I think $50 is fine as it has additional content never before released in the US, like FFXII TZA. There's no real standard for remaster pricing really. Regardless, you'll catch it on sale within two months like every other game.
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RPG Community |OT| Take the Epoch to a New Era
- Thread starter Deleted member 419
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I think $50 is fine as it has additional content never before released in the US, like FFXII TZA. There's no real standard for remaster pricing really. Regardless, you'll catch it on sale within two months like every other game.
Why wouldn't it be worth $50? It was worth $60 in 2008, why would it be worth less now? A good game is a good game. If the only reason you're buying games for is graphics (the only thing that gets consistently better as we march forward in time), then only very specific games would ever be worth full price.
This might be the year I'm giving Pillars of Eternity and Bloodborne another chance.
For the first one is there a character build I can pretty much solo the entire game with little to no interaction with RTwP? Don't necessarily want to micromanage much and just want to click on things and maybe activate an ability every now and then. Don't want to manage companions much.
For the first one is there a character build I can pretty much solo the entire game with little to no interaction with RTwP? Don't necessarily want to micromanage much and just want to click on things and maybe activate an ability every now and then. Don't want to manage companions much.
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Are you sure you even want to play the game then? Sounds like you are more looking for something like Diablo tbh
It is possible to solo the game but it requires a lot of micro managing and some deep understanding of the systems. I mean, you can have up to 5 companions in your party so the idea that there is a build that just let's you solo the game without much thought is kinda.....ridiculous, wouldn't you say? If you really want to play it that way it's probably better to just cheat and make yourself invincible.
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Solo might have been the wrong word but maybe less dependent on the AI/micromanaging the party in combat. I want my party set up (think Gambit from FFXII or DA:O which to my understanding the second does better and the first PoE is lackluster in). In combat I want to only manage my character. Outside of combat I have no problem with gear management or setting up the AI.
Maybe I will cheat a bit if I happen to give it another chance this year.
You genuinely should skip Pillars. It's not the type of game you're looking for.
You probably don't need to manage your companions in combat if you just play on an easier difficulty setting but I don't know how much fun that'll be.
There's always story mode. I think that should allow you to focus on controlling your main character and then let your party members do their thing.
I seriously wouldn't play the Pillars games for their stories; combat is all they have. PoE1 and 2 have some of the least satisfying writing (for characters, overall story, lore, etc. Just in all respects) of all CRPGs I've played. It's got this miserable, cynical world, filled with miserable, cynical characters, and a self-satisfied plot that is way less clever than it thinks it is. And to top it all off you're gonna feel like you, the player, are barely relevant to what is happening.
Playing Tyranny or some other lesser-known CRPG would be a better choice, IMO. Tyranny for example has an interesting world, no matter its other flaws. I so wish there was a Tyranny 2 rather than a PoE2; I'm that person.
Though I should mention I haven't played any of the Pillars DLCs. I guess there's a chance they turn it into something amazing...
Playing Tyranny or some other lesser-known CRPG would be a better choice, IMO. Tyranny for example has an interesting world, no matter its other flaws. I so wish there was a Tyranny 2 rather than a PoE2; I'm that person.
Though I should mention I haven't played any of the Pillars DLCs. I guess there's a chance they turn it into something amazing...
Any sane person would have. Tyranny's world/story was much more interesting than PoE's was, though PoE2 did improve in that area. I am sad that Tyranny 2 is never going to happen and will just join the other one off games like Darklands where I would do unspeakable things for a sequel.
Well, against my better judgment I restarted Atom RPG and....I dunno. It's core is good but there are just too many annoyances for me. Like how only you get healed at medics in towns and not your companions. So you have to either spend pretty expensive medicine on them (only for them to get hurt in the very next battle because there really isn't anything you can do to prevent this) or give them food. And you give them food by
1. Placing the food in your weapon slot
2. Activating your weapon slot
3. Using your weapon slot on your companion
You have to repeat this every single time because you can only put one food item in your slots even if you have 99 of them. And it's just soooooooo tedious. As I said there just really isn't a way to avoid getting damaged, at least early on. There is no cover, there are no abilities, there's just nothing. Enemies always get the first turn, so if you face three enemies with guns and you only have a melee weapon you are basically dead. Melee just seems completely useless in the game because a knife does less damage than a pistol (makes sense) but requires the same amount of AP. And since enemies don't give a fuck about ammo conservation they will just gun you down before you can even reach them.
They pretty much copied the original Fallout's combat system and hey, if that's for you maybe check the game out but for me it's just too tedious at this point. Shame really, the game had a certain charm but it's just not for me.
1. Placing the food in your weapon slot
2. Activating your weapon slot
3. Using your weapon slot on your companion
You have to repeat this every single time because you can only put one food item in your slots even if you have 99 of them. And it's just soooooooo tedious. As I said there just really isn't a way to avoid getting damaged, at least early on. There is no cover, there are no abilities, there's just nothing. Enemies always get the first turn, so if you face three enemies with guns and you only have a melee weapon you are basically dead. Melee just seems completely useless in the game because a knife does less damage than a pistol (makes sense) but requires the same amount of AP. And since enemies don't give a fuck about ammo conservation they will just gun you down before you can even reach them.
They pretty much copied the original Fallout's combat system and hey, if that's for you maybe check the game out but for me it's just too tedious at this point. Shame really, the game had a certain charm but it's just not for me.
Might as well shout out Kenshi here; it's basically an open-world RPG in the vein of Mount&Blade mixed with Skyrim. Totally free-form with no "plot" AFAIK, and many different starts to choose from. And it's hella immersive, especially with mods. I've been having an absolute blast with it as I carve my own mark on the world barely survive everything I run into, making for lots of interesting stories.
It finally hit 1.0 last month, after years of development. Now that I'm actually playing it, I feel kinda bad for not noticing it sooner. It seems to have sold a lot, while also seeming to be one heckuva hidden gem.
It finally hit 1.0 last month, after years of development. Now that I'm actually playing it, I feel kinda bad for not noticing it sooner. It seems to have sold a lot, while also seeming to be one heckuva hidden gem.
I just recently got into the Shining series for the first time -- I beat Shining in the Darkness and now I'm playing Shining Force. I wanted to float the idea of making a Shining community thread. Would there be interest in that? Even though many of the post-Saturn games are divisive at best, it really is a pretty important and overall well-regarded franchise and I was a bit disappointed to see how little discussion of the franchise there is on this site. If a community thread seems excessive I plan to make a LTTP thread as I work through the Force games at the very least.
I'm just now playing Shining Force for the first time myself too!
If I were looking at the possibility of a community thread, I'd be a wary due to how divided the fanbase is. The fans of the earlier works rarely ever have anything nice to say about the newer entries, at least from my experience. I'm not sure how much discussion you'd get across the series other than "remember when Shining was good?" Of course, I may just be pessimistic.
I think it depends on what you want out of it tbh.
If there isn't already an OT, I'm guessing conversation on the series is pretty light on Era atm and an OT might not go very far. But then, most OTs are pretty slow anyway and it depends on what you are satisfied with. But a good resource OP and a place for general conversation to be had is nice--it just needs people to actually talk to each other (at whatever frequency is needed to maintain interest).
LTTP probably gets more eyeballs by being bumped on the front page but it also is designed to talk about your specific playthroughs and tangents arising therefrom. Not sure how much conversation that drives beyond the initial run of "Oh Shining! Great!" or "I've been meaning to play this series!" This seems to vary greatly thread by thread.
....
Generally what I find myself doing is sticking things in already existing OTs. I figure a) people aren't going to reply to me very often and b) they are going to read what I said more often than they reply. So c) post in a thread not driven by direct responses to my content and d) hope people read it :P. (and e) failing that find writing it worthwhile).
And it is a mutual thing: I reply to a small fraction of what I read whether or not I enjoy reading it. So I appreciate an all purpose space to do that sort of thing.
But yeah sometimes you want a specific conversation to actually happen or a conversation more tightly surrounding the thing you are interested in. That's when a healthy series OT is nice but it is pretty hard to maintain imo.
Like I was all excited when DQXI came out and wanted to engage with people who had played the Japanese version and what-not in the DQ OT. Just ended up being a bunch of text dumps lol. But that's my whole relationship with that thread in a nutshell: over-posting, hoping to find a conversation, and feeling both ashamed and still not sated after the fact. (So it repeats).
But this highlights again that expectations matter a lot.
OP
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What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
Looking forward to playing a fully patched up Kingmaker, the Underrail expansion and maaaaaybeeee Mount & Blade 2.
Ok yea, M&B2 isn't coming out this year.
The Outer Worlds is pretty much the only game on my must play games of 2019 so far. I am sure if I think about it I can add a few more games.
Due to Sinatar's comment I just realized it is going to be something like 7 years since M&B 2 was announced and still no release date.
Also as I was typing this I also just remembered that Mage's Initiation comes out this year as well. I have been looking forward to that game for years now.
Due to Sinatar's comment I just realized it is going to be something like 7 years since M&B 2 was announced and still no release date.
Also as I was typing this I also just remembered that Mage's Initiation comes out this year as well. I have been looking forward to that game for years now.
OP
OP
Wow there are a lot of great posts in here I haven't had a chance to read yet. Shoutout in particular to Luminaire 's post on the last page, those banners are awesome. I've been offline or sporadically online for the last week so I'll start reading through these.
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I threadmarked Labadal's lists of upcoming PC and console RPGs, so definitely check those out to see what's releasing this year.
On paper this will actually be a heavier RPG year than most for me. Going to pick up:
-Kingdom Hearts III (need to see how this story finishes damn it)
-YIIK (looks interesting, might not execute well but has the potential)
-Code Vein (it's likely this will be bad but sure, I'll bite and take the chance)
-Biomutant (this is definitely hidden gem material and I like what I've seen of the gameplay so far)
-Disco Elysium (easily one of my most anticipated releases of the year)
-Yo-Kai Watch 3 (I love these games and consider them heavily underappreciated)
-Outer Wilds (just saw this in Almighty's post, a sure purchase for me too)
And this is in addition to anything else that has yet to be announced or yet to be given a 2019 release date. I'll also be checking out Druidstone and a few other PC CRPGs, though I'm not committed to them yet per se.
Moving away from current releases, I have these currently on my plate, in rough order of priority:
-The Last Remnant Remastered
-Phantasy Star IV
-Emerald Dragon
-Lufia 2
-Treasure of the Rudras
-Parasite Eve
And I'll be adding another five to that list in February. So lots of stuff to juggle, and while it seems like I don't make much progress on anything, it's only because I'm making a little progress on everything. Soon they'll start getting cleared out in quick succession and I'll be back on track after getting overwhelmed in the second half of 2018.
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I threadmarked Labadal's lists of upcoming PC and console RPGs, so definitely check those out to see what's releasing this year.
On paper this will actually be a heavier RPG year than most for me. Going to pick up:
-Kingdom Hearts III (need to see how this story finishes damn it)
-YIIK (looks interesting, might not execute well but has the potential)
-Code Vein (it's likely this will be bad but sure, I'll bite and take the chance)
-Biomutant (this is definitely hidden gem material and I like what I've seen of the gameplay so far)
-Disco Elysium (easily one of my most anticipated releases of the year)
-Yo-Kai Watch 3 (I love these games and consider them heavily underappreciated)
-Outer Wilds (just saw this in Almighty's post, a sure purchase for me too)
And this is in addition to anything else that has yet to be announced or yet to be given a 2019 release date. I'll also be checking out Druidstone and a few other PC CRPGs, though I'm not committed to them yet per se.
Moving away from current releases, I have these currently on my plate, in rough order of priority:
-The Last Remnant Remastered
-Phantasy Star IV
-Emerald Dragon
-Lufia 2
-Treasure of the Rudras
-Parasite Eve
And I'll be adding another five to that list in February. So lots of stuff to juggle, and while it seems like I don't make much progress on anything, it's only because I'm making a little progress on everything. Soon they'll start getting cleared out in quick succession and I'll be back on track after getting overwhelmed in the second half of 2018.
What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
There's too much uncertainty for me to be making any concrete plans yet. When will Pokemon Gen 8 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses come out? Is Babylon's Fall even going to be an RPG? How long will they take to beat?
I am hoping to set aside some time to beat Final Fantasy IV + The After Years on PSP.
What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
Atelier Lulua and Virgo vs The Zodiac are my two most anticipated rpgs this year. I have a lot of pickups and things I'm considering picking up, as well as a mountainous backlog that must be felled little by little.
I'm planning on knocking out a good number of things from my backlog while also trying out franchises I never really bothered much with (Shining, Grandia, Suikoden, Etrian, etc).
Shining Force and The Last Remnant are the two rpgs I'm currently working on. I've dabbled a bit with Etrian Odyssey IV and Atelier Annie, but I wouldn't say I'm actively playing them yet. I'm looking at my collection and trying to figure out what I want to tackle...
Some potential candidates for my next round are:
Eternal Poison
Lightning Returns
VP Covenant of the Plume
Exist Archive
Suikoden 2
Grandia 3
Ar nosurge
Uta 2 and 3
We'll see though.
Well I posted a plan a little bit up. With blitz skipping a month (?) might start one of the longer games I was thinking about for it sooner rather than later. Alternatively might start just any of the games I'm thinking about and perhaps finish it before March or so.
Kind of thinking three things in particular at the moment, namely Ultima 4, Trails 3rd, and Megami Tensei.
Kind of thinking three things in particular at the moment, namely Ultima 4, Trails 3rd, and Megami Tensei.
I want to play Tales of Berseria.What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
I also wanted to play Persona 5, but with the whatever it is announcement in March, I'm kind of wary of starting it now. Maybe I'll just stick with P4G...
And finally, I would love to finally play Planescape: Torment. But, as usual with CRPG, I'm not sure if I'll find motivation to do so.
(Oh, and also, buy Grimoire, whenever it's discounted by 75%)
What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
It's fucking Kingdom Hearts 3 year (and month!), I ain't thinking about any other RPGs before I'm thoroughly done with that one.
What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
The plan will be to look at past releases mostly. Either in the backlog, stuff that grabbed my attention or a sale. Hoping to get some more DQ, SMT and Yakuza games in. For DQ I'd like to get through 4, 5 & 6 at least. With SMT clearing the PS2 games.
Speaking of backlog. I'd want to clear the games I have for a long ass time.
What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
Lots of new stuff, lots of old stuff
Looking forward to Outer Worlds, Disco Elysium, Kingdom Hearts 3, and Druidstone. And probably some things I 'm currently not thinking about.
Old stuff I hope I can finish Dragon Quest I-IV, VIII and XI, wanted to check out Legend of Grimrock, Bard's Tale IV, Might & Magic X to play my first blobbers, playing more classics like Fallout 1 & 2 and Planescape: Torment and play stuff from last year like Octopath Traveller and Valkyria Chronicles.
I'll be proud of myself if I even can do half of that.
Mostly backlog year. I have tons of RPGs I need to finish before buying anything new (Cold Steel games, Tales of Berseria and Resonance of Fate among other games)What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
If Disco Elysium comes out in 2019, this year will have (at least) three potential GOAT RPGs for me: KH3, The Outer Worlds and Disco Elysium. If they all deliver and reach my (admittedly VERY HIGH) expectations, 2019 will probably go down as the single best year ever in gaming for me and will stay that way not only until I die, but for millennia and throughout my numerous reincarnations, all of whom will surely consider the year 2019 to be a holy, sacred year in the history of mankind.
What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
I feel like this will be another backlog year for me for RPG, but some of them will be pretty recent releases. The ones I'm most likely to get to are:
Bard's Tale 4, Pathfinder Kingmaker, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk, Neir Automata, Tales of Berseria
Even though they're not strictly RPG (but still based on PnP settings) I wanted to try Battletech and Mutant Year Zero as well.
As for upcoming games The Outer Worlds, Disco Elysium, and Druidstone have all caught my eye. But I'm definitely going to wait for impressions and reviews before jumping in. Bad word of mouth has saved me from playing Underworld Ascendant, Aeon of Sands, and Atom RPG in the past year even though I was looking forward to each of them. I just don't have the time or money to waste on bad games anymore and I've become patient enough to not have to get them at the launch window.
Edit: Also this one, Operencia
https://store.steampowered.com/app/985950/Operencia_The_Stolen_Sun/
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What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
Most likely will be a backlong year for me. Still barely even touched the games that i recently brought(Xenoblade 1,Chrono Trigger, & Dragon Quest 8).
RPGs that I currently focusing on beating by the end of the year:
Wild Arms 3
Ys 7
Ys MoC
Tales of Vesperia
Xenoblade 1
Witcher 3
Dragon Quest 8
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My RPG gameplan for 2019 is to beat every mainline, single player Final Fantasy. I plan to replay the games I've already beaten (4/5/6/7/8/9/10/12) and play through the rest for the first time. So far I've finished FF13 and am currently working through FF13-2. Lightning Returns will finish up the trilogy and then I'm not sure.What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
I also plan to play the new games (RPGs and everything else) I'd usually pick up so I have pretty much zero chance of accomplishing the Final Fantasy challenge but I'm going to give it a shot anyway.
What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
Unless something comes out that I want but is the type that goes hard to find quick or is the type to not really ever get a discount or go on sale, then I don't plan on buying anything. I have no interest in KH3 since I've never played any of the others. Maaaaybe if Etrian Odyssey Untold 2 goes on sale or if I found a cheap enough copy of Pokemon Omega Ruby, but this year looks like a backlog year.
For me, it will be a combination of backlog year and new releases. Dragon Quest XI and Pathfinder: Kingmaker, i still have to finish. I want to start Persona 5, Nier: Automata and The Legend of Heroes: TitS SC this year. There are a few more, too.What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
Games that I am likely to pick up day 1. Then, there are just as many games that I am interested in that are not day 1 purchase.:
Arcadian AtlasRelease Date: TBA
Biomutant Release Date: Summer
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game Release Date: 202X (A combat demo is coming out this year)
Copper Dreams Release Date: TBA
Disco Elysium Release Date: TBA
Digimon Survive Release Date: 2019
EITR Release Date: 2019
Fae Tactics Release Date: TBA
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark Release Date: TBA (Available on Steam EA)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Release Date: 2019
God Wars 2 Release Date: TBA - TBA
Griftlands Release Date: 2019
Indivisible Release Date: 2019
The Iron Oath Release Date: 2019
Judgment Release Date: 2019
Kingdoms of the Dump Release Date: TBA
Low Magic Age Release Date: TBA (Available on Steam EA)
Odd Gods Release Date: TBA
The Outer Worlds Release Date: 2019
Realms Beyond Release Date: TBA
Romancing SaGa 3 Release Date: 2019
SaGa: Scarlet Grace Release Date: 2019
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones Release Date: 2019 (Demo available)
Vestaria Saga Release Date: 2019
Wasteland 3 Release Date: Q4
Arcadian AtlasRelease Date: TBA
Biomutant Release Date: Summer
Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game Release Date: 202X (A combat demo is coming out this year)
Copper Dreams Release Date: TBA
Disco Elysium Release Date: TBA
Digimon Survive Release Date: 2019
EITR Release Date: 2019
Fae Tactics Release Date: TBA
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark Release Date: TBA (Available on Steam EA)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Release Date: 2019
God Wars 2 Release Date: TBA - TBA
Griftlands Release Date: 2019
Indivisible Release Date: 2019
The Iron Oath Release Date: 2019
Judgment Release Date: 2019
Kingdoms of the Dump Release Date: TBA
Low Magic Age Release Date: TBA (Available on Steam EA)
Odd Gods Release Date: TBA
The Outer Worlds Release Date: 2019
Realms Beyond Release Date: TBA
Romancing SaGa 3 Release Date: 2019
SaGa: Scarlet Grace Release Date: 2019
Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones Release Date: 2019 (Demo available)
Vestaria Saga Release Date: 2019
Wasteland 3 Release Date: Q4
I already own the bold games.
I'm desperately hoping Vestaria Saga releases outside of PC eventually, since I don't have one. Believe the publisher has said it's unlikely, though. :\ It looks so good.
Playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2, currently up to chap 3 and I've already lost track of all the combat mechanics.
So there's
1) Element combo
2) Element orbs
3) Physical status (break - topple - launch)
4) Full Combo?
So there's
1) Element combo
2) Element orbs
3) Physical status (break - topple - launch)
4) Full Combo?
I can't help you since I'm about where you're at. There's a lot of mechanics, but I'm told it all comes together. People have told me combat gets faster when you can cancel arts (similar to how you cancel attacks currently).
It also doesn't help that there are different mechanics in upgrading up Drivers and Blades =_=
Played some more Dragon Quest IV on mobile in between games. Finished Chapter 1 and it was pretty neat.
Getting used to the new stuff and controls. Love the maps and the graphics. Having descriptions on items at shops is a good addition to have. This part of the country having a Scottish accent is neat. Ragnar having his own voice as well in the image above.
Also became apparent that Ragnar on his own wouldn't make it very far. Thankfully there was Healie the healslime and it is the most precious thing. Magic shoes that guide your way in a chest, so weird.
First dungeon was surprising, it had many chests with good items and even a healing spot before the boss. Which didn't pose much of a threat. Healie did die there for a sec, but that's live.
The kids and Healie being part of the party chat is just too wholesome. Gave me precious moments like these:
Adds to the charm of the game. End of the chapter shows that while saving the kids was an order from the king, it's also something Ragnar would do himself. That's why him taking up the task to seek out the chosen child is what makes him as the pink mustache knight. Reminds me a bit of the DQ2 hero. The fact Healie goes along is just heartwarming as well.
Gonna continue DDS1 again. Took a little break from Colonel Beck. Requires some more work and set up.
Getting used to the new stuff and controls. Love the maps and the graphics. Having descriptions on items at shops is a good addition to have. This part of the country having a Scottish accent is neat. Ragnar having his own voice as well in the image above.
Also became apparent that Ragnar on his own wouldn't make it very far. Thankfully there was Healie the healslime and it is the most precious thing. Magic shoes that guide your way in a chest, so weird.
First dungeon was surprising, it had many chests with good items and even a healing spot before the boss. Which didn't pose much of a threat. Healie did die there for a sec, but that's live.
The kids and Healie being part of the party chat is just too wholesome. Gave me precious moments like these:
Adds to the charm of the game. End of the chapter shows that while saving the kids was an order from the king, it's also something Ragnar would do himself. That's why him taking up the task to seek out the chosen child is what makes him as the pink mustache knight. Reminds me a bit of the DQ2 hero. The fact Healie goes along is just heartwarming as well.
Gonna continue DDS1 again. Took a little break from Colonel Beck. Requires some more work and set up.
I didn't see grim dawn on that list. Great action rpg currently on the PC. https://www.google.com/amp/s/wccftech.com/talking-grim-dawn-crate-entertainment/amp/
Backlog. Currently mainly working on Pillars of Eternity 2 and Yakuza 6 so that I can put them into my Era-GOTY voting. Both games are tremendous so far.What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
I think the only backlog titles on my agenda this year are Gothic 2 and Mask of the Betrayer. Otherwise, I plan to finish up my second Deadfire run, give Kingmaker a go, and then wait for new games.
I've gotten an idea of the combat for XB2, had to sit down and watch a 40min video though, and also read the element path on gamefaqs...
Lots of new games I'm looking forward to this year, most have been mentioned by others already. But this is also the SaGa series's 30th anniversary year, so I'd really like to go through all of the games again. I also really hope that Scarlet Grace and Romancing SaGa 3's remake make it out in English this year so we can all enjoy those two together.What is your RPG game plan for 2019? Are there a lot of releases this year that interest you? Or will it primarily be a backlog year - and if so, what are you planning to tackle?
I'm a little late to the party but wanted to share my thoughts about all the rpgs I played throughout 2018. I got to play quite a lot of games, at least for my usual standards. I didn't really play any new releases as it was mainly a year of going through my JRPG backlog and it ended up being heavily dominated by Falcom games. In roughly chronological order:
Persona 5 - I started the year with a bang. This game was absolutely phenomenal and got me glued to my TV for a few weeks straight. While it has some issues with writing and pacing, making the whole narrative unnecessarily stretched and hit some pretty bad lows, the highs more than made up for it. Thematically it's one of the strongest games I've experienced in the last few years and the striking visuals and music enhance it at every bit. The gameplay improved a lot from P4, especially in terms of dungeons which are now pretty fun to explore, though sometimes a bit too long. The game is very much a flawed masterpiece to me and easily beats P3 and 4, even though I loved those as well.
Trails in the Sky the 3rd - it's been a while since I finished Second Chapter but I enjoyed my time with the previous games a lot. Initially I wasn't too hot on the game as the early hours were giving me a strong "gaiden" vibe but once the story started for real, it became one unforgettable ride. The game does wonders building on the foundations of the previous games, while also setting up a lot for the future of the series. The main narrative is a very personal and emotional story beautifully fleshing out the protagonist who was only a supporting character in SC. The rest of the cast also get their moments to shine, especially in the side stories. The one thing I missed were the towns full of npcs with their own storylines that the series is famous for but their lack is also probably what helped the 3rd have the best paced story so far.
Trails of Cold Steel - after how amazing the 3rd was I needed more of the series and maybe that was a mistake since this is where things started getting rougher. Initally I was taken aback by all the lazy cliches and while it does get better, it never really comes into its own. The game's biggest strength is the worldbuilding and the npcs whose storylines were very entertaining to follow. The main cast on the other hand was just fairly dull, filled with derivative anime characters who never really manage to break out of their cliches. It tries to give them some depth but these attempts are still usually trite and formulaic, either tragic backstories or some contrived epiphanies, rarely feeling organically woven into the plot or even actually showing them in a different light. As much as I enjoy the social sim aspect of Persona, it was my least favourite part of this game as it just felt tacked on and filled with superfluous events making the end result a snoozefest. In general, the quality of characterization was my biggest disappointment after the Sky arc and while the story was mostly okay, it was so badly paced the ending was the only part really worth anything.
Trails of Cold Steel 2 - I wasn't too enamored with the first game but it managed to builld up a lot of goodwill and its ending created an exciting setup for the sequel. Unfortunately it was a major letdown on most fronts. The more open world and some gameplay improvements made it more fun to play and the npcs were as great as ever but it failed miserably at what to me matters the most in this series - the writing in the main story. The game's portrayal of war is genuinely among the worst I've ever seen in any media, both in terms of being tonally all over the place with non-existant stakes and poor politics of the local conflicts. The finale also left a pretty bad taste in my mouth as it tried too hard for my tastes to be shocking, resulting in feeling like a barrage of cheap plot twists. Similarly to the first game the ending was the only part that actually mattered and it still managed to create an interesting setup for the sequel but I'm not sure I care anymore. Couldn't get through the entire epilogue.
The Ys series - over the last year I also got into these games and played most of the series (all except VIII and Celceta). I had a lot of fun with the fast paced action but most games also had some issues that put them in the "good but not great" category for me. There were two games I found genuinely amazing though: Oath in Felghana and Origin. Both feel like a full package with the tightest combat, tough but very fun bosses, great dungeons and pretty good stories. Ys Origin especially resonated with me and ended up among my favourite action rpgs ever. The only issue I had with it was the three characters' routes were almost exactly the same, making it easy to feel burned out when playing them in succession.
Xanadu Next - now this is one of the more unique Falcom games which ended up being my dark horse of the last year. From the beginning I was sold on it thanks to the refreshing gothic aesthetic and soundtrack. I wasn't too thrilled with the combat and bosses but it also didn't get in the way of the main dish - the dungeons. The game has immaculate level design, with an interconnected world often looping back on itself in unexpected ways. The storytelling is more sparse than in other Falcom games but it's also surprisingly effective, especially in the presentation of its backstory.
Final Fantasy IV (PC) - it took me a while to get through this even though I consider myself a big FF fan. I have to say I mainly appreciated it in the historical context of how it defined the franchise and influenced the genre. I don't feel like it really stands on its own nowadays as it was surpassed in pretty much every way by later FFs. Especially the story and writing feel rough, though I can see how it could be enjoyable and even groundbreaking back when it came out.
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurection - this was the second game other than XN which surprised me with just how great it was. It was a charming adventure, very well written and well paced, never overstaying its welcome. From the beginning I enjoyed the two lead characters for their chemistry, the way they play off each other and consistently develop throughout the game. The often quirky supporting cast was also very memorable. The npcs were my favourite in all of Falcom games, likely helped by the game's pacing which made every time I talked to them feel like I learn something new about them. The gameplay also proved to be a lot of fun, even though it wasn't as tight as Ys, with okay dungeons which were short enough to not get tiring. The English localization was also excellent which was surprising for such a small niche game.
Tokyo Xanadu - the final game I beat last year (but barely, on the New Year's Eve). It pretty much became my "junk food" jrpg over the last month, generally mediocre to average across the board. Walking around the city talking to npcs and doing side quests was pretty fun but the main story was just boring and bland generic characters didn't help. Action combat was serviceable but not really up to Falcom's standards, same with dungeons. Overall it didn't really do anything very well but also nothing offensively bad. It was okay enough to play through it but I doubt I'm going to remember anything from it in a few months.
This turned out a little longer than I expected so to sum up 2018 for me had been a year of both positive surprises and disappointments but I'm glad I managed to play as many games as I did. I don't really have concrete gaming plans for 2019 but I'll probably continue to play mostly older games.
Persona 5 - I started the year with a bang. This game was absolutely phenomenal and got me glued to my TV for a few weeks straight. While it has some issues with writing and pacing, making the whole narrative unnecessarily stretched and hit some pretty bad lows, the highs more than made up for it. Thematically it's one of the strongest games I've experienced in the last few years and the striking visuals and music enhance it at every bit. The gameplay improved a lot from P4, especially in terms of dungeons which are now pretty fun to explore, though sometimes a bit too long. The game is very much a flawed masterpiece to me and easily beats P3 and 4, even though I loved those as well.
Trails in the Sky the 3rd - it's been a while since I finished Second Chapter but I enjoyed my time with the previous games a lot. Initially I wasn't too hot on the game as the early hours were giving me a strong "gaiden" vibe but once the story started for real, it became one unforgettable ride. The game does wonders building on the foundations of the previous games, while also setting up a lot for the future of the series. The main narrative is a very personal and emotional story beautifully fleshing out the protagonist who was only a supporting character in SC. The rest of the cast also get their moments to shine, especially in the side stories. The one thing I missed were the towns full of npcs with their own storylines that the series is famous for but their lack is also probably what helped the 3rd have the best paced story so far.
Trails of Cold Steel - after how amazing the 3rd was I needed more of the series and maybe that was a mistake since this is where things started getting rougher. Initally I was taken aback by all the lazy cliches and while it does get better, it never really comes into its own. The game's biggest strength is the worldbuilding and the npcs whose storylines were very entertaining to follow. The main cast on the other hand was just fairly dull, filled with derivative anime characters who never really manage to break out of their cliches. It tries to give them some depth but these attempts are still usually trite and formulaic, either tragic backstories or some contrived epiphanies, rarely feeling organically woven into the plot or even actually showing them in a different light. As much as I enjoy the social sim aspect of Persona, it was my least favourite part of this game as it just felt tacked on and filled with superfluous events making the end result a snoozefest. In general, the quality of characterization was my biggest disappointment after the Sky arc and while the story was mostly okay, it was so badly paced the ending was the only part really worth anything.
Trails of Cold Steel 2 - I wasn't too enamored with the first game but it managed to builld up a lot of goodwill and its ending created an exciting setup for the sequel. Unfortunately it was a major letdown on most fronts. The more open world and some gameplay improvements made it more fun to play and the npcs were as great as ever but it failed miserably at what to me matters the most in this series - the writing in the main story. The game's portrayal of war is genuinely among the worst I've ever seen in any media, both in terms of being tonally all over the place with non-existant stakes and poor politics of the local conflicts. The finale also left a pretty bad taste in my mouth as it tried too hard for my tastes to be shocking, resulting in feeling like a barrage of cheap plot twists. Similarly to the first game the ending was the only part that actually mattered and it still managed to create an interesting setup for the sequel but I'm not sure I care anymore. Couldn't get through the entire epilogue.
The Ys series - over the last year I also got into these games and played most of the series (all except VIII and Celceta). I had a lot of fun with the fast paced action but most games also had some issues that put them in the "good but not great" category for me. There were two games I found genuinely amazing though: Oath in Felghana and Origin. Both feel like a full package with the tightest combat, tough but very fun bosses, great dungeons and pretty good stories. Ys Origin especially resonated with me and ended up among my favourite action rpgs ever. The only issue I had with it was the three characters' routes were almost exactly the same, making it easy to feel burned out when playing them in succession.
Xanadu Next - now this is one of the more unique Falcom games which ended up being my dark horse of the last year. From the beginning I was sold on it thanks to the refreshing gothic aesthetic and soundtrack. I wasn't too thrilled with the combat and bosses but it also didn't get in the way of the main dish - the dungeons. The game has immaculate level design, with an interconnected world often looping back on itself in unexpected ways. The storytelling is more sparse than in other Falcom games but it's also surprisingly effective, especially in the presentation of its backstory.
Final Fantasy IV (PC) - it took me a while to get through this even though I consider myself a big FF fan. I have to say I mainly appreciated it in the historical context of how it defined the franchise and influenced the genre. I don't feel like it really stands on its own nowadays as it was surpassed in pretty much every way by later FFs. Especially the story and writing feel rough, though I can see how it could be enjoyable and even groundbreaking back when it came out.
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurection - this was the second game other than XN which surprised me with just how great it was. It was a charming adventure, very well written and well paced, never overstaying its welcome. From the beginning I enjoyed the two lead characters for their chemistry, the way they play off each other and consistently develop throughout the game. The often quirky supporting cast was also very memorable. The npcs were my favourite in all of Falcom games, likely helped by the game's pacing which made every time I talked to them feel like I learn something new about them. The gameplay also proved to be a lot of fun, even though it wasn't as tight as Ys, with okay dungeons which were short enough to not get tiring. The English localization was also excellent which was surprising for such a small niche game.
Tokyo Xanadu - the final game I beat last year (but barely, on the New Year's Eve). It pretty much became my "junk food" jrpg over the last month, generally mediocre to average across the board. Walking around the city talking to npcs and doing side quests was pretty fun but the main story was just boring and bland generic characters didn't help. Action combat was serviceable but not really up to Falcom's standards, same with dungeons. Overall it didn't really do anything very well but also nothing offensively bad. It was okay enough to play through it but I doubt I'm going to remember anything from it in a few months.
This turned out a little longer than I expected so to sum up 2018 for me had been a year of both positive surprises and disappointments but I'm glad I managed to play as many games as I did. I don't really have concrete gaming plans for 2019 but I'll probably continue to play mostly older games.