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[Deleted member 2258]

Question is it more fun going through FFVIII and cheesing it with a guide or just rolling with it and cheesing it with the “near” invincibility cheats?

I think the key to it is to make sure you understand the systems and how they work, so you have the freedom to create the kind of fun you want.

Think of the draw system as harvesting. People like harvesting, right? A guide can be useful in making sure you don't miss out on cool things. You could even miss out on a bunch of GF's if you don't know what you're doing.

 

[Josh5890]

I never found the combat to be all that good in FF8 back in the day, IMO the appeal of the game is to 'break' it with the junction system and just blast through battles quickly; especially since enemies level up with you it's not even a good idea to gain too many levels as you can make things harder.

I still really like FF8, but it's for most everything other than the combat: The world is interesting and has a cool look and vibe, some of the characters are endearing and I'm kind of a sap for the love stories in it, the music is great, and the REAL combat system of the game is the GOAT Triple Triad

Triple Triad is the main game. There just happens to be an RPG story around it.

 

[Mandos]

I never found the combat to be all that good in FF8 back in the day, IMO the appeal of the game is to 'break' it with the junction system and just blast through battles quickly; especially since enemies level up with you it's not even a good idea to gain too many levels as you can make things harder.

I still really like FF8, but it's for most everything other than the combat: The world is interesting and has a cool look and vibe, some of the characters are endearing and I'm kind of a sap for the love stories in it, the music is great, and the REAL combat system of the game is the GOAT Triple Triad

I have the switch version which has speed up, invincibility/max charge and turn off encounters. Sounds like this is one where turning off encounters is a plus

 

[SammyJ9]

I have a serious case of 'I just started a new game and now it's all I can think about at work all day' syndrome. I just want to get back to dungeon crawling!

 

[PixelKnight]

Can’t decide between Octopath II and Redemption Reapers next week. Maybe Octopath as I’m fresh off finishing Fire Emblem?

 

[SammyJ9]

Can’t decide between Octopath II and Redemption Reapers next week. Maybe Octopath as I’m fresh off finishing Fire Emblem?

Personally I’d go with Octopath, especially since Redemption Reapers is both another tactics game and also kind of an unknown quantity right now. Maybe wait for reviews?

 

[PixelKnight]

Personally I’d go with Octopath, especially since Redemption Reapers is both another tactics game and also kind of an unknown quantity right now. Maybe wait for reviews?

Yeah, you’re right. Looking forward to both! I could play the Octopath demo I guess…

 

[xghost777]

I never found the combat to be all that good in FF8 back in the day, IMO the appeal of the game is to 'break' it with the junction system and just blast through battles quickly; especially since enemies level up with you it's not even a good idea to gain too many levels as you can make things harder.

I still really like FF8, but it's for most everything other than the combat: The world is interesting and has a cool look and vibe, some of the characters are endearing and I'm kind of a sap for the love stories in it, the music is great, and the REAL combat system of the game is the GOAT Triple Triad

I don’t recommend a guide personally. I think it’s fun to stumble in that game and figure out what works best yourself personally. You can always mess around with it at the end or on another playthrough. If things start getting too tough, yeah shutting off encounters is fine. There’s an in game way to do it, but if you miss out, sure use the cheat mode. The story is pretty cool and I really think the end is well worth seeing.

 

[xghost777]

I rolled credits in Forspoken tonight which was my first 2023 game I beat. Came up a bit more suddenly than I expected mostly in a good way. Definitely enjoyed how the story all came together and as you level up your powers it does become very fun. I’m not sure if I’m going for the Platinum trophy or not, but I do feel I have unfinished business so I’m playing for a while longer at least. There’s a lot of the world that goes unexplored in the main story and they give you the fourth power set way too close to the end for you to explore it. There’s so many other games out there it is hard to recommend one that is just good and fun enough, but if you were interested in it it’s solid. If you were a big fan of Final Fantasy XV in particular though I do think you should check it out. There’s a lot of FFXV in there and it’s cool to see what they built on.

I’m still playing Fire Emblem GBA in addition to Forspoken. I’m roughly halfway through and having fun still.

 

[rickyson33]

I randomly started playing Chained Echoes on a whim and I gotta say i'd be so much more into retro style games if they all had snappy feeling movement around the map like this

it makes such a huge difference

 

[SammyJ9]

I randomly started playing Chained Echoes on a whim and I gotta say i'd be so much more into retro style games if they all had snappy feeling movement around the map like this

it makes such a huge difference

Chained Echoes is great, I need to go back to it and finish it still but it has great movement feel and is really snappy just in general, both in and out of battle. And a story that is twistier and weirder than it seems, even really far into it. I just got distracted by other games for now, but I'll definitely knock it out at some point soon.

 

[rickyson33]

Chained Echoes is great, I need to go back to it and finish it still but it has great movement feel and is really snappy just in general, both in and out of battle. And a story that is twistier and weirder than it seems, even really far into it. I just got distracted by other games for now, but I'll definitely knock it out at some point soon.

I only played for a hour and a half or so so i'm not very far in yet but it just makes such a great first impression and I feel like that snappiness is a big part of why

 

[Tailzo]

I only played for a hour and a half or so so i'm not very far in yet but it just makes such a great first impression and I feel like that snappiness is a big part of why

True. Battles, movement and story beats are swift and fast.

I am replaying Vandal Hearts for the first time in many years.

 

[SammyJ9]

Okay I get that equipping a two-handed weapon in Galleria means you use both hands obviously, but why does equipping a two-hand scythe take up both hand slots AND your feet slot? Are you using all four limbs somehow???

 

[ermitron2]

Okay I get that equipping a two-handed weapon in Galleria means you use both hands obviously, but why does equipping a two-hand scythe take up both hand slots AND your feet slot? Are you using all four limbs somehow???

Anime has taught me there's a lot of legwork involved in using scythes for fighting

 

[SammyJ9]

Making a lot of good progress in Galleria, although I’m wondering when the other shoe is going to drop - so far it’s really enjoyable, and there’s a lot of interesting weirdness going on with the plot, but it’s all been small teases and mostly everything is fairly standard so far, even the labyrinths are a bit on the usual early side. But I know that changes and some big things happen at some point, just have to wait and see I guess.

 

[rickyson33]

been playing a lot of Chained Echoes the last couple days and like 10 hours into it now

my only real complaints are some QOL stuff like it being annoying to manage crystals or how it's hard to remember what wet or dry or whatever does or how it's hard to remember what the icons on the overdrive bar stand for if I want to use an item and need to pick a type for it by name

other than that it's been great and I haven't even unlocked the mech stuff yet which i'm always a sucker for

 

[SammyJ9]

been playing a lot of Chained Echoes the last couple days and like 10 hours into it now

my only real complaints are some QOL stuff like it being annoying to manage crystals or how it's hard to remember what wet or dry or whatever does or how it's hard to remember what the icons on the overdrive bar stand for if I want to use an item and need to pick a type for it by name

other than that it's been great and I haven't even unlocked the mech stuff yet which i'm always a sucker for

Crystals/slots in equipment are the biggest ‘eh’ part of the game to me, but I found that they’re pretty much completely ignorable, don’t feel like you need to micromanage them much. Just pick a few really good ones and update them now and then.

The game just keeps expanding and getting better as you go, though! I love how small it starts off while still being quick and snappy about plot and character, and then it just builds and builds from there.

 

[rickyson33]

Crystals/slots in equipment are the biggest ‘eh’ part of the game to me, but I found that they’re pretty much completely ignorable, don’t feel like you need to micromanage them much. Just pick a few really good ones and update them now and then.

The game just keeps expanding and getting better as you go, though! I love how small it starts off while still being quick and snappy about plot and character, and then it just builds and builds from there.

yeah i've mostly just been ignoring the system other than having like 1 crystal per character that I just remove and put in the new gear whenever I replace whatever gear it's in

 

[xghost777]

I cleared out the map in Forspoken and claimed my 24th Platinum Trophy! It took 49 hours total and while it was repetitive I’m glad I stuck with it mainly because there really was a lot of the world you don’t see in the campaign. Like FFXV’s world, Athia was a world I enjoyed being in, looking at, and running through. While there sadly wasn’t anything extra wild tucked away like the Pitioss Ruins in FFXV (there is very sadly only one and quite basic repeated dungeon type in the game incidentally), there were a few areas, especially some gigantic coastline cliffs, that had some really fun platforming and enemy gauntlets. The final one I did in the North was extra cool as a breakstorm rolled in which severely limited visibility and just dumped enemies on me. I don’t remember if I mentioned this prior in this thread, but most of the spells in Forspoken are kind of junk with limited use or are just largely ineffective compared to your best spells. What I enjoyed about the post game though was that once you finish your last spell challenge, you can just enjoy the most fun and useful spells from your entire arsenal and those paired with the awesome movement abilities makes Frey very fun to control. Her final spell set lightning is incredibly over powered leveled up and boosted by equipment/crafting so it makes sense they handed it out at the end of the game. One spell in it is excellent for clearing out crowds with big blasts that radiate from you and another lets you essentially paint and spray piercing missiles on enemies which is both very flexible in use and very satisfying to set up and execute.

I think overall I do find Forspoken hard to recommend still, but if you were interested in it prior I’ll give it a still cautious, but more solid recommendation now and if you loved FFXV I would definitely encourage you to try it. There’s elements I find disappointing, with repetitive activities chief among them down to more minor stuff like the lore items you collect being uninteresting (it feels like 50+ of the notes all the say same thing and while I get why they probably did it, so the story hits if you didn’t collect a lot, it’s still disappointing). Yet, there’s a lot I do like too like the movement abilities, the world itself, and how the story all comes together and moves into the post game (with some limitations of course). What I’ll most remember though are those moments of brilliance often in combat when everything clicks. Chaining some perfect dodges in a chaotic battle to land a big, explosive counter just feels so exciting when backed up by incredible graphical spectacle.

 

[SammyJ9]

There is some weird shit starting to happen in Labyrinth of Galleria, and I just reached what feels like the final dungeon, but I know that can’t possibly be true based on the length of the game. So I really want to know what happens soon but also I have to get to bed so I’m coherent at work tomorrow, ugh.

And this game did the thing Refrain did of sneaking up on me emotionally, oof. Really starting to get attached to some of these characters.

 

[Vernal]

Impulse bought a PS5 just to play Octopath Traveler II on it. AMA.

/s but not really. I was gonna buy one later this year so it definitely pushed me to jump the gun lol

 

[Deleted member 2258]

@chocolate_supra Get ready to play through Chrono Cross one more time, they've announced that a patch is incoming to help with frame rate issues and bugs. And they're adjusting Pip!

 

[chocolate_supra]

@chocolate_supra Get ready to play through Chrono Cross one more time, they've announced that a patch is incoming to help with frame rate issues and bugs. And they're adjusting Pip!

LOL I was just coming in here to complain about that!! Why do the game improvement patches always come after I finish the game, even when I wait nearly a year to play??

 

[ermitron2]

It was the stream for the upcoming atelier games with some info.

For Ryza 3 they showed more field actions and the ending theme, and the expensive digital deluxe edition




And for Atelier Marie remake more gameplay than the teaser. It looks very good following the Links Awakening switch aesthetic (which makes sense as the original game was also SD). The most important part is that they are adding a new "relaxed" mode where you don't have to worry about the calendar (the original 5 year mode is still there) and one of the DLC include original graphics for the portraits.




Also I believe this is the first time they are actually using the "level up your happiness" slogan since they announced it in January

 

[Seven]

Making my way slowly through Labyrinth of Refrain's postgame; it honestly isn't that hard, I guess everything I read was once again your usual gamer hyperbole. I did pick up Galleria during the weekend and while I haven't played it I did put the game in my Switch so I can have it updated and ready. That being said I hate how the icons for Refrain and Galleria are mismatched, Refrain is main character art without the title similar to mobile games while Galleria is the game title with the wardrobe behind it. I wish NISA would release a small update for Refrain just for the icon, especially since the one for the demo was the exact same thing with the title on it.

 

[SirArthur]

Making my way slowly through Labyrinth of Refrain's postgame; it honestly isn't that hard, I guess everything I read was once again your usual gamer hyperbole.

I found the base game harder than the postgame. Granted I got really lucky with Gore Hits because of my team. The only real obstacle I found during postgame was the first boss you find. It took me many tries and a weird team comp.

 

[ermitron2]

Now that I finished FE and Metroid and while Octopath 2 releases I'm going through DQ3 where I left it (because no goddam news about the HD version). Cleared the real "Dark Souls moment" which was getting out alive from the pyramid with the golden claws on the first try, manage to get a first sage and advanced all the way of getting the first 2 orbs that don't need anything special. Working on leveling on to fight the Orochi as 2 party member were below level 20.

Also DQ3 predicted Brexit

 

[Tailzo]

I finished Vandal Hearts

 

[SammyJ9]

WHAT

 

[SammyJ9]

WHAT

Okay I hit post too soon but this is still an appropriate response for whatever the fuck is going on in Galleria

 

[ermitron2]

Okay I hit post too soon but this is still an appropriate response for whatever the fuck is going on in Galleria

Just going to get better

 

[Josh5890]

Three-day weekend and I "only" get ~9 hours of game time with Final Fantasy X. I made it to the beach battle with Sin. That boss fight took a while, but at least it is done.

Anyway, I like what I have played so far. It is pretty much linear to this point but there are some beautiful set pieces. The turn-based combat is good to have again. I haven't played one of those JRPGs in quite some time. The music is amazing. Sphere level up system makes sense once you know how to not screw yourself over. It took a while to figure out a good Blitzball strategy, but I finally won the cup after a few restarts lol.

This is the last mainline FF game that I have yet to beat. I can't wait to see how this game progresses!

One thing I am trying to do (again) is get through a whole JRPG game without touching a guide. This includes looking at one just to see where I am in the story. Maybe this time is the winner lol.

 

[Mandos]

Three-day weekend and I "only" get ~9 hours of game time with Final Fantasy X. I made it to the beach battle with Sin. That boss fight took a while, but at least it is done.

Anyway, I like what I have played so far. It is pretty much linear to this point but there are some beautiful set pieces. The turn-based combat is good to have again. I haven't played one of those JRPGs in quite some time. The music is amazing. Sphere level up system makes sense once you know how to not screw yourself over. It took a while to figure out a good Blitzball strategy, but I finally won the cup after a few restarts lol.

This is the last mainline FF game that I have yet to beat. I can't wait to see how this game progresses!

One thing I am trying to do (again) is get through a whole JRPG game without touching a guide. This includes looking at one just to see where I am in the story. Maybe this time is the winner lol.

Nice. I’ve got 8/9/10/12 in my backlog and I’ve started 8/9 tho I think I’m going to try and work on 8 a bit this week

 

[Seven]

I found the base game harder than the postgame. Granted I got really lucky with Gore Hits because of my team. The only real obstacle I found during postgame was the first boss you find. It took me many tries and a weird team comp.

I had a coven of Peer Fortresses that I soul transferred to Marginal Mazes and they tanked through the final boss of the base game with no damage. Anyway my progress slowed down due to Theatrhythm, but I'm starting to pick it back up again.

 

[chocolate_supra]

Another Eden, which already has For Legal Purposes Not Glenn, has just added For Legal Purposes Not Lucca.



Which begs the questions:

• when the hell is this coming to Switch, the announced it years ago? and
• when the hell is Square gonna wake up and give us the real thing?

 

[Tailzo]

Did anyone play void tRrLM();++ //Void Terrarium? I just got it for cheap. Looks good?

 

[SammyJ9]

Did anyone play void tRrLM();++ //Void Terrarium? I just got it for cheap. Looks good?

I’m going to assume that’s a game and your cat didn’t just walk across the keyboard?

 

[Tailzo]

I’m going to assume that’s a game and your cat didn’t just walk across the keyboard?

It is a game, yes. I read a couple of reviews. I had never heard about it before.

 

[SammyJ9]

It is a game, yes. I read a couple of reviews. I had never heard about it before.

Looking it up, I very vaguely remember seeing something about it. Apparently it’s a roguelike RPG?I have no idea how good it is, you’ll have to say how you like it!

… but seriously what the hell is up with that title

 

[xghost777]

Looking it up, I very vaguely remember seeing something about it. Apparently it’s a roguelike RPG?I have no idea how good it is, you’ll have to say how you like it!

… but seriously what the hell is up with that title

The title is art lol. Never played them, but it’s the same people who made htoL#NiQ (hotaru no nikki, firefly’s diary). I’m like 90% sure I have Firefly’s Diary since it was a PS+ game.

 

[Tailzo]

Looking it up, I very vaguely remember seeing something about it. Apparently it’s a roguelike RPG?I have no idea how good it is, you’ll have to say how you like it!

… but seriously what the hell is up with that title

I was just browsing physical ps5 rpgs, and this one was unknown to me. I looked it up and the few reviews I found were positive. I'll let you know after I finish Ishin.

 

[ermitron2]

Nippon Ichi Software announces ‘superpowers x academy RPG’ Xicatrice for PS5, PS4, and Switch - Gematsu

Following a teaser earlier this week, Nippon Ichi Software has officially announced "superpowers x academy RPG" Xicatrice for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch. It will launch on June 29 in…

www.gematsu.com

I mentioned this in the monthly ST but looking at the description was like "you are a teacher, you give a curriculum to each student to develop their abilities, you don't actually control the actions of your party, hey that battle screen looks familiar...." and just realized this is literally Criminal Girls just with a different theme

 

[Josh5890]

~15 hours through Final Fantasy X. I am currently going through the Lightning Plains. So far it mostly a linear experience, but I feel like I read that before somewhere that the game doesn't open up for exploration until later.

Someone slap me if I am wrong, but it feels like equipment isn't much of a focus in this game. It is all about leveling up with the sphere system. Game so far is providing to be difficult, but not too difficult. No boss has taken more than three times to beat. I've run low on Yuna's MP from healing after battles right as I reached the next town/save point. I'll assume that I am leveling up just fine. I think I could do a better job with getting my team stronger so that fights didn't drag out so long, but it is what it is. Lulu is definitely the MVP so far.

Looking forward to playing more tomorrow.

 

[SirArthur]

So I will visiting fam for the next month and thought why not make sure I get Azure delivered to their place. So it turns out, at least from Amazon, the copy says April. I thought maybe its my location but even using my og address it says April 13.

The game comes out in like 2 1/2 weeks and I doubt they would delay it so my guess is that the physical copies were limited (I had to issues with Zero). Does anyone who preorder it have the same delivery date?

 

[xghost777]

So I will visiting fam for the next month and thought why not make sure I get Azure delivered to their place. So it turns out, at least from Amazon, the copy says April. I thought maybe its my location but even using my og address it says April 13.

The game comes out in like 2 1/2 weeks and I doubt they would delay it so my guess is that the physical copies were limited (I had to issues with Zero). Does anyone who preorder it have the same delivery date?

I ordered through NISA for the LE and they just charged for it the other day and are getting ready for shipping. Sadly the runs for these games are small unless they do reprints down the road. Copies of Zero were sold out in November when it barely came out in September. You definitely want to preorder early for most NISA games if you want them at launch.

 

[SammyJ9]

I ordered through NISA for the LE and they just charged for it the other day and are getting ready for shipping. Sadly the runs for these games are small unless they do reprints down the road. Copies of Zero were sold out in November when it barely came out in September. You definitely want to preorder early for most NISA games if you want them at launch.

I thought I would be waiting on Azure since I finished Zero not THAT long ago and since I'm literally playing three different turn-based RPGs right now, and I probably still will! But I admit that part of me has an itch to get back to Crossbell and be with all these characters again. But I really need to finish at least one of these other games first, I don't think I can handle four JRPGs at the same time

 

[xghost777]

I thought I would be waiting on Azure since I finished Zero not THAT long ago and since I'm literally playing three different turn-based RPGs right now, and I probably still will! But I admit that part of me has an itch to get back to Crossbell and be with all these characters again. But I really need to finish at least one of these other games first, I don't think I can handle four JRPGs at the same time

Get back to Crossbell

Seriously though, this is really only an issue if you want a physical copy. If you go digital you are in good shape whenever. If you are worried about it though, I’d pick it up and just let it sit while you wrap up one or two of your other games.

I’m overdue for writing a proper update post here, but I have like six games I want to play right now so I know the feeling of not needing more games right now lol.

 

[SammyJ9]

Get back to Crossbell

Seriously though, this is really only an issue if you want a physical copy. If you go digital you are in good shape whenever. If you are worried about it though, I’d pick it up and just let it sit while you wrap up one or two of your other games.

I’m overdue for writing a proper update post here, but I have like six games I want to play right now so I know the feeling of not needing more games right now lol.

I might do a more in-depth update post at some point, but I can put one here for now. And I'm not worried about physical, so I'll probably just grab it digitally and play it when things have calmed down more (April is pretty wide open for me so that's going to be a catch-up month before TOTK comes out).

But yeah, things I'm currently playing:

• Chained Echoes: This one I think I'm close to done with, so I really need to wrap it up at some point, I just got distracted by other things
• Labyrinth of Galleria: I finished Act 1 (if it's called that) and am working on story in Act 2, and I honestly have absolutely no freaking idea how much longer I have, but from what people have said I'm not even sure I'm halfway done yet
• Octopath Traveler 2: Not super far yet but really liking it!

Things I want to play soon:

• Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty: This will be a nice fast-action counterpoint to all these turn-based RPGs (comes out next week)
• Trails from Azure (comes out in ~3 week)

Too many gameeeeeeeees

 

[xghost777]

I might do a more in-depth update post at some point, but I can put one here for now. And I'm not worried about physical, so I'll probably just grab it digitally and play it when things have calmed down more (April is pretty wide open for me so that's going to be a catch-up month before TOTK comes out).

But yeah, things I'm currently playing:

• Chained Echoes: This one I think I'm close to done with, so I really need to wrap it up at some point, I just got distracted by other things
• Labyrinth of Galleria: I finished Act 1 (if it's called that) and am working on story in Act 2, and I honestly have absolutely no freaking idea how much longer I have, but from what people have said I'm not even sure I'm halfway done yet
• Octopath Traveler 2: Not super far yet but really liking it!

Things I want to play soon:

• Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty: This will be a nice fast-action counterpoint to all these turn-based RPGs (comes out next week)
• Trails from Azure (comes out in ~3 week)

Too many gameeeeeeeees

Good collection of games there! No big thoughts here, but here’s mine:

Like A Dragon Ishin - excellent so far. I’ve always considered this series RPG-adjacent and Ishin is definitely the most RPG-like of them aside from 7 which cleanly is one.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line - I wasn’t a big fan of the first two games, but this one is legit with button controls. All Final Fantasy fans and rhythm game fans should pick this one up.

Xenoblade 3 Wave 3 DLC - the hero quest was bad and lacking, but the new arena battle mode is pretty fun. I did level 1 and level 2 on normal, I still have to tackle level 3. I need to carve out the time for this since it’ll take a while.

Fire Emblem GBA - halfway through, but on hold until I wrap up Theaterhythm at least. Frustrated I paused halfway through, but Ishin is high priority.

Octopath Traveler II and Kirby’s Return to Dreamland (not an RPG) - haven’t started either, too many games.

Upcoming - Trails to Azure - I already played the fan translation, but I had a lot of fun replaying Zero alongside Fami so this is a high priority, drop mostly everything else replay. I’m excited to write and host the ST for this soon.