Hey can anyone recommend Battle Chasers Nightwar? I'm on the mood for a good ol' jrpg and this looks interesting but I don't want to waste my time if it's just ok.
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RPG Community |OT| Take the Epoch to a New Era
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It's pretty "just okay." The story and characterization are non-existent, the dungeons are procedurally generated, and it's published by THQ Nordic. The actual combat system is fun, but that's mostly all it offers.
A bit late, but I've finished the second game of my blitz: Atelier Ryza, just in time for the deadline. It was okay, I guess, although I doubt I'd actually bother playing it all the way through if it wasn't for the blitz.
Its gameplay was actually a pretty big improvement over most of the series. The real-time combat made encounters much more interesting, and the overhauled crafting did a great job of making things much clearer but also more engaging. Sadly, the story and characters just did absolutely nothing for me. Not that I really loved the rest of the franchise in this regard, but Ryza was a very significant step down here.
There were also a bunch of other glaring issues, most notably when it comes to balance. Playing on the hard difficulty, the first 10% of the game was reasonably challenging. But after that, everything up to the final boss was incredibly easy. And then the final boss itself was an absolutely gigantic difficulty spike that required several hours of crafting and gear upgrades to get past. Which I don't necessarily mind, but it would be cool if the rest of the game had a similar level of challenge.
Overall though, the gameplay still manages to put it the top half of the Atelier games I've played.
Instead of playing my other blitz games, I spent the rest of the blitz time playing Final Fantasy XIV all the way to the end of Shadowbringers. And by now it's pretty much the best JRPG I've ever played. And also one of the few Japanese games I've played that actually lived up to their hype.
Everything about it is just exceptionally well made. The writing reminds me of the Trails franchise in the way it slowly and methodically builds up a believable world and cast of characters, but unlike Trails it manages to do this without turning into a generic anime high-school harem halfway through. The music and art design are both absolutely stellar, and the music in particular is incredible both in terms of quality and in terms of variety. And finally, the gameplay manages to take the best aspects of MMOs while removing the things that made me resent the genre (mostly endless grinding and the idea that you need to dedicate your entire life to get anywhere in the game). Even small things that are often overlooked shine here, such as the incredible English localization that I actually found superior to the original Japanese.
Its gameplay was actually a pretty big improvement over most of the series. The real-time combat made encounters much more interesting, and the overhauled crafting did a great job of making things much clearer but also more engaging. Sadly, the story and characters just did absolutely nothing for me. Not that I really loved the rest of the franchise in this regard, but Ryza was a very significant step down here.
There were also a bunch of other glaring issues, most notably when it comes to balance. Playing on the hard difficulty, the first 10% of the game was reasonably challenging. But after that, everything up to the final boss was incredibly easy. And then the final boss itself was an absolutely gigantic difficulty spike that required several hours of crafting and gear upgrades to get past. Which I don't necessarily mind, but it would be cool if the rest of the game had a similar level of challenge.
Overall though, the gameplay still manages to put it the top half of the Atelier games I've played.
Instead of playing my other blitz games, I spent the rest of the blitz time playing Final Fantasy XIV all the way to the end of Shadowbringers. And by now it's pretty much the best JRPG I've ever played. And also one of the few Japanese games I've played that actually lived up to their hype.
Everything about it is just exceptionally well made. The writing reminds me of the Trails franchise in the way it slowly and methodically builds up a believable world and cast of characters, but unlike Trails it manages to do this without turning into a generic anime high-school harem halfway through. The music and art design are both absolutely stellar, and the music in particular is incredible both in terms of quality and in terms of variety. And finally, the gameplay manages to take the best aspects of MMOs while removing the things that made me resent the genre (mostly endless grinding and the idea that you need to dedicate your entire life to get anywhere in the game). Even small things that are often overlooked shine here, such as the incredible English localization that I actually found superior to the original Japanese.
I enjoyed the game well enough right up until the last boss. I had steam rolled everything in that game and then I just could not beat the final boss, died probably 25 times before I said fuck it.
I googled it and apparently the PS4 version had a patch that buffed the final boss because it was too easy on PC. Not sure if that patch was ever applied to the PC but fuck me the boss fight was just downright unfair.
I'm glad I gave the game a chance, I had a lot of fun! I did not quite everything but almost everything in 35 hrs.
I get the feeling NG+ is where the most fun is at though, cause by the time I got to Crimson Gardens my party was kinda OP and there wasn't much challenge left. So I definitely want to run through it cause it's supposed to account for perks being unlocked so it should be much more challenging.
It seems pretty replayable, it may join my other "replay once in a while" games.
I get the feeling NG+ is where the most fun is at though, cause by the time I got to Crimson Gardens my party was kinda OP and there wasn't much challenge left. So I definitely want to run through it cause it's supposed to account for perks being unlocked so it should be much more challenging.
It seems pretty replayable, it may join my other "replay once in a while" games.
So I beat a second blitz game this past Monday: Valkyrie Profile.
It is an interesting game. I didn't really go in with any idea what it was; I was playing it on the recommendation of Luminaire in this thread because I haven't really played many of his favorite RPGs. I came away thinking it is a very distinct and charming experience.
VP has very charming presentation. None of the characters have any chill and the voice acting is great, so you'll endlessly be hearing all these extremely extra pronouncements with a religious zealot cast. It is amusing but also infectious in its charm. Moreover, the special combos are captioned "Purify Weird Soul," which is, needless to say, amazing.
I didn't really understand the battle system at first--didn't realize I could combine characters attacks together or that there was a menu to use items and select magics--but when I did figure it out, I found it quite enjoyable. It is simple but elegant.
I also found raising all the various characters to prepare them for transfer was a nice way to get the player invested in the character growth systems.
VP is a good game.
It is an interesting game. I didn't really go in with any idea what it was; I was playing it on the recommendation of Luminaire in this thread because I haven't really played many of his favorite RPGs. I came away thinking it is a very distinct and charming experience.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about VP is that the world is hell and for the most part you're just a spectator. It reminds me of the first couple hours of DQ6 writ large, but Lenneth has this mix of indifference/otherworldly values. Lenneth is collecting the dead for a conflict elsewhere. She isn't avenging them or seeing their ends through, rather she is transferring them to another life. Sure there're all the dungeons and evil demonic forces but those don't fully determine the depravity of the world. Which you mostly leave untouched.
And indeed the A route has Lenneth acknowledging this about herself and turning on her past behavior and her masters in order to embrace the human world.
VP has very charming presentation. None of the characters have any chill and the voice acting is great, so you'll endlessly be hearing all these extremely extra pronouncements with a religious zealot cast. It is amusing but also infectious in its charm. Moreover, the special combos are captioned "Purify Weird Soul," which is, needless to say, amazing.
I didn't really understand the battle system at first--didn't realize I could combine characters attacks together or that there was a menu to use items and select magics--but when I did figure it out, I found it quite enjoyable. It is simple but elegant.
I also found raising all the various characters to prepare them for transfer was a nice way to get the player invested in the character growth systems.
VP is a good game.
Anyone is welcome to join the mini-blitzes if they like! We tend to have smaller, themed blitzes between the big ones. The theme currently for the month of Feb is Catchups and Callbacks - essentially finishing a game you started and never finished or replaying an old favorite. The mini-blitzes are usually any genre, hence why don't advertise 'em much here since they can be platformers, indies, horror games, etc.
Mini blitzes are shorter, so the max is 3 entries. Prizes are generally smaller too~
For season 5, we'll start figuring out the theme for the 5th/bonus game (much like how S4 had the Essentials entries) likely around the middle of Feb. The sheet should be available a week or two before season 5 starts~
Mini blitzes are shorter, so the max is 3 entries. Prizes are generally smaller too~
For season 5, we'll start figuring out the theme for the 5th/bonus game (much like how S4 had the Essentials entries) likely around the middle of Feb. The sheet should be available a week or two before season 5 starts~
Same as the regular blitz in the threadmark, you can change between the pages at the bottom.
HECKA LATE DANG SORRY
It's been a busy couple weeks.
Blitz Season 4 ended
The prizes this season were as follows:
Grand Prize - $50 card of choice
1st Runner Up - $20 card of choice
2nd Runner Up - $20 card of choice
Entries List
(1PT PER GAME COMPLETED, 2PTS FOR RPG CLUB THEMED GAME COMPLETED)
Names were selected via https://miniwebtool.com/random-name-picker/ and I excluded myself from the drawing.
Drawing Results!
Our Grand Prize winner was Fou-Lu !
Our 1st Runner Up was archreaper93 !
Our 2nd Runner Up was Novel Mike !
We've been giving out bonus keys as well by drawing through our pool of participants that had at least one completion. I'm messaging winners directly with those drawings if they're here or just pinging them in the discord if they're actually awake.
Bonus Keys (Steam)
(Full disclosure: these are humble bundle steam keys. I've selected what doesn't seem like trash/throwaway.)
I'm striking games as people claim them, but I'll reach out to people with the current list.
Ok - back to data!
We had 48 participants this time around~
Participants
39 different people beat at least one game, and we had a record of ten people completing their entire blitz!
Below is the Hall of Fame~
BlueOdin
Boddy
DarknessTear
emonk
Fou-Lu
Gevin
Gio
Novel Mike
Opa-pa
Taborcarn
151 different games were selected out of 233 games total.
Total Games
We had 108 clears total with 75 different games!
Games Completed - 108
75 different games completed
For games with the most completions, it looks like Pokemon Sword, Trails of Cold Steel III, and Suikoden were our top three!
Most Completions
Recap~
Season 4
48 Participants
233 Games Selected
108 Games Completed
Season 3
47 Participants
257 Games Selected
98 Games Completed
Season 2
44 Participants
219 Games Selected
90 Games Completed
Season 1
29 Participants
144 Games Selected
61 Games Completed
Season 3 was when we did the optional 6th game, hence the larger selection overall.
Congrats to the winners and thank you everyone for participating! It's a lot of fun, as always, and we'll start Season 5 on March 1st. The sheet should be going up sometime over the weekend and we'll start narrowing down the RPG Club Theme and likely vote in the last week of February. We'll follow the same rules as last time and make the 5th slot able to be a themed entry for two points instead of one~
As a reminder, we're fairly loose on what an RPG is these days, hence why you'll see things like Monster Hunter World or Yakuza. These games have enough elements to them to have an argument of them being a hybrid. Large DLCs/expansions can count as well, but we'll detail that more in the post just before season 5~
Again, sorry for the delay~ Hopefully I didn't make any errors, but let me know if you see something off or wrong!
I'll put up a post closer to Season 5 starting.
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Quick question: can I add a game I'm in the middle of?
Last round, I played SMT Strange Journey Redux up to the end of Delphinus, and got distracted by something else and didn't complete the game. How much of the game is left? Can I pick up where I left off and count that as one of my five games? Or is that unfair?
EDIT: Just read the FAQ:
Lolwhoops
Last round, I played SMT Strange Journey Redux up to the end of Delphinus, and got distracted by something else and didn't complete the game. How much of the game is left? Can I pick up where I left off and count that as one of my five games? Or is that unfair?
EDIT: Just read the FAQ:
Lolwhoops
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HI!
Season 5 of our RPG Blitz starts tomorrow, March 1st. It's been a year (!!) since we rolled it out to the OT and we'd like to thank you for joining along with us! It's been fun and we appreciate the write-ups, thoughts, and general enthusiasm towards chopping away at the giant black monolith that is known The Backlog. I've gone back and updated the rules in the threadmarked page to align with the newest rules as of Season 5, but I'll include the updated notes below.
Season 5 will go from March 1st to June 1st. There haven't been any rule adjustments since season 4, so I think we're in a good spot with rules!
A couple posts back we suggested, nominated, and voted on the club theme for season 5. As a reminder, slot 5 in the sheet can either be a standard game for 1pt. or you can follow the Club Theme for 2pts.
Season 5 RPG Club Theme - Standalone
Woo~
So what the heck does that mean?
A standalone title is a game that has no prequels, sequels, spinoffs*, is not part of a franchise or series, no notable connections to other games, and has no announced follow-ups. Please note this isn't concrete so things can be shifted a little and exceptions may be made with good argument.
If you'd like to join us, please feel free to add yourself to the sheet below!
If you have any questions, feel free to let me know~!
Season 5 of our RPG Blitz starts tomorrow, March 1st. It's been a year (!!) since we rolled it out to the OT and we'd like to thank you for joining along with us! It's been fun and we appreciate the write-ups, thoughts, and general enthusiasm towards chopping away at the giant black monolith that is known The Backlog. I've gone back and updated the rules in the threadmarked page to align with the newest rules as of Season 5, but I'll include the updated notes below.
Season 5 will go from March 1st to June 1st. There haven't been any rule adjustments since season 4, so I think we're in a good spot with rules!
A couple posts back we suggested, nominated, and voted on the club theme for season 5. As a reminder, slot 5 in the sheet can either be a standard game for 1pt. or you can follow the Club Theme for 2pts.
Season 5 RPG Club Theme - Standalone
Woo~
So what the heck does that mean?
A standalone title is a game that has no prequels, sequels, spinoffs*, is not part of a franchise or series, no notable connections to other games, and has no announced follow-ups. Please note this isn't concrete so things can be shifted a little and exceptions may be made with good argument.
- If a standalone game has a remaster/remake/port/rerelease with notable changes, this is fine as its still the same game with additional content.
- Example: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, The World Ends With You, Caligula Effect: Overdose, Skies of Arcadia: Legends, etc.
- If a game has light cameos from other series that are not inherently tied to it, that is fine.
- Example: Skies of Arcadia characters in Valkyria Chronicles
- DLC/Expansions/Additional content is still considered part of the main game and not necessarily a sequel even if it continues the plot of the game.
- Example: Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wilds
- Some exceptions may be made for games that have spinoffs based on the nature of said spinoff such as an online game or mobile game.
- Example: Dragon's Dogma has an online/MMO that hasn't been released outside of Japan.
- Example: Octopath Traveler has a mobile spinoff that has not yet been released.
If you'd like to join us, please feel free to add yourself to the sheet below!
Hidden content
Since we're starting a new Blitz I like to write a bit about the games I chose this time. And since I didn't write anything about the games I completed in the previous one, I guess I owe you all Blitzers this.
What I chose this time was:
Then we have Monster Hunter Stories. Another 3DS little gem that I was looking forward to playing since a long time ago. With a new mobile game apparently based on this coming out later this year, I think this seems like the perfect moment to play it.
About Kingdom Hearts III... well, I've beaten this already but the DLC just came out and there are new scenes in the base game and some challenges that may (or may not) be fun.
Pokémon Ultramoon. Originally I wanted to play this before Swoshi but in the end I decided to play Swoshi together with people in the Discord server and I had a blast with it so now I'll go back to Alola and... it seems that many people consider UM better than Swoshi so that's something!
And finally Lagrange Point. I found out about the existence of this game when we were doing the voting for the very first RPG Club, and even voted for it but everyone voted for something else. Still, I was super curious and included it as part of my Blitz list a couple of seasons ago and it fits the current RPG Club theme so I have more than enough reasons to play it at last. It's also short and sweet so, better for me.
Let's clean our backlogs, people!!! (lol, as if that was possible)
What I chose this time was:
- Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
- Monster Hunter Stories
- Kingdom Hearts III
- Pokémon Ultramoon
- Lagrange Point
Then we have Monster Hunter Stories. Another 3DS little gem that I was looking forward to playing since a long time ago. With a new mobile game apparently based on this coming out later this year, I think this seems like the perfect moment to play it.
About Kingdom Hearts III... well, I've beaten this already but the DLC just came out and there are new scenes in the base game and some challenges that may (or may not) be fun.
Pokémon Ultramoon. Originally I wanted to play this before Swoshi but in the end I decided to play Swoshi together with people in the Discord server and I had a blast with it so now I'll go back to Alola and... it seems that many people consider UM better than Swoshi so that's something!
And finally Lagrange Point. I found out about the existence of this game when we were doing the voting for the very first RPG Club, and even voted for it but everyone voted for something else. Still, I was super curious and included it as part of my Blitz list a couple of seasons ago and it fits the current RPG Club theme so I have more than enough reasons to play it at last. It's also short and sweet so, better for me.
Let's clean our backlogs, people!!! (lol, as if that was possible)
I've got a very specific rule question. Does the franchise or series limit only count video games, media or everything? Would a game that is not connected to other games, but is based on a TV-series or a movie or a book count?
Most importantly: Would a game that, for the first and only time, brings a long running pen and paper RPG to video games count as standalone or not?
So for this blitz I went with...
1. Dark Souls 3 (final modern FS game that I haven't played)
2. Suikoden 2 (Suikoden 2 train woo!)
3. Death End Request (been on my list for awhile and it was on sale recently so I picked it up on PSN)
4. Gothic (I was originally going with KOTOR 2 but I'm not feeling that right now, still not 100% sure on Gothic, going to try it and see if I like it)
5. The final game for the Standalone title is Caligula Effect Overdose (another game thats been on my list for awhile and was also on sale on PSN like last week).
The first 3 I'm 100% sure on the final two I might switch out still if I end up not liking them, we'll see. Now to decide which one to start first...
1. Dark Souls 3 (final modern FS game that I haven't played)
2. Suikoden 2 (Suikoden 2 train woo!)
3. Death End Request (been on my list for awhile and it was on sale recently so I picked it up on PSN)
4. Gothic (I was originally going with KOTOR 2 but I'm not feeling that right now, still not 100% sure on Gothic, going to try it and see if I like it)
5. The final game for the Standalone title is Caligula Effect Overdose (another game thats been on my list for awhile and was also on sale on PSN like last week).
The first 3 I'm 100% sure on the final two I might switch out still if I end up not liking them, we'll see. Now to decide which one to start first...
My games for this blitz will be:
Already started DQVIII and FFXII and both are just alright so far.
- Dragon Quest VIII: because so far I have used the blitzes to play through the Dragon Quest series and so far only VIII and IX are missing
- Final Fantasy XII: Zodiac Age: Got in spontanous. I love Ivalice as a setting. Played it on PS2 but never finished it so I can maybe do it. funnily enough it was the reason why I didn't pick up DQVIII on PS2 back then
- Shadows: Awakening: I picked it up in the Steam Holiday Sale
- Saga Scarlet Grace Ambitions: Heard lots of good things about so I am eager to play it.
- Gothic: Played Elex in February and really liked it. As a German it is probably a huge national shame that the only Piranha Bytes game I played was Risen 2. So maybe the blitzes are a good chance to check out PB's catalogue
Already started DQVIII and FFXII and both are just alright so far.
This will be my first blitz ever. My games will be:
Chrono Trigger: I've started this game at least five times already, but never played past the trial part. The gameplay is really good ad the story seems to be great to, so this time i will make an effort to finish it
Shadowrun: Hong Kong: The last one of the trilogy for me, really liked the other two. The combat is easy and simple, but i'm a really big fan of the setting and story of these games Dragonfall was great and i have high hopes for this one too
Tyranny: The premisse of the game seems really up to my alley, i have it for years but never really get to put more than few hours in it
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark: A FFT spiritual sucessor, the reviews on steam really praise it, and i need that sweet tactics action from time to time
Radiant Story: Perfect Chronology: For the rpg club i've chosen the one that i'm most excited to play. I love time travel stuff and this game seems to be a great one on that aspect. The battle system seems great to. I've already played the prologue.
Chrono Trigger: I've started this game at least five times already, but never played past the trial part. The gameplay is really good ad the story seems to be great to, so this time i will make an effort to finish it
Shadowrun: Hong Kong: The last one of the trilogy for me, really liked the other two. The combat is easy and simple, but i'm a really big fan of the setting and story of these games Dragonfall was great and i have high hopes for this one too
Tyranny: The premisse of the game seems really up to my alley, i have it for years but never really get to put more than few hours in it
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark: A FFT spiritual sucessor, the reviews on steam really praise it, and i need that sweet tactics action from time to time
Radiant Story: Perfect Chronology: For the rpg club i've chosen the one that i'm most excited to play. I love time travel stuff and this game seems to be a great one on that aspect. The battle system seems great to. I've already played the prologue.
My Blitz games.
1. Nier: Automata
I've already completed A Route. Doing B route and mopping up as many missed side quests as I can.
2. Dragon Quest XI
The game is great. I swear to God, I will beat it some day.
3. Romancing SaGa 3
See description for game 2.
4. Underrail
See descriptions for game 2 and 3.
5. Undertale
It's one of those games that seems to get unanimous praise, and that I have owned for a long time. I will finally have to try it.
1. Nier: Automata
I've already completed A Route. Doing B route and mopping up as many missed side quests as I can.
2. Dragon Quest XI
The game is great. I swear to God, I will beat it some day.
3. Romancing SaGa 3
See description for game 2.
4. Underrail
See descriptions for game 2 and 3.
5. Undertale
It's one of those games that seems to get unanimous praise, and that I have owned for a long time. I will finally have to try it.
I picked 4 which I had already started and one I haven't (Cosmic Star Heroine).
Dragon Quest 8 (3DS) - I'm finally progressing with the story again after getting the boat and exploring.
Bravely Default
Pokemon FireRed
Persona Q2
Cosmic Star Heroine
Dragon Quest 8 (3DS) - I'm finally progressing with the story again after getting the boat and exploring.
Bravely Default
Pokemon FireRed
Persona Q2
Cosmic Star Heroine
Here's my blitz choices this time around:
Operencia: Trying to beat this one before my GamePass trial runs out
Planescape Torment: I classic that I bought when it was brand new but never got far in due to school stuff. Time to give it another chance!
Phantasy Star AGES: Great-looking remake, perfect bite-size snack for the middle of the blitz.
Might and Magic X: Another game I started but didn't finish. I'm on a dungeon crawler kick so this is a good opportunity to revisit.
Dragon's Dogma: My stand-alone choice. Always heard good things about it so time to take the plunge.
Operencia: Trying to beat this one before my GamePass trial runs out
Planescape Torment: I classic that I bought when it was brand new but never got far in due to school stuff. Time to give it another chance!
Phantasy Star AGES: Great-looking remake, perfect bite-size snack for the middle of the blitz.
Might and Magic X: Another game I started but didn't finish. I'm on a dungeon crawler kick so this is a good opportunity to revisit.
Dragon's Dogma: My stand-alone choice. Always heard good things about it so time to take the plunge.
Hey all! Long time lurker, but thought I would emerge from hiding to say thanks for this great OT and Discord (where I am Ev0lved1). I'm going to try to participate in the Blitz this round with the following games:
1. Final Fantasy VIII (Switch): Have never played FF8 before despite being a pretty big fan of the older entries in the series. Going to try to ride my hype for FF7R and finally knock this out.
2. KOTOR (PC): This will be a replay, but it's probably been 10 years since my last play, and I've never played on PC before. Hope to use this as a springboard to finally tackle KOTOR2 with the restored content mod in the near future.
3. Nier Automata (PS4): Fell off last year after completing Ending A, despite loving it. Definitely going to ride it out this time and see it through.
4. Persona 4 Golden (Vita): Have fallen off a few times about 10 hours in, despite enjoying what I've seen. Need to finish this before thinking about tackling Persona 5.
5. (Theme entry) Octopath Traveler (Switch): Amazing art direction and old school gameplay is such a nice combo for me. Made it about 15-20 hours in when it first released.
1. Final Fantasy VIII (Switch): Have never played FF8 before despite being a pretty big fan of the older entries in the series. Going to try to ride my hype for FF7R and finally knock this out.
2. KOTOR (PC): This will be a replay, but it's probably been 10 years since my last play, and I've never played on PC before. Hope to use this as a springboard to finally tackle KOTOR2 with the restored content mod in the near future.
3. Nier Automata (PS4): Fell off last year after completing Ending A, despite loving it. Definitely going to ride it out this time and see it through.
4. Persona 4 Golden (Vita): Have fallen off a few times about 10 hours in, despite enjoying what I've seen. Need to finish this before thinking about tackling Persona 5.
5. (Theme entry) Octopath Traveler (Switch): Amazing art direction and old school gameplay is such a nice combo for me. Made it about 15-20 hours in when it first released.
Here's my Blitz games for the quarter!
- Dragon Quest XI S: I got really deep into this game and haven't picked it up since Pokemon Sword came out. After dunking so many hours in, I hope this motivates me to see the rest of DQXI through, since this feels the closest I've ever gotten to beating a Dragon Quest game and I still have tens of hours left.
- Final Fantasy IX: I've been playing through IX on and off with my girlfriend watching the whole playthrough, which is her first exposure to the game. We're at a part she finds kind of boring but we're so close to meeting and unlocking the seventh playable character so I hope we get there before our focus changes to some other game.
- Suikoden: This has been on my Blitz list since the first Blitz, and I haven't even started it yet, and now everyone's playing the second one. Must... catch up....
- Fire Emblem Three Houses: I promised my girlfriend I'd play more of this, so making it part of the Blitz might work as extra motivation.
- Vampyr (RPG Club entry): I like Dontnod a lot these days. I think the jank in their games always comes alongside a lot of honestly incredible ideas. I'm looking forward to playing Vampyr, hope I actually crack it open this time.
Finished replaying Tales of Berseria and loved it all over again. I was going for the Platinum trophy, but I am too lazy to grind the last couple of trophies and I might just do that naturally for a third playthrough in the distant future with the help of the Grade shop.
The combat is definitely too repetitive and mindless, but aside from that it's such a good game.
The combat is definitely too repetitive and mindless, but aside from that it's such a good game.
There's a sale on the 3DS and I'm tempted to buy either Strange Journey or Radiant Historia, even though I already beat them on the DS.
I don't come to era a lot anymore, but might be good to share my blitz games for this season here.
- Yakuza 3 (PS4); which I gained access through the remastered collection I bought. Wanted to play it since I finished Kiwami 2 and so far I'm enjoying the atmosphere of the Okinawa they created here. Struggling a bit with doing damage to bosses, but that's a given.
- Suikoden II (PSV); had it on previous blitzes, but will tackle it this time as I have done Suikoden not that long ago.
- Dragon Quest Builders (PS4); I already played some part of it last year, but other games kept me from coming back and continuing. It's a good chance to keep DQ theme going but also taking a break from the party structure and focusing on building stuff.
- SaGa: Scarlet Grace Ambitions (PS4); life and other games kinda made me postpone diving into it right away, so I'm hoping to use the blitz as a good excuse to do so.
- Vagrant Story (PSV); to participate with the club theme. Played the intro sequence once, but struggled with the controls so didn't continue.
So I've been playing through the Yakuza remaster 3-pack that recently came out over the last ~month now. Finished Yakuza 5 last night (first game of blitz).
I've long had the suspicion that Kiryu's story couldn't have that good legs to it, given how he was always on the outside somehow getting pulled in because of the premise and conclusion of Yakuza 1. In part, these games reflect that: 4 and 5 both have Kiryu sharing the lead perspective with others, having a shortened core narrative himself. Nevertheless, for the most part they disabuse me of that suspicion. Yes, the games have to lean on zany plots to drag Kiryu back in but they really lean into his desire to stay out and the costs of his past life--both to him and those around him, yakuza and civilian. Moreover, Kiryu is overflowing with pathos, which I feel is particularly on display in the opening chapter of Yakuza 5.
One thing I like better about these games than the more recently developed Yakuza games I've played (0, K1, K2, J) was the encounter rate is much lower, less so in 5 but so much so in 3 and 4. Getting around the towns is much less an ordeal than it can be in more recent games and I didn't really get to the point of being fatigued with the combat until near the end of Yakuza 5 despite marathoning 100+ hours of Yakuza games. Playing the others, I would start getting frustrated with the encounter rate by the back half of every game.
I also feel that the build up in cohesiveness and narrative quality between 2, where you have the first sparks of life despite some very strange and/or under-realized connective tissue, through the three games I have just played is palpable. 4 and 5 in particular, given the direction they took, feel like they're building to 0. 3 laid the groundwork for exploring Kiryu more on an emotional level, which is kind of the halmark of the series now. You have the gangster flick trappings and the zany action flick twists layered over emotional story-lines that are the real heart of the narrative. Sometimes I do wish the gangster machinations were more hard-boiled and the series has flashes of that at times only to tend to overwrite them with bombast but behind that there is the emotional core (and the humor) that staves off any disappointment with this aspect of the series.
Speaking to that point, it was funny how (more so than usually) the ending situation of 5 was pretty much the bad guy telling us the series and the stories it tells and the characters it depicts are bullshit and the whole game was (more so than usually) about them trying to cling to being those characters with those stories despite all the baggage their past actions and the world spurning them had laid upon them and in the end still having faith. Basically, the emotional pitch of the game was "Do you care about these characters despite the batshit scheme tying this narrative together?" with the answer, in my case, being yes. It was really so on the nose and it belabored that point endlessly throughout the game but, yes, it brought me with it. And that is really the magic of the series.
I've long had the suspicion that Kiryu's story couldn't have that good legs to it, given how he was always on the outside somehow getting pulled in because of the premise and conclusion of Yakuza 1. In part, these games reflect that: 4 and 5 both have Kiryu sharing the lead perspective with others, having a shortened core narrative himself. Nevertheless, for the most part they disabuse me of that suspicion. Yes, the games have to lean on zany plots to drag Kiryu back in but they really lean into his desire to stay out and the costs of his past life--both to him and those around him, yakuza and civilian. Moreover, Kiryu is overflowing with pathos, which I feel is particularly on display in the opening chapter of Yakuza 5.
One thing I like better about these games than the more recently developed Yakuza games I've played (0, K1, K2, J) was the encounter rate is much lower, less so in 5 but so much so in 3 and 4. Getting around the towns is much less an ordeal than it can be in more recent games and I didn't really get to the point of being fatigued with the combat until near the end of Yakuza 5 despite marathoning 100+ hours of Yakuza games. Playing the others, I would start getting frustrated with the encounter rate by the back half of every game.
I also feel that the build up in cohesiveness and narrative quality between 2, where you have the first sparks of life despite some very strange and/or under-realized connective tissue, through the three games I have just played is palpable. 4 and 5 in particular, given the direction they took, feel like they're building to 0. 3 laid the groundwork for exploring Kiryu more on an emotional level, which is kind of the halmark of the series now. You have the gangster flick trappings and the zany action flick twists layered over emotional story-lines that are the real heart of the narrative. Sometimes I do wish the gangster machinations were more hard-boiled and the series has flashes of that at times only to tend to overwrite them with bombast but behind that there is the emotional core (and the humor) that staves off any disappointment with this aspect of the series.
Speaking to that point, it was funny how (more so than usually) the ending situation of 5 was pretty much the bad guy telling us the series and the stories it tells and the characters it depicts are bullshit and the whole game was (more so than usually) about them trying to cling to being those characters with those stories despite all the baggage their past actions and the world spurning them had laid upon them and in the end still having faith. Basically, the emotional pitch of the game was "Do you care about these characters despite the batshit scheme tying this narrative together?" with the answer, in my case, being yes. It was really so on the nose and it belabored that point endlessly throughout the game but, yes, it brought me with it. And that is really the magic of the series.
Got started on my quest to become a dragon this blitz by beating Dragon Quest 1 on Switch. (The other games in my list are Dragon Quest 2-3, Dragon's Dogma and 7th Dragon: Code VFD)
I enjoyed the game a lot. Weirdly one of its biggest strengths is its short length of about five hours. Everything feels relatively fast paced, the world is also small and you can get everywhere pretty fast (so it doesn't feel all that bad, when you get lost), but it somehow still feels like a grand journey, so exploring is pretty fun. I also enjoyed the battle system in the beginning. It's pretty simple with few spells and no party members, but I had a great moment at the start where I just learned the first spell and shortly thereafter met an enemy that was weak to that spell. It felt a bit like in a metroid game, where you get a new ability and the world opens up just a tad more. A lot of that gets lost in the later game, where it is mostly just bash with sword and heal when necessary. Still there was another cool thing that happened to me with battles later on:
I also got a bit of nostalgia for the game, although I have never played it before, just because it feels a lot like the early Akira Toriyama short stories I read as an early teen. So overall it is a very jolly and fun game and while it is my least favorite Dragon Quest at the moment (played 4-6), I still like it a lot. Now on to game two!
I enjoyed the game a lot. Weirdly one of its biggest strengths is its short length of about five hours. Everything feels relatively fast paced, the world is also small and you can get everywhere pretty fast (so it doesn't feel all that bad, when you get lost), but it somehow still feels like a grand journey, so exploring is pretty fun. I also enjoyed the battle system in the beginning. It's pretty simple with few spells and no party members, but I had a great moment at the start where I just learned the first spell and shortly thereafter met an enemy that was weak to that spell. It felt a bit like in a metroid game, where you get a new ability and the world opens up just a tad more. A lot of that gets lost in the later game, where it is mostly just bash with sword and heal when necessary. Still there was another cool thing that happened to me with battles later on:
There is this part, where you have to travel for a long time to get to a new town and I was pretty low on resources, but I could see the safety of the town just in reach. So I tried to get in and there is this huge golem waiting for me at the gates that I forgot about. So I got scared for a bit, but defeated him easily thanks to the item made just for this purpose. Was pretty happy to get healed up after that.
I also got a bit of nostalgia for the game, although I have never played it before, just because it feels a lot like the early Akira Toriyama short stories I read as an early teen. So overall it is a very jolly and fun game and while it is my least favorite Dragon Quest at the moment (played 4-6), I still like it a lot. Now on to game two!
OP
OP
Since you're playing on Vita, I definitely recommend going into Button Assignments and making a custom control scheme for Vagrant Story, just moving inputs around until you get something that you're comfortable with. The default control scheme is kind of unintuitive, you can get used to it but I think it's better to just make your own that works better with your own brain.
I agree with your points and it's the reason why I still enjoy the game, it almost feels like a polished vertical slice of a JRPG, where all the usual components are there but they're pared down to the absolute bare minimum while still retaining a sense of epic scope and meaningful progression. As you say, the game is so short and tightly designed that the usual JRPG progression feels more Metroid-esque here and makes it feel more like a little puzzle than later entries. Despite its age, it's still a very unique game among JRPGs and I really think everyone who enjoys the genre should play it at least once.
Cool.
I'm not taking part in the blitz, I learned my lesson last time. Even finishing one RPG within a quarter is a tall task for me.
But I will start pestering this thread instead of the Steam OT with posts about Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory.
Paranoia is a Pen and Paper RPG system that is older then myself. Wikipedia says it originated in 1984 which is very fitting as the novel 1984 has a strong influence on the setting, together with other Dystopien novels.
The location for all stories in this setting is the Alpha Complex. It is a closed, completely technological and industrial complex, very space station like without any nature. The last remnants of humanity live there in a strictly hierarchical and color coded society run and overseen by the computer. The computer sees everything. The computer knows everything and he knows what's best for everyone. He might also be a little bit paranoid and see treason and traitors everywhere.
Sometime last year I've seen on the Epic Game Store that a PC game adaption for Paranoia was to be released and I bought it in the Winter/Christmas sale. Sometime in January the game got delisted and is not available for purchase anywhere. (Except physical copies on Amazon with a Steam logo on them, but Steam says it will be available sometime in 2020)
Player Characters are generally Troubleshooters in the Alpha Complex and also in the video game adaptation. These are citizens whose job are varying tasks and mission (often mundane sometimes exciting but generally dangerous) given to them by friend Computer. You create a character in the beginning to play as. All options are male but there are variation in skin color. You start each day in your home section. There you can interact a bit with other citizens (like the black market dealer) before you start your mission with a briefing by friend Computer. You have five other people in your group that are gradually introduced to you throughout the first three missions. From these you chose three to accompany you on a mission. They are all from different organizations and have different strengths and weaknesses. Your character is the team leader and you control the whole four person team (most of the time) in battle and moving around, but not in conversations, like companions in other games.
Reporting treason will be rewarded. Not reporting treason is treason itself. Your teammates know this too and might sell you out during debriefing.
The game autosaves exclusively, so there is no good possibility for save scumming and you have to live with your decisions unless you restart the mission you are on.
I'm five missions in and so far it feels like the RPG. You are constantly on your toes trying to keep your treason rating low while still progressing in the game. There are a lot of stupid ways to get treason (me being stupid for nit thinking paranoid enough) and if I restarted every mission I'd get by a bit better but now I am just rolling with it and hoping that the number of clones is enough to get through. The tone and the missions feel consistent and filled with the same humor as the RPG books. The combat mechanics are rather simple for cRPG fans, but so is the RPG and it lives more from the setting and player interactions. Those are pretty good in this game.
In my last (completed) mission I even brought with me the officer that ratted me out last time for hacking vending machines as I thought that mission would not need any hacking (which unfortunately I did need). And after some hacking the officer remarked on my improper use of maintenance systems, which made me think they would rat me out again, so I made sure that they did not survive that mission. Dead party members can't talk during the debriefing but return the next day with a new clone (if they have one left). So this was the logical choice.
I beat Nier: Automata. What a wonderful game. Story, gameplay, music and overall atmosphere come to gether very nicely and form a great experience for the player.
My problem is that I just bought 10 new games, with an average completion time of 60 hours/game.
My problem is that I just bought 10 new games, with an average completion time of 60 hours/game.
Thanks for the write-up, I havent seen a single other person talk about this game since the last E3 trailer.
Just found this thread. I'm a huge fan of RPGs, more Japanese than Western, but I'm glad there's an RPG community here!
I recently finished Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. It's a dream come true for fans of the franchise, like myself. Despite the few graphical glitches and the frame rate dropping heavily sometimes in battles with lots of enemies and destruction, I had a blast with it.
I'm going to be starting Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers next. The art style is what mostly drew me to the game, but the story is time travel themed and I'm a sucker for stories about time travel. I'll post my thoughts once I start it.
I recently finished Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. It's a dream come true for fans of the franchise, like myself. Despite the few graphical glitches and the frame rate dropping heavily sometimes in battles with lots of enemies and destruction, I had a blast with it.
I'm going to be starting Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers next. The art style is what mostly drew me to the game, but the story is time travel themed and I'm a sucker for stories about time travel. I'll post my thoughts once I start it.