Old/obscure/underrated JRPGs

[rohand]

Just for the heck of it ran one of the pics through http://www.i2ocr.com/free-online-japanese-ocr

Then threw the extracted text into Google Translate

【リョウ]】・・・たぶん、あのコンテナの中には、新品のスレイヴドールの中枢チ
ップが入っているはずだ。


[Ryo]] ... Maybe, in that container, the heart of a brand new Slave Doll
It should have been included.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Ok! That is an awesome application and i'll be using that a lot. AWESOME!!!

 

[Sigourn]

Spoiler

 

[infidel]

Ok! That is an awesome application and i'll be using that a lot. AWESOME!!!

You know, there's a simpler way. PC-98 emulators support hooking text to outside (since text is usually displayed with a common routine), so for the most games you can just run a tool that will grab strings and use multiple online dictionaries to translate them (not working for some games but it's a rarity). It's p. playable. Sometimes a particular dictionary API breaks and needs to be updated.

Check out the tail end of this thread for the fresh versions (and some other similar tools):
http://www.hongfire.com/forum/forum...utorials/68499-translation-aggregator/page118

Oh yeah, and there were some additional helper files somewhere that make some commonly used words translate better, like names for example. There was that game I played where the protag was called TRUTH. But it became more useful Shin after using that.

 

[Merlkir]

OK, that's creepy. Is that girl famous or something?
I sometimes inexplicably watch her cook and eat things on Youtube, but I didn't think she was well known.

 

[Sigourn]

I have the irresistible urge to cut her hair. That can't be good for her eyes.

 

[aweigh]

sigourn, what crt filter u using there?

 

[Sigourn]

sigourn, what crt filter u using there?

crt-royale

As much as I like the non-filtered look, the pixels literally hurt my eyes when playing at high resolutions. So it's either a filter or playing in small (x2) resolutions.

 

[aweigh]

Yeah, after much hemming and hawing, much delibertion, much "researching", I've finally realized the best answer to the filter question is to simply use RetroArch's Royale and Easy-Mode filters.

I keep waiting for the Saturn core to improve in RA so I can play Shining Force 3 with Royale filter.

 

[Sigourn]

Yeah, after much hemming and hawing, much delibertion, much "researching", I've finally realized the best answer to the filter question is to simply use RetroArch's Royale and Easy-Mode filters.

I keep waiting for the Saturn core to improve in RA so I can play Shining Force 3 with Royale filter.

I don't remember which one Easy-Mode is. But it's either royale or a filter that adds scanlines, but not extremely obvious ones, and I'm set.

 

[abnaxus]

Played Mad Paradox by Queen Soft (1992)

Just a run-off-the-mill 5/10 early 90s H-rpg (there are no sex scenes, just a couple of still images). Not a fan of the art style at all (same developer as Possessioner). Only played it because the manual was nice.

The story is a simple tale of revenge, you need to find four McGuffins to beat the evil fire guy.

Not really worth playing at all.

Spoiler

 

[AdolfSatan]

Out of curiosity, how long's the average playtime for these games you post?

 

[abnaxus]

Played Seiya Monogatari: Anearth Fantasy Stories for PC Engine CD (1995).

This is likely the best rpg for PC Engine. It was supposed to be the first part of a trilogy. Took around 30 hours to finish.

A mysterious young woman with a baby was attacked during the Holy Night. She managed to escape, but collapsed and died in front of the church in the city of Yalem. But the baby survived, grew up, and eventually became a hero on a quest to avenge his mother's murderers and save the world.

Seiya Monogatari: Anearth Fantasy Stories differs from most other role-playing games in several important aspects. The player creates the main character in a unique way: when the baby lies on the snow outside of the church, several people pass by. The player can choose to press the action button, making the baby cry and attracting the attention of these people. Depending on the timing of this "baby action", the hero will be adopted by different people, which make him belong to a different character class (fighter, thief, mage, or monk), and also lead to four entirely different prologues (once the hero turns fifteen, the four stories eventually merge into one).

Instead of random battles - or even regular battles with wandering enemies - the game has pre-set battles, which occur much less frequently than in traditional Japanese RPGs. Winning the battles depends less on leveling-up and more on the actual tactics used during the battle. There are no levels in the game; instead, the characters gain better statistics depending on their actions during battles (e.g., using magic will increase magic power, etc.). The battles are turn-based and are viewed from a side-scrolling perspective. The game focuses on exploration, having large and complex locations as well as plenty of items of different categories that can be found if the player explores the game world properly.

Initially you can only make money by finding gems and selling them off. Stats are slow to increase since battles are so few, but eventually you get to increase them by brewing alchemy potions. You can find some recipes by exploring and reading the right books.

For the majority of the game you don’t really need high stats except maybe to beat the final bosses. Stats are max at 32 anyway so the game never wastes your time.

To cast magic, you need magic stones called “holix”. Fastest way to get holix is donating to the Church. Holix can also be used to increase stats at a glacial pace. It’s recommended to find all 14 permanent holix that aren’t used up when casting magic.

Also p. sure there are no other games where one of the party members is 60+ obaasan. Actually you get a different party member depending on origin but the other party members will still occasionally stop by. I played as thief but I feel the game was meant to be played as monk. Maybe replay the Saturn version to see what the differences are.

Spoiler

 

[abnaxus]

Played Shinsengumi Bakumatsu Genshikou by Wolf Team (1992).

“Bakumatsu” refers to the era that put a close to the Edo period and ushered in the Meiji Restoration. “Shinsengumi” were pro-Shogunate elite police force.

The game is about a high school girl called Okita Misao who during a school trip to Kyoto visits a shrine where she touches the sword of Okita Souji (one of the most celebrated swordsmen in Wapanese history). Misao and Souji have the same surname but it’s never made clear they’re related.

Anyway when Misao touches the sword she is seemingly warped back in time, straight to Souji’s deathbed (he died from tuberculosis at the age of 26). Souji grants his sword to Misao and Misao takes Souji’s place in the Shinsengumi. The game explains this away by having Misao and Souji look exactly alike… apparently Souji was androgynous.

It is shown in the game intro that Misao is in kendo club so in fact has some martial knowledge but in fact Souji’s sword acts like Elric’s Stormbringer of a sort acting on its own taking down assailants when she’s in trouble. Funnily enough she personally takes down Sakamoto Ryouma.

So Misao teams up with other greats such as Kondou Usami and Hijikata Toshizo but also gets to know the lesser known members of Shinsengumi p. well. They’re all bros.

It is an interesting time piece as Misao gets to witness some momentous events first hand. In the end she even ends up at Ezo Republic where Hijikata meets his end.

Normally I loathe “lel it was all a dream xDD” endings but here it works. The game turned out as gud as expected.

There’s animu called Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto where both Okita Souji and Hijikata Toshizo are bros too but it’s overall a mixed bag.

Spoiler

 

[abnaxus]

Couldn't get this old PC88 Enix game to work

 

[abnaxus]

Another interesting game I wanted to plaly but couldn't get to work.

 

[Ysaye]

Couldn't get this old PC88 Enix game to work

That's Max (in the background) and Dark Sol from Shining force surely? And Sir Astral without his hat in the top right hand corner?

 

[Grauken]

Another interesting game I wanted to plaly but couldn't get to work.

When you say you didn't get games to work, is the emulation usually broken?

 

[abnaxus]

It's usually due to corrupt/missing user/system disk.

But some games for some reason didn't work in Neko project and only in T98 Next (Alshark and Chilam Balam most notably).

 

[eric__s]

That's Max (in the background) and Dark Sol from Shining force surely? And Sir Astral without his hat in the top right hand corner?

No, but the art was done by the Shining Force 1 artist, Yoshitaka Tamaki. That character is identical to Brian from FEDA: Emblem of Justice.

 

[Murk]

eric__s looks very similar to the art from Alundra 1 on PS1.

 

[abnaxus]

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Man, these intros in Engrish remind me of the DEEP™ intro in the MSX version of RELICS.

For some reason, I find them charming.

 

[abnaxus]

Played Phobos by Himeyasoft (1992).

This is another cyberpunkish detective adventure game. The game tricks you right in the beginning as it introduces an interplanetary war between Mars and Earth yet the entire game takes place in future Tokyo xDD

The main character (Ryouichi) is a former soldier who fought in the war who is tasked by his former colonel to find a former war buddy who stole some secret and went awol.

The game’s p. decent as there is some actual detective work to be had: talking to people, gathering clues to unlock new areas. Similar to Eve Burst Error.

Ryouichi has a female android assistant (Leela) and throughout the game there’s a lot of hilarious banter between them. Ryouichi is the typical brash PC98 male protagonist thinking with his dink while Reera is the voice of reason and saves his ass many times.

The game also utilizes a plot device I particularly like: former waifu turning out to be (anti-)villain.

There are some twists and turns but in the end the story ends a bit too ham-fistedly quickly.

Spoiler

 

[abnaxus]

Played Sword World PC for PC98 (1992).

Sword World is a Wapanese D&D knock-off, setting is the continent Alecrast to the north of Lodoss island (the animu Rune Soldier takes place on this continent). The world is called Forcelia. 500 years in the past the world had a Netheril-like highly advanced civilization that fell. Many of the game dungeons are remains of this previous civilization (an important place is the ruin of a once floating city).

You create your own character (complete with rolling attributes) and gather a party of adventurers.

You go through several “scenarios”, aka sidequests, like dealing with undead/necromancer, finding missing person, taking care of drug dealers, work for thieves’ guild, etc. There’s a big variety in these scenarios, even entire questlines. There are at least 50 scenarios in total. In p. much every town you visit there’s something interesting to do or something interesting happens.

The game does have an overarching story interspersed between different scenarios, it deals with cultists trying to make ancient evil sea god (a giant ray) return. Indeed, the game unfortunately ends after the final of these quests (I didn’t get to do every scenario in the game).

Party members actually comment a lot, give advice, even crack jokes. You definitely grow to like them.

There are no random encounters and experience/gold are only acquired upon finishing a job. It’s a very low level campaign as you can only go up to level 5 in a single class. Then again you do need to multiclass as every class is needed: you need a shaman for at least one sidequest and a sage is needed to decipher ancient languages in dungeons or give information about rarer monsters.

Since it’s “Sword” World magic is p. low-key. Sorcerer spells go up to level 5, divine spells up to level 4. Plus to use certain spells like “summon skeleton warrior” like in the Lodoss animu you need dragon fang item, very rare and expensive.

Leveling up doesn’t automatically raise HP/MP, you need to either buy expensive items from temples or spend experience points separately. Then again it seems that in this tabletop system having more than 20 HP/MP is already an awful lot. And with good attributes/equipment you avoid a lot of damage.

I think the Lodoss games on PC98 with full party creation that I didn’t get to work are similar, i.e. various sidequests with hidden overarching story (or with the animu story as a backdrop).

One of the highlights of the game is probably a dungeon crawl in a dragon temple, with a layout shaped as a dragon. Or a run-off-the-mill monster hunt leading to an ancient laboratory… and a scroll in a hidden room leading to a yuge optional dungeon leading to Excalibur.

Also during an early thieves guild quest the party meets a unique character called Nightshade, it's nice bumping into her again several times after (even at the very end).

P. great game.

Spoiler