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Kuribo4
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

Post by Kuribo4 »

Raxivace wrote:Just tell me here, no one else here is going to play XB2 lol. :(
Oh well haha. Just in case, "redacted" bars.

The scene where Lora and Addam are fighting depicts Mythra just as she was in Xenoblade 2, yet in Torna she behaves very differently, doesn't seem to like Addam or care much for life. It didn't really feel genuine, sort of disconnected from the rest of the DLC and the main game too. I think in that case the reusing of a scene didn't work that well. That's among some issues I had even though I overall liked it.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Yeah I can kind of see that in Torna. I think the direction that they try and take Mythra's character in the DLC itself makes sense (Bratty college-aged girl that gets seriously humbled by her journey), but the more depressed angle makes more sense for the main game, yeah. I think she likes Addam overall though as a partner (Just not arguably romantically like she does Rex in the main game).

I was pretty surprised by some of the stuff that Torna didn't explore though- like I really did expect to see Lora's ultimate fate itself come to pass and then we just...never get there.

I did complete most of the sidequests btw, so I saw the thing about Addam having a pregnant wife (Which clears up a bit of mystery in the main game about whether Addam could even have descendants or not). The whole thing with Lora's (step?)father was a weird fucking contrast though and I'm not exactly sure what the hell it was supposed to accomplish. You compared it to Go Nagai in a PM to me- that actually does right to me, especially with the bizarre body horror angle to that character.

I liked Torna overall, however I do feel like a lot of praise I'm seeing for it on the internet is very hyperbolic. The two main points I keep seeing people say are as follows:

1. The combat system is better than the main game's.
2. Lora is a better main character than Rex.

I really don't agree with 1, and I felt like Torna's version of the combat system had worn out its welcome before I was even done with the DLC. It's just so simplified compared to XB2 proper- in a lot of ways it feels more like XB1 to me. Its just so easy to overpower your enemies that you don't even have to use all of the systems in place- like I think I willingly shot off a Talent Arte all of twice. Why would I bother when Full Bursts are so damn easy to shoot off for huge, massive amounts of damage? Your party is way less customizable too... It just doesn't seem to have the replay value the main game does.

As far as 2 goes, I liked Lora, she has a cute design, but she really does feel like Rex-lite to me. She has some good scenes but I found her character to have even less depth and perhaps be a little too idealized, especially compared to Rex who is constantly losing battles, is implied to be purposefully ignoring how Nia feels about him etc. Not that Rex is like the greatest character ever or anything but I felt like there was more going on there than he really got credit for.

Even then, Lora being that well-adjusted and nice and whatever is fine if its to explain why Jin goes down the path he does when he loses her...but then why is she the viewpoint character in the DLC? Isn't it more natural for it to be Addam and Mythra?
Last edited by Raxivace on Sat Oct 13, 2018 1:11 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Oh yeah, the sidequests and grinding to Community Level 4.

I didn't actually mind that because I always did the sidequests here as they first popped up (And I thought mechanically the sidequests were better than the base game's. Possible exception being hunting down the green barrels because of how fucking annoying having to do platforming on the rooftops in the capital city was. Seriously, its a huge pain.) so by time I got to the end I was almost done anyways. I kind of like the idea of forcing you to become attached to Torna's citizens before watching them get mercilessly slaughtered by Malos too.

I think I even ended the game at Community Level 5, almost Level 6. I just didn't have it in me to grind the rare monsters in the post game, or the golden ones or whatever. Maybe I'll go back at some point. I think I'd rather just play the base game again though because damn did the DLC really want to me do that.

So many other games to play though agghhhhh.

EDIT: I'd compare the Community Level grinding to building up Mother Base in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, only for all of it to be destroyed in Ground Zeroes, setting up the bitter, intentional anti-climax of The Phantom Pain.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

Post by maz89 »

Raxivace wrote:
maz89 wrote:I mean, come on, how many games dwell so much on a father-adoptive daughter relationship?
I mean I've played at least five others myself. It's just not unusual in a world where Telltale's The Walking Dead had as huge of a critical reception as it did. Some other games that have done it include BioShock 2, Silent Hill, Resident Evil 7, and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (All games as incredibly different from each other as they both are from Witcher 3). I'm told The Last of Us does this as well, though I have not played it myself yet. I'm not saying all of these games are great about it (RE7 in particular is real weird when looked in the context of this trend, since the daughter figure is the main antagonist of the game), but it seems like fairly well trodden ground.

This is just keeping the "adoptive" part as a strict criteria too- if you expand it to just father-daugher relationship games in general there's a bunch more. It's a pretty common trend in recent years, as game developers get older.
Well, I'm hazy on the 'why' right now but as the lore goes, it has to do with Ciri's ancestry. There's some interesting mythology here - Ciri's powerful elven ancestors had a perfect plan chalked out, a plan that dictated who would marry whom designed to increase and secure the Elven Blood running in their family tree, thereby ensuring the fulfillment of the prophecy surrounding the Child of the Elder Blood. But, as these things normally go, one of the women fucks with that plan by falling in love with a human, corrupting the blood. Until its occasional resurfacing again and again in their family chain. And it resurfaced in Ciri too, the last descendant of a forgotten family tree. A lot of this information is given in the books you come across, I think.
No I mean I get that Ciri had special ancestral blood or whatever, that's all fine. What I don't get is how having that leads to her stopping the White Frost.

Like did she just explode all of the snow away?
On the "game pretending this was Ciri's story the whole time", it is important to remember that half of the time you spend with Geralt is when he's desperately trying to retrace Ciri's steps. It's clear, right from the beginning that starts with a flashback of a younger Ciri, that the story would keep returning to her and her relationship with Geralt.
My point here is that the entire rest of the game emphasizes Geralt's desire to find her, Geralt's feelings and moral dilemmas, Geralt's "wild hunt" for her.

Through most of this game Ciri is little more than a motivating factor for other characters. Even in these ending parts its Geralt making decisions that determine Ciri's fate. Like apparently she would have died if Geralt didn't make the decision to throw snowballs at her.

If they wanted a story about Ciri they would have just made a game where you primarily play as her and she makes decisions for herself, at least IMO. As it is, she's about as much of a character as The Maltese Falcon is.
Also, she didn't become an Empress in my game. She faked her death and spent her life as an anonymous witcher. It was a much more fitting end to her story. That's because I didn't tell her shitty father about her existence like you did. Why would you do that? Did you hate her so much, you monster?
I took her to see Charles Dance because I figured he would come after us again if we didn't just clear the air. I'm not sure anything really indicated that Dance would be bad to Ciri specifically either- its not like she's a drunken dwarf like her brother Tyrion.

Ciri becoming a Witcher seems kind of silly to me since I'm pretty sure I committed genocide as destroyed all of the monster nests and cleared all of the contracts. They're can't be that many monsters left in the land.
Yep, I expected you'd like it more. I think you'll like Blood and Wine the best.
Having slept on it, I'm more positive on Hearts of Stone now. My two biggest issues with are:

1)Some of Olgieri's story feels like its retreading ground from the Bloody Baron quest.
2)Gaunter is slightly less interesting of a character if you get the information from the scholar. I liked him better when he was purely an anomaly in the world of the Witcher 3 that seems weird when you first meet him in White Orchard but that you kind of forget about after 80 hours. When you find out he's probably just a demon or something that demystifies him a bit too much for me.

The rest is pretty good though.
I got notified because you edited this post. What did you edit? Since this post is about one of the best games of all time (if not THE best), I need to find out and answer.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Also, I finished the main storyline in God of War. Sunk in 50 hours. Gonna play some more to head towards 100% completion. Man, what an amazing game. Makes me wish I had played the previous games in the series.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

Post by Raxivace »

maz89 wrote:I got notified because you edited this post. What did you edit? Since this post is about one of the best games of all time (if not THE best), I need to find out and answer.
I noticed a typo somewhere in what I wrote and fixed it lol.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Raxivace wrote:I noticed a typo somewhere in what I wrote and fixed it lol.
And you thought I wouldn't find out.

I had fun re-reading the discussion anyway.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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I really did expect to see Lora's ultimate fate itself come to pass and then we just...never get there.
I was surprised too.
Is it maybe because, this event being so important to how Jin changes, they didn't want us to see it outside of the pov of his memory?
Also, somebody playing the dlc first (which Nintendo says you can do, I would disagree there, and Takahashi himself has the pretty crazy idea of playing it between chapters 7 and 8) would feel curiosity as to what exactly happened and find out later in the main game.

The whole thing with Lora's (step?)father was a weird fucking contrast though and I'm not exactly sure what the hell it was supposed to accomplish.
I felt weird about it too. I'm sure they looked at all of Lora's scenes from the main game, where her awakening Jin is a crucial moment, so I guess they took that as a starting point for what to do with her. I see potential there, but I don't know how well integrated he was in Torna though. I see the "getting over your dark past" angle, but it was played fairly simple.
And yeah, I "enjoyed" the sort of Go Nagai style design (you know, the weird way in which one enjoys a design like that, if you do-it's off putting, but you can't help but feel curiosity and look at it).

1. The combat system is better than the main game's.
2. Lora is a better main character than Rex.

These points I don't agree with either. It was a little weird how combat was simplified, I thought I was missing something (the final boss needed some concentration though). And Lora was good, but I didn't get that connection I got with Rex. He just has more time for us to get to know him. He isn't the most complex character, but I enjoyed him, and I think he is a good role model for anybody playing who might happen to be younger, as opposed to many edgy, assholey type characters who might be the protagonists of a game of this sort, just a genuinely good, but not perfect kid (I'm actually still leaning to Rex genuinely not getting the thing with Nia until maybe the end portions of the game, where they exchange some looks that say a lot, but that this is even debatable is interesting to me).
And from a more "serious", story angle analysis, I think Rex works so well (as opposed to Shulk) because there were so many characters unlike him, all anime as hell, but with pretty realistic anxieties, being bitter about life, and it was fun and even sort of funny seeing this positive shonen guy telling them they're wrong (and he's right obviously, though I liked how at one point he also doubts himself). Especially liked that at the climax of all this, it really felt genuine, with Jin (maybe to some extent) realizing he is wrong, or at least not completely right. With Lora, all this stuff just didn't flourish as much.

Isn't it more natural for it to be Addam and Mythra?
I did defeat the final boss with Mythra lol. I felt this was her time.

I kind of like the idea of forcing you to become attached to Torna's citizens before watching them get mercilessly slaughtered by Malos too.
Yeah, this aspect of it I liked. But I wish there was a little more freedom in it. Or less missions but really well made.

And yeah, the main game has tons of stuff to do and keeps being fun. I actually pulled KOS-MOS after all this time! I probably won't play too much more of it, but I have sunk so much time into it.
Btw, the stuff that came with the dlc for the main game is cool too. Another Xenosaga character as a blade, Shulk and Fiora as blades, that character Elma from X as a blade as well, a challenge mode, etc. Swimsuits...(I didn't actually buy them lol...but they are there).
Have you checked any of that out? I recommend it.
Oh, and after completing Torna, the main game's cutscene gallery has a little, nice artwork section. Mostly stuff by Masatsugu Saito, the main character designer, but also one by Kunihiko Tanaka (the traditional Xeno designer).

Edit: Btw, apparently at some point the Monolith Soft twitter said Jin is the protagonist of Torna, though the dlc really makes it seem like she was...I think, since she is the first you control. Though Jin got skme spotlight too.
Oh and I liked how different the Blade dynamic felt because you controlled them. Here, you coukd be them, in the main game they are more distant and mysterious. I think in each case it fits the game.
Our opinions on Torna are really similar I think. But yeah, I liked it too overall.

Edit2: the battle theme is fucking awesome
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

Post by Kuribo4 »

@Rax:
Something interesting I saw.
Somebody gave the middlefinger to the Xenoblade 2 world and glitched through walls and stuff.
Anyways, the room with the Conduit/Zohar is behind Klaus.
https://youtu.be/JNPrhcpKB8g
Also the room with the escape pods is an actual room.

So many explanations for this.
Are these rooms just there to use them in cutscenes? Were they made in case they would be used in gameplay? Is the intention that the Conduit is actually behind Klaus? Love stuff like this about games.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

Post by Raxivace »

Bah, I forgot to answer this earlier. Sorry. :(
Kuribo4 wrote:Is it maybe because, this event being so important to how Jin changes, they didn't want us to see it outside of the pov of his memory?
Maybe, it would just be weird when these other cutscenes in Torna that were subjective memories in the main game are shown "as they really happened", even when they're slightly different.

Like you could easily, say, make an implication that Lora's death didn't quite happen the way Jin remembers and do something there (Like maybe he's really glorified her in his memories or something). The DLC just never goes in that direction for whatever reason.
Also, somebody playing the dlc first (which Nintendo says you can do, I would disagree there, and Takahashi himself has the pretty crazy idea of playing it between chapters 7 and 8) would feel curiosity as to what exactly happened and find out later in the main game.
I've heard people say that Nintendo has said the DLC can be played first (I guess this is why it has its own separate, physical release), but that's just bollocks to me. I'm not even sure the DLC explains what Drivers and Blades are, let alone some stuff that would seem random without context- like Mythra having a giant robot in the final battle comes kind of out of nowhere in Torna.

I wouldn't play it between Chapters 7 and 8 either tbh. I think you would just lose continuity between managing the two parties.
I felt weird about it too. I'm sure they looked at all of Lora's scenes from the main game, where her awakening Jin is a crucial moment, so I guess they took that as a starting point for what to do with her. I see potential there, but I don't know how well integrated he was in Torna though. I see the "getting over your dark past" angle, but it was played fairly simple.
Yeah it's just...odd.

I do kind of like how you forget about the character for like ten hours of gametime before he shows up again at the very end, but he still feels a little irrelevant.

These points I don't agree with either. It was a little weird how combat was simplified, I thought I was missing something (the final boss needed some concentration though).
If you mean Malos then yeah I thought it was better, though they introduce a whole new mechanic for that anyways.
And Lora was good, but I didn't get that connection I got with Rex. He just has more time for us to get to know him. He isn't the most complex character, but I enjoyed him, and I think he is a good role model for anybody playing who might happen to be younger, as opposed to many edgy, assholey type characters who might be the protagonists of a game of this sort, just a genuinely good, but not perfect kid
Yeah when I was 12-13 Rex is the kind of character I would have wanted to be. Nice guy, cool sword, goes on adventures, hangs out with cute girls etc.

Hell, I still want to do that lol.
(I'm actually still leaning to Rex genuinely not getting the thing with Nia until maybe the end portions of the game, where they exchange some looks that say a lot, but that this is even debatable is interesting to me).
Yeah I go back and forth on that whole dream sequence. If its Rex's doubt about himself coming through the versions of the party he fights, that means Rex is in that weird grey area in regards to Nia's feelings (Remember this comes after Nia's failed love confession earlier that Rex seems to misunderstand). If its the rest of the party's (Partially repressed?) doubts about Rex though that makes the actual feelings being expressed make more sense and puts a bit of a darker (But not like, grimdark or anything) spin on the whole journey up until this point.

Looking at Klaus' explanation on YouTube again, it comes off as pretty vague (In the English version at least):
Rex: Huh? You guys...

Nia: R-Rex...

Zeke: Why are we all here? I thought I was...

Klaus: I merely wished to examine the shape of your hearts.

Rex: That voice...! You're-!

Klaus: My name is Klaus. The Architect of this world. I have watched over you all this time. I have seen your thoughts. Your desires. The things you have achieved.

Rex: So you did that, just now?

Klaus: Yes. Those were not your present forms, but alternate possibilities. Your other selves that lie within. That's what I wanted to see.

Zeke: Our other selves? You mean we're all thinking stuff like that deep down? Was that how we really feel?

Nia: Then you saw it too?

Zeke: Looks like we were all shown the same kind of stuff. It creeped me out. What were you trying to prove?

Klaus: ...Those were the fears you harbor...

Zeke: I don't get it all!

Dromarch: What was your purpose in showing us this? Those were not pleasant visions to behold.

Klaus: My only purpose...was to find out...how mankind has changed...and where it is headed.

Morag: And were you disappointed?

Klaus: No... As you stand before me now... That is who you are. That is enough.
Afterwards they start going on about Elysium.

It's a bizarre bit of dialogue, especially transcribed like this. Klaus' use of terms like "alternate possibilities" seems to suggest the dreams aren't related at all, but saying "other selves that lie within" does. Klaus doesn't actually disagree with what Zeke says, but its never made clear that everyone saw the same visions either. Zeke says "same kind of stuff", but that's a pretty ambiguous phrase in its own right...but Nia says "it". You saw "it" too.

Idk. Xenoblade 2, man.
And from a more "serious", story angle analysis, I think Rex works so well (as opposed to Shulk) because there were so many characters unlike him, all anime as hell, but with pretty realistic anxieties, being bitter about life, and it was fun and even sort of funny seeing this positive shonen guy telling them they're wrong (and he's right obviously, though I liked how at one point he also doubts himself). Especially liked that at the climax of all this, it really felt genuine, with Jin (maybe to some extent) realizing he is wrong, or at least not completely right. With Lora, all this stuff just didn't flourish as much.
Yeah I generally agree with this.

Even for how "shounen" Rex is, the dude sure gets his ass beat a lot in the game. I remember a common complaint about Xenoblade 2 even being people getting annoyed that they'd defeat bosses only to see the party get beaten up in a cutscene right after.
I did defeat the final boss with Mythra lol. I felt this was her time.
Yeah I really reel like its more her story anyways.
Yeah, this aspect of it I liked. But I wish there was a little more freedom in it. Or less missions but really well made.
Idk, the green barrel one is the only sidequest that did really bug me.
Have you checked any of that out? I recommend it.
I have not but brb, buying swimsuit DLC.
Oh, and after completing Torna, the main game's cutscene gallery has a little, nice artwork section. Mostly stuff by Masatsugu Saito, the main character designer, but also one by Kunihiko Tanaka (the traditional Xeno designer).
Oh I think I missed that, I'll have to go look for it.
Edit: Btw, apparently at some point the Monolith Soft twitter said Jin is the protagonist of Torna, though the dlc really makes it seem like she was...I think, since she is the first you control. Though Jin got skme spotlight too.
I mean I can see that in the prologue and ending bits, but there is a whole of game in between that where Jin isn't really the focus.
Last edited by Raxivace on Tue Oct 30, 2018 5:41 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

Post by Raxivace »

Kuribo4 wrote:@Rax:
Something interesting I saw.
Somebody gave the middlefinger to the Xenoblade 2 world and glitched through walls and stuff.
Anyways, the room with the Conduit/Zohar is behind Klaus.
https://youtu.be/JNPrhcpKB8g
Also the room with the escape pods is an actual room.

So many explanations for this.
Are these rooms just there to use them in cutscenes? Were they made in case they would be used in gameplay? Is the intention that the Conduit is actually behind Klaus? Love stuff like this about games.
I'm guessing they're just for the cutscenes. Dunno for sure.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

Post by Eva Yojimbo »

So, Witcher 3.

This game is horrible for my OCD. I've literally been getting about 5 hours of sleep the last several nights because I'm playing this game around bedtime and I keep telling myself "I'll just do this one more thing" and next thing I look up and it's 2 hours later. This game is basically a classic RPG on steroids. It's awesome. So far I'm at level 15, finished all the main and doable side quests in Velen, have explored most all the "?" spots, and just have a few more (again, doable) contracts before I head to Skellige.

So far, I'm loving almost everything about the game. I kinda took maz's suggestion about the difficulty level, but I chickened out a bit and just put it on the second-hardest setting (Blood and Broken Bones I think it's called). I spent the first few days getting my ass kicked by everything. Took me several tries just to kill a beach full of Drowners. But now I'm getting into the hang of it, especially with all the various resources (oils, potions, bombs) and ability buffs. Strangely, I'm finding all of the "big monster" encounters much easier than the lower level stuff that attack in packs. Against one enemy it's easy to just activate Quen, dodge attacks, and counter-attack. I rarely get hit. Even took on a Forktail early on that was way above my level (skull icon) and still killed it. However, against hordes it's almost impossible to avoid hits. I almost find Igni, Aard, or even Axii more useful against crowds as you can slow them down and get in a few more shots.

Visuals, sound, world, atmosphere... all amazing. I have little to say about this because it's just so immense and immersive and impressive (and maybe some other "im" words I'm missing). I've never played a game this big, and it really is a whole new world.

I'm enjoying the story but, so far, it seems pretty standard sword & sorcery fare. One thing I do love is the moral ambiguity in the choices. It's rarely clear what the "right" thing to do is. The whole Bloody Baron storyline has been the best bit so far, with a really complex family dynamic with one of those characters who's both disgusting and, despite myself, sympathetic. As for the trickiest choices so far, I killed the tree spirit and the ghost girl because I didn't believe either of them (for the former, I remember reading a book about the witches' mother or something; figured that's what it was). I haven't spoiled anything yet so I don't know the consequences of either decision or if they were the "right" one, but I'm doing my damndest to do what feels right! I do wish they had a few action cut-scenes rather than just dialogue cut-scenes though.

Gwent is awesome! This could be a legit card game in its own right (probably is by now). Though once you get past the beginning and pick up a few better cards, I'm not finding many real challenges. Since the guy in the first castle, I've only lost once to the Baron, once to the Elf tailor, and once to the armorer and blacksmith near the Velen castle, but I beat all of them second time around and beat everyone else first go around. I like the mix of luck and strategy in the game (very much like poker in a way) where the hand your dealt is random, but it dictates how you plan and play the rounds. So far I have two complete decks, including what I feel's a really solid/versatile Northern Realms deck. I have one more (I forget the name... it's kinda brownish?) that seems more brute force. I've played the latter some but it seems more vulnerable to me, so I may stick with the Northern Realms.

The only real flaws are with some minor glitches and clunky controls. Coming off the smoothness of Spider-Man this game feels much less responsive... perhaps it's just the contrast that's throwing me for a loop. As for the glitches, I had no sound effects or audio for the tree spirit voice throughout that part of the mission. I did check this out online and apparently it's a known glitch. Rather weird they still haven't fixed it, but I did watch an online version afterwards to get the whole thing. Also, last night I rescued the Elf Merchant in East Velen, and when I went to find him at the camp he wasn't there. I meditated for a day, went away, came back, still not there. There's tons of other elves around the camp, but not the merchant I saved. What's up with that? I also to reload a save once because I fought a water hag in a swamp and got stuck in a hole. Couldn't jump or anything even after I killed the water hag (while stuck in the hole!). There's also been a few times where Roach won't go forward even though nothing's in his way. I also hate how when you call Roach they often have him appear in places around you where you can't go where you want to go.

Finally, though this isn't really a flaw, I find it annoying that there's no real guide for finding items you might might for bombs/potions/oils. I could understand that if they're perhaps in a part of the game you haven't explored, but for common items you've already found some of, they should have some kind of map/guide for what areas you can go to to harvest parts, because it would be impossible to remember it all. That said, I can't complain too much as I use the oils the most, and I have all the oils and even the Superior level versions of many and Enhanced for most. I'm also unsure about how to build the Ability Point tree. So far I've gone with Warrior and Mage on each side (with Red/Blue mutagens to enhance them), plus two "General" points for building Adrenaline and increasing attack/sign power as Adrenaline increases; but I don't know how many Ability Points I'm ultimately going to have to spread around so it's hard to plan ahead. That's why I spent 1000 crowns to get that potion from Kiera that allows you to reset all the points. I figured if I get late in the game and decide I want to change it all, I can.

OK, this is getting long. Summing up: so far this is a solid 9 for me right now, bordering on a 9.5. Can't remember the last time I was this obsessed with a game, but I can see it going either direction depending on how things go.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

Post by Raxivace »

Eva Yojimbo wrote:So, Witcher 3.

This game is horrible for my OCD. I've literally been getting about 5 hours of sleep the last several nights because I'm playing this game around bedtime and I keep telling myself "I'll just do this one more thing" and next thing I look up and it's 2 hours later. This game is basically a classic RPG on steroids. It's awesome. So far I'm at level 15, finished all the main and doable side quests in Velen, have explored most all the "?" spots, and just have a few more (again, doable) contracts before I head to Skellige.
Interesting. I went to Novigrad after Velen myself.
However, against hordes it's almost impossible to avoid hits.
Yeah it is a little ridiculous how a random group of bandits can be more deadly than giant dragon things or werewolves or whatever. Part of that is just "lol video games" though even then I think W3 could be a bit more consistent.
I've never played a game this big, and it really is a whole new world.
Between you, maz, and I, I guess I was the only one who wasn't too impressed by this. [laugh] After a while the size of the big world just felt like meaningless filler to me, and I never really found it that beautiful myself- Skellige is pretty good though.
The whole Bloody Baron storyline has been the best bit so far, with a really complex family dynamic with one of those characters who's both disgusting and, despite myself, sympathetic.
Oh yeah the Baron questline owns a lot, and IMHO is the high point of the game. I didn't even realize the stuff in the swamp was related at first, and once I realized they were connected with the Baron's story my mind was blown. Really well done.
As for the trickiest choices so far, I killed the tree spirit and the ghost girl because I didn't believe either of them (for the former, I remember reading a book about the witches' mother or something; figured that's what it was).
I also killed the tree spirit, though I believed the ghost girl. If you believe her she murders her fiance or whatever, and then travels the land to kills some more, though you never ever run into her ever again.
Gwent is awesome! This could be a legit card game in its own right (probably is by now).
Yeah Gwent is great. There's a standalone version of Gwent you can download as a separate PS4 game though I feel like it complicates the rules too much.

I will say once you start winning at Gwent you basically don't stop. In the second DLC there's a unique deck they give you that objectively seems like the worst one in the game, though there's a questline based around using it and because it sucks it actually adds some challenge back into things for a while.
The only real flaws are with some minor glitches and clunky controls. Coming off the smoothness of Spider-Man this game feels much less responsive... perhaps it's just the contrast that's throwing me for a loop. As for the glitches, I had no sound effects or audio for the tree spirit voice throughout that part of the mission. I did check this out online and apparently it's a known glitch. Rather weird they still haven't fixed it, but I did watch an online version afterwards to get the whole thing. Also, last night I rescued the Elf Merchant in East Velen, and when I went to find him at the camp he wasn't there. I meditated for a day, went away, came back, still not there. There's tons of other elves around the camp, but not the merchant I saved. What's up with that? I also to reload a save once because I fought a water hag in a swamp and got stuck in a hole. Couldn't jump or anything even after I killed the water hag (while stuck in the hole!). There's also been a few times where Roach won't go forward even though nothing's in his way. I also hate how when you call Roach they often have him appear in places around you where you can't go where you want to go.
Yeah the controls are kind of janky (Frankly I think there are N64 games that control better) and the glitches are annoying. I didn't have that one with Roach myself, though I've heard other people report it.
Finally, though this isn't really a flaw, I find it annoying that there's no real guide for finding items you might might for bombs/potions/oils. I could understand that if they're perhaps in a part of the game you haven't explored, but for common items you've already found some of, they should have some kind of map/guide for what areas you can go to to harvest parts, because it would be impossible to remember it all.
The solution to this is to just not rely on that stuff. Don't need to find things you don't need!
OK, this is getting long. Summing up: so far this is a solid 9 for me right now, bordering on a 9.5. Can't remember the last time I was this obsessed with a game, but I can see it going either direction depending on how things go.
Yeah you're probably going to like this game more than I did lol.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Image

Anyways I finished my replays of Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night, getting the Platinum Trophy for the collection. I still love Rondo- hard as hell in that way games before like, 1995 just generally were. I think my skills have deteriorated though because I ended up relying more on playing as Maria than Richter this time around than I remember having to do before, and she is just a lot easier to kill things with.

My opinion on SotN has improved a bit, though I think the game generally isn't very good at signposting where exactly it is they want you to go at times (Especially with finding the Mist transformation, which you need to find the Bat transformation, which you need to get anything meaningful done). The Inverted Castle is still kind of bare though.

Also this time around I did a quick second playthrough with Richter Mode. Richter has a way more limited moveset for traversing the castle than Alucard does (It's more than he had back in Rondo but that game was built around your limited movement and options in a generally stronger manner). Richter has a hell of a hard time in the Inverted Castle though, since he can't transform into a bat like Alucard can. There's this Super Jump + Air Dash combo they expect you to master to traverse vertically that's just really annoying to get down and just a little too complicated for a game like this IMHO.

Image

This tower area I've circled in particular can go fuck itself and die. I was only able to clear it once I realized the lone heart at the very very bottom of it continually respawns if you move away just one screen. That helped me stock up just enough to spam the extra Hydro Storms I needed to deal with the really annoying floating archer enemies plus those assholes that put Richter into a berserker state.

Anyways game is good.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Thanks for making the thread title relevant, Rax. [laugh]
Eva Yojimbo wrote:This game is horrible for my OCD. I've literally been getting about 5 hours of sleep the last several nights because I'm playing this game around bedtime and I keep telling myself "I'll just do this one more thing" and next thing I look up and it's 2 hours later. This game is basically a classic RPG on steroids. It's awesome. So far I'm at level 15, finished all the main and doable side quests in Velen, have explored most all the "?" spots, and just have a few more (again, doable) contracts before I head to Skellige.
Isn't it fun and satisfying to clear out the "?" spots? Rax has a different opinion, but he hasn't played Skyrim. In Skyrim, there is SO MUCH FILLER that I literally burned out on the game last year - before even completing the main story.
Eva Yojimbo wrote:Though once you get past the beginning and pick up a few better cards, I'm not finding many real challenges. Since the guy in the first castle, I've only lost once to the Baron, once to the Elf tailor, and once to the armorer and blacksmith near the Velen castle, but I beat all of them second time around and beat everyone else first go around. I like the mix of luck and strategy in the game (very much like poker in a way) where the hand your dealt is random, but it dictates how you plan and play the rounds. So far I have two complete decks, including what I feel's a really solid/versatile Northern Realms deck. I have one more (I forget the name... it's kinda brownish?) that seems more brute force. I've played the latter some but it seems more vulnerable to me, so I may stick with the Northern Realms.
You're doing way better than I did then. I made the mistake of not learning Gwent until I was maybe 40% into the game and at that point, when I tried to jump into Gwent, I lost many games due a lack of good cards versus the players I was competing against. I think once you have the good cards, it's definitely easier to win, but the difficulty level will increase somewhat as you progress and new decks with fancy perks are brought into the mix.
The only real flaws are with some minor glitches and clunky controls.
Oh, yeah. Rax always complained about this but I thought that was him being just way too hard on the game. I played it on the PC so fortunately I didn't have these bugs hampering my experience. And damn, a glitch where you couldn't hear the talking tree? That sounds terrible. As for the disappearing Elf Merchant in Velen, I have no idea. If he's not appearing despite you saving him, hopefully, he wasn't all that important, but I agree that it is definitely annoying to experience that in a world that's otherwise so consistent.

OT: I totally miss the Witcher for the very basic ability it gives you in being able to call for Roach. In Skyrim, which I've recently restarted playing, there's no summon for the horse.
Finally, though this isn't really a flaw, I find it annoying that there's no real guide for finding items you might might for bombs/potions/oils. I could understand that if they're perhaps in a part of the game you haven't explored, but for common items you've already found some of, they should have some kind of map/guide for what areas you can go to to harvest parts, because it would be impossible to remember it all. That said, I can't complain too much as I use the oils the most, and I have all the oils and even the Superior level versions of many and Enhanced for most. I'm also unsure about how to build the Ability Point tree. So far I've gone with Warrior and Mage on each side (with Red/Blue mutagens to enhance them), plus two "General" points for building Adrenaline and increasing attack/sign power as Adrenaline increases; but I don't know how many Ability Points I'm ultimately going to have to spread around so it's hard to plan ahead. That's why I spent 1000 crowns to get that potion from Kiera that allows you to reset all the points. I figured if I get late in the game and decide I want to change it all, I can.
Yeah, I think when I needed specific ingredients, I used to do a quick search online, but it would have definitely helped if Geralt was carrying an encyclopedia or a map of sorts which told him where he could go to find resources that he'd already come across. I didn't remember too much about the total number of Ability Points you get so I googled: "There are 69 points from leveling to the level cap of 70 and up to 25 points from Places of Power throughout the world for 94 total available points." That should help with the planning. ;)
OK, this is getting long. Summing up: so far this is a solid 9 for me right now, bordering on a 9.5. Can't remember the last time I was this obsessed with a game, but I can see it going either direction depending on how things go.
This is the reaction I always wanted from Rax. Lesson learned: good things come to those who wait. (To be clear: in this case, I waited for a cinephile to validate my emotional response to the game.)

Also, judging by your posts, you haven't been to Novigrad yet. I loved that city and the people you meet in it. For me, the game just got better and better.

Oh, I just read you're going to Skellige - I didn't know you could do that. I thought you necessarily had to go to Novigrad after Velen. Interesting.
Last edited by maz89 on Thu Nov 01, 2018 1:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Raxivace wrote:
The whole Bloody Baron storyline has been the best bit so far, with a really complex family dynamic with one of those characters who's both disgusting and, despite myself, sympathetic.
Oh yeah the Baron questline owns a lot, and IMHO is the high point of the game. I didn't even realize the stuff in the swamp was related at first, and once I realized they were connected with the Baron's story my mind was blown. Really well done.
Isn't this part a spoiler? (The part I've covered in spoiler tags). I don't remember but didn't the swamp stuff and reveal of what happened to the Baron's wife happen much later in the game? Know that I have poor memory.

Actually, now that I've written this down, I realize it couldn't have happened much later. I may be confusing this with showdown with the witches.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Nah if he's killed the Tree Spirit he's already finished the quest IIRC.
maz89 wrote:Thanks for making the thread title relevant, Rax. [laugh]
It had been too long since I changed the title anyways lol.
maz89 wrote:This is the reaction I always wanted from Rax. Lesson learned: good things come to those who wait. (To be clear: in this case, I waited for a cinephile to validate my emotional response to the game.)
I mean it's not like there weren't parts of the game I thought were really good.

To put things in perspective I criticize games I like a lot even. Like I could go on about how the last level of the original Super Mario Bros. nearly ruins that game and I'd still give it a 10/10 or whatever.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Btw Jimbo, you might want to go easy on that blacksmith you mentioned. He's been having some hard times recently.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

Post by Eva Yojimbo »

Raxivace wrote:
Eva Yojimbo wrote:So, Witcher 3.

This game is horrible for my OCD. I've literally been getting about 5 hours of sleep the last several nights because I'm playing this game around bedtime and I keep telling myself "I'll just do this one more thing" and next thing I look up and it's 2 hours later. This game is basically a classic RPG on steroids. It's awesome. So far I'm at level 15, finished all the main and doable side quests in Velen, have explored most all the "?" spots, and just have a few more (again, doable) contracts before I head to Skellige.
Interesting. I went to Novigrad after Velen myself.
Yeah, the night I wrote that I realized that Novigrad was actually a few levels under Skellige, but it was saying the next main mission was in Skellige, which was weird because once I got to Novigrad I realized there was another main mission and that bastard spawned off into a ton of side missions and such. So I've spent the last several days in Novigrad and still haven't gotten to Skellige. Not that I'm complaining, but it's a bit weird how it auto-set the main mission to Skellige before Novigrad.
Raxivace wrote:
However, against hordes it's almost impossible to avoid hits.
Yeah it is a little ridiculous how a random group of bandits can be more deadly than giant dragon things or werewolves or whatever. Part of that is just "lol video games" though even then I think W3 could be a bit more consistent.
I'm starting to realize that there's just a different strategy for hordes. You can either divide and conquer, or if you get them into a group, a strong Igni or bomb is your best friend. In fact, a bomb into a group can take all of them out in one shot.
Raxivace wrote:
I've never played a game this big, and it really is a whole new world.
Between you, maz, and I, I guess I was the only one who wasn't too impressed by this. [laugh] After a while the size of the big world just felt like meaningless filler to me, and I never really found it that beautiful myself- Skellige is pretty good though.
Not sure what you mean by "meaningless filler." I mean, I guess if you're not digging the side quests and contracts and scavenger hunts and ? encounters, but I'm enjoying all of them, mostly for the variety. It's a big reason why I'm not getting bored yet. I spent several hours just getting all the diagrams for the Griffin and Cat gear, and now I'm Level 18, decked out in full Enhanced Griffin suit/swords with Greater Glyphs/Runestones on everything. I also like how every time you turn around there's another surprise encounter or something, even characters coming back from earlier on in the game to update you on events. As for the beauty, there are moments when you're riding into the sunset/sunrise, or rain/wind sweeping through the fields/trees... it's pretty damn gorgeous if you stop to absorb it.
Raxivace wrote:
The whole Bloody Baron storyline has been the best bit so far, with a really complex family dynamic with one of those characters who's both disgusting and, despite myself, sympathetic.
Oh yeah the Baron questline owns a lot, and IMHO is the high point of the game. I didn't even realize the stuff in the swamp was related at first, and once I realized they were connected with the Baron's story my mind was blown. Really well done.
I also didn't realize they were connected at first. What order did you do them in? I kinda mixed it up: started with Keira/Swamp, followed the Baron for a long time, back to Keira and all her side stuff, and then finished the Baron in the swamp. I'm liking the Novigrad stuff, but I'm finding it hard to keep up, probably because I'm not doing everything in any kind of logical order. It's hard to keep straight what mission is connected to what storyline.
Raxivace wrote:
As for the trickiest choices so far, I killed the tree spirit and the ghost girl because I didn't believe either of them (for the former, I remember reading a book about the witches' mother or something; figured that's what it was).
I also killed the tree spirit, though I believed the ghost girl. If you believe her she murders her fiance or whatever, and then travels the land to kills some more, though you never ever run into her ever again.
If you "kill her" you don't really kill her anyway. You just go tell her fiance, bring him to her, there's a touching/gross reunion where he kisses her demon face with the giant tongue, and he dies. So I guess he dies either way.
Raxivace wrote:
Gwent is awesome! This could be a legit card game in its own right (probably is by now).
Yeah Gwent is great. There's a standalone version of Gwent you can download as a separate PS4 game though I feel like it complicates the rules too much.

I will say once you start winning at Gwent you basically don't stop. In the second DLC there's a unique deck they give you that objectively seems like the worst one in the game, though there's a questline based around using it and because it sucks it actually adds some challenge back into things for a while.
Good to know.
Raxivace wrote:Yeah the controls are kind of janky (Frankly I think there are N64 games that control better) and the glitches are annoying. I didn't have that one with Roach myself, though I've heard other people report it.
I think one problem is that pressing up/down doesn't just turn you around but makes you move, which kinda has a jerky quality to it. In Spider-Man I liked how just tapping up/down on the stick would have you just turn but not move until you held that direction. I used to pass the time listening to the audio logs in the game by repeatedly tapping up and down to have Peter spin around in a circle.
Raxivace wrote:
Finally, though this isn't really a flaw, I find it annoying that there's no real guide for finding items you might might for bombs/potions/oils. I could understand that if they're perhaps in a part of the game you haven't explored, but for common items you've already found some of, they should have some kind of map/guide for what areas you can go to to harvest parts, because it would be impossible to remember it all.
The solution to this is to just not rely on that stuff. Don't need to find things you don't need!
OCDs need it all, man! Besides that, most of it is really useful. Game has gotten much easier after diligently upgrading Potions, Bombs, and Oils. They all have their uses.
Raxivace wrote:Btw Jimbo, you might want to go easy on that blacksmith you mentioned. He's been having some hard times recently.
LOL, yeah, but most of that "random treasure" is guarded by things that would kill most any human, so regular folks still need their swords and armor too!
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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maz89 wrote:Isn't it fun and satisfying to clear out the "?" spots? Rax has a different opinion, but he hasn't played Skyrim. In Skyrim, there is SO MUCH FILLER that I literally burned out on the game last year - before even completing the main story.
Yes, in part because you don't know what you're going to find there. Though that can be a bit annoying if you encounter an enemy way above your level and have to retreat in "fight mode." They should have an option to retreat quickly without having to worry about taking damage from the thing you're running away from... or perhaps have some kind of indicator of what level it is once you get close enough to the ?.
maz89 wrote:You're doing way better than I did then. I made the mistake of not learning Gwent until I was maybe 40% into the game and at that point, when I tried to jump into Gwent, I lost many games due a lack of good cards versus the players I was competing against. I think once you have the good cards, it's definitely easier to win, but the difficulty level will increase somewhat as you progress and new decks with fancy perks are brought into the mix.
Right now, those Monster decks are a pain with their cards that can spawn every other card in their deck. Biting Frost is a must against them, or that dragon that can take out all the strongest CC cards.
maz89 wrote:
The only real flaws are with some minor glitches and clunky controls.
Oh, yeah. Rax always complained about this but I thought that was him being just way too hard on the game. I played it on the PC so fortunately I didn't have these bugs hampering my experience. And damn, a glitch where you couldn't hear the talking tree? That sounds terrible. As for the disappearing Elf Merchant in Velen, I have no idea. If he's not appearing despite you saving him, hopefully, he wasn't all that important, but I agree that it is definitely annoying to experience that in a world that's otherwise so consistent.
Frankly, the controls are my biggest complaint, but even that isn't that big of a deal most of the time; it's mostly just awkward when you're trying to loot or get in place to examine something. In combat it hasn't tripped me up much. As for the talking tree glitch, I did watch the whole sequence on YouTube with sound. :)
maz89 wrote:Yeah, I think when I needed specific ingredients, I used to do a quick search online, but it would have definitely helped if Geralt was carrying an encyclopedia or a map of sorts which told him where he could go to find resources that he'd already come across. I didn't remember too much about the total number of Ability Points you get so I googled: "There are 69 points from leveling to the level cap of 70 and up to 25 points from Places of Power throughout the world for 94 total available points." That should help with the planning. ;)
Thanks for the Ability Points thing. I think what I'm going to do is experiment a bit until I get up to about 50 points and then I'll decide what's most useful, do a reset, and then build my final character. As for items, I've also resorted to looking them up online. Biggest thing is that White Gull Alcohol you need for all the Superior potions/oils/bombs. I just make periodic trips to the merchants at the Baron's castle as both of them sell the necessaries. I'm also getting better at learning how to dismantle/build to get stuff I need for swords and armor.
maz89 wrote:
OK, this is getting long. Summing up: so far this is a solid 9 for me right now, bordering on a 9.5. Can't remember the last time I was this obsessed with a game, but I can see it going either direction depending on how things go.
This is the reaction I always wanted from Rax. Lesson learned: good things come to those who wait. (To be clear: in this case, I waited for a cinephile to validate my emotional response to the game.)

Also, judging by your posts, you haven't been to Novigrad yet. I loved that city and the people you meet in it. For me, the game just got better and better.

Oh, I just read you're going to Skellige - I didn't know you could do that. I thought you necessarily had to go to Novigrad after Velen. Interesting.
You can check my recent post to Rax where I mentioned I did go to Novigrad first and spent the last several days there.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Eva Yojimbo wrote:Yeah, the night I wrote that I realized that Novigrad was actually a few levels under Skellige, but it was saying the next main mission was in Skellige, which was weird because once I got to Novigrad I realized there was another main mission and that bastard spawned off into a ton of side missions and such. So I've spent the last several days in Novigrad and still haven't gotten to Skellige. Not that I'm complaining, but it's a bit weird how it auto-set the main mission to Skellige before Novigrad.
That's strange. I can't remember if it auto-set my quest to Skellige or not, but I knew about Novigrad being a lower level before hand and planned to go there first anyways.

You could still go to Skellige first if you wanted, and the story will adapt just enough to make sense (Kind of like Shenmue in that aspect. If you wanted to you could even do the DLC's first and the main story would account for it but uh good luck with that), though you'd have to rely more on potions and stuff to keep up with the enemies probably.
I'm starting to realize that there's just a different strategy for hordes. You can either divide and conquer, or if you get them into a group, a strong Igni or bomb is your best friend. In fact, a bomb into a group can take all of them out in one shot.
Yeah that's generally what you should do (Though I didn't use bombs too much), but if the enemies are too high a level (To the point where a lone arrow shot can kill you) then even a solid strategy like that will largely fall apart.

I know a lot of DLC enemies run around east of Novigrad, so uh watch out for them.
]Not sure what you mean by "meaningless filler." I mean, I guess if you're not digging the side quests and contracts and scavenger hunts and ? encounters, but I'm enjoying all of them, mostly for the variety.
It's mostly the ?'s that I take issue with. It just seems like once I decided on Witcher gear, the stuff I would find from exploring would not be really worth it unless it was directly an upgrade for it. And even then I would often find upgrades but not be a high enough level to even use them.

Once I decided on one school of witcher gear too, why even bother going after the stuff for the other schools? There's no benefit to mixing different classes together, while there is an (Eventual) benefit to using all the pieces of a single class.

The side quests depend on the area. I liked Velen's and Skellige's, disliked Novigrad's (DLC spoilers) and some of Toussaint's. The contracts seemed formulaic to me after a while in general.

Keep in mind that by time I was done with Witcher 3 I had done nothing but play that game for a solid month and was just pretty burnt out by the end. I still might be burnt out lol.
I also didn't realize they were connected at first. What order did you do them in? I kinda mixed it up: started with Keira/Swamp, followed the Baron for a long time, back to Keira and all her side stuff, and then finished the Baron in the swamp. I'm liking the Novigrad stuff, but I'm finding it hard to keep up, probably because I'm not doing everything in any kind of logical order. It's hard to keep straight what mission is connected to what storyline.
I can't remember the exact sequence of events, but I think I just ended up at the Baron's place by accident while I was doing something for Keira's quest, talked to him, and then went through the swamp, and then went back to the Baron and did his questline though to the end.

Side note: I really wish the fast travel point to the Baron's location was actually in the damn area and not just outside of it. It gets really annoying having to keep running through it just to get to the blacksmith there and so on.

The Novigrad stuff is a bit convoluted. I personally didn't like the sidequests there very much outside of the (Minor spoilers in case you haven't done it or heard about it yet) Gwent black market and the later Gwent tournament stuff but I kind of liked the main storyline there since its sort of like a gangster movie.
If you "kill her" you don't really kill her anyway. You just go tell her fiance, bring him to her, there's a touching/gross reunion where he kisses her demon face with the giant tongue, and he dies. So I guess he dies either way.
Huh, I never knew that. Sucks to be him lol.
I think one problem is that pressing up/down doesn't just turn you around but makes you move, which kinda has a jerky quality to it. In Spider-Man I liked how just tapping up/down on the stick would have you just turn but not move until you held that direction. I used to pass the time listening to the audio logs in the game by repeatedly tapping up and down to have Peter spin around in a circle.
Yeah that's definitely an issue I had. Sometimes it seems like being too quick on the controller just ends up queueing a bunch of actions for Geralt, (I.e. he doesn't swing his sword until after the half a second he takes to turn around and dodge or whatever) which is a bit annoying.
OCDs need it all, man! Besides that, most of it is really useful. Game has gotten much easier after diligently upgrading Potions, Bombs, and Oils. They all have their uses.
Well I did find a lot of that stuff, but like I said I found the game easy enough for the most part that I didn't often use a lot of that.
LOL, yeah, but most of that "random treasure" is guarded by things that would kill most any human, so regular folks still need their swords and armor too!
Most of the regular folks with sword seem to be those bandits that would never stop harassing me lol
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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I was going to finish Silent Hill 3 tonight, but my copy seems to not be working. I'll have to order another one. :(

In the meantime I'm playing Shenmue II, speaking of that series. Its neat, thought the changed controls from the first game are throwing me off a bit.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Finished Shenmue II already. That was a surprisingly quick game. Very ambitious for a game from 2001 in terms of scope, though I think I preferred the first game overall.

The first game had this weird spectrum where on one end you have crazy kung fu movie shit, and on the other end it was tedious reality of living in a capitalist society. Connecting those two things is Raymond Chandler-esque detective work, occupying a weird sort of middle ground.

Like to put it in perspective, the first game opens with our main character, Ryo, watching his father get murdered in their family dojo by a mysterious man named Lan Di. Ryo swears revenge. Instead of cutting away to, say, Ryo approaching Lan Di at some temple or something, you do a lot of detective work. You know Lan Di left the scene of the murder in a black car, so you start by going around asking every NPC you can find if they saw a black car a few days. Eventually someone mentions that hey, I think a Chinese person was driving that car. So then you spend time learning about the experience of Chinese immigrants in Japan. Eventually you find out that Lan Di is heading out to China through connections to a local gang, so you get a job at a harbor that the gang is suspected to be based near. Except when you actually get that harbor job (Which you need the money from anyways because you're a broke ass kid), you're expected to actually work an honest to god 9-to-5 job where you tediously move crates with a forklift over and over and over again. You have to spend at least an in-game week doing this, and that's if you know the specific flags to trip to progress the story. It could take you much longer. Eventually you clear things up, beat some dudes up, and you finally get a boat ride to China, with the funds from working that forklift job in your pocket to fund your adventures in the Shenmue II, as the first game ends here.

Like a lot of that, particularly your job, isn't "fun" per se, but its a unique experience for a video game. Even in something like Witcher 3, monster hunting is still monster hunting. They try and play it off of like, Idk, the equivalent of bug exterminating but its still meant to be a fun video game challenge.



^This isn't that. The footage is sped up here but I want to emphasize that you spend literal hours doing this in Shenmue 1. You also occasionally get into kung fu fights with gang members who want to fuck with you while you're just trying to meet your quota. But you mostly drive around like this.

Again, let me remind you. This is all a revenge story. But a 9-to-5 job is one of the biggest obstacles that stand in your way.

So, Shenmue II.

Your save carries over into Shenmue II, so yes, all that money you earned in the first game comes with you too. You arrive in China as Shenmue II begins, and you're mugged about 15 minutes after getting off of the boat, losing absolutely all of the cash you spent literal hours earning in the first game. Its a huge pain and people in the sequel are far more demanding of cash from you than they were in the first game.

There's still jobs and stuff you can take in Shenmue II, but they're not as demanding and its actually really easy to make lots of cash through gambling. This is kind of representative to me of where the, mmm, tone for a lack of a better word off of the top of my head changes in Shenmue II.

I feel like after here the sequel swings far more to the action movie side of things (To the point where the climax is a Die Hard-esque escapade through an abandoned building loaded with guards), which is just kind of less interesting than the contrast the first game achieves between the mundane and action. Even the investigating is way easier, despite having to comb through several large areas, because NPC's are more helpful to you, some foreigner, than people in your own hometown are.

Part of this might because Shenmue II consists of what was meant to be several games crammed down into one (Apparently at one point there was going to even be an entire game about the boat ride to China, though that's cut out here despite a few vague references at the game's beginning), so naturally there's just less time to invest in the smaller things of life, but its odd. Also characters with supernatural powers start appearing at the end of Shenmue II.

OTOH the last like, literal two hours of Shenmue II are literally just chatting with a new friend you make, and walking through a jungle with her as you get further and further into the heart of China.

I really wonder if moving forward the franchise would/will (Shenmue 3 is coming, but obviously being made at least 18 years later things are going to be a little different than originally intended) would have continued the dichotomy between the mundane and heightened action/magic/etc. Maybe it would/will only get even more over the top, or maybe it would slow down some more. Who can say.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Some bad news about the last batch of FFXV DLC.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/final ... 0-6463112/
In an unexpected announcement today, Square Enix announced the cancellation of three of the four planned Final Fantasy XV episode expansion packs and also confirmed that game director Hajime Tabata has left the company. Tabata's last day at Square Enix was October 31.

The canceled Final Fantasy DLC episodes include Aranea, Lunafreye, and Noctis. The fourth one, Ardyn, remains in development, and is scheduled to launch in March 2019.


The expansion packs were being developed by Luminous, the new Square Enix internal studio. However, that team will now focus on making a new AAA game, though it hasn't been announced yet. In an earnings report, Square Enix announced a major change to Luminous that resulted in an "extraordinary loss" amounting to $33 million. Until now, it wasn't know what that loss was related to, but now it looks like it's connected to the DLC cancellation.

In announcing his resignation, Tabata said, "I honestly believe the reason we were able to get this far is because of all you loyal fans. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

As for what he'll do next, Tabata said he's starting his own company. "I have a project that I truly wish to solidify as my next challenge after FFXV. For that reason, I have decided to leave my current position and start my own business in order to achieve my goal," he said.

"From this day on, I will cheer on and support Square Enix and Luminous Productions together with all you fans. I would like to thank everyone who continues to support FFXV and those who have also supported myself personally," Tabata added.

Also during the announcement event, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XV's Comrades multiplayer will now be released as a standalone game, meaning you don't need the base game to play it. There will be a further 10 new bosses, as well as more costumes and weapons in the standalone game.

FFXV: Multiplayer Comrades, as it's called, will launch on December 13. Those who already bought the Comrades expansion will get the new, standalone edition for free.

Also during the presentation, Square Enix announced a new cross-promotion with Fina Fantasy XIV Online. An event called "Adventurer From Another World" will be available inside Final Fantasy XV on PS4, Xbox One, and PC starting on December 12.

Another announced as a short-form anime called Final Fantasy XV Episode Prologue is on the way. A teaser will be released on December 15, with a second one coming on January 10.
I'm incredibly disappointed about this news. I was really looking forward to this last batch of DLC, especially Episode Aranea and Episode Noctis.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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I've poured in about 15 hours into Spider-Man. Fun game, although I get a headache if I play for too long. I've played an older version of this game on the PS2 or PS3, I think, and I enjoyed it back then too. Of course, they've improved the variety of mission types since then. That being said, as a completionist, the number of crimes to solve and things to collect hasn't been a boon for my OCD, and getting to 100% completion can become slightly repetitive. I'd rate it somewhere around a 7, 7.5.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Which one did you play before?
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Probably Spider-Man 2.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Ah, yeah, that one was pretty good (At the time at least). The Mysterio boss fight is still one of the funniest things in video games to me.

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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Also I hope Jimbo posts about his adventures in Witcher-land again here soon.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Man, I don't remember that fight. Now I think I played Spider-Man 3 or The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Or something. The graphics were better in those and web swinging a lot of fun, even if the story itself was mediocre.

I hope so too - he's disappeared for quite a while. I'm dying to know which way he went in the most important decision in Witcher 3: Triss or Yennifer? [blah]
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Ah of course, the age old question of "Who is best girl?"

It's Yennefer obviously.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Well, given his polyamorous inclinations, let's hope he didn't try to answer that question with 'both'. [laugh]
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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maz89 wrote:Well, given his polyamorous inclinations, let's hope he didn't try to answer that question with 'both'. [laugh]
LMAO Yes, actually, this is what I hope happens now.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Hey heads up, I've also gotten that Spider-Man game (RIP Stan Lee) though it will be a little while before I play it since I've got a few other games to finish first (Namely I'm finishing up the FF15 multiplayer Trophies, gotta finish Silent Hill 3, and I want to do a quick runthrough of Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories).
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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I'm surprised you got it. It's too mainstream for you. ;) Stan-Lee makes a cameo here too.

I have Horizon Zero Dawn and a replay of Last of Us lined up, after I complete Spider-Man, which I haven't played for the last few days. You still haven't played Last of Us, right?
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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I have not.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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The FF15 multiplayer is ridiculous btw. The first portion is basically "lol"- you finish at like Level 20, fighting monsters and demons and such at about 10ish levels above you for the most part. Not too bad...at first.

The actual final boss of this first portion is a pretty huge leap in difficulty, as for some reason you can't actually fight him with other players, you can only fight him with AI partners, and he basically laughs at you as you slowly whittle him down.

The March 2018 Expansion is even more ridiculous. Enemies are now regularly 30 to 50 levels above you (One particularly hard mission had my poor level 28ish party defending a gate or something against a level 80 samurai demon, appropriately named Yojimbo, who is hard in his own right but who is also sending waves of enemies to destroy that gate. So even if I could somehow survive against Yojimbo the enemies would destroy the gate and I would lose the mission if I wasn't acting fast and hard enough to kill Yojimbo himself.), and even if you team up with enough other players that actually have good stats, the new final boss of the expansion is even MORE ridiculous than the previous final boss AND you also have to rely on AI partners who are fuckin' stupid and have terribad shitty stats again too. Also the boss seems kind of glitchy.

I've been struggling against this stupid, evil boss for about 24 hours now (Fights have regularly been like 20-30 minute struggles too, all ending in failure), though luckily I've forged new OP spear that may finally make a dent in this dude's ridiculous defenses. I read about it on the internet, and blows all of my previous weapons out of the water.

This change in strategy might work. If I fail again though, FF15 may claim my soul and you'll never see me again.

EDIT: Yessss, the legend of the OP spear is REAL!!!!!! Victory!
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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So how long did you really struggle against that evil boss for? I struggled to get gold in a stupid drone challenge in Spider-Man for two hours. TWO HOURS swinging and running up buildings for it. Easily the most annoying, frustrating, merciless "challenge" of the game. Can't count the number of times I ended with a score of 39,xxx when all I needed was 40,000. smh
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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OK, you've managed to pull me out of my Witcher 3 slave-state to post an update. I've finished the main game and Hearts of Stone, working through the Blood and Wine DLC now. I guess what's surprised me most is how I simply haven't gotten tired of this game, even after well over 200 hours of play. I just love how I can go out preparing to do one thing--a side quest or a contract or a treasure hunt--and be surprised by something I find a long the way, maybe a new mission or a roaming dragon or cyclops or whatever.

I also love the character-building. I've tried to go with a really diverse, adaptable build, so I (currently) have 5 combat skills, 6 Sign skills, and 6 alchemy skills that I switch between depending on what armor I'm playing. Actually, what I do is keep one "quadrant" devoted to combat, one to Signs, and one to alchemy, and keep the fourth open to two of them plus one of the "armor" bonus skills. I've even gone through the trouble of getting Grandmaster gear for all 4 armors (plus the Manticore, plus Poisonous Viper). I enjoy playing all of them and mixing up my play. It keeps things fun and new. Looks-wise I like Wolf and Cat best, play-wise I think I like Griffin because that Yrden bonus with all 6 pieces is hella OP, though it's better with one or a few enemies than tons of them, or any enemies with range. I probably like Bear the least.

Finally, I just really love being immersed in the world, especially at certain times of the day/night with that soundtrack going (especially that haunting vocal number that plays throughout most of Skellige).

I think I did end up preferring Velen to most everything that came after, but Skellige was damn good too. The Novigrad stuff just seemed convoluted story-wise. Ending I'm kinda "meh" on. I guess I did get the "good" ending where Ciri lives, but it seems kinda hollow after Vesimir's death for some reason. Hearts of Stone I liked story-wise. I think this game is best when it's focusing more on family stories (the Bloody Baron being the best example) and Hearts of Stone did this well, though there weren't many surprises otherwise. The stuff with O'Dimm seemed like it could've been developed a bit better... I guess he was a Genie? There was a book that mentioned how devious and impossible to beat/capture they were. Ending also seemed a bit anti-climactic where you just confront him in the mirror-water, he says some mumbo-jumbo in some language and then just disappears? So far I'm really enjoying Toussaint. It has a definite Don Quixote feel to it with how satirical it is towards the whole "chivalric virtues" thing. I think this game's lighter side is one of its greatest strengths that I wish it used more; it's a big part of why I went with Triss over Yennefer* (though that was tough), because I simply fell for her during the party scene. Perhaps the most memorable bit from HOS was where Geralt was possessed by Olgierd's brother and had the wedding date with Shani. So far, perhaps the most memorable thing from B&W has been the mission where Roach talks! Frankly, the serious vampire stuff doesn't seem to be meshing well with the lighter middle-ages vibe, but I'm still enjoying it.

So, verdict so far hasn't changed much, though I'm definitely feeling this is more of a solid 9.5. The fact that I haven't grown tired with it speaks for itself, probably. If anyone has any questions about specific choices and whatnot, feel free to ask.

*I will say, though, that if I played the game again I would go for Yen. Like maz mentioned above, that duo is a great argument for my polyamorous philosophy. The two of them are just so different that I don't know how I'd choose in real life. Triss is like your best friend that you could always get along with, everything's easy and fun. Yen would be more like a mysterious rival, there's probably more passion but perhaps less trust. I think there'd be a bit of a "power struggle" between her and Geralt, but with Triss it would always be more like equal partners. I will say that telling Yen I didn't love her during their mission to break the binding spell was damn hard, but I figured the game would punish me if I said "I love you" to both of them. Still, I probably would've IRL.

EDIT: One final thing, I love-hate the new stuff that Blood & Wine introduced: Geralt's house (once renovated and furnished it's pretty damn awesome, and useful!) and the Mutations especially, but damn I hate they waited this late: this should've been a "thing" from the beginning! Once you're past level 45 it seems a bit late to start focusing on Mutations to add more skill slots. :/
Last edited by Eva Yojimbo on Sun Nov 18, 2018 8:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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maz89 wrote:I've poured in about 15 hours into Spider-Man. Fun game, although I get a headache if I play for too long. I've played an older version of this game on the PS2 or PS3, I think, and I enjoyed it back then too. Of course, they've improved the variety of mission types since then. That being said, as a completionist, the number of crimes to solve and things to collect hasn't been a boon for my OCD, and getting to 100% completion can become slightly repetitive. I'd rate it somewhere around a 7, 7.5.
It's probably too late for this tip, but I'd recommend waiting until you get to the "Taskmaster" part of the game before you worry about collecting or crimes or anything else. The reason being is that by the time you get to Taskmaster you've pretty much unlocked everything there is to do in the game (until the second half when the Sable stuff starts), and it's easier to do just do stuff that's directly on your way to the next main mission instead of webslinging around early on to try to do everything.

Your rating seems low to me, but I have high hopes that it'll shoot up by the end. Ending is greatness.
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Raxivace wrote:It's mostly the ?'s that I take issue with. It just seems like once I decided on Witcher gear, the stuff I would find from exploring would not be really worth it unless it was directly an upgrade for it. And even then I would often find upgrades but not be a high enough level to even use them.

Once I decided on one school of witcher gear too, why even bother going after the stuff for the other schools? There's no benefit to mixing different classes together, while there is an (Eventual) benefit to using all the pieces of a single class.

The side quests depend on the area. I liked Velen's and Skellige's, disliked Novigrad's (DLC spoilers) and some of Toussaint's. The contracts seemed formulaic to me after a while in general.

Keep in mind that by time I was done with Witcher 3 I had done nothing but play that game for a solid month and was just pretty burnt out by the end. I still might be burnt out lol.
Thing is, I decided to get the best versions of all the Witcher gear, which made the ?'s necessary just to have the money to spend on them! Shit got insanely expensive at Grandmaster level, like 25,000 Crowns if you could manage to craft everything (ie, not buy directly). So that's 100k for the 4 main armors, then more for Manticore! Lucikily I'm good about looting everything and selling it regularly. I had about 100k at some point and now I have all the armors and still have like 60k left. I could never decide on one "school" to go with because I like playing all of them because it mixes up the gameplay and keeps it fresh. I feel the same way about the skills.

I must be closing in on about a month playing the game and I'm still not tired with it! I guess I'm just enjoying it more than you did because I'm (at least) liking most everything, and even the stuff that doesn't entirely work story-wise is still fun game-wise.
Raxivace wrote:Side note: I really wish the fast travel point to the Baron's location was actually in the damn area and not just outside of it. It gets really annoying having to keep running through it just to get to the blacksmith there and so on.
Yeah, that is a legit complaint. At least they had a marker in Novigrad Square with all the vendors right there to sell to, plus the Vivaldi bank!
Raxivace wrote:
OCDs need it all, man! Besides that, most of it is really useful. Game has gotten much easier after diligently upgrading Potions, Bombs, and Oils. They all have their uses.
Well I did find a lot of that stuff, but like I said I found the game easy enough for the most part that I didn't often use a lot of that.
Did you have it on hardest difficulty? If I ever get around to replaying the thing I'll probably set it to that. It still seemed way too hard early on but it's gotten almost too easy now even on the next-to-hardest level. I've gotten everything except for two Decoctions that (apparently) could only be gotten if you chose to fight a Succubus and Doppler, but I let both Succubi go and the Doppler. I'm too nice, lol.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Eva Yojimbo wrote:OK, you've managed to pull me out of my Witcher 3 slave-state to post an update. I've finished the main game and Hearts of Stone, working through the Blood and Wine DLC now. I guess what's surprised me most is how I simply haven't gotten tired of this game, even after well over 200 hours of play. I just love how I can go out preparing to do one thing--a side quest or a contract or a treasure hunt--and be surprised by something I find a long the way, maybe a new mission or a roaming dragon or cyclops or whatever.

I also love the character-building. I've tried to go with a really diverse, adaptable build, so I (currently) have 5 combat skills, 6 Sign skills, and 6 alchemy skills that I switch between depending on what armor I'm playing. Actually, what I do is keep one "quadrant" devoted to combat, one to Signs, and one to alchemy, and keep the fourth open to two of them plus one of the "armor" bonus skills. I've even gone through the trouble of getting Grandmaster gear for all 4 armors (plus the Manticore, plus Poisonous Viper). I enjoy playing all of them and mixing up my play. It keeps things fun and new. Looks-wise I like Wolf and Cat best, play-wise I think I like Griffin because that Yrden bonus with all 6 pieces is hella OP, though it's better with one or a few enemies than tons of them, or any enemies with range. I probably like Bear the least.

Finally, I just really love being immersed in the world, especially at certain times of the day/night with that soundtrack going (especially that haunting vocal number that plays throughout most of Skellige).

I think I did end up preferring Velen to most everything that came after, but Skellige was damn good too. The Novigrad stuff just seemed convoluted story-wise. Ending I'm kinda "meh" on. I guess I did get the "good" ending where Ciri lives, but it seems kinda hollow after Vesimir's death for some reason. Hearts of Stone I liked story-wise. I think this game is best when it's focusing more on family stories (the Bloody Baron being the best example) and Hearts of Stone did this well, though there weren't many surprises otherwise. The stuff with O'Dimm seemed like it could've been developed a bit better... I guess he was a Genie? There was a book that mentioned how devious and impossible to beat/capture they were. Ending also seemed a bit anti-climactic where you just confront him in the mirror-water, he says some mumbo-jumbo in some language and then just disappears? So far I'm really enjoying Toussaint. It has a definite Don Quixote feel to it with how satirical it is towards the whole "chivalric virtues" thing. I think this game's lighter side is one of its greatest strengths that I wish it used more; it's a big part of why I went with Triss over Yennefer* (though that was tough), because I simply fell for her during the party scene. Perhaps the most memorable bit from HOS was where Geralt was possessed by Olgierd's brother and had the wedding date with Shani. So far, perhaps the most memorable thing from B&W has been the mission where Roach talks! Frankly, the serious vampire stuff doesn't seem to be meshing well with the lighter middle-ages vibe, but I'm still enjoying it.

So, verdict so far hasn't changed much, though I'm definitely feeling this is more of a solid 9.5. The fact that I haven't grown tired with it speaks for itself, probably. If anyone has any questions about specific choices and whatnot, feel free to ask.

*I will say, though, that if I played the game again I would go for Yen. Like maz mentioned above, that duo is a great argument for my polyamorous philosophy. The two of them are just so different that I don't know how I'd choose in real life. Triss is like your best friend that you could always get along with, everything's easy and fun. Yen would be more like a mysterious rival, there's probably more passion but perhaps less trust. I think there'd be a bit of a "power struggle" between her and Geralt, but with Triss it would always be more like equal partners. I will say that telling Yen I didn't love her during their mission to break the binding spell was damn hard, but I figured the game would punish me if I said "I love you" to both of them. Still, I probably would've IRL.
I think my favorite armor was the light one - I think Cat. I like to roll around a lot, and Dark Souls taught me that agility is important.

Ending question: did you tell the Emperor about Ciri? Rax did that and fucked up Ciri's life, and I've never forgiven him for it.

What did you make of the part of the game in which Geralt finally finds Ciri? I loved the build-up and dramatic execution. Guess that was because I was super invested in these characters and world.

I agree about the "lighter" aspects working really well in the typically dark, murky Witcher universe. B&W achieves success with the "lighter" tone as well in one of its later missions, but with a dark twist - as you'll see in my favorite bit of the game.

I loved doing the Triss and Yen quests. I couldn't not tell Yen I loved her. It was just impossible not to, on account of their shared history and on account of how vulnerable Yen became in that moment. IIRC, they just "undid" a bond that had sealed them together and she asks him if what they had felt for each other was just a thing of magic all along - rather than real connection. I just couldn't tell her it had all been a lie. That whole conversation gave me/my Geralt goosebumps and fall for Yen all over again. But yeah, they really set up the Triss thing really well with that glamorous party beneath the glittering night sky.

I know what you mean about just riding around the different landscapes, just letting the visuals and sound sink in. I miss it. Such a gorgeous game. Speaking of which, I love how fairytale-like Toussaint is. (Visually, of course, because we learn from the get-go there's something much more sinister and ugly underneath that surface.)

Also, I'm impressed that you figured that the game would punish you for being polyamorous. The only reason I knew not to make that gaffe was because someone told me about it beforehand. Otherwise, I'd have assumed you'd have a final shot to choose who you love more in the ending. [laugh]

Yes, it's definitely at least a 9.5. [wink]
Last edited by maz89 on Sun Nov 18, 2018 9:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Eva Yojimbo wrote:It's probably too late for this tip, but I'd recommend waiting until you get to the "Taskmaster" part of the game before you worry about collecting or crimes or anything else. The reason being is that by the time you get to Taskmaster you've pretty much unlocked everything there is to do in the game (until the second half when the Sable stuff starts), and it's easier to do just do stuff that's directly on your way to the next main mission instead of webslinging around early on to try to do everything.

Your rating seems low to me, but I have high hopes that it'll shoot up by the end. Ending is greatness.
God, I wish I'd gotten that tip earlier! I spent so much time taking pictures of landmarks and collecting backpacks in the earlier part of the game, and then I realized to my utter disbelief and dismay, nope, there's Black Cat markers you need to collect, challenges you must get gold on, and even more bases to own scattered all over the world!

For me, the most difficult part of the game so far has been the drone challenge in the Financial District. There's just something wrong with the points calculation there and that challenge seems to draw regular criticism for its difficulty. All of the other challenges I was able to master in just 2-3 attempts. Anyhow, I'm disappointed I didn't unlock a trophy for getting gold on all of the challenge missions. Thought the game would acknowledge and reward my perseverance and effort, lol.

You're right - the rating has gone up. I'm now in the 7.5-8.0 range. I just saw the six assemble, which I thought was well-executed but typical comic book fare stuff. The Martin Li stuff was okay too (I never really felt connected to that whole storyline in general and the whole idea of a good man having an evil agenda lacked nuance in execution), but I do like the development of Doc Oc's character (seemingly a strong character in the Spider-Man universe, as even the Sam Raimi movie rendered his descent into madness in a different yet compelling way) and in retrospect I like how the developments in the first half of the game are not made irrelevant with the introduction of the new villain.

I like that the game features an older version of Spiderman. The episode with Uncle Ben has already happened, MJ already knows his real identity, MJ and Spidey have already been in a relationship that didn't pan out, etc. I'm so used to seeing the "beginnings" of Spider-Man, so this take feels fresh and new.

Another part of the story I liked (and just saw yesterday) was his message conversation with MJ where she misinterprets his usage of "it's over, btw". Hilarious, and real. Made the rating go up by half a point instantly. [laugh]

I'm not sure if the parts of the game in which you can play as MJ or the son of that heroic police officer (who is definitely gonna take the mantle from the original Spidey by the end of this game, isn't he? I may be wrong, of course...) really work, just on account of how easy those bits are. They try to enhance the experience by giving MJ lures or trip mines, but I wish the difficulty level had been higher. I guess those bits are simply meant to serve as different means to tell the story.

I'm really enjoying the combat. I'm playing on the higher difficulty level, but am able to breeze through most of it. Well, that is, unless I miss a punch from a charged brute or a sword attack from one of those deadly Demons. Those floating Sable agents can be a huge pain too. It's a lot of fun to unload your gadgets on groups of enemies.

I haven't really made any use of the Suit Powers. Are there any worth checking out? I'm still using the fast regenerating Focus power that we got early on in the game. It can be a life-saver if you're low on health.

What's your PSN ID?
Last edited by maz89 on Sun Nov 18, 2018 12:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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maz89 wrote:So how long did you really struggle against that evil boss for? I struggled to get gold in a stupid drone challenge in Spider-Man for two hours. TWO HOURS swinging and running up buildings for it. Easily the most annoying, frustrating, merciless "challenge" of the game. Can't count the number of times I ended with a score of 39,xxx when all I needed was 40,000. smh
Well I can tell you that it was more than two hours, plus whatever time it took to forge that spear. [laugh]
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Eva Yojimbo wrote:Hearts of Stone I liked story-wise. I think this game is best when it's focusing more on family stories (the Bloody Baron being the best example) and Hearts of Stone did this well, though there weren't many surprises otherwise. The stuff with O'Dimm seemed like it could've been developed a bit better... I guess he was a Genie?
There's an option where you can go find some kind of scholar and you learn he's like an ancient demon or something.

Honestly the more I learned about O'Dimm the less I thought his character worked. I liked him best when he seemed more like a Kaworu-esque anomaly in the world, where no information you learn about him can really aid your understanding about what he is. Like its great when you realize he's that guy from the first 45 minutes of the game you just forgot about and turned out to be way more important to your quest than you realize. Its less interesting when you know definitively he's a genie or demon or whatever else.
Perhaps the most memorable bit from HOS was where Geralt was possessed by Olgierd's brother and had the wedding date with Shani.
This was the highlight of both DLC's for me. Frankly I wish I could have just gone the rest of the game with my ghost bro.
So far, perhaps the most memorable thing from B&W has been the mission where Roach talks! Frankly, the serious vampire stuff doesn't seem to be meshing well with the lighter middle-ages vibe, but I'm still enjoying it.
I didn't enjoy B&W as much but I did miss talking Roach somehow...perhaps it would have shot my opinion of that DLC up!
EDIT: One final thing, I love-hate the new stuff that Blood & Wine introduced: Geralt's house (once renovated and furnished it's pretty damn awesome, and useful!) and the Mutations especially, but damn I hate they waited this late: this should've been a "thing" from the beginning! Once you're past level 45 it seems a bit late to start focusing on Mutations to add more skill slots. :/
I think I'm okay with the house being put off, but Mutations definitely should have been introduced earlier. I'm not really sure when a natural time to introduce them would have been...maybe Kaer Mohren?
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Re: I'm Playing Various Video Games in 2018

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Eva Yojimbo wrote:I must be closing in on about a month playing the game and I'm still not tired with it! I guess I'm just enjoying it more than you did because I'm (at least) liking most everything, and even the stuff that doesn't entirely work story-wise is still fun game-wise.
Yeah that's what its starting to sound like. I did enjoy Witcher 3 but if I had to put a number rating on it, it would still only average out to like a decent 7/10 for me.
Yeah, that is a legit complaint. At least they had a marker in Novigrad Square with all the vendors right there to sell to, plus the Vivaldi bank!
It just makes it weird to me that they would get it right with Novigrad Square but not the location the player is more likely to be at earlier.
Did you have it on hardest difficulty? If I ever get around to replaying the thing I'll probably set it to that. It still seemed way too hard early on but it's gotten almost too easy now even on the next-to-hardest level. I've gotten everything except for two Decoctions that (apparently) could only be gotten if you chose to fight a Succubus and Doppler, but I let both Succubi go and the Doppler. I'm too nice, lol.
Yeah I played on the hardest difficulty, because I wanted all of the Trophies. The beginning is still the hardest part (And probably the most interesting mechanically) but Geralt still gets more powerful at a faster rate than the world does for the most part.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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Btw Jimbo I'd like to know more about what you though about the actual main storyline with the Wild Hunt and Ciri. None of that stuff really worked for me- Ciri in particular I found insufferable the entire game, and I'm not sure the Wild Hunt themselves ever work at any point in the story.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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I'm probably the only here that cares, other than maybe Kuribo, but two new Super Robot Wars games were announced today.


Super Robot Wars T, which features:

Invincible Robo Trider G7
Aura Battler Dunbine
Aura Battler Dunbine: Tale of Neo-Byston Well
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack - Beltorchika's Children*
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Skull Heart*
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam: Steel 7*
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Armored Trooper Votoms
Armored Trooper Votoms: The Last Red Shoulder*
Armored Trooper Votoms: Big Battle
The Brave Express Might Gaine
The King of Braves GaoGaiGar
Cowboy Bebop (New)
Gunbuster
Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture - Prince of Darkness
Getter Robo Armageddon
Mazinger Z: Infinity
Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX (New)
Magic Knight Rayearth (New)
Gun X Sword
Expelled from Paradise (New)

*Units only


Super Robot Wars DD (lol), which features:

Devilman
Steel Jeeg
Getter Robo Armageddon
Mazinkaiser
Chodenji Robo Combattler V
Chodenji Machine Voltes V
Aura Battler Dunbine
Armored Trooper Votoms
Blue Comet SPT Layzner
The King of Braves GaoGaiGar
Code Geass
Zegapain
Zegapain ADP
Valvrave the Liberator
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans
Full Metal Panic!
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

DD is only to be a smartphone game though, so its unlikely to get an English release. Doing Rebuild of Eva 1.0 and 2.0 again without 3.0 is a curious choice. Also Devilman is there, wtf.

T is going to likely be in English though, and has a pretty neat cast list in its own right. Votoms, GunBuster, G Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, fuckin' Captain Harlock of all things. Tale of Neo-Byston Well looks like its going to actually have its plot too, since Shion is piloting the Sirbine in the trailer.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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I wanted to comment on your last post, Rax. I really did. But I have no clue what you're talking about.

So I finished Spider-Man. The ending was indeed powerful (major spoilers ahead). I liked the twist that Otto knew Spidey's real identity the entire time. The unsaid thought during Otto's descent into revenge-seeking madness was always that Otto would take a jolt and question himself when he realizes he had been fighting his own research assistant. But I like how the writing turns that thought on its head: Otto knew the entire time and chose to be an evil SOB anyway. I like how Otto says that to change the world, one must be the kind of man who can make the hardest decisions. For Otto, this meant to demolish his rival's reputation by leaking his unfinished chemical onto an unsuspecting public (still don't understand how Otto thought he was changing the world by doing this) but for Spider-Man, it meant literally choosing between saving the only family he has left versus the rest of the world. Predictably, I choked up in the scene with May; some solid voice acting and graphics there. Must say I was relieved when Spider-Man didn't die in the climactic battle with Otto. I thought that that was the teary ending Jimbo was talking about, especially when I saw Miles get bitten by that spider from Norman's lab, ready to take the Spider-Man mantle and become an official replacement. (Side-note: Is Harry going to become Venom? Also, is this what happens to Harry in the comics?)

Overall, I'll settle on an borderline 8 for now. The suit powers (there were too many!) I was never encouraged to fully explore despite playing on the high difficulty level. I think that the side stuff became really tedious after a while and only sporadically entertaining. I think the game should have made certain areas of Manhattan inaccessible until after one unlocked a certain level or made enemies in certain districts difficult to take down without increasing one's level/experience (ya know, in the true RPG tradition). This would have stopped me from trying to do everything in the beginning, hurting the momentum of the main storyline, and also had made the game a bit more challenging. Another thing I would have liked to have been done differently: real gameplay rewards for doing the side missions (beating up thugs, using photographs to identify locations, etc) rather than a thank you call from Yuri or someone else (and a gold trophy). I feel like the developers were hesitant to fully embrace the RPG model because they wanted to keep things simple. Still, core gameplay (swinging, combat, etc) was quite a lot of fun, the cinematic cut-scenes were solid, and the main storyline was interesting enough for the most part (it does build up and peak in the end). I even enjoyed the last stealth missions you do with MJ and Miles because , with MJ, it was fun to explore Norman's penthouse and unravel the secret of what happened to Harry (and then to see her jump off the the penthouse balcony to escape Silver Sable), and, with Miles, the difficulty was ramped up slightly.

Also, this is a minor quibble but why did Otto not destroy the serum as soon as he possessed it. [none]

Going to play Horizon Zero Dawn next. Jimbo, since Rax won't listen, you must play Last of Us after Witcher 3.
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Re: Eva_Yojimbo is Playing The Witcher 3

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maz89 wrote:I wanted to comment on your last post, Rax. I really did. But I have no clue what you're talking about.
Super Robot Wars is a strategy RPG series with overly elaborate plots about anime robots punching each other.

For example, one of the series is Devilman. That show doesn't even have robots in it though. Its not even a robot anime. Its loosely a superhero story about a guy with the powers of the Devil, which he got after going to a drug-induced orgy. That's why he's Devilman. Anyways he gets to fight anime robots now. Including my girl Marvel Frozen.

Remember Marvel Frozen?
Raxivace wrote:So I've been watching an anime called Aura Battler Dunbine. Its been an interesting contrast to playing The Witcher 3 because its also fantasy themed. The premise is that there's the outer world of "Upper Earth", which is basically just our modern reality, and there's the inner world of "Byston Well", a fantasy themed realm with knights and castles and magical creatures and so on. One day the cruel villain of Upper Earth, Shot Weapon, finds his way into Byston Well. He brings with him modern weaponry and technology, planning to militarize Byston Well.

That's not important though. What matters is that Dunbine also has a red headed love interest, named Marvel Frozen who is better than Triss.

Image

I mean wow she has a sword and also a handgun. That's badass. Does Triss dual wield medieval weaponry alongside modern pistols? NO.

Image

Does Triss also pilot giant robots? NO.

Is Triss' name even nearly as goofy as Marvel Frozen, especially for a character we're supposed to believe was born and raised in the United States? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She is in some of these games, and here she will fight and/or team up with Devilman.
Last edited by Raxivace on Wed Nov 21, 2018 1:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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