14 replies to this topic

[StanJr]

What's the poop on this game?  I remember playing it very briefly back when it came out, but I had a third party save pak and it would not save my progress in this game for anything, so I gave up.

I started it again tonight just for fun.  It has not aged gracefully, but it still seems approachable.  It feels VERY "My First RPG," but is not without some charm.

The camera is a nightmare and the B button re-centering is slow and painful, but at least it is there.

The battle system is kind of odd with the "battle area" and semi-turn based style.

Not sure how far I'll go with it, but wanted to see what everyone else thought so I know if I am wasting my time.

[rockman_x_2002]

It's a mediocre RPG, but one of the very few true RPGs that the N64 got.  I like it ok, but I wouldn't go out of my way just to play it specifically.  Would be one of those things I'd toss in just on a whim.  Graphics are colorful and nice but as you say, they have not aged very well.

Perhaps the biggest problems is that the game was extremely linear to begin with.  The battle system was a bit strange, and you had to work at building your magic abilities up before being able to do anything useful (remember you're a magic user after all).  The problem with character development is in how you level up your stats, in that to level your HP up to be useful, you needed to take some constant, steady hard knocks from enemies.  This all took time to do, and made the beginning of the game an exercise in grinding and frustration.

This, coupled with the fact that mere months later The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, was the final nail in the coffin for this unfortunate game.  Had it been released earlier in the year when there was a drought of adventure/RPG games (like this one) it might've fared somewhat better, at least among RPG fans.  But then those same RPG fans likely would've had a PS1 as well.

[MagitekAngel]

I played the game when it was new, and have actually periodically gone back and played it some more.  Actually went to a used game store and paid fourteen whole dollars to have my own copy a few years back.  For my part I have enjoyed it considerably.  It's a shallow, so-so game objectively, but it nonetheless has its own particular charm.  It's also a game that made me wonder how those third party memory cards ever made it to the shelf.  They don't save anything.

[godslabrat]

Not only was it one of the few N64 RPGs, it was the first one after years of absolutely none.  It was maligned in a spirit of "Not only does the N64 only have one RPG, the one it does have sucks!" It might not have "sucked" per se, but was hardly a great way to introduce a genre to the platform.

[Arkhan]

I liked it.

I never owned an N64 til recently (I now have one and the like 8 games that don't suck).  I just played it at my friends and thought "this is kinda neat".

Then I went home and played a real game console.

[StanJr]

very tedious so far, but there is some charm.  I am trying to beat the first "boss," but he has a million hit points and I am grinding like crazy.  No penalty for dying, so I do not use items, but just battle until I die, respawn at the inn and set out again.  Like I said, tedious...

[Rex Dart]

StanJr, on Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:14 PM, said:

poop on this game

Indeed.

[StanJr]

Triumph?

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[rockman_x_2002]

MagitekAngel, on Sun Apr 15, 2012 10:08 AM, said:

It's also a game that made me wonder how those third party memory cards ever made it to the shelf.  They don't save anything.

The one I have is a third-party one, and it somewhat works though it has its moments.  This one is a cheaper-built one, but it does have a battery tray that you can remove and replace the button-cell battery easily in the card.  That's a nice plus, and with a fresh battery you can get a good couple of years' use out of it.  But after that it starts to get flaky.  It also gets flaky if you don't turn on the N64 and give the thing a little juice every once in a while (it tends to need reformatting if you let that happen).

But if I could get my hands on a good official one that would be better.  Even better still would be a more modern solution that uses flash memory instead of battery backup.

[fdurso224]

Hi guys,

I had a friend that said he hated that game with a passion!

I remember him saying "I stole Quest 64 at a Gamestop once and I demanded my money back". I just busted out laughing!

Anthony....

[Liduario]

My little brother rented this game. I looked him playing and decided to pass this one...

[ClassicGamingFreak1980]

I have tried the rom version of the game.  I wish I was able to get back the time I wasted playing it.

[Zenimus]

I haven't played it since it came out, but I remember having a reasonably fun time with it. The battle system was the best part. Lining up enemies to hit them with a Walking Water spell was always satisfying. No money or items to purchase was a downer though.

Edited by Zenimus, Sun Oct 7, 2012 3:48 AM.

[madmax2069]

I enjoyed the game, yeah it can throw you into a controller smashing fit, but what game doesn't. I beat the game, and will gladly go back and play it again. I also own MM and OoT that I play as well.

Edited by madmax2069, Sun Oct 7, 2012 6:10 AM.

[shadow460]

rockman_x_2002, on Thu Apr 19, 2012 7:06 PM, said:

The one I have is a third-party one, and it somewhat works though it has its moments.  This one is a cheaper-built one, but it does have a battery tray that you can remove and replace the button-cell battery easily in the card.  That's a nice plus, and with a fresh battery you can get a good couple of years' use out of it.  But after that it starts to get flaky.  It also gets flaky if you don't turn on the N64 and give the thing a little juice every once in a while (it tends to need reformatting if you let that happen).

But if I could get my hands on a good official one that would be better.  Even better still would be a more modern solution that uses flash memory instead of battery backup.

Most of the third party memory cards/paks had problems back then. I had only one third party N64 controller pak, the Force Pack from Mad Catz. It never saved a thing, and the rumble part wasn't worth the batteries it ate up. I am glad that so many N64 games have flash memory on the cartridge. By now, the batteries in even the first party Controller Paks have to be getting close to dead. Time to fire up the DexDrive.