Wizardry I

After completing Breath of Fire 3, I decided to start another classic RPG - Wizardry 1, with the aim of completing 1 through to 5.  I have previously played 1 a few times, first on the Commodore 64 (never finished), then on a old Powermac (completed), and more recently the PC version (completed a couple of years ago). 

I've never started 2, 3, 4 or 5, so am looking forward to them. 

After researching the various versions, many people seem to report that the SNES version is the superior one, so I'm playing that one on an emulator running on my PSP.

 

Character creation, went for a party of 2 fighters, 1 thief, 1 bishop, 1 cleric and one mage.

 

The dungeon proper.  Looks a lot nicer on this version than the DOS one I remember.  So far am not really noticing any differences that matter, just a few little ones, like the @ sign next to Balno above, this signifies that he has enough experience to gain a level.

A terrifying encounter with some skeletons.  Combat at low levels is brutal, you have to make sure you keep a few steps away from the stairs until you have gained a few levels.... 

 

... or this happens.

I seem to remember that spell points are regained automatically in the PC version when you return to town, however in the snes version, you are required to sleep at an inn to get them back.  I wonder if this will affect aging by the time I complete the game(s) or whether they are short enough that it doesn't matter.

I had a minor set back, when my lawful cleric got changed to evil when I attacked a group of friendly monsters ( by accident I swear, I just got a bit carried away hitting the NEXT button and ended up in combat! ).  This means he can't journey with the rest of the group, and I have retired him and created a new one.

I plan to have a few spare characters which I can use for rescue missions in the dungeon (if your whole party is wiped out in the dungeon, their bones remain there for you to discover and bring back to town for resurrection later.)

Breath of Fire 3 - Completed!

.

Since the last posting, I've managed to complete the game.  Be warned, this posting will contain major spoilers about the plot, so read on if you have completed the game, have no intention of playing the game, or just don't care about the plot!

 After travelling through the desert for what seemed like weeks, we came across a monster hiding in a hill.  I was so surprised by the change of scenery, that I completely forgot to grab a screenshot of it.  After defeating it, Nina fell ill due to heatstroke.
  

 After wandering around the camp, I soon came to the realization that the only thing you could interact with was the rakha (camel like creature) that had been helping me cross the desert.  I decided to take a swipe at it with my sword, and it promptly died.

 Felling a little guilty, I butchered my faithful steed.

 Way to rub it in Rei...

 At last, the Oasis.  Unfortunately not much of interest here, so it's off to see the village elder to get information about the next dungeon...

 ... and of course to stock up on items.  My fortune from killing legions of monsters in the desert was soon spend on upgraded weapons and armour for everyone.

 Then it's off we go to a ruined city of the ancients.

 Luckily the main character is well versed in operating ancient computer systems.

 Ok, so apparently we are now on a platform high up in the sky, abandoned by the ancient people eons ago.  This monster must have an exceptionally long life span to sleep for so long, but now we must wake and slaughter him just for his keycard.

 

A horde of fearsome ... CHICKENS??? wtf

 

 OK, now for the rather cliched RPG introspection section.

 A reunion with a character from early in the game, Teepo, Rei's adopted brother.  Unfortunately it is revealed that he is also of the dragon brood, and soon attacks us.

 

Pressing on, we soon come to meet 'god' Myria face to face.  Somewhat to my surprise, we find that she's not some kind of computer, but a angel.  Oh well, can't guess them right all the time.

 

GAME OVER.  

I gave up my dragon powers and lived in the space station with Myria.

Nah, just kidding, I then reloaded and selected not to give up my powers, and, rather predictably, Myria attacks.

 

 After a rather long, but not very challenging, battle, my party triumphs and we escape the space station, and take back control of the world to the hands of humans.

Well, still progressing through the desert of death, keep getting lost and running out of water.  At least the experience is good, with all characters leveling up nicely.  Money isn't bad either.

Moon Tears - one of the more useful items found in the desert

Drak

 This firebreathing desert lizard is somehow unable to attack in the first round of combat due to being overcome by the heat, something that doesn't seem to affect my rather overdressed party!

One of the random drops gave me some royal armor, the best armor I've found to date.

 My thoughts exactly.  The whole desert sequence feels unnecessary and overly long. 

 Hey, this is new, a big monster popping out of a hill, maybe this means progress at last!

Breath of Fire 3

The first game I'm posting about is Breath of Fire 3.  Originally a Playstation 1 game, it was ported to the PSP in Europe/Oceania.  I've been playing it for quite a while now, and am currently wandering through a massive desert.

The Valiant Heroes

Nearly there

I've been walking around this desert for about 4 hours real time now, trying to follow the stars, but so far am not getting anywhere.  The screen shot above is one of the more exciting ones, being in the daytime, unfortunately I ran out of water before making it to the oasis, maybe next time!

Posioned again

Every couple of minutes you are forced into a battle area, where there is always a bag containing either a healing herb, a multivitamin or a fishing lure (why someone has scattered fishing lures all over the desert I'm unsure about).

Hopefully I will progress more and leave the desert soon.

Blog Redirection

I've decided to use this blog  as a sort of diary of my gaming time.  I play a variety of games on quite a few systems, and plan to update the page with progress through the games I play (mainly jRPG's).