As the topic says, post anything about Falcom's classic Action RPG series, Ys, here!

Ys is an incredibly fun and action filled RPG series, first starting in 1987 with Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished. The game was highly ahead of its time, being a "precursor to RPGs that emphasize storytelling" along with having some phenomenal music by Yuzo Koshiro and Mieko Ishikawa. It also has a very simple and easy combat system, which is expanded in Ys II with the addition of magic and differs in most of the sequels. It's surprisingly fun for being so simple, too. There's also a majority of interesting additions by the developers, whether it be the script or some of the many secrets in the games.

Currently, Ys Chronicles+(I and II), Ys Origins, and Ys: Oath in Felghana(remake of III) exist on Steam, along with Ys Seven on PSP. So far, I've only played through the first game and I'm currently going through the second game, which is great so far. Ys also has many different ports for each of its games (except SEVEN I think, which is only on PSP) so definitely give it a try!

I started (in 2009, I think) with Ys Book I&II on the Wii Virtual console, which is the PC-Engine/Turbografx-16 version.

I love Ys I so much. It is one of the 5 best games ever, for me (and my favorite game from the Ys series). The music is rather moody compared to almost all the soundtracks from the later games (in the original PC-88 version and the PC-Engine version, that is) and I love the dungeons and combat system (you run into enemies to damage them).
It is quite dark in general and I really like it. Not as in dark and edgy but as in dark and mysterious.
And the voice acting (in the western Turbografx-16 version). Oh my god it is incredible. Incredible beyond belief.

Ys II is not quite as good as Ys I because the tone shifts to something more ... superficial. The music - while still great - is not quite as good as in Ys I. And those dungeons are too confusing for their own good. Heck, even the 1st is already a gigantic pain. And it gets a lot worse once you get to the huge dungeon of hugeness after the lava place.

Ys Origin is amazing. There are three characters that are all fun to play, there are references to Ys I&II EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME and it has a great soundtrack (not as god as Ys I, better than Ys II). It really is a great game (Ys Book I is still better though).
Not to forget, all the bosses that aren't people are actually from Ys I. Nygtilger is one of the most fun bosses ever.

Ys Oath in Felghana also has a really great soundtrack (just as good as Origin, I'd say) and has the probably fastest pacing of any Action RPG. It is like - as some call it - Zelda with ADHD. I really like it, but less than Origin.

Ys III is strange. Unlike the rerelease (Felghana) it is basically like Castlevania II - a not quite linear platforming game with annoying stairs and annoying birds. The music is great in most versions (not the godawful SNES port, though) and the graphics aren't bad either. I played through the Genesis version with savestates and it was kind of a nice experience but not really up to par with the other main-series Ys games. The hit detection is also kind of unfair.

I probably won't get the newer remakes of I&II because for me Ys Book I is perfect as-is (and I still find the newer soundtracks inferior (Legacy/Eternal/Complete and Chronicles)). And Ys II's dungeons didn't get any less confusing in the newer remakes from what I've heard.

I still want Ys VI on the PS2 but that game is a pain to find, and I can't play the PSP version because I don't have a PSP.
And I would of course get Ys VII, too, if I had a PSP.

Also, do not get Ys Strategy on the DS. I have that game and it is really kind of really bad.

And do yourself a favor and listen to those soundtracks. Especially the PC-Engine versions of Ys I-IV.

EDIT: About Ys I vs Ys II:
Ys I has more implications of bad things and an overall threatening background. Some of the music sounding rather pessimistic/melancholic (PC-88 and PC-Engine, at least) doesn't help either. Tears of Sylph and Palace of Destruction are the prime examples for that. It is just so unique, because it invokes a feeling of impending doom for the place you are at without really outright showing anything.
Ys II has a lot more bad things happen on-screen ... but it feels just more like your generic RPG in terms of story and atmosphere. I find it strange that Ys II is often even seen as superior to Ys I.
Not to forget, Ys I has a very unusual structure. The majority of the game takes place in a single dungeon and the previous smaller dungeons all have an overworld connecting them. Ys II otoh is basically a chain of dungeons with almost no overworld areas at all, somewhat like Ys III/Felghana.
Oh and about Oath in Felghana being the best game: Most people first heard of Ys because of Ys III in the west. And OiF being a vastly superior remake of a game from their childhood is probably a big factor in its popularity. I however never had a console before 2006 so there is no such thing as Ys III nostalgia for me.

Also, Ys Book I&II is just 800 Wii Point things. I highly recommend it.

And I still have to say that Ys Book I is the best game that you can play comfortably with just your left hand (you only need to use items very very rarely). In Ys Book II you need your right hand to use magic, which is a rather important thing you will need to do most of the time. And the 3d games ... well they are 3d, of course you need two hands for those.

I forgot another thing!
In the Ys series levelling up has a really cool but strange rule behind it:
The amount of EXP enemies give you always halves itself after you level up, until they only give you 1 EXP.
This basically gives the games a very strict lower boundary of difficulty unlike other RPGs where you can just level up as much as you want.

Also, EVERY POINT IN YOUR STATS COUNTS. If you are just lacking a single point of STR or DEF it can/will make you die horribly against a boss. Every single point in your stats is important, no matter which game. It is a really important thing to keep in mind.

Small note:
It is pronounced EES, not whys.

http://www.ign.com/games/ys-celceta-sea ... ita-103951


Just thought I'd share this with my fellow Ys fans. I finally bought Origins after all that time and I loved it. If I had a Vita I would get this but I don't.