Chit-Chat: Back to the Grind(stone)

[Dusk]

Well, I'd play it today, but I'd probably only squeeze five hours or so out of it between now and Monday...and I haven't even opened the last two 3DS games I bought either. I do need to go out today, but I might not bother with it...if I can resist. I have to pass GAME on the way to and from where I plan to go. I'll go in. I'll browse. Things might escalate from there. xD

Unfortunately not - no stock. Or so my e-mails tell me. If they passed me over because I'm not paying expedited delivery and I find out about it, there will be hell to pay. I've had this damn game preordered since the 19th of December ._.

It is because of potential complications such as this that I, a basic Amazon user (no Prime), paid for the fastest shipping on my Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition. I did not want to wait a single day longer to play these damned games... x'D

 

[pkmin3033]

It is because of potential complications such as this that I, a basic Amazon user (no Prime), paid for the fastest shipping on my Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition. I did not want to wait a single day longer to play these damned games... x'D

I don't even use Amazon for games now unless there is a substantial price difference (more than £5) between there and other retailers, because you get nothing but a lousy service out of it. But they didn't have it on Rice Digital and it was more expensive on GAME...well, it'll almost certainly be £35 in GAME today, ordering it from them online won't get it to me before Monday unless I pay £4.95 for expedited delivery - by which point I may as well have bought it in-store - and Amazon don't even have a delivery estimate for me now.

...FFS. The more awake I get, the more pissed off I am about this. They could at least offer me a discount for incentive to keep my preorder, rather than a half-arsed apology. Fucking stupid bastards...

EDIT:

OK, so I'm not 100% sure about this, but I THINK the stock shortage is a little more widespread. My local GAME had TEN copies. Eight of them were preordered. I got lucky. Honestly, they delay it for months and then they don't have sufficient stock! Nintendo. What.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

This discussion made me think of a new topic...
Why do people (you two can immediately answer =D) pay additional money just to have their games delivered as soon as possible?
I understand pre-ordering the game so you get it on release date but why throwing additional cash just to have it delivered 1 or 2 days earlier?
Especially considering Nintendo games that do not have an achievement system that would signalize that you are the first achiever or something like that =D

 

[pkmin3033]

This discussion made me think of a new topic...
Why do people (you two can immediately answer =D) pay additional money just to have their games delivered as soon as possible?
I understand pre-ordering the game so you get it on release date but why throwing additional cash just to have it delivered 1 or 2 days earlier?
Especially considering Nintendo games that do not have an achievement system that would signalize that you are the first achiever or something like that =D

As a general rule, I don't. I go with the standard delivery option, which is free and USUALLY gets the game to me on the Friday of release, or the Saturday morning at the latest. But since Amazon started delivering things themselves, packages have a way of getting misplaced. I have had nothing but grief from Amazon this year. They delivered one of my packages to the wrong house and signed off on it, left my FF Box Set #2 OUT IN THE RAIN, and they've also combined orders I've placed days apart and delayed them because of it. I have sent a lot of angry e-mails and had several heated phone calls with Amazon; they're absolutely useless.

In this country at least, the postal service has gone to hell with restructuring, too - if you don't pay that extra money, you can wind up with your game getting "lost" in the post, delivered to you several days later, or late-afternoon...I used to get my post before 10pm. Now we're lucky if we see it before 1pm. I guess people are impatient and just want their games early, or want to guarantee they'll get them on time. There is something very comforting in a tracking number.

I don't think you can preorder games to get them BEFORE release, though...it's been a long time since I got a game before release; not since I got Dante's Inferno an entire week before its release date, anyway. GAME used to get things to me on Thursday instead of Friday too, but that never happens now. So, really, there is no need to pay extra for postage: you've got a pretty good chance of getting the game on release day...somewhen.

I threw a little extra cash at PMD today because Amazon didn't give me an ETA (well, they DID give me an ETA, but then they took it back) and because my GAME store had hardly any copies, and I didn't want to risk not getting a copy at all. Plus I was in the area, so I figured why not?

 

[JJ Styles]

So i just bought Dynasty Warriors 8 and its Xtreme Legends expansion just for kicks and to be intouch with my inner "Warrior" once again and despite the hefty price, since our stores aren't selling the DW8XL Complete edition versions (basically DW8XL that comes packaged with the base DW8) so its two separate copies of a game just to enjoy the experience. Then again, i did the same for all of the DW games anyway (3, 4, 5 and their Xtreme Legends expansions) so I'm not at all regretful.

Not having played any of the more modern DW games, i was really skeptical. Then i played a level and was looking at a bodycount of 1300++ Kills... just for the first level in a faction's Story mode alone, and to be fair, its Lu Bu's story mode so a stage with a ridiculous bodycount was to be expected.

Also, new forum avatar is Lu Lingqi, Lu Bu's daughter.

as a long time DW fan and Warriors games collector, i'm half tempted to write a Dynasty Warriors retrospect and appreciation thread. Maybe later.

TLDR: Fire Emblem Warriors needs to be a thing. Apparently, Hyrule Warriors is currently the highest rated Koei Warriors game to date.

 

[pkmin3033]

I love Warriors spinoffs titles. The Gundam games are what got me into the franchise, and Dragon Quest Heroes also got me to try Dragon Quest IV. They just have so much more personality than the main titles, in my opinion.

Atelier Warriors first. Or Precure Warriors. I'd commit unspekable atrocities for a Precure Warriors, and I KNOW Japan wants it, because it was ranked as the first choice in an extensive poll - above Fire Emblem, IIRC.

 

[machomuu]

I love Warriors, but as far as main titles go, yeah, the last DW game I can legitimately say I played (other than 8XLCE, which I bought about 2 years ago), was 4, which is my favorite of the main games. After I played 5 Empires (which, strangely, I played before 4), I got hooked on that and, once I heard that the main games had adopted the base system ala Empires, I wasn't exactly too keen on jumping back in for narrative reasons. So, until a couple years ago I almost strictly followed the Empires titles. Only one I haven't played is 4E.

I'm skeptical of the spin-offs. I like the ideas behind Gundam but 3, in particular, just didn't gel with me. It was less fluid than DW (Partially because mechs, but the Gundam Vs. games feel so damn good, so), so I don't particularly have a shining view of most of the spin-offs, and though I enjoyed the original as a kid...I'll have to try it again. I'd certainly be willing to try Reborn.

DQ Warriors I've been trying to get my hands on for a while now. Arslan's Japanese demo felt clunky but hey, people like it so I might give it a poke; I was not expecting that game to be received well at all. Hyrule Warriors I'm interested in to an extent. Let's see...One Piece. I like Alternative Media and, though I know it can't stack up to CC2's depiction of Naruto because that's just directional genius, I'm willing to give a condensed depiction of One Piece a try. It has a diverse cast of characters and, if recent DW/SW titles have taught me anything, it's that Koei does a damn fine job of making varied movesets and characters. So...I'm willing to give them more of a chance now. Koei's gotten better at making Warriors interesting and making interesting Warriors titles, and I can't see a modern Warriors game really being clunky, especially if a one-off like Arslan is actually good.

Long post.

I also got my first Samurai Warriors game on Christmas, SW4. It's a really solid title...to the extent that I feel like I've wasted a lot of time not enjoying this series. Save for Musou attacks, the combat in this game feels so much better than anything I've played from Koei. As is the progression system, though I'm willing to believe that DQ or Gundam would be better in that regard. Love the Sengoku era, so the story has me, and the storytelling here is very...different than DW. Very focused. The levels are few, but they're long and filled with optional events that have effects on the battle, and I think that's cool. Makes it more engaging.

Eh...I'm rambling. I like Warriors. Attack on Titan's looking pretty solid.

 

[Frequency]

That Attack on Titan game is pretty lit from what I hear, and I don't really care too much for the series anymore. One of my friends is in love with the game and she hasn't said anything really bad about it. Might go get it.

 

[pkmin3033]

Yeah, Samurai Warriors > Dynasty Warriors. I have Chronicles 3, 4, and 4-II, and I'll probably get Empires when it comes out too if money permits. Whilst the cast isn't anywhere near as good as the cast from Sengoku Basara, the odds of us getting another Basara game are slim to none, and in their own way the portrayals of the characters are quite charming.

I'm on the fence with Arslan...I want to watch the anime first, but there's finding the time for it. As for Attack on Titan...no playable antagonist Titans, no buy. At least, not until a significant drop in price. It looks OK, but I had my heart set on eating and stomping on humans.

 

[Necrum]

Guys, Cities: Skylines is on Free Weekend! If you have not checked it out before go download it, it's the best city builder ever! They just released a new expansion too adding snow (no not just snow that's just the theme) and so there's a lot to do even beyond the main game.

 

[Frequency]

The Division's open beta is up

Just gonna go out on a limb and say I plan on buying this the instant I can afford it.

 

[Morkula]

Guys, Cities: Skylines is on Free Weekend! If you have not checked it out before go download it, it's the best city builder ever! They just released a new expansion too adding snow (no not just snow that's just the theme) and so there's a lot to do even beyond the main game.

I played that game a ton last spring but haven't been really keeping up with it since then. I love city builders but it takes so long to build a city and get it running and growing (in any of those games) that I find myself making one city and then not having the heart to move on and start another one from scratch, lmao.

It's definitely the best city builder in years though, and anyone who enjoys SimCity should try it out.

 

[JJ Styles]

I also got my first Samurai Warriors game on Christmas, SW4. It's a really solid title...to the extent that I feel like I've wasted a lot of time not enjoying this series. Save for Musou attacks, the combat in this game feels so much better than anything I've played from Koei. As is the progression system, though I'm willing to believe that DQ or Gundam would be better in that regard. Love the Sengoku era, so the story has me, and the storytelling here is very...different than DW. Very focused. The levels are few, but they're long and filled with optional events that have effects on the battle, and I think that's cool. Makes it more engaging.

Eh...I'm rambling. I like Warriors. Attack on Titan's looking pretty solid.

I'm more than willing to bet that you also loved Naotora Ii's portrayal in said game amirite?

This very scene is 2450x better with the Bath Towel DLC outfit, if you all know what i mean ;)

**************

Also after playing the first few minutes of FE: Fates, I can already see how Koei-Tecmo can easily use Fire Emblem Fates as the basis of an FE Warriors game. Holy Yukimuras Oyakatama-sama... YUKIMURA... Nohr vs Hoshido... oh yeah..

Gmmm well i might make that Warriors Appreciation/Sort-of fanclub thread later once i make a proper banner and layout for said thing. By doing that, i can share any Koei-Tecmo and Warriors series stuff for our fellow Warriors without flooding DCC :)))))

 

[Fannie]

The Division's open beta is up

Just gonna go out on a limb and say I plan on buying this the instant I can afford it.

Have you played it yet? I was kinda disappointed. Im still not sure if that's because I have an issue with the game or the fact that the promos made it look much better.

I really like that it's open world, has RPG elements and co-op but the map all looks the same and if you go down one street you can only go straight down it for a while, you can't cut through many buildings so exploration seems lacking. I also imagine this is going to be the kind of game where the most effective way of gaining EXP is to redo missions over and over with friends, like Dead Island*. I wasn't particularly invested in the story either.


*Dont get me wrong I enjoyed Dead Island and at least it's map wasn't boring.

 

[Frequency]

Have you played it yet? I was kinda disappointed. Im still not sure if that's because I have an issue with the game or the fact that the promos made it look much better.

I really like that it's open world, has RPG elements and co-op but the map all looks the same and if you go down one street you can only go straight down it for a while, you can't cut through many buildings so exploration seems lacking. I also imagine this is going to be the kind of game where the most effective way of gaining EXP is to redo missions over and over with friends, like Dead Island*. I wasn't particularly invested in the story either.


*Dont get me wrong I enjoyed Dead Island and at least it's map wasn't boring.

Yeah I played through it.

I DO wish there was a bit more exploration; to be in NYC and not be able to hit up the boatload of interiors kinda bugs me, but at the same time, there seems to be a lot of detail in the subway system, and the Dark Zone is an AMAZING experience. I think I felt better about the game since it gave me a similar feeling to the survival sandbox games that I play, so I wasn't relatively bothered by some of the things you mentioned due to the fact that I feel that the gameplay in The Division is better than games like, say, H1Z1 and other games. I see your point with Dead Island but I couldn't stomach grinding through Dead Island as much as I see myself doing with The Division.

But since the Open Beta didn't give you all TOO much to do, I have more expectations for the actual game's release, and right now I'm still set on at least buying it. Worst come to worst, I just sell it for 40 bucks to some schmuck and I only spent 20 on it.

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

Based on the limited time I played of The Division, I'm just more worried about enemy variety. I'm nervous that the game is going to be too generic in terms of bullet spongey AI, and considering there are rumors going around of a raid-esque endgame mode I'm nervous that the enemies aren't going to be "unique" or stand out per say compared to the vanilla gameplay.

I don't know. Hopefully someone whose played the game more can prove me wrong with that, as that's the only negative thing I've found about the game. I'm still probably going to get the game, just maybe not as a day one purchase.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

So yea, this is a thing, guys! =D
https://gematsu.com/2016/02/ibm-japan-announces-sword-art-online-virtual-reality-project

 

[Bay]

So yea, this is a thing, guys! =D
https://gematsu.com/2016/02/ibm-japan-announces-sword-art-online-virtual-reality-project

So this means we'll die in real life too if we die in the game? =P

(I've only watched the anime, haven't played the games, sooooo lol).

 

[machomuu]

https://www.siliconera.com/2016/02/...ou-projects-genso-ronso-north-america-europe/

Yehehehes, I don't think I could be a happier macho. This marks the first time in its 21 year lifetime that a Touhou title (albeit, a doujin) has ever been (or will be, rather) localized. Which, for me, is great for a lot of reasons, but considering Gensou Rondo's my favorite of the titles that was brought to the PS4, this is just generally a good thing. Granted, I haven't tried the port, but it's original release was pretty solid, so I can't imagine the improved ports wouldn't be.

It's by NISA, which is eh, and I would much rather it've been picked by Xseed or some like, but hell, this is pretty big in itself. If demand's created, it could mean very big things for the franchise and even doujin as a whole- maybe. Either way, I'm really happy to hear this.

 

[JJ Styles]

On my other left hand, I just.... Downloaded and payed for Hatred. Am I 2Edgy Yet? I think i could run it with my toaster of a laptop and i might make a "Hatred Showcase and NOT a let's play" on VG's sub thread. I think i remember a while back that I was sorta defending Hatred as a game... im borderline insane.