a legitimate theoretical question

I have decided to invest some time in my wii. The games I was looking at are the ones that are more rarer. Specifically I wanted to find the last story. But as a result of this, two other games came to my attention, pandora's tower and xenoblade chronicles. I know nothing about pandora's tower, nothing. I saw the quicklook on xenoblade but it didnt click for me, I am rewatching the quicklook now to make sure I didnt miss anything....so far not excited. (Any opinions on these games would be nice)

Main question:

Xenoblade is damn expensive(minimum 165$) and not readily available. I looked at a compatibility list for a wii emulator and it totally is playable. If i buy the game, none of that money will go to xseed, so is it really wrong for me to just get an iso and enjoy?

Years ago, I would not have given this a second thought but now with steam... I have grown soft and can't bring myself to dive into the darkside, not when there are so many legit ways to get games.

Edit: I forgot to set the board to "wii" section, sorry.

If the publishers of a game aren't going to make it readily available in some reasonable form, then I don't think anybody could really hold it against you.

I thought that Monolithsoft developed Xenoblade Chronicles and Nintendo published it? What did XSeed have to do with it?

@super2j: I think GameStop is selling some copies for $90 now. You might call around.

Also, I have a copy of it, and uh, I would never dream of selling it for a minimum of $165. $80 seems more like it.

Don't.

XSEED didn't publish Xenoblade. That was entirely Nintendo.

However, Xenoblade is also an amazing game and easily one of the best RPGs of this generation on any platform. The gameplay makes it feel like a single-player MMO in some respects (sort of like Final Fantasy XII), but the characters are charming, the setting is vast and beautiful, and the story is really good, featuring a lot of Takahashi's requisite gnostic references and a very unique world. There's enough content to keep you busy whether you want to complete it in fifty hours or a hundred and fifty. Really, the Giant Bomb Quick Look of the game doesn't entirely do the game justice, as it still depicts the early game, before it really opens up with more party members and a wider variety of combat techniques.

And about the combat, while it does feel MMO-like, each character has their role to play, and has rules that govern how they work. Shulk, for example, is unique in that he has the Monado, which grants unique offensive and defensive abilities that unlock over the course of the game. Sharla is a combination distance fighter and healer, Melia is a pure mage with a mechanic that boosts her magical power, and Riki is a status affecting monster in the guise of a little fluffy goofball.

Do.

The Last Story is a flawed game, to be sure. The sidequesting is limited in scope and not well-organized; there's no quest log of any sort, so when you do complete a quests's requirements, you might forget who it is you're supposed to report back to. That being said, the sidequests aren't an important part of the game and can be easily skipped. The combat system is fun; not as strategic as it has the potential to be, but still a unique experience relative to other RPGs.

What I really enjoy about The Last Story is its, well, story. It's a Sakaguchi tale to the core, so if you know the sorts of characters he prefers, particularly in terms of his romantic plots (which the game revolves around), you'll be in familiar territory. The story does have its predictable moments, but for a game that can be completed in about 20-25 hours (it's really not a long game at all), it's really entertaining, and the characters are a memorable bunch. I particularly enjoy the chemistry between the leads Zael and Calista.

Care to elaborate on this?

@truthtellah: To tell you the truth, i found one copy of xenoblade but its not in my city and it would cost me a lot to go get it. I dont think i even care enough to go track down a download, hence why this thread is theoretical.

@hailinel: you just laid out everything that interested me about this game. I want a romantic plot that doesn't seem like a 9 year old wrote it.

"i love you but i can't be with you because I have been kidnapped! save me! Plus we can get really annoyed when people suggest we are in a relationship! girls are gross!"

Yeah, the romantic part of the plot is definitely nothing like that. It has its playful moments and its rockier moments, but Zael and Calista's relationship is the story's core, and one of the strongest aspects of the writing.

ここ.

@hailinel: Yeah. The only real problem with the romance stuff in Last Story is that the main character's voice actor is kinda meh compared with the other characters. That and Syrenne is totally way better waifu material but whatever. She's too cool and strong a woman for that loser anyway. Ugh, now I want to go play Last Story again.

Syrenne would drink Zael out of house and home!

@hailinel: Guess what. I totally tracked down a copy of Last story locally. I spent more on that (39$ after tax)then I did on any steam game i have bought in the last few years, lol. I am totally excited to play this. Best part was there was only one copy and it had been on hold up until the day I walked in, dude was about to put it back into the shelf when I sauntered up and asked if he had a copy.

Awesome! I hope you enjoy!

@super2j: Nice. Have fun!

Ah, one more thing I should mention. The Last Story defaults player attacks to automatic, as in you run up to an enemy and Zael will deliver strikes automatically. Attacks can be switched to manual in the options menu. That could have a key effect on how much you enjoy the game (I played with manual attacks).

@super2j: That is a crazy-late double post.

Completely out of the blue question - how comparable is The Last Story to Final Fantasy IX?

It's been a while since I've played FF9, but all I can remember the two games having in common is "fairy tale", which is a pretty broad generalization. By that logic, The Last Story and Vagrant Story are comparable.

I never played Final Fantasy IX, so I can't answer that question.

@hailinel: @video_game_king: Ah, well. I'll probably play two or so hours of it someday.

@believer258: is 2 hours enough in a jrpg? I would assume u would need at least 10 hours ti get a sense of the game.

No, I was joking. I've played tons of JRPG's for about an hour or two over the past year or so.

No, I was joking. I've played tons of JRPG's for about an hour or two over the past year or so.