Discussion: Video Games

ShadowLightning · Post by **ShadowLightning** » Fri May 02, 2014 12:59 am

Contemplating on whether I should get Persona 3 FES for the PS2, or I should wait until my PSP is fixed so I can get the Portable version. I mean, the Portable version allows you to directly control the other characters during battle, but FES has "The Answer" which continues what happened after Persona 3's canon ending. Ooooor... I should just ditch both and play the second cycle of Persona 4.

Uuugggh... I hate making these decisions. What do you guys think?

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Fri May 02, 2014 3:49 am

ShadowLightning wrote:Contemplating on whether I should get Persona 3 FES for the PS2, or I should wait until my PSP is fixed so I can get the Portable version. I mean, the Portable version allows you to directly control the other characters during battle, but FES has "The Answer" which continues what happened after Persona 3's canon ending. Ooooor... I should just ditch both and play the second cycle of Persona 4.

Uuugggh... I hate making these decisions. What do you guys think?

As someone who has all of those, I'd say go with Portable. The Answer is insanely hard and not really worth it.

Lucid_Dragon · Post by **Lucid_Dragon** » Fri May 02, 2014 9:58 am

At work, wishing I was playing Paper Mario at home. Forgot how good that game is.

Also, probably picking up Mario Golf today. Anybody else getting in on that?

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Fri May 02, 2014 10:04 am

Playing Tales of Innocence. :p

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Fri May 02, 2014 10:12 am

Hmm, games that I've played lately? Not much actually.

I started playing Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and Final Fantasy The Four Heroes of Light. And both games annoy me greatly, but for different reasons.

Re:coded is definitely the worst game in the Kingdom Hearts series, though it is pretty great at times. The graphics are nice, almost like you're playing on the PS2, and some of the games can be pretty challenging. With that said though, I hate the fact that the game forces you to go through everything and even grind just that you don't die too quickly. And the party game-slash-platform mechanics felt forced too. It's a pain to play through it sometimes.

Heroes is actually a great game, and is in a different streak from the mass-produced main FF games as of late. But the soundtrack.... they annoy me. The echoing synths and the over-reliance on 8-bit flutes and synths just made the whole thing sound lackluster and childish. And the character design. Oh God, each and every one of the main four look so unmotivated and expressionless. I don't mind the chibi style, but at least give them some expression.

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Fri May 02, 2014 10:34 am

kurowolfe wrote:Hmm, games that I've played lately? Not much actually.

I started playing Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and Final Fantasy The Four Heroes of Light. And both games annoy me greatly, but for different reasons.

Re:coded is definitely the worst game in the Kingdom Hearts series, though it is pretty great at times. The graphics are nice, almost like you're playing on the PS2, and some of the games can be pretty challenging. With that said though, I hate the fact that the game forces you to go through everything and even grind just that you don't die too quickly. And the party game-slash-platform mechanics felt forced too. It's a pain to play through it sometimes.

I actually enjoy Re:coded WAY more than the original KH. The original was insanely terrible. It was insanely unclear about what to do or where to go. :/

hypernovatic · Post by **hypernovatic** » Fri May 02, 2014 2:13 pm

Megamaster wrote:I actually enjoy Re:coded WAY more than the original KH. The original was insanely terrible. It was insanely unclear about what to do or where to go. :/

Especially in Hollow Bastion and Halloween Town.

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Mon May 05, 2014 4:41 am

On the 4th murder case in Danganronpa

Lucid_Dragon · Post by **Lucid_Dragon** » Mon May 05, 2014 9:23 am

Mario Golf's a lot of fun. Also, SLOWLY making my way through Paper Mario; being super busy kind of hampers my progress ^^;.

Also, one of the youtubers I usually watch mentioned someone in chat who offered an invitation to the open English beta for Phantasy Star Online 2. If it is truly coming stateside, consider me stoked.

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Mon May 05, 2014 9:52 am

Oh Radiant Historia. You and your plot based around time travel.

Post by **Sleet** » Mon May 05, 2014 11:19 am

Lucid_Dragon wrote:Mario Golf's a lot of fun. Also, SLOWLY making my way through Paper Mario; being super busy kind of hampers my progress ^^;.

Also, one of the youtubers I usually watch mentioned someone in chat who offered an invitation to the open English beta for Phantasy Star Online 2. If it is truly coming stateside, consider me stoked.

You need to finish Paper Mario it's so goooooood.

I wish they didn't destroy the series though.

Silly Zealot · Post by **Silly Zealot** » Mon May 05, 2014 11:40 am

How can you destroy paper Mario? Ripping it off in two? Soaking him in water?

Kyuunado · Post by **Kyuunado** » Mon May 05, 2014 11:41 am

Bowser has come into possession of a pair of scissors.

Pladim · Post by **Pladim** » Mon May 05, 2014 12:09 pm

I have to say, one you get to about Chapter 3 in Dead Space, it gets more calm. They seem to throw all the creepy and terrifying stuff at the beginning. The story line is also great, however some of the controls are tough to use. I definitely recommend it if you are into the jump-scare-horror genre.

Silly Zealot · Post by **Silly Zealot** » Mon May 05, 2014 1:00 pm

If there is any horror subgenre, besides the jump-scare and you-have-no-weapons-and-anyone can-kill-you ones, that can actually scare people, I do not know them.

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Tue May 06, 2014 6:34 am

Checking out the school in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Lucid_Dragon · Post by **Lucid_Dragon** » Tue May 06, 2014 7:29 am

Sleet wrote:You need to finish Paper Mario it's so goooooood.

I wish they didn't destroy the series though.

Yeah, no kidding! Sticker Star LOOKS great, but the actual gameplay mechanics are poorly executed. Backtracking should only be done in a game where there's a decent chance of finding something or somewhere new, like Metroid or Zelda.

Silly Zealot wrote:How can you destroy paper Mario? Ripping it off in two? Soaking him in water?

Kyuunado wrote:Bowser has come into possession of a pair of scissors.

Wouldn't surprise me, though Bowser did have a weapon of mass paper destruction in the commercial.

Playing Attack of the Friday Monsters in between rounds of Mario Golf and Paper Mario. It doesn't feel like a game so much as a playable work of art. It's a somewhat strange, yet oddly nostalgic and philosophical game that isn't there to be beaten so much as experienced. There's a lot of tiny nods here and there for anyone who's grown up watching giant monster movies, super sentai, or mecha anime. Also, since the player character is a child, just about anyone can relate to the character; spring/summer days out playing with friends, chores from parents, and wildly fantastical or mysterious events being around every corner. A little on the short side, but worth checking out if you're looking for something different.

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Tue May 06, 2014 10:06 am

Dying in Devil Survivor Overclocked

ShadowLightning · Post by **ShadowLightning** » Tue May 06, 2014 7:54 pm

Playing Final Fantasy XII again. It's surprisingly not as bad as I first played it. It requires a little more patience with the Gambits and the License system but overall it's alright. My only problem though is how Vaan has NOTHING to do with the plot so far. Seriously, the boy's just been tagging along with Balthier and Ashe so far. Even the guest characters have more plot than him.

The Grey Wolverine · Post by **The Grey Wolverine** » Tue May 06, 2014 9:14 pm

I've noticed that with a couple of the Final Fantasy "main" characters, some just have nothing to do with the plot, and it seemed to start after FFX, without Titus, the plot would have gone as it was, because for as much has he said it was 'his story' it is Yuna's story. Same with Vaan, I kind of think that's a problem with those games personally :/ XII is, playable. But, I honestly hate X, and Titus being pointless is a big problem I have with it :/

Post by **Sleet** » Tue May 06, 2014 11:58 pm

Lucid_Dragon wrote:Yeah, no kidding! Sticker Star LOOKS great, but the actual gameplay mechanics are poorly executed.

They butchered freaking everything good about Paper Mario. Clever writing? Let's give it virtually zero dialogue. Partners? Nope. Badges! Nah let's get rid of those. In fact, let's get rid of every single option except "Item." Let's flesh items out a little bit, but not enough to make the game interesting or deep.

I also resented Super Paper Mario's drifting from the RPG roots, and found the gameplay kind of dull, but at least the game was really clever and the writing was fantastic.

Lucid_Dragon · Post by **Lucid_Dragon** » Wed May 07, 2014 7:42 am

Sleet wrote:They butchered freaking everything good about Paper Mario. Clever writing? Let's give it virtually zero dialogue. Partners? Nope. Badges! Nah let's get rid of those. In fact, let's get rid of every single option except "Item." Let's flesh items out a little bit, but not enough to make the game interesting or deep.

I also resented Super Paper Mario's drifting from the RPG roots, and found the gameplay kind of dull, but at least the game was really clever and the writing was fantastic.

I totally agree with you...looking back at both the original and TTYD, it's such a great feeling when you meet a new partner, not only because it lets you go somewhere new, but also getting to know your newest traveling buddy. Who could forget Goombario setting out with his idol, Bow's journey to save her people, Koops' quest for confidence, Goombella and her love for archaeology and the countless other stories that you'd bear witness to over the course of the adventure?

Intelligent Systems: "Yeah, replace 'em with stickers!"

Let us hope for a return to the original format. Also with regards to Super Paper Mario, while I found the game somewhat clunky, it is at least playable compared to Sticker Star. I took great pleasure in nicknaming it "Paper Mario: Symphony of the Night" for its gameplay style.

Count Bleck: What is a man?! A miserable little pile of secrets!

Get your act together, Intelligent Systems, and while you're at it, bring back Advance Wars!

On another note, does anyone else remember this game: KAIO: King of Pirates? It was revealed a few years back, and all we know is that it'll be on 3DS, have gameplay similar to Dynasty Warriors, and it's designed by Keiji Inafune, "The Man Behind the Mega." In my opinion, it's intriguing to see anthropomorphic characters in this kind of setting, and with those subtitles, it leads me to believe they're planning a release outside Japan. What do you guys think of the game?

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Wed May 07, 2014 9:45 am

Playing The World Ends With You

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Wed May 07, 2014 10:27 am

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire are getting a 3DS remake. Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, coming November this year.
I'm pretty meh about it, but maybe you guys would be excited.

Kyuunado · Post by **Kyuunado** » Wed May 07, 2014 11:36 am

I have waited for this day Kuro.

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Thu May 08, 2014 7:06 am

Playing Tales of Hearts in preparation of Tales of Hearts R. (I should be getting it today)

Lucid_Dragon · Post by **Lucid_Dragon** » Thu May 08, 2014 7:38 am

I can see the marketing slogan now...

Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby: We didn't cut any pokemon this time!

In all seriousness, though, super excited for the game.

hypernovatic · Post by **hypernovatic** » Thu May 08, 2014 7:46 am

I'm going to bet that there's going to be Mega Rayquaza Alpha and Mega Rayquaza Omega.

Post by **Sleet** » Thu May 08, 2014 11:02 am

I'm excited about AlphaSapphire and OmegaRuby. The 6th Generation engine is so amazing that I'm sure they can do some great stuff to this game. They just need to be thorough like they were with X and Y, because polish is part of what made those so great.

Lucid_Dragon wrote:
Sleet wrote:They butchered freaking everything good about Paper Mario. Clever writing? Let's give it virtually zero dialogue. Partners? Nope. Badges! Nah let's get rid of those. In fact, let's get rid of every single option except "Item." Let's flesh items out a little bit, but not enough to make the game interesting or deep.

I also resented Super Paper Mario's drifting from the RPG roots, and found the gameplay kind of dull, but at least the game was really clever and the writing was fantastic.
I totally agree with you...looking back at both the original and TTYD, it's such a great feeling when you meet a new partner, not only because it lets you go somewhere new, but also getting to know your newest traveling buddy. Who could forget Goombario setting out with his idol, Bow's journey to save her people, Koops' quest for confidence, Goombella and her love for archaeology and the countless other stories that you'd bear witness to over the course of the adventure?

Intelligent Systems: "Yeah, replace 'em with stickers!"

Let us hope for a return to the original format. Also with regards to Super Paper Mario, while I found the game somewhat clunky, it is at least playable compared to Sticker Star. I took great pleasure in nicknaming it "Paper Mario: Symphony of the Night" for its gameplay style.

Count Bleck: What is a man?! A miserable little pile of secrets!

Get your act together, Intelligent Systems, and while you're at it, bring back Advance Wars!

On another note, does anyone else remember this game: KAIO: King of Pirates? It was revealed a few years back, and all we know is that it'll be on 3DS, have gameplay similar to Dynasty Warriors, and it's designed by Keiji Inafune, "The Man Behind the Mega." In my opinion, it's intriguing to see anthropomorphic characters in this kind of setting, and with those subtitles, it leads me to believe they're planning a release outside Japan. What do you guys think of the game?

They won't go back to the series' roots. I think the main reason they've been looking for a new direction is because Paper Mario was too similar to Mario and Luigi. As long as Mario and Luigi is around and continues to be successful, they won't make a traditional Paper Mario, sadly.

ShadowLightning · Post by **ShadowLightning** » Thu May 08, 2014 9:37 pm

Just curious, but is Paper Mario similar to the original Super Mario RPG?

Post by **Sleet** » Fri May 09, 2014 12:14 am

In a lot of ways, yes. It has a bit more uniqueness to its engine, though. SMRPG was very much a traditional SNES JRPG in a lot of ways. Paper Mario's engine is more unique, though it keeps the coolest element of SMRPG's engine (the timed button presses).

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Fri May 09, 2014 9:48 am

Playing Tales of Innocence in class.

Post by **Sleet** » Fri May 09, 2014 10:41 am

Don't do that. Pay attention. *huffs*

Lucid_Dragon · Post by **Lucid_Dragon** » Sat May 10, 2014 10:59 pm

Sleet wrote:They won't go back to the series' roots. I think the main reason they've been looking for a new direction is because Paper Mario was too similar to Mario and Luigi. As long as Mario and Luigi is around and continues to be successful, they won't make a traditional Paper Mario, sadly.

A shame...while Mario and Luigi is a really good series, I always enjoyed the art style and mechanics of the first two Paper Mario games.

Nintendo Wi-Fi connection officially closes its doors in 10 days, so I'm redownloading everything that got deleted from my memory card now. This...is going to take a while. I'm on page 3 of 17, so that's approx. 175 more games that I have to redownload. :S I'm not sure if the wii shop channel will ALSO be taken down, but why take the risk?

Also, with regards to Paper Mario, it has me wondering why there aren't more licensed character rpgs...or successful ones, at least. Sonic Chronicles could have been quite good, but was poorly executed in some areas. Mega Man has had some success, but the games sadly haven't sold well enough to keep it going. If I could choose any licensed series' that would do well with an RPG spinoff, I'd go with Zelda (some would argue the series is already much like an RPG, but it could go further), Castlevania (Turn-based, with perhaps characters like Sypha, Grant, or Alucard at your disposal), and Kirby (partially inspired by the Kirby 64 adventure...they looked like a good team to make into an rpg party). What do you guys think?

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Mon May 12, 2014 3:35 am

Playing Tales of Hearts R. Now I can cross another Tales game of my list of one's I don't have. :p

Lucid_Dragon · Post by **Lucid_Dragon** » Mon May 12, 2014 7:35 am

Finished redownloading every wii shop game I'd bought (the transfer to wii-u caused them to be deleted), but now I'm looking to buy the last few gems I can think of before it possibly goes offline permanently.

That said, I'd appreciate some advice on whether any or all of the following games are worth my time:

Ogre Battle (SNES)
Ogre Battle 64
Contra Rebirth
A Boy and his Blob
Bonk's Revenge
Bonk 3
Gradius Rebirth

Thanks in advance!

Post by **Dissension** » Mon May 12, 2014 10:04 am

Ogre Battle 64 is the best video game ever produced.

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Mon May 12, 2014 11:40 am

Playing Tales of Hearts and Tales of Hearts R. Both pretty fun to play and fast paced. :p

Lucid_Dragon · Post by **Lucid_Dragon** » Mon May 12, 2014 9:12 pm

Lucid_Dragon wrote:...I'd appreciate some advice on whether any or all of the following games are worth my time:

Ogre Battle (SNES)
Ogre Battle 64
Contra Rebirth
A Boy and his Blob
Bonk's Revenge
Bonk 3
Gradius Rebirth

Thanks in advance!

diss wrote:Ogre Battle 64 is the best video game ever produced.

Thanks, Diss! I'll be sure to get that then. On that note, have you any experience with the SNES entry of Ogre Battle?

Megamaster · Post by **Megamaster** » Tue May 13, 2014 6:35 am

Tales of Hearts R. Messing around with using different characters.