Flashfall's recent activity

  1. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    Minor not really spoilers I actually went straight to the Park as soon as I unlocked Central and I got so used to fighting them in the open world due to the huge level imbalance (everything had a...
    Minor not really spoilers

    I actually went straight to the Park as soon as I unlocked Central and I got so used to fighting them in the open world due to the huge level imbalance (everything had a skull next to their health bar) that the boss fight itself ended up being easier than some of the open world fights I had.

    My advice is to get the molded bar artifact from the vendor there which makes dealing with mold way less of a hassle, and if you want to make it easy then do the Central resonant first. The combat ability you get from that trivializes mold fights, and it lets you open some locked doors too.

  2. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    The wipes make sense if the devs plan on really changing things up between seasons, so it provides a clean break and makes it more fair for everybody to get used to the new changes as they all...

    The wipes make sense if the devs plan on really changing things up between seasons, so it provides a clean break and makes it more fair for everybody to get used to the new changes as they all start fresh rather than some folks just having instant access to the new stuff and dumpstering others with it from day 1. Even then though, there should be some steps taken towards either reducing the grind or encouraging players to actually specialize in a role to make significant and rapid progress in it. A small daily xp stipend that ensures every player has at least the basic unlocks for each spec to play with by the send of the season, choosing one or two specs to target each season and get an xp multiplier for, and drastically lowering the xp curve so that hitting the max level of a spec doesn't require exploits or hardcore farming.

    I'm not a dev though, nor do I provide feedback to the devs anywhere, so I'm just spitballing ideas into the wind.

  3. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    I'm not sure if you're already aware but the devs are planning on having seasonal progress wipes which does partially fix the issue of gear and grind imbalance, but also means that you and others...

    I'm not sure if you're already aware but the devs are planning on having seasonal progress wipes which does partially fix the issue of gear and grind imbalance, but also means that you and others with less time to play may just never unlock most of the gear in the game. The devs have also said that they're planning on a whole bunch of balancing changes for the next season though, which hopefully translates into greatly reducing the grind and straight up removing some of the most problematic items (have you tried the infrared spotter? absolutely insane).

  4. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    That's fair enough and to each their own. I'd just like to know more on why the bosses felt overly powerful for you because I mostly just mashed abilities and left click with some dodging and I...

    That's fair enough and to each their own. I'd just like to know more on why the bosses felt overly powerful for you because I mostly just mashed abilities and left click with some dodging and I think the only boss I died to was the very first one. That's going to come off as a humble brag but I really did just left mouse spam my way through most of the game, I don't think they meant for it to be anywhere near as challenging or mechanically demanding as the typical souls-like.

  5. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    I'd like to hear more about your experience here, because it contrasts with mine but I'm fairly comfortable with hack n slash games. Did the bosses feel like they had too much health or damage?...

    bosses are way too powerful

    I'd like to hear more about your experience here, because it contrasts with mine but I'm fairly comfortable with hack n slash games. Did the bosses feel like they had too much health or damage? Were you able to figure out the attacks to dodge them? Did you have upgrades to your weapons and talents? What weapons and abilities were you mostly using?

    3 votes

  6. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    I more or less 100% completed CONTROL Resonant (missing like 2 achievements but that's w/e) and I gotta give it to Remedy, they know how to deliver a really solid and stunning audiovisual...

    I more or less 100% completed CONTROL Resonant (missing like 2 achievements but that's w/e) and I gotta give it to Remedy, they know how to deliver a really solid and stunning audiovisual experience. There were some really great sections of the story missions that were trippy to look at but fun to navigate while an appropriately hype track played in the background and those were definitely the highlights of the game. Overall map design was pretty solid too, with the later areas that require the more advanced movement abilities being confusing initially but satisfying once you get the hang of it. Combat is actually very simple but importantly feels good and has a minimal amount of bullshit deaths. It's slightly challenging at the start and you can choose to make it harder if you beeline it for the tougher zones before you have upgrades, but overall the game's not hard, and ironically gets easier as you progress since the upgrades really do make a big difference. I really could just faceroll my way through most of the boss encounters after the first few. There's a healthy amount of story and content available without being too grindy or dragged out, as it took me only 40 hours to basically finish everything, side quests and collectibles included. Completely maxing out all the upgrades would be a much more tedious grind though, but you definitely don't need to which is good. It's very well made too, I only encountered one progression-breaking bug in a mission which I was able to workaround by reloading the game and coming back to that spot. As for the narrative itself, it's solid and the writing is good with believable characters, nothing revolutionary but consistently high quality. 8.5/10, worth the full price IMO. Now if only Remedy would release Alan Wake 2 on Steam...

    Edit: Also started Wardogs earlier last week, so far it's been fun but annoying to unlock the gear at even "moderate" levels so I'm at a bit of a disadvantage compared to the folks that have been sweating it out for 2 weeks already and can buy the top tier gear. I still make it work but maybe it'll be a whole different game when everybody's inventory is wiped next season.

    5 votes

  7. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

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    Binged most of the seasonal shows on my list I hadn't started or caught up with yet: Yani Neko was a pretty good time. The humor got progressively dirtier and more cringe-inducing later in the...

    Binged most of the seasonal shows on my list I hadn't started or caught up with yet:

    Yani Neko was a pretty good time. The humor got progressively dirtier and more cringe-inducing later in the season, but consistently funny if you're into that. The production quality really was super high for this considering how niche this seems, and the voice actors totally nailed it. 7.5/10.

    Hyakkano S3 was dumb, cute, and exceedingly unrealistic and unserious as it should be. I will watch the next season when it airs because I want to see how much sillier it can get. 7.5/10.

    Sparks of Tomorrow was a bit of a challenge to finish all in one go but thankfully the writers remembered there's an actual plotline to this story in the last few episodes so things sort of come together. Not a fan of the visual style changes though, either when characters become cartoony during funny moments or the imagination sequences. It doesn't feel cohesive and kind of kills the vibe. 7/10 because I know some people won't mind the characters or dialogue or visual direction as much as I do and it's done well enough but it's not working for me.

    Mushoku Tensei S3 was a solidly enjoyable albeit unsurprising watch for most of the season and I was originally going to give it a 7.5 or 8 until the latest 2 episodes. Hoo boy is that a lot to unpack in 2 episodes, in a very good way though, good enough to pull it up to an 8.5/10.

    Also just rewatched Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence earlier today and Mamoru Oshii's adaptation is an even greater departure from the original work than I remember it being. Oshii really crammed this thing full of philosophical musing, what with half of the dialogue being quotes from philosophers or old texts. Saying you prefer that version because it's more mature and thought provoking is just some "I'm 14 and this is deep" shit though, the original work has much more believable dialogue and reactions vs the heavily cinematic/theatrical direction that Oshii went with. That kind of thing matters because it's a whole lot easier for characters to convey messages when they feel real and relatable, as opposed to folks quoting scripture in an effort to sound intelligent. Still love the movie though.

    4 votes

  8. Comment on 'Sayonara Lara' anime discussion in ~anime

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    Nice and simple story, well-written and designed characters without forced dialogue or personalities, pretty and nostalgic art style, great OP and ED songs, and a very sudden ending that...

    Nice and simple story, well-written and designed characters without forced dialogue or personalities, pretty and nostalgic art style, great OP and ED songs, and a very sudden ending that blue-balled everybody watching it by not namedropping the title in the last few seconds. Still a 9/10 from me, I had a really good time. As for the ending, I choose to cope with this quote: "Tearful goodbyes aren’t our style. It’d be embarrassing when we meet again."

    3 votes

  9. Comment on The next chapter for Bungie in ~games

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    I guess not even Sony is so daft to see that there's still plenty of life yet in Destiny, despite their best efforts to prove otherwise. It's nice to hear Bungie heads acknowledge that they done...

    I guess not even Sony is so daft to see that there's still plenty of life yet in Destiny, despite their best efforts to prove otherwise. It's nice to hear Bungie heads acknowledge that they done goofed with both Destiny and Marathon, and that they don't expect their players to blindly trust them (they shouldn't and I certainly don't). I'm still a bit on the pessimistic side though; unvaulting all the campaigns is definitely the right move, but it's not a plan for future content or sequels. It's more of a "complete edition" kind of update, and hopefully one with an actually acceptable new player experience this time. Time alone will tell if this proves to be profitable and attractive enough to new customers for the game's fate to be reversed.

    7 votes

  11. Comment on Control Resonant | Launch trailer – 24th September 2026 in ~games

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    The fluidity of the combat and movement looks fantastic. Can't wait to put 10 hours into getting used to it, then watch a video of some dude doing a 40 hit mid-air combo and realize I have no idea...

    The fluidity of the combat and movement looks fantastic. Can't wait to put 10 hours into getting used to it, then watch a video of some dude doing a 40 hit mid-air combo and realize I have no idea how to play the game.

    7 votes

  12. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

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    As this season is coming to a close, I've caught up with and/or finished the shows I've been following this season, and man did we eat good. Yomi no Tsugai isn't quite finished yet but it has...

    As this season is coming to a close, I've caught up with and/or finished the shows I've been following this season, and man did we eat good.

    Yomi no Tsugai isn't quite finished yet but it has always been solid in quality and entertainment value throughout, a real reliable shonen show. 7.5/10, would be higher but I'm too used to shonen so my preferences have changed.

    Youjo Senki S2 has also been consistently good, more enjoyable if you like the geopolitics and statecraft in it. The writing is good enough to stand on its own without the whole "god punishing the reincarnated mc" plot point, but I guess it makes for more interesting framing. 8/10.

    Re Zero S4 covered a really intense arc that's reached its climax and man has it been a trip. It's great to watch so much character growth between multiple characters at the same time but does the mc really need to suffer this much to make that happen? At the very least the payoff for the suffering is worth it, poor guy though. Also surprise Daisuke Ono in the latest episode. 8.5/10.

    Iruma-kun S4 covered a couple good arcs, some with great character development, and episode 22 was an absolute treat. Just a real fun time with positive energy the whole way through. 8/10.

    Tenmaku no Jaadugar is definitely the most unique show I watched this season, great historical setting, incredibly strong character writing, different but beautiful and excellently animated art style. Really hope we get the rest of this story animated. 9/10.

    The Ghost in the Shell was an incredibly fun watch. It's impressive how the original work is actually so playful despite the very philosophical and oftentimes dark themes and events that occur. We get to see a Motoko Kusanagi that seems to actually express herself and have fun, and a Batou that's just living his best life the whole time, and really cute and funny fuchikomas (not to say the tachikomas weren't cute and fun but these take it to another level). I admit some of the philosophical musing was lost on me when they were laying it on extra thick especially in the last arc but it was still gorgeous to look at. Go Ghost by King Gnu might also be the best opening of the season, such a damn catchy track that's got just the right amounts of rock, pop and electronic mixed together. 10/10.

    Sayonara Lara was a surprise for me, I didn't start this one til a few episodes were already out but I saw a clip somewhere and then I was hooked. A simple love story about how love isn't so simple, with bits of youthful rebellion, abuse, heartbreak, and friendship paired with an impressive recreation of the 90's shojo art style that makes something both fresh and nostalgic. Love the opening for this one too, Goodbye Lara, it's done by Ikimonogakari, who also did Blue Bird for any Naruto fans out there. 9/10.

    Also a bunch of other stuff that I put on hold or haven't started yet and need to finish, not rating those but quick thoughts:

    Yani Neko is a dumb fun watch but honestly the writing's pretty good, plus Nannmonee is a banger of an opening.

    Hyakkano S3 is a very dumb fun watch, don't normally watch romcoms but the sheer absurdity of this one is amusing.

    Sparks of Tomorrow got tiring to watch because the characters and plot feel so very forced. I get that it's an original work but Kyoani can write better than this.

    The Elusive Samurai S2 I haven't started yet, but if it's as good and consistent as the first season it'll be a fun one to binge.

    Mushoku Tensei S3 I also haven't started yet, but I expect that one to also be a reliably good time.

    Looking at next season's lineup, there's significantly fewer shows which I recognize or have interest in following which might be a blessing in disguise so I can finish the stuff from this season, but there's a few notable mentions:

    Cyberpunk: Edgerunners S2 is going to be a wild ride from what I've seen in the trailers. I hope it's just as emotionally intense as the first season but in a different way.

    Apothecary Diaries S3 is the biggest one but I haven't finished S2 so that'll have to wait.

    Psyren finally got an anime adaptation out of nowhere and I hope it's given proper respect because this is a real good shonen story, though a bit dark at times.

    The next Made in Abyss movie which is the sequel to season 2 is also next season and it is, surprise, more Made in Abyss. The mangaka really does get a little out of hand with his fetish with some of the characters in the next major story arc so hopefully that's toned down a lot in the anime. I'm all for respecting the original artistic intent but dude, that's definitely rated R and questionably legal...

    4 votes

  13. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    I finished the Cost of Hope DLC for STALKER 2 and while the story did feel like it ended a bit abruptly, the quality of the content itself was quite good. The environments were masterfully...

    I finished the Cost of Hope DLC for STALKER 2 and while the story did feel like it ended a bit abruptly, the quality of the content itself was quite good. The environments were masterfully detailed and true to life, especially the CNPP. English voice acting for all the characters was done well, though I'm sure it's even better in the native language. The scripted mutant fights were annoying bullshit but that's par for the course. The final fight itself (duty route at least) was eh, definitely not the best part. The side quests were really good though, some nice puzzles and platforming sections that were simple enough but not overly frustrating or easy (assuming you can save where you want, expedition mode really sucks and I don't recommend it).

    2 votes

  14. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    Oh yeah if mountaintop was too much for you then you would've HATED farum azula. Good point to stop. That's wild, I also started with Skies of Deception and then played AC7 next. I actually really...

    I made it to the Mountaintops of Giants and it seems like such a sudden ramp up in difficulty--and annoying ass enemies--that I feel kind of done

    Oh yeah if mountaintop was too much for you then you would've HATED farum azula. Good point to stop.

    After owning it for years and with the recent announcement of the new game, I finally decided to give Ace Combat 7 a go. I've only played one other Ace Combat game in the past, that being Skies of Deception on PSP

    That's wild, I also started with Skies of Deception and then played AC7 next. I actually really loved the sci-fi aspects of it though, Ace Combat is all about blowing up crazy superweapons and ACX definitely had some ridiculous ones in it. As for Mihaly, yeah he's like that, you will have to do that again more than once and it doesn't get easier or less nonsensical, but fighting ridiculous enemy ace pilots is also a staple of the series. Try QAAMs, those things are basically cheating.

    1 vote

  15. Comment on 'Jaadugar: A Witch's Life in Mongolia' discussion in ~anime

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    The thing is, Aoteru from Nippon Sangoku is also working towards getting revenge, just in a different way than Sitara is. The animosity he has towards the person responsible for his wife's death...

    The thing is, Aoteru from Nippon Sangoku is also working towards getting revenge, just in a different way than Sitara is. The animosity he has towards the person responsible for his wife's death is still very real, but rather than working towards collapsing the empire entirely he's more pushing towards the eventual usurpation of its current tyrant since he blames only him, not the nation which he was born into and otherwise living comfortably in. It's a much more patriotic approach which isn't possible for Sitara since she's just a slave and has no reason to want to preserve or improve the nation of violent captors that ruined her life.

    After thinking about the last episode a bit more, I noticed the story has been really driving this theme of female empowerment in the male-dominant Mongol hierarchy. Boraqchin, Sorgaghtani, and Toregene are all able to advance their own ambitions which were either stalled or diminished thanks to Sitara's intervention, intentionally or otherwise, and in doing so the story itself stops revolving around just Sitara, but all of the "witches". Also it was nice to see Toregene's motherly side for once, really cute change of pace from the sad or angry mood we always got from her.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on 'Jaadugar: A Witch's Life in Mongolia' discussion in ~anime

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    I would say it's less of a tribalism thing and more her trying to hold onto the most precious memories of her life at all costs. She frames it as getting revenge for her adopted family but once...

    I would say it's less of a tribalism thing and more her trying to hold onto the most precious memories of her life at all costs. She frames it as getting revenge for her adopted family but once she finally does get her hands on her initial goal after the major political plot unfolds, she isn't satisfied. It's not that she thinks destroying the Mongol empire is her way of honoring her family and Tus, but rather that she needs something that will keep driving her with them as her motivation to make sure she doesn't forget them. Would letting go of them as she very nearly did have been a healthy thing for her to do? Probably, but that would've made for a much less interesting story.

    2 votes

  17. Comment on How do you find new anime to watch? in ~anime

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    For new stuff, I check what's coming out next season on Myanimelist and see if there's anything that seems interesting to me. There's also a few anime youtubers that I watch from time to time...

    For new stuff, I check what's coming out next season on Myanimelist and see if there's anything that seems interesting to me. There's also a few anime youtubers that I watch from time to time whose tastes align pretty well with mine, so if they put out a video recommending something I'm not already watching, I'll probably give that a watch too. Shoutout to Demolition D, I know he basically quit uploading years ago but he got me to watch Ping Pong and I will always be grateful to him for that. Shame we'll never get that Angel's Egg review though.

    4 votes

  18. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

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    The sequel to Last Order started? I don't even remember when Mars Chronicle ended and this is the first I've heard of more Gunnm since then so that's a welcome surprise.

    The sequel to Last Order started? I don't even remember when Mars Chronicle ended and this is the first I've heard of more Gunnm since then so that's a welcome surprise.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    Started playing Icarus again with my friend, we grabbed the latest expansion and as per usual with almost every survival crafting game we play I've focused a ton on just building up the base as...

    Started playing Icarus again with my friend, we grabbed the latest expansion and as per usual with almost every survival crafting game we play I've focused a ton on just building up the base as fast as possible while keeping things neat and aesthetic. It really is one of the best survival crafting games currently out and still getting updates, with a somehow minimal amount of jank and clunkiness. The one thing it doesn't do is have a shared inventory across workbenches and storage, which is an incredible quality-of-life feature that most other survival crafting games nowadays either have by default or let you upgrade towards. As such, I've just got materials stashed in every workbench and it's a bit messy but still pretty functional.

    2 votes

  20. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    This is kind of true, but once you've gotten familiar with the game the differences aren't just apparent, they're actually tremendous. Every class plays VERY differently depending on how you build...

    The differences don't become hugely apparent until you have a lot of hours in the game.

    This is kind of true, but once you've gotten familiar with the game the differences aren't just apparent, they're actually tremendous. Every class plays VERY differently depending on how you build it out, and there's multiple ways to build each class that also play very differently. Sure, some weapons are shared a lot between different classes but what they can do with them changes quite a bit.

    As for the currencies, there's really only three that matter. Dockets are used for the shop and upgrades. Plasteel and diamantine are both used exclusively for upgrades. The "ingots" (everyone just calls them melk bucks) are mostly obsolete since there's no reason to check that shop once they added the ability to freely change perks and weapon talents. "Aquilas" are for the cash shop but it's terribly designed so I've never even considered buying anything form it.

    I've got some 760 hours in the game according to steam and I'm still a rank amateur compared to the more veteran players, so there's an absurd amount of room for skill expression and growth.

    1 vote