Update: January 31, 2008
«©NCSX» The Premium Edition of TOD Director's Cut is packaged with two bonus items as follows:
» Art of Destiny Illustrations Booklet (B4 Size) which spans 128 pages
» Premium Soundtrack which contains 21 songs culled from the game
The adventure of Stan Aileron gets rehashed in Namco's Tales of Destiny Director's Cut but that's not all. In addition to Stan's adventure, the Director's Cut edition of TOD also includes a new adventure where Lion Magnus (aka Leon Magnus) is the protagonist and the game is viewed from his perspective.
TOD Director's Cut also includes the following enhancements and new features to make the game a worthwhile investment for players who've already completed the original TOD:
» Character Chat System where cast members which are mounted on cards talk to each other to convey their feelings and relay back story.
» Updated Combat System which adds the ability to jump and strike at airborne creatures.
» Cinemas - a new CG introductory movie with vocal song is included along with updated cinemas from the original release of TOD.
View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.
NCS Game Notes
» A millennia ago, a comet devastated the world. From the ruins of a shattered planet, the survivors rebuilt and discovered a new source of energy in the comet known as Lens. With the new power, humanity was able to create a great sky city known as Dycroft. The inhabitants of the sky city became known as Aethereans who asserted rule over the planetsiders who were known as E'rthers. After many years of subjugation with a weapon called the Belcrant, scientists in Dycroft defected to the side of the E'rthers and developed a new weapon for them - the Swordian which were living swords capable of independent thought. Armed with the Swordians, the E'rthers were able to overthrow their overlords. After the great war, the Swordians were retired as their great power was no longer needed.
As the story begins, a lad named Stan Aileron is hitching an unauthorized ride on a stone dragon-shaped ship called the Draconis. He's discovered on board and is mistakenly suspected as being after a special weapon on board. The crew corners him but before they can do much more, the Draconis is attacked by airborne creatures who invade the ship and attack the agents on board. Given a new lease on life and an escape path, Stan explores the ship and comes in contact with a powerful sword known as Dymlos. It is the special weapon that the crew was protecting and what the invaders are after. By ripping the sword from its mounting case, Stan embarks on an adventure that spans the world.
» The intro to the game is the same as the first PS2 remake version but it looks cleaner and sharper than the original.
» The selections on the title screen are:
NEW GAME / Play a game from "Stan's Side" or "Lion's Side"
CONTINUE / Resume a game from memory card save ata
LOAD ORIGINAL DATA / If you have save data from the original Tales of Destiny game, load it here
CUSTOM / Adjust game settings such as message speed, screen position, difficulty, and controller configuration
SOUND MODE / Listen to music from the game; at the outset only the Tales of Destiny theme is available
» As the game opens up, a stone dragon ship called the Draconis is winging through the sky when the camera pulls in on deck to spy Stan Aileron being confronted by two blue-armored knights and the Captain. One knight has drawn his sword and Stan protests his predicament. Voice acting accompanies the dialogue. Another knight draws his sword and Stan starts to sweat. The captain turns his back to Stan and laments but just when it looks like it's all over for our hero, a piece of fruit is thrown at one of the knights. They pivot around to confront the thrower before turning their attention back on Stan. Something rocks the airship and the camera pulls back to view winged creatures carrying wolf-like beasts heading towards the ship. One of the creatures flaps downwards on deck and the crew scatters, leaving Stan all by his lonesome. One of the wolf creatures drops in front of him and looks like its ready to pounce but Stan dodges it and runs down the stairs into the ship where control is handed over to the player.
» Explore a bit but your ultimate goal is a hold in the ship where a mighty sentient sword is stored. It's mounted and chained in a wall unit but when a wolf breaks into the room, Stan rips the sword from the wall and uses it to defend himself. A side viewed fighting sequence starts up where the "TRIANGLE" button is used to attack the wolf. The rumbling of the ship continues and he heads outside where he witnesses a purple haired lass destroying two creatures with quick and seamless attacks. They speak briefly when two more creatures appear. Another warrior enters the screen from behind the beasts and slays them with two chops from an axe. She pulls the other warrior away and Stan is left alone again. The graphics when fighting are fairly large and detailed.
Stan eventually makes his way to an escape ship that thrusts away from the doomed vessel and tumbles down a storm filled sky towards a body of water below. Stan is ejected from the vessel and the sword speaks to him in a cinematic sequence. Later, Stan collapses while holding the sword. A repeat of the earlier cinematic intro plays which is accompanied by a different theme song.
» After the intro, Stan wakes up to an annoying voice. It's a blonde girl with blue ribbons in her hair and a haus frau dress on. Stan is lying on a bed in full armor and the sword may be seen resting against another bed close by. He soon wakes up and holds a conversation with his sword. A man with blue hair enters the room and the two hold their own conversation.
» The character graphics in the game are very well defined. The game looks beautiful with carefully designed environments and models. When Stan wakes up in his room, the painting on the wall are all distinct, there's a potted plant next to the window, and the beds have rectangular pillows on them. A nightstand between the two beds holds up a pitcher of water and a cup.
» The camera is fixed position and there is no accommodation for rotating the camera around to view the game from different perspectives.
» Upon leaving the house, a save point may be visited to the immediate left side of the stairs. A snowman may be viewed on the right side of the stairs.
» To pause the game at any time, press the START button.
» The dialogue is accompanied by speech.
» The controls are smooth and Stan walks and runs around with ease.
» The game offers a total of 99 save slots on 1 memory card. To save, step into a lighted circle with swirling radiance above it.
» Stan starts the game with 732HP
» Stan will sometimes howl "YEEHOO!" after winning a battle.
This document is ©NCSX 2008. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc.