Chit-Chat: Back to the Grind(stone)

[pkmin3033]

Oh, please do play Tales from the Borderlands, it's fantastic. Probably Telltale's best, and considering I hold their TWD games in pretty high esteem, is saying quite a bit. Even if you're not into Borderlands (which I'm...not, really), it's fun as hell.

Oh, I will definitely play it at some point, as I'm quite fond of the series...not fond enough to get hyped over Borderlands 3, but they're my favourite FPS currently out on the market. A physical release makes it that much more appealing to me.


And honestly, I'm very up in the air with Nintendo at the moment...I'm very put out with the utterly unnecessary and inexcusable delays on their games, and their lack of communication regarding upcoming titles is irritating. Directs are great, but their frequency is not. Their constant need to push "innovative" ways of gaming - I'm looking at you, Star Fox Zero - is becoming very tiresome and, whilst the few games they DO put out are of consistently good quality, it all has a feeling of "too little, too late" to me.

I don't think Nintendo DO have an understanding of their fan's expectations at this point...or they simply don't care. Or think they can use their reputation for quality gaming to bluster their way through some truly awful titles whilst we all wait on baited breath for the next Zelda or Pokemon. I mean, look at their response to Federation Force's backlash. In that sense they remind me an awful lot of Square Enix (no, I will NOT leave them alone) and their seeming allergic reaction to the prospect of making money. Their sudden move to F2P and mobile titles has me very worried, as well.

...dunno where that came from. I was just thinking about how nice it'd be if they started emulating their titles properly and on the right systems, how easy it'd be, and how much sense it makes from a business standpoint to do so. They've already stated that the 3DS is going to be around for a long time to come, and they've got a fantastic new model of it that is capable of so much more than what they're doing with it. WTF is going on at Nintendo HQ?

 

[Dusk]

Oh yeah... that reminds me all the gaming news outlets are saying that more Nintendo mobile games are on the way for series such as Zelda, Fire Emblem, and Animal Crossing... I... to be honest, I'm not really interested in any of these Nintendo mobile games. Even if I had a good mobile phone for playing apps on the go, they just never keep me invested for more than a couple of weeks at best. I have Miitomo on my tablet, but I can't even be bothered to start it up in spite of the My Nintendo reward incentive. I'm still kind of miffed about Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival and Happy Home Designer not being experiences I wanted to dive into at all. I just... I just wanna sell my soul to Nook again and spent 700+ hours on a bigger, even better game than Animal Crossing: New Leaf was.

 

[pkmin3033]

I actually had more fun on Wild World than I did on New Leaf. Might have been because I'd gotten bored of the concept by then, or because I was playing Wild World at a particularly turbulent time in my life, but I've never found an AC title more appealing than the DS one. But then, City Folk/Let's Go To The City was absolutely awful, and New Leaf was pretty much Wild World with enhanced visuals, so...eh.

I'm surprised we didn't get a Wii U Animal Crossing though, with our menu and whatnot on the gamepad, with some gamepad minigames - first person viewpoints, advanced clothing design, etc etc. Kinda shows you how much faith Nintendo had in the console when you consider how many of their mothership titles are absent from it, and how easy it would have been to make a good quality experience on it. I know I would have bought it...and got bored within a month, but eh.

 

[Dusk]

I would go off on a long tangent about all the ways New Leaf is fundamentally even better than Wild World from a gameplay/feature standpoint (including enhanced clothes design and sharing) but I'll save it for another time/a more detailed thread. :nw:

 

[pkmin3033]

Didn't feel much different to me. If anything, I felt it lost a lot of its charm with its upgraded visuals...but then, I feel that way about a lot of titles. Like how Pokemon destroyed itself on some levels by swapping its beautiful and charming sprites for the ugly flat polygonal models the sixth generaton games have used. Sometimes, lower tech is better, or a certain visual style is better kept. After all, these are the games that withstand the test of time visually far better - realistic looking titles from past generations look like horribly blocky crap now. Cel-shaded, cartoonish, or sprite models have this timeless feel to them that makes the games much more enjoyable when you replay them years later, in my opinion.

 

[Dusk]

Urgh... it's very late right now but I suppose for once, I'll take a moment to actually make a post that is detailed and thought-out for the first time in forever.

Sloppily assembled reasons why I spent so much time on Animal Crossing: New Leaf more than the previous titles:
- Isabelle. She's adorable as heck and it is no wonder she's already become a mascot of sorts.
- Ordinances, especially the Keep Town Beautiful ordinance. Not having to water flowers was a huge time-saver.
- Customization, customization. You can make pro clothes designs and even share them via QR codes. You can even put designs on furniture in New Leaf.
- Customizing home exterior. I had a sweets-themed exterior for my home~
- The Dream Suite. You could basically visit instances of towns players save and see what their town looks like and their homes... Very cool stuff to be seen that people have made.
- The Island. Yeah, I know the tours eventually got boring... but they're pretty fun with friends, I suppose. The real draw is the perpetual summer and the nighttime beetle-hunting to rake in that moolah.
- Simple improvements, such as the ability to eventually earn tools like the golden watering can, which can water many more squares of plants than the standard watering can.

I don't even know. For whatever reason I spent hundred upon hundreds of hours in New Leaf for at least a year... I had a fully-expanded home, had collected all the fish, insects, fossils, etc. My town was perfect.
I didn't really consider the graphics when playing New Leaf, but I remember people thinking the grass looked weird prior to its release. xD

 

[JJ Styles]

You all know what we need.... THE ROCK aka Dwayne Johnson.

Put him in anything. Final Fantasy, Call of Duty, Doom 4, Neptune, Decent, Yandere Simulator, Killzone, heck, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Mortal Kombat, Borderlands 3, Stardew Valley, Persona 5, FE15, League, in whatever...

and while some Jabroni might ask, what's the point of The Rock starring in a video game? He's just an actor and a former WWE wrester who likes making funny promos and shyte. I'm not a fan of the Rock. I'm not even a fan of wrasslin. D:<<< Well, in the same point as i do, let me answer that hypothetical question...

Spoiler:

IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT YOU THINK and it doesn't matter what i think either. The Rock says, if he's starring in a video game, then the rock must star in his Video Game.

To put some context to whatever the feck I'm talking about... He's actually going to star in a movie adaptation of Rampage. Oh yeah ladies and dudes.. Rampage!

 

[pkmin3033]

The only reason I think of it now is because the "new" features (IIRC, going to an island was possible via Gameboy Link Cable on the Gamecube version, so that's hardly a new feature for the 3DS version, but more an expanded one) didn't really stand out to me. But then, I've never been overly fond of these kinds of games...they just don't keep my attention for long enough. I typically hand the games over to my mother after a bit and never go back to them.

...plus I had an extended debate about the importance of visuals to a game's longevity and enjoyability elsewhere recently and I like to carry things over, it gives me an odd sense of symmetry. Plus it's just gone 7am and I barely slept last night so I don't have to make sense. Making sense is off the table until this afternoon.



I miss the days when The Rock was actually cool...or, at least, when he was mainstream. He's been kind of upstaged by Vin Diesel in my opinion. Vin Diesel has a pretty terrifying badass baritone as well.

Also, JP grinding in Bravely Default is mind-numbingly tedious. But at least you can do it with one hand. Not sure why I'm maxxing out every job, but...eh. Gives me something to do?

 

[Bay]

Also, JP grinding in Bravely Default is mind-numbingly tedious. But at least you can do it with one hand. Not sure why I'm maxxing out every job, but...eh. Gives me something to do?

Which chapter are you in your current playthrough? There's these radish like monsters that gives pretty good JP. If before Chapter Five, you can fight them near Eternia (though be careful of their poison, lol). If after Chapter Five, there's another version in the Florem region.

There's also the Chompers and their counterparts, but they tend to run away early lol.

 

[pkmin3033]

Which chapter are you in your current playthrough? There's these radish like monsters that gives pretty good JP. If before Chapter Five, you can fight them near Eternia (though be careful of their poison, lol). If after Chapter Five, there's another version in the Florem region.

There's also the Chompers and their counterparts, but they tend to run away early lol.

I'm on Chapter Five and yeah, I'm using the Florem spot. I've had a couple of very close calls with first strike encounters - those damn trees put my entire party to sleep; I should invest in some accessories but I can't be bothered - but otherwise I'm just spamming Black Bane and killing them all within a turn. If Ringabel doesn't accomplish it (which he occasionally doesn't when I switch jobs) then Edea does. Agnes and Tiz are just standing there looking pretty. Well, Agnes looks pretty. I don't like Tiz. xD

I'm over half done with all the jobs now though (well, excluding the last one, but you don't get that until later, so eh) so I should hopefully be done by the end of the day. Then I'll grind some cash out for some decent equipment and plough my way through the tedious second half.

It's funny, I was replaying this game ready to start Bravely Second, but I'm probably going to shift focus to Etrian Odyssey or Yokai Watch once I'm done with it.

 

[JJ Styles]

Job Maxin.. MAXIN>> ALL THOSE JOB POINTS! I was busy doing that in order to come up with the most lulz Skill specs for the crew. I haven't figured out what i should do on that game though. Thieves with the right skills are kinda busted, especially since a friend of mine who owned the game previously has a save file where he has already finished the game and got all of the good stuffs. oh and yes, Bravely Default's best feature.. ONE HANDED GAMING! I can easily eat a burger while playing. I sure hope that Sun and Moon can be played on one hand too.

Vin Diesel in a video game.. reminds me of the Riddick games.. oh look ladies, ACTUALLY DECENT MOVIE LICENSED GAMES!

 

[pkmin3033]

I'm struggling with my other two characters...Agnes is going with White Mage/Spiritmaster, and Ringabel is going with Dark Knight/Vampire. I guess I'll screw around with Tiz and Edea, although having Edea as a Templar appeals to me. Freelancer or Swordmaster would probably be good second job choices for her, depending on whether I want to use BP or MP skills...I'll think on it. As for Tiz...maybe a Performer or something. Although with Agnes that seems kinda redundant.

I generally dislike one-handed gaming, as I like actually playing my games, but I have to admit putting all my attention into this grinding would make it very boring very quickly. Bravely Default is fun enough, but it's no Disgaea, that's for sure.

Were the Riddick games actually good, then? I never got to play them, unfortunately...and I did enjoy the movies. Well, the first two. Riddick was just a repeat of Pitch Black which, whilst not a bad thing, was disappointing after waiting years for it. Hopefully Furia, whenever it comes out, will be better.

 

[JJ Styles]

First Riddick game was fantastic. Reviews were very good, and i also played the game before and i can say, without lying that it was worth the time. No knowledge of the 2nd game though, but the reviews were still positive. So its kinda safe to assume.

BD... i have not played the game in ages.. I'll only be mentioning what Jobs I'm focusing at them for the moment,

Tiz = Maxing out Monk (because Brofisting enemies to death is cool), Knight, and Thief
Ringabel = Thief, White Mage, and Merchant (LEL)
Edea = Knight, Valkyrie, and Monk.
Agnes = Obviously. All of the magic based jobs. White mage, black mage, and summoner.

I have no idea what I'm doing with anyone, but when the game has so many variables to manipulate, optimizing the "best" build is kinda difficult to do. We can just set the game into any difficulty that we want anyway and the "best" build is almost always subjective. Unless i take a look at my friend's save file, but that would be cheating.

 

[pkmin3033]

Hmm, you saying that...a Monk/Freelancer build for Tiz could work. Mass spamming Pressure Point would probably give him some decent damage output.

I don't think there IS a best build for BD, it's all pretty well balanced. Some of the jobs and skills definitely complement one another better than most, but that's just a part of building a good strategy. Most games with changeable classes or a ridiculously huge number of them typically do better in balancing than those with a small number of them, which are geared more towards a specific playstyle (like Borderlands, or even Warriors games which, despite their huge rosters, go for playstyles in their characters) than they are about finding a balance you're comfortable or happy with. The exploration of the system is part of the fun!

I've always liked RPGs that start specialised and have characters that can ultimately end up the same, though. The problem with specialisation in RPGs is that you HAVE to use certain characters if you want to get anywhere - this is actually part of why I've never been fond of Fire Emblem, and why certain instalments in the Tales series have irked me quite a bit, as the characters I've liked the most have been useless - whereas if everything ultimately winds up more or less the same stats-wise you get the best of both worlds: you can build a strategy as you go, but by the end of the game you'll be able to use everyone, even if they start off as fairly useless.

 

[machomuu]

Also, JP grinding in Bravely Default is mind-numbingly tedious. But at least you can do it with one hand. Not sure why I'm maxxing out every job, but...eh. Gives me something to do?

Well, first, lewd. Jesus, Mel, we have kids on the forum.

Also, it is. So I found a solution. Still on chapter 1, but my entire team is level 32ish and level 9 in at least one class. If the Infinite Spiral Labyrinth exists...I'm probably stuck in it.

In regards to Animal crossing, though, I'm in the same boat, and I really do think it's because we're tired of doing the same thing over and over again. I loved Animal Crossing, played the shit outta WW...didn't much care for City Folk (NA title), and New Leaf didn't grab me for long. I hate to say that I'm done with the series, but as long as it never really stretches itself beyond its fundamentals, I can't good and well see myself being excited for a new entry. I'm at the point where I scratch my head a little at the demand for a new AW because if I went back to WW, I'd probably enjoy it just as much as its sequels. Guess I just grew up.

Speaking of Animal Crossing, I miss Rune Factory. Rip Neverland Co., you're definitely missed.

 

[EC]

Hype. Absolute hype. Multiplayer included with the remaster.

 

[pkmin3033]

Well, first, lewd. Jesus, Mel, we have kids on the forum.

Also, it is. So I found a solution. Still on chapter 1, but my entire team is level 32ish and level 9 in at least one class. If the Infinite Spiral Labyrinth exists...I'm probably stuck in it.

In regards to Animal crossing, though, I'm in the same boat, and I really do think it's because we're tired of doing the same thing over and over again. I loved Animal Crossing, played the shit outta WW...didn't much care for City Folk (NA title), and New Leaf didn't grab me for long. I hate to say that I'm done with the series, but as long as it never really stretches itself beyond its fundamentals, I can't good and well see myself being excited for a new entry. I'm at the point where I scratch my head a little at the demand for a new AW because if I went back to WW, I'd probably enjoy it just as much as its sequels. Guess I just grew up.

Speaking of Animal Crossing, I miss Rune Factory. Rip Neverland Co., you're definitely missed.

Oh, right. My bad. Well, for any kids reading this post, I encourage you to remember one crucial thing:

Real Knights do it two-handed.

Aaaaaaanywho...I'm nearly done. Just Ringabel left...somehow he's still got one job left to max whilst everyone else is done. How bloody irritating. My current team setup is under the spoiler, for anyone curious:

Spoiler:

Agnes
Primary: Spiritmaster
Secondary: White Mage
Support: Epic Group-Cast, Holy One

...pretty self explanatory. She's the healer. I point-blank REFUSE to use Salve Maker, because I've never like alchemist-type roles, and the costume is ugly. Spiritmaster is the more useful of the two anyway I think; it complements WM perfectly with resistance support.

Tiz
Primary: Monk
Secondary: Dark Knight
Support: Rise from Dead, White Knight, Hasten World, An Eye for an Eye

Hohoho. The basic idea behind this is to start with Phoenix Flight, and then mass spam Minus Strike from the Dark Knight tree. Hasten World is only there because someone has to have it, An Eye for an Eye is probably going to get swapped for something else, the other two are just in case.

Ringabel
Primary: Dark Knight
Secondary: Vampire
Support: Drain Attack, Rise From Dead, Absorb P. Damage, P. Atk 20%

I love how those two work together, so yeah. Use HP draining abilities of Dark Knight, use Blood Thirst to gain back HP. Rinse and repeat. His skills could use some work I think...I need to experiment.

Edea
Primary: Templar
Secondary Freelancer
Support: P. Defense 30%, Chivalrous Spirit, Rise From Dead

Templar's BP skills are better than MP skills, which is why I'm running Freelancer as secondary instead of Swordmaster. Mimic is such a wonderful skill. She's designed to be a tank as well, hence the excessive defensive abilities.

Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that we had to campaign long and hard to get it released here, I doubt I would have even bothered with the first Animal Crossing title. I remember that it needed its own memory card...fortunately it came with one, haha.

As for the whole growing up and out of things...I'm actually getting that feeling as I'm playing Ratchet and Clank. It's ridiculously nostalgic, because on so many levels I feel like I'm playing a cross between Futurama and Banjo-Kazooie or something. It's very charming...but it isn't evoking the same excitement in me that it might have done if I were a decade or so younger. I guess tastes change.

 

[Dusk]

I suppose the only people who would agree about my thoughts on Animal Crossing would be other fans of the series. (Where the heck is the Animal Crossing Fan Club when you need it? xD) I'm just wanted to highlight that in comparison to previous titles in the series, Animal Crossing: New Leaf added many features to expand on all the things you can to. To be honest, I'd say it was more than any new things that have been added to the mainline Pokemon series, for example. Don't get me wrong, I love Pokemon... but feel I am experiencing franchise fatigue with the main games somewhat these days...

Oh yeah... is Natsume still making "Harvest Moon" games that aren't actually Harvest Moon? Also. isn't there supposed to be a new Story of Seasons coming out in the future? I dunno... I had a friend who loved this series of farming sims.

 

[machomuu]

Oh yeah... is Natsume still making "Harvest Moon" games that aren't actually Harvest Moon? Also. isn't there supposed to be a new Story of Seasons coming out in the future? I dunno... I had a friend who loved this series of farming sims.

Um...tough to say.

Rune Factory was never Natsume developed, that was all Neverland, and when they dropped "A Fantasy Harvest Moon" from the title to differentiate, that was XSeed that published it, mainly because they owned the name "Harvest Moon". That's actually why Story of Seasons is called what it is and why Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley was developed alongside it. Might mess this up a bit, but XSeed wanted to make their own Ushi no Tane game, Harvest Moon's Japanese title, but because the name "Harvest Moon" belonged to Natsume, it came over as Story of Seasons. The Lost Valley was done by Natsume, though.

Kinda convoluted, but basically Natsume never really stopped doing traditional Harvest Moon games- I believe that's all they've ever done.

 

[pkmin3033]

I still can't believe it took them nine months to bring Story of Seasons to EU territories...NINE months! It's on my to-buy list; my mother has the first Harvest Moon game on DS and, whilst I didn't really care for it, I didn't play it for very long and I'm working on broadening my horizons. A bit. Still not touching racing/sports simulators, puzzlers, or fighting games that aren't Blazblue. Derp.