Is Skies of Arcadia really as good as everyone says it is?

So the other day I stopped by the local game store and bought myself a Dreamcast with an extra controller and two VMU's. As soon as I got the system bagged I went over to check out the DC games on the shelf, but unfortunately all they had were a million copies of NFL 2K and not much else...

So as soon as I got home I looked up top games on the Dreamcast and I kept noticing that Skies of Arcadia was pretty much on every single list of the best DC games ever. Despite the fact that most of my favorite games of all time are SNES JRPG's like Earthbound and Chrono Trigger, I just never got around to playing SoA for some reason...

Is this game really that good? Has it really aged that well since it came over 15 years ago? Most mint copies of the game usually sell for around $70-$80 which is pretty damn steep for an old game but if the game really matches it's legacy than I won't mind taking the plunge.

What are the good and bad things about it? Give me an idea of what to expect!

Note: I only own Skies of Arcadia Gamecube version, I had a Dreamcast (still have that lovely machine) I haven't played the Dreamcast version at it's time, but the only edge the Dreamcast seems to have over the Gamecube seems to be the soundtrack - music is a definitely worse than the original Dreamcast version from what I'm told. Not unlistenable, but markedly worse. Otherwise, I would think that the Gamecube is a more full gameplay experience on the whole then the DC version.

Gamecube port:

• reduced encounter rate, compared to what is generally agreed to be the Dreamcast's high encounter rate
• graphics touched up
• additional sidequests, battles

Now then about the actual game to you're question: It's a fun game with some good elements, some even very original, and gives you a great sense of exploration and adventure. It just bogs itself down with an archaic battle system and plot conveniences that, by half way, you can see coming a mile away. Great ideas, even better atmosphere, just mismanaged. It's a good game but 2 things I didn't like about it are: 1-Too many random battles but then again, it's a RPG thing after all and 2-Ship battles took way too long in my opinion. I believe most people on here would consider it a good game. I think it would be hard to find someone who considers this game bad, but there are a few who dislike it. I think it has one of the better RPG stories out there, and in my opinion. The main thing Skies of Arcadia does well is it's theme. Pirates, adventure, etc. The game captures that "feeling" rather well. More so in the later parts of the game than the earlier.

Well that's it, hope this info helps and after reading you're thread, i still got my GC hook up to another HDTV and I think I'll replay Skies of Arcadia at some point.

@Simulator_Shock: It's very good. I played it back in the day and loved it, then revisited the game on the gamecube recently and found out the game play has aged pretty well. The ship combat is still unique and finding hidden islands is fun. Definitely worth picking up if you're getting into Dreamcast.

I would agree with the above poster criticisms though. It is easy to run from battle though iirc. Ship battles can be very long, especially fights where there is a trick you have to figure out to beat them. Use a guide for those if you don't want to spend too much time fighting.

Heh, I had to chuckle at this. That's a sadly common occurrence.

That being said, you can do pretty well in some used game stores. Ebay as well - I got an excellent clean copy of Skies for much much cheaper than you are quoting - I think $20-25? This was a few years back, but they shouldn't have become any scarcer, so I think you should hunt more before resigning yourself to an absurd price of 70-80. Also, don't overpay for mint+unopened or something unless you are planning on not playing it yourself. Just look for a great clean copy with everything and it will be cheaper and probably resell for what you paid for it if you need to do that

*edit* just did a quick Ebay search - apparently the prices do seem to be inexplicably high. I guess I made a good investment :-P I'd have a hard time paying 70+ for it. I'd lend you my copy if... you know, you weren't a random stranger on the internet who probably lives a thousand miles away :-P

Always wanted to play that.

Waayyyy too much random encounters and I played this on GC version. If you are a big jrpg nut than is easily worth it. Its pretty good old school jrpg. Played this around 7-ish years ago.

I think it is, and the last time I played it was in August. The characters, story, the ground and ship battle systems, all of it's great. The only real flaw it has is that the random encounter rate is ridiculously high. Once you get halfway through the game, it becomes more tolerable, but it's still annoying. With that said, even with that problem, the only jrpgs I'd rank above it are Panzer Dragoon Saga and Chrono Trigger.

Wonderful game. I owned both editions and the gamecube version is the best.

Game is awesome, its one of my favorite RPGs of all time. I recommend the Gamecube version though as stated above. The price is high, but good thing is that the price will stay high, so you can play it and resale it after if you wanted to.

You wont find many games like it. Its a special gem, so its worth the experience. Its original, creative, and very immersive. You play as a Pirate who must bang against the system in order to survive. You can run and hide, but for how long? Traveling from floating city to town in search for redemption. But beware, there are evil Pirates and Imperials looking to sink your floating ship, can your turn the tides?