Games

Pixel Perfect Memories: SaGa 2 (Final Fantasy Legend II)

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Release Date:  November, 1991
System:  Game Boy
Developer:  Square

It's hard to say a game with a Final Fantasy name is unheralded, but in 1991, there had only been two games released in North America with the name.   Those two were the original game for the NES, and the dreadfully dull, long, and difficult first game in the Legend series.  Square had yet to release Final Fantasy II in America (also, not much of a loss).  So the name in 1991 wasn't an automatic gold mine.   It wasn't until IV and VI came out that RPGs became a huge thing in America, and then of course with VII things really exploded.

Known as Sa·Ga Japan, Square slapped on the name Final Fantasy in hopes of boosting sales.  It worked in my case, as I asked for the game despite hating the prequel.  And I'm very glad I did.  The thing is, I really can't recommend this RPG from a battle perspective.  For starters, you can only use your weapons a limited number of times before you have to go back to the store to buy it again (or upgrade).  While this is realistic for some weapons (a club, say), I shouldn't need to have my DIAMOND sword replaced after fifty battles.  Also, abilities are improved based on what you do inside a battle (just like Final Fantasty II).  Win by casting magic?  Your magic power will improve.  Win by fighting?  Your strength will improve.  While in some respects this may seem realistic, it winds up feeling like busy work and one's characters lose variety unless you work at it.  Finally, you'll spend a bit of time leveling up.

Now for the good parts.  Like in nearly all old-school RPGs, you choose what types of characters you bring along (and their names).   While it doesn't allow for any story development outside the main character, it can make the battles more fun.  You choose between humans, mutants, robots, and monsters.  Robots can win upgraded parts in battles, while monsters naturally improve by eating the meats of other monsters.  The variety isn't perhaps quite as good as in the original Final Fantasy, but it's solid.

But the reason why you should play this game if you love RPGs is the story.  It was the best story any RPG had until Final Fantasy IV, and it still holds up well today.  Not only are the locations a blast (you actually go inside someone's body and explore their intestines at one point), but the story develops well throughout the game and it's a tearjerker unless you kill kittens for a living.  On top of all this, the soundtrack is insanely good, even for the old Gameboy.

The game was upgraded and released for the DS in 2009, but so far it hasn't been ported to America yet, which is likely due to the underwhelming sales it had in the 90's.  But I will get it pronto if it does sail the Pacific.

What ya'll playing?

83 thoughts on “Pixel Perfect Memories: SaGa 2 (Final Fantasy Legend II)”

  1. I've been playing Orcs Must Die! I'm six levels in and it seems there are 50 or so levels. The difficulty ramps up quickly and there is zero learning curve. For $15 on XBLA, it is worth it.

      1. A tower defense game crossed with RPG.

        Unlike most (all?) tower defense games, there aren't enough traps to kill everything, leaving it up to you. Every level has a different layout and a starting sum of coins to buy traps. You have to run around and figure out where to best place them before unleashing the hordes. Fortunately, you do get a few short breaks between waves and once or twice a level you get a full break. Then you have as much time as you need to rearrange things before moving on. Also, there are occasionally environment traps you can use, but I always forget about them.

        For the RPG part, you can earn up to four skulls in each level for keeping orcs from the rift and one more skull if you finish before the "par time". These skulls are permanently earned for every level; you can't replay the easy levels to earn additional skulls. You use these skulls to upgrade your traps. Every new level, you also earn something; usually you earn traps but you can instead earn additional weapons or guardians. These can also be upgraded. They stick with you though, so you can replay previous levels with all your awesome gear.

  2. I was pretty disappointed that Square-Enix let the SaGa 2 remake languish in Japan, but it wasn't terribly surprising given that they had started slowing down on bringing over DS games at that time (hence Nintendo pinch hitting to localize Dragon Quest IX, VI, and Monsters Joker 2). I do believe there's a group working on a translation patch, and while I don't remember for sure and can't check while at work, I thought it was close to completion. Given the number of cool RPGs that never came to the West for the DS, I've considered investing in a flash cart to play them.

    While I'm at it, I have something I'd like to get off my chest. Region locking for video game consoles really bothers me. I understand that the companies want their respective local branches to get sales, but I think the risk of mass importation is pretty low. For a lot of games there's a pretty significant language barrier. This doesn't bother me too much, I'll muddle through it with a FAQ, but I assume most gamers wouldn't want to deal with that. There's also the cost involved. Importing has always been expensive, but the valuation of the US Dollar vs. the Yen is quite low now which makes it even more. The last game I wanted to import was something like $93... hence me passing on it at launch. I guess what I'm getting around to is that Nintendo going backwards and making the 3DS region locked (to stop piracy, they claim, but I guarantee it'll be easier to play pirated games than imports once hackers get around the locking, Xbox 360 style) is very frustrating. I'm not really into the idea of buying a separate handheld to play a couple games. I'm thankful the vita is seemingly not going to be locked.

    Anyway, now that that's off my chest, the game I've been playing the most lately is Forza Motorsport 4. I rarely get into racing sims, but I'm totally hooked on it. The cars feel great, the progression is engaging, and I don't feel completely overwhelmed like I do when I play Gran Turismo. I also had an itch to get back into playing Dance Dance Revolutlion, so I bought a Cobalt Flux dance pad from Craigslist (from someone I used to play DDR with probably 8 or 9 years ago) and imported another mix. I figure it's an easy way for me to get some excercise, since it's an unbelievably fun game.

    I also got an iPhone last week, so I've been playing some of those games. The games I like the most are Game Dev Story and Infinity Blade. Game Dev Story is right up my alley, and makes me even sadder that Segagaga never made it out of Japan. Infinity Blade is fun, and is making me strongly consider starting Dark Souls one of these nights.

    Next things on my to buy list are the HD remake of Daytona USA on Xbox Live Arcade this week (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception next week.

    1. There is a completed translation patch, though I got the impression there's a few bits and pieces that weren't perfect with it.

      1. Ahhh, that's a bit frustrating. As nerdy as it is, I've considered learning Japanese so I don't have to worry about patches, etc. I really want to play Sakura Taisen, for example.

        1. the dude who did it has apparently abandoned all future projects because he got so disillusioned with all the impatient people who bitched at him because it took so long.

          I think DeJap quit for the same reason, and he did a lot of work for the community.

          1. Yeah, it's crazy the amount of abuse those translation patch people get. It's completely nonsensical, since it's almost always just a labor of love, which usually gets posted for free, yet all they ever hear is "you got that verb tense wrong, idiot", "nice job taking forever", etc.

            1. Generally when I find "gamers" online, they have a ridiculous sense of entitlement. I want this now, and I want it for free!!!

              1. I think part of the problem, at least in my experience, is that those online "gamers" are between the ages of about 13-22 or so. (not scientifically validated, just a generalizing guess.)

              2. Tying it back to the discussion of DRM and the dumb levels game companies go to to keep their IP safe.

                This is why I can never fully side with gamers on this one. A large portion of them want (in fact, demand) games to be next to free. I love used games as much as anyone (about 90% of what I buy is pre-owned), but the margins on that are all to the resalers, such as Gamestop. I can't blame game companies at all for trying to protect some of that investment, even if the way they're going about it is, more often than not, wrongheaded.

                Of course, Penny Arcade, as is often the case in these matters, sums it up even better (especially in the corresponding new post).

  3. I've been overloaded with games lately, what with Sony still sending me free stuff (God of War III, inFamous 2) on top of all the other games I was in the middle of. I'm still trying to finish Mass Effect 2, and it's awesome, but it's so massive I keep taking breaks from it. I also picked up Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One since I'm crazy for the series and I can play it with the Milkmaid as well as my brother in Eagan.

    I'll be getting Uncharted 3 soon after the launch and there's a downloadable this week I want. Sigh...

          1. As the head of the gaming department, I was invited to a lot of corporate events, and as I proved myself to be a useful vessel with which to distribute games, the companies - specifically Nintendo and Sony - latched onto me (and others). Sony has been far more giving over the years, but Nintendo handed me a DS and a handful of games also. Sony has given me two PS3s, 10-15 games, more than a few accessories and about eight Blu-Ray movies (only one didn't suck, but oh well).

          1. I never sold anything they gave me, as doing so could cost me my job, as unlikely as it would be that I'd get caught. I gave my second PS3 to one of my best friends, but otherwise, everything I was ever given I kept.

  4. Now that I finished Red Dead Redemption, I'm back to Assassin's Creed II. I took a bit of a break last weekend to get the Wolves to the playoffs in NBA 2K11. I somehow managed to go from third in the conference to seventh due to winning only one game in the final half month of the season. Curses.

    Anyway, I still have Bioshock to go after ACII, then I think I'll look to either get Gears of War II or Dead Space, so it should be a pretty good winter of gaming for me.

      1. Love it, one of the best games I'll ever play.

        Spoiler SelectShow

        ACII is also terrific. Just far superior to the first one in about every single way, especially in voice work.

        1. Spoiler SelectShow

          Still, it's an epic game. I totally agree with you when you say it's one of the best I'll ever play.

      1. I've started it, but its so intense that I don't play it for more than a couple hours at a time, which is why I decided to wait until I got through ACII. That way, I can take all of Bioshock in as I make my way through Rapture.

      2. Yeah, for real - it's a game you want to take in. The sequel was alright, certainly not an embarassment by any stretch, but the first pass through Rapture is something special.

  5. I've been getting back into Super Meat Boy lately. The game is punishing, but weirdly compelling for a game with only a skeleton of a story.

    Gears of War 3 remains fun to play online, so long as I remember to enter party chat or play music, instead of trying to communicate with the 15 year olds that seem to frequent the matches.

    I've got a $50 Gamestop gift card burning a hole in my pocket (I'd love Arkham City or Dark Souls), but I want to start Deus Ex first. Are there any citizens that have played Deus Ex? Is it worth immersing myself in (at the penalty of putting off some top-tier games in the meantime)?

    1. As someone who buys far more games than he can play, I'd say it's worth holding off on Arkham City or Dark Souls to play Deus Ex. They'll only get cheaper!

      1. That's my strategy. I don't see any reason to buy a new game for $60 when I can just wait a few months to a year and get it used for less than $20 and often less than $10. No need to be current on gaming like I had to be in college.

        1. This gen certainly makes it easier to wait, what with tons of paid DLC in games that's later free in the "Game of the Year" edition, sales a couple of weeks after launch, and the horrible "Online Pass" practice that's gained steam this year. I buy a lot of stuff at launch, but mostly because I keep rolling over coupons from games I bought at Kmart or Amazon.

            1. Yeah, it's great for the publishers but it's so frustratingly anti-consumer, and I'm pretty worried about where it's heading. I mean, Arkham City locks out single player content! (I couldn't really give a rip about online play since I generally prefer to play games alone) J and I live in separate homes, with separate consoles and separate Xbox Live/PSN accounts. I frequently leave games up there for her to play. I shouldn't have to pay another $10 for her to play that content when I buy a new game. I think some of these publishers would like to treat second hand game sales/rentals as tantamount to piracy which is ridiculous. When I buy a game I should be able to do what I want with it. This practice really concerns me about what will happen when the industry ends up inevitably digital distribution only.

              /rant

              1. Arkham City locks out single player content!

                Whoa, that's a new one. I'm surprised I hadn't read that yet.

                Anyway, although it sucks, I'm not sure I can blame them. They want to be able to make money when their game is played, and that makes sense. Why should they protect resales? Why should a fan of the game get to experience the entire thing for no cost? I guess it's the entertainer in me, but anything meant to protect creative property makes sense to me.

                1. I thought Mass Effect 2 did that, too. I wasn't able to play when I wasn't connected to Xbox Live (which I'm not always, since I haven't sprung for wireless yet, and the wife doesn't like the cable across the three feet of floor).

                2. I think it makes sense to protect creative property as well, but I just have trouble with this specific method*. In the case of Arkham City (and this is the one I'm the most irked about to date), the content that is locked is all the missions as Catwoman. You apparently run into these during the game, and if you haven't entered the code (and downloaded the 650 mb patch, sorry users who aren't online!), you can't play them. Being able to play as Catwoman was one of the big bullet points in the run up to the game. I know it's to incentivize new sales, but they are also partnering with GameStop** to give a code if you buy the game used from GS.

                  The best part of this, though, is that there were tons of cases where the code printed for the Catwoman content was either not on the sheet that came in the box, or it was incorrect. WB has about five hoops you need to jump through in order to get your code, after a few days. Pretty crappy all around.

                  I think rather than walling off content, they should give bonus content, or early content, or something like that for purchasing games new. I think with the new Battlefield game, EA has a bunch of first run copies that give the users a free copy of the first map pack. I think that's a good way to get people to buy new. It achieves the same goal, but it's not quite such a burden on the consumer.

                  * I think that in general, a lot of the people running game publishers, like music & film publishers, have old fashioned ideas on how to get people to pay for their IP. Restricting what someone can do with a movie, or a CD, or a game once they purchase it through DRM or one-time use codes, etc. isn't an incentive to purchase. For a lot of PC games people who pirate the games have less hoops to jump through than legit purchasers. People who pirate movies don't have to skip through 20 minutes of trailers before they watch the movie, etc. I understand the need to make money, I just wish they'd use some more forward thinking ideas.

                  ** While I think that GameStop fills an okay niche in that they stock nearly every game that comes out, I mostly cannot stand them. Their business practices are terrible and it's a horrible place to shop. They were also a big part of the retailer exclusive content junk that started this gen. I couldn't give two rips about character skins, custom online guns, etc. (other than selling them for large amounts of money on eBay, which I do when I have the opportunity) but again, we're getting to the point of locking out single player content (see: the LA Noire cases each retailer got as an exclusive) where I draw that line.

                  1. Making missions exclusive to retailers is ludicrous. I can't stand that. At least Ratchet and Clank did it differently - you could get early unlocks from certain retailers, but you couldn't get anything that was locked out of other versions.

                    For a lot of PC games people who pirate the games have less hoops to jump through than legit purchasers.

                    Oh, you'll get no argument from me here. Distributors don't think creatively, they think in terms of dollar signs. As a result, they miss the obvious solutions staring them in the face.

                    1. Yeah I'm fine with early unlocks, but exclusive stuff is terrible. Mortal Kombat had exclusive costumes when it launched, but they were later available to all users. Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon had weapon packs which basically just gave you better weapons before you could earn them in the game. Those don't bother me either. In those two cases I just sold the codes on eBay. I wasn't going to use them.

                    2. I had to pirate my legitimate PC version of Lego Indiana Jones because my computer thought I had a pirated copy. Customer service gave me a fix, and that didn't work either. So I put the game on my shelf for posterity's sake, then committed a crime so I could play what I paid for.

                    4. I have LEGO Indiana Jones for PS3, and my wife and I can't get past the fifth-to-last stage because it freezes as it's about to load the winning screen. We've tried four times, so we're just screwed. It bums me out, because it's not so great a game that I'm going to go looking for a way around it.

              2. Locks out single player gaming? Really? So I guess Arkham City is not on my list anymore. I don't have the desire or time to do online multiplayer gaming, and even if I wanted to, there's no way I'd pay for Xbox Live Gold, which is needed to do any online gaming.

                1. Well, I don't think you need to be XBL Gold to use the game. Do you download updates and whatnot? Just having a network connection would be enough (I played Mass Effect 2 even after I let my Gold lapse for a while).

                  1. I meant in general for online multiplayer gaming. I have to subscribe to Xbox Gold if I want to play NBA2Kxx or FIFAxx online, which is just annoying.

                    1. I agree. I'm thinking of letting it lapse, anyway, since the guys that I've played online with in the past don't get on much anymore.

                    2. I don't really like paying a subscription fee, but I always keep mine current just in case. Thankfully, I don't think I've paid more than $30 for a year of Live in the last 5 years. Any more than that would be too rich for my blood.

                2. Yeah, I think what this means is that you just need the unlock code - printed on the manual - to be able to access everything the game has to offer. If you don't have the code or someone uses it before you do, those (probably non-essential, but fun) missions are locked out to you.

                  1. Ahh, gotcha. Well still, I sit a few years behind on games anyway, so it wasn't really on my list yet.

  6. Haven't been playing any games, but I have been playing game soundtracks. I was tickled when I found out Jonathan Coulton (who opened for TMBG) wrote the Portal end credits track
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RthZgszykLs

    Glad you mentioned game soundracks re: Final Fantasy; there are a TON of great game soundtracks out there, particularly when you consider that games nowadays can gross more than movies, and money is corespondingly being spent on quality composers and musicians, and their OST's packaged for sale as well.

    1. I was tickled when I found out Jonathan Coulton (who opened for TMBG) wrote the Portal end credits track

      Both of them, actually! I actually think I like the second song better than the first.

    2. The American video game industry now, as a whole, does more business than the American film industry in any given year. It's been that way for about five or six years. It's wild.

        1. Like, Pi the Aronofsky film, right? I don't remember the score, but the use of Autechre's "Kalpol Introl" killed me.

    4. Thanks for that, R_R. It reminded me I have "Portal" in my Valve account waiting to download. I got it on the free distribution day awhile back, but it was when my laptop was fubar'd and I never got around to getting it.

    5. I want to get in on the discussion, but this is all I know:
      This song from Elite Gymnastics is based on a sample from a song from Final Fantasy VIII: (Video unrelated)
      httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1odsnOINB90

      1. A quick Googling of what game's he's done suggests that he's top two or three for me, at least, despite not realizing it until this moment.

          1. I can't imagine a single revival that would make me more excited than a new game set in PaRappaTown. Matsuura says he'd like to make one for Vita. I might literally cry tears of joy if that came to pass. I absolutely adore these games (despite the fact that the second half of PaRappa 2 is poo). UmJammer Lammy doesn't get nearly enough love.

            1. Yeah, the second half of the second game did a great job of torching a lot of the love I had for the franchise. Still awesome, though.

              1. It's probably for the best. The first few songs are really, really great, but they just ran out of steam after that it seems. I was crushed. One of my very good friends was a totally huge fan of PaRappa, and he got his hands on the demo of PaRappa 2 that McDonald's in Japan released (with a McDonald's themed Beard Burger Master stage). I watched the video of that level dozens of times, noticing little things in the background, and was so hyped for the game. I bought it, played the first three levels, and then... well... 🙁

                The same friend had a recording of a web stream of a PaRappa concert that Sony put out when I think PaRappa 2 came out in the US. It was totally awesome.

                Also, when he was in Japan, he took pictures of an UmJammer Lammy themed guitar, which I still want to this day.

                1. So I definitely stayed up until like 2 am last night listening to PaRappa music. I wish I had a working PS2 controller so that I could play Lammy. I bought a copy of the Japanese version recently because as much as I love the game, I'd never played it without the edits in the US version. Alas none of my PS2 controllers work. I should take care of this soon.

  8. 14. Students who spend more than two hours a day playing computer and video games score 9.4 percent lower on school exams than students who play no such games.

    The effects of electronic game-playing on academic achievement spark intense debate. A study conducted on students in the U.K. compared the test results of frequent gamers with those of nongamers. “Not a single significant positive correlation was found between gaming frequency and academic performance,” the researchers write. “Excessive videogame playing—like excessive anything—can interfere with schoolwork as well as reading for pleasure, playing outside, sleeping, or interacting directly with friends and families,” says Kennedy-Moore.

    Barry Ip, et al. “Gaming Frequency and Academic Performance.” Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 24 (4), 355-373.

      1. bu-bu-but it will help little Johnny become a better surgeon!!111one111!!!

        btw, I don't take these things too seriously. I have a GOML attitude about video games with my kids (really, just the Boy; the Girl has other time-wasting vices) because I want them out of the house being active. And because I want to watch sports on the downstairs TV. 😉

        1. Whenever our gaming got excessive, our parents (okay, mostly my Dad) imposed a one hour time limit per day. I'm glad he did. We did like to spend a lot of time out of the house anyway, but the time limit practically forced us to read a shit ton of books. The year we got paid to not watch any television for any reason also helped.

          1. This is very similar to my experience. We had 30 acres and a creek to roam around, though, so video games were generally more of a evening activity.

            1. That sounds way more interesting than a street off a very busy road and an alley with a basketball hoop on the garage.

        2. I tend to be on the defensive about video games. I sold them for a long time, and I often heard wild, ridiculous accusations about them that held no water. Mainly, it just annoys me that they take such a hit, despite being no more a drainer of time than other essentially worthless forms of entertainment.

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