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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:07 pm Reply with quote
Figured since the manga and anime boards have a catch all thread like this, the video games forums should get one too!

I'm currently playing Tales of Xillia and am adoring the ever loving hell out of it! The gameplay, which is the same brand of Tales addictive as always, has some tweaks to it that make it really fantastic, it's my favorite Tales combat system by far! I do plan to play Graces f too, but maybe I shouldn't play it back to back with Xillia. Can't wait to buy Xillia 2 too!

And on my 3DS, I've been playing Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (a DS game) and Wario Land 3, which I bought from the eshop. For M&L, I loved the first game, thought the second wasn't as good, but the third is back to being awesome! For Wario Land 3, I love how he can't die to anything, and horrific injuries, such as running around on fire or getting stomped flat, are actually used with some puzzle/platforming segments. And there's this helpful giant idol that tells me where to go when I'm lost!
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:51 pm Reply with quote
All my gaming time used to be dedicated to Tales of Graces. I normally don't do bonus dungeons or the like, but I was so in love with the game that I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to it yet. So I did the side quests, fought the optional bosses, and even maxed out all my characters to level 200.

I have Xillia in my to do pile, though I doubt it'll hold up to Graces. I already know Xillia falls into one of my more disliked trappings, which Graces amazingly avoided to my pleasent surprise.

I'll get Tales of Symphonia Chronicles and Xillia 2 when they come out, but I'm going to play Metal Gear Solid 4 first. I didn't have access to a PS3 for the longest time so I had missed out on it until now.

At the same time I'm playing The Walking Dead adventure game so I can contribute comments on it for a podcast.

I also keep getting delayed playing If My Heart Had Wings (patched, of course). I cleared Kotori and Ageha's routes so far and I'm now on Amane's. Butchered localization aside, I love the look of it (first HD visual novel I've played) and it is an enjoyable read. Ageha's route was kind of unbearable because of the crappy translation, but it got better once the sex started happening.
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Rahxephon91



Joined: 08 Jun 2003
Posts: 1859
Location: Park Forest IL.
PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 12:23 am Reply with quote
Finished Metro Last Light. The ending is rather unexciting. The story presents this exciting battle is coming as you're home base is under attack. The stakes are high and the battle to decide the fate of the Metro is about to begin.

Then in quick montage all the final "goodbyes" are said and the final battle/ level is you in one area basically defending a small place as you shoot at things coming near you. It was rather lame.

Game was still solid though.

Tales of Xillia: I finished it. It's a Tales game so it's fun to play. Ask someone else about the naunces of the battle system, because they are lost on me. It's fun to play and it works very well. Though, at least on normal I think the additions of the link partners are kind of superfluous. I bet you could get by without them. Either way it's fine.

Still, I didn't like the story. I didn't really care for the characters. Jude was a bit less "I have to protect!" people and I guess his story arc of finding courage to do something was a bit more exciting. I didn't chose Jude though, I chose Milla and I just didn't care about her. I didn't feel her story arch. Her story was far more plot based and it wasn't that great. She wasn't an engaging character, because she comes off cold and "I'm a god" type things on and on. I also didn't like the dual protag in the end, because man in the 4th chapter do you miss something major if you're not Jude. It had some cool monuments such as the entire situation of the other world. It made the villains from that place a bit better, because they kind of had realistic motives.

It was ok.

EX TROOPERS-Got this in. I kind of like it. You're AI partners are kind of stupid, but the game is really easy to get into. Really pick up and play. It's fun to dash and shoot around and as it throws more enemies at you things can get pretty hectic. I don't know, just a decent TPS. They don't really make arcadey shooters like this anymore.

Yakuza 5-It looks really good and it is Yakuza. Not much else to say. Haven't played a lot of it.

Beyond Two Souls-This is the greatest game ever. Like that party scene is so funny. It's trying so hard to depict real kids. But I mean what 16 year old girl gets a thong for her birthday? Maybe I just am too un-cool. Then the kids basically go ew! Books! I mean this kids are so unrealistically mean. Like there's no way they would be this bad this quickly. Then the "HOT" boy who talks to Jodie is of course British and from London. And get this! He's in a band and loves surfing. Then he goes from nice to asshole for seemingly no reason.

Last Ranker-This game is just really good. Sure a lot of the ranker battles have been "break thier gauge". Still, I feel very involved in battles. Having to time and think about the use of my "energy" makes battles feel like I'm thinking on the fly. Know nothing about the story.

Also lots of Battlefield 4.
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Raftina



Joined: 15 Mar 2011
Posts: 3282
PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 1:12 am Reply with quote
I have just finished a fairly long exercise (about 3 weeks) in breeding a Pokemon team for online battling in Pokemon X. The irony behind this exercise is that now that I am finished with the team, I have played less than half a dozen battles with it before deciding to put the game on hiatus.

I keep hearing that the game made the breeding process much easier, with the introduction of the Everstone and the Destiny Knot. Having skipped from gen 1 straight to gen 6, I cannot say from first hand experience, but the description of the differences makes me very glad of when I chose to resume this series. I find X/Y excellent, and the change from 3-D models was a great boon to the series, allowing for features like the Amie to forge greater bonds with your pokemon. I was very sad when my Kirlia evolved, as Gardevoir was not nearly as cute. On the downside, it dispelled my illusion that Gengar is a fun and friendly monster, as the Amie suggests strongly of an impish nature consistent with its constant trollface.

By tomorrow, I will be moving on. I am waiting for the last berry tree to bear fruit, And by moving on, I mean getting back to Fire Emblem: Awakening. I am going through a hard mode classic run at the moment. The ChromxFeMU support was highly disappointing, being spoiler[one badly worn romantic comedy cliche after another, at least until S rank,] but it will be worth it. It will be worth it to spoiler[troll Lucina with the pairing.] The common complaint about the game is that Intelligent Systems turned it into a pseudo dating sim and attracted the anime crowd. Well, I am one of the anime crowd it attracted, after more or less abandoning the series after 6 and 7--the support system is wonderful to play with and read.
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 1:45 am Reply with quote
@Vaisaga
I only just got a PS3 this past Black Friday. I'm currently unpleasantly surprised to suddenly learn that it refuses to play Blurays on my old standard TV. But I hate getting rid of things that aren't broken! It's why kept my original DS until I finally got a 3DS for Pokemon! Alas, I've gotten things on Bluray because I has expected I'd be able to play Blurays by now and now the Wakfu Kickstarter, it's gonna be bluray only, augh!

@Raftina
How in the hell did you skip right from gen 1 to gen 6? Soooo much has changed! Also, I spent a good amount of time in X doing clothing things, because while it appears I could care less irl, in a game, giving me the ability to buy clothes is way too much fun. I've bred a good Kangaskhan and Abra, I could breed a better Snover, but the one I have has 31 IV in HP and S.Atk and omfg, it's shiny! That's right, gen 1 didn't have shinies! I can't imagine trying to absorb all the changes that happened between gens 1 and 6 in just a few short months, yikes!

Anyhow, part of the fun for Xillia for me is that Jude isn't a bleeding heart idiot (a common trope to Tales heroes) and that Milla isn't an apologetic useless in battle Mary Sue. So I do like how different Jude and Milla are from the typical Tales heroes (because even the ones I like still follow those tropes for the most part). And I always approve of being one of two Tales guys to use fists, not swords. I also like being able to give everyone elf ears and dog muzzles. I will admit I'm not a big fan of how the party treats Alvin and his spoiler[chronic backstabbing disorder], they just seem waaay too ok with it.

I'm weird in that Tales of Legendia is my favorite Tales game, but I do find the gameplay highly addicting in all of them. But Legendia had my favorite cast and I loved how they interacted and got along, even if the story was average.
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Raftina



Joined: 15 Mar 2011
Posts: 3282
PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:27 am Reply with quote
If you have a monitor with HDMI input, chances are your PS3 can play bluray on your monitor. I think PS3 can only output bluray to HDCP compatible devices, which standard TVs are not.

I skipped from gen 1 to gen 6 because I didn't play handheld in the GBA and DS eras. By the time I got another handheld, the 3DS was already out, and I went with the PSP for Star Ocean, so I didn't get BW/BW2. It turned out to be fortunate, if everything I hear about breeding in previous generations are true. Also, clothes are awesome. I just spent about 700k on a clothes buying binge. >.>

Want to battle? 1246-9917-4900 Very Happy
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Generic #757858



Joined: 03 Nov 2008
Posts: 1354
PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 12:34 pm Reply with quote
Mass Effect 3 (X360)
Just finished my third and final playthrough (Control), this time as an absolute bastard Renegade-Shepard. spoiler[Man, betraying both Mordin and Wrex and then coldly gunning them down really made me feel like shit Sad ]. Still loved this game and the trilogy as a whole, quite possibly my favorites from last gen. And no, I'm not going to argue about it, so you can keep your opinions to yourself.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA)
Just a few missing items and the final battle left. I like it, but this is still the weakest Castlevania I've played so far. Juste's abilities are pretty boring compared to Symphony of the Night and Circle of the Moon and there's just too much backtracking, which isn't helped by the lack of fast travel and the game giving pretty much no directions or hints where you're supposed to go next.

Super Scribblenauts (DS)
Almost done with this too. Eh, I think I like this more as an idea and a concept. As a game, not so much. Harder puzzles and less freedom in solving them might've helped.
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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11265
Location: Frisco, TX
PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:04 pm Reply with quote
Guild Wars 2 -- The only other MMORPG I've ever played outside of MapleStory. A friend of mine got it for my birthday right before it launched and I've been playing it pretty much nonstop ever since. The dynamic world events are a cool concept, and I really like that the battle system can be configured to a PS3 controller to play like a console game. Other than that, I've made a character for each of the 8 current classes, maxed out their levels, and am currently grinding to get their builds/equipment closer to my own personal form of "adequate."

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance -- As I mentioned in the thread I made for it, I borrowed it from another friend and am very surprised at how kinetic and over-the-top the game is. I'm not very far into it, but the stylishness reminds me a little of Devil May Cry, only with the obvious Metal Gear influences. It's the complete polar opposite of the stealth they emphasize for the Solid series and feels quite refreshing.
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Raftina



Joined: 15 Mar 2011
Posts: 3282
PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:56 pm Reply with quote
If you liked Circle of the Moon, definitely give Order of Ecclesia a try. It has a similar control feel, being somewhere between the Symphony/Aria games and the classic CVs. The game can be described as a successful fusion of the classic and Metroidvania styles, with a mix of exploration and linear level clearing and having outdoor stages and bringing back the old school difficulty. OoE's weapon system is definitely more varied than any of the previous games, thanks to mapping different weapons to the X and Y buttons to create combos.
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Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 9:30 pm Reply with quote
I too am playing Tales of Xillia.
After FINALLY finishing Tales of Veperia (I hit a point where I just bailed on all the side quests, I needed to finish the game before I really started hating it), I was in a bit of a lull gamewise. No backlog games at all clamoring for my attention.
So I settled on Xillia.
Interesting story, I went to the local Gamestop last Saturday, first person in the store that day. Clerk asks me what I am looking for and I say Tales of Xillia. He starts looking on the register, and eventually says we don't have it, closest copy is in a store about 8 miles away. At one time, I had 10 Gamestops within 10 miles, I think I am now down to just 7.
I say ok, and start to leave, but then ask, and is that a new copy in that store? I am not driving that far for a used copy, I will order it online. He then says, oh, you want new? Let me check... we have a copy in stock!
They must sell virtually nothing that is not a preorder, used, or released in the past few weeks.

Last 5 games finished:
Tales of Vesperia
Okami HD
Sweet Fuse
Project Diva F
Gravity Rush
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Cam0



Joined: 13 Dec 2009
Posts: 4884
PostPosted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 5:53 am Reply with quote
Rahxephon91 wrote:
Finished Metro Last Light. The ending is rather unexciting. The story presents this exciting battle is coming as you're home base is under attack. The stakes are high and the battle to decide the fate of the Metro is about to begin.

Then in quick montage all the final "goodbyes" are said and the final battle/ level is you in one area basically defending a small place as you shoot at things coming near you. It was rather lame.

Game was still solid though.


Yeah I've been playing that as well. Bought it on steam during the sales. I haven't finished it yet but so far it has been pretty amazing. The atmosphere (heightened by the graphics) is amazing. The dark areas are really creepy with those spiders and the surface is a sight to behold. I really have to finish that game.

Also I've been playing Hitman Absolution, something I also bough during the sales. It's pretty good. It's fun that there are multiple ways to finish a job, but it does mostly go down to sneaking around.

Also I've been committing mortal sin as always and been playing loads of Call of Duty.

Generic #757858 wrote:
Mass Effect 3 (X360)
Just finished my third and final playthrough (Control), this time as an absolute bastard Renegade-Shepard. spoiler[Man, betraying both Mordin and Wrex and then coldly gunning them down really made me feel like shit Sad ]. Still loved this game and the trilogy as a whole, quite possibly my favorites from last gen. And no, I'm not going to argue about it, so you can keep your opinions to yourself.


You have nothing to say about the ending? Do you believe in the indoctrination theory? I too loved Mass Effect, but the ending was questionable.
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ikillchicken



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 7272
Location: Vancouver
PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 5:08 am Reply with quote
Huh. I picked up Metro yesterday for PS3. Haven't started it yet but good to hear that it's good.
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Raspberry'Gynoid



Joined: 31 Jan 2014
Posts: 30
PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 7:52 pm Reply with quote
Well, I'm glad to see that there are Tales fans here.

I've been recently replaying Tales of Phantasia again. In particular because my pre-order of Tales of Symphonia will be released soon.

As well, I'm playing DoDonPachi Sai Dai Ou Jou and various other Cave games. Doing my best to improve as always.
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 1:33 am Reply with quote
Well I just beat Tales of Xillia! At least on the Jude line, I don't plan to play Milla's right yet, but I'm sure I'll replay the game in the future and do it then.
Really enjoyed it! Very pleased with my $20 Black Friday Gamestop purchase!

I'll eventually get Tales of Symphonia PS3, I still have the Gamecube version so I'm not in a huge rush. I've not played the sequel game on Wii though.

Deciding what I should play next, I'm thinking that I'm going to beat Portal 2 (first person games tend to make me sick, so I'll only stick it through for Portal really), I've already done the co-op on a friend's 360 (we would do it for me too, but I only have one controller) so I took a break to play Xillia. After Portal 2, I'm thinking I'll start Graces f then. It sounds like it's a good thing the PS3 version came out here because, if I understood the internet correctly, it has a sort of second half exclusive to it that almost doubles the length of the game? And I'm sure there's other bonus stuff too, but a second half that damn near doubles the game? That seems pretty important.
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leeoflittlefaith



Joined: 08 Apr 2012
Posts: 104
PostPosted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 8:09 am Reply with quote
I'm playing Ni no Kuni right now. It's quite delightful to play, great presentation, music, visuals...pretty strictly old-school but I've played a few JRPGs so I'm used to that. The dub's quite good too, japanese track was an option but the subtitles don't match what they're saying- I'm a beginner at Japanese and it was still too distracting for me. The combat is fine but well, a bit chaotic, ally AI doesn't seem that great but I'm starting to figure out ways of working around it, so thats quite gamey. I'm just used to the complete control of the battle you have in the likes of P4 I guess.

As a side project I've went back to Catherine. I just beat the game with Gold on every stage on Normal mode, and now I'm hunting endings. Very Happy
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