Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Saint Rubenio]

What is wrong with FE1 seriously.

[Benice]

Mars not getting those five points

[Acacia Sgt]

Okay, reached the Forgotten Vale. Great, this will be Blackreach and the Soul Cairn all over again...

[Shrimpica]

-clicked save too early-

Edited August 14, 2022 by Shrimpy

[Saint Rubenio]

33 minutes ago, Benice said:

Mars not getting those five points

Doga, did you see that shot?!

Yeah u bad Mars

[BrightBow]

57 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

What is wrong with FE1 seriously.

Eh, I've seen enough people being confused about their 100% crit rates in PoR not critting that I'd say just show missing attacks actually crit.

[Saint Rubenio]

Zagallo got crit to death.

FE1 is easy!

Welp, time to give Wolf a chance. I mean, Georges is great, and Tomas(?) is definitely getting a chance to shine, but I'd still like a horseman. And... honestly, blessing in disguise. Zagallo sucked.

8 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Eh, I've seen enough people being confused about their 100% crit rates in PoR not critting that I'd say just show missing attacks actually crit.

That applies to the entire series, I'd say. Everyone's always upset by the fact that enemy 30% crits are actually 90% while player 30% crits are 12%.

[BrightBow]

2 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

That applies to the entire series, I'd say. Everyone's always upset by the fact that enemy 30% crits are actually 90% while player 30% crits are 12%.

I mean people would expect that their 100% crit chances would bypass their 0% hit chance from Gamble. They've never seen a crit miss, so they think a crit can't miss.
Like it seriously doesn't occur to them that the game simply won't play a crit animation when an attack misses anyway.

[Saint Rubenio]

Oh my God, what now.

The only thing I can come up with is that Riff has reached his level cap. This was probably meant to say something else, but... Well, this translation being what it is, it just had to throw a curveball at me when I least expected it.

7 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

I mean people would expect that their 100% crit chances would bypass their 0% hit chance from Gamble. They've never seen a crit miss, so they think a crit can't miss.
Like it seriously doesn't occur to them that the game simply won't play a crit animation when an attack misses anyway.

Ahh I get what you mean now. Yeah, that's a rather goofy mistake to make haha.

[Saint Rubenio]

You know, out of all the units in this game, I didn't expect Maji to become one of my best.

Seriously, 2 less points of defense than Roger, best HP in the team by far, best strength in the team, somehow less speed than strength despite supposedly being the speedy fighter... He's becoming a friggin' axe knight with 6 move! At this rate he's not even gonna need that promotion he doesn't have in this game!

[Shrimpica]

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - One major flaw away from a Masterpiece

Like probably 95% of the jrpg sphere, i've been playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 lately, and like a quarter of the sphere (probably), i've been no lifing it.

What a journey, what a game. 170 Hours in 2 weeks according to my save file, but if we remove afk, discussion and food time the game was technically running, it should amount more to 140-150 Hours. I finished every Hero and ascension quest, got every Colony atleast to 4 stars and 5 star'd quite a few of em.

That should say how much i enjoyed the game, and alot while i was playing i thought "This might be a 10/10!". Sadly, some stuff, the one major flaw and a few smaller ones, quite soured my mood so the game didn't finish on the 10, but let's go this step by step, shall we?

Gameplay - Fun Xenoblade as always

Mixing elements from both XBC1 and XBC2, the game creates a fast fun combat flow once the game opens up more, especially coupled with it's customization/class change system. Also, finally, we can switch characters mid combat! I have been wanting this ever since i first played XBC1, honestly.

Two things however make the combat truly shine:

• The best chain attack system yet
• Ouroboros forms being the right way to do overpowered stuff

As fun as the gameplay is however, there're some stuff i miss from the older games:

• Xenoblade 1 still has more unique bosses than the other games combined. Despite me liking the base gameplay of 2 and 3 much much more, i always remember the unique boss fights in 1 fondly
• Stutter stepping and auto attack chains from 2 are also things i miss. I also miss the seal effects Blade combos had, could've been built in into the chain attack system somehow.

All in all however, Gameplay was great!

Gotta say tho, Agnus classes are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than Kevesi classes. Like late game i was running 6 Agnus/1 Keves party lol. 

Characters - Amazing cast

The game starts with introducing our whole main party straight up from the prologue. Noah, Lanz, Eunie, Mio, Sena and Taion. Frontloading the introduction, these are the characters you are gonna spend 100+ Hours with, and they are, to say the least..GREAT!

Ok, at the start they don't do much with them, and honestly i was afraid i will have a bland cast on my hand, but once chapter 3 hits and the world opens up and you start getting hero quests, the party interaction and chemistry also starts going up until it breaks through the roof during the game!

So much that i might say the whole Party is MC and not just Noah/Mio. All of them are main characters, that's how good the cast is. Even the weakest of the 6 (which many would say Sena) gets to shine quite brightly in some side/hero quests (although funnily enough not her own, as she get's hijacked there). They are also all super entertaining *cough*Eunie'sbus*cough*

And even the side cast, the heroes, is really really good, even if some of their quests do fumble a bit, but with 17 characters (+2 post game) side cast i can let some weaker stuff slide.

Side quest and world building perfection

My experience with Xenoblade and sidequests can usually be summarized by the following:

The worst in the genre.

Wether 1 (especially 1 with it's 400+ shitty sidequests), 2, or Torna, the sidequests were always a pain in the arse.

So imagine my surprise when 3 pulls a switcheroo and suddenly i have finally seen a rpg achieve sidequest almost perfection. 99% of the quests are fun, expand the world, feel almost main story important, develop the cast,the side cast and the NPCs, and make for probably the most alive world i ever saw. Everything just flows so well together and it affects the world in so many ways.

Without spoiling, everytime i wanted the world to show me something because of side quests i did...the game delievers. 

Every rpg, j or otherwise, needs to learn how to do sidequests and worldbuilding from this game. This is peak rpg sidequesting & worldbuilding. NPCs here have more development than main casts of most some other games.

Story - Fun, but flawed

The Xenoblade fanbase is at war. The XBC1 and XBC2 fans are tearing each other apart, fighting for their waifubandos, acting like teens forever and everyone is meme'ing about Melia and Nia. An eternal loop no one can escape from.

What's a developer to do? What's a Takahashi to do?

Simple, make a story out of it! and ensure that Melia suffers more

And it works....mostly.

The story starts with Keves (the XBC1 Nation) and Agnus (the XBC2 Nation) at an eternal war...and the 3 characters from each nation somehow banding together after a certain accident. You adventure together, see the world, help peeps, reach the peak of the series at ch5/6, etc.

Typical jrpg stuff, ya know. It's good, it's fun, and it works well, especially with the meaty side content. However i have a couple complaints here, one of which is a pretty big one...but let's do the not so big ones first.

I really dislike how...disconnected this game feels from the other ones. The connection is more a footnote than anything, really. Sure, good for first time players, but those who played the older games might feel disappointed if they expect this game to continue stuff from the other games. The game is self contained to it's own detriment imo.

Also aside from the ch5/6 peak series part, i feel like the story doesn't hit as many high notes as 2 did, especially endgame. And am a bit conflicted about the ending, but nothing major.

But the one thing that keeps me from calling this game a masterpiece....

Villains, where the game heavily fumbles

The villains in this game are some of the worst to ever exist genre wide. Coming from the Torna gang in 2, they were a massive downgrade. 

"Evil laughing alphabet" would be more than enough to describe them all. Every scene they appear in is stupid, they are stupid...

and for the most of the story i honestly didn't mind it *that* much, because in the narrative of the story, they worked. Evil laughing alphabet toying with people lives in a story where precioussness of live is a centeral theme?

Yeah ok, that works. Villains still stupid, but i can stomache that. Atleast they could make for some fun memes that way.

What i can't stomach however is the game trying to go all philosophical with them, and try to justify or redeem them...which is exactly what it does along with introducing a concept that doesn't work with the introduced world at all to try and make the alphabets look philosophical.

Some peeps are just evil bastards, and trying to go all deep and philosophical with them just makes it all worse and it feels the game just wanted to be more deep at the end for no reason...except it was shallow as a puddle and it just worsens the whole thing when they could've focused instead on what the game did well, and just made the villains some evil bastards and that's it.

If you want to put a philosophy lecture in your story, you also need the antagonists that work with said lecture. Xenoblade 3's villains are like the complete opposite of that, and the theme the game introduces later on just falls flat with said villains and the introduced world.

I could go on a spoiler rant here, because honestly, this is the one blight on an otherwise masterful game....but it's a giant blight. A blight the game also sadly focuses on too much later on.

Music

The game has some absolute battle bangers. Overkill banger music during battles....

However, the field themes were quite weak. Nothing like Gaur, Gormott, Tantal or Mor Ardain. One could argue bombastic music like 1/2 wouldn't fit the game mood in 3, but somber bangers exist, so...

I've seen some people comparing the OST to Tales music...and yeah when it comes to field themes i agree.

Also while chain attack theme was a sparking banger, it got a bit annoying with how it interrupted boss tracks lol.

Rating

Gameplay - A

Characters - S

Story - B

Music - B

Misc. - A

8.5/10

@Armagon @lightcosmo Incase you guys are interested in my full thoughts xD

Should i mention IO as well hmm 

Edited August 14, 2022 by Shrimpy

[Shrimpica]

Lies and slander towards every character who actually fought to free their country.

The most she did was trying to stay still. That was Athol at her best lmao

[Armagon]

36 minutes ago, Shrimpy said:

So imagine my surprise when 3 pulls a switcheroo and suddenly i have finally seen a rpg achieve sidequest almost perfection.

Imma keep shilling until you play.

37 minutes ago, Shrimpy said:

really dislike how...disconnected this game feels from the other ones. The connection is more a footnote than anything, really. Sure, good for first time players, but those who played the older games might feel disappointed if they expect this game to continue stuff from the other games. The game is self contained to it's own detriment imo.

You know, maybe it's cause I reeled in some expectation on this specific front but I wasn't too bothered by it in the long run. Especially cause I actually do see what Takahashi meant by it being a "thematic conclusion" (this is long tho, I still haven't written it out).

Plus just looking at it from a Perfect Works perspective, with this being the first real Episode 6, things just...clicked more. I can go into more detail if you don't mind Xenogears spoilers.

[Shrimpica]

2 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Imma keep shilling until you play

what if i hate them there

 

2 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Plus just looking at it from a Perfect Works perspective, with this being the first real Episode 6, things just...clicked more. I can go into more detail if you don't mind Xenogears spoilers.

yh sure go ahead. I don't think will play the non blade games any time soon.

[Shrimpica]

Classic Kaga

[Armagon]

1 hour ago, Shrimpy said:

what if i hate them there

Then you will get infinite Overdrive'd.

Nah but for real, I think you'll like them. 3 has the better sidequests because of character interactivity but as I've said, X has the crazier ones+choices that matter (and a lot of these are whole chains). Like that game probably potentially has the highest NPC death count. I remember one quest where this guy was actively putting people in danger (as in willing to let them die) so he could steal their rewards. One of the ways that quest can end is by refusing to save him when he gets swarmed by hostile wildlife.

1 hour ago, Shrimpy said:

yh sure go ahead. I don't think will play the non blade games any time soon

When I get home, just got out of seeing a movie.

[Interdimensional Observer]

5 hours ago, Benice said:

The precursor to non-binary Tomas in FE11

 

-"Non-binary" -Has a value of 02 -Binary coding operates in 0s and 1s only. 

You've made an accidental(?) nerd funny. 01101000 01100001 01101000 01100001 01101000 01100001😆

 

5 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

For reasons beyond my understanding, Jeorge is not called George. He's called Georges. He's multiple people.

He isn't multiple people, it's worse, he's French.

5 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Throwing puns like these at me without warning... You truly are a stone-hearted person, aren't you?

Puns are mine pyrite! I will diamond on this hill. Agate sapphire burns in my heart for wordplay, Iron do not take it for granite. I peridon't care if they rub-y you the wrong way, you will carnelian before my quips, for they are made of gold. I amethyst the greatest wordsilversmith there is! Be opalled at what you bear witness topaz!

5 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Plus, the game is more challenging than FE3 book 1. FE3 book 1 was a completely mindless slog until I dropped it. In this one, however, there are a number of scary enemy classes, and player HP and defense are low in general, enough that I don't dare to just throw them at enemies - in fact, when I tried that with Jeigan yesterday night, assuming he'd be powerful enough, he just died because his lance got him doubled. It's not Conquest or anything, but it's important to be alert, which is enough to make it more fun than Book 1 ever was.

And here I won't disagree. Book 1 is easy. Book 2 is easy too, but in my old review of FE3, I felt Book 1 was rather heartless and that all the love had been placed in Book 2. Where the enemies were also a little more threatening. -Not that I'm going to force you to give 3B2 another chance.

 

5 hours ago, ping said:

The plan is late French reformation There's one France achievement that I haven't gotten yet, which requires spreading La Révolution to ten countries. But playing a whole campaign as France from 1444 until the Age of Revolution (1710) is a bit of a slog, since you're probably the strongest in the world by 1500 (maybe sans China, but the Ming tend to mingsplode at some point) and without a challenger by 1600. So instead, I started as ya boie Savoie, who has an easy (and unique to them) option to either swap to French culture or remain Piedmonese.

Considering the end of the Valois was a period of weakness for France, you'd think they'd take longer to get going.

And it should be a "Mingplosion", as it crumbled Qingward.

5 hours ago, ping said:

Avignon fell to Provence at some point and I'm not quite sure why. Very helpful because the Pope was another earlygame friend because it's quite annoying if you're catholic and he isn't. I swapped to Protestantism though, partly because most of the bonuses from Catholicism basically go kaputt when you go revolutionary, and partly so that I can conquer Rome without penalties .

I feel this is very fitting. Given what I've read, the French Revolution might not have been so anti-religion if it had been Protestant or at least had Protestant toleration and acceptance of Catholic pietistic movements (I read Jansenism was kind of that, but it was snuffed out in France). 

5 hours ago, ping said:

Lithuania starts (almost) that big In fact, the Ottos conquered a handful of their southernmost provinces. I believe they're still under a Polish personal union (which is scripted to form most of the time very early in the game), but they haven't quite reached the necessary tech to click the "unite the PLC" button in order to fully integrate Lithuania. Shouldn't be too long, though - it's the same tech that I needed for the Toothpaste button.

...This is what I get for not checking maps for the size of historical Lithuania!😆 I shoulda known better as I know the "Hungary" that gave the Habsburgs ulcers was far bigger than it is today. No wonder it was a respectable powerhouse of medieval Europe.

 

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

Imma keep shilling until you play.

Of all the tracks you could've picked. That one should turn them OFF.

 

2 hours ago, Shrimpy said:

yh sure go ahead. I don't think will play the non blade games any time soon.

In summary, Xenogears -the original Xeno game- was going to consist of 6 episodes equalling 6 games. The one that Xenogears is, is Episode 5 (Why? Well if you're writing sci-fi with the intent of making six episodes and beginning well after the first, it sounds you've been watching Star Wars and have Lucasian ambitions. -Or so I guess without evidence.).

The Perfect Works art book described all four prior episodes of Xenogears, but it never explained Episode 6. That is the only episode we couldn't possibly have any idea of from XG, because it wasn't in the past, and Xenogears Episode 5 ended with everything neatly resolved.

Subsequent Xeno games have often been reimaginings of the six Xenogears episodes. I forget what is what, Armagon can correct me. But I believe Xenoblade Chronicles X is Episode 1- "Exile From Earth". Xenosaga collectively is Episode 2- "Space Crisis", according to Armagon. Episode 3 is "Civilization Collapse"- we've never had it as an independent game, buuuut it's in Xenoblade if you take a moment and remember all the places and things. Episode 4- "Prelude Crisis to Episode 5", which is to say, Torna the Golden Country.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Interdimensional Observer

[Venger_06]

7 hours ago, Benice said:

Oops... If I did, I was not correct. LJ will not ruin LAD in my opinion, but it's definitely better if you play LJ afterwards instead. Unfortunately, the allusion to the spoiler's also right in the first, like, 15 minutes of the game too.

Oof

And my ps plus subscription ends this month...

7 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Went with my dad to a mineral fair.

It was a fun sunday.

As an ex aspiring geologist, you make me proud.

7 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Is there a limit to your evil?

No, and you should already know that after I played Papers, Please

6 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

If only there was a mod that turned her into "Milo" and left Jude's well-handled attraction untouched. That would be 👌.

Is it just me or is this character exactly like Velvet, but blonde?

6 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Good luck with that! May Persona 2's second half not disappoint nor retroactively ruin the first for you!

🤨

Why would it ruin IS? I thought EP was supposed to be even better. Is there something you're not telling me?

6 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And if you intend to start with Persona 1, sweet mercy upon thee! (Don't forget the Snow Queen Quest either.)

I will probably just read the manga to refresh my memory, thanks.

5 hours ago, Shrimpy said:

 

Curry.

Still has the inferior route

2 hours ago, Shrimpy said:

Classic Kaga

I don't think this is a Kaga Moment™, just a touch of realism.

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

Imma keep shilling until you play.

... what the fuck is this?

[Lightcosmo]

2 hours ago, Shrimpy said:

Incase you guys are interested in my full thoughts xD

Thank you! Will maybe comment later!

[Acacia Sgt]

1 minute ago, Newtype06 said:

 

Is it just me or is this character exactly like Velvet, but blonde?

So Emile Castagnier?

[Sidereal Wraith]

8 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

 

 

🤨

 

 

[Armagon]

11 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Of all the tracks you could've picked. That one should turn them OFF.

Remember, I used to hate it too.

But now? Now I love it.

12 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

But I believe Xenoblade Chronicles X is Episode 1- "Exile From Earth". Xenosaga collectively is Episode 2- "Space Crisis", according to Armagon.

Flip these. Xenosaga trilogy collectively is Episode 1, featuring a galactic civilization and the crisis it faces. Episode 2 is arrival and survival on a new world, which fits Xenoblade X to a T.

11 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

. what the fuck is this?

Sawano moment.

[Lightcosmo]

I changed Pyra to be a fair TNK Blade at 20/20 Def stats, while Mythra is weaker on the defense for very good support affinity skills (I.E Raises Crit Rate of the party by 40% at max affinity)

So high risk high reward, does that sound better? She still has 100% Art recharge on Lightspeed Flurry and Foresight is still 50% (it is 50%... right?)

[Interdimensional Observer]

40 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

Not good enuf. If Luke fon Fabre has a midriff, no reason Milo Maxwell couldn't.

Long hair... maybe, shorter than Milla's length, but how much I can't say.

40 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

Is it just me or is this character exactly like Velvet, but blonde?

I can't really judge Velvet, unless she looks like Little Red Riding Hood. I've only recently downloaded Berseria, I need to get to it.😅

40 minutes ago, Newtype06 said:

🤨

Why would it ruin IS? I thought EP was supposed to be even better. Is there something you're not telling me?

I'm not hiding anything! I swear on Igor's great schnoz!😳

IS vs. EP, I wouldn't say either of them an overwhelming advantage over the other, and I think they're both fairly good regardless. Each has their strengths that might make someone prefer one over the other. And unlike Xenoblade 1 vs. Xenoblade 2, I don't think either Persona 2 game has divisive "flaws" that would make a lover of IS or EP possibly hate the other game.

All I was doing was issuing nondescript and generic prayers that I would give if you were playing any other sequel or prequel or midquel game, since retroactive damages is one of those things -quels are uniquely capable of.

 

38 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

So Emile Castagnier?

I can see it.🤣

I think if you wanted to SRW OG-ize the Tales cast (Crestoria does this?) that you could spin Emile as Milla's little brother. Which... Maxwell, Ratatosk Mode... I think you could do something pretty creative with this actually.😄

 

29 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Flip these. Xenosaga trilogy collectively is Episode 1, featuring a galactic civilization and the crisis it faces. Episode 2 is arrival and survival on a new world, which fits Xenoblade X to a T.

Ah, I see my mistake. I can't readily find it in Perfect Works, but I thought it said humanity abandoned Earth there, that misled me. XG begins with Episode 1 as the birth/initial rampage of Big D, Episode 2 is Purple-Haired Naked Lady, whom if I imagine as Elma, makes me able to remember "XCX = Ep 2" better.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Interdimensional Observer

[Armagon]

Alright @Shrimpy here's the breakdown of Xenogears, Xenoblade 1 and 2 and how they affect 3. Major spoilers for those first three games and, to be on the safe side, I will tag Xenoblade 3 in it as well.

Short answer: Xenoblade 3 deals with the fundamental aftermath of Xenoblade 1 and 2.

Long answer (here be the spoilers)

Spoiler

At the end of Xenogears (Episode 5), everything that has been affecting the Xenogears planet for over 10,000 years is resolved. The Zohar (or rather, the Wave Existence in it) vanishes, Miang and Deus are stopped, Fei and Elly finally break free of their reincarnation cycle and get to live a peaceful life and, most notably, with the Zohar gone, ether, which powers many of the planet's machinery, is gone with it. Planet Xenogears (let's call it that) has been fundamentally changed.

In Xenoblade 1 (also Episode 5), Shulk kills Zanza, the one who was responsible for everything and Bionis is fundamentally changed as it is reformed into an actual planet. In Xenoblade 2 (also also Episode 5) parallel to this, Klaus dies, the Conduit vanishes, Malos is stopped and Alrest fundamentally changed as the Cloud Sea disappears and the Titans merge on to the land.

With knowledge of how Xenoblade 3 played out, I now believe the premise of Episode 6 was "now that mankind's world has fundamentally changed, what new problems will they face in the future?" No idea how the original Episode 6 would've played out but that was likely to be the intended Xenogears sequel. In Xenoblade 3's case, it deals with the problems that humanity must face now that their worlds are fundamentally changed. 

Both Xenogears 2 and Xenoblade 3 would've likely focused on new problems unique to that story, as the big stuff that played a part in the previous chapters has been resolved.

So ironically, by being a mostly standalone game, Xenoblade 3 is more connected to Xenoblade 1 and 2 than if it was just some big Xenoblade Endgame. At least that's the way I see it.

 

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Ah, I see my mistake. I can't readily find it in Perfect Works, but I thought it said humanity abandoned Earth there, that misled me.

Yeah in both lores, humanity has to abandon Earth. But the key is that they were able to establish galactic civilization status before eventually one piece of it falls on an uncharted planet.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Armagon