I feel like I can actually appreciate a lot of what tri-Ace (and Squaresoft) did more now than I could when I was younger. There are so many similar playing RPGs now that it's fun to go back and play some of these quirkier titles and i'm pleased to say i've enjoyed them immensely despite not having any nostalgic connection to a lot of them. I just wish tri-Ace were more successful than they are since i'd like more games from them and they had a proper budget again.
I feel the same way, and that's why I routinely go back and replay games like Valkyrie Profile, Parasite Eve, and Vagrant Story. I need that palate cleanser from time to time.
2:58 Dude, the mainline Zelda games were usually open world except where there were likely hardware limitations or the development time would be too long so they opted for more linear games. Zelda - open world Adventures of link - linear because it was basically a rebrand of en existing game (to save dev time) OOT - open word Majoras Mask - open world Windwaker - open world TP - much more linear, possibly due to new hardware and lack of a code foundation to enable open world with reasonable dev time. SS - don’t know haven’t played it BotW - open world
You make a fair point, but I meant open world in terms of scale and content. Before BotW, Zelda games were focused more on dungeon crawling rather than overworld exploration. Even in Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and Skyward Sword - which all have huge open maps - the exploration feels half-baked because there’s really not much to explore. BotW takes the modern approach to open world design by introducing all these activities to keep you exploring, rather than serving as a glorified hub for the dungeons. And as a consequence, the dungeons in BotW feel lower quality since they clearly weren’t the focus anymore. TotK’s dungeons are pretty good, though. But you should give Skyward Sword a try. Too many people shit on it, but I think it’s better than the N64 games. It’s got some great dungeons.
Another solid video. Still have my copy of VP2. The systems are deep and satisfying. Maybe the success of Star Ocean 2 Remake will give us a chance at some VP Remakes (I've given up hope of a VP3).
The Star Ocean 2 remake was one of very few remakes I've played in recent years that I think was genuinely well done. Might have to do with the base game already being rock solid, but the quality of life improvements are great, and while I'm not a huge fan of the 2D-HD aesthetic Square's been pushing lately, I think it works well for SO2. It helps that the redrawn 2D art and new voice work is also very pleasant.
I replaced my PS2's laser specifically to play this game, and it didn't work. Short of hacking the PS2 and running games off a hard drive, it seems like emulation is the way to go, even if that's not an ideal solution for everyone.
VP2 is a really good game. i do want to go back to it but i may just restart as i feel like i messed up my whole playthrough due to not realizing that you gain more skills with the equipment until way too late in the game. also as much as i like the menu design for how cool it looks. it is a bit cumbersome to get use to. but outside of these learning curves i think it is a much more enjoyable game then VP1. VP1 wile it has many cool things going for it. it has way too many annoying things like the time limit, most of the early dungeons are too hard for early game, and trying to get the good ending is super cryptic and no one is getting it without needing a guide unless you have the luck of fools lol. but yeah VP2 has such a unique and fun battle system and the graphics and music are top tier for PS2 and could even pass as an early PS3 game on a side note, vanillaware not porting their games to PC is so unbelievably backwards
Yeah, the learning curve is a bit steep with this one, but that makes the payoff that much sweeter. And I really hope Vanillaware's games come to PC some day; their games are too good to be stuck on consoles forever.
@@RushHourWeekend On the plus side, Baten Kaitos is on PC now, that game might as well be Valkyrie Profile 2's sibling since it is also an artistic spectacle.
i will take 1 over 2 eny day. the movement in combat as an abosolute deal breaker some maps where hair pulling, in open areas where you can move round the map wasnt so bad but in areas like the aquaduct were terrible. like they make the map to look good over work properly in combat. if they have worked on the map and better collision so you dont got stuck in the smallest things it would have been an exponentially better game.
I love the first game to death, and completely understand why people prefer it to the sequel. VP2 has a learning curve, and it can be frustrating getting used to how dashing works; I still get caught on corners all the time.
Everyone's talking about Valkyrie Profile but nobody is talking about how Squaresoft single Handedly killed the Brave Fencer Musashi Series after the second game which was absolutely abysmal
If you want to talk about half-ass attempts at making VP successor you need to check out Exist Archive. I wanted to love that game but it makes you wish you're playing VP instead. The combat was serviceable but everything else was functional at best.
Maybe this is why I hate modern gaming so much, because Valkyrie Profile 2 is my favorite game XD. I swear to god if anyone wants a reminder of how terrible videogames are today, play Valkyrie Profile 2 and you'll hate modern gaming just as much as me because you will see what gaming used to be like and how great it was and how developers would work tirelessly to reach the boundaries of hardware limitations. There's none of that now. Valkyrie Profile 2 represents all of it. Did you know that Vanillaware and tri-Ace used to work in the exact same building? It's not surprising that Odin Sphere has a literal Nibelung Valesti move in it, then you see Laeticia's design in Star Ocean 6 and you're like "did Gradriel from Princess Crown cover her hair in bleach or something?" I swear to god those two companies are like siblings. Suguro is no longer with tri-Ace so I think if they made another Valkyrie Profile game it wouldn't be like 2 at all, if anything I'd just like to see a multiverse sort of thing where you play as Hrist... like some kind of continuation from ending C in the first game, Drakengard did it with Nier so why not Valkyrie Profile? As for Resonance Of Fate being Valkyrie Profile 3, I'd disagree, it's very different but it is very Suguro, you can tell it's a Suguro game for sure but he took things in such a drastic direction that it's incomparable. I'd say Resonance Of Fate is more akin to Suguro's attempt at making 10000 bullets more than Valkyrie Profile 3. I feel that Resonance Of Fate's combat is a little bit too complicated but doesn't quite have the depth of VP2's combat to back it up but I appreciate the attempt at least to make something unique, better than what you see nowadays. Ultimately though, I'm beyond caring what Square-Enix do with this series, PCSX2 gets the job done for me but I can see why people would want a port of it and why it hasn't happened, it's because Square-Enix are cowards, they remade Star Ocean 2, a game that didn't need remaking but Star Ocean Blue Sphere, a game that didn't get localized in the west? No, too much work, can't do that.
I view Resonance of Fate as Valkyrie Profile 2 streamlined to an extreme extent, such that the focus has been placed solely on the combat at the expense of literally everything else. Which isn't such a bad thing because I love the battle system - it's faster and flashier than ever before - but it doesn't scratch the exact same itch that Valkyrie Profile does.
@@RushHourWeekend Resonance Of Fate was one of those games that you had to dedicate a lot of time into, you really had to be all in on it to enjoy it and it was very demanding. Valkyrie Profile 2 on the other hand is very short if you know what you're doing and doesn't have so much filler content. Resonance Of Fate though, that game is the prime example of the thing you covered in your previous video, granted a lot of the filler stuff is optional but if you want to even stand half a chance, a lot of that optional content might as well be mandatory. Plus the narrative man... like an entire chapter about getting wine out of the world's largest refrigerator? Really??? Nevertheless it was brimming with potential and I respect it for that, it just never struck home the same way Valkyrie Profile 2 did.
Are you familiar of Dept. Heaven series made by Sting Entertainment? I feel like its main inspiration is Valkyrie Profile series. Not just because its a norse myth setting, but also because its very very very different. Its a very different take from a known genre and the series is pretty dead. I miss them very much. I do hope I get to play a nostalgic game someday.
I actually am familiar with it! I played Knights in the Nightmare on the DS and it's awesome. I love when games take full advantage of the hardware they're produced for, and KitN is the best example of this.
@@RushHourWeekend i only played the PSP version and the mobile demo, I still do think its awesome experience. Anyways, I will wait for whatever you post from now on. This and the story phasing video of yours are amazing.
another video crying about Japanese games unavailable on pc. your videos just sound whiny and negative. start with the positives if you genuinely like the games.
my favourite ps2 jrpg. and that battle theme is just great i would normally seek battles out just to hear it
This game is still in my top 5, together with vp1, since 2007
Definitely need more vp. I would love a sequel to the timeline in vp2…with Rufus etc
I feel like I can actually appreciate a lot of what tri-Ace (and Squaresoft) did more now than I could when I was younger. There are so many similar playing RPGs now that it's fun to go back and play some of these quirkier titles and i'm pleased to say i've enjoyed them immensely despite not having any nostalgic connection to a lot of them. I just wish tri-Ace were more successful than they are since i'd like more games from them and they had a proper budget again.
I feel the same way, and that's why I routinely go back and replay games like Valkyrie Profile, Parasite Eve, and Vagrant Story. I need that palate cleanser from time to time.
2:58 Dude, the mainline Zelda games were usually open world except where there were likely hardware limitations or the development time would be too long so they opted for more linear games.
Zelda - open world
Adventures of link - linear because it was basically a rebrand of en existing game (to save dev time)
OOT - open word
Majoras Mask - open world
Windwaker - open world
TP - much more linear, possibly due to new hardware and lack of a code foundation to enable open world with reasonable dev time.
SS - don’t know haven’t played it
BotW - open world
You make a fair point, but I meant open world in terms of scale and content. Before BotW, Zelda games were focused more on dungeon crawling rather than overworld exploration. Even in Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and Skyward Sword - which all have huge open maps - the exploration feels half-baked because there’s really not much to explore. BotW takes the modern approach to open world design by introducing all these activities to keep you exploring, rather than serving as a glorified hub for the dungeons. And as a consequence, the dungeons in BotW feel lower quality since they clearly weren’t the focus anymore. TotK’s dungeons are pretty good, though.
But you should give Skyward Sword a try. Too many people shit on it, but I think it’s better than the N64 games. It’s got some great dungeons.
Another solid video. Still have my copy of VP2. The systems are deep and satisfying.
Maybe the success of Star Ocean 2 Remake will give us a chance at some VP Remakes (I've given up hope of a VP3).
They only remade Star Ocean 2 because it was easy money.
Valkyrie Profile 2 is not easy money.
The Star Ocean 2 remake was one of very few remakes I've played in recent years that I think was genuinely well done. Might have to do with the base game already being rock solid, but the quality of life improvements are great, and while I'm not a huge fan of the 2D-HD aesthetic Square's been pushing lately, I think it works well for SO2. It helps that the redrawn 2D art and new voice work is also very pleasant.
yeah vp2 really really really need a remaster/remake.. I bought a goddamn ps2, again just to play it
Six years between mainline releases isnt what i would consider "milking". That was such a silly little thing to say, bud!
Muramasa is also on the Wii, which emulates just fine :)
True, but it doesn't have the four DLC characters, which are all fun to play. But yeah, the base game on the Wii is still great.
It’s one of my favorite games ever made and I can’t even play it
I replaced my PS2's laser specifically to play this game, and it didn't work. Short of hacking the PS2 and running games off a hard drive, it seems like emulation is the way to go, even if that's not an ideal solution for everyone.
Emulate it for Gods sake bro. PCSX2 is just awesome now!.
11:00 ish... did you use Order of Ecclesia soundtrack? Damn, Valkyrie Profile and Cv Order of Ecclesia are awesome games!
You're goddamn right I did! I credit the music at the end of each video. Order of Ecclesia is my favorite Castlevania game. It kicks so much ass.
I was obsessseeeedd with Valkyrie Profile 2 as a kid, its insanely good
interesting video :) keep it up i can feel that you're gonna succeed
VP2 is a really good game. i do want to go back to it but i may just restart as i feel like i messed up my whole playthrough due to not realizing that you gain more skills with the equipment until way too late in the game. also as much as i like the menu design for how cool it looks. it is a bit cumbersome to get use to. but outside of these learning curves i think it is a much more enjoyable game then VP1.
VP1 wile it has many cool things going for it. it has way too many annoying things like the time limit, most of the early dungeons are too hard for early game, and trying to get the good ending is super cryptic and no one is getting it without needing a guide unless you have the luck of fools lol. but yeah VP2 has such a unique and fun battle system and the graphics and music are top tier for PS2 and could even pass as an early PS3 game
on a side note, vanillaware not porting their games to PC is so unbelievably backwards
Yeah, the learning curve is a bit steep with this one, but that makes the payoff that much sweeter. And I really hope Vanillaware's games come to PC some day; their games are too good to be stuck on consoles forever.
@@RushHourWeekend On the plus side, Baten Kaitos is on PC now, that game might as well be Valkyrie Profile 2's sibling since it is also an artistic spectacle.
I hope square enix at least remaster vp2 and release it on steam
I really liked it, the music the story and the vibe, but the gameplay was weird and didn’t actually understood it
I find the gameplay actually fantástic, It is complex and engaging at the same time, with a lot of possibilities.
i will take 1 over 2 eny day. the movement in combat as an abosolute deal breaker some maps where hair pulling, in open areas where you can move round the map wasnt so bad but in areas like the aquaduct were terrible. like they make the map to look good over work properly in combat. if they have worked on the map and better collision so you dont got stuck in the smallest things it would have been an exponentially better game.
I love the first game to death, and completely understand why people prefer it to the sequel. VP2 has a learning curve, and it can be frustrating getting used to how dashing works; I still get caught on corners all the time.
I love both games I prefer 2.
Everyone's talking about Valkyrie Profile but nobody is talking about how Squaresoft single Handedly killed the Brave Fencer Musashi Series after the second game which was absolutely abysmal
Never played the sequel, but the first Brave Fencer Musashi is one of the most unique action RPGs I've seen. I really admire that kind of creativity.
If you want to talk about half-ass attempts at making VP successor you need to check out Exist Archive. I wanted to love that game but it makes you wish you're playing VP instead. The combat was serviceable but everything else was functional at best.
I know of Exist Archive. I skipped it precisely because it looked like a half-assed attempt at mimicking Valkyrie Profile.
@@RushHourWeekend mimicking is exactly what it is
Maybe this is why I hate modern gaming so much, because Valkyrie Profile 2 is my favorite game XD.
I swear to god if anyone wants a reminder of how terrible videogames are today, play Valkyrie Profile 2 and you'll hate modern gaming just as much as me because you will see what gaming used to be like and how great it was and how developers would work tirelessly to reach the boundaries of hardware limitations. There's none of that now. Valkyrie Profile 2 represents all of it.
Did you know that Vanillaware and tri-Ace used to work in the exact same building? It's not surprising that Odin Sphere has a literal Nibelung Valesti move in it, then you see Laeticia's design in Star Ocean 6 and you're like "did Gradriel from Princess Crown cover her hair in bleach or something?" I swear to god those two companies are like siblings.
Suguro is no longer with tri-Ace so I think if they made another Valkyrie Profile game it wouldn't be like 2 at all, if anything I'd just like to see a multiverse sort of thing where you play as Hrist... like some kind of continuation from ending C in the first game, Drakengard did it with Nier so why not Valkyrie Profile?
As for Resonance Of Fate being Valkyrie Profile 3, I'd disagree, it's very different but it is very Suguro, you can tell it's a Suguro game for sure but he took things in such a drastic direction that it's incomparable. I'd say Resonance Of Fate is more akin to Suguro's attempt at making 10000 bullets more than Valkyrie Profile 3. I feel that Resonance Of Fate's combat is a little bit too complicated but doesn't quite have the depth of VP2's combat to back it up but I appreciate the attempt at least to make something unique, better than what you see nowadays.
Ultimately though, I'm beyond caring what Square-Enix do with this series, PCSX2 gets the job done for me but I can see why people would want a port of it and why it hasn't happened, it's because Square-Enix are cowards, they remade Star Ocean 2, a game that didn't need remaking but Star Ocean Blue Sphere, a game that didn't get localized in the west? No, too much work, can't do that.
I view Resonance of Fate as Valkyrie Profile 2 streamlined to an extreme extent, such that the focus has been placed solely on the combat at the expense of literally everything else. Which isn't such a bad thing because I love the battle system - it's faster and flashier than ever before - but it doesn't scratch the exact same itch that Valkyrie Profile does.
@@RushHourWeekend Resonance Of Fate was one of those games that you had to dedicate a lot of time into, you really had to be all in on it to enjoy it and it was very demanding.
Valkyrie Profile 2 on the other hand is very short if you know what you're doing and doesn't have so much filler content. Resonance Of Fate though, that game is the prime example of the thing you covered in your previous video, granted a lot of the filler stuff is optional but if you want to even stand half a chance, a lot of that optional content might as well be mandatory. Plus the narrative man... like an entire chapter about getting wine out of the world's largest refrigerator? Really??? Nevertheless it was brimming with potential and I respect it for that, it just never struck home the same way Valkyrie Profile 2 did.
Are you familiar of Dept. Heaven series made by Sting Entertainment? I feel like its main inspiration is Valkyrie Profile series. Not just because its a norse myth setting, but also because its very very very different. Its a very different take from a known genre and the series is pretty dead. I miss them very much.
I do hope I get to play a nostalgic game someday.
I actually am familiar with it! I played Knights in the Nightmare on the DS and it's awesome. I love when games take full advantage of the hardware they're produced for, and KitN is the best example of this.
@@RushHourWeekend i only played the PSP version and the mobile demo, I still do think its awesome experience.
Anyways, I will wait for whatever you post from now on. This and the story phasing video of yours are amazing.
Dope
Calling 2 a masterpiece... is certainly a take.
It's the best take.
Still better than Elysium lol
another video crying about Japanese games unavailable on pc. your videos just sound whiny and negative. start with the positives if you genuinely like the games.