I gotta disagree about the VA quality, among English Dubbed series I rank this alongside Persona 4 and 5 in terms of quality, and more importantly the ability of the VA's to really capture and express the full range of emotions of the characters which a lot of dubs don't do so well, being very monotone or one note.
I think we agree about the general points. I find the voice acting, in both languages, to be great! However, the game is not fully voiced despite having more VO than the previous versions. This on & off voice acting, which is prevalent throughout the game, makes the voices one of the weaker aspects of the game. But it’s only weaker due to the story and gameplay being so incredibly strong. And it seems unfair to call the graphics the weakest, since it’s a remaster of a 2013 Vita game, so by default, it falls to the audio. But, again, I don’t find the audio to be bad at all! I actually like it a lot! =]
@@Asai Well let's be honest on why they don't full voice everything, which is the tremendously long script. While I find the gaps annoying too I understand that type of stuff can get really expensive for something the size of Trails, especially in the Japanese VA market. Its why nearly all the NPCS are unvoiced or Falcom could never have given them all their own unique dialogues because the scripts are just that large. They'd blow out their already modest budget as is compared Triple A titles that voice everything but with only a fraction of the NPC dialogues ;)
KrimzonStriker yep! I understand. I’m just judging the game based on the merits of what’s available in the package vs. the introductory cost of playing the game. I’m really excited to play the next three games, in any case! ^_^ thank you again for watching! I hope you enjoyed the video. =]
Laura was my favourite character. I think hers and Rean's interactions were very cute, moreso than Alisa, who seems to be the canon love interest. I really enjoyed the character interactions in general, the NPC dialogue which was varied and interesting. I strongly recommend playing this back to back with Part 2.
@@Asai And of course Trails Of Cold Steel 3 probably in September or October It's so sad that NISA got it instead of Xseed So far many of the Original VA's were confirmed so that's a relief 😁
Excellent review, Tran! Been thinking about trying this recently. Wish I'd found your channel sooner. So it's kinda like a medieval Persona? The social links and such make it seem so. You got my sub, good sir
William Corson haha thanks, dude! And it’s not really medieval, as the setting has technology and such. It’s just like...mechanically akin to Persona in a number of ways. It’s very good, hence why I’ve also reviewed the second and third games as well! Though both contain spoilers for the preceding game by virtue of being sequels.
Playing right now on PC..I am in the middle of chapter 3 after 40 hours (normal defficulty). I am big fan of JRPG games and I dont understand how I didnt play that gem until now..I like it same like I liked FF9 and FFX before 20 years..Great story, characters and famous soundtrack that we loved in gold era of JRPG..unbelievable..it deserves 9/10 for me.
gurukof no, I thought the music was fine! Some music was actually really great! But a lot of the music was just kinda there. It was never bad, and I never disliked it! The music is just the weakest aspect of the game since the gameplay and the story are so incredible! By default, that puts either the audio or the visuals in a weak position, and it seems unfair to call the visuals bad when this is a port of a 2013 Vita game. Haha.
@@Asai well that is true for every jrpg or videogames in general there is. usually best themes are saved for boss battles or intense moments ill give you that btw im not trying to say that your opinion is wrong and mine is right tastes varies from person to person... personally i think the music is amazing but yes there is plenty of themes that are just there like in i think every other game cant think of a single one where i liked every single theme
gurukof haha. I understand! Chalk it up to a simple difference of opinion, I suppose! In any case, I hope that you enjoyed the video and that you continue watching my videos in the future! =] thank you!
Love the review, but is there enough to hook you early on or does it take a while to get going? Because this looks like a long commitment is needed before a pay off.
Allen C oh, thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the review. =] And yeah, the game gets going pretty quickly. By RPG standards, it’s not excessively long, thanks in part to it being a port of a Vita title. And anything that was slow or monotonous in the original version is basically gone in this port thanks to the turbo mode, so the pacing stays pretty consistent throughout, barring a couple of small infractions.
Allen C I actually say how they’re related in this video review. The Trails in the Sky games happen in Liberl, the Ao no Kiseki & Zero no Kiseki games are in Crossbell, and these four titles are in Erebonia. The Sky trilogy happens first, and the Crossbell games happen before and during the events of this game and Cold Steel II & III. Cold Steel IV is culmination of all eight previous Trails titles.
great review, I know you stated the whole legend series is connected to some extent but how important is it to know the story or world development from the past games before playing this? sorry if it was answered in the video.
Matt Odlum that’s a pretty complex question to answer, but I’ll do my best! In short, you don’t NEED to know Trails in the Sky 1, 2, & 3 or Trails of Azure & Trails of Zero to have a great time playing Cold Steel. I know a number of people who haven’t played anything except the Cold Steel games, and they still regard the series quite highly. However, you’ll be completely oblivious to certain things in-game if you don’t know anything from those five games. Past characters will be mentioned with reverence or will even show up with grandeur, and the events of those entries will be mentioned in passing during conversations. All of this is predicated on the user’s existing background knowledge of the overall Zemurian story arc, and the deeper you go into the Cold Steel metaseries, the more prominent this becomes. However, I don’t want to scare you off of playing Cold Steel! Again, you can play these games and enjoy them without any prior knowledge of the series! The games do a great job introducing and reintroducing people, events, and other things from past entries. I’d say if you’re looking to get into it, Cold Steel’s a great starting point. Starting with Cold Steel may even make it easier to jump BACK into Trails in the Sky, since you’ll enter these older titles with a deeper appreciation for the characters and lore. I hope I answered your question well enough! =] thank you for watching, and I hope you continue enjoying content in the future. If you could, please spread the word and share my content around, as it helps grow the channel. ^_^
You did, thanks. Ive been looking for maybe a recap video or something similar on the past games but havent had much luck, tocs 1 is on sale right now and to make things more complicated ni no kuni remaster is also on sale and i dont have enough for both right now.
Matt Odlum that does complicate things! Personally, I love both, but between the two, Cold Steel is better than Ni No Kuni. Ni No Kuni is a bit slow to start, had a really strong middle, and then the end run slows down significantly due to the necessity of grinding. Cold Steel is a much faster game, especially due to having the turbo mode, so it’s an overall easier experience to digest. Plus, with it’s Vita-style design, you can play in long sessions or in short bursts.
just bought cold steel, it was on sale digitally on psstore for about 40cad. i still have a few games on the backlog, notably ffx/x2 AND ff12 zodiac age, i have a bad habit of buying games on sale even when i know itll be a while before i play them lol. but yo've been great dude in helping me decide, ill do what i can im my limited influence to let ppl know about a great jrpg/review youtube channel. thanks again. If u wanna add me on ps im RepublicOfODLUM. Cheers
Good eye! All three of the JRPG series Legend of Heroes, Xanadu, and Ys were developed by the same company, Nihon Falcom! This game’s original version on PS3 and Vita, as well as the sequel Cold Steel II predate the original Tokyo Xanadu. In fact, the character Towa seen in Tokyo Xanadu actually originated in Cold Steel as a supporter, and she was such a popular character that Nihon Falcom brought her over to Tokyo Xanadu. ^_^ if you liked Tokyo Xanadu, I’m sure you’ll like this game, too.
@@Asai I did like it, but I also got it on sale for about $12. Idk if I want to pay $40 for this, but I'm looking for a new RPG with a great story and great characters to get into
@@giovanniruiz73 bro I've been trying to beat this first game since 2016. The only issue I have with this game is the lack of voice acting. But I guess that's because ive been playing on the vita before the ps4 version released. I heard ps4 has more voice acting. What im trying to say is the actual story is good when they're not talking about random shit which they do ALOT and I mean ALOT. The smallest things that happen in the story they have a whole 1hr of random talking ugh!! I roll my eyes all the time lmao. And imagine having to read ALL of it because no voice acting! So id fall asleep while reading the dialogue all the time. Also the story doesn't get interesting till the 3rd chapter. I started over since my last save was at the end I believe and I forgot the story. SO now im on chapter 5 and its still slow. Hears to hoping the Cold steel 2 isn't the same or atleast have voice acting. With that much dialogue they should definitely have voice overs. TF wrong with Nihon Falcom SMH Im only still playing because I heard the ending is GOOD and I want to play the other 3 coming. :)
@@TonyKnight1208 I'm near deaf and old. Reading text and closed captions is how I game. Back in the day, all epic RPGs were text only. Final fantasy didn't have voice acting until part 10. The Trails of Cold Steel games are outstanding. I do think part 1 was a more tightly wound story than part 2, but both are highly recommended. They are a bit expensive at $40 a piece, and you need both to get the entire experience, but it is worth it.
DesMondesBlut I didn’t bash the music. I said it’s fine, but compared to the rest of the game, it’s the weakest part. The gameplay is fantastic, the story is amazing, and the graphics, while also one of the weaker parts, can be 4K60 with PS4 Pro. Comparatively, the score is anywhere from okay to great. The best songs are, like, the Blade theme and Dining Bar F. The weaker songs are, say, the ambient music from walking around in the open road. But it’s okay to have different opinions. =P
The only thing I like this game for is the combat. Story and characters were so annoying and cliche that I lost interest about the time you hit August. It just wasn't for me. I found the characters more annoying than endearing.
That’s fine! Having different opinions is okay. =] we’re not all going to like the same things, and that’s not a bad thing. At least you gave it a shot! Haha.
Kefka2k I didn’t say the music was bad, and I didn’t give it a bad score. I don’t know what you watched, but it wasn’t this video. =P I just said the music is the weakest aspect of the game, not that it was bad.
@@Asai For me the weakest aspect of the game is that you always know what will come..now I mean travel to destination with train, spend there 2 days, do the jobs, go back to school, have a exam, have a free day, go to Old schoolhouse, go to sleep....and again and again..thats what I dont like on this game right now..but its great game I play it now and I am on Chapter 3 spending around 40 hours in the game...nice review btw.
I gotta disagree about the VA quality, among English Dubbed series I rank this alongside Persona 4 and 5 in terms of quality, and more importantly the ability of the VA's to really capture and express the full range of emotions of the characters which a lot of dubs don't do so well, being very monotone or one note.
I think we agree about the general points. I find the voice acting, in both languages, to be great! However, the game is not fully voiced despite having more VO than the previous versions. This on & off voice acting, which is prevalent throughout the game, makes the voices one of the weaker aspects of the game. But it’s only weaker due to the story and gameplay being so incredibly strong. And it seems unfair to call the graphics the weakest, since it’s a remaster of a 2013 Vita game, so by default, it falls to the audio. But, again, I don’t find the audio to be bad at all! I actually like it a lot! =]
@@Asai Well let's be honest on why they don't full voice everything, which is the tremendously long script. While I find the gaps annoying too I understand that type of stuff can get really expensive for something the size of Trails, especially in the Japanese VA market. Its why nearly all the NPCS are unvoiced or Falcom could never have given them all their own unique dialogues because the scripts are just that large. They'd blow out their already modest budget as is compared Triple A titles that voice everything but with only a fraction of the NPC dialogues ;)
KrimzonStriker yep! I understand. I’m just judging the game based on the merits of what’s available in the package vs. the introductory cost of playing the game. I’m really excited to play the next three games, in any case! ^_^ thank you again for watching! I hope you enjoyed the video. =]
Instablaster.
This is a fantastic review dude!! Keep it up. Favourite characters from CS1 are definitely Laura, Fie and Celine 😊😊😃
Laura was my favourite character. I think hers and Rean's interactions were very cute, moreso than Alisa, who seems to be the canon love interest. I really enjoyed the character interactions in general, the NPC dialogue which was varied and interesting. I strongly recommend playing this back to back with Part 2.
Can't wait for Trails Of Cold Steel 2 Relentless Edition next Month 😁
Desmond Pascual me, too! I’m so excited! ^_^
@@Asai
And of course Trails Of Cold Steel 3 probably in September or October
It's so sad that NISA got it instead of Xseed
So far many of the Original VA's were confirmed so that's a relief 😁
Excellent review, Tran! Been thinking about trying this recently. Wish I'd found your channel sooner. So it's kinda like a medieval Persona? The social links and such make it seem so. You got my sub, good sir
William Corson haha thanks, dude! And it’s not really medieval, as the setting has technology and such. It’s just like...mechanically akin to Persona in a number of ways. It’s very good, hence why I’ve also reviewed the second and third games as well! Though both contain spoilers for the preceding game by virtue of being sequels.
Playing right now on PC..I am in the middle of chapter 3 after 40 hours (normal defficulty).
I am big fan of JRPG games and I dont understand how I didnt play that gem until now..I like it same like I liked FF9 and FFX before 20 years..Great story, characters and famous soundtrack that we loved in gold era of JRPG..unbelievable..it deserves 9/10 for me.
Petr Šťastný glad you’re enjoying it! Hope you pick up the rest of the series after you finish this one! ^_^
your reviews are the best 😁👍
Yep
Thank you! I’m glad you like them. I’ll keep cranking them out as fast as I can! Haha. ^_^
Great review video! Thanks!
Jacob Kilpatrick no problem! Check out my other reviews, including the one I did on Cold Steel II! =]
i miss the small skits you did in your old videos and your handsome friend mateo that was in them.
I miss those skits, too. Those were so much fun. Haha.
you didnt like the music??
thats a first
gurukof no, I thought the music was fine! Some music was actually really great! But a lot of the music was just kinda there. It was never bad, and I never disliked it! The music is just the weakest aspect of the game since the gameplay and the story are so incredible! By default, that puts either the audio or the visuals in a weak position, and it seems unfair to call the visuals bad when this is a port of a 2013 Vita game. Haha.
@@Asai well that is true for every jrpg or videogames in general there is. usually best themes are saved for boss battles or intense moments ill give you that
btw im not trying to say that your opinion is wrong and mine is right tastes varies from person to person... personally i think the music is amazing but yes there is plenty of themes that are just there like in i think every other game
cant think of a single one where i liked every single theme
gurukof haha. I understand! Chalk it up to a simple difference of opinion, I suppose! In any case, I hope that you enjoyed the video and that you continue watching my videos in the future! =] thank you!
Love the review, but is there enough to hook you early on or does it take a while to get going? Because this looks like a long commitment is needed before a pay off.
Allen C oh, thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the review. =]
And yeah, the game gets going pretty quickly. By RPG standards, it’s not excessively long, thanks in part to it being a port of a Vita title. And anything that was slow or monotonous in the original version is basically gone in this port thanks to the turbo mode, so the pacing stays pretty consistent throughout, barring a couple of small infractions.
Thanks and also how does this relate if at all to the games on the psp?
Allen C I actually say how they’re related in this video review. The Trails in the Sky games happen in Liberl, the Ao no Kiseki & Zero no Kiseki games are in Crossbell, and these four titles are in Erebonia.
The Sky trilogy happens first, and the Crossbell games happen before and during the events of this game and Cold Steel II & III. Cold Steel IV is culmination of all eight previous Trails titles.
Thank you and now a new sub.
Allen C you’re welcome, and thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy my content in the future. =]
great review, I know you stated the whole legend series is connected to some extent but how important is it to know the story or world development from the past games before playing this? sorry if it was answered in the video.
Matt Odlum that’s a pretty complex question to answer, but I’ll do my best!
In short, you don’t NEED to know Trails in the Sky 1, 2, & 3 or Trails of Azure & Trails of Zero to have a great time playing Cold Steel. I know a number of people who haven’t played anything except the Cold Steel games, and they still regard the series quite highly.
However, you’ll be completely oblivious to certain things in-game if you don’t know anything from those five games. Past characters will be mentioned with reverence or will even show up with grandeur, and the events of those entries will be mentioned in passing during conversations. All of this is predicated on the user’s existing background knowledge of the overall Zemurian story arc, and the deeper you go into the Cold Steel metaseries, the more prominent this becomes.
However, I don’t want to scare you off of playing Cold Steel! Again, you can play these games and enjoy them without any prior knowledge of the series! The games do a great job introducing and reintroducing people, events, and other things from past entries. I’d say if you’re looking to get into it, Cold Steel’s a great starting point. Starting with Cold Steel may even make it easier to jump BACK into Trails in the Sky, since you’ll enter these older titles with a deeper appreciation for the characters and lore.
I hope I answered your question well enough! =] thank you for watching, and I hope you continue enjoying content in the future. If you could, please spread the word and share my content around, as it helps grow the channel. ^_^
You did, thanks. Ive been looking for maybe a recap video or something similar on the past games but havent had much luck, tocs 1 is on sale right now and to make things more complicated ni no kuni remaster is also on sale and i dont have enough for both right now.
Matt Odlum that does complicate things! Personally, I love both, but between the two, Cold Steel is better than Ni No Kuni. Ni No Kuni is a bit slow to start, had a really strong middle, and then the end run slows down significantly due to the necessity of grinding. Cold Steel is a much faster game, especially due to having the turbo mode, so it’s an overall easier experience to digest. Plus, with it’s Vita-style design, you can play in long sessions or in short bursts.
just bought cold steel, it was on sale digitally on psstore for about 40cad. i still have a few games on the backlog, notably ffx/x2 AND ff12 zodiac age, i have a bad habit of buying games on sale even when i know itll be a while before i play them lol. but yo've been great dude in helping me decide, ill do what i can im my limited influence to let ppl know about a great jrpg/review youtube channel. thanks again. If u wanna add me on ps im RepublicOfODLUM. Cheers
Matt Odlum no problem! Enjoy! =] and thank you!
The CS 1 and 2 have good but not excellent music...
Termination slash.
Nah the music is amazing.i loved it.this game is so amazing im mad I just beat today
Excellent review keep it up.
Jeremy Schonbrunner thank you!
Fie is my fav
This game looks a lot like Tokyo Xanadu ex+.
Good eye! All three of the JRPG series Legend of Heroes, Xanadu, and Ys were developed by the same company, Nihon Falcom! This game’s original version on PS3 and Vita, as well as the sequel Cold Steel II predate the original Tokyo Xanadu. In fact, the character Towa seen in Tokyo Xanadu actually originated in Cold Steel as a supporter, and she was such a popular character that Nihon Falcom brought her over to Tokyo Xanadu. ^_^ if you liked Tokyo Xanadu, I’m sure you’ll like this game, too.
@@Asai I did like it, but I also got it on sale for about $12. Idk if I want to pay $40 for this, but I'm looking for a new RPG with a great story and great characters to get into
@@giovanniruiz73 bro I've been trying to beat this first game since 2016. The only issue I have with this game is the lack of voice acting. But I guess that's because ive been playing on the vita before the ps4 version released. I heard ps4 has more voice acting. What im trying to say is the actual story is good when they're not talking about random shit which they do ALOT and I mean ALOT. The smallest things that happen in the story they have a whole 1hr of random talking ugh!! I roll my eyes all the time lmao. And imagine having to read ALL of it because no voice acting! So id fall asleep while reading the dialogue all the time. Also the story doesn't get interesting till the 3rd chapter. I started over since my last save was at the end I believe and I forgot the story. SO now im on chapter 5 and its still slow. Hears to hoping the Cold steel 2 isn't the same or atleast have voice acting. With that much dialogue they should definitely have voice overs. TF wrong with Nihon Falcom SMH Im only still playing because I heard the ending is GOOD and I want to play the other 3 coming. :)
@@TonyKnight1208 I'm near deaf and old. Reading text and closed captions is how I game. Back in the day, all epic RPGs were text only. Final fantasy didn't have voice acting until part 10.
The Trails of Cold Steel games are outstanding. I do think part 1 was a more tightly wound story than part 2, but both are highly recommended. They are a bit expensive at $40 a piece, and you need both to get the entire experience, but it is worth it.
@@giovanniruiz73 oh u beat cold steel 1 and 2 already?
You owned a downvote from me due to bashing the OST... What blasphemy.
DesMondesBlut I didn’t bash the music. I said it’s fine, but compared to the rest of the game, it’s the weakest part. The gameplay is fantastic, the story is amazing, and the graphics, while also one of the weaker parts, can be 4K60 with PS4 Pro. Comparatively, the score is anywhere from okay to great. The best songs are, like, the Blade theme and Dining Bar F. The weaker songs are, say, the ambient music from walking around in the open road.
But it’s okay to have different opinions. =P
Yea the soundtrack is AMAZING!
It's Laura's
The only thing I like this game for is the combat. Story and characters were so annoying and cliche that I lost interest about the time you hit August. It just wasn't for me. I found the characters more annoying than endearing.
That’s fine! Having different opinions is okay. =] we’re not all going to like the same things, and that’s not a bad thing. At least you gave it a shot! Haha.
You lost all credit when you gave it a bad score for music epic fail
Kefka2k I didn’t say the music was bad, and I didn’t give it a bad score. I don’t know what you watched, but it wasn’t this video. =P I just said the music is the weakest aspect of the game, not that it was bad.
@@Asai For me the weakest aspect of the game is that you always know what will come..now I mean travel to destination with train, spend there 2 days, do the jobs, go back to school, have a exam, have a free day, go to Old schoolhouse, go to sleep....and again and again..thats what I dont like on this game right now..but its great game I play it now and I am on Chapter 3 spending around 40 hours in the game...nice review btw.
@Kefka2k You lost all credit when you implied 8.5 is a bad score.