I'll just endure the current Zero translation, going in with an open mind as I already gave up on Geofront's fan translation.
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I just finished Zero with the current translation, it's not great but perfectly followable and the emotional scenes all landed still. I found that having the voice acting helped a lot too even though I barely know any japanese, it still helped to sell the tone.
And on the bright side, now that you are used to overly literal translations that lack any decent editing, you are perfectly prepared for NISA's CS3, no matter its quality
(*flap, flap *)
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One thing I will say is, I appreciate how enthusiastic Kondo seems to be about continuing to bring Kiseki titles over to the west. Maybe the Crossbell issue is being acknowledged just because of how relevant those games are to the events of CS3/4 but I'm glad steps are being taken to bring it over, despite the fact that unfortunately, many people will probably go on to play CS3 and 4 without playing Crossbell. Zero, and especially Ao are fantastic games and they really deserve to be played by more people so regardless of when we get it, I'll be glad.
Overall, it just gives the impression that the series has a future in the west beyond CS4 which is great for fans.
Overall, it just gives the impression that the series has a future in the west beyond CS4 which is great for fans.
the final scene is the first time we see the celestial globe in 3D
Continuing through CSII - which is great aside from Fie's godawful fashion choices - and I've decided the whole duology is a remake of FFVIII.
Military academy students being sent on field missions.
Gunswords.
Dark spiky-haired protagonist who needs to discover his own sense of self-worth.
Military academy students being sent on field missions.
Gunswords.
Dark spiky-haired protagonist who needs to discover his own sense of self-worth.
A military coup headed by a suddenly-revealed witch/sorceress.
One of your own party members then also turning out to be a witch/sorceress.
Characters knowing each other as children and then managing to forget about it completely.
A light-haired rival who runs away from the academy to join the antagonists.
Gunswords.
One of your own party members then also turning out to be a witch/sorceress.
Characters knowing each other as children and then managing to forget about it completely.
A light-haired rival who runs away from the academy to join the antagonists.
Gunswords.
I bought Trails in the Sky a few days ago. It sure has a slow start, but I don't mind at all if I'm being honest.
The world and its characters are extremely charming and I like the dynamic between Joshua and Estelle so far. Shera is a fun addition as well. Combat isn't anything special yet but it's fun (especially with turbo mode). There is only one single question left: why did I wait so long to dive into this franchise?
The world and its characters are extremely charming and I like the dynamic between Joshua and Estelle so far. Shera is a fun addition as well. Combat isn't anything special yet but it's fun (especially with turbo mode). There is only one single question left: why did I wait so long to dive into this franchise?
Is there any way to make Cold Steel's turbo mode only speed things up? I hate how it skips combat animations and the victory screen. Former in particular is super disorienting and I find it hard to follow the action if I turbo through, say, a couple of subsequent enemy turns.
If not, I'll just use cheat engine's speedhack function.
If not, I'll just use cheat engine's speedhack function.
It's a slow burn, drip feeding you info and stuff as you go through. I prefer the more modern Falcom games, but Sky has its charm for sure.
It's never too late friend. As Vinny from GB put it, "There's never been a better time to be playing Kiseki games"
I'd generalize this and say "There's never a bad time to be playing Falcom games".
I heard that Zwei 2 is in the running for goty again for 3 years in a row now, wow.
No other Falcom series deserves a sequel more than Zwei, in my book. It's soo good, it's a shame how many people are sleeping on t.
The REAL Endurance Run starts here!
But they have like 5 or 6 now.
Silly question that's probably been answered a bunch of times:
I'm playing through the TiTS trilogy at the moment, with the intention of maybe wanting to play more after I'm done with the 3rd.
If the Zero Geofront fan translation isn't finished by the time I'm done with 3rd, should I just move onto Cold Steel 1? Or should I wait for it and play my copies of Xanadu Next and Zwei II instead?
Generally wondering if CS1&2 have enough spoilers for the Crossbell games. I've read that the newspaper clippings spoil some things in the first game, so I'm somewhat worried about that.
I'm playing through the TiTS trilogy at the moment, with the intention of maybe wanting to play more after I'm done with the 3rd.
If the Zero Geofront fan translation isn't finished by the time I'm done with 3rd, should I just move onto Cold Steel 1? Or should I wait for it and play my copies of Xanadu Next and Zwei II instead?
Generally wondering if CS1&2 have enough spoilers for the Crossbell games. I've read that the newspaper clippings spoil some things in the first game, so I'm somewhat worried about that.
From what I understand (haven't played Zero/Ao yet as I'm holding out hope for the Geofront TL to be out eventually), while CS 1/2 do spoil some things from the Crossbell games (although having played them, I feel like there's really only two or three things that I really know for sure as spoilers, and that's absent any context), Ao also 'spoils' the end of CS2. I think playing CS1/2 first would be fine. You'll know one or two plot points from the Crossbell games, but it's not like you're going to really understand what it all means.
CS1/2 and the Crossbell games basically spoil each other. That's not something you can avoid, and as someone who played Crossbell before CS1/2 I definitely am of the mind that Crossbell spoils CS1/2 more than the other way around.
With that being said, what Ao spoiled didn't necessarily hinder my enjoyment of CS1/2 but it's honestly hard to talk about the nature of it without spoiling Ao, so I'll use FC as a example I guess. Obviously don't click on the spoiler below if you haven't finished FC, but it'll be here when you do.
At the end of the day, I'd do what's most convenient for you. Personally, I started this series with the mindset of being caught up before CS3 dropped, and I figured Geofront wouldn't be done with the Zero translation before CS3's release. More than likely it will be finished by early next year. As long as you play Crossbell and CS1/2 before CS3 you should be fine.
With that being said, what Ao spoiled didn't necessarily hinder my enjoyment of CS1/2 but it's honestly hard to talk about the nature of it without spoiling Ao, so I'll use FC as a example I guess. Obviously don't click on the spoiler below if you haven't finished FC, but it'll be here when you do.
Imagine you knew about Joshua leaving estelle at the end of FC, from another game in the series, without having any further context as to why, he did. That's basically the nature of how Ao specifically spoils CS2.
At the end of the day, I'd do what's most convenient for you. Personally, I started this series with the mindset of being caught up before CS3 dropped, and I figured Geofront wouldn't be done with the Zero translation before CS3's release. More than likely it will be finished by early next year. As long as you play Crossbell and CS1/2 before CS3 you should be fine.
Yeah I agree Crossbell actually spoils cold steel more than cold steel spoils crossbell, and I'd argue playing cold steel I and II first is the superior experience by quite a bit. Crossbell basically spoils the most climatic moments in Cold Steel to a heavy degree, and I just don't think the same is true of the reverse at all because what we see of crossbell in Cold Steel has a lot less context
I will say
While Ao, did spoil the Osborne twist with him being alive, I still really liked that twist. The "twist" for me in all that was finding out the truth about how Osborne is Rean's father.
I also personally think that Ao spoiling that particular twist is made up for with the divertissement chapter. I was kinda losing my damn mind when that chapter started and I found out that not only Rixia and Loyd appear in the game, they were playable too. I feel like that chapter means less to someone who didn't play Crossbell as a result, even though by the end, it still very much ties back to Rean.
I also personally think that Ao spoiling that particular twist is made up for with the divertissement chapter. I was kinda losing my damn mind when that chapter started and I found out that not only Rixia and Loyd appear in the game, they were playable too. I feel like that chapter means less to someone who didn't play Crossbell as a result, even though by the end, it still very much ties back to Rean.
Honestly I think the part where he was supposedly killed being mentioned in a quick off screen summary is worse since seeing Osborne assassinated at the end of Cold Steel was one of the biggest oh shit moments in the series, even if I never actually believed he was going to be dead for real
I say play Cold Steel 1 and then tackle Zero/Ao. Cold Steel 2 spoiled Ao a lot more than the other way around, in my opinion.
In fact, I don't know if I'd say Ao spoils CS2. If it's in the previous game, it's information Falcom intended the players to have. And it works to great effect when you play CS2 too, considering
In fact, I don't know if I'd say Ao spoils CS2. If it's in the previous game, it's information Falcom intended the players to have. And it works to great effect when you play CS2 too, considering
it's overshadowed by three other twists when the moment happens.
I figure some of us here played at least the first 2 Sky games first, then Cold Steel 1, then Sky the 3rd, and then back to Cold Steel 2 because that was the order XSEED released them in the west. I don't think we were worse off for it.
Would it have been nice to have played them all in the correct, release order? Sure... but at least in my case knowing some things that take place in the game world's immediate future doesn't mean I can't enjoy my time with the games that take place before. Just don't be surprised to find terms, name drops and situations not completely spelled out for you.
Would it have been nice to have played them all in the correct, release order? Sure... but at least in my case knowing some things that take place in the game world's immediate future doesn't mean I can't enjoy my time with the games that take place before. Just don't be surprised to find terms, name drops and situations not completely spelled out for you.
After finishing Ao, this was my opinion on the matter:
Basically, you can map out in your head most series of events that happen in Ao by playing Cold Steel I and II even if most of the context and the why is lost, while Ao just gives you some text crawls saying X thing happened in the empire, and nothing of how it got there is even mentioned.
Zero however is barely mentioned in one newspaper in Cold Steel 1 and pretty much nothing is spoiled from it (you know what kind of menace you will face in the final chapter and a fairly early character reveal is spoiled in the CS games, but that's it)
This would probably be my take, too. I never finished CS2 so I can't really chime in on the spoiler talk, but I don't see any reason why one wouldn't go with release order, especially when the Crossbell games are by far the best games in the series.
Thanks for the quick reply!
I appreciate it.
I think this it what I'll do. By the time I wrap up CS1, the Geofront translation will most likely either be released or on the horizon.
Without giving spoilers, how connected is the story from the TitS trilogy compared to Cold Steel (and Zero/Ao)?
Obviously the Cold Steel games and Zero/Ao are very much connected, but I think if there isn't a big connection story-wise between story arcs, I will just finish the TitS trilogy and hold off in starting CS before, and if, we ever receive confirmation of localization of the Crossbell games.
I want to play the CS games, I really do. But I don't want to do so without experiencing the full story with Zero and Ao, because I know how much they are connected. And I don't want to play these games unless they are professionally localized.
So if the TitS trilogy wraps up it's own story arc neatly, and the worst case scenario happens for me, then I will be content in playing those three.
Obviously the Cold Steel games and Zero/Ao are very much connected, but I think if there isn't a big connection story-wise between story arcs, I will just finish the TitS trilogy and hold off in starting CS before, and if, we ever receive confirmation of localization of the Crossbell games.
I want to play the CS games, I really do. But I don't want to do so without experiencing the full story with Zero and Ao, because I know how much they are connected. And I don't want to play these games unless they are professionally localized.
So if the TitS trilogy wraps up it's own story arc neatly, and the worst case scenario happens for me, then I will be content in playing those three.
Well, the first two games contain a complete story arc, while the Third serves to expand the universe, explain some side stories from the characters in the first two games and sets lots of things that will be important in later games. There are some things unexplained in Second Chapter that the Third completes, but I think that the game serves more as an introduction to the following games than as a closure to the Sky saga.
You can play Cold Steel 1 and 2 without problems, there are some references to the Sky games that you'll understand better after playing them, and Cold Steel II has lots of references to Crossbell (maybe more than I realize as I never played the Crossbell games), but as others said playing one arc kinds of spoil the other, so playing Sky, then Cold Steel I and II and later Crossbell is a good way to experience the games, or so most people say.
And this is what I want to do. I would play CS 1 & 2, then play Crossbell (or maybe play CS 1, then Crossbell from what some others are recommending).
But I don't want to just play CS1 & CS2 and cut it off if we never receive localizations for Zero and Ao. I'd rather stop earlier, where a breaking point is more appropriate, than right in the middle of the story arc of the last 4 (or 6) games.
I know you are saying the connection isn't as strong with the CS games (after 1 & 2) like it is for FC and SC, but I know I would still be wanting.
Usually release order is better but since there's no official loc, then it's pretty much a case of whichever you prefer. They both spoil each other in spots anyway.
Give the prologue/first dungeon of Zero a try and if you can't handle the omega scuffed TL, just play CS instead
I don't know how much you will enjoy the games this way, I can only say that Cs1 ends with a big cliffhanger that will make you want to play Cs2 instead of 2 other lengthy games, but as I never played Crossbeel I'm not that sure.
Yeah this I can understand, but unless you want to rush the games (no talking to NPCs, no trying to find all the hidden quests, etc...) I wouldn't recommend playing all of them in a row without resting and playing other games.
I played Sky 1+2, then waited a few months and played the Third, and the same for CS. I'm personally waiting for the edited Zero script (it seems it's going to take a while), because the current TL seems to be not aimed at completionist players like myself. The same way, I'm not willing to start CS III until IV has a set release date, so I think that when CS IV has a release timeframe Zero will have the fan edit, and AFAIK Ao is quite enjoyable as it is now. About a Pro localization, we have heard from Kondo that the Crossbell games will be re-released in modern systems (or at least they plan to), so if we ever get this localization will be when the games are re-released, which can take a few years.
I'm still undecided on what order I would play them in. I only said I may be play CS1 and then go with Zero/Ao because of the recent discussion just above. But everything else I was hearing before that was go with CS1 & CS2 first, then play Zero/Ao.
I'm actually still going through FC. It's a game I've started over twice in the past as it has certainly had it's slow moments. But where I am at now is the furthest I've gotten through. I believe I am in Chapter 3 right now.
I definitely didn't plan to play all of them in one shot. When I do get back to FC (after what I'm playing now) I will probably play through SC, as well, and then take another break. So the point I will get to the Cold Steel games, and especially Crossbell, I'm really hoping by that point something will be confirmed.
I did see the comments by Kondo, but there are many here (whom are WAY more familiar with the Kiseki universe and history than myself) that don't hold much water in Kondo's promise in bringing Zero/Ao over to the west. But I still remain hopeful.
For CS1/2 and Crossbell it's largely references to the events of Sky, but from what I've heard from everyone who has played CS3/4 you absolutely need to know everything that has happened in Sky and Crossbell. Think of CS3/4 as the Infinity War of the series.
You could play Sky, and then from there play CS1/2 and then wait for Crossbell, just be aware that you are likely going to be waiting a good while. While Falcom has expressed that they want to bring Crossbell to the west, and Kondo himself has said in the Easy Allies interview that the studio is currently in the very early stages on planning to bring Crossbell to modern consoles you are likely still going to be waiting a long time. Keep in mind that the hope is, Falcom re-releases Crossbell in Japan and hopefully either NISA or someone else picks them up to localize. With CS4 likely coming next year in the west, I wouldn't expect Crossbell until after CS4.
I imagine whatever Falcom is planning for Crossbell will likely happen in Japan before they release the first game in the Calvard arc, which is at least 3 years away.
If you do decide to just play Sky, and not play CS1/2, I'd recommend you stop at SC, unless you don't mind playing 3rd which heavily focuses on adding new lore, and forshadowing future arcs. I know you said you want to play an official localization, but the Geofront translation which is probably releasing early next year looks pretty good from all the screenshots they've shown, and the translation for Ao, while not perfect, is ok.
While a summary isn't really a good alternative to actually playing the games, there is the possibility that a summary of Crossbell is on the CS3 disk. I'm not sure how likely this is just because there wasn't a crossbell summary on the JP version of CS3, but that's something that might be added with the localization.
That is what I had been hearing for awhile now, as well. Which is why I do not want to play the Cold Steel arc unless I know Crossbell is going to be localized. Yes, it doesn't become imperative to play Crossbell until after CS 1/2, but I don't want to start this arc and end it prematurely if Zero and Ao never are localized.
I have no issues on waiting. As I indicated, when I pick up with TitS, I plan to play through SC and then take a break to another game, anyways. And when I get through The 3rd, if there is no announcement of Zero and Ao making it over, I have no problems continuing to wait, my backlog is huge.
That's ok, I don't have a problem with building lore or foreshadowing for the future arcs, as long as it isn't a huge cliffhanger that leads into CS1 that just makes me want to play. I would like to play The 3rd, as I hear it is relatively self-contained, and does help tie up a lot of things from FC and SC, even though it isn't a direct continuation of the story of the games. Because of that, I would like to play it.
As for the Geofront translation, I just really don't want to deal with the fan translation. I commend them for what they've done, but I've never been good at applying things like this. And I hear you can't even get both games on PC through NA. It just seems a like lot more hassle than it's worth for me.
A summary isn't really an option I would like. If I am going to continue the story, I would rather experience the whole thing. All the little nuances you would in playing the games instead of a summary. I know you would lose a lot. Yes, I want my cake and eat it. But as I said, I am patient in waiting to play, as I have a ton of other games to get through. I just hope that Kondo comes through what he has said recently.
So to anyone who's imported and played the Crossbell games, is the story telling similar to Sky? What I mean is, is it told largely through dialogue boxes? If so I could reasonably play through the games but if there is some dialogue that happens in real-time my comprehension tends to fall behind. I'm planning on the Sky games taking me a long time, but I just wanted to know as a heads up.
It's dialog boxes, but at least in the PC version i'm playing (with the voices) they auto advance when the spoken dialog finishes. There might an option to turn that off, it doesn't bother me, so I haven't checked.
I started Cold Steel and dang, I forgot how boring this quartz system is compared to the Sky/Crossbell games. One of my favorite things about the earlier system was setting quartz with the sole purpose of boosting a character's natural strengths/stats that I thought support their "type" properly and seeing just what sort of arts I'd get for them. I never set quartz with the aim of getting any particular arts. Do the lines even serve a purpose in CS, other than that unlocking later slots in a line give you bigger max EP boosts?
And I'm doubtful, but do they mix things up at all in CS3 or 4?
And I'm doubtful, but do they mix things up at all in CS3 or 4?
There are limits on how many quartz of some types you can allocate per line - only one status ailment and one stat down.
I haven't found any other purposes for them.
I will never understand how people can think the quartz system is worse in CS than in the rest of the series. It delivers far more tactical diversity and depth, which is 100% a positive thing in a turn based combat system.
It allows for heavier specialization of physical builds with the new stacking rules combined with the master quartz system, and prevents spellacsters from having a massive barrage of all types of spells without needing to consider what type of spells one wants to focus on (buffs/debuffs/attack and element type), forcing them to have trade offs.
It's just straight up better.
Well, it's obvious that I don't agree, but that's good to know, mr. Rean avatar.
I'm not here to debate the differences, I'm just curious if they've stuck to the same exact quartz system for CS3 and 4, too.
You don't agree that it allows for more trade offs and specialization of builds? Or that that is not a positive?
For 3 yes, just with a second master quartz. For 4 I suppose so, but I've stayed away from any info regarding that game
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3 Introduces the sub-master quartz. Basically you can equip a 2nd master quartz but the stat bonuses it provides are only like 1/10th of what it would provide as the main quartz and out of the 3 properties that a Master Quartz provides, the sub only provides its 1st property.
4 is basically the same except there's no limit to how many people can equip the same Master Quartz as a sub. In 3 each specific master quartz could only be equipped to one person at a time as a sub, but in 4 you could go ahead and give literally everyone in the party the same sub Master Quartz at the same time
4 is basically the same except there's no limit to how many people can equip the same Master Quartz as a sub. In 3 each specific master quartz could only be equipped to one person at a time as a sub, but in 4 you could go ahead and give literally everyone in the party the same sub Master Quartz at the same time
I have finished CS2, and thus I am all caught up on Trails until CS3 floats along to our shores.
I know some people consider CS2 the most disappointing game in the series, and while I don't disagree, that label is less because it's inherently a bad game and more that it struggles to balance its overall design with its story structure. The Trails games have always been very back heavy in terms of meaningful plot and resolution, but CS2 almost falls into the opposite problem. The game lulls you into a false sense of camaraderie and youthful positivity, before dropping the ground beneath Class VII with the death of Crow and the sheer meaninglessness of the war. Nothing was accomplished other than to allow Osborne to wield even greater power, and all of their actions were fundamentally in vain, even down to Rean becoming another dog of the military.
Now, these are all incredibly interesting themes, but unfortunately the game seems unwilling to let its dour final note sustain out. The final stretch at Thors feels confused and overly maudlin, never tackling the more challenging ideas the story has presented so far. This is before the Reverie Corridor, which is one of the most baffling story and design decisions in the entire series. It absolutely brutalises the pacing and sucks almost all of the emotional buildup out of the story, down to the point the entire dungeon and final boss is admitted to be pointless by both the game and the Class. It feels like an optional dungeon crammed into the game as mandatory, with no meaningful loot or story beats.
I have some broader problems with the design too, but I can't speak quite as authoritatively on that. My general impression is that damage output is far too focused on s-crafts in the back half of the game. In Sky and Crossbell, it often felt like s-crafts were key elements in battle, which both you and the enemy saved up for and could unleash antappropriately devastating moments, changing the overall strategy of the fight afterwards and giving a more decisive rhythm. In Cold Steel 2, the bosses felt like you needed to hit numerous s-crafts per fight, and they were just as willing to throw out huge, devastating attacks in return if you didn't stun lock them with AT manipulation. The fights weren't particularly difficult, they were just entirely lacking in nuance.
Now, these are all incredibly interesting themes, but unfortunately the game seems unwilling to let its dour final note sustain out. The final stretch at Thors feels confused and overly maudlin, never tackling the more challenging ideas the story has presented so far. This is before the Reverie Corridor, which is one of the most baffling story and design decisions in the entire series. It absolutely brutalises the pacing and sucks almost all of the emotional buildup out of the story, down to the point the entire dungeon and final boss is admitted to be pointless by both the game and the Class. It feels like an optional dungeon crammed into the game as mandatory, with no meaningful loot or story beats.
I have some broader problems with the design too, but I can't speak quite as authoritatively on that. My general impression is that damage output is far too focused on s-crafts in the back half of the game. In Sky and Crossbell, it often felt like s-crafts were key elements in battle, which both you and the enemy saved up for and could unleash antappropriately devastating moments, changing the overall strategy of the fight afterwards and giving a more decisive rhythm. In Cold Steel 2, the bosses felt like you needed to hit numerous s-crafts per fight, and they were just as willing to throw out huge, devastating attacks in return if you didn't stun lock them with AT manipulation. The fights weren't particularly difficult, they were just entirely lacking in nuance.
The Reverie Corridor makes more sense when you consider Trails went on a 3 year break after CS2. I still wish traversal was optional, at least.
The same as Sky or Cold Steel. Very, very little auto-advancing dialogue.
If you are playing it on PC, there's a turbo mode you might want to look into. Also, I found it pretty easy to avoid most (if not all) fights in most levels, just learn to anticipate enemy movements.