Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Armagon]

5 hours ago, DodgeDusk said:

Congrats on being Zero! I hope you're prepared for a Randy who's been absolutely battered by the nerf stick in Azure.

Tbf, as is the case with most JRPGs, stuff like this doesn't really matter. Everyone's usable.

.....except Josette.

4 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Tales of Arise

Oh yeah, that reminds me, they showed off how the skits look like now. Appearently they went the Scarlet Nexus route.

Basically they're going the comic book route here.

As for me, I still don't have a PS4 and don't know if I can even get one by the time Arise comes but that's probably for a the best. Means I can just focus on Metroid Dread this fall.

4 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

thought you finished Ys Seven? XD

I dropped it because the boss fights were taking an eternity for literally no reason.

[Shrimpica]

20 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

I dont know if I wanna do another Nightmare run. When I got through sky again, maybe.

Just view the stuff on youtube

 

19 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

Alot of the story scenes are just a blur to me...

Big F

I see you are already on your way to becoming a fellow Sky boomer xD

[Interdimensional Observer]

I think I've reached the point I remembering hearing about years ago where things in FFXIII get a little less linear. Took the game long enough. 

And surprisingly, Eidolon Fight Number 4 wasn't bad, sure I came close to being slaughtered, but that the Gestalt Gauge rapidly fills from the onslaught it dishes out meant I wasn't stuck between choosing to heal and choosing to attack. I didn't come super close to running out of time for once.

 

9 hours ago, Armagon said:

This is basically how TMS goes except it's the weapon that determines the stats and such.

I'm aware, I've played TMS, and enjoyed it. 

9 hours ago, Armagon said:

Retro Studio whyyyyyyyy why do you keep ruining the endgames of the Metroid Prime games?

Honestly, the endgame of Metroids as a whole are kinda weak, not just Prime. The Tourian in both Super and Zero are short and not difficult, Mother Brain is a poor final boss. Fusion isn't much better, I've heard complaints the final fight with SA-X is too easy, and I'd say the same of Zero Mission's Metal Ridley too.

[Saint Rubenio]

Hey, Leo.

Go to hell.

Oh, but of course, Leo doesn't die. He gets talked down by Fishtail, and then he claims that he lied and that he never hated him. Naaah, of course not, how could Leo ever hate his dearest older brother? Naaaaaaah, he just hates his son because he doesn't like the way his son dresses.

I'll never get over that. Fuck this asshole. Run along while the powers of cutscene allow you...

[Lightcosmo]

9 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

I see you are already on your way to becoming a fellow Sky boomer xD

Already was. XD

7 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I think I've reached the point I remembering hearing about years ago where things in FFXIII get a little less linear. Took the game long enough. 

And surprisingly, Eidolon Fight Number 4 wasn't bad, sure I came close to being slaughtered, but that the Gestalt Gauge rapidly fills from the onslaught it dishes out meant I wasn't stuck between choosing to heal and choosing to attack. I didn't come super close to running out of time for once.

thats what everyone says. 

Those fights are mostly geared towards finding the right strategy and nailing it. 

[Armagon]

13 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Honestly, the endgame of Metroids as a whole are kinda weak, not just Prime. The Tourian in both Super and Zero are short and not difficult, Mother Brain is a poor final boss. Fusion isn't much better, I've heard complaints the final fight with SA-X is too easy, and I'd say the same of Zero Mission's Metal Ridley too.

Well the thing about Zero Mission is that the Zero Suit segment is kino. Because when you finally get your Power Suit back, it's such an empowering moment, because now the Space Pirates are trapped with you.

But while you're kinda right overall, I never felt negatively about Metroid endgames the same way I do with Prime endgames.

[Sidereal Wraith]

11 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Hey, Leo.

Go to hell.

Oh, but of course, Leo doesn't die. He gets talked down by Fishtail, and then he claims that he lied and that he never hated him. Naaah, of course not, how could Leo ever hate his dearest older brother? Naaaaaaah, he just hates his son because he doesn't like the way his son dresses.

I'll never get over that. Fuck this asshole. Run along while the powers of cutscene allow you...

 

[Venger_06]

29 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Oh, but of course, Leo doesn't die. He gets talked down by Fishtail, and then he claims that he lied and that he never hated him.

He's the (worse) Takumi of Nohr. Of course he's tsundere like you, Ruben.

[Sidereal Wraith]

1 minute ago, Maof06 said:

He's the (worse) Takumi of Nohr. Of course he's tsundere like you, Ruben.

To be young and naive again. Ah youth *takes a swig of whisky* and a fully functioning liver.

[Saint Rubenio]

All right, chapter 19 time. Looks like pretty much free training: The chapter.

I have discovered something really strange: Reina's EXP gains are, for some reason, way, way better than Candace's. No idea why, she just gains way more experience even though she's one level higher. Damnit, game, stop bullying the best character!

[Lightcosmo]

4 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

All right, chapter 19 time. Looks like pretty much free training: The chapter.

I have discovered something really strange: Reina's EXP gains are, for some reason, way, way better than Candace's. No idea why, she just gains way more experience even though she's one level higher. Damnit, game, stop bullying the best character!

Well, the characters are all set with internal levels of 1, i think, regardless of current level. That factors into EXP gains.

Edited August 1, 2021 by lightcosmo

[Saint Rubenio]

Nooooooooooooooooooo

I was doing time-travelling shenanigans to get a generic from prison, and then Izana decided to join.

Izana no, I have no room...!

[Armagon]

Epic

Yeah, i went and 100% Metroid Prime 3 after learning the observatory room in Skytown lets you download locations of almost every location in the game. As if Skytown wasn't based enough.

[Saint Rubenio]

Okay, forget Rinkah, forget Hinoka, forget Reina, forget Charlotte, forget Izana... Forget all of them. And all the generic ones that other people like. Forget them too.

Generic strategist best waifu. Look at her. She's beautiful.

Look at that smug face! I love it. I am so ready to bench an actual character for that. Especially with levels like those! She's already better than Daniela, 3 levels below, and the only thing she loses is Savage Blow. Which, I mean, kinda meh, that skill is great, but... Fuck it, I like this woman's hat better.

[Armagon]

5 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Tell her to watch out for the fox bandit.

[Saint Rubenio]

Just now, Armagon said:

Tell her to watch out for the fox bandit.

Swiper no living

RABBIT SPIRIT

[Lightcosmo]

34 minutes ago, Armagon said:

Epic

Yeah, i went and 100% Metroid Prime 3 after learning the observatory room in Skytown lets you download locations of almost every location in the game. As if Skytown wasn't based enough.

Congrats on that!

[Saint Rubenio]

Gotta say, I know this is sinful to say, but...

Shit, in this route Iago is being legit entertaining. The guy's got a very Gangrel-ish charm to him. Where was all this sass in Conquest, man? Why did you never go "ohhh, the blue-haired one is being MEAN to me! No matter. I can ignore a minor affront like that... since you're about to die and all" in Conquest? I would've liked you so much better if you did...

Edited August 1, 2021 by Saint Rubenio

[Armagon]

Metroid Prime 3 review:

Metroid Prime was the series' rough transition to 3D. Metroid Prime 2 was somewhat an improvement but was not enough in the grand scheme of things. But Metroid Prime 3? Metroid Prime 3 fixed nearly every single one of my complaints from the previous two games. Corruption is the peak of Prime.

From the moment i started, i knew this game would be different. Yes, part of it had to do with the fact that that, being a Wii game in 2007 absolutely meant "we must use motion controls" but considering how good the motion controls were in the Wii versions of Prime 1 and 2, this wasn't really an issue at all. Instead, this game featured a few more things you could do with the motion controls but it was never really intrusive. No, the real reason this game is immediately different from any other Metroid game at the time was the narrative. Metroid stories are usually told visually. There'd be a little exposition dump at the start but that'd be it. Fusion was the first Metroid game to have a more active narrative and if Metroid Prime was just Super Metroid but in 3D, then Metroid Prime 3 is just Metroid Fusion but in 3D and given steroids. Having a full narrative in a Metroid game might sound weird but i really enjoyed it and the main reason was because it was the first Metroid game to truly start fleshing out the Metroid universe. By design, this franchise's universe is pretty barren which is why what Prime 3 adds to that becomes much more special. This is the first time in the series where we actually get to see how the Federation functions instead of them just being killed off at the start. This is the first Metroid game where we actually get to learn that Samus actually has a few friends here and there. There isn't really much to see of the Hunters before they get corrupted but what we do get to see is nice. And most importantly, we get to see more of the Metroid universe in general. This game honestly has my favorite areas in any Metroid game that i've played because of distinct they are.

Norion is you standard Federation based and it serves as a decent prologue. Bryyo immediately makes an impact the moment you land there, both in the music department and visually. The Pirate Homeworld was really nice as Samus finally takes the fight to their own front door. But by far my favorite location in not just the entire game but the entire series is Skytown, Elysia. It's very obviously based on Bespin from Star Wars but instead of one big floating city, it's several floating cities all spread out, making for a more visually pleasing sight. The cherry on top here is the music. I love the Skytown theme and it's a song you could put in a Xenoblade game and it would not feel out of place because that's the vibes i got from it. In fact, the music in general is very good in this game. Definitely tied with Zero Mission for best OST in the series.

But what about the actual gameplay? Well like i said earlier, the game does away with nearly every complaint i've had with the previous two Prime games. This game has a strong emphasis on combat and it happens early on. For the first time in the series, the Grapple Beam is weaponized, allowing for use both in and out of combat. Oh an enemy has a shield? Just rip that thing right off. And this isn't counting the additional grapple upgrades you get in the game, allowing for even more utility. Beams finally stack again and while i never had a problem with how beams worked in the previous two Prime games, i definitely prefer stacking over individual beams. Hypermode (not the difficulty of the same name) is fun to play around with, even if it's too broken. But most importantly, the thing that Retro Studios finally got right here, is the boss fights. Most of them are actually really fun. There are a few shitters (one of which is probably the worst boss in the entire series) but i didn't mind in the grand scheme of things because i was finally having fun with these fights.

As far as navigation goes, this essentially being Fusion in 3D on steroids meant that there wasn't really any lack of direction for the most part. There was occasional moments where i got stumped but nothing was quite at the level where it gets bad. And because Skytown is super based, the observatory room there allows you to download the location of nearly every upgrade location in the game, with the exception of those found in the Valhalla. And speaking of the Valhalla, this game has it's own endgame mcguffin fetch quest except it's not dogshit like the last two times. You actually come across them naturally, the game tells you which ones you have and which ones you don't and you don't need all of them unless you're going for 100% (although it is possible you'll end up needing them all anyway if you don't explore the main path in the Valhalla).

Despite how much i've praised this game, there are a few issues and missed opportunities here. For starters, the load times are kinda weird in this game. They are actually worse if you're playing it on the Wii from what i hear but on Wii U, it's not too bad. But still, there were plenty of times where i'd shoot to open a door....only to have to wait a bit. Being able to upgrade your ship is neat conceptually but the amount of Ship Missile Expansions you can get is baffling when you're never gonna use them. Outside of scripted events, at what point are you ever gonna use your ship to bomb enemies (you can do this apparently) when Hypermode exists? And speaking of the ship, there's all these buttons that you can press while inside and it made it seem like there'd be a shoot 'em up section or something but no, it's just there for decoration. The boss fights are a massive improvement yes, but some of the ones towards the end just kinda start dragging a bit too much. Some enemies in general are just too spongy. Hypermode makes short work of them but i think there could've been other ways to incentivize Hypermode. And of course, it wouldn't be a Metroid Prime game if the endgame wasn't ass. It's true, the mcguffin hunt isn't bad in this game but in exchange, the final area is. You're basically placed on a time-limit as you have to stave off Phazon corruption. If the yellow meter at the top fills up, it's game over and the final boss lasts a bit too long, so combined with that, it does cause some unnecessary stress. I can only imagine the pain in Hypermode difficulty. Oh and also the Samus entrance fanfare doesn't play when you start a play session so the game is dogshit actually. Jokes aside, hearing it every single time you step off your ship got annoying pretty quickly. I love the tune but the tune works so well because it signals the start of a new play session and not because you just moved to a new location.

The Prime trilogy, as a whole, is rough. Metroid Prime 1 and 2 aren't bad games but they leave a lot to be desired. Metroid Prime 3 is a genuine, drastic improvement that actually comes the closest to being as good as the 2D Metroid games. I myself will still prefer the 2D games but at least with Metroid Prime 3, i can understand where the debate of 2D vs 3D comes from.

8/10

See you next mission.

5 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

Congrats on that!

It is pretty nice.

This and Samus Returns will probably be the only Metroid games i 100%, unless Dread has some useful way of finding everything.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Armagon

[Saint Rubenio]

Wow, chapter 20 was super easy. Then again, so was Leo's map. I feel like something went horribly wrong with the level scaling on the faceless in this route, because they're pathetically weak compared to even unpromoted human troops and they give no experience. It feels like they've sent me to fight prologue-tier enemies. Heck, I'm fairly certain those assholes from chapter 5 could probably do more than these dummies if I were to fight them now.

It's honestly really weird, because when the enemies are human the difficulty is pretty fine. It's just the faceless that have Sacred Stones stats. Huh...

Only exception is the boss, who has actually decent stats and every single breaker skill in the game, just to make the fight more tedious. Great.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Saint Rubenio

[Armagon]

Metroid be like

[Venger_06]

22 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Gotta say, I know this is sinful to say, but...

Shit, in this route Iago is being legit entertaining. The guy's got a very Gangrel-ish charm to him. Where was all this sass in Conquest, man? Why did you never go "ohhh, the blue-haired one is being MEAN to me! No matter. I can ignore a minor affront like that... since you're about to die and all" in Conquest? I would've liked you so much better if you did...

It's because we don't have any insight on him in Birthright, so he can come as threatening actually.

It's Fates, lol. Don't think too much about it.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Maof06

[Saint Rubenio]

Just now, Maof06 said:

It's because we don't have any insight on him in Birthright, so he can come as threatening actually.

I mean, it's not that he's threatening. In Conquest he was like "mwahaha I am evil and I will kill Lord Avatar for my liege", full stop. Here he's dropped some sassy lines that would make Gangrel proud. I don't get it, he's behaving like a completely different person. Heck, he's, dare I say, kinda competent here. What happened?

Just now, Maof06 said:

It's Fates, bro. Don't think too much about it.

Of course, that's what happened. Fates happened. Hah! Ahh, who cares. I've got my generic strategist. That's all I need.

[Venger_06]

14 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Heck, he's, dare I say, kinda competent here. What happened?

Like I said, by lack of insight on him in Birthright, you don't actually know he's incompetent.

[DragonFlames]

8 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

Fav. Game moment xD

You know it, haha!

6 hours ago, Armagon said:

Oh yeah, that reminds me, they showed off how the skits look like now. Appearently they went the Scarlet Nexus route.

Basically they're going the comic book route here.

Oh, neat!
I'm not sure why they felt the need to change it, but I'm not opposed to it, certainly.

6 hours ago, Armagon said:

I dropped it because the boss fights were taking an eternity for literally no reason.

Oh!
Whoops! My bad, haha! I was under the impression that you finished it!

In that case you'll be happy to know that you fight the final phase of the final boss with Adol all on his own... with very limited healing, which you already might have used some of in the previous two phases... and the final phase has nearly 200,000 HP, and your damage rarely, if ever, goes into the triple digits.
Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?

---

Also, I'm having a doctor's appointment tomorrow, for my stomach cramps of unknown origin.
Bowel cancer killed my grandpa.
I am scared.