HD Remaster Of Grandia And Dreamcast Sequel Revealed For Nintendo Switch

This made me cry nostalgic tears... I can't wait to play both of these :3

I already played both and I really wanna know how they look in HD.

I cross my fingers for a physical release. Can't wait to see more.

Dope! I've heard a lot of great things about this series so I can't wait to finally try these games out.

I played this on the Playstation a very long time ago and got about 70% in before I stopped. Never played the second one. Might finally finish them now. This and Tales of Vesperia (which I never played) are amongst my most anticipated releases.

This is why it's good that the console is selling so well, because it encourages more gems like these to be released for it.

I've heard so much about this series. Might finally give it a try!

::Sploosh::

Omg. I'm loving the switch more and more.

Keep the Rpgs coming

Is this entire day a direct in disguise?

Isn't this series is a trilogy? Will the 3rd installment be sold separately at full price or not come at all?

It's good to have some old good games, but what Switch really needs are new titles, AAA and AA, not only from Nintendo, its 2nd party devs & most loyal 3rd parties, but also from as much other developers as possible.

I want DIGIMON!

Now THIS is great news. Probably the best news of the moment, even compared to all the already nice announcements.

Grandia was one of my favorites and surely still ranks amongst the best jRPGs, and I would LOVE to see it come back in all its HD-ified glory, so I can't wait. I do hope it's a physical release, though...

@DigiF4N I never played these games because i didn't know their existence, but i want an actual Digimon game! I'm starting with Digimon Survive!

I have Grandia 2 on DC. I still have yet to finish it.

good move from sega, i always stated that sega needs to bring these type of quality dc titles to the nintendo switch.
they will make alot of money this way.
and remastering games will slightly refill sega's wallet, so they can take on bigger productions in the future.

grandia (especially part 2) is one of the best rpg i've ever played. maybe a bit of sentiment for the dc, okay, but still a darn good rpg.
if its a remake i deffinetly gonna buy it first hand. full price!! they already own my money.

Oh my goodness. I can't wait for this. I played the PS1 version on PS3, but I am eager to play a HD remaster on the Nintendo Switch.

@oji the 3rd game isnt that good. Wouldn't worry about not getting it.

Grandia II is awesome. I have the Japanese Dreamcast version. Never played it in English. Got near the end but stuck on one crazy hard boss. Will be good to play on switch in English

I'd hardly say there is an "abundance" of JRPGs on the Switch. Not even close. There are a handful at best. More are always welcome! I don't know anything about these titles, but I will be interested to hear more.

Now the people are talking to me through the tv screen

I've never even heard of these games, but they're on my radar now.

Will keep an eye on this. I've only heard good things from these games.

So are these great RPGs? Or are they just great in the nostalgic sense?

@Heavyarms55 I think for somebody like myself who is time-poor, a small quantity of high quality titles is preferable to being flooded with mediocre titles.

Definitely looking forward to this Grandia, though OctoTrav and Dead Cells are taking up most of my time...plus my son has just discovered FIFA, so that is a huge time sink for us.

@NinjaWaddleDee Great like Beetlejuice or great like Last Starfighter?

Grandia II was my first RPG that wasn't Pokemon. It was such a fun game.

I'm extremely happy about this.

Hopefully they fix the sync issues with some of the music in the second game though. There were some issues with the PC(steam) version that they could never quite get ironed out.

@NinjaWaddleDee Grandia 2 is great (I never played the first). There are a lot of JRPG tropes, but the battle system is unique and a lot of fun. It's sort of real time, but action pauses for your characters turn, then once you choose your action, things start playing out in real time again. It leads to some tense moments where you might see an enemy about to hit you with a big attack, and you are praying you're turn comes up in time to block or counter. It adds tension to the battles that is often lacking from a normal turn based game, but allows for more strategy than you generally see in a real time one.

@RailX Oh I always prefer quality to quantity. I only mentioned it because saying there is an abundance makes it sound like there really are a lot of them, but compared to some other genres like fighting games, Roguelikes/Roguelites, Metroidvania's and side scrolling indie platformers, there are only a few JRPGs.

Though it is far from the least represented genre too. Hardly any traditional FPS titles and there are basically no city builders or competitive card games.

Fuuuu- I never shoulda bought Grandia II Remastered. I don't play PC games, and it just wound up taking up space on my PC that eventually had to eleviate, and I eventually forgot it was a thing. If there's ever a physical edition, I'd buy it in a heartbeat...if not, it'll just be a reminder that I already bought them, and need to get around to playing them someday...

For all of those wondering about just how good or how great the Grandia games really were, or if it's just comments from people with nostalgia-influenced opinions, here is some info you might find interesting and/or helpful:

Grandia review scores: 9,2/10 GameSpot, 9/10 IGN, 89% Metacritic
Grandia 2 review scores: 7,9/10 GameSpot, 7/10 IGN, 80% Metacritic

In my view, the lower scores for the second game (originally released on the Dreamcast) is because of the too early demise and low market share of Sega's last console, but they don't mean that it's a lesser game than the first Grandia. In fact, they improved upon pretty much everything in the second installment.

So, in short, anyone even remotely interested in the jRPG genre, could do FAR worse than getting either or both of the Grandia games.
In fact, I would even go as far as to say that they are must-haves for fans of the genre.

And to answer another question I saw floating around: yes, there is also a third installment in the series, which came out on the PS2 and PS3, but that didn't really do all that well (7,6/10 GameSpot, 6/10 Eurogamer, 77% Metacritic), so it's not a huge loss if that isn't coming to the Switch.

In closing, here are the video reviews of both games. That should give all you interested and/or wondering/curious people a good idea of what to expect:

WOW!!! THE CLASSICS JUST DONT STOP COMING FOR THE SWITCH!!!!!

This came out of nowhere, I love it

NO FREAKING WAY. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS REAL. Two of my favorite games from my youth, long forgotten by most, are making a return to one of the greatest systems ever made...and will be portable. I never in a million years thought this could happen. I'm speechless...and SOOO stoked!!!

The switch is basically proof you should always own a PlayStation 😊

Hopefully this means we finally get a new Grandia at some point

GRANDIA 2 is excellent.

I'm glad they are remaking this series. I was just thinking about downloading DC and playing some of the the great games on it, like this and AFO. I can't wait for these.

These games are wonderful. If you've never played them, you should do yourself a favor and check out at least the first one.

F— really?

Yeah, alright. Alright.

@DigiF4N Isn’t that just a copy of Pokémon? Sorry if that comes off harsh I don’t mean it that way I just haven’t played them and that’s what I’ve heard.

Now all we need is Skies of Arcadia and I'm good.

I can't recall which game Grandia was, I played a bunch of JRPG back then that kind of run together in my head, but they were all pretty good back then so it can't be bad. Can be very dated though w/ those graphics. If it is the game w/ kid sister Sue and the big wall it was a standout among even those games, always confuse it with Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete.

Grandia 2 was a standout, DC was a huge step up. The only thing bad anyone said about it was the linearity, which I didn't mind, found it refreshing, but it is very story driven. Still one of my favorite ever battle systems. @judaspete explained it really well. May not be impressive for anyone who has played Xenoblade Chronicles but for it's time I hadn't played anything like it. I'll never forget those sneakers that let you move fast, nullifying so many enemy attacks before they could pull them off.

Not sure I have the time to replay them, but I'll recommend both to my kids.

OOOOOOOOOO TWO OF MY MOST LOVED RPGS....today just gets better.

Yes the original Grandia was a masterpiece of sprite based RPG, I would definitely buy that day one when it release for Switch as well as the Dreamcast sequel which though wasn't well receive is still a fine RPG. Still got Grandia 1 on my original PS1 and Grandia 2 for my Dreamcast but to have them on the go soon is a fanboy dream come true.

Just look at these awesome screenshots of the original Grandia on Sega Saturn, what an epic masterpiece of sprite based RPG, the sad part is western Sega Saturn owners never got to experience this gem of a game due to Sega of Japan's stupid decision not to focus on RPGs for the western market.

Must buy this. Looking forward to playing as Justin and Ryudo again. It’s been too long.

The only bad things about these games IMO is that the beginnings are quite slow to hook the player and that you can’t return to previous stages once you complete the objective. The game keeps pushing you forward.

thats great news I played both on ps1 & dreamcast. now for a cherry on the cake how about sticking them both on a retail cart!

Never played but super hyped to finally do play! Awesome news.

@Cobalt will cross mine as well since I only buy physical games

The PS2 port of Grandia 2 was awful. I only played it because at the time I was a die-hard jrpg fan and did not have a Dreamcast. That said, these games were okay but not good enough to warrant returning to after all these years.

@NinjaWaddleDee I played the original 5 or 6 years after it was released and I thought it felt dated even then.

so what about grandia 3 and Grandia Xtreme? this was my jam back when i was into rpgs, it's a shame this won't be on ps4 as it's also a playstation title.

@paihia only problem is that they will do half digital on switch, i want a physical release so i really do hope they release this on ps4 too.

@ThanosReXXX i still have my original copies of grandia on ps1 and grandia 2 on ps2, and grandia 3 and Xtreme too, played all of them.

@huyi Source?

source for what?

Was going to get the Dreamcast version buuuuuuuuuuut...

Cool. Never played these games, but I'll probably pick up the collection on Switch at some point.

We have Grandia on saturn and ps1 and Grandia 2 on dc/ps2/steam. Grandia 2 is awesome. I can't wait to play it on switch. I wonder if they're release them digital only or physically?

@feder we won't know till later on this year hopefully physical for both unless they are lazy.

Grandia is my favorite series in gaming. I don't think I'm capable of reacting without looking like a huge fanboy.

Grandia is long overdue for a remastering. Can’t wait to replay it.

@huyi half digital downloads oh man Im getting over that practice

@huyi That only one game is physical

It will be Grandia II anniversary edition, though... So it won't look as vibrant as the DC version.

@RailX
So great or...great?

@NinjaWaddleDee I think the original Grandia is one of the only RPGs in which I’ve actually really looked forward to getting in a turn based battle. It’s a genuinely fun and involved system that rewards your time.

The story and characters are pretty good fun too.

I probably wouldn’t quite put it in the very top tier of jRPGs but it’s definitely towards the top of the second tier.

Whaaat! This is absolutely supreme

Next up Skies of Arcadia please.

Great time to be a jrpg fan

I played a bit if grandia ii on pc and was enjoying it but I stopped at a difficulty spike boss and never got into it again.
But now I can grind on the go! Count me in day one baby

@Agramonte Lol, that makes no sense!

Grandia II was awesome on the Dreamcast, I’ll definitely be grabbing this once it’s out.

@SimplyCinnamon53 hi, bandai namco announced it that they're making Digimon Survive for the Switch, it's on Nintendo Life too, but yeah they said it's coming out sometime next year

Expect an early Winter, with lots of snow! Seriously these are 2 of my favorite RPGs of all time and I revisit them once every 3 years or so (just finished G2 on Dreamcast last weekend!) My favorite battle system in a turn based RPG and I'm all over this on Switch. Anybody who has even a modest interest in RPGs should give these games a shot.

@paihia I believe that's what they will do, they hadn't said if these would be a collection or not so let's hope it won't be.

Hopefully physical release with both on one cartridge. Switch gets better and better

Grandia 2 is in my top 3 RPG's of all time, can't wait for this!

If I hear another 'physical release' comment...God help me. Our future should be one of reducing unnecessary plastic packaging, not promoting it.

Excellent news! Third parties really are delivering on Switch. I've never played so many 3rd party games.

Great news, I love Grandia II. And anything to boost the mediocre at best numbers of jRPGs on the Switch is a good thing.

Cya
Raziel-chan

This is a surprise, I do have bit of love-hate relationship with the first game thanks to its godawful character progression system, otherwise the game is very solid though. Grandia 2 isn't quite as amazing all around as the first one, but it also doesn't have a similarly large negative holding it back as the first game.

I think I will double dip on both, at the very least I appreciate having these games on 60HZ.

Damn... I remember buying Grandia 2 when I was 19. I finished the game in 3 days and it suddenly became my favorite rpg of all times. I’m talking about sixteen years ago.

Holy crap... I remember spending a lot of money to import Grandia for Saturn and having my mind blown all over my face, only to give up partway through because I didn't speak any Japanese. Then I bought the sequel for Dreamcast and never got around to playing it because I was busy finding a way to move away to Japan. I will totally buy these games for my Switch so that I can probably never get around to playing them all over again!

This is great news especially as it seems to be an exclusive to the Switch. Ill put this on the list of games to get.

Push those console sales.

I remember my brother playing Grandia 2, but I haven't played any of the games myself. Very much looking forward to this!

@retro_player_22 I'm really excited for this, and hopefully it is a remaster of the Saturn and not ps1 version. My only issue is that we haven't really seen any remasters similar to this (2D sprites in 3D environment), so Indo wonder how the remaster will look. I'd like a little bit more info on the technical aspects of this, as I'd hate to see an FF6 and Chrono Trigger mess made of it.

Hype!!!! Grandia II is one of my favourite RPGs of all time! 😍😍😍

Is there a video of this on the switch?

WOW!! That is fantastic news and something I totally did not expect to happen. Two of the finest JRPS I've played. Truly classic, great games. This kind of stuff happening is why I love this industry.

Never played Grandia but I've heard grand things about it. Looks like this'll be my chance to get in on the fun.

Now we just need Skies of Arcadia and I won't have much reason to still have a Dreamcast.

These games so reminds me of Secret Of Mana.

Yep im defo buying them. I've never played before anyway but watching some vids, defo looks like my typa game.

@Onion If we did get Skies of Arcadia I hope they make the battle system work a little quicker, especially those air ship battles - I remember it saying "calculating damage" for absolutely ages which spoiled some of the fun.

I have Grandia 1 & 2 on PS3 but haven't played them yet. Think I might as well wait for the remaster as it's likely to be better.

The PS2 version of Grandia 2, although had more cinematics, was an awful port with horrendous FPS dips compared to the Dreamcast. I got a US PS2 though just so I could play Grandia Extreme & Grandia 3.

Now these are classics I can get behind. I never did finish Grandia II. Loved both games...and it's been ages so I'm likely to add them to my collection when the time comes.

Never played them,but I consider myself a rpg fan. So I'm excited to see how it will look

This .... is.... a ..... must... buy.......drool....must have this game on the switch!

I wonder if the original Grandia that being HD remasted is going to be based off the Sega Saturn version or the Sony PlayStation version. Also I hope that this bundle will include translated version of the Saturn exclusive Grandia Digital Museum in this releases.

@wazlon

The GC version fixed that, but the sound quality is a little worse due to the audio having to be compressed to fit on the GC discs.

@LaytonPuzzle27

I hope its the superior Sega Saturn version since they can't (unless they got permission) use Sony's localization from the 1999 version.

Still a damn good game and my top jrpg of all time behind Skies of Arcadia, Lunar 1/2, Chrono Trigger, and Phantasy Star IV.

Also, RIP the vocal OST that came with my Dreamcast copy of Grandia 2. It got caught in a fire in the break room at Kroger in late 2001.

I'm interested in this I've always heard these are great, but haven't ever gotten around to playing them.

@siouxrunner15 No, there's no video yet, but I did post video reviews of both games in comment #30, to give you an idea. Seeing as the new versions will be HD makeovers, they will probably look quite a bit cleaner and sharper.

In the second video, at the end, there's also a comparison between the three versions of Grandia 2 that came out so far, so that should also give you a good idea about what we can probably expect.

Great, because I don't have either and now they're too expensive. And the first is in Japanese, because being a Saturn player I won't buy the PlayStation version.

Now let's see if it comes with a retail edition.

I wonder if it'll see a retail release some day

I remember watching my friend play the first grandia on Playstation back in the day. I can’t remember why I never played it at his house, it was not his own copy so he couldn’t let me loan it. Anyway, I never played these so I think it’s awesome that they are playable on a modern hardware. Definitely gonna pick these up .

@Onion I've only played the Gamecube version of Skies of Arcadia (Legends) and I still found it slow. Just looked how much it would cost to buy and I'm beginning to regret trading in my copy years ago

Next, it's time for Dragon Force to be brought to the switch.

I enjoyed Grandia 2 on the DC even though I never finished it - needless to say I'm looking forward to these.

Ooo! I never played the first game, but I absolutely loved the second game. Fantastic music, an unique (at least at the time) battle system, and I think one of the first video games I came across that actually had good voice acting (though granted I don't know if that's nostalgia speaking or not).

Never played 3 or Xtreme either. Apparently 3 wasn't the greatest according to the comments here, but how was Xtreme?

OMG! OMG! OMG! The original Grandia absolutely my favourite game ever. Originally played this same kinda time as Ocarina of Time. Now Ocarina is an outstanding masterpiece. But I love Grandia, and my top game ever (Skies of Arcadia being joint for the top spot). Such a surprise. And with the ShenMue upgrades... what a week.

@PALversusNTSC Sega doesn't hold any rights to the Grandia titles, it was already ported to PC and PS2 in 2001/2002. Sooo if you want to thank someone, thank Square Enix (the current holders of the franchise).

Also I'm cautiously optimistic (or should I say "rather worried"), as this port is going to be handled by the same company that did the Anniversary Edition, which was arguably better than the 2002 PC port, but was still very lacking in some areas (badly looped music and a lot, I mean a lot, of sound playback issues). Grandia II on the Dreamcast is still one of my all time favourite titles, so I'd hate to see it receiving the same lousy treatment on the Switch. Curious about the HD release of Grandia 1 as well (as you might've guessed, it's also one of my all time fav Saturn games).

And while we're at it... Skies of Arcadia 2/HD when?

I have never played these. Are they really that good? I may look into getting these when they release.

Heard only good things about the series. Grandia (Sega Saturn) was Game of the Month in several videogame magazines I bought back in the day. It pushed some good N64 games away and was, just like Square's Final Fantasy VII and Konami's Suikoden one of the very best JRPGs that you could buy in that generation.

Grandia 2 is one of my top 15 RPGs of all time (if not top 10).

So excited for these. Kind of sad 3 isn't included since I never beat it. But it wasn't as good as the first two.

Skies of Arcadia rerelease and new sequel next please.

Grandia 2 on Dreamcast had a good story and characters, a real sense of adventure and discovery (despite being fairly linear by modern standards). Not a hard JRPG, and not excessively long, if I recall correctly. I’d love a chance to revisit it.