I like CR a bit more but vote for both, too. Both are very different from each other and both are very good.
I actually have neither. Should've used my final dollars to buy one of these instead of Hero of Sparta 2.
I was just about to make this thread. After skipping most of the big releases that came out over the last couple of weeks, I've gotten back into playing Chaos Rings (finally). Between the two, I think Chaos Rings is the most refined. Crimson Gem Saga is more challenging, and has a more accessible story; it's not as avant-garde. But overall, I like Chaos Rings more.
Chaos Rings. Yes Crimson Gem Saga is fine at the beginning, but as the game progresses it becomes a huge chore, as you'll need to grind more and more (weapons cost about as much as the gold you get from 100 battles, learning new skills require you to use "skill points" earned through battling even more enemies). It's also missing voice over for around 75% of the game dialogue, which is extremely annoying. I'd rather it not have any voice overs, than incomplete voice overs. The game mechanics is also very broken, there's basically no way to predict how much damage you'll do and take from battles. Sometimes you take 1 damage and do 100 damage, sometimes you take 100 damage and do 1 damage, all from the same enemies wearing the same equipment. It's like a coin-flip game where if you flip heads you get to kill every enemy in one hit, if you flip tails you get ambushed and half your party members die before the battle even starts.
Lol. I rarely had to grind at all. I eat the game at levels 59-62. Well my characters were in the 90s... But when u face the bosses at the end you get gain almost 10 levels each once you win. I went from 59-62 to 90s in around 2-3 hours of real time. There is grinding sure but it isn't required on a large scale.
I used to think that too before I went back and started the game again. Yes, the grinding is there. No denying that. But it certainly gets easier as you progress through the game. I had to do some grinding here and there but once I was done, I was constantly killing enemies easily. And I don't know what you're talking about the damage thing. My damage outputs are fairly consistent. As for killing enemies in one hit, later on in the game, you get faster shoes that allow you to outrun enemies so it's not a coin flip anymore. It's much more easier to ambush enemies with that boots on. And at the end of the day, that game is really fun which a great story line.
I have grinded quite a bit in Crimson Gem Saga and it was okay, considering most things are dead after a sneak attack. Once I got Acelora it made things even faster (after maxxing her godly AoE attack, most things are dead after 1 hit). While I enjoyed Crimson Gem Saga, it never left me with a strong, long lasting and satisfying impression that Chaos Rings gave me. It was almost as if they rushed the game towards the end.
I'd say go with Chaos Rings if you could but Crimson Gem Saga (CGS) is fine too. I have both of them and I've completed Chaos Rings but I've only gotten about 1/3 of the way through CGS. First of all, Chaos Rings was designed specifically FOR iOS and CGS is a port from PSP (I think). Both games have a LOT of polish and are very high quality for what they are, but overall, the one thing that really annoys me about CGS is that the touch controls are very counter intuitive and you have to get used to them. I believe that CGS has a lot more actual content than Chaos Rings, that is, I don't think you retread through old areas over and over like you do in Chaos Rings (if you want the full story told out). So if you're looking for a greater variety in enemies and locations then CGS may be more of the game for you - maybe someone who has finished CGS could comment on that. CGS has true classes for the characters whereas Chaos Rings really doesn't. Yeah, one of the characters in each couple is a "warrior" and the other is a "mage" but the class distinctions in Chaos Rings are very blurry and not as distinct. However, Chaos Rings (to me anyway) overall is the more fun game but that's my opinion. I plan on finishing Crimson Gem Saga someday - I've started kind of getting back into it somewhat now that I finished Chaos Rings all the way (108% completion). If you do get Chaos Rings then my recommendation is that you finish the game with all four couples and get through at least the 100% completion to get to the "real ending" of the game. Once you "get into" the spirit of the story then you won't mind that a big chunk of the story in the game is getting retold over and over but through the eyes of each separate couple. It has some science fiction elements to it and seeing the same cut scenes honestly did not get old to me. People who haven't really "gotten into it" and only played through with one couple and start a new game with the next couple seem to complain on these forums that the game is "boring" because its the same thing over and over. Well, it honestly isn't. Yeah, you go through the same dungeons and the story generally plays out the same each time, but there are unique elements (and boss fights too!) with some of the couples and you see the story unfold from each characters' perspective and learn secrets about them all as well. Anyway, just my thoughts. You really can't go wrong with either game - they're both high quality productions and overall the Crimson Gem Saga port works well - I just dislike the wonky touch screen controls. If you have an iPad then the control issues might not be nearly as bad due to the larger screen. Oh, and Squre Enix RARELY has sales, so with Chaos Rings being on the massive sale right now, if you have any thoughts of getting it now then don't hesitate - I don't think I've ever seen it on sale this low. I got it on a $10.99 sale myself and was happy for it...
I have only been playing the Crimson Gem Saga so far (will be getting Chaos Rings now) and here is what I think (after 30+ hours): Pros: Very pretty with a lot of landscape, dungeon and enemy design variety, nice cut-scenes, etc. Ton of contents - at 30+ hours I am less than 3/4 through and I don't intentionally grind. Nice music. Good, elaborate story and characters. Very stable and almost bug-less. Contras: Horrible controls. Awkwardly cut voice-acting. What the heck were they thinking about cutting it in the first place? The game is big enough that it wouldn't have made any difference in people's decision to buy it if it was a little larger still. Lots of boring combat. So far even the boss fights weren't particularly interesting and the very numerous random encounters (yes you can see them, but even with the special boots you often can't avoid them) have me doing the same thing over and over. Oh, and the ambush mechanic is no fun at all. And this may be my personal opinion, but IMHO people who design large, intentionally confusing dungeons without providing players with a map need to be spanked with a wet noodle. So, on the whole, Crimson Gem Saga is a mediocre port of a good, but not great game with, for iOS, very high production values, IMHO.
Is Crimson Gem Saga kind of like Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth to those who have played it? I want to get this game but I was wondering if it was. If it is similar it's an instant buy for me. (when I get the money )
