Things to note about 'Risk' when high your offense drops but magic rises so you dont wanna eliminate it from your battles manage it around 30-40 just in case you slip up during a combo. However before entering any rooms reduce Risk to 0 just in case of mini-boss, locked room or dragons.
You need to craft better weapons and master the chain system. I killed tons of enemies with the 'wrong' weapon. If you find dummies practice chaining on them it'll increase your weapon's stats.
I enjoy your reviews, they are detailed and fair. I actually didn't finish VS until a few years ago but I remember when it came out '99 ish. But even now I could appreciate that it was a good looking game for its time, presentation was top notch imo. Regarding the difficulty, I can appreciate that SquareSoft made at least one game that was for the hardcore. There are plenty other hand holding games so for those of us that like it I think it's cool that they did it. I only wish FF12 lived up
I'm not a newbie to RPG's I've played Lufia 2, Chrono Trigger, Tales of Symphonia, Golden Sun, Xenogears, Skies of Arcadia, Earthbound, FFVI, VII, Star Ocean 2, and others. Do you think I'll be able to handle this game?? More importantly, is it good in comparison to these? I'm 18 years old and looking for an RPG to blow me away! Apparently, Eternal Sonata and Persona did not quiver my fancy.
Nice review, but completely inaccurate... Spending in this game only 15h is like saying you have seen EVERYTHING in the world... This game has greatest replayability of them all, great magic, Break Arts are pure masterpiece, fighting style is to your liking... I've spent more than 500+ hours in this game, and I still don't have enough!
@mitsurugi999 - I agree with everything you are saying...however, as a newcomer to Vagrant Story (ie I don't already have every boss pattern memorized), I just found the game way too punishing. Is it a classic? Obviously. But the cheap bosses and infrequent save points stopped me dead in my tracks.
I was sooo close to getting this game years back at its release... now that i got my on it im gonna dive in but that save issue has always bugged me FF7 woulda gone quicker with a better save feature
I'm playing through the game right now. I sympathize with everything you said about the graphics, save system, and battle system complexity. This game could've used some more modern tropes like in game tutorials, check points, and...MEGA TEXTURES. lol
Best game evar! Yes, I'm actually saying this for real - it's my favourite game of all time. There is so much depth in it, you did not mention so many things in your review. For example, and this is the most important thing in this title I believe, the crafting system. It is just so awesome and deep and engaging you can play with it for hours. I myself have played with it for months though. The other thing is the "new game+" option that allows you to visit new places. Still, cool review :)
I remember playing this game its frustrating and finally got the controls figured out without reading the manually. It was fun I remember maximizing my risk and got my favorite weapons are powered up. Crossbow and Broadsword, Sword only thing I hate is the hammer.
I'm loving the show quite a lot but please when you refer to PS1 game graphics it is "low resolution textures" instead of "really low quality textures" as that sounds like you're saying Square didn't put any effort into the texture art as opposed to the very real hardware limits of the console that couldn't produce high resolutions.
@TheBladeJunker - I hear what you are saying, and that's certainly not my intent. Square was really pushing that old technology, so kudos to them! My comment is more from a current perspective, and meant to be an observation...nothing more. Right now I'm playing through Xenogears and it's the same complaint..yet Square did an AMAZING job with what they had!
@MetalJesusRocks i skipped many games of the N64 and PS1 era for this reason. Once they went 3D, i knew from movies and such that they could do better with ingame visuals given enough time, so, why go from sprite based games that look smooth and pretty to 3D that looks rough and bland when i can wait another 5 years and better systems will come out with better graphics? I do have a PSO, but most of the games i have for it use sprites.
Being one of my all time favorite RPGs from gaming in general, I was really happy to stumble across this review. The only thing I took issue with was that you didn't even mention the Break Arts systems and you barely even touched on the magic. I think people going to this review considering whether or not to spend the money getting the game on the PSN might have liked to know about the four magic schools, how they impact gameplay and the flashy weapon abilities you get to learn.
@IsleenMilligan - You are completely correct in your criticism of my review, so thanks for commenting. The truth is I got about 12~15 hours into the game before getting really frustrated, so I know that's not a comprehensive review. Instead, I reviewed the game never had played it originally, and I found a lot of the old school save systems, and controls, and menus to be very problematic. It's a cool game...but buyer beware!
it'll be my first ps1 downloaded game as well. i'm hoping its good i've loved all final fantasys, legend of dragoon, chrono cross, chrono trigger, xenogears, parasite eve 1+2, i hope this game ranks up high with them.
If you walk into a boss fight with the wrong weapon can't you just change it during the boss battle? I just downloaded the game from the PSN store. It seems fairly good but complicated. I have no manual as a result of downloading it and have to use the tedious menus in the game to find out what to do. I expected a few tutorials at the start, but no I was thrown straight into the action. FF 13 it sure as hell aint.
I just run the game on EPSXE emulator with Bloom Shader , Texture Filtering , with full 16x Antilasing and original resolution .. Game looks like a great drawing.
Youre right dude, its pretty cheap with its save system. I'm playing it right now, and having to fight multiple midbosses and tough enemies in a row without save points sucks, especially since the game doesn't give you much warning when you're gonna face a boss. Just basically trial and error. Also enemy damage seems random sometimes, and it makes it hard to pin down what specific weapon trait does damage to whatever enemy you're facing. But ice review, keep it up.
nice review. I don't know why i used to think this game was amazing when i first rented it back when ps1 was the newest console. I just bought this game and it didn't impress me as much as i thought it would
Superb review. I don't know a lot of people of YouTube that manage to pull of reviews that are both very informative and critical but also fluent and relaxed. Great stuff. I really need to go out and buy this game again. A friend game it to me for my birthday back in the day (it cost like 5 bucks), but my PlayStation broke, I eventually got an Xbox and most of my old PlayStation games somehow got lost in all this mess. I miss those PS days.
@dabobster123 - I've been passionate about video games since I owned my first Atari 2600 and Commodore 64. It wasn't until a few years ago however, when I found that you could buy games and consoles cheap on Craiglist that I got serious. Basically it was the day I picked up an Atari 5200/7800 and 70 games for $60 that I thought "Wow. This is so cool!". My wife was also happy that it wouldn't cost me much either!
cheers my friend great review i feel this is one of the crowning achievements of square back in the day very underrated & often overlooked this gem took dull grinding of typical rpgs & add some action and adventure platforming & killer looking graphics & an awesome story you would equal success lol but this has more a cult following then that of a blockbuster that is a shame as this was truly a game for the ages as i would even compare to the like of FFVII & even XENOGEARS huge thumbs up bro!!!!
@elcarohw - You're right. Had this game come out before 2000, I'm sure it would have had more of a following. But being released so close to the PS2 launch... it just got ignored unfortunately.
I agree with @Vladimir0538 you should totally contact IGN.
MoltenMustafa 2 weeks ago
Things to note about 'Risk' when high your offense drops but magic rises so you dont wanna eliminate it from your battles manage it around 30-40 just in case you slip up during a combo. However before entering any rooms reduce Risk to 0 just in case of mini-boss, locked room or dragons.
You need to craft better weapons and master the chain system. I killed tons of enemies with the 'wrong' weapon. If you find dummies practice chaining on them it'll increase your weapon's stats.
Give it a 2nd try
gonzo191 1 month ago
OH FUCKING HELL YEAH!! VAGRANT STORY!!!!!
DAMN THAT GAME I FUCKING LOVE IT
DAMN YOU SIR ARE A THUMBS UP :D
mikeberserkr 1 month ago in playlist More videos from MetalJesusRocks
Good review, VS was too complicated for me, still got it though, pristine condition
MYTMIC 1 month ago
game is cool i downloaded to my psp go.would be better if it was for the psone tho
sch3rman 2 months ago
I enjoy your reviews, they are detailed and fair. I actually didn't finish VS until a few years ago but I remember when it came out '99 ish. But even now I could appreciate that it was a good looking game for its time, presentation was top notch imo. Regarding the difficulty, I can appreciate that SquareSoft made at least one game that was for the hardcore. There are plenty other hand holding games so for those of us that like it I think it's cool that they did it. I only wish FF12 lived up
Rodlikespants 2 months ago
I'm not a newbie to RPG's I've played Lufia 2, Chrono Trigger, Tales of Symphonia, Golden Sun, Xenogears, Skies of Arcadia, Earthbound, FFVI, VII, Star Ocean 2, and others. Do you think I'll be able to handle this game?? More importantly, is it good in comparison to these? I'm 18 years old and looking for an RPG to blow me away! Apparently, Eternal Sonata and Persona did not quiver my fancy.
SirBonarama5 2 months ago
This is one of the grails of gaming
51mc4 2 months ago
Nice review, but completely inaccurate... Spending in this game only 15h is like saying you have seen EVERYTHING in the world... This game has greatest replayability of them all, great magic, Break Arts are pure masterpiece, fighting style is to your liking... I've spent more than 500+ hours in this game, and I still don't have enough!
mitsurugi999 2 months ago
@mitsurugi999 - I agree with everything you are saying...however, as a newcomer to Vagrant Story (ie I don't already have every boss pattern memorized), I just found the game way too punishing. Is it a classic? Obviously. But the cheap bosses and infrequent save points stopped me dead in my tracks.
MetalJesusRocks 2 months ago
@MetalJesusRocks Cheap bosses as oposed to hand given battles aka every single game that comes out nowadays? -.-
Sure its hard but not impossible.
Anyway good review and you were right... the damn menu is a tad too much disorganized :/
leandrasin 1 month ago
Should I buy this on the psn store? Does it still hope up as being fun?
CavesProductions 2 months ago
I got mine for 50 cents at a flea market
picklemnstr11 2 months ago
Love it. My all time favorite game
stRiskbreaker 3 months ago
Risk isn't REALLY fatigue cause it increases your heal effects and your crit % but you'll miss a lot more.
monkeyman123321 3 months ago
I was sooo close to getting this game years back at its release... now that i got my on it im gonna dive in but that save issue has always bugged me FF7 woulda gone quicker with a better save feature
SEEmeNot93 3 months ago
I'm playing through the game right now. I sympathize with everything you said about the graphics, save system, and battle system complexity. This game could've used some more modern tropes like in game tutorials, check points, and...MEGA TEXTURES. lol
Dreamewalker 4 months ago
Best game evar! Yes, I'm actually saying this for real - it's my favourite game of all time. There is so much depth in it, you did not mention so many things in your review. For example, and this is the most important thing in this title I believe, the crafting system. It is just so awesome and deep and engaging you can play with it for hours. I myself have played with it for months though. The other thing is the "new game+" option that allows you to visit new places. Still, cool review :)
wojciechkolacinski 5 months ago
chrono cross......................
fereoles 6 months ago
I remember playing this game its frustrating and finally got the controls figured out without reading the manually. It was fun I remember maximizing my risk and got my favorite weapons are powered up. Crossbow and Broadsword, Sword only thing I hate is the hammer.
igooglewords 6 months ago
Great review!
CitizenGeek 7 months ago
I'm loving the show quite a lot but please when you refer to PS1 game graphics it is "low resolution textures" instead of "really low quality textures" as that sounds like you're saying Square didn't put any effort into the texture art as opposed to the very real hardware limits of the console that couldn't produce high resolutions.
TheBladeJunker 7 months ago 3
@TheBladeJunker - I hear what you are saying, and that's certainly not my intent. Square was really pushing that old technology, so kudos to them! My comment is more from a current perspective, and meant to be an observation...nothing more. Right now I'm playing through Xenogears and it's the same complaint..yet Square did an AMAZING job with what they had!
MetalJesusRocks 7 months ago 2
@MetalJesusRocks i skipped many games of the N64 and PS1 era for this reason. Once they went 3D, i knew from movies and such that they could do better with ingame visuals given enough time, so, why go from sprite based games that look smooth and pretty to 3D that looks rough and bland when i can wait another 5 years and better systems will come out with better graphics? I do have a PSO, but most of the games i have for it use sprites.
LMMEjsmith 4 months ago
you cant call urself a rpg fan unless youve played this, yes itll beat your ass at first, but its a great game
RiotVagrant 8 months ago
Being one of my all time favorite RPGs from gaming in general, I was really happy to stumble across this review. The only thing I took issue with was that you didn't even mention the Break Arts systems and you barely even touched on the magic. I think people going to this review considering whether or not to spend the money getting the game on the PSN might have liked to know about the four magic schools, how they impact gameplay and the flashy weapon abilities you get to learn.
IsleenMilligan 11 months ago
@IsleenMilligan - You are completely correct in your criticism of my review, so thanks for commenting. The truth is I got about 12~15 hours into the game before getting really frustrated, so I know that's not a comprehensive review. Instead, I reviewed the game never had played it originally, and I found a lot of the old school save systems, and controls, and menus to be very problematic. It's a cool game...but buyer beware!
MetalJesusRocks 11 months ago
WTF? Vagrant Story is the best looking game on the original Playstation.
GoaFreak2010 11 months ago
PSN 14.99
skinnyvinny3 11 months ago
it'll be my first ps1 downloaded game as well. i'm hoping its good i've loved all final fantasys, legend of dragoon, chrono cross, chrono trigger, xenogears, parasite eve 1+2, i hope this game ranks up high with them.
DerelinquoPSN 1 year ago
If you walk into a boss fight with the wrong weapon can't you just change it during the boss battle? I just downloaded the game from the PSN store. It seems fairly good but complicated. I have no manual as a result of downloading it and have to use the tedious menus in the game to find out what to do. I expected a few tutorials at the start, but no I was thrown straight into the action. FF 13 it sure as hell aint.
gilgamesh310 1 year ago
@gilgamesh310
You can still read the manual by pressing the ps button and go to the software manual option.
JTSW20 1 year ago
@JTSW20 Thanks, I didn't know that. It's the first PS 1 game I downloaded on the PS 3.
gilgamesh310 1 year ago
is it playable on psp?
lexlima87 1 year ago
this comes out on psn. just one week after xenogears! i'm excited to get it.
Makoto03 1 year ago
subbing
Maiku2010 1 year ago
I just run the game on EPSXE emulator with Bloom Shader , Texture Filtering , with full 16x Antilasing and original resolution .. Game looks like a great drawing.
resistanceunion 1 year ago
"sidney come back here"
RaynethxOllie 1 year ago
Great review, though you should've mentioned the AMAZING sound effects in this game. They still kick ass 11 years later!
BggProductions 1 year ago
I just looked on the PSN and i didnt see it
numbah82 1 year ago
@numbah82 square-enix should go back n create games like this .
fmoa 1 year ago
@numbah82 apparently its coming to psn tomorrow? idk, thats what someone was saying
Maiku2010 1 year ago
Great review =)
GoldenJellyBean 1 year ago
Youre right dude, its pretty cheap with its save system. I'm playing it right now, and having to fight multiple midbosses and tough enemies in a row without save points sucks, especially since the game doesn't give you much warning when you're gonna face a boss. Just basically trial and error. Also enemy damage seems random sometimes, and it makes it hard to pin down what specific weapon trait does damage to whatever enemy you're facing. But ice review, keep it up.
ruekurei88 1 year ago
Just got Vagrant Story off of ebay, complete and in excellent shape for $20 plus free shipping!!!
BTW, if you love RPG's, pick up Chrono Cross.
Easily the best RPG on the PS1.
sdragon21 1 year ago
@sdragon21 - Chrono Cross is one of my favorites as well! It's a great, great RPG.
MetalJesusRocks 1 year ago 2
@MetalJesusRocks lose some weight fat ass
bluballzzz 1 year ago
The part where Ashley is sitting with his family and they suddenly get killed...
Man, I got goose bumps
BrUSomania 1 year ago
nice review. I don't know why i used to think this game was amazing when i first rented it back when ps1 was the newest console. I just bought this game and it didn't impress me as much as i thought it would
StPatrickDayMassacre 1 year ago
I kinda love your voice for reviewing...you should think about contacting places like ign or gamespot or GT to hire you as a reviewer. GOOD JOB! xD
Vladimir0538 1 year ago 6
@Vladimir0538 - thanks very much for that compliment! That was really nice of you!
MetalJesusRocks 1 year ago 2
i want your copy now!!!!! XD give it here or i will self destruct
YouKnowItzTTime81 1 year ago 3
@YouKnowItzTTime81 - LOL!
MetalJesusRocks 1 year ago 2
Superb review. I don't know a lot of people of YouTube that manage to pull of reviews that are both very informative and critical but also fluent and relaxed. Great stuff. I really need to go out and buy this game again. A friend game it to me for my birthday back in the day (it cost like 5 bucks), but my PlayStation broke, I eventually got an Xbox and most of my old PlayStation games somehow got lost in all this mess. I miss those PS days.
Philosifus 1 year ago
@Philosifus - Thanks very much for this feedback! This is really great and I appreciate it!
MetalJesusRocks 1 year ago
@dabobster123 - I've been passionate about video games since I owned my first Atari 2600 and Commodore 64. It wasn't until a few years ago however, when I found that you could buy games and consoles cheap on Craiglist that I got serious. Basically it was the day I picked up an Atari 5200/7800 and 70 games for $60 that I thought "Wow. This is so cool!". My wife was also happy that it wouldn't cost me much either!
MetalJesusRocks 1 year ago
cheers my friend great review i feel this is one of the crowning achievements of square back in the day very underrated & often overlooked this gem took dull grinding of typical rpgs & add some action and adventure platforming & killer looking graphics & an awesome story you would equal success lol but this has more a cult following then that of a blockbuster that is a shame as this was truly a game for the ages as i would even compare to the like of FFVII & even XENOGEARS huge thumbs up bro!!!!
elcarohw 1 year ago
@elcarohw - You're right. Had this game come out before 2000, I'm sure it would have had more of a following. But being released so close to the PS2 launch... it just got ignored unfortunately.
MetalJesusRocks 1 year ago
Game seems like crap in many ways...especially that save system, I feel your pain. Games like that need to be remade and fixed.
IslandersFan25 1 year ago
good review man, i was wondering if you could review Champions: Return to arms on the ps2, i'm sure you'd love that game :D
Dragao1010 1 year ago
Great Review!!!
MrBeJeCa95 1 year ago