the higher the jewel rewards will be in your future play through(s).

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Colorado Jim said:
What would you recommend among the remaining PS and PS2 Saga games? You might as well post a list of of your favorite Saga games in order. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never really decided which SaGa is my favorite. It's because I'm indecisive and I prefer not to decide anyway. However if forced to make a recommendation, I'd probably say Romancing SaGa. As it is one of the more polished games in the series.

Granted it may take time to get used to, but it's easier to get into than past games in the series. Plus it can be rather fun to play a game where completing events gives you more of a reward than simply walking in circles around a save point.

BP is the main staple of the game. Each characters starts the battle with a percentage of their max BP. They also regenerate a certain amount of BP each round. Over time your max BP will/may rise which also causes your starting BP to rise and how BP you regenerate. Not that your max regeneration come when you reach 50BP as your max.

What this means is a few things. First some characters have the advantage of higher regeneration for drawn out battles, but others have the advantage of starting with a decent amount of BP to crush enemies from the start. Second it also means you don't have to be ultra-conservative in battle, you can actually make use of your techs. You don't have to worry about running out of MP.

There is also the class system. The general idea is each class is a set of skills with an added effect. For example the Rosalian Officer gains a defense bonus when using defense mode techs and fighting in defense mode. At the same time if something is part of your skill set the cost to use that is further reduced. For example since "lance" is part of the skill set of Rosalian Officer the cost to use lance techs is reduced even further than say if you were class that does not have lance as part of its skill set. Thus it's important to have a character choose a class and stick with it. Especially if you're new to the game.

In any case I'll leave it at that in terms of the detail. The main flaw in Romancing SaGa is the variety between the mains in terms of uniqueness is not as good as SaGa Frontier or Unlimited SaGa. However there are still a few difference. Plus one thing you can do is try to vary your party each play through. Which is exactly what I did myself, but to fill in gaps, I'd bias towards Silver, Myriam and Farah. Well because I like those three.

[jecca-neko]

I rented both SaGa Frontier 1 and SaGa Frontier 2 at some point. I didn't care for SaGa Frontier 1. For many reasons. SaGa Frontier 2 I kinda liked, but at the time I didn't have any money to buy it.

The problem with the games is that, while non-linearity up to a certain point is good, SaGa Frontier had too much for me. There were a lot of times where I had no idea where to go and I didn't really understand the motivations of the characters so didn't know WHY they were wandering around like this.

I suppose I like a bit more linearity in RPGs. Final Fantasy X is an example of an RPG that has too much linearity. I did enjoy it, but there were times where I wished I could wander off the path and explore, but I couldn't. I guess the best for me is a little bit of both.

[cxt217]

I played a little of both Romancing Saga (PS2) and Unlimited Saga, RS more so. I liked both of them in different ways.

Romancing Saga had a very nice combat system and the general form and feel was quite comfortable. Plus it had Michelle Ruff as Diana, which was always a plus in my book, which went very well with a fine dialogue performance all around. However, I could NOT stand the graphics of the characters. They look like walking bobblehead dolls, which frankly scared the crap out of me. And figuring out where to go next was a problem that occurred far too frequently.

Unlimited Saga is certainly one of the graphically distinctive games on the PS2. Reminds me of Stella Deus, and I loved the graphics for the characters as well as the opening. However, the combat system was non-intutitive - actually, the whole gameplay system in my book suffered from that failing. Add to the fact that the voice-acting almost never seem to match any dialogue of the screen (At least from my gameplay - I admit to not playing a lot.), and trying to figuring out how to get to one place or another was more difficult then (In RS) figuring out where to go next, was enough to cause me to drop the game on the shelve and leave it there.

BTW, for Unlimited Saga, which character's plot line does Michelle have significance? And I always read that Laura's is the easier character to start, but among the hardest storyline to finish.

For Romancing Saga: Can Claudia <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>do any of the Knight's Domain without dropping her default animal helpers and still have Theodore and Rapheal(?) in the party? It seems like one or the other, which annoys me because it does seem to change the scenes you see if you do not have the knights - but waiting until the animal helpers leaves means the Knight's Domain event will not happened.</span>. And is there any particular order you would recommend playing the characters in?

Thanks,

C.T.

[ADC]

[ QUOTE ]
jecca-neko said:
I rented both SaGa Frontier 1 and SaGa Frontier 2 at some point. I didn't care for SaGa Frontier 1. For many reasons. SaGa Frontier 2 I kinda liked, but at the time I didn't have any money to buy it.

The problem with the games is that, while non-linearity up to a certain point is good, SaGa Frontier had too much for me. There were a lot of times where I had no idea where to go and I didn't really understand the motivations of the characters so didn't know WHY they were wandering around like this.

I suppose I like a bit more linearity in RPGs. Final Fantasy X is an example of an RPG that has too much linearity. I did enjoy it, but there were times where I wished I could wander off the path and explore, but I couldn't. I guess the best for me is a little bit of both.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think I enjoyed SaGa Frontier more than SGF2, but ye gods, SGF2 was gorgeous. That watercolor look was wonderful. True, though, that the SaGa games need signposts in the worst way. Sometimes you can wander for hours on end with no real clue what you're supposed to do. I think that's why (here comes the thread hijack) Final Fantasy X-2 is still one of my favorites: It borrows the mission-based, free-form adventure from the SaGas but retains a straight storyline for you to follow when you're ready.

I do wish Square Enix would DS-ify the old FFLs (preferably with the original nomenclature) just so I could play FFL2 again. That game had the awesomeness. But they have to do a better job than they did in remaking Final Fantasy Adventure into Sword of Mana.

(I was looking into this thread when I saw someone other than Yuzu had posted. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif)

[Suwako Moriya]

[ QUOTE ]
ADC said:
True, though, that the SaGa games need signposts in the worst way. Sometimes you can wander for hours on end with no real clue what you're supposed to do.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well to be honest the amount of direction each SaGa game has varies. In point of fact some of the games in the series are linear. Including the first three games in the series. Unlimited SaGa also can be considered linear. Yes there are side quests, but for the most part it boils down to choose the top quest option.

In the case of Romancing SaGa, it's just a matter of explore your world. As you talk to people, you'll find things to do and open up new events. As you fight battles your ER will rise. Which causes some events to open and some to close. ER is a hidden value, but you can tell it's raised when the volunteer brigade has new advice for you.

In SaGa Frontier it depends on the quest. Red, T260G, and Riki are the three with the most structure. If you already familiar with the magic side quests then Blue is simple. Lute only has one dungeon. The main challenge comes with Asellus and Emelia once you've of course gotten past first section of their quests.

In Emelia's case before you can do the next event, you must fight a couple of battles and then return to base for your next mission. The main problem with Emelia is she can't use her optional recruited members until the final dungeon. Which is a huge negative of her quest. Why give the freedom if I an barely use it.

It's the same idea with Asellus. Which is you need to fight a few batles before moving forward, but there is one difference. There are multiple places where an event in Asellus' quest can happen. It's just that no two events can happen at the same location. Thus after you see an event, you must visit other places instead.

[ADC]

[ QUOTE ]
Yuzu Hieda said:
The main challenge comes with Asellus and Emelia once you've of course gotten past first section of their quests.

[/ QUOTE ]
That kind of makes sense, then. I was younger then and was all ZOMFGxors over having girlies in the party when that wasn't the most relevant thing. Still, I liked the way SGF was presented. The graphics weren't great, but they were kind of stylish in their own way. The battle system was deep, with all the chain attacks and what have you. But there were a lot of times when you had near-absolute freedom and no clear idea what to do with it.

I sort of wish I'd not traded in SGF when I was saving up for the PS2 lo these many years ago, because now I kind of have a jones for it. Maybe if Sony's serious about downloadable PSX games on PS3 and PSP, I'll give it another try. (Kept Xenogears, which I'll never play again most likely, but traded SGF. I was looking kind of dumb with my finger and thumb in the shape of an L on my forehead.)

[Suwako Moriya]

[ QUOTE ]
cxt217 said:
BTW, for Unlimited Saga, which character's plot line does Michelle have significance?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd say Michelle has a stronger role in Mythe's quest than she does Laura's quest. In Laura's quest, she mainly gripes and then Laura makes her join. Where as Mythe gets involved with her major problem and tries to do something about it.

At the same time her problem is used to show Mythe something. [Spoiler]When Mythe finds Silver Girl, he brags about studying the relics of the Seven Wonders. Silver Girls calls the power"evil" and then asks if Mythe is a child or a fool. I forget the exact quote. Later on he meets Michelle who was searching for him and believes he can removes the gauntlet. Mythe studies it and declares the gauntlet to be evil and states it's the first time he made such a judgment. Which ties into the earlier speech Silver Girl gave him.</span>

[ QUOTE ]
cxt217 said:
And I always read that Laura's is the easier character to start, but among the hardest storyline to finish.

[/ QUOTE ]

The main challenge to Laura's quest comes from the required one on one battle. If you win the battle then X will be the personal final boss. However if you lose then Y will be the personal final boss. This is where the hard part comes in. The unique move X gives the final boss has a nasty status effect. Where as the unique move Y gives the final boss has none. Thus it's easier to face Y as the final boss. Especially if you're new to the game. In other words lose the one on one battle on purpose. Michelle is great for this as she has only 6 LP



[ QUOTE ]
cxt217 said:
For Romancing Saga: Can Claudia

[/ QUOTE ]

<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>When it comes to Pride of the Knights, any character should be able to recruit both Raphael and Theodore as long as two slots are free. In short even with her two animal companions, Claudia can still have two slots free. By the way you can actually keep Brau and Sylvan until the end of the game if you avoid certain events.

However it can be quite a challenge to use the two, so you're better off letting them leave until the time comes. If you really want the two to leave early. Then just do this, LP death them. Once the two run out of LP, they leave the party and then you can never recruit them again.</span>


[ QUOTE ]
cxt217 said:
And is there any particular order you would recommend playing the characters in?

[/ QUOTE ]

To be honest given the lack of variety between the eight leads, once you've completed your first quest you should have a good idea of how to deal with the other seven. In fact, I recommedn not playing all eight in a row. Take a break between quests and play games in between each quest. That being said my order was Aisha, Hawke, Sif, Jamil, Gray, Barbara, Albert, and finally Claudia. Still some will recommend Albert due to the opening part of his quest lasting longer than the others. However I was perfectly fine with starting with Aisha.

[ColoradoJim]

[ QUOTE ]
Yuzu Hieda said:


Which quest are you playing? The recommended quest is Laura. You'll want to avoid playing Armic first as you need to be more used to some of the elements of the system. If you play Ventus first then remember this. Do NOT take any deliveries to Sadavos or Serin until you have more members. You must cross the Vales of Swords. Which forces your party to split up. Ventus' first party member is Tiffon. Tiffon starts with "Undead Phobia" which makes her suck against undead or heck any enemy when undead are around. Personally speaking while I make use of her in Ventus' quest due to more chances to level up. In Mythe's quest, I'd rather not waste my time on her.


[/ QUOTE ]

It's been so long and I only played the game for a couple of hours to try it out. I dug out the game and found the file on the memory card. Apparently I was playing Judy's mission. Would that have been OK for a first choice? I think I picked her in the first place because she was cute. In any case I'll try out Laura's mission to try and get a better feel for the system.

[Suwako Moriya]

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Colorado Jim said:
I dug out the game and found the file on the memory card. Apparently I was playing Judy's mission. Would that have been OK for a first choice?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes her quest can be a decent first choice. There is just one trouble spot, you have to deal with. I'll be vague. At a certain point in one of the towns, you reach as you progress the story you must defeat a group of enemies. The problem is it can seem like there is no end to it. Thus if you saved just before reaching this town, you may feel like you're in a losing situation.

The games does give a clue which is "We have to defeat them before help arrives". At first I myself had trouble with this until I realized it simply mean don't waste your turns do meaningless stuff. Go directly for the enemy and finish them. Don't bother going to a spot with no enemies if you can help it, don't bother treasure hunting, don't bother resting, just kill them all.

Other than that one trouble spot, her quest is standard fare. Plus it's kind of fun to play as her compared to the others. In point of fact, she was the first quest I started. It's just that I got stuck on that trouble spot and switched to Ruby. Although I feel ashamed for over looking the obvious answer. Something I've done way too often.

[NickFalzarano]

I'm still slogging through Final Fantasy Legend 2, as was suggested by you as a good game to start out on. I actually haven't been playing it recently though, perhaps why I'm still pretty early in the game; I started it months ago.

[cxt217]

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Yuzu Hieda said:
[ QUOTE ]
cxt217 said:
For Romancing Saga: Can Claudia

[/ QUOTE ]

<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>When it comes to Pride of the Knights, any character should be able to recruit both Raphael and Theodore as long as two slots are free. In short even with her two animal companions, Claudia can still have two slots free. By the way you can actually keep Brau and Sylvan until the end of the game if you avoid certain events.

However it can be quite a challenge to use the two, so you're better off letting them leave until the time comes. If you really want the two to leave early. Then just do this, LP death them. Once the two run out of LP, they leave the party and then you can never recruit them again.</span>


[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the advice. Hmmm...<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>For some reason I thought Claudia, Gray, Brau and Sylvan only left one space (Since you get Gray when you visit Melvir. I must be thinking of something wrong here.</span>

I have to see if my Romancing Saga saves are still around. Though playing Valkyrie Profile 2 and Xenosaga has taken up most of my gaming time recently.

Thanks,

C.T.

[Suwako Moriya]

[ QUOTE ]
cxt217 said:
Hmmm...<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>For some reason I thought Claudia, Gray, Brau and Sylvan only left one space (Since you get Gray when you visit Melvir. I must be thinking of something wrong here.</span>

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, but you can remove <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>Gray</span> from the party.Where as the same is not true of <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>Brau and Sylvan</span> when playing <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>Claudia</span>. In point of fact most characters can be recruited again if you dismiss them or they die of LP death. It's just they take time to regenerate and appear at their recruitment location(s).

[Ty]

[ QUOTE ]
NickFalzarano said:
I'm still slogging through Final Fantasy Legend 2, as was suggested by you as a good game to start out on. I actually haven't been playing it recently though, perhaps why I'm still pretty early in the game; I started it months ago.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have fond memories of that game. Back when mindless leveling up was a fun way to waste a Sunday.

[Suwako Moriya]

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NickFalzarano said:
I'm still slogging through Final Fantasy Legend 2, as was suggested by you as a good game to start out on.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just curious, but what's your party make up? I tend to like use one of each race when playing the game. It's more fun that way for some reason. In the same way it's more fun to vary the classes used by your members in say Final Fantasy 5 for example.

[NickFalzarano]

[ QUOTE ]
Yuzu Hieda said:
[ QUOTE ]
NickFalzarano said:
I'm still slogging through Final Fantasy Legend 2, as was suggested by you as a good game to start out on.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just curious, but what's your party make up? I tend to like use one of each race when playing the game. It's more fun that way for some reason. In the same way it's more fun to vary the classes used by your members in say Final Fantasy 5 for example.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll just tell you what I named my characters and see if you can guess:

HuMa
MuMa
HuFe
Robo

[Suwako Moriya]

[ QUOTE ]
NickFalzarano said:
I'll just tell you what I named my characters and see if you can guess:

[/ QUOTE ]

Human Male, Mutant Male, Human Female, and Robot. I think you need more creative names than HuMa. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[Suwako Moriya]

I will now fulfill ADC's dream of seeing me reply to myself and thus talk to myself in this thread. Something I'm sure he was waiting for just to poke fun at me. :) Hey you can't say I'm not generous. Okay you can also say I'm cruel for waiting this long to do so. Ah whatever. It's not like I haven't done the same in the Tales and FF threads. Thus the short lived revival of the thread before it gets hit by Ultima and dies again. :)

In any case as indicated in the now playing thread I'm working on Katrina's quest of RS3. Because darn it if I'm going to recover lost saves then I may as well prioritize and work on the more important main. Besides I don't feel like doing all seven quests again due to lack of variety between the quests. Yes I said seven because in my mind Mikhail doesn't exist. For the record the party is Katrina, Tatyana, Robin, Fulbrite, and Zhiling. I've already gotten everyone together. Actually the only real obstacle was getting Zhiling due to the whole "You must complete these events before leaving" situation that I had to get myself into to get her. Of course now I have to think about how to build her up.

Either way the real purpose of this post was to actually praise Undine of Romancing SaGa 3. Hence why I'm replying to this thread it's not like I have a better place to put it. With that being said. She's extremely helpful for leveling up other members in the art of magical might. The main reason being she starts with high levels of water and plenty of JP often enough for a magic crown (-1 cost reduction to all spells). Which is easy to keep if you just have her stick to using magic.

Thus she can cast life water for free and she can use thunder clap to damage the entire group of enemies and hopefully finish them off fast. Meanwhile the rest of the party can stick to casting the basic spells that only cost a single JP. Granted this advantage does tend to wear thin once other members have built up their JP and the enemies starting to grow stronger in HP. Still she does serve her purpose early on a temp member and even as a permanent member.

On a final note hopefully whatever project the creator of the series is working on happens to be a SaGa game. I don't care if it is a remake or new. Okay granted if it was a remake of the first Romancing SaGa I'd roll my eyes since they just finished a massive remake of recently as in it came out here in 2005 recently. Heh I have a strange feeling that if it is a new SaGa game, I'll find out it's for a system I do not have yet. Heck knowing my luck I may even have to import and learn Japanese. Yeah I'm pessimistic.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, I'm nearly done with my play through of Claudia's quest in Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song. Ok, it's my second time playing as her, but whatever. By nearly done, I mean beating the final boss. I can still do other things beyond that.

Speaking of the final boss, I decided to try the guy. Apparently I learned that it was sheer recklessness to challenge a god. In other words, I ended up getting killed. I guess I'll have to get stronger and try again later.

[Suwako Moriya]

One of these days, I'm going to have a party where everyone is level 5 in their respective class. Although I've kind of running out of quests to get large Jewel rewards. So far only two characters are level 5. Well, maybe more would have been. However I missed a few quests. I got some characters outside skills.

Well, I guess I could fight some battles in order to gain jewels and at the same time raise some stats.That should make it much easier to deal with the final boss.

Although whether or not, I fight enough battles to reach the 5600+ I need to get a single character from level 4 to level 5 depends on my patience and such. There's also the idea of going back and forth through a room in order to repeatedly use Lurk and Move Silently, but that won't gain any stats.

The two characters at level 5 are Farah as SwordsWoman and Captain Silver as a Draconite. Farah's class was one of the cheaper ones.
Silver has the lowest BP regen of the party. So she kind of needed level 5 more anyone else.

Claudia might be the last I have reach level 5. She's got like 7+ BP Regen and her LP is like 17. Claudia is the all powerful!

Also, she has the best response to the final boss' rant. She essentially goes into scolding mode and finds his tantrum to be pathetic.

[cxt217]

Wow...Talking about resurrecting the dead (thread)...I actually have been thinking about really getting into Romancing Saga, the bobblehead-doll look not withstanding.

C.T.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, that takes care of Saruin. It essentially boiled down to better armor and making use of Hasten Time. Although I should have known the Phantom Warrior wasn't capable of properly using Fusion Spells. If I had then I wouldn't have bothered casting it.

Well, now that's completed and a new clear data has been formed... I guess I'll move on to a different game eventually. Whatever that may be. I'm tempted to replay Aisha, but I like the party I have for her. I also don't feel like replaying any of the others right now. I mainly went with Claudia because she's Claudia.

[Suwako Moriya]

Wow...Talking about resurrecting the dead (thread)...I actually have been thinking about really getting into Romancing Saga, the bobblehead-doll look not withstanding.

Heh, I got used to the look long ago. Or maybe I just didn't pay much my mind because I was focused on the idea of playing a more complete version that didn't require me to guess my way through.

On a side note, I have like ten saves for the game. One for each character save for Claudia. She has two, just so I can have an end save with Brau and Sylvan, along with one without. Also, I have a clear data save which I make use of. No way I'm going back to the days of not getting much in the way of Jewel rewards.

[cxt217]

Wow...Talking about resurrecting the dead (thread)...I actually have been thinking about really getting into Romancing Saga, the bobblehead-doll look not withstanding.

Heh, I got used to the look long ago. Or maybe I just didn't pay much my mind because I was focused on the idea of playing a more complete version that didn't require me to guess my way through.

You are a better gamer than me - that bobble-head doll style is disturbing to me on some many different levels. Not the most disturbing thing I ever saw in video or computer games, but pretty close.


On a side note, I have like ten saves for the game. One for each character save for Claudia. She has two, just so I can have an end save with Brau and Sylvan, along with one without. Also, I have a clear data save which I make use of. No way I'm going back to the days of not getting much in the way of Jewel rewards.

I think I can only play through some of the characters' story. Claudia is probably who I am going to play through first. I can not see myself playing through all the characters because I find too little interest in half of them - and I do not want to get stuck with the bug in Gray's path again, either.

C.T.

[Suwako Moriya]

I think I can only play through some of the characters' story. Claudia is probably who I am going to play through first.

Claudia was the eighth person that I played. I purposely started with Aisha and ended with Claudia. Mainly so both the first and last person I tried would be one I was fond of.

One nice thing about doing Claudia last is since the Jewel rewards had the benefit of eight play through sessions, I could better take advantage of Sylvan and Brau. Although for most people, it's better to just LP death them...


I can not see myself playing through all the characters because I find too little interest in half of them - and I do not want to get stuck with the bug in Gray's path again, either.

I don't think I ever ran into that bug in Gray's path. As for playing everyone, I mainly did it to see the bonus scene and to complete everyone. Although on replays, I'm like to just focus on select quests and not worry about being even anymore.

Speaking of the characters. I kind of wish they could have varied the responses of the characters that your main interacts. It seems like what the main says varies, but each main gets the same response 99% of the time. I think there might be select exceptions that's why I'm hesitant to say 100%

[Suwako Moriya]

Story Here (http://www.siliconera.com/2010/08/31/final-fantasy-legend-iii-remake-coming-to-nintendo-ds/)

Yes, that's right Saga 3 for the Game Boy released here as Final Fantasy Legend 3 is getting a remake for the DS. I suppose this means SaGa 2 DS must have done well enough.


You know, as long as they've already done the second game and are doing the third, they may as well do the first. Before anyone says it, no the WSC version does not count. Since it wouldn't be a DS remake anyway.

In any case, it will be curious to see what changes they'll make to this. As well as how the theme for the final boss will sound.

Also, we need a completely new SaGa game announced. I'd be half tempted to import these. Although I'm not sure how good I am guessing my way through games in Japanese.


Still the most major dream would be an Romancing SaGa 3 remake for PS3 that gives Tatyana Lasaiev a major role and then gets ported here. All so people can see her glory. Meanwhile, I'm also going to wish for impossible dreams as well.

[Suwako Moriya]

Reading this article (http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3181463) makes it clear there are some definite changes in store.


Like for example, there will be combos. There will be light bulbs. There will be stat increasing. Apparently, they're trying to make it closer to the other Saga games.

I really hope the whole "Square Enix only wants to release FF and KH here" is just an exaggeration fueled by pessimism and stuff like that.....

In any case, I'm going to go back to being bitter over the fact Square Enix doesn't want anyone in the U.S. to "Save the World".

[HitokiriShadow]

I really hope the whole "Square Enix only wants to release FF and KH here" is just an exaggeration fueled by pessimism and stuff like that.....


It's definitely an exaggeration. They also release Star Ocean and Dragon Quest games (or at least involved in some way with the release of some of them; Nintendo is heavily involved with those releases, so depending on what you mean by "released" they may be Nintendo games rather than Square Enix games), and they are releasing the Tactics Ogre PSP remake last year. However, I'm not getting my hopes up for the SaGa DS remakes, though I'd like to see them released here. Since nothing at all has been said about the first SaGa remake, I'm pretty pessimistic about the chances of either of them getting released here.

[Suwako Moriya]

I really hope the whole "Square Enix only wants to release FF and KH here" is just an exaggeration fueled by pessimism and stuff like that.....


It's definitely an exaggeration. They also release Star Ocean and Dragon Quest games (or at least involved in some way with the release of some of them; Nintendo is heavily involved with those releases, so depending on what you mean by "released" they may be Nintendo games rather than Square Enix games), and they are releasing the Tactics Ogre PSP remake last year. However, I'm not getting my hopes up for the SaGa DS remakes, though I'd like to see them released here. Since nothing at all has been said about the first SaGa remake, I'm pretty pessimistic about the chances of either of them getting released here.

I see then. Well, the lack of announcement for the first SaGa remake is quite telling and also depressing for me. Especially since SaGa 2 in some ways helped establish the series for me. SaGa 1 could almost be considered a rought draft version of the system that SaGa 2 made good use of.

I have considered the option of "import the games", but that means relying on guessing my way through. Although I suppose there's also the idea of hope for unofficial translations. It also has the problem that I'm sure even for games, importing is more expensive....

I guess for now, I'll just hope for some videos to be put up by people in the future. Speaking of which, I think SaGa 3 was supposed to be playable at TGS and it comes out this year. So hopefully this means, it won't be too long before videos show up.

[TJR]

I really hope the whole "Square Enix only wants to release FF and KH here" is just an exaggeration fueled by pessimism and stuff like that.....

Well, there's the Eidos stuff, as well as some US publishing efforts like Supreme Commander 2 and Dungeon Siege 3. That's the big focus right now.

In the scheme of things, I don't think that even Final Fantasy (which won't sustain them in the long run) is very interesting to them anymore. Not from a worldwide point of view, anyway.

or at least involved in some way with the release of some of them; Nintendo is heavily involved with those releases, so depending on what you mean by "released" they may be Nintendo games rather than Square Enix games

Yeah, they were hoping that Nintendo's brand and marketing muscle would help DQ. Sadly, I don't think it worked (and in any case, I doubt Nintendo of America is particularly interested in these types of games).

[Suwako Moriya]

According this (http://www.cubed3.com/news/14649), the game will be out in Winter 2010. In Japan, of course. Also it contains a youtube trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAAbbTtrk-M) showing off a bit of the game.

A chance to hear a few of the tunes from the game. Was hoping for the Talon Theme or the theme of the one that will rule this world, but it figures they wouldn't be revealed this soon.

[Suwako Moriya]

So then I discovered that someone on youtube has been putting up voice collections from Unlimited SaGa. Such as one for the villains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG1ywWRXjv8) for example.

Which is good to double check some lines, but here is the thing. Some lines I've heard quite a bit such as opening battle lines.

Some lines are hard to get since they only happen if the battle lasts long enough and goes a certain way. In many cases, you'll kill the boss or die before they happen....

There are lines like the one that starts with "Calm Down" that I can't really place.

There's also one line that I'm not sure can even happen in the game. It's the one that goes "We meet again", but the person they're talking to can't even be used against them.

Note both examples are for Phantom aka Night of the Roundtable. On to another issue.

The fun part is figuring out the exact dialog used for Mythe's final boss tune aka BT. Ver 8. Which I believes goes something like this.



I begin to float up and away from my body. As my brain soon fell in grip of giant vice. Floating higher and higher. It's a wonderful view. All of my most sensitive areas are in flames. I experience hope. A tingling sensation.

This is the first part covering the lady speaking. I think I have most of it right, but the last two I'm not 100% sure on. In any case, it sounds like it mostly boils down this.

Someone is apparently talking about her experience after becoming a corpse and I'm guessing her corpse got burned. I'm pretty sure it's about being dead.


Now the second part with the guy speaking goes as follows.


You'll feel helpless because your best friends are savages. So be it, you have control of the world but I will rule the universe. The power of sword and axe

It's pretty easy to figure out the basic meaning behind this. Arrogant being that thinks lowly of others. One that's power mad too. Also, I suppose the sword and axe part is metaphor for using "force" to control others.


Yeah, so I made a long post a on game that's several years old and one where I may be the only one here who has beaten it. Yes, more evidence that I'm weird.

[Suwako Moriya]

So on the official site (http://www.square-enix.co.jp/saga3sol/), you can see how the cast appears in this version of the game or at least some of the cast under the character section.

There's nothing like better graphics to make things more obvious. For example, I never realized until now that Faye (???) was is wearing a "sister" outfit when she's older.

Yeah, you can see younger and older versions of select characters. Such as Faye and Lara. Speaking of Lara, it's even clearer now that she's a mutant or rather esper. A lot easier to see the ears.

In any case, I like the remake versions a lot better. Especially of the two female leads. Still there is the most important question ever. Sireugh aka Sharon or Milfie aka Gloria?

On a side note, I find it funny that I'm currently watching an anime where the Espers fall under science. Yet in a game series that I play the Espers are closer to being magic. Yeah, funny how that works.

[Suwako Moriya]

So on the official site (http://www.square-enix.co.jp/saga3sol/),

Speaking of said site, there's a new trailer up under special. Hint, it's the one on the left. As per usual random scenes, showing of some of the things you can do, text that I can't read, etc.

Now here's the fun part. The first tune, I can't recognize. Maybe it's changed too much, maybe it's not one of the more memorable ones. Or it could be completely new.


However the real fun is with the second tune used. It's clearly the final boss tune of the game. Except it seems to be much stronger this time. Which is to be expect, we're talking DS as opposed to GB. Also, it seems like they might be making it longer. Will be curious to see what the full version is like.

[Suwako Moriya]

For the record, this is the Gameboy version we're talking about here. Not like I can play the DS version. Plus, playing that version will until such time as a miracle happens require going down one of two paths. Meh, maybe if I'm lucky there will be game play videos.

In any case, I've decided on replaying this, and I plan to make use of the other races this time around. Ie, I plan a party of Cyborg, Beast, Monster, and Robot. I just need to decide which character will take on which role.

As of current, I'm still early on in the game. Which means learning of the plot and being told to get myself a float spell. Also, as indicated I still need to set up the characters into their new lives.

[Suwako Moriya]

You know, I don't mind the cost of buying the upgrades to make a robot stronger. However I would like to have an actual robot in my party. I seem to suck at getting the parts I need.


In any case, the plan is this. Arthur is to become a cyborg. I had him as a beast, but it makes more sense for him to be a cyborg. Sharon will hopefully get to be a robot soon.

Gloria is as of current a monster, and Curtis has become a beast. One downside to a beast changing form at level ups is just that. What happens if you get used to the one you had and like the sprite?

Heck, when play FFL2, I always tended to want my monster to become a fairy type because fairies are more pleasing to look at. Plus, I can trick myself into thinking it's female.

In any case, I currently have Lara in the party. So that should give a basic idea. Once Sharon does finally become a robot, it will be fun to see just how deadly she'll be after proper upgrades.

I will confess part of the reason for choosing the mutants (espers) to be the monster and beast is because all four are better at magic than cyborgs and robots. Especially robots, since they can't use most magic.

[Suwako Moriya]

Article (http://www.siliconera.com/2010/12/29/saga-creator-says-it-is-his-duty-to-make-romancing-saga-4/)

Not exactly an announcement, but apparently the creator of the series has an interest in there being a Romancing SaGa 4. All I have to say to that is the following.

Fulfill your destiny and make it. That is all. Oh, and it would be nice if a remake of SaGa 1 could be announced. Having just 2 and 3 without 1 feels rather odd to me.

[LordGeo]

Oh, and it would be nice if a remake of SaGa 1 could be announced. Having just 2 and 3 without 1 feels rather odd to me.

SaGa 1 was remade... On the Wonderswan Color. That's why the DS got remakes of SaGa 2 & 3.

[Suwako Moriya]

Oh, and it would be nice if a remake of SaGa 1 could be announced. Having just 2 and 3 without 1 feels rather odd to me.

SaGa 1 was remade... On the Wonderswan Color. That's why the DS got remakes of SaGa 2 & 3.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I know the game was remade for the Wonderswan Color. However I still want a remake for the DS. A remake that does more than give a graphical upgrade. The type that overhauls the game and hopefully leads to a better experience.

One thing to keep in mind is that I don't own a Wonderswan color. Sure, if the game came out for the DS, I'd possibly have to import it. However at least I own a DS to play such a game on.

That and I figure it this way. It's not like Final Fantasy 4 being on the Wonderswan Color made it impossible for the game to be on the GBA, DS, and PSP.

[LordGeo]

That and I figure it this way. It's not like Final Fantasy 4 being on the Wonderswan Color made it impossible for the game to be on the GBA, DS, and PSP.

Well, it's not exactly a good comparison as you're comparing one of the most-beloved Final Fantasy games to a title from a smaller-name, though still great, series whose only real fame is that it's the first ever game in said series.

Which one is obviously more milk-friendly? Now if SE actually released SaGa 2 and 3 over here then I'd be all over buying them... But SE seems to have given up when it comes to the SaGa series outside of Japan.

[Suwako Moriya]

That and I figure it this way. It's not like Final Fantasy 4 being on the Wonderswan Color made it impossible for the game to be on the GBA, DS, and PSP.

Well, it's not exactly a good comparison as you're comparing one of the most-beloved Final Fantasy games to a title from a smaller-name, though still great, series whose only real fame is that it's the first ever game in said series.

Which one is obviously more milk-friendly? Now if SE actually released SaGa 2 and 3 over here then I'd be all over buying them... But SE seems to have given up when it comes to the SaGa series outside of Japan.


It's a good enough comparison for the point I'm trying to make. I'm not claiming that the FF4 scenario means that SaGa 1 is destined to get a DS remake. I'm only pointing out that a WSC version is not the kiss of death.

Now it is possible that Square Enix has decided to never remake SaGa 1 for the DS, but that decision may actually have nothing to do with the fact it has a WSC version.

Final Fantasy 4 definitely holds a special place for many people, but then again the same can be said for a lot of FF games. Actually, there are times it can get confusing as to the popularity level of each game.

Come to think of it, there are no guarantees in the remake world for FF either. As one can see by way of looking at FF1-6 and seeing which are on the DS and which are on the PSP.

[Suwako Moriya]

At long last, I have my Robot and have upgraded her nicely. Her, since Sharon gets to be the robot. She's got plenty of HP and strength. I just need to upgrade her speed as well. She should in theory be the main damager of the party for awhile.

I love how at least in the area was fighting in enemy after enemy fell from "stone gaze". Not that I have it anymore since I changed Gloria's form for now anyway.

I suppose I'll start moving forward soon, now that I've got the main goal taken care of. Which is conversion of the four into other races.

[Suwako Moriya]

One advantage the Robot has over the other optional races is that thanks to capsules, it's grow in power is not as limited as the other races are. As such, it's the main source of damage for the power.

Ashura, you used to be a late term boss, but now you're just an early obstacle to deal with.

It seems part of the strategy might involve switching forms, not so much to do extra damage, but to stop being weak against the main type of attack that boss is using.

[Suwako Moriya]

It seems the "Monster" is the most limited. As it can't even rely on so much as equipment. Then again unlike robots, it can actually use magic. So maybe it's not so limited after all.

In any case, I'm finally in the future! A future that's great for those who love the idea of traveling across vast stretches of water.

Speaking of water, I've always hated searching under water for things in games. I tend to get lost and go in circles quite a bit.

[Suwako Moriya]

This be the sub threads for comments on the game. Not much to say right now. Since until a "translation" exists, my ability to play will be limited regardless of method used. In any case, a few things to note.

1. Traveling is more stream-lined now. You use things like float automatically.

2. It's definitely more SaGa like. Such as leveling up skills in weapons and raising stats.

3. Actually, it will tell you if a stat raised in the middle of battle. Ie when the character takes action, there's a chance of a raise based on what's happening. Once a character was said to have gained HP. That character died during the battle. The HP still raised.

4. Someone at another board mentioned that humans can become espers and vice versa.

5. The enemies seem to be stronger or maybe you start off weaker.

6. There's no more jumping! Well, maybe there will be in the future. For all I know there might be a skill set like Romancing SaGa ~Minstrel Song~, but so far no jumping.

7. The talon theme's new version makes the sad and desperate aspect of the tune clearer.

8. Already, there's indication that all four members will have dialog.

[Suwako Moriya]

Official Page With Samples of the Soundtrack (http://www.square-enix.co.jp/music/sem/page/saga3/)

Some familiar tunes. Some new tunes. Some tunes that may have changed enough to no longer be recognizable, maybe. However here is the fun part.

Listen to track 22 and 23. Notice something? Both of them are based on the final boss tune of the original game, but there are definite difference between both of them.

It almost sounds like the second tune is meant to be akin to one of those tunes that starts playing when the battle reaches the next stage. If that means what I think it means then err things are going to be different this time around.

Clearly someone is probably extra desperate to do the things that final bosses like to do. Well, one of the things anyway.

[Suwako Moriya]

You can actually have the fifth member as your on screen character. Speaking of which, I have Freyja now!

*Goes to fight boss afterward* Yeah, the bosses in general are stronger now.:sweat:

I really hope this game allows you to reuse guest characters even if it's just for side quests. Would give me an excuse to stare at err study Freyja a bit more.

[Suwako Moriya]

Yay! I get to hear the theme of another dimension more often than before! Yeah, that should give an idea how far I am.

So far my play through with other races has told me the following. That it is indeed plausible to win with those races. However your victory will come by much slower.

Well, the robot can cheat by buying its way to victory. However most of the other races seems to be limited in terms of damage. Maybe, I'm using the wrong type of weapon for the Cyborg. I'll have to check that later.

[Suwako Moriya]

In spite of the language barrier, I'm getting the hang of things. I've definitely learned a few tricks of the trade.

1: It may be good to keep weaker weapons for leveling up purposes. Since it's each time you do an action that the chance to gain an increase comes up.

2: If you're going to grind for money, using cheaper weapons and magic is better since they cost less to repair than higher class weapons.

3: It definitely pays to actually use abilities. My repeated healing for the heck of it is paying off as now I can heal everyone at once.

So as of current, I'm in float land. Mainly trying to get some new and stronger weapons. I'm also leveling up my magic. May as well since it costs less to use it. Again, the number I mentioned earlier.

[Suwako Moriya]

And thus with a mixed party involving the other races the final boss has been defeated. Although I still had to rely on those really fancy swords. Well, except for Gloria, but then again someone needed to do the healing anyway.

It seems the other races are mainly meant for low level games more than anything else. In the long run, Humans and Mutants (Espers) tend to be more damaging.

Now then, I just need to beat the other version and that will hopefully be done soon enough.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, they definitely revamped the final boss battle. The final boss who I will refer to as X. Wait, do I really need to keep the name a secret? Regardless, here goes.

X is now red in its first form and you have a fancy background this time. As X gets damaged, it starts to change.

X eventually turns into a purple form and you have those mouths. It also can now create mini versions of itself. So now you have additional problems to deal with. It also has more attacks in general.

Once you beat this form, you've won the game! Or not because it now merges with that thing and it becomes surrounded by water. Oh, and it's stronger now. Also, this is where True Divine Battle plays.

Doubt I got the best or full ending, but that's to be expected guessing my way through things and relying on knowledge of the original. Still over all, it's definitely the better version of the game to me.

I especially like how they altered the races. It's more balanced and you can as mentioned before have the races work together. Become a beast to work on spears, be an esper to work on magic, etc.

Now if only this would come out here. Yeah, I know, I ask for the impossible.

Regardless the end result is thanks to this version, SaGa 3 doesn't feel out of place in the series anymore. Although the original did have its charm. And keep in mind, I played both versions side by side. Well, not literally, but close enough/

[Suwako Moriya]

For anyone curious as to what the updated version of the final boss is like, I shall provide a video in two part. Mostly due to the fact it's too long to be a single video on youtube.

Final Battle Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4begsMnlPu4)

Final Battle Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA5Byd0XVxk)

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, that's interesting. I already knew this version had multiple endings and optional side quests. However I just learned that there is apparently a "True Final Boss".

Wait! What? Now this I've got to figure out how to get to see and eventually see this. Well, maybe if I'm lucky, someone will put up videos of whatever this is supposed to be.

Note, I won't say who the true final boss is out in the open to avoid spoilers. I also won't say under tags because I have no idea who it is yet, but I can probably speculate.

[Suwako Moriya]

Well, thanks to help with viewing the video on the link (http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm13607112), I've finally gotten to see who the true final boss is. A few things first.

1. It would be nice if they didn't put some random doll in front of the video on occasion. Not that I can read Japanese, but even so...

2. I am now confused. It's a scenario I've seen play out before, but the reasons for it tend to vary.

3. It does seem like regardless what triggers being able to face it, it happens after the credits. So you still face the traditional one, I believe. Not that I bothered checking out earlier parts to be sure.

Now to switch to spoiler mode.

So it turns out that Volaju (Borgin) is both the Wanderer and the final boss. As for why you fight him, it's hard to say. It could be anything from....

"Being possessed" to "Being corrupted" to "Always having been evil" to "Nothing more than a test battle" to "Defeat me for the greater good".

[Suwako Moriya]

Yes, I have been playing through this on occasion for awhile. My most recent event involved Guardians, a Ninja, and Lin to give an idea.

My party consists of a blue haired female Esper named Yuno. A red haired human female named Miyako. Hiro is a monster that I want to end up as a fairy type on the long run. Sae is revealed to be a robot. Yeah, so it's a screwed up theme.

Humans definitely level up much faster. 10% chance of stat gain as opposed to only 5%. As it stands Yuno has under 500 HP, but Miyako has over 1,000.

Nice thing through is that Yuno knows Cure now. I'm definitely keeping that as it will prove useful in many different instances.

Sae is finally set up in a way that she has decent def, agi, and str. As opposed to being lacking in one of the areas. I figure a good balance is for the best.

Combos are interesting in that they result in alternate versions of attacks. Such as using "firaga" instead of fire. Or using "earth slash" instead of the normal slash.

Which attack depends on where you are in a combo chain. Of which the highest that I've seen is four. I guess the guest character can't be part of a chain?

What's even more fun is I choose to link attacks, it results in turns activating earlier. So by letting Yuno link with Miyako, she can skip past say four people that would have gone before had I not.


Well, hopefully over time I'll finish this and get an idea as to how strong the final boss is in terms of the updated version. Which is the one I should face since I think I have used destiny threads.

Maybe next time, I'll avoid the Muse stuff all together and try to get the original version. Or hope someone will put up a video of that.

[Suwako Moriya]

One problem with going into an almost pe-set battle in the hopes of gaining a stronger monster form is hoping that your monster will actually survive the battle.

Well, in my last attempt, no meat was dropped. However Yuno ended up gaining "Heal" which is like the Heal Staff ability.

An ability like that I'm not giving up. Speaking of which since there's always a risk for one of four abilities to be lost, I have to decide which to risk.

I'm going to risk "Protection Against Poison" as it only really defends against a single status effect and one that's not that dangerous in the long run.

The other status defense ability I have protects against every status effect except Poison and Petrify. So it's better to keep that.

With both Heal and Cure, my Esper will be good at keeping my HP hopefully. Wait, it's almost like Yuno's become a White Mage.

Hmm, I can always rely on spell books for attacking and such if need be. Not like it's impossible to gain money in this game.

Oh, and I'm currently going through Venus' world.

[Suwako Moriya]

Even in this version, Venus is annoying. Figures since she has temptation and the aegis shield. It's fun begging her to use something us. The value of martial arts can not be denied because with their help, she eventually expired.

I should take care of the Dragon Races, but I think the first I'll do is "use up" some of my weapons as a means of leveling up and then buy a new supply of them.

Meh, I need to find FAQs on how to get some of the Muses. So that I can perhaps see them act in battle. Especially if any of them fall under the category of cute girls.

[Suwako Moriya]

So now I'm the Edo world. I wonder if bananas will still be illegal.:P

In any case, I'm sure with some preparation, I should be able to handle this world. The real issue is going to be with building up funds.

Ie, I have a desire to buy some of the armor. Also, buy some Flare Books for future use. Mostly for the sake of getting through the final dungeon as a crowd clearer.

If I had better luck with monsters, I'd make sure Hiro was a "Fairy Type" monster as often as possible. They're my favorite of the monsters.

Yeah, I need to fight battles. Get money, raise some stats, get better equipment, hope for better monster form, etc.

[Suwako Moriya]

At last, I got to be Fairy type monster again and this time it's known as Faerie. Yeah, go figure on that one. Now to avoid eating meat like the plague. At least until I'm sure there's a higher level Fairy to become in a later world.

I think I'll go back to the Race Town. Mostly because it often gives groups of enemies that can easily be killed by multi-target spells. Which results in more money being made faster.

Also, I finally figured out where some of the Muses are and started giving them gifts. SaGa 2 DS, the game where someone decided the original didn't have enough Goddesses.

Finally, I'm not sure how much having no defensive equipment on actually helps, but I love watching my Esper increase in natural defense. Sometimes multiple times in a row. Yet another reason for shields.

[Suwako Moriya]

The main thing that makes the Nasty Dungeon nasty is the amount of stuff there seems to be more than I can hold forcing multiple trips if I want everything.

In any case, I also went through the Final Dungeon which is not actually the final dungeon of the game, but err ignore that fact.

They weren't kidding about the newer version of Arsenal (Last Defense System) being stronger. Stupid Double Star Buster...

[Suwako Moriya]

I probably should have brought more physical weapons, but the end result is the boss (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UakPKeC_BYc) is dead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0iivZrdBnM).

The main danger came from the fact my healer would sometimes go before and sometimes go after the boss. Sure that leads to some lucky just in time moments, but other times it results in the turn trap.

Turn Trap: Boss takes his turn after your healer in round A and then takes his turn before your healer in Round B. Thus resulting in pain.

All right then, Square Enix, you know what needs to happen next.