-
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.
Grandia HD Collection (Switch/PC) |OT| Taking a grandiose adventure on the go!
- Thread starter Hero of Legend
- Start date
So, everyone playing grandia 1: is it basically the psx version uprezzed and with filtered sprites or are there noticeable additions from Saturn? Any technical problems making it better to wait for a patch and/or sale?
If I've never played these before, is it recommended I play 1 before 2, or does it not matter? I have limited free time btw.
It doesn't matter a bit. Based on the originals games merits I think 1 is far superior to 2 (which is very good, but I consider 1 top top tier), but there are plenty of people who like 2 more.
They're unconnected, story-wise. Majority opinion is that the story/characters/setting and general sense of world in 1 is better than 2. 2 has very nice improvements and tweaks to the already-great battle system that the series is known for. 2 is probably a bit shorter and easier than 1. So it depends which of those appeals to you more.
1 has a more charming world, but 2 has a refined battle system and is shorter.
IMO you should save the best for last and play 2 first. I loved 2 on release, but it didn't hold up to the first. Both RPGs are 9/10s so you really can't go wrong with either.
Better graphics and improved systems always work better to play later imo. That way you appreciate the progression more
Man, what a hype trailer! I'm definitely going to buy this when my financial situation is a bit more stable.
Its not even available for download here in Costa Rica yet, maybe I will need to wait till 11:59 pm of August 16.
It is known that they used the PS1 as a baseline. They devs mentioned that they looked at the Saturn to try and update things to better match it, but they did not base any of the code from the Saturn version.
You will need to wait a couple of days or weeks for more in-depth technical impressions
Thanks everyone 😭 I worked hard enough on it and plant to sit my butt down and play this friday night :P haha
Yeah why not!
days or... weeks???
I think I'll just have to find other things to spend my time and money on in August... like getting laid.
Thank you! Fantastic art and a great way to celebrate this HD release!
how is the end of the world a spoiler? it's the main premise.
Besides, that trailer spoiled everything else about the game, lol
I've put a bit of time into Grandia and... it's not bad. I'm not a fan of the filters—like nearly everyone else in the thread—but, at least on handheld, it looks better while playing and in motion than I was expecting, especially since I have access to the original on a CRT. Widescreen is a nice addition, and playing Grandia without slowdown is always good. I stopped an emulated playthrough via Retroarch when this was announced, and this... actually seems like a decent way to restart my playthrough on a handheld device.
That said, they really had a chance here to release a surefire definitive version of Grandia and fell far short of that (for mostly avoidable reasons.)
That said, they really had a chance here to release a surefire definitive version of Grandia and fell far short of that (for mostly avoidable reasons.)
ugh I dont like that I cant buy them individually. I have zero interest in the first one. I only want the second one. 40$ for a 10+ year old game is making me not want to buy this.
Buying it to support the franchise and to send the message that more ports of classic JRPGs are always welcome on the system.
$20 a piece is definitely worth it anyway.
$20 a piece is definitely worth it anyway.
It's passable in handheld, or great if you don't mind the filtered sprites/textures. It's... not good docked.
Buying because I loved Grandia 2, but never owned 1. By the way, I heard that Grandia 2 is widescreen? How does it handle those magic spells with FMV? Wouldn't those be in 4:3, or were they redone? Hopefully it isn't some cropped, widescreen method
Last edited:
The filter effect is far more noticeable blown up on a 40"+ screen.
That just made me buy the collection. Beautifully done.
Never got to play 2, so I'm kinda excited.
What makes the Saturn version better anyway? From what I remember playing the PS1 version , I remember the game having a lot of transparency effects. Didn't those effects have checkered board patterns on the Saturn? Or does the game just run a lot smoother?
I think it looks great docked. 🤷♂️ The big screen makes that filtered style less noticable in my opinion. But in general it's great in both modes.
Saturn game had better textures, less slowdown, better water effects, more background effects, battle screens had better or more 3D models.
Enjoying it a lot. The game has so much character! I love the worldbuilding so much, Palm feels so alive. Only the Trails series has the same sort of homely worldbuilding feel. Justin just told a guy he has bad BO and Sue's uncle is secretly drinking "coffee" in her room. You don't get to spend much time in Palm but it's probably my favourite town.
The filter is kinda ugly but i don't mind it on the overworld sprites much--it's only really kinda ugly on the character portraits. The screen flashing black when enemies load in battle is going to drive me nuts though, i can tell.
Gonna do my usual challenge of getting the 'Zap!' spell earlier and earlier each playthrough.
The filter is kinda ugly but i don't mind it on the overworld sprites much--it's only really kinda ugly on the character portraits. The screen flashing black when enemies load in battle is going to drive me nuts though, i can tell.
Gonna do my usual challenge of getting the 'Zap!' spell earlier and earlier each playthrough.
I'm waiting until it's a bit cheaper since I'm not interested in playing 2 again so soon but I was curious and checked that, yeah it would make me crazy as well.
The way the PCs are active participants in conversations with NPCs is such a massively underappreciated element of Grandia (and the Lunar games.) It gives the characters and the world a rich depth that a lot of other JRPGs lack. Trails is a great comparison.
Same here - had the Saturn version and played with a guide back on release
Got the ps1 version on PSP played some, put it on PSPgo and played probably most there 60 hours I think
Played on vita and vita tv a bit
Played a bit of switch version on handheld earlier once the download finished
Really liked the look of the graphics, the sprites, and much a many people prefer the black borders on the fmv I really liked what they did with the blur and the additional "shadow blurs" that for the most part they put a nice amount of effort into matching the video
Was very much a decent HD remaster on handheld so far, much improved frame rate than ps1 original etc, will report back later as play more how I feel it stands up under more scrutiny
Definitely gave me goosebumps again to see the the intro movies and opening on the switch screen
Wish they had put a bit more into keeping it closer to the Saturn version but there is only so much budget a development team gets for titles like this
There's definitely a few niggles they should fix, like that issue and the music loop hitch.
I really do need to check out the Lunar series sometime. Grandia is what i judge all other JRPGs against when it comes to party/NPC banter. It gets less as the game goes on but there's still so many good interactions. It doesn't seem like many other series are willing to put the effort into this sort of thing, sadly.
Well, hopefully it's not that bad docked, because that's how I plan on playing it. Want to play it on my large screen TV.
Downloading now. Long download. 42 mins, about 30 mins left.
Wait, there's a music loop issue here, as well?
Just with their connection with Game Arts, Square Enix's paws reach through.
I read that the battle backgrounds were much sharper on the Saturn version, leading some to think that the Saturn version had 3d backgrounds. I don't think the 3d part was accurate though, but I've never seen the Saturn version before.
Yeah, that's the my only gripe with the remaster so far. With some tracks, it's extremely noticeable. I played through the game a dozen times on PS1, but I don't remember this problem at all. I hope they fix this with a later update, but seriously doubt it. Most people don't even seem to notice it as it seems.
It's really bizarre how this keeps happening with Square Enix based remasters. They weren't even involved with this one except by name, and it happened once again.
Thanks. This seems like the best option, even at the sake of losing handheld mode.
Sorry to be so negative but I'm so hacked off I feel need to post.
£36.99 is an insulting and absolutely disgusting price point. It's a joke. I am a potential customer, I am the target audience and Nintendo and GungHo, but this has pissed me off beyond salvage.
Absolutely zero incentive to buy this "upgrade" at this disgrace of a price.
I will stick to my PS1 version of Grandia and PC version of Grandia II. Really disappointed and genuinely disgusted.
£36.99 is an insulting and absolutely disgusting price point. It's a joke. I am a potential customer, I am the target audience and Nintendo and GungHo, but this has pissed me off beyond salvage.
Absolutely zero incentive to buy this "upgrade" at this disgrace of a price.
I will stick to my PS1 version of Grandia and PC version of Grandia II. Really disappointed and genuinely disgusted.
2 full games, great examples of the best of 32 bit and Dreamcast era RPGs, with updated visuals, available in widescreen-HD on the go (edit: with much better framerate)....disgust you?
Ok.
Update on my end: I was able to purchase it, its downloading now. Turns out I had to log out of the Store for the "estimate" date message to update to "yeah, available".
Nice friday night.
You aren't the target audience. They aren't going to go through the effort of porting and remastering something just to put it on a fire sale. $20 is pretty normal for a remaster of a PSX or PS2 era game, especially lengthy, well-made RPGs.
It sucks that Grandia 1 didn't get a hard mode, and that they're a forced bundle, but the price is totally in line with standards for something that isn't a straight port.
Sorry, I'll pretend I think £36.99 for two barely upgraded games is acceptable to make you feel better if you want?
I know how good the games are. But at £36.99? Come on, what the hell is going on. It's a rip off and as a fan of the games I am bitterly disappointed and disgusted, yes disgusted, at the horrendously high price.
Other than portability why should I buy this at £3 less than I bought the brilliant Fire Emblem Three Housrs when I have a PS1 copy of Grandia and a PC version of Grandia II which cost me about £8?
I know the Switch store is overpriced in general because of the so called "Switch Tax", but I stand but what I said, this price point is absolutely ridiculous. I feel strongly enough about this that I feel I need to make a fuss.