tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post3587606224982942704..comments2024-03-29T02:34:55.592-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Xanadu: A Closed SystemCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-31248980222877542152016-08-17T01:41:28.966-04:002016-08-17T01:41:28.966-04:00Yeah, which I'm sure is by design. Very differ...Yeah, which I'm sure is by design. Very different than Fallen London, their previous game, where it is impossible to die.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-28130832028407291442016-08-17T01:38:59.173-04:002016-08-17T01:38:59.173-04:00Path of Radiance did not. It was very hard to not ...Path of Radiance did not. It was very hard to not use the same characters over and over, or miss important characters if you didn't know to send your healer to talk to them.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-27784500678457872112016-08-17T01:32:48.814-04:002016-08-17T01:32:48.814-04:00Tristan: My experience was: want to play as Han So...Tristan: My experience was: want to play as Han Solo, not Luke. Get sick of worrying that all my Blaster skills will become useless, stop playing the game. <br /><br />I got sick of Star Wars games when they stopped exploring the universe in favor of Jedi power fantasies. (Dark Forces, Tie Fighter, X-Wing, Rogue Squadron, there were lots of good Start Wars games without lightsabers!)Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-88474773619932635552016-06-14T10:56:39.690-04:002016-06-14T10:56:39.690-04:00So I assume that the shrine with the blond haired ...So I assume that the shrine with the blond haired woman and the 魅 is for increasing your charisma or something? In Japanese that character also has a lot of the English connotations of "charm" potentially meaning both being personable but also magic. In Chinese it has a literal meaning of "demon" which explains why googling it brings you all these pics of succubi.It isn't mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07797625314655594068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-82624333944179713742016-04-11T14:27:38.424-04:002016-04-11T14:27:38.424-04:00I really don't like this one. I'm trying t...I really don't like this one. I'm trying to find a way out of it gracefully.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-30176095197711296892016-04-10T11:18:11.605-04:002016-04-10T11:18:11.605-04:00Legacy of the Wizard probably is more brutally dif...Legacy of the Wizard probably is more brutally difficult than Xanadu... but it's so amazingly fun and much more inviting (there's basically no threat of making irreversible mistakes.)EriChanTheRetroGamerNerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10862547154849146963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4008617795398506672016-04-09T17:06:28.157-04:002016-04-09T17:06:28.157-04:00Pretty ballsy to take this one on. I love the Drag...Pretty ballsy to take this one on. I love the Dragon Slayer series, but those earliest entries are tough. Romancia and Legacy of the Wizard are even more brutal. The series really opens with Part V (Sorcerian). Part VII (Lord Monarch) is offered as a free download from Falcom - but it's an RTS not an RPG. Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14149561869917267692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41640072963835470512016-04-06T09:43:50.597-04:002016-04-06T09:43:50.597-04:00You are never "rewarded" heart capacity ...You are never "rewarded" heart capacity by completing a "key quest" - aside from the ones you get from killing bosses, you get them by bombing a wall (which is not marked in any way, although you do get extremely cryptic hints as to where they might be) or burn down the right bush (again, not marked in any way, generally you just spew fire everywhere and hope for the best), go into the hidden cave, and pick it up off the floor. <br /><br />Yes, there is an economy, and not a bad one for a very early NES game (the hard 255 rupee limit helps a lot), but that's still just a way to get more equipment (there are no arrows in the original Legend Of Zelda - each shot just deducts one rupee), and the only consumables are bombs and the health potion. Later games, there's a little more to it, but we're talking mostly about the first one. Grand Theft Auto is just as much (or rather, as little) an RPG as the original Zelda.Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63793159499326088332016-04-06T04:41:15.003-04:002016-04-06T04:41:15.003-04:00I've been playing a little bit of Gothic, whic...I've been playing a little bit of Gothic, which is closed, as far as I can tell, until the next chapter when stuff re-spawns. It creates the dynamic you're describing, in the early parts, of desperately hoping you didn't waste any gold on one of the very expensive skill upgrades. In terms of "clearing areas," wiping out every native species in the region feels more disturbing than gratifying!Joet88https://www.blogger.com/profile/06298640825880372478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-3805471695740072342016-04-06T02:32:37.706-04:002016-04-06T02:32:37.706-04:00Strangely, I find that LoZ is much more of an RPG ...Strangely, I find that LoZ is much more of an RPG than many early CRPGs.<br /><br />See, although killing lesser monsters don't net you XP for Link, the player (that's you) get more experienced... this being an Action-RPG and all. These monsters also drop, not just hearts to replenish your health, but money as well.<br /><br />Money can be used to buy consumable equipment like arrows, bombs and healing potions. So, it's not like there's no economy in the game.<br /><br />Actual character progression comes in the form of increasing the total HP of Link that is accomplished by taking out boss monsters or rewarded by NPCs for completing a key quest; just like hitting a level after getting Quest XP.<br /><br />I guess this helps to make Link not overpowered and that all enemies remain relevant throughout the game unlike Final Fantasy games where a high level party will accidentally squash enemies in the game's starting area just by walking through.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-23225872251036286812016-04-05T13:07:48.737-04:002016-04-05T13:07:48.737-04:00Ahh. In any case, those things were the closest eq...Ahh. In any case, those things were the closest equivalent of a combat-stat increase.<br /><br />I feel that LoZ is a game that influenced many RPGs without being an RPG. It wouldn't have taken much to make it an RPG, but as it doesn't really possess those things, it's just an action/adventure game.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49909213909669058902016-04-05T09:25:34.263-04:002016-04-05T09:25:34.263-04:00If you mean the little hearts that heal you, then ...If you mean the little hearts that heal you, then yes, they were random drops.<br /><br /> If you mean the heart containers that increase your health capacity, then no. Each one was found in a fixed location, generally either after defeating a boss or in a secret cave.Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73013690567776692522016-04-05T08:51:50.301-04:002016-04-05T08:51:50.301-04:00With the exception of hearts right? Weren't th...With the exception of hearts right? Weren't they random drops in the original?Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-89556769468942089842016-04-04T22:46:39.813-04:002016-04-04T22:46:39.813-04:00Faxanadu is basically a console-fied incredibly lo...Faxanadu is basically a console-fied incredibly loose adaptation/reimagining of Xanadu for consoles which was made by Hudson, not Falcom.<br /><br />One irony of this is that around the same time, Dragon Slayer IV was ported to the Famicom... which is actually closer to Xanadu than Faxanadu is, since it's basically Xanadu as a nonlinear, multicharacter Metroidvania rather than an RPG. (And it's actually pretty amazing for what it is.)EriChanTheRetroGamerNerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10862547154849146963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68647255626648014332016-04-04T20:06:34.816-04:002016-04-04T20:06:34.816-04:00The Xeen games aren't hard, particularly; I di...The Xeen games aren't hard, particularly; I didn't have nearly enough money to level my guys all the way, but it didn't matter. I was STILL able to do all the optional stuff including beating the Mega Dragon (which has absolutely no purpose other than bragging rights). The closedness of the game really isn't an issue.GeoX, one of the GeoX boys.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14658452994152399308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-644580855872208482016-04-04T18:54:46.078-04:002016-04-04T18:54:46.078-04:00But even Wiki says that they really ARE related. h...But even Wiki says that they really ARE related. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaxanaduKenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-89912686182474638352016-04-04T14:36:08.742-04:002016-04-04T14:36:08.742-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Mr. Pavonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13286558267156792637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-90538879324718485302016-04-04T12:48:05.094-04:002016-04-04T12:48:05.094-04:00I was going to ask if this game has any relation t...I was going to ask if this game has any relation to the NES action RPG named Faxanadu.<br />It seems like they are similar only in name.Mr. Pavonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13286558267156792637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47318707950246594412016-04-04T10:46:30.676-04:002016-04-04T10:46:30.676-04:00While I've seen Hydlide called an inspiration ...While I've seen Hydlide called an inspiration for the first Zelda game, the official story is that there wasn't a direct video game inspiration, and that Zelda was developed at the same time as the original Super Mario Brothers and by the same dev team, with a deliberate attempt to differentiate the two - Mario is very linear, Zelda is very non-linear, Mario is side view, Zelda is top-down, etc. Considering how much Hydlide was viewed as a mediocre Zelda rip-off when the NES release belatedly made it over here, I do find it very hard to believe there was no influence.<br /><br />As for the nature of the Zelda games, you are correct. In every Zelda game except Zelda II - The Adventure Of Link, advancement is entirely by finding items (or finding upgrades to your items, or increasing your capacity to carry certain items). It's a proper inventory, mind, not an adventure game where every item exists solely to solve one puzzle, but there's no experience points or levels. Including any game in the series (except II) as an RPG by your definition would be extremely borderline even if you did drop or make exception to the anti-console rule,Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42325371982339178572016-04-04T08:45:05.851-04:002016-04-04T08:45:05.851-04:00My understanding is that by Xanadu, the series had...My understanding is that by <i>Xanadu</i>, the series had already branched off the trunk that would lead to <i>Zelda</i>. They both trace their lineage back to <i>Tower of Druaga</i>, which may be the first JRPG to feature what I call a GCLM (Goofy Cartoonish Little Man) running around bumping into enemies and collecting treasure.<i>Druaga</i> influenced both <i>Hydlide</i> and the first <i>Dragon Slayer</i>. What I don't know is if <i>Zelda</i> took its cues from either of those or from the original <i>Druaga</i>.<br /><br />Gameplay is a bit different in that the character in the <i>Dragonslayer</i> series actually improves in terms of attributes and levels. My understanding is that doesn't happen in the original <i>Zelda</i>.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34155814900549465712016-04-04T06:57:19.651-04:002016-04-04T06:57:19.651-04:00Is there a connection between this game and the po...Is there a connection between this game and the popular Zelda franchise? They look so similar from the screen shots and the gameplay doesn't seem to be that much different.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73683510243919800892016-04-04T05:26:55.211-04:002016-04-04T05:26:55.211-04:00The first time you play KotOR, you level your PC t...The first time you play KotOR, you level your PC to 8, and then become a Jedi.<br /><br />The second time you play KotOR, you try to finish Tarsus as a level 2 character so you can get 18 juicy levels of Jedi.Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83956100008903369112016-04-04T02:08:00.513-04:002016-04-04T02:08:00.513-04:00What they burned at that time weren't cultural...What they burned at that time weren't cultural artifacts, those were most probably monuments built by their oppressors. I think I know what they felt, since in my hometown (Warsaw, Poland) there is a big, concrete rocket ready for launch - or "Pałac Kultury i Nauki" (Palace of Culture and Science) which is seens as many as a reminder from Soviet Union saying "This is where we were and we can return anytime". Many people feel that it should be torn down and they use "argumentum ad opressionem".Mag Wielki i Szelkihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01807838665939928892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54150601404080269022016-04-03T23:30:53.446-04:002016-04-03T23:30:53.446-04:00Hi Chet,
I have been enjoying your blog for the l...Hi Chet,<br /><br />I have been enjoying your blog for the last few years, and it is really amazing. In 100 years, it will be as important as the Rosetta Stone. These games will be lost to human memory, but your detailed and interesting adventures will live forever. Furthermore, you should be the leading world expert on the topic.<br /><br />When I discovered your blog, BTW, I was so excited that I purchased Ultima III and V. I played III for a few hours and found it painfully boring. I never even bothered to install V. It is much more interesting to read your accounts and story then to actually play the game. I would be happy to send them to you, as a thank you for the wonderful gift you have given us.<br /><br />It was wonderful to read your update on Autoduel. It seemed very strange how you dismissed it, while I remember finding it deep and fascinating as a kid. As you mentioned, I also found it engaging but suddenly dying between cities wasn't so much fun.<br /><br />Also, Xanadu was a Rush song from 1977.<br /><br />Thank you and keep up the great work!!!<br /><br />B7https://www.blogger.com/profile/08229054647069155629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-3594285058550939012016-04-03T22:48:52.912-04:002016-04-03T22:48:52.912-04:00That's correct. Xanadu (or Shangdu in Chinese)...That's correct. Xanadu (or Shangdu in Chinese) was a symbol of the epitome of Mongolian civilization built with riches accumulated over 3 generations of continuous raiding & tributes from their expansive territories.<br /><br />Had the rebellion led by Zhu Yuanzhang against the Yuan dynasty not burnt down the Summer Palace, it would have been a sight to behold.<br /><br />Come to think of it, Shi-Huang-Ti's E-Pang Palace was also burned down during the rebellion led by Xiang Yu. Not to mention the numerous buildings burnt down during the Cultural Revolution.<br /><br /><br />I dunno why Chinese like to torch cultural artifacts.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.com