Sload Soap wrote:Laguna instantly feels like a more likeable and interesting main character than the one we're given. Squall is an arse.
I've got bad news; this doesn't get better.
I'm kind of struggling with the whole equipping magic as armour thing and having to upgrade weapons instead of just buying new ones. I have a desperate need for screws. Not saying I don't like either of these two aspects but again, it's jarring after FFVII and PDS. The draw system isn't so bad though. It's odd but functions well enough. I get the feeling the enemies have been adjusted to get fewer turns in battle though to facilitate drawing. They kind of just stand around while you pinch some spells out of their pockets for a minute or two before remembering they're in a fight to the death.
Yeah, mechanics-wise VIII is the most broken Final Fantasy since II. I actually found the weapons upgrades to be fairly optional. It's nice to have (especially for Squall to unlock the higher limit breaks) but the real power comes from strong junctions. That and not leveling up too much; that's a huge trap.
I hope you post more updates; it's always interesting to see how people experience VIII. FFVII was pretty standard with the previous entries; VIII got really experimental on several fronts.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
The best thing about 8 was triple triad... which at least allowed me to spend some time with the game and ignore the nonsense going on... I literally have no idea what the story is.
Ack I thought GD was quality too although I'm not sure I can motivate myself to get to 'end game' levels.
Well, I just finished up Shadowrun: Dragonfall. I will post my thoughts on it tomorrow in the Games Beaten thread, but for now...back to figuring out what I'm going to play next...
Ack wrote:Well, I just finished up Shadowrun: Dragonfall. I will post my thoughts on it tomorrow in the Games Beaten thread, but for now...back to figuring out what I'm going to play next...
You could use Backloggery's fortune cookie feature. That's what I do when I don't have something particular in mind.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
The issue with the fortune cookie is that it doesn't appear to allow you to search among specific games, just within specific console sets. If I could limit it to only pick from a handful of set games, it would be more useful. I might instead rely on a random number generator.
Grim Dawn
Well, I messed around in this a bit today to explore it more on my own. I love how this game handles generating portals, so you can always go back to town without issue. Also, using the firearms in the game is supremely satisfying. For my solo run, I decided to try out a Demolitionist/Arcanist build, and so far, it's been a blast. Literally.
I've been playing this game since the start of January, but I'm finally close to wrapping it up. I'm in the last dungeon, and I just cleared the boss on the 3rd floor. I think the final boss is on floor 9 or 10. The dungeon is pretty tough though - plenty of random enemies who can easily wipe my entire party. I also think I'm rather underlevelled, so the final boss could be an utter pain.
After taking some advice from non-Cosby Ghost Dad in a dream, I ended up teleporting to Britannia at the wrong time. Which sucks, cause now I've been thrown into a prison. Well, not just any prison, but the Stygian Abyss. It's dank and smelly, moist in all the wrong ways, and it's full of criminals and hideous monstrosities. I have to tread lightly for fear of my life, and I need to tread quickly for fear of dwindling supplies.
My first day inside, I explored the first level of the dungeon. Most of the creatures scurrying about on this level are small, annoying ankle biters that often try to run up to nip at my heels while my back is turned. I've learned to favor looking down a lot, though this warps my vision in weird ways and lends itself to nausea if I go on to long. I am adjusting to movement as I explore, getting the hang of my various jumping distances, killing monsters that get in my way such as rats, slimes, some worm things, spiders and bats. As I've slowly mapped out the halls, I've found plenty of bags to hold my gear, weapons and armor, useful items, and food. But no one here grows anything, no one here has a shop it seems, so I do not have a safe base of operations. I raided a small goblin camp and set up a weapons cache close to a stairwell to the next level, but I will need to make another quick pass to gather all of the supplies I can and turn it into a real store room. I've noticed that when I rest, doors close, but no enemies seem to return to the halls that I've already plundered. Also, there are a lot of broken weapons and bones scattered about. I worry.
Currently my food stores are ok. I have plenty of stones for my sling, weapons to swap out if I need them, armor, a nice amount of torches and candles. But while getting used to handling my inventory, I accidentally ingested more of my supplies than I should have. A loaf of bread, some plants, some cheese, an apple...I may have screwed myself from the get go. There was even a green bottle full of unidentified liquid that I accidentally chugged while trying to move it. And I spent a torch and a candle sleeping before realizing I could douse and relight them as needed. I hope I haven't doomed myself.
I've also found a runebag and numerous little rune stones scattered throughout. I have no idea what to do with them at this time, though perhaps they correspond to a note I pulled off the corpse of a little gremlin bastard. Something about magic spells. The gremlin could shoot fireballs. Maybe I could shoot fireballs too?
In my explorations, I have discovered signs of a "civilization." A grey goblin guards a door beside a symbol of an ankh. Ankhs also sit beside another door that I have not yet explored. I also found a little hideaway full of people, but they offer me little in services. Good advice though. I have yet to find this shrine they keep talking about, but there is a door to the southeast on a ledge that I have been unable to reach despite my repeated attempts. I have tried jumping from different distances to reach it, but it feels like I bounce off and plummet into the water below every time I try. Once was a bat's fault. The rest...I'm not so sure. My explorations have also revealed a secret healing shrine hidden away to the abyss' northernmost reaches which will make things that much easier for me in my explorations, as well as a huge, nasty, red spider hidden deep within the northern catacombs. I slaughtered it with barely a scratch and gathered up its threads for my stores. The waterways are also nearly mapped out, though I dread the octopuses that live within. In all, I think I have 2/3 of all of level 1 now mapped out. I look to finish up the floor and then finish my storeroom before continuing on into the depths.
BoneSnapDeez wrote:I bet Exhuminator would like them.
Exhuminator already played them back in the 90s. I did enjoy both UU games. They were made with fantastic programming for their time, and are a great dungeon crawl experience overall. I recommend them to everyone, although honestly I recommend Arx Fatalis even more (PC version that is).
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My own RPG progress...
Panzer Dragoon Saga - I'm halfway through disc two. I would be further in this, except I'm only playing it during my lunch hour at work. And my lunch hours at work have been shorter than usual lately, due to job related things. I still enjoy the game for what it is.
Valkyrie Profile 2 - I'm at the Palace Of The Venerated Dragon, about halfway through the game, around 19 hours in. I'm starting to have mixed feelings about VP2. Have you ever had a situation where you weren't sure if you were enjoying a game anymore? Like you just feel kinda tepid about it? Yeah, I've been that way with VP2 for a while now.
Chapter 3 in VP2 is notorious for its bad pacing and many a player quits there. I don't want to be another CH.3 casualty, but damn. The story has gone to practically nil. The dungeon design has become aggravatingly convoluted, due to the ridiculous Sealed Stone system and light beam freeze enemy jumping traversal crap (it's complicated). And despite the fact I have incredible gear and decent levels, enemies still whack my party left and right and status effect my party every time we turn around. The balance is just nutso to say the least.
So while I still admire the amazing graphics and mature tone, I'm starting to reach the point where I have to force myself to play Valkyrie Profile 2. That's not a good sign, and maybe now I'm seeing why no one ever talks about this game. I think I'm shelving it tonight and starting on something else. I'll keep my save games in case I feel like picking it up later, but for now there are better JRPGs to play.
Go grind that Hydra if you haven't already. Should help a bit. If memory serves, all bosses respawn, it's just that's a good one to target, and you'll get 1/3 the experience from it.
I do remember the balance being all over the place, though... and that's nothing new with pretty much all of tri-Ace's output. I had the same problems in Star Ocean 3 and Radiata Stories. The former was absolutely horrible in that regard, spiking the difficulty in the last third of the game unless you absolutely abused the crafting system; then the game becomes absurdly easy.
You could also be in the same spot as me regarding JRPGs. I burn out on them much faster than I used to. But even now, I've got some that I never finished, or dropped halfway through.
