Golden Sun DS.
A game that was announced at this year's (2009) E3, and one which I've been hoping to get an announcement at some point for the last 6 years.
Why? Because the first two were absolutely amazing. I mean, they're just truly rad games, and I'd urge anyone who enjoys a fun little RPG with a half-decent story, and some really nice gameplay features to give it a shot.
Here's a little (spoiler-free) summary of the first two games for you, in case you want to hear more about them, or possibly even give them a chance;
Well, it starts off with your usual JRPG nonsense, and to be honest it doesn't have an overwhelmingly spectacular story, but it's better than most... Anyway, the world is doomed, only you can save it, so you and a small group of unlikely heroes go forth to do the impossible and gather even more unlikely heroes to assist you in doing the impossible, blah, blah, blah.
What the games do have, however, is a very interesting class system, which works by equipping different combinations of Dji-
Wait, I haven't explained what Djinn are yet...
Well, Djinn are little creatures which basically embody the energy of a specific element. Here, take a look:
Right, so as I was saying, by equipping varying amounts of certain Djinn to a character their class changes completely, and with that change their stats and usable Psynergy change too
And as for Psynergy, well, that's basically the magic of the Golden Sun series. It's used in battles to damage opponents, heal allies and bolster/reduce stats, strengths and weaknesses and it's used outside of battle to solve puzzles, access new areas and reveal new information.
Psynergy can only be used, or even seen and recognised, by Adepts who are people sensitive to it and are able to use it themselves.
Djinn also have a secondary use though. Each one can be used individually in battle, having an effect such as an attack, or a stat boost. However, once used in this way (Or set to the next state outside of battle) they enter a state in which they are known as "set". In this state, the Adept that they are equipped to recieves no benefits whatsoever from them being there. But, they do get the option then to use summons. Summons are by far the most powerful attacks one can perform in the Golden Sun series, and can have multiple effects, almost always including the damage being done to the enemy being equivalent to dropping an original XBox on them. What are these summons like, you ask?
"FUCK YOU, I'M A DRAGON."
"Your argument is invalid, my fist is a lion."
... They're more impressive in motion, with the backgrounds and music and that... Yeah...
Speaking of which, these games have absolutely stunning graphics for the GameBoy Advance, and a pretty good soundtrack to boot.
So, here's a summary of what you'd expect if you were to play them:
- A generic, but still rather awesome story.
- Some pretty unique and deep gameplay, with plenty of options for customisation.
- A JRPG with a comparatively low amount of grinding, compared to its competitors.
- A large world to explore (Even larger in the second) with memorable characters throughout.
- ELEMENTAL LIGHTHOUSES AND SHIT, FUCK YEAH.
- Judgement.
So for anyone interested, or who played the original two on the GameBoy Advance, what can we expect from this latest outing by Camelot and Nintendo?
Well, the protagonists are descendants of the original games' ones, I've heard grandchildren thrown around a bit but don't have any concrete facts on exactly what the deal is with them... Either way we can expect the usual Golden Sun fare, most likely consisting of a team of Adepts, one from each elemental group.
Also, the game looks pretty impressive with a graphical style not at all unlike Final Fantasy III's, which is one I actually liked. A lot. Here, have a gander:
WOAH, NICE GRAPHICS, I'D LIKE TO GET MY HANDS ON THAT GAME!
Ok, so the screenshots are a little lackluster and not all that impressive, but keep in mind the game's only been announced a few days and even then, all we've seen is a 30 second video...
Oh, and something you should keep in mind... If you do decide to give the originals a try, heads up. The beginning segment of the first is painstakingly long and it holds your hand like you're a 5 year old going to school.
A game that was announced at this year's (2009) E3, and one which I've been hoping to get an announcement at some point for the last 6 years.
Why? Because the first two were absolutely amazing. I mean, they're just truly rad games, and I'd urge anyone who enjoys a fun little RPG with a half-decent story, and some really nice gameplay features to give it a shot.
Here's a little (spoiler-free) summary of the first two games for you, in case you want to hear more about them, or possibly even give them a chance;
Well, it starts off with your usual JRPG nonsense, and to be honest it doesn't have an overwhelmingly spectacular story, but it's better than most... Anyway, the world is doomed, only you can save it, so you and a small group of unlikely heroes go forth to do the impossible and gather even more unlikely heroes to assist you in doing the impossible, blah, blah, blah.
What the games do have, however, is a very interesting class system, which works by equipping different combinations of Dji-
Wait, I haven't explained what Djinn are yet...
Well, Djinn are little creatures which basically embody the energy of a specific element. Here, take a look:
Venus (Earth)
"'Sup."
Mars (Fire)
"Yo."
Mercury (Water)
"Derp."
Jupiter (Wind)
"Meh."
"'Sup."
Mars (Fire)
"Yo."
Mercury (Water)
"Derp."
Jupiter (Wind)
"Meh."
Right, so as I was saying, by equipping varying amounts of certain Djinn to a character their class changes completely, and with that change their stats and usable Psynergy change too
And as for Psynergy, well, that's basically the magic of the Golden Sun series. It's used in battles to damage opponents, heal allies and bolster/reduce stats, strengths and weaknesses and it's used outside of battle to solve puzzles, access new areas and reveal new information.
Psynergy can only be used, or even seen and recognised, by Adepts who are people sensitive to it and are able to use it themselves.
Djinn also have a secondary use though. Each one can be used individually in battle, having an effect such as an attack, or a stat boost. However, once used in this way (Or set to the next state outside of battle) they enter a state in which they are known as "set". In this state, the Adept that they are equipped to recieves no benefits whatsoever from them being there. But, they do get the option then to use summons. Summons are by far the most powerful attacks one can perform in the Golden Sun series, and can have multiple effects, almost always including the damage being done to the enemy being equivalent to dropping an original XBox on them. What are these summons like, you ask?
"FUCK YOU, I'M A DRAGON."
"Your argument is invalid, my fist is a lion."
... They're more impressive in motion, with the backgrounds and music and that... Yeah...
Speaking of which, these games have absolutely stunning graphics for the GameBoy Advance, and a pretty good soundtrack to boot.
So, here's a summary of what you'd expect if you were to play them:
- A generic, but still rather awesome story.
- Some pretty unique and deep gameplay, with plenty of options for customisation.
- A JRPG with a comparatively low amount of grinding, compared to its competitors.
- A large world to explore (Even larger in the second) with memorable characters throughout.
- ELEMENTAL LIGHTHOUSES AND SHIT, FUCK YEAH.
- Judgement.
So for anyone interested, or who played the original two on the GameBoy Advance, what can we expect from this latest outing by Camelot and Nintendo?
Well, the protagonists are descendants of the original games' ones, I've heard grandchildren thrown around a bit but don't have any concrete facts on exactly what the deal is with them... Either way we can expect the usual Golden Sun fare, most likely consisting of a team of Adepts, one from each elemental group.
Also, the game looks pretty impressive with a graphical style not at all unlike Final Fantasy III's, which is one I actually liked. A lot. Here, have a gander:
WOAH, NICE GRAPHICS, I'D LIKE TO GET MY HANDS ON THAT GAME!
Ok, so the screenshots are a little lackluster and not all that impressive, but keep in mind the game's only been announced a few days and even then, all we've seen is a 30 second video...
Oh, and something you should keep in mind... If you do decide to give the originals a try, heads up. The beginning segment of the first is painstakingly long and it holds your hand like you're a 5 year old going to school.