Video Game Discussion Thread

[Lennis]

A new action RPG is on the verge of release.  It's called Asterigos: Curse of the Stars.  It caught my attention because the main character looks a lot like Leena.  It would be too funny if a modder gave this girl Leena's outfit and a frying pan to swing around.

https://nichegamer.com/asterigos-curse-of-the-stars-release-date-oct/

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

https://nichegamer.com/asterigos-curse-of-the-stars-release-date-oct/

Oh! Looks interesting. I just wishlisted on Steam.

[VidKid369]

Hey, guys! Sorry I haven’t been updating that much. So I beat Uncharted 1, 2 and 3 for the PS3. I kinda wanted to take a break from RPGs for a while. Now I’m back into it with Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland (PS3) and I just got The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel (PS3) in today, so I’m pretty excited about starting that too!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Nice dude! I'm doubling down on trying to finish games that I've left unfinished over the past year, and I'm not taking on any new games until I can wrap a few of these up.

Metroid Dread - I got to the end of the game last October but couldn't beat the final boss. I've restarted a new file on an easier difficulty (which wasn't available at launch), and this is first on my "to do" list.

Final Fantasy VII Remake - I actually beat this one last week, but I'm rushing through it on Hard Mode to get a few extra addons. Then I need to beat the Intergrade DLC starring Yuffie.

I Am Setsuna - I'm at the end of the game and doing end-game character sidequests. This game is considerably better than I thought it would be, but I've had to put this game down for a short break every few weeks. It can be pretty difficult at times, and the constant snowy world and dark story can make things sort of bleak and sad, so I can only dive in for short bursts.

Dragon's Dogma - I had tried playing this about five or six years ago, really enjoyed it, but for some reason it fell off. With the announcement of Dragon's Dogma II a few months ago, I picked up the Switch version and am playing through it again. I'm almost done with the game and just doing some grinding (which I hate doing) before the final boss of the game. I missed some time quests on this playthrough, and there's a NG+ option, but I don't think I'll be replaying any time soon. Once I'm done with the game and the post-game content, I'm retiring this game.

The Outer Worlds - This has been a great game that gives me that Fallout 3 / Fallout NV vibe. I tore through the main quest last winter and am at the end of the game, but veered off to do the two DLC quest lines. I finished one back in May/June and picked up the second DLC questline, but haven't touched it in a few months.

So I beat Uncharted 1, 2 and 3 for the PS3

I actually picked up the Uncharted Collection for the PS3 some time ago with the intent of playing it, but my PS3 controller broke and I have yet to replace it. I've thought about going and playing at least the first one. I assume you liked it?

Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland (PS3)

The Atelier series looks great to me. I like the change to smaller, more intimate stories rather than huge, end-of-the-world-stakes stories most jRPG go for. Unfortunately, I've never actually picked one up... I think I'm slightly afraid because I know there are like 20 of them since the PS2-era and I don't know where to start. I'm almost afraid the games won't hold my interest despite loving them, as I've been a manic video game player the past decade or so...

...although we have a group Lunar: Silver Star Story (one of the versions, anyway) playthrough coming up around Christmas time! And that's a game that it is always engaging and impossible to put down. I can't wait!

[VidKid369]

Haha. I didn't bother posting about Uncharted since it wasn't really RPGs, so that's a reason why I haven't been on and posting much! Yes, I liked it I thought it was enjoyable. They're really short too so you can get through each one of the games in a couple of days. I totally played them on 'Very Easy' mode, though. :p

I've actually gotten close to tightening up my backlog I got through loads of RPGs last year (beat my SNES + PS1 collection), so that's freed me up to go on to more PS2 stuff, and on. Tbh, I didn't bother playing through the RPGs I just don't like, like SaGa Frontier just cause it hurts so much whenever I force myself to do that. Eventually though I'll get to those games even if it means biting down really hard and losing a few molars.

I popped in Atelier Rorona on a whim a few days ago and I absolutely loved it! I would very heavily recommend it if you're into quasi-farmsim'ish games and Harvest Moon-likes. You spend most of it going into the forest gathering items you use to mix other items that you can sell or deliver to people, and it has a turn-based system that's really easy AND fun! The characters are very Japanese and cutesy if you like that! It's very family-friendly -- I promised myself I should play more games like this!! I'm already eyeing the next game which's Atelier Totori but a few friends of mine suggested the games that came before like Ar tonelico, Atelier Iris and Mana Khemia all on PS2. I'm enjoying Atelier Rorona so much right now I've definitely put those games on my wishlist!

Oh, yes! We do have a Lunar group-play coming up and I am really excited as well. Only 2 or so more months!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Haha. I didn't bother posting about Uncharted since it wasn't really RPGs, so that's a reason why I haven't been on and posting much! Yes, I liked it I thought it was enjoyable.

I know at least I want to hear ALL the games, not just the jRPGs.

I think Mauron plays the Atelier games, too. Which one do you recommend starting with if you were recommending the series to a Atelier newbie?

[VidKid369]

Ok, I'll keep that in mind that you're all a fan of ALL genres not just RPGs. Hehe, my bad.

Well, Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland (PS3) is my first introduction to the Atelier series of games and I personally really like it a lot. The tasks you're given aren't too hard at first (and it's even easier if you're following a guide.) You have the HD aspect since it's on PS3, which's always a plus. Battles are turn-based and very easy. If you love reading item descriptions, and messing with food-related items, almost like cooking then you'll definitely love the game.

I've been mostly playing Atelier Rorona during the day and I transfer to my bed and play The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PSN) on my PS Vita at night cause my body's sore from all the recent weightloss.

Anyway, I have to go eat lunch. Cheers and keep having fun gaming, everybody!!

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Metroid Dread - I got to the end of the game last October but couldn't beat the final boss. I've restarted a new file on an easier difficulty (which wasn't available at launch), and this is first on my "to do" list.

I finally beat this one last night! Woohoo! Last year I tried to beat the boss and could never figure out why I couldn't put a dent in him. This time around I read up on it first and realized my mistake - you have to do an evade+counter attack twice in a row to make him temporarily vulnerable, then repeat ad nauseam. The boss had three phases, and the first was absolutely the hardest. Now that I know what to do, I could probably beat it on normal mode... but I'm ready to move on.

I'm just not a Souls / high difficulty kind of guy. I enjoy the story and ambiance of the games, but holy hell, I need an easy mode... I don't like having to memorize movements and attack tells. Even the Metroid Dread rookie mode was overly difficult IMO. There's also a Dread difficulty mode that is instakill/permakill. No thanks!

And now I've officially beat every Metroid game at 100%!

Jumping back into I Am Setsuna to wrap it up. Hopefully with some grinding and the remaining final quests, I can close the book on this one, too. I probably won't go for 100% of the encyclopedia completion, but at least will have done all the quests.

[CptOvaltine]

Boo, what did you think of the FFVI remake?  Just curious what your thoughts are.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Boo, what did you think of the FFVII remake? Just curious what your thoughts are.

I personally loved it. I don't mind the overall "change" in the storyline and the direction moving forward; if I wanted the original, I'd play the original. I'm not a purist by any means.

A few thoughts off the top of my head:
-The graphics and world design were stellar.
-Combat was excellent and a great hybrid of action and turn-based.
-The soundtrack was great, but I would have liked a little bit more focus on the OG soundtrack. For some reason it felt like major hits - Aerith - were background tunes rather than front and center. Maybe that's because of the addition of VA, but I wanted MORE of the original soundtrack (remastered) blaring in my ears.
-The voice cast was amazing. Every single one of the main characters was spot on.
-The new story elements were fine. I didn't love them and they certainly didn't really add anything, but they served the game and the story and I don't mind them. That being said...
-The new chapter showing Jessie Rasberry's upbringing was great and a highlight. It really pulled at my heart strings. Exploring the residential area of Midgar, deep in the night after everyone has long gone to sleep, and then listening to her and Avalance talk to her mom... it was touching and somber. And the song that played really helped cement the whole scenario for me. This was a great -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8eI8VuRYJ0
-I always struggled between who my waifu was -- Tifa or Aerith. Now it's even harder to pick one, as Jessie was standout in this game. Man, she was such a tease and I'm here for it.
-My only real negative was with the flow of the plot. I feel like it was stop and go, and the build up to the end events didn't really feel like a true third act. The ending events after the fall of Sector 7 and storming the Shinra building felt really... anticlimactic, maybe? I'm not sure what word I'd use there.
-There were also parts of the plot that felt really unfriendly to newcomers who didn't play the original FF7 - Sephiroth and Jenova being two of them. They weren't really even explained in the game, so that's a gripe that may not even be legitimate.

Overall I really, really enjoyed the game, though. It's probably my favorite FF7 game next to the original. Some of the complaints with FF7R are similar to ones I'd have with Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus.

I have additional thoughts, but those would be diving into spoiler territory.

[VidKid369]

Hello,—I’m here to peddle how good the Atelier games are. I’ve always had Atelier Rorona in my collection and I’ve been sleeping on it this whole time!! Completely fell in love with the gathering of materials, the mixing of items and everything about this game! I beat that and Atelier Totori, and now I’m waiting for Atelier Meruru to be delivered. *twiddles*

I’m actually looking to upgrade to a PS4 Pro but I’m definitely gonna try to beat all the PS3 Atelier games first!! I’m so addicted.

[Lennis]

I recently dusted off my old X-Box 360 and popped in a somewhat obscure JRPG called Eternal Sonata.  The graphics are amazing for a game released in 2007, and the ost stands out even more.  It's unique in that the story focuses on the dreams of an historical figure; a famous composer and pianist named Frédéric Chopin.  It has a fairly large playable cast, and most all of the characters have names based off of musical terms.  The battle system is also unique, combining aspects of turn-based and real-time combat.  Characters have no MP, but instead use special attacks based on whether they are standing on lighted ground or shaded ground.  You can use a special attack at any time, but those attacks are more effective if you deliver a few regular attacks first during your character's turn.  Alternatively, you can build up a combo gauge using regular attacks with one character and then have another character spend the built-up energy on a special attack, leading to huge damage.  There's no other JRPG quite like it.  I'm about 40 hours into it, and I find the game charming, though the narrative can get a bit preachy in places.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

somewhat obscure JRPG called Eternal Sonata

Ah, the weird fever-dream of Frederic Chopin! I actually own this game and played the first few hours. I really enjoyed what I played, and I remember the battle system having a unique light/dark strategy element. The soundtrack and characters were amazing, although I admit I never got far. We moved and I never picked the game back up afterwards.

Please let me know what you think when you're done! I'd love to get a review, and perhaps I'll restart it sooner or later.

[Acacia Sgt]

Eternal Sonata? Oh, I've always wanted to play that one.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

VidKid369 and I have been chatting...

LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete fun-time group playthrough is OFFICIALLY HAPPENING in 18 days. Mark your calendars, boys and girls.

December 25th we start a New Game.

I'm gonna start a separate discussion thread for it, but if you are interested in joining, feel free. We'll be playing somewhat slowly and have milestones we'll try to hit every day, and then discuss the plot and anything else we feel like covering. Sort of like a group Let's Play without the livestreaming. Haha!