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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2022 22:41:00 GMT -5
Shin Megami Tensei V
If you enjoy the synthesis of monster raising and Dungeons & Dragons-style party optimization this series is known for, or if something vaguely similar to Pokémon -- both in terms of mechanics and in how most of the game revolves around dungeon crawling with only a threadbare narrative to keep you invested and occasionally mull over -- sounds appealing to you, you will in all likelihood enjoy this installment as well.
Most of the gameplay here has been streamlined presumably in an attempt to draw newer, less familiar players into this ordinarily niche franchise and innovate on the tried-and-true formula that's nearly three decades old at this point. Large, albeit sectioned off, open areas you can explore at your leisure with the kind of verticality provided by your nimble protagonist who can jump wherever he pleases replace the standard dungeons this series was known for, making combat more lenient than ever since you can always run back to a save point and heal in a matter of seconds after every fight. Random encounters are replaced by demons you have to interact with in the overworld to initiate combat (as seen in countless other modern JRPGs) which seems almost like a design misstep with how it effectively removes any sort of tension or stakes since you can now effortlessly avoid enemies by walking around them like they're a minor inconvenience. Other Megaten mechanics of strategic importance like specific parameters for successful demon negotiation and how Moon Phases affect battle are similarly of negligible importance compared to past entries.
The kicker here is that the visual presentation and score are phenomenal. It's one of the best looking games on the entire console, and the ethereal, heavily distorted soundtrack perfectly conveys the sense that you're participating in some massive battle between otherworldly beings far beyond the limits of human comprehension. Most of my earlier gripes are irrelevant to the majority of people who'll play this game anyway, and despite them I still had enough fun to play it for 70+ hours.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on May 3, 2022 7:23:26 GMT -5
After a break, I'm back in the saddle playing a game for the kids. Staying away from the long RPGs for now, because it's simply too much for my four year-old, I instead went for Death's Door. This is the isometric Zelda-like in which you platy a crow who is also the Grim Reaper, traveling around hacking and slashing baddies, gaining new powers, unlocking new paths with said powers, and then rinsing and repeating. I reviewed it last year.I intentionally choose games I've played before, not wanting to waste everyone's time as I try to figure out where to go or as I scour the world for upgrades and other optional doodads. Having only played Death's Door once, I don't know it well, and already last night my daughter was giving me grief as I mopped up the last few collectibles in an area: "Can we just go to the castle already?" A frustrating lack of patience for someone who watched Zebra Gamer collect every goddamn coin in Paper Mario: The Origami King, a game she had already seen me play to completion. |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on May 5, 2022 9:07:37 GMT -5
My son cracks me up. He reminds me so much of myself when I was a kid. After 5 minutes of watching Death's Door, he's immediately down on the floor, hacking and slashing everything he sees, make sword swipe noises with his mouth. He IS the crow.
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Baron von Costume
TI Forumite
Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
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Post by Baron von Costume on May 6, 2022 11:55:05 GMT -5
I am playing through Pathfinder Kingmaker atm and man it is a good game made infuriating far too often by baffling design decisions and really questionable understanding of alignment.
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on May 6, 2022 13:02:41 GMT -5
totsugeki
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Post by Angry Raisins on May 8, 2022 15:18:46 GMT -5
Playing "Just Cause 3", and amidst all the silliness (as with the rest of the series, it's basically a very tongue-in-cheek "blow everything up for FREEDOM" action game), there's a surprising bonus from the "Di Ravello tapes", collectible audio diaries where the dictator you're overthrowing (who in-game is a fairly forgettable, somewhat comic generalissimo type) narrates his rise to power. And unexpectedly, it's quite a cunningly-thought-out and disconcertingly plausible account of going from junior military officer to absolute dictator. Not sure which writer got given the job, but they obviously put a lot more effort in than you might expect.
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Crash Test Dumbass
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ffc what now
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on May 9, 2022 8:40:32 GMT -5
I was a (very small) part* of a charity stream team raising money for lupus awareness and research. The team as a whole raised over $125,000 this weekend.
* I would have linked it here but proboards exploded
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Baron von Costume
TI Forumite
Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
Posts: 4,685
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Post by Baron von Costume on May 9, 2022 11:09:42 GMT -5
Playing "Just Cause 3", and amidst all the silliness (as with the rest of the series, it's basically a very tongue-in-cheek "blow everything up for FREEDOM" action game), there's a surprising bonus from the "Di Ravello tapes", collectible audio diaries where the dictator you're overthrowing (who in-game is a fairly forgettable, somewhat comic generalissimo type) narrates his rise to power. And unexpectedly, it's quite a cunningly-thought-out and disconcertingly plausible account of going from junior military officer to absolute dictator. Not sure which writer got given the job, but they obviously put a lot more effort in than you might expect. I genuinely quite like the JC series and am kinda sad that Sqenix didn't sell them off in their fire sale as JC4 was terrible and they seem to have forgotten what was fun about them. |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on May 13, 2022 11:31:04 GMT -5
Oh dang, Salt & Sacrifice is out. Apparently it's Epic Store exclusive, and I don't pay attention to that storefront, so I didn't even realize. Loved the first one.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on May 16, 2022 9:05:50 GMT -5
I keep having this issue where I have a bunch of stuff I want to play, but then right when I'm about to start something up I don't want to anymore. I have Tunic and Salt & Sacrifice just sitting there, not to mention I'm still working through my first run of Tiny Tina's. But yesterday when I had a few uninterrupted hours to play, I hesitated on all of those and ended up playing the FFV Pixel Remaster instead.
I don't even like V, but for some dumb reason I'm forcing myself to complete it so I can move on to VI.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on May 16, 2022 9:20:17 GMT -5
Oh hey, SDGQ is in-person this year!
Schedule looks good, too. Closing out with not one but two Elden Ring runs.
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on May 19, 2022 8:53:10 GMT -5
it's over
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on May 23, 2022 14:44:52 GMT -5
has there ever been a more swagged-out legend in all of gaming
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Post by sarapen on May 24, 2022 11:23:31 GMT -5
Back to Ghost of Tsushima. According to my save file I haven't played it since April. I'm now on Iki island and yeah, this is kind of meh. It's not terrible playing here but it's not really compelling either. I prefer the main island where there are these guys I have to fight cinematic duels with.
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matt
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Post by matt on May 24, 2022 14:05:02 GMT -5
Back to Ghost of Tsushima. According to my save file I haven't played it since April. I'm now on Iki island and yeah, this is kind of meh. It's not terrible playing here but it's not really compelling either. I prefer the main island where there are these guys I have to fight cinematic duels with. This game is good for like 4 hours, then just sucks shit. |
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Post by liebkartoffel on May 24, 2022 15:19:00 GMT -5
Back to Ghost of Tsushima. According to my save file I haven't played it since April. I'm now on Iki island and yeah, this is kind of meh. It's not terrible playing here but it's not really compelling either. I prefer the main island where there are these guys I have to fight cinematic duels with. This game is good for like 4 hours, then just sucks shit. Eh, I liked it a lot. The side quests get repetitive and it's annoying how the choices the story forces you to make can be incompatible with your playstyle, but it's gorgeous and it has good flow. I played it after completing FF7R and Tales of Arise back-to-back and it was a refreshing change of pace. |
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matt
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Post by matt on May 24, 2022 15:54:47 GMT -5
This game is good for like 4 hours, then just sucks shit. Eh, I liked it a lot. The side quests get repetitive and it's annoying how the choices the story forces you to make can be incompatible with your playstyle, but it's gorgeous and it has good flow. I played it after completing FF7R and Tales of Arise back-to-back and it was a refreshing change of pace. It has a big nothingburger of a story, and the gameplay is so stale after a few hours. It is about as deep as though shitty haikus it has you generate through side quests. It had no right being as long as it did(considering I never even finished it, I got to the third area and just stopped because it had been a long time since I had fun) |
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on May 31, 2022 16:04:58 GMT -5
the hypest moment in the HISTORY of e-sports
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jun 3, 2022 8:58:34 GMT -5
Confirming that the REm4ke is real is cool and all - I'm GOING to play it - but after the remake of 3 there's an inherent nervousness. A wait and see. How much of this game are they going to cut? How true to the original level design will they stick?
Neither of the REmakes have been especially long games, and it's hard to imagine Capcom coming anywhere close to recreating the sheer breadth of RE4's content. I wouldn't be surprised if they cut the whole last act on the island.
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on Jun 3, 2022 18:25:28 GMT -5
so a whole load of SF 6 details leaked today including basically the whole cast. I'm far more excited about the new characters than the world warriors coming back yet again (at the very least combine dhalsim and blanka into necro again) and NO MAKOTO WTF  |
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on Jun 6, 2022 17:29:53 GMT -5
built the horizon lego.   |
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on Jun 6, 2022 17:49:47 GMT -5
it's over
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jun 7, 2022 7:52:28 GMT -5
I'll be curious to see what he says today and then does next. Nextlander? A new project? Leave the industry altogether?
I haven't listened to a video game podcast in at least a year, maybe two, and I never visit GiantBomb anymore. The only Nextlander thing I've ever watched was their coverage of last year's E3 or whatever it was right after they started. I miss the old days, man.
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matt
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Post by matt on Jun 7, 2022 12:48:53 GMT -5
I'm finally back to playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey after I played like the first 20 hours when it originally came out. It is alright, but it is no AC: Origins. Origins just had a better setting, better story, better protagonist, and WAY LESS BLOAT.
AC: Origins was a big game too, but Odyssey they just threw everything in there. So many question marks.....
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on Jun 7, 2022 15:09:51 GMT -5
dan ryckert is back at GB as creative director. gonna make a completely wild, irresponsible and unfounded guess that bakalar offered him a huge deal that put gerstmann's nose out of joint and that was the last straw.
gerstmann has a podcast and a patreon now
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jun 8, 2022 9:08:48 GMT -5
Hell, even if Jeff picked the Premium plan with Patreon (12% of the total take + processing fees), and even if every current patron only subscribed at the minimum $5 level, Jeff is still bringing in over $20k a month after ONE DAY on the site.
I don't think I'll subscribe, but I am kind on interested in it. What would Jeff do if he didn't feel obligated to discuss things he didn't like or care about? Jeff + modern games was a depressing dynamic that soured the site for me after awhile. Jeff + just the old shit that he likes is something I'd watch / listen to, though.
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Baron von Costume
TI Forumite
Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
Posts: 4,685
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Post by Baron von Costume on Jun 8, 2022 10:28:30 GMT -5
built the horizon lego. Jealous, haven't been able to snag one |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Jun 13, 2022 7:32:45 GMT -5
New Silksong trailer. Day one on Game Pass. No release date, but the official Xbox Twitter account later announced that all games shown at the showcase would be playable within 12 months and, when asked about it, re-emphasized that yes, that means Silksong too. So we have a release window of 364 days. Great.
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Baron von Costume
TI Forumite
Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
Posts: 4,685
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Post by Baron von Costume on Jun 13, 2022 13:45:25 GMT -5
I am still playing Pathfinder Kingmaker but I don't know why.
The house at the end of time has to be the absolute worst designed dungeon I have EVER played in an RPG and it never fucking ends. It's basically unplayable without a walkthrough unless you want to devote a literal week of your life to it.
This had such potential to be a great game but it's let down by things like this and the terrible implementation of the kingdom building system.
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on Jun 13, 2022 18:43:50 GMT -5
I am still playing Pathfinder Kingmaker but I don't know why. The house at the end of time has to be the absolute worst designed dungeon I have EVER played in an RPG and it never fucking ends. It's basically unplayable without a walkthrough unless you want to devote a literal week of your life to it. This had such potential to be a great game but it's let down by things like this and the terrible implementation of the kingdom building system. I enjoyed it a lot more once I started cheating. |
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