Author Topic: Saga Frontier?  (Read 3409 times)

theprestige2000

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #15 on: January 29, 2013, 08:47:07 pm »
The SaGa series is the brainchild of Akitoshi Kawazu.  He was an early designer for the Final Fantasy series.  He played a large role in the development of FFII since Hironobu Sakaguchi was moved from designer to over-all director for the project.  As a result FFII is a much harder game with an emphasis on realism, particularly in the way characters level up.  The ideas he had during the creation of FFII would carry over into the SaGa series.

SaGa Frontier was a great game but was very difficult.  Kawazu's emphasis on realism meant that from the beginning of the game your character could go just about anywhere, and with no scaling of enemy level this meant that you could start the game, go to an area, and immediately be killed in one hit.  Characters didn't have levels, instead attributes that were used the most got stronger (just like FFII).  New powers could be bought but were also randomly learned when similar powers were used.  The big drawback of the game is that it could be hard to know what to do next.  There was no quest log or way point system like modern RPGs. 

Over all it was a good game.  It was split up between several characters, and you could play their stories in any order because they all happened at the same time!  You could even get other main characters in your party before you played them.  What's interesting is that many of the ideas Kawazu had later became staples of western RPGs.  Think about a game like the Elder Scrolls.  It's an open world were you can go anywhere.  Your stats improve as you use them.  The choices you make mean something.  It's ironic that a Japanese designer was already rebelling against the tenets of what would become JRPGs at the very dawn of the genre.  Had Kawazu had a more enduring legacy with the Final Fantasy series the RPG landscape could be very different today.

I didn't play very much of SaGa Frontier 2 but I liked what I did play.  It was a little more polished and organized than the first one.

Unlimited SaGa was a disaster.  Everything about it was incomprehensible.  The battle system had some sort of spinning ring mini-game.  The world navigation was a sort of game board where every space had some way to kill you.  I knew it had terrible reviews but I bought it anyway because it was 3 dollars used.  I thought I'd give it a chance because the Frontier games were underrated.  No.  No.  It really was god-awful. 

darko

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #16 on: February 01, 2013, 10:22:14 pm »
I picked up Saga Frontier today. I got it complete and didn't pay anything for it :) I'll report back when I'm not obsessed with Ni No Kuni as much.

scott

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #17 on: February 01, 2013, 11:56:19 pm »
Nice!
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darko

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #18 on: February 02, 2013, 12:11:35 pm »
I picked up Saga Frontier today. I got it complete and didn't pay anything for it :) I'll report back when I'm not obsessed with Ni No Kuni as much.

I guess it should be noted that I didn't steal the game. It was given to me :)

soera

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #19 on: February 02, 2013, 05:45:04 pm »
It was just a loan. Ill need it back when you are done with it!

darko

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #20 on: February 02, 2013, 07:10:54 pm »
It was just a loan. Ill need it back when you are done with it!

You wish!

disgaeniac

PRO Supporter

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #21 on: February 03, 2013, 08:42:06 am »
It was just a loan. Ill need it back when you are done with it!

D'oh!

Darko's already added it to *HIS* collection  :o
"Attempts must be made, even when there can be no hope.
 The alternative is despair.
 And betimes some wonder is wrought to redeem us"




darko

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #22 on: February 04, 2013, 11:18:31 am »
It was just a loan. Ill need it back when you are done with it!

D'oh!

Darko's already added it to *HIS* collection  :o

Ha. Soera's just mad because he didn't get it for free before I did :)

soera

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #23 on: February 04, 2013, 01:53:51 pm »
Its cool. :) I may pick up a copy soon though. I think there is one at one of the VS for $15.

ffxik

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #24 on: February 16, 2013, 02:05:50 am »
I didn't see anyone bring up Romancing SaGa or Unlimited SaGa on PS2.  Although I could have over looked it..  The former is pretty much right up their with the PSX releases, it's decent.  The latter on the other hand is just horrible. 

Unlimited SaGa tries the table top miniatures thing in it's own way.  With moving static character figures through the dungeons as if it were a board game.  Some panels have treasure or traps which activate the "action ring" which I believe is supposed to be like rolling saving throws.  It also uses that ring in combat to kind of add an element of chaos to it since you might not get the same attack sequence twice.  Some dungeons have a move limit.  If you don't clear the dungeon before you reach the limit you are sent straight to town.  Meaning you have to do it all over again.  It has 8 characters you choose from, but the only good part of the game is the opening sequence. 

Romancing Saga I only got to tinker with.  So I'm not a real authority on it.  What I played of it seemed decent enough though.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2013, 02:15:08 am by ffxik »


desocietas

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #25 on: February 18, 2013, 10:53:45 pm »
I didn't see anyone bring up Romancing SaGa or Unlimited SaGa on PS2.  Although I could have over looked it..  The former is pretty much right up their with the PSX releases, it's decent.  The latter on the other hand is just horrible. 

Unlimited SaGa tries the table top miniatures thing in it's own way.  With moving static character figures through the dungeons as if it were a board game.  Some panels have treasure or traps which activate the "action ring" which I believe is supposed to be like rolling saving throws.  It also uses that ring in combat to kind of add an element of chaos to it since you might not get the same attack sequence twice.  Some dungeons have a move limit.  If you don't clear the dungeon before you reach the limit you are sent straight to town.  Meaning you have to do it all over again.  It has 8 characters you choose from, but the only good part of the game is the opening sequence. 

Romancing Saga I only got to tinker with.  So I'm not a real authority on it.  What I played of it seemed decent enough though.

Some of us did mention Unlimited SaGa, but I don't know if any of us had gotten far enough to have figured out as much of the game as you have.  I couldn't get through the first battle >.>
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scott

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #26 on: February 18, 2013, 10:57:07 pm »
I've been meaning to start Unlimited SaGa... if it's a like a tabletop game, I may actually dig it. ha
Now Playing: Persona 5 Scramble, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8

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ffxik

Re: Saga Frontier?
« Reply #27 on: February 19, 2013, 05:30:14 am »
The most I put into it was about 20 hours, when I convinced myself I was going to beat it.  It never happened.  I do keep going back to it from time to time.  It must be my masochistic side.   That aside it's not too terribly hard to figure out.  It's just a labor to play, and by labor I mean chain gang in Arizona around July/August.

I may have another go of it actually.   :D


Scott, Tabletops are fun.  This game isn't.  So if you try and hate. Don't blame me.   ;)
« Last Edit: February 19, 2013, 05:37:44 am by ffxik »