mattrob24

Grant DaNasty...'nuff said.

@Gitaroo_Dude

Correct, sir. Besides, I'm willing to bet more ppl have easy access to Super Mario RPG than Ys Book I & II. So I'm VERY glad it came out on Virtual Console.

@Sharecrow

Thanks. Now if only NES Willow would be released on Virtual Console. Never going to happen, I know. It's an old licensed game. Oh well.

Your avatar is excellent as well. I'm looking forward to Dragon Quest 4 on DS in the next few weeks. Then Chrono Trigger DS in late November, I believe.

@Andrew

I'd say you could play through both Ys I and Ys II in about 12-15 hours.

@MickeyMac:

For clarification, in Ys II, you get magic. Then you don't always have to get close to the enemy.

And as Corbie stated, the dungeons aren't randomly generated. In fact, here are some decent maps:

http://www.vnoteschronicle.com/ys_book_i_ii.htm

There are one or two minor missteps and omissions in the walkthrough. Just FYI.

@tnk4god

Opinions vary.

I think the combat system is fine. To paraphrase what I've already stated in my comments under the review, it's kinda fun to plow through enemies as you level up. Most of the time, it's like a pushing match. I think it's fairly enjoyable. It makes level-grinding a little less time-consuming and tedious. Essentially, it gives the game a snappier pace.

It's a nice change from other action RPG's. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad.

@Tweek

It's not as bad as it sounds. Actually, it can be quite satisfying to plow through enemies as you level up.

Most of the time, it's a bit like a pushing match. It's actually pretty fun. It makes level-grinding a little less time-consuming and tedious.

@GarrettCRW

Good call, sir.

Finally! I've been waiting for this game since I first saw it on the "Coming Soon" list for North America back in February.

Everything from the original version seems to be intact.
CD audio tracks = check.
Anime cinematics = check.
Spoken Dialogue = check.

A great piece of video gaming history, particular for action-RPG fans.

This game blew my mind back in 1991. While it may be somewhat difficult to fully appreciate by today's standards, this game was ahead of its time. It had outstanding CD audio music, numerous spoken dialogue sequences, and cool anime cinematics. There was nothing else like it, at that time.

The game is pretty fun too, once a person gets acclimated to the combat mechanic (walking into enemies, similar to Hydlide on the NES, but WAY better). I still think this game has the best music ever in a video game. Final Fantasy 7 and Actraiser's music are a close second and third for me <G>.

Interestingly enough, Yuzo Koshiro was a member of the team who composed the music for Ys Book I & II. He was the composer for Actraiser, Streets of Rage (a.k.a. Bare Knuckles) and Super Adventure Island.

As a few others have stated already, it's disappointing that we didn't get Ys Book I & II. Every Monday morning, I check to see if it's been added to NA VC, to no avail. After three weeks of let-downs, I'm not holding my breath for next week.

@Mr. Cheez: Sorry, there were so many replies to this topic that I missed your original statement.

Great minds think alike? <G>

I was under the impression Nintendo didn't allow NES Bionic Commando on Virtual Console because it would be promoting the new current-gen Bionic Commando coming out on non-Wii consoles.

Knowing the arrogance of Nintendo, they probably released different games to thumb their noses at gamers and give the publishers a "slap on the wrist" for leaking release information. "We'll show you, pitiful game publishers! We are the almighty, can-do-no-wrong NINTENDO!!!!!"

The five that I submitted were:

1) Rygar (NES)
2) Crystalis (NES)
3) River City Ransom (NES)
4) Willow (NES)
5) Ys Book I & II (Turbo CD)

I realize Willow is a long-shot.