Just got this game in the mail. I haent played this great game in years.Last time I played i got stuck on the first giant in one of the worlds..
.how are you supposed to get rank ups in the game?thats the one thing i could not figure out or how to steer the ship.
Also heard this was ORIGINALLY a dreamcast game. any differences between the two versions?
You get rank ups in the game by choosing the appropriate dialogue options and fighting many random battles while cruising around in the ship. Also, special titles can be obtained by fighting bounties and collecting crew members, among other things.
Yes, this was originally a Dreamcast game. There are a few differences, like the addition of certain crew members, discoveries, and a bounty list.
I love this game so much XD. I remember playing it in high school and loving it, but then I got caught up with various things and didn't replay until a few months ago <3.
word of advice
never run away from a battle in this game
The game was pretty awesome. Drachma was the best character in the game.
I also loved a lot of the characters who joined your crew. I think Tikatika, Brabham, Khazim, Ryu-Kan and Don were my favorites.
Having a drunkard as your helmsman was freaking GREAT.
Am I strange for having Galcian as my favorite character? Oddly enough, Gilder is my second favorite. I wouldn't have thought it was truly a pirate-esque game unless a gun-slinger was involved.
I was not dissappointed :D.
No one drank alcohol in the US SoA. Everyone drank "Loqua juice." XD No smokin' either.
As for differences between versions, the soundtrack in the GCN version is actually INFERIOR to the Dreamcast version as it sounds rather off at points and isn't brough over well when ported over. The VMU minigames have pretty much been changed since the Cube has nothing like that. Random encounters was toned down, but if you've played the DC version, you'd hardly notice that. They're still too damned plentiful. Plus since the Cube isn't as load as the DC when loading, you can't tell when you're gonna run into an encounter. 
Other than thaaaat, SoA is a fan-fucking-tastic game and was the Dreamcast's best RPG out of the short list that they had and I'm glad to hear there's a possible sequel in the works. 
I'd say Carue was a Lucky Ducky | YouTube Page
I first played it when it came out and now I have three 60+ hours save files
Its that awesome.
I rented this game once before, but didn't get very far. But what I played I thought was unbelievably fun. I absolutely must get this game next time I'm at the GameStop.
Edit: I just remembered where I'm at in the game. In my party is Vyse, Aika, Drachma, and Fina. I just rescued the first group of people from execution, and had my first ship battle. Right after I have these four people in the overworld after all that, I stopped playing.
For only $20, you can't go wrong.
I'd say Carue was a Lucky Ducky | YouTube Page
Pfft. Twenty bucks? Buy it used at a GameStop or EB Games.
I remember picking up a copy of Eternal Darkness for six bucks. Saw a copy of Skies there for like…ten.
Hmm. I think I know what I'll do with my winter break after reading 'Potrait of a Woman' and 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.
anyone know what the gems are that you gain after every battle win?
I liked evolving the little ghost thing the princess girl fought with
I think the form I got it to was either a giant weight or some kind of cannon
something cartoony and great
Cupil is awesome. I didn't get it's last evolution on my last playthrough though. But I mostly did that in order to remember crap about the game XD.
@ kf22:Those gems at the end of every game is the magic exp you gained. It's a bit confusing, but it depends on what color moonstones you use in battle. I never fully understood it myself other than:
I want to raise (blank's) red (or other color) magic level. I'll equip him/her with (said color) of weapon so I get bonus points.
@Bee's:
Pfft. Twenty bucks? Buy it used at a GameStop or EB Games.
I remember picking up a copy of Eternal Darkness for six bucks. Saw a copy of Skies there for like…ten.
You saw some hella old prices.
Eternal Darkness jumped up to $17.99 and SoA:L is at $19.99. Both used.
GameStop got greedy over the years. Especially after merging with EB Games and figuring they could jack up prices on GameCube games just because the Wii is backwards compatible with it.
I'd say Carue was a Lucky Ducky | YouTube Page
@Bee's:
Cupil is awesome. I didn't get it's last evolution on my last playthrough though. But I mostly did that in order to remember crap about the game XD.
@ kf22:Those gems at the end of every game is the magic exp you gained. It's a bit confusing, but it depends on what color moonstones you use in battle. I never fully understood it myself other than:
I want to raise (blank's) red (or other color) magic level. I'll equip him/her with (said color) of weapon so I get bonus points.
thank you
19.99???? I KEEP SEEING 24.99 ! O.o
You're seeing the price it used to be. It's likely your GS didn't update their tags. It is, however, in the computers as being $19.99.
I'd say Carue was a Lucky Ducky | YouTube Page
You saw some hella old prices.
Eternal Darkness jumped up to $17.99 and SoA:L is at $19.99. Both used.
GameStop got greedy over the years. Especially after merging with EB Games and figuring they could jack up prices on GameCube games just because the Wii is backwards compatible with it.
Damn o_o. I bought ED at a good time then. I haven't been out to buy a video game for at least a month now (PW3), and then I just kinda ran in and got it without paying attention to used game prices. Hrm.
Yeah. I managed to grab mostly all the GameCube games I wanted before GameStop decided to jack up prices. Luckily I got Mario Kart with my GameCube off of someone really cheap when I did. It's currently going for $39.99 used at GameStop. 
It retails at $29.99 new. Though they've also decided to change all of their new games to used, so they no longer carry anything labeled as new.
So yeah, SoA and ED ftw. GS ftl.
I'd say Carue was a Lucky Ducky | YouTube Page
Yeah. I managed to grab mostly all the GameCube games I wanted before GameStop decided to jack up prices. Luckily I got Mario Kart with my GameCube off of someone really cheap when I did. It's currently going for $39.99 used at GameStop.
So yeah, SoA and ED ftw. GS ftl.
this is why I only get some games at gamestop and buy my classics games on amazon
Mario kart is 20-30 used on amazon.
