| Ammadeau
63th Post
 
Occasional Customer
  
|  "Sakura Taisen PS2 quick impressions"
, posted Mon 10 Mar 23:28
First off, if you're a Sakura Taisen fan you have to get this. Doesn't matter if you've played the original through six or so times, there's enough new stuff here to justify a purchase, especially if you're a fan of Kohran or the three theatre girls (Tsubaki, Yuri, and Kasumi).
The only bad things about the remake is that most of the mini-games now require an i-node to play. Only one left is hanafuda. Also the fact that you need to buy a JPS2 or a modded PS2 that can read dual layered discs.
The main plot is more or less the same, with a few scenes added to, changed, or on rare occasion, removed. All except for chapter 6, which is entirely new. Most of the new content story-wise comes in new free roams, and there are a lot more of these now.
How free roam works has been changed too. You actually walk around rather than clicking a destination. Also, the map helpfully shows which locations have events and hints about said events. Doesn't seem to have early / late like ST3, but you can often revisit locations for additional bits. What is in here that I believe started in ST3 are chained events, where going to the same location each episode will advance a little subplot, ending with a special pic. Tsubaki's chained event is my favorite, though I'm a little biased.
The way LIPS are done is a little different now. Along with the choices, Ogami has an expression for each one so you can tell without reading them which is the serious choice, the happy one, the perverted one, etc. Makes it much easier on people like me who can only read Japanese at the speed of a retarded turtle. There's also a new LIPS, where you have to hit the proper buttons in sequence very quickly. My favorite kind of LIPS so far. Sadly, they added a ton of analogue LIPS, which is my least favorite.
Active battle system of ST3-4 is here now, but they've added a new cool feature. At the end of the five hit combo, if you hit a different button, the kobu will make a special attack that will do something like lower the enemy's defense or raise your own attack... each kobu has a different one. Costs a little of the super bar so it's not abused, but it does end up making the boss fights a little too easy.
The super attacks have actual animation in them now instead of being just character stills. They all look great, though Ogami's four different super attacks all use the same animation. The love-love combination attacks look even better, though they're not really fighting animation. Maria's has Ogami and Maria sharing sake in an onsen. :)
There's also new voice acting, mainly in the new chapter 6, but scattered through the rest of the game as well. Even from Sumire, so I guess they recorded it before she retired. Most of the voices are recycled from the original, but they sound better here for some reason.
As for the new chapter, I swear if I didn't know it wasn't there the first time I would have never noticed it was new. It blends well into the overall game, but maybe I'm baised because it's mainly a service to Kohran fans, which you will be by the end of that chapter. :)
Not sure what else to say about it, so any questions feel free. I haven't finished the game yet, but I've only got a few chapters to go.
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