Hey [%target] Whatcha Playin'?

[Bal]

Yeah usually I get down on modern remakes of video game classics but god damn if I didn't reserve this fucker the second it was announced

Arc's been dead for years, dude. It's over.

[Mongrel]

Update 9.10 for tanks is utter bullshit.

They've cut the number of maps available for play to shreds, by restricting map access on a curve by tier. For instance tier 4s now sees only seven maps. They've effectively nuked variation in gameplay here. Most crucially, Tier 5 only sees 12 maps.

I don't know if I'll quit over this, but I can see a lot of people doing just that.

EDIT: Well, I don't know that it'll matter, but whooo boy is the global playerbase mad about this update.

[pacobird]

I'm pleasantly surprised at how much Xenoblade Chronicles is shaping up to be everything I'd hoped it would be (just passed Prison Island); my only real gripe is the affinity shit is waaaaay more tedious than it needed to be. It's been described as putting an MMO sensibility into single player JRPG combat, but that's too broad because everything about it screams FFXI specifically, which I guess makes sense because there isn't much more one would expect Japanese players and devs to be exposed to. Here are some things I like!

-I like that Shulk is clearly and openly motivated by revenge but isn't an antihero.
-I like that Dunban is more mature than the rest of the group but isn't a magical old man.
-I like that the mysteriousness of the Monado leads the cast to fundamentally misunderstand it in basic, non-ironic ways rather than just comment on how mysterious it is or get wrapped up in Shyamalan shit.
-I like that the game has fast travel to support a huge world but has enough going on in the world itself to discourage leaning on it.
-I like that the pace of combat (again, the best possible version of FFXI) seams so well with party banter; in fact, I am ready to proclaim this the first party banter in a game to actually get me to like the characters more, not really get old, and consistently reinforce the idea that the trauma and triumph of combat is helping these people come to trust each other.

[Thad]

Yeah, it's a great game; I really should get around to finishing it one of these days.

[pacobird]

I want to talk a bit more about how much I love this game's banter.

It's pretty much constant throughout combat, but not only is it likable and well-acted, the different characters address each other based on their actual relationships through the game and change lines based on how the fight's going. It's wonderful.

Shulk and Reyn, BFFs since childhood, engage in the constant jocular encouragement of true bros, but they're both clearly in awe of Dunban even though they treat him more like an older brother than an idol. Reyn and Sharla keep it professional but when things are going really well they lose themselves and flirt a little bit, and are just a little more obviously concerned for each other when things go south. Shulk is pretty much always the Kermit-the-Frog-style leader, remaining confident and commanding without ever sounding arrogant or pushy. Similarly, Reyn's always tough but stays light-hearted. Sharla is strong precisely because she's trying so damn hard to keep it together. Dunban leads by example. Melia is more lofty and internal than distant.

I guess my only other real complaint is the game needs either more viable tanks and healers or a larger active party, considering how badly it wants you to shift party members around. I do not see a situation where anything beats Shulk/Reyn/Sharla.

[Thad]

How far along are you? I definitely found myself, later on in the game, basing my party more around which relationships I was trying to build than who was going to be better in combat.

And I freakin' love Riki. Out of everybody in the game, he's really the odd man out; he's sort of a deadbeat who gets selected as his people's hero for reasons that aren't entirely clear, but then really takes it to heart and makes it his mission to become a better person-squirrel-chipmunk-thing. Bitey -- BITEY!

[pacobird]

Just finished Prison Island; have not yet gotten the spoileriffic-but-obvious-if-you-don't-think-the-game-has-the-guts-to-stab-you-in-your-genre-savvy final character.

This game is actually rather hard for a JRPG and I don't see how you can beat many of the bosses without at least Sharla unless you're painfully overleveled.

[Thad]

It's been awhile but my recollection is that I managed to handle things with other healers at least some of the time.

I'll agree that you need to pick your party more strategically for bosses. (And once you make it to the Mechonis, you'll probably be sticking with weapons that can damage robots over ones that can't, regardless of stats.) But just wandering around is different. And over-leveling is pretty easy given the size of the game and the amount of shit it gives you to do.

(Which is actually kind of the problem I'm having with Witcher 3 -- a game which does not seem to be as large in map size but has a hell of a lot more shit to do -- as I am consistently working on quests recommended for four levels ago. I still die occasionally, partially due to my insistence on sticking with light armor, but I'm tempted to ramp the difficulty up a notch.)

[Kayma]

Xenoblade Chronicles really is amazing. I'm still shocked at how much I don't hate Riki; his voice is terrible at first blush, but damn if I don't love that good-natured deadbeat!

[Mongrel]

Shadowrun Returns is SUPER linear so far (I'm about 20-25% of the way in?). You're so rigidly on rails that I would hesitate to even call it an RPG; more an Action game with RPG elements. Even side quests are just "pick up that loot bag while we're already here". Combat is AP/Grid Based, like old-school XCom so that's nice.

Reminds me a bit of Fallout 1. Not as good of course, but a reasonably decent game for the $2.

[pacobird]

Dead Man's Switch ended up being proof of concept for the excellent Dragonfall, but if you feel on-rails you might check out the Shadowrun Unlimited mod, which is basically sandbox mode/the Genesis Shadowrun.

[Mongrel]

Nah, it's fine. I also got Dragonfall, and Dead Man's Switch is really short (like 12~ hours), so I'm just going to plow through it and then go on to Dragonfall.

[Esperath]

Man, I am really enjoying One-Way Heroics. 86 cents well spent! Haven't played the expansion (which came out last month) yet.

[Mongrel]

Finished Dead Man's Switch. Ending: Ha ha cute. Got not-too-terribly-bored about 3/4 through and left it for a few days, but picked it up again last night.

Whoever called it a proof-of-concept demo was spot-on, but it was still fun enough to play. They did a good job with the noir feel throughout and what limited characterization there was in the supporting cast and NPCs was actually pretty good (your own opportunities for same, not so much, but not too big a deal in game this quick). Really not much to the game, so not much worth saying. Probably will try Dragonfall in the next little while.

[Mongrel]

Dragonfall is already an obviously better (and harder - ow!) game. The interface is more polished in many small-but-nice ways and the story is more engaging (not that story was Dead Mans' Switch's weak point). Good characterization continues.

Not really too far in yet, just started Act II where you're raising cash.

[Mongrel]

Okay, the Neo-Nazi pamphlet that copies the lines from the Blues' Brothers' Illinois Nazi speech... that was fucking great, I gotta say.

[Mongrel]

Back to playing Dragonfall after a couple days. Up to the endgame setup missions (APEX now, if you've played).

I am posting because I can't believe that a game designer making a cyberpunk game in 2014 actually pulled the trope - I have no idea what it's called in spite of searching for a while - where uploading data somehow deletes your own copy (the Bloodline data from the mission against Aztechnology). Really. REALLY?!

They also technically pulled the "No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup" as part of the same mission, but you blow up the research facility and all the scientists in it, so maybe you kind of get a sort-of pass on that.

[pacobird]

Dragon Quest Heroes is fun, but I'm not far enough along to say anything other than "well, it's musou." It's cute, though! Voice overs coming through the PS4 control is obnoxious as fuck!

[Rico]

Alena is adorable and her dialogue is adorable and that is all that matters.

[pacobird]

"Alena quoting Putin" should totally be a thing.