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Sire

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    Fate/Grand Order General

    in General Gaming

    Posted

    Been enjoying the event thus far, although some of the territory control nodes took me by surprise with their gimmicks. (Still managed without the "proper guest servant," though.)

    I was originally trying to farm Embers and save them for the new FP summons, but some whimsical summoning netted me the the 3-star caster healer (who seems better than Iri), Mori, and 4* Summer Nobu. Almost all my Embers went down the drain, and I think I mainly just have some Saber ones left over. // I still have two Avengers who need to be leveled too...
    -- If we do get the 3x chance after burning everything after the 2x event, I'm gonna be a bit miffed. Granted, it's all RNG anyways, but I was expecting there to be some downtime to replenish my stores.

    When the Summer Rerun comes around, I'm thinking about trying for NP2 Summer BB because she has great utility and can farm general waves even though she doesn't have advantage.
    -- However, at the same time, I really should be saving for Skadi as a Quick Loop team would help me a lot, even though I can still use the classic Arash composition for 3-turn clears.

    Nintendo Direct E3 2021 Thread (June 15th at 9 AM PT / 12 PM EST)

    in General Gaming

    Posted

    Reflecting on the direct, it is no surprise that Splatoon 3 or Fire Emblem did not make an appearance. As they were mostly focusing on titles released this year (and Splatoon 3 started development later than BOTW2), those two didn't make it as they are likely next year releases.
    -- Besides, people were more hungry for BOTW2 news, so capping the direct off with another teaser was good. A shame there wasn't gameplay, but they had Metroid Dread for that.
    -- I imagine Nintendo will do its own separate directs down the road, or wait for a different event to reveal more Splatoon 3 and/or Fire Emblem news.

    The Advance Wars 1&2 remake look great. The classic AW were always cartoony, so I don't mind the direction they went. The portraits look great, although I will miss the pixel artstyle for the units and battle scenes.
    -- The unit models look all right, but the backgrounds look a little off when the units are there. May just be me though.
    -- I guess Dual Strike didn't make it in since it was a DS game and not a GBA one, and it did make some use of the two screens.
    -- Days of Ruin (Dark Conflict in the EU) takes a darker tone, although I think it may be one of the more balanced AW games. Would be cool to see that again since I loved its "advanced map editor" when compared to the other AW games.

    WarioWare is also great, although admittedly I only really played a port of the original. I would love to get it for the Switch, but my Switch backlog is already rather intensive. I still have yet to finish Octopath Traveler, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, and have yet to get Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition (among others).

    I am also interested in the Age of Calamity DLC as I rather enjoyed the demo and the original Hyrule Warriors. Of course, I have yet to get the game itself, so I guess I lucked out by waiting since I'll likely have access to all the DLC by then (instead of being burnt out on the main game).

    Mario Party Superstars looks like a return to the classic Mario Party that I loved. Seeing the original maps and mini-games are nostalgic, although they do seem to make the boards smaller than the MP64 size megaboards. I'm wary of the new Mario Parties as after 8, the entire series went downhill for me.

    Nintendo Direct E3 2021 Thread (June 15th at 9 AM PT / 12 PM EST)

    in General Gaming

    Posted

    Initial thoughts during the Direct...
    -- Initial introduction to Smash Reveal, fair enough.
    -- Life is Strange, don't care for it.
    -- Looks like they are starting with the 3rd party stuff first. Perhaps to get the boring stuff out of the way? (Guardians, Worms)
    -- The JRPG looks interesting. Hmm.
    -- Mario Party Superstars, eh? As a former Mario Party fan/collector (1-7, DS), it looks interesting.
    -- Knew a mention of Metroid Prime 4 would be here, but Metroid Dread looks like something for Samus fans.
    -- Think I was too generous with my prediction time slots. Here I am expecting minute or two trailers with commentary, but its more like 30 seconds with optional 30 second commentary.
    ---- At this rate, I'm expecting Splatoon 3 to be the main flagship title at the end of the trailer.
    -- Monster Hunter Stories 2 or something, may be an interesting spinnoff but not for me.
    -- WarioWare! Hype!
    -- SMT5 looks cool. 
    -- Danganronpa collection for Switch, eh? The expanded min-game may be the main draw for existing players.
    -- Fatal Frame port, interesting. (Maiden of the Black Water)
    -- ADVANCE WARS! ALL MY YES!
    -- Age of Calamity DLC. I still need to pick that game up at some point.
    ---- I have a feeling BOTW2 may be covered instead of Splatoon 3. Guess Splatoon 3 is still too new.
    ---- Also, no Fire Emblem. A shame, but Advance Wars makes up for it.
    -- Yeah, BOTW2 teaser at the end. Figured as much.

    Overall, fairly interesting. Now to stick around for Treehouse as I get my detailed thoughts together.

    Nintendo Direct E3 2021 Thread (June 15th at 9 AM PT / 12 PM EST)

    in General Gaming

    Posted

    I haven't been following anything, so here's my random predictions for the Nintendo Direct.

    1. Splatoon 3 news (I expect it to be the one of the main highlights, if not the main highlight, of E3.)
    2. Smash Character Reveal (I'm thinking the may start with a reveal, with the ending being something else. // Random Thought: Doom Guy)
    3. BOTW2 news (Likely going to overshadow Splatoon 3 if present, but another possible big hitter.)
    4. Metroid Prime 4 news (Either something to actually show, or a message saying developing is still proceeding along for those wondering about it.)
    5. Fire Emblem news (It's been some time since the last Fire Emblem, so there may be enough for a teaser trailer. // I'm just wondering if it'll be an Echoes remake or a new installment. A part of me also wonders if they may expand on the world of Three Houses somehow, although it doesn't really have a setup for a hard sequel like the Tellius games.)

    Detailed Random Thoughts

    Spoiler

    [0 - 5] The initial opener. I'm expecting a Smash Reveal with some commentary. // The Smash Character may be covered further in a later treehouse presentation, or may even be one of those "releases later today!" type of reveals.
    [5 - 10] General Introduction to the Direct. Also acts as the "anti-hype" segment, attempting to lower audience expectations by confirming what will not be covered (such as games under development, but don't have anything noteworthy to show. Examples include Metriod Prime 4 and Pikmin 4.)
    [10 - 15] 1st Party Showcase A (Existing), perhaps Spatoon 3 if it is not saved for the later reveal. Otherwise, I imagine a title that is already known to be under development to be covered here, or a expansion/mass DLC/noteworthy ports to be covered. Essentially, a game that is hype to get the ball rolling.
    [15 - 20] 3rd Party Showcase, but as I have no idea what may come to the Switch, I got nothing.
    [20 - 25] Filler Segment, showcases a bunch of games that may or may not be interesting.
    [25 -30] 1st Party Showcase B (New), potentially a new game reveal that is sufficiently developed to be shown off, but not as noteworthy as the finale showcase or the next segment.
    [30 - 35] "Future Teaser," essentially a segment that is hype, but the game is still under heavy development and may see a release next year. Given the recent popularity of Fire Emblem, if FE gets a teaser trailer, I imagine it would go here. // Alternatively, if MP4 has something to show, it may be shown here for potential shock factor.
    [35 - 40] The closing of the Direct which could possibly lead straight into Treehouse. Breath of the Wild 2 would be the obvious candidate, although Splatoon 3 could take this spot as well.

     

    Fate/Grand Order General

    in General Gaming

    Posted

    Finally finished LB4. Gameplay-wise, it was smooth sailing for me until the final set of fights, where I saw the horrific difficulty spike firsthand.
    -- As for the story, it had potential to be one of my favorites, but it had issues that I could not ignore.

    I thought the normal waves would've been harder for some reason, so I started out my support list with "tryhard Waver" (Waver with "His Rightful Place" CE), but then discovered that the bond points given were pretty great and went back to the Bond Point CE.
    -- I also fell into the trap of using the Story Supports because of the cool factor of their CE, then I realized I'm losing out on Bond Points, so it was back to using my regular supports as usual. Luckily I just did this for the first two "chapters/verses," so it wasn't that bad.

    MVPs for this Lostbelt were my Scathach and Valkyries. Scathach annihilated the boss mobs (Waver + Support Skadi), while the Valkyries handled many of the general wave quests.
    -- I heard Kama is supposed to be good, although I never really fielded her save for one or two fights. I guess I still look at class advantage/disadvantage a lot when looking for my "DPS Servant" instead of their utility and potential damage output due to the special modifiers and such.

    Gameplay Spoilers:

    Spoiler

    Like I said previously, getting through this Lostbelt was easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would have some issues with clearing regular mobs (3-turn setups) as I think I had issues doing so in a previous Lostbelt, but my memory may have been mistaken.

    The early-to-mid bossfights were also relatively easy. Scathach was my go-to servant (although one encounter required a special CE), while a support Okita Alter sorted out the one of the other bosses.

    Endgame set of bosses though? I call BS. Seriously, the damage and critical buffs get to ridiculous levels that it either becomes a DPS race or hope you have Guts, Evasion, and/or Invincibility to weather the onslaught, because Defense and Class Advantage don't mean s***. 
    -- While I handled the initial encounter just fine, the proper final boss (before the tree) was stupidly OP. Heck, the boss oneshotted my Kama, triggered her Guts, and killed her again in the same turn! That turn? THE FIRST TURN BEFORE SHE HAD A CHANCE TO USE HER NP. // Herc Insurance was not enough for my initial try, although it came close. I believe if Kama pulled off her NP, I would've won the encounter first try with Herc Insurance. In the end, I used my Command Spells out of spite to annihilate the boss.
    -- As for the Tree encounter, I read somewhere that Parvati handled the fight easily, so I thought I could do the same with my Valkyries. Little did I know that the reason Parvati did so well is that she has a chance to charm enemies with her NP, and I was just thinking in AoE Lancer terms. // While I managed to prevail with Herc Insurance, it came incredibly close due to my guys getting critted as they tried to survive the barrage. At least the Tree fight was nowhere near as insane as the "true final boss."

    Granted, I probably could've handled the final encounters just fine with some fine tuning to my strategies, but it was starting to get early morning and I wanted to finish the story. Sometimes, it may be fun to go back and rechallenge the bosses, but there's no real way to do that for regular story stuff.

    Story Spoilers

    Spoiler

    Yeah, the story was overall great. Sure, they used a kid again to establish a connection, but I didn't mind that much. Pepe is an interesting character, and overall everyone played their parts perfectly.

    ...Then we get to the ending where they bring back the dilemma of destroying the Lostbelts as well as the "betrayal" of Pepe.

    Pepe is and always a Crypter first. Sure, he was buddies with Chaldea and everyone was enjoying one another's company, but he is still an enemy. Gudao and Mash being "but I thought we were buddies and best friends" and feeling devastated by the outcome took me out of the story. He was only helping Chaldea as it helped him survive and was in line with his own goals.
    -- I have no problems with Pepe, as it makes perfect sense for what he did. The issue comes from me being invested in the story and Gudao, the "self-insert" acting in a manner that I would not have. This issue goes back to Lost Belt 1 for me as while I can see what's going on from a story perspective, it ruins the immersion of stuff being awesome. (Alternatively, perhaps I just want a stronger MC. I mean, he went through Solomon Arc and the Epic of Remnant Arc and the MC still hasn't figured out some of these things? Being betrayed is not new, as Moriarty was the traitor in Shinjuku and Columbus was a traitor in Agatha. One would think the MC would learn his lesson, but I guess not.)

    Then we go back with the Lostbelt dilemma of destroy universes to save our own. I already wrote up while I disliked Lost Belt 1 due how how the story handles things and how I personally perceive it, so I won't repeat that here. For further reading, scroll down a bit more on that page where I do more writing on my perspective regarding Lost Belts and Singularities.
    -- The main thing that stood out to me here in LB3 is the concept of reincarnation, which is something I already considered back during LB1. Sure, the people are erased due to the Lost Belts being pruned, but that does not mean they can reincarnate or have a counterpart in Proper Human History. The prevailing perspective about Lostbelts and destroying them is that "People die when they are killed," and that doing so kills that person forever (no countepart, no reincarnation, game over, endless abyss or whatever).
    -- I'm a believer in that the people from the Lost Belts are not truly gone, but simply repurposed for Proper Human History. Of course, there is no real evidence of this in FGO and I could be wrong, but this belief and the fact I that I see restoring Proper Human History as the correct course of action makes it difficult for me to be immersed when the MC acts differently.

    * * * * *

    In the end, LB4 had the potential to be one of my favorites, but the ending ruined it for me. Current ranking would likely be...
    LB3 > LB2 ?=? LB4 > LB1

    LB2 and LB4 are similarly ranked, but for different reasons. LB4 had great writing but the ending let me down, while LB2 is consistent and I have a bias for Norse Mythology. At the moment I would place LB2 just above LB4, but trying to compare my older memories of LB2 with the newer ones of LB4 is a bit difficult.

     

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