Saner
Apr 24, 2008, 11:52 PM
ah nevermind bleach 3rd phantom.
Operation Darkness is incredible!!!! while 2-D chibi sprites on
3-D boards was great for a while, Operation Darkness
shows us the next step in outstanding SRPG evolution!
Fully 3-D, tall and realistically proportioned characters
(well okay they still have a little anime flair to
them, but with a more grizzled tone.)
huge enviornments, greater volume of grid spaces,
the maximum limit for your squad is 11 (ELEVEN!!!!!)
on the battlefield at once (you can have more
in reserve.)
Okay there are some really great things about its
revolutionary SRPG gameplay:
1. Characters can carry 5 weapons at a time,
AND CHANGE THEM ANYTIME IN ANY TURN AT NO COST.
this includes knives, grenades, pistols, SMGs,
assault rifles, light machine guns, bazookas,
anti-tank mines, sniper rifles and maybe other stuff.
each weapon takes up one slot. with your points,
you can buy more weapons.
They can also carry about 5+ support items
(for healing, and MS, which is basically MP.)
those items can be used on yourself or nearby buddies
it's great because one turn you may wanna use your
machine gun, and your next turn you might wanna
use a grenade. very convenient and changes the
strategies based on the situations and the weapons
you have that better suit the conditions.
2. the accuracy is based on the distance between
you and your target. the farther they are, the
less damage you do or likely to miss. But the
accuracy ratio is extremely good as long as you
are at a decent range.
A cool feature is that as you are guiding your cursor
towards a target, you can see your hit number drop
the farther it gets from your position.
3. the weapons feel lethal. the pistols usually
take maybe 4-6 rounds to kill someone, but the
machine guns can take 1-4 rounds to kill someone.
and sniper rifles about 1-3 rounds (but if the
character is skilled with them, they often kill
basic enemies always on the first hit.)
Grenades do spread damage, oh ya and most machine
guns have extra spaces, like say if 2 or 3 enemies
are very close to each other, you can hit them all
in a single attack.
It's pretty interesting running up and around behind
an enemy and stabbing them with your knife. they
seem pretty lethal too, on the first try, it killed
a full health soldier.
and I always seen bazookas kill soldiers in a single
hit. they are best saved for tanks, though.
in short, the weapons feel more realistic, accurate
and powerful than the guns in other SRPGs that usually take like a half dozen turn to kill an enemy. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif this therefore improves the pacing and
avoids frustration of feeling like you wasted a
turn trying to hit someone that's 5 squares from you.
3B. AMMO
weapons have limited ammo, but I told you the
weapons and more lethal and accurate than most RPGs,
so its easier to kill enemies therefore you don't
need so much ammo, also there are these spare ammo/
reload items that supply you with more ammo, plus
since your can carry 5 weapons and take/swap with
whatever the downed bodies are carrying,
it may be almost impossible to run out of ammo
before all of the enemies are killed,
and there's always the knives as a last resort.
4. PICK UP feature! all killed bodies, including your teammates, can be used to take any weapons and items they have (as long as you have room), if you are full, then you must trade, or cancel. taking items from a body doesn't not spend to turn, and it's recommended to be used after you move.
also, it seems you can only get the Pick Up command
if you move to the left or right space next to
their waist (not their legs or arms), but I only
tested this once. also, I always made sure I chose
the direction they are facing after confirming the
space they would move to, in the direction the body
is according to that position, I just think that moving
AND facing their body would bring up the Pick Up
command, but maybe you can still get it even if you
move next to their waist and you turn you back towards
them. (it's late, I won't check right now. lol.)
5. Attack, move. Move, attack.
You can move and attack in any order. like after
you shoot someone you can use your move to retreat
or take cover. or you can move and then attack.
several SRPGs of the past had the annoying habit
of ending your turn once you attacked, even if
you didn't move yet. Thankfully Operation Darkness thinks ahead and offers both options in a single turn
6. flexible camera.
you can rotate in 360 degrees, you can even tilt
it overhead like a chess board by tilting up the
right stick. it takes some getting used to, but
if you want the camera level with the ground, hold
the right stick down.
7. MS
they are basically magic. they seem to require
a line of sight though despite the broad range they
have. Flare is so awesome. it does over 1000 damage
Ya some have werewolf transformations, they seem to
run faster, but haven't checked if their gun
performance is better or maybe they are better at
melee attacks.
8. speedy enemy movemeny
during enemy turns, they often move all at once,
this saves time and the present camera angles
for their movements is really cool. and this
helps us get back to our turns much sooner instead
of watching each enemy move one by one. Also the
a.i. decisions are fast, it's not like you see
an enemy and it isn't until 10 seconds later that
they decide to move them to a certain spot.
9. voice acting
from what I heard the english is great!
they even yell or say something during some
attacks, not sure if they are "critical hit" cues,
but it's possible.
10. Recruit system
This lets you recruit generic members (kind of
like FFTactics Soldier Office, really cool and they
all have a first and last name).
11. challenge
the demo level is hard, I tried twice so far,
first it was a bum rush, but I didn't take advantage
of scavanging the bodies for extra weapons,
especially for the generic members that only bring
along a pistol. But ya, I accidentally killed Needle
but it seemed like the mission continues despite that,
anyways I guess it's optional taking Needle alive,
maybe killing him was what summoned the TANKS.
yes they are worse than lv. 99 final fantasy behemoths.
the only thing that could kill them fast enough
is bazookas and maybe anti-tank mines,
but I didn't realize they were in the demo till I
used the shop system on the 2nd try before starting
the mission. so I bought a lot of bazookas! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif but my team didn't even beat the support
groups of enemies because the mission objective
for the demo had this thing where, 3 specific
characters must not get killed otherwise gameover,
technically 4 character since Edward, like the hero
in Shining Force, it's game over is they run out of
HP.
So ya it's really hard and challenging and forces
more teamwork and strategy.
having 11 (ELEVEN!!!!) soldiers at your command
feels like an entire army compared to some SRPGs of
the past (like FFT and Front Mission
which mainly only supported 4-6 members.)
but ya, there are many things to consider since
the weapons have a very long range, they are
very dangerous, and you must keep some specific
member(s) alive (yes, no phoenix downs for n00bs here. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif)
also the full version is said to support 4 player
co-op over Xbox Live. which sounds incredible
especially for an SRPG, has there ever been a
SRPG that supports 4 player co-op?????
hmm maybe each player commands a certain amount of
the greater whole. like about 3 soldiers per player.
well anyways it sound very very interesting! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif
I'll try to beat the demo (lol), but ya Atlus looks
like it has a winner in its hands. Too bad it will
be overlooked by casual players. well, I'm not
a huge fan of SRPGs either but this game feels like
an exception and great reasons to play an SRPG again.
It just goes to show SRPGs still have a new trick
or two to keep things fresh, and also ya the graphics
are extremely refreshing from the flat scrawny legions of the past. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif
yes it is not bright and colorful, it's more dark
and gritty, but the characters do have a visual
coolness to them. even long hair looks well modeled
(well not Soul Calibur 3 quality but still better
than most games.) and their faces and clothes look
very well done too! the weapon sound effects sound
great, even the explosions. and you may be
surprised at some other effects.
the interface is great and easy to understand. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif
OH YA!!! the COVER COMMAND SYSTEM!!!
ya at the start of a turn, you may see the cover option,
well I checked that once and there are 3 different
types of cover it seems, it's seems conditional or
something but I didn't try them yet. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif but I
heard they do something awesome and never seen in
other SRPGS.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Saner on 2008-04-24 22:17 ]</font>
Operation Darkness is incredible!!!! while 2-D chibi sprites on
3-D boards was great for a while, Operation Darkness
shows us the next step in outstanding SRPG evolution!
Fully 3-D, tall and realistically proportioned characters
(well okay they still have a little anime flair to
them, but with a more grizzled tone.)
huge enviornments, greater volume of grid spaces,
the maximum limit for your squad is 11 (ELEVEN!!!!!)
on the battlefield at once (you can have more
in reserve.)
Okay there are some really great things about its
revolutionary SRPG gameplay:
1. Characters can carry 5 weapons at a time,
AND CHANGE THEM ANYTIME IN ANY TURN AT NO COST.
this includes knives, grenades, pistols, SMGs,
assault rifles, light machine guns, bazookas,
anti-tank mines, sniper rifles and maybe other stuff.
each weapon takes up one slot. with your points,
you can buy more weapons.
They can also carry about 5+ support items
(for healing, and MS, which is basically MP.)
those items can be used on yourself or nearby buddies
it's great because one turn you may wanna use your
machine gun, and your next turn you might wanna
use a grenade. very convenient and changes the
strategies based on the situations and the weapons
you have that better suit the conditions.
2. the accuracy is based on the distance between
you and your target. the farther they are, the
less damage you do or likely to miss. But the
accuracy ratio is extremely good as long as you
are at a decent range.
A cool feature is that as you are guiding your cursor
towards a target, you can see your hit number drop
the farther it gets from your position.
3. the weapons feel lethal. the pistols usually
take maybe 4-6 rounds to kill someone, but the
machine guns can take 1-4 rounds to kill someone.
and sniper rifles about 1-3 rounds (but if the
character is skilled with them, they often kill
basic enemies always on the first hit.)
Grenades do spread damage, oh ya and most machine
guns have extra spaces, like say if 2 or 3 enemies
are very close to each other, you can hit them all
in a single attack.
It's pretty interesting running up and around behind
an enemy and stabbing them with your knife. they
seem pretty lethal too, on the first try, it killed
a full health soldier.
and I always seen bazookas kill soldiers in a single
hit. they are best saved for tanks, though.
in short, the weapons feel more realistic, accurate
and powerful than the guns in other SRPGs that usually take like a half dozen turn to kill an enemy. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif this therefore improves the pacing and
avoids frustration of feeling like you wasted a
turn trying to hit someone that's 5 squares from you.
3B. AMMO
weapons have limited ammo, but I told you the
weapons and more lethal and accurate than most RPGs,
so its easier to kill enemies therefore you don't
need so much ammo, also there are these spare ammo/
reload items that supply you with more ammo, plus
since your can carry 5 weapons and take/swap with
whatever the downed bodies are carrying,
it may be almost impossible to run out of ammo
before all of the enemies are killed,
and there's always the knives as a last resort.
4. PICK UP feature! all killed bodies, including your teammates, can be used to take any weapons and items they have (as long as you have room), if you are full, then you must trade, or cancel. taking items from a body doesn't not spend to turn, and it's recommended to be used after you move.
also, it seems you can only get the Pick Up command
if you move to the left or right space next to
their waist (not their legs or arms), but I only
tested this once. also, I always made sure I chose
the direction they are facing after confirming the
space they would move to, in the direction the body
is according to that position, I just think that moving
AND facing their body would bring up the Pick Up
command, but maybe you can still get it even if you
move next to their waist and you turn you back towards
them. (it's late, I won't check right now. lol.)
5. Attack, move. Move, attack.
You can move and attack in any order. like after
you shoot someone you can use your move to retreat
or take cover. or you can move and then attack.
several SRPGs of the past had the annoying habit
of ending your turn once you attacked, even if
you didn't move yet. Thankfully Operation Darkness thinks ahead and offers both options in a single turn
6. flexible camera.
you can rotate in 360 degrees, you can even tilt
it overhead like a chess board by tilting up the
right stick. it takes some getting used to, but
if you want the camera level with the ground, hold
the right stick down.
7. MS
they are basically magic. they seem to require
a line of sight though despite the broad range they
have. Flare is so awesome. it does over 1000 damage
Ya some have werewolf transformations, they seem to
run faster, but haven't checked if their gun
performance is better or maybe they are better at
melee attacks.
8. speedy enemy movemeny
during enemy turns, they often move all at once,
this saves time and the present camera angles
for their movements is really cool. and this
helps us get back to our turns much sooner instead
of watching each enemy move one by one. Also the
a.i. decisions are fast, it's not like you see
an enemy and it isn't until 10 seconds later that
they decide to move them to a certain spot.
9. voice acting
from what I heard the english is great!
they even yell or say something during some
attacks, not sure if they are "critical hit" cues,
but it's possible.
10. Recruit system
This lets you recruit generic members (kind of
like FFTactics Soldier Office, really cool and they
all have a first and last name).
11. challenge
the demo level is hard, I tried twice so far,
first it was a bum rush, but I didn't take advantage
of scavanging the bodies for extra weapons,
especially for the generic members that only bring
along a pistol. But ya, I accidentally killed Needle
but it seemed like the mission continues despite that,
anyways I guess it's optional taking Needle alive,
maybe killing him was what summoned the TANKS.
yes they are worse than lv. 99 final fantasy behemoths.
the only thing that could kill them fast enough
is bazookas and maybe anti-tank mines,
but I didn't realize they were in the demo till I
used the shop system on the 2nd try before starting
the mission. so I bought a lot of bazookas! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif but my team didn't even beat the support
groups of enemies because the mission objective
for the demo had this thing where, 3 specific
characters must not get killed otherwise gameover,
technically 4 character since Edward, like the hero
in Shining Force, it's game over is they run out of
HP.
So ya it's really hard and challenging and forces
more teamwork and strategy.
having 11 (ELEVEN!!!!) soldiers at your command
feels like an entire army compared to some SRPGs of
the past (like FFT and Front Mission
which mainly only supported 4-6 members.)
but ya, there are many things to consider since
the weapons have a very long range, they are
very dangerous, and you must keep some specific
member(s) alive (yes, no phoenix downs for n00bs here. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif)
also the full version is said to support 4 player
co-op over Xbox Live. which sounds incredible
especially for an SRPG, has there ever been a
SRPG that supports 4 player co-op?????
hmm maybe each player commands a certain amount of
the greater whole. like about 3 soldiers per player.
well anyways it sound very very interesting! http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif
I'll try to beat the demo (lol), but ya Atlus looks
like it has a winner in its hands. Too bad it will
be overlooked by casual players. well, I'm not
a huge fan of SRPGs either but this game feels like
an exception and great reasons to play an SRPG again.
It just goes to show SRPGs still have a new trick
or two to keep things fresh, and also ya the graphics
are extremely refreshing from the flat scrawny legions of the past. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/anime1.gif
yes it is not bright and colorful, it's more dark
and gritty, but the characters do have a visual
coolness to them. even long hair looks well modeled
(well not Soul Calibur 3 quality but still better
than most games.) and their faces and clothes look
very well done too! the weapon sound effects sound
great, even the explosions. and you may be
surprised at some other effects.
the interface is great and easy to understand. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif
OH YA!!! the COVER COMMAND SYSTEM!!!
ya at the start of a turn, you may see the cover option,
well I checked that once and there are 3 different
types of cover it seems, it's seems conditional or
something but I didn't try them yet. http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif but I
heard they do something awesome and never seen in
other SRPGS.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Saner on 2008-04-24 22:17 ]</font>