Pier Solar Game Sample and Detailed Review - Genesis/MD

[type2red]

This is the best review of Pier Solar out there, bravo.

[warrengonline]

Great review.. I want this game any way, despite its flaws. It works on Sega CDX? Willy Beamish and Jurassic Park do not work on my Sega CDX. :(

[Vysethedetermined2]

@warrengonline Yes. I played the majority of my copy on a CDX, so you'll be fine if that's what you want to play it on.

[ScutigeraColeoptrata]

This is the first I've heard of this game, and the project looks extremely impressive, just going by the footage in this review. I like that you backed up your criticisms with a lot of supporting evidence, but to be fair I don't know if RPG fans are ever going to agree on what a perfect game is, especially when it comes to retro ones, and I have to admire any team that is able to produce a finished project at all, despite any flaws. Anyway, good review, and thanks for telling me about this.

[type2red]

Your totally right and in a strange way i wish big publishers would treat preorders and 1st adopters the way Watermelon does.

[type2red]

Thanks for the info i was lucky enough to order a reprint copy and preorder the soundtrack before being sold out this time, but it almost seems unfair i am a big gamer i read a lot of blogs and game sites and i never heard anything about this game until this year if i had i would of certainly ordered the posterity or classic editon for only $35 shipped.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@type2red No prob. To be fair, they "advertised" the game, but it did almost nothing for promoting the game, so it is mainly learned by others through word-of-mouth. It is a little unfair, but at least they have a great soundtrack to go with all versions now and they were losing money at the previous price range. I'm still not sure if they're breaking even, but nearly everyone can agree that the way ordering and pricing was handled could've been better. The price still beats $150+ on eBay right?

[type2red]

How much does this cost and where do people buy it? Reminds me of NGDEV TEAM and their Dreamcast and neo geo releases.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@type2red You can get it on eBay. Nah, I kid, I kid (you could, but you'll pay a small fortune).

They have a new site. You can buy the game, pre-order their definitive soundtrack, and more. While the previous link was in the description, I added their new link to the description as well. The game is 49USD and the soundtrack is 25USD (before S&H). Specifically, the game is 56USD after S&H.

[SegaGaming]

Huh. The game was actually released. After awhile I honestly just thought it was vaporware.

[Ponimaju]

is this cart only or playing on sega cd with the enhanced soundtrack?

[Vysethedetermined2]

@Ponimaju It's being played with the enhanced soundtrack.

[gvidal]

That was an amazing story! After all this year, Genesis remains fresh, with a great game and the biggest megabit memory (64mb) ever!

This is how RPGs in 2D would develop if they would still being made.

[mireaux7]

2010, huh? def a homebrew..but amazing! this gives any rpg on snes a run for its money.

[AtticusMJ]

One thing I wonder about is what lv was you when you beat the game?

Aside from start the game I turthfully found all the HP/MP items I tryed to keep mainly worthless due Mana Regin Bow and the Ring that also Regin mana then was staff that cut 1/2 mana cost of the Wind Mage

Nice review but abit long :)

[Vysethedetermined2]

@AtticusMJ Thanks. My level (according to my ending video) was around 37-38 or so.

[AtticusMJ]

@Vysethedetermined2 Thats considerd kind over lv by most of the Pier Solar Fan base so I find abit odd had hard time with items

Tho I was also over lv for the end but my understanding 20-25 common lv for it

If I recall I was 30-32ish

Did you miss out on all the gear that help out with mana?

[Vysethedetermined2]

No, but that isn't the point. Those items that you mention are still a fair bit into the game. The game was beat with all characters having learned all skills, but I did beat the game at lower levels when the characters didn't learn all of their skills. As the video already mentions, healing is a big problem early on, but the game gets pretty easy near the end. Alina is the only real healer, so items will always be of some focus. Having the great items at the end make it easy though.

[AtticusMJ]

@Vysethedetermined2 Oh am not haveing problem with anything you said :) I was just wondering is all just opinens after all :P

I used the Wind Mage for most my healing after get the Book that gives everone in the party 1 gather at start ever battle tho thats vary easy item to miss so dont know if got that when you played

[Vysethedetermined2]

@AtticusMJ Nope, got that too and all the master key items. Did you use items with the Wind Mage? As far as I can remember, his one wind spell dealt damage while healing just him. The book to give everyone one gather is great though because you can gather to do more powerful skills earlier in a battle. It's a lifesaver. Also, I wasn't trying to come off mean. I said a lot, so it is easy to overlook stuff. I wouldn't berate someone who is calm and just stating opinions, just like me :)

[AtticusMJ]

@Vysethedetermined2 Basicly I would use his 1 gather heal for party and his 3 gather spell that sucks life from enemys to him for himself and if things were geting bad I throw Alina in for a turn or two to help heal if to much of the party was damged

And when everone was good I would just spam His 3 gather spell as does good all hit damg xD

[phonedork]

I like your style. Tell it like it is regardless of fanboyism! I am glad I saw this. Thanks for a great review!

[Vysethedetermined2]

@phonedork My honesty is, for better or worse, one of the things I'm known for, lol. No problem and thanks for watching!

[western11h]

Can this be played in emulators

[Vysethedetermined2]

@western11h No, at least not now and probably no time soon.

[Ui2019]

Great review!

[bluballzzz]

looks like a gay game

[YukiNagato3]

@bluballzzz baby's first troll

[SiGhast]

@bluballzzz A male game that like-likes other male games?

[Zeifear]

This was an awesome review. You weren't kidding about the 'detailed' part of the title. I was considering attempting to find a copy online, but they seem to go for obscene amounts of money. I just wish I had heard of the game before.

[JunmaiShu]

It's nice to see an objective review for a change. I see mostly puppets blindly lobbing praise onto WM. It just comes across as rushed to me, which is hard to believe after all the delays. It's like they just put a bunch of random boxes, trash cans, ect... into the maps to fill space. It's cluttered. And I swear I've spent 10% of the game just watching the animation to "heal".

I was so eager to get it but now haven't touched it in 2 weeks. I expected a lot more.

[robertogilnei]

I've never been a fan of the Genesis games, but was really impressed with this. Mainly because of the sound. The sound of Genesis was much less than the SNES.

[QwoPhasaArius]

Right, just finished watching that there and I have to say your review is perfect. In dept is thrown around a lot for reviews but this one absolutely nails it.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@QwoPhasaArius Thanks. Glad to hear it.

[QwoPhasaArius]

BY GOD, DID THAT DOG JUST TALK!??!

[djfakt]

Everything looks pretty damn slick for a bunch of amateurs EXCEPT, as always, the dialog and story...Pretty sloppy.

[Clesarie]

Vyse your review has to be the best review ever. Its absolutely truthful.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@Clesarie Thank you very much. It means a lot to me to hear you say that.

[MoonOvIce]

Is the demo for this still available? is the game really that good? is it worth it to buy a Genesis mostly for this game?

[Vysethedetermined2]

@MoonOvIce The demo is not distributed by the devs anymore from my understanding, but I was chatting with someone who found it on the web after a lot of digging. I would never justify the purchase of any system for just one game, but the Genesis is awesome anyway and cheaper than the game itself, so I'd totally pick it up, but not "just" for this game, though I understand what you mean as it generally can't be emulated like the vast majority of the rest. It's great on a technical level.

[ATARI800XLfan]

@MoonOvIce Do not forget the SEGA CD which has a awesome CD music for this game.

[Altitudes11]

so, it is a pretty good game though? I'm kind of disappointed with what I'm hearing about the character development.. I mean, you take a great RPG like Final Fantasy 3 or chrono trigger, and those are the MOST important parts, at least for me.

[Vysethedetermined2]

It's decent among Genny RPGs for sure, but regarding the characters, I had no grandiose expectations for it to match titles of that caliber...though I was thinking that myself (among other things), hence the comment at the end about not enough notes being taking. Still though, I was somewhat disappointed with the characters.

[Vysethedetermined2]

Take a simple RPG like Lufia 1 for example; you know little things like Lufia liking flowers (her particular favorite has a name) and (maybe spoilers) Jerin and Arguro may have feelings for each other although they tend to argue. That was fair stuff back for when Lufia was made, though its general story was still fairly simple.

Pier Solar has modern writing, yet the characters still felt like they lacked depth, even with the additional dialogue when compared to games in the early-ish 90s.

[Altitudes11]

@Vysethedetermined2 Thanks for your reply and again thanks for your review. The game looks pretty cool but I think i'll pass, I only have like an hour a week to play games and I think i'll spend it on something more epic :)

[Vysethedetermined2]

Then tell me how the saving works, because the general consensus was that it didn't update the save WHEN you saved it (it's stated in the manual and the devs don't argue the point either) and doesn't store exact location. It's one thing to say that, but do you have proof?

And...poor instrument "choice"? It's just that; a choice. You don't like it? Well, that doesn't mean it's terrible. It actually sounds pretty decent by Mega Drive standards...so yeah, it is a highlight...for me.

[Vysethedetermined2]

I never said that you said it wasn't. Also, you are right about it being subjective; most things are. My point was that it was my opinion that I thought the music was good, not so much harping on your dislike because that's obviously your opinion. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you originally said the CD was wasted potential, which merely provided ambience. If they were aiming to do much more, it could've been a SCD game. I'm not discrediting your view or anything because you do have a point.

[Vysethedetermined2]

Now as far as praising the soundtrack, I personally don't think I over-glamorized any particular aspect of it, only that I didn't find any notable flaws (though I understand some go to great lengths to defend the game as a whole). I personally found the music to be composed well, diverse, and appropriate. Honestly speaking however, given the hardware, what would you have done so differently? I agree there was wasted potential, but it's something we simply differ on.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@YourAverageAsshole Yes, that's correct, though to be more specific, the cart uses PCM audio while the CD enhances it with FM drums and such, but it doesn't really utilize much in terms of CD-enhanced quality, so nothing sounds remotely redbook like Keio. It primarily relies on stock Genesis/MD hardware (likely to access the CD faster) and some tracks don't sound very different. Some tunes even with the CD don't have the clarity of games like Devilish (which was great on stock Gen/MD hardware).

[preydog1]

@YourAverageAsshole Dude............its a fan made game course its not gonna have an oscar winning score....LMFAO

[quicksaund]

Good review man. I'm pretty interested in this

[Vysethedetermined2]

@quicksaund If you're still interested, they got some more in stock today (woke up and saw an email this morning). It's best to try and get one within 48 hours of their postings, as they disappear QUICK (likely people trying to buy up a bunch to sell on the after-market for a small fortune than anything).

[quicksaund]

@Vysethedetermined2 Thanks. I'll keep this in mind. I was planning on getting it this weekend though lol. I've been playing loads of FF6 on a SNES emulator recently, so i'm pumped for some old school (although kinda not old skool) RPG action!

[Girichoko]

First. Remember that this game was made by a small team of people who tried to make a RPG game on their own. They were no professionals and delivered a wonderful game like this one. Second. The 64 megs are for the graphics. you shouln't expect a deep and complex storyline form ppl without knoledge or experience in making novel-like stories. This game is all programmed using tricks and hardware bugs to achieve unseen effects. It will have flicker sometimes. And we don't care about your 2 jobs.

[Vysethedetermined2]

First. Remember that the size of the team was already addressed (and still larger than several teams that developed games back in the 90s, some who were fledlings themselves). Second. The 64megs were NOT just for graphics... you'd have to be pretty narrow-minded to make that claim, especially since one of the game's biggest highlights was multiple languages. Third. It's an RPG. Story is often the focus, not the graphics. Perhaps you should really watch the video, it's hard to take you seriously.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@Girichoko Also, if all you could bring up was a five second mention of my two jobs, perhaps you paid more attention to that than anything else. Sounds like you do care more than you let off my good fellow. Even if you don't though, that's fine.

[cakershake]

Like the review alot. You do have a strange accent, where are you originally from? I study language and linguistics and have never heard that accent before! Your a new breed lol. Very informative review too, cheers

[Vysethedetermined2]

@cakershake Lol, don't worry, it's okay to call it strange; I get that a lot. I'm originally from the islands (St. Thomas) and my father had one of the thickest accents ever. I usually don't speak in such a monotonistic fashion (and a better mic. might've helped), but as it's an informative review, I didn't want to deviate too much or sound as if I'm not being sincere. I'm part West-Indian.

[JohnSams]

Soooooo boring dude i mean, its just too fucking long.... Stick to the basics damnit 1 Hour DAMN and what a weird accent u got !! Sorry i dont like it.

[Vysethedetermined2]

Actually, it's a little over 30 minutes...the first part is just game footage and the end is the credits. If you watched the whole thing, you'd know that...but as you allude to, you probably didn't, so that's a moot point.

Nobody is forcing you to watch it; that's the great thing about life. It's your choice...Of course, you should know that already too. It's a detailed review, not a quick summation; of course it's going to be long. Some people spend ten minutes just talking about the box...

[kibjohn]

Is this game on cartridge or CD format and will I need a Sega CD w/backup memory cartridge for it? By the way, great review.

-KT

[Vysethedetermined2]

@kibjohn Thanks man. It's on a cartridge and originally came with a CD that enhances the soundtrack while you play. The CD is not required to play and the saves are stored on the cart, but the CD enhances the experience. The current batches don't come with the CD, though you can burn your own (without the extras) to a CD-R. You won't need a Sega CD to play the game or save, but you will need it to use the CD in conjunction with the game.

[GuruOfPie]

@Vysethedetermined2 Lol, they didn't care much about this at Sega-16.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@GuruOfPie The review? Of course-- it's a Sega fansite. I don't expect everyone there to get it and I'm not bothered by what they think. I've played more than enough RPGs to give a fair critique. You don't have to be a dev to get it and if there are games on 8, 16, 24, or 32 megs that can do great things or games on earlier platforms, surely you can expect a game with 64 to do the same. I don't give free passes. I could've made this longer and addressed everything, but would you still watch it?

[GuruOfPie]

@Vysethedetermined2 You have a point. I probably wouldn't watch it if it were much longer.

[VictoriousVictory]

It's really boring and you don't ever know much about the relatively small cast.

[GuruOfPie]

This was one of the most in-depth, unbiased video reviews I've EVER seen, and quite professionally done for your first one (just a tad long though). I've seen the box shown off so many times and testimonials from people who've barely played it, much less finished it, but this is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you. You should make more.

[KaskelotenZebbe]

I worked on this game. Thank you for this honest review. Many of the points you are addressing will be fixed with our next game (the saving for example), others are just not possible for various reasons (like the expensive meg-eating battle animations for example, it's about priorities there). I'm surprised you found the game so hard, but then again you only found 2 optional dungeons. There are at least five big ones and several small ones, they have a lot of good treasure. Thanks again! /Zebbe

[Vysethedetermined2]

@KaskelotenZebbe Actually, the game wasn't so much hard as it was just tedious; I've never died in the game, but that's only because I have a habit of buying more than I need in RPGs from experience, which just seemed to be enough in Pier Solar, where as a lot of people think grinding was necessary. I found all the master keys and things I would believe of merit and have been to the Ice Caves and Urg, which are what I consider extra dungeons; I don't know what else would've constituted as extra.

[KaskelotenZebbe]

@Vysethedetermined2 Good job finding all Master Keys! There are extra dungeons in Katsa, two on the Point Zero continent and a few in the towns coming after that. These are all completely optional and I see you were at most of them as well.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@KaskelotenZebbe Come to think of it, I didn't have to go through the large basement in one town or the Arena, so those were optional. In retrospect, I could've phrased that better.

[Wolfrider31]

As one of the developers I'd like to thank you for your thoughtful critique of the game. Many of the points you raised were not only valid, but incredibly well articulated. It's nice to read an honest critique, especially when it can be used in the future.

The points you raised were things the team noticed during development. While it was too late to correct many of the game's faults, we'll definitely be keeping them in mind for our next project - which will hopefully appeal to you much more.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@Wolfrider31 Thanks. I kinda figured it was time-sensitive and don't get me wrong; it really was a good first try. I know you guys are aready at work on another big project; which I will of course support wholeheartedly :)

[Pzkfw5]

Great honest review. Thank you.

My Posterity copy of the game was 44/800 :D

[Vysethedetermined2]

@Pzkfw5 Ha ha, I concede that you have me beat! I wonder who was number one...

Also, you are welcome.

[OrionBlight]

I think I will stick with my other RPGs where all stats matter, the story consistently rocks, and where I can return to a game exactly where I left off and not accidentally turn it off right after saving. Still looks interesting though.

[ValisHD]

@ValisHD Yes, you both sound almost identical

[Vysethedetermined2]

@ValisHD Awesome.

[littlefury]

Fair review, you do have some valid criticism. Yet, I enjoyed the game tremendously and to me it was the most enjoyable RPG on the Genesis. I guess the way the story unfolds is really something you will love or hate. I believe it was great to know who the main antagonist actually is pretty late in the game, it was a nice effect of surprise.

[littlefury]

@littlefury

I thought the aim of the story so far had been for a group of kids to find the wonderful secrets of the ancient Goaman civilization, with Ironheart being the main bad guy, wanting to grab its powers for his own glory.

Regarding the "sleep" attack, I found one enemy that uses it, the scorpions in the cave of Evil, in the forest next to the lake of Mutch.

I had a awesome time with this game. I'm sorry it didn't work quite right for you.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@littlefury The aim in the beginning was to cure Hoston's dad, which caused the group to stumble into an ancient discovery. Alina was upset with how her father treated her, which caused her to leave home, where her friends wouldn't let her leave alone. Ironheart wasn't even established as a clear villain by the time he met the Goaman. While what he did was wrong, it's assumed that he may have been under the influence of another. It's only revealed much later that he wasn't and was just a pawn.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@littlefury As for the sleep attack, I wasn't at all insinuating that it didn't exist in the game, just that I hadn't experienced it. Generally speaking, it had almost no purpose over the course of the game.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@ValisHD Is that a good thing? Lol.

[Boomer007channel]

43:30 OMFG!!!!!!!

[elcheapouno]

also, awesome vid by the way! =D

[elcheapouno]

its nice to see someone finely give there honest

opinion and not sugarcoat it, because its

new game.

maybe mine will come in the mail one of these

days, and I can voice my own opinion..lol

[Thoriumus]

@elcheapouno

There are more people that gave there honest opinion. Only because they say the game is very good does not mean it's not honest.

I gave my honest opinion in the official forum. Not a review, just a small text with my impressions.

[elcheapouno]

@Thoriumus

maybe a few, but most are sucking up to WM, saying "this is the best looking

game on the genesis, you devs are gods, this game rivals chrono trigger..

blah blah...just a bunch of but kissing.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@elcheapouno Thank you. There are people who genuinely love this game from start to finish so I can't speak for others. I can only speak for myself based on my experiences, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Thoriumus]

I agree with you that the game is not perfect, but i think you judge much to hard.

Most of the things you mention are very common in the genre and on the system and similar systems, even on very good games. Like palette swaps or the 1 dimensional dialogs. Actualy the dialogs are pretty typical for a JRPG.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@Thoriumus That's not entirely true though. It's not that common to use the same exact sprite, yet make them stronger or give more exp; it IS common though to change their palette. The dialog thing isn't true either; there were games that had either memorable characters and/or memorable story. I could mention several examples, but they wouldn't exactly fit here. Also, this is a new "JRPG" in 2010 for the MD, not back in 1995 or 96; I heavily took that into consideration. Thanks for posting!

[Vysethedetermined2]

@otakudensetsu Fair enough.

[Neilsama]

You had a lot of the same observations I had. The problem with the story and the characters, foremost, was something that I had brought up in my review on 1UP. For much of the first half of the game, I didn't understand the motivations of any character, and it just seemed like I was walking around from place to place without reason. I do like the game, and it was a great start for an indie developer, but I hope they know enough to take this criticism into account in the future.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@Neilsama Hey, thanks for the support. I couldn't have said that better myself. I also read your review of Pier Solar on 1UP a few days prior and it was great read. I was a little more critical in my assessment, but I agree with you. I also hope they take the criticism into consideration and don't just view it as hurtful.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@otakudensetsu If you mean visually, then it's actually quite good by Gen/MD standards, but I'm curious to hear what people think about it.

[Neilsama]

@Vysethedetermined2 Oh yeah, there are a lot of really pretty background paintings that we've just never seen in Genesis games before. In the battle encounters, you'll notice right away that there are no tiles anywhere. It's one big picture with maybe one or two repeating patterns, but not much. There's an industrial town where you climb to the top of a building, and you can see this great shot of town below. It's pretty clear to me that the majority of that 64 meg space was spent on graphics.

[Vysethedetermined2]

@Neilsama Yup. The various detailed environments, good deal of cutscenes, and the multiple languages.