Soooooo what'cha playing?

[DragonFlames]

49 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

You will

as for the Spoiler, everything will be explained in time, dw. Even the one thing you're annoyed with.

Yay!

49 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

and for the 2nd one... let's a do a check list, shall we?

• Meta Humor - [x]
• Neptunia Gameplay - [x]
• Transformation, or as our Protag likes to call it ''It's Henshin Time'' - [x]
• Hype Tranformation Theme - [x]
• Character Objectives (ala Victory and VII) - [x]
• Protag obsessed with a certain type with Food - [x] 
• Nepgya - [x]

I can see now why ''if you love Nep you'll this'' is a common opinion haha

I can't help but notice that the UI is similar to Neptunia. It's the same studio, after all, but still.
The artstyle looks very Atelier-y. That blue haired girl in particular would be right at home in an Atelier game.

[Karimlan]

Having a lot of fun with the guns in Bloodstained, now that I have Diamond bullets. Two Silver Power Rings + Shinobi Garb + maxed-out Firearm Expertise shard + Renee's Requiem and the aforementioned bullets = most monsters OHKO'd. Revenant, Millionaire's Bane and the Carpenter likewise fall in a few hits.

[Interdimensional Observer]

Infinite Space hasn't clicked with me yet. I like it, its gameplay is a bit simple, but it isn't at all offensive. The plot is starting slow and relatively aimlessly, despite this being what I'm aware of as its greatest aspect. As a result, I haven't played it that much. I should, I don't dislike it or regret it.

The game feels like it has big ambition, but the choice to be on the DS forced it into a tiny prison from a presentation perspective. Execution isn't poor, its hits its head against the ceiling without a concussion, bleeding, or compression of the spine. Had it been made on the 3DS, I think it it would have much benefitted- a lot more voice acting, far superior graphics, maybe a little gameplay complexity.

 

I decided to try a New 2P Map in Super Famicom Wars, one which was primarily naval without Airports. Naval battles were always terrible for the AW AI, it always build as if things were a usual land battle, not devoting much effort to constructing naval units. The SFW AI (as Yuan Delta) is much better actually for sea warfare, despite being a much older game. It still makes the folly of building some tanks, but it focuses primarily on a good mix of Battleships, Subs, and Cruisers.

I attempted to seize the southeast island, only to lose it and then be forced into a semi-precarious position. I did emerge victorious however, for the AI cannot handle a two-front war and entirely failed to stop me from taking the northwest island it had seized before. I did not play with Fog of War either, meaning the enemy Subs were always visible to me in this game (though never targetable by Battleships). And, the AI still displays some stupidity, put a Sub in enemy Cruiser range, and they will bite, even if it means biting it to Battleships on the next turn. Subs are even stupider, they just blindly move ahead, even if it exposes them to destruction by Cruiser.

 

I'm almost finished with Thracia 776, I delayed from a bit of burnout at Chapter 22. Getting back to it, I should have just Warpskipped, but I didn't, nor did I get the boss's Blizzard and Restore as I had wanted to, not that I actually needed them. I semi-Warpskipped the fight once the reinforcements got out of hand however, I couldn't survive their re-moving onslaught. Chapter 23 made me delay only for its random Loptian Mage reinforcements (and why no Rewarp on them like so many beforehand, did the Welkenrosen run out of cash?), and not knowing when the Thracian Dracoknights would move out. Chapter 24 was very easy due to Wrath on Linoan with Nosferatu however and plenty of Silence I had available. All I have left is 24x and 25, I could easily finish the game in an hour if I wanted to, I just have my perpetual tendency to leave games unfinished to contend with.

Persona 2 Innocent Sin has likewise been affected by my incomplete gaming problem. After a dramatic high which I poured myself into making into my LP, I just haven't gotten back to it, even though I know I shouldn't have that much game left.

 

And while the above two things have happened and I should get to finishing those games and XC2, I have nonetheless cracked open another game, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition. I mentioned to somebody GameStop had it on sale, and they insisted on getting me a new game, against my words saying that I didn't need one. I am enjoying it however. The bosses are rough though. I'm playing blind, thinking I'll just do an unblind run with Grade Shop bonuses maybe later. I can get a sense of why people like Yuri, not a donkey like Luke Part 1, and neither naive nor edgy shonen.

 

@Armagon Just felt like mentioning if you hadn't seen it already, but Monolith has reported a 99% increase in profits compared to the prior fiscal year. This, despite Torna being the only game they released in that time.

[Armagon]

Lmao my dumbass though that event atop the Ster Highlands was a Sterk event but it actually wasn't. I had gotten Sterk to 100% friendship a while ago. Everyone's a true friend now. Anyway, i made it to the end(?) of Ch.10 in Atelier Lulua. I haven't actually fought the boss but i'll get into that later. I did some more events, filled out even more of the Alchemyriddle to the point where the final page is all that's left. Some of the stuff required me to go into Night's Domain and i used the Change BGM option to change the music of that dungeon to the Atelier Rorona version of the Night's Domain theme, because i prefer that version much more tbh. Anyway, Wind Stone rematch time. Funny story here, i actually fought the dragon for that event i mentioned earlier and i beat it but then the game made me fight the Wind Stone immediately after. Unsurprisingly, i lost that battle. I haven't actually beaten the Wind Stone yet and i may have to grind a bit......again. Like the boss from Ch.9, the only reason the Wind Stone is harder than it is is because it does that stupid "attack twice during turn" thing. I'm honestly just a bit upset more because that event dragon was higher leveled than it and i beat that but i can't beat this right now. Anyways, i plan on working towards beating the Wind Stone tomorrow (by which i mean later today because it's past midnight where i'm at).

Also Bloodstained and Super Nep are on hold because i've basically reached the climax of Atelier Lulua and i want to focus on resolving that first. I'll get back to those games when i'm done with this one.

 

17 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

Protag obsessed with a certain type with Food

I just wanna point out, the main protagonist looks like Sora from Kingdom Hearts and i don't know how to feel about that.

He's probably way better written than Sora.

16 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

The artstyle looks very Atelier-y.

Mmmmmmmm, i don't know if i'd say that. At the very least, it doesn't look like Arland series art.

I may be wrong but i believe Neptunia and Fairy Fencer share the same artist.

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

@Armagon Just felt like mentioning if you hadn't seen it already, but Monolith has reported a 99% increase in profits compared to the prior fiscal year. This, despite Torna being the only game they released in that time.

I did hear about this and it does put a smile to my face. Monolith Soft is my favorite game studio right now so seeing them grow is honestly pleasant. They also got two new branches as well. I think Monolith Soft has like five branches across Japan right now. Monolith Soft became king of the JRPG industry 9 years ago when they released Xenoblade Chronicles imo, so all of this growth and success is well deserved.

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Armagon

[Shrimpica]

6 hours ago, Armagon said:

I may be wrong but i believe Neptunia and Fairy Fencer share the same artist.

They do.

 

22 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

That blue haired girl in particular would be right at home in an Atelier game.

Blue haired? You mean white haired with a blue headress? xD
She reminds me of Noire more then anything tbh

 

In Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance i fought a cool boss dogo yesterday 👍

In Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force i am going with the flow and collecting stuff. 

And didn't Start Tokyo Xanadu yesterday because i spent the time playing the other 2 games instead xD

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

I will play Tokyo Xanadu once I have finished Sky 3rd.

Tbh I have no idea what the game is about.

Just read Falcom, so enough reason to buy it for me.

[Armagon]

In Atelier Lulua, it turns out the Wind Stone wasn't the boss of Ch.10. It's just a boss of Ch.10. Spoilers below

Spoiler

The actual boss of Ch.10 is the mech that Stia merges with. The goal is to beat the mech to separate Stia from it and restore her memories. Uh, the thing is, this mech is like 10 levels higher than the Wind Stone rematch and i don't understand why. It's become apparent to me that the level scaling in the later parts of this game are a bit.....wack. This boss also has an insta-kill attack and there isn't even anything special about it. It's not some ultimate attack that the boss will spend like 3 turns charging so you can do something about it. No, this is just a random insta-kill attack the boss can put out when it feels like it and it looks to be a 100% chance. And i don't know if there's anything you can do about it. I haven't seen any "resist death" traits or anything so this is kinda bullshit. So not only do i have to grind again but i have to figure out a way to get around it's dumb insta-kill.

I'm a bit surprised this isn't the final boss of the game. I know it's not because there's still one more chapter according to the Alchemyriddle. Unless the "Final Chapter" is post-game in which case, that is very misleading.

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Armagon

[Eske]

Been playing through Skyrim in my spare time, and I'm loving it. I've always been a big fan of the Fallout series but I never managed to get myself to play an Elder Scrolls game. Due to the teaser for TES:6 I was more motivated than ever but it wasn't really a priority until I saw a copy of it for £1 for the Xbox 360. I decided to take the plunge with it and god damn.

The music is fantastic and really manages to build tension, the environment is large and filled to the brim, the mechanics have just enough depth to get you invested, etc. Its been so good so far and I haven't experienced a single bug. I can already tell I'm going to pour hours upon hours into it and I'm very hyped for TES:6. Although my trust in Bethesda has faltered over the years, I truly think this is the best time to get invested in the series and I highly recommend it. 

[Fates-Blade]

Fire Emblem Thracia 776, going to play through it once without Elite mode and the second with Elite mode on and beat it as fast as possible.

[DragonFlames]

4 hours ago, Armagon said:

In Atelier Lulua, it turns out the Wind Stone wasn't the boss of Ch.10. It's just a boss of Ch.10. Spoilers below

  Reveal hidden contents

The actual boss of Ch.10 is the mech that Stia merges with. The goal is to beat the mech to separate Stia from it and restore her memories. Uh, the thing is, this mech is like 10 levels higher than the Wind Stone rematch and i don't understand why. It's become apparent to me that the level scaling in the later parts of this game are a bit.....wack. This boss also has an insta-kill attack and there isn't even anything special about it. It's not some ultimate attack that the boss will spend like 3 turns charging so you can do something about it. No, this is just a random insta-kill attack the boss can put out when it feels like it and it looks to be a 100% chance. And i don't know if there's anything you can do about it. I haven't seen any "resist death" traits or anything so this is kinda bullshit. So not only do i have to grind again but i have to figure out a way to get around it's dumb insta-kill.

I'm a bit surprised this isn't the final boss of the game. I know it's not because there's still one more chapter according to the Alchemyriddle. Unless the "Final Chapter" is post-game in which case, that is very misleading.

 

There actually is an accessory that makes you immune to insta-kill moves. I just can't remember what it's called off the top of my head. You can make it through alchemy and it's not that hard to make, either. I had tons of problems with that boss, too, however. You're not alone.

Continuing the escapades in MegaNep VII, this game is one surprise after the other. Plot-twists you can't see coming out the wazoo and interesting developments that make me go "god damn, I want to know how this continues!!!"

Some specific points of interest:

1. The Gold Third aren't actually evil, but are largely manipulated by some unknown force which sounds suspiciously like Erica Lindbeck, who also voices Uzume.
2. Affimojas and Steamax seem to be the actual villains, though I can't say I understand their motives up until now. They seem to be looking for that console that transported Neptune and Nepgear to the Zero Dimension, along with some parts that presumably belong to said console.
3. The older Neptune works with/for Arfoire (which makes ZERO sense to me atm, though I assume she's more of a double agent since she prevented S-Sha from going through with her ritual) and AffimaX. Also, Arfoire seems to be an underling to another party this time. They also seek some items that may or may not be connected to the console Neptune and Nepgear used to travel to Uzume's dimension.
4. The Gold Third seem to be based on Capcom (C-Sha), Konami/Koei (K-Sha (assuming Koei because K-Sha looks like a mix between Daqiao from Dynasty Warriors and an Atelier protagonist)), Square Enix (S-Sha & E-Sha), as well as Bandai (B-Sha). I'm assuming all four of them will be playable at some point.
5. Dogoos with human bodies are freaking nightmare fuel.

I think I messed up with the requirements for the True Ending, because

having a CPU or CPU Candidate be defeated in battle lowers their respective nations shares. As does transforming and fleeing. Lowee and Planeptune are at zero shares, because Ram kept dying in the battle against S-Sha, and I had to escape from a few battles with Vert and Nepgear, killing off Planeptune's shares. If this prevents me from getting the good or true ending, that's some prime time BS right there, I gotta be honest. I also think I missed an event in Neptune's story, but I'm not sure.

Another criticism I have is that it can be impossible to even get to Lowee in Blanc's story. If you're unlucky, there is a group of enemies that can appear on the world map (because random battles on the world map. Why not?) that will absolutely destroy you. The beginning of Blanc's and Noire's stories are pretty rough in general, because you're on your own and every enemy kills you in a few hits (Blanc has it especially bad in this regard, because once magic gets involved, she dies to a stiff breeze and enemies can move out of range of any attack she has). It's even worse in Noire's story, because you can't save before the first dungeon you need to go through and if you die, it's back to the story select screen. And it is incredibly easy to die, because Noire is squishy as hell (and she starts two levels lower than the other CPUs).
I don't mind a challenge, but this is too much.

[Armagon]

17 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

There actually is an accessory that makes you immune to insta-kill moves.

That is indeed good to know.

13 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Spoiler

having a CPU or CPU Candidate be defeated in battle lowers their respective nations shares. As does transforming and fleeing. Lowee and Planeptune are at zero shares, because Ram kept dying in the battle against S-Sha, and I had to escape from a few battles with Vert and Nepgear, killing off Planeptune's shares. If this prevents me from getting the good or true ending, that's some prime time BS right there, I gotta be honest.

 

Spoiler

I'm not 100% sure but i think for Noire, Blanc and Vert's stories, as long as you get their daydream events, you should be fine. But i'm not 100% sure which is why i had multiple saves while playing through the Hyper Dimension arc.

At the very least, Shares definitely don't matter post-Hyper Dimension arc. Once you hit the third arc, your CPUs and CPU canidates can transform and die as much as they want.

But if you're paranoid, still make multiple saves.

 

18 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Another criticism I have is that it can be impossible to even get to Lowee in Blanc's story. If you're unlucky, there is a group of enemies that can appear on the world map (because random battles on the world map. Why not?) that will absolutely destroy you. The beginning of Blanc's and Noire's stories are pretty rough in general, because you're on your own and every enemy kills you in a few hits (Blanc has it especially bad in this regard, because once magic gets involved, she dies to a stiff breeze and enemies can move out of range of any attack she has). It's even worse in Noire's story, because you can't save before the first dungeon you need to go through and if you die, it's back to the story select screen. And it is incredibly easy to die, because Noire is squishy as hell (and she starts two levels lower than the other CPUs).
I don't mind a challenge, but this is too much.

Random encounters on the world map is definitely bullshit but i don't recall the early portions of the stories being that challenging. Yeah, you kind of have to manage more early on but it's  not that hard. 

 

40 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Konami/Koei (K-Sha (assuming Koei because K-Sha looks like a mix between Daqiao from Dynasty Warriors and an Atelier protagonist)),

She's the personification of Konami. She makes a lot of Metal Gear references so it's kinda obvious. Also she apparently has the Konami Code on the bottom of her shoes but that's something you probably won't notice in gameplay. I didn't even know that tbh.

43 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Square Enix (S-Sha & E-Sha)

What i like about S-Sha is the jab they made at Square Enix

Spoiler

The whole "failure to make a movie ending in disaster" that caused S-sha and E-sha to merge is 100% a reference to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, a movie so bad it nearly drove Squaresoft to bankruptcy, which lead to the Squaresoft and Enix merge.

But yeah, the Gold Third are some of my favorite characters in the series. They make up for the lack of Makers from the previous games.

[Shrimpica]

38 minutes ago, Armagon said:

But yeah, the Gold Third are some of my favorite characters in the series. They make up for the lack of Makers from the previous games.

tbf, they are basically Makers. Without the whole licensing jumbo mumbo.

 

@DragonFlamesUse the Scouts the reduce Share loss. Get it to 100% and you won't lose any Shares anymore. And yeah, Noire's and Blanc's part are known for being pretty damn though. While i didn't have that much Trouble with Noire myself, Blanc's was a bit of a problem because the Lolis kept dying against any physical enemies haha. And Blanc get's burned by any magic Attack kek.

Also, K-sha is my least fav. Character in the Series. Not really big on Yandere. C-sha is my fav. Gold Third however. Really really liked her.

1 hour ago, DragonFlames said:

Continuing the escapades in MegaNep VII, this game is one surprise after the other. Plot-twists you can't see coming out the wazoo and interesting developments that make me go "god damn, I want to know how this continues!!!"

The game is full Hype from Start to finish.

 

Meanwhile, i am still having fun with the games i am playing. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Bosses are pretty damn fun. Too much fun.

Add to that playing FFF:ADF on hell difficulty, i have the perfect mix of Action and turn based Challenges.

Edited July 11, 2019 by Shrimperor

[Lightcosmo]

3 hours ago, Armagon said:

What i like about S-Sha is the jab they made at Square Enix

  Reveal hidden contents

The whole "failure to make a movie ending in disaster" that caused S-sha and E-sha to merge is 100% a reference to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, a movie so bad it nearly drove Squaresoft to bankruptcy, which lead to the Squaresoft and Enix merge.

 

You really do not like SE at all, huh? Anyways, playing Xenoblade Chronicles again, and just got to Valak Mountain, haven't played in a while so I forgot how much I love this game's story, it's so intense and always keeps me interested, even after 20 playthroughs.

[Armagon]

Using @DragonFlames's tip on the insta-death resistant equipment, i figured out they were called the Angel Locket or something like that and equipped them to complete Ch.10 of Atelier Lulua. The boss itself was easier after i was able to fully block it's insta-kill moves (my Angel's Lockets had Angel's Protection L). The boss still hit hard, one of it's attacks can take you out even at full health, but that could be because i was 20 levels lower than it. I found out Rorona's Special works on the rearguard too so when she got KO'd by that attack i mentioned, i had Piana revive her and then i used Rorona's Special to revive Lulua and Ficus, who got sent to the rearguard after being KO'd.

So yeah, i beat it on my second try. Now i'm in the final chapter. I've also completed every side objective in the Alchemyriddle. All that's left are the main ones.

28 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

You really do not like SE at all, huh?

I'll admit, i'm still salty that the reason Disc 2 of Xenogears ended up the way it did was because Square took half the budget so they could fund Final Fantasy instead but It's not that i dislike Square Enix. I'm actually pretty indifferent to them. I do think modern Square Enix isn't that great though but that's a sentiment i've seen echoed a lot. 

I'll also admit that i just do enjoy poking fun at them.

But the reference to the failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in Megadimension Neptunia is genuinely great and has nothing to do with my indifference towards Square.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Armagon

[Lightcosmo]

11 minutes ago, Armagon said:

I'll admit, i'm still salty that the reason Disc 2 of Xenogears ended up the way it did was because Square took half the budget so they could fund Final Fantasy instead but It's not that i dislike Square Enix. I'm actually pretty indifferent to them. I do think modern Square Enix isn't that great though but that's a sentiment i've seen echoed a lot. 

I'll also admit that i just do enjoy poking fun at them.

But the reference to the failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in Megadimension Neptunia is genuinely great and has nothing to do with my indifference towards Square.

Hey, i'm not saying SE hasn't made mistakes that they shouldn't have. (Such as butchering KH's combat) Poking at things is fun, sometimes, heck I do it about Smash U all the time, since it gets everybody going. Never played Xenogears, so I can't say about that.

[Armagon]

42 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

Never played Xenogears, so I can't say about that.

Knowing that your a fan of Xenosaga and Xenoblade, you should definitely play Xenogears. It has the best story not just out of any Xeno game but the JRPG genre as a whole. Personally, i haven't found a game that tells a better story than Xenogears. But that's just my opinion. Gameplay is a kinda dated, as is the case with most PS1 JRPGs and there's significant less gameplay in Disc 2 because of what i mentioned earlier but it's still enjoyable.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Armagon

[Lightcosmo]

53 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Knowing that your a fan of Xenosaga and Xenoblade, you should definitely play Xenogears. It has the best story not just out of any Xeno game but the JRPG genre as a whole. Personally, i haven't found a game that tells a better story than Xenogears. But that's just my opinion. Gameplay is a kinda dated, as is the case with most PS1 JRPGs and there's significant less gameplay in Disc 2 because of what i mentioned earlier but it's still enjoyable.

I don't mind older game's gameplay, so that's not an issue for me at all. I've never looked into it, is it a long game like Xenoblade Chronicles 1-2? Storyline wise, I mean. And are the characters really well done?

[Armagon]

16 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

I've never looked into it, is it a long game like Xenoblade Chronicles 1-2? Storyline wise, I mean.

Nah, not really. It took me about 40-ish hours to beat Xenogears so while it's not long for Xenoblade standards, it is about the standard length of a JRPG.

16 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

And are the characters really well done?

The most negative thing i can say about some of the characters (specifically talking about the party members) is that they suffer from heavy character irrelevancy syndrome. After their arcs are done, they're kinda just there for the ride. However, they aren't bad characters at all. And the characters that don't suffer from character irrelevancy syndrome are the best of the cast. Fei, the protagonist, is the best Xeno protagonist (and the best JRPG protagonist imo). Not even a contest. The only other Xeno protag that comes as close to being as good as he is is Shion. And this is coming from someone who has Rex as his favorite Xeno protag.

The main villains are also fantastic, though i wouldn't rank any over Xenoblade 2's Malos.

If i remember correctly, i recall you saying you love good romances in games, which is why you were playing through Final Fantasy 8. In that case, you'll definitely love the romance in Xenogears. Fei and Elly's relationship is one of the best romances in gaming. I'd argue it's the best but there's probably some of my Xeno bias leaking in there haha. At any rate, Fei and Elly is my favorite video game romance.

I apologize if it sounds like i'm overhyping the game. Definitely not my intention. It's just that i get really excited when i talk about Xeno.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Armagon

[Interdimensional Observer]

Xenogears is the epitome of a flawed masterpiece in gaming. One can see everywhere it works, and when it starts crumbling, you get a good idea of what was supposed to be there. Which makes where it crumbled all the worse, if only they had more time and resources.

Besides developmental issues hindering the game, it has a few minor other faults to it.:

• Setting aside the era's now-dated visuals, the gameplay is secondary. 
  • Whereas Xenoblade prioritized a making functional gameplay (though it has received its share of critics, I'm Switzerland on the matter) with a simplified story, Xenogears is story first and foremost, particularly towards the end.
  • It's a real simple Active Time Battle turn-based system. Takes a little inspiration from fighting games, but not as much as Namco vs. Capcom/SRTOGSEF/PXZ would, nor as the contemporary to XG game called Legend of Legaia did.
• Esoteric jargon is another issue. Particularly later on, you get a lot of fancy terms thrown around, and a lot of lore history to keep in mind. If the game had a glossary to check this over with that unlocked and updated as the game progressed, it wouldn't be so bad. But it doesn't have that.
• Translation constipation. I just picked a word that rhymes with translation, there aren't any symptoms of constipation with this game. But, the translation isn't up to modern non-NISA/cheap Switch visual novel standards. Not FFVII bad, but given the complicated plot the game tries to tell, this is a little bit of a detractor. It's to be expected of the era, the mentality of "video games are just for kids so who cares about the plot?" was only partly broken here.

 

28 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

And are the characters really well done?

The main protagonist, Fei Fong Wong has a lot development. A little complicated, and I can't quite find a single sharp moment when he changed amazingly for good. Shulk, Elma (who is already matured and doesn't get development), Rex, and Lora (who sadly exists only for a tiny DLC prequel), are nothing compared to Fei. 

Elly as the heroine is certainly second fiddle to Fei, but she isn't particularly bad or anything. I like her, I think I prefer Mythra in Xeno heroines, although I haven't access to Xenosaga. I do like Elma too, and Lora. But Elma has the issue where I'm uncertain whether she'll retain the center of the stage in XCX2 and if she does, whether her development puts her under the butcher block and forcefeeds me her stuffed small intestines. Although after Lora, I'm more optimistic that might not happen.

The rest of the cast has a lot less importance. A fine but distant third wheel, a fourth who grounds the plot for a long while, a character who the idea of matters more than the character themself, and four others. The cast is bloated, and have little reason to exist in the long run, but aren't grating in any way.

Villain-wise, not to say too much, but the game develops an elite group of the highest evils. Each with a very different flavor to them, willing to work together for a common interest, but of radically different goals. Besides these, you get a slew of lesser baddies, and the entire matrix of these is sorta nuanced. You won't know the true aims of anyone until very far into the game, so the game leaves you wondering for most of it.

Edited July 12, 2019 by Interdimensional Observer

[DragonFlames]

11 hours ago, Armagon said:

Random encounters on the world map is definitely bullshit but i don't recall the early portions of the stories being that challenging. Yeah, you kind of have to manage more early on but it's  not that hard.

The beginning of Noire's is tough mostly because you don't have a save point or a shop where you can buy healing items prior to entering the first dungeon. Afterwards, it got pretty easy, because for whatever reason, the moment Noire got her second level up, she started tanking absolutely everything. I have no idea how or why, but I'm pretty happy about it.

12 hours ago, Armagon said:

She's the personification of Konami. She makes a lot of Metal Gear references so it's kinda obvious. Also she apparently has the Konami Code on the bottom of her shoes but that's something you probably won't notice in gameplay. I didn't even know that tbh.

What i like about S-Sha is the jab they made at Square Enix

  Reveal hidden contents

The whole "failure to make a movie ending in disaster" that caused S-sha and E-sha to merge is 100% a reference to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, a movie so bad it nearly drove Squaresoft to bankruptcy, which lead to the Squaresoft and Enix merge.

But yeah, the Gold Third are some of my favorite characters in the series. They make up for the lack of Makers from the previous games.

Yup, noticed that, too. There was a scene with a cardboard box she is used to hide in. When I made my original post, I had only just met K-Sha, so I was ignorant to that.

On S-Sha, I actually didn't make the connection with Spirits Within XD
I agree that Gold Third are pretty cool, too.
Though S-Sha got pretty annoying with her discount Omnislash spam in her battle, which was what caused me to lose a lot of Planeptune shares, because she kept attacking and killing poor Nepgear. C-Sha was tough because Ram kept dying to her (R.I.P. Lowee shares), B-Sha was simple, and I am now just about to fight K-Sha, so we'll see how that goes.

11 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

Also, K-sha is my least fav. Character in the Series. Not really big on Yandere. C-sha is my fav. Gold Third however. Really really liked her.

Uni even called her a Yandere. I agree I'm not too big on that archetype, either (Tharja, anyone? *shudder*). Though K-Sha is far from my least favorite character from the four games I've played (that dishonor goes to either Underling, Warechu, or IF). C-Sha is pretty great, I agree with you there.

8 hours ago, Armagon said:

Using @DragonFlames's tip on the insta-death resistant equipment, i figured out they were called the Angel Locket or something like that and equipped them to complete Ch.10 of Atelier Lulua. The boss itself was easier after i was able to fully block it's insta-kill moves (my Angel's Lockets had Angel's Protection L). The boss still hit hard, one of it's attacks can take you out even at full health, but that could be because i was 20 levels lower than it. I found out Rorona's Special works on the rearguard too so when she got KO'd by that attack i mentioned, i had Piana revive her and then i used Rorona's Special to revive Lulua and Ficus, who got sent to the rearguard after being KO'd.

Rorona OP
You don't even need to use anyone else's special attack as long as you have hers.

If you are in the final chapter, I can tell you that I beat the final boss at levels around 82 while it is at level 100. It was rough, but I managed, thanks to Rorona's special skill being OP, and what I like to call the Nearly Infinite Support Combo.

[Lightcosmo]

14 hours ago, Armagon said:

Nah, not really. It took me about 40-ish hours to beat Xenogears so while it's not long for Xenoblade standards, it is about the standard length of a JRPG.

The most negative thing i can say about some of the characters (specifically talking about the party members) is that they suffer from heavy character irrelevancy syndrome. After their arcs are done, they're kinda just there for the ride. However, they aren't bad characters at all. And the characters that don't suffer from character irrelevancy syndrome are the best of the cast. Fei, the protagonist, is the best Xeno protagonist (and the best JRPG protagonist imo). Not even a contest. The only other Xeno protag that comes as close to being as good as he is is Shion. And this is coming from someone who has Rex as his favorite Xeno protag.

The main villains are also fantastic, though i wouldn't rank any over Xenoblade 2's Malos.

If i remember correctly, i recall you saying you love good romances in games, which is why you were playing through Final Fantasy 8. In that case, you'll definitely love the romance in Xenogears. Fei and Elly's relationship is one of the best romances in gaming. I'd argue it's the best but there's probably some of my Xeno bias leaking in there haha. At any rate, Fei and Elly is my favorite video game romance.

I apologize if it sounds like i'm overhyping the game. Definitely not my intention. It's just that i get really excited when i talk about Xeno.

I don't really mind this, since by now, i'm used to it. Playing FE teaches you this. Really, you think that Shion is the best in the series? I liked her in 1 and 2, but in 3 she's just so rude, and all the cutscenes consist of, "Shion, are alright?" It drags that games story down for me, like it's okay to ask if someones okay, but every other scene?

Spoiler

Malos was indeed a very good character, I liked the way he talked, it added to his character so much. Also, i'm not 100% sure why Malos has the "Monado" in the battle at the cliffs of Morytha.

I do like Romance in games, thanks for remembering! No, it's alright to openly like a game, that's why you like it! And besides, I would rather have a positive review than a negative one, so go right ahead!

14 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Xenogears is the epitome of a flawed masterpiece in gaming. One can see everywhere it works, and when it starts crumbling, you get a good idea of what was supposed to be there. Which makes where it crumbled all the worse, if only they had more time and resources.

This is okay for me, I don't mind the imperfections.

Besides developmental issues hindering the game, it has a few minor other faults to it.:

• Setting aside the era's now-dated visuals, the gameplay is secondary. 
  • Whereas Xenoblade prioritized a making functional gameplay (though it has received its share of critics, I'm Switzerland on the matter) with a simplified story, Xenogears is story first and foremost, particularly towards the end.

What do you mean by this< besides the gameplay part obviously.

• • It's a real simple Active Time Battle turn-based system. Takes a little inspiration from fighting games, but not as much as Namco vs. Capcom/SRTOGSEF/PXZ would, nor as the contemporary to XG game called Legend of Legaia did.

Simple is good, so that's fine.

• Esoteric jargon is another issue. Particularly later on, you get a lot of fancy terms thrown around, and a lot of lore history to keep in mind. If the game had a glossary to check this over with that unlocked and updated as the game progressed, it wouldn't be so bad. But it doesn't have that.

Ah, so pretty much like Fire Emblem, then.

• Translation constipation. I just picked a word that rhymes with translation, there aren't any symptoms of constipation with this game. But, the translation isn't up to modern non-NISA/cheap Switch visual novel standards. Not FFVII bad, but given the complicated plot the game tries to tell, this is a little bit of a detractor. It's to be expected of the era, the mentality of "video games are just for kids so who cares about the plot?" was only partly broken here.

Poor translation's always make me laugh, so this isn't going to be a problem I don't think.

 

The main protagonist, Fei Fong Wong has a lot development. A little complicated, and I can't quite find a single sharp moment when he changed amazingly for good. Shulk, Elma (who is already matured and doesn't get development), Rex, and Lora (who sadly exists only for a tiny DLC prequel), are nothing compared to Fei. 

I think this is a good sign for me, I like to learn how to character really feels, if that's what you're saying.

Elly as the heroine is certainly second fiddle to Fei, but she isn't particularly bad or anything. I like her, I think I prefer Mythra in Xeno heroines, although I haven't access to Xenosaga. I do like Elma too, and Lora. But Elma has the issue where I'm uncertain whether she'll retain the center of the stage in XCX2 and if she does, whether her development puts her under the butcher block and forcefeeds me her stuffed small intestines. Although after Lora, I'm more optimistic that might not happen.

You know, I personally thought Mythra got shafted storyline-wise in 2, which was a little sad. I can say I liked Lora a lot more as a character.

The rest of the cast has a lot less importance. A fine but distant third wheel, a fourth who grounds the plot for a long while, a character who the idea of matters more than the character themself, and four others. The cast is bloated, and have little reason to exist in the long run, but aren't grating in any way.

See, Fire Emblem... again.

Villain-wise, not to say too much, but the game develops an elite group of the highest evils. Each with a very different flavor to them, willing to work together for a common interest, but of radically different goals. Besides these, you get a slew of lesser baddies, and the entire matrix of these is sorta nuanced. You won't know the true aims of anyone until very far into the game, so the game leaves you wondering for most of it.

To me, this has to be done right. The Testament in Xenosaga 3, for example, their plotline was so confusing to me.

Stuff bolded since there was quite a bit to go through.

Edited July 12, 2019 by lightcosmo

[Armagon]

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

If you are in the final chapter, I can tell you that I beat the final boss at levels around 82 while it is at level 100.

Yeah, i found out the final boss is Lv.100 the hard way. I'm uh, still in the 60s range, close to 70s. It's not like i'm avoiding battles, it's just that i'm not leveling up as fast as i feel like i should. When i beat the Wind Stone that was 15 levels higher than anyone in my party, nobody leveled up. Which is strange. By any chance, is there any equipment that increases EXP gain?

53 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

Really, you think that Shion is the best in the series? 

No, Fei is better. Shion gets close because there's a lot that goes on with her. What i like about Shion is that you see her mental state deteriorate over the course of the trilogy. She starts off as a level-headed woman with small traces of emotional damage in Episode I but by Episode III, she's lost and is essentially controlled by her emotions. She's the way she is in Episode III because she's no longer the emotionally stable person she was in Episode I. Though i will say, she did do something that pissed me off in Episode III, and it's why i don't put her on the same level as Fei.

Spoiler

In the finale of Episode III, when she meets Kevin underneath the Michtam Cathedral, she still believes Kevin is on her side and that he will help her........despite Kevin very clearly attacking her friends. Hell, Shion even sides with Kevin during that boss fight. I get that she's emotionally unstable but i think siding with the man who is clearly attacking her friends is out of character.

 

58 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

Spoiler

Also, i'm not 100% sure why Malos has the "Monado" in the battle at the cliffs of Morytha.

 

Spoiler

Given that's a late game spoiler in a plot-heavy game, you should probably spoiler that. He recovered it after he stole the data from Pyra's core crystal. Malos having a Monado in general makes sense when you consider the bigger implications. Hell, Pneuma's sword is a Monado, it's just never called one.

 

1 hour ago, lightcosmo said:

The Testament in Xenosaga 3, for example, their plotline was so confusing to me.

The Testaments in general were kinda eh. Blue Testament is cool, White Testament got shafted hard (more on him later), Red Testament sucked and Black Testament is honestly one of the worst villains in the series.

On White Testament

Spoiler

Albedo in Episode I and II is honestly one of the series' best villains so him getting hard shafted in Episode III was a bummer.

But yeah, while you won't really know the goals of the main villains in Xenogears until the end, it is done well imo. Some of the main villains, you start to get an idea of what their goals are at around the end of Disc 1.

 

1 hour ago, lightcosmo said:

What do you mean by this< besides the gameplay part obviously.

Gonna ask for clarification on this, since i'm a bit confused by your question.

[DragonFlames]

21 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Yeah, i found out the final boss is Lv.100 the hard way. I'm uh, still in the 60s range, close to 70s. It's not like i'm avoiding battles, it's just that i'm not leveling up as fast as i feel like i should. When i beat the Wind Stone that was 15 levels higher than anyone in my party, nobody leveled up. Which is strange. By any chance, is there any equipment that increases EXP gain?

There is. If you completed most of Alchemyriddle, you should be able to synthesize it, too. I don't remember what it was called, though. I think it was something close to Fate Talisman, but I'm not too sure. It's not equipment as in you have to equip it to an individual character, instead, it's filed under exploration tools, so everyone reaps the benefits. Also, depending on how you make it (i.e. which elements you use), you either increase EXP or money gain.

You can grind quite effectively against the dragons in Ster Highlands if I remember correctly. They give good amounts of EXP and aren't very hard to fight. Additionally, the materials you get when defeating them are quite nice.

Edited July 12, 2019 by DragonFlames

[Armagon]

6 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

There is. If you completed most of Alchemyriddle,

Well i've definitely done that. I have every page completed though the completion rate shows up as 93% so i'm assuming there's one more page for the post-game (you mentioned the post-game being pretty big).

I'll take a look at the exploration tools list.

 

[DragonFlames]

Just now, Armagon said:

Well i've definitely done that. I have every page completed though the completion rate shows up as 93% so i'm assuming there's one more page for the post-game (you mentioned the post-game being pretty big).

I'll take a look at the exploration tools list.

If you find the Fate Talisman (or similar), that should be it. Make sure to get the "Great Learner" (or similar) skill on it if you want more EXP.