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More from nobuyuki
Here's a cover that I submitted to vgmusic. I really do enjoy the Ys series of games from Falcom, they're probably the last bit of oldschool left in the genre. What I dislike, however, is doing MIDI's. :|
Category Music / Game Music
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Size 120 x 120px
File Size 50.9 kB
the Ys series of games are what used to be known as "Epics" in the 90s, and can be accurately described as action RPG's. The genre has all but died out -- the only somewhat useful comparison is to Zelda, and to make that comparison is almost criminal to Ys fans due to the core differences between that (since it's an adventure game, really) and Ys. The game was made by Falcom, who you might remember made other awesome games such as Faxanadu and Legacy of the Wizard.
Have you ever played the game Crystalis (SNK, for NES) or Lagoon (X68k/SNES, by Zoom/Kemco)? It's almost EXACTLY like that, and they take their cues from Ys. Things like a wandering swordsman who goes around slashing things to gain levels in an overhead map all originated with Ys, as did some unique features such as gaining health when you stand still, or monsters/you being so superior in levels to the other that hits basically round down to 0 and make impossible to kill.
The series has some fanatacism surrounding it due to the fact that unlike other RPGs at the time such as Final Fantasy, the game's series was homologous -- each game built on some of the things from the previous games, and if you've played them, you'd catch the subtle references which completed the illusion of entering the game's atmosphere. Also, the original game's chiptune soundtrack was done by the now famous Yuzo Koshiro, and by the time of Ys3, the themes were remixed into kickass redbook audio (one of the first games to feature redbook audio, and probably the first to feature anime cutscenes way back in 1990). Ys was ported to numerous platforms, but despite all this, the US hadn't seen a Ys game since 1991 with Ys3 until almost 15 years later when konami decided to port Ys6 to the PS2 !
Most people who remember the first three Ys games kind of got "into" the legend of Adol Christin (formerly Adol Christian) when they were a kid, and had to go digging only to find out that there were like 3 more games that hadn't seen the light of day in this country! And then it was another huge blow when Falcom finally revived the Ys series in 2000 with Ys Eternal, and canned their plans to bring this PC game to the US. Fans later cracked the encryption and translated the game themselves.
So okay. If you're wondering how you can get into the series without knowing japanese, I'd reccomend you start off with either Ys6 for PS2/PSP (the PSP version -just- came out, and it's the only RPG for the system that doesn't suck, so it should be easy to find), or find a torrent for Ys1&2 Complete somewhere, and install the translation patch. Ys6 is much easier to pick up than the earlier games due to its more traditional battle system, but the pain threshold still makes it tough as nails to a newbie (one wrong move leaving you open can render half your health gone, and a couple hits in a new area can leave you dead). Still, the story's quite easy to pick up on, since in most games, Adol travels to a new land -- you just won't get the feeling of familiarity when you meet old friends from the previous games.
The first two remakes, though, are AMAZING (it's like bringing a classic action RPG to modern era, complete with beautiful HUGE 2d sprites), and will get you accquainted with the series, and its unique battle system. The first 4 Ys games, except for Ys3, are all top down games with a "No-slash" battle system. If you've ever played Hylide, it's like that -- you encounter an enemy, and if you touch it head on you will die. Facing it at an angle is a challenge, but it's the only way to hit a badguy without them hurting you (line up your shield).
I hope this interests you in the series. For more info about the various games and other interesting differences, see this site: http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ys/ys.htm
Have you ever played the game Crystalis (SNK, for NES) or Lagoon (X68k/SNES, by Zoom/Kemco)? It's almost EXACTLY like that, and they take their cues from Ys. Things like a wandering swordsman who goes around slashing things to gain levels in an overhead map all originated with Ys, as did some unique features such as gaining health when you stand still, or monsters/you being so superior in levels to the other that hits basically round down to 0 and make impossible to kill.
The series has some fanatacism surrounding it due to the fact that unlike other RPGs at the time such as Final Fantasy, the game's series was homologous -- each game built on some of the things from the previous games, and if you've played them, you'd catch the subtle references which completed the illusion of entering the game's atmosphere. Also, the original game's chiptune soundtrack was done by the now famous Yuzo Koshiro, and by the time of Ys3, the themes were remixed into kickass redbook audio (one of the first games to feature redbook audio, and probably the first to feature anime cutscenes way back in 1990). Ys was ported to numerous platforms, but despite all this, the US hadn't seen a Ys game since 1991 with Ys3 until almost 15 years later when konami decided to port Ys6 to the PS2 !
Most people who remember the first three Ys games kind of got "into" the legend of Adol Christin (formerly Adol Christian) when they were a kid, and had to go digging only to find out that there were like 3 more games that hadn't seen the light of day in this country! And then it was another huge blow when Falcom finally revived the Ys series in 2000 with Ys Eternal, and canned their plans to bring this PC game to the US. Fans later cracked the encryption and translated the game themselves.
So okay. If you're wondering how you can get into the series without knowing japanese, I'd reccomend you start off with either Ys6 for PS2/PSP (the PSP version -just- came out, and it's the only RPG for the system that doesn't suck, so it should be easy to find), or find a torrent for Ys1&2 Complete somewhere, and install the translation patch. Ys6 is much easier to pick up than the earlier games due to its more traditional battle system, but the pain threshold still makes it tough as nails to a newbie (one wrong move leaving you open can render half your health gone, and a couple hits in a new area can leave you dead). Still, the story's quite easy to pick up on, since in most games, Adol travels to a new land -- you just won't get the feeling of familiarity when you meet old friends from the previous games.
The first two remakes, though, are AMAZING (it's like bringing a classic action RPG to modern era, complete with beautiful HUGE 2d sprites), and will get you accquainted with the series, and its unique battle system. The first 4 Ys games, except for Ys3, are all top down games with a "No-slash" battle system. If you've ever played Hylide, it's like that -- you encounter an enemy, and if you touch it head on you will die. Facing it at an angle is a challenge, but it's the only way to hit a badguy without them hurting you (line up your shield).
I hope this interests you in the series. For more info about the various games and other interesting differences, see this site: http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ys/ys.htm
haha, if you played ys1 or 2 you'd realize that it's just part of how those games were. Though I will admit, I'd have preferred he'd swing the sword a bit faster. And it would have also been nice to go up in levels a bit faster, too, cause those stages got hella boring powering up for the next area.
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