I'm not sure how on the radar Trails in the Sky is, but it really should be on people's play list. It's a PSP exclusive port of a beloved JRPG released on the PC in Japan in 2004. Yes, this is indeed another JRPG PSP port, but so far it's a damn good one. I went into this game knowing next to NOTHING about it except that it's long, it's a three part game that transfers data to future games; it has dialogue choices that affect the plot, it has turn based combat; and it doesn't have an overly complicated battle system. The game got bonus points when I started playing and found out that the battles are not random, and are instead on-screen like in the Mario RPGs and Earthbound.

The game has a ton of text and slow story segments, but it's one of the only cases where I don't mind a game taking a long time to get started since I really enjoy the characters. Estelle and Joshua are both likable in their own ways, (Estelle more than Joshua) and the people around them are interesting too. They do have a trace of JRPG character stereotypes in them, but that's not their ENTIRE personality like most of the recent Final Fantasy games, and JRPGs in general. Character development over action seems to be the approach they're taking with the story at this stage in the game, and I don't mind that at all. I'd rather have likable characters than constant action. (This is why Kiki's Delivery Service is one of my top five favourite movies)

So yeah, the game is great so far, and I must ask that you *bold for emphasis and also so you don't skip over it* do not spoil anything in the game. I have gone out of my way to not even look at the manual to see what characters join you, or any battle mechanics that may be introduced later. Please do not say anything regarding the game itself. I don't even want an "all I'll say is this..." or a "there's a certain part later I know you'll like..." or a "while I won't say EXACTLY what happens..." or a "this isn't really a spoiler but..." Usually the less one knows about a game before they play it the better, and this is one of those rare times where I know absolutely nothing about it. Now I will stop shouting like Christian Bale.

"Everybody got that?"

So what I'm really here to talk about is the Premium Edition that comes with all sorts of bonus goodies. This is another release under the Falcom/XSeed partnership, and just like the last three PSP titles they worked on, this game has a Premium Edition. I'm a big fan of these, but out of the five PSP Premium Edition sets I have, I'd only say that two of them are worth it. (The games themselves are worth it though) The Prinny Can I Really Be the Hero? set could maybe get a free pass since it was the first one for the PSP, but the Ys: The Oath in Felghana and Ys Book I and II Collection sets don't really deserve that free pass. I mean, collectors are the ones who are going to buy these, right? So what collector is really going to open up the 2011 calendar that came with the Felghana set and scribble notes on the squares? The Book I and II set's only extra was a soundtrack, and I don't feel the extra money was worth the purchase. The only two sets that were really worth it were the Ys Seven and Trails in the Sky sets. Ys Seven had the fanciest extras, coming with a big map of the Ys world which was made of this nice cloth material, it came with an AMAZING soundtrack, and it came with a little art book which was pretty cool, but the only really interesting pieces of art were the scenery pictures rather than the character drawings. There's just something cool about seeing the towns and cities in highly detailed, fully realized pictures. Despite the high quality of the box set, I think I like the Trails in the Sky set better because it has cooler extras instead of fancy ones.

Boy, I sure have a talent for dancing around a topic before finally getting to the point. No more delays! Let's get to some pictures!



Here's the front of the big box that holds all our fun stuff. If you wanted me to compare it's size to something, that's incredibly easy because it's the exact same size as a box to a Super Nintendo game. Seriously, it's almost suspicious. Makes me wonder if they just somehow modified a Super Nintendo game box for this one. It has this shiny "holographic" Pokemon Card-esque coat on the front, and while that looks cool at first, you later realize it makes it very difficult to take pictures of with the flash on, and you also realize that once you get your fingerprints all over it, it starts to lose it's shininess.



Here's the back cover. The blurb proudly boasts "Top 10 PSP Games of 2011" which makes me snicker every time I see it since that's really not much to brag about. I mean, even if it was any other year, I don't think it'd be much to brag about. Maybe if it said "Top 5 PSP Games of 2011" I could take it more seriously, because hey, there are a few big games for PSP in 2011, what with Patapon 3, Dissidia 2,and Valkyria Chronicles III. (well, in Japan at least. Who knows when that's coming over here if at all.) The back is also shiny, and just like the front it attracts fingerprints and smudges like Rockstar's press releases attract Fox News.



Here's an angle shot, just to show that it is indeed a three dimensional object. Also it's nice to see the end label, which is something most people DON'T do when showing off collector's editions. Hey, end labels are important too! I'll be quick to harp on a game's presentation if the end label sucks. (I'm looking at you Kirby's Epic Yarn and Ace Attorney Apollo Justice. Just had to try and stand out and rearrange the logo to look different than all the other Ace Attorney games and screw up how cool they look lined up on the shelf) Is it just me, or does this look like the kind of angle you'd see on those ebay listings of sealed Super Nintendo games? You know, the ones that are priced at 700 bucks and never sell unless they happen to come across the world's richest nerd? Or at least a spoiled rotten nerd with rich parents? What the hell are you gonna do with it anyways? Put it on a shelf? Yeah, 700 bucks well spent.

Moving on.



Here's everything while still in the box. An important rule of collector's sets, and anything in general really is that the first time you open it, make sure you remember where everything was when you first opened it. Otherwise you may have a hard time figuring out how to put it all back together. Then again, if you're the kind of person who actually would open the calendar and use it, or poke holes/plaster tape on the poster and hang it on a wall, or draw a red X and a Family Circus-esque broken line trail behind it on the cloth map, it's probably not a big deal to you. By the way, if you are one of those people, make sure you don't go to any conventions, because you will be sure to get the shit beat out of you by furious collectors.



Here we have the soundtrack CD. This is basically required for any collector's edition, and is usually the best part of them. Granted it's not that exciting if the music sucks, but it's still a nice thing to have. I've only listened to the main theme of the game called "The Whereabouts of Light", which probably plays over the end credits, but oh well. Though you know what I instantly noticed? The first part of this song sounds VERY similar to the main theme of Castle in the Sky. I mean seriously, listen to the first verse of both songs and tell me they don't sound the same.





What, did they think nobody would notice that they basically copied the main theme to one of Studio Ghibli's most popular films? Hell, the titles of the game and movie are only one word away from being the exact same! Not going to make any conspiracy theories yet, but it's certainly something that can't be denied.

Anyways, what I really like about this soundtrack is the artwork on it. Sadly I had to shrink these pictures down a lot, so you can't see them as well as the huge pictures I have on my computer. Though even with this you can tell it's beautifully drawn. This is something I love about this box set as a whole. Gorgeous art is everywhere in this set, as I will continue to show you as I open up the jewel case.



Here's the disc itself. Again, gorgeous artwork. As a guy who is always extremely critical of a game's packaging, this soundtrack alone just makes me incredibly happy. Every part to this CD has art that isn't used anywhere else in the set, except maybe the manual. I don't know, I haven't checked it yet since I don't want to risk spoiling anything. What I love even more about this set is that they showed admirable restraint by not putting any fanservice shots into this entire set! I mean, Estelle is such a charming and likable character that I honestly don't WANT people to draw fanservice of her. Then again I wish people wouldn't draw fanservice in general, because that way people can focus on making completely awesome, regular fanart like this.



or this



or even this



Okay, maybe that Hatsune Miku one isn't the greatest example, but it's the highest ratio of tastefulness to awesomeness I've seen of the character. I mean, I'd like to see you try to find some art of Miku that's this awesome, but more tame. Oh, and it seems that all the best fanart according to me takes place in space. :/

Sorry, getting sidetracked again.



Here's the back of the insert art, and whoops, I guess I spoke too soon. Well, this IS a Japanese game, so I guess they couldn't resist at least one fanservice shot. I was initially annoyed, but it didn't take me long to realize that it's actually pretty tame. None of the characters are wearing JUST a bikini, and none of them are in an obviously seductive pose, so it's not as bad as it could have been. In fact, it doesn't really look like it's trying to BE fanservice. It just looks like a normal day at the beach. It adds to my argument that these characters are far more realistic than most other JRPG characters. It also goes to show just how well drawn this set is, that they can do a drawing like this and have it not be offensive. Now if there isn't a beach scene in the game itself, that confirms that this is just for eye-candy, but even if it is, I don't think any feminists out there should get too upset about it since it's pretty tame. I mean, the artbook for Ys Seven had far more blatant stuff than this. I mean, what the heck was up with this?



Dude, Aisha and Taya's characters do not pose or dress like that respectively. Not to mention this picture basically depicts them as Adol's slaves. Kinda messed up.



Here's the inside of the insert art to the CD. At this point in the game this picture doesn't mean much to me, but I still dig it. Since I don't know if this guy is a good guy or a bad guy, (NOR DO I WISH TO BE TOLD!) I can get both a somber "my past sucks" kind of vibe to it, or an "I am so evil that I will make sure the heroes see me playing my evil piano when they walk in the room" type vibe to it. I hope it's the latter version, because nothing makes me crack up quite like seeing Ganondorf playing his evil organ when Link walks in the room, just so he can do his dramatic turn. You just know that he was standing by the doorway waiting to hear his footsteps, and ran over to his organ giggling as soon as he heard him coming.



This is part of what I meant by this set having "cooler" goodies than the Ys Seven set. I'm a sucker for little Club Nintendo-esque trinkets like this, so this immediately appealed to me. It's a replica of the Bracer's Guild badge from the game, which are given to people once they become a member of the Bracer's Guild. Since it's an actual pin, you can wear it on your shirt just like you would in the game, meaning that this is what all the cosplayers will be searching for like mad if they didn't buy this collector's edition. The only thing that sucks about it is that it took me a while to figure out how to get it back in the box and have everything else fit. You have to do something that you probably wouldn't think would make a difference, but it totally does somehow. Other than that, it's a cool toy. Too bad it's in a bag, cause now I can't ever open it. Not like I really have much need to anyways. Unless you're a cosplayer, it's really not something you'll use a lot, but even though it's mostly useless, it's still a really cool pin, and a neat bonus item.



Next we've got what is, in my opinion, the best bonus item of this set. It's a double sided poster, and on the one side we have a map of the Trails in the Sky world. It's like the Ys Seven map, but not made of cloth, which is actually better if you ask me, because now it won't attract my cat's fur like a magnet. So why is this the best part of the set you may ask? Well to know the answer, we simply turn the poster to the other side.



Holy crap is that poster beautiful. Again, this set has absolutely AMAZING artwork, and when I first unfolded this poster, I just stared at it for a good five minutes, just admiring how gorgeous it is. It's probably the nicest poster I own, and I own some pretty damn nice video game posters. What sucks about it though is that I don't want to poke thumb tacks in it, or plaster tape on it, so despite the fact that I REALLY want to hang this on my wall, I can't do that. It really annoys me, but once I get my next cheque I'm going to look into finding a frame for it, because I'm willing to pay the money just so I can safely hang it up. Though one thing this particular picture of Estelle shows off is just how much her outfit looks like it belongs on a Pokemon Ranger heroine, and that can only be a good thing. While the Ys Seven soundtrack is still by far the best bonus item out of my collector's editions, this poster easily takes second place, making me completely happy that I spent the extra money to get it.



Here's the UMD case. What a bizarre cover this is. You can't see Joshua's face, and Estelle has her back turned to the fourth wall. You can't see either main character! Yet that's what makes it so unique, and that's what's so striking about it. The point of any cover is to draw your attention to it and make you pick up the box, and the best way to do that is to do something that other covers don't do, even if it seems bizarre. Well this cover certainly grabs my attention every time I look at it. I haven't played far enough to see why the flying machines are important, but every time I look at this cover and see Estelle gazing at the aircraft, it makes me more and more excited to find out. (and I will find out by playing the game, not by having someone tell me!)



I'm eating some Panago Pizza as I type this. You know when you order a large pizza, you can get a small for 3 bucks? THREE BUCKS! Eight slices of cheesy heaven for that price seems like it would be some sort of scam, but no! This is freshly made pizza, for three bucks! Hell, at Pizza Hut you have to spend FIVE bucks just to get their tiny four slice personal pizzas! And even if you didn't get the three dollar deal, it's still only six bucks to get a small, which is just a dollar more than Pizza Hut's personal pizzas. Christ Pizza Hut is a rip-off.

Oh, as for the picture, it's the exact same back as the big box, and I already made fun of that. NEXT!

*Disclaimer* PekoponTAS is in no way affiliated with Panago Pizza



Here's the end label to the UMD case. Like I said, it annoys me that it's so hard to find pictures of a game's end label. The end labels are what you're going to see most of the time anyways since a case will usually be on it's side on a shelf, so having a nice end label is actually quite important. It's actually a big reason why I'm kind of down on the 3DS right now. You know, aside from the fact that there's nothing out for it. I hate the Wii's crappy white end labels, but the DS end labels are all colourful and different, and look awesome on a shelf. Now the 3DS end labels are going to screw it all up and not only be thinner and have less room for a proper logo, but they're also going to be all white end labels like the Wii ones. I know it's petty to hate on a system because it's game's end labels suck, but remember, presentation is everything. You want your product to stand out and sell? Then make it look nice! People who don't do research and just want to browse a game shop aren't going to be interested in looking through a shelf of generic white cases when they could look at a shelf of eye catching colourful ones. It may not seem important to most people, but let me tell you that it's more important than you might think.

Wow, did I just make a separate blog post within a blog post?



Here's the inside of the UMD case with the manual, and everyone's favourite Universal Media Disc that only works in one thing. I have to wonder if by "universal" they meant that it could play games, movies, and music, rather than being used in everything. Seems to be the only thing that makes any sense, because if that wasn't the intention, I'd sure like to know what they were thinking when they came up with the name. Those PSP manuals are pretty weird too. They're super tall, but really narrow, so the layouts in them are usually pretty weird. Also the front and back covers usually have a more cardboardy feeling to them, whereas the rest of the pages are your typical glossy paper manual pages. Much like the DS manuals, these things have some of the stinkiest new manual smell you'll ever smell. It's not as bad as most DS manuals, but just make sure to hold them far from your nose the first time you open them. And to those who enjoy sniffing new manual smell, you wanna know something? That smell is actually glue, so by intentionally sniffing new manual smell, you are essentially snorting glue.



Here's the artwork that's on the opposite side of the case's insert art. I've only ever seen this with the Falcom/Xseed games, and to be honest it feels like it should be a requirement for ALL PSP games. It just makes sense. I mean, you've got a clear case, so this is a great place to show off some official art of the game you're about to play! Then again, companies these days are too cheap to print their manuals in colour, so I imagine companies wouldn't be too interested in printing extra artwork. As for the picture itself, it's a very nice drawing, but I don't really know what's significant about it yet. I know the character, and I know she sits at that desk, but is there something more to it than that? I like to think that this picture takes place the evening after Estelle and Joshua got accepted into the Bracer's Guild, and she's sitting there deep in thought about if it was a good idea or not to let them join. I don't know, maybe that's just me. If you've read my previous post about the Etrian Odyssey box art, you already know my imagination can run pretty wild when I look at pictures. We're almost done folks!



And here's everything in the set. A gorgeous poster, a neat pin, a CD filled with beautiful artwork, and of course the game itself. Overall it's a really good collector's set, and it's easily my favourite out of the five I own. As I said before, presentation is everything. This box set may not have the best extras in the world, but it looks so nice that it's hard not to be impressed by it. Believe me, everything looks even nicer in person, especially that amazing poster, so I highly suggest you try and find one of these before they're gone. Unlike the Ys collector's sets which I'm sure won't be too hard to get later down the line, I have a gut feeling that this one will indeed become quite difficult to locate in the future. Besides, it's a great game so far, so you should get the collector's edition to begin with, because trust me, if you buy the game in the solo UMD and end up loving it, you'll be kicking yourself for not picking up this beautiful collector's set. If you're lucky you might still be able to find the unsold pre-order copies on EBGames/Gamestop shelves at time of writing, so if you're a PSP owner searching for something to play, go out and hunt down this collector's edition, because this is one you won't want to miss.