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NEC PC-Engine/SuperGrafx => PC Engine/SuperGrafx Discussion => Topic started by: termis on January 14, 2011, 05:01:55 PM
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As one of the best known RPG series in the TG/PCE market in the west (which isn't saying much, really), I've been meaning to play thorough the whole series, since I originally beat part 2 sometime back in the mid 90s. I went back and played through part 1 several years ago, and replayed part 2 over the past few months. I won't bother reviewing part 2 as most of those who are into RPGs have played this one as it's one of the few US RPG releases.
When I started on part 3, what immediately jumped out was the how much more polished this one is compared to the prequels. There were just things that are crude and seemed unfinished about the prequels (little things like music looping back every time you talk to some village character, status effects missing in part 2, etc). However, the developers seemed to have really stepped up in their production levels of this one. One can tell a lot more time went into everything.
As with all cosmic fantasies, there's plenty of story involved this one. There's always humor peppered throughout the game, and Nyan, the feline character, provides plenty of comic relief. And unlike some other series, CF doesn't forget its roots, as there's always cameos of characters from the all the prequels (Even as I played through part II recently, I found that Cobra (Yu) and Sayo (Saya) were actually the main protagonists of part I). And we find later in the story how all these characters are connected to each other.
(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110106_1128.jpg)(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110107_0012.jpg)(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110105_0031.jpg)
Starting from graphics, You can definitely tell a lot more went into the production of the game. It's a lot anime-y this time around. I mean the prequels were too, but this time, there's also a LOT more cinema scenes - and they're some of the most well done in the PCE library I've come across so far. More effort has also seemed to have gone into voice overs, and the overworld is vibrant & colorful. The enemy characters are also a lot more cartoony this time around whether you like that or not. Telenet added even nice little touches like the characters leaving behind footprints in the snow.
The only thing I really wish they would've put more effort was into the battle background. It's a plain black background, and this really detracts from the feeling of being really immersed in the environment. Some earlier RPGs such as Phantasy Star I had that factor nailed, and it's unfortunate that many RPGs since then still couldn't get this factor right.
(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110110_1732.jpg)(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110106_2338.jpg)(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110110_2349.jpg)
The gameplay is also a bit more complex this time around. The prequels were pretty straightfoward - anyone can equip anything, and the battle interface was the standard attack, magic, run, item variety. This time around there are multiple different types of attacks such as standard attack, "force" attack where you do more damage at the expense of being more exposed, quick attack where you're almost guaranteed to get the first hit in, group attack, weapon effect attack, etc... Same goes for parry - there are different modes of all this stuff. Granted, I didn't get to use all this stuff during the whole game, but some of the moves (such as force attack) are definitely necessary to have an easier time in the game. Weapons and armor are now also differentiated between characters and what they can equip. Because of the added complexity, it's a bit more difficult for a non-Japanese speaking gaijin to get into than the prequels, which is compounded by the lack of a complete English faq on this game (as far as I know). There's a partial one that black tiger has put out which covers about 2/3 of the game, and I actually wrote down the last 1/3 as I played through the rest of the game, so perhaps this can help those who are looking to complete the game.
My two gripes about gameplay would be that 1) there are too many misses when you attack. A good 50% of all your attacks will be in vain, and it's not uncommon where you have a single people left, and all four of your characters miss their attack move, forcing another turn - this can get irritating after awhile. 2) Exploring the world can be annoying at times, as a lot of the overworld is in different tiers - that is, it's not as straightforward as going from east to west at times, as you have to maneuver through various tiers to go from one point to another (see 3rd pic bottom). And the map that was included in the game doesn't really help much in this case.
(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110105_0045.jpg)(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110115_1617.jpg)(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-101230_2343.jpg)
Overall, it's a definite improvement in the series, and it's really too bad that this one didn't make it to the west. It certainly had the fit & finish level to compete against the top-tier RPGs of the era, and I'm pretty sure it would've been a cult classic now (somewhat like CF2) had it been released in English.
This is the first PCE game I played from beginning to end on an emulator (Ootake), and other than a slight video/audio sync issue during the cinema scenes, it played out perfectly, and it even allowed me to capture shots and like these for this review you're reading now. Now, I don't have either part of CF4, so this series will be on hiatus from my playing list while I move onto something else... Perhaps I'll finally start the Tengai Makyou series next...
Just to cap it off, it wouldn't be a CF without the shower scene, so here is is (complete with a censor bar I put in :D), along with a couple more random screen shots.
(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110108_0107_2.jpg)(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-101230_2235.jpg)(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o90/thumpin_termis/Cosmic Fantasy 3 thumbs/CDCosmicFantasyIIIJ-110106_1126.jpg)
Collection of my other reviews over the years:
Aurora Quest: Otaku no Seiza in Another World (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=5233.msg90177#msg90177)
Ane-san (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=2966.msg37879#msg37879)
Babel (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=3409.msg48437#msg48437)
Bakushō Yoshimoto Shinkigeki (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=8343.msg141057#msg141057)
Blood Gear (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=3119.msg41363#msg41363)
Cosmic Fantasy 1 (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=3055.msg39559#msg39559)
Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=2785.msg34106#msg34106)
Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes II (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=2785.msg37365#msg37365)
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=2450.msg27156#msg27156)
Iga Ninden Gaiō (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=3105.msg40926#msg40926)
KO Seiki: Beast Sanjūshi (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=2715.msg32720#msg32720)
Kūsōkagaku Sekai: Gulliver Boy (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=2505.msg28469#msg28469)
Nekketsu Legend Baseballer (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=3582.msg52562#msg52562)
Tengai Makyō: Itōryōdan (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=3105.msg40926#msg40926)
Valis I~IV (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=5167.msg88753#msg88753)
Xak I & II (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=4266.msg70826#msg70826)
Xak III (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=4580.msg75930#msg75930)
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Thanks for the review termis. Do you know anything about the CF collection on Sega CD and how it compares to the same game on PCE?
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I recall asking one of the Shirely Bros. over at WD BitD about Cosmic Fantasy Stories, & all I can recall is him saying it was a terrible port. I have a burn of the game, but, really haven't tried it out much. And speaking of CF3, I really do hope that it was finished or near finished in english, & that Vic releases it on PSN along with his other WD titles.
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Epic review. I demand stickies.
also, lol shower scene.
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CF4 is even more impressive. The cinemas are actually a little too good/prominent, but that's what CF fans wanted. The graphics in general are completely great, although the actual RPG mechanics are still woeful.
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Nice review :@)
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I started playing DF3 last month for the second time but I soon got bored because of the fights that occur just to often for my low IQ to remember where I am and where I'm supposed to go. Still I have to admit that those screenies make me want to give it another try.
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Very nice! :clap: I'll be checking out your other reviews too. Blood Gear maybe??? :-k :)
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Thanks for the review termis. Do you know anything about the CF collection on Sega CD and how it compares to the same game on PCE?
I recall asking one of the Shirely Bros. over at WD BitD about Cosmic Fantasy Stories, & all I can recall is him saying it was a terrible port. I have a burn of the game, but, really haven't tried it out much. And speaking of CF3, I really do hope that it was finished or near finished in english, & that Vic releases it on PSN along with his other WD titles.
Nah, can't say I ever tried CF Stories on Mega CD. But you know what, I had to go take a quick look up on Youtube, and I gotta say that at least for the CF1 portion, the Mega CD version looks a lot nicer (That's not saying much though, considering how crap CF1 looks like in PCE). For example, in the MCD version's overworld, the mountains look a lot more detailed and big compared to PCE's little chunk of mountain sprite. I haven't seen the CF2 portion of the MCD port, but IMO, the TG16 CF2 didn't look all that nice either, so I can't imagine the MCD version being much worse off. But either way, as I mentioned, CF3 really stepped it up when it came to the visual department.
I started playing DF3 last month for the second time but I soon got bored because of the fights that occur just to often for my low IQ to remember where I am and where I'm supposed to go. Still I have to admit that those screenies make me want to give it another try.
Yeah, actually this certainly is an issue too. But I realized that I started saying this for almost all old school RPGs I've played in the past few years (most in this list of reviews above), so I'm not sure if I've become more intolerant of frequent battle encounters as I got older, or if really by the luck of the draw, I've been playing nothing but old-school RPGs with high battle encounter rates. I think the "run" button actually doesn't help in CF3's case in this manner, as it speeds up everything, including the encounter rates - perhaps if the run button was completely taken off of CF3, the encounter rate wouldn't be as annoying (but then, the slow walking speed would be annoying!). :|
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Cosmic Fantasy 3 is a great game. Here are my thoughts on it and the other members of the series, with screens:
Cosmic Fantasy (http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/search/label/Cosmic Fantasy)
Cosmic Fantasy 2 (http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/search/label/Cosmic Fantasy 2)
Cosmic Fantasy 3 (http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/search/label/Cosmic Fantasy 3)
Cosmic Fantasy 4 Chapter One (http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/search/label/Cosmic Fantasy 4 Chapter 1)
Cosmic Fantasy 4 Chapter Two (http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/search/label/Cosmic Fantasy 4 Chapter 2)
Cosmic Fantasy Visual Collection (http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/search/label/Cosmic Fantasy Visual Collection)
I do own Cosmic Fantasy Stories, so I might get around to doing a feature on that one too at some point.
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Yeah, I don't know exactly what his(it was either Don or Leroy) beef with CFS was, I'm sure they updated CF1, that was smart on there part, & even for CF2, there would've been plenty of time to do so comparing when CF2 originally came out, & when Stories came out. It must be something technical that the Shirley Bro. didn't like.
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CF1 and 2 were really crude games on PC Engine. The graphics that weren't part of the cinemas ranged from extremely bland to semi-bad. The combat is nothing short of a joke.
It seems almost impossible to imagine the MCD versions not being better. On one hand there is nothing that shouldn't be easily ported (its not like they are trying to port Yoshi's Island or Outrun or something) and it seems like things might very well get bumped up a notch in the process. I can't imaging anything getting worse unless the team just...really sucked. I suppose it could be loaded with bugs or something.
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My only big beef with CF2, other than the encounter rate, was the music. The music itself was great, but it reset everytime a battle ended rendering it unlistenable. You could play through the whole game and not once hear an entire song! Grrrrr!
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Yeah, they should have just used chip tunes for the battles like the Tengai Makyo. You get the hear the songs, and the load times are much much better in TM.
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Ewww censorship...
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That was a nice post, termis. I'll have to read your other reviews, too.
The only thing I really wish they would've put more effort was into the battle background. It's a plain black background, and this really detracts from the feeling of being really immersed in the environment. Some earlier RPGs such as Phantasy Star I had that factor nailed, and it's unfortunate that many RPGs since then still couldn't get this factor right.
Absolutely. Considering how much time is spent in battle in a CF3, any effort to make the battles seem less tedious/disconnected/routine would have been nice. I realize that this comment can be filed under "general criticism of the genre", since CF3 is certainly not the worst offender.
Tangent: Also, I just want to add that many games suffer from the "never get to hear an entire song" dilemma--be they chiptunes or Red Book--and it has always been a pet-peeve of mine.
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Lovely review, termis; thanks for sharing. Nice timing too, since I just got a copy of Cosmic Fantasy 3 (courtesy of a Sparky huggles) and am itching to give it a go.
There's a partial one that black tiger has put out which covers about 2/3 of the game, and I actually wrote down the last 1/3 as I played through the rest of the game, so perhaps this can help those who are looking to complete the game.
Oh yeah, I'm definitely gonna need all the help I can get. :oops:
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Yeah, I submitted the chapter 3 faq on gamefaqs yesterday. It should be up there sometime soon (unless they don't want to host it, for whatever reason).
If by any chance anyone wants my original notes in word, which includes some additional notes on black tiger's chapter 1-2 faq (which might clarify a couple things), shoot me a pm and I'll send it off to you.