Resonance of Fate Review

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(More customer reviews)For summary judgment, skip to the very bottom.I'll never understand Sega's game release date logic.They often release some simply outstanding games (Skies of Arcadia, Valkyria Chronicles, Sonic Adventure, NiGHTS on Sega Saturn, Shining Force, and now this), but when they release them, it's amidst larger, more notable games, and as a result the Sega games get kicked to the curb.In particular they did that with Valkyria Chronicles - it was released, surrounded by two of the largest games at the time, Call of Duty: World at War and Gears of War 2.It never stood a chance.Nevermind the fact that Sega never even bothered to advertise Valkyria Chronicles in GameStop or Amazon or any other game store.I only knew about it because I specifically target RPGs.We've got people who are just now playing the game, realizing that they skipped over a classic.

Resonance of Fate is/will be such a game too.

Overshadowed by the hype that is Final Fantasy XIII and God of War 3, I fear that this one will go under the radar and not get played for two years like its brother.If you're reading this review, hopefully you're at least curious, or maybe you just weren't impressed by Final Fantasy XIII.I suppose it's possible you already beat that game and moved on.In either case, this review is going to be a bit difficult to follow, because I have to exert extra effort into how to express what I think about this game.Not bad, just...different.RoF takes place in the distant future, where humanity has so destroyed the world that the majority of the population is gone and dead.Before their end they created a large machine, called Basel, that is designed to purify and replenish the earth.It was not able to do this, as the remaining population decided just to live on some of the levels of Basel and ended up ruining it.It's livable, but not able to do what it's designed to do.The story unravels slowly as you are introduced to the various characters of the game.Unlike other RPGs, there is no "meeting" your party.You start with all three of the characters you'll be using, and though one or two may leave or be otherwise not available at times, generally you're working with the three.There's a reason for this - the battle engine, which I'll get to later, works best when you have a full staff.IT's not for nothing though: there's something to be said about a game that actually shows its male characters watching porn while the female character is taking a shower...then cracks jokes about the size of said female character's breasts (no, there is no nudity displayed!)The graphics in RoF remind me a lot of Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean: The Last Hope or Magna Carta 2 - where everything looks like the screen is at maximum contrast and sharpness and things just "pop" at you.This can be good or bad - it's an acquired taste and certainly not nearly as visually stunning as Final Fantasy XIII, but it's not a horrible looking game, either.In fact some of the towns and buildings you'll visit are quite detailed, down to things moving in the background and the changing from day to night (something very few RPGs do anymore, by the by) as you adventure.There are a given number of game engine cutscenes, and a select few CGI full motion ones.What is there, is fairly short and not designed to be the focal point of the game by any means.The cutscenes last barely a minute each, and are snippets of the overall story.The majority of it is told through the quests and the dialogue between the characters, so if you're not a fan of reading, you might want to skip this game.Don't expect to see the usual swords and spears of other games.RoF uses guns and other artillery to get the job done.These guns can be customized with different parts to make your characters as powerful as you want them to be.Your weapons also have levels of their own besides the characters' levels.As you level up, you gain various skills and enhancements that make your characters more potent in battle...and trust me, you'll need them.Some battles are extremely simple, but you get to bosses that use certain strategies that will push your skills to the limit.In regular battles there are times you seem invincible; some bosses can bring you to your knees with a few shots.It's that random.You can run and shoot in given directions, jump and shoot your enemy into the ground, or juggle your enemy into the air from below.There are a variety of other techniques that you can leverage to assist you, all of which require a lot of multitasking to do.It's not the type of game you can button mash your way through - maybe a few of the regular enemies, definitely not the bosses.For example, you might run, but be stopped by a boss who levels you with a major attack.Depending on how much damage you'd taken up to that point, you might be sent into critical mode, which makes you so weak that all you can do is shoot and run away; no fancy tricks.One more hit, you're dead, and have to try all over again.Without going into too much detail about the battle engine, know that it feels like a mish-mash of a number of games from the past: Max Payne, for the acrobatic gunslinging; Wild ARMs, just because; and a pinch of Dark Cloud, in that the enemies you defeat hold the key to "rebuilding" the world around you.As you slay each enemy, you'll gain energy hexes that are used to navigate the world.This naturally forces you to do battle in order to advance in the game, and discourages you from running from every enemy.You really shouldn't be about running anyway...because you'll come up against a boss that will mop the floor with you in short order if you don't keep your party sufficiently powered up. If you're feeling adventurous, RoF features a number of difficulty levels that you can unlock as you beat the game, each one incrementally more challenging than the ones before it, with the base level being difficult enough as to frustrate most reviewers.If you're a glutton for punishment, the game will give you what you came for.However, I want to warn you: The battle controls are a bit difficult to learn.There are so many controls that make use of basically every single button that they can be overwhelming.There is a full on training section; use it.DO NOT try to just jump into the game and start playing without going to the training, because you will get killed and you will get confused, I promise you!!!Resonance of Fate is a throwback to older games such as Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man and the NES versions of Metal Gear, where you'll encounter bosses that are so cheap that you feel compelled to defeat them no matter the cost.To the game's credit, it never feels like you're underpowered or underleveled, because you were forced to grind to unlock the energy hexes.But it's the tactics used by the bosses that will frustrate you - attacks that take nearly 10x the damage you're accustomed to taking up to that point, attacks that go the full range of the map, and attacking you from behind cover.But it gets better: the game rubs this dynamic in further when you die, because you're given essentially three options.Load your game, which means you're strolling back however far from wherever you last saved; Retry, which lets you try again to beat the boss without walking back to him at a cost of 200 Rupees, or Retry in Hero Mode, which lets you try again to beat the boss without walking back to him AND gives you enough power to do some major damage, at a cost of a staggering 20,000 Rupees.It's entirely possible these amounts go up as you progress each chapter; I didn't die enough times to verify.But you can't help but be absolutely livid at the notion that a boss used a cheesy tactic to take you out, costing you precious money to get a second shot at him.It actually encourages and energizes you to beat the snot out of him when you regenerate.What's worse though, is that if any one of the three characters dies, it's Game Over.There is no reviving in this game, which just adds to the challenge.IF I had to note the most impressive thing about the game, it's the music.Clearly, Star Ocean was inspirational when deciding what tracks to compose for this game, because it's just as well orchestrated and intricate as SO.Every theme you encounter has an epic feel without being too overpowering or loud; and the battle music changes depending on what you're doing at any given time.I can assure you that I'll be getting the soundtrack...that is, if one is ever released, which it probably won't be.
In summary: do I recommend it?Absolutely.This is a sleeper hit for sure.It's a shame that it is being overlooked in favor of other more notable games, and it's even more a shame that Sega has not pushed this one harder.It almost seems like Sega has just stopped emphasizing the US market since the failure of the Dreamcast which is unfortunate: if not for them, we wouldn't have the types of games we have now.Resonance of Fate is a must try.Even if you don't feel comfortable buying it just yet, rent it at least.

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Product Description:
Battle in fantastic cinematic action as your characters wield firearms in a semi-real time gameplay system. Pull spectacular moves and precision attacks through this special mode designed to chain enemy attacks together. This unique story is built around a gigantic clock tower like machine delving deep into fate and the machinery that controls it. Masterfully crafted environments illustrate the deep tapestry of this dystopian world. Customize your characters and give them a unique look within the game and cutscenes. Extensive weapon customization allows your character to have specialized weapons from parts unlocked or bought throughout the game. Customize and change the look of your character by unlocking costumes along the way.

Storyline
Civilization on earth has long been forgotten with the previously lush world now a burned out remnant of its former self. Originally built as an experimental life support system, Basel is now the only place on Earth where mankind can sustain their lives. As their role their PMF (Private Military Firm) the group (Vashyron, Zephyr and Leanne) must seek out and complete quests for their clients leading them on a journey that will reveal the truth of Basel.

About the Developer
Experienced RPG development team, Tri-Ace, behind this entirely new vision of fate within a steam punk world. The Tri-Ace development team has had a hand in developing some of gaming's most celebrated RPG franchises from Star Ocean to Valkyrie Profile. Sega and Tri-Ace now introduce Resonance of Fate, which adds a new spin to the genre with a new cinematic action gameplay system centred around gun play and a steam punk styled world.

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