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Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love

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Talby Since: Jun, 2009
#1: Jan 30th 2012 at 4:03:30 AM

Have you guys played this game? It's a tactical RPG/social sim, done in the style of a cheesy mid-90's mecha anime.

I picked it up cheap for the Wii on a whim and was pleasantly surprised by how fun it is. The social sim aspects are similar to the modern Persona games, in that you travel around town and choose dialogue options that affect your relationships with your fellow mech pilots, which in turn enhances their abilities in battle.

The whole structure of the game is like a TV series, with each chapter having a self-contained story. There's even a preview at the end of each chapter. (I think Alan Wake did something similar)

Sadly it apparently sold very poorly, so the chance of any of the four previous games being localized in English is pretty slim. Great game, though.

edited 30th Jan '12 4:35:32 AM by Talby

hassanico Since: Dec, 1969
#2: Jan 30th 2012 at 4:10:35 AM

I've heard about it, but sadly, it was never released where I live. Though I've also heard complaints about there being not enough gameplay in comparison to the sim aspect, which kind of sounds like whoever played it missed the point so... How does it truly hold up?

Talby Since: Jun, 2009
#3: Jan 30th 2012 at 4:26:14 AM

Hmm, well... most chapters are largely dialogue, (kinda like a visual novel, with still pictures for the characters and backgrounds) with one or two "adventure" sections where you freely move about New York on foot to investigate something to do with the plot of that chapter.

Most chapters only have one battle sequence, where you fight a group of enemy robots to achieve some objective, followed by a boss battle. The battles get much more frequent towards the end, though.

It's not a terribly long game, (I finished it in about 15 hours) but it doesn't go on longer than it needs to and has good replay value, with multiple endings and a New Game Plus.

The main character is also voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch.

edited 30th Jan '12 4:28:12 AM by Talby

YuriStrike 熊熊熊熊! from I'm telling nobody! Since: Nov, 2011
熊熊熊熊!
#4: Jan 30th 2012 at 4:10:37 PM

Sakura Taisen is more of a dating sim than a SLG. It's an awesome galgame where you can beat up youma-like enemies in steam-powered mechs! Emphasizing the part "dating", of course. The plot is so cheesy that it's funny, but nobody ever cares.

I played the port and the remake of the first installment in the series. Haven't played this one yet, but I'm getting it soon enough.

What really bugs me is the idea of a katana-wielding cowgirl. SILLY.

edited 30th Jan '12 6:40:52 PM by YuriStrike

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Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#5: Jan 30th 2012 at 6:30:35 PM

I'm actually a massive fan of the jRPG/Dating sim mashup genre type thing. I really liked the Ar Tonelico trilogy even though the third one got really pervy, and Sakura Wars was not a dissapointment. I'm actually sad it didn't sell too well, because I wanted to play some of the other ones.

EviIPaladin Some Guy Or Something from Middle-Of-Nowhere, NS Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: Noddin' my head like yeah
Some Guy Or Something
#6: Jan 30th 2012 at 6:38:25 PM

Holy crap do I love this game. It is just so much awesome. I really should get around to finishing the story (on the final chapter) but I haven't gotten much gaming time since starting university. It is just so weird that it is awesome. I will say that the chapters make you hate the characters that they focus on for 2/3s of the chapter length, since it involves them being stupid/annoying/whiny/etc. but you'll forgive them by the end of the chapter, when they finally come back to your way of thinking.

"Evii is right though" -Saturn "I didn't know you were a bitch Evii." -Lior Val
YuriStrike 熊熊熊熊! from I'm telling nobody! Since: Nov, 2011
熊熊熊熊!
#7: Jan 30th 2012 at 6:51:45 PM

Thank god some company over here introduced the PC versions of Sakura Taisen 1~4.

@Zendervai: Nowadays the genre keeps getting pervier and pervier, which sickens me.

edited 30th Jan '12 7:01:48 PM by YuriStrike

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AceNoctali A lil' bentô ? from France Since: Nov, 2009
A lil' bentô ?
#8: Jan 30th 2012 at 11:34:16 PM

[up][up][up] Zendervai, if that's the case and if you can read Japanese, BY ALL MEANS try Mitsumete Knight R: Daibouken Hen, on PS 1. Not only it's a game co-made by RED, the guys behind Sakura Taisen (and by Konami), but it's also a JRPG / Dating Sim blend. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it, given your post.

On topic: I have a copy of So Long My Love on Wii, but haven't played it so far, because I don't own a Wii personally at the time being. Reason is that, it's a game that's bound to become next to impossible to find in the future due to the low print number in Europe, so getting it the sooner, the better.

I seriously consider getting the other Sakura Taisen games on PS 2 in the future too, when my backlog will be less full. Given the quick answers you have to give in those games, I wasn't feeling confident playing them until my Japanese skills were good enough, until now.

edited 30th Jan '12 11:35:04 PM by AceNoctali

"Your kindness gives me the presentiment I can be reborn. Now, I want to believe at least in you." - Kaori Yae
Talby Since: Jun, 2009
#9: Jan 31st 2012 at 2:34:47 AM

So Long, My Love is on the PS 2 as well, btw. It's arguably better than the Wii version because it lets you play using the original Japanese voice track, which the Wii version lacks.

AceNoctali A lil' bentô ? from France Since: Nov, 2009
A lil' bentô ?
#10: Jan 31st 2012 at 3:43:36 AM

I know. It's also the reason why I'd choose the PS 2 plateform if I want to get all Sakura Taisen games, as I'd wish to make use of their Old Save Bonus extras. I got the Wii version of So Long My Love because 1) it's the only ST game translated in English, 2) as such and with the low print, it's going to be a rare item, and 3) it's one of the few good Wii games out there, better not depriving me of it the day I'll get a personal Wii and make myself a collection of good games on it (I did the same with Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, by the way).

"Your kindness gives me the presentiment I can be reborn. Now, I want to believe at least in you." - Kaori Yae
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#11: Jan 31st 2012 at 7:19:25 AM

[up][up][up] Too bad. I'm a pure Anglophone, but not due to lack of trying.

dorkatlarge Spoony Bard from Damcyan Castle Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to the music
Spoony Bard
#12: Jan 31st 2012 at 5:53:45 PM

Wondering what people thought about Sakura Wars 5 when it was first created in 2005? This RPGFan review may give you some insight.

I only play translated games, so after years of waiting for anything Sakura Wars-related in English, I bought So Long My Love on day one. I enjoyed it, but found a number of aspects frustrating. I knew that it couldn't live up to over a decade of anticipation, but the game made me think it was a franchise on the rocks. Sort of like Suikoden V if you ask me.

I don't know if this franchise has much of a future. Why? First, I have read Sakura Wars 5 didn't sell well even in Japan. (Wish I had a source to cite...) Since then, there was a DS spinoff game with a serious lousy gameplay mechanic — a party member who lost hit points by *walking*. The company responsible for the franchise, Red Entertainment, created a pair of similar reverse harem Playstation 2 games called Scared Rider Zechs. Then in 2011, Red Entertainment was acquired by Utizen Games. The last I heard, there might be a Sakura Wars browser game, but I have not heard of plans for more console or computer games.

AceNoctali A lil' bentô ? from France Since: Nov, 2009
A lil' bentô ?
#13: Jan 31st 2012 at 6:29:57 PM

[up] You know, this is the sad fate of those Romance Games that were super-popular in the 90s. Tokimeki Memorial (at least the regular branch of it) is in the same case as Sakura Taisen.

On the left, you have the old fans of the time, who live in the nostalgia of the first and most successful entries of the series, and thus can't accept fully the newest entries, even if they're on par or better than the first entries.

On the right, you have the young generation of gamers, who never knew the heydays of the franchise, and have instead played games which are evolutions of what those old franchises brought (see the modern Visual Novel genre as a whole, which is an evolution of the 90s-style Dating Sim; and for a more specific example, see Love Plus, an evolved Spiritual Successor of Tokimemo), and have different gaming tastes than the gamers of the 90s.

Thus, not finding a public in either of those demographics, those franchises are ultimately bound to die out.

"Your kindness gives me the presentiment I can be reborn. Now, I want to believe at least in you." - Kaori Yae
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#14: Jan 31st 2012 at 7:55:42 PM

It is sad, especially since none of them came out here. Although, there is a fan translation of the first three Galaxy Angel games, and I'm currently trying to hunt the games down.

YuriStrike 熊熊熊熊! from I'm telling nobody! Since: Nov, 2011
熊熊熊熊!
#15: Jan 31st 2012 at 8:43:09 PM

Sadly, Sakura Taisen has already set one foot into its grave. Even its fan club cafe back in Japan closed down! So long, the good old days.

BTW, I began playing Love Plus about a year ago. The game is highly addictive and I strongly recommend it.

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dorkatlarge Spoony Bard from Damcyan Castle Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to the music
Spoony Bard
#16: Feb 21st 2012 at 1:59:28 AM

So there I was, looking for news on Romhacking... and it looks like someone's starting up a fan translation of the first Sakura Wars game, Windows version. I suppose we'll have to wait and see how this goes. A lot of promising fan projects never get off the ground, or remain unfinished. Will this be one of the successful ones?

If all else fails, consider making your own similar game. Use your favorite Game Maker. If you want, use the Sincerest Form of Flattery trope. (For instance, the people who made Bonded Realities sure did... it's practically an Earthbound fangame, but with an original setting and just enough differences. One of the better examples of an XBLA indie game.)

dorkatlarge Spoony Bard from Damcyan Castle Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to the music
Spoony Bard
#17: Jul 1st 2012 at 9:22:04 AM

Hmm, several months since my last post. Since February, there hasn't been much news about the Sakura Wars 1 translation project, either in its topic on GameFAQs or on Romhacking. I wouldn't write it off yet, but if you're interested, be sure to write a courteous and relevant comment in the message boards.

Also, I found an intriguing campaign on Facebook called Kiss Me Sweet. If you don't want to browse FB, it's mentioned in a different GameFAQs thread. Would it be possible to translate the Windows versions (especially the ones published in 2006 and 2007, as they are more likely to be compatible) of Sakura Wars 1-4 and get them published through pay-to-download services such as Steam and Gamersgate? Would it be worth the licensing costs, and would they sell more than a few copies? I don't know, but it's a possibility. Again, if this is something you care about, then mention it politely on NIS America's message boards and other relevant places.

edited 1st Jul '12 9:23:29 AM by dorkatlarge

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#18: Jul 1st 2012 at 9:51:44 AM

Oh hey, we had a topic for this game?

Then I suppose I could use this opportunity to brag about the fact that I managed to acquire a second-hand copy of this game at my local game store. The employee told me that the fact that I could buy it for only ten euros proved that his bosses were idiots.

Collector's item aside, it's a pretty mediocre game. Yes, I'm fully aware it's not supposed to be much of a game, but I've played my share of Visual Novels as well, and this just doesn't hold up. Some clever useage of some tropes, but it's playing it's genre a bit too straight for my tastes, making the whole thing feel like a relic from an age that I really didn't miss.

Your Mileage May Vary, I guess, but I'm more of a collector than a gamer anyway, so I'm pretty darn happy and proudly put the box on display. Yay for crazy Japanese stuff.waii

edited 1st Jul '12 9:51:57 AM by Kayeka

MaxHandler Since: Sep, 2012
#19: May 21st 2013 at 2:24:57 AM

I find Gemini being just like Serah.

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