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Metal Max Series Discussion

Joined
May 12, 2021
Messages
29
Today marks the announcement of the first PC port of a Metal Max game, Metal Max Xeno Reborn and the future release of two episodes : Metal Max Wild West (xeno 2) and Metal Saga 2.

Since there's no serie thread yet, being an open world jrpg series that might appeal to The Codex, here it is.:incline:

As of today there's two officialy localised games, Metal Saga on PS2 and Metal Max Xeno(reborn) on multiple platforms.

There's also three released fan translations.

-Metal Max on NES
https://www.romhacking.net/translations/4065/

-Metal Max Returns, a remake of metal max on SNES
https://www.romhacking.net/translations/1215/

-Metal Max 3 on NDS
https://www.romhacking.net/translations/5598/

And, last but not least, a future translation of Metal Max 2 reloaded on NDS will be released soon™


Let's discuss !
 
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Jrpgfan

Erudite
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
2,008
1215screenshot3.png


Didn't expect Rajneesh followers to be in the game.
 

jungl

Augur
Joined
Mar 30, 2016
Messages
1,420
I left off playing 3 around the last dungeon got burnt out. its a good game but high encounter rate kills a games fun. This franchise need at least one dragon quest 12 style production value game.

High encounter rate kills games. Early "Traditional" jap rpgs were a mistake. Japs finally got their shit together when they realized high encounter rate is cancer and there is more to game development and enjoyment.
 

Terra

Cipher
Joined
Sep 4, 2016
Messages
896
Guess I'll talk about Metal Saga a bit for anyone that's interested. Somewhat scattered recollection as I haven't replayed it in like over 10 years.

This was one of the many PS2 JRPGs that never came to PAL-land aka Europe, and thus was one of the many games I imported back in the day. And what a game it was. Closest comparison is its almost like a Japanese take on Wasteland. At least in terms of setting and humour. Sure, there's a bigger focus on vehicles but the wacky/silly enemies, factions and scenarios are mirrored in both series. Both are post-apoc settings with small communities getting by.

The vehicle art kinda remind me of little matchbox toys or those seen in the isometric Strike series, recovered vehicles can be customised quite heavily and given custom paint jobs. It's really satisfying watching your vehicle collection grow over the course of the game and as you gain access to some of the harder to obtain tanks.

I did recently read that the Japanese release of Metal Saga had more content, not sure if this is correct though. As it stands though, the American release has at least one bugged, unfinishable quest (big medal quest) - it's a collectable quest though and I don't think you miss much.

There's loads of fun references and homages to other media, one minute you'll be on a bounty job tracking down a hostile school bus in the middle of the desert (found by waiting at a bus stop there) the next you'll find yourself forcibly entered into an extreme bodybuilding cult based out of a monastery who worship St. Arnold.

The basic premise is you striking out into what is a pretty wide open game world, and you're pretty free to do that however you wish, though your first steps should be to find a vehicle and mechanic companion. Vehicles act as rideables and can be employed in most battles, except some interiors you might want to explore, so you need to keep both your vehicles & team in good shape throughout. Enemies can target, damage and break particular components of your tank, so you can find yourself with the main cannon disabled at an inopportune moment. I *think* you also have to manage vehicle fuel or risk stranding your vehicles, though buying a teleporter accessory for your vehicles somewhat mitigates this. Finding a new vehicle isn't the end though, you need a spare companion available to pilot it back to your garage.

There's a nice ability to speed thru battle anims by holding L2 I think. It's a godsend because it lets you blast through fodder enemies in <2 seconds, so random battles aren't much of a hindrance.

The game is chock full of Bounties to hunt down, these are all basically optional bosses/super bosses and range from the mildly threatening to a huge flying sky fortress you'll likely catch a glimpse of way before you can challenge it.

Imo, the game is highly addictive, it's a real unsung gem of the PS2 Atlus localisation era.

The game has loads of random events & premature endings, you can end up married to the female mechanic in the 2nd town (I think), play the longer game and try to marry childhood friend Rachel at the bar (longer sidequest required iirc), get challenged to tank duels from a trio of friendly rivals you make in one of the towns, there's just too many to list really, but combined with the core game loop of exploration, bounty hunting, vehicle acquisition and customising, it makes for a very satisfying, yet laid back, chill experience in a open world you tackle at your pace.

I'd gush some more as I love this game but I can't remember many of the finer details/nuances to it beyond the above and wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone that's interested. For anyone even mildly interested though, Metal Saga is a fun, relaxing slow burn game that can easily gobble up hours of your time. I sincerely hope the new sequel follows in its footsteps.
 
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lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,158
Shame this Xeno title seems standard JRPG drivel, complete with a very anime protagonist and grim setting that stands at odds with previous entries, that took the whole thing less seriously.
 

newtmonkey

Arcane
Joined
Aug 22, 2013
Messages
1,725
Location
Goblin Lair
I've been playing Metal Max (FC) over the past few days and am really liking it so far. Everyone talks up how non-linear the game is, but it's more that you have access to the entire world map from the start and aren't really gated by difficult encounters outdoors due to how resilient your tanks are. You aren't even gated by not having tanks early on, really, since you gain the ability to rent tanks for "free" very early into the game. Instead, you are more gated by the difficulty of boss encounters and the "dungeons" (since there are often sections you need to explore on foot, so you don't get any protection from tanks). I suppose you could do things out of order, but I can't imagine the early stages of the game going very well if you don't follow what appears to be the intended route through the game (get first tank, get second party member, get second tank, beat cannon to get access to north part of map, get third party member, etc.).

Optional content so far seems to mostly be hunting optional bosses and exploring to find optional towns/villages that sell nice equipment. You can also find somewhat overpowered weapons by searching certain conspicuous locations outdoors.

I guess one thing that was a bit of a disappointment for me is the fixed party. Your main character is always a hunter, your second character is always a mechanic, and your third is always a soldier. I know later games in the series offer full party creation, so there's that to look forward to.
 
Joined
Jan 24, 2017
Messages
22
When is Metal Max 2 Reloaded English translation going to be released.

This game is up there with or even better than Final Fantasy V with the gameplay customization and one of the best boss battle theme.
 

Amurada

Educated
Joined
Jul 26, 2020
Messages
73
When is Metal Max 2 Reloaded English translation going to be released.

This game is up there with or even better than Final Fantasy V with the gameplay customization and one of the best boss battle theme.
that's a helluva pitch. is the customization specific to the DS remake; or is it just as present in the SNES version?
 

Karhu

Please delete my account.
Joined
Aug 29, 2015
Messages
6
Now that Metal Max 2: Reloaded's translation is "officially" out here's a Metal Max 3 save file.
( That works atleast on melonDS 0.9.3. )

You should be able to use this to obtain most of the tachyon teleporter exclusive equipment without having to play through MM3 three times.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/ftuh1o8p8akw2v4/Metal_Max_3.7z/file ( Rename the .sav file to same name as your .nds file. )
You might have to disable audio sync so the connection doesn't cut midway but other than that there shouldn't be any problems.
GNTYvER.png
CFhgvBt.png
Edit: Fixed broken link.
 
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Terra

Cipher
Joined
Sep 4, 2016
Messages
896
This looks so damn good, but man I hate emulating the DS with its dual screens, every layout I've tried just looks/feels wrong.
 

Terra

Cipher
Joined
Sep 4, 2016
Messages
896
Aye, I have a CycloDS somewhere from back in the day, my 3DS is also hackable but just never got around to it, I barely game on portables nowadays as I dislike staring at tiny screens. If I'm gonna play this, it'll be emulated.
 

LJ40

Cipher
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
612
Location
Wizardry/Ultima/Goldbox
Does anyone know the site that is not metalmaniax that has a bunch of info on the series?

I used it earlier this year occasionally, (metalmaniax is orders of magnitude superior but this other site had some maps and pictures I couldn't find elsewhere) but I can't remember what the hell it was.
 

LESS T_T

Arcane
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
13,582
Codex 2014
Just before western release of Xeno Reborn... the new game Wild West is canceled.



https://www.gematsu.com/2022/06/metal-max-wild-west-canceled

Metal Max: Wild West canceled
Metal Max Xeno: Reborn sequel no longer in production.

Kadokawa Games has discontinued development on Metal Max Xeno: Reborn sequel Metal Max: Wild West, the company announced.

Metal Max: Wild West was originally planned for release across PlayStation 4 and Switch in 2022 in Japan. The latest news on the game was its delay to 2022 back in May 2021.

In a message to fans, Kadokawa Games said it decided to stop production in consideration of the game’s current development status and other related factors.

Further details were not announced.

"Well, screw it." - Kadokawa execs while swimming in the cash From Software brought to them
 

LJ40

Cipher
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
612
Location
Wizardry/Ultima/Goldbox
Is the new Metal Saga still being made?

Xeno and any potential sequels can fuck themselves with a rusty knife, I just want the new Metal Saga (assuming it's still turn-based, and at least resembles the PS2 game).
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,158
Making a serious and/or edgy game set in the Metal Max universe feels like missing the point. It's supposed to be wacky post-apocalyptic Earthbound-style game, darn it!
 

jungl

Augur
Joined
Mar 30, 2016
Messages
1,420
I played a little yesterday its fun but vastly different from other games I can see why it piss off fans. The games biggest flaw is the linear design. I'd wait till the switch emulator version so you can force 4k it is a lazy port.
 

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