Baten Kaitos is fun game. The battle system that Monolithsoft came up with is quite a bit different than any I've seen before. Basically, you use cards to perform various tasks. It sounds like Yu-Gi-Oh all over again BUT it isn't. Depending on your class level you can use a certain amount of cards to use during on turn. You're given 3 random cards from your deck and when you select one from the 3 another is added. You can string together combos for greater damage. Also, you can use defense cards during the enemy's turn to reduce damage.
Another high point of Baten Kaitos is the graphics. It uses water-color style, 2D backgrounds and 3D characters, somewhat reminiscent of Chrono Cross. The backgrounds are highly detailed and are mostly of high resolution. Basically, it looks really good. The music is decent as well, nothing out-standing like Grandia of Final Fantasy, but it's certainly not bad and it isn't annoying.
But, Baten Kaitos is also a flawed game, a fact which is forced into your face during the opening movie and the first 20 minutes. BK has terrible voice acting and there's plenty of it, fortunately you can turn off the voice and doing so instantly makes the game 10X better. It sounds like the actors recorded the lines in a metal box. Seriously. The opening movie has a bunch of unrelated CG clips strung together, which wouldn't be that bad accept the voice acting is terrible and the dialogue greates on the ears. But the dialogue for the rest of the game is at least tolerable. As well, the story isn't exactly new and original, something about an ancient evil or some such and there's tons of bad guys that beat you up and kidnap members of your group. But it's not so cliche that it ruins the game, like Arc the Lad on the PS2. *shudders*
In short, Baten Kaitos is a good RPG that has a few flaws, but at least you can fix the voices. It's definitely worth playing.
I heard that the story really sucks, which is the main reason to play an RPG. And I still don't get this whole card thing...
The card things works really well in the game. You have a deck of cards and you can get more by fighting monsters or by buying them. If you have an item card you can use it once outside of battle or as many times as you want in battle, so you always want to heal during battle, though that can sometimes be tricky. The types of cards you have are: physical attack, magic attack, defense, and item. You can use physical, magic and item during your turn, and defense and item during the enemies turn or you can use a physical card in combination with a defense card to block damage...you know it's alot easier when you play the game.
Quote:I heard that the story really sucks
Well, it's cliche no question about that, but so far it hasn't been so cliched that its hurt the game in any significant way. So, unless you absolutely can't stand playing RPGs that don't have completely original stories you shouldn't have a problem with it.
Well since the gameplay is never usually that great in traditional console rpgs there needs to be an engaging story.
It's engaging enough to keep you playing and the other aspects are more than enough to hold up any slack [except the voice acting which is awful, but you can turn that off].
So, Tales of Symphonia or Baten Kaitos?
Hard to say, they both have their pros and cons. But, you'd probably like TOS since it has real-time battles, unlike BK which is all turn-based. Still, whatever you decide you'll end up with a pretty good RPG.
Yeah, I want to get one or the other but I'm not sure which... :) Baten Kaitos attracts me because floating islands are cool, but both of them do look pretty good (and neither has random battles... :)).
Paper Mario 2 is better than both.
Yeah, it probably is quality-wise...
Yeah, I'd probably put PM2 above them both.
A Black Falcon Wrote:Yeah, it probably is quality-wise...
Everything-wise.
Everything except for Paper Mario not being set on floating islands. :D
Even that! There's a floating island section in the game!
Well I should get it then! :)
You should have gotten it a long time ago!
It didn't come out very long ago.
I generally don't get expensive (such as, say, $50 games) games soon before christmas... and given that at school I either have no TV or a small, really bad TV that is awful for gaming so I only really play PC, GBA, and multiplayer console games elsewhere, it didn't seem like a great investment...
Okay, so christmas was last week. But I did get one GC game this week (Rogue Squadron 3), and I'll probably get another one tomorrow... but I've played more of Pirates!. It's a great game. :)
Half-Life 2 is an awesome game.
MGS3 and MP2 are REALLY good. HL2 is just good.
I'd have to disagree with you there. In my view, MP2 and HL2 are both REALLY good, I still haven't played MGS3 yet, but don't worry I will soon enough.
Pfft, HL2 has nothing on MP2. Or MGS3. Especially MGS3.
I was going to get Paper Mario, and then Baten Kaitos, and then I wasn't sure, and then Baten Kaitos, so I went to the store today and of course ended up with Tales of Symphonia...
You're so stuponfuscious, ABF.
What a fool. What a stupid, stupid fool.
I'll get Paper Mario 2 sometime... for most games I don't have some stupid urge to get them as soon as possible. Getting them eventually is plenty good.
ABF, you're thinking like a crazy person!!
The only developer which gets ''buy at launch (that is within a week or two of release) if humanly possible' status in my book is Blizzard. No one else.
... well, okay, I'm thinking that way about Guild Wars, but that's made by ex-Blizzard people so it kind of counts without having to add anything to that statement. :)
Seriously, there's no word in any vocabulary that I know of which can describe your level of weird-ass-craziness. I mean, Baten Kaitos instead of Paper Mario 2??!
:screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy: :screwy:
Tales of Symphonia, OB1, not Baten Kaitos. I said I went to the store thinking I'd probably get Baten Kaitos but when I was there I wasn't sure and eventually ended up with this one. Which is fun, which is all that really matters...
Whatever, it's still nowhere near as good a game as PM2 is. You are loco, man. LOCO.
Why does it really matter if the game you got is good... oh yeah, it doesn't...
It doesn't matter if the game you got is good or not?
*
man that ABF kid is weird...*
OB1, what I said makes sense as a reply to your post before it... that is, what does it matter if there's another game that may be a bit better if the game that I got is also pretty good and is fun...
You really need to learn how to express your thoughts correctly in written form.
And you need to learn how to understand what people write.
*sigh*
Denial doesn't change the truth.
Keep on dreaming, bubba. Keep on dreaming that retarded dream of yours.