Yes, awesome. I am glad to see that they are using DLC to flesh out the storyline of this game; that one of these releases is of the 'Red Flag' variety is a nice bonus.

That DLC is also coming early next year. Equally awesome.

I'll be getting this tomorrow immediately after class, sealing myself away, and playing it nonstop. I cannot wait.

I have to say the DLC planned sounds brilliant. Provided it's not stupidly priced that's going to be a definite get for me.

I'm hardly far into this game at all, but got to say, loving the absolute shit out of it. It's pretty beyond words and I could sit and drink in the visuals for days on end, but beyond the pretty is a really entertaining tactical RPG (at least so far, and only seems to be getting better). I'm just annoyed that there's so many good games to be playing right now as I really want to sink hours into this.

Wow this completely excited all my expectations. I admit that the main driving force behind me buying this game was the music and the fact that I hardly own any games for my PS3.

I actually am not a fan of SRPGs and FFTactics was the only one that I really enjoyed and I've played a lot of them. This game has a lot of the elements that I loved in Tactics, the main one being that the battles are heavily story driven and the characters feel alive rather than just feeling like fighting pawns to be thrown at the enemy. Overall this has many of the traditional RPG elements that tend to be lacking in SRPGs even though it a tactical and mission based game.

I'm absolutely loving the game. My only gripe with the game at all is the dubtitles; Sometimes there will be voiced english dialogue when there is no japanese, or vice versa. Since I'm playing this in japanese, it can lead to a few gaps in the subtitles.

That aside, the rest of the game is simply amazing. The first few chapters were pretty easy, and I was worried that the game would suffer from a lack of difficulty, but now I'm at Chapter 10 and the difficulty has been skyrocketing up over the past few chapters to the point where I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to win the map I'm on.

When I picked up my pre-order though, Gamestop already ran out of the bonuses; apparently Sega only sent the store here 4. I've seen scans of the book and it looks really good, too. ;_;

I didn't get an artbook either :(

Glad to hear the game is living up to expectations. I just picked it up today before work, so I'm still waiting to get a shot at it.

Edit @ Gech regarding thread title: "Sega trying an RPG?" Does this mean you have never experienced the joy that is Skies of Arcadia?

I got the artbook, and it's pretty nice. I wish it was hardcover, but other than that it was totally worth preordering the game for. Now I just wish I had time to play the game. :(

You're talking to a man who can't be bothered to download Cave Story free on the internet.

Does anyone get a MASSIVE lag right before the "intro" starts? (intro as in if one of those "screen saver" mode)

Not I.

Neither I. Then again, I installed the game right off the bat.

I didn't install it yet, and it seemed to run ok through the couple of chapters I played.

Getting good ranks on these missions is surprisingly difficult. I've gotten an A, a D, and a B so far, and the B was after getting killed a few times for being too reckless. Anyone tried going back to redo missions yet? Does it just add the higher winnings to your save or what?

You can't replay story missions, at least not until New Game+. Skirmishes are the only maps you can redo as many times as you want each playthrough.

No lag for myself either. It's interesting so far. And no artbook for me either. Nuts. Got one for Eternal Poison but not for this.

I'm getting close to the end of the game, though I haven't really gone back to watch most of the Reports or done more than two or three Skirmish maps. Past chapter 4 or 5, the game has been consistently challenging, but never unfair. Some maps seem helpless when you start off (Chapter 16 I think in particular), but how much control you have over how you move your characters really makes planning out stages flexible and amazingly fun.

I'm not sure how I'm going to go back to regular Strategy/RPGs after this game. Fortunately I'll be able to delay returning to them (or at least take a break from them) when the Edy and Selvaria campaigns come out.

Not to mention the "Hard Mode" that is unlocked after you beat the game.

Dude, it is BRUTAL. I haven't had the guts to cue up the EX-Hard mode that was released as a download for the JP version yet, even. The one already in the game is crazy enough.

So how was the story throughout? Did it stay interesting all the way or was it somewhat cliche but saved by the strategy aspect? I'll probably be devoting a bit more focus to this game after finishing up a few other things I'm working on. Until then it'll be more of prodding at it a bit in between other games.

Well, it's a Japanese RPG. You shouldn't go into it expecting amazing storytelling or a groundbreaking plot or set of characters. That being said, though, the plot is still enjoyable, and it works well enough to flesh out the few main characters of Squad 7. I guess it leaves the recruits open for DLC campaigns (see: Edy and co.), but as far as the main game goes, if you're not Welkin, Isara, Largo, Rosie, Alicia, or Zaka, the plot doesn't care about you.

I pretty much agree with this:
The story does have a checklist of cliches, but they're used well for the most part, and I really enjoyed the story. I say this as a person who generally doesn't get into game stories much.

I'm actually enjoying the English voice acting quite a bit. They got some good voice talent in this game. I haven't looked up the credits to confirm, but the presence of Steve Blum seems pretty obvious. I think Tiffany Grant (Asuka Langley) and John Di Maggio (Bender) are also in it.

I'm also loving how the profiles of squad 7 members are updated after the news woman interviews them. I'm especially amused by the profiles of the Skies of Arcadia crew.

I like how the weapon upgrade system changes the physical appearance of the guns every couple of upgrades. Now I'm tempted to get them all just to see what they look like. I just bought the first sniper rifle with an aim of "B." Maybe my snipers will stop doing everything they can to miss their targets' heads now.

Additional Thought: If this is a WWII alternate universe, then where the heck are the airplanes?

That's actually a very good question. While the scale and mechanics make their being controllable units out of the question, it would not be totally implausible to see them as a support ability (airstrikes).

As if the plot wasn't anime-y enough, they've sealed the deal by turning the game into an anime series. At least all of the cliches will be in their proper format now, though they'll probably give the stupid winged pig thing more screen time. Ugh.

I guess the game was popular enough, though. Here's hoping that means a bright future for a series of games, or at least games that play similarly.

Game from Japan... anime-ish? HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN.

Lith called, he wants you to stop shitting up his shtick.

But it's not his schtick, I totally didn't act like I hated hip hop there. I'm actually quite fond of it.

Seriously, Mo0, you guys aren't even trying to hide it, are you?