Skies of Arcadia Legends Review

By Rob Fahey Published 19 June, 2003

Rob buckles some random, aerial dungeon swash.

Version tested: GameCube

If there's one vital service which the GameCube is providing to gamers all over the world, it's the highly commendable job it's doing of bringing the Dreamcast back catalogue to a wider audience. From the likes of Sonic Adventures to the ultra-hardcore Ikaruga, the system is gradually removing all the reasons you might have had for calling your Dreamcast back into active service under the TV - and with the arrival of Skies of Arcadia Legends, one of the best RPGs the DC saw in its short lifespan, the catalogue of top-notch DC software on your Cube has grown yet again.

Like most of the excellent Dreamcast games that owners of the system wax lyrical about, Skies of Arcadia was tragically overlooked when it arrived on Sega's console, so we're very glad that development studio Overworks has been tasked with tidying it up and brushing off some of the cobwebs for a fresh appearance on the GameCube. The question really is, can Skies of Arcadia Legends - essentially a three-year-old game - compete with modern RPGs, and is the lick of paint Overworks have given it really sufficient on a next generation machine?

Yo ho ho, bottles of rum, and all that

'Skies of Arcadia Legends' Screenshot 1

The world of Skies of Arcadia is a rather unusual one, consisting entirely of islands floating in mid-air - without a nice solid planet surface in sight. Between these islands, various types of flying boats ply their trade, and where there are boats, there are pirates - which is exactly what you play in the game, with our lead character being a pirate named Vyse. Young Vyse is the son of a ship's captain in the Blue Rogues, a group of pirates who effectively follow the Robin Hood philosophy of robbing from the rich to help the needy, and only attack armed transports belonging to the rather unpleasant Valuan Empire.

The game gets off to a running start, with a nod of the head to Star Wars as a massive Valuan cruiser runs down a small ship carrying a beautiful princess. But within a few minutes of play, the Valuan cruiser itself is attacked and boarded by the Blue Rogues, the slimy Valuan commander escapes by the skin of his teeth, the princess is rescued and we've acquired a big stack of treasure. The tone for the rest of the game is set; this isn't an RPG where horrific things happen as plot catalysts, and Vyse is far from the angsty stereotypical RPG lead character. Everyone is resolutely cheerful and brash, the villains are straight out of pantomime (albeit suitably threatening), the world is bright and airy, and even when bad things happen, our heroes are utterly confident in their own ability to set them right.

That's a significant part of the charm of Skies of Arcadia in a nutshell - it's impossible not to like the characters (especially after seeing Vyse and Aika perform their unintentionally hilarious and over the top victory dance), and if you don't crack a smile at Vyse's arrogance and exuberance, you need to stop taking so much Valium. This feels less like Final Fantasy and more like Legend of Zelda - a comparison which will quite probably keep coming back to you as you play.

Walk the plank!

'Skies of Arcadia Legends' Screenshot 2

The gameplay of Skies of Arcadia will be instantly familiar to anyone who's played a Japanese RPG before, and it's very traditional indeed in some ways - turn based battles, dungeons full of chaining puzzles... And what traditional RPG is complete without random encounters? Yes, Skies has random encounters, which certainly feels like a step backwards these days, but thankfully the rate of encounters has been toned down very significantly since the Dreamcast version - which many people criticised for making dungeons impossible by forcing you to play through random battles every four or five steps.

The battle system itself is enjoyable enough in places, and it allows your characters to run around the combat area freely rather than just lining up allies and enemies against each other, which makes for a more interesting game than most. The game also gives your characters a shared pool of Spirit Points to draw from in battle (these allow you to perform magic and special moves), which adds an interesting tactical element to the encounters, as it can often be worthwhile using one character exclusively to "Focus" in boss battles and thus recharge the SP gauge so more powerful characters can use special attacks more often.

Sadly, there are some problems with the battle system as well, which can make the game frustrating at times, particularly when it comes to random battles as opposed to boss battles. Firstly, the game has a bad habit of throwing a lot of weaker enemies at you instead of small numbers of more powerful enemies, which makes for boring and predictable battles in which your characters are in no real danger, but the battle takes several minutes regardless. Secondly, battles are unnecessarily drawn out affairs due to the length of some of the animations used, and the inexplicable pause between character moves. These are relatively minor niggles, however, and although the battle system isn't as outright enjoyable as something like Final Fantasy X, it's still perfectly competent and well-balanced.

Maritime exploits

'Skies of Arcadia Legends' Screenshot 3

Outside of the standard battle system and dungeons full of relatively simple puzzles, the game does have a couple of extra ways to keep you entertained - most notably the ship to ship battles which pop up occasionally throughout the game. These are a welcome change from normal battles, and involve you taking your ship up against an enemy ship - often with vastly superior hit points and weaponry. These battles are tactical affairs which force you to plan several moves ahead, and although most of them boil down to wars of attrition, it can be very satisfying to pull off a sequence of moves that decimates an enemy warship while leaving your ship unscathed.

As well as these battles, it becomes possible later in the game to establish your own pirate base and recruit crew members for your ship, which is an entertaining diversion, while the GameCube edition of the game also includes a couple of extra side quests, such as the mysterious pirate bounty hunter called the Angel of Death who chases you around the game, the strange little girl who wants you to find Moonfish to feed her odd pet, and the Black Pirates with bounties on their heads whom you can hunt down for the sailors guild. It's certainly not enough extra content to warrant playing through again if you've already got the Dreamcast version, but it's welcome nonetheless and fleshes out the GameCube edition nicely.

Sadly, this extra content isn't matched by any attention to the graphics of the game at all, and this is where the title really shows its age. Skies of Arcadia looked excellent on the Dreamcast in 2000 - on the GameCube in 2003, it simply looks old, with angular, low-polygon characters, poor draw distance in the world map (arguably a deliberate feature, but it looks bad nonetheless) and special effects for spells and attacks which simply look awful. It's a bit of a shame that more effort wasn't put into tarting up the graphics of the game, since the actual artwork and style of the title are fantastic, but many people may be put off by the distinctly retro feel of the graphics engine itself.

In terms of audio, the music is superb - a collection of original themes which found us once again thinking of Legend of Zelda for some reason, and which capture the exuberance of the game and the exploration motif perfectly. We'd like to be able to say the same for the voice acting, but sadly we can't - the voices in the game are thankfully relegated to occasional utterances (a bit like Zelda again) rather than actual speeches, and it's just as well since most of the acting is truly dire. It would be harsh to claim that this detracts from the game, though - it doesn't really, it just grates occasionally when Vyse opens his mouth and you wish he hadn't bothered.

Port Out, Starboard Home!

If you're looking for an enjoyable but fairly traditional RPG with a cracking storyline and likeable characters, Skies of Arcadia Legends comes about as highly recommended as any game can. Fans of the Final Fantasy games might find it a little primitive, and if you don't like Japanese style RPGs, this is quite distinctly not for you. It's great to see wonderful but under-rated games like this given a new lease of life on the Cube - but it's a bit sad that it's such a wasted opportunity, in ways. Given a fresh coat of digital paint on the graphics and a little tweaking of the battle system, this would stand up right alongside the best RPGs ever released over here. As it is, it's a pleasant diversion (and should last you about 60 hours of playtime!) but it falls just short of true greatness.

8 / 10

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Picture of Rob.

About Rob Fahey

Rob Fahey is a former editor of GamesIndustry.biz who spent several years living in Japan and probably still has a mint condition Dreamcast Samba de Amigo set.

Read more articles from Rob by visiting the Rob Fahey archive page.

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Comments (55) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • lennon #1 9 years ago

    Meh!

  • otto #2 9 years ago

    I'm about 22 hours into this game and I am LOVING. IT. Coming to it directly from Zelda, at first the graphics, music etc seem a little dated, but having played through three dungeons so far I can honestly say that SOA is dripping with atmosphere by comparison. If only some of the Zelda dungeons could have been given the same treatment as the pyramid or the lost jungle city, for example.

    Oh and have I mentioned the belly dancer? ;)

    My main criticism would be that it seems a little easy so far, though they compensate for this by throwing sometimes three or more bosses at you in a row.

  • Pirotic #3 9 years ago

    no 60hz mode, pah, just like the dreamcast version. *eyes up his US import*

  • Blerk #4 9 years ago

    Argh! No! Don't tempt me again! I've no money left this month.... gnnnnng!

    /dies

  • otto #5 9 years ago

    Jeez Piro you're a broken record - be honest, can you honestly notice any difference between 50hz and 60hz? I swear to God, I may be over 30 but I'm not blind yet and I can't for the life of me see the point in spending extra money for 60hz.

    edit - I should add, moaning about 60hz is all the more bizarre with this game which, as Rob quite rightly points out, is well behind the graphics curve. Doesn't mean it lacks atmosphere, though, far from it. Beautifully rendered locations.
    Edited by 2 at 19/06/03 @ 10:35

  • Blerk #6 9 years ago

    can you honestly notice any difference between 50hz and 60hz?

    Does it have borders? If it does... yes. If it doesn't... no.

  • otto #7 9 years ago

    No it doesn't have borders.

  • Killerbee #8 9 years ago

    Cool! I hadn't really given this much thought just from looking at the box, but it sounds great.

    /adds to wish list/

    Must finish Zelda first though.

  • Blerk #9 9 years ago

    Must finish Zelda first though.

    Must start Zelda first, though.

    /looks ashamed

  • otto #10 9 years ago

    Aww, play this first, then Zelda. This is so great, my favourite Cube game so far by a long chalk.

    Did I mention that I liked it? :)

  • Pirotic #11 9 years ago

    well i played the demo on dreamcast magazine hoping to go into the shops and buy it straight after, but the 50hz flicker was fugly so i imported from US instead.

    but anyway, i was talking about the dreamcast version, it had borders also, GC version doesn't flicker from what i saw in shops and has only small borders, so dont be put off.

    would get it again (dont like to use the dreamcast, fed up of opening it up and curing the reset fault) but i'm alway waiting for Final Fantasy IV (wonderswan crystal) to arrive - dont think i could justify getting 2 rpgs in one week.

  • ssuellid #12 9 years ago

    50/60hz does not matter with this type of game - no timing issue to worry about.

    This was one of my favourites on the DC and one of the few games I've finished because I was enjoying playing it and then was quite disapointed when it ended.

    The belly dancer is rather nice.

  • Blerk #13 9 years ago

    This is so great, my favourite Cube game so far by a long chalk.

    Kind of ironic that it's really a Dreamcast game, then. No? :-)

  • Shivoa #14 9 years ago

    >can you honestly notice any difference between 50hz and 60hz?

    Yep. My cheapo 19" displays 50Hz correctly but half the time 60Hz input doesn't fit the screen (edge of the image goes off the top of the telly) and there are rarely any controls to recenter the image properly.

    One day I'll get a new screen but I'll wait for the new techs to kick in (are we even getting HDTV in Europe?)

  • otto #15 9 years ago

    Kind of ironic that it's really a Dreamcast game, then. No? :-)

    Indeed!

    It's no secret, next time round I will definitely buy the console which is home to the most Jap RPGs, they're by far and away my favourite genre. If that means the next Sony, well so be it. At least I can be confident it won't be the Xbox2... ;)

  • Blerk #16 9 years ago

    next time round I will definitely buy the console which is home to the most Jap RPGs

    You really ought to pick up a second-hand PS2, otto. There are plenty of games that you'd enjoy to justify the cost, and many of the RPGs are now available at ultra-cheapo prices. And you'd be able to play PSOne RPGs too. Once the new-style PS2 is out you can bet the old one's will be selling for peanuts on Ebay, etc.

  • Marcus #17 9 years ago

    Unless MS buys Squenix, Sega & all...

  • otto #18 9 years ago

    Yeah you're right Blerk, it's more a question of not having the time to play all that's available. Best to avoid the temptation by not buying the platform!

  • Chris Gardiner #19 9 years ago

    Oo...I've got all tingly, now. Must go back and play my DC version!

    Get this everyone - it's great!

  • Sud #20 9 years ago

    Given a fresh coat of digital paint on the graphics ..., this would stand up right alongside the best RPGs ever released over here

    Come on ... since when graphics become an issue for EG reviewers. You gave CM4 10/10 even when it has poo graphics (with extraordinarily plenty of bugs)

  • Killerbee #21 9 years ago

    Come on ... since when graphics become an issue for EG reviewers. You gave CM4 10/10 even when it has poo graphics (with extraordinarily plenty of bugs)

    Depends what's par for the course in each particular genre though. Those used to Final Fantasy standards of graphics and cutscenes might be a bit disappointed that this isn't as pretty, so it's fair to point it out. And I think most people would have to admit that the lush visuals on offer in such games is (to a certain extent) something that draws you towards the game.
    Edited by 1 at 19/06/03 @ 12:29

  • Pirotic #22 9 years ago

    of course, we only put up with final fantasy random battles because we want the next slice of cutscene goodness, and we only put up with it on the SNES cos well, it was either FF3 or battletoads

  • eviltobz #23 9 years ago

    otto wrote:
    My main criticism would be that it seems a little easy so far

    /faints

    you turned hardcore on us there otto?

  • otto #24 9 years ago

    Heh, I think actually I'm probably on the way to hardcore when it comes to this type of game. :)

    Re the graphics, there's a difference between 'advanced' and 'lush'. Zelda TWW has advanced graphics - SoA has lush graphics. You'll certainly notice the low poly count when you start out with SOA, but pretty soon you'll forget all about it. As you'll see on the forum thread, I was a bit underwhelmed by the look of the game at first, but my appreciation of it has come on in leaps and bounds. To utter a truism, it's not the number of polygons, it's what you do with them that counts.
    Edited by 1 at 19/06/03 @ 12:54

  • Nemesis #25 9 years ago

    If there's one vital service which the GameCube is providing to gamers all over the world, it's the highly commendable job it's doing of bringing the Dreamcast back catalogue to a wider audience.

    Heh. I reckon pretty much all the DC owners have a GC /gut feeling


    .To utter a truism, it's not the number of polygons, it's what you do with them that counts.

    Well said that man! I picked up SOA and very nice it is too, in a jolly kinda way.

  • otto #26 9 years ago

    One thing I particularly like is the 'reputation' system, where the more buckle you swash, the more your standing increases. This affects the way your party interacts with NPCs around the world. The key is in choosing the right dialogue options, and this isn't always obvious. General rule of thumb is to choose the most irrational, headstrong and downright dangerous reply - your rep will increase even if the more sensible party members swat you back down and tell you to get a grip. Heh. I think I'm now up to 'Vyse the Admirable'.

  • Chris Gardiner #27 9 years ago

    What's being said about the graphics is spot on. They don't have millions of polygons, but the design is fantastic. The forest town is spectacular, and its slides are loads of fun.

    And the reputation system is great - a really nice way of getting you into the swashbuckler groove. And I never get bored of zooming around in a flying ship. That stuff just doesn't get tired. Although the DC's random-battle-every-4-seconds policy (seriously) does.

  • Nemesis #28 9 years ago

    I'm a bit fed up with the "graphics are everything" mentality over the past 5 years or so. I know we all want the wow factor, but there's still got to be depth to the gameplay and/or story to keep you hooked. Otherwise, what's the point.

  • otto #29 9 years ago

    Yeah I can't quite believe the random battles have been toned down in the Cube version, I mean there's still a hell of a lot of them. I'm not a hater of random battles, but I do like to be able to avoid them if I so choose. Normally at this point in a game there's some way of avoiding or reducing them, but so far the only thing I've found is something that increases them!

    The slides in the forest village were great, rock steady frame rate too. ;)
    Edited by 1 at 19/06/03 @ 15:16

  • Chris Gardiner #30 9 years ago

    The "graphics is everything" principle is a bit crap, really, isn't it. Since generally, what they're saying is "polygon count is everything". The vast majority of FPSs and 3rd-person games look dull despite their huge poly counts, because there's no good design or artistry underlying them. Morrowind is a good example of a powerful graphics engine combined with some fantastic design - whatever else the game's problems are, it still makes my jaw-drop and evokes weird tourist feelings in me.

    I think the problem with the random battle frquency is that they seriously discourage the exploration aspect of the game, which is quite an integral part of the swashbuckling, "Huzzah!" feel. It's only recently they've really got to me, but I spent 2 hours hunting for a secret in the forest continent and fighting puny villains every few seconds. Very frustrating.

    Still a fantastic game, though. I love the ship combat.

  • Chris Gardiner #31 9 years ago

    > Normally at this point in a game there's some way of avoiding or
    > reducing them, but so far the only thing I've found is something that
    > increases them!

    Yeah! The black map! Pssh. That's seen a lot of use...

  • otto #32 9 years ago

    This is why I can't quite believe the energy people expend on pointless Half-Life 2 versus Halo 2 arguments. Doesn't matter how pretty they are, they're still both going to be sequels in one of the stalest hackneyed genres this medium has to offer. I mean, the original HL made its name on the back of a plot that would have had Ed Wood blushing.

    Er, anyway, SOA, yes I agree CG, the random fights do put you off exploring. Also it annoyed me in the mines, where you have to retrace your steps a few times. But a minor niggle, all told.

  • Chris Gardiner #33 9 years ago

    > Doesn't matter how pretty they are, they're still both going to be
    > sequels in one of the stalest hackneyed genres this medium has to
    > offer.

    Entirely true. It's a shame FPSs have such dominance - it's skewed a lot of the technology games use.

    Although Japanese RPGs are hardly a spring-chicken genre, either... ;)

    > But a minor niggle, all told.

    Very much. Everyone - buy this!

  • Nemesis #34 9 years ago

    The "graphics is everything" principle is a bit crap, really, isn't it.

    Well, when done right and paired with excellent gameplay it works. When it's nothing more than a tech demo, then you see through this very quickly. I'll be the first to admit I love a good cutscene - the stuff Blizzard did for Diablo2 is still excellent today- was watching it last night actually!

    /wonders if Otto will ever install that edition he moaned at Nemmie about sending!

    I mean, the original HL made its name on the back of a plot that would have had Ed Wood blushing.

    The story did kinda wander off after a while and I'd be thinking "So WHY am I here killing testicled spiders? I forgot. Oh well *blam*" but it was still great to play through as the things it did....it did very well. It also had that way of making you feel connected to the game, which very few FPS games do for me. I personally felt UT2K3 was a bit TOO pretty, you couldn't see what you were doing in the level for bloody fancy level design.

  • otto #35 9 years ago

    Installed it, played it the moment I got it! Quite fun, but I'll admit I didn't get too far into it. Still mean to though.

  • Chris Gardiner #36 9 years ago

    > the stuff Blizzard did for Diablo2 is still excellent today

    Blizzard are *very* good at cutscenes.

    >I mean, the original HL made its name on the back of a plot that would
    > have had Ed Wood blushing.

    True, but it had perfect pacing, didn't it? There was always some new event around the corner, and most of the fights had a context to them. That's were the game shone, I think. Up until the bouncy alien-world ending thing, anyway.

  • mal #37 9 years ago

    well i played the demo on dreamcast magazine hoping to go into the shops and buy it straight after, but the 50hz flicker was fugly so i imported from US instead.

    Really? Don't you get that when you watch TV? Or a DVD?

    Mind you, I hear a number of Americans get pissed off with our (50Hz) flourescent tubes compared to their (60Hz) ones, whereas I just don't notice.

  • otto #38 9 years ago

    Yeah, but their fluorescent tubes are much lower res and suffer from jaggies... ;p

  • Nemesis #39 9 years ago

    Installed it, played it the moment I got it! Quite fun, but I'll admit I didn't get too far into it. Still mean to though.

    Act1 is really dull, seriously dull. Act2 onwards it gets much better. \o/.

    Blizzard are *very* good at cutscenes.

    I'd say one of the best. The cutscene stuff for WC3 is just amazing.



  • Chris Gardiner #40 9 years ago

    > i saw the first animation clip from animatrix and that CG was excellent.
    > (i believe the guys form Square did it )

    It's utterly amazing. Loved it.

    > The cutscene stuff for WC3 is just amazing.

    Yeah. Almost enough to convince me to finish it. The scene with the prince returning to the city, and the flowers everywhere, is incredible.

  • xtremeboat #41 9 years ago

    I've played this on Dreamcast and its no problem that its on 50hz. Sega used to release all PAL stuff in 60hz on Dreamcast, this game being one of the very few exceptions. Apparently there are problems with the game engine running at 60hz on PAL machines, so they concentrated on making it a good PAL conversion instead.

    To mal: The thing is, when you watch TV over here its designed to run at 50hz, so I don't see why Americans would complain too much. 50hz by defintion refreshes the screen less than an NTSC TV would, but for broadcast TV designed for that refresh rate its hardly noticable. On the other hand, the difference is much more noticable when a 60hz game has been converted to 50hz due to poor optimisation, so things are slower, bordered, lines on screen tend to flicker etc, but this is due to lazy developers.
    Edited by 1 at 19/06/03 @ 19:49

  • Takashi #42 9 years ago

    *Looks at FFX paused on the telly*

    Boy... you can say that again.

  • Pirotic #43 9 years ago

    oh dear, the NTSC/PAL discussion rears its ugly head again, basically people who claim "well you dont complain about flicker on east enders do you and thats 50hz" are forgetting tv's have multiple resolutions, consoles tend to run in the tv's highest resolution of 640x480 where as standard RF tv is half the resolution (i think), basically meaning the screen takes half the time to draw and therefore less flicker.

    if you want to see a good example of terrible pal conversion check out PSO in 50hz (dreamcast) or FFX on PS2.

  • kenty #44 9 years ago

    'Flicker' and 'Borders' are NOT what the actual problem is with 50hz (and anyway, only PS2 tends to suffer from noticeable flicker) it's really the fact that the game is running 17.5% slower... not just the framerate but the actual game engine (because the game engine is often locked to the framerate) resulting in all in-game animations looking like they're rnning in slow motion.

    I'm actually amazed that so many of you are claiming not to see any difference at 50hz and seem intent on dismissing the issue, I can tell instantly if a game is running slower than the original NTSC and I refuse to play ANY game, EVER if it's not at the speed it was originally intended to be played at, the slowness ends up irritating me to the extent that I just switch the game off and take it back to shop/throw it in the incinerator. I've had to miss out on lots of great games for this very reason :'(

    This is why Nintendo's efforts to make importing more difficult is outrageous, people that don't want to play a slightly inferior PAL version should always have the right to import.
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/03 @ 08:43

  • UncleLou #45 9 years ago

    the stuff Blizzard did for Diablo2 is still excellent today- was watching it last night actually!

    Oh yes, indeed! Square does the best FMV's my arse!

    To the graphics discussion: I know what you guys mean, but I am no less tired of the "gameplay over graphics" argument. Frankly, I want both. I've said it before in the forum I think, a big part of my love for games is fuelled by an enthusiasm for the technology behind all this. I wouldn't play games anymore if they still looked like C64 games, or even PS1 games. In fact, I stopped playing games a few times for months or even years until developments in the technological side made my interest raise again.

    edit: I am the first to agree though that most developer's art departments are severely lacking. There's a decnet lack of games that are satisfying in that respect. Homeworld and Ico maybe, Planescape Torment to a degree. I would list Half-Life there too, though, if only in the little things, like the HUD, the main menu, the sound design etc.

    edit 4: Sorry for the typos and the extensive editing chaps, I took the day off today, went to bed way too late and woke up way too early. :p
    Edited by 4 at 20/06/03 @ 09:29

  • Nemesis #46 9 years ago

    Oh yes, indeed! Square does the best FMV's my arse!

    The Animatrix stuff Square did was bloody good though, I thought it was the best one on the DVD.

    I remember watching Toy Story at the cinema just to see what Pixar had done and loved it. Same with Shrek. I'm a bit of a sucker for CG stuff.

  • otto #47 9 years ago

    I'm actually amazed that so many of you are claiming not to see any difference at 50hz and seem intent on dismissing the issue, I can tell instantly if a game is running slower than the original NTSC and I refuse to play ANY game, EVER if it's not at the speed it was originally intended to be played at, the slowness ends up irritating me to the extent that I just switch the game off and take it back to shop/throw it in the incinerator.

    Gamecube is the first console I've owned. I promise you, hand on heart, I can see NO difference between 60hz and 50hz. Absolutely none. Now maybe there are issues on some PS2 conversions, maybe there aren't, I don't know because I've no experience, all I can say is that from where I'm standing, you lot seem to be creating problems where there aren't any. Certainly as far as this particular game is concerned, you would be shooting yourself in the foot if you overlooked it because of some ridiculous screen refresh issue.

    Back to the game, one thing that hasn't been mentioned so far is the music for boss battles. It's terrific, and it's the first time I've noticed a tune that adjusts itself to developments in the battle. It starts out exciting, full of tension, as battle progress if you start losing health or one or more party members lose consciousness, it gets more tense, lots of shrieking chords and harder beat, but if you have a round where you do particularly well it will start to shift key and sound more triumphant. It's very clever and adds a lot of atmosphere to the fights.

  • Nemesis #48 9 years ago

    If you're bitching about a small reduction on the speed of an RPG....then I'd have to say WHAT? Seriously, for Ikaruga or something equally twitchy then fair enough. For SOA I don't think you're going to notice any difference. As Otto says, this shouldn't be an excuse for not picking up the game.

  • ssuellid #49 9 years ago

    As Nemesis, Otto etc said there is little point having a 60hz PAL version of an RPG - what is the point? With games that require speed and timing such as beatemups and driving games then its essential to have a 60hz or an optimised 50hz version. If you are having serious flicker problems at 50hz then I suggest you think about getting decent TV - of the 3 I have only one has noticable flicker at 50hz with games.

  • FunkySpider #50 9 years ago

    Skies of Arcadia oohhh there s a good game ohh *pulls out my dreamcast for another play*

  • otto #51 9 years ago

    Otto, if you want to see and feel the difference between 50Hz and 60Hz, try a game that supports both, like Super Monkey Ball for example, you should see the difference clearly.

    Cheers Ahab, um SMB was actually one of the games that I meant. Seriously, I used to switch to 60hz every time, I don't bother any more, I honestly can't see the difference.

    *shrugs*

  • Pirotic #52 9 years ago

    if you like CGI you might be interested in pixars new film, called 'Finding Nemo' it really blurs the line between 3D animation and hand-drawn, if it wasn't for the fluid animation i'd honestly not know it was done using 3D studio max and Renderman.

  • otto #53 9 years ago

    Mmm well maybe. Perhaps this explains my leet skillz in monkey bowling. Just to keep the frequency nazis happy, I'll check it out again to see if my ageing eyes are deceiving me. :)

    Re SoA, I'm now chasing the blue moon crystal. I love the way the plot keeps throwing new things at you to keep you from boredom. The [mouseover for non-spoiler spoiler] had me laughing out loud, and the [not a spoiler but mouseover anyway just in case] was certainly a departure from your usual RPG plot cliché... o_O
    Edited by 1 at 23/06/03 @ 10:29

  • otto #54 9 years ago

    Well, er, yeah... I wasn't talking about the Fina Aika twosome but now you mention it...

    Obviously I was joking. Anyway, lots of very enjoyable ribald stuff that would never have been approved by a US developer so all good stuff.

    Though if I were gay I'd probably object to Osman, but hey...

  • johnboy_johsnon #55 3 years ago

    From otto : It's no secret, next time round I will definitely buy the console which is home to the most Jap RPGs, they're by far and away my favourite genre. If that means the next Sony, well so be it. At least I can be confident it won't be the Xbox2... ;)


    Ah the irony of it all.