Ragnarok Odyssey ACE Game Sample - Playstation 3
22NOTE: As with all longer demonstrations, jump around the video until you find what you want, as there is a good deal of assorted gameplay.
I intend on putting up a few more videos for PS3, but with a large collection of JRPGs and "building" games (games that you invest a lot of time in before you see something that will intrigue an outsider) in my library, the fight will be slow...BUT, that's part of the charm, because these videos will add even more depth to the content of the channel, for sure. That all said, Ragnarok Odyssey ACE has a pretty rich history...and while it may not be immediately obvious, much of what you see and hear is based off of a "Manhwa" (a general Korean term for cartoons, print cartoons, and animated cartoons) by the simple name of "Ragnarok", or "라그나로크"), which was done by Lee Myung-Jin. That all said, the popularity of Ragnarok and all things associated with it was born in South Korea, though those not familiar with Ragnarok tend to assume that it is another wholly Japanese product, since the anime was made by a Japanese studio, so on and so forth. There are plenty of articles to read relating to Lee, the birth of "Ragnarok Online", "Gravity" (associated with the enormously popular Ragnarok Online), so on and so forth.
Ragnarok Odyssey ACE is based in the universe of the MMORPG, Ragnarok Online, and the universe deals with quite a bit of Norse Mythology. Also, ROACE (from this point forward) is actually an expansion of "Ragnarok Odyssey", which was originally a PS Vita exclusive. If you have not played the original PSV game, you should definitely stick to the ACE expansion. If you have played the original game, you will still probably find something to like, as ACE contains all the DLC, plus more additional content, including a new music track by the great Nobuo Uematsu. Another thing that might interest you? Game Arts developed the game...yes, "that" Game Arts...the one behind gems like "Grandia", "Lunar", "Silpheed", and others. Still reading? Excellent!
ROACE is, essentially, seen as a "Monster Hunter" type of game. That means this: if you don't like Monster Hunter, you PROBABLY won't like ROACE. You may not like it even if you DO like MH, because it may seem "inferior"...but some see MH as a "slower" game and more grindy and others see ROACE as more action-orientated, with bigger combos and the like. So, since there are those different opinions, let me say this instead...the game plays it very "safe", and is pretty formulaic. You kill enemies, walk around a bit, enter a locked space where you cannot advance until you kill more enemies (the game gets pretty predictable about this after a while too, even when you are in a new area you've never been to), you have basic combo strings that allow for some reasonably flashy attacks, you grind for resources, repeat the same missions over and over, can customize your character quite a bit...and there is TONS to collect.
You also can play with friends online (might be harder nowadays) and in ACE, you can use A.I. helpers...as you might expect, they are pretty much braindead. However, that doesn't mean they are useless. The healers KNOW when to heal, but they heal when your life is pretty low...so the more you raise your HP, the "smarter" they are. Aggression-wise, all helpers fight the same...basically, they run right up to the enemy and embrace death. They serve as good decoys, can sometimes inflict helpful ailments, can boost your attack/defense (very nice), and sometimes, they inflict reasonable damage (over a period of time). There are some RPG elements, but you don't level up with EXP. You get stronger through progressing through the game, as well as by equipping "cards" and "boosting your clothing". You can also enhance weapons, things of that nature...and if you noticed, I was wearing Feena's hairclip!
I can only type so much, but the game is serviceable in all regards (though, since the game was originally a VITA game, it kinda shows, and I couldn't make the video quality too much better because the vid is already long). If you don't like grinding, don't play this game. The game takes a bit of time to get better and that is a "staple" for the kind of game it is. One other gripe is the "movement"...especially on big bosses. As you can see in my video, at some point, zipping around can be awkward, when you want to hit a specific spot (zipped in front of the ice giant by accident, he activated his repel...). The targeting could have been a bit better, but it is nothing of major concern. While you are waiting for the HD Grandia games, maybe give ROACE a go?
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