Soooooo what'cha playing?

[Armagon]

7 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I thought Uni already represented the Vita, didn't she?

Nope, it's the PSP. Likewise, Rom and Ram represent the Nintendo DS, Nepgear represents both a fictional Sega handheld and the Game Gear and there are no Leanbox CPU Candidates because Microsoft has never made one.

Though in general, the CPU Candidates just represent the handhelds. That's why they can have processor parts referencing other handhelds. Same goes for the CPUs, except for them it's consoles obviously.

I expect the Lowee girls to get Nintendo Switch processor parts in the next mainline game, since the Switch is both a console and a handheld.

7 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I'll admit I haven't used the NEXT EXE Drives yet, because they end the transformation when using them.

It isn't that hard to get them back though i'll admit, i usually use them as final attacks.

7 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Speaking of, I reached the route split in the third arc. I picked the Hyper Dimension route first, so now I have my Re;Birth 2 squad (the four Candidates) and Gold Third. Next playthrough is the Heart Dimension route.

Spoiler

I watched the four dream events of the CPUs. Neptune's was heartwarming (and cemented IF as an asshole), Vert's was... creepy, Noire's was funny as hell, and Blanc's was weird. Though it did create the funny image of Rom and Ram running after her with needles...

 

Spoiler

Neptune's Heart Dimension event is one of my favorites in the series. It shows that despite being lazy and not wanting to do any work, she's still a leader that cares for people.

 

[DragonFlames]

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

Nope, it's the PSP. Likewise, Rom and Ram represent the Nintendo DS, Nepgear represents both a fictional Sega handheld and the Game Gear and there are no Leanbox CPU Candidates because Microsoft has never made one.

Though in general, the CPU Candidates just represent the handhelds. That's why they can have processor parts referencing other handhelds. Same goes for the CPUs, except for them it's consoles obviously.

I expect the Lowee girls to get Nintendo Switch processor parts in the next mainline game, since the Switch is both a console and a handheld.

I wonder if we'll ever see a game with the Candidates as the actual CPUs. I can't see them doing it, since the Candidates "only" represent the handhelds and it would mean jeopardizing Leanbox' existence, but it might be an interesting idea nonetheless (though mk2/Re;Birth 2 already kind of gave us a variation of that general idea, I guess).

Switch processor parts for the Lowee girls is an interesting idea. I'd be interested in how they'd differ between Blanc and her two younger sisters. Rom and Ram look basically the same in HDD, though with different hair colors, so that might stick.

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Neptune's Heart Dimension event is one of my favorites in the series. It shows that despite being lazy and not wanting to do any work, she's still a leader that cares for people.

 

Agreed 100%

[Armagon]

4 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I wonder if we'll ever see a game with the Candidates as the actual CPUs. I can't see them doing it, since the Candidates "only" represent the handhelds and it would mean jeopardizing Leanbox' existence, but it might be an interesting idea nonetheless

A spin-off could do it. Superdimension Neptune is pretty much exclusively Sega themed, so the only CPUs that show up are Planeptune ones. Basically, spin-offs throw all rules out the window. Neptunia spin-offs can be whatever they want to be. 

4 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Switch processor parts for the Lowee girls is an interesting idea. I'd be interested in how they'd differ between Blanc and her two younger sisters. Rom and Ram look basically the same in HDD, though with different hair colors, so that might stick.

Well since it'd just be optional equipment, i'd imagine they'd pull from all the different Joy-Con variations.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Armagon

[Shrimpica]

4 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Switch processor parts for the Lowee girls is an interesting idea

 

24 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Well since it'd just be optional equipment, i'd imagine they'd pull from all the different Joy-Con variations.

Or Fusion. Blanc, Rom and Ram will Fusion into a Tri-colored haired girl

meanwhile, i am getting my Ass kicked in FFF by this boss

And i love it. Neptunia needs a hell Difficulty, too xD

Yes, when it comes to games i am kinda a machoist

 

[DragonFlames]

Sooo... I just beat Megadimension Neptunia VII. I got the Revival Ending, which I assume is the "best" one.
As per usual, some thoughts and opinions that I'll pretend are a review, even though you probably won't find a single shred of objectiveness here.

I'll preface this with this: this game is one of the best JRPGs I've played in recent memory and I'll definitely go back and play it again, if only to get the other two endings.
The writing this time around was especially stellar. The story was awesome from start to finish, the jokes were well placed as per usual, but I felt that they were a little bit better delivered in this game than the Re;Birth titles I played before. That is to say that this time, the REALLY serious moments (of which there are many) weren't derailed and the seriousness of it all was played perfectly straight by everyone involved. (Nevertheless, I managed to make the final battle funny and probably as un-stylish as possible. More on that later - though perhaps players who already played the game might have a hunch as to what I did).
This game did an excellent job of making me feel for the characters and their struggles, even more than the Re;Birth games. A specific example would be the friendship between Neptune, Nepgear, and Uzume Tennouboshi (the new character for this game), which was touching and well written, too. 
Speaking of characters, these have been Neptunia's strong points from the beginning, but the way they are written is at their best here, as they're all allowed to show they depths much, much more than Re;Birth 3, for example. Neptune and Nepgear are perfect examples of this, the latter finally being allowed to be a character again. Her development in this game also made me like her a lot more than I already did.
What helps this is the stellar voice acting. This is the first Neptunia game I've played from start to finish using the English voice over, because while not every line is voiced, the ones that are (which is every story-important one) are excellently delivered. I switched to the Japanese voice track and watched some scenes with the original Japanese, but I gotta say, I actually prefer the English VO this time around - even for Noire, whose English voice was a major reason for switching to Japanese the last few games. The English Black Heart voice is badass in this game, while Uzume joins Compa in the list of characters I prefer with their English voice.
As a side note on the voice acting: Affimojas (the main villain of the second arc) shares his English voice actor (I believe Kirk Thornton was his name) with Lu Bu from Dynasty Warriors 8. It's just so funny to me to imagine Lu Bu, Dynasty Warriors' fearsome warrior talking about "Busty Blondes"...
Concerning the new characters, they were honestly pretty great. Uzume and Umio are immediately likeable from the moment you meet them (though a fish with a goofy face voiced by Xander Mobus is straight up cheating. How could you NOT love that?), and the Gold Third are great in their own way (even if I'm not much of a fan of K-Sha, admittedly). In fact, Uzume took Plutia's place as my second favorite CPU character by the end of the game. And then, there's the older Neptune (or Neptune (the bigger one), as this game calls her)... I mean... that is a complete no-brainer as far as awesome characters go.

Which brings us to the gameplay. The gameplay is awesome, absolutely, but it is here where I personally have some minor gripes. I've already talked about the increased difficulty compared to past Neptunia games, which is a welcome, if slightly jarring, change, but particularly during the second Act, I found a few frustrating things with that. As I already mentioned them before, I'll leave with this: they could have made the beginning stages of Blanc and Noire's story a tad bit easier. Maybe try and throw fewer enemies at them when they travel around on their own. Fighting alone against four to six enemies when they can kill you in three hits and your supplies of healing items number exactly zero isn't exactly something I'd call fair, honestly.
The additions to the combo system do take some time getting used to, but I like it overall a lot better than in the Re;Birth titles.
One other gripe, and this is possibly the biggest one, is that for some strange reason, only the party members that are active at the end of the battle get EXP, unless you have the Learner skill, which only two characters actually get (unless there is an Idea Chip that let's you get the skill on other people, too. If there is, I haven't found it). In the Re;Birth games, everyone got EXP, regardless of if they were in the front, the rear or not in the active party at all, which I liked, because it significantly cut down the time spent leveling everyone up.
While we are on the topic, this game is very stingy with its item drops, meaning any quest that asks you to get a certain item takes a lot longer than it should. As a result, I didn't get much use out of the development feature this time around. 
The best addition to the game, and by far one of the best boss concepts in a JRPG is the fight against the giant Dark CPUs. These are the fights that I had the most fun with while playing the game, because 1) killing giant things with small things is awesome and 2) they mixed up the gameplay a lot by only allowing you to use skills, but it didn't hamper what makes the combat system so fun in the first place (though it is weird that you can't use certain skills. I wanted to use Neptune Break on a Dark CPU, damn it!).
I already mentioned in my first impressions that the soundtrack for the game is godlike. That opinion didn't change. Highlights include "Will be Venus", "Uranus", "Voltage", "Encounter of Destiny", and of course the opening themes.
Another part this game did extremely well is the dungeon design. Sure, they do get re-used like in the other titles, but the overall feel of exploring a hostile environment or at least an actual dungeon like you're used to from other JRPGs is much stronger here than in the other Neptunia games. The environments also look absolutely beautiful.
As a note of interest: there exists a dungeon in Lowee that looks like a level from Mario 3D World on the WiiU. Accompanied by the track "Let's bake the cookie!", I felt like I was playing a Mario game while exploring that dungeon.

So, overall, this game is excellent, even if I missed certain features. @Shrimperor said that this game was the best in the series and I'm inclined to agree, despite my gripes. It's not perfect, of course (but then again, no game really is), but it is one of the best games I've played and deserves a 9.5/10 from me.

Now, on to why I managed to make the final boss funny: I used Nepgear and the adult Neptune to fight it alongside the original Neptune and Noire. The latter two were fittingly in their NEXT Forms, but that's not why it was funny. I pretty much spammed Nepgear's and adult Neptune's joke attacks Nepgeardam and Pudding. For those unaware: Nepgeardam is a giant robot that looks like Nepgear making a shocked face (kinda like this) and there is a funny sound effect whenever she uses it (going from a goofy cartoon sound to a cheerful "ta-daah!" noise) and Pudding is... well, Neptune drops a giant pudding with a face on her enemies. So the final boss got done in by a goofy robot and pudding. Unintentionally, pudding ended up being the final hit, too. Here's the relevant screenshot:

[Shrimpica]

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I've already talked about the increased difficulty compared to past Neptunia games, which is a welcome, if slightly jarring, change, but particularly during the second Act, I found a few frustrating things with that.

Really? I found MegaNep much easier then the Re;Birth games haha. It's my main gripe with the game, too easy xD. I wish we had more parts of the game as hard as Blanc's and Noire's.

Sure, there were some difficult Bosses and stuff (especially Quest ones), but the majority was too easy imho.

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I got the Revival Ending, which I assume is the "best" one.

Revival is the True end yup.

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

One other gripe, and this is possibly the biggest one, is that for some strange reason, only the party members that are active at the end of the battle get EXP, unless you have the Learner skill, which only two characters actually get

yeah, that was a bit annoying, but your party is usually split apart anyway, so you have everyone almost trained up.

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

unless there is an Idea Chip that let's you get the skill on other people, too. If there is, I haven't found it

There's, but it's Lvl3 Blue chip, and you don't get enough CDs to use it one everyone.

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

While we are on the topic, this game is very stingy with its item drops, meaning any quest that asks you to get a certain item takes a lot longer than it should. As a result, I didn't get much use out of the development feature this time around. 

I had a different experience with this as well. Compared to R;B, Item drops weren't that bad. Then again, once i maximized everyone's shares i stopped doing any non-Histoire Quests xD. Especially since they involve backtracking and it was annoying in this game due to random encounters in the overworld.

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

though a fish with a goofy face voiced by Xander Mobus is straight up cheating. How could you NOT love that?

Best Fish.

 

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I already mentioned in my first impressions that the soundtrack for the game is godlike. That opinion didn't change. Highlights include "Will be Venus", "Uranus", "Voltage", "Encounter of Destiny", and of course the opening themes.

Falcom Tier. Also where's Providence in that list

 

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

As a note of interest: there exists a dungeon in Lowee that looks like a level from Mario 3D World on the WiiU. Accompanied by the track "Let's bake the cookie!", I felt like I was playing a Mario game while exploring that dungeon.

I remember laughing, facepamling and thinking ''How could they get away with this'' at the same time when i entered that dungeon haha.

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Nepgeardam is a giant robot that looks like Nepgear making a shocked face (kinda like this) and there is a funny sound effect whenever she uses it (going from a goofy cartoon sound to a cheerful "ta-daah!" noise) and Pudding is... well, Neptune drops a giant pudding with a face on her enemies. So the final boss got done in by a goofy robot and pudding. Unintentionally, pudding ended up being the final hit, too. Here's the relevant screenshot:

''Nandeska Kono robotoa da!''
''Pudding'' ''Pudding''

XD

 

Glad you enjoyed it :D. It's a Great and amazing game yup, and the only thing keeping from entering my Top 10 list is that i found it too easy haha.

[DragonFlames]

31 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Really? I found MegaNep much easier then the Re;Birth games haha. It's my main gripe with the game, too easy xD. I wish we had more parts of the game as hard as Blanc's and Noire's.

Sure, there were some difficult Bosses and stuff (especially Quest ones), but the majority was too easy imho.

The hardest boss fight in the series happens in Re;Birth 1, which is specifically the first fight against Black Heart.
In this game, even the normal enemies gave me some trouble in the beginning. I did have to use a lot more healing items than in the Re;Birth games.

33 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

I had a different experience with this as well. Compared to R;B, Item drops weren't that bad. Then again, once i maximized everyone's shares i stopped doing any non-Histoire Quests xD. Especially since they involve backtracking and it was annoying in this game due to random encounters in the overworld.

Interesting. Then I just got unlucky, I suppose.
Or maybe I didn't pay enough attention to the Remake System, as the items and equipment you could buy was good enough, and most changes to the gameplay were things I didn't feel were necessary in order to get through the games. The materials for unlocking dungeons and enemies were usually easy enough to get, and there was even a plan that improved drop rates that I used in Re;Birth 3. You could also find most enemy drops at gathering points if you used the "Change Items" plans, so I didn't have that much trouble getting those quests done in the Re;Birth games. Maybe my perspective is a bit off because of these factors.

I mostly did quests to get money towards the end, though I also used the Colosseum for that.

38 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Falcom Tier. Also where's Providence in that list

I didn't say those were the best songs and everything else isn't, now did I? ;D
But you're right, "Providence" definitely deserves a mention.

39 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

''Nandeska Kono robotoa da!''

''Pudding'' ''Pudding''

XD

Funniest attacks in the series, definitely. XD

40 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Glad you enjoyed it :D. It's a Great and amazing game yup, and the only thing keeping from entering my Top 10 list is that i found it too easy haha.

I'm glad I got into the series, honestly! I have you and @Armagon to thank for that, actually.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Holy shit... Sky 3rd is the most disturbing RPG I have ever played yet, never expected to say that.

It is so dark, depressing, tragic and it becomes cynical thanks to Kevin.

But this also why I LOVE him, he is one of the strongest characters I have seen in a RPG so far.

 

This game is so different compared to other LoH games in terms of gameplay and story and this is way it makes it so unique and interesting.

It is a proof that Falcom puts variety to this series.

I am really excited for the final dungeon and boss.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Rosalina

[Shrimpica]

2 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

The hardest boss fight in the series happens in Re;Birth 1, which is specifically the first fight against Black Heart.

For me the hardest boss has to be the Lowee fight in Conquest route. 

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Or maybe I didn't pay enough attention to the Remake System

It was almost absent tbf except for weapon plans, and weapon i bought/found were usually enough imo.

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I'm glad I got into the series, honestly! I have you and @Armagon to thank for that, actually.

No problem No problem 😄

Always glad to share the enjoyement and fun with more people 😄

Although i think Armagon's the one who introduced you to the Series before i jumped into the discussions, no? 

 

2 hours ago, Rosalina said:

Holy shit... Sky 3rd is the most disturbing RPG I have ever played yet, never expected to say that.

I see someone viewed Star Door 15. 

3 hours ago, Rosalina said:

But this also why I LOVE him, he is one of the strongest characters I have seen in a RPG so far.

Kevin 👌

3 hours ago, Rosalina said:

I am really excited for the final dungeon and boss.

 

Have fun and enjoy 😄

And make sure you've some time, the final Dungeon is pretty long, as is Falcom tradition (with awesome Music this time, however)

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Been playing some weirder games lately. Recently finished Need For Speed: The Run, as picked out by my brother who loves driving games. It's a narrative focused on a nationwide race between hundreds of drivers making a straight shot between west and east coasts of the USA. Along the way you'll meet Rivals who get character bios, but are otherwise the same as any other faceless driver since they never exchange dialogue with the main character. The story in general is pretty ludicrous as you routinely escape both the police and unnamed "mob". The leader of which actually ends up being your final opponent in the race. Why is he in the race, I thought he was just trying to kill our character? We also never know what Jack did to piss these people off either. You could have easily thrown in a compelling backstory to help us root for our no-personality-having protagonist and his shady girlfriend on the skype call who seems primed to be a villain but is just another edgy anti-hero with no goals of her own.

The gameplay is... a racing game. You go from point A to B as fast as you can. Shortcuts exist, but it often seems arbitrary which items in the enviornment you can cut through like butter while others will destroy your vehicle if you try to crash through. Having to stop at gas stations to switch cars was obnoxious, and often lost me the race. You should be able to swap cars at the start of the race like any other game. Drifting also feels terrible. I once drifted so bad that I came to a complete stop, and the game awarded me maximum points for a good drift. Clearly the game designers don't understand this concept very well. I rate this game a 4.2 out of 10. Not much functionally wrong with it, I just think it's drab and boring. Not having a fleshed out story sucks and the game being just four hours long reinforces its forgettable nature. Seeing iconic roads of the US only occasionally feels fun, but they made the Valley of Fire stage at night time so you can't appreciate the bizarre architecture. I can attest that area looks very cool in real life. Here's a small taste of it (timestamped).

The other game I've played through is Pandemonium! That's not enthusiasm, it's just how the game's title is spelled. It's a fast paced 2.5D platformer somewhat infamous for its difficulty. Honestly not as bad as I was expecting. It's true that there's no reason to play as Fargus since his cartwheel move only defeats enemies that are already vulnerable to being bounced off of, so instead play as Nikki who has a helpful double jump. My only gripe is jump arcs. You don't jump higher by pressing longer, like in super mario, but you must be in motion to get maximum jump height. And if you're running down a slope your velocity will double almost immediately which is nerve wracking and makes it hard to gauge which gaps you can jump across or when is a good time to come to a stop. And despite the game's 2.5D perspective, it's hard to identify enemies and obstacles before running directly into them. Enemies can and will shoot you from off screen, and it can be deceptive what things you can bounce off of. Excuse me for thinking a round blimp is something I can bounce on, but instead they explode.

The game's reputation of difficulty is also well earned. No save feature so you must rely on passwords. Extra lives are also very infrequent, normally being earned for collecting 300 treasure which is a tall order. Personally I just used the password that has all the levels unlocked plus 30 extra lives as I played the levels in order. It cheeses some of the game's intended difficulty, but I'm not here to show off. I rate it a 5.4 out of 10. It's design is dated, but understandable due to its development during the primordial age before Super Mario 64. The level design can often be creative, and the game's two cutscenes are very charming.

[Armagon]

11 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

The best addition to the game, and by far one of the best boss concepts in a JRPG is the fight against the giant Dark CPUs.

Dark CPU battles are the best part of the game. I hope something similar returns in future mainline games because the concept is too epic to only use once.

11 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

As a note of interest: there exists a dungeon in Lowee that looks like a level from Mario 3D World on the WiiU. Accompanied by the track "Let's bake the cookie!", I felt like I was playing a Mario game while exploring that dungeon.

That dungeon was dangerously close to actually being a Mario level. I have no idea how they got away with that but they did. Bless.

8 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

The hardest boss fight in the series happens in Re;Birth 1, which is specifically the first fight against Black Heart.

Nah, it's actually the first Killachine fight, because it tanks like a bitch and you can't save before you fight it.

8 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I'm glad I got into the series, honestly! I have you and @Armagon to thank for that, actually.

Now this is truly epic. Glad you enjoyed these games.

8 hours ago, Rosalina said:

Holy shit... Sky 3rd is the most disturbing RPG I have ever played yet, never expected to say that.

5 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

I see someone viewed Star Door 15. 

Oh God, Star Door 15. I knew Trails could get dark but that is genuinely the most disturbing part of the series. 

 

[Lightcosmo]

Finally finished Xenoblade Chronicles again, i'm glad I played through it again, even if I do hate the lvl 57 boss monster at Sword Valley. Well, onto Xenoblade 2!

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

11 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

 

😄😄

I see someone viewed Star Door 15. 👌

😄

 

6 hours ago, Armagon said:

God, Star Door 15. I knew Trails could get dark but that is genuinely the most disturbing part of the series. 

Actually I have not visited the door at the time I made my comment. 

But now I have, and yeah, it was really difficult to disgest.

 

I am honest I have never ever played a as creepy game as Sky 3rd. I did not even find Berseria as disturbing as 3rd. 

 

I am really prepared for a creepy final dungeon and boss. 

Edited July 16, 2019 by Rosalina

[Lightcosmo]

Gosh, I forgot how I didn't like they handled the art system in Xenoblade 2 in comparison. Another thing I didn't like, why are almost all the arts the same thing with different names? It takes away from the uniqueness of it to me. That aside, made it to Uraya, which is probably my favorite area in the game, it's really gorgeous to look at. Along with the fact that I really like the theme for this area.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Beaten Sky 3rd!

As I mentioned earlier in a post it was totally different than other LoH parts in terms of gameplay, story and atmosphere, but this also made it so interesting as unique.

The story was really depressing in lots of moments, a proof how deep the story of this series really can be.

Overall it was really fun despite even a bit short game, but it is excused by its story build.

 

Too bad I am done with all Trails games I can play (legally).

The Crossbell parts require a PSP /PSvita, and I do not want to buy a console just for two games.

Same goes for PS4 and Cold Steel III.

 

Well, still have to play Tokyo Xanadu which is also a Falcom game at least.

Edited July 16, 2019 by Rosalina

[Shrimpica]

1 hour ago, Rosalina said:

The Crossbell parts require a PSP /PSvita, and I do not want to buy a console just for two games.

Actually, there are PC versions of those games, with existing fan tl (with a better and more polished version in the works). You can buy the jp version and download then install the patches.

I am waiting for the better fan tl patch myself.

 

Continunig on FFF, the dungeons are getting BIG. No, seriously, the upcoming dungeon is a 5 Part dungeon, which is making me think to push it back to the weekend since IF games only love to put save points at the end of dungeons.

[DragonFlames]

18 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

No problem No problem 😄

Always glad to share the enjoyement and fun with more people 😄

Although i think Armagon's the one who introduced you to the Series before i jumped into the discussions, no?

 

13 hours ago, Armagon said:

Now this is truly epic. Glad you enjoyed these games.

Credit where credit is due!
And hey, these definitely won't be the last Neptunia games I've played. I'm still interested in picking up Neptunia RPG with a Switch when Three Houses comes out (yes, I have decided to get one), and even if I haven't read the best about the Noire spin-off, I'm still willing to give that game a shot due to me liking strategy games like Fire Emblem and Stella Glow.

I've also started New Game Plus on MegaNep VII, because I want to get the other two endings. Also, I'm trying to complete all character challenges with at least one character (a.k.a. either Neptune or Nepgear) and I want to try to max out the Investment stuff.
Platinum trophy, here I come!

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

33 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Actually, there are PC versions of those games, with existing fan tl (with a better and more polished version in the works). You can buy the jp version and download then install the patches.

I am waiting for the better fan tl patch myself.

I heared of it, and unless a big surprise is going to happen by bring them to Steam, I will do it once the improved patch is out. 

If it should come out on PS4, then I would have a reason to buy one. 

[Armagon]

3 hours ago, lightcosmo said:

Gosh, I forgot how I didn't like they handled the art system in Xenoblade 2 in comparison. Another thing I didn't like, why are almost all the arts the same thing with different names? It takes away from the uniqueness of it to me.

This is definitely a valid criticism. However, unlike other JRPGs and even games within the Xeno series, my playstyle in Xenoblade has pretty much been offense is the best defense. That's why my setups are usually geared towards attacking. Even my tanks, i'd give them a more offense role.

In Xenoblade Chronicles, i never really used Sharla or Melia because the former is mostly just support and she sucks and the latter sucks when the AI controls her. I gave Reyn a more offensive role.

In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, i used everyone but even when it came to Tora and Morag, who are tanks, i gave them more offensive roles. Even Nia, who's a healer, still had a more offensive role.

In Torna ~ The Golden Country i.......didn't really change anything because everyone was actually perfect. Torna has my favorite combat in the series (jury's still out on whether Xenoblade X beats it. One day it'll be released from Wii U purgatory.

But if you're someone who likes to experiment with different playstyles or you prefer support, then Xenoblade Chronicles 2 won't really give you that option. Though i'd argue that it still has more customization than Xenoblade Chronicles.

3 hours ago, Rosalina said:

The Crossbell parts require a PSP /PSvita, and I do not want to buy a console just for two games.

1 hour ago, Shrimperor said:

Actually, there are PC versions of those games, with existing fan tl (with a better and more polished version in the works). You can buy the jp version and download then install the patches.

I think it'd just be easier to emulate the PSP versions because you can just get the English patched one. You won't have to buy a Japanese copy and patch it in. That said, Zero's translation is a bit literal. Azure's is more polished though (manual isn't translated because the translators said fuck that).

52 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

I've also started New Game Plus on MegaNep VII, because I want to get the other two endings.

Fun fact: since you're doing New Game+, you can turn off world map random encounters.

 

[Shrimpica]

16 minutes ago, Armagon said:

I think it'd just be easier to emulate the PSP versions because you can just get the English patched one.

you can also ''get'' a ready english version for PC. Not legally however.

[Interdimensional Observer]

46 minutes ago, Armagon said:

In Xenoblade Chronicles, i never really used Sharla or Melia because the former is mostly just support and she sucks and the latter sucks when the AI controls her. I gave Reyn a more offensive role.

I opted for a more defensive Reyn myself. The AI can't use Magnum Charge + Sword Drive very well, so I opted for the more supportive Bone Upper + Dive Sobat. Maybe if I swapped over to him, I'd run offense, but I found myself playing with others more, so I think.

 

46 minutes ago, Armagon said:

In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, i used everyone but even when it came to Tora and Morag, who are tanks, i gave them more offensive roles. Even Nia, who's a healer, still had a more offensive role.

I doubled down on everyone's base roles when in XC2. Nia got nearly all the healing Blades, Morag got all tank, Rex and Zeke went full offense. And I found myself playing as Morag maybe the most, with Nia like never, Tora slightly, and Zeke and Rex plentifully.

Although from what I read on GFAQs, from a strictly optimal perspective, you were right to deck out everyone for damage. Since according to that website, the absence of any sort of art that automatically locks the enemy to your tank, and the massive damage the damage dealers can optimally do, can make aggro redirection really hard for a pure tank. Therefore, ditch the tank for more offense, since they'll be failing at their job as is.

Torna, viewed from this GFAQs lens, was a major improvement for tanking, by having Hugo's Talent Art force enemies into attacking him. Team Addam can blow things up,  but the enemy will stay locked onto Hugo.

 

46 minutes ago, Armagon said:

In Torna ~ The Golden Country i.......didn't really change anything because everyone was actually perfect. Torna has my favorite combat in the series (jury's still out on whether Xenoblade X beats it. One day it'll be released from Wii U purgatory.

Leaves me wondering what class you'd pick in XCX, or a sequel if it brought back the class system.

You can mix and match whatever two weapons you want by the end, but that requires the flight module for the "easy CP" method. Unless you Brainjack some real powerful foes.

Edited July 16, 2019 by Interdimensional Observer

[Armagon]

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Leaves me wondering what class you'd pick in XCX, or a sequel if it brought back the class system.

I think i'll probably go for one of the more attack oriented classes.

One hope i do want for Xenoblade X2, if and when it happens, is that Skell are more designed around their pilots. I know Skells can be heavily customized but the two criticisms i've heard is that they all feel samey and on-foot combat is just better. Mechs in previous Xeno games, especially Xenogears, were all designed around their pilots and i think bringing that back would be a nice thing.

[Lightcosmo]

5 hours ago, Armagon said:

This is definitely a valid criticism. However, unlike other JRPGs and even games within the Xeno series, my playstyle in Xenoblade has pretty much been offense is the best defense. That's why my setups are usually geared towards attacking. Even my tanks, i'd give them a more offense role.

In Xenoblade Chronicles, i never really used Sharla or Melia because the former is mostly just support and she sucks and the latter sucks when the AI controls her. I gave Reyn a more offensive role.

In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, i used everyone but even when it came to Tora and Morag, who are tanks, i gave them more offensive roles. Even Nia, who's a healer, still had a more offensive role.

In Torna ~ The Golden Country i.......didn't really change anything because everyone was actually perfect. Torna has my favorite combat in the series (jury's still out on whether Xenoblade X beats it. One day it'll be released from Wii U purgatory.

But if you're someone who likes to experiment with different playstyles or you prefer support, then Xenoblade Chronicles 2 won't really give you that option. Though i'd argue that it still has more customization than Xenoblade Chronicles.

 

I do really enjoy Xenoblade 2's system, I think that the first ones was well thought out in comparison. Like, the whole "vision" system just flowed so well with the storyline that it didn't feel like a forced gimmick. 2 doesnt quite stand out like that to me. 

Also, the bosses feel much more memorable in the first one.

[TheAstraWolf]

I'm back to doing both PxZ 2 and Pokemon Ultra Sun which I started on May. I'm 11 chapters away from finishing the former and just started Ula'Ula on the latter.

Tales of Vesperia DE is almost done, got to Tarquaron today.

Trails in the Sky FC: just sidequesting around Zeiss before the big events happen.

And on the phone front, I started Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance 2 days ago and finished case 2 from AA Trials and Tribulations.

 

Needless to say, I'm pretty well stacked.

[Armagon]

4 hours ago, lightcosmo said:

I do really enjoy Xenoblade 2's system, I think that the first ones was well thought out in comparison. Like, the whole "vision" system just flowed so well with the storyline that it didn't feel like a forced gimmick. 2 doesnt quite stand out like that to me.

I think both are equal in this regard. The Visions were integrated so nicely into Xenoblade 1's combat. The Blades and anything regarding them were integrated so nicely into Xenoblade 2's combat. If you were to swap them around, it wouldn't be as good. Visions in Xenoblade 2 would be an interruption (and yes i know Visions are in 2 but that version is just more of a QTE; a less involved version of Xenoblade 1's Visions) and having Blades in Xenoblade 1 would just mess with the combat completely.