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Some Games Shouldn't Be Remixed I Guess

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Pros:

+Not a bad looking game
+Gameplay elements make for a lot of strategic depth
+Good soundtrack overall
+A good challenge

Cons:

-Long story sequences
-Really slow battles
-Forgettable story and characters
-Not very good stylus controls
-The challenge mostly stems from the fact that you need to level grind rather than put forth any actual strategy in some instances... and with battles already being long as it is... is level grinding really worth it?

The Nintendo DS has a handful of strategy RPGs. This is great for fans but that doesn't mean you won't find a bad egg at some point. Hoshigami Remix isn't a bad egg, but it might still leave a weird taste in your mouth. It's a remake of Playstation game. Unfortunately, I never played the original so if anyone is looking for any differences, this review won't cover it.

Hoshigami Remix is a game that's definitely for the experienced SRPG player. If you're new to the Strategy Role Playing Game, you'd probably do better to start off with a game like Luminous Arc, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 or Advance Wars.

Hoshigami doesn't exactly have an enticing story. At least not one worth remembering. And much of the sequences in between battles are incredibly long. Not to mention it sports a cast of some fairly unremarkable characters. It's overall a mostly boring story. It wouldn't be quite as bad if it weren't paced incredibly slowly.

Battling is where you get the idea that Hoshigami was not designed for those unfamiliar with the genre. There's a lot to swallow about the battle system. And unless you've already trekked through several SRPGs before, it's unlikely you'll pick it all up within your first few battles. Of course, you'll move your characters around and have them attack. Like many SRPGs your attacks are more effective when hitting from the side or behind. But Hoshigami introduces a "read for action points" or "RAP" gauge. Depending on how full this gauge is depends on how many turns you can take. The implementation of this is actually pretty cool... but it might still take you some time to learn it. A characters turn isn't finished until hi RAP gauge is depleted. Once that happens they can't take anymore actions and you'll have to wait until its full again. The less you do in a turn, the faster it'll fill. This opens up Hoshigami Tactics to some well refined tactical goodness. Singlehandedly, the RAP gauge is what gives Hoshigami its SRPG appeal.

Unfortunately, some of the other mechanics are a little iffy. Magic in particular. Magic is on coins that have their own assortment of points. In order to cast spells not only do you need to keep an eye on your RAP gauge, but you'll also have to have enough of these coin points. It seems simple until you put the seals into the equation. Seals can give help to enhance these coins. Some do a lot of good for you, but there are others that do a lot of bad.

On paper this all sounds easy, but when in battle, it's surprising just how much you'll really have to retain. It also doesn't help that the game does little to help you out. You'll find that some of your tactics can be easily foiled by your enemies. Hoshigami is by no means an easy game. But much of its challenge may depend on just how much patience you have for the game itself. Certainly the story paces incredibly slowly, but the pace of the battles is equally sluggish and long. It isn't uncommon for battles to last a while in any tactical RPG, but Hoshigami can test even the most patient of Strategy RPG players. It can be fun with a lot of its deep engrossing combat but with so many elements thrown in, each battle can feel like a tremendously long game of chess at times. It also doesn't help that Hoshigami is not an easy game. You'll find your enemies aren't dumb by any means. Level grinding is a must and unfortunately you may have to spend more time doing that than playing through the actual main missions. Hoshigami is a pretty lengthy game, but much of it probably comes from level grinding and spending a lot of time in battle. Hoshigami also has a lot of sidequests, but given the length of battles, it's unlikely too many gamers are going to want to pad through all of them just for the sake of avoiding another long battle.

Hoshigami sports some stylus controls, but much like most other tactical RPGs on the DS, the implementation feels tacked on. You're better off just using the D-Pad and buttons.

At the very least the game isn't ugly. At least the map is fully 3D and lets you rotate the camera if need be, which is something a surprisingly large number of SRPGs on the DS don't let you do. The battlefields and sprites also don't look too bad. It's also got a nice style going for it, as well as a pretty good soundtrack.

Hoshigami isn't a bad game, but it certainly isn't suited for everyone. If you're new to the Tactical RPG, Hoshigami is not going to be for you. If you've been playing these kinds of games for years, the only real challenge is plowing through it all.

Ponderous Pacing meets Poor Interface

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

At its core, Hoshigami is a remarkably deep turn-based strategy game with an interesting story and some beautifully designed characters. So what's the problem?

For one, the pacing is dreadful... the game moves at a snail's pace from start to finish, the battles take forever, leveling is slow, and in many cases I found myself deliberately avoiding side-story missions (which I generally love in SRPGs) simply to avoid another long, pointless fight.

The interface, likewise, is ill-suited to the DS. They tried their best to shoehorn a complex menu system onto a portable touch screen, and should be commended for it, but in the end its just too complicated to bother with.

If you're really thirsty for a turn-based experience and have played everything else to completion, i'd recommend this, if only because playing it to completion is going to take you forever. On the other hand if you're kind of on the fence about the genre, don't make this your first experience.

Below Average

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 28, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I have played many strategy/RPG games. I saw this one for the DS and picked it up despite the mixed reviews I have seen for it. It has received a large number of negative reviews, but I thought i could "find the good" in it and learn to love it. I was wrong. If there is one good thing I can say about Hoshigami is that it tries to be innovative and different. The magic system is something you probably have never seen before, unless you played the orignal Hoshigami on the PSone. This doesn't make the magic system a good thing though. How the game lets you customize the magic system is quite interesting ,but the game fails at helping you understand it. I got annoyed with the fact that I simply did not know how to work the magic system. The in game tutorials DO NOT help you with this and neither does the instruction manual.

The magic system was not the only problem. There are no real classes in this game. Anyone can use magic and anyone can use any weapon. You may be thinking well so it let's you customize each charcter the way you want, that's a good thing right? Well it's not exactly what you think. You can't decide what stats you raise all you decide on is what weapon and what magic they use. I hate it, with a passion. You are better off buying Luminous Arc , Final fantasy Tactics Advance and the soon coming Final fantasy tactics advance 2. Also check out Ogre Battle for the GBA. There are just so many better strategy/RPG's out there. This one is a waste of your money.

This game is one not to be looked over on the DS

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 22
Date: July 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing this game since the release date on the 26th and I absolutely love the gameplay and difficulty. this is the first time I've ever played these type of strategy games for the DS and it defintely won't be the last. If you like games that are a challenge to play and will last you a long time, this is the game to get.

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