Jonnas

Maybe not the series... but in this RWBY-looking game where everybody can turn into Emblem Power Rangers, the Saturday morning cartoon vibes are likely the intended tone. This message was sent during a Saturday morning.

I'm pretty late to respond, but I'm glad to see you finally gave SOVa shot! Knew you'd love it. To my knowledge, the original Gaiden did not have this. I'd be mighty surprised if Swap, Reposition, etc. already existed in Gaiden, but I don't think they did. Whatever abilities items gave, they already came with them. A side-note regarding this: the battle preview in this game still lies a little. The displayed percentages don't take supports in consideration (or even innate supports bonuses, which are invisible), and because of those, the battles tend to work out in your favour more often than not. This is more relevant in the late-game though, as early-to-mid don't feature enough supports for this to make much of a difference. Also, I think FE Fates Conquest also decided to use True Hit... But don't quote me on that. Dammit, man, I could've told you that. The grinding maps are the same as in other 3DS FEs, with the maps themselves being fairly boring. But grinding has miniscule returns in this game, so it's extra pointless. The rest of the DLC was at least more experimental, with all of the overclasses bringing new, fun animations, and the extra characters from Cipher... but those are very niche extras. The story DLC was better, I found. The maps themselves were fine (not excellent, but fine), but it's the extra cutscenes and supports that contain the most value (Lukas being a cold badass in one chapter, and Fernand being a thicc lover, were definite highlights). Still, 20€ is a considerable asking price.

Thank you for mentioning the dungeon design, which is one of the things I hated about Abyss & Symphonia 2. Review outlets never notice that for some reason, despite it being one of Symphonia's strong points (and an important aspect of the genre in general).

I mean... by all means, this sounds far more like the 3DS era. The GBA era was almost entirely devoid of skills and base activities, the GCN era had a much grittier aesthetic, and the DS games really toned down on plot and characterisation for the time... and of course, the Somnium stuff is right out of Fates. But I really hope it's good, and that folks enjoy it for what it is. I'll wait on this one, due to being a tad saturated on new FE games, but I'll be paying attention.

That only happened once, right? In Ocarina of Time? Every other instance, Ganon is getting killed in the final fight. It's the revival rituals that keep bringing him back. There's also at least two other unrelated villains who turn into a suspiciously pig-shaped demon by the end.

Skyward Sword and the DS Zeldas have significantly different control schemes from the norm. One can also argue that Link Between Worlds significantly alters the usual structure just enough to feel different. Outside of those cases, "Every Zelda game plays vastly different" feels like hyperbole.

Nice tip. I'm checking comparisons, and which art style is better seems to depend on the character. I remember when I played the demo, Raynie had a ridiculous chest (as in, the proportions and perspective were laughable), but in the older art style she looks much better. Meanwhile, Stocke seems to look much better in the newer portraits. There's also an evil-looking bloke in red armour who looks much better in the older style. If Eruca is the blonde princess, then she just looks like a completely new character in the newer one (in a vacuum, not better nor worse). So yeah, I think I'll get that one as well, it'll be interesting to compare them further, especially if the new ones still come up in menus.

Usually, when I grow disillusioned with a series, I come to find that it's usually just the most recent entry (as it once happened with Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3, or Fire Emblem Fates)... but there have been cases of a series entirely falling off my interest: Final Fantasy - I mean, I'm just not a fan of the look and aesthetic of the mainline series since... maybe 10. Thankfully, spinoffs and rereleases keep its classic charm alive, but the only mainline entries to ever grab my interest have been FF14 (which is a genre I dislike) and FF16 (tentative. The game isn't out yet) Tales series - Symphonia is excellent, and I enjoyed exploring the rest of the series at the time... but the sheer apathy that the series has for the West pissed me off. Furthermore, Abyss turned out to be a vapid game, and from what I've seen, the series has doubled down on being Abyss-like ever since. Not only have they moved away from so many things that made Symphonia great, they barely understand them, judging from how they routinely mooch off Symphonia without doing something interesting with it. Soul Calibur - Kinda. I thought the series was diminishing its quality ever since II (and the ever-changing movesets didn't exactly help), so this would qualify if it had stopped at V... but then VI came around and revitalised it with a much-needed shot in the arm by a passionate team. If they ever release a VII that keeps the momentum going, I can cross this one off the list. Kirby - Mostly because this should be a light, relatively cheap series, and it rarely is. The games aren't bad, it's just that they aren't as accessible as I'd like them to be Pokémon - Since Ruby&Sapphire that my friend group hasn't cared for Pokémon. I still like the spin-offs, but the main series is pretty unattractive for me outside of the social aspect. Sonic - *siiigh* I just don't like 3D Sonic (even if I liked Unleashed, and might like Colours and Generations as well). 2D Sonic is great, but the company isn't interested in exploring that. There is currently an interesting Pokémon-like in development called Cassette Beasts. They had a temporary demo on Steam a few months ago, and I was quite impressed with what I played. The release is planned for 2023, though I'm not totally sure which platforms they're aiming for. I recommend you keep an eye on it, at any rate. Good luck on finding a monster-collecting RPG that scratches the itch you're missing.

I remembered @V. Amoleo Google sheet from earlier in the thread, and I checked: no playtime required before getting to purchase the DLC (I asked because I wanted to buy it before the deadline). On a similar note, any recommended DLC for Radiant Historia?

Is that "Messiahs in the Diamond Realm"? Looks to be cheap, might take it, especially considering the main appeal of the series. Also, is there something on the main quest that needs to be done before I'm allowed to purchase things? Like in Fates, where you can only access DLC after Chapter 7?

I don't keep tabs on yearly statistics, but I can tell this was a weird year for me. First half was quite busy for gaming, but I slowed down my playthroughs considerably in the second half (partly due to new real life relationships, partly due to the growing activity of the local Smash scene). I expect any future progress to be far more sporadic. And hopefully cheaper. Regardless, my Top 10 games of the year were: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 Katamari Damacy Steamworld Dig 2 Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call Ever Oasis INMOST Donkey Kong Land III Defenders of Oasis Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Streets of Rage Top 3 replays Wario Land 3 Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin [Richer Mode] Chiki Chiki Boys Best Game that I couldn't finish: This War of Mine

The end of the 3DS eShop approaches, and when that happens, I'll have to purchase every game and DLC on my wishlist. Before I do, I have a question: is the DLC in Shin Megami Tensei IV (and Apocalypse) worthwhile in any form? Like, I think they're just items and equipment? Incidentally, if anybody has any questions about Fire Emblem DLC, feel free to ask. I'm well informed on the DLC of all 3 games.

Hm, I actually like challenge. And I didn't know about punishing job changes, it does sound like an interesting limiter. Might end up getting both at some point, then. The changes do make FFIII DS sound like a completely new game. Though to experience the original, Pixel Remaster sounds ideal. Thank you

So, to folks who actually played FF3 on the DS (or Steam): would you say the Pixel Remaster is a better way to experience the game? The 3D remake looks nice and all, but it feels they added a lot of dialogue/story into a game that never had (nor apparently needed) one, so I get a bit wary. The Pixel Remaster at least seems to retain the original's pace and focus. So, what would you say is likely to be the best version of FFIII?

By the end, I was rooting for Argentina. Congrats for the hard-earned victory. Can't say I expected them to win it at the beginning (I thought for sure one of Brazil or France would take it), so well done for being a favourite and underdog simultaneously.

The only reason Twitter ever had any credibility to begin with was because journalists believed it did. If "Captain Apartheid" (love that name) starts going after journalists for inane reasons, that's truly the point of no return. Also, if Twitter dies, it'll be from the all the lawsuits that Musk has to deal with from breaking so many EU laws. What an impulsive manchild.

I was already getting a "Fates-y" vibe from this game from the start (a blank slate dragon protagonist who's half one thing, half another, is going to do that), but this "My Castle" looking thing tipped it right over. Furthermore, I'm seeing a lot of Heroes terminology here (Tempest Trials, characters gaining "SP", etc.), and that game took a lot from Fates in many respects, mechanically. My point is, after IntSys had a side trip with Echoes, some experience with Heroes, and some outsourcing with Three Houses & Hopes... I think this is the big, true successor to Awakening & Fates, likely with the same major key figures behind it. Me, I'm still feeling lukewarm with this game. But 3DS fans can rejoice with the general direction of Engage.

2022 was the year I met the best girlfriend I've ever had, so I'm very grateful for that. Life has been lovely with her nearby, and most new things in my social life were due to meeting her. It was also the year my family finally fixed several problems at home, so I'm relieved. Also, my workplace saw a shake-up after almost a year of stagnation. I'd say that's a positive. All things considered, this felt like a normal year, but there was massive improvement in several areas of my life. Thinking about it, this is basically what an ideal year is supposed to look like, and it's kind of wild that I hadn't quite noticed up until now.

I used the term undead, but the town has vampires, werewolves, sirens, a Gorgon, a shapeshifter, a 'monster', witches and a disembodied hand wandering around. But ghosts?! Preposterous! Ah, so it's fantasy monsters. Ghosts aren't species with biology, I suppose. A mermaid ghost can be a thing. But neither are mummies or zombies. As you say, there's a disembodied zombie hand crawling around (and I know the Addams butler is a Frankensteiner), so clearly there's precedent for afterlife creatures. Without having watched an episode, I'm inclined to agree with your righteous indignation.

These breakdowns are getting simpler and simpler Having a hard time sharing the picture right now, so I'll say that the most relevant part of the review was declaring Three Hopes and Bloodstained 2 my favourite games of 2022 (behind SSBU), with Katamari Damacy coming in fourth. It's almost right.

Been a bit of time since my last post... I was actually pissed to see Croatia beat Brazil. Definitely Brazil's blunder, of course, but Croatia didn't play particularly well, either. Denied us of a South American derby in the semis. At least Argentina went through today. Regarding Morocco/Portugal, I'm a bit more at peace. Sure, it sucks that we were eliminated this early, and lost our shot at meeting Argentina in the finals, but Morocco were legitimately the better team. They weren't squandering passes left and right like we were, and they also didn't blatantly dive 3 times within the same minute, fishing for a pity penalty (pitynalty?). So yeah, after a painful repeat of Alcácer-Quibir, I can now throw my full support for Morocco conquering the World Cup, one former colonizer at a time. Go ahead and prove that you should've been the first Muslim nation to host this tourney.

To be fair, I haven't seen the show... But zombies and ghosts are entirely different beasts. Like, if someone from Walking Dead believed in ghosts, that'd be weird too.

It's great to see you again, Julius! Good to know that things are improving on your end. This part in particular is very uplifting. It's so important to be able to enter that mindspace of "not caring" about anything, especially nothing that worries you. Personally, it's the times that I forget about time and schedules entirely that I feel most liberated. When at some point I realise "Oh, time passed. Right, that's a thing that exists." That's fine too. Take it easy, and find a rhythm that's healthy.

The trailers insist on having Mario almost never talk! I'm actually wondering if he barely talks in the film itself, too. The one line he gets in the most recent clip was actually pretty decent.