Current Events > Just got a PS Vita many years later. Which games should I buy?

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MaxEffingBemis
04/15/21 2:02:34 PM
#1:


Since the PSN store is going down in a couple months, I got a vita to stockpile some games before theyre gone tomorrow.

So, Ive heard this is like THE jrpg console. Im playing on buying all the Persona games available. What else should I get? Is Odin Sphere good?

Should also add it can be whatever vita, PSP, or even PS1 game

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Questionmarktarius
04/15/21 2:02:53 PM
#2:


Ys 7
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Robot2600
04/15/21 2:10:34 PM
#3:


Odin Sphere is awesome. I wrote a review for the PS2 version a long time ago.
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coolcono
04/15/21 2:11:14 PM
#4:


If you haven't played Danganroma, get those. A more fun/adult variation of Phoenix Wright.

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psn- trucano
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#5
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Robot2600
04/15/21 2:11:46 PM
#6:


Odin Sphere: An Investigation into the Nature of Art and Video Games
by Robot2600 (circa 2007)

Every few years a game comes along that far surpasses all others. In 1997, that game was Final Fantasy VII, ten years later, we receive Odin Sphere. Before you quit reading, this will not be a biased review. I am writing this review, only after completing the entire game. I will not spoil any of the story for you, and I hope to explain the good and the bad, while providing enough evidence to support my score of a perfect 10, and to explain why I feel this game deserves the respect of the gaming community.

Every review of Odin Sphere has focused on it graphics, and with good justification. The artwork is fantastic. Odin Sphere successfully creates a unique art style, and I stress the word art. The characters are designed and drawn with incredible imagination. The artwork is anime, mixed with fantasy, plus a touch of cubism. In addition to the wonderful artwork, are detailed frames of animation. Characters must have hundreds of frames of animation a piece. I still do not think I can capture the amazing visual aesthetics of Odin Sphere in words, it is like trying to describe Picasso's artwork, words will, out of necessity, will never have the same effects as seeing visual art.

The music tends to blend into the background, but by not overpowering the game it adds a lot to the mood. Odin Sphere is a very somber game, at times. The characters are involved in serious business, almost constantly. Upbeat techno, or heavy metal would have spoiled the mood. Instead, Odin Sphere sports some fantastic orchestral compositions, that could have been slightly catchier. While the songs sacrifice a certain memorable quality (memorable as in Chrono Trigger, of Mega Man 2), they are well composed and arranged. Finally, the sound effects and voice acting are perfect. Each character comes to life through the voices of the great cast. The script is extremely long, and Odin Sphere is one of the few games that has voice acting for every single conversation, including NPCs. If a character speaks in Odin Sphere, the player gets to hear their voice.

Most importantly, Odin Sphere has amazing gameplay. Upon first playing, one might be inclined to button-mash. Fortunately, Odin Sphere will punish button smashing hard. The player has a POW meter, which must be refilled from time to time by not attacking. This may seem a bother, but it helps to keep the player in check. Due to elite enemies that do not suffer knockback (it is worth noting that the player also has an ability to become immune from knockback) the player is forced to hit and run. This develops into a great rhythm that rewards dodging attacks. Considering there is only one attack button, this is a welcome addition, as it creates a fairly deep play system using only one attack button. For a 2D action RPG, it offers the right amount of challenge, in part by allowing the player to switch between difficulty settings at will.

One of my personal favorite features, is the ability to play as five different characters, each with a unique playstyle. This concept is central to the way the story is told. The player receives part of the story by playing through the first character's (Gwendolyn, a flying, spear-wielding Valkyrie) book, with gaps in the time line. Upon playing the other books, the gaps begin to fill in, until, eventually, the story is complete and the secrets are revealed. Each character plays an important role, and each character grows and develops, even most of the bad guys (although it is hard to classify most characters as good or bad, rather the game exists in shade of gray based upon perspective) are dynamic, complicated individuals. As an added feature, the story is viewable anytime after watching the scene in-game, including an option to watch a characters story without interruptions in its entirety.

Odin Sphere is not without a few shortcomings. Slowdown can be a disappointment at times, but it never cripples the gameplay completely. It is unfortunate, but it is very tolerable. During long sessions of playing, I would completely ignore the slowdown, and I honestly feel that it does not warrant the reduction of any points from the game's score. I have read reviews that claim the game has frequent loading times, however, this is an entirely unfair assessment. The game takes about 2 or 3 seconds to load a stage, with about 7 seconds to load a level. I will let the reader be the judge as to whether or not those loading times are acceptable. I feel that both criticisms are due to shortcomings in the Playstation 2's processing power, and not in the artistic realization of Odin Sphere.

Odin Sphere is also one of the few games that is conscious of itself as a piece of art participating in a tradition. It references Wagner's opera Der Ring des Nibelungen extensively, as well as allusions to Shakespeare, Norse mythology, Irish mythology, Hebrew mythology, fairy tales, the Bible, and Swan Lake. It blends these elements together, with a healthy amount of new material to create a wonderful pastiche that is completely engrossing. The world of Odin Sphere is entirely convincing, as it resonates with archetypes in a way reminiscent of Star Wars.

Yet for all of its artistic qualities, Odin Sphere is defiantly a video game. The stages remind the player that Odin Sphere is a video game, and it is a proclamation that video games are art. The stage-based design is an embracing of tradition within video games. Stages are one of the most common features of video games, and Odin Sphere realizes the addictive quality a stage-based game possesses. Odin Sphere serves as a model to all video games, in the same way that Aristotle, in his Poetics, describes Oedipus Rex as the model for plays. Odin Sphere embraces qualities of the video game, but includes inspirations from other media as well. This is exactly the quality that makes video games so enjoyable, the hybridization of artwork, literature, and music in an interactive format. But Odin Sphere takes this formula to the next level, and proves that video games deserve as much intellectual respect as other forms of art.
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Guerrilla Soldier
04/15/21 2:18:46 PM
#7:


edf 2017p
edf 2

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Disclaimer: There's a good chance the above post could be sarcasm.
Die-hard Oakland A's fan --- Keep the A's in Oakland!
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#8
Post #8 was unavailable or deleted.
MaxEffingBemis
04/15/21 2:22:18 PM
#9:


Robot2600 posted...
Odin Sphere: An Investigation into the Nature of Art and Video Games
by Robot2600 (circa 2007)

Every few years a game comes along that far surpasses all others. In 1997, that game was Final Fantasy VII, ten years later, we receive Odin Sphere. Before you quit reading, this will not be a biased review. I am writing this review, only after completing the entire game. I will not spoil any of the story for you, and I hope to explain the good and the bad, while providing enough evidence to support my score of a perfect 10, and to explain why I feel this game deserves the respect of the gaming community.

Every review of Odin Sphere has focused on it graphics, and with good justification. The artwork is fantastic. Odin Sphere successfully creates a unique art style, and I stress the word art. The characters are designed and drawn with incredible imagination. The artwork is anime, mixed with fantasy, plus a touch of cubism. In addition to the wonderful artwork, are detailed frames of animation. Characters must have hundreds of frames of animation a piece. I still do not think I can capture the amazing visual aesthetics of Odin Sphere in words, it is like trying to describe Picasso's artwork, words will, out of necessity, will never have the same effects as seeing visual art.

The music tends to blend into the background, but by not overpowering the game it adds a lot to the mood. Odin Sphere is a very somber game, at times. The characters are involved in serious business, almost constantly. Upbeat techno, or heavy metal would have spoiled the mood. Instead, Odin Sphere sports some fantastic orchestral compositions, that could have been slightly catchier. While the songs sacrifice a certain memorable quality (memorable as in Chrono Trigger, of Mega Man 2), they are well composed and arranged. Finally, the sound effects and voice acting are perfect. Each character comes to life through the voices of the great cast. The script is extremely long, and Odin Sphere is one of the few games that has voice acting for every single conversation, including NPCs. If a character speaks in Odin Sphere, the player gets to hear their voice.

Most importantly, Odin Sphere has amazing gameplay. Upon first playing, one might be inclined to button-mash. Fortunately, Odin Sphere will punish button smashing hard. The player has a POW meter, which must be refilled from time to time by not attacking. This may seem a bother, but it helps to keep the player in check. Due to elite enemies that do not suffer knockback (it is worth noting that the player also has an ability to become immune from knockback) the player is forced to hit and run. This develops into a great rhythm that rewards dodging attacks. Considering there is only one attack button, this is a welcome addition, as it creates a fairly deep play system using only one attack button. For a 2D action RPG, it offers the right amount of challenge, in part by allowing the player to switch between difficulty settings at will.

One of my personal favorite features, is the ability to play as five different characters, each with a unique playstyle. This concept is central to the way the story is told. The player receives part of the story by playing through the first character's (Gwendolyn, a flying, spear-wielding Valkyrie) book, with gaps in the time line. Upon playing the other books, the gaps begin to fill in, until, eventually, the story is complete and the secrets are revealed. Each character plays an important role, and each character grows and develops, even most of the bad guys (although it is hard to classify most characters as good or bad, rather the game exists in shade of gray based upon perspective) are dynamic, complicated individuals. As an added feature, the story is viewable anytime after watching the scene in-game, including an option to watch a characters story without interruptions in its entirety.

Odin Sphere is not without a few shortcomings. Slowdown can be a disappointment at times, but it never cripples the gameplay completely. It is unfortunate, but it is very tolerable. During long sessions of playing, I would completely ignore the slowdown, and I honestly feel that it does not warrant the reduction of any points from the game's score. I have read reviews that claim the game has frequent loading times, however, this is an entirely unfair assessment. The game takes about 2 or 3 seconds to load a stage, with about 7 seconds to load a level. I will let the reader be the judge as to whether or not those loading times are acceptable. I feel that both criticisms are due to shortcomings in the Playstation 2's processing power, and not in the artistic realization of Odin Sphere.

Odin Sphere is also one of the few games that is conscious of itself as a piece of art participating in a tradition. It references Wagner's opera Der Ring des Nibelungen extensively, as well as allusions to Shakespeare, Norse mythology, Irish mythology, Hebrew mythology, fairy tales, the Bible, and Swan Lake. It blends these elements together, with a healthy amount of new material to create a wonderful pastiche that is completely engrossing. The world of Odin Sphere is entirely convincing, as it resonates with archetypes in a way reminiscent of Star Wars.

Yet for all of its artistic qualities, Odin Sphere is defiantly a video game. The stages remind the player that Odin Sphere is a video game, and it is a proclamation that video games are art. The stage-based design is an embracing of tradition within video games. Stages are one of the most common features of video games, and Odin Sphere realizes the addictive quality a stage-based game possesses. Odin Sphere serves as a model to all video games, in the same way that Aristotle, in his Poetics, describes Oedipus Rex as the model for plays. Odin Sphere embraces qualities of the video game, but includes inspirations from other media as well. This is exactly the quality that makes video games so enjoyable, the hybridization of artwork, literature, and music in an interactive format. But Odin Sphere takes this formula to the next level, and proves that video games deserve as much intellectual respect as other forms of art.
Alright you sold me. Plus its another Atlus game so Im immediately intrigued

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She took pity on me, horizontally, but most likely because of my band
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Payzmaykr
04/15/21 2:23:41 PM
#10:


How will we re-download our games when the store is gone? I was going through my Vita yesterday and I couldnt find any type of download history list or anything. The only way that I see to download your games (that you own) is to access the store.

I have a topic about this on the Vita system board, but they honestly dont even know. One person suggests that the PS store might still exist, but not allow you to get new games or something. If they make it to where I cant access what I already bought, then how on earth so I play my old games? Memory cards are STILL way too expensive, so Im sort of worrying about this. If I cant re download my Trails of games and Persona, then Im screwed. I dont have any other type of working PS system and Im not into gaming on the TV. Im a handheld guy who likes older RPGs.

Congrats to the guy who posted the Odin Sphere info because you might have legitimately talked me into trying it, even though its not my typical type of game.
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Jabodie
04/15/21 2:26:11 PM
#11:


Payzmaykr posted...
How will we re-download our games when the store is gone? I was going through my Vita yesterday and I couldnt find any type of download history list or anything. The only way that I see to download your games (that you own) is to access the store.

I have a topic about this on the Vita system board, but they honestly dont even know. One person suggests that the PS store might still exist, but not allow you to get new games or something. If they make it to where I cant access what I already bought, then how on earth so I play my old games? Memory cards are STILL way too expensive, so Im sort of worrying about this. If I cant re download my Trails of games and Persona, then Im screwed. I dont have any other type of working PS system and Im not into gaming on the TV. Im a handheld guy who likes older RPGs.

Congrats to the guy who posted the Odin Sphere info because you might have legitimately talked me into trying it, even though its not my typical type of game.
My advice would be to hack your Vita and use sd2vita to get more memory, then download all your games.

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Payzmaykr
04/15/21 2:27:12 PM
#12:


Jabodie posted...
My advice would be to hack your Vita and use sd2vita to get more memory, then download all your games.
Is it hard to do this? I really want to, but Im not really inclined with computer stuff. When I plug my Vita into my computer, it usually doesnt even acknowledge it exists.

Ive already paid for this stuff and I just want to access my property. Im not trying to steal anything because I already have pretty much what I want. Willing to buy, not willing to not be able to play my games
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Smackems
04/15/21 2:29:43 PM
#13:


Ys Memories of Celceta

Trails in the Sky 1 and 2

Persona 4G

Muramasa

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Jabodie
04/15/21 2:30:52 PM
#14:


Payzmaykr posted...
Is it hard to do this? I really want to, but Im not really inclined with computer stuff. When I plug my Vita into my computer, it usually doesnt even acknowledge it exists.
It's not too difficult, but I won't say it's the simplest task ever. If you google "vita hacks" and click the first link, you'll get a step by step guide. An sd2vita should be pretty cheap on Amazon ($6).

When you start it I would set aside a decent amount of time in a day to do it.

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Jeff AKA Snoopy
04/15/21 2:30:55 PM
#15:


Are you looking specifically for Vita titles, or just anything you can play on the Vita?

Breath of Fire 3 and 4 for downloads.

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CobraGT
04/15/21 2:33:12 PM
#16:


I played Tales of Hearts R. This is a JRPG. It has fun characters and some interesting attack moves. It has an interesting villain dynamic. Dungeons have decent puzzles and the last level or battle arena is a challenge. (If you do not cheese it by getting the accessory first on normal mode and then repeat on chaos mode)

I need to buy some games while they are available.

Can I download games to my PS3?

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Trumble
04/15/21 2:40:00 PM
#17:


coolcono posted...
If you haven't played Danganroma, get those. A more fun/adult variation of Phoenix Wright.

Second this. Although be aware that it has a few (mandatory) action-focused minigames unlike AA.

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DemonBuffet
04/15/21 2:43:00 PM
#18:


Tag

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Posted from my iPhone 3gs.
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MaxEffingBemis
04/15/21 3:05:12 PM
#19:


Smackems posted...
Ys Memories of Celceta

Trails in the Sky 1 and 2

Persona 4G

Muramasa
Oh shit trails in the sky 1 and 2 are on there? Thats awesome. I already have them on GOG but thats good to know. Loved those games.

Jeff AKA Snoopy posted...
Are you looking specifically for Vita titles, or just anything you can play on the Vita?

Breath of Fire 3 and 4 for downloads.
Yeah pretty much anything I can play on my vita. I also have a PS3 Ill be downloading stuff to as well

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MaxEffingBemis
04/15/21 3:05:59 PM
#20:


CobraGT posted...
I played Tales of Hearts R. This is a JRPG. It has fun characters and some interesting attack moves. It has an interesting villain dynamic. Dungeons have decent puzzles and the last level or battle arena is a challenge. (If you do not cheese it by getting the accessory first on normal mode and then repeat on chaos mode)

I need to buy some games while they are available.

Can I download games to my PS3?
Is it good? Ive heard it wasnt really worth playing but Ill give a good hard look at it bc I do love Tales games

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She took pity on me, horizontally, but most likely because of my band
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MaxEffingBemis
04/15/21 6:35:24 PM
#21:


Bump

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Kisai
04/15/21 6:37:44 PM
#22:


MaxEffingBemis posted...
Plus its another Atlus game so Im immediately intrigued
No it isn't. Atlus didn't make it, Vanillaware did.

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CobraGT
04/15/21 6:39:07 PM
#23:


MaxEffingBemis posted...
Is it good? Ive heard it wasnt really worth playing but Ill give a good hard look at it bc I do love Tales games

The Vita version is a remake of the original. The skits are really fun. One of my favs is where Kunzite (fully playable in this version) lies.

I just remembered that Beryl can be overpowered and that you can farm stats boosters post game. Lot of players did not like Beryl. She is so terrible at the beginning it is funny. Beryl never had a friend growing up.

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MaxEffingBemis
04/15/21 6:39:17 PM
#24:


Kisai posted...
No it isn't. Atlus didn't make it, Vanillaware did.
Ok it was published by Atlus if you want to be technical about it

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sneakysnake
04/15/21 6:41:21 PM
#25:


Muramasa + the 4 DLCs. Those are gone for good once the store shuts down.
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Kisai
04/15/21 6:42:27 PM
#26:


MaxEffingBemis posted...
Ok it was published by Atlus if you want to be technical about it
...That's not being technical, it was published by Atlus. Publisher =/= developer. Shouldn't confuse the two, or else you might as well praise Capcom for making the GTA games.

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kirbymuncher
04/15/21 6:43:14 PM
#27:


dungeon travelers 2

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THIS IS WHAT I HATE A BOUT EVREY WEBSITE!! THERES SO MUCH PEOPLE READING AND POSTING STUIPED STUFF
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DespondentDeity
04/15/21 6:44:08 PM
#28:


Dungeon Travelers 2

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The web of destiny carries your blood and soul back to the Genesis of my life form.
I never be, I never see, I never know
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Solo_Wing
04/15/21 6:45:19 PM
#29:


Rainbow srpgs
Disgaea 3-5
A couple SRW got en releases on Asian psn (hk / sg)

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Tobi011
04/16/21 7:59:56 AM
#30:


Soul sacrifice Delta and Freedom Wars are REALLY underrated Vita games.
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_____Cait
04/16/21 8:01:37 AM
#31:


Djmax Technika

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3DS friend code: 0173-1465-1236
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Flauros
04/16/21 8:06:48 AM
#32:


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Balrog0
04/16/21 8:16:58 AM
#33:




Popolocrois (psp)


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MaxEffingBemis
04/16/21 9:09:14 AM
#34:


What does everyone think of Lost Dimension? Anyone played that?

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DespondentDeity
04/16/21 9:56:26 AM
#35:


Lost Dimension is awesome, but its difficult for me mentally to play games like that where you actively get rid of party members but you might get rid of someone whos not the traitor. Although, it has a pretty solid system for inheriting the skills and abilities to somewhat mitigate the anxiety I felt. Its a pretty unique game and I like the character designs and the battle system.

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