Gaming Progress

March 21, 2015

What I play in my very limited free time...

Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4)

The Inquisition marches on with a mixture of random exploring/side quests, getting my ass kicked for going into areas where the enemy level jumps absurdly, and then going back to the story missions. I've been playing this every other weekend since New Year and I'm still not done, but I am still enjoying it.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD - PS4

(Mission 1 spoilers)

Not very HD, it definitely looks like an upscaled PSP game. FFXIII on the PS3 actually looks better and sharper than this. Would have been an awesome Vita game, but oh well. I've played the first mission and I've saved in the Academy place. I hope it's not all RPG on rails like the first mission was, and I actually get to do some proper exploring and stuff. Also, the narrator sounds like some boring American that would probably narrate some documentary about history or something. Still getting a handle on who these characters are. The kid with the chocobo who died in the intro seems to have had more characterisation than anyone else so far.

Final Fantasy XV demo (PS4)

The battle mode is going to take some getting used to. Got my ass kicked by the Behemoth, since I decided to go straight there. Since I don't want to listen to the plan again for a while, I'll probably explore all the other areas this demo lets me have access to.

Pokemon Shuffle (3DS)

I play 5 rounds whenever I remember. I am curious as to how much money Nintendo has made from this due to impatient people.

Super Smash Bros Wii U

Still making my way through Classic mode with each character, and completing the odd challenges. Mostly I just let my 8 amiibos fight for 99 mins at a time to collect coins and items. I think the trophies are the best part of this game - definitely what keeps me coming back.

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Feedback

honestgamer - March 21, 2015 (03:29 PM)
I downloaded Pokemon Shuffle since it was free, and then I linked my 3DS and Wii U accounts, since it was required. I still haven't actually played the game, though. I'm already busy enough with ClickerHeroes and Monster Strike, though I do hope to chop the former from my routine here in a few weeks. I think I've (finally) done almost everything there. Then if I can avoid returning to Marvel Puzzle Quest, maybe I'll have time to spare on Pokemon Shuffle. At least I didn't pay to ignore that particular game...

jerec - March 21, 2015 (04:48 PM)
Is ClickerHeroes one of those insane timesinks like Cookie Clicker? Man, that game stole so much of my time.

espiga - March 21, 2015 (05:34 PM)
Don't worry, Type-0 has a world map.

Also, the narrator is meant to sound like it's a documentary; that's also why many of the cutscenes use that "film grain" filter. The narration is looking back on the events from a "historical" perspective, while you go through them as the actual people... Most of which receive pretty much no characterization. The story isn't all that great, although it has great *theming*. Type-0 is all about the action and the combat, and you pretty much don't really need to know the characters by anything other than [weapon type] [gender]. Card Guy, Flute Girl, etc.

Later missions will have you heading toward several objectives simultaneously, which you can tackle in any order. Mission 1 is pretty much just the tutorial.

Genj - March 21, 2015 (07:37 PM)
I'm at Chapter 5 and 14 hours into Type 0. The exploring is not good. In between missions, there's not much to do other than talk to classmates to get items, do MMO style requests, or grind. The world map is pretty barren. There's not a whole lot other than samey looking towns and caves full of higher level monsters. The game is full of odd design decisions - like needing to be at a save point to change your party or equipment. There's been too much grinding so far due to random difficulty spikes in the main missions and only active party members gain XP making grinding slower. And you need to maintain more than 3 decent characters to stand a chance due to the harsh penalties of a character dying mid-mission. There is a way to cheese the game for quick XP, but it involve messing with your PS4's clock. Fortunately the combat is REALLY great and all the party members play differently.

honestgamer - March 21, 2015 (10:38 PM)
Yeah, ClickerHeroes is a browser-based game and you basically power up your characters so they can advance further into the game without your input. Of course, the game requires you to come back regularly and babysit it, so I've put a LOT of hours into it over the last 8 months or so. Like I said, I figure I'm finally about done with it. Well, in another few months...

Suskie - March 22, 2015 (02:49 AM)
I think I'd actually be enjoying Type-0 more if it WAS on rails, since the combat is the best thing about the game and the structured story missions are a lot of fun. The overworld doesn't seem to have much reason to be there and the side quests just feel like busy work, but then you kinda have to grind to keep up with the difficulty spikes.

I'm actually finding it frustrating that so few of the side missions reward experience. I'm considering just bumping the difficulty down so I can just punch through the (enjoyable) story missions and not worry about the grind.

The story seems to have potential, but the dialog and voice acting are absolutely dreadful. I'm kinda wondering if it's just a minimum-effort localization job.

jerec - March 22, 2015 (03:08 AM)
The camera sensitivity is really annoying, too, and I can't find an option to change it.

espiga - March 22, 2015 (03:53 AM)
You bros seem to be having troubles or maybe I'm just drunk so Espi Claus is here to help.
1. Grinding isn't necessary but if you choose not to, you'll need to abuse killsights.
2. Abusing killsights is easier if you have the infinite dodge passive.
3. Don't be fooled by Deuce. She starts off weak but with the right setup, she is an absolute monster on the field. Her attacks deal "magical" damage so for high-defense enemies (flans, anything with higher levels, etc), she will eat them for lunch.

Suskie - March 22, 2015 (03:58 AM)
what a coincidence i'm drunk tooo

espiga - March 22, 2015 (04:12 AM)
Fuck I pushed the button too fast.

4. The game is meant to be replayed so a lot of shit will open up on the 2nd playthrough.
5. Don't forget about expert trials.
6. The localization is really wierd. The game has lot of japanese cultural references that the localization team tried and failed to hide. Most notably, the crystal names were all based on the 4 mythological figures: genbu, suzaku, byakko, and soryu. Suzaku was translated as Vermillion Bird, and while that's what Suzaku *is*, it's akin to suggesting one eats McDonalds and saying, "Guys, let's eat bottom of the barrel fast food"instead.

honestgamer - March 22, 2015 (08:20 AM)
I wish that Square Enix would realize fans don't want that stuff hidden. We want to see English text, sure, and we'd like good voice acting to be an option in that language, yes. But the cultural stuff intrigues us, even if it goes over our heads, so the bulk of it should be left as-is and the game will perform all the better for it. They better get that sorted before Final Fantasy XV!

Genj - March 22, 2015 (08:35 AM)
The story seems to have potential, but the dialog and voice acting are absolutely dreadful. I'm kinda wondering if it's just a minimum-effort localization job.

I'd say definitely minimum effort. The voice work is ridiculously bad compared what Square usually does (What the fuck is up with Jack's voice?). I think the awful dialogue from the Class Zero members is intentionally though. They seemed to have gone for a dehumanizing approach since they're basically more like Dr. Arecia's pets than children especially since Rem and Machina have significantly better characterization. Or maybe I'm giving Square too much credit.

Yes, it's easy to exploit killstrikes if you don't grind, but you're opening yourself up to getting 1 shotted by enemies very easily. Even at the proper level you can still get 1 shotted by certain enemies (especially enraged enemies). It's why I really don't like the death penalty in missions. It doesn't help when the ally AI is abysmal at times (like not healing itself when it's near death or walking into boss instant death attacks). I understand it's to get you to use multiple characters, but don't make it so an enemy random pops out of the ground and does 2,555 damage to my level 30 character with 800 HP.

jerec - March 23, 2015 (11:26 PM)
The game looks so much better when you remote play to Vita, and the camera is less nauseating, too. They really should've just made a Vita version.

Feedback
	honestgamer - March 21, 2015 (03:29 PM) I downloaded Pokemon Shuffle since it was free, and then I linked my 3DS and Wii U accounts, since it was required. I still haven't actually played the game, though. I'm already busy enough with ClickerHeroes and Monster Strike, though I do hope to chop the former from my routine here in a few weeks. I think I've (finally) done almost everything there. Then if I can avoid returning to Marvel Puzzle Quest, maybe I'll have time to spare on Pokemon Shuffle. At least I didn't pay to ignore that particular game...
	jerec - March 21, 2015 (04:48 PM) Is ClickerHeroes one of those insane timesinks like Cookie Clicker? Man, that game stole so much of my time.
	espiga - March 21, 2015 (05:34 PM) Don't worry, Type-0 has a world map. Also, the narrator is meant to sound like it's a documentary; that's also why many of the cutscenes use that "film grain" filter. The narration is looking back on the events from a "historical" perspective, while you go through them as the actual people... Most of which receive pretty much no characterization. The story isn't all that great, although it has great theming. Type-0 is all about the action and the combat, and you pretty much don't really need to know the characters by anything other than [weapon type] [gender]. Card Guy, Flute Girl, etc. Later missions will have you heading toward several objectives simultaneously, which you can tackle in any order. Mission 1 is pretty much just the tutorial.
	Genj - March 21, 2015 (07:37 PM) I'm at Chapter 5 and 14 hours into Type 0. The exploring is not good. In between missions, there's not much to do other than talk to classmates to get items, do MMO style requests, or grind. The world map is pretty barren. There's not a whole lot other than samey looking towns and caves full of higher level monsters. The game is full of odd design decisions - like needing to be at a save point to change your party or equipment. There's been too much grinding so far due to random difficulty spikes in the main missions and only active party members gain XP making grinding slower. And you need to maintain more than 3 decent characters to stand a chance due to the harsh penalties of a character dying mid-mission. There is a way to cheese the game for quick XP, but it involve messing with your PS4's clock. Fortunately the combat is REALLY great and all the party members play differently.
	honestgamer - March 21, 2015 (10:38 PM) Yeah, ClickerHeroes is a browser-based game and you basically power up your characters so they can advance further into the game without your input. Of course, the game requires you to come back regularly and babysit it, so I've put a LOT of hours into it over the last 8 months or so. Like I said, I figure I'm finally about done with it. Well, in another few months...
	Suskie - March 22, 2015 (02:49 AM) I think I'd actually be enjoying Type-0 more if it WAS on rails, since the combat is the best thing about the game and the structured story missions are a lot of fun. The overworld doesn't seem to have much reason to be there and the side quests just feel like busy work, but then you kinda have to grind to keep up with the difficulty spikes. I'm actually finding it frustrating that so few of the side missions reward experience. I'm considering just bumping the difficulty down so I can just punch through the (enjoyable) story missions and not worry about the grind. The story seems to have potential, but the dialog and voice acting are absolutely dreadful. I'm kinda wondering if it's just a minimum-effort localization job.
	jerec - March 22, 2015 (03:08 AM) The camera sensitivity is really annoying, too, and I can't find an option to change it.
	espiga - March 22, 2015 (03:53 AM) You bros seem to be having troubles or maybe I'm just drunk so Espi Claus is here to help. 1. Grinding isn't necessary but if you choose not to, you'll need to abuse killsights. 2. Abusing killsights is easier if you have the infinite dodge passive. 3. Don't be fooled by Deuce. She starts off weak but with the right setup, she is an absolute monster on the field. Her attacks deal "magical" damage so for high-defense enemies (flans, anything with higher levels, etc), she will eat them for lunch.
	Suskie - March 22, 2015 (03:58 AM) what a coincidence i'm drunk tooo
	espiga - March 22, 2015 (04:12 AM) Fuck I pushed the button too fast. 4. The game is meant to be replayed so a lot of shit will open up on the 2nd playthrough. 5. Don't forget about expert trials. 6. The localization is really wierd. The game has lot of japanese cultural references that the localization team tried and failed to hide. Most notably, the crystal names were all based on the 4 mythological figures: genbu, suzaku, byakko, and soryu. Suzaku was translated as Vermillion Bird, and while that's what Suzaku is, it's akin to suggesting one eats McDonalds and saying, "Guys, let's eat bottom of the barrel fast food"instead.
	honestgamer - March 22, 2015 (08:20 AM) I wish that Square Enix would realize fans don't want that stuff hidden. We want to see English text, sure, and we'd like good voice acting to be an option in that language, yes. But the cultural stuff intrigues us, even if it goes over our heads, so the bulk of it should be left as-is and the game will perform all the better for it. They better get that sorted before Final Fantasy XV!
	Genj - March 22, 2015 (08:35 AM) The story seems to have potential, but the dialog and voice acting are absolutely dreadful. I'm kinda wondering if it's just a minimum-effort localization job. I'd say definitely minimum effort. The voice work is ridiculously bad compared what Square usually does (What the fuck is up with Jack's voice?). I think the awful dialogue from the Class Zero members is intentionally though. They seemed to have gone for a dehumanizing approach since they're basically more like Dr. Arecia's pets than children especially since Rem and Machina have significantly better characterization. Or maybe I'm giving Square too much credit. Yes, it's easy to exploit killstrikes if you don't grind, but you're opening yourself up to getting 1 shotted by enemies very easily. Even at the proper level you can still get 1 shotted by certain enemies (especially enraged enemies). It's why I really don't like the death penalty in missions. It doesn't help when the ally AI is abysmal at times (like not healing itself when it's near death or walking into boss instant death attacks). I understand it's to get you to use multiple characters, but don't make it so an enemy random pops out of the ground and does 2,555 damage to my level 30 character with 800 HP.
	jerec - March 23, 2015 (11:26 PM) The game looks so much better when you remote play to Vita, and the camera is less nauseating, too. They really should've just made a Vita version.

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