Soooooo what'cha playing?

[know_naim]

Started River City Girls yesterday, am three bosses in. I wondered about the steep price tag, 'cause I thought it would be a straightforward beat 'em up. but wow wow wow it's practically an open-world Kunio Kun with backtracking, side-quests, exp and a lot of stuff to farm for! 

Some opponents beg for their lives after receiving a solid bang up and then they can be recruited and later summoned as a special attack. There is a whole list of recruitable enemies to complete, I really like these kind of things, so I was immediately sold. This game is oozing charm. It's 100% WayForward trademark goofiness like Shantae or Mighty Switch Force. The loading screen cracks me up every time. 

There are some things I don't like, for example friendly fire with items or having the standard attack button confirm going through doors but those are minor annoyances. 

The music surprised me because suddenly electro-pop with vocals chimes in and really suits the game good! I didn't follow this production so closely to know who was responsible for the ost before playing but now I will have to remember the name Megan McDuffee because what I have heard so far is seriously great. 

If you're even slightly interested in the beat 'em up genre try River City Girls. Haven't had this much fun with a co-op brawler since Dragon's Crown. 

[DragonFlames]

31 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Question is if they will run on my PC haha. I had alot of trouble getting RA2 to run a few years ago hehe

Depends. Is your PC the same one from a few years ago?

If you had mine, you wouldn't even be able to run DS games on an emulator. To be fair, it's a laptop, but still... kinda embarrassing.

[Shrimpica]

2 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Depends. Is your PC the same one from a few years ago?

If you had mine, you wouldn't even be able to run DS games on an emulator. To be fair, it's a laptop, but still... kinda embarrassing.

you misunderstand.

My computer is.. too modern for these 20 year old games xD

They need windows 2000 or windows XP to run haha

Even compatibility options don't help xD

[DragonFlames]

4 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

you misunderstand.

My computer is.. too modern for these 20 year old games xD

They need windows 2000 or windows XP to run haha

Even compatibility options don't help xD

Oh.
Yeah, my dad had a similar problem with a really old racing game we loved to play together when I was younger. It only really ran on Windows 98 or earlier systems; he eventually managed to run it on Windows 2000, though newer systems don't support it anymore. Which is a shame, because it was a damn good game for its time (and even today, in my opinion). Then again, we both switched to Linux some time ago, so proper PC gaming is out for the both of us.

Edited September 6, 2019 by DragonFlames

[Shrimpica]

3 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Then again, we both switched to Linux some time ago, so maybe it's a different story now.

I only use Linux when i need to use open-source stuff that can'T be used on Windows.

As a gamer, switching to Linux is something i can't imagine doing tbh

Edited September 6, 2019 by Shrimperor

[Sire]

39 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

I've been thinking of playing one of the command and conquer games for some nostalgia

I do own them all up to RA3, after all...

Question is if they will run on my PC haha. I had alot of trouble getting RA2 to run a few years ago hehe

If you are interested in Command and Conquer stuff, here's some random recommendations.

OpenRA - An open source version of Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn (C&C 1), and Dune 2000. It is a recreation and modernization of these games with the classic graphics, so it is not recommended if you want the "purist" experience. Development seems to be multiplayer focused, but there are some updates to the original campaigns and mission packs.
Perhaps the biggest thing is that it works on modern PCs without issues, as I run it on my Windows 10 laptop without issue.

Mental Omega - A mod for Red Alert 2 that tries to be a "perfect Yuri's Revenge." This mod gets the most hype from me because it has an amazing campaign and apparently has great multiplayer support as well. Problem is it requires Red Alert 2 Yuri's Revenge to work, which may not work as well on modern computers. (I never played MO myself, but the official Youtube channel allows me to experience some of the hype with their missions.)

Renegade X - If you enjoyed C&C Renegade which was the C&C FPS/TPS, Renegade X is around to modernize the classic. Renegade X is primarily a multiplayer game with a fairly active community that works on modern PCs. I play it from time to time since I loved playing the original's multiplayer.

[Shrimpica]

8 minutes ago, Sire said:

OpenRA - An open source version of Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn (C&C 1), and Dune 2000. It is a recreation and modernization of these games with the classic graphics, so it is not recommended if you want the "purist" experience. Development seems to be multiplayer focused, but there are some updates to the original campaigns and mission packs.
 Perhaps the biggest thing is that it works on modern PCs without issues, as I run it on my Windows 10 laptop without issue.

Umu, i know about it and used to play it. Waiting for the RA2 update tho, whenever that happens.

Although RA1 is fine, too!

8 minutes ago, Sire said:

Mental Omega - A mod for Red Alert 2 that tries to be a "perfect Yuri's Revenge." This mod gets the most hype from me because it has an amazing campaign and apparently has great multiplayer support as well. Problem is it requires Red Alert 2 Yuri's Revenge to work, which may not work as well on modern computers. (I never played MO myself, but the official Youtube channel allows me to experience some of the hype with their missions.)

yeah, i tried to run that along with Yuri's revenge a few years ago. Couldn't get it to work without issues. Compatibility problems everywhere.

Edited September 6, 2019 by Shrimperor

[Armagon]

I beat the third boss of Ys Seven and made my way to the end of the fourth dungeon. I thought Elk would stay with the gang but he left to get stronger. I can respect that. Aisha joined the party shortly after and i......do not like how she controls. Her attacks have range but they're very narrow and because of how the game works, she misses a lot. She desperately needs a spreadshot. I think i'll just let the AI control her while i focus on toggling between Adol and Dogi. But hey, she cute and that's what really matters.

Also, the bosses are definitely ending up my least favorite part of this game. All of them take way too long to die.

Oh yeah, i also played River City Girls with a friend of mine. Game's fun. We played through the first three worlds. I don't actually have the game though, it was my friend's copy.

9 hours ago, know_naim said:

If you're even slightly interested in the beat 'em up genre try River City Girls.

Gonna add to this by saying that if you plan on getting River City Girls, absolutely find someone to play it with. The game is not designed for single player.

9 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

True, though it's not like you get that much high-quality stuff early on, anyway (even in the endgame, it's pretty tough coming across materials with a quality of over 100)

That's because getting higher quality synthesis requires you to repeatedly stack. You aren't getting a 999 quality item with something you just find in the wild.

9 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

opening song of Atelier Sophie.

Now this is a good song.

 

[tacticianwhite]

Spyro: Reignited Trilogy

I've wanted to play Spyro for years but never did get around to playing those games. And now I'm happy to finally be playing them. I had to wait since I only had a Switch. So far I'm on the first one, and it's a cute game. While I can't see these games becoming my favorite, Spyro 1 is proving to be enjoyable thus far.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Double Dragon 2 is a remarkable improvement over the previous NES game. The new control scheme takes getting used to but honestly feels much better once mastered. Basic enemies are easier to stun and perform the grapple moves on intentionally which feels great. Special moves are appropriately difficult to perform for how good they are. They ditched the experience mechanic. I think it's simply a matter of taste whether you'd prefer to earn moves or have your full toolset from the moment you hit Start. There is one deal breaker and its the platforming challenges. They suck. You cannot adjust your jump arc, so imagine doing Mega Man style disappearing block puzzles as Simon Belmont. And the gaps you are expected to cross are so poorly placed that you can easily overshoot if your instinct is to jump as far as possible each time. It's a bummer how well tuned the fighting is in this game but one minor error in platforming takes away an entire life. Like the previous game you can't earn more extra lives or the ability to continue. But the respawning system is much improved since it doesn't restart the current room and instead places you right back in the action.

There are three difficulty settings and I cleared the game on Normal. But the game decided that the final level and ending is reserved only for players who can get that far on Hard. Being robbed of an ending hurts, but you'd be lucky to have much of an ending at all from the average NES game. Had to resort to save states for Hard mode but it still felt great. No exploits that felt necessary. The final boss is crazy but I just spammed basic kicks in his direction rather than the special moves which he always manages to counter. The cheesy cutscenes are delightful. There's actual credits which is an anomaly for most NES games. I rate it a 5.7 out of 10. Definitely the best beat em up on NES I've ever played. Rework/remove the platforming sections and put in a soundtrack worth a damn and it would stand up to much of the golden age of arcade/sega genesis beat em ups. 

[DragonFlames]

5 hours ago, Armagon said:

That's because getting higher quality synthesis requires you to repeatedly stack. You aren't getting a 999 quality item with something you just find in the wild.

Makes sense to me.

5 hours ago, Armagon said:

Now this is a good song.

Yep.

I had a listen to Atelier Meruru's soundtrack yesterday. What I found was... intriguing, to say the least.
Meruru apparently has a theme song that sounds like a late 90's, early 2000's magical girl anime opening song.
I couldn't make this up if I tried.
The rest of the soundtrack is fantastic, by the way. I'm already looking forward to hearing those tracks in-game (though I don't think the above one will actually make an appearance).

[Armagon]

7 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Meruru apparently has a theme song that sounds like a late 90's, early 2000's magical girl anime opening song.
I couldn't make this up if I tried.
The rest of the soundtrack is fantastic, by the way. I'm already looking forward to hearing those tracks in-game (though I don't think the above one will actually make an appearance).

It does but it doesn't. The song has an instrumental version that is used in regular boss fights, i think. It's a battle theme, i know that for a fact.

[DragonFlames]

53 minutes ago, Armagon said:

It does but it doesn't. The song has an instrumental version that is used in regular boss fights, i think. It's a battle theme, i know that for a fact.

Noice.
It's in the Change BGM option for Atelier Rorona, too. And it's stuck in my head. Damn it.

[Shrimpica]

15 hours ago, Armagon said:

Also, the bosses are definitely ending up my least favorite part of this game. All of them take way too long to die.

Ys7 Bosses are super tanky by Ys standards. Mainly because you have S-crafts in this game.

 

[DragonFlames]

Sterky joined me. And he's freaking OP as hell. His fee also not that high, so he'll definitely stay in my party. Sorry, pan guy.

[Shrimpica]

so i reinstalled Red Alert 3 yesterday......

I forgot how to play RTS xD

[Armagon]

4 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

Ys7 Bosses are super tanky by Ys standards. Mainly because you have S-crafts in this game.

 

Yeah but they charge so slowly. Is there anyway to increase the charge rate? The third boss, i only ever used the S-Craft twice because the rate of charge only let me use it twice.

Edited September 7, 2019 by Armagon

[Interdimensional Observer]

Speaking of Ys, I've bit into my first, and likely only, since I don't have a PC or PS4, and understandably a small company like Nihon Falcom can't port a game onto every system from the PS5 to the first electric toaster.

So, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana Switch version to name it. I've just completed the searching for the place for the watchtower. I'm liking it. It's fast and simple Action RPG goodness, a contrast to TRS and the coming 3H.

I'm only on Normal difficulty, weak enemies die in two hits, and the AI is pretty smart and able to avoid any damage. But, the chip damage is easy to ignore, hits my controlled character easily, and adds up if I'm not careful. And the bigger normal baddies and bosses can absolutely sack me in five hits if I'm too blindly aggressive, which is why I try, not without much failure, to learn to Flash Move. I've died several times already, partly because I often resist the urge to use healing items against bosses; when you can just fire them away in a paused menu, it can feel like cheating. I'd turn the game up to Hard for the minnows, were it not for how tenderized I can already become on Normal. Infernal must be a 1HKO mode then.

I guess NISA really did patch up the originally shoddy translation, I haven't seen a real issue so far. I wish I could say that of the technical performance of the game, since when enemies are visible in the distance, I can see their movements slowed and restrained. But that is the only technical fault there has been, other than a freeze right at the start of the game, but I blame myself for that, it was late into the opening trailer that I hit the Home menu and then reentered the game, a niche pause situation.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Interdimensional Observer

[Sire]

I've been leaning off of Three Houses as I've been sucked back into the void of World of Warcraft: Classic. All that's left in TH is the Church Route, and here's my overall plans in the spoiler below.

Spoiler

Classes
- Edelgard: Lord - Dancer (Mostly to grind out the Class Masteries since I know I'll be losing Edelgard. Losing the Dancer isn't that big of a deal for me since I have understanding of breaking the game mechanics.)
- Hubert: Dark Mage -> Dark Bishop (Honestly, I doubt I'll be able to get Hubert to master these as I don't plan on using him. I probably should just naturally master them if/when I get around to playing El's route again...)

- Byleth: Enlightened One (Classic "Canon" Outfit. Also gonna try to get Faith up even though I might do a Gremory run "one of these days."
- Ferdinand: Wyvern Lord (I was going for classic Paladin Ferdie or maybe a Great Knight Ferdie, but then I said "screw it" and decided to make him a flier instead. There are just too good to pass up, especially in a run where I just want to beat the route instead of taking it slow. Also, Ferdinand can still use the "Spear of Assal" as a Wyvern Lord just fine.)
- Petra: Falcon Knight (I was originally gonna go for Assassin to mimic my Crimson Flower run, but like Ferdie, I caved in to the Flier Hype. I already made Petra into a Wyvern Lord for my GD run, so I decided to try out a Falcon Knight here.)
- Dorothea: Gremory (Standard procedure, but I made Dorothea a Dancer originally and didn't really use her when I got her for BL. Dorothea can be great, so I look forward to her performance as a pure spellcaster instead of a support one.
- Caspar: War Master (I made the mistake of going Armor Knight with Caspar in my Crimson Flower run, thinking that was his canon timeskip class instead of Warrior. Hopefully I'll actually be able to use Caspar this time...)
- Linhardt: Bishop (Boring standard stuff.)
- Bernadetta: Bow Knight (Boring standard stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to use her as a Bow Knight for more than just the finale this time though!)

- Seteth: Wyvern Lord (I haven't used Seteth seriously as I've been sticking to Students, so maybe this route will be his chance to shine. Wyvern Lords are broken as is, so hopefully Seteth will function just fine.)
- Flayn: Gremory (Not sure how good this will turn out as I haven't really used Flayn either. I usually just tossed her as an Adjutant for support bonuses.)

- Lysithea: Gremory (Little Mage Nuke and a mainstay of my original CF run. Since I'm losing Hubert, it means Lysithea is even more important.)
- Hilda: Warrior? (I desperately tried to recruit Hilda in my CF run, not knowing she can't join on that route. Maybe I can get her to join here this time around.)

Recruitment: Recruit Every Last One of Them!
- I plan on doing at least one more Church Run with a F!Byleth Brawler, but otherwise I'm probably not going to bother with the Church Route in the future.
-- Seriously, there's no unique characters to this route. Sure, some characters do not join in Crimson Flower (lack of Boot Paralogue sucks), but Edelgard and Hubert are more than awesome enough to make up for the missing members.
- So, I plan on just recruiting everyone so I can see their dialogues during Part Two in the Silver Snow section.
-- However, I'm still somewhat debating on doing this now (as I'm sorta burnt out on Three Houses), or save it for the F!Byleth run that may or may not happen.

* * * * * * * * * *

For WoW: Classic, I've been playing Alliance and am casually playing, making the most out of the "Rest EXP Bonus" for all of my alts. My highest level character is a a level 12 Human Mage. // The simplicity of Classic has me hooked in, and progression in Classic seems meaningful instead of being "busywork." In the past I've fallen into the trap of WoW Dailies as I have grinded out the Argent Tournament for a whole month each day, and then they wanted me to do the same thing in Cataclysm. I don't think so...

Granted, Vanilla WoW isn't all sunshine and rainbows. As I joined near the end of the BC and mainly played during WotLK and Cataclysm, I do find myself missing some of the quality of life improvements that were added over time. For example, adding more flight paths make it easier to get around, better quest UI (the basics, not the "guide me by the nose to the exact spot where I needed to go"), and more graveyard locations. I can live without these things as I am loving my Classic experience, but I fall into the camp of "let's improve the Vanilla WoW experience" instead of "keep Vanilla WoW as pure as possible, recreating it exactly as it was back then."

I know some are wanting other "time capsules" such as a BC server or a WotLK server, but I wonder what they will do with classic WoW once they "exhausted the vanilla content." I'm hoping they continue to update it in a different direction instead of just heading over into the BC territory, because once Cataclysm hit I quit World of Warcraft because they "ruined my Retribution Paladin." If I wanted the Holy Power mechanic, I'll play a Rogue, and I already have one!

- - - - -

I also decided to reinstall Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne and am just messing around in skirmishes. I want to keep my hype in check, especially regarding Warcraft 3 Reforged, but since I'm back in nostalgia land it is somewhat difficult to do so.

[Shrimpica]

8 hours ago, Armagon said:

Yeah but they charge so slowly. Is there anyway to increase the charge rate? The third boss, i only ever used the S-Craft twice because the rate of charge only let me use it twice.

iirc later on they will charge faster. 

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Invited a friend over to play River City Girls. Neither of us are surprised to have beaten the game in one sitting given some of our previous gaming sessions with this genre in particular. It took us 5-6 hours. The game is just relentless in its great dialogue and voice direction, music, and progression. The combat is so addictive that we repeatedly had to pull ourselves away from beating up random enemies because its so fun and the opportunity is always right in front of you on each screen transition. I wish it was better telegraphed when your attacks dizzy the opponent. Like having the stars appear when they're on the ground. Because if you overshoot you'll miss your grab opportunity, forcing me to count down how many hits I land. I wish the accessories did more. And the boss fights feel awkward in that your attacks seem to randomly miss if they're not a light attack. It's a great combat system though which I think is geared towards going easy on the players who accidentally lose half their money before they remember to head back to the dojo for moves. But when we finished the game all I could think about was the ending.

Spoiler

It's easy to see that our protagonists are crazy in love and the twist is at least somewhat foreshadowed in how other characters press the two on whether their boyfriends are really kidnapped or if their love is legitimate. But how can the player help but empathize with Kyoko and Misako? We want to fight for that love, especially after seeing such well crafted cutscenes and flashbacks of the characters. When we find out the Boys are just ghosting them it's heartbreaking after everything we've been through. I don't know whether I should be impressed or outraged the game correctly emulates the feeling of being dumped by somebody who doesn't appreciate you. It just feels cheap to end the game on a "bitches be crazy amirite?" note when everything before it was so cheerful.

It'll be another couple weeks before my friend and I meet up again to hunt for the last few secrets and (probably) do NG+. For some reason I feel weird about giving the game a rating but I got to anyway. We'll say a tentative 8.0 out of 10. Currently #2 on my GOTY list, since it's only competition right now is Resident Evil 2 in the number one spot

[BrightBow]

30$ for a retro-style Beat'Em Up is pretty daring. But it doesn't take long to notice that the production value is really through the roof. Everything is super stylish and filled with all kinds of subtle and not-so subtle details. Add in the silky smooth gameplay, and it's just a really good time.

But yeah, the game does kind of lose steam in the last third. It's kinda remarkable on how many levels the ending fails. But even before that, things seem to get a lot more bland after facing Abobo.

Edited September 10, 2019 by BrightBow

[DragonFlames]

6 hours into Atelier Rorona and I'm already on my 4th assignment out of 12. This game appears to be quite short.
This time, I have to deliver food to Sterky in preparation for the Royal Festival of Arland (assuming the same one you can partake in in Lulua) and you can just buy what you need from the restaurant. I feel like the difficulty in assignments is ass-backwards for this one. For the third one, it required you to deliver items that use some quite rare materials, this time you can just buy everything without needing to synthesize it. What the heck?
I mean, not that I'm complaining, as that gives me the opportunity to explore more and fulfill more sidequests to get that popularity up. I'm currently at 31%. I think I'm doing good so far.

I also met Gio and Lionela with her two dolls, which actually CAN talk, as it turns out - that bit is left vague in Lulua. Both seem like very interesting characters. I also learned that Rorona apparently likes to nickname people and gets upset when she can't just shorten people's names. Case in point: Sterkenburg -> Sterky, Cordelia -> Cory (fun fact: there is a character in Atelier Sophie whose nickname is also Cory, but her actual name is Corneria), Iksel -> Iksy, Lionela -> Liona, Gio... well, Gio.

Edited September 10, 2019 by DragonFlames

[Armagon]

16 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I feel like the difficulty in assignments is ass-backwards for this one. For the third one, it required you to deliver items that use some quite rare materials, this time you can just buy everything without needing to synthesize it. What the heck?

That's because it's by far the easiest game in the Arland series. 

In case you're wondering, Atelier Totori is the hardest of the Arland games, with Atelier Meruru and Lulua being in between. Atelier Meruru is slightly harder than Lulua though.

16 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

6 hours into Atelier Rorona and I'm already on my 4th assignment out of 12. This game appears to be quite short

The entire trilogy is pretty short. Because everything is on a time-limit, there isn't a whole lot of side content.

Atelier Rorona does have a post-game but even that is limited as it only lasts one year.

16 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Lionela

Best character in the game imo.

Edited September 10, 2019 by Armagon

[DragonFlames]

On 9/11/2019 at 1:32 AM, Armagon said:

That's because it's by far the easiest game in the Arland series. 

In case you're wondering, Atelier Totori is the hardest of the Arland games, with Atelier Meruru and Lulua being in between. Atelier Meruru is slightly harder than Lulua though.

If I remember correctly from your summaries, Totori is the hardest due to being the strictest on the time limit and missing some QOL stuff, right?

On 9/11/2019 at 1:32 AM, Armagon said:

The entire trilogy is pretty short. Because everything is on a time-limit, there isn't a whole lot of side content.

Atelier Rorona does have a post-game but even that is limited as it only lasts one year.

Yeah, I thought as much. Sophie was pretty short, too (despite not having a time limit). It was actually Lulua that surprised me with its 50 hours main game.
It's not bad, though. I do like shorter games, too.

On 9/11/2019 at 1:32 AM, Armagon said:

Best character in the game imo.

Haven't seen enough of her to make a judgement but I did like what I saw.
My favorite character is currently tied between Sterk and Cordelia.