Grandia 3

[SuperHiko]

I don't have it, and I have no money to buy it, yet. So I know it's out, what are everyone elses thoughts on this game?

The first 2 were great, of course the battle engine is the saving grace of the series.

(there WAS no Grandia Xtreme.)

>_>

<_<

[Panko Z]

in the same boat as you, dying to play it! heard mixed reviews tho

[earsofdoom]

get it! the only problem is it's to short (30 hours)..... and the intro theme is kinda hit or miss (i liked it..... but some HATE it)

and yes GrandiaXtreme NEVER happened..... at least thats what we said when we buried it in mexico :)

[LunarGriever]

Don't listen to the negative reviews. Grandia 3 is amazing, and it reminds me so much of the orginial Grandia. Which IMO is a very very very good thing. I never did like G2 all that much. But 3 has been excellent so far. And even though it's a little short, there is pleny to do in order to pad it out. You can spend ours simply walking about talking to NPCs and watching the charcters interact with them. And since what they say changes often, you'll never run out of things to do.

[Pickie]

What's the battle system like (Never played any of the Grandia games before)?

Ever since I've gotten into the Tales series the battle system for most of Square's games have been way too slow for me thus I would just stop playing half way through.

[CrossboneGundam]

What's the battle system like (Never played any of the Grandia games before)?

Ever since I've gotten into the Tales series the battle system for most of Square's games have been way too slow for me thus I would just stop playing half way through.

Grandia's battle system is like a sort of middle ground between flat-out strategy and traditional turn based combat.

The action is turn based, but you can move your characters around as you like on the battlefield, and most of the special abilities and spells have area effects like many in Chrono Trigger. And your proximity to an enemy determines what abilities you can use against them, accuracy, etc. (and vice versa.) A major part of it is a gauge that shows you the upcoming turn order for the next couple of rounds, so you can pretty delicately plan your actions. Sort of like in Final Fantasy X, but much better and much funner overall.

[LunarGriever]

If you've every played either of the Lunar Complete games the battle system for Grandia, is alot like that. Only much more evolved.

[Crazy Tenchi]

I just started the second disk and I REALLY like this game. The main thing I like are the characters, they really help to carry the story. Also all of the voice actors are really good, none of them bother me. I needed Grandia III after Wild Arms 4 left such a bad taste in my mouth.

I highly recommend this game, a good story with great characters and a battle system that never gets old. Cancel is freaking sweet.

[Lemina]

I'm a total fangirl of this series and I absolutely loved playing the first two games when they came out and still love playing them even to this day (not Grandia Xtreme though). The battle system looks alot like that of Grandia Xtreme, but the graphics and animation are really something mesmerizing that I'm sure it will feel completely different. I've seen many screenshots and footage of this game and it looks very promising. It's nice to know Game Arts (creater of the Lunar series) continued on with this series. I'm really looking forward to getting Grandia III when it comes out next month. It's around the corner. ^_^

[Pickie]

I'm a total fangirl of this series and I absolutely loved playing the first two games when they came out and still love playing them even to this day (not Grandia Xtreme though). The battle system looks alot like that of Grandia Xtreme, but the graphics and animation are really something mesmerizing that I'm sure it will feel completely different. I've seen many screenshots and footage of this game and it looks very promising. It's nice to know Game Arts (creater of the Lunar series) continued on with this series. I'm really looking forward to getting Grandia III when it comes out next month. It's around the corner. ^_^

ummm... Grandia III already came out.

[Malon]

If Grandia III is short then that is probably a good thing. Grandia was great but was long and repetitive. I was happy when Grandia II ended where it ended.

[SuperHiko]

Best battle system in a rpg I have played. (The Grandia series that is.)

[earsofdoom]

I'm a total fangirl of this series and I absolutely loved playing the first two games when they came out and still love playing them even to this day (not Grandia Xtreme though). The battle system looks alot like that of Grandia Xtreme, but the graphics and animation are really something mesmerizing that I'm sure it will feel completely different. I've seen many screenshots and footage of this game and it looks very promising. It's nice to know Game Arts (creater of the Lunar series) continued on with this series. I'm really looking forward to getting Grandia III when it comes out next month. It's around the corner. ^_^

lol no love for grandia xtreme, its game arts devil may cry 2.

[Haruhi]

Wow... this game has really pretty graphics. o_O; Especially the character models. Best PS2 RPG by far. And the dubbing is actually quite good, IMO.

[MightyDustLoop]

Wow... this game has really pretty graphics. o_O; Especially the character models. Best PS2 RPG by far. And the dubbing is actually quite good, IMO.

I played for about fifteen minutes and wasn't too thrilled myself. It'll be hard to top DQVIII for myself. I'm not a huge fan of this generation of RPGs, but that one really set the bar. I'll dive in a little more this weekend though and see how it turns out.

[Haruhi]

Oops. I miswrote that. I meant best looking PS2 RPG. My apologies.

[HitokiriShadow]

I haven't played the original Grandia (though I'd like to), but I did play Grandia II (PS2 version). It wasn't bad, but it was terribly linear and had very little replay value.

I'm not sure if I'll play Grandia III or not. I've heard that the story starts out nice and quickly becomes crap. PennyArcade's thoughts on the game (http://www.penny-arcade.com/2006/02/22) and a comic (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/02/22) about it.

[Crazy Tenchi]

PennyArcade's thoughts on the game and a comic about it.

Wow, I normally love Penny Arcade because the things that they say in their comics and articles are normally spot on. But they are just completely wrong here. Yeah the story isn't breathtaking or completely original but it's still good. The characters are some of the best that I have seen in an RPG.

No where in the game does Alfina ever go off on an annoying speech like they say in their comic. Hell, she is one of my favorite characters in the game. I really am just amazed at their level of disdain for the game. It seems so unfairly placed, I mean damn what were they expecting.

[LunarGriever]

Yeah I saw that comic the other day and I couldn't believe how horribly off it was. Because usually, as the above poster said, PA is pretty damn on target. NOT with this game though... they clearly bought into the the negative hype, sad really =(

Also I don't know why everyone keeps getting so hung up on the story. I've found the story be to absolutly brilliant, granted it still smells of preveious GameArts games, especially Lunar 1, but that's the way all GA games are. Hell Grandia 2 had the exact same story as Lunar 2, and it wasn't nearly as good.

G3 is an awsome game, with excellent character. The only negative I have to say about it is that toward the end, you can see that this were clearly cut out of the game, for either time or space reasons. There are alot of unused locations on the overworld map; these range from a possible mini game, to missing towns and other extra things.

Still despite that, Grandia 3 is an excellent game. IMO it's every bit as good as the orginial, FYI I really felt Grandia 2 was a horrible let down, so that's by far my least favorite game in the series. G1 however is one of my favorite games of all time, so that should tell you something about how good I feel 3 is.

[Lemina]

I haven't played the original Grandia (though I'd like to), but I did play Grandia II (PS2 version). It wasn't bad, but it was terribly linear and had very little replay value.

If you were disappointed by Grandia II's linear play, you'll be disappointed by the first Grandia because it was even more linear than the sequal. Still, for a Saturn and PS1 RPG, I thought it was one of the best games around and you'll get to see just how this unique battle system came to be. Grandia II was really serious while the first game on the other hand was alot more light-hearted and comedic. The stories are nothing alike either as the first game was more fun & games and the second game took more of a serious and religous approach about the end of the world. Justin and Ryudo are nothing alike, as nether are Sue and Feena from the first game to Elena and Millenia in the second game. So, it will completely feel different even though you'll notice many similar qualites in gameplay from both games. They are both of the same series but are completely unrelated to each other.

I would highly recommend getting the first game if you enjoyed playing the second. Apart from the dated graphics, you might actually end up liking this game more because it was more enjoyable to play. You should try looking for this game at your local video game store that sells used games, I'm sure you'd enjoy it. ^_^

Btw, the Dreamcast version of Grandia 2 was alot better than the Playstation 2 version. Even though they added more cutscenes to the PS2 version, the DC version overall felt alot more fluid and played alot faster (since it was actually made for this system to begin with) and didn't have the choppiness and notable pixelated graphics like you see in the PS2 version. Of course since you've already played the game, it probably isn't worth getting the DC version anymore, but I just wanted to state a fact about this game. ;)

[MightyDustLoop]

Harsh on PA. I don't think they do as much forum lurking in their line of work, so I'm sure it stemmed from thoughts on the actual game.

The whole point of the comic seems to me to be how overly sentimental characters in RPGs are. Kind of springs from anime as well, but as a fan of both forms of media, some of the stuff that is said in game conversations would never, ever be used in a real life conversation. In fact, you'd probably laugh your *** off if you heard some one say them.

[CrazyArcadia]

I tend to believe many people diss Grandia III for a reason. But it's not that Grandia III is bad (because it isn't!). It's because it was released in a most unfortunate time. 3 months ago, Dragon Quest 8 was released and set the bar high. The Final Fantasy XII Demo hyped many people up because of this upcoming interactive mo.... new rpg made by SE. And now Grandia III... released only a couple of weeks before the us Release of Kingdom Hearts 2 and the jp Release for Final Fantasy XII! IMO many people only see GIII as an snack before the "real meal" is served... I might be wrong, but I think many people would like to play KH2 here and now, and only played GIII for killing time -_-

[Haruhi]

I don't believe that at all. Even though I'm looking forward to KH2 and Suikoden 5, I think Grandia III is a great game, all on it's own. In fact, I far prefer it to FFXII. I played the demo that came w/DQVIII, and I just wasn't all that impressed. But Grandia III, I bought w/out even renting it, and am totally loving it. The story might not be the best (I haven't gotten to the part where it starts to become predictable yet), but the battles, the music and the graphics are just amazing. It really stands out above every other PS2 RPG I played.

Grandia III > All PS2 RPGs except DQVIII and possibly Star Ocean 3.

[Crazy Tenchi]

I might be wrong, but I think many people would like to play KH2 here and now, and only played GIII for killing time -_-

You know I hate to say that you're correct but I've been waiting to play Kingdom Hearts 2 for four years now and wouldn't be playing Grandia III if they were released around the same time (I would have played it eventually though). Obviously this isn't the case for some people but that would probably be true for me. However, I am glad that they weren't released at the same time because I really like Grandia III.

[Jae Hoon]

I dont think DQ 8 had anything to do with it. Most reviewers game DQ 8 about the same scores as they gave Grandia and had many of the same complaints.

[Loopy]

Hey guys did you ever think that PA was exaggerating on purpose? Its a satire. Not meant to be taken seriously. But anyway...

Given that what I've heard has been mixed, from "it freakin' sucks," to "its okay," with only, "the battle system and graphics rock!" in between all this, I'll wait until the price drops on this one. Drakengard 2 has been keeping me mighty entertained so far, and there are tons of better RPGs on my backlog as well as coming out soon to look forward to.

[MightyDustLoop]

It doesn't suck. In fact, far from it. Me wanting the cut scenes to end so I can get to the actual game is a good thing. It's just the story is very much your typical RPG story with some light jokes mixed it. Not exactly aweinspiring, but few RPGs these days really are.

Either way, RPGs should be required to have fighting at least this good. It's the least that should be done for the sake of progress.

[MightyDustLoop]

No where in the game does Alfina ever go off on an annoying speech like they say in their comic. Hell, she is one of my favorite characters in the game. I really am just amazed at their level of disdain for the game. It seems so unfairly placed, I mean damn what were they expecting.


"You're hand's SO warm."

and later

"Yuki....thank you. If it wasn't for your warmth, I......"

I definitely picked up where that comic came from with my couple hours of playing today. Yeah, that's some cheesy as hell dialogue. Pretty much all RPGs are guilty of that crap though. Kingdom Hearts had some awesome VA, and some of the lines they said with a straight face had me rollin big time. I'll bet they were having a blast in the studio saying some of that.

[Haruhi]

Yuki = foine
Alfina = foine
Miranda = foine

[CrazyArcadia]

@ Lilium
I also like Grandia III. I'm from europe and can't afford to get that many us imports of great rpgs - and my decision was to get GIII, not KH2, ToL or something else. But I saw many people complaining about the game, and often whilst telling what they dislike, they also say "Well, KH2/FFXII will be much better"... As a matter of fact, too many people just see the recent rpgs as something to play so they don't be bored until the likes of FFXII or KH2 are released (remember the uproar when many people claimed they only buyed DQ8 for the FFXII demo? And even selling DQ8 without the demo afterwards?)

What I meant : If Grandia III would have been released in March 2005, people would have seen it just as you see it : a great game on its own (which is the truth btw.)

[The Million Dollar Prons]

Wow, I normally love Penny Arcade because the things that they say in their comics and articles are normally spot on. But they are just completely wrong here. Yeah the story isn't breathtaking or completely original but it's still good. The characters are some of the best that I have seen in an RPG.

No where in the game does Alfina ever go off on an annoying speech like they say in their comic. Hell, she is one of my favorite characters in the game. I really am just amazed at their level of disdain for the game. It seems so unfairly placed, I mean damn what were they expecting.

Yeah, but no one payed you 200,000 dollars to be in your comic strip.

[XxKamishiroxX]

I'm on the 2nd disc at the moment. I'm currently on the 2nd time you fight Violette, before you fight Emelious. I never played any of the other Grandia's. All I can say is the first disc was not much of a challenge, but the 2nd disc is very challenging. The battle system was a little new to me at first, but easy to catch on. The plot isn't very original, but It's pretty good overall. The main character is pretty cool though. ^_^

I've been wanting to play Drakengaurd 2 as well, but never got the chance. I can see that Squre Enix teamed up with Ubisoft to make a more unique battle system. :O

[Crazy Tenchi]

"You're hand's SO warm."

Alright I really don't want to argue with people about if those two lines are cheesy or not but I didn't even bat an eye when she said those. Never struck me as cheesy but I can see how some people would find it as such.

Yeah, but no one payed you 200,000 dollars to be in your comic strip.

...What?

[Loopy]

"You're hand's SO warm."

and later

"Yuki....thank you. If it wasn't for your warmth, I......"

I definitely picked up where that comic came from with my couple hours of playing today. Yeah, that's some cheesy as hell dialogue. Pretty much all RPGs are guilty of that crap though. Kingdom Hearts had some awesome VA, and some of the lines they said with a straight face had me rollin big time. I'll bet they were having a blast in the studio saying some of that.

I think I just vomited a lil' bit in my mouth. I don't think Xtreme even had lines like that, and that had the worst story, dialogue, and characters I've ever been forced to witness.

I've been wanting to play Drakengaurd 2 as well, but never got the chance. I can see that Squre Enix teamed up with Ubisoft to make a more unique battle system

<fun factoid of the day>No, SE just didn't see much promise for it outside of Japan, so Ubisoft picked it up instead, using SE's logo for a US marketing strategy given they were the publishers in Japan</fun factoid of the day>

[XxKamishiroxX]

Yeah, finaly got to playing Drakengaurd 2, and It reeks big time. <_<

[MightyDustLoop]

Yeah, finaly got to playing Drakengaurd 2, and It reeks big time. <_<

What were you friggin expecting?!? Didn't you ever play part 1? That game bored me after five minutes, and those five minutes were indeed very painful. The only thing good about it were the cutscenes. Hell, it made Dynasty Warriors seem DEEP. Ah, button mashers, how would we live without you?

[MightyDustLoop]

Alright I really don't want to argue with people about if those two lines are cheesy or not but I didn't even bat an eye when she said those. Never struck me as cheesy but I can see how some people would find it as such.




Come now my man. They used the line "Yuki, spread your wings and fly" like five times. Nothing wrong with not picking up on this though. it just means you adhere to gaming conversations a lot different from normal conversation, which is probably a good thing. In my workplace, say something remotely like that, and be prepared to be mocked for weeks, so I inadvertantly pick up on that stuff to do some mockery of my own.

[Loopy]

I guess I just have different tastes than most people. Hell I thought FFVII was terrible for the most part and Grandia Xtreme crushed the original in every way, but...well, this is getting off-topic.

So back on topic, since the story is a bit lacking but the gameplay is awesome, I have a question regarding that. I've heard from some that the difficulty becomes uneven once disc 2 hits. Can anyone elaborate on that one about the validity of that statement?

[Crazy Tenchi]

I died only one time on the first disk because I forgot to heal after a battle and two people were paralyzed immediately in the next. On the second disk I have died about 5 times, 3 to 4 of which were against the same boss.

It does get harder but in my opinion only during the boss fights and personally I think that makes it more fun.

They used the line "Yuki, spread your wings and fly" like five times.

See if you had used that line originally I would have been more willing to agree because I have heard the other two in Hollywood movies before. Heck do a google search of "your hands are so warm" and it finds a lot of poems that use that exact line.

Also if you put all three of those lines in context in how they are used during the game, they fit pretty well if you ask me. Obviously it's just my opinion but I tend to let the "cheesy" stuff slide whenever I'm playing video games.

[Jae Hoon]

Does credits you win in a casino carry over to another casino or do you have to start over with every casino.

[Jae Hoon]

This game will not freaking end, they drag the end of this as far as they can. Its pretty annoying to be honest. It is like they didnt think the game would be long enough so they drag the last part out so much, it makes you want to stop playing it.

[Takuto]

I just got to the second disk last night and so far i love the game. The best part imo is the combat system and the voice acting is nice.

[Crazy Tenchi]

Well Jae Hoon, if you are wanting to get it over with just avoid getting in battles. It's actually really easy most of the time. Also I had an opposite opinion of the end of the game. I thought, "Well geez, I guess that really is the end." Do you mind telling me where in the game you are (spoiler free if possible for anyone else who might read).

You want to talk about a game that just DRAGS out the ending then play Dragon Quest VIII. However, be prepared to spend about 80 hours (minimum) on it.

[Jae Hoon]

I beat it already, most of the end of the game is nothing but alot of filler that just made the game feel artificially long for no reason. Zorn wasnt even the hardest boss in the game.

[SuperHiko]

Well I certainly was dissapointed with this game. :(

[Gannon]

I'm too afraid to try out Grandia III. Why? Because of Grandia II.

I remember picking up Grandia II at Gamestop (Formerly known as Funcoland). I quickly returned home, eager to try out a new RPG. I popped the game into my PS2, and proceeded to play.

What started out as excitement quickly turned into a trance of indifference, remembering that the game had cost me over fifty dollars. I had made it all the way to the part where the lead character is sitting in front of a camp fire, watching the leading lady as she slept. He was in the middle of a conversation with his bird friend. My memory is a little hazy, but I think it was along the lines of:

Homosexual-Pokemon-Reject-Eagle-Companion: "Why don't you just tell her you love her?

Typical-Mild-Mannered-Male-Lead: "I can't Eagle friend...I just don't have the heart..."

I quickly snapped out of my trance, my common-sense rapidly taking over. I realized something: he had just met the girl twenty minutes ago. In game time, that's just the night before.

I then ejected the game from my PS2, unzipped my pants, and proceeded to urinate on the disc. I then picked up the moist CD and gently placed it back into it's case. Tucking Grandia II under the crook of my arm, I proceed toward the front door, making sure to pocket my Desert Eagle on the way out. I vowed that I would not only get my refund, but some free games as well.

I haven't looked at another Grandia game since.

The moral of the story: The Grandia series is known for crappy dialogue.

[Mercenary]

Well I certainly was dissapointed with this game. :(
I liked it a ton. :(
My tastes sure differs from a lot of peoples. :|

[Crazy Tenchi]

and proceeded to urinate on the disc. I then picked up the moist CD and gently placed it back into it's case. Tucking Grandia II under the crook of my arm,

Dude you put something you took a wizz on under your arm. That's nasty.

But seriously, if it helps at all I really hated Grandia II and found Grandia III much more enjoyable. Jae Hoon is right that after a certain point everything leading up to the ending is a little weak but the ending itself is pretty cool. I would recommend the game for it's fighting system and fun characters despite the mediocore story. I also am still willing to argue that the dialogue never really struck me as all that corny.

[Gannon]

Dude you put something you took a wizz on under your arm. That's nasty.


The game had stripped me of all moral fiber.

Besides, you have to admit that wanting to confess your love to a woman that you just met is the dumbest plot device ever used in a game. I seriously stopped playing after that.

[Gasaraki]

Grandia 3 STILL has the best RPG battle system ever. EVER. Even if the story is crap

[SuperHiko]

Wasn't as fun as the other Grandia battles.

[Gasaraki]

How? It had even more strategy and options, as well as everyone having great uses. Plus keeping a boss locked actually took a bit of planning.

[SuperHiko]

It lacked what made the other games fun. Characters were dull and the battles weren't as fun. That pretty much killed the game for me.