What Games Are You Playing 2013?

[dude789]

Game really dropped the ball on plot/setting/atmosphere as well. Writing was nonsense from beginning to end, I didn't really know what was going on, NPCs illuminated nothing about what the fuck I was doing. I can read up on it online but I really don't give a shit, there was nothing whatsover in the hints the game dropped that suggested this game's plot was remotely interesting. Even for a barely existant plot it manages to be bungled ('sup, Fire Keeper murderer arc). Yes there's sceneskip so it's ultimately not a big deal, but ugh, somehow this nonsense annoys me more than having no plot whatsoever, or goofy plots. It's nice to have something to play the game for besides the gameplay side of things.

The game does have some neat world building and lore behind it, but you really have to work to find it. If you keep up with NPC's dialogue and sidequests there's actually some cool stuff in there, but it's kind of unfortunate how difficult it is to find everything and even then it makes you fill in some of the gaps yourself. 

[AndrewRogue]

Yeah, I'm a bit softer on Dark Souls plot, but I'm working on a long write-up about that shit. Fundamentally though, you are correct. The complete lack of exposition is a big failure in the game, because there IS a lot of cool stuff.

Do disagree about atmosphere (I thought the game nailed it), but YMMV.

[Fudozukushi]

Dark Souls plot is 90% show, 10% tell and 5% of that tell is lying to you.

[Fenrir]

NEB:
Yes the obscure bait stuff can be found with the help of online messages left by other players.
It's very different from checking a faq because they're often still a bit obscure with the limited choices of words (Things like "Below" or "Careful") and they can be used to lure people into death. (I fell 3 or 4 times in a bottomless pit because there was a "Treasure below" or "Secret passage" nearby)

Not really much else to say. Your comparison with what I said about FF13 is apt, we recognize the same good gameplay but disagree about all the atmosphere/plot stuff.
I really love the atmosphere/lore/lack of non boss music in Dark Souls and wouldn't trade them for FFT's story and music!
NEB on FF13, Fenrir on Dark Souls: "Totes awesome guys"
NEB on Dark Souls, Fenrir on FF13: "Core gameplay is alright but why is everything else so terrible. WHY? *Gameplay nitpicks that probably would probably not be mentioned if the rest of the game wasn't that bad*"



ZHP: Found the Holy Grail of stat boosting: Twinking the shadowgram so that an equipment part gets a 255% boost.
Before I had twinked to boost physical attack and HP. I had about 1/3 more physical attackand 1/6 more HP than base. Strength goes from 300 to 400.
Now I actually have two equipment parts set up with a 255% boost. I have about 7* more every stat. Strength goes from 300 to 2400.
I still don't understand how the math works. I'm trying to figure it out but I really don't get it. But everything dies!!
I must say, figuring out everything in ZHP is a lot more fun than in Disgaea. I'm near the end of it anyway, I think.

[Luther Lansfeld]

I guess I'm not even seeing where you decipher a plot out of that nonsense? The most emblematic thing to me is watching a scene with some wolf, a string of nonsensical dialogue occurs, and then a yes/no box appears for no discernible reason. After watching almost the entire game I still have no idea why any of the bosses were fought other than I guess you're a person who kills things.

[Fenrir]

Item descriptions NPC banter and looking at the actual world.
Demon's Souls has the same amount of plot  as Dark Souls and it has a 312k story guide that pieces everything together on gamefaqs! There's not a lack of story, you just have to look for it, which you might or might not want to do.

[Lord Ephraim]

Kid Icarius Uprising:

I've been going through the game in the last few months, taking it slow mostly because I get tired from playing on a level, and I constantly like to replay levels for a better score.  However, yesterday I finally beat it.  My average intensity level was 6.4, mostly dragged down from the last level dying 5 times.

Anyways, it was the best game I played on the 3DS (out of 8 titles played, woo :| ).  What put me off on buying it for so long was the short single player which I was "advertised" as being only 9 chapters long but should get it anyways because.  It was some great trolling from Sakurai.  Absolutely no hints or clues that the game was actually more than twice as long.

The dialog during gameplay absolutely smashes any other game I have ever played.  The voice acting is excellent,  fourth wall jokes are paced correctly and are actually funny, and the dual screens lets you experience the character emote poses (Hades' "I KISS YOU" face is the best) without interrupting gameplay.  Yeah it's repetitive on replays, but it's of easy to tune them out while blazing through the level on 9.0.  As much as I love it when Hades' hams it up, my favorite character is Viridi; she's so adorable talking shit to both Hades and Palutena at the same time.

As much as I like the weapon varieties, level and enemy design, risk/reward of the Intensity system, and meaningful achievements and Smash-like unlocks,  I can only like the gameplay so much until I realize I hate the control scheme.  There's nothing wrong with the default touch screen controls; they work fine and offer a degree of precision you can't get with dual analog.  However, the game is just unbearable to play on a 3DSXL.  I have not found a comfortable way of playing the game without developing carpel tunnel syndrome after every level.  The stand is useless, holding the system with one hand gets tiring after 10 minutes, and using my right hand to support the system gets in the way of my aiming.  Everything would probably be better if I had the normal, smaller 3DS model, or maybe I'm just a big baby.

Apparently mutliplayer is a big part of the game, but I don't trust Nintendo online and unless there's character banter during a match, there's little incentive for me to try it out.

[Luther Lansfeld]

I guess I feel like looking for something requires some barebones generation of interest on the part of the game? If FF1 had a giant database of information I'm pretty sure I wouldn't read it either.

I need to play KIU!

[Fenrir]

I wouldn't either! I never did read those giant databases in Mass Effect / Xenosaga / FF13. I can definitely understand not liking it but it has nothing to do with giant databases. It is a very different approach to storytelling than usual that just isn't about feeding info.

[AndrewRogue]

Having actually extensively read up/watched up on plot stuff, most of it is actually pretty easy to put together IF you want to. The plot is nothing, but the individual stories going on within the world (Quelaan, Priscilla, Artorias, Dusk, Humanity, The Fire Keepers, etc).

That's kinda where Dark Souls really comes together. There is just neat stuff happening.

Honestly, I think the game's generally melancholy mood captured me, since not too many games outside of survival horror really aim for that tone.

[Grefter]

You pay for nonstandard story telling practice, it isn't going to be for everyone.  I can especially see how shite it would be for a spectator.  Playing the game with someone else around as a shared experience sure as hell is going to make you less inclined to sit and read through a laundry list of unsortable items (in a game that doesn't pause in menus).

[Sierra]

Man NEB I feel sorry for you for never noticing the bottomless box. It's sold by the first merchant! I always toss anything I don't actively use in there. And you can actually manually rearrange inventory. I forget how because I never need to (see bottomless box).

The game is tense enough without regular music that I think having it there at all times would be excruciating. And I definitely support the practice of saving music for special occasions when it's this fucking good. Definitely one of the top OSTs I've ever heard. It's not like XS1 where you spend the long stretches of silence just waiting to hear the same damn song over and over again, everything here is perfectly calibrated to amp up the moment it plays. They save the good stuff for when it's most impressive and that is a trade I'm willing to make. Apparently Sakuraba made a conscious effort to expand his usual repertoire for this score. It worked. I would not have guessed it was him if I hadn't seen his name in the credits (although knowing that afterwards, there are pieces that remind me of VP2's more orchestral moments) and I dearly hope they retain him for Dark Souls 2 (because Demon's Souls' soundtrack? Pitifully lackluster). Usual disclaimer that music is inordinately important in getting something to connect with me, of course.

Complaining about lack of lives I think is not a fair point. You have infinite lives. Whatever items you got/shortcuts you unlocked before dying keep, and the souls/humanity? Eh, you can get those back (all of it, if you reach your bloodstain). I actually think Dark Souls is extremely forgiving when it comes to PC death. It's the game's central conceit. All the internet's "hardest game evar" hype is pretty bullshit, it's just a game that demands much more in the way of caution, patience, and observation than most*. You finished with substantially lower levels/hours than I did first time through, for what that's worth (even taking into account you skipped a couple optional areas).

Funny that you cite Demon Firesage as the most notable second half boss. I always found him a joke, have only died to him on NG+. (I'd also previously fought the beta version of him though, Stray Demon, hangs out in the asylum once you find your way back there. Which you didn't. >.>) Props for parrying Gwyn to death, I am still too terrified to try. Even after all this time I can only reliably parry mooks that clearly telegraph their moves (basic hollows, black/silver sword knights, darkwraiths). Black knight shield is the key to that fight otherwise, anything with worse fire resist and he'll chip you to death.

(*Which yeah, extends to the story. I will just echo the others in saying the atmosphere worked for me. There is a ton of detail and a lot of love poured into those environments and there was a distinct air of faded grandeur about it that really made it feel like a place to me.)

I assume you got Link the Fire ending because people generally do on a first run.

[Luther Lansfeld]

I think his point is that having long dungeons without the presence of a life mechanic is annoying, the solution being a bit more save pointage, not lives. Going through a 10 minute area 20 times just to get to a boss isn't all that fun after a couple tries.

[Grefter]

That is what it comes down to for a lot of taste here I think is the implementation of pacing mechanics.  Time is the biggest punitive measure taken in Dark Souls and it is pretty extreme.  It comes off as pretty goddamned grindy (mixed with the level up/soul system) as an outside observer.

When you slice it like that and given what you know of your psychological profile of ELVES and CIATOS, I don't see how that response would come as a surprise.

[dude789]

The game is tense enough without regular music that I think having it there at all times would be excruciating. And I definitely support the practice of saving music for special occasions when it's this fucking good. Definitely one of the top OSTs I've ever heard. It's not like XS1 where you spend the long stretches of silence just waiting to hear the same damn song over and over again, everything here is perfectly calibrated to amp up the moment it plays. They save the good stuff for when it's most impressive and that is a trade I'm willing to make. Apparently Sakuraba made a conscious effort to expand his usual repertoire for this score. It worked. I would not have guessed it was him if I hadn't seen his name in the credits (although knowing that afterwards, there are pieces that remind me of VP2's more orchestral moments) and I dearly hope they retain him for Dark Souls 2 (because Demon's Souls' soundtrack? Pitifully lackluster). Usual disclaimer that music is inordinately important in getting something to connect with me, of course.

I'm not a fan of most of Sakuraba's music, but I do think that he was a solid choice to compose the soundtrack for this game. The general style of the music plays to his strengths and is much closer to his tracks that I actually enjoyed (some of his VP2 and Eternal Sonata stuff) than the stuff that I hated (most of Star Ocean and Baiten Kaitos).

[Luther Lansfeld]

I am personally not commenting on the merits or lack of merits in making the save points far away. I personally believe it depends on the level design. MMX2 is a good example of a game I think is hurt significantly by having absurdly hard bosses because its levels are awful(it does have lives, but has the extra special thing where you have to redo its bosses if you die in the final dungeon.)

[Dark Holy Elf]

Fenrir: yeah, perfect summary I think. (I'm amused you cite FFT there, I've never thought of its story or music as special, and I think it's the best game ever!)

Complaining about lack of lives I think is not a fair point. You have infinite lives.

Not in the context I meant here, which is respawning right before the boss. If you read the rest of my post my complaint is pretty clear: I get tired of walking through the same area over and over a bit after a certain point. Games with lives get around this by still making you walk through the same area, but giving you 3+ kicks at the can each time you reach the boss, so that one time you bungle 10 seconds in isn't as annoying. God Hand would be an example of a game that gives you infinite lives in this context, since it lets you retry over and over. While I'm fine with having a "punishment for loss" retread, I think Dark Souls errs on the side of having too much, is all!

Plot stuff, yeah, I think this is going to be an agree to disagree case.

The game's music did nothing for me, sorry to say! Maybe if it played at more points when I wasn't just trying to stay alive. It's not bad, but nor did I find it anything memorable or especially worth hyping. Kinda like VP2, yes.

[Sierra]

ME2: Found out where Jack went after Pitch Black (because Pitch Black did not, of course, have a sequel). Loyalty grinding was supposed to commence but hijacked by plot for GHOST SHIP. Very rude. I'm told this game has kind of a stealth point of no return and I should focus on loyalty/sidequesting as soon as possible. Is this accurate? (I'd do that anyway, but still.)

I should really stop buying fish.

[Grefter]

Soft point of no return (actually just a timer on something) is actually a mission to a derelict Reaper.  It is related to the events that take place on the Space Marie Celeste.

Edit - Derelict Reaper is not a spoiler.

[AndrewRogue]

Point of No Return is very obvious. Point of Consequences if you dick about is not. As Gref says, do not do the Derelict Reaper mission until you are ready.

I'm trying to remember, were there any really obnoxious boss gaps? The bonfires could have afforded to be a bit closer, but I don't remember any that were tooooo bad.

[Grefter]

It isn't even that big a thing, it is like consequence for ginning around, but it isn't worth getting all NNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG about.

[Sierra]

Point of No Return is very obvious. Point of Consequences if you dick about is not. As Gref says, do not do the Derelict Reaper mission until you are ready.

I'm trying to remember, were there any really obnoxious boss gaps? The bonfires could have afforded to be a bit closer, but I don't remember any that were tooooo bad.

Lost Izalith was the worst. There's also a decent chunk of unavoidable combat before Nito, but it hardly matters in his case.

[AndrewRogue]

Ah right. Yeah. Lost Izalith was stupid. I had blocked that one out.

[Fenrir]

Did you miss the second savepoint in lost izalith? The trek isn't that long. Nito's isn't either.
Longest would have to go to Seath since there are no shortcuts or bonfires in the crystal caves. It probably takes about 5 minutes to get back to him from the savepoint compared to 2 minutes against most bosses.
4 kings is long too, especially since the shortcut is not obvious at first and you have to go through a ME1 elevator sequence.

FFT's ost isn't amazing as a whole but there are some truly inspiring tracks, which isn't something you see very often!

[Fudozukushi]

Obnoxious trek or funtime with the most hardass Titanite Demon in the game.  Thanks Lost Izalith!