05-11-2006

Here you're supposed to find reviews and any useful information regarding the games that happen to get in my posession. They are far from being numerous. More than that the limited amount of time doesn't allow me to write guides or any detailed plot or gameplay analysis. However if you are interested in videogames you're welcome to put notes regargind the topic in my forum.

Sakura TaisenV サクラ大戦V～さらば愛しき人よ～ 

Official Website: サクラ大戦V～さらば愛しき人よ～ 

 

 

Review

I got the game this summer and would of finished it long ago but for the studies which leave no spare time for games. For now I decided to write a review. Consider it just another opinion because up to this moment you could come across a number of similar and more professionally written notes.

I'm a happy owner of a Japanese ps2 and 3 Sakura Taisen titles, I miss episode 0, monogatari to complete the collection. This is my first publication online. In fact I write a lot about games but it’s usually done for personal use. In total I have 9 books and I’m working on vol. 10 now. The idea first came in 1997 when I was quite small. As you might be interested in the game itself, let’s get closer to the topic.

What's specific about the new game in question? First its absolutely new, original work, if you want, it was released exclusively for PStwo on 7/7/2005 . The game has a separated site dedicated to the game unlike other Sega projects. It has awesome design I must say. The latest adventure game I’m speaking about is also pretty expensive, around ¥8200, but certainly worth the money spent on it. If you don’t rush, but read or translate word for word instead using dictionaries a single walkthrough can take around 40-50 hours. You could spend much more trying to get all the endings and bonuses. Truly, the game can easily make you sit in front of your TV for hours if you're like me on vacations. Speaking of the gameplay I admire the imagination of the developers and see why.

The idea is pretty the same which appeared first in the original ST almost 10 years ago but now we have very advanced graphics, a fresh plot and tons of additions that make the game pretty interesting. What to say about it? The story takes place in 1928, in an alternative reality. Steam technologies and all such things are becoming common not only in Tokyo but in all major cities around the globe. In regard of characters you'll meet both old and many new personalities. By simple calculation we get that Ougami turned 25. It’s kinda a lot (how nice to be young). What do we do? Give him a kick. Yes the protagonist is Taiga Shinjiro, Ougami's nephew. He's 19 and already promoted to shoui (lieutenant). Ougami sends him to... Yeah I think it’s really hard to get a good job all alone. So the kind uncle sends him to New York City ! Isn’t it great? There Shinjiro will have a chance to get acquainted with 5 girls and a megawoman Ratchet Altair who was seen in ST the movie earlier. Speaking of familiar characters Shinjiro meets Sakura and Ougami in prologue. Already in New York he'll be greeted by Kayama Yuichi and later by Ratchet. Btw, Kayama runs a shop in Midtown called Romando where you can find bromides of Teito and Paris theater troupes in large variety.

When you see the game for the first time it feels and looks really fresh and innovative. Its visuals are almost stunning. The music is surprisingly good. I started feeling like getting an ost of the game at once. Melodies clearly make you know you’re in the US . Tons of country/jazz/blues tunes are recorded for background music to play on numerous occasions.

In the middle of Episode one like in previous installments you have a chance to wander in a few districts of NYC, the starting number will gradually expand. This section is done in a form of freeroam and this is where you have to catch your jaw. Forget about the top-down perspective, toy-sized Teito theater or Paris . All the locations are in full 3d! They are really awesome, very detailed, with floating camera view and changing angles. With this feature the game feels like a real adventure. Need a comparison? Let’s take the latest Broken Sword [a pc game]. Looks very much like it. The only downside of it all is that locations are completely still, no passers-by or traffic on the streets. Unfortunately you can’t expect more from ps2 hardware I presume. The last point I wanted to mention is battles. This is where you'll find a lot of improvements. Let’s start with graphics. They are incredible. Now ppl have new models of mechs that look very detailed. Animation is very smooth. Sakura Taisen 3 was more advanced than atsukichishio ni in this regard but suffered from occasional slowdowns. Here we have a colorful and highly detailed picture and a very high speed. It leaves the impression the console has suddenly become more powerful. A big respect goes to the programmers. Special effects are done at a completely different level. They are numerous and make you feel like in the middle of a hot battle. Sound effects are superb, very convincing. The camera doesn't have fixed angles anymore. You can move it as you please using right analog stick. It centers the armor mech though for easier navigation. When attacking an enemy unit the camera automatically chooses the best perspective to show the fighters in full bloom. Looks very neat.  Considerable innovations were made in the game process. The interface was improved. Now you can actually control team attacks. From now on you choose your partner and the direction of attack that can catch several enemies in range, they are no longer random nor are they free. Team attacks or a healing feature consume a part of a special bar. Special attacks are in place with usual high quality animation sequences.

More new features to mention. You'll be surprised but the mechs are real transformers. From now on, battles have two phases - ground and air. I must admit the aerial battles look really fascinating. The mechs resemble interceptors but fly like choppers. I was highly impressed by the process. All these rocket attacks look really cool. A very good add-on to the game. ST5 is a new-gen adventure game.  Speaking of the language aspect for most games of the series you can find complete translations at gamefaqs.com. Sakura Taisen 5 is being translated but very slowly. I’m personally ahead by several chapters. If you’re familiar with Japanese I highly recommend trying to understand yourself. There are a number of jokes that cannot be translated well into English. To finish up I must say Sakura Taisen V is a must have in collection of Japanese hits. The games of such high quality are not frequent to appear in the market. While playing the game I expect a lot from the upcoming Final Fantasy XII which is supposed to be the next game I’ll concentrate on.