12/29/2016 - 11:55 AM - UTC-6
By: Seth Legaspi
I'm re@dy! Greetings fellow Producers, game-enthusiasts.
This is a game I have been anticipating since I got hooked on 'iDOLM@STER' 3 years ago. The ps3 'One for All' game was something that was too expensive for me due to shipping costs. Back then, Japanese Language game imports did not have much of an audience in my area, thus the need to have them shipped over. This year, for some reason, local game shops where I live have begun stocking games in the Japanese Language for the sake of early releases. This made me hope that they will stock a ps4 version of an iDOLM@STER game soon. Of course there was the mobile version but this is a console game we're talking about and it's the 765 Pro cast!
Yes the game is in Japanese, I am not sure if they will release an English version... I mean, they have not released an iDOLM@STER game in english since the beginning and I don't think they will start now. The game has an incredibly niche western market I believe, so yeah I'm not getting my hopes up on that one.
Again, this game has the 765 Pro cast, which is very nostalgic and good for me and probably a good many Producers out there since these are the characters that we presumably entered this franchise with. (Yes, Chihaya is my favorite idol in this series, the fact that she was the first idol I picked speaks for itself [the one with blue hair whose image is shadowed out already])
Each idol has their own starting stats but I would go with the mindset that it doesn't matter overall. As the game passes; you will be able to train your idols and even use items on them to increase specific stats. With regards to stats, the stats are one of the things that have been changed when compared to previous games; instead of Vocal, Dance and Visual, we have Appeal, Burst, and Omoide.
The reason for such a change is due to how Platinum Stars has rhythm action gameplay mixed into it as opposed to the previous games. In iDOLM@STER SP, the player is only able to cheer their idol t certain points in time to help their idol win. In my opinion, this was lacking since the player did not have to do much back then. For this rhythm action aspect, I believe that this is due in part to how successful the mobile game 'Cinderella Girls Starlight Stage [デレステ]' is, which has a main foundation of being a rhythm game. I could not disagree with this aspect though, since it is really fun.(Especially when you see that you were only a 100 or so points away from getting that perfect score or from passing that clear line to successfully pass a Live Concert/Level)
To pass these rhythm games, we go back to stats; and one of the basic ways to up a character's stats in any game is through equipment. In this game, we have the costumes, which are divided into what I would call the "4C"(to make it easier for me to type) categories: Cool, Cute, Clever, and Cosmic.
The categories don't matter much in the beginning, which I believe is a good choice, since getting different and better costumes is literally based on luck. Songs that require a certain type of costume will show that pink happy face(as seen above) if the proper costume is equipped. Meeting the costume requirement gives a significant boost to the highest possible score one can attain for an event.
We also have DL events that usually have a 4C requirement theme for a costume, in addition to the costume type, so getting all the needed stuff will really take a while.
Next we have the All Star events which sort of act like an 'in-game' yearly milestone. These All Star events can be either a Medley type of event where the songs available will be medleys of our favorite Im@s songs or a normal All-Star Live that acts like the rank-up events you'll go through in-game but this time with all the 765 cast (no Kotori though T_T). The requirement to pass the events increases per in-game year, so it's a good measure of how far along your idols are. There's also an aesthetic scene afterwards where you can just sit back and enjoy if you succeed in these events. Though, it gets kinda boring after the 5th or 10th time, since you'll notice that the scenes are recycled every 3 or so all-star live.
With the number of idols the game has, while also taking into account the features from the previous games (mobage included). It is inevitable to have a formations ranging from quintets, trios, duos, and singles. The Quintets are limited by certain lives that allow them, where the minimum score to pass is relative. Quintet lives will usually have higher minimum requirement scores since each idol has their own stats that adds to the overall score.
These group bursts, which include 2 or more members of the current live group are enabled by certain costumes, but there is 1 accessory that one can get very early on that is useful for such bursts.
 |
| Yes, it looks so weak but when I reached rank B... This accessory is darn useful. |
This F Ranked Tiara seems a little too weak when its appeal stats are compared to the higher ranked head accessories, but its skill that allows one to charge their burst up to level 3 makes up for everything.
The Burst score is way higher than normal and this adds a very significant amount to one's current score that will usually be that last break-through you need to pass a live event (This is particularly useful at B-ranked and above events since there is this sudden jump in minimum score at idol rank B).
There is also a good amount of songs that can be cycled through and some have choreography that fits a Quintet. Other songs that are not located in the current playlist can be bought as DLC if they have already been released. These songs are voiced by all the idols so whichever idols you are using will be the ones you will be hearing during the live events.
To finish, this game is a mix of an idol management and a rhythm game. It is indeed fun and it felt like I was watching the 765 Pro Idolm@ster anime series again. It had that aesthetic feel that literally made me feel like the producer of the 765 cast.
I recommend this for Idolm@ster fans and rhythm game fans, including those who like anime and management type games. I once again reiterate that Idolm@ster: Platinum Stars has this feel as though you are the Producer within the Idolm@ster anime series. The voice-acting, the lines, the art, and the choreography during the live events adds to the overall immersion level of the game.
My Rating:
(10/10)
Good Stuffs:
- PS4!!!
- Trophies
- Idolm@ster
- Chihaya Kisaragi(my favorite character for Im@s)
- The Songs
- Costumes
- DL Lives and their drops(These are live events you can play once you download the free catalogue DLCs from PSN)
- Voice-Acting
- The Singing
- Choreography
- No English yet
- That sudden jump in minimum score requirements at idol rank B
- Expensive DLCs
- Item Drop Rate
 |
| Yay! Valentine's Chocolate |
No comments:
Post a Comment