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Posts posted by Hawkwing
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I suggested the idea a few years ago, but a game about rebuilding a taguel warren. It would be a combination of underground base building, Fire Emblem, and King of Dragon Pass as you fend off attackers, handle diplomacy, and rebuild a culture from the ground up. It's a unique combination I haven't seen before, and I believe it would actually work extremely well mechanically. It would also be a good opportunity to give more lore to the taguel, as they didn't get enough in Awakening.
Fire Emblem at the Olympic games
More seriously, I would like to see a Heroes of Might and Magic styled game using Fire Emblem mechanics. I am very curious to see how Fire Emblem's gameplay would hold up when units are more expendable, you're allowed to lose fights, and battles aren't on predetermined maps in a linear order. It would also be interesting for weapons and classes to be unlocked by building up cities and resources and to have different factions with unique elements to them.
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Completed the mainline quest for the Rito yesterday. While the dungeon itself was smaller than a typical Zelda dungeon, getting there was an (fun) ordeal, so I didn't mind. I hope that the odd flying trampoline boats appear throughout the game. They're a fun and helpful way to traverse the sky islands, which aren't always convenient to navigate, and I'd be disappointed if they're relegated to a single region.
Anyway, I'm greatly enjoying my time with the game. They kept the strong sense of exploration and discovery from Breath of the Wild alive and expanded upon it with a ton of fun new mechanics. While the overall map is the same shape, the area's themselves are far from 1 to 1, and they clearly put a lot of effort into making these places familiar while being entirely new.
As for my thoughts on the new abilities:
Ultrahand: Easily the games biggest selling point. I had fun creating even the simple contraptions allowed early on, and I expect that you'll be able to create even wilder inventions later down the line. I fully expect to see compilations of the wildest things people have come up with soon, as well as compilations of looney toons moments of inventions failing in the funniest ways.
Recall: An overall awesome ability. Reversing time so that enemies projectiles return to their thrower never gets old, and I greatly enjoyed the few puzzles I've encountered so far that utilize the ability. I really, really hope they get wild with the puzzles Recall allows.
Ascend: More of a quality of life ability to save on climbing time, though some of the puzzles I've encountered utilize it well. This will probably be the ability I miss the most if I get back to playing Breath of the Wild.
Fuse: I need to experiment more with this mechanic and I don't know whether or not I like it at the moment. I appreciate that it gives a purpose to items I usually just saw as sidequest or upgrade fodder, and I love that it consistently rewards out-of-the box combinations. At the same time, I fear that the game may have some option bloat, as time spent looking for a specific material to throw or attach to an arrow could add up, and there may be fuses that are funny but functionally useless outside of some niche situations. I also don't think the weapon limit meshes well with this mechanic, as I'm not allowed to get as crazy as I want since I have to keep that limit in mind.
There are some smaller things I enjoyed. I'm glad they increased the enemy variety as that was my biggest critique of the previous game, and the news towers shooting you into the air does make exploration and travel quick than having to climb/warp onto a tower and fly off. I haven't seen enough of the story to comment on it yet, though I do appreciate that it is more involved and active this time around and I do find the mystery intriguing
Really, my biggest criticism of the game is that they kept aspects of Breath of the Wild I wasn't fond of. Korok seeds and the compendium were fun the first time around but quickly became busywork, and both are back in full force. I also could have gone without the "you start with pitiful health and armor and some attacks can kill you in one hit" schtick that I didn't find fun the first time, and it's just as frustrating here.
My biggest disappointment is that they gave more tools for combat but left the system itself unchanged, which I believe was a big mistake. Combat in far from bad, but it is flawed. Your defensive options aren't as quick or tight as they should be for group fights, which make up the majority of encounters. The targeting system and dodging works well against singular opponents and bosses, but against multiple enemies, your shield doesn't cover every angle, you have to put some weapons away to even access the shield which while quick isn't immediate, you have to hold down a button to dodge which also snaps the camera behind you which isn't always helpful, and it's all too easy to get sniped from behinds. This isn't terrible, but the sheer amount of damage you take and how some attacks kill you instantly really highlight flaws of this combat systems, and I was really hoping they would improve upon that. (Doesn't help that I played Sifu before getting this game. That game is very difficult and punishes players who don't know what they're doing, but it's defensive mechanics are quick, tight, and responsive)
Overall, I enjoy the new abilities and exploration is still a ton of fun, I just could have gone without some repeats of Breath of the Wilds more annoying elements.
On 5/14/2023 at 9:55 AM, lenticular said:Those of you who have played it, do you think that the game offers much of interest to those of us who didn't particularly care for Breath of the Wild? Or is it very much more of the same and if you didn't like the one then you won't like the other either? The consensus that I'm seeing seems to be tending towards the latter, but I'm trying to gather a few different opinions.
Depends on what you liked or didn't like about Breath of the Wild. I talked with a friend who didn't care much about Breath of the Wild but is having a ton of fun with Tears of the Kingdom. The new mechanics are what sold it for him, particularly fuse and ultrahand. I know that won't be the case with everyone, though.
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That was an exciting trailer that this game seriously needed! I had to rewatch it a few times to really absorb everything new they showed off, and I have no doubt there are several details I still missed. They seemed to have addressed most of the issues I had with Breath of the Wild. I'm expecting several of the large structures they showed off to contain/be dungeons, they cranked up the enemy variety, and the fusion mechanic is a double whammy of giving weapon durability more out-of-the-box workarounds as well as giving the various resources you can nab some much needed utility. Link may also be able to interact with NPC's in more interesting way this time around, as there were some villagers fighting in the background, Link built a carriage to transport some of them, and he has a partner in some scenes (potential multiplayer? I don't know exactly how it'd work but I'm down).
I'm very glad to see that they seriously shook up the world. I was concerned that they would reuse the same map with some floating islands being the only real additions, but no. The ground level has a ton of new structures, and the sky has a ton of creative new mechanics and set pieces. I wouldn't be surprised if the $70 price tag comes from having to use an expensive cartridge just to store the whole thing, as this is easily the largest game Nintendo has ever made.
I hope that Ganondorf has more of a presence this time around. While his actions clearly had an effect on Hyrule in the previous game, Ganon himself was really just there. I hope the story as a whole sees some improvements. Breath of the Wild's plot was fine, but it was very minimalistic and I could summarize so many cutscenes as "stop Ganon". I did enjoy Links interactions with several of the characters in that game, but the Divine Beast quests were pretty formulaic. I hope that Tears of the Kingdom seriously shakes things up this time around.
As excited as I am, I'm not going to lie that I wish we got a trailer like this earlier. The previous trailers gave off the impression that it was "Breath of the Wild with more stuff to do". It took until Aonuma gave a gameplay demonstration of the new mechanics for Tears of the Kingdom to really show if how unique it would be. As cool as that video was, I could have easily seen those mechanics being introduced in a far interesting and exciting manner. I just say this because I've seen some people call this the best trailer they've ever scene, and I can't say I agree. I personally would have been more hyped for this game if these details weren't revealed a literal month before the game comes out.
That aside, this trailer was still awesome, I'm looking forward to Tears of the Kingdom, and will likely pick it up as soon as I can.
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On 4/7/2023 at 9:55 PM, Integrity said:
total warhammer specifically 3 has a tutorial that i think eases you into total war's particular schtick pretty well. mandalore's preview video on tww3 covers it briefly and they've done some tweaks since. on the flip side, i think tww3's grand campaign is the worst for newcomers of the three and possibly of all the total war games ever put out. on the double-flip-reverse side, immortal empires is free and is very straightforward. it's a weird set of conditions.
all this to say that i would recommend getting total warhammer 3 on the next steam sale and playing the tutorial campaign. if you like it, grab a DLC or two for factions you're particularly interested in (skaven are incredibly fucking fun to play and you also listed tomb kings, one of my favorites to play) and poke immortal empires with them. it's not the easiest rts to jump feet first into but i think you've got the brain to wrap around it without too much difficulty.
E: it's also worth noting that total warhammer and 2's races are both dlc for 3 now so you don't have to buy the entire suite of games to play who you want. buy 3 and then pick up who you want to play a la carte
Thank you. I'll keep this in mind the next time I see the game on sale.
Looking forward to the Total Warhammer 3 writeup, however long that will be.
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On 3/18/2023 at 11:00 PM, Integrity said:
TOTAL WARHAMMER
On 3/19/2023 at 9:51 PM, Integrity said:TOTAL WARHAMMER 2
I'm a big fan of Mandaloregaming, and his Total Warhammer reviews are some of his largest videos, as he covers not only the general gameplay and presentation, but each faction individually. Needless to say, it was very interesting to read though your summaries and see were your opinions lined up nearly word-for-word, and were they differed so sharply I almost wondered if you two were playing entirely different games. I suppose that's the joy of a game with so many asymmetric components.
Speaking of Mandaloregaming, I've enjoyed almost every game he's recommended (and even the ones I didn't, I'm still glad I played) and I've had my eye on Total Warhammer 2 and 3 for a while now (The Lizardman faction having playable dinosaurs were enough to sell me on the games. The Skaven also sound incredibly fun, and the Tomb Kings are pretty much Necrons and I fucking love the Mechanicus game so of course I'm interested in them). How "RTS-Noob" friendly would you say they are? I've played and enjoyed a handful of RTS games in the past, but it's not my go-to genre and I make no claims to be good at them. Is Total Warhammer fine for a newcomer to jump into or does it expect that you already know what you're doing?
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Just got home from the theater after watching the movie with my siblings. Overall it was a lot of fun and I greatly enjoyed it. However, I will say right now that it is very much a Mario product and very much a family film. I think it's very important to set your expectations accordingly before going in.
The animation is great and this is easily the best looking film Illumination has made. Not just from purely visual standpoint, but from how well they integrate various aspects of the Mario universe into the film. The movie is littered with easter eggs and references, but it goes beyond "I recognize that!" to being intertwined very naturally with the action scenes and world as a whole. Every era of Mario is referenced, and you can tell the artists and animators were very passionate about the games and getting the look just right, and I would say they succeeded. It is easily the best aspect about the movie.
The plot and comedy are fine, if nothing to write home about. It's extremely by the book, but thankfully it knows it's by the book and doesn't waste your time. The movie is incredibly fast paced, so any scene that may comes off as cliché doesn't last long enough to be annoying. Also, there are no fart jokes (and only one burp joke that's quick and actually kinda funny) which immediately puts the film above several other family movies. My only legitimate plot critique was that I wish Mario and Luigi had more screentime together, as they bounce off each other extremely well and establish a very believable bond in a short amount of time. It's refreshing that Peach wasn't kidnapped this time and it makes sense that Mario would go out of his way to rescue his sibling, but I can see a version of this story that has the two brothers working together the whole movie.
The voice cast was good. Maybe not my first pick for these roles, but no one gave a bad performance and I quickly bought everyone as their respective characters. The Charles Martinet cameo was clever and much appreciated. The original soundtrack is AMAZING... which makes me wish there was more of it. I don't hate the pop songs they selected, but I do think the film would have been better off without them.
I can kinda see why the handful of critic reviews I've seen were all over the place. If you know nothing about the Mario franchise and/or story is king no matter what, then the movie offers very little. If, on the other hand, you wanted to see a celebrations of all eras of Mario and weren't expecting a noteworthy story in the first place, then I think there is a lot to enjoy. I recommend this movie, especially watching it on the big screen, but I would also say to do so when it's convenient for you. It's a fun film, but not something you should go out of your way to see.
I am very curious to see what the future holds now that Nintendo has dipped their toe into the moviemaking business. The purchased Dynamo Pictures last year, which leads me to believe that they'll want to make more movies in-house. I've seen a number of people say they want a movie about Luigi's Mansion, Metroid, or Star Fox, and I can see each of those working. We could possibly be in for a string of movie adaptations of videogames that manage to be high quality while remain faithful to the source material in the near future, which should be very interesting.
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A fairly interesting set of challenges. The amount of mileage people get out of Super Smash Bros never ceases to amaze me.
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Wonder who nearby was a vampire, since he seems to be absorbing their soul.
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ROOK'S CAMPAIGN DAY 3: We Never Had This Hilarious Conversation
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SpoilerOn 2/17/2023 at 5:24 PM, Saint Rubenio said:Anytime, pal.
Don't have much more to say than thank you.
No, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.
Funnily enough, none of the grifters show any sort of romantic interest across their stories. Makes sense, considering Sal is more interested in revenge, Rook has be a double agent for two factions while secretly working for a third, and Smith has to gain support. Those aren't really situations for romance to step in
Who am I kidding? When has that ever stopped shippers?
It's, uh... Ehhh. I liked the characters, but the plot itself is just... bleh. Very bleh.
Not surprising considering what I've seen from reviews. I'll reserve judgement until I play the game myself. That might be soon, considering I want to pick up a physical copy of Metroid Prime and have enough cash to spare to buy two full price games. I don't know how busy I'll be the rest of this week, so I don't know when exactly I'll do so.
Anyone can do a :v face, but not just anyone can do it as masterfully as Rook.
Must be the mustache.
Same thing I did in my own run, funnily enough.
Don't blame you. Hard to resist such an amazing backstabbing opportunity.
I get it's due to game mechanics, but I find it hilarious how Rook feels the need to announce to the bartender that he is going to pay a visit to his accomodations, every single time. With Sal and Fssh it makes sense because they're friends, and later on Sal needs Fssh to turn off the traps before she can get there. Here it feels like Rook just wants to pester Hebbel for no reason.
Maybe Hebbel has the key to his room? I doubt Hebbel would give his guests the key to their own rooms, considering how easy it is too lose things in the bog.
That thing had a cute design. No replacement for the real thing, of course, but on the other hand, a robot pet cannot suffer from neglect or mistreatment, so perhaps it'd be for the best in some cases.
If it weren't for the possibility that they'll be corrupted by the Bog and turn into feral beasts, the Spark Barons could make some good money by making offering robotic
Is that his "trying outfits on" face?
Maybe. None of the grifters seem to care too much about their appearance.
Alas, foiled by societal conventions.
Lopli doesn't drink either, so I can't fight her in a bar. It's the one time I'll curse teetotaling.
Also I love how Del would've jumped to her defense. Always a nuisance, that guy...He just wants the attention. Why else would he jump into a different timeline?
Rook's paygrade is "stop asking questions and do what I say." Or, so Fellemo would like to believe.
Funnily enough, I often end up with the most money in Rook's campaign. Ironically,
You can tell because her theme is really awesome.
It may not be my favorite soundtrack, but Griftlands has several bangers.
The fun-when-strictly-fictional kind, though.
See?
I've said this before with the Spark Barons, but while Fellemo's behavior is exaggerated, it doesn't strike as being that out there. I don't know of any managers that would be dismissive of their employer being in danger, but it's not far fetched for people in charge to care more about profits than their employees wellbeing, or to dismiss legitimate concerns because they're inconvenient.
Hahahah! Oh, but that's so appropriate. Let us not forget, after all, he is bad.
I'm surprised I forgot to make a joke about that. It practically came gift wrapped.
He probably won't be pleased about that next run.
We'll see if he appears in Smith's story.
I suppose it is a fairly appropraite end for this hilarious character.
He messed with the timeline
Pfffffffffffft
He just tried howling like a dog or something.
What a secret dork you are, mustache man...
Perhaps it was a failed attempt to scare off the wildlife by acting like an autodog?
I would be tempted to make an edit, but no you're right. This is perfect. There is no need for anything else.
I'm surprised this section hasn't become much of a meme. Oddly enough, I haven't seen that many memes of Klei games, despite Don't Starve being pretty well known.
The judge is indeed not convinced.
I still need to play Ace Attorney
Not bad. Now let's just hope Gode doesn't beat a worker to a bloody pulp as vengeance and everything will be fine.
I dearly hope so. Wonder what he'll be doing after tomorrow, considering that Grout Bog will be seeing some major changes...
...Well. So much for that.
I mean yeah it was self-defense but this is still a terrible lookIt was blood on my hands I didn't want. Almost went down the rabbit hole of trying to apply game mechanics to real life, but needlessly to say Griftlands combat doesn't transfer well.
Hahahah! Oh, this guy. I don't know whether to say he's scum or the best.
I'm tempted to say both.
It's okay, I can take the wait if it means getting a game I like sponsored!
Seriously, it's an amazing game. I heavily recommend checking it out.
You make some good points. A thoughtful analysis, aptly put.
Thank you
Update:
SpoilerAfter three days of work, Fellemo gives some seemingly sincere praise towards Rook’s accomplishments.
Thanks, I guess. Not exactly a fan of being praised by the manager of the Spark Barons, considering everything we’ve seen of them. At the same time, Fellemo and Rook are war buddies.
Back to business, the information Rook gave the Spark Barons was true, and the Boggers are sitting on some powerful technology.
Of course both sides are going to be interested in the tech. Fellemo hopes to set a trap first.
I’ve mentioned this near the start, but I love how well the double agent aspect is handled with Rook’s story. Both faction leaders are fairly savvy about what employing one entails.
Huh, first time I’ve seen this random event. Usually I trade in the autodog for an actual pet or it’s destroyed by now.
Yeah, if TRINARY were on the brink of death, I might consider it.
As is, I don’t see the point in dismantling my pet, so I go to meet Brash to get some Brain Gills, whatever those are.
Veep’s face looks awfully familiar…
Hi Brash. I hope you weren’t friends with Del.
Hopefully this should speed up the process of leveling up any last-minute cards I gain.
Considering I have nearly 1000 shills, I see what I can spend at the Black Market.
Though not before running into a different random event.
Hey, it’s Shel! She’s a recurring character similar to Rug and Krog, who tends to be in over her head. Klei seems to have a soft spot for her, as she’s the star of Shel’s Adventure, an example mod made by the developers to show off what you can do in the game.
It’s a fun distraction, with the goal to gain as much money as you can through trading commodities and doing bounty hunter work. I’d say the mod does a good job showcasing that modders shouldn’t worry much about artwork or animations and instead focus on making fun gameplay scenarios.
I ask if the reckless merchant needs help
Counterproductive as it sounds, I don’t jump in to help, and instead wait to see how it goes.
Shel is squashed, and I have to deal with the beast myself.
On the bright side, we get to see a Grawkit in Grout Bog. Phroluk knows his stuff.
SpoilerI curse under my breath that I couldn’t kill Lopli.
I’m using this more for the extra defense from empty cells than to heal, but I’ll take the 9 health regardless.
I finish off the turn by dealing damage and applying burn.
Seems Shel took off 78 health off the Grawkit before being squashed. That’s a respectable amount of damage considering she’s a lowly merchant.
TRINARY defends, despite not being targeted.
I take half the damage from the charge. This would normally stun NPC’s, but Grifters are fortunately immune to being stunned. I believe that’s still the case during the rare situations where you fight other grifters, so keep that in mind.
I use Pale Kick and Tall Sear this turn. The Grawkit isn’t attacking, so I don’t need to defend or apply Impair, and I’ll save my RPG for a larger battle.
TRINARY fills the creature with Dread
While it gains 17 defense after taking 7 damage from burn
I have to get lucky just to break through the beast's defense, so I focus instead on protecting my Autodog.
I also call in some help
I finish the turn by attacking twice to break through as much of the Grawkit’s defense as I can.
I seem to keep missing the impact of Mirrored Blast. Anyway, it did a combined total of 10 damage.
TRINARY deals the exact amount of damage that the Grawkwit was guarding against.
Seems the body chassis opens up when Feral Dogs bite. I never really noticed that before.
Anyway, the bite does what you’d expect.
TRINARY is stunned, though fortunately the Grawkit plans on defending rather than attacking this turn. A turn when almost every card in my hand deals damage.
If I get lucky, I’ll have two more attacks this turn
Sigh… at least it’s closer to evolving into something hopefully more useful
It’s not defense, but Counter is still nasty to deal with.
Fortunately, my hand is loaded with defensive cards.
First I project Trinary against Counter damage
I then make a futile effort to project the Feral Autodog, as I’m more interested in the Concentration.
And finish the turn by gaining some Charge
I guess the Grawkit has some psychic abilities, because it just moves its head to counter.
The Feral Autodog bites one last time.
Though this time the beast counters far more violently
The Feral Autodog is squished, to the displeasure of Rook.
Have I mentioned before that it’s almost always a good idea to start the turn with Shock Therapy?
My attempt to give Guns Smoke some experience proved fruitless, as I didn’t notice Rook was Fatigued until writing this update.
I scare off the beast with a good old fashioned kick.
I’ve been in enough fights for Rugged Wiring to upgrade.
Twice as much power. Awesome!
Gemini: A solid, if situational attack card. Obviously you’ll get more mileage out of it if you lean towards being Fully Charged.
Sucker Punch: The Empty effect doesn’t apply as often as I’d like in my experience, but 5 damage is still fairly solid.
I’ve been alternating between gaining and spending charges frequently, so Sucker Punch may be able to shine sometimes. Besides, it does more reliable damage than Gemini.
Well, ran away. Just like a cartoon character, Shel survived being bellyflopped by a walking boulder.
She’s legitimately charging me for a fight she started and refused my offer to help.
Speaking of which, you only get this conversation if you let Shel fight the Grawkit on her own. If you help, she just storms off mad because of the unwanted assistance.
I appreciate not having to deal with a Grawkit at full health, but there is no way in hell I’m paying the fee.
Shel’s description. She is consistently optimistic in the face of bad odds, and tends to pick poor fights.
I don’t care if the fee is hilariously small. I already said I ain’t paying!
Although…
She won’t be a damage dealer, but Shel does surprisingly well in a supportive role during fights.
Anyway, I go to the Black Market before meeting with the Rise.
Give me more graft slots, Plocka
I do this twice, and reach the max amount of slots available for battle grafts. I head off without buying anything else.
I meet Nekdo before talking with Kalandra.
I’ve never kept the cache a secret. I should try the option sometime.
Now is not that time, since I plan on sticking a knife in the Spark Barons back anyway.
All those automechs you see? Those are a comparatively recent invention, and it was Kashio who found them and got the robots to work. She was once a laborer, friends with Sal and her parents along with Fssh before becoming a Spark Baron. When push came to shove and the earlier rebellion happened, Kashio clung to power rather than friendship. Don’t know why she went the path of becoming a crime lord, other than debt brokering is a profitable business in Havaria.
Whatever tech is here is big enough to bring the conflict to a close, that’s for sure. In the meantime, I ask for work.
Trade Secrets pays more, but Mole Fixer has funnier dialogue, so I’m going with that.
Okay, speak to Frash, and convince him to start talking again. Should be simple.
I reach Frash’s home without any interruptions.
I love this entire conversation
Add another recurring character to the list. Vectorini was the one to greet us at the gate during my first attempt.
Says the kettle to the pot
I could ask for payment, but that would cause Frash to dislike me.
I agree to solve the problem with no strings attached.
I don’t really have much to comment on here. This conversation is perfect.
I go the rec center without any issues. I embrace the lack of randomness while I can.
I wonder if the rec center has a pool table or foosball? Or whatever their griftlands equivalents would be? Maybe the pallet minigame from Beyond Good and Evil?
…Man it’s been too long since I’ve last played Beyond Good and Evil. I remember having a ton of fun with the minigame, to the point I was always disappointed when your opponent ran out of money to gamble with. I mostly thank the music.
I haven’t played Engage, but I’ve heard that the exercise minigames are actually pretty lame. Which sucks because I was predicting them to be a hilarious meme, and now they’re a feature most people seem to have already forgotten about.
This is the only place where I can naturally rant about that, frivolous as it may seem.
Attacking Vectorini here is a bad idea, as it will draw unwanted attention.
Instead, I trick Vectorini into isolating himself.
SpoilerShell’s argument gives the Hush Money card, which we’ll see soon
I gain By The Book as an authority card
The coin starts off on Snails, and I play Fallout immediately. It’s an argument that’s better to get into action sooner rather than later.
It may not be as powerful compared to if the coin was on Heads, but 8 damage is nothing to scoff at.
Glad I played it when I did, as I lost my influence.
Kicker and Mirrored Grumble were stolen
While I gain Hush Money
It’s free, so why not?
Similar to how I won’t always mention the composure gained from the Turtle Coin, I won’t always mention the damage Fallout deals. There will be times numbers will just be flying around.
Looks like Twisted Roughneck was the right call, as I actually stole defense for once. Pale Head Shot activates to boot.
I follow up with Agency, the only other damage dealing card in my hand.
Which is no longer the case as I’ve regained the stolen cards
I destroy All Business with Mirrored Grumble, which will also damage Vectorini’s core argument.
Before playing anything else, I see what Unstable will do
Play Blacklist for free, I see
I ain’t complaining
May as well knock out one of Vectorini’s intents
It got rid of one of his potential arguments.
I take one damage and gain Strawman
The Spark Baron steals two more cards
While I gain more Hush Money
I have an argument to use By The Book on, so I start off the turn with it.
I upgrade Burn while it is free to play.
And am happy I recovered Tall Pleasantries so it could deal 5 damage to the Spark Baron’s core argument.
I see what Hush Money will get rid of
It prevented the attack against my core argument. I’ll take it.
I use my last action to gain some Influence when dealing damage.
Fallout is damaged but not destroyed, while I lose one resolve thanks to the leftover damage from Strawman.
I don’t know how or why Vectorini stole my Tinnitus, but thanks?
While I can end the neogitaion this turn with Dogged, I Gamble to see if I can destroy the Appropriated argument with some luck.
Huh, Tinnitus didn’t evolve. I suppose it does say in its description that it applies when drawn.
Anyway, I persuade Vectorini to follow me while upgrading Dogged in the process.
Interior Drill is now ready to upgrade, with Myelin buffer not far behind.
This really only becomes useful if you have some expensive cards in your deck, but it’s hard to complain about.
Considering how many arguments Burn can target, I’ll take the more reliable damage.
I nab Rooted Dogged. 2 actions is a lot for potentially 2 damage, regardless of how many ways I can gain influence.
30 cards is enough for my current deck. I skip this round.
Vectorini walks right into my trap.
We reach the secluded area without issue
Well…
If I let him go, I get a free friend who can’t be killed…
Or I could keep my word and kill them.
I have one more chance to sleep. I suppose it could be nice to upgrade a card at the start of Day 4…
I let Vectorini go, and now I have to think up a story of how our fight could have gone.
I go back to Frash
If you killed the Spark Baron, you wouldn’t need to go through with the negotiation.
This should more or less play out similarly to negotiation with Vectorini.
SpoilerI gain Hush Money and By The Book again
Nothing says “I killed this person, yessiree” like starting a conversation by Headbanging
Ah, the sweet sound of double digit damage
Pale Head Shot is just icing on the cake
It’s free, after all
It doesn’t really matter which card I prepare right now
Gab activates, gambling twice
Both times it lands on heads
I finish the turn by swearing, as it potentially deals more damage than Burn.
Doesn’t really matter which card I discard
I lose my dominance, but my core remains unharmed.
Frash steals a rationale card and an Erchin Musk. I suppose he doesn’t mind the smell of the beasts inwards?
I gain Hush Money
And start the turn playing Promoted Trickery thanks to it being free
Considering most of the cards in my current hand are defensive, I don’t need the Flustered from Gruff or the rigged coins from Set. The extra actions from Carry Over, on the other hand, could prove handy.
I play another free card
I’m thankful Brain Gills has unlimited uses in exchange for expending.
Whatever. I get rid of All Business using By The Book. I’ve already made the observation on the fittingness/irony before.
Rook’s flourish is now available. I’ll save it for later, considering how close this negotiation is to being finished.
I don’t remember why I targeted Appropriated instead of the Core Argument
Not that it really matters
I use my final action to defend. I’ll save Hush Money for later.
I take no damage and gain Strawman
Grunt and Mirrored Grumble were stolen
I also gain another Hush Money
Tinnitus appears and destroys Strawman
It evolves into Scrub, a far more useful card.
Rook loses ringing in his ears in exchange for some, uh, concerning scabs.
On the bright side, I can play this even if I don’t have any status cards in my hand
I don’t even take damage from it. Shame it expends. I don’t know how many negotiations I have left in this run.
Anyway, I use Blacklist to destroy the argument containing Grunt and Mirrored Grumble. Thank goodness I have 5 actions this turn.
This negotiation will be over really soon.
That was quick
With another Graft to upgrade
Any increase to my resolve is welcome
Pressure: It can do some solid damage, though it’s hard to say if sacrificing some influence to deal 4-6 damage is really worth it.
Dead Draw: I’d rather spend those two cards are actual cards in my hand, thank you.
Decency: You already know my thoughts on “draw a card” cards
I skip this round
I know I didn’t have much to say about these conversations, but they’re some of my favorite exchanges in the entire game. They really do speak for themselves.
With the Mole back to doing their job, I head back to Kalandra
Even Rook can’t help but keep the theme going with the final line of the quest.
I forgot to show the other options, but Arc Loader was an easy pick. It’s hard to say no to more overcharge.
Seems Kalandra still has more to say.
Well, he did thank me at the start of the update.
Oh, I will.
Next update is the boss fight, so I may as well resolve the random event now.
Of course I go to make another friend in the bog.
Pardon the pun, but it’s not unheard of for your other senses to be sharpened after losing one.
We’ve seen our fair share of all three.
I ask about the research, even though I already know her response.
Anyway, I agree to help
I gained Spooked last time
Once again, I keep going
We’re beset by boggers instead of animals this time. It’s a nice change of pace.
I could scare them off…
But this update has enough negotiations. May as well end things with a bang.
SpoilerSure. I could use the extra health. I didn’t eat after getting more graft slots.
I’m empty, so Sucker Punch will have a bonus effect.
I know I said it’s a good idea to start the round with Shock Therapy. That’s still the case; I just forgot to do so this time.
Roono wisely gains evasion
While Shell slashes
And the Autodog defends
There are only so many ways to use a shield as a weapon. Though it would be more effective to use the rim of the shield. The force is concentrated into a smaller area, increasing the damage dealt.
Ronno dodges the other boggers attack
A Loot Cluster appears, and you bet I’m destroying it first.
Before I do that, I upgrade Hunker Down by protecting Ronno.
Similar story with Tight Spot
I finish the turn by hopefully destroying the Loot Cluster this turn
Huh? The Bogger attacked!
Yeah, play enough cards, and Bogger Clobbers attack on their own.
Also, I don’t know why they aren’t wearing pants, much less in a bug and parasite filled marshland, and I don’t want to ask.
Ronno shivs the Loot Cluster
Shel gives the Jake more power
While TRINARY damages one of the boggers
They all take damage from burn
Ronno is bashed twice
I destroy the Loot Cluster and damage everyone in the process. Can’t think of a better deal.
Rook’s flourish is now available. I’ll save it for the next fight.
This guy will surrender if I shoot him right now
So I do
While I could have played Gun Smoke first, I aim to upgrade Neurotic Haze right now.
It turns into Fever.
I hatch it even though I have no debuffs to get rid of. Too bad it expends.
I have nothing to spend the actions of Gun Smoke on, so I play it solely to give it experience.
Roono didn’t appreciate that, but I won’t have to worry about protecting her after this fight.
She retaliates by knee capping this poor guy
While Shel really doesn’t like this blogger
TRINARY deals the finishing blast to Yupu
Felena retaliates for causing her friend to panic
I play this entirely to give the card experience
If I get lucky, I’ll deal enough damage to cause Felena to surrender
I got lucky
We’re in the middle of nowhere, so I can kill these two without consequence.
Brutal, yet efficient.
Rook added in a spinning flourish before killing the last bogger.
Swamp Smasher combos nicely with any stun card. Not exactly a common situation, but one to keep in mind.
The Jammed Blaster will become usable after four strikes.
Not ideal, but I’ll take it over permanently losing a defensive card.
Brain Tick: GET THIS CARD AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!! It’s an easy way to remove debuffs, and you get free healing to boot. On top of that, it works with Fatigued, so you can survive ever so slightly longer in more difficult fights.
Char: A card I’d recommend you’d grab even if you aren’t running a burn deck. It is difficult to go wrong with the chance to gain a free action for a normal debuff.
This will help keep me alive. Of course I grabbed it.
Like last time, I could convince Ronno to give me money.
And like last time, I’ll take friendship instead.
With that out of the way, next time will be the boss fight!
-
In regards to gameplay, Camilla is a strong and reliable unit with a straightforward and useful personal skill. She can handle a lot of what Conquest throws at you without being an automatic "I win" button. I'm not a fan of the developer favoritism the royals got, so I tend to use the retainers more than them (with the exception of Elise and Sakura, as I'm not saying no to an extra healer), but when push comes to shove, I have no qualms deploying them during the harder levels.
My main critique is Camilla's lack of a personal weapon, which applies to all the female royals across both games. The dudes legendary weapons are fun to use and are a big part of their gameplay identity, and it's a shame they're limited to already strong units. I'd be down with being able to forge the female royals legendary weapons as part of the games story, so you could have the choice between, say, giving Camilla a powerful axe or devastating tome.
I'm not a fan of Camilla's characterization, though I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in seeing how she would be handled in the alternative universe where Fates was competently written. While I found almost all of her dialogue to be creepy, I got the impression that it was the result of a messed up backstory that twisted her perception of the world. Had this been further developed, I may still have found her character disturbing, but that could have been more intentional, with potential layers to her character that could be interesting to dissect. As is, while there are glimpses of depth, a lot Camilla's actions and dialogue come off as the writers being horny.
Complaining about Camilla's outfit is a dead horse at this point. It's still one of the worse designs in the entire series and I don't get the impression they even tried to make it look like "armor". The cutscenes focusing on her chest and behind just give a shallow impression of her character. I have to enjoy Fates in spite of these aspects.
I agree that it is annoying how much attention Camilla gets in side material and how many alts she has in Heroes. There are plenty of other characters that I would say are more deserving of the spotlight. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect with how much attention Camilla gets is how little they do with her character. They've had multiple opportunities to make her more well rounded and give her more depth, and they keep squandering it in favor of giving Camilla yet another outfit.
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Favorite: I'd say Shadow Dragon. I love the aesthetic they went with, and all the information is readable at a glance. It's not perfect, as I wish they had the purple outline for enemy ranges that future games went with and having to manually keep track of the stats Dragonstone affects isn't fun, but as a whole it's the UI I have the least issues with.
Runner-up is Fates. I appreciate how it manages to organize so much information onto a single screen, but I was wish there was another option that sacrificed some visual flair for providing text as to what each weapon and skill did. I wouldn't say I ever got annoyed by having to constantly touch the bottom screen, but the option would have been nice. Otherwise, It did a surprisingly good job of keeping things coherent considering how many variables you have to keep track of in the Fates games.
Least Favorite: Three Houses. The style is fine, but I'm not a fan of how many menus you have to swap between if you want the full picture. It's not unbearable, but the time spent hopping between menus in and out of battles does add up and contributes to the games overall slow pace.
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Killer
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Irenaeus of Lyon's Against Heresies
St. Augustine of Hippo Confessions
Athanasius
Dionysius of Corinth
Justin Martyr
Aristide
Ignatius
Clement of Rome
Hippolytus
Clement of Alexandria
Tertullian
Origen -
Book
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ROOK'S CAMPAIGN DAY 3: Swamp Lawyer
Alternative Title: Narratively, This Is My Favorite Mission In The Game
Replies
SpoilerOn 1/28/2023 at 1:30 AM, eclipse said:Is it Griftlands if it doesn't involve backstabbing in some way, shape, or form?
Good point.
On 2/4/2023 at 5:41 AM, Saint Rubenio said:He makes the :v face and starts machine gunning sharp tongues at the enemy.
I must thank you for the hearty laugh this gave me when I first read this
He did, yes, but it wasn't a fun time.
Glad to hear it was sorted out, though I'm not surprised it wasn't fun to deal with.
I like how chipper he looks about it.
Rook is attempting to gleefully feign ignorance. It doesn't work
Rook x Flekfis crack ship? I mean they both share a kinship in stachesHave I given off the impression that I give a crap about ships that aren't in space or on water?
Have we seen a frame of a character turning red before?
Maybe. I mostly catch it during combat rather than negotiations.
He'll burn you alive with fire tuns.
Nice pun. Appropriate, too, considering Bossbit's attacks deal burn damage.
ROOK ANGRY
He's fed up with Bossbit hiding behind a shield so frequently.
That pose is actually hilarious. He looks like he's engaging in some kind of philosophical debate with Rook while using the dog as a chair.
Alternating between negotiating and fighting sounds like it would be a cool idea, even though I don't know how it would work mechanically. I wonder what Bossbits Core Argument would do.
I would've thought Kalandra would've filled in at least her second-in-command that Rook is supposed to infiltrate the Barons.
I gather that the lieutenants put a few 2 and 2's together, though of course not all of them. Besides, being a double agent isn't as effective the more people know.
Ayyyy, there she is!
I rather like the few events were grifters meet each other. I'm fine with them being rare, but I wish there were a few more.
Is it Del?
Not this time.
EMBLEM-- Okay, no.
Funny that you say that, as one of my biggest concerns before playing Engage is the quality of the dialogue. As flawed as their stories can be, what characters actually say to each other is an aspect about the franchises writing that I feel is underappreciated. It ranges between games how much I would promote it as a selling point, but point being it's an aspect about the series that I don't have much criticism towards (heck, even with Fates I thought that the conversations were either "so bad, it's good" or bland, nothing struck me as downright awful).
I know debating the quality of the Engages story is a big talking point right now (mechanically, everyone seems to agree that it's good. It's telling that any issues I've seen people have tend to be the out of battle mechanics, such as resources or Sommiel), and while I haven't been impressed with any of the story details I've been spoiled on thus far, I'll reserve judgement until I actually play the game. My biggest concern is whether I'll enjoy the moment to moment interactions or make it through them with gritted teeth.
Kinda would've been interesting to betray Sal, see how she does when she's on the opposing side.
I appreciate that there are pros and cons to deciding whether to help Sal or betray her.
Better than the event where you meet Rook. His personal item is an underwhelming "draw an extra card" card, and his bane is one of the nastiest in the game.
HAH! She deployed the :v face too. Rook's influence extends far, I see.
I'm honestly a little surprised that the :V face only became a meme during Rook's campaign, when it showed up during Sal's story. Must be the mustache.
She has already acquired a new identity: Fred Jones.
Huh. I never thought about how the Scooby Doo Crew would function in Griftlands
I don't know why but there's something really funny about this exchange and the face Rook makes at the end there.
He's trying to make the best of the situation.
I've mentioned it before, but I'm real curious how well Smith fares in the funny faces game.
Update:
SpoilerVotes are in. Seems like I’m going to side with the Spark Barons, then backstab them.
Before doing any of that, I go to my room to change clothes.
I’ll play with TRINARY first
Don’t know how comfortable petting a metal dog would be, but I suppose the aibo exists. Well, existed.
Anyway, I remember to change outfits this time.
“Saboteur” remains my favorite of Rook’s uniforms, but I still like Shadow as an alternative costume.
Before heading off, I see if Pengemunt has any coins to trade off.
I almost always pick the Turtle Coin for Day 4, and sometimes on Day 3. The lack of damage means negotiations can take longer, but the extra composure ensures that you can remain in the debate longer. I nab it this time since Rook’s reliability on getting composure has been a tad hit and miss.
You gave it to me yesterday. To be fair, the Bog Coin is really good.
With nothing left to do at the bar, I head off.
I have a choice who to give the intel to first. Due to the vote, I visit the Spark Barons.
Okay, Lopli. Time to…
…be… unable… to… fight… her…
…
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
After internally screaming, I talk to Fellemo, who is reminiscing.
It’s easy to look back at dangerous times with fondness after you’ve made it through alive, I suppose.
Anyway, I hand Fellemo the dossier I got this morning.
Fellemo can be a clever fellow.
This is not one of those times.
I see if Fellemo has a basic plan in mind yet.
I’ve killed 7 people in 2 days and already advanced both factions' goals in the same amount of time. “Ruthless tactician” is a good description of Rook.
…What is my paygrade? I know it scales depending on the day, but what did Rook’s contract look like?
In contrast with Flekfis, who is content serving as Kalandra’s second in command, Arint runs more of the show than Fellemo thinks.
Kalandra claims that the Boggers are Spark Barons who went crazy with too much free time on their hands. Considering how crazy Grout Bog makes people in general, it could easily be both.
Not to mention what Rook’s parasite can become…
Not a good sign that shooting trespassers is considered to be just another business expense.
Now to get work
Crime Scene pays a little more, but I go with The Best Defense, since it is my favorite mission in the game in terms of narrative.
Do I need to restate that Fellemo is a jackass?
I don’t blame Kalandra or the Rise for not batting an eye at the deaths of Spark Barons.
Immediately deciding on execution when holding a trail sets a dangerous precedent if they emerge victorious.
…Fuck you, Fellemo
I’ll accept the job, but only to save someone's life and prevent the Rise from acting rashly.
Huh. Didn't know Malo had some skill in kidnapping.
Seems Malo is drinking at The Last Stand.
I really need to count how many times Rook has run into a random event on the way to a mission sometime.
What the heck is the cult doing in Grout Bog?
That’s a long way to go just to investigate some potential heresy.
Though I suppose I’ve seen stronger reactions before:
SpoilerFire Emblem cults would be a lot more entertaining if someone like Xerxetes was in charge.
Also Mechanicus's dialogue is amazing and I almost went down the rabbit hole of looking through my thousands of screenshots I took of the game's writing.
Tempting as it is to say “or what?” or “on whose authority?”, it probably isn’t wise to provoke the cult until I hear exactly who they’re investigating first.
Seems Brash lived up to her name and said some things she shouldn’t have.
Okay, that changes things.
It seems I can give another name…
(Also, I forgot to screenshot what backup she has if you decide to fight. Whoops)
Sigh, I wish it was Lopli, but Del will do. Maybe Hesh will teach him a lesson not to jump dimensions.
I’m actually killing him because he keeps showing up instead of showing off the other foremen, but sure. We’ll go with that.
SpoilerTinnitus appears
And destroys my dominance. Which sucks but I’ll take it over damage to my core.
Just as a heads up; I didn’t really bother much with keeping track of what side the Turtle coin landed on when taking screenshots. Its ability boils down to “more composure”, so don’t be surprised if I don’t comment on where the sudden defense came from or on what side the coin landed on.
Anyway, I get back some of the lost dominance.
And see what randomness Unstable will bring.
Flipping the coin with Roughneck, I see. For an opponent that never uses composure.
It lands on Snails, giving each argument one composure. I appreciate the cute detail of the Snails side being the turtle in its shell.
I deal six damage with Agency
And would have loved for Grunt to have been prepared. Damn Tinnitus.
Pau predictably plays the same two arguments that every single Hesh member starts out with (well, except for a new cult class that only appears on Smiths route and in Brawl)
It’s free, so I get rid of the main source of damage for Heshians first.
Two turns in and I am already appreciating Sal’s Boon of starting negotiations with free influence.
I flip the coin entirely so Dogged costs one less action.
Pale Head Shot activates and targets Pau’s core argument.
Now I destroy Wrath of Hesh with Dogged
It doesn’t really matter which card I prepare.
Gab activates regardless
I only play this because I have actions to spare. Also because I tend to forget that the Turtle coin doesn’t do damage. It takes a few negotiations to adjust, as the Turtle coin isn’t always my go-to coin to upgrade. Heck, I’ve had runs where I just stuck with the Bog coin the whole way through.
Pau’s Prayer of Hesh argument heals her core for 2 resolve and shields it next turn.
Since the coin is on Snails, I damage each argument with Burn.
I target Prayer of Hesh with Blacklist so the leftover damage goes to the core.
We’ve already seen how strong Blacklist can be, and Day 3 and 4 show the card at its best.
I don’t destroy Wrath of Hesh this turn, but I use the free card to make sure it won’t last long.
I gamble for some free composure
With some free damage to boot
Turns out, Wrath of Hesh deals the full 4 damage this turn.
I lose my influence and take some damage to my core.
I can regain that lost resolve by destroying Tithe
Rook destroys the argument and regains some resolve by rocking out
It’s pretty easy to see why this card normally costs two actions to play.
I target Wrath of Hesh with Cordial Pleasantries, which deals full damage.
Pau’s core takes some damage and I gain some Influence.
This is one of the few times a cult member targets me directly, so I use my final action to defend.
I take two damage
Spotty appears, giving me an extra action.
I can finally play Kicker, so I swear to discard it.
I even get to draw a card thanks to the coin being on Snails!
Yes!
No!
It drew Tinnitus! And destroyed my influence! Damn it!
It’s free, so I see what Promoted Trickery will provide.
I’m not being attacked, so setting the coin or incepting flustered won’t help me at all.
Giving Headbang 3 extra damage, on the other hand…
It does the exact amount of damage necessary to win the negotiation!
All these cards have shown up before, and I don’t need any of them right now. I skip.
Del is dead. I couldn’t deal with him directly, so I resorted to a classical writing excuse: Killing him offscreen.
Back on track, I go to the The Last Stand to ask Malo about the kidnapping.
There he is
I ask what Gode did to deserve being put on trial.
…Huh. I can see why Kalandra asked me to intimidate Del into following safety protocols. Not that the lessons stuck, as I had to drill it into his mind twice.
I could convince Malo that Gode deserves a fair trial…
Intimidate him into giving away the location…
Or just beat him up…
I convince Malo Gode deserves a fair trial, since it’s the only one that won’t damage our friendship.
Rook makes a really good point here
SpoilerNodoloolis helps out by giving me Double Duty.
Snails provides composure to every argument I have.
Since it’s the only damage dealing card I have, I play Burn.
I temporarily forgot about this when playing, but Double Duty plays the first card you play twice. It is only for the first two turns, but you can get in an impressive amount of damage depending on your hand.
The only other thing I can do with my actions this turn is defend.
And see what Roughneck will land on
Heads, which thankfully blocks all damage and activates Pale Head Shot to boot.
Malo deals no damage and adds the Brainwash argument
Visionary Pleasantries costs two actions this turn thanks to the Rise’s core argument ability.
Dogged is free and prepared, so I use it to destroy Brainwash before it gets the chance to do anything.
I leave Grunt where it is, since it has an effect when prepared.
I do this twice thanks to Double Duty
Grunt deals full damage, and Rook’s flourish is now available.
It seems that I haven’t taken Malo’s name yet
Let’s remedy that
Roughneck now deals damage. The only difference between upgrades is whether or not you want the coin effects to be swapped.
I go with Twisted Roughneck, as I haven’t had much luck trying to steal composure as is.
I believe Radula is the only new card. Nice if you really need the effect of Snails right now. I’ve already said that I’ve already said my piece on spending an action to draw a card.
Another easy skip.
Admittance is an important step. Especially considering the topic at hand. You’ve already made more progress than most people.
Off to be an improvised lawyer and prevent a hanging trial!
Time to head to the courtroom!
Though there is trouble on the way there
This screen lies. We’ll be fighting far more erchins than this screen would suggest.
Not the battle cry I would have expected from Rook
SpoilerThis should be a quick fight, so I start the turn giving experience to Backfire.
If I get lucky, I can cause all these erchins to run away with a single attack.
Ha! They all retreat!
Only to be replaced by three more
Nice play on words. If I kill this erchin, I gain some mettle.
My allies defend
I play Energy Loop entirely so I can upgrade it.
Well, and to play Pale Kick
I unfortunately don’t kill it
I’m tempted to shoot this erchin so it retreats…
But decide instead to protect my autodog. I don’t know how many scuffles I’ll get into today, and I don’t want it to lose unnecessary health for a filler fight.
The autodog howls and fills two of the erchins with dread.
Malo comes closing to killing another erchin
The spark mine defends
While an erchin decides it’s a good idea to headbutt a spikey explosive
Meanwhile, another uses TRINARY as a metal springboard
I have enough cards in my hand that playing Gun Smoke is a no-brainer.
First, I cause this erchin to retreat with the Bog Blaster
It retreats and is replaced with a new one, while I set another erchin on fire
I spread the flames to the erchin that won’t die or retreat this turn.
I use my final action to search my ammo pouch
I’ll get more mileage out of wound than impair, so I go with the Boosted Yote Shot
Depending on my luck, the erchin will either retreat or die
It runs away
It’s replaced by yet another erchin. This one doesn’t have morale, so we’re reaching the end of the pack.
My autodog kills the erchin
While Malo defends
As does the spike mine
The burn damage causes the erchin to retreat. The last one shows up.
Of course I draw nothing but defensive cards…
I have two cards in my hand that benefit from spending charge, so I gain two more
I spend my charge on Spurs so I have some offense this round
The empy cells will give me enough defense to block the next attack. Since my autodog is being targeted this turn, I give it 6 defense. The Concentration is a nice bonus.
The tag team of TRINARY and Malo bring the erchin down to one health.
Unwisely, it decides to headbutt me
Rook kills it with counter. One of the few times I do so deliberately, as in my experience counter is the greatest source of accidental kills.
The erchins skill with flipping makes me wonder if Havaira has any pet talent shows.
Twig appears…
And evolves into Neurotic Haze!
This apparently causes Rook to ramble but gives off an electric breath.
Anyway, this isn’t the easiest card to use, as by default you draw 5 cards without grafts or replenishment cards, so you’ll likely have more actions than cards to use them on.
Still, I have two attack cards that could end the fight right here and now, and parasite cards won’t grow if I don’t use them…
Good thing Mirrored Blast kills this erchin on its own
I have three Erchin Musks. Rook can show people the smelly inwards of a dead animal to remove their composure and gain some dominance.
I debated for a while whether to go for Stable Energy Loop or Boosted Energy Loop. I decided to go with Boosted Energy Loop, as the card Expends either way, and the extra healing may save my life.
Loader: Situational, though considering you can gain 8-12 temporary power if you play this when fully charged, you can do a ton of damage with the right hand.
Double Time: Dealing max damage isn’t the fanciest effect from being fully charged, but it’s hard to complain about. Especially because if you’re fully charged, you’re also likely to have some overcharge.
Shock Therapy: 2-3 damage isn’t much on its own, but gaining 3 charge immediately after playing makes this a good attack to start a turn with.
I gain one overcharge each fight, so Shock Therapy will always be dealing at least one extra damage.
I still intend on defending the foreman, but we see first hand how poorly the Spark Barons are at protecting their workers.
We arrive without further interruption.
Seems everyone here is expecting me to fail miserably.
Let’s prove them wrong.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
I was debating whether or not to reinstall paint.net to make an Ace Attorney joke, but Rook’s :V face is memetic enough on its own!
I could object with violence…
But I swore I would defend Gode through a fair trial, so damn it! That’s what we’re going to do!
SpoilerEven if it was prepared, Dogged would still cost two actions thanks to Call to Rise.
This is the trail of the century for all I care, so I break out the big guns early!
I’m not breaking tradition
Though it is pretty hilarious to picture Rook constantly flipping his coin in the context of a courtroom debate.
Honestly, this whole scenario is a comedy gold mine to visualize.
The first damage dealt is through a Head Shot!
Next, Rook establishes his Agency as an improv lawyer.
With signs of being Unstable…
By mentioning the nice weather of Grout Bog!
I drop a swear word in court!
It deals 5 damage. Hesh Spit indeed.
The judge remains unconvinced
I resist Cleme’s attempts to Brainwash me by Headbanging to the Ace Attorney soundtrack, I suppose. I really need to try out the series at some point.
Pale Head Shot also activates.
To rub it in, I end the turn with a sick Burn about how bad a precedent this will set for the Rise if they got their way.
Cleme is annoyed by how much Rook is flipping his coin and asks him to stop.
And ends her segment with some composure.
It will take some extra effort to engage in some of Rook’s lawyer tricks…
But he can be rough when he needs to be!
Pale Head Shot appears once more!
Rook Grumbles about the whole situation
I gamble because I forget again that the Turtle coin doesn’t deal damage.
And end the turn with Promoted Trickery
I picked Boosted Sleight, and am saving it for the future.
Rook remains unfazed
I gain an extra action thanks to Spotty.
And Rooks Tinnitus acts up, destroying Coin Juggler.
I rest my case on a positive note with some Cordial Pleasantries.
That was probably the fastest and most fun I’ve had writing a negotiation.
I decide that Rook needs to use stronger language.
Fallout: This argument is the entire reason why I choose the gambling route for Call It rather than setting the coins. Yes, it is exactly as powerful as you expect it would be when combined with Coin Juggler.
Spin: 1-4 damage isn’t a lot, but gambling up to four times in a row can make the attack worthwhile.
Head Split: 3 damage to every enemy argument is a solid deal, though I’m not a fan that you have a chance to deal no damage.
I go out of my way to keep gambling for Call It just for this card. Easily one of Rook’s best arguments.
Rook ends his statement on a strong note.
I suppose that’s the easy way to use someone else's argument as your own.
We saved Gode and prevented the Rise from becoming a hanging jury! I call that a job well done.
Time to tell Fellemo the good news!
Of course it wouldn’t be that simple…
I don’t know if I’d say Jand has a mean look. She has some neat hair, though.
When people think the justice system failed them, they tend to take matters into their own hands.
Jand is the dangerous one here, but this is a winnable fight.
A sad truth
Rook is unfazed by that frontier justice seems to be the default in Havaria.
SpoilerRook’s flourish is ready. May as well start the fight targeting everyone.
Hopefully Jand will learn quickly that Rook’s stint as a lawyer was just a side gig, and that he’s first and foremost a soldier.
May as well keep the damage train going
I use both boss items I own on the same turn, and call in a Feral Autodog to assist.
I spend my final turning block all damage this turn.
Gode and TRINARY defend
The Feral Autodog decides to attack. Now we have the creepy attack on our side.
Jand says some mean things about how Gode should have been executed.
Both of the Cobbledogs attack me, to no avail.
One Cobbledog is toast. I hope to destroy the other one with a single attack.
Close, but no cigar
Before deciding my next move, I see what I can nab from Promoted Ammo Pouch.
I don’t normally bother with drawing more cards, but since I have Neurotic Haze in my hand…
The sooner I hatch this card, the better.
I loose two defensive options in exchange for two more actions.
May as well gain some Concentration before attacking.
I know I can destroy the Cobbledog, but Rise Radicals are the strongest class for the faction. That RPG isn’t for show.
Gode barrages the Cobbledog with 3 shots
TRINARY finishes the job with a nasty bite
The Feral Autodog wounds the radical
I see Jand went to the Halo school of “how to use a rocket launcher as a melee weapon”
The other Cobbledog avenges it’s fallen comrade with poetic justice
I can think of worse debuffs
It’s almost always a good idea to start a turn with Shock Therapy
3 overcharge turned into 6
The cobbledog will be destroyed this turn, so I focus on damaging Jand.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to introduce fire to someone holding a rocket launcher at that range, Rook…
I end my turn. I don’t want to waste my stun cards right now.
Gode and TRINARY target Jand
While the Feral Autodog destroys the last Cobbledog
Jand finally decides to use her RPG properly
And avenges the Cobbledog by destroying the Feral Autodog. Seems to be a theme for this fight. Funny, considering we’re fighting entirely because Jand couldn’t accept that Gode could walk free after I defended him in court.
Might as well
Kickochet may do more damage, but I’d like to give some experience to Tight Spot. An example of how the card having Burnout changes how you approach certain turns.
Gode reloads
TRINARY attacks
Jand takes some damage from burn
And gains some power in the process
I play Backfire so I can upgrade it
I really don’t want to kill Jand over this.
I hope that the burn damage will cause her to surrender before my allies send her to the grave. In hindsight Boosted Quick Fire would have done enough damage to cause her to surrender without killing her, but I was paying more attention to her morale than total health.
I'm harshly reminded that burn activates on the enemies turn.
Gode kills the radical who wanted him dead.
A victory, though with blood I didn’t want to spill.
Least I got an RPG out of the deal. Deals good damage across every opponent.
I choose Ambush to have the ability at the start of my turn. The sooner I get it, the more it pays off.
Accelerant: Ensures that the burn applied will last a while. Combos nicely within any deck that focuses on burn damage.
Vent: Apparently Rook’s bald head gets hot under that helmet. Somehow, he turns this into an attack.
My combat deck is large enough as is. I don’t want to risk overstuffing it.
I can’t tell whether he’s still shaken how many people want(ed) him dead.
Hopefully we get to Fellemo without any more interruptions.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
I return Gode safely
Shut up. Your defense was literally “Ditto”.
I appreciate your appreciation
Looks like I made a friend with a foreman.
Double checking, Gode was the foreman that Kalandra wanted me to bring in as a “gift” to the spark barons. The one that was thought a rebel when in truth he just didn’t want to work.
Weird how that came back.
I have enough cards that benefit from spending charge that starting with two more will be a boon.
I think this is a good place to wrap it up. I want to give my thoughts as to why I love this mission, and any more would distract from that.
*****
I will be honest; This update should NOT have taken me several weeks to make. I know I had to wait for voting to wrap up, and there were a fair amount of screenshots to sort through here and gameplay to write about, but this should have only taken me a few days to arrange.
I don’t even have any family excuses or unexpected events that happened. No, in truth I just got distracted playing other games. Specifically Rogue Legacy 2 and Hitman 3. The former was my game of the year for 2022, is one of my favorite games of all time, and I decided after a few months of not playing to dive back in and try to complete the New Game + mode after the game saw a few updates. I got re-addicted, to say the least and Rogue Legacy 2 remians one of the few games where almost every single moment fills me with joy. I can not recommend it enough.
As for Hitman 3… I got way more addicted to the game than I would have thought. You see, the game has several large levels, and each of them has several challenges to complete, ranging from killing targets in specific ways to finishing the level using nothing but a sniper rifle or getting silent assassin wearing only your suit or finding several easter eggs and way more. I could have beaten the game dozens of hours earlier than I eventually did, but I legitimately spent several hours redoing the tutorial missions just because I found the challenges to be that fun to complete! And that’s not factoring in the side missions, the “Patient Zero” campaign, or contracts, or the other game modes, or the new roguelike Freelancer mode that I haven’t tried out yet…
Yeah, it’s a game with a ton of stuff to do. And you get the entire series with just a single purchase.
Why this is my favorite mission in the game in regards to story:
Spoiler(It may seem like I'm pointing out the obvious in this section, so bear with me)
So some of you may be wondering why I consider this to be my favorite mission in the game, at least in terms of story. The short of it is that even without knowing the larger picture someone can put together the conflict between the Rise and the Spark Barons, it shows the Rise are fallible without reducing their cause, and it gives some interesting interpretations for Rook’s character.
I’ll start with my first point, that anyone could understand the conflict even without prior knowledge of Rook’s campaign. From the first conversation with Fellemo, it shows that both factions aren’t nice people. The mission starts Rise straight up kidnap a foreman:
Though the Spark Barons are shown to be no saints either:
Fellemo easily brushes off accusations that the Spark Barons aren’t providing enough rights to their workers, which doesn’t put the organization in a good light.
The Rise are holding trails, and resorting concerningly fast to executions. Not exactly a quality you want in a heroic faction.
Though in case you thought the accusations against the Spark Barons were exaggerated, Fellemo then states that he’s more interested in saving the foreman just to save money, and otherwise couldn’t care about losing someone who works for his organization.
After the set-up with Fellemo, we meet the Rise member who helped with the kidnapping
Assuming the Rise isn’t exaggerating, there is a reason why the Rise are holding a trial, and why they may want this person executed. We aren’t being asked to rescue a nice guy.
Notable here is that Rook doesn’t need to say that the foreman deserves a fair trial. He could easily get his way through intimidation or brute force.
If you do decide to point out that the foreman deserves a fair trial, Rook probes by asking about the defense.
The Rise member reveals the foreman doesn’t have one. This could set a dangerous precedent if the Rise trial goes through with the execution, as they could potentially kill anyone they want if this is the kind of justice system they will implement.
Rook can rightfully point this out.
However remember that he had the options of intimidating or beating up the Rise kidnapper. This already opens the question of whether Rook is going this path because this is the right thing to do, or because he’s looking for options that don’t include violence. There is also the possibility that Rook knows how damaging this could be for the Rise’s future and sees this as an opportunity to nip that dangerous bud before it grows.
Rook seems to encourage giving the foreman a fair trial on the grounds that it will show that Rise are truly superior morally to the Spark Barons.
The Rise member reveals that they’re acting out of anger, and no one is unbiased enough about the Spark Barons to give an adequate defense.
Rook offers to be that “neutral” party.
Along the way, we run into dangerous wildlife.
Another reminder that the Spark Barons are failing at their duty to protect their workers. The last time you can think about whether the foreman really deserves a fair trial as a Spark Baron.
When you arrive, the Rise members are mocking Rook’s proposal to defend the Spark Baron. They’re sticking around because they think the grifter will fail miserably and want to watch. They’ve already concluded the foreman is guilty and doesn’t deserve a defense.
With a few lines, we see that the judge has already decided to execute the foreman, who doesn’t know how to respond.
Rook does, however.
You have the option of defending the foreman, though note that you can also just attack everyone there and rescue the Spark Baron that way. While this falls in line with a Rook that would intimidate or beat up someone to learn the location of the Rise trial, it could also imply that Rook suggested defending the foreman simply to get to the courthouse without any actual intent to ensure the Rise trail is truly fair.
As an aside, this portion of the mission is hilarious to visualize, considering all the options Rook for negotiations. It’s not all seriousness.
Again, there is the question of how genuine Rook is being here. Does he stand by the foreman being a fellow worker of the Rise, and that they shouldn’t be blamed for the actions of the Spark Barons as a whole? Is he stating this so that the trial is legitimately fair and so the Rise don’t run a hanging court? Or could he not give a crap about whether the foreman is in the right or the wrong, and is simply focusing on his mission of bringing back the foreman alive, with the trial being a way out that doesn’t involve violence?
The Judge isn’t happy with the result, and is cynical that the foreman will continue to do the Spark Barons bidding, but agrees that they don’t deserve to be executed.
Whether intended or not, Rook has prevented the Rise from considering this style of justice to be their standard.
On the way back, Rook is confronted by members of the Rise who are clearly not happy about the foreman going free. They see that the attempt at court justice has failed them, and have decided to take the matter into their own hands.
Rook doesn’t seem surprised that the Rise are resorting to frontier justice. A hint to people who may not know much about the game regarding the kind of setting Griftlands is.
At the end of the day, Rook is being paid for rescuing the foreman, regardless of Rook’s reasoning for his methods.
That was wordier than I intended. This mission, even without former knowledge of Griftlands or Rook’s involvement of the story, shows that the Spark Barons and the Rise are both fallible factions, and these shortcomings are reinforced several times. The Rise still come out as the nobler of the two, but they have concerning flaws that prevent them from being undeniably heroic, from nearly holding a hanging trail to taking “justice” into their own hands.
What I find most interesting is what you can dissect with Rook. Offering to give the foreman a fair trial is an option you don’t need to go through with. As I’ve mentioned throughout, there is a basis that Rook sees the dangerous precedent this could set if the Rise emerge victorious from the conflict, and sees an opportunity to prevent that. Or Rook simply believes in a fair trial in general, regardless of who is involved, and is willing to defend someone no one else is if it means upholding that ideal. Or this is just another job and opting to be the foremans lawyer was a way to handle the conflict without jumping to violent options.
There is food for thought here, and I always appreciate that.
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I'm still surprised that when making Gaiden the developers realized the issues that permadeath would cause for a smaller cast, and came up with the revival fountains as a solution. Their uses weren't unlimited, but you were allowed to make a few mistakes and had an option to recover the lost unit. Call it a band-aid solution all you want, but it showed there was some awareness for how to utilize a smaller army without sacrificing permadeath, and I'm surprised this approach was never used again until the remake, which made them redundant thanks to the turnwheel.
I don't mind casual mode, though I feel it is more reliant on the player than the developer on how they use it. Some players will use it to get used to the games mechanics without being permanently punished for not realizing certain tactics don't work in Fire Emblem or a that mechanic does X when they expected it to do Y. Other players will use it as a crutch for bad strategies and fail to learn from their mistakes. The developers can make sure that the game is beatable doing an ironman run, but how players actually play the game is up to the individual.
I've thought about it for a while, and I've come to the conclusion that a big reason Fire Emblem struggles with permadeath mechanically is because the games aren't designed around the player straight up losing. Games like Jagged Alliance and XCOM have permadeath, and they aren't afraid to continue after the player lost all their best soldiers, will straight up give them a game over after enough losses (heck XCOM 2 takes place in after you fail the first game because the developers stated that 66% of players lost their first game). Good roguelikes thrive with permadeath since dying is part of the experience, and you typically get back into the action for another go rather quickly. The only way to truly fail at Fire Emblem is to softlock yourself, as otherwise if you lose, you go back to the title screen and are expected to give the map another go.
I'm not saying Fire Emblem should become a roguelike (though I would love to see the idea attempted at least once. Fire Emblem has the mechanics to work well in the genre), but there needs to be more ways for the player to "lose" with ways to continue on that aren't "just restart the map" or "live with the lost unit". The player should be able to get a TPK and still have ways to continue on, or fail a main objective without causing the map to suddenly end. Maybe even be willing to straight up give a game over and have to start over if you play badly enough.
At the same time, I do think that there also needs to be more incentive to continue going after loosing a unit. A lot of the story changes that previous games had if someone dies aren't huge moments in the overall plot, but they still manage to stick will players. I'm not asking for entirely separate routes depending on player performance, but small moments that acknowledge deaths without changing the overall plot could be the way to go. As flawed as Shadow Dragon's gaiden chapters were, the base concept of giving struggling players more opportunities to recover is a good one that needs several overhauls. Instead of locking off content, change the ways you get characters and equipment. For instance, if the player is doing well, a character may need to be recruited through the classic "talk to the enemy with a specific unit" trick, while if the player is struggling the unit joins earlier without hassle. There are several ways to implement this concept, and possibly even give story reasons behind it.
I really enjoy permadeath because I actually have to pay attention to the enemy and respect their capabilities, and it kicks me out of bad habits because there may not be a "next time" to use that vulnerary or silver lance. It allows for more interesting storytelling, and helps the gameplay be more smooth as I'm not restarting all the time. I would love to see a Fire Emblem game that embraces permadeath and allows the player to actually lose sometimes.
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Conquest has its moments, but to be honest the dialogue or story beats that weren't hilarious atrocious were often boringly bland. Characters often say what you expect them too, and that's really only funny if there is a ridiculous scene to go along with it, which isn't always the case. The gameplay doesn't help, as levels are intense and demand your full attention, and can sometimes take over an hour to complete. That's not the best environment for the Mystery Science Theater 3000 approach with a group of friends, since you'll only be able to mock the game in small chunks.
Aside from the Fates games, though, I can't say I found any of the Fire Emblem games plots to be awful. Flawed and/or boring, definitely, but they're far from the worst stories I've seen for a video game. I can't say I'm impressed with the little I've seen of Engages writing, but I'll reserve judgement until I actually play the game.
On 2/6/2023 at 6:52 AM, Alastor15243 said:I'm surprised Birthright isn't getting more "love" here. I don't think any moment in the entire franchise was more unintentionally hilarious than Flora setting herself on fire. It's even better if you make your avatar female and dress her in assless pants.
While Birthright has some gems, I thought the game had a major case "you've seen this done before, and you've seen it done better". Even tropes and and story beats I wasn't immediately familiar with I still felt like I was seeing a weaker version of a far better plot that already existed. That doesn't exactly make the best riffing material.
I will say that I found the plot to be so predictable that I actually started a personal game where I would guess what would happen next just to make things more interesting. I didn't always get a bullseye, but I was never far off the mark. Seriously, the single thing that caught me off guard was Zola's survival, and even then I predicated exactly how his story would turn out.
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Just got done watching the direct. First thoughts were that was... alright, if personally underwhelming.
I'm glad to see gameplay of Pikmin 4. It looks gorgeous and I'm happy it wasn't just pretty flyovers like so many game trailers are guilty of. I really need to try out the games at some point, as the franchise looks up my alley.
The Metriod Prime Remaster was leaked so often I expected it would show up eventually. Shame it's not the trilogy as a whole, but I'll probably still pick it up, as I've never tried a Prime game before. Even if I'll be annoyed that it will probably be priced at $60 because Nintendo knows they can get away with it and Gamecube games aren't cheap. I know there's the trilogy on the Wii, but mine is really starting to show its age.
I only know of Baten Kaitos because of the music from Smash Bros. It uses a card system, and I've had amazing experiences with those recently (Griftlands is one of my favorite games of all time, Fights in Tight Spaces is an underrated gem, and Midnight Suns is an awesome strategy game
and is pretty much a superhero version of Three Houses and is better in every single way, fight me) so I'll probably look into it.I still need a hook for Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo. So far it's just "Breath of the Wild with more stuff to do". Which would be fine if this game weren't releasing 6 years later. Seriously, Monster Mazes's videos on the patents have me more excited about the game than any of the trailers, and those were revealed a year ago! I am fully expecting a direct that focuses solely on Tears of the Kingdom soon, but at this point I find the marketing to be more frustrating than intriguing.
Aside from that, it was pretty much expected news on DLC and Nintendo Switch online. The rest were pretty much indie games and other smaller titles. I'd like to pick up Ghost Trick since I've heard good things about it, and I'm reminded I need to play a Professor Layton game sometime, but aside from that I don't remember much. Oh, and Bayonetta Origins has a "the AI does the fighting for you" mechanic while you play as a supportive mage, which just makes me say that Sacrifice did the concept way more interestingly back in 2000, is an underrated gem, and is 10 bucks on GOG. And that more games need to have the ability to summon volcanoes and tornadoes.
Again, I didn't walk away from this Direct necessarily disappointed, but Nintendo needed more heavy hitters. There are a handful of games I'm interested in and will likely pick up, but I get the feeling Nintendo won't be the most interesting player in 2023. Still, there's a lot that can happen in a year.
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5 minutes ago, Integrity said:
have you picked up openxcom? it smooths the curve a LOT from experience
I've heard of it. I'll definitely check it out later.
5 minutes ago, Integrity said:nothing to add or counter, i feel largely the same about them. thanks for the post op
You're welcome
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3 minutes ago, Integrity said:
i'm excited to move onto TPP from my experience with G0. look forward to the TPP post in several weeks because it's a difficult plat and my will is indomitable.
I have over a 100 hours in the game, and I still have some side missions left to complete. I'm personally not aiming to 100% the game, since I just don't have the patience for some of the missions.
5 minutes ago, Integrity said:i'm glad to see someone else who loved the firaxis games and still saw the glory in chimera squad as a completely different thing, honestly. i'd love to hear your takes on the other games since you seemed to be biting your tongue about them here
I own the original series on GOG, and one day I want to complete at least the original game. I've tried it before, and I just need to be in the mood to deal with a game with some archaistic elements (biggest one being manually tracking time units).
I adore XCOM: Enemy Within and consider XCOM2 to straight up be the best tactics game I've ever played. The numbers are readable and every shot dealt or taken is meaningful. The skills offer new tactical options instead of a higher number, and even then skills that do increase damage offer new strategies. The games are well paced about consistently giving you new toys, as well as new threats to deal with. Especially XCOM 2; Legitimately every single enemy in that game counters a strategy or habit of the player and forces you to adapt your tactics. Even the lowly grunt fulfills this purpose, as they don't bother with anything fancy and just shoot you, and sometimes that can be enough.
I also love the base building aspects and how well they compliment the tactical layers. You want to research new weapons and armor to do well in battles, and you want to do well in combat to have more things to research. The various buildings unlock more options on how to approach either layer. They feed into each other, and I always look forward to entering the other side of the game.
I even enjoy the non-gameplay related aspects of both games. I could talk for a while about how much I love the art style of the aliens in EW and how they have their own twist (like Thin men being inspired by the "men in black" cliche, except they're on the aliens side, or how cyberdisks look super sleek and futuristic, until they unfold and reveal a more monstruous design) or how ADVENT troopers from XCOM 2 look uniform yet distinct, while also being massly produced. I even appreciate how the stories are handled. The developers knew which events were important enough for cutscenes, and backed off elsewhere, because they knew that the players experiences and stories of the first time they met a new alien or lost their entire squad, or blew up a side of a building with a grenade so the sniper could make the life or death shot, or the time the soldier customized to look like their best friend turned out to be a powerful psychic and so on would be more memorable than anything they could come up with.
So yeah, I love the XCOM games. Easily one of my favorite video game franchises.
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