Trusty Bell! ...ur, I mean...

[Shikamaru824]

Eternal Sonata <-- Because there weren't enough syllables!

So the game's coming out tomorrow (US), I went to my Gamestop today to pay off the rest of my preorder. As I did, the guy asked if I got my faceplate yet. Said "No" and he proceeded to show me what he had. And OF COURSE, somebody already took Polka! :cry: I asked if they had anymore, but he said they only got one of each; so I guess only the first five (well, three now) peeps are going to get a faceplate. And in case you're wondering, I picked Salsa & March.

I'll talk about the game when I get it, but until then:

Anybody have a Polka they don't want??? :(

[distantmantra]

Let us know how it is, I'll be waiting impatiently until 2008 for the PS3 version.

[ADC]

Let us know how it is, I'll be waiting impatiently until 2008 for the PS3 version.
I'll include myself in 'us,' after seeing Gamespot's 8.5 review of the 360 version.

[Soulblazer]

Hopefully an announcement is made on whether it is going to be released in the US before the 360 copies disappear. There have been RPG's that have only been ported in Japan before...Tales of Symphonia from the Gamecube to PS2 for example.

[distantmantra]

Hopefully an announcement is made on whether it is going to be released in the US before the 360 copies disappear. There have been RPG's that have only been ported in Japan before...Tales of Symphonia from the Gamecube to PS2 for example.

Namco's Eternal Sonata website has said "coming soon to the PS3" a few times in the recent past, with the last occurrence being last week. I'm sure we'll be getting it.

[Shikamaru824]

Just got home from picking up the game, will play today and tonight and give my opinions later.

Also in more happy news, I've procured myself THREE of the five faceplates since yesterday - including Polka! I'm a content anime gamer :neko:

[Johnny]

Played through the Japanese version (Trusty Bell!) when it came out a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Gorgeous visuals, an interesting story and a decent battle system as well as memorable characters.

Can't remember much about my party though :sd: Digi will remind me of the pink haired chick I liked though ;)

[Shikamaru824]

Can't remember much about my party though :sd: Digi will remind me of the pink haired chick I liked though ;)

Yeah, I don't know who she is yet either, but she's currently my 360 Gamer Pic :P

So in about a half hour of playing, I already love Polka - truly a character that makes you want to protect her. Before I get to far into the game, I want to experience the JP track; see which I like better. Will continue once my brother finishes his Front Mission 4 session.

[HitokiriShadow]

Hopefully an announcement is made on whether it is going to be released in the US before the 360 copies disappear. There have been RPG's that have only been ported in Japan before...Tales of Symphonia from the Gamecube to PS2 for example.

Namco's Eternal Sonata website has said "coming soon to the PS3" a few times in the recent past, with the last occurrence being last week. I'm sure we'll be getting it.

I was a bit concerned this might be one of those occasions where we don't see the port, but if the English website says that, I guess there isn't much to worry about. Well, that's one less reason to get 360 and one more to get a PS3.

[Shikamaru824]

Alright, played about four hours tonight; here's whats up:

Storyline: I think everybody has an idea already what this game is about, so I won't give an overview. I WILL say the game starts in a very depressing manner - if everything else sucked about the game, I would still trudge through to see what would ultimately happen. But anyway, most of the time is spent in the "dream" world. Cutting away at times to "real life" Chopin lying in bed sick, for story purposes. And then at random parts of the story, the game shows us Actual, Real Life pictures of various parts of Europe; and in the background a Chopin piece is playing. During this part, subtitles are used to give background and history about the particular piece currently playing. It seems out-of-place at first, but Chopin is so good that it's actually nice rest and breather from all the battles you've just fought. Not to mention learning a little bit about the pieces themselves, and Chopin's condition at the time. Definitely a twist for the genre, but so far I like how it's been implemented.

Gameplay

BATTLE - For those that didn't play the demo, Battles happen in Tactical Time (TT) and Action Gauge (AG). When a battle starts, your TT will tick down - you use this time to think up a plan of attack. At the beginning of the game, TT is unlimited; so as long as you don't move you can take all the time you want to think up a battle strategy. Once your TT expires (or you move on lower Battle lvls), the AG will start and tick down until it hits zero, ending that character's turn. All the action takes place during AG; fighting, spells, healing, pictures, etc. Once you get some battles under your belt, your Party Battle Level will increase. Fighting at a higher party level will force you to "think on your feet" more then standing and thinking up a strategy. But in return for less strategy time, you get bonuses in actual battle. (ie. Ability to counter-attack, faster movement speed in battle, etc.) I'm pretty sure you can set your Battle level to whatever you feel most comfortable with. (you don't HAVE to play at a higher level)

Another feature of battle is the "Guard" mechanic, where with good timing, you can lessen an enemy's attack damage on you. This is where you should focus and really pay attention to early on, IMO. It may only be a difference of 20-70 damage during regular battles; but bosses can wipe you out with a couple of good swings if you can't guard. A guarded boss attack will probably get you like 50-150 damage; whereas unguarded can easily put you in the 300-800+ damage range. And I'm pretty sure that just mashing the guard button doesn't work, you need to have the timing.

More impression tomorrow, sleepy time now.

But if you have any specifics you want answered, fire away!

[Shikamaru824]

Alright, continuing...

Gameplay

MOVEMENT - For those wondering if there is an overworld in the traditional sense, you're gonna be disappointed. The game is compromised of only fields (dungeons) and Towns; ala FFX. (granted, only 4 hrs. in; but I don't think the formula is changing) But so far, I could care less; the environments are Gorgeous! Everything is so pretty and serene that I really don't mind that there is no "overworld".

CAMERA - Immovable. No shifting the camera around to see hidden paths, you gotta do it the old fashion way - concentrating on the environment and investigating every nook and cranny. You CAN change the camera angle during battles, but you can't move it at your own will. Personally, I love the old school way; not having control of the camera is one less thing I have to manage. Plus it lets me really enjoy the colorful atmosphere.

MONEY (Gold) - Might be the only "broken" part of the game, but it's a bit early to tell. But if it is going to be broken, it will be messed up in your favor. Money dropped in battles (from monsters) is pretty conservative. But remember how I said you can take "pictures" in battle? Well, you can sell those photos for money... An absorbent amount of money. You can hold up to 12 photos at a time (so far), I just save up my spaces for a boss fight and fill those 12 spaces with pics of the boss. Why? Pictures of Bosses are worth more then regular enemies. Against the last boss I fought, I made about 100k. Now, maybe I'll go thru that money quick, we'll see.

The Arts

MUSIC - Of course, all the Chopin interludes are perfection. The music in the game is pretty good too, On the field, in battle, or in a town, everything is above average to great IMO. My personal fav. so far being the whimsical tune of Tenuto.

DESIGNS - Very impressed with the art style of Trusty Bell. From the Flower field of Tenuto, to Polka's Twin Pigtails of braids, straight, then curly; everything is a visual delight. The only thing to be picky about would be the character model itself. They don't have the characters' arms at their sides; they're always a little away from the sides. Basically, someone could say the characters look awkward and they wouldn't be wrong. But to me, that's the style of the game.

ACTING - Voice acting is pretty good, as expected from Sam Regal direction. Personal Favorite right now is Patrick Seitz (Chopin); although Erin Fitzgerald has a genuinely great voice for Polka. We'll see if these favs hold up as I play more.


Well, that's all I can think about right now. Overall, I think I'm going to enjoy this more then Blue Dragon. I want to get to the 10-hour mark before going back to beating Wild Arms 5.

[Shikamaru824]

I was a bit concerned this might be one of those occasions where we don't see the port, but if the English website says that, I guess there isn't much to worry about. Well, that's one less reason to get 360 and one more to get a PS3.

For me, I had the opportunity to get a 360 for half-price a month or so before Blue Dragon & Trusty Bell were going to be released. And the way I see it, if Xbox wants to finally release JRPG games in the US, then I don't mind sending some money their way for the games I want.

But more to the point, the PS3 is going to get more then just a port - a couple of new playable characters and additional event scenes are planned for the PS3 version. So playing the waiting game seems like it's going to pay off for this game. Hell, if I continue to enjoy this game; I will have no reservations buying the game again on the PS3 ...once I get a PS3 :P

[DiGiKerot]

Well, that's all I can think about right now. Overall, I think I'm going to enjoy this more then Blue Dragon. I want to get to the 10-hour mark before going back to beating Wild Arms 5.

You may as well just clear Eternal Sonata first, given it's only around 20 hours (given 4-5 hours either way depending on how you play).

[MalrocK]

Well I got my LE faceplate and of course it isn't the one I wanted :sd: Anyone want to trade? I have #2 out of 5, Beat. Message me if you have any of the others, i'm really looking for polka :)

[malazar]

When I picked up my preorder, the guy gave me two faceplates. One of them was Salsa and March. The other one was Polka. :D

[MalrocK]

When I picked up my preorder, the guy gave me two faceplates. One of them was Salsa and March. The other one was Polka. :D

You bastard!! Trade me your Polka for my Beat :) You don't need two :)

edit: nevermind, I just won an auction for the Polka faceplate on ebay. If anyone wants to buy a Beat faceplate just let me know :)