Nicktendo Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) Day 30 - Personal gaming tradition Every Christmas Eve / Day I play this. Not finish, mind as I never end up doing it. But I usually stick it on to get myself into the mood. I should play it to completion again, it's been too long Edited July 30, 2020 by Nicktendo 2
Cube Posted July 30, 2020 Author Posted July 30, 2020 Day 30 - Gaming Tradition Every Christmas I play though the wonderful Banjo-Kazooie. 1 2
bob Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Gaming Tradition I don't really have any gaming traditions - I barely have enough time to play new games, let alone replay games again and again each year. However, back when i was much younger and carefree, a group of friends and I used to get together, and play single player puzzle games, but as a group. We would gather round the PC and work out how to beat them. We played things like Monkey Island and other Point and Clicks, but the main thing we used to play was Myst and it's sequels. It was kind of a tradition to all get together and slowly make out way through the story, working out how to beat each puzzle together. This was before the internet proper too, so we couldn't cheat. Obviously we've not done it in a long time, so it's a dead tradition, but it was fun for a while. 3 1
Cube Posted July 30, 2020 Author Posted July 30, 2020 @bobdoesnt have to be full games. Another "tradition" for me is spinning the control stick around in 3rd person games to see what the character does, or testing torches to see if environmental flames cause damage. 2 1 2
Ronnie Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) How about always starting off by looking behind you in 2D and 3D platformers? For a more official Gaming Tradition I'll go with something boring like always making time to play a Mario or Zelda game around Christmas. Ideally it would be a new release, or even a spin-off game like Captain Toad, but if they haven't put one out I'll just play Super Mario World or something like that. I actually delayed playing Mario Odyssey by a month because I wanted to play it closer to Christmas, and it ended up lasting me until the new year. Edited July 30, 2020 by Ronnie 1
Goron_3 Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Absolutely gutted to have missed out on this thread. Literally just read through every page and wanted to add my own thoughts each time 1 1
Julius Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 3 minutes ago, Goron_3 said: Absolutely gutted to have missed out on this thread. Literally just read through every page and wanted to add my own thoughts each time It's not too late! I fell behind because I've had so much on my plate, but I'll be catching up on it later. It's a great thread and there's been a lot of interesting discussion, always really nice to learn more about everyone's gaming history and preferences too. Thanks again for the thread @Cube! 6 1
Londragon Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Day 30 - Personal Gaming Tradition Having a record of selling everything I own, it’s been hard for certain games to become a tradition. Link to the Past, I’ve played the most, but hardly a tradition.More recently, every morning I have a quick blast of Tetris 99 in bed to wake up the brain cells, it never works. 1 1
Will Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Personal gaming tradition I would have joined @Goafer and picked Christmas NiGHTS but I’d already had it earlier on. Instead I’ll go with the one small bit of collecting I regularly do. Starting with my first trip to Japan in 2012 I’ve spent at least one day walking round retro game shops with the target of picking up one or two games for my Gamecube collection. I just love the Japanese boxes. The art, the sleeve, the size - everything about them. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep doing this for many years to come. 6 1
Glen-i Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) Spoiler While looking for the picture I was gonna use for today's post, I went to my Miiverse archive and stumbled upon this. Didn't realise I've posted that same dialogue option online twice now... Gaming Tradition Since 2009, once a year, without fail, I have played through the plot of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. Big surprise there, I can't help myself. It's the perfect length, the plot still holds up and I love me some Pokémon meets dungeon crawling gameplay. And I always use the same "Charmander-Totodile" combo. To be fair, I choose two Pokémon for each game and stick to them all the time. The names I give them normally bleed over to other Pokémon games as well. (@RedShell can attest to battling a Charizard called Draco in Sword and Shield after all) It's the game I posted the most about on Miiverse, BTW. With the amount I've talked about this game over the past month, it's inevitable that I'll boot up the DS version and play through it again in the near future. So you know, @Cube, you did that. Thanks! Honestly, the only way I see this tradition being broken is if a Switch remake happens. (Come on Chun Soft, you've got a perfectly good engine from Rescue Team DX, I'll defo buy it!) Spoiler Earliest Video Game Memory - Playing @Dcubed's copy of Super Mario World in 1993 when I was three years old.Opening Section of a Game - Final Fantasy VILocal Multiplayer - Mario Party 3Favourite Villain/Antagonist - The one from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. Can't be more specific because spoilers.3D Platformer - Banjo-TooieMost Relaxing Navigation - Running around outside Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64.Best Ranged Combat - Resident Evil 4 Wii EditionBest Musical Moment - Dancing Mad from Final Fantasy VIScariest Moment - Shunned Guy from Paper Mario: Colour Splash (Yes, really. Not joking)Credits Sequence - Standard Ending in Chrono TriggerFavourite Town/Village - Clock Town from Zelda: Majora's MaskFavourite Awful Game - Link: The Faces of EvilBest Open World City Game - Crazy TaxiBest 2D Platformer - New Super Mario Bros. WiiBest Story - Virtue's Last RewardMost Interesting Collectables - Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon's Connection OrbBest Racing Game - Mario Kart 8 DeluxeBest Mini Game - Tetra's Trackers from Zelda: Four Swords AdventuresBest Melee Combat - Swordplay in Zelda: Skyward SwordSaddest Moment - A certain moment in one of the Special Episodes in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of SkyGames that take you back to your childhood - Banjo-KazooieFavourite Playable Character - Samus in Metroid: Other MLicensed Video Game - South Park: The Stick of TruthBest Final Mission - The last dungeon in Pokémon Super Mystery DungeonOnline Multiplayer - Items on, random characters in Super Smash Bros. UltimateFavourite NPC - Wigglytuff from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of SkyBest Boss Battle - Master Core from Super Smash Bros. for WiiUFavourite DLC/Expansion - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Torna: The Golden CountryGraphics/Art Style - Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DXPersonal Gaming Tradition - Playing through Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Hey, I only managed to mention PMD 7 times! Less than I thought I would... Edited July 30, 2020 by Glen-i 4 1 1
Goafer Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 56 minutes ago, will' said: Personal gaming tradition I would have joined @Goafer and picked Christmas NiGHTS but I’d already had it earlier on. I did think you might regret it when you posted it!
S.C.G Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Day 30 - Personal gaming tradition Local multiplayer games Years ago, playing local multiplayer games would be something which would happen frequently, I really value those times near the end of the year where classics such as Goldeneye, Super Smash Bros. or Mario Kart would be played by my brothers and I, sometimes we'd play four player on the N64 if maybe a friend came over, these days though, it's probably only a case of getting to play local multiplayer games maybe a handful of times a year, or even once or twice. If you have the chance to play local multiplayer games on a regular basis with family or friends, I hope it is something which you value, because these times are easily some of my favourite memories and being that I don't get to play local multiplayer games that often, either for logistical reasons or life just being busy, I certainly value these times even more. I will hopefully have the chance to play two-player local co-op on Streets of Rage 4 for the first time this week, it's a game which I already know that I love, I've played through it many times over online, but playing it locally, on the just released physical version for the Switch? I can't wait, and it will likely bring back some great memories of playing the original games locally on the Mega Drive as well. 1 1
Dufniall Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Day 30 - Personal gaming tradition Wow, interesting to see many of you have some kind of Christmas gaming ritual! I don't have any traditions like that, so I'm going for more of a habit thing. The first thing I do when starting a game is going through the option menu and check out all the options available. For PC this is especially useful because there are a lot of graphical settings to tweak. But I've been doing it for Nintendo consoles as well, just checking what options are there before starting the game itself. I'm guessing I'm not the only one who does this, but it also wouldn't surprise me if a lot of folks use a "shoot first, ask later" kind of approach. 2
Ronnie Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) @Goron_3 you should definitely put your choices up anyway. 22 minutes ago, Vileplume2000 said: Day 30 - Personal gaming tradition Wow, interesting to see many of you have some kind of Christmas gaming ritual! I don't have any traditions like that, so I'm going for more of a habit thing. The first thing I do when starting a game is going through the option menu and check out all the options available. For PC this is especially useful because there are a lot of graphical settings to tweak. But I've been doing it for Nintendo consoles as well, just checking what options are there before starting the game itself. I'm guessing I'm not the only one who does this, but it also wouldn't surprise me if a lot of folks use a "shoot first, ask later" kind of approach. I do the same. I don't end up actually tweaking much but I do do it just for the sake of it lol. Actually I was kind of struggling with this entry but reading the rest of your traditions has made me realise I have a ton. For instance I realised after I'd posted mine how I like to keep a record of every game I play to completion and give them a score out of 5, it's a nice way of keeping track of what I've played. Been doing it since 2013. Spoiler Edited July 30, 2020 by Ronnie 3
Ronnie Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, bob said: Oops. Kind of forgot that was on there. Edited July 30, 2020 by Ronnie
bob Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Oops. Kind of forgot that was on there. :blush:I'm just surprised you only gave it 1 out of 5.Everyone knows it's a masterpiece. 1
Glen-i Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 7 minutes ago, bob said: I'm just surprised you only gave it 1 out of 5. Everyone knows it's a masterpiece. The only way he'd give it a score that low is that he didn't know what kind of game it was before playing it. So I'm going with that theory.
Mandalore Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Day 30 - Personal gaming tradition I like the fresh smell when I open a new factory sealed game. 1 1
Ronnie Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 1 minute ago, Glen-i said: The only way he'd give it a score that low is that he didn't know what kind of game it was before playing it. So I'm going with that theory. Put it down to curiosity. Well that and the ginger bear looked hot... 1 3
bob Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Day 30 - Personal gaming tradition I like the fresh smell when I open a new factory sealed game.Did anyone else used to open up the compartments underneath their GameCube and sniff there?Dat plasticky smell.Just me? 1
Goafer Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 55 minutes ago, Mandalore said: Day 30 - Personal gaming tradition I like the fresh smell when I open a new factory sealed game. No, but you have just reminded me that I used to love opening a new game as soon as I left the shop, then reading the manual on the car ride home. First the loss of the Argos catalogue and now the realisation that I'll never be able to enjoy a game manual. My childhood is truly dead. 1
BowserBasher Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 Day 30 - Personal Gaming Tradition hmmmm. Tough one as I don’t really have that many traditions in gaming. I guess I could go with something like Animal Crossing and always naming my island after a favourite film/show/place. Maybe Thursday night Mario Kart here counts... oh. Beeping the horn before the race starts even though it doesn’t seem to do anything on other people’s screens. Been part of that for quite a few years now. Maybe in any 3D platformer when getting control of the character for the first time just running in circles. 1
Glen-i Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) 18 minutes ago, BowserBasher said: Beeping the horn before the race starts even though it doesn’t seem to do anything on other people’s screens. Yep, me too. No-one else ever sees it. "Da-na-na na-na naaaaa!" BEEEEEEEP! Metal Mario's horn is easily the worst. No comedy to it. King Boo has the best one. Edited July 30, 2020 by Glen-i 1
Julius Posted July 30, 2020 Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) Right, been very hit-and-miss when it comes to consistency on this, but it's time to catch up. I'll start with today's topic first. Day 30: Personal Gaming Tradition In terms of something I would consider a tradition seeing as I do it pretty much every time I play a game: lights out, curtains drawn, door closed. Like when focusing on a film, I want to be as focused as I can (reasonably) be on whatever it is that I'm playing. In terms of returning to games, I don't really have games that I return to on an annual basis like many do here. I have a lot of respect for @Glen-i returning to Explorers of Sky so often (it is probably one of my most played story-driven games, I've played it four or five times I think and that's excluding Explorers of Time), it's short, sweet, and so impactful. Though then again, I have played Chrono Trigger two Januaries in a row...coincidence? No idea, guess we'll find out in January 2021 oh, and I quite enjoyed reading through the list of games you've played over the last few years @Ronnie! In terms of other traditions? Unwrapping games as soon as they arrive, even if I know they'll be on the shelf for a while (looking at you, Yakuza 6). Watching credits all the way through like I do with films, I really like when I get to a point where I start recognising the same names popping up. Ejecting a game cartridge or disc as soon as I am done with it (whether that be story or 100% completion), putting it back in its case, and throwing it on a pile of complete games (found this is the best way for me to motivate myself to get through far more games than I have before). Screen protectors for anything and everything that needs it. And I always keep a game installed that I can play pretty mindlessly, like FIFA or Need for Speed, for whenever I'm not really in the mood for watching or playing something new. Now to catch up... Day 15: Best Story Really surprised by just how many aren't the biggest fan of stories in their games, but to each their own! For me, story is oftentimes the biggest draw when it comes to just about any entertainment (as some might be able to tell from my previous Gaming Diary or Anime thread posts), so it's little surprise that this is another really tough one for me. But there's only when answer for me when I think of the best story I've experienced in a video game. I will wholeheartedly throw in the towel here on Hard Mode, because this won't be the last time I mention this series. The Last of Us. I only played this for the first time a few months ago, somehow managing to avoid spoilers for the better part of a decade, and it blew my socks off. I don't really touch horror games in any definition of the genre, but had to make an exception for this solely because of the praise I'd heard for its story, and it also gave me a great opportunity to decide on whether I was going to buy and play its sequel last month (spoiler: I did. I pre-ordered it before I finished the game). Having only played the first three Uncharted games before this, apart from standout moments in Among Thieves, it was really difficult for me to understand the hype behind Naughty Dog. This sold me on everything they might do for the next decade. Brilliantly paced with a terrific soundtrack from Gustavo Santaolalla, a nerve-wracking world which matches the dread of surviving its moment-to-moment gameplay, great characters and some of the standout character moments in video game storytelling, the real difficulty here was trying to justify my other potential picks with this in mind. That being said, honourable mentions to Chrono Trigger, the most tightly-packed and impactful JRPG I've played (and it isn't even close) with a great time travel story, and my other mention has to go to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Excellent story with some of the best setpieces in video games. Day 16: Most Interesting Collectibles The Last of Us Part II. Specifically, the notes left behind from the old world which you'll find as you make your way through the game. It just adds such a depth to each and every area. Most buildings have notes left behind, as well as their fair share of corpses and Infected, which all combine into small vignettes, and you're often left piecing together what happened there. The way it goes about this is by detailing things from codes for opening safes, to dark secrets kept until someone's dying breath, to something like the above: a guilt-ridden admission of taking safety for granted in such a brutal world. Special mention to Dragon Quest XI's Mini Medals, they're so abundant and smartly placed that it's impossible to not find yourself opening up everything you can get your hand on, or deviating from the beaten path. What's most interesting about them isn't necessarily how you obtain them, or where, but rather how much it incites just exploring every nook and cranny with confidence that, at some point, you will find a Mini Medal. Along similar lines, special mention also to Final Fantasy VII Remake's Music Discs, which are remixes of a number of songs from the original game (many for locations and characters not in this game), hinting at a musical taste of what is to come next. Day 17: Racing Game Burnout Paradise. Killer soundtrack, huge variety in challenge and race types available, fun collectibles and open world, and it's always awesome seeing the crumple zones come into play when you inevitably end up crashing. Day 18: Best Mini Game "Hey, how about a game of Lucky Hit?" For the fiftieth time, street vendor: yes. Shenmue II's Lucky Hit reminds me of a simpler time of when I visited family in the Philippines for a month at the age of 8 back in 2007, when I would frequently see similar boards dotted around while walking the streets there, and would bet on them with my cousins. Cosy times I feel perfectly captured in Shenmue II, where throughout your journey in Hong Kong you will have the opportunity to play game after game of Lucky Hit (in an attempt) to earn some serious cash. It's simple: you drop a ball from the top of an angled board packed with pins, normally arranged based on the design of an animal or creature on the board, and hope your ball lands in one of the designated win slots, either for a payout or a prize. Seriously addicting but its so simple and fun, I had to tear myself away from it after a while, otherwise I'm sure Ryo's story would have ended right then and there: a lost, down on his luck foreigner with a newfound gambling addiction. Special mentions this time to the Pokéathlon events in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, as well as the Pokémon Contests in Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and Diamond/Pearl/Platinum. Put a lot of time into earning those medals and ribbons as a kid. Day 19: Melee Combat Playing the Arkham series backwards right now, returning to the first three having played Arkham Knight first a few years ago (finished Arkham Asylum a few weeks ago), and it's interesting from only playing the first and most recent entries in the series how consistent the combat is, save for small differences in the timing of how Batman reacts. The weight of the blows Batman deals, and the impacts of those he is dealt, are hard to not feel, and chaining combos together while beating down on Gotham punks is awesome. Agree with a lot of the other choices mentioned though: God of War, Spider-Man, NieR:Automata, But my special mentions have to go to the first two Shenmue games for how it perfectly evolved the arcade-style structure and mechanics of Virtua Fighter to make a compelling and fun melee combat system, as well as, perhaps with a hint of recency bias, Ghost of Tsushima. A lack of lock-on hurts it for me, but it still easily has my favourite "normal" sword combat of any game I've ever played, Day 20: Saddest Moment The Last of Us Part II. Spoiler Joel singing Future Days at the start of the game hit me, and how it's weaved through the entire narrative up until the very end where Ellie can no longer can connect with Joel through music...it hit like a ton of bricks. Troy has a great voice. But what hit even harder was learning that Joel and Ellie had reconciled before earlier events in the game, and that Ellie had chosen to forgive him before everything else went down. It was bittersweet to learn, but filled me with relief and hope. It's perfectly acted by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, and as someone who doesn't have the best of relationships with their father...there were tears in my eyes. @Glen-i, yep, that's definitely the sad moment to choose from Explorers, but it's an excellent one! And @Vileplume2000, about Valkyria Chronicles, excellent pick, really glad that you mentioned it. That moment got me too. Especially when... Spoiler ...Rosie fulfils her promise to Isara by singing to her. Even if it was too late. I hate to admit that I cringed a little at the very start of it, but by the end there were a lot of tears. Such a beautiful and emotional moment. Day 21: Game that takes you back to your childhood Pokémon Diamond & Pearl. I mentioned this only last month in another thread, so yes, I'm going to quote myself Quote Those games were my Red & Blue in a lot of ways. Though Ruby was the first game I owned in the series, that was very much a solo experience for me; these released the summer I returned to the UK after six months in Australia. I remember walking around Bournemouth on holiday with my family (I even remember it was August 27th 2007, so I was actually a little late), my aunts picking me up a copy of Pokémon World in a WHSmith around noon, and me not shutting up about the game in the magazine the whole day. Before we left to drive back that afternoon, we stopped off at ASDA and my aunts treated me with a copy of Diamond, and my younger sister a copy of Pearl. I don't think I had my DS with me at the time so I didn't start playing until the following day. So many warm memories of playing that game. We were living with my grandad at the time while we waited on a rental property (we'd only been back in the UK a few weeks at that point), and I'd often get dragged out on a whim to go shopping or enjoy the sun, and close my DS. My grandad had an awful habit of turning it off while I was out, which definitely taught me the importance of saving regularly! Then I returned to school a week later to start Year 4, same school I was at before just missed the last two thirds of Year 3 basically, and this game absolutely blew up. Everyone had a DS, everyone brought it in, battles, trades, contests, it was a lot of fun. Having tournaments on rainy day lunchtimes was great too, I remember we had a ranking table. That was good fun. Also remember being at a friend's house in early October, well after finishing the story (man that Cynthia fight was intense but I loved it, think I've mentioned it before but a LV 2 Starly effectively replaced my starter in this game and Staraptor wiped the floor for me a lot of the time), and stumbled across the path to Spring Path completely by accident. He watched me in total awe as I made my way through Turnback Cave on my first try (a healthy mix of pure luck and actually good dungeon design, because I remember instinctively heading in the right direction) and we saw Giratina for the first time, I caught it in an Ultra Ball. I was the only one with Giratina for the longest time, and that made for some really interesting battles! Probably my favourite main series Pokémon OST alongside Ruby & Sapphire, too. So many great memories. Day 22: Favourite Playable Character Going to have to second @Happenstance on this one. Without hesitation: Kazuma Kiryu. I've mentioned it before, but having "only" played 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2 and 3 to this point, I feel like I have a strong grasp on Kiryu as a character now having played through around 100 hours of adventures with him, and I maintain that he is a role model male video game character, and a prime example of how everyone should try to act. Day 23: Best Licensed Video Game Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005). Told you it would be back. I've put thousands of hours into this game. To date, the best Battlefront game (and then some), one of the best Star Wars campaigns which elegantly walks that fine line and successfully ties the prequel and original trilogies together, which is no mean feat, a diverse range of modes (Galactic Conquest is like Monopoly meets turn-based, galactic scale Star Wars skirmishes, with four unique endings for victory as the Republic, Separatists, Rebels, and Imperials). It has space combat, ground warfare, and a vast array of heroes, and one of the best hero implementations in a game like this. I love this game. Admittedly, I haven't played Knights of the Old Republic (though I know the story inside and out, thanks Wookieepedia for indulging a young Star Wars fan well over a decade ago!), nor have I played Rogue Leader. I simply wasn't at an age where that was feasible when they were released, but I hope to play them soon (I've got KOTOR on Steam, so that's ready to go when I'm in the mood). But special mentions to Republic Commando, the original Battlefront, and the first two LEGO Star Wars games. I think there's an undeniable fact here the more and more I talk about this: Star Wars by far has the strongest catalogue of licensed video games. Fight me. Day 24: Best Final Mission Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It's hard to nail down what exactly the final mission is here seeing as there's a fluidity to how levels weave into one another, but I'll just say that final boss fight. It takes everything you've learned throughout the game and forces you to take someone on who is objectively stronger than you are, wraps all of the game's themes and messaging into a nice bow, and has some excellent music backing it all up. Day 25: Online Multiplayer Got to admit, I really don't play many games online, so I'll go with Rocket League. Great mechanics and gameplay, it's a whole lot of fun and chaos but, like the best of games, it's easy to pick up yet difficult to master. It's easy to sink hours into. Not at all mentioning them in the same breath as Rocket League...but I have put far more hours into EA's Battlefront and Battlefront II online offerings than I would ever care to admit. Those are at the opposite end of the spectrum (or at least they were, DICE have actually turned Battlefront II around for the most part since launch). Day 26: Favourite NPC Mimir from 2018's God of War. If you've played the game, you know exactly why. But again, @Glen-i the Explorers call here with Wigglytuff is a great one. So many great characters in that game...might be time for a replay soon. Day 27: Best Boss Battle Jenova from Final Fantasy VII Remake. Not going to spoil anything about it, but this game has plenty of great boss battles, but this one stands out for how well it punches through the roof that were my expectations for this game (which were super high, by the way). Awesome song to back it up, because of course that's something that would win me over, shame I can't post a link to share it because Square Enix are still busy clamping down on this game's OST. Special mentions to the first colossus in Shadow of the Colossus; the final boss, The Shagohod, and The End in Metal Gear Solid 3; and Magus in Chrono Trigger. But an extra special mention to The Ice Queen in Dragon Quest XI. Up until that point, the sum of my turn-based JRPG experience was a long list of Pokémon games and Final Fantasy VII. I love those games, but it was so easy to just brute force my way through battles, and I never understood why anyone would be more tactical in their approach to turn-based games, specifically when it came to buffs and debuffs. Enter The Ice Queen. Up until that point in Dragon Quest XI I had cruised along without any concern, I don't think I had got close to meeting my maker, so much so that I was still trusting the AI to control my other characters. Against The Ice Queen I hit that wall, and I hit it hard. I tried brute force again after wiping for the first time in the game, but then figured that I would have to play it more methodically. Taking control of my other characters and focusing for the first time on buffs and debuffs, I found myself going from a struggling hero to one who overcame The Ice Queen with aplomb. I will never forget that boss fight, as it's the first time that I found myself having serious difficulty for reasons other than low levels in a JRPG, and while levelling up I'm sure would have fixed things, I'm so happy I learned the hard way. It resulted in an hour long clash of back and forth buffs, debuffs, and long sequence setups with the final boss of the main story in Dragon Quest XI, as well as me figuring out how to grind to LV 99 effectively in the game, comparing my tactics to others online for doing so and even being so bold as to tweak their tried and true tactics with my own spin to make it even more efficient. It opened up the world of JRPG's to me, for instance my three hour back and forth with Storm Dragon in Final Fantasy VI where I was adamant that I wouldn't grind and would find a way to overcome it without, and I did. That's one of my proudest moments in a game to date. Day 28: Favourite DLC/Expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind. A great two hour long epilogue to a great game which explores something briefly mentioned in the main game, and expands on it and delivers in a great way. Pacing and writing just as good as the main game, some more excellent music from Santaolalla, it adds so much meaning to what could have easily been some throwaway lines in the main game, and adds more standout moments and interactions to the long list you can already find in the main game. It is must play if you play The Last of Us. Day 29: Favourite Graphics/Art Style Having not played Wind Waker I don't feel it's fair for me to throw another mention at that, though that art style used in promotion is exactly why I bought Spirit Tracks. Wind Waker was that game I didn't know the name of as a kid (not until Smash Bros. Brawl) but wanted to play, mainly thanks to its art style. Having played Breath of the Wild I think that game also has a beautiful art style, up there with the very best. And @Goafer's mention of Persona 5 is absolutely something I need to mention, that game's art style is fantastic (as is that opening), and it doesn't get old during the around 100 hours you'll spend with that game. On the other end of things, in terms of realistic art style, I think Ghost of Tsushima and its vibrant and colourful island of Tsushima is the best in that regard. But I'm going to finally give a game I've mentioned a lot in my honourable mentions a win here. Say what you might (or rather, what I might!) about Square Enix's underhand marketing and distribution of this game in the West, Dragon Quest XI perfectly captures Akira Toriyama's art style in a 3D setting, is a massive step up technically from Dragon Quest VIII (which let's be honest, also probably deserves mentioning here in the art style department), and Toriyama's art style just matches the cosy vibes of Yuji Horii's Dragon Quest world. This is then furthered by battle animations and other interactions in the world, which just emanate an overwhelming feeling of warmth. And that's me all caught up! Edited July 30, 2020 by Julius 8 1
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