Skies of Arcadia (spoilers included) How good is it really?

[lilman]

I've played Skies through 5 times (three on DC and Legends twice) and its still as brilliant as the first time through.

I make that about 250 hours, only PSO has given me more.

[ExpertKing]

I remember speaking to one of the localisation team on the IGN import boards years ago.And she was really enthusiastic about the worked they had done so far..(They main localiser being resonsible for the Panzer Dragoon Saga project).

Anyway they raved about the game , so I picked up Eternal Arcadia ( Jpn) version whilst the US one was being worked on.Instantly hooked, found the game superb .Graphics were outstanding and the battle system above average.Of course like most people I found the random battles to frequent and a royal pain.

And whilst the localisation team did a good job on the dialogues it was just too Americanised for me (i.e Cheesy ..appealing to 10 yrs old crap) so I didnt play through the US one .Sometimes I wish they would try and do a literal localisation or stay as close to it as possible.

[ExpertKing]

Incidentally, If you enjoyed Skies of Arcadia then I would highly recommend Tales of Symphonia on the Gamecube.An outstanding RPG which exceeds Skies easily and doesnt have the random battle problems.

US release in June .....

[Ady]

I've always been curious about this. I still see it knocking about on the DC dirt cheap but all the talk of overly frequent random battles puts me off.

Also, two RPGs I constantly namecheck (Xenogears and Panzer Dragoon Saga) really spoilt everything for me as far as RPGS go, as they showed me what the console RPG really could be with a bit of imagination and verve. As such, everything since has fallen short.

The console RPG is the Drum and Bass of game genres; that is, initially compelling but steeped in too much conservatism and willfil reliance on well-worn ideas to ever grow or evolve. In short; stgnant and samey.

If anyone can really convince me as to why I should get this game, I will. One day...

[Darwock]

For me, I love RPGs and I hate when people slag them for being mundane, repetitive and full of boring random battles... because I know that in general there is lots of variety in the gameplay and good tactical thinking required in the battles.

However, Skies is the RPG that proves them right. If it had been the first RPG I'd played I would never have played another one.

[Nic]

Stunning.

I completed Legends and it was probably one of my best game memories I'll ever have.

The open skies, the ships, the feeling of almost total freedom.

Even thinking of it just makes me giddy. This is why we play games, this is why we spend 60+ hours in front of a TV, this is why people love RPGS.

I adore this game, I really do. A masterpiece in every sense of the word.

[dataDave]

If anyone can really convince me as to why I should get this game, I will. One day...

Ady, PM me your address and you can borrow mine.

You do have a US cube right?