Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Shrimpica]

8 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

But in general, sleep seems to evade a lot of people lately. It's really weird

I think it's because alot of people are staying at home due to current situation, which fucks up everyone.

And the idiots going to party and tourist places will let us stay at home even more. The numbers are increasing again. Morons. The lot of them.

I didn't even visit my Parents due to current situation even though i've been planned to for a big ass while, and to not be a danger to myself and everyone else, meanwhile these morons

''Haha Pandemic go brrrrrrr''

15 minutes ago, The Roger The Paladin said:

My migraines start up again, and my sleep schedule's out of whack.

get well soon!

[Lightcosmo]

6 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

The ending made me go wtf

Spoiler

The Source of all evil is the Sword.

Then Space?

Then Real life Earth experimant goes wrong?

Then Alvis is Monado?

Dickson was all about Lord Zanza Lord Zanza instead of an interesting character to face off.

Egil pulling a uno reverse card and then getting talk no jutsu'd?

Your Monado? My Monado? Mayneth's Monado? Unlimited Monado Works?

It was way too non-sensical imo

Yes. The character kinda dissapeared after that point

But even before that they didn't have much interaction to begin with, but atleast you kinda had the characters there...

 

Well, in the ending, they never really take the time to explain a lot of things, (at least not in the way they should) leaving you a tad confused and unsatisfied.

I didn't mean the interactions, I more meant their core. For example, Reyn is this excitable, hot headed, but genuinely caring guy who's trying his hardest to help Shulk, it doesn't feel that way at all in the ending. He doesn't say much of anything in the ending, but that's not the point.

He doesn't feel like "Reyn" to me, in the endgame portion.

Edited July 29, 2020 by lightcosmo

[Lightchao42]

I probably should've mentioned this earlier, but I got Okami HD a few weeks ago and I assume I'm almost done because I recently got the last brush technique. It's quite fun and you could say that its a hybrid of Zelda and PlatinumGames' later titles (its development team eventually formed Platinum, so technically it's a Platinum game the same way that Xenogears is a Monolith Soft game). Remember when I said that Capcom games go on sale every month or so? Even that was underselling it, because I got Okami when it was on sale a month ago and it went on sale again only two weeks later.

When I haven't been playing that, I've been watching a 34 hour long Viva Piñata speedrun. Viva Piñata is one of the greatest video game series of all time so it's nice that people are still playing it (please make a third game Rare, I might even buy the next Xbox if you do).

[The Roger The Paladin]

1 minute ago, Shrimperor said:

I think it's because alot of people are staying at home due to current situation, which fucks up everyone.

And the idiots going to party and tourist places will let us stay at home even more. The numbers are increasing again. Morons. The lot of them.

I didn't even visit my Parents due to current situation even though i've been planned to for a big ass while, and to not be a danger to myself and everyone else, meanwhile these morons

''Haha Pandemic go brrrrrrr''

get well soon!

Thanks.
And I can echo that sentiment. My brother recently cracked up (that is he got furious) because this imbecile he knows had a status up on Facebook about how they should open up all borders/businesses because them being shut has stopped the concerts he likes to go to down and he's "sad" because the concerts are the only thing that matters to him. He then went on to rant like an absolute idiot about how the world's overpopulated as it is and we should let Mother Nature take care of the problem with the pandemic by letting "whatever happens happen". Because of course some entitled brat's entertainment certainly outweigh's everyone's safety. The topper being people liking that shit.

[DragonFlames]

1 minute ago, The Roger The Paladin said:

The irony being that ice cream fits either criteria pretty well. Mind, I prefer to use the mints because I can carry them when I'm out.

True!
I rarely go out anymore unless I really have to, because of the current pandemic situation. I'm part of the "at-risk group", so to speak, due to illnesses I already have.

Just now, Shrimperor said:

I think it's because alot of people are staying at home due to current situation, which fucks up everyone.

And the idiots going to party and tourist places will let us stay at home even more. The numbers are increasing again.

Yep, 67 new cases in Hessen alone, when it was on a steady decline (at almost zero) before people went "muh tourism!"

2 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Morons. The lot of them.

Spoken right from my soul.

3 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

I didn't even visit my Parents due to current situation even though i've been planned to for a big ass while, and to not be a danger to myself and everyone else,

I'm in a similar boat. I haven't visited my grandparents in a very long while even though I really wanted to (except for that one time my grandma got injured, but that was an emergency).

7 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

I didn't even visit my Parents due to current situation even though i've been planned to for a big ass while, and to not be a danger to myself and everyone else, meanwhile these morons

''Haha Pandemic go brrrrrrr''

Yep. I'm expecting a second big wave of infections to hit once Fall starts, precisely because of those morons.

2 minutes ago, The Roger The Paladin said:

Thanks.
And I can echo that sentiment. My brother recently cracked up (that is he got furious) because this imbecile he knows had a status up on Facebook about how they should open up all borders/businesses because them being shut has stopped the concerts he likes to go to down and he's "sad" because the concerts are the only thing that matters to him. He then went on to rant like an absolute idiot about how the world's overpopulated as it is and we should let Mother Nature take care of the problem with the pandemic by letting "whatever happens happen". Because of course some entitled brat's entertainment certainly outweigh's everyone's safety. The topper being people liking that shit.

Ouch.

[Armagon]

58 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

Yeah the ending of Xenoblade Chronicles isn't nearly as good as the beginning, at all.

*Ch.17 isn't as good. The ending to the game itself is good but part of the reason why i don't consider Xenoblade 1 to be the Holy Grail of the series is because Ch.17 just isn't really that good.

Spoiler

Egil was such a good villain and then he gets replaced by evil God who is nowhere near as compelling as Egil was.

 

58 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

The early portion feels very epic with the way they presented it, IMO.

That's the thing with Xenoblade 1's plot tbh. When you actually look at it, the story itself is pretty standard. It's just executed really well (most of the time). But the cracks definitly start to show on subsequent playthroughs, even if it cool knowing the context of the foreshadowing. Not enough people talk about this tbh, mainly the ones who say Xenoblade 1 is the best game in the series. Not to generalize but it feels like those people kinda just sweep the flaws under the rug. Meanwhile, Xenoblade 2 is my favorite game of all time but i'm not gonna act like the game is perfect. Because like every game ever, Xenoblade 2 still has dumb shit in it.

19 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

To go more in depth on Xenoblades later storyline. 

After you rescue Fiora from sword valley, what happens to the characters drive? What reasons motivate them to do what they do? In the ending, they kinda lost this, which is sad since the characters had pretty good depth to begin.

That's what happens when you overcentralize the story on one character or thing too much. It's fine to have a common point but Xenoblade 1 kinda goes overboard with it. Xenogears is worse when it comes to characters, since half of them stop existing after their arcs are done but at least the other half of Xenogears' characters are really good and the character interactions in that game is still arguably stronger than it is in Xenoblade 1. Well, for the relevant half of Xenogears' cast anyway. 

12 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

The ending made me go wtf

  Reveal hidden contents

The Source of all evil is the Sword.

Then Space?

Then Real life Earth experimant goes wrong?

Then Alvis is Monado?

Dickson was all about Lord Zanza Lord Zanza instead of an interesting character to face off.

Egil pulling a uno reverse card and then getting talk no jutsu'd?

Your Monado? My Monado? Mayneth's Monado? Unlimited Monado Works?

It was way too non-sensical imo

Spoiler

Nah i actually like The Experiment scene. I mean, it is weird but in a cool way imo. It was a neat take on the whole "God created the world" thing. Alvis being The Monado was also hinted at a lot so there i was like "sure". Although Shulk pulling the True Monado out of nowhere is still dumb as shit, i don't care what anyone says. Out of all the Xeno protags that get a "true" upgrade, Shulk's the only one that doesn't really feel earned imo. 

As for Egil, i liked his final scenes. The dynamic between Shulk and Egil can be compared to that of Spider-Man and Doc Ock. Both very similar but both went down very different paths. And upon realizing this, Shulk sparing Egil made sense. I got some Luke and Vader vibes from that. And then Egil goes out like a champ. "They will judge me not in life but in death". Raw line.

 

[Lightcosmo]

4 minutes ago, Armagon said:

*Ch.17 isn't as good. The ending to the game itself is good but part of the reason why i don't consider Xenoblade 1 to be the Holy Grail of the series is because Ch.17 just isn't really that good.

  Reveal hidden contents

Egil was such a good villain and then he gets replaced by evil God who is nowhere near as compelling as Egil was.

 

That's the thing with Xenoblade 1's plot tbh. When you actually look at it, the story itself is pretty standard. It's just executed really well (most of the time). But the cracks definitly start to show on subsequent playthroughs, even if it cool knowing the context of the foreshadowing. Not enough people talk about this tbh, mainly the ones who say Xenoblade 1 is the best game in the series. Not to generalize but it feels like those people kinda just sweep the flaws under the rug. Meanwhile, Xenoblade 2 is my favorite game of all time but i'm not gonna act like the game is perfect. Because like every game ever, Xenoblade 2 still has dumb shit in it.

That's what happens when you overcentralize the story on one character or thing too much. It's fine to have a common point but Xenoblade 1 kinda goes overboard with it. Xenogears is worse when it comes to characters, since half of them stop existing after their arcs are done but at least the other half of Xenogears' characters are really good and the character interactions in that game is still arguably stronger than it is in Xenoblade 1. Well, for the relevant half of Xenogears' cast anyway. 

 

I just don't like that Dunban, Melia, Reyn all got sidelined in the ending, that was dumb.

I don't think the game is "the best in the series" or the "perfect game" either.

I think that

Spoiler

Leaving Shulk dead and having Fiora take over would have been a very interesting take on it, personally.

Thoughts?

Edited July 29, 2020 by lightcosmo

[The Roger The Paladin]

10 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Ouch.

Well, I feel a little better for that rant. I've been pretty pissed everytime I think too much on it.

[DragonFlames]

Just now, The Roger The Paladin said:

Well, I feel a little better for that rant. I've been pretty pissed everytime I think too much on it.

Sometimes, you just have to let this kind of stuff out.

[Armagon]

3 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

I think that

  Reveal hidden contents

Leaving Shulk dead and having Fiora take over would have been a very interesting take on it, personally.

Thoughts?

No.

Spoiler

I'm honestly not a fan of killing off/writing out characters from a gameplay standpoint before the game ends. If it's not clear that the characters are temporary, don't do it. I know Aerith's death is super famous, but from a gameplay standpoint, killing off/writing out characters that you can easily invest in them long-term will just make that effort feel wasted. Even if it makes sense in the story. 

Maybe it's just me but that's how i feel when it comes to that sort of thing.

 

[Lightcosmo]

2 minutes ago, Armagon said:

No.

  Reveal hidden contents

I'm honestly not a fan of killing off/writing out characters from a gameplay standpoint before the game ends. If it's not clear that the characters are temporary, don't do it. I know Aerith's death is super famous, but from a gameplay standpoint, killing off/writing out characters that you can easily invest in them long-term will just make that effort feel wasted. Even if it makes sense in the story. 

Maybe it's just me but that's how i feel when it comes to that sort of thing.

 

That's fair, although I wasn't really thinking from a gameplay PoV, I just thought that considering the beginning, it would have been kinda neat.

Spoiler

I wouldn't make that a permanent thing, just have her take over as the MC and sideline Shulk, to make things more interesting, really.

He would just be stuck in the universe with Alvis a bit longer, to put more emphasis on Fiora and the others. And without the Monado to guide them, they would actually need to do something themselves.

The thing with Aerith isn't my cup of tea, either.

 

[Shrimpica]

22 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

"muh tourism!"

Did you see that ARD report about german and english tourists in Spain, and then german tourists going to Bulgaria after Spain closed off again?

 

22 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Yep. I'm expecting a second big wave of infections to hit once Fall starts, precisely because of those morons

We can hope vaccinations come fast enough, because you can't trust the public

27 minutes ago, The Roger The Paladin said:

we should let Mother Nature take care of the problem with the pandemic by letting "whatever happens happen".

Those kind of people are the worst.

17 minutes ago, Armagon said:

mainly the ones who say Xenoblade 1 is the best game in the series. Not to generalize but it feels like those people kinda just sweep the flaws under the rug.

Honestly, i think it's because it doesn't fall into typical anime tropes you see nowdays.

Makes the game alot more approachable to people who don't like jrpgs and stuff

17 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Spoiler

As for Egil, i liked his final scenes. The dynamic between Shulk and Egil can be compared to that of Spider-Man and Doc Ock. Both very similar but both went down very different paths. And upon realizing this, Shulk sparing Egil made sense.

 

I think it needed much more development to happen in a certain way that makes it satisfying to me. 

Spoiler

It's not exactly the sparing i have a problem with, but the interaction and development between them wasn't satisfying imo.

Egil got redeemed way too fast, so to say. It's the same problem i have with Dimitri in 3H, for example.

 

13 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

I just don't like that Dunban, Melia, Reyn all got sidelined in the ending, that was dumb.

I don't think the game is "the best in the series" or the "perfect game" either.

I think that

  Hide contents

Leaving Shulk dead and having Fiora take over would have been a very interesting take on it, personally.

 

 

6 minutes ago, Armagon said:

No.

Spoiler

Imo, Fiora should've stayed Mecha Fiora. Would also go along great with the ending scene where everyone is getting along.

 

Edited July 29, 2020 by Shrimperor

[Lightcosmo]

8 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Sometimes, you just have to let this kind of stuff out.

NGL, this made me think of the infamous FFX laughing scene. That's a scary thought!

[DragonFlames]

8 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Did you see that ARD report about german and english tourists in Spain, and then german tourists going to Bulgaria after Spain closed off again?

I have not seen that, no. Oh boy...
Worst part is, we pay for those fools. In every sense of the word.

10 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

NGL, this made me think of the infamous FFX laughing scene. That's a scary thought!

A-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
I'm sorry for unearthing that memory for you.

[Lightcosmo]

1 minute ago, DragonFlames said:

A-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
I'm sorry for unearthing that memory for you.

Why? Just why? Why did you have to?

It really is awful when you hear it. I know its "supposed" to sound bad, but it takes it to a whole new level!

[null]

Well, I'm in the last stretch of Sky FC and I'm looking forward to finishing today. It's been really amazing, probably becoming one of my top 15 games I've ever played. Makes me even more excited for Sky SC.

2 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

A-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
I'm sorry for unearthing that memory for you.

Crap, that scene is hilarious. I'd never seen it before until now.

[DragonFlames]

1 minute ago, lightcosmo said:

Why? Just why? Why did you have to?

It really is awful when you hear it. I know its "supposed" to sound bad, but it takes it to a whole new level!

It was unintentional, I swear!
Well, okay, that time was on purpose, but I had no intention to do it the first time.

Yeah... I can see what they wanted to accomplish with the scene, but they made it too awkward.

Just now, twilitfalchion said:

Crap, that scene is hilarious. I'd never seen it before until now.

Unintentionally hilarious, but hilarious nonetheless.

Edited July 29, 2020 by DragonFlames

[Lightchao42]

24 minutes ago, Armagon said:

No.

  Reveal hidden contents

I'm honestly not a fan of killing off/writing out characters from a gameplay standpoint before the game ends. If it's not clear that the characters are temporary, don't do it. I know Aerith's death is super famous, but from a gameplay standpoint, killing off/writing out characters that you can easily invest in them long-term will just make that effort feel wasted. Even if it makes sense in the story. 

Maybe it's just me but that's how i feel when it comes to that sort of thing.

 

I find it funny that you mention this, since the Iwata Asks for XC actually acknowledged this issue (or more specifically, a party member betraying you).

Quote

Iwata: Would you say that when working on games, though the restrictions on volume may have been removed, that you begin to feel the limits of your expression?

Takeda: I would say so. But at the same time, games are now capable of communicating so much expressive power that I don't really feel overly conscious of those limitations. Having said that, there are very particular issues that come into play due to the fact that the player is controlling the action himself. For instance, when working on the scenario for Xenoblade Chronicles, I considered the idea of having one of the hero's allies, who had always stood beside him, becoming the enemy you face at the end.

Iwata: So though you'd always thought he was an ally, at the very end, he would turn out to be your enemy.

Takeda: Right. But when I floated this idea to Takahashi-san, he thought that it would be pretty galling in a game if an ally that you had been through all sorts of adventures with, and constantly worked on building up their experience, ended up leaving your party and becoming your enemy.

Iwata: From the player's perspective, you'd feel betrayed if the character you'd looked out for and leveled-up turned out to be an enemy.

Takeda: Precisely. It might be easy to make that kind of plot development work in an animated series, but video games present a range of difficulties due to their interactive element.

Iwata: So there are limitations specific to games.

The Secret Files further explains that an early concept had Reyn betray the party after Sharla's death and would fight Shulk with the power of Mechonis, which might be the idea that Takeda was talking about.

[Lightcosmo]

1 minute ago, twilitfalchion said:

Crap, that scene is hilarious. I'd never seen it before until now.

...your twisted, y'know?

1 minute ago, DragonFlames said:

It was unintentional, I swear!
Well, okay, that time was on purpose, but I had no intention to do it the first time.

Yeah... I can see what they wanted to accomplish with the scene, but they made it too awkward.

Yeah, it sounds way too fake, even for fake laughing. I can see why the others are all like, "the hell is wrong with you two?"

[Shrimpica]

3 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

I have not seen that, no. Oh boy...

https://v.redd.it/bo9u09dvzfb51

Ok i was mistaken about the source, it was not ARD, but still....

3 minutes ago, twilitfalchion said:

Well, I'm in the last stretch of Sky FC and I'm looking forward to finishing today

Ayy

The last bit is epiiiiiiiiiic. Even more epic that usual.

Enjoy 😄

[null]

1 minute ago, Shrimperor said:

Ayy

The last bit is epiiiiiiiiiic. Even more epic that usual.

Enjoy 😄

Thanks!

[Sidereal Wraith]

I’ve seen the Promised Land...I can die a happy man...

[The Roger The Paladin]

5 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

I have not seen that, no. Oh boy...
Worst part is, we pay for those fools. In every sense of the word.

Here the policy is that anyone coming in from overseas or a local hotspot has to pay for their own quarantine until their 14 days gestation and testing is done. Which is all well and good until someone manages to get past it by lying about where they came from locally, and spreads cases in the community.

[DragonFlames]

2 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

https://v.redd.it/bo9u09dvzfb51

Big oof.

5 minutes ago, twilitfalchion said:

Well, I'm in the last stretch of Sky FC and I'm looking forward to finishing today. It's been really amazing, probably becoming one of my top 15 games I've ever played. Makes me even more excited for Sky SC.

That was quick!
Have fun and good luck!
I'll get there eventually, too!

Just now, The Roger The Paladin said:

Here the policy is that anyone coming in from overseas or a local hotspot has to pay for their own quarantine until their 14 days gestation and testing is done. Which is all well and good until someone manages to get past it by lying about where they came from locally, and spreads cases in the community.

I like this idea, actually.
Of course, that hole you mentioned, not so much.

Edited July 29, 2020 by DragonFlames

[Armagon]

8 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

That's fair, although I wasn't really thinking from a gameplay PoV, I just thought that considering the beginning, it would have been kinda neat.

  Reveal hidden contents

Spoiler

Ah in that case, yeah i wouldn't mind. Dunban's "perhaps we've been relying too much on the Monado and Shulk" would've had more weight if Shulk was out of comission longer. Maybe he comes back after completing Bionis' Interior.

Because as it stands, Dunban says "perhaps we've been relying too much on the Monado and Shulk" and immideiatly gets bailed out by Shulk.

 

17 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Imo, Fiora should've stayed Mecha Fiora. Would also go along great with the ending scene where everyone is getting along.

 

Oh yes, about that Xenoblade: The Secret File translation. Use Ctrl+F to jump to the Secret Episode sidestory (though the entire book itself is very interesting, also contains massive spoilers for the game which is why i didn't bring it up until now).

Spoiler

The Secret Episode explains how Fiora was able to get her body back. This sidestory also has much needed character interaction, why was this not in the game? Monolith why?

 

5 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

A-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
I'm sorry for unearthing that memory for you.

It's just as bad in Japanese.

1 minute ago, Lightchao42 said:

Takeda: Right. But when I floated this idea to Takahashi-san, he thought that it would be pretty galling in a game if an ally that you had been through all sorts of adventures with, and constantly worked on building up their experience, ended up leaving your party and becoming your enemy.

Great minds think alike.

Jokes aside, this could be part of Takahashi's philosphy shift when it comes to his games. Xenogears and Xenosaga prioritized the story over gameplay but with Xenoblade, Takahashi began striking a balance between the two. iirc, that's one of the reasons Xenoblade plays the way it does, since he wanted seamless transition between field and combat.