Best Way to Play Ys?

fake

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Hey guys,

I've always meant to try out Ys. I usually like to play games in chronological (in terms of release, not in-game lore) order. It sounds like there are a bunch of versions of the original game: Original Turbo (I don't have a Turbo; I've got a PCE CoreGrafx), Virtual Console, PSP, and PC / Steam. Which do I go with? And what other Ys games are worth playing if I dig this?

Thanks!
 
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Taiso

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The original Ys and Ys 2 have numerous iterations but honestly, the game is such a bare bones affair that any version is fine.

I played Ys Chronicles on GOG.com to experience the first two games. But honestly, I haven't played a bad Ys game yet and I've played most of them. They're all good in their own way.
 

greedostick

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the turbo cd y's book 1 and two is superior in my book.

If you are looking for a newer on y's celceta on vita is awesome.

I would play book 1 & 2 first on turbo, then translated y's 4 on pc engine, then celceta, then the psp games, especially y's seven. Then y's 3 on turbo.

The snes y's games that were not realesed on pc engine I have never played. But what taiso said is true. They are all great games.
 

LoneSage

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A guy who posted his dick here is a translator for the games now
 

NGCDFreak

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I played it on the Master System and Genesis when I was little that's all I know about the Y's series.
 

Tung Fu ru

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I've only played y's I&II and Oath in Felghana on PC so far. Those games a great. I also have The Ark of Napishtim and Origins downloaded on Steam, still need to play those. I'm pretty sure most of, if not all of the y's games that are available on Steam are currently on sale until the 4th.

From what I've played, these games are great and I'm amazed that these don't get more attention. I wish there was a more complete collection available on PC. I don't have a PCE or PSP. Sure there is always emulation.... But I would much rather Falcom get some of my money to help support the franchise. They deserve it.
 

ki_atsushi

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The Master System version of Ys is great if you have access to the FM sound.

But the best way to play I & II is on Turbo Duo. III is best on SNES imo.
 
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Tron

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Original Ys series pc-engine all the way Ys 1&2,Ys III and Ys IV.Unless you want it modern the remakes are good Ys 1&2 chronicles and Ys the oath in felghana are excellent to.Most of the modern Ys are on steam and psp as well.Falcom also has another Ys in development for PS4 and vita.
 
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k'_127

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I was in the same situation a few years back and did some research on the series. You can find the highlight below. Played through Ys 1-3, and I'm currently trying to find a way to play a translated rom of Ys 4 (PCE CD).

Before you start, just know that you would spend a lot of time grinding for EXP and money. You can refer to this article for details about each release:

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ys/ys.htm


--------------------------------------------- ~ Ys Book I&II ~ ---------------------------------------------


Ported to and remade on countless platforms. The ones you may want to consider are:

TG16 CD (Available on Wii VC):

ys1tg16-comp.png


This is probably the best choice, and the one I went for. I enjoyed it so much, apart from the last dungeons of each game, and that's mainly because of their length and difficulty. They take up to about 50% of their games. I ended up using savestats.



Ys Chronicles on PSP / Steam:

ys1psp-compa.jpg


Easily accessible on PC or PSP (which you would need for Ys7). Aside from the graphics and artwork update, the gameplay and story remain almost the same. I prefer the 16-bit graphics, so I went with that.


--------------------------------------------- ~ Ys III ~ ---------------------------------------------


Available on SNES, Genesis, TG16-CD, and PS2 (JP-only), and remade on PC and PSP as Ys Oath in Filghana. Recommendations:


TG16-CD:

ys3pce-06.png


The only side-scroller from the classic releases, and it has mixed feedback. I personally enjoyed it. You may also want to check the PS2 version with the updated graphics, but I keep hearing bad stuff about the PS2 remakes, and they are Japan-only anyways.


Ys Oath in Filghana on PC / PSP:

ysfelghanapsp-compa.jpg


This is a complete graphics / gameplay overhaul, but it basically shares the same story as the original. It's highly regarded and most of those who played it praised it, including fans of the original.


--------------------------------------------- ~ Ys IV ~ ---------------------------------------------


This is probably where shit really hits the fan. There 4 different versions, and each has its own story events. Aside from the Vita one, they all remained Japan-only.


Ys IV: Dawn of Ys - PC Engine CD:

ys4pce-30.png


It's been regarded as the definitive version, but now that the Vita game is out, I don't know how it fares against that.


Ys IV: Mask of the Sun - SFC:

ys4sfc-19.png


Considered inferior to the PCE CD version graphics and soundtrack wise, but you may want to give it a shot due to the different story events.


Ys IV remake on PS2:

ys4ps2-comp1a.jpg


The least liked out of the 4.


Ys IV: Memories of Celceta - PS Vita

celceta-23a.jpg


Although it can be played on PS TV now, I'm still hoping for a port on Steam or PS4. It mostly got high scores from reviewers.
 
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k'_127

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--------------------------------------------- ~ Ys V ~ ---------------------------------------------


ys5sfc-09.png


This is still the only entry that has no release outside Japan. It was on SFC, and it also got PS2 remake, but as mentioned earlier, these remakes have bad reputation. You can find fan-translated roms of the SFC one:

ys5ps2-compare1.jpg



--------------------------------------------- ~ Ys VI:The Ark of Napishtim ~ ---------------------------------------------


ys6win-29.jpg


Available on PS2, PSP and recently released on Steam.


--------------------------------------------- ~ Ys Seven ~ ---------------------------------------------


ys7-01a.jpg


Currently only on PSP. Like most other recent releases, it mostly got high scores.


--------------------------------------------- ~ Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana ~ ---------------------------------------------


ss-047.jpg

Upcoming title. Judging from videos, it doesn't look that promising.
 
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Jon

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I highly recommend Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim on PS2. There's actually a code you enter at the beginning of the game so, you can play different versions of the game. The one I recommend is the PC release with Japanese audio and anime cutscenes. The opening is amazing and every character in the game is voiced...one of the very few games that has this feature.



Jon
 

Ip Man

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in terms of the early y's games, the pc engine had the best representation with anime cutscenes and quality audio.

 

DNSDies

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I fucking love Ys.

For Ys 1 and 2, TG16 CD is the best "old style" version. It has the same aesthetic of late 80s, early 90s anime.
Ys Chronicles on Steam/PSP is a very faithful remake with a more modern art style. I personally think it also has the best version of the soundtrack, and you can freely switch between soundtrack revisions in the options menu.

Ys 3 is best experienced through Oath in Felghana. The original versions are pretty bad. PSP or Steam are equally good.

Ys 4 has 3 versions of the story. The PC Engine version (Dawn of Ys), SNES version (Mask of the Sun) and PS Vita version (Memories of Celceta). Celceta is considered canon and takes story elements from both Dawn and Mask. Dawn and Mask play like older Ys games, while Celceta uses the updated system from Ys 7 where you control multiple characters.

Unless you know Japanese, the translated Super Nintendo version of Ys 5 (Lost Kefin) is the only version.

Ys 6 is best played on PS2.
The PC version on Steam has fewer features, and the PSP version is a hot mess and runs at sub-20 FPS frequently. It's shit.

Ys 7 is PSP only unless you're LoneSage.

Play Ys 1 and 2 first and in order. There's no grand story linking them other games, and only Ys 1 and 2 have direct links to each other. There are some links between Ys 6 and 7, but nothing major.
 

oliverclaude

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III is best on SNES imo.

Interesting, I played both, but the Genesis version felt better. Those FM pieces are stellar, controls more responsive than SNES & the challenge is put higher (more enemies in dungeons). Genny's resolution and scrolling were, as always, ace. But now I'm curious to try the SNES version again.
 

ki_atsushi

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Interesting, I played both, but the Genesis version felt better. Those FM pieces are stellar, controls more responsive than SNES & the challenge is put higher (more enemies in dungeons). Genny's resolution and scrolling were, as always, ace. But now I'm curious to try the SNES version again.

SNES has better cutscenes and graphics overall. I usually like FM tunes better than SNES samples, but in this case SNES wins in this regard too.

I think whoever translated the SNES version did a better job with the names and such. Otherwise they play almost exactly the same.

PC Engine CD-ROM version obviously has the best soundtrack, but the sound effects are shit and the side-scrolling is jumpy.
 

DNSDies

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Ys III is the worst Ys.
There's no reason to play it over Oath in Felghana except to provide context proving how incredible Oath is.

It's the Adventures of Link of the Ys series.
 

K-2

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I can hook you up with a copy of the English turbo game, just give the word.

I would recommend the Wii Virtual console as well, if you don't have a Duo. Don't play the modern trash redos.
 

ki_atsushi

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Ys III is the worst Ys.
There's no reason to play it over Oath in Felghana except to provide context proving how incredible Oath is.

It's the Adventures of Link of the Ys series.

Wrong on all counts.
 

fake

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Thanks for all the info, guys! So the TG16 version has aged well and is a better choice than the Steam version?
 

ki_atsushi

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Yeah, the Duo version of I&II are tops! Such an excellent soundtrack. :buttrock:

If this doesn't pump you up, nothing will:

 
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fake

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Ha, I'm sold! One day I'll get a Duo-R. 'Til then, it's Virtual Console.
 

Tron

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in terms of the early y's games, the pc engine had the best representation with anime cutscenes and quality audio.

Beside really good voice acting which was rare for the time.Then there's Ys III on the pce it's voice acting is so bad it's hilarious.
 
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