Games that Emp should be playing

Hi Emp,

Here is your gaming lineup for the rest of the year.

1) Yakuza 0
2) Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception
3) Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth
4) Tokyo Xanadu eX+

Who is this fucking guy?

Exactly. He doesn't even know how to make a sig.

What are Team Utawarerumono being released on? They remain relevant to my interests.

Yakuza 0 is great.

Saw you were playing Yakuza 0, that's why it gets to be #1 on the list. I pity the fools who don't have Yakuza 0, and I especially pity the fools who own it but won't play it.

The Utawarerumono games have been out on PS4 for a while now (pretty sure they got EU release, if not, then NA imports). PC release seems unlikely -- I don't think they sold well enough for that.

Mask of Deception is the first sequel to the original, Mask of Truth is the second sequel. Deception is essentially a long prologue to Truth, but well worth playing. I just found myself fast-forwarding through more of the story in Deception.

Both are good, definitely both better game-wise than the PC original. Deception is the lesser of the two (they oddly dropped some features that were in the PS2 remake of the first game), whereas Truth brings those features back + some and is far and away the best in the series. Both games have 20-something regular missions and around that many extra "dream" missions after you beat the main game. And both games have fantastic endings. I cried.

Cool! The Utawarerumono games got an NA PS4 release? I may have to check those out. I've been interested since reading EmP's review regarding the first one.

I believe I own every game on Zig's list for PS4, and have played none of them. But in my defense, they're quite long as a general rule. And I have played through Yakuza 5 and 6, so that's a start!

Those Utawarerumono games are actually available in Australia. Was browsing the PS4 selection... what an age we live in.

I didn't buy them because I have too many games I haven't played yet.

I don't think he's playes Ys VIII yet, either.

I'm currently without a PS4. I've not owned a playstation since the second one, though I keep up to date on the Sony handhelds, because I enjoy throwing my money away.

Once Yakuza is finally done (73 hours in; no end in sight) I shall reevaluate my options. Appreciate the nudge.

I've been away for so long that Masters and Jerec forgot me :(

Per Joe's recommendation:
5) Ys 8

The Emp-must-play-these-games list grows!

Time for you to write a new review!

>Yakuza and Falcom

I'd like to point out that this thread has a typo; it should read "Games that everyone should be playing."

except me tho because this is my computer please send money

I didn't forget you. I just can't resist a low key trolling opportunity.

back with an empdate

They've released a PS4 remake of the original Utawarerumono (Japan only, sadly) and it's pretty swell.

Later this month, they're releasing Utawarerumono Zan, which is basically a Warriors/Musou game. Also PS4.

Update: I found a copy of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception going for an acceptable price, and bought it on the spot. I'd not really thought things through though, as I still don't own a PS4.

Tokyo Xanadu eX+ has a PC release and sits happily in my wishlist.

Yakuza 0 demands all my time. But I feel like I've done more or less all the side stuff I want to do, and should make quicker progress than I have been. I won't 100% the game, but chapters have finally been falling.

Do you own a Switch yet, EmP? I would say that's more important, for reasons that have nothing to do with Zig's list... though Ys VIII is available on Switch and I read somewhere it has sold best on that platform... so whatever.

Nah, the PS4 is still "the" system to own. Reasons include:
1. Yakuza (remakes of parts 1 and 2 are already out, with more coming -- eventually the entire series will be on PS4)
2. Falcom (all their new games come to PS4, most come to Steam, none come to Switch -- except Ys 8)
3. Utawarerumono
4. Assault Suit Leynos

Certainly a Switch is a good #2, and if someone only has a Switch, then they can play the slightly lesser version of Ys 8 and pretend they're getting the same experience as they would on PS4 or Steam. But they won't be playing any of the other stuff I just named.

Someone find Zig. Tell him I've worked my way through most of his list. His approval is very important to me.

Get through all of them and I'll sing your praises to him.

So be it.

I post this here because I didn't find a suitable forum section to open a thread in to say this.
I noticed that neither of the two La Mulana masterworks have a review on this site, and think that should change, but also that I can't presently help you with that.

It is surprising none of those games have been touched considering the metriodvania fans we have. I don't own either game, but then I'm still busy working through this:

I think NIS America released touched up versions of the two games as a set on Switch, too. I have the first game on Wii but, true to form, have not played it.

That is this release.

The first (download release), the second (download), and both as a collection (mail-order) were released the same day in the USA, UE, AU/NZ, within a week.
The collection contains extra and comes on physical media, the game is unchanged, so far as I know.

The guys' official site shows what kind of passionate videogamers, and game developers, they are.

We have reached, not now but by quite a couple of years, the point where there are games made as industry products, by industry workers, reviewed by other industry workers (who work as commenters, let's say): all of these people, and their industry, don't really have time to play (and actually review) games, let alone be passionate about games. Still, they sell, design, and "review" games (as well as other media).

Then there are the industry-free people who, according to skills and inclination, make games, play games, comment on games. As at least relatively free people, they can be passionate about something, play something, think about something, which in their case is games.

There's no way you can mistake passion-stemming media, like the two La Mulana's for industry-produced media, and luckily, more than enough passionately-made games exist to allow us to keep pursuing our gaming passion whilst keeping our (gaming, and reviewing) hands off the industry-made, if thus we want.

My apologies for the off-topic talk.