Fabulously Olivier
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Posts posted by Fabulously Olivier
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FF7R was one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played, despite me not being a FF fan to that point. I sure hope FF7Re will be even better.
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11 hours ago, Lightcosmo said:
Late, but my heart bleeds for you. MMBN1 is... really janky, clunky, slow and so forth.
2 is a godsend impovements-wise.
Look, uh, honestly, I don't hate it. I grew up with MMBN3 (don't remember if I had blue or white), but MMBN1 is fine, and toggling on Buster Max from time to time lets me bypass the worst parts of the game. It's definitely rough, but it basically created a whole new subgenre, and did an alright job of it.
Maybe that comes across weird after I savaged Diablo 2 Resurrected, but I'm having a 5/10 or better experience with MMBN, and I had a 2/10 experience with that overrated guff.
I guess since I'm responding anyway, I'll update with the rest of my month.
17. Halo 4
SpoilerCleared 1/23
7/10
343's Halo games get a really bad rep, and while I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either. The story is okay, the gunplay feels good. Though the lack of Infested is EXTREMELY disappointing, and half of the new Promethean guns and grenades feel bad to use.
Also, why must every 2nd Halo end in a barely functional vehicle mission? That end Starfox segment sucked hard.
18. Triangle Strategy - Utility RouteSpoilerCleared 1/25
8/10
Triangle Strategy is a special game with a great (if overly verbose and poorly paced) story, a strong artstyle, excellent tactical gameplay, a great soundtrack, and many distinct (if unbalanced) characters.
It's basically the answer to "what if Shining Force was modern, good, and also ripped off Path of Radiance's narrative wholesale."
19. Halo 5SpoilerCleared 1/27.
8/10
So, unpopular opinion here. This may be the most hated Halo, but I actually liked it. Does it reach the heights of 2 and 3? No. But it's barely less good than Reach. The story's pretty good, the gunplay is tight, and they even fixed the bad Promethean guns and grenades from Halo 4.
I guess I just don't care about the reasons people shit on this one. Why would I care if they changed the protagonist? It's first person. If they don't speak much, it doesn't matter if I'm playing John, Locke, or goddamn Leisure Suit Larry.
Still no Infested though. Disappointing.
20. Megaman Battle Network
SpoilerCleared 1/30
5/10, for-its-time weighted to 7/10
Incredibly unique gameplay, catchy soundtrack, deep card system, and rewarding progression. But also, lacks some pretty basic QoL like the ability to escape battles without a chip, no style changes, no ability to scrap bad hands, and so on.
I've put a few hours into Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth and it is so stupidly good. It stands a real chance of becoming the latest of my small handful of 10/10 ratings. Shame I'll be putting it down for a few months while Persona 3 Reload and Eiyuden Chronicles dominate my limited Xbox time.
I'm about 1/3rd done with Octopath 2. Amazing game.
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20 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:
I think that's more likely to be shown in a Nintendo Direct.
True. Warrior games have been rehabilitated to some extend since focusing on Nintendo characters and anime boys instead of obscure historical figures but they are still seen as pretty low brow.
Low brow is an unkind way of putting "intentionally entry level," but yes.
I'm of course only calling it as I think Sony sees it. Though the notion that The Last of Us and Ghost of Tsushima are somehow more high brow and culturally significant than Zelda, FE, and Persona is absurd nonsense to me.
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31 minutes ago, ciphertul said:
What are the chances of a new Musou?
I don’t really know what else to think outside of the major ones.
I'm gonna go with "much less likely than the February Direct, but not impossible." If it does, it's mainline DW or SW.
And I think we can entirely rule out the possibility of a Sony IP musou (God of Warriors, cough) for the forseeable future, because Sony views their titles as prestige games above that.
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Before I start, here was my entire 2023, favorites bolded.
Spoiler1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (1/14)
2. Samurai Warriors 4 (1/15)
3. Warriors Legends of Troy (1/16)
4. FF7R Episode Intermission (1/17)
5. Fire Emblem Engage (1/27)
6. 13 Sentinels (2/3)
7. Sakura Wars (2/10)
8. Triangle Strategy - Liberty (2/12)
9. Yakuza Judgement (2/23)
10. Spiderman (3/1)
11. Victor Vran (3/5)
12. Yakuza 0 (3/11)
13. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Golden Wildfire (3/12)
14. Yakuza Kiwami (3/19)
15. Hi Fi Rush (3/26)
16. Monster Hunter Stories 2 (3/30)
17. Yakuza Kiwami 2 (4/11)
18. Ghost of Tsushima (4/19)
19. Assassin's Creed Black Flag (4/29)
20. Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry (4/30)
21. Doom 2016 (5/6)
22. Yakuza 3 (5/7)
23. Assassin's Creed Unity (5/18)
24. Yakuza 4 (5/22)
25. Ratchet and Clank (5/27)
26. Immortals Fenyx Rising (6/12)
27. Oninaki (6/17)
28. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (6/22)
29. Yakuza 5 (6/26)
30. TMNT Shredder's Revenge (6/27)
31. Luigi's Mansion 3 (6/28)
32. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (6/30)
33. Dusk Diver (7/4)
34. Persona 5 Royal (7/7)
35. Outriders (7/9)
36. Infamous 2 (7/16)
37. For Honor (7/17)
38. Yakuza 6 (7/23)
39. Soul Hackers 2 (7/25)
40. Borderlands 3 (7/27)
41. Diablo 2 Resurrected (8/2)
42. Darksiders Warmastered (8/5)
43. Sunset Overdrive (8/6)
44. God of War Ascension (8/8)
45. Ryse Son of Rome (8/9)
46. Asura's Wrath (8/13)
47. Nier Automata - 2B (8/19)
48. God of War 2005 (8/20)
49. Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition (8/22)
50. Sacred 3 Gold (8/26)
51. Cassette Beasts (8/26)
52. God of War 2 (8/27)
53. Hogwarts Legacy (9/1)
54. Kingdom Hearts 3 (9/2)
55. Sea of Stars (9/9)
56. Fuga Melodies of Steel (9/9)
57. Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star (9/10)
58. Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart (9/17)
59. Ghostwire Tokyo (9/18)
60. Diablo Immortal (9/22)
61. Trials of Mana (9/24)
62. Lost Judgement (10/1)
63. Chained Echoes (10/3)
64. Infamous Second Son (10/6)
65. Fuga Melodies of Steel 2 (10/6)
66. Gotham Knights (10/13)
67. Neo The World Ends With You (10/16)
68. Titanfall 2 (10/17)
69. Yakuza Like a Dragon (10/17)
70. Kena Bridge of Spirits (10/19)
71. Like a Dragon Ishin (10/29)
72. Tomb Raider (11/1)
73. Torchlight III (11/3)
74. NieR Replicant ver 1.22474487139... (11/4)
75. Middle Earth: Shadow of War (11/5)
76. Sword and Fairy Together Forever (11/8)
77. Rise of the Tomb Raider (11/12)
78. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (11/12)
79. Torchlight Infinite (11/14)
80. Shadow of the Tomb Raider (11/17)
81. High on Life (11/17)
82. Assassin's Creed Rogue (11/19)
83. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (11/21)
84. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (11/25)
85. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (11/26)
86. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (12/03)
87. Uncharted Lost Legacy (12/04)
88. Dragon Age 2 (12/09)
89. Control (12/10)
90. Kirby Star Allies (12/23)Games Played and Paused in 2023:
Valkyria Chronicles
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth
Fire Emblem Fates Conquest
Games Played in 2023 and Quit Permanently:
Persona 5 Tactica
Doom Eternal
Vikings Wolves of Midgard
The Ascent
Watch Dog's 2
Dragon's Crown Pro
Now onto this year. 2024 is intended to be my landmark backlog year AFTER this month. This month was the last of my PS Plus subscription, so I got what value I could out of it.
1. Shadow of the Colossus
SpoilerCleared 1/1/24.
6 or 7/10. I could see this being a 9 for its time.
This was the fitting first game of a landmark year. A very important and influential game that I've never played. Did I like it? Yeah, mostly. Does it rank high in my all time favorites? No. Not even for its year given that 2005 was also the year of Guild Wars 1, Path of Radiance, and DMC3.
+ Gorgeous visuals
+ Somber atmosphere
+ Some fun bosses. Most are creative.
+ Well paced and short.
- Atrocious, borderline gamebreaking camera and controls, even in the remake.
- A couple colossi can and will permastunlock you if they land even one hit.
- The eel really triggered my thalassophobia. Like one of the worst cases ever.
- Some jumps are a pain in the ass.
2. Jedi SurvivorSpoilerCleared 1/1/24.
8/10
Overall a bit weaker than the first, but good anyway.
The combat, Uncharted style platforming, and visual customization remain strong. The two new weapon styles are a welcome addition.
The story and planet selection are IMO weaker than the first game. The story does pick up, but it basically peaks at Coruscant, falls off for the whole middle, then peaks again.
Also, I respect any Soulslike with difficulty settings. Seriously, thank you for not being an asshole.
3. Odin Sphere LeifthrasirSpoilerCleared 1/1/24.
6 or 7/10
The art, story and combat are great. The structure is so bloated and repetitive that I can honestly only recommend this if you're able and willing to spread routes out by months.
4. Alan Wake RemasteredSpoilerCleared 1/1/24.
5/10
Not scary. Just annoying, occassionally cheap. Pretentious, cheesy drivel. I'd call it gaming's equivalent of The Room, but Quantic Dream has that locked down.
5. Batman: Arkham KnightSpoilerCleared 1/1/24.
A godawful 2/10 Batmobile game that occassionally lets you play a 9/10 Arkham game.
Also, to those on Reddit who told me that the Batmobile doesn't appear that much in the main story, you're objectively wrong. Play the game again. It's used in basically every mission, and comprises every bad moment in the game.
6. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy OriginSpoilerCleared 1/1/24.
8/10. Sometimes feels like a 9.
You know how last year, I said Gotham Knights was a game made to personally disappoint me? A game that has everything I like, but objectively sucks? Well, this is the opposite. A game I wanted to hate because Koei went with a Final Fantasy Soulslike over a Final Fantasy Warriors. And yet the combat, so-bad-it's-good story, class system, pacing, and loot really made me dig it. But also, make FF Warriors, you cowards.
7. Evil WestSpoilerCleared 1/7/24.
Devil May Cry and Dark Watch had a 7/10 lovechild and that's all I need to say.
8, 8a, 8b, 8c. Final Fantasy 15 (including DLC episodes)SpoilerCleared 1/7 and 1/8.
7/10
Moments of storytelling, character, and cinematic greatness concentrated mostly at the back end of a mediocre and deeply boring open world road trip with bad combat. Honestly, this game is comprised of so many bad ideas that it's a wonder it's even decent.
9. CelesteSpoilerCleared 1/9.
I cheated with the assist mode on all the way because I have no aptitude for 2D platformers. So while I absolutely respect the game for letting me do that, I won't be scoring it due to a lack of qualifications to judge its game design.
Nevertheless, the story, vibes, and soundtrack were a good use of 2 and a half hours of my time. I could see where someone would really find this special.
10. GigabashSpoilerCleared 1/13.
7/10
The 4 story modes were a fun use of 3 hours of my time. The soundtrack is good. The combat is pleasantly fast compared to other kaiju brawlers. There's plenty of modes.
11. LittleBigPlanet 3SpoilerCleared 1/13.
4/10
Creative visuals and vibes don't really make up for mediocre and often frustrating gameplay. And honestly, can we please stop using lives.
12. A Plague Tale InnocenceSpoilerCleared 1/13.
7/10
Good story. Tense and depressing atmosphere. Frustrating combat. Puzzle segments are more fun than stealth ones.
13. Halo: Combat EvolvedSpoilerCleared 1/14.
5/10. Time weighted to 7/10
That's right, I never played Halo. I only ever beat 2 and 3.
And.... it's aged like fine milk. Confusingly repetitive map design, levels that feel like they drag due to copy pasted segments. WAY too many grenade deaths. Way too much fall damage. Bland corridor shooter gameplay.
Halo 2 is definitely one of the most improved sequels of all time.
14. Soulcalibur VISpoiler1/14
7/10
Another fun fighting game story mode to clear. Fun, simple gameplay, a good roster, great character creator, and a vaguely enjoyable narrative.
15. Halo ReachSpoilerCleared 1/17
8/10
Some of the mission design is questionable, but the story, tragic tone, gunplay, and soundtrack are all great as usual.
16. Halo 3 ODST
SpoilerCleared 1/20
7/10
Pretty skippable Halo honestly. Feels like a side story, but it's short, generally well paced, and has all of the positive Halo qualities.
I've put about 20 hours into Baldur's Gate 3 and it is mindblowingly good. But with Persona 3 Reload dropping on Gamepass, it's going on ice for a while.I tried to get into Resident Evil with RE2 Remake and I just couldn't. Survival horror isn't for me.
I put a little time into Sackboy's Big Adventure, and while it's reasonably good, I put it on ice until I renew my subscription in the future. It's the sort of game I'd play for a few minutes once and a while, not for hours.
I also picked up the Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection, and started playing MMBN1.
On the New Year's Resolution, I haven't progressed much. I've cleared the shortest game on the list (SotC), while also clearing 3/4 of my 3rd Triangle Strategy Run. I am playing Octopath Traveler 2 now, so that's another one.
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Smartest - Claude, Yuri
Dumbest - Celica, Shez, Rowan
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My observation is that this correlation tends to happen because the best games are the ones likely to draw in new people, whether that be through impressive footage or positive word of mouth. No one sees something, and says "that looks like shit, I'mma try it."
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2nd Story R has a demo
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7 hours ago, Imuabicus der Fertige said:
Xenoblade combat is bad in general, in 2 u could just roll credits after Mythra arrives and dropkicks all content down the stairwell.
A whinefest about existence with a touch of all according to keikaku, wrapped in 2 button combat is what it is and they knew that wasnt enough.
I guess that's subjective and I can see why one would reasonably think that.
Personally, I think NieR Automata is overrated. It's fine. It's not one of the best games ever like people say it is. It's Platinum's best game by a significant margin, but (hot take) that isn't saying much.
NieR Replicant is, again, a sleep aid. It literally put me to sleep.
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1 hour ago, Integrity said:
it's weird to me that every time i see someone express that exact sentiment, always really smugly for some reason, they always pick some silly figure like 20 hours. actually, they seem to usually pick precisely 20 hours. peculiar.
i prefer to take the hardline stance of if a game isn't immediately good as soon as i gain control, it is actually just bad. nier automata's shit, and everyone who likes it is undergoing some mass hysteria. no i haven't played past the tutorial, why
e: i do agree with the guy but only precisely in the case of warframe, and for no other game
I question this.
NieR Automata doesn't actually take time to get good. It just is what it is from the start and you peal off more layers. If you don't love it at the end of 2B's story, you're not going to love it in 9S's story.
Now, NieR Replicant is actually just bad.
Where I agree with you is that generally, if a game takes many hours to get good, it isn't actually a good game. Pacing matters.
I don't agree that Warframe actually takes time to get good. It gets better, but it's ALWAYS good. The shooting is always good. The parkour is always good. The content is .... always good as long as you're sticking with the linear missions the game was actually designed for, and not say, Archwing or the open world guff.
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18 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:
It be between Tears of the Kingdom and Octopath Traveler II. Between those....yeah its Octopath.
-Not so with Octopath which isn't just like its predecessor but an improvement in literally every single way. The playable characters are better, their stories are better, the stories are tied far stronger to the ending than the original and the obnoxious grind from the original is mostly gone. Its just a great game from start to (almost) finish with no significant flaws to speak of.
The worldbuilding isn't really special but I think the idea of a mostly pre industrial west and an upcoming industrial revolution from the east is a fun idea. Meanwhile the story keeps the very novel low stakes that I think are a boon to both Octopath and Triangle Strategy. Its refreshing to mostly fight bandits, evil industrialists, evil nobles, rogues and other misfits rather than yet another evil cult and yet another evil god. Both of those things may be present but they're mostly in the background until the end. I think the cast should also get some credit for not being quite your average collection of prettyboys and cute girls. Overall they're a little older than average and not scared to be a scruffy redneck like best boy Partitio or an ''over the hill'' lady like Agnea. Surprisingly the most obvious prettyboy is the oldest of them all. The villains all seem better incorporated too. In the Original most villains only really showed up at the end while in Octopath they tend to be important figures in the travelers story one way or another.
You know, I actually liked Octopath 1's characters, and don't think they needed improving on, other than their lack of conversation/involvement with eachother. I loved Cyrus, and Alfin and Tressa were really endearing as well. The dancer being a vengeful assassin was also an excellent twist that made her the standout of the cast.
I'll probably go with Osvald as my starter in this one, just like Cyrus was in the first. Not because mages are my favorite or anything, but because my other choice was Partitio and all indications from my research lean towards hin being the worst starter and Osvald being one of the better ones.
But yeah, I'm looking forward to it. It'll be pretty high on the backlog.
6 hours ago, Imuabicus der Fertige said:Baller´Gate of the Third Incarnation be ballin` but it´s just another rpg at the end of the day, no amount of weird shit be fixing that.
"Just an RPG" is a weird statement. RPGs are the most ambitious game genre other than MAYBE grand/4X strategy. "Just a ..." sounds like something one would say about a rail shooter or some other hopelessly outdated genre like that.
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6 hours ago, Imuabicus der Fertige said:
Games dont get better after 20 hours, you are just getting accustomed to the filth.
Nah. Some games actually don't gain enough mechanics or stop tutorializing until so many hours in.
Xenoblade 2 legitimately does not get even decent until after a certain character death, because that's when they start rolling in the big elemental combos. The combat system is too shallow without them.
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So, I haven't actually played enough 2023 games to judge.
Fire Emblem Engage is everything I want from Fire Emblem gameplay, and nothing of what I want from any other aspect of Fire Emblem.
I've played Hi Fi Rush and it was amazing.
I've played Sea of Stars and it was also great.
Fuga Melodies of Steel 2 was an even better JRPG than Sea of Stars.
Hogwarts Legacy started great, but it gets bland and bloated.
Just finished Jedi Survivor and it is great, but less so than Fallen Order.
I've put about 10 hours into Baldur's Gate 3 and it's mindblowing. Just not far enough in to know where it stands in my lifetime rankings.
I got TotK and Octopath 2 for Christmas but haven't played them yet. I got dad FF16 and also haven't played it yet.
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Guild Wars, Yakuza, Persona, Mass Effect, The Witcher, Trails, Ys, and Warriors.
There's also franchises like Xenoblade, Final Fantasy, God of War, and Shin Megami Tensei that I could grow really attached to if they keep up the quality/direction of their most recent entries.
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Not really. It certainly holds true for my favorite Fire Emblem, but I was actually able to go back and re-examine it now to confirm it was in fact the best.
It does not, for example, hold true for my favorite Pokemon (gen 3), favorite Uncharted (3), Devil May Cry (5), Assassin's Creeds (2 and Syndicate), favorite musous (FEW, FEW3H, OPPW3), Xenoblade (3), Trails (Sky 2) or Final Fantasy (which never really clicked until 7 Remake). None of these were my first.
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5 minutes ago, Integrity said:
?? i really liked the first. i said it looked like crap and had terrible writing, but the entire core gameplay system set impressed me. they've got better art direction and a new writer for the sequel. i "savaged" both the other indie srpg chaos emeralds far harder than dark deity
Ah fair. I guess I just took the writing and art criticisms as a larger part of the review than they actually were.
I do have some high hopes for Dark Deity 2, but I honestly have enough SRPGS in my backlog that I can afford to "patient-gamers" it. Of course there's more Triangle Strategy, but I've also gotta play Disgaea 5 and Utawarerumono. And force myself to eventually finish Valkyria Chronicles. Probably gonna get dad Disgaea 7 at some point as well so that'll be another big one for the backlog.
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Just now, Integrity said:
i have exactly three games i am pumped as fuck for next year and they are warhammer 40,000 space marine 2, dark deity 2, and menace
there's the outside shot that stalker 2 actually happens next year but i'm not betting on it
Dark Deity 2 surprises me honestly given how hard you savaged the first.
I've got:
Metaphor Re Fantazio
Persona 3 Reload
Eiyuden Chronicle
Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Unicorn Overlord
Dragon's Dogma 2
Path of Exile 2
Titan Quest 2
Trails Through Daybreak
Ys X Nordics
Visions of Mana
Helldivers 2
Exodus
Avowed
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2 minutes ago, Integrity said:
i resolve to get pumped as fuck to play warhammer 40,000 space marine 2
There is so, so much I'm looking forward to next year. So much more than my gaming budget. I mean, I have 15 games on my most anticipated list right now, and almost all of them are premium JRPGs.
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13 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:
I think the character design of Xenoblade 2''s optional cast compare especially poorly when contrasted against those of Xenoblade 3.
The Blade system in 2 has no limitations. Characters can literally be anything but most often the Blades are the same bunch of conventionally(or not so conventionally in the furry's case) bankable waifus.
The Heroes system in Xenoblade 3 on the other hand is full of limitations. Characters are set by default as to being unable to be older than 20, they always have to be millitary officials of one of either nation with their color scheme already determined by that. Yet this bunch of heavily restricted characters end up being far more unique than the Blades who had all the freedom in the world. They didn't even use the age limitation to make everyone a conventionally attractive teenager through the use of exception or to make some of these ''teenager'' look more mature than teens typically are.
Uh, Gray and Triton are a lot older than 20.
And it's really just a difference in art quality. Xenoblade 2 represents the eclectic and transparently pandering art design of a gacha game, and IIRC blades are designed by a bunch of different artists with no cohesive art style. If it was an intentional parody or critique of gacha trash, I'd almost respect it. Almost. But that's giving it way too much credit and it's pretty much just the thing it's mimicking without a paywall. They couldn't even be bothered to iron out the mechanical annoyances of bad gacha pulls.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 heroes are really meant as full extra party members, and most of them really knock it out of the park.
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So before I start on 2024, here were my 2023 gaming resolutions.
Spoiler* Clear at least 20 games (last year I managed 23). Each route of a multiroute game counts separately unless it's just an ending branch.
* Clear Xenoblade Chronicles 3
* Clear Fire Emblem Engage
* Clear at least one additional route of Triangle Strategy
* Clear at least the story modes for at least 3 Warriors games.
SpoilerI fulfilled all of these. I blasted past my overall goal of 20 at 90 games. I cleared Xenobladr Chronicles 3 and Fire Emblem Engage. I cleared the liberty route of Triangle Strategy. And I cleared the following Warriors story modes - Golden Wildfire, Warriors of Troy, Samurai Warriors 4, and Fate Extella the Umbral Star.
So now, onto 2024.
I'm not focused on quantity this year, so I'll keep the same easily achievable 20 minimum threshold. I'll probably blow past it again by intention or not.
I want to clear an additional route of Triangle Strategy. Any other routes of multi-route games are desirable, but extra.
Due to how many excellent (and in some cases extremely long) games I'm tackling, I'm only going to set a goal of one Warriors story mode or postgame completion, and there's a lot of really good options I haven't finished. Like Hyrule Warriors DE, the excellent postgame of Pirate Warriors 3, and Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate.
Mostly, I'm focused on clearing many of the huge landmark games I've never beaten or in some cases never even played. These include:
The Witcher 3
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Shadow of the Colossus
Breath of the Wild
Tears of the Kingdom
God of War 3
Spiderman Miles Morales
Final Fantasy 16
Octopath Traveler 2
Dragon's Dogma
Path of Exile
(Baldur's Gate 3 was absolutely going to be on there, but I can't guarantee a finish. I'll be playing it gradually on the Xbox, and it'll be competing with Persona 3 Reload and Eiyuden Chronicles on Gamepass.)
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23 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:
Oh so much. I'm not down on xenoblade 2 at all but its got some of the lowest hanging fruit you can imagine. Like a naked furry lady with gigantic personalities.
Her fruits do indeed hang low, yes.
If we're being totally real, Fire Emblem's fanservice is tame by JRPG standards, especially compared to that.
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What I will say is that Xenoblade 1 is only impressive in context. It has a strong narrative by JRPG standards, but it gets as much respect as it does because it was basically a fully fledged single player MMO... on the Wii of all consoles. Viewing even the remaster from a modern lens, the combat is pretty bad, and the quest design is every bit as bland and dull as your average MMO.
The same can be said of X. It's only impressive because it was basically trying to be a full MMO on the Wii U. A stupid, brave goal that it is only partially successful at. I respect the ambition.
2 is a cringe factory.
3 is actually so impressive that it dethroned Three Hopes as my GOTY 2022. It takes a lot to overcome that kind of positive bias.
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So, December was a month that was heavy on plays, light on clears. And that's by design. The OCD part of my brain wants to end the year on a nice milestone number, and it's hard to have a better one than 90. I don't think I, for example, have it in me to do 95. Especially because I lost a few days to a bad flu in there. But I have plenty near-completion that will give me a nice little first month boost in 2024.
86. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (12/03)
9/10
Spoiler+ Epic setpieces
+ Greatly improved character work
+ Strong story
+ Solid gunplay. I personally think it's a slight step down from 3 though.
+ No longer disables all trophies on the lowest difficulty. Thank you for respecting my values as a gamer.
- Length overstays its welcome a bit.
- Not a fan of the vehicular exploration loop they added.
87. Uncharted Lost Legacy (12/04)7/10
Spoiler+ Epic setpieces
+ Solid gunplay
+ Solid story and chara.cter work
+ Short and generally well paced in a good way.
- Act 2 with the driving to tombs on opposite sides of the map... sucks.
- I don't think the franchise can really work without Nate. Chloe is great and all, but she's not carrying the insufferable Nadine.
88. Dragon Age 2 (12/09)7/10
SpoilerYep. I have previously never finished a Dragon Age other than Origins. To be fair, Origins is also the only must-play in the franchise.
+ Compelling enough story, with a big choice to make. (It's very much a step down from both the quality and the agency of Origins though).
+ Compelling build system for skill trees.
+ Some of the companions are actually delightful. Varric and Merrill specifically. Anders is also appropriately well written, love him or hate him.
- Honestly, both of the Warrior companions (not counting the sibling no one picks) are boring, unlikeable assholes. Especially Fenris. Literally how do you even please Fenris without pissing off everyone who actually matters?
- Environments are drab and lacking in variety.
- The scope of the game just feels really small, even though the game isn't actually short.
89. Control (12/10)8/10
Spoiler+ Strong gunplay
+ Weird, interesting story
+ Awesome visuals, destructible objects, and physics system.
- Excessive difficulty, though the slider settings helped a lot. I quickly dropped damage taken to half, then tried to halve it again (only to find that I was now literally invincible). I was having more fun with literal invincibility than dying constantly, so fuck it. It stayed that way.
- Where is my burst fire gun? Stop leaving out my three-round burst.
- Navigation is occassionally really bad.
90. Kirby Star Allies
7/10
SpoilerA solid, inoffensive, short family platformer. This is one that I've kind of played in very short bursts over years when I had opportunities to co op it with my brother. That's why I bought it, really. He loves his platformers, and now that we've cleared it, I'm handing it off to him so he can co op with his friends.
+ Can't go wrong with the casual Kirby platformer gameplay loop. It's pretty unique among platformers for how forgiving it is.
+ Copy powers are as fun as ever.
+ The co-op experience is fun. The fully playable co op movesets like Metaknight and Dedede also really help give other players a good time.
- The game is very short. You can definitely expand it with collectibles if you care about that though. (I don't.)
I am also playing Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger of Paradise, Batman Arkham Knight, Alan Wake, A Plague Tale Innocence, Shining Force, Odin Sphere, and Dragon's Crown.
And I've put a little time into Warframe and Diablo 3, which are my preferred long term time wasters. I am SO glad to have cross saves now. My Warframe account has been trapped on my 8+ year old computer for a long time now.
And that's 2023 wrapped up.
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1 hour ago, Fire Emblem Fan said:
Xenoblade isn't really all that great. All three are pretty run-of-the-mill JRPGs, with the second one being the worst and close to what I'd call a mediocre game.
I for one think Xenoblade 3 is an S-tier JRPG, but I get why someone might think the franchise isn't great.
Xenoblade 2 is absolutely mediocre. A significantly below average JRPG even.
Now on the topic of JRPG franchises that aren't that great... Kingdom Hearts. Even at its best, it's B tier, and at its worst, it's just dreadful.
Guest characters in fighting games other than Smash
in General Gaming
Posted · Edited by Fabulously Olivier
Some guests I know of:
Soul Calibur is known for guest characters. It usually has 2 per game.
Warriors Orochi features crossovers from Team Ninja games (Ryu Hyabusa, Sterkenberg from Atelier), and WO3U also features Sophitia from Soul Calibur.
Dante is in SMT3 Nocturne
Injustice 2 has ninja turtles, Hell Boy and (too many) Mortal Kombat characters.
Guests I want:
If Injustice 3 happens, I want the Power Rangers, Spawn, and Omniman.
For the next Soul Calibur game, I think Ike, Ichiban Kasuga, Jin Sakai, Dante, and Kratos would be amazing guests.