Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

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Nintendo releases a decade-old game with overall minor improvements. Charges $60.

Sega releases a decade-old game with overall minor improvements and possibly extra content. Charges $40.

[Armagon]

5 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

 

Glad to see Japan jumping on the "think Mark" meme.

Now to remind y'all to go watch Invincible (if you're fine with gore).

4 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Japanese video game sales for the week ending on the 23rd came in. Guess what game took the top spot?

1. [NSW] Rune Factory 5 (Marvelous, 05/20/21) – 102,853 (New) 

And this, despite releasing only on the 20th. Slow week or not, this seems promising for the franchise's continued future.

This does put a smile on my face.

I think with Japan now being in it's third lockdown, a slow-paced, chill game like this would benefit from sales. Much like how New Horizons benefitted from releasing at the start of the lockdowns.

As a side note, at least going by the game's OP, but it feels like Rune Factory 5 has the energy of "we're finally back guys" and that could contribute to some post-purchase hype, leading to others buying it. I mean, the RF5 OP is unlike anything from the previous games.

4 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

It's not like i blame Kaga

no, i understand him

the S in me also find girls in chains hot

4 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to fantasizing about tall girls putting me in chains.

4 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I saw a few comments whining about technical performance or glitches, but to be honest, these games were never flawless in this regard. As long as it's fine outside of a densely packed screen of monsters, I'm good.

True. I also hear some of the loading times are slower compared to RF4 but RF4 was a game on 3DS where all the areas were pngs.

4 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Damnit, fanservice has even infiltrated a good game!

Dread it. Run from it. Fanservice still arrives.

4 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And a slight bit more Rune Factory sales data, someone commented, I'm not sure of their source, the following first-week Japanese sales for each prior RF.:

[NDS] Rune Factory 1 - 39k
[NDS] Rune Factory 2 - 56k
[Wii] Rune Factory Frontier - 18k
[NDS] Rune Factory 3 - 44k
[Wii] Rune Factory Oceans - 10k
[PS3] Rune Factory Oceans - 26k
[3DS] Rune Factory 4 - 88k
[SWI] Rune Factory 4 - 37k

So RF5 is the highest by a little over ten thousand, a positive sign.

Man, the other 3D Rune Factories didn't do so well, did they?

At least the first week.

[Acacia Sgt]

4 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Man, the other 3D Rune Factories didn't do so well, did they?

At least the first week.

From what I looked up, they all released on Thursday. So those figures are from three-day week sales. So that could explain the lower than expected numbers.

Though yes, they're lower than the main series ones.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Acacia Sgt

[Codename Shrimp]

Quote

Ah, my bad, my bad. I totally forgot. I turn into a guy at nighttime. Nice. To.
  Meet'cha.

 

[Armagon]

2 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

From what I looked up, they all released on Thursday. So those figures are from three-day week sales. So that could explain the lower than expected numbers.

Rune Factory 5 also released on a Thursday but that does make sense.

[Acacia Sgt]

3 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

 

Oh, hi there, Eater. Yes, that's how most render the Katakana.

Ahchacha, she/he is an interesting character, but that'd be telling. At least, I think it is brought up in-game. Definitely in the supplemental material, though.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Acacia Sgt

[Codename Shrimp]

Hi there Gate nuked by Kylier.

And for once, we play as Cult-kun!

Edited May 28, 2021 by Shrimperor

[Acacia Sgt]

Gate and like one sixth or fifth of Flarewerck. That kinda gets glossed over, no.

[Codename Shrimp]

2 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

Gate and like one sixth or fifth of Flarewerck. That kinda gets glossed over, no.

I mean, Yggdra and Co. take care of the rest xD

[Codename Shrimp]

Oh hi there Old Ghost!

I hope you enjoyed Yggdra's Water express^^

And a beard for Ruben, too

Edited May 28, 2021 by Shrimperor

[Acacia Sgt]

Still has both eyes.

He has yet to trade one for infinite knowledge.

[Lightcosmo]

2 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

Nintendo releases a decade-old game with overall minor improvements. Charges $60.

Sega releases a decade-old game with overall minor improvements and possibly extra content. Charges $40.

Nintendo in a nutshell. The only thing that could possibly compete in terms of being overpriced is their online. Xd

[Interdimensional Observer]

Stopped at the ruined Lost Summoner Village. Leaving the Mist Continent has been feeling like how FFVII felt after getting out of Midgar, a mid-game slowdown, the heroes aren't rushing anywhere, you could say it's aimless. Not that that is wholly a bad thing, considering how driven and narrow the end to the early Mist Continent adventures were.

Eiko kinda surprised me, I remember her portrait on promotional art now, and I realized the game had room for eight characters on the shop menu, but I had actually forgotten this little girl whose name I didn't remember. I thought Mr. Looks Like Yuga And Is Most Definitely An FF Monk-Ninja would join up next, why are the shops selling claws and throwable weapons that must be his? Will be interesting to hear him explain more of Zidane's past. Considering this game hasn't let me rotate in and out characters yet, it's always taken someone away (why can't I rotate in Quina ATM?), I'm thinking that to get Mr. Monk that I'll lose Garnet again soon, or Vivi, because I'm surprised Vivi hasn't been subject to a major temporary leave yet. They're keeping him around and keep him relevant, troubling the innocent Black Mage boy with more little sights and thoughts for what dialogue suggests is someone less than a year-old. Maybe Zidane could take a break for a slight twist, the game hasn't had a problem with minor departures from controlling him. And when are Steiner and Freyja going to be coming back from their vacation with Lady General Leo? If Steiner ends up returning the same level I left him at, he is going to be rusty indeed.

And to speak of Eiko again, she seems the most "anime" of the cast with her little girl behavior, although some maturity I can tell, which is a fair counterbalance. Gameplay-wise, I was at first distraught to see she was so lacking in Abilities, but she has caught up surprisingly fast, not entirely there yet, but I did a lot of fighting trying to find those stones you need to put into the one spot in the Mountain Pass, and she is almost there. I wasn't sure what role she'd have, another Summoner-White Mage seems redundant, except Garnet still doesn't have Cura! I could earlier discern that Garnet doesn't have room for all four of Full Life, Esuna, Auto Life (assuming it isn't exclusive to Quina), and Holy, whereas Eiko I recognize as having space available to fit everything. The game intentionally misleads you early on into thinking Garnet is a White Mage with Summoner abilities as an extra (although it's also a matter of narrative denying her early summons), but I can clearly see that by the time I get to the game's end, she'll be the real "Red Mage", with summons for her offense and most white magics for support. Eiko is the true White Mage, with four summons for a pinch of magical hurt (and Phoenix will be supportive a good panic button). Eiko is to Quina's loss, since she makes White Wind that much comparatively worse, and their Blue Magic arsenal is very gimmicky as is the norm.

Although the game is far from over, I do think that FFIX benefits from not trying to be cutting edge. Its narrative isn't the most dramatic, the gameplay not the most experimental, the graphics not obsessed with being the finest in the world. The game still looks clean, it makes a few gameplay changes, and it is hasn't given up on the story yet. It's a game attempting to be something good, not endeavoring to some herculean goal of producing emotions in players that transcend the human existence. This is helping IX, although I can't describe exactly how it manifests in the game itself, all I can say is that it does.

 

2 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

Nintendo releases a decade-old game with overall minor improvements. Charges $60.

Sega releases a decade-old game with overall minor improvements and possibly extra content. Charges $40.

And Atlus, now part of Sega, has released an 18 years-old game with minor improvements for $50. Plus paid DLC with minor benefits that add up to $25.

Although, Atlus had a history of frequent sales on the 3DS, they could do that again with the Switch. Nintendo... a sale once a year for a game if you're lucky.

 

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

As a side note, at least going by the game's OP, but it feels like Rune Factory 5 has the energy of "we're finally back guys" and that could contribute to some post-purchase hype, leading to others buying it. I mean, the RF5 OP is unlike anything from the previous games.

I haven't watched the game's opening trailer yet, but I did see some people say they love it. I thought some people said it had Jojo vibes.

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

Man, the other 3D Rune Factories didn't do so well, did they?

At least the first week.

You'd think the ever-popular Wii and RPG-friendly PS3 would lead to higher sales than that. But, at the end of the day, RF is niche and made by a smaller developer without AAA resources. Rune Factory I'm getting some impression of potentially undergoing the Persona effect and overtaking the mother franchise in popularity and profits, though I do not know the likelihood of this actually happening. A breakout hit could mean a serious bump in developmental assets for the next title. 

Since Dolphin is both Dolphin & Revolution, you technically could run Frontier and Tides of Destiny (I do prefer the Japanese "Oceans" moniker, ToD is wordier and the adjective means nothing to the game). Knowing your old computer had trouble with Xenosaga however, I wouldn't want your current one to turn into a baked potato.

[Acacia Sgt]

Oh, Steiner and Freya certainly got the short end when it comes to first half game availability.

Don't worry if Steiner returns at same level. He gets a chance to catch up should you wish to grind for it. Freya sadly has it worse.

[Acacia Sgt]

Heck, if anything coming back lagging in levels is a good thing.

Since stat gains are determined by your equipment upon leveling up. Or at least that's how I've noticed it works. Though you may or not have the gear with the needed stat boosts for it, considering how you gave up on Stealing everything.

[Acacia Sgt]

It's kinda like FFVI. You wouldn't want to level up too much before getting the good stat-boosting equipment. Though by then we're talking of being practically at the end of the game, as the process isn't as simple as VI's Esper system.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Acacia Sgt

[Interdimensional Observer]

9 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

It's kinda like FFVI. You wouldn't want to level up too much before getting the good stat-boosting equipment. Though by then we're talking of being practically at the end of the game, as the process isn't as simple as VI's Esper system.

...Why'd they bring back this kind of counterintuitive stuff? What is it good for? It's almost as bad as VIII's "never level up once for the easiest possible experience outside of a few situations" problem.

Well, I'll remove the EXP-boosting passive then from everyone using it and put the magic stones into different skills. But otherwise, I won't bother going out of my way to avoid battles. Knowing this garbage makes the experience worse if you let it get to you.

[Acacia Sgt]

4 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

...Why'd they bring back this kind of counterintuitive stuff? What is it good for? It's almost as bad as VIII's "never level up once for the easiest possible experience outside of a few situations" problem.

Well, I'll remove the EXP-boosting passive then from everyone using it and put the magic stones into different skills. But otherwise, I won't bother going out of my way to avoid battles. Knowing this garbage makes the experience worse if you let it get to you.

I mean, the game is quite doable to play passively. It's not like you'd really need to min-max. It matters more the equipment itself and the skills you learn from them than the stat gains they give you on level ups. With how the formula works, it takes several levels to get a stat gain anyway. Well, it goes faster if the stat boost is higher. Like, if you need X levels if your equipment is giving you +1 Strength in order for the base Strength to go up, then +2 cuts the number down, and so on. But again, it's not as critical. You can just play as you go without worrying too much about that.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Acacia Sgt

[Interdimensional Observer]

1 minute ago, Acacia Sgt said:

I mean, the game is quite doable to play passively. It's not like you'd really need to min-max. It matters more the equipment itself and the skills you learn from them than the stat gains they give you on level ups. With how the formula works, it takes several levels to get a stat gain anyway. Well, it goes faster if the stat boost is higher. Like, if you need X levels if your equipment is giving you +1 Strength in order for the base Strength to go up, then +2 cuts the number down, and so on. But again, it's not as critical. You can just play as you go without worrying too much about that.

I understand that I can, and I will. I regret playing VIII with the low-level mindset, it damaged the experience. This does seem like something that'd benefit an Excalibur II run, since the time crunch being tight should equate to strict limitations on encounters.

All I'm saying is that this is strange. Why should equipment entirely invisibly no heads-up for the player, affect leveling at all?

[Acacia Sgt]

I guess since it's basically a bonus. Stats still go up the normal way, now that I went to double check. But yeah, with equipment, they can go a bit higher. Since even the overall gains from level ups isn't as high as in other games.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Acacia Sgt

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Zan Partizanne

[Armagon]

Man, I remember when I said to myself that I would finish Cold Steel 4 today and then the final dungeon said "several hours long".

For the record, I started my play session at like 9:30 PM and it's only just now at 1 in the morning that I'm near the end of the final dungeon. Which means I'll leave this for tomorrow.

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I thought some people said it had Jojo vibes.

I'd say more Persona myself, at least the first few seconds. I know the meme is "haha this was inspired by Persona 5" but those opening seconds actually did give off that vibe.

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Rune Factory I'm getting some impression of potentially undergoing the Persona effect and overtaking the mother franchise in popularity and profits, though I do not know the likelihood of this actually happening.

Too early to say but while SoS' latest instalment was received with rather lackluster reception, RF5 is being met with much more praise. This isn't the same situation as Persona overtaking SMT, as both franchises have been consistently held in high regard but it could be a factor here.

1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Since Dolphin is both Dolphin & Revolution, you technically could run Frontier and Tides of Destiny (I do prefer the Japanese "Oceans" moniker, ToD is wordier and the adjective means nothing to the game).

Honestly, I don't know how far back I'd go. I'd like to give Rune Factory 3 a shot but anything older than that....

[Saint Rubenio]

8 hours ago, Spara said:

You can always tell a TF2 player apart from the crowd with how much time they are willing to spend admiring hats. 

"Yes, my favorite FE character is Wendell, why?"

6 hours ago, Armagon said:

Glad to see Japan jumping on the "think Mark" meme.

Now to remind y'all to go watch Invincible (if you're fine with gore).

Youtube recommendations spoiled me the entire first season before you had a chance to even begin to talk about it here.

Quote

You know, the last time someone said that to me, I activated an army of battle robots under their base.

Actually, it was pretty hilarious. The first time I ran into the Legion's HQ, I was taken captive and asked to go into an underground base for them. I didn't really get what they wanted from me down there, but I did know the last thing I wanted was to help them at all, so I slaughtered the guards watching me, then used their equipment as a disguise, even though I was a woman with green hair that stood out like a sore thumb and both my companions didn't wear disguises, because Bethesda is a great game-making company. Using this and what I'm pretty sure was a bug (if I spoke to the boatman to leave the island, I had the platinum chip taken from me... but by clicking on the gate, I just... sort of left on my own, I guess I just swam back to the shore?), I broke the sequence of events and escaped with the platinum chip.

Fast-forward a bunch of hours later. Imagine my face when I was asked by Yes Man to activate an army of robots to aid us in our world conquest and I discovered that the army of robots was, in fact, the thing that the Legion wanted me to destroyed, so not only had I wasted my time by escaping, I had to go back.

So yeah, that's been story time with Ruben, for no other reason than I saw a New Vegas quote and felt like sharing it. I can also tell you about the time I aided a deranged lunatic with her plans for revenge, if you like.

6 hours ago, Armagon said:

Dread it. Run from it. Fanservice still arrives.

Nothing is sacred anymore, it seems... Not even funny hat game.

...Pfffft I'm talking as if it surprises me, spies have been using hentai sprays as distractions for as long as the game has existed lol

2 hours ago, Armagon said:

For the record, I started my play session at like 9:30 PM and it's only just now at 1 in the morning that I'm near the end of the final dungeon. Which means I'll leave this for tomorrow.

Reminds me of when I said "yeah, I can finish Omori tonight", and then I was drowning in anguish at 2 AM in the morning.

5 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

And a beard for Ruben, too

He's an enemy, isn't he. This is as anime as it gets. The old man cannot be a good guy.

Edited May 28, 2021 by Saint Rubenio

[DragonFlames]

*checks previous pages*
Well, looks like I missed a fun time. xD

Hello, everyone!

[Saint Rubenio]

Just now, DragonFlames said:

*checks previous pages*
Well, looks like I missed a fun time. xD

The Teehee experience. Seriously, people, why can't you all live in one place?

Just now, DragonFlames said:

Hello, everyone!

Hello, Draggyman! Hope you slept well.