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Post by liebkartoffel on Aug 17, 2023 9:36:09 GMT -5
I got Baldur's Gate III this week-end and played the shit out of it. I'd forgotten how much I love the Fantasy RPG/Half-Elf Dating Sim sub-genre of video game since the last one I played was probably Dragon Age: Inquisition all those years ago. Game's an absolute blast and also waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay hornier than any of the Dragon Ages ever were (I mean there's a dick/vagina menu in the character creation suite and within like two or three hours of playing half the party wanted to fuck my PC). It's also kind of funny how over the top the backstories for every party member / companion is. Makes it feel more like an actual D&D game than these things generally do. I bought in early access, played for a few hours, and dropped it because I...don't remember why. Downloaded the full version on release and I've been obsessed with it ever since. Like the other huge game of the year, TotK, it's astonishingly flexible and I similarly get a sense of FOMO when I read about other people's clever solutions and shortcuts. My approach is usually just to bonk around aimlessly and sling fireballs when I get into fights, but I have managed to stumble my way into absolutely cheesing a couple of boss battles. "Hmmm...what happens when I cast 'hold person' and then 'cloud of daggers'?" I'm playing as a (Duergar) bard, which might as well be easy mode given how often I've been able to talk my way out of confrontations. My biggest gripes so far are inventory/item management, particularly as merchants have been few and far between, as well as other occasions when the game is a little too faithful to D&D mechanics. Was anyone really clamoring for a faithful recreation of D&D's needlessly complicated and opaque spellcasting systems? There's a reason videogame RPGs invented "MP" decades ago. |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Aug 17, 2023 10:42:16 GMT -5
I got Baldur's Gate III this week-end and played the shit out of it. I'd forgotten how much I love the Fantasy RPG/Half-Elf Dating Sim sub-genre of video game since the last one I played was probably Dragon Age: Inquisition all those years ago. Game's an absolute blast and also waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay hornier than any of the Dragon Ages ever were (I mean there's a dick/vagina menu in the character creation suite and within like two or three hours of playing half the party wanted to fuck my PC). It's also kind of funny how over the top the backstories for every party member / companion is. Makes it feel more like an actual D&D game than these things generally do. I bought in early access, played for a few hours, and dropped it because I...don't remember why. Downloaded the full version on release and I've been obsessed with it ever since. Like the other huge game of the year, TotK, it's astonishingly flexible and I similarly get a sense of FOMO when I read about other people's clever solutions and shortcuts. My approach is usually just to bonk around aimlessly and sling fireballs when I get into fights, but I have managed to stumble my way into absolutely cheesing a couple of boss battles. "Hmmm...what happens when I cast 'hold person' and then 'cloud of daggers'?" I'm playing as a (Duergar) bard, which might as well be easy mode given how often I've been able to talk my way out of confrontations. My biggest gripes so far are inventory/item management, particularly as merchants have been few and far between, as well as other occasions when the game is a little too faithful to D&D mechanics. Was anyone really clamoring for a faithful recreation of D&D's needlessly complicated and opaque spellcasting systems? There's a reason videogame RPGs invented "MP" decades ago. While I appreciate the practicality of MP and certainly agree that this is the way to go almost all the time, I still have a fondness for the Vancian system. I assume that's what BG3 has, at least, cuz D&D. I'll never play this game to find out myself.
Though I lean heavily toward the sorcerer side of things. No memorizing specific spells, just X number of spells per level per day and go nuts. Like FF1 all those years ago.
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ABz B👹anaz
Grandfathered In 
This country is (now less of) a shitshow.
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Post by ABz B👹anaz on Aug 17, 2023 11:13:43 GMT -5
I bought in early access, played for a few hours, and dropped it because I...don't remember why. Downloaded the full version on release and I've been obsessed with it ever since. Like the other huge game of the year, TotK, it's astonishingly flexible and I similarly get a sense of FOMO when I read about other people's clever solutions and shortcuts. My approach is usually just to bonk around aimlessly and sling fireballs when I get into fights, but I have managed to stumble my way into absolutely cheesing a couple of boss battles. "Hmmm...what happens when I cast 'hold person' and then 'cloud of daggers'?" I'm playing as a (Duergar) bard, which might as well be easy mode given how often I've been able to talk my way out of confrontations. My biggest gripes so far are inventory/item management, particularly as merchants have been few and far between, as well as other occasions when the game is a little too faithful to D&D mechanics. Was anyone really clamoring for a faithful recreation of D&D's needlessly complicated and opaque spellcasting systems? There's a reason videogame RPGs invented "MP" decades ago. While appreciate the practicality of MP and certainly agreeing that this is the way to go almost all the time, I still have a fondness for the Vancian system. I assume that's what BG3 has, at least, cuz D&D. I'll never play this game to find out myself. Though I lean heavily toward the sorcerer side of things. No memorizing specific spells, just X number of spells per level per day and go nuts. Like FF1 all those years ago.
I've always hated the whole "You need to memorize your spells again every day, because your mind doesn't hold on to them once used" bullshit, or whatever the fuck. Sorcerer spell slots at least make some sense. But having to read from the same parts of the same book instead of being able to just learn the words and know them makes no sense based on how the brain works and makes even less sense from a game design standpoint. |
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Post by Nudeviking on Aug 17, 2023 19:11:07 GMT -5
I got Baldur's Gate III this week-end and played the shit out of it. I'd forgotten how much I love the Fantasy RPG/Half-Elf Dating Sim sub-genre of video game since the last one I played was probably Dragon Age: Inquisition all those years ago. Game's an absolute blast and also waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay hornier than any of the Dragon Ages ever were (I mean there's a dick/vagina menu in the character creation suite and within like two or three hours of playing half the party wanted to fuck my PC). It's also kind of funny how over the top the backstories for every party member / companion is. Makes it feel more like an actual D&D game than these things generally do. I bought in early access, played for a few hours, and dropped it because I...don't remember why. Downloaded the full version on release and I've been obsessed with it ever since. Like the other huge game of the year, TotK, it's astonishingly flexible and I similarly get a sense of FOMO when I read about other people's clever solutions and shortcuts. My approach is usually just to bonk around aimlessly and sling fireballs when I get into fights, but I have managed to stumble my way into absolutely cheesing a couple of boss battles. "Hmmm...what happens when I cast 'hold person' and then 'cloud of daggers'?" I'm playing as a (Duergar) bard, which might as well be easy mode given how often I've been able to talk my way out of confrontations. My biggest gripes so far are inventory/item management, particularly as merchants have been few and far between, as well as other occasions when the game is a little too faithful to D&D mechanics. Was anyone really clamoring for a faithful recreation of D&D's needlessly complicated and opaque spellcasting systems? There's a reason videogame RPGs invented "MP" decades ago. I think my absolute favorite cheeseball encounter was one where a gang of kobolds or something are raiding a wine cellar and are all drunk. The floor is absolutely covered with wine. My PC is a monk and I have some gloves that do an extra d4(?) of fire damage if I hit with an unarmed attack. My monk runs in (they have an insane amount of movement and outrun everyone else in my party) and unleashes a flurry of karate on the nearest kobold. 1d4 of bonus fire damage...onto a kobold who is apparently covered in wine. He catches fire which in turn sets the floor on fire which then sets off a chain reaction that causes a bunch of wine barrels to also catch on fire and then explode which hit every other kobold in the room causing them to burst into flames and set more of the room on fire causing more barrels to explode. My monk was of course also downed in all of this but it was wild that a fight that probably would have taken me at least five or ten minutes of positioning and moving around under more conventional circumstances I ended up clearing in like 10 seconds. |
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Post by liebkartoffel on Aug 17, 2023 22:37:02 GMT -5
While appreciate the practicality of MP and certainly agreeing that this is the way to go almost all the time, I still have a fondness for the Vancian system. I assume that's what BG3 has, at least, cuz D&D. I'll never play this game to find out myself. Though I lean heavily toward the sorcerer side of things. No memorizing specific spells, just X number of spells per level per day and go nuts. Like FF1 all those years ago.
I've always hated the whole "You need to memorize your spells again every day, because your mind doesn't hold on to them once used" bullshit, or whatever the fuck. Sorcerer spell slots at least make some sense. But having to read from the same parts of the same book instead of being able to just learn the words and know them makes no sense based on how the brain works and makes even less sense from a game design standpoint. In theory, it both brings wizards down to earth relative to other classes and potentially adds an interesting layer of strategy--"the DM's hinting that we might be visiting the Underdark soon, so I should probably have X, Y, Z prepared"--but in practice it's just kind of tedious for the player and impossible to police for the DM. |
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Post by liebkartoffel on Aug 18, 2023 20:11:42 GMT -5
I'm stuck in a Betty and Veronica situation wherein the "Betty" is a priestess to the Goddess of Darkness and Pain and the "Veronica" is a murderous, xenophobic lizard-woman, and it's a testament to BG3's writing that I genuinely care for them and regret leading them both on.
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Post by Nudeviking on Aug 20, 2023 23:53:48 GMT -5
I'm stuck in a Betty and Veronica situation wherein the "Betty" is a priestess to the Goddess of Darkness and Pain and the "Veronica" is a murderous, xenophobic lizard-woman, and it's a testament to BG3's writing that I genuinely care for them and regret leading them both on. I got bummed out that Wyll felt sad when I turned him down when he asked me to dance with him. "Wyll I like you as a friend but I'm in a committed lesbian relationship with a priestess to the Goddess of Darkness my man." |
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on Aug 22, 2023 17:46:49 GMT -5
i'll see you all in hell
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ABz B👹anaz
Grandfathered In
This country is (now less of) a shitshow.
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Post by ABz B👹anaz on Aug 22, 2023 22:21:58 GMT -5
Finished Pillars of Eternity tonight. Very fun game, and long. Taking into account I played through 3/4 of the main story five years ago and replayed all of that this time around, AND bought the White Marches I and II DLC, I have spent a total of 116 hours on it.
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Post by liebkartoffel on Aug 24, 2023 9:10:10 GMT -5
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Aug 26, 2023 20:20:02 GMT -5
Gonna steal syntax from Rosa cuz that's just how strongly I feel about this.
Blasphemous (clap) 2 (clap) is (clap) fucking (clap) rad!
I beat it. 16 hours. This is a coup. Some sequels are good. Other sequels make you never want to play the original again. That's the kind of sequel that Blasphemous 2 is. It's designed better, it looks better, it plays better, it's got a bunch more ideas, and it's got way less bullshit. Every single thing that was kinda "eh" about Blasphemous - a great game in its own right - it's all gone. All of it. And they replace it with shit that's fun. Top fucking tier Metroidvania. It joins the Hollow Knights, Ori's, and Guacamelees of the modern Metroidvania scene. It's that good.*
*This surprised me, but it's also much easier than the first game. But it's easier for the right reasons. The bosses are still nuts, but you have so much more capability as the player. It's not easier, because the enemies are easier. It's easier, because you are empowered as the player. I'm smitten.
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Post by Nudeviking on Aug 27, 2023 19:03:50 GMT -5
Baldur's Gate 3...My goth girlfriend ain't a goth no more.  |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Aug 29, 2023 14:09:02 GMT -5
I picked up Sea of Stars, but I'm going to wait until Friday when I have a good chunk of free time to play it.
Got back into Vampire Survivors in the meantime, and I really shouldn't have, because got'damn it's addictive. I'll just be in the middle of making dinner wishing I was playing it. Just one more round. Just one more.
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ABz B👹anaz
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Post by ABz B👹anaz on Aug 29, 2023 14:22:10 GMT -5
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire improves upon the original game in nearly every way. Graphics are gorgeous, character models are far more detailed, leveling up is clearer, locations seem huge (especially the city of Neketaka), and the main story is fascinating and exciting. I also love having a sailing ship as my base and sailing to new islands.
The one downside is that your party is limited to five, not six, which I didn't realize until I recruited the sixth and didn't want to replace any of the other party members yet, so sent him straight to my ship to wait.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Sept 6, 2023 9:08:02 GMT -5
Final Fantasy XVI confirmed for PC. I still really, really want to play that Demon's Souls remake one day, but I just don't see a PS5 in my future at this point. Maybe I'll end up getting a PS6, and it will be backwards compatible.
Began Sea of Stars over the weekend, and it being a long weekend with my kids away at various sleepovers, I had a good chunk of time to devote to it. About 10 hours. The first thing I would let anybody know is that despite its visual resemblance to Chrono Trigger, in gameplay this is much closer to a Super Mario RPG or Paper Mario game. There is a combo system a la Chrono Trigger, where each pair of characters has multiple combo attacks they can learn which combine their individual abilities. I assume there will be triple combos as well, but I haven't unlocked any. Beyond that, this is Mario all the way. You can time a button press with your attacks to increase damage and likewise time a block against taking damage. Many of the spells and combos are like quick mini-games in which you can increase damage by timing several button presses or performing some other action. World traversal involves lots of climbing and navigating, finding secrets rooms or paths, and using tools to access new areas, solve puzzles, or even get the drop on enemies for bonus starting damage. You even get to choose one stat to gain an additional bonus on level up, like Super Mario RPG, and again also like that game I believe the level cap is 30. All of this feels great, though the timing to get bonus damage on some of the magic attacks is really hard to suss out. (To the game's credit, early on you get access to a relic that, while it won't time your attack for you, it shoots a little fanfare whenever you do it right. It's a nice teaching tool.)
Combat goes a couple steps beyond that, too. It might even be too much. The biggie is the lock system. Occasionally an enemy will queue up a special power attack, usually something that hits the whole party or heals all the enemies. When they do this, a series of icons or "locks" will appear above the enemy's head, along with the number of rounds until they take their action (usually 2 or 3). The icons represent types of damage you can do: slash, blunt, solar, lunar, poison, and probably more I haven't gotten to yet. Before the enemy gets its turn, you must break all of the their locks by hitting them with the displayed damage types the given number of times. IF you break the locks, not only do they not get their strong attack, they don't get any attack. You rob their turn. Basic attacks do either slash or blunt depending on character, and magic attacks will do a specific type of elemental damage, sometimes combined with the slash or blunt. And of course combo attacks combine damage types in a way a single character cannot. So it's like a little puzzle. Based on the enemy's locks, the characters I have queued up, the MP I have left, whether I have combo points, etc., can I do the right combination of moves to prevent this special attack? But wait there's more! Any time you strike an enemy with a regular attack, it drops some "live mana" onto the field. Up to 3 charges of live mana can be dropped on the field at once. Any time a character takes a turn, you can suck up 1 or more charges of live mana, and this increases damage of any attack and adds that character's elemental affinity to the attack. So if you've got live mana on the field, you've got one more way of breaking elemental locks even if you're out of MP or combos.
It's a lot, and it technically comes up in every fight, but it really only matters in the boss fights, which are significantly more difficult than fodder fights. On bosses, breaking locks is less serving suggestion and more required for success. Letting a boss repeatedly land its most powerful attacks is a death sentence. I like it. It's kept it interesting so far.
As for everything else: it's fine. Game looks fantastic, of course, we've known that since the first trailer. Music is solid, if not quite as ear-wormy as I think it thinks it is. Sitting here writing this, I can't summon any of the tunes from memory. I particularly love the dungeon designs and world traversal. All the climbing and jumping down and checking corners for secrets. It's very active. The story is just okay so far. Got to the game's first big twist before I last stopped and have no idea where it goes from here. Economy and equipment availability was kind of weird at first. Enemies drop almost no money at all, so you mostly end up selling things to make money, not that there's very much to buy. But one thing that was strange is that I was probably 5-6 hours into the game before I had fully filled my 3-person team's equipment slots. Five hours in and my 3rd party member was still half naked.
Oh and the first hour or so is all backstory with almost no combat, and it was unbearable. Such a relief once you're finally let loose on the first dungeon.
Really digging it so far. Will be hopping back into it on Friday for sure.
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Baron von Costume
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Like an iron maiden made of pillows... the punishment is decadence!
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Post by Baron von Costume on Sept 6, 2023 10:46:55 GMT -5
Hopped into Starfield last night and really digging it. A few bonkers design choices on the devs part but still great. Particularly enjoyed the Kobayashi Maru inspired thing I got to do.
Definitely going to check out Sea of Stars soon though. Need to finish off one of BG3 or Starfield first though.
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on Sept 6, 2023 11:30:51 GMT -5
Why can't I romance EVERYONE in BG3?!
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Sept 11, 2023 8:40:38 GMT -5
I'm now 24 hours into Sea of Stars, and while it feels late game, this story has had so many, "but wait, there's more!" moments already that honestly I have no idea. I could be close to the final battle, or I could have another 10 hours to go. I know I'm not in a final dungeon or anything, for one because I'm just obviously not, and for two because this game is big on "quality of life", and I genuinely don't believe they'd let me cross a Rubicon without warning. For whatever human reason, it's easier to voice rants than raves, so first I just want to re-confirm: it is excellent. If you like Chrono Trigger, the Mario RPGs, or just old school JPRGs in general, you should absolutely play this game. Sabotage have done it. They did the thing. They made a game that genuinely feels like it could have been made then, but then modernized it in so many ways that matter.
It's not perfect, though:
- Oh my god it's so talky. If you've played any of the Mario RPGs, expect something like that, only less funny. Characters (and one in particular) go on and on, because the way they talk is part of their characterization, and every time someone says something, we have to hear all the other characters react to it. Honestly it's amateurish in some ways. Not terrible, but not tight. Not respectful of your time. I couldn't even guess how many times I've had to button mash through this particularly compelling piece of dialogue: "..."
- Equipment is boring. Your weapon and armor confer basic attack and defense stats, and every new area you reach you'll find the next level. The line goes up. But there's no nuance to them. There's no trade off, like say armor that's weak but grants a cool attack bonus, or anything like that. There is no reason to ever not equip the latest and greatest. You do also have accessories which pick up that slack and do offer more unique benefits. But the weapon/armor progression is so plain. Again it's very Mario RPG.
- A general lack of freedom. Outside of advancing the objectives, there's not a lot to do. I've had the means to sail around the entire map for many hours now, but getting my ship never felt like it paid off the way you hope it does in an RPG. That moment when you're like, "Ooooo, now I can explore and find a couple towns I'm not supposed to go to yet and buy the very best stuff and get ahead of the game's curve or find some sidequests, etc." There ARE sidequests, in the form of game-long treasure hunt / collectible hunt stuff, but nothing story related, and nothing that leaves you feeling like you pulled one over on the game. Granted, I'm not at end game yet, so maybe I just need to be patient. But the feel is very "now do this, now do this, now do this", and you never get to stretch your legs (or when you do, never get rewarded for doing so).
Okay, now about Wheels:
Wheels is Sea of Stars' in-world mini-game. You can play it in every town. It's like a light strategy game meets a slot machine. Easy to play, but too much to explain. Watch this if you care. I really like Wheels. It's not Triple Triad good, but nothing is. Wheels is really up there for me for this kind of thing in the world of JRPGs, and every time I get to a new town, the first thing I want to do is find the tavern and challenge the Wheels champion. The problem with Wheels is that there are no rewards for playing Wheels that aren't just more Wheels. You get new figurines, your get better discs (actually not sure these do anything), etc., but it's all self-contained. The only reward for playing Wheels is to play more, harder Wheels.
Heck, just give me some kind of in-world leaderboard or point system. Get so many points, get this cool accessory. Or something. Triple Triad got it. Chocobo treasure hunting got it. The point of the in-world mini-game cannot be to play more in-world mini-game. The point must be to make your team stronger. But anyway, play Wheels. Wheels is fun.
Ugh, now it's the week again, and I may not get back to Sea of Stars until Friday. |
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on Sept 11, 2023 17:41:01 GMT -5
should i buy a razer kitsune
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Sept 12, 2023 8:11:09 GMT -5
I'm not getting bored of playing games for my kids, but I kind of want to do more. I'd rather play with them, but I want more than just some party game or Mario Kart or Smash Bros. Something that's more of a project.
Then it hit me: Secret of Mana. An actual full-length action-RPG for 3 players. I own the 3D remake on Steam (which is perfectly cromulent, no, it's not the original, but my kids won't care, and it's good, really it is). But I face the issue: I already have the game on Steam, but only one controller. On Switch I have enough controllers, but I don't have the game. Obviously it'd be cheaper to buy the Mana Collection on Switch than two controllers for my PC, but before doing that...
I'd never considered whether my Nintendo branded, wired Switch controllers would work on PC. Despite the USB cable, just kind of assumed they wouldn't. But they do! Only thing is, the button mapping is WILD. Like "Start" is right bumper. Gonna have to see if I can figure this out, since my normal PC controllers (an Xbox controller) has normal button mapping, and only two of the controllers will need to be rejiggered.
Huh.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 12, 2023 22:47:41 GMT -5
Why can't I romance EVERYONE in BG3?! It's weird because Shadowheart and that Halsin dude are both okay with you hooking up with the other but only with that one other person (and Drow sex workers I guess). Like they get mad if you try and do stuff with Lae'zel or Gale or whatever. |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Sept 13, 2023 7:52:53 GMT -5
I'd never considered whether my Nintendo branded, wired Switch controllers would work on PC. Despite the USB cable, just kind of assumed they wouldn't. But they do! Only thing is, the button mapping is WILD. Like "Start" is right bumper. Gonna have to see if I can figure this out, since my normal PC controllers (an Xbox controller) has normal button mapping, and only two of the controllers will need to be rejiggered. It wasn't a big deal. For some reason when I plug the wired Switch controller into my main PC the button mapping is all wonky, but when plugged into my old PC that we use in the living room, it's normal. So I didn't have to do anything.
Which means we immediately ran into the next weird thing: it takes 45 minutes to unlock the second and third characters in Secret of Mana. So I had to be all, "okay guys, I've got this fun new game I want to play with y'all. But not tonight. No, tonight you just have to watch."
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on Sept 13, 2023 9:36:02 GMT -5
Why can't I romance EVERYONE in BG3?! It's weird because Shadowheart and that Halsin dude are both okay with you hooking up with the other but only with that one other person (and Drow sex workers I guess). Like they get mad if you try and do stuff with Lae'zel or Gale or whatever. They just understand the irresistible power of Bear Daddy. |
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Sept 14, 2023 7:55:19 GMT -5
I was psyching myself up to buy Armored Core 6, purely as a From Software fanboy since I've never played any game in the series before, but dang, Lies of P comes out next week. Both full price games. The irony of deciding between an actual From Soft game that is probably excellent but I may not like and another studio's blatant Bloodborne rip-off that I probably will.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Sept 14, 2023 10:10:03 GMT -5
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Post by Didja Heah That, T? on Sept 14, 2023 13:09:55 GMT -5
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Sept 15, 2023 8:34:54 GMT -5
It's lookin' pretty hot, folks.
Junon, Gold Saucer, Cosmo Canyon, the Kalm flashback, Nibelheim, Costa Del Sol (I'm assuming that's where Cloud was riding the Segway), lots of good stuff. Like, Midgar is a cool and iconic setting, but when you think FF7 remake, these are the kinds of areas you were wanting to see.
Disc one stuff I didn't see or didn't recognize at a glance is Fort Condor, that village between the Gold Saucer and Cosmo Canyon with the broken down mako reactor, and anything after Nibelheim, so Rocket Town, Temple of the Ancients, Northern Crater.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Sept 18, 2023 8:17:23 GMT -5
I won't write another long post. I beat Sea of Stars. I recommend it completely. I consulted guides at the end, because I wanted to do all the extra stuff before finishing it up. And it's a LOT of extra stuff you can do. Lots of great optional equipment, optional bosses, and other rewards. I got the super secret bonus ending for doing all the things. That's fun. It was worth it, even if it added literal hours to my playtime.
Around 34 hours all in.
Now to wait for Lies of P. I got all excited when I saw it comes out today, but alas that's just a deluxe edition pre-order perk. Have to wait for Thursday.
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Post by liebkartoffel on Sept 18, 2023 12:25:33 GMT -5
It's lookin' pretty hot, folks.
Junon, Gold Saucer, Cosmo Canyon, the Kalm flashback, Nibelheim, Costa Del Sol (I'm assuming that's where Cloud was riding the Segway), lots of good stuff. Like, Midgar is a cool and iconic setting, but when you think FF7 remake, these are the kinds of areas you were wanting to see.
Disc one stuff I didn't see or didn't recognize at a glance is Fort Condor, that village between the Gold Saucer and Cosmo Canyon with the broken down mako reactor, and anything after Nibelheim, so Rocket Town, Temple of the Ancients, Northern Crater.
I'm vaguely disappointed your Remake save data doesn't carry over in any meaningful way, even if I completely understand why it had to be done. On the one hand it's hard not to feel like I'll be losing all my progress (not mention materia and gear) between installments, but on the other hand the scaling would get way out of hand real quick and it's not as if JRPGs are big on big narrative-altering decisions. Anyway, really excited for this. I wish they would just stick with FF7R's combat system for all FFs going forward--it's a good compromise between Square's insistence that FINAL FANTASIES ARE ACTION GAMES NOW DAMN IT and many fans' insistence that maybe it would be kind of nice if the premiere JRPG franchise could remain RPGs, if that's not too much trouble. My interest in FFXVI plummeted when reviews confirmed that that it was just Devil May Cry with some meaningless RPG elements half-heartedly thrown in. |
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Post by Prole Hole on Sept 19, 2023 5:52:22 GMT -5
I am, for the first time, playing through The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. I'm rather enjoying it! It's very old-skool and reminds me a lot of games I used to play on my ZX Spectrum back in the 80s (specifically, Gauntlet, though quite a few others including the Knightmare series). It's my very first Zelda game besides the soothing pleasure of watching my fella play through TotK, and I haven't actually played that one myself. I'm greatly enjoying it though!
What I'm having the most problem with is using a controller rather than a keyboard/mouse setup. Almost all the gaming I've done post-16-bit computers has been keyboard/mouse and the game I've played most often is Call of Duty (II, though also both Modern Warfares and V). Adjusting to using a controller is driving me nuts at the moment because i'm not at the stage where pressing the right buttons is instinctual. It's all muscle memory and I don't have it yet - it's like learning new chords on the guitar except on guitar when you have to stop and look at where your fingers are meant to go a guard doesn't pop up and unexpectedly stab you (well, hopefully). This makes for an occasionally-frustrating experience as my fella - who's been playing these games for the best part of a couple of decades - grinds his teeth while I (who have been playing for the best part of a couple of hours) die in yet another stupid way. Ok, he doesn't always grind his teeth. Just sometimes.
That said, it's a really fun game, only occasionally annoying (boss levels, mostly) and I'm very much digging its retro vibe and soundtrack. Will I go on and play more Zelda games? Well, if this one is anything to go by, the answer is yes! (Watch this space).
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