#there was fuckall else I could've been doing

[followerofmercy]

For the game ask thingy.... how about 3, 6, 16, and 27?

From this game here:

3: Best game you’ve ever played?

aaaa by what criteria? For most fun gameplay wise, Monster Hunter 3u. For most fun concept, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. Story, Undertale. Overall enjoyment, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.

6: A game that’s changed you the most?

I think this weird little playstation game called Scaler was very formative to how I feel about animals now. It's about a boy who cares a LOT about lizards and gets transported into a reptile-dominated world while also getting to take on the forms of different reptiles. It's the first game I can remember that I was obsessed over.

16: Character you’ve hated most? From what game?

I have a pretty strong dislike for Dr. Ratio from Honkai: Star Rail, but my opinion of him is changing as I realize he actually cares a little bit about people dsaljf. I also thought Emile from Halo: Reach was a bit of a dickhead but, again, warmed up to him over time.

27: Has there ever been a moment that has made you cry?

Oh, tons. I cried in FFX when Yuna danced to send the departed, when Auron sat in pain at the gate of the Farplane and in a really meta moment when Yuna was the only character I had with an ultimate weapon. She'd outgrown all of her guardians and I was so touched aslfd

I've cried three times in Honkai: Star Rail in the last week! There was a point where a lady is trying to kill herself and you have to hold onto her. She snaps back that you don't just get to play hero in this one moment and leave her to suffer later and that... That fucked me up a bit. Aventurine also has a pre-recorded message on joining that party shortly after, again, killing himself (?). Then there was Aventurine's onscreen mental breakdown! I think Focalors's death in Genshin also got some waterworks.

Also Six's death in Reach. It was a GOOD ending. Shame they only made Halo 1-4 and Reach and then just stopped. Felt like they were going somewhere.

Oh and Minecraft has made me cry as a teenager! I opened up a new survival world, thought about how I have literally more virtual world than I could possibly explore myself with nobody in it and felt so overwhelmed with loneliness that I had to close the game asldfjsdfa.

[4ragon]

I'd like to hear the opinions on obscure rpgs!

Okay so here's the thing

I really do think Tales of Legendia actually had a lot going for it, but there was also just so much they completely fucked up? Just like. Entirely fucked up. And I'm not just talking about the weird borderline incest stuff which yes I get it they're not actually siblings but you made this choice video game they didn't have to call each other siblings for the first twenty hours they really didn't please why the fuck did

Sorry I'm getting off track. Time to rant about a topic no one cares about.

Like. I still think it's worth playing for the novelty of it, but Tales games kind of stand on three main things: the characters, the story, and the worldbuilding. And I think these were all absolutely fucked by the world's WEIRDEST pacing issue.

(quick spoiler warning I guess, if anyone is worried about Legendia spoilers)

So like. This story is broken into 3 very distinct sections. And to be fair, plenty of other Tales games get this distinct 3 act structure. Vesperia does it, Vesperia has the clearest separation between it's three main acts. BUT Legendia's breaks go: 1) save Shirley from being kidnapped (which is also just so deeply boring fr fr), 2) stop Shirley from destroying the world with her mermaid powers, 3) OOPS WE FORGOT TO WRAP EVERYONE ELSE'S CHARACTER ARCS UP LET'S DO THAT REAL QUICK.

Like???? What the fuck????????

It's at least kind of like my gripes with the Persona social links where a lot of their best character building is not woven naturally into the story, but unlike Persona, this entire section feels like epilogue up until the very end when randomly you're stopping a god from destroying the world, which by the way has NOTHING to do with the rest of the plot like what the fuck?????

Why save all of the character building for AFTER the main plot???? Why not weave it in naturally? Like every other Tales game?? Hello??? Like, truly and sincerely, the weird 20 hour epilogue section is my favorite part of this game, because it's the first time I started actually caring about these characters.

The first twenty hours of the game end up feeling like an absolute slog. Nothing feels like it's happening, and they are not putting in the legwork to make the characters interesting, and the world feels empty, and the story kind of has fuck all to do with anyone at this point. Like yes, Shirley has been kidnapped, oh no, but I don't care about some war happening on the mainland that has fuckall to do with anyone or anything we ever see. At least Tales of Rebirth has other things happening when you're on your rescue mission. I don't know Shirley that well by this point, and everything I do know about Senel just serves to annoy me. Maybe some of it is his voice acting, I dunno.

OH also, quick detour, I hate the art direction, voice acting and gameplay of ToL. It came out after Symphonia but somehow all of these feel like a step backwards? The character models look janky as hell, you don't get costumes until ng+ and you can't even take those off, the voice acting is kind of mid, the gameplay decided to go back to 2D plains for fighting for some reason, the overworld walking feels SO UNBEARABLY SLOW. Like most of the time I'm not going to comment on gameplay since that's not what y'all are here for and I haven't actually played a few of these games, but man, come on ToL.

Just as a note: I think they could've made the setting interesting. I really do. Because conceptually, it is really fascinating. You're on a giant mystery ship perpetually sailing around the world, that has only recently begun getting settlers (which I guess ignore the weird colonialism to that plot). There are rumors there's a secret weapon on board, and the warring nations of the world want to steal it for their war that we the players never really get any info about? At all? And feel no investment in tbh.

In most Tales games the setting and the politics of the world your in are usually pretty important, and by the end of a lot of them you usually get a plane or something to travel the whole world, but you really don't get that in Legendia. Which is fine, but the world of Legendia is just so vastly empty, and also, kind of boring. Like, imagine if this landmass actually resembled a ship? Like there were distinct structures you could explore that just scream "we are in a unique setting" come on!!! But no, it's just land, and some caves, and some plains, and some mountains. Nothing feels like an overgrown ancient structure at all. And you never get to pilot that ship around the world. That would've been so cool.

Also, again, there's nothing there. I like the idea of a hub city in theory. You have the one town that keeps getting new residents as you get new party members. Other than that town and the port, there are some bandit camps and two secret cities. But neither of the cities are all that interesting, and you're only there for a short amount of time. You really could make that work, but 90% of the game is walking slowly from one empty place to another. I dunno, maybe it would've worked better if more things happened in the town? Or if exploring the wilderness felt more fun? Like they try to do that, but it really doesn't work with the way this game is now. I wonder if a remake could make that more fun, but I can't imagine them remaking this game.

There are parts of this game I like. Honestly, it's some of the best music in any RPG! It's so cool and jazzy. It sounds nothing like any other Tales game and that's so fun. I do like most of the characters well enough, and I actually got really invested in Jay and Will's stories. And, honestly, after that slog of an opening, once we get to the Shirley plot, I actually found it really interesting. Because it goes from weird outside politics I don't feel invested in to "Oh this girl we've grown to care about is now on the opposite side of a complicated power struggle" and that's really interesting! It is! That stuff is great! But whooooo boy.

Also uh. The incest stuff. Again. They're not actually siblings. There was no reason to make that a plot twist. Let Shirley and Chloe be lesbians. It's the correct choice.

[hrodvitnon]

TIL that before the Day One Patch on Elden Ring, Malenia aka Le Raison D'etre of Let Me Solo Her, was even more difficult than how she is NOW!

To cut the story down to Godrick post ass-handed size, she was more aggressive in combat, would parry your attacks better, and had a SECOND variant of that god damn Waterfowl Dance move.

And this is on top of how in-game rn that she LITERALLY fucking cheats the system by not even affected by poise damage DESPITE the fact her poise level is really god damn low by Boss standards. Everyone else in-game takes poise damage when not attacking and even when they are hit, but not her.

Couple that with how when her Great Rune is broken af when she uses it to steal YOUR health bar, but when you use it, it don't do fuckall.

Now if you'll excuse me, I hear Monarch getting complaints of hearing a few blood curdling screams coming from Maddison in regards to this...Emma musta found out and told her this shit.

If Maddie didn't need blood pressure medication from the game as a whole, the very thought of pre-Day One Patch Malenia is enough for Maddie to achieve her own Burning Form, because Jesus H Christ, Malenia could've been an worse nightmare of a boss?!