Fabulously Olivier
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Posts posted by Fabulously Olivier
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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.
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6 hours ago, DefyingFates said:
Actually, Nintendo has a humiliation fetish, and they need these two weeks to hype up Alear for Smash.
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Hopefully the characters are recruitable early/mid in a regular playthrough like the Ashen Wolves were. Having them just be postgames or side-story exclusive wouldn't be great for replay value.
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29 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:
I don't hate dodge-rolling; I dislike that the Souls series relies on dodge-rolling as a crutch. Imagine, for just one moment, if the i-frames were removed from dodge-rolling from one of the Dark Souls games or Elden Ring. I imagine the vast majority of players would consider the game unplayable, especially the ones that cry "Git gud" at the sight of any criticism of the series, despite the fact that blocking and parrying are options that exist and are supposed to be viable.
Wanting a more engaged and reactive enemy is probably a lot closer to what I'm talking about.
I haven't fought any of those three (and I have only heard of that first one); I've only played Monster Hunter Rise, and those three aren't in Rise. I am aware that Monster Hunter is a different type of game; Monster Hunter revolves around the hunt as a gameplay loop, while Souls games are supposed to be about exploring a world, and less of the player's time is spent fighting bosses.
The answer is: basically all of them. Name one boss fight in DS3 where the boss fight doesn't revolve around memorizing the attack patterns and pressing dodge-roll at the right time. At least the Dancer was designed so its rhythm matches the song, so the player also keeping up with the song provides an advantage, but that's the only thing I can think of in any of the DS3 boss fights that goes beyond "roll when they attack, attack when they pause".
I don't dislike the dodge-rolling itself; I dislike dodge-rolling over and over again with the only variation in the fights being the specific attack pattern; an attack pattern which, after I memorize and beat the boss, I never have to think about ever again and that will never help me ever again unless another boss copies that attack pattern.
Suicide Squad isn't getting bad reception because it's a looter shooter; it's getting a bad reception because it's another live-service game. I don't know anyone who has a problem with the concept of a looter shooter in-of-itself; I do know a lot of people who are sick of live-service games for completely understandable reasons (Anthem, Avengers, Babylon's Fall, the list goes on).
Some of the flak is absolutely that it is a gear-based shooter. And while I get people's frustrations with live service games, some of us actually are in the market for a live service game, and there are currently only two successful live service looter shooters - one first, and one third - and that is not a good thing. It means there is no competition in the space. It means that no one who plays them has the luxury of nitpicking mechanics or finding games that might have a different setting or a different twist on the formula. That sucks.
(It is also a fact that Anthem did nothing that Destiny didn't shamelessly get away with.)
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Looter shooters are actually really fun, and I am sick of the scumbags who intentionally tank these games with negative PR before they're even out.
I was looking forward to Suicide Squad. But now it's been delayed, and now it's going to be dead on arrival whether it's good or not - just because a bunch of assholes on the internet arbitrarily decided they don't like these games, and they don't want anyone else to either.
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1 hour ago, Zapp Branniglenn said:
But beyond the most daring of challenge runners, there's so many more avenues to explore than Enemy Strength and an On/Off switch for permadeath. Fire Emblem has barely begun "appealing to broader audiences"
Dark Deity is a phenomenal example of what could be done for Fire Emblem. Imagine an FE game that allows you to turn on things like random recruitment order. It would exponentially increase replay value and open FE to the roguelike audience.
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3 minutes ago, Skyteppelin said:
Like trails from mister olivier here
Mmm, well, Trails honestly has as big of an old/new split as Fire Emblem does. Maybe moreso. Much like Fire Emblem, I enjoy both eras well enough, prefer the old, and mourn that improvements to gameplay came at a significant cost to writing quality.
(Absolutely cannot wait for the localization of the new arc with Kuro no Kiseki though. The new combat system looks great, and I like the new cast based on first impressions).
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58 minutes ago, Samz707 said:
If you don't like the new games, you are by default biased and nostalgia blinded.
I see this prevailing attitude a lot, and it is more toxic than almost anything the nostagic side of any fanbase can possibly throw out.
Almost anything, anyway. The nostalgia side of the Star Wars/Marvel/Disney discourse is beyond poisoned.
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I'd say the toxicity is all around, and for understandable reasons. It really is a zero-sum game, and one person getting what they want does delay or prevent someone else from getting what they want. The resources spent on a remake could have been put to a new game. A new game in the new style could have been done in a more traditional style. Three Hopes quite literally replaced a game that started as Fire Emblem Warriors 2.
I think, as ever, that there is a balance to be struck, and I don't think it's impossible to please both crowds. Dating sim mechanics have a place, but engaging with them should be totally optional, and easy to avoid. We can have a more serious story AND good map design, and it's unfortunate that we haven't been getting both. We can have spinoffs that respect all eras of FE, and we don't need nostalgia baiting in future mainline games. An artstyle can be colorful, majestic, and possible to take seriously all at once - you don't have to turn FE into a literal clownshoes farce just to add some color.
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While it would be hard to justify Engage transformation style mechanics on normal units going forward, I think that Emblem Tiki in particular provides a perfect solution to the shapeshifter problem. That is, that dragon/beast units have always felt like they are either handicapped by their human form without due compensation (non-royal Laguz), or are just regular units with rarer, more powerful weapons (manaketes/wolfskin/kitsune).
By taking the Engage meter into future games for dragon/beast units specifically, IS could effectively bring back the Laguz meter, but in a much improved form that is both balanced and fun.
Untransformed, these units could be below average (but still viable) units with slightly lower stats. They would have access to regular weapons, and could even have 1 untransformed skill, while normal characters might have 2 class skills always active. The transformed state could raise their stats, remove their access to normal weapons, give them a new set of claw/breath/tail/etc. attacks as Tiki does, and replace their 1 untransformed skill with 3 transformed skills (making them temporarily stronger than a normal unit). This would be done manually like Engages.
This implementation would not only mean that transformation is a powerful mechanic to use wisely, but that there would also be gameplay incentive to use a unit in their untransformed state. Giving the human form of these units access to bows, hand-axes, etc. means that the human forms of these units would be advantageous in certain situations, and that results in shifters being more strategically interesting units.
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I mean that's a nice change, but I only really care about things on the cosmetic side, and we're probably going to go without.
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So, if a Chrobin wielder chain attacks in someone else's combat, would Robin also chain attack?
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Sothe (Radiant Dawn)
The franchise's most unique Jeigan. Having the veteran character be a fast thief unit is a nice change of pace, he still does the job of weakening foes, he's a solid evasion tank, and his support mechanics with Mecaiah are a godsend.
Zelkov (Engage)
Slick animations, dodges everything, crits like a beast, and *emphasizes* his crits.
Nephenee (PoR/RD)
IS stopped bothering to represent lancers because they know they'll never make a better/cooler one than Nephenee.
Ike (PoR)
Great animations, has a 1-2 range sword for longer than most lords, looks cool, and has an iconic special attack.
Hector (Blazing Sword)
Hector turns regular Fire Emblem into a Warriors game.
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I think you're overvalueing Mt in general. I would consider Ike, Roy, and Tiki engravings to be among the worst.
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Bearing in mind that I have no experience with the character, but Kain Highwind is the Dragoon poster boy, and Dragoons may well be my favorite fantasy class. He just looks so freaking cool.
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Bearing in mind that I'm not actually a FF fan (the only game I ever liked was 7 Remake), I've got a weird answer here.
Ardyn. He's got all the hallmarks of what I'd consider a traditional fantasy twist main villain, but with a style, flair, and charisma to him that makes him fit right in with many of my favorite video game characters. I strongly feel that FF15 Kingsglaive may well be the only film adaptation superior to its game, and Ardyn is a great scenery-chewer in the movie.
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3 hours ago, DefyingFates said:Spoiler
I actually meant Alear's black fell dragon outfit from the past. It's less garish than their playable outfit because black serves as a grounding color.
But being able to use the fell Emblems as skins would also be welcome.
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New Game+
Keep unlocked bond rings
Keep sp and unlocked skills
Keep donations
Keep support ranks
Keep bond ranks
SpoilerUnlock Alear's Fell Dragon and Emblem hair & eye colors.
Unlock Fell Dragon costume recolor.
Cosmetics
Ability to wear any costume in any non-mounted class, including amiibo outfits.
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31 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:
Thanks for the input; I didn't think the questions were very well put either when I wrote them. Originally, I was going to have the topic just be about Metroid Prime Remastered before I decided to have it instead be about a much more broad topic.
I kind-of agree that remasters and remakes are very different things (the only reason for the "kind-of" is that "remaster" is very loosely defined); I lumped them in together because the question was more meant to be along the lines of, 'when a game gets re-released in a way meant to update/upgrade it, which do you consider more important?'
Regarding your examples of remakes, there is no Metroid Prime Remake; it's a remaster. Final Fantasy VII Remake, despite the name, isn't a remake either, as it's actually an alternate-timeline sequel. Speaking as someone who played it without ever having played a Final Fantasy game before, I can safely say that the developers not only didn't pretend FF7 doesn't exist, but actively assumed everyone playing FF7R has played the original, as anyone who hasn't played it would get lost the moment it starts involving timeline and "Arbiters of Fate" nonsense (I know I did). Also, the Crash N-Sane Trilogy added more than just QoL changes; it added new levels and restored levels that had been cut during the original games' developments.
Oh, I agree that it's a false dichotomy; my intent behind this topic was not to perpetuate the false dichotomy in any way (that's the reason I included more than two answers to the poll questions), but to invite discussion. Any mention of it as a supposed dichotomy was meant to only be in the form of 'this has commonly been presented and discussed as if it were a dichotomy'. Any suggestions for making that more clear?
Fair enough. To actually discuss the matter, I'm going to come down on the unpopular side here.
There is no argument that graphics and the quality of gameplay are correlated. There is a potential argument that maybe higher fidelity textures mean more work per piece of content, and if I had to pick, I'm picking the graphics. Not because I'm even a graphics snob, but because I think there is value in a game knowing when to end. A 30 hour game with pristine graphics may be preferable to a 100 hour game with mediocre graphics, and it's a matter of pacing. There's scarcely a 100 hour game out there that isn't padded to Hell in some fashion.
And this is especially true for a remake. More content doesn't inherently make a remake more enjoyable, and it's likely to feel tacked on. But the whole point of a remake is to experience a game again on modern hardware, and part of that is looking the part.
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Personally, I think the dichotomy of graphics and gameplay is nonsense. Bad games aren't bad because they look pretty, and I struggle to think of a game that was bad because they overinvested in graphics, other than maybe games on the Frostbite engine.
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4 minutes ago, Seazas said:
I was primarily talking about Rowan and Lianna. However for the current state of Engage, it's an unfortunate reality that Shez has nothing worth bringing with the limited emblem spots, 3 Houses is already the best represented game.
I mean, I certainly see where you're coming from on that one. But Three Houses is also only the best represented game because 3 lords are sharing a bracelet. Tellius gets 3 rings/bracelets (not that I'm complaining, because I'm frankly overjoyed at Tellius not being ignored for once).
Soooooo what'cha playing?
in General Gaming
Posted · Edited by Fabulously Olivier
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.