Videogames

[Monoral]

Hahaha yeah figthing the shark giant is annoy AF. However what i've discovered the best way to beat em is getting them to fight each other using shaman bone blade (i discover this later through wiki that this was the easiest way).

Tell your student that Old hunters are step for step retelling of Shadow over Innsmouth :)

Lately i've put Rakuyo aside and use Simon's bowblade due to it ability to cheese bosses in it's bow form (i'm NG+8). Still use the Rakuyo for PVP since im so good at it.

1k for PSVR? jeez. I've tried out PSVR a bit, at the moment not worth getting especially when it comes to Sony. They're notoriously terrible at supporting anything outside of main game console. Remember PSP, PSPGO or PSVita? I suspected that it'll go the same route for VR.



ng

[Monoral]

Heh... who would've thought that Watch Dogs 2 would turn out good. I mean really good.. GOTY material.

Titanfall 2 is half price, check that out too. It's worth it.

[Verdandi]

So, FFXV is out. I haven't played much yet but the story is dumb as hell so far and I think the bro road trip is starting to feel annoying. Gameplay is lots of fun so far.

And I should be getting an early copy of TLG tomorrow or Saturday. I already cried during the last two trailers. I'll be a mess when I am done with it.



There is just something about Toriko that tugs at my heartstrings.

[Monoral]

Yup the xv story is kinda dumb. I'm 15 hours in. However I find the bro trip to be quiet endearing and I find their interactions enjoyable most of the times. The game is full of cute moments helps a lot.

And let's face it final fantasy always had dumb stories. Except for ofcause 6 and 9 because both are so far the most coherent.

So far I'm not disappointed. Was it worth the wait? Is it the best game ever? No and no. Check it out anyway and form your own opinion. Personally it's a 8.9.

Let's see if the Last Guardian delivers. Last week I hooked up the ps3 and had a go and Shadows of the Colossus. And wow the game totally holds up. Except for wonky control and camera (I expect this to be the case of Last Gaurdian too) also the last few colossi phoning it in a bit(hello pig lion thing)

[Verdandi]

I really like the gameplay in FFXV. Shame about the story which to me is subpar even for FF standards. I can't shake the feeling that a lot was cut out to get the game done and the story suffers from it.

And my cat-bird-rat is here. I just finished the section that was forever shown in all the demos and my not so bold prediction is if you like Ico and SotC, you will love this. The animations are a sight to behold. I have never seen anything like Trico in a video game. The controls are similar to SotC, maybe a bit more easy going but still most certain Team Ico controls. But you don't have to hold down R1 to grip onto Trico. R1 is the command button for him. The camera is fine so far as I can tell. Another thing I really love so far is that the game does not give you many clues and you have to figure things out by yourself.
All in all the game lives up to what was promised and Trico is fantastic. I pet and feed him a lot in hopes that he will like me more. I already died twice because he didn't catch me

And SotC really holds up well. I felt so bad having to kill some of the colossi when they where just minding their own business and not causing any harm. By pig thing, do you mean thing with the armor that you have to destroy first? That was the worst.

[Monoral]

Tuesday cant come fast enough then :)

Yes it was the smallest one that you had to break his armor.

I think Shadow of the Colossus is the first game that you actually play as a monster. Not figuratively of course but philosophically. Maybe Ico counts too? since you slaughtered those sacrifice children soul.

[Verdandi]

I really love it so far. But I guess reviews will be all over the place due to the controls which some people do not like and the fact that Trico sometimes takes his sweet time to do what you want him to do. But it gets more easy as you progress. I think all the petting and feeding helped though I am afraid I will end up with an obese Trico if I keep going at that rate. I also read that some people report issues with the framerate in the large open areas, which I hope they'll patch up. I am playing on the Pro and it runs really smooth on it. I could also see how some of the puzzles might be frustrating to people who are used to quick and easy progress. It reminds me of old games in that you really have to take your time and think it through instead of just mashing some buttons together.

edit: Eight hours in now and the clunky camera has made an appearance or two. You can change the speed in the settings and that helps. Nothing too bad though but very much in the vein of SotC. Frame rate is still good as far as I can tell but again, I am playing on the Pro. Trico is really responsive now and gives you clues a lot quicker. Still,I got stuck on a puzzle for 30 minutes but that was me being dumb and not the cat-bird's fault. He tried to help but I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do. Game remains gorgeous. It's likely one of the most beautiful I've ever seen and you really get immersed.

edit of the edit: I am done. And I stand by that if you like Ueda games you will love this. Not so sure about everyone else. The game does have technical issues which is a shame. They don't matter much to me and took not one bit of enjoyment away but I doubt this will be the case for everyone.

[Monoral]

Picture a scene
It's late at night and you just gotten through a cavalcade of ferocious battles.
You're cut up, tired and hungry. A long drive separate you from the nearest outpost.
Money's are running low, the road are dangerous when it's dark and you're silently praying that the fumes your car is running on can get where you need to be.

There's a quiet tension in the air as you cruise along the empty roads. Eventually someone pierces through the silent by suggest that there's no way you'll make it home, so you busted out camping gear and prepare yourself for a night on the cold, hard ground.

However as you sit and laugh with your friends under the stars, eating whatever food you can get your hands on. You begin to reflect and you realize that everything might just be fine. Even if you came out with a few scrapes and bruises, you're all closer for having gone through it together.

These are experiences I've constantly going through during my time playing Final Fantasy XV and it's the part I adored the most. Sure the combat is flashy and mostly great but it suffers from camera positioning.
The plot is typical FF which is mind numbingly convoluted and mostly nonsensical and voice acting at best is comparable to late 1990 FMV adventure games.
It is surprising then that moments as human as the one I describe at the start are so frequent in this installment. It's not emotional gut punch like Aerith death(spoiler alert.. for 20 years old game) might had.

The humanity of FFXV come from the penchant of silent reflection. From moments like long drives without much dialogue , but no less for being conveyed to the player. The seamless transition between driving, exploring and combat makes the process and systems feel more immediate and prolonged.

You see, your experience no longer involves being drag out of exploration to fight, but now the work doesn't just end when the battle ends. Instead of raveling in your victory like the previous installment. XV revels in a draw out process. For example XP(experience point, makes you stronger) are still being rewarded for every battle, but it doesn't given to you immediately. First you have to find a place to rest like hotel or camping spot to essentially cashing in your points. This mean intensity of your situation gives way for scenes of guys laughing, playing cards around the campfire and fooling around as your best pal Ignis (who is the best boy and I will not hear a word otherwise)cooking you a meal.

In doing so, it's allow for something previous Final Fantasy games has never conveyed well in my humble opinion... contrast. It's the subtle contrast between ferocious fighting and the seamless transition to mundanity as you remembered that you're just four pal on a roadtrip. No pomp, no ceremony just normalcy.
It's makes for a more intimate games than most. The game forces you to witness the bits between melodramatic monologue or dramatic battles if you want to apply your reward. As such the game incentivises engaging with naturalistic humanity exhibit by this group of friends.

Of cause lengthy monologues do exist and the characters are paint by the numbers JRPG twerp. The gloomy anime boy, the annoying cheery anime boy, the tattoo douchebag and the guy who cooks for you and drive you places so he's cool. The overarching plot of getting Noct to his bride to be also becomes a bit stale quickly.

That said, it's so noticeable because when the bros shuts up as the driving commence. It gives you so much better sense of their relationship than words or scenes possibly could.
Ultimate it seems to me that these four aren't all that concern about the plot either. They're here to enjoy a road trip with their best pal through gorgeous landscape as much as you are. What's more it doesn't even matter that the characters are voice horribly or that or the the writing complete falls apart or that their character design are fucking ludicrous. Serious they all look like they crashed their car into the nearest ROEN shop.

The relatability however still shines through. I saw this in Watchdogs 2 as well. We don't need to care about overarching plot about bringing down massive corporation for online follower or whatever. Even if theses people are idiots, we just need to see that they care about each others and that alone will make us more likely care for them. None of us can relate to being royalty or that our friends are tasked with escorting us to our arrange marriage or to keep us safe from giant monsters. What most of us can relate to however, is the close friendship and the need to find humour in bad situations.

That's humanity right there and it's in the little thing like when Prompto or Noctis jump around the car instead of sitting in their seats. It's evoke feelings of of restlessness and playfulness and ultimate trust that your best boy won't do anything crazy behind the wheel. Little things like that got so much heart and humanity and it's conveyed most effectively when you don't have to say anything.

Playing this game and seeing their relationship gradually reveal itself took me back to my own experience being on the road with friends as we toured in bands. Exhausting ourselves playing intense show in a small bar. Immediately gave way to crashing realisation that we had to pack up our gears, make sure the promoter didn't screw us over with payment finding a place to stay and make a long drive. One these drive you'd find you and your friends not saying a lot to each other but you never really needed to. All your silence contributed to collective reflection as each of you stare out of your cramp van worrying about food, money and whether or not everything you do with your life is worth it.

Ultimately these kind of bond don't require words and FFXV large understand this. As you're looking through photos that Prompto taken along the way you realized that the journey is more important than the destination. Whatever holes in the characters might become apparent through inconsistent writing , if there's a genuine sense that the characters are rooting for each others. We will root for them too as FFXV proves that you can say billions words about the state of your games world and the in and out of every facets of the relationship within it, but in the end it won't say half as much as one relaxed, reflective car ride.

I hope you guys enjoy the write up on my thoughts. This is not a review but more of things I had never seen before in a videogames. I had a blast with this game from start to finish and still got plenty of stuff to do. I will put it to rest for now and concentrate on The Last Guardian. I hope your times with FFXV had been enjoyable so far.

[Verdandi]

I am glad that both FFXV and my man eating eagle turned out well. I am actually surprised that TLG got so many perfect scores. For me it was probably the best thing I've played in ages but I am pretty much the target audience for this game and usually don't give a hoot about technical issues as long as everything else is outstanding. And outstanding it was, the game is incredibly beautiful but it deserves some of the low scores because it has technical issues reviewers should not overlook. I suppose Ueda just doesn't give a fuck about frame rates. He wanted to get the game out on the PS3 and it was pretty much a slideshow on there. SotC on the PS2 also was bad enough for me to notice in that regard. I hope, he will start to care more about technical things in the future. I also saw many reviews complaining about Trico's AI, which is something I really do not agree with. My rat cat puppy was attentive and responsive most of the time. I guess it really matters how you interact with him. I fed, snuggled and played with him a lot and that payed off as the game progressed (Igot a trophy for feeding him all the barrels) I really cannot remember getting frustrated at him once. Sure, sometimes he sniffed at something but that's because he is modeled after a cat-dog hybrid and the end the more you care for him the more he will care for your character. I am just so glad that games like this exist.

[Monoral]

Japanese game makers generally doesn't care about performance as long as they get to present their visual the way they want it. It's us in the west that obsessively count framerates and texture resolutions.

As for TLG... I dunno how I really feel about it. So many time have I entered the room, saw a puzzle and immediately figured out the solution but I just couldn't get Trico to get me there. This really gets to me as one time I had to literally wait for 10 minutes for him to give me a lift.

My personal gripes aside I'm going to reluctantly recommend it. It's utterly unique and there are nor will it be anything like it out there.

[Verdandi]

Have you learn the commands for him yet? The direction commands are really easy to get a hang on - just don't button mash or Trico will get confused.
It usually takes one to three times at most to get him to do what I want. I got stuck on one puzzle close to the end for a long time but that was because I couldn't figure out what to do even though Trico was looking in the right direction. I am on my second playthrough because I want some of the trophies, even though some of them seem unattainable. L1 to center the camera on Trico and looking at him is key in getting him to do stuff and it really pays off to always keep an eye on him. He gives you so many clues that are easy to overlook.

[Monoral]

Yes I learned the command. He just wouldn't do it sometimes, it's cool tho really it's like having a stubborn saint bernard dog :D

BTW you can improve TLG framerates by forcing ps4 pro to sampling the game at 1080p in the setting

[drippyhippy420]

WHOS FUCKING WITH DEUS EX MANKIND DIVIDED !?!?!? ACRONYM AND THEIR TEAM MAKE AND APPEARANCE :)



you also recieve emails from them w real credentials lol. also fuck you old man faust you are trash adding to the ADD :P

[Monoral]

Soooo... Nioh anyone?

[Resonkuken]

I played the beta and loved the combat. Ovearall it has some Dark Souls and Bloodborne elements, but the combat itself has its own unique twist with the different stances and how you can regain some stamina, which is kinda vital. Not gonna buy it yet since my gaming money is currently allocated towards the Switch pre order and Horizon Zero Dawn. But I do wanna play it later on. It´s been getting amazing reviews.