-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
400 hours...for this crap (Cold Steel IV/Series rant and Open Spoilers)
- Thread starter Dust
- Start date
I gave up at the start of CSIII. I thought the writing of CSII was bad enough with pasting anime tropes onto urban warfare, combined with the endless bloated cast jumping in to steal or deny every player victory. But when Falcom started CSIII with the exact same 'boy and girl fall into each other, *slap*' trope, while Rean smirks about how history repeats, in the third Falcom game in a row, I just bailed. Utter tripe.
Is this some Trails fanbase in joke I don't know? There's just no way this was written earnestly, right? There's no way someone just wrote that I have to immerse myself into a world to see the artistic merit of a boy falling into a girls chest or a teacher being able to romance their underage students. Or every woman's introduction being met with a discussion on their lust for the personality-less protagonist? Would I be able to see why the discussions around their chest sizes is important world building? Maybe the part when an adult gropes a 17 year old girls chest in the spa becomes moving character development?
My reaction to Falcom:
What the fuck happened to you man? Your ass used to be beautiful.
Same. Though I did like Ys IX.
I haven't played it yet as I want to get a PS5 first. It does look good from what I have seen. Hopefully it and Trails Black reverses them into the Falcom I liked.
To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Trails of Cold Steel.
I really wish I liked CS3 more. Graphically, I like the style, OST is good, I like the turn based combat and dungeons. I do appreciate that they are going for Anime War and Peace.. But the story, good lord the story. It is such a tedious slog. Such a low-stakes, juvenile, uncomfortably sexist slog. Part of me wants to push through and get CSIV on the switch but everything I hear about it just reinforces how I feel about the CS series.
That said, Ys IX is great so I'm not down on Falcom so much as this specific series just not connecting with me.
That said, Ys IX is great so I'm not down on Falcom so much as this specific series just not connecting with me.
There's a reason i started off this one's entry in my GOTY post with "Kotaro Uchikoshi's Mass Effect 3": you dont stumble over the payoff of multiple previous games as if the basic plotting of the endgame wasn't done or thrown out for
It's getting hard to care after this, you know? For the other good stuff the game sheparded thru/alluded to in future games.
Trails always had what I characterized as an "optimistic adult" take on storytelling, which is exceedingly rare (its mostly one or the other), but its seemingly being attacked by this and other things.
saving/redeeming everyone and everything for the writers and/the loud portion of the fanbase? The waifu-collectors/warriors needing more for the harem?
Trails always had what I characterized as an "optimistic adult" take on storytelling, which is exceedingly rare (its mostly one or the other), but its seemingly being attacked by this and other things.
Hey, don't be bad with the curse! I'm pretty sure it didn't really mean to throw the world into chaos and deep down is actually good.
Honestly this is what's making me scared to touch this series. Super interesting stories and lore that end badly sour hard
lmao
Glad I dropped this series in the second game, this was the kind of vibe I was getting from the writing at that point. Gameplay was also not doing anything for me so it was a easy decision.
The series is only about 65% completed, it's far from the end lol
Ive been warning people about CSIV since day 1.
CS3 had some bad choices, but CSIV is just bad all around.
Cold Steel as a whole is just a bad series. Really excited to get away from Erebonia and into Calvard.
CS3 had some bad choices, but CSIV is just bad all around.
Cold Steel as a whole is just a bad series. Really excited to get away from Erebonia and into Calvard.
So that we can elevate tropes to level 12.........and beyond.
Trails in the Sky FC/SC/3rd: 9/10
Zero/Ao: 10/10
Cold Steel 1/2: 7/10
Cold Steel 3/4: Awful.
I've completely given up on Falcom. They used to be my absolute favorite developer in gaming but their writing has completely fallen off a cliff. The excessive useless dialog, tropes, harem shit etc. have also gone way too far.
They completely ruined Ys, too.
Zero/Ao: 10/10
Cold Steel 1/2: 7/10
Cold Steel 3/4: Awful.
I've completely given up on Falcom. They used to be my absolute favorite developer in gaming but their writing has completely fallen off a cliff. The excessive useless dialog, tropes, harem shit etc. have also gone way too far.
They completely ruined Ys, too.
But then you missed out on the Crossbell arc which is the high point of the whole Trails series.
I would like to know If plotwise hajimari Is really Better than cs3+4 because i Will use cs4 to judge the franchise and decide If It Will be really worth.
Bacause really Sky & crossbell were incredibile and cold steel quiete a disappointment.
Even cs3 with its plot that goes nowhere and Just Do teases
Bacause really Sky & crossbell were incredibile and cold steel quiete a disappointment.
Even cs3 with its plot that goes nowhere and Just Do teases
I wouldn't be surprised if the curse gets "reincarnated" as a big-chested underage girl that falls in love with Rean in a future game. I would be disappointed, but certainly not surprised.
I made it through Cold Steel almost entirely on diehard Crossbell fan status; without the prior arcs I never would have made it through CS1, let alone CS4. While a lot of the complaints about 4 are just kind of baked into my general criticisms of the series (the constant recycling of beating a boss only to have them not actually be beaten so other characters stay behind to do the REAL fight; the ever escalating 'no guys this is a srs death!' for things that are just going to get rolled back,) it did feel like 3 and 4 ratcheted up some of the worst of it.
I will admit that the first chunk of 4 is probably my favorite part of the Cold Steel games, solely because it was a break from Rean. Then Rean returns and the game starts making it obvious that the new Class VII girls--his students--are on the table for romance and just like... Go away Rean. I liked that 3 made it feel like he saw the students as, you know, not romantic options (this is going to be where someone points out I missed him somehow being into one of them and destroys one of the areas of 3 I appreciated, but.)
I will admit that the first chunk of 4 is probably my favorite part of the Cold Steel games, solely because it was a break from Rean. Then Rean returns and the game starts making it obvious that the new Class VII girls--his students--are on the table for romance and just like... Go away Rean. I liked that 3 made it feel like he saw the students as, you know, not romantic options (this is going to be where someone points out I missed him somehow being into one of them and destroys one of the areas of 3 I appreciated, but.)
Yeah the story was the weakest of all the trails series; still enjoyed my time with it but MAN the curse nonsense really dragged the story down, the normal ending was the better ending; the true ending was just everything's forgiven and everyone's back to life...straight out of your weekly shonen jump.
however...I eagerly await hajimari and Kuro...
however...I eagerly await hajimari and Kuro...
Same boat as me
Can't wrap my head around the defense of this series writing post trails in the sky
It fell off hardcore. Writing used to be a strength of the series.
To each their own i guess
I wouldn't say I was angry per se since I've never been that attached to Trails, but I was kind of shocked to find out how... Well, honestly genuinely bad the story in CS3 was after all the hype. It just kept doing all kinds of dumb and weird and repetitive shit that I couldn't help but constantly go "how in the hell is this supposed to be one of the most loved entries in the series?!" This is one of those rare cases where I just don't get what people see in it.
Still p. excited to play CS4, though. I like the gameplay well enough and since I've already spoiled all the stupidity for myself beforehand, I know to go in with adjusted expectations. Just gonna treat it as a big ol' joke and expect nothing from it lol.
I thought Zero and Ao were leaps and bounds better than Sky, though admittedly I just didn't really like the Sky cast that much aside from Kevin and Olivier, and Ao is where they start really introducing all the "sexual molestation is actually funny" tier shit to the series, so ymmv.
I actually really liked the story in CS IV and how they wrapped up the arc. The only thing I hate in the series is the harem bullshit (at least let me romance anyone, Falcom you cowards, not just the girls, and specifically not the minors!), and they seem to have gotten rid of that for Hajimari no Kiseki, from what I've heard.
l started Trails in the Sky and dropped it the same day. The writing was not for me. Estelle and Joshua just act so fake to each other. Random NPCs bring up them being girlfriend and boyfriend (ew??) and a girl in the first town kept teasing that connection too. I think I'll pass.
Is there something redemable in this series?
I thought it looked like generic "anime" (full of tropes to fill 10 anime in a season), budget production, convoluted eposition for the convoluted world.
But people said again and again "its getting freat" " its confort food" "its one of the best jrpg series"... but threads like these come more ofthen in the last months i feel like. Am i missjudging this?
Or Is the series just bad?
Whats going on. Im confused.
I thought it looked like generic "anime" (full of tropes to fill 10 anime in a season), budget production, convoluted eposition for the convoluted world.
But people said again and again "its getting freat" " its confort food" "its one of the best jrpg series"... but threads like these come more ofthen in the last months i feel like. Am i missjudging this?
Or Is the series just bad?
Whats going on. Im confused.
Yeah, pretty much OP
At least you didn't have it as bad as the Japan crowd that got this series right after the two excellent Crossbell games. Going from Azure to CS1 was...rough.
That said, the next game Hajimari is a noticable step up from Cold Steel, so there's still hope that CS was a development disaster one time mess of a project and things will be ok again after. I also thought Ys9 was great, so last two Falcom games have been solid again.
At least you didn't have it as bad as the Japan crowd that got this series right after the two excellent Crossbell games. Going from Azure to CS1 was...rough.
That said, the next game Hajimari is a noticable step up from Cold Steel, so there's still hope that CS was a development disaster one time mess of a project and things will be ok again after. I also thought Ys9 was great, so last two Falcom games have been solid again.
It's the only game series to have multi-game spanning overarching storylines since Suikoden died. In fact, the series is essentially a spiritual successor of Suikoden with a mix of Xenogears. There's nothing else like it in the market and if Falcom manages to not kill themselves or the series, it'll finish in another 15 years or so and be a single storyline told across about 18 full length rpgs over 30+ years. It's fun to follow if you enjoy it, just like a good epic book series.
Plus all the NPC stuff is great and has been, for me, reason enough to play the games a few times (until - again - CS3, where many of the NPCs were just dull and lifeless)
I loved the series, especially as I went back and played the Crossbell part. Really added context to what was going on. I get why Falcom brought everyone back as they clearly know there is an fan club for each character. For example of Millium(sp?) stayed dead the Jusis thing they had going on wouldn't be there in 4/Hajimari.
Sadly this harms Hajimari too as many characters got pulled in for very short interactions only to disappear off screen for hours. One thing that did annoy me throughout the first 4 games was the reliance on timed NPCs/quests that were so easy to miss in the first 2 games. Especially when really good gear dropped. It only got slightly better in the latter games as they marked them on the minimap and strengthened the warning when progressing the story.
If you are a trophy hunter it is brutal when you miss out on getting a trophy because you missed analysing/talking to one NPC at a certain part of the story that only appears once per playthrough. At one point I went back 2 hours on my save to redo a section/quest I missed.
Sadly this harms Hajimari too as many characters got pulled in for very short interactions only to disappear off screen for hours. One thing that did annoy me throughout the first 4 games was the reliance on timed NPCs/quests that were so easy to miss in the first 2 games. Especially when really good gear dropped. It only got slightly better in the latter games as they marked them on the minimap and strengthened the warning when progressing the story.
If you are a trophy hunter it is brutal when you miss out on getting a trophy because you missed analysing/talking to one NPC at a certain part of the story that only appears once per playthrough. At one point I went back 2 hours on my save to redo a section/quest I missed.
So its more the "its one big story" aspect and the amount of characters that keeps it going?
While i get the apeal of such a thing... i have not seen it done well (or rarely for shorter atempts), so i would not have the trust in them to do it.
Probably not for me them.
Thx for the explanation. I see why some can get that invested then. (which does not mean its quality only because people are invested, but thats another topic)
It seems that falcom is somewhat better in managing Ys?
Sorry I would love to comment on Zero and Ao but haven't played them yet
They seem really really well regarded from what ive heard from those that have played them
I would need to see writing return to the level I saw In Sky to be pulled back in. Heck even Sky has its criticisms in its writing as well but it the magic was in those small moments between characters.
Yeah the NPCs are what makes the series so good. Seeing their storylines continue from game to game is what keeps me interested. The Sky games had the best playable cast but they were just as tropey as the Crossbell games. Going from Estelle to Lloyd was a big downgrade and the other party members were also less interesting.The sexual assault stuff already started in Zero while in Ao it got even more annoying. But in everything else the Crossbell games are a big step up from the Sky games. The pacing issues were there since the Sky games as well but it seems they got even worse with the Cold Steel games. Overall this series was always tropey and cheesy so i never expected it to become more serious.
I would havw preferred growth, maturity and nuance to be built upon as opposed to the massive backpedaling we see in Cold Steel
Did they fire all their writers? Would be worth digging through the credits of these games to see where the talent went.
Id have a hard time believing the same people that wrote Sky had anything to do with Cold Steel.
Sorry i know i am being harsh but thats how CS left me feeling
I see alot of people comparing this to the other, in universe, games, but there's no way to play them legit on an EU console is there? Been wanting to play the crossbell games for ages.
You can buy and play the JP releases of the Crossbell arc, they've been out since April-May last year, provided you don't mind playing them in Japanese.
Hopefully they'll localise them someday.
It might be somewhat a case of: it's part 3 of a 100 hours per game series. For many discussions, the only people discussing are those that accept all the shortcomings of the game, or even like them. For instance, the premise of this thread attracted some people like me, who skipped 4. But if you into the OT, then those people aren't there, the discussion is therefore more positive.
Though probably a large part of it is just people liking different things. I'm pretty slow, so I was reading a lot of hype for certain endings of Chapters in 3. And then I finally got there and it was:
1. The exact same shtick as the previous 20 chapters, where we start with the bad guys are oh so strong, and oh so badass, they can beat entire armies by themselves -> a couple of schoolkids in their first combat encounter easily beat them in combat -> no, it was actually very difficult in the cutscene -> oh, and the enemies weren't trying either, but now they'll power up and really give it their all -> suddenly some allies appear from off screen and save the day -> the enemies say: this was our plan all along, we succeeded even though we failed -> ok bye.
2. Either: some massive disaster to property that somehow still doesn't impact anything, someone coming back from the dead, someone dying who'll come back from the dead anyway, or "remember when we said there were only N survivors from the Hamel incident?! Well, there are actually N + 1!!!!!!!!!!!!"
So yeah, guess I just don't like the same stuff that most people in the OT likes.
I haven't played the Cold Steel games but lots of the criticisms i see for it also apply to the Crossbell games. The harem, the sexual pandering and making the main protag into a jesus figure who gets adulation from everyone. But there is so much i like that i can cope with the bad stuff.The political threads are always interesting and the ramifications for the other nations from the events that took place in prior games do a lot to make the games feel big and expansive and that's a big reason i like them, but in the end it always comes back to an evil organization that pulls the strings in the backround and thats where the cheesy stuff comes from. But that was already so with the Sky games and thats why i never expected the Crossbell games to set a different tone.
Last edited:
Ah, I didn't know that! I'll keep an eye out for a localization. It usually takes a little over a a year or two I thought, to get an english release? But I guess they might focus on new releases, not remasters.