PSX5Central
Playstation/Gaming Discussions => PS3 Discussion => Topic started by: ddaryl on October 21, 2002, 12:09:08 PM
-
The game is pretty damn cool.
Lots of side quests
Control 3 characters at a time, while having options to rotate characters in
All action, no turn base, but when you enter menus the game pauses while you select
combo attacks, they use up AP but can be usefu in situations. The straight up melee fights are basic hack and slash but dealing with the magic, potions, and combos keeps things from getting repetitive
Solid storyline, Volition has done a real good job with plots in there PS2 games IMO
SOme relatively large areas to explore, and quite afew different location
LOTS of NPC\'s to talk to
A solid handful of mini games to use to make cash or level up
Lots of stats on the charactes, to upgrade, which open up spelss, and capabilities. Each character has between 7 - 10 differnt attibutes to place skill points to
the game is solid, and its a non turn-based game which to me is the only way to play.
Did I mention being able to Summon creatures
I know alot of people only play Japanese RPG\'s or they have to have the word Final or Fanatsy in the title, but the Summoner series represent a huge breath of fresh air when it comes to console based RPG\'s IMO
Drakan 2 was another PS2 rpg that was not as in depth as Summoner 2 but represents another quality non tradition Japanese console RPG and they both do it well
So if you\'re thinking baout it go get Summoner 2 or rent it and try it.... Its worth looking into
enjoy
-
I played and enjoyed the first Summoner, but I haven\'t really payed attention to this game. Maybe I\'ll give it a rent.
How does it stack up to the original? Are the load times faster than the first? The thing I probably hated most about the first one was how it took a minute, if not more, to load every area.
-
Played a demo don\'t rate it, hack & slashing all the way through the demo and topping up your health when it\'s running low very very boring.
-
Originally posted by MAKAVELIUK
Played a demo don\'t rate it, hack & slashing all the way through the demo and topping up your health when it\'s running low very very boring.
congratu-fuk-inlations
you played the 1st 1/50th of the game, and you obviously didn\'t play the Summoner 1 cause then you know that these games get a heluva alot deeper
the game has a significant amount of hack and slash combat, but you upgrade and add combo attacks. You also have tremendous amounts of spells and potions, and each character has there own significant fighting characteristics
the game is exponetially deeper then the demo. How in the hell could they possibly give you the full flavor of a large RPG in 10 minutes
The game rocks, and anyone thinking about giving it a try should at least rent it and put in some solid time with it.
-
Originally posted by nataku
I played and enjoyed the first Summoner, but I haven\'t really payed attention to this game. Maybe I\'ll give it a rent.
How does it stack up to the original? Are the load times faster than the first? The thing I probably hated most about the first one was how it took a minute, if not more, to load every area.
Its more polished then the original, and the newer action combat system is nicer
Load times are significantly less, and you can skip past cutscenes whenever you want
The game is an improvement over the 1st, although there are still some stuff in the 1st one that I like that didn\'t make it over to the 2nd.
More people need to sample Volitions Summoner series IMO.... The game is cool
-
What about Grandia 2. I\'ve been hearing mixed reviews about it. Is it even new? It looks like it but I\'m not sure.
I never played the first summoner, but i might rent it next week.
-
Okay, I\'m a hardcore turn based Japanese RPG fan.
And what I\'ve to say about Summoner 2??
I love the game!!! It\'s great! Great story, actions.
I makes great breaks in between Grandia Xtreme torturous dungeons.
I\'ve completed the 1st Summoner on the PC(never play the PS2 version before) but the control and gameplay in the Summoner2 (PS2) is very differrent. What I like also is the text is a bit less than the original which have too much confusing readings(although it can be skip, I never bother...just follow the quest instructions!).
The only drawback is the graphics isn\'t too hot and runs and about 30fps. Still, the gameplay more than makes up for it.
I highly recommend Summoner 2 to anybody.
GRandia Xtreme: This is for die-hard Grandia fans only. The story is hardly non-existent and the engine is a slightly enhanced Grandia 2 engine. If only you can withstand levels after levels of dungeons with only 1 town to visit, get Grandia Xtreme.
However, if you haven\'t play Grandia 2, I\'ll recommend Grandia 2 over Grandia X.
-
This post has gotten me very interested in Summoner....... I never realized it was an action based RPG.... I love em.
So ddaryl....... do i have to play the first one in order to play the second or should i just skip on to the second?
-
There\'s Ddaryl!! I wanted to post a thread asking what you thought of Summoner 2.
Kimahri, just go out and get the original, it\'s a great game, and should be really cheap. Just remember, it doesn\'t start getting good until about 6 hours into it, and you\'ll be fine.
I can\'t wait for this one Daryl, nice impressions.
-
going to get it soon
Miss Money penny loves the first one and she has the demo for the second.
-
Originally posted by Kimahri
This post has gotten me very interested in Summoner....... I never realized it was an action based RPG.... I love em.
So ddaryl....... do i have to play the first one in order to play the second or should i just skip on to the second?
not really. It does help a tad in understanding the folklore, but the game does a good job of tyng stuff in
and a few characters re-enter in Summoner 2, and its nice to know who they are from a fan of the series stand point.
BUT the game takes on its own storyline and locations
Its a solid game
-
Originally posted by Paul
Okay, I\'m a hardcore turn based Japanese RPG fan.
The only drawback is the graphics isn\'t too hot and runs and about 30fps. Still, the gameplay more than makes up for it.
I have to ask that people compare the graphics of the Summoner to other large controllable camera 3D RPG\'s
look at Morrowind on the Xbox, the graphics stunk, and I think it only ran at 30FPS
Final Fantasy X was 3D but with fixed camera and you walked off one scren into another. Its alot easier to make pretty graphics when your drawing scenes like that. Not to mention all you have to do is place 3 good guys and 3 bad guys across from each other then use menu\'s to attack. That frees up lots of processor power to concentrate of graphics IMO
Although Summoner 2 won\'t be blowing anyone\'s minds graphically. I feel it stands up well against similiar games with similiar scopes
-
Morrowind on XBox? well, I dunno about that version but the PC version stunk bad unless u have a top-of-the-line GF4TI and a a very fast processor. Anyway, it was a very bad game, regardless of the graphics.
As for 3D action game goes, the graphics is not comparable to other games...especially when the current crop of PS2 games is making signifcant improvement. The texture in S2 seems pretty wash out. Coming from the original game on the PC, i was even more dissapointed with the graphics.
Still, the game rocks and the graphics does the job although without much flair.
-
I have just played a demo of this game on OPSM2 and on first impressions it seems pretty good.
-
Originally posted by Kurt Angle
I have just played a demo of this game on OPSM2 and on first impressions it seems pretty good.
the game is too dep to adequately demonstrate in a demo. It takes time invested to understand the menu systems and battle abilities. No one could really upgrade a character and understand all of that in a short demo
its much better then the demo could possibly demonstrate... It deserves a sample from anyone curious enough to pump 10 - 15 hours into it for a taste
-
had the first, had some probs with it, like camera angles, started getting into it, but then i dunno, didnt like it.... i dont really like the way you fight, i mean where u have to do chain attacks, like vagrant story....... i got a demo, aint had time to play it, ill look into this now
-
Originally posted by Paul
As for 3D action game goes, the graphics is not comparable to other games...especially when the current crop of PS2 games is making signifcant improvement. The texture in S2 seems pretty wash out. Coming from the original game on the PC, i was even more dissapointed with the graphics.
Still, the game rocks and the graphics does the job although without much flair.
well lets not forget how small Volition is in comaprison to alot of bigger dev\'s
they don\'t have that Naughty Dog, or Insomniac capability, nor do they Have A RockStars bank account from GTA3
I still think for who Volition is, and the improvemnts they did make they deserve some KUDOS
but I look at it from a different angle then most. How many large camera controllable action based RPG\'s compare in the graphics department on the PS2 ????
and yes I agree there are games with much better graphics, but their different styled games with less depth then a full RPG
IMO
-
Originally posted by kopking
had the first, had some probs with it, like camera angles, started getting into it, but then i dunno, didnt like it.... i dont really like the way you fight, i mean where u have to do chain attacks, like vagrant story....... i got a demo, aint had time to play it, ill look into this now
although I liked the 1st Summoner and love Vagrant Story... they eliminated the chain attack system in Summoner 2
this gives it a hack and slash flavor... Yet they manage to add quite a bit of depth to the hack and slash system
They\'re on the right track with there system for an RPG IMO. Yes there is still room for improvements.
Like I said if you are curious enough, rent it and invest a good solid 10- 15 hours into it beofr eyou decide to buy
Curious enough the hours melt by when I playing. Before I know it I\'ve sat down for 4 hours.... Always the sign of good game whjen you don\'t know where the time went
-
I\'m about < 4 hours into the game.
btw, what skills do u upgrade most for ur characters?
I specialize on swords and summoning for Maia, Axe for that big guy(Targuis?) and, sword and sneak for that blue ninja like female warrior.(can\'t remember names...wish their names were something easy to remember like japanese RPG )
btw, sneaking and backstabbing is even more fun. I also improve the crossbow ability of the blue ninja but doesn\'t seems to be quite effectvie as sneak and backstab.
There\'s one level where the blue ninja get bonus for not alarming the guards. I managed to backstab everyone on the level( I think) but I still get the message of not killing everyone on that level(something like that) and there\'s one locked room which I didn\'t managed to get into.
Any ideas??
And that King Azraman dude was a pain in the neck with his rush attack until I found the strategy to defeat him!!! Wheew!
-
I had a bitch of a time going into the prison and doing the solo quests,
I upgraded across the board, but gave some extra toward sword and Healing type spells.
You do know that when you upgrade some skills there are pages to flip through at the bottom of the skills menu that shows what your next advance would be if you choose that particular skill
It doesn\'t apply to all the skills but a bunch do show you your next gain
but my stategy is to upgrade a few people strong in healing, rejuvenate and revive / resurection.
I level up a few characters in melee skills, and the rest to whatever there strength appears to be
Maia is used throuough the majority of the game and her skills list gets larger which means more places to stick skill points....
If ya want a tip read on
make sure you upgrade a character or 2 in blunt weapons some
and make some money when you\'re in port
-
one thing i wanna know is there a note system, so you can keep trackof the side quest, cos i kept forgetting them etc in the first one
-
Ddaryl: Do u have any idea on some of the petition you have to see? How does it affect the game? I\'ve loan one guy 500 gold to get some ships to retrieve treasure and but i still don\'t see him coming back. And I\'ve imprisoned one person instead of sending her to death(I\'m a merciful person!! Ha!) but I don\'t see how the game is affected.
-
Originally posted by kopking
one thing i wanna know is there a note system, so you can keep trackof the side quest, cos i kept forgetting them etc in the first one
yeah there\'s a meno for main quests and optional quests
and you\'ll ned it there are lots of optional quests and then some
-
Originally posted by Paul
Ddaryl: Do u have any idea on some of the petition you have to see? How does it affect the game? I\'ve loan one guy 500 gold to get some ships to retrieve treasure and but i still don\'t see him coming back. And I\'ve imprisoned one person instead of sending her to death(I\'m a merciful person!! Ha!) but I don\'t see how the game is affected.
Not sure how it will all play out, but always go back to the palace and talk to the people who ask for cash to support Hallasar.... So far its a positive return
and the petitions slowly come back to you, and your decisions will determine the outcome.. Some good some bad, its a gamble you have to take so make your decisions wisely or not.... Your choice
its a nice extra to the game isn\'t it ??
-
cool, cos it was so hard with out memos before.... in the first city there was like 100, im gonna look into this
-
Summoner 2 is more balanced with quests, and alot more of them
Some ya have to figure out on your own, but alot get documented in the quest menu
-
Well, it sounds great, but I had a little problem with Summoner (the first one).
At first I wasn\'t interested on it, but ddaryl\'s review convinced me that it was worth a rent at least. Being into RPGs as I am (GM), I ended buying it. The problem is that, when I started playing, I had one of the worst motion sickness experiences I\'ve ever had.
It happens to me with a few games, and most of the time I can get over it by playing the game for a few days. But it didn\'t work with this one. I found the game to be quite good (not in the technical department though), but I hardly could enjoy it.
I could play for about one hour straight before feeling really bad.
Now what I want to know is:
1. I think most of the problem came from those odd camera angles Summoner used, so has that changed in Summoner 2?
2. If answer 1 is "no", is it worth it?
-
the camera is controllable but the angle you can control the camera at is tighter
there was a few area where the camera was fixed in the 1st Summoner game but 75% of the game offered areas where you could move and control the camera.
The 2nd one is better technically, and gameplay wise. The original had a better storyline, and progression.
-
figured I\'d bump this one back up to see how some others are doing and if they finished the game
I\'ve got 30 hours invested.
Overall I\'m realy enjoying the game, but of course I have a solid handful of nitpicks that I feel could be improved upon
the amount of quest items I have and the pain in the ass method of having to scroll through 30 items to get to the one ya need can be frustrating
Never figured out how to get Mugulos magic shop open
and I\'m having trouble figuring out all the offering to the gods Manari (sp?)
-
Ddarryl: I\'m trying to get to that Hopiris ruin ( the one with the talking boat) but whenever I take the boat, I\'ll be attack by these ghost and they keep on coming non -stop!!! How do u defeat them??
Also, have you find all the ghost monkeys? I only found two.
I\'ve just recruited jari and that big guy(Morza.xxxxx). I found out one thing though, the arena is really good for making easy money!! I always choose to compete the survival game, pay 1000 bucks but can easily earn over 4000 bucks in return!
-
Well I didn\'t see the ruins until after I did the tree of Eleh and a few other quests
but I used fire arrow with Maia. That seemed to work... ya may want to increase your fire "power" abbilities if ya can
I only found one ghost monkey and let it go at the pass where you here the monkey call, but then my trap disspaeared
Yead I did the the survival game a couple of times... Later on in the game money really doesn\'t become a problem
-
Ddaryll: Is Rosalind a playable character is this game? I still haven\'t find her yet. I\'ve just rescued Morbazan and Iari from Unshandul in that place where all these weirdos wear masks.
Have u complete the game already??
-
I ownt spoil the whole Rosalind thing, just keep playing
and I have faced the final boass but I died.
I didn\'t complete the 2 side quests located in the Palace cause I thought I\'d level up then do it, but now its too late
I\'m a little pissed off cause the game doesn\'t let you save in places and now that I have faced the final boss and died I have to go back to mid way into the 2nd to last boss fight and beat it again beofre facing the final boss again
That really pisses me off. The last area proved to be more frustrating then fun for me.
-
Come to think of it, Maia character actually resembles Rosalind a lot!!! Anyway, I discovered this weird bug that I found in the PC version of Summoner 1, whereby when the camera is too close to the back of the character, you can actually see the face of the character is a sort of weird deformed inverted format behind them!!!
Weird!! Looks like they still carry some buggy codes from Summoner 1( PC version) and they actually re-used these codes on the PS2 Summoner 2....guess maybe that\'s why it isn\'t fully optimized for the PS2?
Oh well, I\'m now in that weird swamp place with lots of what...Roca?? This place is quite tough!!
-
Originally posted by Paul
GRandia Xtreme: This is for die-hard Grandia fans only. The story is hardly non-existent and the engine is a slightly enhanced Grandia 2 engine. If only you can withstand levels after levels of dungeons with only 1 town to visit, get Grandia Xtreme.
However, if you haven\'t play Grandia 2, I\'ll recommend Grandia 2 over Grandia X.
I\'d have to agree. I never played Grandia or Grandia 2 and went right to Grandia Extreme. Needless to say, I wasn\'t happy with the game. Its so boring... You\'d have to really care for the Grandia series in my opinion to get something from this game...
-
Originally posted by ddaryl
the camera is controllable but the angle you can control the camera at is tighter
there was a few area where the camera was fixed in the 1st Summoner game but 75% of the game offered areas where you could move and control the camera.
The 2nd one is better technically, and gameplay wise. The original had a better storyline, and progression.
Thanks for the reply, ddaryl.
Someone bought me a copy of Summoner 2 for my birthday, and it seems that this time I won\'t have any problem to play the game. That motion sickness feeling is gone finally.
-
hey! Anyone can tell me how to beat that stupid god in the Ancient Towers? It\'s the god with the force field and u have to hit the big eye to shut out his force field. I\'m at about level 13 to 15 but my team drop like flies! What\'s the strategy here??
-
Originally posted by PlagueBearer
I\'d have to agree. I never played Grandia or Grandia 2 and went right to Grandia Extreme. Needless to say, I wasn\'t happy with the game. Its so boring... You\'d have to really care for the Grandia series in my opinion to get something from this game...
Too bad, if possible, return it to the shop and says you\'d bought the wrong the title by mistake and actually wants Grandia 2. :)
Seriously, Grandia 1 was the best. I finished playing the Saturn japanese version! You should try to get the PS1 version. It\'s worth it.
-
Originally posted by Paul
hey! Anyone can tell me how to beat that stupid god in the Ancient Towers? It\'s the god with the force field and u have to hit the big eye to shut out his force field. I\'m at about level 13 to 15 but my team drop like flies! What\'s the strategy here??
That was a fun one
1sr make sure you have regen on all characters and hopefully a strong healer
I used my ax dude (forgot his name) and went after they beating down the shield.
Ran away when I had too
when the shield was down I just ganged up on him and repeated
took a few tries
-
grandia 2 sucked on ps2, get the dc version, if u got a dc that is
-
Originally posted by ddaryl
That was a fun one
1sr make sure you have regen on all characters and hopefully a strong healer
I used my ax dude (forgot his name) and went after they beating down the shield.
Ran away when I had too
when the shield was down I just ganged up on him and repeated
took a few tries
It\'s hopeless. I change Maia to Summon immediately, leave Morzaban as a healer and take control of Taurguis(the axe dude) and ran to the eye and whack it down. however, even when the force field is off, my team is barely scratching it\'s back...hit point is only a miserable 1 even from the summon monster!!! (I\'ve tried with all the 4 summon monster...makes no difference)And after a few seconds the force field is on again.
Does anyone have cheat codes for this game?? I don\'t have so much time trying to replay the same level again and again! :(
-
try equiping blunt wepons with Maia
take down the eye and team up against the boss
I struggled with it a little too
thats the problem with this game though. Its as if you are supposed to know way a head of time what will work and what won\'t but in reality its not that sipmple
try this, go in there and use a scan scroll or spell and get the stats. Find out its weaknesses and put on all the jewelry that strengthens you against its weakness
make sure you have a regen going on Taurgis, and set maia to melee, allow Morzaban to heal and melee
good game that falls short with nuances like the one your experiencing
I like the direction they are trying to take the genre, but they need to tighten it up quyite a bit
-
Blunt weapons for Maia!!!! I only uprgaded Maia sword skills!!! The Blunt skill is at a miserable 1 point!!!
Gosh!!!! I think this means I\'ll never get pass this level unless replay the whole game!!! Bah!!!!
-
Like I said
use scan and find its weaknesses
then strengthen everyone in your party against its weakness