Inanimate's recent activity
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Comment on The Balatro timeline in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentI actually did already pick that one up! :D I liked what I've played of it.I actually did already pick that one up! :D I liked what I've played of it.
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Comment on John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein to write Monopoly movie in ~movies
Inanimate LinkFor reference, these are the writers of the D&D movie, Honor Among Thieves, which I actually thought was really good! The premise - a Monopoly movie is inherently nuts, but I'm tentatively hopeful...For reference, these are the writers of the D&D movie, Honor Among Thieves, which I actually thought was really good! The premise - a Monopoly movie is inherently nuts, but I'm tentatively hopeful if they're on board.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentI feel like I saw a lot of negativity around it, so I'm glad to hear something positive! I really liked the first game, and though I haven't spoiled myself at all on Rebirth, I'd definitely seen...I feel like I saw a lot of negativity around it, so I'm glad to hear something positive! I really liked the first game, and though I haven't spoiled myself at all on Rebirth, I'd definitely seen concerns about its pacing. Glad to hear it might just be from people gorging themselves too much on the side content.
I'm hopeful that it'll get more playable on Steam Deck soon, otherwise I'll have to wait for when I eventually get a PS5... I waited to get my PS4 until after they announced the PS5, haha, so it might be a while!
Though, I should ask, is it relatively quick to replay and do the side-content? I often find myself laser-focusing on completing all the content on my first playthrough because some games are such a slog on repeat playthroughs. But I remember FF7 Remake seemed to have a really player-friendly replay interface, if I recall correctly.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentAI: The Somnium Files is one of those games that's been sitting on my Switch for a while. I've heard great things about it and I'm very excited to give it a shot. I plan to finish Ace Attorney...AI: The Somnium Files is one of those games that's been sitting on my Switch for a while. I've heard great things about it and I'm very excited to give it a shot. I plan to finish Ace Attorney Investigations first, though, and maybe Riven as well before I get to it.
Zero Escape was really something else, especially the later entries. Awesome characters throughout but yeah, those plots got NUTS. Still, nothing will ever blow my mind more than the twist at the end of 999!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentAh, no worries! I'm in the same boat despite my wife's love for it, haha. I think that's enough to give her a good recommendation, though I'll also ask, how are the side-quests and NPCs? She...Ah, no worries! I'm in the same boat despite my wife's love for it, haha. I think that's enough to give her a good recommendation, though I'll also ask, how are the side-quests and NPCs? She really likes rich, lively worlds with lots of characters to talk to and the like. E.g. she loved Xenoblade Chronicles 2 because of how many great, involved side-quests it had.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentNo worries! Now I'm intrigued by what awaits me!No worries! Now I'm intrigued by what awaits me!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentAre we maybe talking about different things? The 'betrayal' I'm talking about is.... Spoilers? The reveal that Dagan Gera is actually a bad guy, when you revive him from his stasis tank. I wasn't...Are we maybe talking about different things? The 'betrayal' I'm talking about is....
Spoilers?
The reveal that Dagan Gera is actually a bad guy, when you revive him from his stasis tank. I wasn't sure how spoiler-y that reveal was, so I wanted to keep it vague.If I remember correctly, the last time I played I was on Jedha, which still felt pretty early on in the game. I'd be surprised if I was actually that far into the game!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentI also played the demo for Aethermancer recently, which I really enjoyed. This is the next game from Moi Rai Games, the developers of Monster Sanctuary. While Monster Sanctuary took...I also played the demo for Aethermancer recently, which I really enjoyed. This is the next game from Moi Rai Games, the developers of Monster Sanctuary. While Monster Sanctuary took monster-collectors and mashed them up with metroidvanias, this time around they're trying to mash them up with roguelikes.
It's clearly already that they've taken a lot of inspiration from some of the best roguelikes of late, including Hades and Slay the Spire. Overall, it's really promising, but there's definitely some uneven parts of the game - which is to be expected, as it's really early in development still. The actual combat remains amazing, with lots of rich mechanics, systems, and interactions that immediately excite the theorycrafting parts of the brain. Every time I unlocked a new skill or trait for my monsters, or discovered a new monster, it immediately got me thinking about all the possibilities I could try out next time!
Just like Monster Sanctuary, there's an emphasis on synergy between your monsters, and developing an overall gameplan - but also making sure to cover your weaknesses and have a spread of roles on your team. Especially in this game, healing, tanking, and shielding are important, because any damage you take without healing quickly lowers your starting HP at the beginning of each battle, which adds up fast!
New overhauls to the combat include a shared resource system across the entire team, where monsters generate elemental mana each turn. This is similar to the MP system from Monster Sanctuary, but vastly simplified - and differentiating between elemental mana makes it a lot deeper and more interesting, while sharing mana across the entire team is another fun spin that helps create more diverse roles. E.g. while two monsters both might be healers, one of them might specialize in very efficient cheaper skills, while another might have more expensive but more effective healing skills.
Outside of the combat, unfortunately, the game is still a little rough around the edges. Getting from battle to battle is more like Hades, with a map to traverse, collectibles to find by breaking environmental objects, etc... and this part is, eh, not as fun. I almost wish the game was more like Slay the Spire, just focusing on the battles and narrative events between them. In Hades, it makes sense that there's breakable environmental objects - you can often just destroy these as collateral damage during a fight, and the game is already an action game focused on movement and real-time combat. But in Aethermancer, destroying objects is entirely secondary to the core gameplay loop, so it just kinda feels like busywork roaming around the map and looking for bushes to rummage in for spare coins.
The NPCs and upgrades you get between and during runs are interesting, and where the majority of lore drops come from. There are a few environmental setpieces you can interact with for additonal lore, which was nice. Again, though, it just felt like busywork finding these NPCs.
Luckily, Moi Rai are very open to feedback! So I'm confident the game will sharpen up with time. And I do still think the game has a lot of potential, and I trust the developers to deliver after the masterpiece that was Monster Sanctuary.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate LinkLegend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II came out on Valentine's Day, and I've been enjoying it thoroughly! Another excellent turn-based RPG. There's some interesting choices in the structure...Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II came out on Valentine's Day, and I've been enjoying it thoroughly! Another excellent turn-based RPG.
There's some interesting choices in the structure and design of the game that have clearly taken inspiration from Trails into Reverie, which I find interesting... each chapter is split into two simultaneous halves, where you either follow the main character of the first game, Van Arkride, or his two new 'substitutes', Swin Abel and Nadia Rayne.
They've also brought back the 'ever-expanding dungeon' that was used in the Trails of Cold Steel games, but mixed it with the 'procedurally generated dungeon' that they used in Trails into Reverie. This time around it's called the Marchen Garten. These parts can be a little tedious, but luckily seem to be entirely optional. The main game still has plenty of dungeons and the like, but because characters rotate in and out of the cast between chapters based on the plot, this section allows you to play with your favorite characters more often and keep them leveld up. Feels like a nice way of doing it IMO, but it could still be better, of course. I feel like if they're going to lean into some roguelike-ish elements, it might be cool if they took more inspiration from roguelikes, with things like floor modifier effects, etc... that encourage you to change up your strategy more.
Besides that, the main plot is interesting enough so far. Not quite as immediately gripping as the first game, unfortunately, but it's got a compelling mystery and some nice twists already. I'm excited to see where it goes. And the gameplay itself remains superb, with lots of small tweaks that have really improved the experience overall and balanced the game even further. There was even a really awesome mechanical surprise in the boss fight of the latest chapter I completed that blew my socks off!
Overall, for any fans of turn-based RPGs, I once again cannot recommend the Trails series enough - especially with the upcoming remake of Trails in the Sky First Chapter being the best possible entry point into the franchise. : )
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentMy wife really loves Morrowind, and wishes that Elder Scrolls had kept some of the weird fantasy vibes. Do you think she'd like Avowed? (She's also a big fan of Skyrim still, if that helps.)My wife really loves Morrowind, and wishes that Elder Scrolls had kept some of the weird fantasy vibes. Do you think she'd like Avowed? (She's also a big fan of Skyrim still, if that helps.)
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentI started Jedi Survivor a while ago, and yeah, I bounced off it pretty fast for all of the same reasons. I don't recall getting lost in Fallen Order once, but in Survivor I'm constantly getting...I started Jedi Survivor a while ago, and yeah, I bounced off it pretty fast for all of the same reasons. I don't recall getting lost in Fallen Order once, but in Survivor I'm constantly getting lost and struggling to interpret the map.
When I got to my first open-world section on Koboh I was like, "Oh, I'm not going to like this game as much." Soon after, they introduce a bunch of collectibles, a weird gardening minigame, etc... and I could just tell the scope of this game was growing way beyond what I expected or wanted from it.
Initially, the idea of a race to find High Republic ruins and retrace the path to Tanalorr sounded exciting, and seemed to recapture the Indiana Jones inspiration that I felt the first game had. Then they introduce the 'betrayal' plot that you mentioned, and yeah, my interest began to wane even more.
Overall, though, the main thing that bounced me off has totally been the level design. It's just so much more of a slog to get anywhere and do anything and have any fun. I felt like the first game had a great balance: there was plenty of exploration, traversal, but also excitement, action, and set pieces. I never felt like the game was too linear or railroaded. Whereas this game just feels daunting and sprawling.
A shame. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to sit back down and try to get through it soon, maybe during my summer break, but right now it's just not a game that's fun to play in one-to-two hour sittings.
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Comment on An extended look at Pokémon Legends: Z-A! in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentI don't actually think this is the same battle system as PLA - the real-time elements sound like a stark difference, and there's no turn order sequence as far as I can tell.I don't actually think this is the same battle system as PLA - the real-time elements sound like a stark difference, and there's no turn order sequence as far as I can tell.
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Comment on An extended look at Pokémon Legends: Z-A! in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentIf I remember correctly, SV was developed alongside PLA, so it's actually the next main-line game that we should be looking at to see how much of PLA is brought into the main-series proper. I...Just... Wish they'd carried some of those changes into SV.
If I remember correctly, SV was developed alongside PLA, so it's actually the next main-line game that we should be looking at to see how much of PLA is brought into the main-series proper. I agree that PLA was super refreshing to me, even despite all of its jankiness, and I hope the main-series takes a lot of inspiration from it.
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Comment on An extended look at Pokémon Legends: Z-A! in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentMy prediction is that Quasartico is buying back parts of the city as a part of the redevelopment plan. It'd be cool if the Wild Zones would gradually get more and more wild over the course of the...My prediction is that Quasartico is buying back parts of the city as a part of the redevelopment plan. It'd be cool if the Wild Zones would gradually get more and more wild over the course of the game - maybe even something you upgrade yourself?
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Comment on Nintendo discontinuing Gold Points on March 24 in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentYeah, my Switch was worth it for the 1st party titles alone, but ever since I've got my Steam Deck, the vast majority of my purchases have been on it instead.Yeah, my Switch was worth it for the 1st party titles alone, but ever since I've got my Steam Deck, the vast majority of my purchases have been on it instead.
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Comment on Nintendo discontinuing Gold Points on March 24 in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentYes, one of the reasons I got a Steam Deck was that I simply ran the numbers and realized that, over time, I'd probably save far more money buying games for my Steam Deck than I would for the...Yes, one of the reasons I got a Steam Deck was that I simply ran the numbers and realized that, over time, I'd probably save far more money buying games for my Steam Deck than I would for the Switch. I haven't actually bothered to check, but I'm almost entirely certain I actually have, ultimately, saved more than $300 in the year that I've owned my Steam Deck, buying games for it that I would have otherwise bought for Switch.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Inanimate Link ParentI love my Steam Deck! My most-played games on it tend to be turn-based RPGs, puzzles, roguelikes, and often more indie or AA titles - which tend to both run better on Steam Deck, but also be more...I love my Steam Deck! My most-played games on it tend to be turn-based RPGs, puzzles, roguelikes, and often more indie or AA titles - which tend to both run better on Steam Deck, but also be more legible on the smaller screen.
For card games, there's the classics: Slay the Spire, Balatro, Inscryption. For some lesser-known games, I really love Cross Blitz - even though it's still in Early Access, it's already fantastic fun, and quite replayable. There's also Card City Nights 1 & 2, both of which are often on-sale for very cheap and are really fun. Lastly, I'd recommend Isle of Swaps, which is a game built to replicate the 'playground trading card game' experience, in the style of Pokemon.
I hope that helps a bit!
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Comment on ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ insiders say ‘everyone knew this is probably not going to be a good film’ in ~movies
Inanimate Link ParentOne could argue that's actually a reason to choose Bucky, however, as it would clearly set him apart from Steve Rogers' Captain America. Personally, my lack of interest is far less to do with the...One could argue that's actually a reason to choose Bucky, however, as it would clearly set him apart from Steve Rogers' Captain America.
Personally, my lack of interest is far less to do with the choice of who gets the mantle; the lack of quality in writing and the overall boring-sounding premises to the latest Captain America stuff is what kept me from watching any of it. I loved Winter Soldier, and enjoyed Civil War, so all of these follow-ups have been quite disappointing.
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Comment on Star Wars recommendations for a six year old in ~tv
Inanimate Link ParentLoved it, I'd say it's the most consistent quality Star Wars show by far. Mandalorian S1 had 'higher highs', but 'lower lows', if that makes sense. One of my favorite Star Wars things ever. I...Loved it, I'd say it's the most consistent quality Star Wars show by far. Mandalorian S1 had 'higher highs', but 'lower lows', if that makes sense. One of my favorite Star Wars things ever. I would agree that it's best suited for tweens, as it's pretty intense for little ones at times.
This was a great read, thank you for sharing. Lots of great insights, both about the development of the game, the philosophy behind it, and the very personal story of its developer.