What Games Are You Playing: 2008

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

Mana Khemia- Pamela just got physical immunity...and then I made a Gorgon shield, which claims to absorb magic. That...can't be right.

This reminds me, Dhyer. Are you abusing questing and task item creation? If not, YOU SHOULD.

EDIT: Also, Gorgon Shield may just have that description for flavor - or the magic absorbing isn't that effective. Regardless, literally immortal Pamela hype can be gotten just through her D-Support upgrade, which shouldn't take long for you to get.

[Dhyerwolf]

I have her D-support upgrade, yes.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

Ahhh, excellent. Abusing task item creation as well, I gather? Once you get Jade Tablets and Megingjorz, you can abuse that to get them in bulk, and they're horribly broken for offense. Stack them together, toodles.

[Meeplelard]

FFX Replay: Completed!  Went through pretty much the entire dungeon barring bosses and that last useless room with Capture Weapons on in case I plan on actually doing the after game.

Game is as awesome as I remember it and such.  Nice to finally get this planned replay finally done with and all that.  As far as Side Quests done, all Celestials gotten and their crests unlocked, with Caladbolg, Nirvana, God hand and Masamune being fully unlocked.  Naturally, all the things related to those gotten as well, like Aeons and such.

[Nitori]

FE10: I played 7 chapters on Easy thinking the conversion was Easy -> Normal and Normal -> Hard for the NA version.  Apparently the Easy mode is new for the NA version. Whoops, restart time~

[Sierra]

Heavenly Sword: Super Sloth is down. Also think I might like sniping more than the hack 'n slash side of combat. Guided arrows? Neat.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

DDS - Wow, Karma Temple is really stylish.

[DjinnAndTonic]

Wild Arms 4 - Kresnik finished angsting (at least it didn't take too long), battled some zombie women, defeated Gawn's TWELVE BULLETS OF DOOM! Time to take on Illsveil prison.

Apparently Gawn's greatest weakness is 'an eleventh missile'. Super effective indeed.

Farmel time!

-Djinn

[Niu]

DDS - Wow, Karma Temple is really stylish.

I thought your comments would be "long and annoy".

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

It's very long, but it looks pretty and it's quite frankly the best thing about the damned game. It hurts that it's still crawling with DDS enemies, but Estoma Spray.

[Niu]

To Djinn: No they are not planets. And that FAQ was written by someone who gathered my notes when I was still on SF1 board and is full of mistakes.
Anyway, Regions are like tiny worlds that floats in the sea of chaos. If you enter the sea of chaos naked without any protective sheilds, you'll just got disintegrated right on the spot. The only life form that can maintain itself in the sea of chaos is Tanzar

First of all: It's cool that you've been involved in translating information like this for the masses for so long! Secondly, I can understand the FAQ's mistake since I'm still having trouble seeing the difference between "Regions are like tiny worlds" and "Regions are planets".

Is there an 'official' who-meets-who detailed in the Essence anywhere? For example, a lot of the official art seems to picture Blue with Lute and Riki - is it canon that he joins up with them on his quest? I ask because there's the official artwork of Red and T260G but I'm pretty sure that Red can't get T260G in his chapter? I'm also curious if there's a 'canon' event storyline, too. For example, is it canon for Lute to go on any of the Gift quests or to recruit Kylin or something like that.

Lastly, do Gen, Roufas, or Nusakan have any extra background information that you could share? I just don't know -anything- about them, but they seem like important players in the SF1 world.

-Djinn

It's quite different. If they are planets, they would probably revolve around a sun and govern by some universal physics. But no, they dont'. Like how Ombral never have any sort of sunlight, despite a neighboring region has plenty of those. If they are planets, assume they revolve around a sun, why would one get light while another don't when they are just next by? Each worlds have their own worldly rules within them. Plus, they don't even shape like planets, Despair looks a shell made of spiky diamonds, Margmel looks like a white empty rock that has a huge whole that is over 2/3 of its body with fire burning inside. While Boro looks just like a broken barrel, and don't even get started on HQ, it looks a like a electrical energy core that came right out of a energy generator and is attracting some weird triangular shaped things around it. I doubt they are even capable of having an atmosphere.

As for whether there is a cannon on who joins who, no, there is no such cannon. Art is art, cannon is something else.

As for character backgrounds, Gen don't have much. Rufus not much either, but he and Fuse knew one another when they trained in Kyo. As for Nusakan, he was considered as a weirdo among among the high rank mystics, as all high rank mystics only think of lust and power. Studying, which is what Nusakan is doing, is what average high rank mystics would never think of. Nusakan was highly interested in human diseases and moved himself into Koorang just to study them because, well, his mystics kinds don't get sicks the way human do. And he become a doctor just so he can observe illness at close distance, saving his patients was never a priority.

[Dark Holy Elf]

FE7 - Finished, S ranked Eliwood Hard Mode. Aw yeah. Victory or Death was pain, as the Exp requirement was super-steep. First run I finished the map around turn 16, with 3600 exp, not nearly enough. So I redid it, killed reinforcements and spammed Fortify until turn 29, used three unpromoted PCs, got 6900 exp. Worked. Plus a bunch of stupidity resets in there due to a weak party.

Light was pretty easy by comparison. Helps that by this time I no longer had level issues. In fact Priscilla reached Level 17 despite severe EHM underlevelling and skipping a sidequest. Valkyrie Exp multiplier for godlike. Others averaged 10 or so?

Now to work on S-ranking Hector mode, armed with the knowledge that I should his speshul sidequests if I need Tactics help. ... next year maybe. There are better FEs to be replayed first!


F-Zero GX: Beat all of Standard. Not... too hard, actually. Story mode things seem much harder generally, with much better enemy AI. I imagine the third difficulty is like this?

[DjinnAndTonic]

Niu: So those weird icons on Blue's Map are what the Regions -actually- look like? Cool. ^_^

Wow, so nothing on Gen? Like what he did in Wakatu before ending up in Scrap? Or why he left Wakatu in the first place? Maybe I just need to finish a quest that tells more about Wakatu?

Wild Arms 4: Aaaaand.... Finished!

Possible SPOILERS!!! for anyone who hasn't finished this game.



The whole end scenario was surprisingly fulfilling for a Wild Arms game. Lambda, while over-the-top, had a fairly decent motive for an RPG villain. "I sees the future and must do drastic things to change it!" Not bad, also, I liked his final scene with blind Farmel. Though the whole 'might still be alive, might not' thing wasn't exactly a stroke of genius. Still, it works.

Hauser's motivation made less sense, but the lady in the epilogue who equated him to the vengeful spirit of Hauser who had been animated by ARM technology made just enough sense that I won't think too hard about it.

Anyway, the scene right after you beat Hauser where Jude finally breaks down felt very necessary to his character. He was perpetually positive, which was great, but it was also nice seeing him lose it at an inappropriate time for once, considering he's still a 14-year-old watching a LOT of people die around him.

Speaking of which, the death count in this game is -huge-. They make such a big deal of all their antagonists and damn near every one of them dies (generally just after reforming, too!). Considering I liked most of Brionac more than Yulie, this was a little disappointing. Jude wasn't a huge favorite of mine either, until the aforementioned scene, which did wonders for my opinion of him as a character. If only he would get over that nasty habit of collecting soon-to-be-killed-off father figures, he'd be in good shape.

I was also immensely impressed by Arnaud/Raquel's relationship (not overly developed, but subtly amusing). And I was happy to see that they didn't cop out and actually find a cure for Raquel at the end, definitely made for a nice ending.

Gameplaywise, this game is awesome. While I wasn't a huge fan of the puzzles, I liked the HEX battle system and I loved the platforming. Hauser's 2nd form was a bit of a nuisance on my first try, but the second time around, I had managed to build up my FP meter to max during the first form and was lucky enough to start the match with Raquel. Intrude->Physical->Intrude hax.


SPOILERS end.

Back to SaGa!

-Djinn

[Sierra]

They make such a big deal of all their antagonists and damn near every one of them dies (generally just after reforming, too!).

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RedemptionEqualsDeath

[Niu]

Lambda and Farmel lived according to the novel.

[Talaysen]

Haven't been here for awhile.  I guess it's time to catch up (and then disappear for another month)~

Wild ARMs XF - Played through the whole thing awhile ago.  Basically it's WA x FFT and thus completely awesome.  It's been said enough so I won't go into detail.

Rhapsody DS - Played some of the JP version.  Cornet got boosted a LOT.  Upgrade~  They added in PC Kururu!  Who is a glass cannon.  HP values in general seemed to be boosted on both sides.  Burg took like four full rounds to kill... instead of being 2HKOd.  They took out difficulty choices, but the EXP gain's locked on Hard at least.  Inotium gain doesn't seem to be that strict but lol rhapsody money.  Looking forward to the US release.

Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion - Genericy generic McGeneric.  Plot is generic, battles are generic, characters are generic, music is gen--oh wait the music is awesome.  Still, it's not bad I guess.  I just got Archem.  Not that anyone knows who that is.

Metal Saga - Started over.  This game continues to be awesome for... the strangest reasons.  It's not plot, it's not characters, and it's not battles.  It's mostly just the weird things it has like awesome monster designs (such as TANKASAURUS and such.  Not that the gameplay's bad.  It's unique though ultimately nothing great.  And the sandbox style is nice change of pace from the typical linear RPG.  I'm messing around in Morgue City right now.  Probably won't be here for long since I don't think there's even a Hunter's Guild here (which would make sense).

Mazes of Fate DS -
[00:18:20] <NevermoreHime> MAZES OF FATE DS.
[00:18:27] <+Tide|work> MORE ENHACING YES
[00:18:29] <NevermoreHime> Except like the GBA version is superior to it in every way so maybe not.
[00:19:02] <FrueRadiantNitori> GBA Mazes of Fate is SUPERIOR? Hay Tallychu.
[00:19:03] <+PamelaIbis> Wait.
[00:19:07] <+PamelaIbis> WHAT?
[00:19:10] <+PamelaIbis> WHAT?
[00:19:17] <+PamelaIbis> WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??
[00:19:20] * NevermoreHime runs away
[00:19:22] <@RichardIbis> This is such a Tallychu game.
[00:19:23] * +PamelaIbis head asplodes.
[00:19:28] <+Ephraim> What is this Mazes of Fate?
[00:19:29] <NevermoreHime> I'm not touching that thing with a 30-ft pole
[00:19:32] <NevermoreHime> I beat the GBA version TWICE
[00:19:48] <+Tide|work> d999 to make Tal play this game
[00:19:49] * +Hatbot --> "Tide|work rolls d999 to make Tal play this game and gets 890." [d999=890]
[00:19:52] <+Hello-Prescott> ...
[00:20:00] <NevermoreHime> The game is bonded to Tallychu, Tide. No need to roll.
[00:20:04] * +Tide|work makes Tal stream it while he's play it
[00:20:09] <+Hello-Prescott> are you a glutton for punishment like magic or something, trance?
[00:20:11] <+PamelaIbis> NOT FUCKING HIGH ENOUGH
[00:20:14] <FrueRadiantNitori> Tallychu will play it, he plays everything.
[00:20:29] <NevermoreHime> Snow: Self-punishment is my middle name.
[00:20:33] <@RichardIbis> d999 for a Joint Assault with Tide!
[00:20:34] * +Hatbot --> "RichardIbis rolls d999 for a Joint Assault with Tide! and gets 346." [d999=346]
[00:20:37] <@RichardIbis>
[00:20:42] <+Tide|work> d999 for HIGHER then?
[00:20:43] * +Hatbot --> "Tide|work rolls d999 for HIGHER then? and gets 557." [d999=557]
[00:20:46] <+Tide|work> aww
[00:20:51] <NevermoreHime> Actually Tallychu if I play it will you do that?
[00:21:02] <NevermoreHime> Though from what I hear from people the GBA version is superior
[00:21:04] <+Tide|work> d999 for Dual Hyper combo assault with Tonfa to make Tal play this game
[00:21:05] * +Hatbot --> "Tide|work rolls d999 for Dual Hyper combo assault with Tonfa to make Tal play this game and gets 190." [d999=190]
[00:21:09] * +Tide|work explodes
[00:21:12] <+Tide|work> Well I tried
[00:21:17] <+PamelaIbis> Do what?
[00:21:26] <+Tide|work> YES TRANCE. YOU CAN RACE TAL
[00:21:34] <FrueRadiantNitori> YES
[00:21:35] <NevermoreHime> Why not, Tide? I'll do a solo run~
[00:21:39] <FrueRadiantNitori> BEST RACE EVER
[00:21:51] <+Tide|work> FIRST ONE TO WIN CAN ENHACE THEIR GAME ABILITIES TO BECOME THE ULTIMATE MASTER
[00:21:52] <NevermoreHime> I mean, it couldn't possibly be harder than the GBA version
[00:23:16] <NevermoreHime> Holy fuck shit it's big.
[00:23:35] <+PamelaIbis> It's been enhaced.
[00:23:44] * Joins: shand0ra_ (~sound@151.53.13.219)
[00:23:45] <NevermoreHime> Apparently!
[00:23:54] <NevermoreHime> What do you say, Tallychu? MOF RACING!?
[00:24:09] <NevermoreHime> d999 for MOF RACING FOR SUPERIORITY
[00:24:10] * +Hatbot --> "NevermoreHime rolls d999 for MOF RACING FOR SUPERIORITY and gets 102." [d999=102]
[00:24:17] <+PamelaIbis> I don't know if I have a lot of time but I guess I could try playing it.
[00:24:18] <+Tide|work> d999 to make this race happen
[00:24:18] * +Hatbot --> "Tide|work rolls d999 to make this race happen and gets 645." [d999=645]
[00:24:18] * NevermoreHime explodes in a burst of souls
[00:24:29] <+PamelaIbis> I'm not guaranteeing any finishing of it though.  >.>
[00:24:40] <@RichardIbis> Yes you are~
[00:24:51] <+Tide|work> That;s okay, it means you just lose! The loser has to replay it. Twice
[00:24:55] <@RichardIbis> !
[00:25:04] <+Tide|work> Now you have a frue incentive~
[00:25:10] <+PamelaIbis> Fuck you.
[00:25:13] <@RichardIbis> Tide, the evil you're suffering is corrupting you.
[00:25:14] <+Tide|work>
[00:25:14] <@RichardIbis> ...good.
[00:25:22] <NevermoreHime> Tal, if it makes you feel better I won't have much time to play it either
[00:25:33] <+PamelaIbis> Heh.
[00:25:40] <+Tide|work> We need more nin nin Tonfa
[00:25:58] <+Hello-Prescott> So.
[00:25:59] <+Tide|work> We should just get a day where we stream this stuff for hilarity >_>
[00:26:01] <+PamelaIbis> Fine I will play it.  It can't be worse than Grandia XTREEM or Phantasy Star.
[00:26:03] <+PamelaIbis> Can it?
[00:26:06] <+Hello-Prescott> Mazes of Fate nin nin~ run?
[00:26:08] <+PamelaIbis> CAN IT?
[00:26:10] <+PamelaIbis> Fuck you.
[00:26:19] <+Hello-Prescott> [02:25] <Hello-Prescott> Mazes of Fate nin nin~ run
[00:26:24] <+Hello-Prescott> Yes, it can.
[00:26:59] <@RichardIbis> Streamed MoF race. Yes.
[00:27:24] <+Tide|work> Hatbot, will it be worse than Grandia XTREEM or PS?
[00:27:25] <+Hatbot> I'd count on it, Tide|work.
[00:27:31] <+Tide|work> d999 for pain rating
[00:27:32] * +Hatbot --> "Tide|work rolls d999 for pain rating and gets 174." [d999=174]

[02:33:41] * +PamelaIbis enters first room... gets stuck.
[02:33:48] <+PamelaIbis> THE CONTROLS OH GOD THE CONTROLS WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
[02:34:04] <+Nitori> So we've found our first thing to hype?
[02:34:12] <+PamelaIbis> So.
[02:34:18] <+PamelaIbis> First person view.
[02:34:19] <+Ephraim> Tal having fun? y/n
[02:34:28] <+Xeroma> n
[02:34:38] <+PamelaIbis> D-pad and ABXY both move your character in those directions.
[02:34:45] <+PamelaIbis> So hitting right makes you STRAFE right.
[02:34:49] <+PamelaIbis> etc.
[02:34:50] <+NevermoreHime> >_>
[02:34:52] <+Xeroma> ..
[02:34:57] <+PamelaIbis> Hitting the L button makes you turn to the left...
[02:35:01] <+PamelaIbis> 180 FUCKING DEGREES
[02:35:06] <+Xeroma> ...
[02:35:06] <+PamelaIbis> ASJDFOJASODJGPAVP
[02:35:10] <+PamelaIbis> WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
[02:35:11] <+Ephraim> Are you playing a racing game or what the fuck?
[02:35:12] <+NevermoreHime> X3
[02:35:12] <+Xeroma> epic
[02:35:17] <+Xeroma> Mazes of Fate Eph
[02:35:18] <+Xeroma> DS!
[02:35:21] <+NevermoreHime> Eph: I got Tallychu to play Mazes of Fate DS
[02:35:35] <+PamelaIbis> To turn LESS than 180 degrees, you touch the screen, and then drag to the left/right.
[02:35:40] <+PamelaIbis> -.-

[02:56:32] * +PamelaIbis attacks.
[02:56:36] * +PamelaIbis waits four seconds.
[02:56:39] * +PamelaIbis attacks.
[02:56:41] * +PamelaIbis waits four seconds.
[02:56:43] * +PamelaIbis attacks.

So yeah, Trance and I are going to be playing this thing.  YOU BETTER NOT BACK OUT ON IT TRANCE OR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN

Notes:
When I said it couldn't be worse than Grandia XTREEM and Phantasy Star?  I might've been wrong.  Horribly wrong.  This shit's Magna Carta level.
Tide's pain roll?  Way the fuck too low.  Waaaaay too low.
Also, I think it's longer than four seconds in between attacks.  Or maybe it just feels that way.

I went into a cave and beat up a bunch of thieves.  But apparently they have another hideout but no one is telling me where it is.  Great.  Time to go talk to random losers or something.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

They make such a big deal of all their antagonists and damn near every one of them dies (generally just after reforming, too!).

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RedemptionEqualsDeath

Nah, I liked it because they didn't make a big deal out of the antagonists. We don't hear their motivations or their origins, because they want you dead so you fight them. The end. They were soldiers and soldiers who are ordered to fight go and fight, and that's it.

[DjinnAndTonic]

When I say "big deal", I mean "They all have SUPERPOWERS!" And that's awesome. WA4 villains don't seem to be Magic-powered. Instead, they all seem to be genetic mutants of some sort - very DC/Marvel-like. More RPGs need Superpowers in place of Magic.

As a side note... they make it seem like Magic is commonplace in a lot of dialogues between Jude and Arnaud. But do we ever see another Formula-User like Arnaud in the entire game? Since they don't bring it up very much in the story, I just kind of assumed that Formulas=Crests a la WA1/2/Virginia's tools in WA3.

-Djinn

[TranceHime]

Pokemon Platinum: Still grinding for Byron.

Team: Infernape/Staraptor/Rozelia/Vaporeon/Rotom

Mazes of Fate DS: Tal, do you honestly think I would make you suffer alone? Of course not, that would be unlike me. I let Tallychu have a headstart, I can see that the Chu hasn't gone a very long way, I'm nearly at that stage but already the interface is killing me, same with the retarded controls that he has conveniently pointed out to you in the post. And remember when I said I was going to do a solo run?

I wasn't lying. I AM doing a solo run and no one is stopping me.

(psst Tal I chose Anika the Priest because I am a fucking masochist)

Ninja edit - Waaargh I am in the said CAVE OF THIEVES. And I actually died TWICE. Want to know why? Because this game is fucking PICKY with when I ACTUALLY hit the damn enemy. I keep missing all the time and I have no idea why. I will still do a solo run, it will just be very, VERY hard. I already logged 9 saves and 2 loads. I'll also be resetting a lot/dying a lot, so... Yeah.

[metroid composite]

So...went to a house party yesterday, and there was a 40-year-old woman asking what kind of game she should play to exercise her brain.  Brought over the DS and started pulling things out:

Brain Training - Nope, too explicit.
Meteos - Nope, screen is too small.
Kirby's Canvas Curse - This garnered some interest.
Phoenix Wright - She made a lawyer play it--somehow I suspect actual lawyers are just about the worst audience for PW.
We also had a few more on the table like Elite Beat Agents, Trauma Center, Puzzle Quest....  Also, in the mean time the 6-year-old and 8-year-old girls wanted to try stuff like Pokemon Pearl, SMB64, and Kirby's Canvas Curse--basically anything that was branded...except KCC which garnered interest because you made rainbows.

But the winner for her was....

Touhou: Imperishable Night.  (Nevermind the fact that she took three continues to beat Wriggle Nightbug--it reminded her of Manga and looks shiny).

[Talaysen]

Ninja edit - Waaargh I am in the said CAVE OF THIEVES. And I actually died TWICE. Want to know why? Because this game is fucking PICKY with when I ACTUALLY hit the damn enemy. I keep missing all the time and I have no idea why. I will still do a solo run, it will just be very, VERY hard. I already logged 9 saves and 2 loads. I'll also be resetting a lot/dying a lot, so... Yeah.

I bet your Combat/Dexterity stats suck ass, or it's your skill level in that particular weapon.  Granted, even I'm missing quite often as well.

Also, kite more.  Run up, attack, then back up afterwards.

I think I'm gonna try and get a ranged weapon and snipe stuff to death.  Seems like it'd work better.

[Dark Holy Elf]

As a side note... they make it seem like Magic is commonplace in a lot of dialogues between Jude and Arnaud. But do we ever see another Formula-User like Arnaud in the entire game? Since they don't bring it up very much in the story, I just kind of assumed that Formulas=Crests a la WA1/2/Virginia's tools in WA3.

The Congressional Knights that you fight include a good number of Formula Users in their number. I seem to recall NPCs also talk about learning magic or having their kids learn magic, periodically - the general impression I got was that it was just something that required a lot of study (hence why Arnaud is a genius for being as good at it as he is at a young age with little formal training).

Brain Training - Nope, too explicit.

[Tide]

Mazes of Fate DS -

Epic. So when are we getting a stream of this race between you and Trance?

[Talaysen]

Mazes of Fate DS -

Epic. So when are we getting a stream of this race between you and Trance?

Never because DS game is not streamable.

[metroid composite]

Brain Training - Nope, too explicit.

She said she gets anxiety whenever she sees actual math problems.  So while she did want to be excercising that part of the brain, she wanted it more cleverly disguised >_>