zant's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
zant Link ParentI've also been playing Big Walk with some friends! We're a group of four and it feels like a digital hangout, which is great considering it's August and everyone went back to their respective...I've also been playing Big Walk with some friends! We're a group of four and it feels like a digital hangout, which is great considering it's August and everyone went back to their respective families, so we still get to mess around together. I'm not sure at what point of the game we are, but we're six hours in and we're having fun.
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Comment on Apple unveils their new operating systems for 2027: iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, and more in ~tech
zant LinkThis update is mostly focused around Apple Intelligence, however the standout new feature to me is the EQ for AirPods. It’s something that most third parties already do for their earbuds through...This update is mostly focused around Apple Intelligence, however the standout new feature to me is the EQ for AirPods. It’s something that most third parties already do for their earbuds through their own apps, and it was something AirPods needed in my opinion. I know not many care about equalising their earbuds, but for the ones who do it’s a great addition. It seems very basic from the small image they put on their website, but I guess we’ll have to see when it releases.
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Comment on Humble Choice - May 2026 in ~games
zant LinkThis is worth it even just for Shin Megami Tensei V. It’s interesting, it’s challenging, it’s fun. I sunk about 150 hours into it and enjoyed it. It’s very much centred around the gameplay more so...This is worth it even just for Shin Megami Tensei V.
It’s interesting, it’s challenging, it’s fun. I sunk about 150 hours into it and enjoyed it. It’s very much centred around the gameplay more so than the story, so keep this in mind if you need an engaging story to keep you playing. Also, it can feel a little unfair at times, but once you learn how to actually exploit the combat system, no one should have trouble completing the story. The postgame, on the other hand, has a couple of brutal bosses, which can be a lot of fun if that’s your sort of thing.
I’d recommend it to everyone who enjoys RPGs.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
zant Link ParentI’m currently making my way through this game (about 15 hours in). The first few hours are absolutely brutal, but it does get easier later on. My advice is to keep fusing demons to keep your team...I’m currently making my way through this game (about 15 hours in). The first few hours are absolutely brutal, but it does get easier later on. My advice is to keep fusing demons to keep your team as powerful as possible and also make good use of buffs and debuffs in battle. This is crucial in SMT games: you don’t want the enemy to start piling buffs and debuffs.
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Comment on Your favorite band that no one has heard of? in ~music
zant LinkLucid Planet is one of my top 3 bands, yet they oscillate between 20k and 25k monthly Spotify listeners. They describe themselves as “progressive psychedelic tribal metal” and that nails it well...Lucid Planet is one of my top 3 bands, yet they oscillate between 20k and 25k monthly Spotify listeners. They describe themselves as “progressive psychedelic tribal metal” and that nails it well enough. They’re from Australia and purposely 100% independent, so no label or anything. They even made their website themselves!
They have two albums: the first one is their self titled, which is the more psychedelic of the two. Took me a couple listens before I started to really appreciate it, but I still recommend it to anyone who’s even remotely interested in the genre. The second one, literally just called II, is easier to listen to, but still as interesting as the first one. My favourite album of the year. That’s all they made so very easy to listen to everything and form an opinion. I really hope they get big enough some day to tour in Europe because I really want to listen to them live! -
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
zant Link ParentThat's actually how I'm approaching the game and how I approached botw. I go around loosely following the story but stop around if I see something. I had a lot of fun doing this on botw, but now...That's actually how I'm approaching the game and how I approached botw. I go around loosely following the story but stop around if I see something. I had a lot of fun doing this on botw, but now on totk it feels kinda boring. Part of it is probably because the layout of the map is still the same, so there's not much surprise in discovering something major like a village when you already knew was there.
You mentioned caves, and they're one of the things I felt botw was lacking. Exploring them is interesting and they're a really great addition to the game.
In the end I'm trying to figure out if I played too much of botw and now the formula feels boring to me or if I'm just not in the target audience anymore...
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
zant LinkI'm still playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I actually got it on release day, but I clocked in only about 50 hours so far. This is because I've been very busy with life these past...I'm still playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I actually got it on release day, but I clocked in only about 50 hours so far. This is because I've been very busy with life these past few months, but also because honestly I'm not really enjoying it that much, and this is coming from someone with about 250 hours on botw back in 2017.
In my opinion there are two ways a game can keep the player engaged: gameplay and story. Botw did it through gameplay and totk is doing the same, except it feels more like playing a botw expansion than a new game. Sure, there are new things and some old ones change, but it's not enough to make it feel fresh again despite having played botw over six years ago. It just isn't keeping me interested. The most fun I've had with the game so far is checking old places I liked in botw and seeing how they changed, but I'm already running out. I think I will start engaging more with the story from now on and just finish the game and be done with it. I'm kind of disappointed since the Zelda serie is my favourite of all time and I liked botw despite being a different kind of game from the previous ones.
I'm also planning on starting Nier: Replicant as soon as I finish totk as I bought it a few months ago but just haven't had much time to play.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
zant LinkLucid Planet - Lucid Planet I’ve been playing both of these band’s albums non stop this past year, but lately I’ve been listening more to the first album, the self titled. They’re both simply...Lucid Planet - Lucid Planet
I’ve been playing both of these band’s albums non stop this past year, but lately I’ve been listening more to the first album, the self titled. They’re both simply fantastic and I invite whoever is reading to give them a try. This band is 100% independent and as such has no label. I believe it’s for this reason that they don’t have many listeners, because their quality is way above their level of popularity. According to their website they describe themselves as a progressive psychedelic band however I can swear at some point the website said progressive psychedelic tribal metal. If that’s not what you usually enjoy I’d invite you to listen to their second album, simply called II, which I find quite accessible for everyone.Elliot Smith - Either/Or
Not much to say here, great album. I’ve been getting into Elliot Smith’s music lately and this is the one I’ve listened to the most.Indukti - Idmen
Another unknown album. I know nothing about these guys and I found out about this album only because Spotify kept recommending it to me. I didn’t like it much at first, but after listening a couple times it grew on me. It’s some kind of metal with middle eastern vibes. I dig it, but it’s not for everyone.
I've been playing the Switch 2 edition of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 since it's released. I got into Xenoblade back in 2021, when I managed to get a small lot of used switch games for cheap, which included Xenoblade 1 and 2. While it's a game I like, it's always been my least favourite of the lot, and the current replay has not been changing my mind.
For starters, I don't particularly like the change in narrative, writing, and artstyle, which in XC2 feel like a very generic anime. Characters are very stereotyped, but I remember warming up to all of them by the end of the game in my first playthrough, so I imagine that's what will happen this time too. A lot of people have problems with the main character, Rex, and i can certainly see why, but he doesn't particularly bother me. The artstyle change was a real shame, because I really liked the look of the original Wii release of XC1, however it got slightly altered in the Switch remaster to look a little more like XC2. Unfortunately the Wii's severely limited hardware was unable to properly render the artists' vision for the characters, but if you take a look at the old artwork you'll see what I mean. The story isn't anything too mindblowing, but thanks in part to its simplicity is still very enjoyable. Some scenes, however, are written in a way that's downright embarassing, and the game as a whole made me literally cringe more than once. Worldbuilding is still top notch.
The gameplay, on the other hand, is still good old Xenoblade, meaning it's fantastic. Exploring the huge maps is a lot of fun, as is engaging with the combat system. One of the problems of all Xenoblade games is that tutorials are lacking to say the least and the game doesn't really do a good job at explaining its functions. For this reason it took me an embarassingly long time to figure out how the combat system really works, however once I did I started to really have fun with it. If you're trying any Xenoblade game and you seem to not really get into it, try looking up a tutorial for the combat system on the internet: there's a decent chance that's what's holding you back from enjoying the game.
The version I'm playing, however, is the shiny new Switch 2 edition, so: how is it?
I'd say it's fine. There is some rare stutter here and there and the upscaling could be better, but it looks and plays pretty well. It's certainly a lot better than on Switch 1, as it originally had a very soft image and the frame rate wasn't extremely stable (but still reached its 30 fps target most of the time). The frame drops in the original were particularly problematic, because v-sync was not adaptive and the game logic was tied to the framerate. This means any even very slight frame drop would lock the framerate to 20 fps and slow down the gameplay. I can't say if the logic is still tied to the framerate, as the infrequent stutters I got so far were not enough to asses that.
I tried the new mode, merc assault, and it's cool that it allows you to play as blades directly, but that's pretty much it. When all's said and done I don't think this upgrade is worth €10 and it should have been a free update, at least for the framerate and resolution bump. But I guess the joke's on me, since I purchased it and allowed this behaviour.