Also Known As: YG, Yogurt, ヨーグル
So. Yogurting. Was finally lucky enough to have found a Japanese proxy that brought me all the way to the secured pages of Gung(BASTARD)Ho about four days ago. Ahem.
Which is also coincidentally the reason why I haven't been around, both here and in real life, of late.
Well. I'd say first of all that it's nothing new and fresh in the world of MMOs. Your typical MMORPG with some backstory that nobody really cares much about, bringing your character about smacking monsters with your mouse and lots of shortcut keys, finding newer and better equipments all the time, and doing the Unlimited Quest-with-silly-contents Works for just about every NPC that exists in the game world. You don't have really big differences in the battle system like Granado Espada with its in-game botting and three-men team systems, nor ridiculous add-ons like Trickster's drilling system or Flyff's "flying". But the Flyff one is biased since I don't play it. Flying probably comes at a very big prize anyway, as all other MMOs show.
Of course, I'm not here to tell you "it's like all other games so shoo". That''s a known for all MMOs of late. What I'm here to tell you is what other minor differences and perks it has that makes me enjoy it so far.
The setting is of a school. The story being that an unknown phenomenon known as the Endless Vacation Phenomenon (a.k.a EVP or 無限放学現像) has caused lots of teachers to disappear, and the few that remains are in no position to continue teaching due to the panic, so students all over (student council etc) have taken control and are trying to remove this phenomenon. You, the player, of course becomes one of the many students to assist them in this quest.
Gameplay generally goes like this: players begin at grade 1, and advance to the next grade (there're a total of 6 grades as of now) by completing a sequence of "episodes", somewhat long chapter-like quests that require you to either defeat a number of enemies, rescue a number of something, or defeat a boss. Common requirements you often see in Strategy RPGs. Through completing them you unlock new and tougher episodes and get ranks for each run-through . The basic requisites for graduating to the next grade level is to get a minumum rank of B+ on a selection of episodes, and then simply visit an NPC to graduate.
Of course, there are the "battle zones" outside of the episodes that quite frankly are the better way to level up, since episodes only give lots of items and hardly any experience points. This is also your main way of finding mineral stones used for upgrading your weapons and equipment.
Other than that, you have simple quests from the NPCs to collect a number of items from either the episodes or battle zones, or to attain a certain rank in an episode.
Battles are as explained above: click with your mouse, and shortcut keys for healing items and skills. What is different though is the selection of weapons, as well as the simplicity of the skill system in this game.
There are a total of four types of weapons: Blade, Grob (which is really Glove but the Japanese screwed up), Spirit
and Myura which is really earphones. The Blade weapons are generally wide-ranged, allowing you to hit up to three enemies side-by-side with every swing, while the Glove is generally more concentrated. The Myuras is the only weapons with healing spells and the widest range for its skills but is weaker than the Spirit. In other words, for both the physical and magic schools there are a concentrated type and a wide-range type.
I've stuck with switching between a Blade and a Spirit so far, and nothing has gone wrong yet. The Blade is great for mowing down on minor enemies, while the Spirit works well on the stronger mobs.
Which reminds me. Mobs are a really vital part of this game. Nearly every episode consists of you fighting a large number of monsters or having to weave your way through them to your goals. You can pratically have a whole 5-cell corridor fill with mobs at any time in the intense episodes.
Skills are really few yet simple. You have for each of the four weapon types at least three attack skills (the basic, advanced and expert only for the physical weapons), two stat buffing ones and up to two passive stat adding skills. Some of the weapons have some additional skills, like the Myura with a healing skill, but that's it. Now it may sound limited, but I actually find it simple and easier to use than the stupid library of skills in games like Ragnarok Online. Yes RO. The very famous MMO. Half of the skills aren't even useful in an actual battle and are just for looks dammit.
Every different weapon has a special "Finisher" that can only be used after you've charged up your Finisher Bar either by hitting or by being hit. It varies from weapon to weapon in attack animation, speed and recovery time, and for the physical weapons only the Area of Effect. My favourite being the Stinger simply because it looks like a cutter, and that it's one of the few physical weapons with a 3x3 cell Finisher.
Of course, the most fun part of this game is probably the infinite capabilities of dress-up. Although each equipment has some sort of level type (eg. 3-2 refering to a medium-rare 3rd grade equipment), none of them has any level or grade requirements at all. As long as you have the money, you could very well fit yourself out with grade 5 equipment at grade 1 even. The level and grade requirements only comes when you want to upgrade the equipment, which you very well should since all equipment comes with no stat boosting. The mineral stones I mentioned earlier are for this purpose. You fix the stones into the equipment and they give you attack or defence bonus. Otherwise, you probably should stay out of the battle zones.
Which of course means that if all you want is to play dress up, get some basic gear, go out and earn your money, and start moleing yourself up in the auction house, the equal to the market place of other games. Which is something I have seen lots of the people in the game doing.
I wouldn't say this game is a must-play, since it is rather grinding-like too. However, if you like dress-up games like i do, this will be a nice one to play with. Also, there's actually a certain flow of story in the form of the episodes, so you at least have something to stick to instead of simple leveling up, hoarding rare items and being a hikikomori.
On a side note, I hear Thailand Yogurting has died too. That leaves jYG the only available way to play it, which also means that GungHo better not let this die or I'll be raping some Japanese ass soon.
Oh yah. I bought a new figurine yesterday, and placed preorders on three other ones. Boy am I sure glad the preorders only come in at least 2 months later. Should give me about enough time to work and earn some money to grab them.
Provided of course, I don't buy any others on the way. Because I've still got about, if I recall, 4 more scattered around stores in Singapore that I've got my eyes on. Plus there's the Nagi that I have to pay back my friend for next payday.
Sob is probably my favourite word right now.
So. Yogurting. Was finally lucky enough to have found a Japanese proxy that brought me all the way to the secured pages of Gung(BASTARD)Ho about four days ago. Ahem.
Which is also coincidentally the reason why I haven't been around, both here and in real life, of late.
Well. I'd say first of all that it's nothing new and fresh in the world of MMOs. Your typical MMORPG with some backstory that nobody really cares much about, bringing your character about smacking monsters with your mouse and lots of shortcut keys, finding newer and better equipments all the time, and doing the Unlimited Quest-with-silly-contents Works for just about every NPC that exists in the game world. You don't have really big differences in the battle system like Granado Espada with its in-game botting and three-men team systems, nor ridiculous add-ons like Trickster's drilling system or Flyff's "flying". But the Flyff one is biased since I don't play it. Flying probably comes at a very big prize anyway, as all other MMOs show.
Of course, I'm not here to tell you "it's like all other games so shoo". That''s a known for all MMOs of late. What I'm here to tell you is what other minor differences and perks it has that makes me enjoy it so far.
The setting is of a school. The story being that an unknown phenomenon known as the Endless Vacation Phenomenon (a.k.a EVP or 無限放学現像) has caused lots of teachers to disappear, and the few that remains are in no position to continue teaching due to the panic, so students all over (student council etc) have taken control and are trying to remove this phenomenon. You, the player, of course becomes one of the many students to assist them in this quest.
Gameplay generally goes like this: players begin at grade 1, and advance to the next grade (there're a total of 6 grades as of now) by completing a sequence of "episodes", somewhat long chapter-like quests that require you to either defeat a number of enemies, rescue a number of something, or defeat a boss. Common requirements you often see in Strategy RPGs. Through completing them you unlock new and tougher episodes and get ranks for each run-through . The basic requisites for graduating to the next grade level is to get a minumum rank of B+ on a selection of episodes, and then simply visit an NPC to graduate.
Of course, there are the "battle zones" outside of the episodes that quite frankly are the better way to level up, since episodes only give lots of items and hardly any experience points. This is also your main way of finding mineral stones used for upgrading your weapons and equipment.
Other than that, you have simple quests from the NPCs to collect a number of items from either the episodes or battle zones, or to attain a certain rank in an episode.
Battles are as explained above: click with your mouse, and shortcut keys for healing items and skills. What is different though is the selection of weapons, as well as the simplicity of the skill system in this game.
There are a total of four types of weapons: Blade, Grob (which is really Glove but the Japanese screwed up), Spirit
and Myura
which is really earphones. The Blade weapons are generally wide-ranged, allowing you to hit up to three enemies side-by-side with every swing, while the Glove is generally more concentrated. The Myuras is the only weapons with healing spells and the widest range for its skills but is weaker than the Spirit. In other words, for both the physical and magic schools there are a concentrated type and a wide-range type.I've stuck with switching between a Blade and a Spirit so far, and nothing has gone wrong yet. The Blade is great for mowing down on minor enemies, while the Spirit works well on the stronger mobs.
Which reminds me. Mobs are a really vital part of this game
. Nearly every episode consists of you fighting a large number of monsters or having to weave your way through them to your goals. You can pratically have a whole 5-cell corridor fill with mobs at any time in the intense episodes.Skills are really few yet simple. You have for each of the four weapon types at least three attack skills (the basic, advanced and expert only for the physical weapons), two stat buffing ones and up to two passive stat adding skills. Some of the weapons have some additional skills, like the Myura with a healing skill, but that's it. Now it may sound limited, but I actually find it simple and easier to use than the stupid library of skills in games like Ragnarok Online. Yes RO. The very famous MMO. Half of the skills aren't even useful in an actual battle and are just for looks dammit.
Every different weapon has a special "Finisher" that can only be used after you've charged up your Finisher Bar either by hitting or by being hit. It varies from weapon to weapon in attack animation, speed and recovery time, and for the physical weapons only the Area of Effect. My favourite being the Stinger
simply because it looks like a cutter, and that it's one of the few physical weapons with a 3x3 cell Finisher.Of course, the most fun part of this game is probably the infinite capabilities of dress-up. Although each equipment has some sort of level type (eg. 3-2 refering to a medium-rare 3rd grade equipment), none of them has any level or grade requirements at all. As long as you have the money, you could very well fit yourself out with grade 5 equipment at grade 1 even. The level and grade requirements only comes when you want to upgrade the equipment, which you very well should since all equipment comes with no stat boosting. The mineral stones I mentioned earlier are for this purpose. You fix the stones into the equipment and they give you attack or defence bonus. Otherwise, you probably should stay out of the battle zones.
Which of course means that if all you want is to play dress up, get some basic gear, go out and earn your money, and start moleing yourself up in the auction house, the equal to the market place of other games. Which is something I have seen lots of the people in the game doing.
I wouldn't say this game is a must-play, since it is rather grinding-like too. However, if you like dress-up games like i do, this will be a nice one to play with. Also, there's actually a certain flow of story in the form of the episodes, so you at least have something to stick to instead of simple leveling up, hoarding rare items and being a hikikomori.
On a side note, I hear Thailand Yogurting has died too. That leaves jYG the only available way to play it, which also means that GungHo better not let this die or I'll be raping some Japanese ass soon.
Oh yah. I bought a new figurine
yesterday, and placed preorders on three other ones. Boy am I sure glad the preorders only come in at least 2 months later. Should give me about enough time to work and earn some money to grab them.Provided of course, I don't buy any others on the way. Because I've still got about, if I recall, 4 more scattered around stores in Singapore that I've got my eyes on. Plus there's the Nagi
that I have to pay back my friend for next payday.Sob is probably my favourite word right now.
Now Playing: Melty Blood by RAITO, Melty Blood OP
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