Kawa's recent activity
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Comment on I'm Not a Robot in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Kawa Link ParentYeah discovering the end of the story is a valid answer and probably how I'd have answered had I been asked the same question, though sometimes I am motivated by just overcoming a challenge. That...Yeah discovering the end of the story is a valid answer and probably how I'd have answered had I been asked the same question, though sometimes I am motivated by just overcoming a challenge.
That said, there are games that I got sick of close to the end and simply watched instead, and in some cases are games that weren't has hard as Sekiro, which I did finish for myself. Funny how that happens right? I think I chafe against difficulty way more when I feel like it's "not what I signed up for."
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Kawa Link ParentDo you think this can get in the way for final bosses specifically if you know there's only cutscenes afterward?I'm motivated by finding out what's in the cave behind the dragon, who the culprit is or how the puzzle is solved
Do you think this can get in the way for final bosses specifically if you know there's only cutscenes afterward?
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Comment on Super Mario Bros. Remastered in ~games
Kawa (edited )LinkWent ahead and tried it out. I like that it supports seemingly arbitrary resolutions. Or at least, ultrawide. (Black border due to using integer scaling.) (Wtf, sharex grabbed part of another...Went ahead and tried it out. I like that it supports seemingly arbitrary resolutions. Or at least, ultrawide. (Black border due to using integer scaling.) (Wtf, sharex grabbed part of another window on the left edge there, that's weird, screenshot is 7 pixels wider and taller than the actual screen resolution. Maybe the game window's fault.) As someone who found this game frustrating at times in my childhood I honestly do think a lot of the difficulty (especially TLL) was in knowing what's coming while not being able to see far ahead, so this is definitely "overpowered" but I vibe with it anyway for a more casual experience.
The added drop shadow to everything gives it sort of a Mario Maker look that I actually find kind of appealing. For the most part the graphical adjustments done are tastefully subtle. I didn't play around with non-default options for sound or visuals yet as I think they were set in a very safe appealing way to begin with but might test them out if I feel like playing again. I'm not the biggest SMB1 fan though so I don't know if I will fire this up again but I'm glad I checked it out. I would be really stoked if the dev were to do SMB3. I see they tried World in the past but have abandoned that project.
EDIT: Quickly tried out his SMW and it just feels awful by comparison. Now, I didn't put his SMB1 beside the OG and I'm not as intimately familiar with SMB1 but his SMB1 version feels really polished and gameplay and movement feels right, while his SMW just felt off in a way that I found really immediately repelling. I think I can understand why he dropped it - not because he can't do better, I think he probably can, but his github says the code is a mess. It sounds like it would probably need to be fully started over with experience gained from doing SMB1 if he wants to tackle SMW again.
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Comment on Give us your hot takes on the latest Nintendo Direct in ~games
Kawa Link ParentI was talking about Engage in my prior comment actually, not Fortune's Weave...I was talking about Engage in my prior comment actually, not Fortune's Weave...
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Comment on Give us your hot takes on the latest Nintendo Direct in ~games
Kawa Link ParentSuper Mario Galaxy Movie Really thought the second movie was gonna be something still rooted in mushroom kingdom but Yoshi-centric due to the teaser at the end of the original movie. I mean, I'm...Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Really thought the second movie was gonna be something still rooted in mushroom kingdom but Yoshi-centric due to the teaser at the end of the original movie. I mean, I'm sure they won't let that hang as a loose end but I'm guessing Yoshi will be more of a subplot/smaller thing and not the focus now that we've seen the galaxy theme is a focal point.
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Comment on Give us your hot takes on the latest Nintendo Direct in ~games
Kawa LinkFor me, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the highlight, but there is some trepidation as the Square-Enix Blog post suggests it has been streamlined even further than the 3DS version's streamlining....For me, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the highlight, but there is some trepidation as the Square-Enix Blog post suggests it has been streamlined even further than the 3DS version's streamlining. I don't fully know the impact of this given that I haven't played the game in any form yet... which I guess means I won't notice anything's missing in Reimagined, and I could always just make one of the older releases my subsequent playthrough if I like it enough to go back for seconds a few years down the line.
On a separate note, as someone who doesn't own a Switch 2 yet and is lukewarm on the console except for future exclusives, I'm glad to read that DQVIIR is a multiplatform release.
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Comment on Give us your hot takes on the latest Nintendo Direct in ~games
Kawa Link ParentI don't think the game looks bad or anything but the way the trailer was treated during this direct was a little odd for sure, almost feels like nintendo's own faith in the game dropped. After she...I don't think the game looks bad or anything but the way the trailer was treated during this direct was a little odd for sure, almost feels like nintendo's own faith in the game dropped.
After she gets off the bike some of the first person combat stuff looked a bit clunky but thats kinda always what the series has been like and while I respect some people might be looking for modernization I'm ok with it being a bit more like its classic predecessors since we haven't had it in so long.
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Comment on Give us your hot takes on the latest Nintendo Direct in ~games
Kawa Link ParentDuring the very first Engage trailer I was absolutely certain it was gonna be some kind of a gacha game spinoff and then it just wasn't. Which is the better outcome than if it was, but it says a...During the very first Engage trailer I was absolutely certain it was gonna be some kind of a gacha game spinoff and then it just wasn't. Which is the better outcome than if it was, but it says a lot about how the game looked and vibed.
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Comment on LocalThunk: ‘I have some unfortunate news: The promised 2025 Balatro 1.1 update isn’t going to come out in 2025’ in ~games
Kawa Link ParentYeah, in this case removing "LocalThunk:" from the start of the title makes it look at a glance more sensationally editorialized than before, not less, at least until the article is opened and...Yeah, in this case removing "LocalThunk:" from the start of the title makes it look at a glance more sensationally editorialized than before, not less, at least until the article is opened and read. Very weird outcome even if I kinda get what they might've been trying to achieve with brevity or removing redundancy against Balatro already being named in the title.
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Comment on Blizzard shuts down Project Epoch, another WoW private server in ~games
Kawa Link ParentThanks for providing the details. Pretty much what I was looking to say except I'm just not as well informed as you. Thanks again for sharing!!Thanks for providing the details. Pretty much what I was looking to say except I'm just not as well informed as you. Thanks again for sharing!!
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Comment on Blizzard shuts down Project Epoch, another WoW private server in ~games
Kawa Link ParentSomething's gone funky with the link embedded in this sentence, it's bringing me to a r/wowservers submit page.That is in addition to the takedown of the Everlook private server following request by Blizzard.
Something's gone funky with the link embedded in this sentence, it's bringing me to a r/wowservers submit page.
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Comment on Blizzard shuts down Project Epoch, another WoW private server in ~games
Kawa Link ParentAt least before Classic came out, I think private servers were dependant on old client versions that I'm not sure Blizzard was still making available, and users who couldn't find the right version...At least before Classic came out, I think private servers were dependant on old client versions that I'm not sure Blizzard was still making available, and users who couldn't find the right version would have difficulties connecting. Cause I do once remember a time when users were instructed to edit their realmlist instead of having an all-in-one download.
Now that Classic exists maybe you could say an "old" client is now more readily available for users to get from Blizzard and not the Private Server hosts, but I don't know if the modern Classic client realmlist can be altered in the same way, or if classic changes under the hood would make that client not cross-compatible with what the private server infrastructure is expecting the client to do if its built with actual 2000s era clients in mind, etc.
I'm speculating on all of the above, but in short I think getting the exact client version users need without literally giving it to them might actually be not so straightforward, which is probably why private servers aren't going the "get it and patch it yourself" route like with romhack patching.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Kawa Link ParentDark Souls Remastered on switch is weird, and very different from its PC and other consoles counterparts. It doesn't have a majority of the graphical and lighting changes that Remastered has, it...Dark Souls Remastered on switch is weird, and very different from its PC and other consoles counterparts. It doesn't have a majority of the graphical and lighting changes that Remastered has, it usually looks like the older PC "Prepare to Die Edition." In the case of that game, the audio compression issue is known to be unique to switch. There's a lot of interesting quirks to that release TBH
In the case of FFXII, I had more time this time and checked some PS2 emulation footage and can see that this audio quality is exactly how I remember it, the game has always kinda sounded like that, and you should also notice it's not across all sfx, it's primarily voice acting that is affected. Likewise it also sounds the same in non-switch versions of The Zodiac Age.
To my ear it sounds worst on lower end bassy voices like Basch speaking at the bottom pitches of his range, what do you think?
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Kawa (edited )Link ParentI've done this. Didn't do it with Sekiro but did it with some Dark Souls bosses, had some sessions that were no more than like 1-3 boss fight attempts and then shut the game off for the day until...Might work out better for me to just practice a few runs every day rather than bang my head against it for long periods on end.
I've done this. Didn't do it with Sekiro but did it with some Dark Souls bosses, had some sessions that were no more than like 1-3 boss fight attempts and then shut the game off for the day until one day I won. When I played my very first FromSoft game, DS1, I sometimes played as little as making it from one bonfire to another, or even not making any traversal progress but just getting enough souls for a level and then qutting game for the day until eventually I hit the breakthrough and the game clicked.
Also don't underestimate how much gains can be made from resting and sleeping over what you learned from last time you played. I can't tell you how many times I have been banging my head against something difficult in a video game and then after sleeping, it's a pushover the next day. I've experienced something similar with learning guitar parts too. The brain really does figure things out and lock things in during sleep somehow.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Last Express in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Kawa Link ParentOh to be clear I'm not saying you did anything wrong with your wording there, I'm the one who should've picked up on the obvious, that it was scheduled long in advance of that date and Silksong...Oh to be clear I'm not saying you did anything wrong with your wording there, I'm the one who should've picked up on the obvious, that it was scheduled long in advance of that date and Silksong had nothing to do with it. I was just getting stuck on it in my own head.
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Comment on CGA-2025-09 🕹️🚂 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 The Last Express in ~games
Kawa (edited )Link ParentHonestly y'all I'm finding this game isn't for me. Just navigating and poking my way around it is unbearably disorienting, I feel like I can hardly even understand the physical space or my...Honestly y'all I'm finding this game isn't for me.
Just navigating and poking my way around it is unbearably disorienting, I feel like I can hardly even understand the physical space or my surroundings. I can see from other posts in the thread that other people seem to have better gotten their bearings but I'm honestly just completely flat out confused walking around in circles on a train with no understanding of where I'm going, how to get back to anything interesting I saw before, how to find anything I might want to go looking for, or how to regain my bearings if someone addressing me directly, changes my perspective to look toward them and messes up any sense of direction I desperately cling to.
Trying to interact with the game in any earnest attempt to actually do any mystery/problem solving has been feeling like a monumental endeavor. That said, I did eventually stumble into a few things:
Spoiler section though I haven't exactly seen a whole lot of the game..
I can tell almost immediately there's far more complexity here than I am really willing to deal with in a game where I find simply interacting with it so unintuitive and disorienting.
I didn't really get much done aside from finding Tyler dead and throwing him + my bloody jacket out the window and then roaming around wondering how seemingly unrelated details that I'm reading/listening to/wondering about might at some point come together if I had the willpower to see this through. Asked a guy to translate a fairytale, opened an electrical panel that I couldn't do anything in, wondered why I am going back the way I came oh god I did not mean to turn around, damnit which of the passenger cars is this again? I wanted to go back to the dining car am I missing something? Let's say if I knew I wanted to be there by a certain time because of some revelation later would I get turned around or even make it there on time? Why do I hear a growling and barking dog?
Starting to think maybe I'm the bad guy when I told Chronos I'm Tyler for some reason and then he told me he knows I'm running from the authorities who, lo and behold, seconds after leaving his carriage apprehend me to a game over. I rewinded this game over to get into my room in that coach and hang outside the window to evade the police, so I experienced my first successful game over -> rewind -> game over avoidance but to be honest... I just don't care or really feel anything about it at all. On the pause screen, a tiny little portion of the route has gone brighter red... I see that this train, like my emotional response, has barely moved.
So... this is incredibly not for me. I find the sort of historical real world setting and aesthetic extremely dry. It's not stirring any curiosity in me. The rotoscoped characters are kinda funny at least.
Maybe it would've helped if this experience invoked some kind of nostalgia for any of it's contemporaries I might've played back then but thinking back, I think games like this weren't my thing back then either. I wondered if I am just too young for this until I remembered this is a 1997 release and I've enjoyed many games that are older than this, in and outside of their time, but on the other hand in 1997 I was a six year old and not the target audience for this. I'm not much of a study of history, not educated on this time period, and didn't even know this was a real train until CannibalisticApple's host post's meta challenges talking about it. I'm just not the right demographic for this title, really.
I find myself repelled by the idea of continuing to spend any time on this game. To that end, I'm not going to and I won't have anything new to say come the remove cartridge thread. I'm sure the game isn't actually bad but that it's just not compatible with me. Funny enough, I do think of a certain ex who I likewise turned out to not be compatible with who probably would've loved this game.
Anyway, Elden Ring Nightreign is releasing a hard mode in just a few days so there's really no hope for The Last Express to win the "what shall I play today?" question for the rest of this month. This stop's mine.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Kawa Link ParentI could be wrong and should probably check some footage before I post this comment but I'm gonna be lazy and just say: I seem to remember the voice acting always sounding over-compressed in all...wildly over-compressed on the Switch version
I could be wrong and should probably check some footage before I post this comment but I'm gonna be lazy and just say: I seem to remember the voice acting always sounding over-compressed in all versions of FFXII, is it really a switch specific thing?
On a separate note, I really like the ivalice vibes and XII is awesome. My original playthrough was on the PS2 version and I'm quite glad it was cause even though combat at 1x speed while fully gambited up can be a bit too passive for me today, I better understood what was going right and wrong with my gambits setups and felt more invested in the results of my configuration when I was keeping an eye on combat in real time.
Fast-forward has damaged my experience replaying the game, in some ways. I of course now feel less invested in tuning my gambits when the combat resolves so fast I can hardly tell what's going on, and using fast forward for overworld movement speed really takes the journey out of some parts of the game. In particular, the first time I played I was in absolute awe at the journey across the sandseas to raithwall (and others). The amount of time it took really added to the perception of distance, I felt like I had never travelled so far in a JRPG before. Now, that's probably not actually true, and with fast forward in play, it became clearer to me that the zones are perhaps not really that big, but in a way the slower movement at 1x served the sense of scale. Maybe this feeling about fast forward is kind of like how some MMO players say flying mounts "shrink" the world.
Of course, despite all these feelings, as an adult who is concerned about time, I can't actually resist using fast forward so it's pretty much all self-inflicted...
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Comment on Looking for some video game suggestions based off some specific parameters in ~games
Kawa Link ParentIf there was a demo, it was limited-time and is already over, as both of these google results are a 404 and a redirect to the Steam home page respectively, and the top one says "This limited time...If there was a demo, it was limited-time and is already over, as both of these google results are a 404 and a redirect to the Steam home page respectively, and the top one says "This limited time Demo[...]"
Unlucky, I saw the original announcement back in the state of play and I would've liked to play that demo but their marketing just didn't reach me so I didn't know about it.
It's alot like the password game by the same creator. I'm also tapping out on 34. I don't know all of this stuff completely on my own though with a bit of reminder-research I'm sure I could figure it out, I've hit the limit of how much time I want to spend on this.