Star Odyssey - Official Thread

[The Coop]

Should I talk with Gaz first or does it matter? I can go north or south, it looks like.

Talking to Gaz allows you to go after Rick, which will make your life easier since you'd have a second party member to go after the Brain sword (this path goes to the right initially when you leave the Stephorn, with a cave at the top of an open area north of where you see Gaz and his two bodyguards walking around), while the other path takes you to where the Brain sword is (you'll know it's the right one if you have to walk around a small lake to get into the cave). Just be careful. There is a third path (I can't remember where exactly) that leads to Gaz's villa which one of the NPCs talked about, and there isn't anything worthwhile there (just three women that tell you nothing of importance).

[Melf]

I finished the game and had none of the grinding difficulties Joe is mentioning. Unless the difficulty was changed after I played the review copy, then it really isn't that hard. You do have to grind at the beginning, like Wukong, but the rest of the game isn't that hard. Once you buy the item that lets you hold more healing thingies and learn that the Hulk Hogan dude (Rick) owns with rifles, battles become more of a nuisance than anything else. I never had any problem with the random battles being too hard, but some of the bosses were tough.

[Joe Redifer]

You probably didn't grind as much as I did. That way you were able to complete the area fairly easily. I am a grinding whore, I always want to be over-prepared. Damned if I try that again in this game!

[Melf]

I grinded a lot at the beginning. And when I played through it, the Excel item didn't revive dead characters. SFT implemented that AFTER I finished it. You young whipper-snappers and yer healing items! I had to lug dead characters through dungeons! In the snow! Uphill... both ways!

[The Coop]

I am a grinding whore, I always want to be over-prepared. Damned if I try that again in this game!

My end characters are Toby (46), Rick (45) and Grim (45). I probably overdid the grinding a little, but if you keep where I ended the game in mind, that should give you a pretty good idea for a steady pace that'll help you get through the game. Honesty, it's really only the first planet that punishes you for over grinding. After that, between your weapons and Force magics, you shouldn't have any sizable issues with overpowering enemies unless you REALLY go apeshit or something, and end up at level 40 by the end of the second planet. Just remember to use the position option when they start popping up behind you, and that the positions aren't reset during or between battles (you'll have to turn them around again manually).

By the way, we really need a "spoiler" button to click



Melf- Those things can revive too? Hell, I thought they were just for HP recovery.

[CMA Death Adder]

I grinded a lot at the beginning. And when I played through it, the Excel item didn't revive dead characters. SFT implemented that AFTER I finished it.

Even then, you only really get good access to the "Excel" item toward the end of the game. I like my RPGs to be challenging, but the final chapter can get really tough, even for the most seasoned players. Giving the "Excel" item the added ability to revive a fallen hero, I felt, balanced things out nicely. The final planet still offers a solid challenge, but players won't have to backtrack nearly as often as they'd have to in Blue Almanac.

I had to lug dead characters through dungeons! In the snow! Uphill... both ways!

Ha. That reminds me of "The Hobbit" text adventure for the Apple II, where you could carry "Dead Thorin" around with you if he was killed during the adventure. Memories...

[Joe Redifer]

I grinded a lot at the beginning.

I imagine you did, but I think I did it more. I like certain numbers, so even though my character is dodging most attacks or getting, at most, 1 HP taken off from each attack, I say to myself "Well, might as well go up to the next level since I like the number 12" or some such instead of going to do what I need to be doing to advance the game.

[Zebbe]

Got the game yesterday and have played it a few hours. I'm overall enjoying it.

Had to do lots of grinding at the beginning, but that's OK. After a while you get stronger and can afford the expensive gear, which makes most enemy attacks do only 1 HP for damage. What annoys me is the very repetitive and not so very inspired music. Overworld graphics aren't much to hurray for either, but I can live with it. Story, gameplay and the setting make up for it. Package design it good, but nothing more. Doesn't look overly professional and isn't in uniform with other Mega Drive games (like the others of SFT), so I put it at the very end of my collection where games with weirdly designed inserts/boxes end up, like Micro Machines Military and Magic Bubble. The box is the same Famicom pirate as before, and it's OK. Too glossy, thin and soft, but still OK. The manual design is very good with lots of pictures and nice looking pages. I could have traded those "Notes" pages for something else though.

Overall, good job. Will give more feedback once the game is beaten.

[Guntz]

So, can anybody say whether the game sucks or not? How well does it hold up compared to other Genesis RPGs? (not counting Pier Solar)

[The Coop]

So, can anybody say whether the game sucks or not? How well does it hold up compared to other Genesis RPGs? (not counting Pier Solar)

I'll give this a quick review with what comes immediately to mind...


-=Pros=-

+ Pretty good 1991 graphics with some nice little effects (water, fire color cycling, wavering, etc.)
+ Decent soundtrack (even if you don't get to hear all of it very much)
+ A solid story
+ Rather involved magic system
+ Interesting twist with in front and behind attacks
+ A pretty good ending
+ Able to speed up the battle with the ability to turn off animations, and speed up the text a lot
+ Good number of characters to choose from for your party
+ Animated battles, instead of static, two frame animations (like Phantasy Star III)
+ A few little side quests
+ Handy warping system for getting from one city to the next


-=Cons=-

- WAY to many random encounters
- You don't get to hear half the music as much because of those random encounters
- Some quests could have been made a little clearer in terms of where to go next
- Rather short for an RPG (I beat it in about 14-15 hours)
- Some enemies only attack with magic, which does the same amount of damage no mater what level you are
- All new characters start at level 1 throughout the game, making them "one hit and they're dead" fodder for a while (especially Aura)


-=Could go either way, depending on how you see it=-

+/- Lots of grinding needed
+/- Monsters continually change as you go up levels, even if you grind in the same place (much like Oblivion does)
+/- Either some spells require you to be really high up in levels to get to use, or else not everyone can use all the spells
+/- Some rather abrupt spikes in enemy strength as you level up (right Joe? )


All in all, I'd give it a 7 out of 10. It's a solid RPG, with some nice touches and a number of flaws, but it's enjoyable.

[makinagenesis]

I grinded a lot at the beginning. And when I played through it, the Excel item didn't revive dead characters. SFT implemented that AFTER I finished it. You young whipper-snappers and yer healing items! I had to lug dead characters through dungeons! In the snow! Uphill... both ways!

quality comment that, giggling here

by the way joe

No, I can only make it two or three fights before I die. With a few POWERs, that might make 5 or 6, max. In case you haven't noticed, there would be at least 100 or 200 battles each way. I am telling you that it simply cannot be done. The game is broken. You did not test for the way I am playing. It's Wukong all over again, probably even worse. I should easily be able to make a trip on level 12, but I simply cannot.

The game is broken.

do you play genesis games often, or is your hatred towards them totally unfounded, possibly based on your lack of skill at them? i read one of your posts on another forum about pier solar ' Everybody has been saying that the game is a piece of shit and they can't even find the ambition to press START at the title screen the first time they turn it on. It is rumored that there isn't even anything beyond the title screen. But it is a Genesis game, it is SUPPOSED to be garbage!'

[Guntz]

Many thanks for that excellent pros + cons write up Coop! I feel like I've played a game like that before (Earth Bound NES) which I absolutely loved. Perhaps I will grab a copy of this game... Though currently my cash is tied to a few things right now, so it'd have to wait.

[ShadowHawk]

so this is yet ANOTHER broken game release? Game ending halfway through the game and makes you restart like Wukong and BEggar Prince?

[Clessy]

So I was playing Blue Almanica(SP?) to see if I had any interest in what might be Star Oddessey.
Holy Shit

The game was so horrible. I can't imagine they where able to save this.

Cons
- Graphics suck but, it did come out in 91.
- Design. This isnt something that should have to do with its release date. Nearly all the rooms in towns are the same room. They just have different characters in them. Like how hard could it of been to have some different floor plans.
- Battles are simply terrible with a poorly thought out system.
- No exp for battle. Yeah I fucking hard to grind to reach level 2. If you have to go back to town and heal yourself before you reach level 2 something is fucking wrong.
- Speaking of walking back to town. The distance you have to walk around is far to long.
- You get no money from battles near the begining of the game
- You get in a battle almost every other step until you start trying to grind....
-The game area's, people and towns and almost everything relating to the asthetics of this game are completly bland.


Pros
- I like the music.


So anyone played both versions to compare?

[old man]

Got the game yesterday and have played it a few hours. I'm overall enjoying it.

Had to do lots of grinding at the beginning, but that's OK. After a while you get stronger and can afford the expensive gear, which makes most enemy attacks do only 1 HP for damage. What annoys me is the very repetitive and not so very inspired music. Overworld graphics aren't much to hurray for either, but I can live with it. Story, gameplay and the setting make up for it. Package design it good, but nothing more. Doesn't look overly professional and isn't in uniform with other Mega Drive games (like the others of SFT), so I put it at the very end of my collection where games with weirdly designed inserts/boxes end up, like Micro Machines Military and Magic Bubble. The box is the same Famicom pirate as before, and it's OK. Too glossy, thin and soft, but still OK. The manual design is very good with lots of pictures and nice looking pages. I could have traded those "Notes" pages for something else though.

Overall, good job. Will give more feedback once the game is beaten.

lol Like Pier Solar?