RPG Progress Report

[Ack]

My waifus can.

Pics, or it didn't happen.

Shadowrun: Dragonfall

Yeah, I definitely made the right choice with my build. Beefstick has already turned into a super accurate turret, which has made dropping some of my fights quite easy.

Last night I ran the shadows a bit more: took out a human supremacist organization and shot their leader in the back, found a bunch of ghouls living in the sewers, and made my way into a quarantined biotech research facility which had been turned into a little kingdom by a crazed lab tech who had survived by eating artificially-produced internal organs. He seriously referred to his drone security system as his peasants. I had to kill a basilisk and a handful of hellhounds, which was not a fun fight, but Beefstick's ability to put a round wherever she looks sure helped. After I left the facility, a troop of corporate security goons showed up on the doorstep to stop me...and the lab tech sent his peasants to help fight them off. While playing the theme to a crappy kid's fantasy TV show. God, I love this game.

My crew that I keep going back to includes Eiger the soldiers for her guns, Deitrich the punk rockstar for his magical support, and Blitz the decker cause he's freaking awesome. So far this team has worked out quite well.

[Sarge]

There's something strangely addictive about Brandish: Dark Revenant. Anyway, I'm through the tower and on to the cave. Derped badly on an encounter (rested at the wrong time), debating whether to drop back to the beginning of the floor or forge forward.

With the exception of one floor, I've also gotten 100% map completion. I'm not backtracking for that one, it'd be too painful. I suspect the completion stones make the game a bit easier than the original release.

Also, I did some grinding and got my magic resistance up to 99. It's actually shockingly easy to do.

[Exhuminator]

I'm through the tower and on to the cave.

You've made good progress then. After the cave you'll reach the Dark Zone and that's when the kid gloves come off. Although compared to Dela Mode the Ares Mode stuff is a piece of cake anyway. I fully recommend finishing both modes though, I mean at least I really enjoyed doing so. I think it's awesome you're playing this bad assed dungeon crawler man.

---

I put another hour and a half into Fable 1 last night on Xbox. It's fairly amusing dumb fun so far. Not especially deep or well designed (geez all the loading) but manages to be entertaining thanks to its doofy sense of humor and moral freedom. I think I'm going to dump the Xbox version and go with the 360 version though.

[Sarge]

Just be aware with the 360 version that there may be some freezing bugs still present. Some people seem to do just fine, others not, but I haven't seen much talk about it recently.

Also, yeah, I'm really enjoying Brandish. I think my completionist tendencies with this game are going to help a lot, since I should be able to go into the Dark Zone with the dark equipment. It's also great that I'm managing to find a few infinite-use weapons, although I didn't even use weapons until I got to the tower. Using your fists allows you to really beef up your strength stat a lot. The only stat that's really lagging for me right now is INT, but I don't know how important that's going to end up being.

Really, if I had to describe the game, I'd probably say it's a designed rogue-like. Taking the random element out actually endears the game to me a lot more. Not that some randomly-generated games can't work out well, but in general, I don't find them entertaining. And I've been surprised at some of the depth of design Falcom has shown in this one. I'd still love to find the SNES version for cheap, even if it is much harder to play.

[Exhuminator]

Just be aware with the 360 version that there may be some freezing bugs still present.

Well I just bought it, so hopefully with the latest patch it'll be aight.

lagging for me right now is INT, but I don't know how important that's going to end up being

Not too big of a deal for Ares as he's a melee man. But when you plays as Dela INT is a big deal obviously.

I'd probably say it's a designed rogue-like.

Not a bad descriptor at all, it's like a roguelike with non-randomized levels.

The only stuff from B:TDR that I didn't enjoy, were the grid mazes made of oscillating trap doors, and the occasional boulder spewing obstacle courses.

Freaking awesome game though wish more folks would try it.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Chuggin' along in Deep Dungeon. Hard to quantify exactly where I am as the entire game is one huge labyrinth. I've made it to the fourth floor (of eight) but the game requires that you ascend (and then re-descend) periodically. Not just to heal (on the "surface") but to open doors with freshly-acquired keys. I think the gist of it is that you slowly build a direct route from the surface to the final area.

I'm money-grinding which is slow going. Enemies don't always drop cash, but treasure chests respawn. That said, the amounts they offer up are randomized. And sometimes you get an enemy booby-trap instead of gold.

Having a tough time gauging how long this game is gonna be. Hopefully I can wrap it up within a week and move onto the sequel.

[Sload Soap]

Well, that's Final Fantasy VII and Panzer Dragoon Saga done.

Ended FFVII with a Cloud, Cid, Vincent party. Usually use Barret, kind of feel like I should have again. Vincent's a great magic user and would be a great party member in any Final Fantasy game but VII. The highest level stuff like the overpowered limit breaks, 4X cut and Knights of the Round makes regular magic kind of pointless. He looks cool though, I guess.

As for PDS, hell of a game but also I feel a touch shallow. It's very unique, the soundtrack is sublime, it has that wonderful Dune meets Nausicaa aesthetic the Panzer Dragoon series nails so well and the combat system is a brilliant mash up of active and turn based elements. It just feels like it's lacking content, as if it were rushed. Outside of the main quest there is very little to do, there's no variety in the gameplay at all and what sidequests do exist are hard to find. As soon as you learn the dragon morphing and get to Zoah it has kind of shown you everything it has to offer. The story is very flat as well, though not wholly bad. FFVII clocks in at about three times the length of PDS but felt much better paced to me. And there's kind of no way around it, the graphics are bad. I can be forgiving of 5th gen 3D a lot of the time but PDS was a late release and I wouldn't really say it looks much better than Zwei.

As an aside I decided the best way to choose my next RPG game (after I finish off Alcahest) would be a lucky dip. Wrote the names of a few games I'd been meaning to get to for a while on paper and put them in a cup. Quality stuff like FFVIII, Phantasy Star IV, The Last Story and Golden Sun. Threw in Alpha Protocol for a laugh.

Guess which one I ended up with?

[Ack]

I actually really enjoyed Alpha Protocol...

[ElkinFencer10]

I actually really enjoyed Alpha Protocol...

Same here. It wasn't amazing, but it was definitely solidly good.

[Exhuminator]

there's kind of no way around it, the graphics are bad

I don't think Saga looks better than Zwei either, agreed. But a lot of the monster designs in Saga have been impressive to me.

Quality stuff like FFVIII, Phantasy Star IV, The Last Story and Golden Sun. Threw in Alpha Protocol for a laugh.

If you haven't played Phantasy Star IV yet, you should do so immediately.