[PS2] Odin Sphere - Hot sex from Atlus

Wait, PS2 tag? This is a Playstation TWO game? I could have sworn to God this was coming out on PS3, and summarily ceased to care about it. If it's for a system I actually own, that changes everything. Jealousy turning into excitement!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

This game is pretty much was Okami was last year. Fucking awesome and unique in all aspects which makes people stop and stare.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this got game of the year. Or something close to it. And it's only May.

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Originally Posted by Taco

I'm not seeing where all of the control issues are coming from. I haven't had any major control issues. I figured out early that you can't be running in order to use items or magic. You just have to learn how to manage mobs of enemies and give yourself room to heal or cast if you take too much damage.

Basically what I do now is I run around to the other side of the map before healing. That's usually good enough, but if you want to use something like napalm timing is essential, so in cases like that it's a little annoying that the controls don't always respond as well as they should. I'm getting pretty used to the delay by now, taking a kind of zen approach to it.

It's a pretty minor issue, but it's definitely a flaw. I suppose I should've expected that, but somehow I expected everything to be perfect. I mean, it's not far off.

I thought the first boss was pretty tough, but I didn't die. I had to use a bunch of berries and bread though! I kind of want to go back and do it again and get better scores, but the story is so interesting that really want to know how it continues as well. It's been a long time since I was so gripped by a game.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

This game is hard as balls.

I'm in Gwendolyn's 6th chapter, and ever since chapter 2, I've been dying several times on each miniboss and boss, and I do use hit and run tactics and "get behind the boss".

I must be missing something, like some easy-to-make healing or attack item that can be spammed.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Very likely. By chapter 6 you should have the recipe for Healing Tonic, a 3-time use 200 HP restorative. It takes a Carroteer and a Material 0, both of which are really common.

Plot stuff:

I'm now in Chapter 6 of The Pooka Prince and the story has connected to Valkyrie. The Pooka Prince starts off a bit before the Cauldron War and goes through it, as well. Also talking to townsfolk you find out that "Odin's daughter is dead," which Cornelius takes to mean that Gwendolyn died.

The plot of the whole game is developing, too, and I'm seeing the Cauldron (or Valentine) as the final boss of the game.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I had to switch to Normal after the first boss kept handing me my ass. I guess I'm not as good as I used to be at these kinds of games.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

So yeah, I was continuing playing last night, in the chapter where Gwendolyn returns to the kingdom... Ch 5 I think? Anyhow...:

Spoiler:

Demon Lord Odin fucking pissed me OFF =( I got him down to, like, 1/8 health and I didn't notice I had around 150 health. Then he threw his mace at me when I was gonna do a dive attack and died. I think that did it for the night >_O Where's my infinite health code.

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Originally Posted by JazzFlight

I must be missing something, like some easy-to-make healing or attack item that can be spammed.

What I personally do is repeat the forest chapter and kill enemies in the whole stage. Drops of those seeds that make sheep grow on trees are common there as well as that "no photon necessary and when the seed ripes it hands out 12 photons" as well. With that, I just had about more than 6 lamb meat.

Oh, in Chapter 4 now.

Another is spamming grapes (also in the forest along with that seed that gives off 12 photons at once) and eating them so now I'm just a meager level 13 with a psypher level of 21, which helped me a lot in doing the 4th chapter.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I despise the item system.

The rings and timing is all dandy and nice, and the alchemy system is great as a concept, but it's a needlessly cumbersome affair and you simply don't have enough room for anything. What is the point of all these "sometimes useful" equipment items when you can't carry them around, nor have any place to store them after purchase? The experience boosting gem is really useful, but I can also see a use for the ring that lowers damage and the item that boosted your attack, but that's two slots wasted on items you'll only really need on boss fights. Why couldn't they keep ingredients and such separate from equipment?

I've hated these limited item space things since Grandia 1. That system worked just about because you could carry multiples of the same item in a single slot, the backpacks were spacious enough, and each character had their own. It was nothing as hideous as the cramped inventory of Breath of Fire V or this. The sparsity of money and limited item drops encourages item hogging like mad, but you run out of room so fast it's infuriating. It's not "adding challenge", it's just bad design. A completely pointless frustration in an otherwise enchanting experience.

That, and considering the battles are pretty intense, I wish there was a dodge/dash button like in Castlevania. Right now your character feels unfairly sluggish for this kind of combat.

Still, it looks far, far better than I expected. I would have preferred properly animated sprites instead of this strange polygon trickery, but there's no denying this is a magnificent looking game. Sakimoto's score adds to the haunting atmosphere and the combat (though sluggish) is constantly fun even when I keep dying.
Game of year though? Perfect tens? Ahahahaha

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I keep dying (like, 10 times in a row) even on normal enemy stages sometimes. I have never played a game before where the normal enemies' attacks that you can barely avoid take almost half of your health. This game makes me want to tear my eyeballs out, I hate it so fucking much.

Gameplay-wise, that is. Other than that, it's flawless (art, story, music). I've switched to Easy, and it seems a little bit easier.

FELIPE NO

Figures. Everyone is endorsing at leas some aspects of the game, and none of my local merchants are carrying or have heard of it

Ah well, there's always mail order, and someone has already completed a nice rip of the game's score. Plus I found a copy of Stella Deus for $20 when I scoured Gamestop looking for Odin Sphere

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Yeah, the item system is a big problem. From what I'm able to gather, the game is encouraging you to use items rather than hoarding them... but then when I use them constantly, I run out of them in major boss battles and get slaughtered.

I refuse to do alchemy, I hate the system so much.

How ya doing, buddy?

I am just SO thankful for the "Story" feature that allows you to play back cutscenes anytime you want, it gives incentive to fill out the whole timeline. Plus, then I can play back a scene for a friend to show off the amazing graphics.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Frankly, I have found little problem with the inventory system. It drives me crazy when things are not organized, but I quickly found a way around that with the bags. Currently, I have the two original bags, the bag that holds five items, and the bag that holds six. By pressing R2 and moving some things around, I have all my items organized in a matter of seconds. I actually held off from buying the large bag (8 items) because I have no problem keeping at least 5 spots open for incoming items (and that is when I'm stocked comfortably with many healing items and food).

Really, messing with my inventory has kind of become a fun part of the game for me. It adds a small micro-managing aspect to it that I neither mind nor fault the game for having.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Wow. Get through the first few hours of the game, people. The item and alchemy systems both work extremely well, and the game isn't that hard.

Yes, the game downplays hoarding items. It seems to be a foreign concept to many RPG players, but that's how the game works. You either use items when you need them, not spreading them thin, or just ignore the drops and save the inventory space. Or run through an area another time or two and get money for bags. In the later chapters of each story vendors start selling bags with 8 slots, and even then that's excessive. After each area I sell all of the things I don't need (Most 0 Materials since they drop really often, for example), keep a few healing tonics, and use any extra fruits that I've grown in the Pooka Kitchen and/or Cafe to turn my excess items into HP levels. Managing items isn't hard, you just have to do it differently than most other RPGs.

Also by refusing to do alchemy you only make the game that much harder. Some of the most useful items, like Unlimited Power or Yogurt or the oh-so-essential Healing Tonic, can only be created through Alchemy.

I can't emphasize enough that once the Pooka Kitchen and Cafe open up in each story to stop using fruits for HP experience. Healing Tonics become your primary source of healing and fruits and herbs that you grow can be used for recipes that can give upwards of 2000 - 4000+ HP Exp (one recipe I have gives 8200 HP Exp and +35 Max HP) as well as extra max HP bonuses as opposed to a tiny heal and just 250 HP Exp.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Anyone else playing this on hard mode on there first run? I"m enjoying it so far, I wish I could cancel moves and more combos would also be nice.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I'm playing the game on Normal mode and now that I'm getting used to the alchemy system I don't find myself dying as much as I did the first two chapters. The map is pretty darn useful since it tells me when to mass plant seeds to stock up on healing items for the boss fight. Don't be afraid to use the home command and start the whole level over again if you keep getting your ass handed to you. You'll build up even more levels before the boss fight to make things a bit easier.

Oh, and this game looks like a next gen title when played on a PS3. I have it upscaled to 720P and the game looks freaking amazing. I haven't noticed any slowdown yet on my PS3 either. The load times are only about 3-5 seconds too. If you own a PS3 play this game on there.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I only died once on the second boss... which means either I'm getting better or the boss was simply easier.

FELIPE NO

I don't get how this game could possibly look so good but doesn't support 16:9.

Also, don't say I never contribute to the forums:



↝

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Odin Sphere just broke my memory card ;________;

How ya doing, buddy?

Alright, having bought extra bags, the limited item space no longer annoys so much and you get used to re-organizing your stuff every five seconds.

A dash move would still be nice and a separate button for block (now you really don't use it at all)

I'm now in chapter 4 for Gwendolyn and it's really, really wonderful. Sakimoto's music really adds so much to this.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Where do you find the currency required for cooking food? It's an odd coin that I haven't found outside of the initial tutorial (then again, I just had the tutorial for it...)

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I have 34 of them right now (after eating multiple dishes) and the Pooka village just now opened up for me (chapter 5). The Ariel coin is kinda hard to tell apart from the 1G one, so I can't tell which one I've been getting from chests.

Try going through the forest again and beating up those elf guys (with the poisonous knives) fast so they drop little chests, and see if it's the right coin.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Couldn't you also over-pay in shops by about 5g, making them give you a 5g coin in change, or do they always give change in 1g increments?

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Guys, what do you think about my map? =o



How ya doing, buddy?