Cult Classic JRPG Vagrant Story Hits PSN This Week

[John Funk]

Cult Classic JRPG Vagrant Story Hits PSN This Week

Never played Vagrant Story? Here's your chance to make up for it.

Vagrant Story, like Xenogears, is one of those weird games - released on the PS1 in 2000 to critical acclaim, it apparently sold well enough to be included in Sony's "Greatest Hits" collection. Yet it always seems like nobody you know ever played it.

If you're one of those people who've never played the Ivalice side-story, Square-Enix and Sony are giving you a second chance. Vagrant Story will be hitting the NA PlayStation Network this week (tomorrow, to be precise) for $5.99 - and as with all PSone Classics, it will be playable on both PS3 and PSP.

Vagrant Story is a game of many genres - it's part puzzler, it's part RPG-with-timing-based-combat, and part platformer - that follows protagonist Ashley Riot, a medieval secret agent who has the most ridiculous hair ever seen in a Square-Enix game (no small feat). Ashley is blamed for murdering a noble and must work out the truth behind the crime as well as dealing with the typical conspiracies one can expect to find in a PS1-era JRPG.

It was commended for its very in-depth crafting system and plot, but some critics lambasted it for a combat system that was difficult for many players to grasp.

Either way, it's frequently cited as one of the brightest stars of Square-Enix's classic lineup, and it can now be yours for $6 if you live in North America. If you live in Japan or Europe, you've already had it for sale since 2009, so you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about.

(Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/#!5772767/vagrant-story-brings-a-riot-to-the-playstation-store-this-week])

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[WorldCritic]

Excellent, now people who never played it on the PS1 can experience the game's somewhat unfair difficulty, unsubtle Shakespere references, and one of the most confusing crafting systems I've ever seen in an RPG. And yet the game is still awesome.

 

[Hiphophippo]

Certainly a classic. I'm totally at a loss for why I never realized it was set in Ivalice. And that's good Ivalice too, but Final Fantasty 12 and Advance Ivalice.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

I demand a HD remake of Vagrant story!!!

 

[Dexiro]

Thought this was a necro for a moment, it's been out in the UK store for ages.

 

[Baresark]

This game is fantastic, I still have my disc version, and the strategy guide. I am surprised by how few people are actually familiar with this game. I can understand though, it did come out on the cusp of PS2 really. Still, everyone should check this game out.

The crafting system partially relied on chance, which is somewhat annoying IMO. But, this game had a very engaging story, great graphics for the generation, and battle system is the same as the first two Parasite Eve games, only enhanced with timed button presses and the like. If you love RPG's, you should play this one.

 

[fire-exit-man]

Thought this was a necro for a moment, it's been out in the UK store for ages.

Same here, but at least now more people will get to play it.

Come to think of it I need to download this next time I'm on the Store!

 

[New Troll]

Though not a huge fan of the game, I'm very tempted to get it on PSN just for nostalgia sake.

 

[StriderShinryu]

At that price, and if I had a PS3, I'd buy the crap out of that game.. even if I didn't really enjoy it that much at it's original release. That price is a steal though.

 

[teh_Canape]

I do really hope they gave him a proper pair of pants

it really creeped me out seeing him wearing those assless pants

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

This means that Legend of Mana [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.257890-Poll-Ahead-of-Its-Time-Legend-of-Mana] and Threads of Fate should be following in the next two weeks, since all four PSN releases were announced at the same time.

And here I was, ready to use my PSN dollars on Dead Space 2 DLC.

 

[Horadrius]

Got this game off eBay while I was in college...

I really don't know why, but I absolutely loved it. It's a completely different experience than ANY Final Fantasy game I had played to that point. Darker, moodier, and incredibly isolating to the player, as you basically spend the entire game crawling through one long dungeon by yourself. The crafting system is unbelievably deep as well. It also takes place in the same universe as Final Fantasy Tactics, one or two accessories you find at the end of the game drop the names of a few characters from FFT.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Got this game off eBay while I was in college...

I really don't know why, but I absolutely loved it. It's a completely different experience than ANY Final Fantasy game I had played to that point. Darker, moodier, and incredibly isolating to the player, as you basically spend the entire game crawling through one long dungeon by yourself. The crafting system is unbelievably deep as well. It also takes place in the same universe as Final Fantasy Tactics, one or two accessories you find at the end of the game drop the names of a few characters from FFT.

That means nothing, really. Square references other Square games all the time. There are Chocobos in the Mana games, for a quick example.

That said, I haven't played VS yet. That changes tomorrow. And Square has done a shit ton of non-FF stuff, even back then.

Edit: Nevermind, it is totally in Ivalice.

 

[SangRahl]

I never got past the first boss with this game... mostly because the weapon timings felt so bloody random. (though my best friend could easily pull double-digit combos with any weapon... but the early axe was just such a pain with so many 'false start' hits)

For $6, I may just get this to help fill the void until Portal2 hits shelves.

 

[Quaidis]

I have that game for the PS1. My biggest memory of the hype around it is that the game takes FOREVER to beat. I got stuck about 30% of the way through (or not, I'm unclear of the memories) with that stupid enchanted forest. Next time.. Strategy guide.

 

[Fensfield]

Stuff Ashley's hair, what about his open-butt pants?

 

[Stabby Joe]

Wait, a game on PSN that came out in Europe BEFORE North America? Not the it makes up for the criminally small amount of PSOne classics on the European store.