Fabulously Olivier
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Posts posted by Fabulously Olivier
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11 hours ago, Perkilator said:
Okay, one thing I definitely didn’t expect:
My translation: “Combined sales of "Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection" Vol.1 and Vol.2 have surpassed 1 million units worldwide!
Thank you all for your support!”
To remind you, this title was originally held by Mega Man 11.I mean, it's kind of cheating to release the game in 2 halves and to count them together.
But since they'd still be pretty successful even if you halve the figure, and they're great games that deserve the success (more than any other MM games, IMO)... I'll allow it.
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Like many mechanics in Engage, I think its weapon system is sublime.
Also, I don't find that the weapon usage economy is really all that good or interesting. Even in games like Three Houses with repairs. All it does is add more tedium and micromanagement, and the economic scarcity factor could easily just be covered by making permanent weapons that are more expensive to obtain/upgrade.
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I see a few great possibilities here.
Dark, political, Game of Thrones esque narrative - Geneology or Three Houses
Dark fantasy in the vein of Netflix Castlevania - Sacred Stones or Awakening
High fantasy epic - Path of Radiance
I don't view Illumination as adequate for any Fire Emblem adaptation. Mayyyybe some of the more lighthearted fair like Marth's games, TMS, or Engage, but I think even those would come off as low quality and confused under them.
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A Fire Emblem anime (Geneology, Path of Radiance, or Three Houses) in the style of Netflix Castlevania would just be incredible.
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4 hours ago, Parrhesia said:
People who don't know anything about games have osmosed that Mario / Call of Duty / Warcraft exist.
People who don't consider themselves gamers but play from time to time have osmosed that Fire Emblem exists. A lot of people who are now vaguely aware of what FE is, and that absolutely wasn't the case a decade ago. Still, big difference between that and being the kind of game that has cut-through with random people.
True. But Three Houses helped a lot. I remember a really casual gamer coworker bringing it up in the office, and that was surreal. It felt like my series had finally grown up.
And then it won the Players Voice, which was also pretty huge. That's the one TGA Award that really matters (or did before Genshin fans expected that any win would result in them getting goodies - now I just expect the votes to have no semblance of integrity from now on).
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3 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:
That makes sense; I've been planning to do something similar by getting the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection even though I'm still playing Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak, although part of that is due to my right joy-con starting to drift, causing the camera to veer down and to the right every now and then.
Oh, I'll probably get the MMBN collection when it goes on a good sale. I enjoyed the first few ones a lot growing up, and it's one of those rare series with no competitors/successors to its formula.
Joy con drift is the worst. I got it during my first playthrough of Three Houses, and I absolutely blame that on Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, which came out a week earlier and was the most aggressively button mashing experience I've possibly ever played.
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Fire Emblem is approximately the same popularity as Persona now. Which isn't "mainstream" persay, but it's as popular as a JRPG that isn't Pokemon, Final Fantasy, or Dragon Quest gets. And it's even more of an achievement since strategy games are even more niche than normal JRPGs.
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35 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:
Yeah, I can definitely understand those criticisms. The poor accuracy at the start of the game meant that a lot of my strategies relied heavily on restarting from a recent save if I ever missed, which thankfully was easy to do since the game provides a lot of save files and lets the player save at any time.
Incidentally, all those things are greatly improved in Valkyria Chronicles 4. While the rating is still based on turn count, it is more generous and main story missions can be replayed. The accuracy is generally a bit better, and the side characters now have their own unlockable side missions that do a lot to help flesh them out.
I own both and will clear them *eventually.* The way I generally play games is to have a couple primary games and then one or more on the backburner when I need a change of pace. And this is one of those backburner games that I'll clear one bit at a time.
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April has been heavy on starts, light on clears.
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Cleared 4/11.
7, maybe 8/10. Mostly a downgrade from Kiwami 1 in terms of combat and story. But the return of cabaret club manager and the addition of Maijima Construction did help, and I ended up spending much longer on the game than intended.
Ghost of Tsushima
Cleared 4/19.
8/10.
This one's been sitting in my backlog for years. I had the story mostly done before the open-worldisms wore me out, as they are often prone to do. So getting back in and actually clearing it all was a big gaming milestone.
My third ever platinum trophy after 13 Sentinels and Spiderman. I do love a game with only completion/collection based trophies (no difficulty trophies) and no missables.
Gameplay wise, it's really just an above-average Assasssin's Creed game with below-average objectives. But it more than makes up for it with gorgeous scenery, a gripping narrative, and a unique approach to quest tracking/UI that more games should use.
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered
Ongoing
Currently thinking 7/10. While the unique hybrid gameplay is appealing and the setting is interesting, there's also a lot that I don't like here. I don't like strict turn limits in strategy games. I don't like being rated based on turn count. Or poor allied accuracy that makes Xcom look generous. Or some of the mission design.
Also, I think characters are too disposable by design, so I rarely care about individuals. They have only the most barebones characterization, and the class-based upgrade system means you won't really develop carries like you would in Fire Emblem. They're basically only slightly better than Shadow Dragon characters.
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth
Ongoing
An enjoyable 6 or 7 out of 10. Clearly held back by the budget/more niche IP. But I also think they care more about what they're making than Pokemon does. And as a result, I enjoy it more. Vaguely enjoyable mediocrity just seems to be the standard for monster collecting JRPGs (other than Jade Cocoon, which was exceptional for its time), and this is the least mediocre one I've played.
Neo The World Ends with You
Ongoing.
A strong 8/10. This is a damn good game that I ultimately think deserved to sell much better than it did. It's got a real sense of style, a strong soundtrack, a unique action combat system, solid puzzles, endeating characters, and an excellent approach to custom difficulty.
Persona 5 Royal
Ongoing
I'm too early in to really appreciate how much has changed from the vanilla release. But to be clear, I think vanilla Persona 5 was already one of the greatest games of all time - a 10/10 masterpiece, and this promises to be a better version of that.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag
Edit: Cleared 4/29.
I'm leaning towards 7/10 so far. It's pretty uneven. The Assassin parts are below average for the series, while the pirate parts add a lot of unique gameplay. Trouble is, I'm not really the biggest fan of any kind of vehicular combat, so the naval combat isn't really my cup of tea.
Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry
Cleared 4/30
6/10, maybe 7/10. It's a separate story now also sold separately, so I am counting it as a separate clear. As a shorter, more contained experience, it speeds up progression, tells a simple narrative, and gets the job done. Freeing slaves and killing slavers makes the whole thing worth it, and Adewale is a protagonist who is both generically likeable, and distinctly fun to play.
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On 4/17/2023 at 6:39 AM, DefyingFates said:
Yep, exactly!
That's a valid concern, and as you say this would be remedied by having good S rank weapons. Even without that though, I thought this system would be good for adding safeguards for some units (e.g. if Break returns, someone who can switch to a C rank axe wouldn't have to worry about tanking swords) or some clutch utility (e.g. giving a class that wouldn't normally have staves the opportunity to be used as an emergency medic). That's worth it too, right? That's the hope, at least!
I think the solution to weapon rank balance is not only to ensure that S rank weapons are desirable, but also to have weapon ranks boost the performance of lower rank weapons. IE: each surplus rank of Swords could add 5 hit/1 mt to a given sword.
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Nah. She reminds me of my ex in all the worst ways. Her only genuinely good quality is that she's nice to Marianne.
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It really is disappointing to see cynnical mobile guff make more money than games with actual passion and talent put into them. Course, Angry Birds is far from the worst/least deserving of them (glares at the entire gacha genre).
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Emblem of Vengeance - Joshua and Cormag
Emblem of the Laguz - Kurthnaga, Tibarn, Naesala, Caneighis, Reyson, and Nailah. Your class type would determine the Laguz you bond with.
Emblem of Wind - Takumi
Emblem of Warriors - Female Shez
Emblem of Thunder - Reinhardt
Emblem of Assassins - Jaffar
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Pokemon Party - like Mario Party with Pokemon. Includes some of the Stadium & Stadium 2 minigames. Could be done either by picking a Pokemon to play as, or picking a trainer with a starter and earning a full team of Pokemon as you traverse the board. In the latter case, the winner might be the one who gets all the gym badges (like stars) first.
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12 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:
I could definitely see this working.
It would be perfect for those who like League of Legends but dislike the typical behaviour and audio of most League of Legends players.It would especially be good for those who became interested in League thanks to other media such as Arcane.
I'd just like a chance to play Twisted Fate again in a genre I still care about.
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League of Legends Warriors. Already has a big roster, towers to defend, and dedicated mooks to mow down.
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Gameplay answer - Dynasty Warriors
SpoilerZhou Yu in Dynasty Warriors 8. Losing one's main to a historically accurate death is gonna make the rest of that playthrough just a bit less fun.
Actually made me cry - The Last of Us
SpoilerJoel's daughter at the beginning of the Last of Us.
Effected me even though I knew they didn't actually die - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3 & 4
SpoilerOlivert in Trails of Cold Steel 3 and 4. The grave site scenes were really unexpectedly good.
And of course, the heroic reentry was the best damn scene in the franchise.
Made me really pity the protagonist - Yakuza Kiwami
SpoilerKiryu's adoptive father, brother, and girlfriend, all within the course of a couple hours.
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Easily the 2nd best April fools joke I've seen in gaming, behind only Guild Wars 2's shockingly high effort Super Adventure Box (multi-level 8-bit platformer within their MMO), which was complete with an 80's style ad campaign.
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On a related and opposite opinion, I consider most Final Fantasies to be deeply mediocre, and I can't even begin to fathom which 5 could possibly be considered better than 7. Like, genuinely 6 is the only one I ever hear being called better than 7.
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On 3/25/2023 at 7:55 PM, vanguard333 said:
I see. That makes sense. Rise definitely has really good visuals.
I dislike that as well; I tried to include that in my list of problems with the level-up system (the part where I say, "it makes a ton of sense that a newly-hatched monstie starts at a low level, but it does mean that you have to grind if you want that monstie to catch up to the team". I realize now that the subsequent sentences may have mitigated this when the intent was to show problems compounding on each other.
An issue I'm actually taking much greater issue with is that the combination of attack types and rider skills crunches your team options. HM slavery was always a sucky part of Pokemon, but MHS2 compounds the issue in that you can't assign these HM's. They're innate, and they're VERY poorly distributed. You need rock breaker/mega breaker, swim, fly, lava dive, ivy climb, and ground tunnel to have the full range of traversal. But monsters generally only have 1 of these, if any at all. They may have something relatively useless like item finders, or roar.
Moreover, Fly is a redundant skill because one monster with Fly is locked to your party and can't be removed. So monsters that only have Fly (many of my favorites) don't justify a team slot. Conversely, monsties that fill 2 of the above ride skills (see - Palamute) are overly valuable, essentially locked into a party. This compounds the already major issue that earlier monsters are generally replaced by later ones.
It essentially feels like a team-building game with only a few objectively right answers and tons of objectively wrong ones. It's a game that decides what team it wants from you.
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If a unit dies with an Embling Ring equipped, the Emblem dies as well. Also, rewinds are now tied to Emblem Byleth, and he can't rewind his own death.
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10 hours ago, vanguard333 said:
Cool. I've played Stories 2 as well; I played all the way to the end, and then didn't do any of the postgame content.
There is a way to guarantee which type of monstie you get from an egg: fight the monster in the overworld, and use the item that makes it more likely for the monster to retreat back to its nest after bein defeated. That's how I got a tigrex and a monoblos in the second area of the game (when those two are sleeping monsters you do not want to wake unless you're skilled or overlevelled enough to defeat it).
Yeah, that's how I feel as well: the bones of a truly great game are here. I don't have a problem with the graphics, but I do have some problems with its structure, namely that it's way too easy to end up overlevelled. Whenever I play an RPG these days, I always ask myself, "Is the level-up system in this game necessary?" because of just how many times having a level-up system didn't add anything and, if anything, detracted from the game (The Witcher 3 is a good example). For all Pokémon's faults, the level-up system is necessary, as stuff like evolution are directly tied to it and it complements IVs and natures, which differentiate different examples of the same Pokémon. With Monster Hunter Stories 2, however, I feel that it clashes with the game's other mechanics.
For one example, it makes a ton of sense that a newly-hatched monstie starts at a low level, but it does mean that you have to grind if you want that monstie to catch up to the team. This wouldn't be much of a problem if not for the fact that the rider and every other monstie in the group also gains experience points, so if you just got a monstie that you want to use, you're going to end up overlevelled. This again wouldn't be much of a problem if the game encouraged sticking to a core team, but the game does just the opposite; a lot of monsties the player finds later in the game will be outright better than a lot of the earlier monsties in every way: there's no reason to keep a Bulldrome once the player can get a Monoblos/Diablos, there's no reason to keep a red Yian Kut-Ku once the player can get a blue Yian Kut-Ku, etc. There are some early-game monsties that retain their relevance. One thing I like to do in monster-collecting RPGs is do a playthrough where I use a team consisting entirely of monsters that are underdogs, and I felt strongly discouraged from doing so when playing Stories 2.
So, it's not so much that I have a problem with a cartoony style, as it is that I think Rise already does that way better. And the combination of the style with the younger protagonist essentially means that I don't care about my main character, and rush to put them in full armor asap.
As far as overleving goes, my problem is that there's actually no way to quickly catch a new monstie up to your team without grinding. You can save quests to cash them in for the monstie you want (which requires you to research and know when you're about to have access to something good), and that's about it. Expeditions help raise up a backup team, but that is time that you aren't using your new pet.
Whereas a more functional monster collector has you catch mons estimated to the level you are meant to be at that point, and even more functional ones like Nexomon make leveling lightning fast.
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Spiderman
Cleared 3/1.
My 2nd ever platinum trophy, with the first being 13 Sentinels last month. (Or this would be the 3rd if my 100% completion badge in Fire Emblem Warriors on the Switch counts. Not really a trophy that the system tracks, per say.)
9/10. Very solid cinematic action game with awesome traversal, dynamic events, great combat, great story, and a perfectly realized super hero fantasy. So... why am I knocking off a point? Simply put, the Taskmaster/Screwball challenges and Miles/Mary Jane stealth missions are NOT fun.
Victor VranCleared 3/5/23.
6/10. A very average or even below average Diablo-like that I moved up my priority list to clear before it left PS Plus. The combat is solid for the genre, but the character building is shallow, the loot isn't as generous as I'd like, and the difficulty is rather too high for the genre. Good thing I'm not a completionist, or the absurd challenges (don't get hit... in a Diablo-like? Really?) would drive me insane. On the plus side, the humor is good, and it has some of the most memorable maps in its genre. The Motorhead WW2 inspired level is possibly the most unique thing I've ever seen in this type of game.
Yakuza 0
Cleared 3/11.
6/10. Story is good. Goro is life. The combat balance realllllllly hasn't aged well. Being chained indefinitely by common enemies who are very aggressive and attack faster than the player is just not on. And this was on Easy. I shudder to think of what Hard and Legendary are like. Also, I audibly groaned every time I had to play a Kiryu chapter. Goro doesn't just have more personality - he's also faster, more effective, and isn't reliant on environmental weapons.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Golden WildfireCleared 3/12
9/10. For those curious, I saved the last third of the third campaign to be enjoyed with potential dlc. That dlc didn't come. So now I've cleared it. And I still love it. It's only real shortcoming is that there isn't more of it.
As for Golden Wildfire as a path, I think it's got some of the best maps, and the story falls somewhere in the middle. Claude's at his best here. He schemes. He is true to his convictions. This feels right. But here's the thing....
SpoilerScarlet Blaze is the definitive Golden Route, as it is the only one that actually rids Fodlan of both factions that are corrupting it. Dimitri's path leaves the Church in power. Claude's doesn't address the even worse mole Nazis. Only Edelgard handles both, and I don't really know how to feel about that. Because if I'm being real, Claude is the most worthy ruler of Fodlan with the best moral standing, and I'm not even a GD fan.
Yakuza KiwamiCleared 3/19.
8/10. While still somewhat aged, this is a marked improvement on 0 in almost every way. The combat feels better. The story is even stronger. Goro chews all the scenery in the universe. Kiryu's kit is improved. They separated yen and xp. The only complaints I really have are no business-sim minigames (I really enjoy these in 0 and LAD), and no playable Goro.
At any rate, Yakuza looks to be my grand clearing project for the year. 2 games (plus Judgement) down, 5 to go. Just counting what's on PS Plus Extra right now anyway.
Exoprimal (beta)
Abandoned.
Fuck this game out of 10. I was actually pretty hyped for the love child of Anthem, EDF, and Dino Crisis, but the forced PvP element ruins any fun to be had, and even the actual fun PvE parts of it are too brief and on-rails to actually be sustainable.
Wonderful 101
Abandoned
So, uh.... here's a fun, endearing 7/10 action game with a completely disfunctional 0/10 motion/drawing mechanic (which can basically be described as Okami if it had the responsiveness of a tranquilized tortoise) crudely bolted onto it. This is the rare game I might watch a playthrough of just to enjoy the charm, but as a game, I'm done.
Outriders
Abandoned, maybe? Idk. Might come back if I feel like it.
7/10
I love me a third person looter shooter, and Outriders initially impresses with slick gunplay, stellar graphics, and plenty of gore. But frankly, I found it much too difficult, and too stingy in its loot drops. It makes it hard to want to play.
Monster Hunter Stories 2
Cleared 3/30.
7/10
An inoffensive, cute, aggressively average monster collecting JRPG. The combat certainly takes some unique risks that feel kinda fun in practice, but that's just overwhelmingly been my impression of the game - it's kind of fun. The story is kind of there. The combat is kind of engaging. The gear loop is kind of rewarding. The exploration kind of exists. The only real standout feature is the egg collecting itself - the whole gacha system is never good game design, even in a game like this or XBC2 where all pulls are free, but it does drive that one more go feeling through sheer anticipation. Or maybe it's just that I have some interest in collecting personal favorites like Tobi-Kodachi and Legiana.
Don't get me wrong. I don't hate it. I think the bones of an exceptional game are in there. Maybe if there is a MHS3 with Rise or even World level graphics, snappier combat speed, meaningful quality of life updates, and faster traversal, it could be one of the JRPG greats. But this aint quite it.
Hi Fi Rush
Cleared 3/26.
9.5/10 This is the game I've been playing a couple hours a week while I have access to dad's Xbox. And well, it's kind of a masterpiece. Slick combat, great level design, vibrant art, a loveable cast, hysterical comedy, bangin tunes, and a unique blend of rhythm, light platforming, and character action. It's not as good as Devil May Cry 3 or 5, but it's a damn good 3rd place. I'm only actually docking the half point here because timing-rings are never fun, in any game, and this game has particularly strict and unforgiving ones - sometimes multiple times in a level.
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Corrin/Soleil is notorious.
What is your unpopular video game opinion?
in General Gaming
Posted
I agree with the bolded.
As for the first bit, I think it makes more sense if certain characters have natural chemistry that results in them choosing to pair up on their own if you do not romance one of them yourself. IE: Garrus and Tali in Mass Effect is frankly adorable. Not that anyone sees it because Tali is irresistable.
Maybe this wouldn't work so much for RPG series like Fire Emblem where micromanaged relationships are part of the point, but for RPGs like Persona, Trails, etc., this would be more interesting, and it means that these characters could have better written relationships.