Well_known_bear's recent activity
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Comment on What are your "how on earth did I not learn this sooner" tech moments? in ~tech
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear Link ParentOther than the aforementioned speeding up of the combat (1 in particular is atrocious), don't hesitate to look up how the combat works in 2 if it isn't clicking. It's non-intuitive to say the...Other than the aforementioned speeding up of the combat (1 in particular is atrocious), don't hesitate to look up how the combat works in 2 if it isn't clicking. It's non-intuitive to say the least, not well explained in-game and feels really bad if you don't understand what the game expects you to do.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear Link ParentThe setting, story and characters in Xenosaga are great, especially if you like the whole anime religious space opera with mechs thing it's going for. Fun gameplay might be stretching it, though...The setting, story and characters in Xenosaga are great, especially if you like the whole anime religious space opera with mechs thing it's going for. Fun gameplay might be stretching it, though :P
It's a lot better on emulator since you can speed through the battle animations.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear LinkTrails of Cold Steel II I've been feeling nostalgic for older games and fired up the old fat PS3 last week to finally wrap this one up. The sticks and D-pad on my controller had gone sticky (no...Trails of Cold Steel II
I've been feeling nostalgic for older games and fired up the old fat PS3 last week to finally wrap this one up.
The sticks and D-pad on my controller had gone sticky (no pun intended) from the plasticiser oozing out over the years, but a good scrub with some medical alcohol wipes had them as good as new in no time. The hardware otherwise still works perfectly and the controller even still holds a decent charge, which is a pleasant surprise.
On the game itself:
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There was a time in the 00s when I was really into the Trails series and religiously imported the games from Japan as they came out, in some cases directly from Falcom through a shipping agent so I could get the extras. Coming back to this game 11 years after the date on my 2015 save file... I had a pretty good time!
I'd forgotten a lot of the lore (and there's so much lore), but it came back to me slowly as I played and I could usually work out from context who was on what side and what their agenda was even when I'd forgotten exactly who they are. The writing is squarely juvenile shounen anime with plenty of dudes powering up and winning through the power of friendship and determination, but there's an earnestness and self-knowing confidence to it all that I still find pretty charming.
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Coming back to all of the systems was also a bit of a jump into a cold pool, but the game features a great notes system which not only has the entire manual but also the story to date and profiles for every character down to the minor NPCs, so looking stuff up was simple.
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I'd originally stopped playing in part 3 of act 2, which at the time I had assumed was just before the ending. It turns out there were about 25+ more hours to go! Most of this passed pretty quickly and pleasantly. The controls and QOL features (quick travel, quest logs, objective icons, etc are all there) are all consistent with modern games and the visuals look quite nice on an OLED TV, with a sharp and colourful image and an, uh, acceptable framerate other than whenever the NPC count exceeds around 12 or in any level with fog. Even the loading times off the HDD aren't too bad - maybe a few seconds for each area / battle transition.
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2015 me had already put in the work to build some busted characters (100% evasion Fi...), so the back end of the game was pretty breezy even with a decade of rust to shake off... until I got to the last 3 bosses:
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The first two of these bosses have an undodgeable (in one case completely unguardable) super attack which may or may not wipe a full health party in one shot depending on RNG. There are ways to counter this if you know it's coming, but this is bad game design in my book. The boss fights take a long time and it's a drag to just suddenly lose without any opportunity to respond.
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The last boss, to its credit, does not have a party wiping special, but does demand that for half the fight, you use the characters outside your regular party who you've probably been neglecting. You do get a heads up about this and it is possible, with a little juggling, to use characters who are at least decently levelled and stuff everyone who is truly garbage into the support unit slots, but once you reach this boss, you're locked out of further levelling or accessing any shops, so it's entirely possible to be stuck with badly equipped characters that make either the first or second phase of this fight a nightmare.
Still, you can just drop the difficulty for any of these fights if they're too much bother, so there's nothing show stopping here.
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This game is the 7th out of 13 in the series. I would like to complete the remainder at some point given they're now all easily accessible digitally with Japanese voice and text intact, but first I'll need to find a spare 420 hours.
Dragon Quest VII Reminagined
Only a little ways into this one, but I really have nothing but positive things to say. It's great!
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The tilt-shift diorama art style works really well with the content of the game, which is essentially about rebuilding the world one little island at a time. Each island is essentially a little toybox with a handful of locations and its own adventure to resolve. It feels very cosy.
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The godforsaken individual inventory from 1-3 and 11 is finally gone. You can equip stuff and use items straight from the party inventory like in every other JRPG. I'm in Nirvana due to this change alone.
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You can see the monsters on the map now (and even dispatch them directly if you're a lot stronger than them, Trails style!), so there's no longer any need to constantly keep Toheros up if you just want to explore and pick up missed items without wading through endless trashmob fights. Similarly, items on the ground are now marked with glimmers by default, so Remirama spam on every single screen is no longer mandatory. You can even use Ruura to fast travel right from the get-go. It's wall to wall QOL.
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Characters and monsters alike are fun and animated with the usual DQ charm. I expect the engine is UE, but it performs quite well and comfortably hits 90fps at 1440p on my unspectacular PC.
Out of all the modern DQs I've played this year, this is probably the one I'd recommend for anyone looking to dip a toe into the series.
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Comment on Twenty-year-old Xbox 360 game Blue Dragon now has a fantastic unofficial PC port that unlocks the FPS, goes 4K, and even adds mod support in ~games
Well_known_bear LinkWindows Defender is currently flagging the reblue-1.0.0-win-amd64.zip file as Trojan:Script/Wacatac.B!ml, and it also seems to come up for a number of vendors in VirusTotal. Possibly a false...Windows Defender is currently flagging the reblue-1.0.0-win-amd64.zip file as Trojan:Script/Wacatac.B!ml, and it also seems to come up for a number of vendors in VirusTotal.
Possibly a false positive, but thought it was worth noting.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Well_known_bear Link ParentI also had a visceral reaction to this premise but similarly found it fascinating. Most cultures have a strong taboo against 'desecrating' (including by eating) bodies of anything friend-shaped,...I also had a visceral reaction to this premise but similarly found it fascinating.
Most cultures have a strong taboo against 'desecrating' (including by eating) bodies of anything friend-shaped, but this is such an edge case where many of the usual arguments against it are negated and we're just left with a discomfort that might be entirely learned.
See also the debates around endocannibalism.
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Comment on What are we in a golden age of? in ~talk
Well_known_bear Link ParentI watch Karasuma A's channel where he plays kusoge in Japanese. A while ago, not only did all of the videos switch to English auto-dub, but all of the video titles were auto-translated to English...I watch Karasuma A's channel where he plays kusoge in Japanese. A while ago, not only did all of the videos switch to English auto-dub, but all of the video titles were auto-translated to English too.
There is apparently no option in YouTube to 'play in native language voice track for this language', but I must have switched it enough times for YouTube to work it out because it usually gives me the Japanese voice track first now. Still haven't worked out how to get the Japanese video titles back, though.
To address the earlier question, the English auto-dub I was getting was a generic American male voice with no unusual accent.
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Gamescom discussion
Figured I'd make a general discussion thread since there's a lot coming out of the event. What are your thoughts on the games being shown? Are there any which you're excited to see more of or...
Figured I'd make a general discussion thread since there's a lot coming out of the event.
What are your thoughts on the games being shown? Are there any which you're excited to see more of or disappointed by?
Non-comprehensive list of trailers (long)
I made this thread on mobile, so apologies for any mess-ups.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear Link ParentI would say it's probably one of the best entry points to the genre. There are no real fail states / deadlines, none of the activities are compulsory and there are a ton of accessibility options...I would say it's probably one of the best entry points to the genre. There are no real fail states / deadlines, none of the activities are compulsory and there are a ton of accessibility options (longer days, etc) on top of the pre-existing quality of life features.
I got to the second year and have put it down for the moment as I've finished the main story quests, but I had a good time and will likely pick it up again once they add the next batch of chunky content.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Well_known_bear (edited )LinkLately, I've been craving pulpy horror manga with old school art and episodic structure. I'm talking: Itou Junji Noroi Michiru Umezu Kazuo Hiyodori Sachiko aka Uguisu Sachiko Mitsuhara Shin...Lately, I've been craving pulpy horror manga with old school art and episodic structure.
I'm talking:
- Itou Junji
- Noroi Michiru
- Umezu Kazuo
- Hiyodori Sachiko aka Uguisu Sachiko
- Mitsuhara Shin
- Takahashi Rumiko's Mermaid series
- Tezuka and Nagai Gou's horror stuff (Devilman, Ayako, etc)
Let me know if you've got any recommendations!
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Comment on What's something that's more challenging for you than it is for others? in ~talk
Well_known_bear Link ParentI wonder if this is because the reflex is to first visualise a clock. In ye olden days, these directions were also known as widdershins and deosil. Maybe they'd be as intuitive as right and left...I wonder if this is because the reflex is to first visualise a clock.
In ye olden days, these directions were also known as widdershins and deosil. Maybe they'd be as intuitive as right and left if we still used those words!
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Comment on Hitoner | Chapter 11 in ~anime
Well_known_bear Link ParentYou can do spoiler tags on Tildes. Check out 'expandable sections' here.You can do spoiler tags on Tildes. Check out 'expandable sections' here.
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Comment on What is your Mandela effect moment? in ~movies
Well_known_bear Link ParentPossibly thinking of the death of his investing partner and Berkshire vice-chairman Charlie Munger who died in 2023.Possibly thinking of the death of his investing partner and Berkshire vice-chairman Charlie Munger who died in 2023.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear (edited )LinkFields of Mistria Stardew Valley-like (Harvest Moon-like?) farming sim. Jumped in following the 1.0 launch last week and have found myself coming back more than I expected. I guess we're firmly in...Stardew Valley-like (Harvest Moon-like?) farming sim. Jumped in following the 1.0 launch last week and have found myself coming back more than I expected.
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I guess we're firmly in the 80s anime aesthetic revival at this point. Can't complain!
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The gameplay hews pretty close to its inspirations. All the usual tools are here and function the same way, as are the usual farming, fishing, crafting, mining and socialisation systems. However, there are also a whole raft of QOL additions like being able to craft from any chest, being able to use shops when the shopkeeper is away and no deadlines for any of the quests, so it feels noticeably more chill than Stardew Valley.
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Money has been easy to come by so far, and most of the upgrades and progression come from crafting and completing quests anyway, so it doesn't feel like there's much incentive to be a hard nosed efficiency-maxing capitalist.
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The characters are fine and each has a ton of dialogue and quests, but I'm not seeing much in the way of character development or depth, and the dark edge to the writing that Stardew Valley sometimes had is very much absent. I've heard people say it's closer in tone to Animal Crossing, which pretty much hits the mark.
Will likely play this one on and off between narrative games.
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Comment on Has anyone been watching 'False Memory'? How is it so far? in ~anime
Well_known_bear LinkI wasn't aware of this series, but the animation looks quite good! I'm convinced that on a technical level, the Chinese studios are already at a point where they are competitive with Japanese...I wasn't aware of this series, but the animation looks quite good!
I'm convinced that on a technical level, the Chinese studios are already at a point where they are competitive with Japanese studios. The Japanese studios still have an edge in that they are entrenched with an audience that grew up watching shows with ingrained Japanese sensibilities / culture, but I can see younger audiences today forming an equally strong attachment to Chinese and Korean content.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Well_known_bear LinkPicked up S2 of Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi. Very upbeat for a show about a boy lord whose entire family is slaughtered by a usurper's uprising. Lovely animation from Cloverworks. No gradations or post...Picked up S2 of Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi. Very upbeat for a show about a boy lord whose entire family is slaughtered by a usurper's uprising.
Lovely animation from Cloverworks. No gradations or post processing in sight. It often feels like watching impossibly clean cel animation.
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Comment on What are your favourite anime and/or manga? in ~anime
Well_known_bear Link ParentOther than Girls Last Tour, there is also Usuzumi no Hate for all your 'wandering around post-apocalypse megastructures' needs. Nothing is quite like BLAME! though.Other than Girls Last Tour, there is also Usuzumi no Hate for all your 'wandering around post-apocalypse megastructures' needs.
Nothing is quite like BLAME! though.
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Comment on What are your favourite anime and/or manga? in ~anime
Well_known_bear Link ParentSome recommendations: Shounen no Abyss (the author's earlier work Himegoto is also interesting but there are a lot of sex scenes) Aono-kun ni sawaritai kara shinitai Ressentiment Saishuuheiki...Some recommendations:
- Shounen no Abyss (the author's earlier work Himegoto is also interesting but there are a lot of sex scenes)
- Aono-kun ni sawaritai kara shinitai
- Ressentiment
- Saishuuheiki Kanojo
- Natsume Arata no kekkon
I thought the initial school arc of Aku no Hana was excellent but it really fell off a cliff after that.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Well_known_bear LinkDragon Quest III Remake Finished I-II Remake and moved on to this one. You can really tell that they made this one first because although it's in the same engine, it feels rougher in a lot of...Dragon Quest III Remake
Finished I-II Remake and moved on to this one. You can really tell that they made this one first because although it's in the same engine, it feels rougher in a lot of ways:
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Performance is noticeably worse. There's no shader compilation at startup and the UE traversal stutter happens all over the place.
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There's very little added story or characterisation. All of your party members are generated characters, so there's also no party chat. You're given the goal of following your missing father's footsteps and defeating the demon lord, but the demon lord and his followers don't actually appear in the early game at all, so there's no feeling of any narrative being developed as you progress. You're just visiting places and solving their local problems as you go.
Despite a slow start, it's pretty enjoyable once the world opens up and I'll stick with it.
Staffer Retro
Sequel to the mystery / puzzle game Staffer Case. I've completed 2 of the 5 cases so far.
It's a nice follow up.
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This entry is set in idyllic Sicily instead of the oppressive authoritarian London of the first game. The protagonist is no longer a cop but a kid caught up in unfortunate circumstances. Instead of every case being a gruesome whodunnit, they just start off as odd mysteries. It's a noticeably lighter tone in general, although I can see a build up to something bigger.
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Gameplay-wise, it's pretty similar to the first game. The menu is cleaned up a little in that you now get clear choices to deduce, speak and move, but the same problems are still here. Sometimes you'll know the answer but the game will only accept one specific combination of clues where another seems to get at the same point. Other times, the translation feels weirdly stiff or is outright different from the Japanese voiced line. A lot of the text is also tiny and calls for the use of the magnifying lens tool.
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Based on the steam page, I had thought that the story branched depending on how you solve the cases, but it's the same system as in the first game. The main story is linear, but each case has an easier but wrong solution and a 'dark side' solution with the correct (but inevitably darker) reasoning. This is a lot better signposted than in the first game and it's much more obvious where they branch.
This game also put me onto aglio e olio pasta which I can confirm is both easy to make and delicious.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Well_known_bear (edited )Link ParentI'm a fellow Kagurabachi enjoyer. This will likely be Weekly Jump's next poster series given most of their popular serials (barring One Piece and the frequently truant HxH) seem to have ended. The...I'm a fellow Kagurabachi enjoyer.
This will likely be Weekly Jump's next poster series given most of their popular serials (barring One Piece and the frequently truant HxH) seem to have ended.
The anime trailer looks fantastic and captures the flashy action (the core strength of the series in my view) really well.
I'd been meaning to post about Hunter X Hunter vol 39. I've never come so close to dropping this series - it's become a parody of itself with all the giant walls of text and people monologuing in cabins - but it really picks up in the second half by going back to what makes this series good - rules, systems and games. Hope this keeps up!
In a similar vein, when your typing cursor is active, ctrl + right or left allows you to move forward or back one word at a time instead of one character at a time. Great for quickly and precisely navigating blocks of text without needing to shift to the mouse.