I like the new designs. Kurt looks great! I'm excited for more reveals, especially
the older Ellie.
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Some thoughts on the new outfits:
And for some random theories...
Yeah, there's a lot of cool stuff to expect from CS4. Pretty excited.
Juna/Kurt: The orange dress shirt and loose tie with the SSS red coat are a nice mix between Randy and Lloyd; I like it. Not sure if that was what they were going for, but I'm going to make that my head canon from now on. Kurt looks great, reminds me a bit of some old English fashion. That extra belt is hilarious, though; should consider buying smaller pants if he needs TWO belts to keep it in place. Cute thing to note between these two is how they look like a matching couple with their rolled up sleeves and gloves. On top of that, Kurt is now sporting a strap around his thigh that Juna did in CS3. Just make these two a pairing already, Falcom.
Altina: I'm glad she kept the hat, even if it's slightly different from her CS3 one. Not as good as her school uniform look, but still way better than her CS2 outfit. Seems like she got some fashion advice from Fie, and took some inspiration from Millium's outfit.
Musse: Not too different from her school design, except maybe a shorter skirt and white stockings. Pretty neutral on this (and her entire character).
Ashe: Pretty fitting look for his character. Those ripped jeans, though.
The artist really has a thing for ZR, though. And here I thought he would stop at old class 7.
Altina: I'm glad she kept the hat, even if it's slightly different from her CS3 one. Not as good as her school uniform look, but still way better than her CS2 outfit. Seems like she got some fashion advice from Fie, and took some inspiration from Millium's outfit.
Musse: Not too different from her school design, except maybe a shorter skirt and white stockings. Pretty neutral on this (and her entire character).
Ashe: Pretty fitting look for his character. Those ripped jeans, though.
The artist really has a thing for ZR, though. And here I thought he would stop at old class 7.
And for some random theories...
So one of my original theories in light of these new scans and information regarding how CS4 will start out was that each old class 7 group would be grouped up with each of the original new class 7, so in this case, Juna, Kurt, and Altina. So it'd be something like Kurt with Laura's group, Juna with Alisa's group, and Altina with Jusis' group. I figured this would be the best way to establish some chemistry between the old and new class. And the way the final dungeon boss rush was structured with these clearly segregated groups made it seem like it was a deliberate setup for this kind of opener for CS4. Musse and Ash are off doing their own; the former likely with Vita and Aurelia, and Ash doing something Hamel-related (which would probably be a good time for Joshua to make his appearance).
But the scans of Juna and Kurt mention how the prologue features these two together (Emma's village?), so that probably kills the above theory. Though they could potentially just combine Laura and Alisa's group with Kurt and Juna and the above theory would still hold... Suddenly, I'm having flashbacks to the beginning of Sky SC with the Bracer training Estelle and Anelace went through. Ultimately though, what I personally want to see is Altina grouped with Jusis based on their Millium connection alone. This could be another interesting dynamic should Falcom decide to pursue it (I sincerely hope they do). Then again, I still have hopes she'll come back anyway. I'll also take a more punished looking Jusis on his reveal.
I'm mad excited for Estelle and Joshua's new designs because we all know they're going to show up. Crossing my fingers for even a Mireille appearance, just because. A SSS segment with the gang all back together, playable Randy with Tio's S-crafts would be pretty awesome, too.
But the scans of Juna and Kurt mention how the prologue features these two together (Emma's village?), so that probably kills the above theory. Though they could potentially just combine Laura and Alisa's group with Kurt and Juna and the above theory would still hold... Suddenly, I'm having flashbacks to the beginning of Sky SC with the Bracer training Estelle and Anelace went through. Ultimately though, what I personally want to see is Altina grouped with Jusis based on their Millium connection alone. This could be another interesting dynamic should Falcom decide to pursue it (I sincerely hope they do). Then again, I still have hopes she'll come back anyway. I'll also take a more punished looking Jusis on his reveal.
I'm mad excited for Estelle and Joshua's new designs because we all know they're going to show up. Crossing my fingers for even a Mireille appearance, just because. A SSS segment with the gang all back together, playable Randy with Tio's S-crafts would be pretty awesome, too.
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tbf modern anime has a thing for ZR, and Falcom tends to follow current anime trends
not that I'm complaining
I, too, am a man of ZR, but I just think it's funny. Even Estelle rocked some of that ZR.
Found the new class VII leaks.
I like how there's more variety in clothes than just your typical uniform + different shoes.
I like how there's more variety in clothes than just your typical uniform + different shoes.
Juna looks pretty good, Altina is taking some tips from Fie on how to dress like a slut. Dem booty shorts though. Kurt looks alright, and I like Musse though she looks too similar to her CS3 form.
We all would but thats up to whoever is localizing the game.
I look forward to the day where being a Trails fan isn't an eternal test of patience...
This Sen IV media is making the wait for CS3 even harder, not having news on the localization is so damn frustrating.
I hope Juna is a good character, I really love her design.
I hope Juna is a good character, I really love her design.
She switches between smashing people with tonfas and shooting people with machine guns on the fly.
Like what would happen if Lloyd and Noel had a child.
Sorry to bring this whole debacle back to the forefront in light of CS4 news, but I must answer to PK Gaming's call. You gotta put my username in the quote next time, so I get the notification, though. Totally didn't notice. Anyway...
:mishy:
I don't know, man. What else do you want me to think when they include those romantic segments at the end of literally almost every girl's bonding events? Let's not forget how they add literally next to nothing to the overall plot. And Rean does have a legit harem (this is outside the bonding events, mind you), so go figure. Remove every single one of those scenes (except Alisa because canon and shit), and I could look at all of these bonding events as amazing friendships between Rean and his fellow class 7 mates (god forbid a male MC gets to have a normal friendship with a girl without the optional choice of turning it into a romance). Am I supposed to believe that Rean can romance any girl should he decide to spend x number of time with them? I mean, let's ignore the lolis (because Falcom seems to have a clear line of moral standards here) for a second, but what does that really say about the girls who are romantic options for him from a writing standpoint? And Rean? Am I supposed to believe he changes his personality on the fly depending on the girl so the romance works somehow at the end? I don't want to call Rean bland anymore because the CS3-4 duology is looking to be good for his overall development, but when you give me this kind of content, don't expect me to not think about it and criticize. By the way, this all applies to Lloyd, too. This is also the reason why I get hesitant about any new female characters they introduce, because well, gee, where could she possibly fall in regards to the MC? It's shallow, and it doesn't feel genuine to me, which makes me hard to care about said character (and the MC). Truth be told, I honestly don't think I'm all that attached to any of the girls in old class 7 except for Millium for obvious reasons. Juna and Altina are absolutely bae in the new class, on the other hand.
It's not? The problem is that these events are too localized to Rean. They really just needed to follow the implementation in CS3, and that would've been a good perfect balance. I mean, it shouldn't have been too hard to write Millium in Jusis' scenes, Emma in Alisa/Fie/Laura's, you name it, without damaging their characterization. It's really a question of their writing creativity at that point. Having a school life doesn't necessarily mean you have to spend it all the time at your club; there's always room for small periods of respite for chatting or whatever. These one-on-one scenarios make more sense for Rean as a teacher, but as a student? Not so much. Maybe sprinkle those one-on-ones sparingly where it makes sense, and you've got something good for Rean and the entire class. Bonding events where Rean doesn't exist would be totally rad, but since these games are fairly MC-centric, that's a little too much to ask for. There's a lot of hate for the school setting, but it's actually one of the more versatile settings you can work with, I feel. Clearly not the case here.
I'll be waiting. There aren't too many things I can think off the top of my head that I can pick at the writing for Randy's character and development. I guess my main complaint would be that I wish his development had involved Mireille more. Maybe some extra history details on how he arrived at Crossbell would've been good, too. Also, his dad; that's the spicy stuff, though the problems with Sigmund and Shirley were more than enough to fill that gap. Randy also knows hows to get things done without getting tied down (reference to Ao). I'd kill for an alternative universe where Randy was the MC of the Crossbell games instead of Lloyd. Another (comedic) complaint is that they didn't give Randy a sniper so the Lockon Stratos parallel could become a thing.
:mishy:
You wanna go that badly Jiraiza? Let's dance
Yeah, i'm really feeling the overt romantic undertones here. All of these scenes are so overwrought romantic subtext, like these girls are constantly just frothing at the mouth to have sex with Rean instead of having a normal fucking conversation with their classmate. Seriously, this is a ridiculous hyperbole on your part and you know it. There are occasional, occasional romantic undertones in his bond supports with the girls. (Mostly from Alisa), That's it. That doesn't mean the vast majority of bond scenes are like that. Nor does it mean the majority of them get bogged down with pointless bullshit. It does not crater their quality, and no matter how much you loathe the concept, and they all generally follow a similar flow ("Help/Watch a character get through a problem while learning about them").
I don't walk up to Laura and go "AYO LET'S FUCK", it's more "okay, so what's the follow up on Monica's situation eh?"
Ah man, the classic "these scenes are worthless unless they explicitly add to the plot" excuse that people like to throw around. Nevermind the fact that these scenes develop the setting and its characters, or that the older games were filled with moments like this. I really don't understand how you parse information dude; it's like you skip over most dialogue and only pay attention during romantic moments. You want friendship between the protagonist and his peers? For the most part, the bond scenes explicitly showcase that. Is the taint that much for you? Also man, I get using harem in a jocular sense, but if you're seriously trying to argue that Rean has a legitimate harem in CS1/CS2 then get outta here with that shit.
Welcome to modern JRPGs, how may I take your order? Yes, hang out with X ten times to date is dumb, but at least CS had the courtesy to limiting it to one girl instead of opting with Persona's ridiculous (honestly juvenile) ability to date multiple women at the same time. You don't even "romance" these girls in the first game; that's how much of a slow burn it is, and it contributes how natural it (mostly) ends up feeling. Your problem, is that you take the sheer existence of the romance system as proof that these characters are poor and it's a weak argument. Like Rean isn't flawed because of the bond system. He's flawed because they couldn't fully decide on the direction they wanted to go with him in CS1, and it led to a lot of frustrating and repetitive writing. Similarly, I doubt Lloyd is flawed because made the sin of having bond events with women (gasp). Also Rean's personality is pretty consistent in the localized version so I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe play the better version of CS1/2 sometime?
Lmao, your metric for a character being good whether or not they're romanceable and having interactions with Jusis, like come the fuck on. Millium isn't any better than the other class VII girls because she's off the table for Rean, that's silly (she's actually on the weaker end, due to how gimmicky and less textured she is compared to the rest).
We've been over this. They screwed up on inter-character relationships; doesn't remotely mean what they have outright bad or horribly flawed in any way. The bond events still have the characters interacting with their classmates (just not class VII) and there are still enough interactions between the main cast to sell them as a group. Compared to other games with similar mechanics (*cough Persona), Cold Steel definitely comes out on top.
That comparison to Lockon Stratos already leaves me feeling incredibly uneasy. Gundam 00 was super bad.
Yeah, i'm really feeling the overt romantic undertones here. All of these scenes are so overwrought romantic subtext, like these girls are constantly just frothing at the mouth to have sex with Rean instead of having a normal fucking conversation with their classmate. Seriously, this is a ridiculous hyperbole on your part and you know it. There are occasional, occasional romantic undertones in his bond supports with the girls. (Mostly from Alisa), That's it. That doesn't mean the vast majority of bond scenes are like that. Nor does it mean the majority of them get bogged down with pointless bullshit. It does not crater their quality, and no matter how much you loathe the concept, and they all generally follow a similar flow ("Help/Watch a character get through a problem while learning about them").
I don't walk up to Laura and go "AYO LET'S FUCK", it's more "okay, so what's the follow up on Monica's situation eh?"
Ah man, the classic "these scenes are worthless unless they explicitly add to the plot" excuse that people like to throw around. Nevermind the fact that these scenes develop the setting and its characters, or that the older games were filled with moments like this. I really don't understand how you parse information dude; it's like you skip over most dialogue and only pay attention during romantic moments. You want friendship between the protagonist and his peers? For the most part, the bond scenes explicitly showcase that. Is the taint that much for you? Also man, I get using harem in a jocular sense, but if you're seriously trying to argue that Rean has a legitimate harem in CS1/CS2 then get outta here with that shit.
Welcome to modern JRPGs, how may I take your order? Yes, hang out with X ten times to date is dumb, but at least CS had the courtesy to limiting it to one girl instead of opting with Persona's ridiculous (honestly juvenile) ability to date multiple women at the same time. You don't even "romance" these girls in the first game; that's how much of a slow burn it is, and it contributes how natural it (mostly) ends up feeling. Your problem, is that you take the sheer existence of the romance system as proof that these characters are poor and it's a weak argument. Like Rean isn't flawed because of the bond system. He's flawed because they couldn't fully decide on the direction they wanted to go with him in CS1, and it led to a lot of frustrating and repetitive writing. Similarly, I doubt Lloyd is flawed because made the sin of having bond events with women (gasp). Also Rean's personality is pretty consistent in the localized version so I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe play the better version of CS1/2 sometime?
Lmao, your metric for a character being good whether or not they're romanceable and having interactions with Jusis, like come the fuck on. Millium isn't any better than the other class VII girls because she's off the table for Rean, that's silly (she's actually on the weaker end, due to how gimmicky and less textured she is compared to the rest).
We've been over this. They screwed up on inter-character relationships; doesn't remotely mean what they have outright bad or horribly flawed in any way. The bond events still have the characters interacting with their classmates (just not class VII) and there are still enough interactions between the main cast to sell them as a group. Compared to other games with similar mechanics (*cough Persona), Cold Steel definitely comes out on top.
That comparison to Lockon Stratos already leaves me feeling incredibly uneasy. Gundam 00 was super bad.
Kondo's remarks from the Dengeki interview certainly sounds like they'll be starting with a clean slate when they hop over to Calvard.
Will Sen4 reveal the hints and mysteries that were yet to be revealed?
Kondo: From (Sora) to (Sen), the episode revolving around the Empire will be complete.
For the (Kiseki) series, there are still things that are not completely solved such as the mysteries of the world and the aim of the Society.
They will all be connected to the next (Kiseki)
Message to all the readers:
Kondo: As a producer, I appreciate that we are able to see the ending to this work despite having other games and entertainment.
On the other hand, if we fail here, we would have wasted the 5 years of (Sen). So we definitely want to finish this work leaving 'I'm glad I played this' in our hearts as a story and as a game.
Also this work isn't only the completion of (Sen) but also the completion of (Sora) (Zero) (Ao). To wrap up all the works, we are making this game while confirming with each work individually.
And as this is a story of Rean, New Class VII and Old Class VII, we hope to write it so that you will be satisfied. Please look after Sen4 (ペコリ)
Kondo: From (Sora) to (Sen), the episode revolving around the Empire will be complete.
For the (Kiseki) series, there are still things that are not completely solved such as the mysteries of the world and the aim of the Society.
They will all be connected to the next (Kiseki)
Message to all the readers:
Kondo: As a producer, I appreciate that we are able to see the ending to this work despite having other games and entertainment.
On the other hand, if we fail here, we would have wasted the 5 years of (Sen). So we definitely want to finish this work leaving 'I'm glad I played this' in our hearts as a story and as a game.
Also this work isn't only the completion of (Sen) but also the completion of (Sora) (Zero) (Ao). To wrap up all the works, we are making this game while confirming with each work individually.
And as this is a story of Rean, New Class VII and Old Class VII, we hope to write it so that you will be satisfied. Please look after Sen4 (ペコリ)
I really hope they will take that opportunity to go in a bit more mature route, they have the possibility with the Rocksmith agency and/or
that jaeger corps encountered in the Heimdallr Catacombs
No, it's just a term for the skin between skirt and stockings/boots.
Yeah, dumb and unsexy, as I said. The only thing it does is make cool lady characters like Laura be less than what they could be by suggesting they are easy sex dolls "look, you can just up her skirt and do the thing". Hurray.
This isn't a problem isolated with Falcom at all -- hell, it's not even a problem unique to Japan -- but I hope that maybe one day better writers will figure out that strong lady characters don't need this shit (or similar) to sell. I hope it won't be too much to ask.
This isn't a problem isolated with Falcom at all -- hell, it's not even a problem unique to Japan -- but I hope that maybe one day better writers will figure out that strong lady characters don't need this shit (or similar) to sell. I hope it won't be too much to ask.
Or at least there should be a similar option for male characters to turn them into sexualized dolls, like letting them walk around bare chested or something. It's the one-sidedness that makes it seem so creepy and fucked up.
You can still do that using the costume system. Just equip everyone with the swimsuits.
They just don't advertise it for obvious reasons given their demographics.
Then it's okay, honestly. Marketing is always evil and dumb, that's a general rule in all cultures.
It's a minor thing, and they're honestly still not perfect, but one thing I really appreciate about cold steel 1's swimsuits is that they actually look like something you'd wear to go swimming. Very practical, and if anything the dudes are more fanservicey in this single regard if nothing else.
Guren said Ao is at 67% now. Since they have already done most of bug testing, at this rate it will probably be out sometime around the middle of April.
Kiseki seems to follow the trends of popular anime at the time so when ZR is maybe the most pervasive trope for girls, especially in a school setting, your gonna get a lot of that in your school setting Kiseki game.
I think it would do them credit to move away from those sorts of tropes, but since the western market is a serious after thought I would no even hold out that sort of hope.
I think it would do them credit to move away from those sorts of tropes, but since the western market is a serious after thought I would no even hold out that sort of hope.
Zero may be done this summer, it's probably around 2/3 through editing now. If history is any indication they can probably hit 75% by the end of May, then power through the rest over the summer like last year and release around September.
Ao's base translation will be available soon but Zerker's team won't even start editing it until they finish Zero. Assuming it goes at a similar pace it could be 2020 before that's done.
Well, Zero will also get a second editing pass, before final release. So I'd expect closer to winter, honestly. And I'm not complaining, Trails games deserve all that extra care, so that each and every NPC in Crossbell can share their joys and woes with our heroes, who strangely have enough spare time to traverse the entire country on foot, dozens of times a day.
I was out, trying to find a picture book as a gift, and happened across "Kiseki Magazine" (i think?), and saw the scans. Like Sen III, the costume design looks looks good, the 3D models look pretty good when still, and will look awkward in motion.
I know we're still a long ways off from CS3, but what should I prioritize playing: TitS 3rd or Zero?
3rd directly leads into Zero in several aspects, so that. (Also 3rd is really good, even if I haven't played zero personally)
When in doubt, play the game that released first. Especially true for this instance since 3rd's entire existence came from Falcom pausing development of Zero because they needed another game between SC and Zero.
First Sen 4 trailer has dropped. Not fake or a joke. (Major Sen 3 spoilers, naturally.) Not embedding because even the thumbnail could be considered a spoiler.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akMLC8RrFdE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akMLC8RrFdE
Edit: Some on twitter claiming its fake? I've got no idea, its exceptionally well made if it is. Original post below...
Holy shit the spoilers!! Lots of playable character spoilers in this video, MAJOR SPOILER WARNING. Also for the love of god I need an HD version of this trailer ASAP because its hard to tell but heres what I think we can see...
Major Spoilers for Sen IV and thus Sen III as well!
Silottes at 1:14 for the Sky characters are Estelle, Joshua, Kloe, and Scherazard, does that mean they are playable or just showing up? Right after the Sky characters we clearly see some from Crossbell as well which I instantly recognized Lloyd, Rixia, and Elie but two others I'm not familiar with having not played the games. Other playable characters seem to be showing starting at around 1:16 include Aurelia, Vita with Musse as well as someone else I can't quite make out maybe Ash. Towa is seen running looking like shes player controlled, Randy and Tio with a link attack in another part with what seems like Agate and Tita, theres another set of 4 in the bottom left at the same time but from what I can tell you can see Lechter but I can't tell any others very well and I'm not sure if Lechter if playable or if you are fighting him.
Skip to 1:39 And HOLY SHIT THOMAS!!!! YES, FINALLY! Looks like Rosine as well! Theres a few other characters at that point but I can't make them out. Also Olivert LIVES (confirmation at least)! I can't make any others out perhaps someone else can assist theres at least 4 characters I didn't immediately recognize in the early part as well as whoever was with Thomas as well who you get a good look at in the menu. Also all of Class 7 minus Rean/Millium
Skip to 1:39 And HOLY SHIT THOMAS!!!! YES, FINALLY! Looks like Rosine as well! Theres a few other characters at that point but I can't make them out. Also Olivert LIVES (confirmation at least)! I can't make any others out perhaps someone else can assist theres at least 4 characters I didn't immediately recognize in the early part as well as whoever was with Thomas as well who you get a good look at in the menu. Also all of Class 7 minus Rean/Millium
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Seeing
about sent me through the roof. NEVER did I expect talk of that this early. I had just assumed that would be final arc stuff.
All the playable characters I and others in the Discord have been able to discern so far are:
"盟主の正体とはー"
All the playable characters I and others in the Discord have been able to discern so far are:
Fie
Laura
Machias
Jusis
Elliot
Gaius
Alisa
Musse
Aurelia
Vita
Ash
Lechter
Claire
Kurt
Juna
Randy
Tio
Agate
Tita
Patrick
Olivier
Thomas
Rosine
Wazy
Kevin
Laura
Machias
Jusis
Elliot
Gaius
Alisa
Musse
Aurelia
Vita
Ash
Lechter
Claire
Kurt
Juna
Randy
Tio
Agate
Tita
Patrick
Olivier
Thomas
Rosine
Wazy
Kevin
Trailer may be fake after all - we've been able to trace the "new" music and most of the art to existing sources. There still remains the question of where the actual gameplay segments are from, since as far as I know model swaps aren't possible in Sen 3 at this point, and there's some art that we haven't been able to find sources for yet as well.
If it is indeed fake, it's probably the most convincing fake I've ever seen. It emulates everything about Falcom's style of trailers perfectly.
If it is indeed fake, it's probably the most convincing fake I've ever seen. It emulates everything about Falcom's style of trailers perfectly.
Ah yes Voltorb Flip except replaced by Kondo's. Everytime you hit a Kondo you get a spoiler.
I'm starting the final chapter of Trails in the Sky FC this morning. I'm torn between wanting to blast through and finish it, and savoring it.