Romancing SaGa

[Chux]

I can't get into SaGa games, period. I tried Frontier, and Unlimited and well fuck you too little too late.

[Thief Silver]

uhm...did everyone forget that there were saga games on the superfamicom? i think there were like...3 of them. i have no idea how they played, though.

They were never released in America, and this is a remake of the first one I believe. We know they exist, they just still weren't that good.

[Finch]

I loved FFLegend 3. It was all weird, with time travel and what-not. FFL was :O, FFL 2 was :3, FFL3 was XD, SaGa Frontier was :D, SGF2 was >:D, and ULS was >XD
The SaGa series always seems like it's only a couple of steps away from genius, which makes it always seem like a weird pile to nearly everyone. Yeah, it is, so SHUT UP, YOU'RE WRONG! I like it for the bizarre stuff that it is. I'm glad there are a few weird companies out there who sell games that only i'll buy. :D Square-Enix, Natsume, and Atlus are my friends.

[Chux]

If I could get a remake of FFL2 and FFL3 I would go apeshit crazy.

[sethsez]

The SaGa series always seems like it's only a couple of steps away from genius

I actually agree with this. The problem is that those couple steps are ALL execution. The idea could be fantastic if they were handled with more care, but every SaGa game feels like a proof of concept rather than the actual thing.

Final Fantasy Legend II was kinda fun, but only because there weren't many RPGs on the system at the time (and the music was fantastic). I don't dare try to play through it again.

[Thief Silver]

Finch passes to Sethsez, and sethsez scores the winning goal in evaluating the series.

[Finch]

Dun dun dun... Two weeks later and i still like Romancing SaGa. It's stealing my attention from DDS 2 now. I've put about 15 hours of wandering, talking, and occasionally finding something i'm SUPPOSED to do. It's fantastic if you like the wandering, but i'm sure that's what most people will hate. Occasionally you are told where you're SUPPOSED to go. With the quest i'm playing (green girl) it's side quest after side quest and finding yet another side quest. I'm not even sure what i should to be doing right now. At least the maps are pretty big and there are a lot of towns. Good for town-loving me.
What i really don't like is that you can only have 5 people with you at once. In SF you could have 15, you just had to limit who you took into battles. I think it was that way for US as well. Not sure. It is neat to see the other characters around the game world and what they're after.
Also, the map system needs work. It's easy enough to make it from map entrance to exit, but it'd be better if i could see the other maps in each field, like Shin MegaTen allows.

It's closer to SaGa Frontier than anything released state-side. If you enjoyed that one, this one's the proper evolution 10 years later. Everyone else. Stay away.
Now... I want Romancing SaGa 2 and 3. And Live a Live. And Bahamut Lagoon. And god damn Egg Monster Hero. And Seiken Densetsu 3. And Racing Lagoon. Har, har, just kidding about that last one.

[ssbomberman]

I'm reviewing it now and having a lot of trouble. The system is so unusual. I mean like no RPG I ever played. Period. Not that that is a bad thing AND I do like the battle system, but no leveling up (the stat bonuses at the end of battle seem so random)? Plus there is just so much you have to do to learn new spells, skills, etc. They make it such a chore. I'm on Gray's quest and sludging through it.

Yeah to be honest it was a really bad idea to release this over here, this is a very Japanese game, Americans do not want this type of experience in their RPGs, though I am in no way trashing the whole thing, as I said, the battle system is kinda cool and the freedom is refreshing, except I feel like I have no purpose but I suppose that is the goal. I want to save the world dammit!

Finch, some questions for you:

¥ What is the best way to learn new skills with weapons? Like I picked classes and what's next? I have a katana user, so do I just keep using the Katana over and over to gain new skills in that weapon?

¥ How do I gain proficiency in spell areas, for instance I have a fire user, but how do I get her to be able to use other elementals?

¥ Is there any set way to know that you are going to gain stat points at the end of battle? Any way to influence what areas get boosted?

¥ Any other advice to make my adventure better?

ssb

[Finch]

Yeah to be honest it was a really bad idea to release this over here, this is a very Japanese game, Americans do not want this type of experience in their RPGs,

=_= Nooooooo! I was almost certain it wouldn't make it over and really surprised when they showed it at E3. I surprised they allowed a SaGa after they figured out Frontier only sold because they were still riding on FF VII, even more that they even THOUGHT about releasing UNLIMITED Saga. I guess all 10 copies each one sells allows enough budget to support a translator and 3 voice actors. Yay for me and 9 other people.

What is the best way to learn new skills with weapons? Like I picked classes and what's next? I have a katana user, so do I just keep using the Katana over and over to gain new skills in that weapon?

Make sure your character learns the class with the appropriate weapon skill and keep leveling up that class until you can level up individual skills. Skills get expensive after the 2nd level, but just keep them leveled up when you can. After that, use the weapon until you learn new skills. It happens pretty frequently. Now, i think, but i'm not sure, that higher weapon levels will mean that high bp weapon skills will cause less bp, but i've seen little evidence of this. It could be my main character's ranger class that keeps the bp lower. I'll tell you when i figure out.
Stat droppers work well in this game, for you and for the enemy. Lots of techniques use them, so pay attention to what does what.
Also make sure your character has the basic map skills to climb, jump, find treasure, etc. and level that stuff up when you get the chance. It really sucks when you can't progress or find money.

¥ How do I gain proficiency in spell areas, for instance I have a fire user, but how do I get her to be able to use other elementals?

You have to buy the skill class. Remember that you can't have opposing spells
at the same time. Fire and Water are obvious enough, but i forget the others. If it's not in your notes (check the menu screen) tell me and i'll check when i'm at home. (at work, but none of my students showed today. >:| )

¥ Is there any set way to know that you are going to gain stat points at the end of battle? Any way to influence what areas get boosted?

It's automatic. You can influence it through weapons and spells, but i have no idea what does what. I think heavy weapons raise strength, but again, i'm not sure.

¥ Any other advice to make my adventure better?

Try playing a little more. Wander around, talk to people. It's not the type of game that most people will enjoy, but sometimes it just clicks. With SaGa Frontier, i hated it for about 3 hours, then i started loving it. I'm not sure what made me like it, but i've been a fan of the series ever since. Maybe you just have to like really old-school rpg's. I play a lot of the Mysterious Dungeon series and enjoy level-slogging games like the first Digital Devil Saga.

There's a lot to Romancing SaGa, but it's so poorly documented i don't think anyone who can't read the Japanese Ultimania guide will ever get what's really going on (that includes me). Check the gamefaqs boards. From what i've read, the Brady guide blows.

[ssbomberman]

Ok so I encountered the first major glitch in a RPG for me in a while. Read about it on Gamefaqs cause I was going crazy. In gray's quest you have to do a bunch of things and then talk to a guy in town and hop on a boat to go to another town. This is right in the beginning. Well it seems that even if you fulfill the needed things and you go into town and don't board the ship then (like I left town to go fight some more). Once you re-enter the town the ship never returns. Doh!

I have to restart and try the Albert scenario. I am really liking the battle system, I just think it needs more direction. Finch, thanks for the advice.

ssb