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Post by Nester the Lark on Jan 18, 2024 17:36:32 GMT -5
Evie, you clearly put a lot of thought into your posts, but they can get so extensive that it can be hard to take everything in and know how to respond to it. If I'm understanding what you mean by a "class" of video games, then I guess I might add "software toy". I would consider a software toy as something that might have goal-oriented elements, but is really meant to be played and experimented with in a more open-ended capacity. It could be something like creativity software (the aforementioned Mario Paint), a simulation (SimCity), or the infamous Wii Music. I remember there is a YouTuber I used to watch (unfortunately I can't remember her channel name) who is an old aged woman. When she inquired about video games, there was (naturally) an assumption that she wanted family friendly games, but really she wanted to play more stereotypical 'hardcore' games with depth like RPGs. Are you thinking of Britta Food4Dogs? She's not the only senior woman on YouTube who plays and collects video games, but she's one of the more well known.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jan 16, 2024 17:24:15 GMT -5
Here's that speedrun of Gyromite by Peanut Butter the dog during Awesome Games Done Quick.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jan 11, 2024 11:17:39 GMT -5
Just wanted to share this.
Here is "Ever Come to an End" from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, performed live by Anúna, who also perform it in-game. Lead vocals are by Sara Weeda, who individually sang the theme songs for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Notice the Xenoblade 3-themed t-shirt she's wearing. She became a big fan of the series herself after working on it.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jan 10, 2024 15:13:43 GMT -5
So, I've finished Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. My final time is 14:25, but that does not take into account having to reload after the many game overs I got, so maybe add a couple of hours to it. (Also, a lot of time was spent backtracking to save points.) I got a D rank, but I have no idea exactly what that's based on.
Everything I said in my previous post still stands. This is very much an old school survival horror game with only marginal updates. I did start to get a little tired of it towards the end. Like a lot of old survival horror games (and maybe new ones?), it has a New Game+, but I think I'm going to take a break from it for now.
The story was very convoluted and told in fragments, and also not in chronological order. Frankly, I didn't understand most of it, and had to look up explanations online. However, this was also the case with Maiden of Black Water, so maybe this is normal for the series. Also, I didn't find the ending as cathartic as FF5.
Between FF4 and FF5, FF4 was scarier. It has more jump scares, creepier atmosphere, and it had more unsettling content.
Overall, I still prefer Maiden of Black Water. I preferred its more modern approach, being more straightforward, having standalone chapters, more action-oriented gameplay, and I liked its story better.
I'm glad I got the chance to try another Fatal Frame game, but I'm not sure if this will be a series I continue to follow going forward. I think it'll depend on what kind of mood I'm in, and the type of approach the next game would take... if there is a next game.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jan 10, 2024 9:26:53 GMT -5
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jan 7, 2024 9:41:15 GMT -5
I personally prefer the modern rotation system, as well as the bag system, the hold ability, and being able to see ahead multiple pieces. I feel like the various adjustments made to the game over the years have improved it. Maybe I'm just used to the modern rule set, but when I tried going back to Game Boy Tetris when it was added to NSO, I almost found it unplayable.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jan 5, 2024 15:20:49 GMT -5
So, I finally worked up enough courage to start playing Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. I’m about six hours into it so far.
Being a remaster of a game from 2008, it’s very much an old school survival horror game. It follows the original Resident Evil formula pretty closely in that you wander around a labyrinthine complex, look for keys to open up locked doors, solve arbitrary puzzles, and occasionally fight an enemy or two. In fact, in a post Resident Evil 4 world, I’d say it feels a bit formulaic even by 2008 standards. But for what it is, it’s done well.
As a remaster, the character models look really good, and the FMVs were all redone. Textures in the environments, however, are quite pixelated, and don’t seem to have been touched up much, if at all. The original Wii controls have been adapted to work like they do in Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, but feel slightly clumsier than they do in that game.
I think the game could’ve used a few more QoL improvements. Its save system feels out of date in that there is no quick restart if you get a game over. Die in a boss fight? You’re going to reload from your last save point, even if it was 30 minutes ago. I understand that that’s the "survival" part of survival horror, but modern games are still better at respecting a player’s time.
(EDIT: Forgot to mention that there was an infamous bug in the Wii version that prevented the player from ever being able to get 100 percent and unlock everything. That has been completely fixed in this version.)
Combat is very similar to that in Maiden of Black Water where you use a combination of analog sticks and gyro controls. The gyro aiming can be adjusted, or even turned off, but I personally prefer them, as it feels more natural and is much more precise than sticks alone. In general, I find the combat much more challenging than in Maiden of Black Water due to the ghosts being less predictable and the timing for a Fatal Frame seems much tighter.
Overall, I’m quite enjoying it so far. It’s a good remaster, but the game does feel like a product of its time.
On a side note, I can’t find any evidence that Gust worked on this game like they did with the port of Maiden of Black Water. That’s too bad, because it would be funny if YL and I both ended up playing Gust games.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Dec 31, 2023 10:30:21 GMT -5
As has been usual for me in recent years, I haven’t played a lot of new games. Instead, I prefer to play fewer games, but spend more time with them. Of those games, however, there have been some interesting surprises.
This won’t be a ranked countdown list. I will pick a personal favorite game of the year, and then go over everything else in alphabetical order. I also won't include random stuff I played on NSO.
My Game of the Year:
Fire Emblem Engage
This game was a surprise in how much my attitude changed about it from its original leak to finally finishing it. While a game obviously shouldn’t be judged based on early leaked screenshots, I was still convinced they were fake. When the official reveal confirmed the game was real, I wasn’t sure what to think. But as I saw more of it, I quickly warmed up to it. Even Alear’s design, which took me the longest to come around to, I now genuinely love and appreciate.
The actual game is almost everything I needed it to be: addictive strategy, satisfying combat animations, tons of customization options, a lovable cast of goofy characters. The story is often the most criticized aspect, but despite being fairly straightforward and lighthearted (or maybe even because of those things), it clicked with me.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is that a Fire Emblem game, a series that I often find to be a bit stressful to play, ended up being my comfort food game of the year, and the one I kept coming back to most.
Everything else (alphabetical order):
Clockwork Aquario
I finally picked up this game when it was on sale for about US$3. It’s mainly a historical curiosity, being an ambitious restoration of an abandoned arcade game from the early ‘90s. The game, itself, is quite simple and easy (even on the hardest difficulty), and doesn’t have much depth, but the graphics and music are superb. Worth checking out for a Wonder Boy fan like myself. I feel like I easily got my money’s worth.
F-Zero 99
When it was revealed, I was one of the few who were excited to see F-Zero return as a 99 battle royale game, but even cynical fans quickly realized how well the series works in this format. I was concerned about long-term support considering Nintendo already announced there wouldn’t be any new tracks added, but the addition of the Classic Race, as well as the current “Frozen Knight League” event show that it can still be updated from time to time.
In any event, the game is a nice reminder of how great this series is.
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails
Despite its namesake, this game has little to do with the main Trails series. Likewise, even though it’s an action-RPG, it’s not just an Ys clone. Nayuta is unique enough to stand on its own as a superb dungeon crawler that’s also a reminder of why Falcom is a master of its craft. It’s a shame that it’s largely flown under everyone’s radars.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
I often find myself wanting to say more negative things about this game than positive, but that’s not really fair. It’s only major fault is that it feels a bit too similar to Breath of the Wild, and a lot of the additions come across to me as superfluous. However, it’s still built on a solid foundation with a number of improvements. Dungeons are much closer to what I wanted from this style of Zelda game, I enjoyed building up a party of helpers, and it was fun to see how the world changed over the years.
Oh, and Tulin. I love Tulin.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
When the year started, was I expecting a new 2D Mario game that would end up ranking among my personal top 3 favorite 2D Mario games of all time? No, I can definitely say I was not, but here we are. Finally, a 2D Mario game that made me feel the same way I did when playing the original NES and SNES games back in the day. I honestly didn’t think it was possible.
Looking forward to the unannounced DLC.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed
As a finale to the Klaus story arc, Future Redeemed is a fantastic love letter to the Xenoblade trilogy, as well as the larger “Xeno” series. Without going into spoilers, if this game is truly meant to hint at the future of Xenoblade as Tetsuya Takahashi said, then it’s quite an intriguing future, indeed.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Dec 27, 2023 9:44:42 GMT -5
So, I’ve finished the main story in The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails. It took me 25 hours, 42 minutes. I played on normal difficulty, and did most of the side quests. (I accidentally didn’t complete one. It’s possible for side quests to fail if you don’t finished them before progressing the main quest too much.) At the time of this writing, I have not started the post-game content, of which I’ve heard there is quite a substantial amount. Here are some thoughts. This was a really fun game. Despite being named after the Trails series, it’s not directly related to it aside from a few references. And even though it’s an action-RPG, it’s not just an Ys game under a different name. It definitely feels like its own thing. Being a Falcom action-RPG should already tell you two things: the music and combat will both be top notch. The music is more orchestral like the Trails series rather than the synth rock of the Ys series. The combat is very arcadey and satisfying, similar to Ys. It starts off simple, but it gradually gets more complex as you play through the game and unlock more abilities. The structure of the game is like that of a dungeon crawler. There are individual stages you select from a map screen. Each stage is fairly short, and can be completed in a few minutes. They contain not only enemies to fight, but a surprising amount of platforming, which is also fun. You also get the ability to change the season of each stage, which not only changes the graphics, but also opens up new paths. The main village in the game acts as a hub for preparing for your adventure, as well as doing side quests for the townsfolk. You can easily fast travel between the village and different areas at any time. On a technical level, the Switch version is an excellent port of the PSP original. It runs at a steady 60 fps, and loading times are negligible. Graphics are very simple, even by PSP standards, but they’re pleasant enough to look at. Sometimes it feels like the camera is zoomed in too much, but I mostly didn’t find it to be a big problem. There is some voice acting, but Falcom’s habit of only voicing certain random lines seems even more inconsistent and noticeable than usual here. The game does get off to a somewhat slow start. It think there was about an hour of story exposition and hand-holding before it really hit its stride. In a way, this feels like the last Falcom game from a different era. The original PSP version came out in 2012. Since then, with the exception of Tokyo Xanadu, they’ve focused entirely on the Trails and Ys series’. In the ‘00s, however, they had a more diverse lineup of games. It’s widely suspected that Nayuta was originally meant to be a third game in the Zwei series before having the Trails/Kiseki name slapped on it, and it definitely shares a number of things in common with that series. In particular is how you control two characters: Nayuta, who you control directly, and a small fairy named Noi, who casts magic and provides other abilities. I really enjoyed this game more than I expected, but it seems destined to forever be a hidden gem. The original release was Japan-only, and it’s taken over a decade for it to get ported to modern platforms and localized into English. Yet, it got very little marketing, and launched with almost no fanfare, so it flew under most people’s radars. That’s a shame, because it’s really a great action-RPG that’s dripping with the Falcom charm. Oh… so no more Ys Memoire? That would be unfortunate. As I mentioned, Nayuta is a great port, and I think it runs on the same engine as Ys Seven, so it seems like there could be a great Switch version of that, too.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Dec 25, 2023 9:18:05 GMT -5
Thanks, YL! You'd be surprised how easy it is for people to forget because it's on Christmas.
And speaking of forgetting, I realized that I completely forgot your birthday this year, so... Happy extremely belated birthday, YL!
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Post by Nester the Lark on Dec 22, 2023 10:40:22 GMT -5
Falcom released a list of upcoming/in-development games as part of an investor presentation. They also plan on increasing the number of games they release per year, as well as make more original titles. (Source: Gematsu) - Title A: The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell, O Zemuria (TBD) – 2024 - Unannounced Title B: Trails Series (TBD) – In Development - Unannounced Title C: Action RPG (TBD) – In Development - Unannounced Title D (TBD) – In Development - Ported Titles (TBD) – Suspended Development of Three Titles - The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak (Switch) – February 15, 2024 - Unannounced Switch Title E (Switch) – In Development - Unannounced Ported Title F (PS5, PS4) – In Development
Unannounced Title C: Action RPG could be a Xanadu game for 2025.
Interesting that it lists three ports whose development has been suspended.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Dec 21, 2023 11:31:42 GMT -5
I think there's pressure to regularly release new entries in popular series' just because publishers want to capitalize on a game's popularity. You want to sell things to people while they're interested, and at the same time, keep them interested.
It's a double-edged sword because on one hand, trying to maintain an annual release schedule means your games can suffer in quality. (Game Freak is slowly learning this.) On the other hand, giving fans too much of the same thing means they'll also get tired of it more quickly due to diminishing returns.
I think Nintendo finds a way around this with bigger franchises like Mario and Zelda by taking their time with "major" releases, and padding things out in between with side games and remakes/remasters. In the six years between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, we got Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, Cadence of Hyrule, Link Awakening remake, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and Skyward Sword HD.
With the exception of a few major franchises, like Call of Duty, I think most publishers have learned to relax a bit when it comes to annual release schedules. Players are willing to wait two or three years for a sequel to a game they liked. (And as they say, it's hard to miss you if you don't go away.)
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Post by Nester the Lark on Dec 19, 2023 20:17:32 GMT -5
The choir group Anúna, known to me for contributing to the soundtrack of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (including an official music video for "Shadow of the Lowlands"), as well individual members performing on the soundtrack of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, recently released a new album called Otherworld. It includes new versions of all four of their songs from XC2. (Here's the remake of "Shadow of the Lowlands".) Unsurprisingly, they've also done a fair amount of Christmas music. So here they are singing "Jingle Bells".
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Post by Nester the Lark on Dec 15, 2023 9:32:11 GMT -5
Falcom has just announced the next Trails game, The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki -Farewell O Zemuria-. It's coming in 2024. No platforms were confirmed. Interestingly, I'm seeing people say that it connects to The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, a game often considered to be Trails in name only. I don't know the details, as it's supposedly a spoiler, but apparently, it's now more canon than was originally thought.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Dec 14, 2023 17:24:03 GMT -5
The original PC88 version of Xanadu has been released on the eShop. Even outside Japan! It's pretty cheap, too. Not sure if I'll get it considering how archaic and difficult it's supposed to be, but maybe I'll consider it and use a walkthrough.
(EDIT: Apparently, this was already available in Japan. This is just the first Western release. It sounds like other old Japanese PC games will also be making their way to other regions.)
Meanwhile, I've been playing The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails. I'm a good bit through the game now. I'll post some impressions of it in the near future.
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