Messages

31

General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: January 30, 2025, 10:13:05 am »

Years later, I have finally started Elden Ring. I've been destroyed a few times, but also discovered a number of cool things. Am I making progress towards the story? I don't know. I DO know that I found a sewing needle, killed a Tree Sentinel, got warped to a toxic island, found a cool staff there on said island, and got a cool horse to ride around on.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 20, 2025, 05:00:28 pm »

15. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Maria

And boom. The last ending needed for a fully completed game and a platinum trophy. I didn't just play this game. I inhaled it. I can't remember playing a game that made me so distracted outside of game time in forever. I kept wanting more, which is kind of aligned with the way you go about getting the Maria ending. I am really, really excited to get a review going for this. Also, I have some friends that want to experience it so I'm looking forward to watching them and seeing their reactions to the surface level scares, as well as the psychological ones.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 20, 2025, 02:43:45 pm »

13. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Stillness
14. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Rebirth

Two more endings over and done with. Both were new to this remake. Stillness was a more involved version of Leave. Rebirth was...something ominous. Now it's time to see if I can finally, finally get that Maria ending.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 20, 2025, 10:21:05 am »

10. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Dog
11. Silent Hill 2 Remake - UFO
12. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Bliss

I finished the game three more times. I won't comment on the gag endings (Dog/UFO) because they're just that: gags. I did enjoy them, though. The Bliss ending was one of the new ones. It was hard to watch, but it may have just been my interpretation. I'd say the most important thing about these files is that I was able to knock out some of the seemingly annoying trophies: one for a speed run, one for finishing new game plus, and one for never using a firearm. Of course, having a chainsaw in James' possession helped with that last one.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 18, 2025, 09:31:49 pm »

8. Silent Hill 2 Remake - Leave
9. Silent Hill 2 Remake - In Water

Despite following a guide, I have been locked out of the last of the three endings that you could get on a New Game. I'm not gonna lie - I'm a bit annoyed. I thought I did everything necessary to get the most difficult ending but I guess not. I'm going to have to do a New Game Plus run with multiple saves to do it. That major annoyance aside, this was a lot of fun. This is how you do a remake of a classic. James is still a bit of a lumbering oaf, but he handles much better. The atmosphere and setting have been amplified to the nth degree. I absolutely recommend this to all fans of survival horror.

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Modern Video Games / Re: Nintendo Switch 2 Reveal

« on: January 16, 2025, 11:32:03 am »

It looks like it'll have backwards compatibility with OG Switch games. So, yay for that.

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Modern Video Games / Re: 2025 Games To Watch For...

« on: January 16, 2025, 09:24:52 am »

Anyone else interested in the Lunar Remaster? That's one I'm definitely going to watch for. I'm trying to pre-order it but I'm not having any luck.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 15, 2025, 03:00:25 pm »

7. Chrono Trigger DS - Dream's Epilogue

Obviously, I said "screw it" and went through the second bonus dungeons in 12,000 BC, 1,000 AD, and 2,300 AD. Each Dimensional Vortex wasn't as bad as I remember. I liked getting nifty new gear and the bosses at the end were especially fun. Doing these dungeons also helped shed some light on the events before Chrono Cross. There was mentioning of the Porre Army and a scene where you see a certain someone getting absorbed by...a certain something. (I'm trying to avoid spoilers for folks that never played Chrono Trigger/Cross.) I saved the game and now I have what I believe to be a solid starting point for another New Game Plus. This won't be the last time I play Chrono Trigger.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 15, 2025, 08:46:13 am »

6. Chrono Trigger DS - The Dream Project

It was fun to get this ending. Crono uses Luminaire or Frenzy to dish damage. Marle uses Haste and heals as needed. And the rest is history. I really enjoyed talking to all of the sprites that represented the staff that made this game possible all those years ago. I'm not sure if I'll do a final romp through Dimensional Vortexes to get one of the exclusive endings because, despite its polish and briskness, combat does tend to wear thin after a while. We'll see.

40

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 12, 2025, 03:58:18 pm »

5. Chrono Trigger DS - Beyond Time

I finished the game again with the best ending after voyaging through the Black Omen and taking out Queen Zeal. The three heroes from 1,000 AD hop back in the time machine to do another search and rescue operation. Seeing the Epoch fly through the different ages and landscapes always hits. This game is so damn fun each time I play it. I remember starting a new file immediately after finishing it back in the days of the Super Nintendo. That first-time magic will never be recaptured, but there's still a certain something about Chrono Trigger that keeps it (pardon the word choice) timeless.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 12, 2025, 11:13:03 am »

4. Ys X: Nordics

I had a lot of highs and lows with this one. I think I prefer Adol's adventures to be solo, but Karja really grew on me near the end. She stayed true to herself despite growing attached to Adol (in multiple ways) and learning of her origins. I liked that the story paid homage to Viking and Norse lore. The action was solid nine times out of ten. Some of the bosses were just ridiculous. It felt like I was playing a shoot 'em up. I played on Normal and a few bosses just drained me of resources. This was after I "mastered" how to perfect dodge and perfect block. Still, nailing those defensive maneuvers and seeing the cinematic attacks that followed was a rush. The story never seemed to go anywhere until the end, which was tantamount to sailing on the ocean on the Sandras. I spent more time fighting currents and waves and the stupid boat then monsters. The Sandras' crew were an annoying bunch that didn't know when to stop talking so Adol and Karja could get back to saving the gulf. Ultimately, I had fun and I'm glad I played it but this wasn't the next big thing for the series.

42

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 09, 2025, 03:33:05 pm »

3. Chrono Trigger DS - Float Away

For the last month or so, I've been doing a New Game Plus run on Chrono Trigger; a game I've played close to a hundred times. I decided to finish the game for a first time with the adorable Float Away ending where you use your Epoch to battering ram into Lavos and skip part of the fight. I still ship Lucca x Crono instead of Marle x Crono, but there's no denying that this is a cute and heartwarming ending. It's not my favorite, though. That will come when I reboot the game and head through the Black Omen to take down Queen Zeal.

43

General / Re: A Year in Review - 2024

« on: January 05, 2025, 01:25:25 pm »

Favorite 2024 Release: Unicorn Overlord, but it was real tough to decide on that.

Least Favorite 2024 Release: Slave Zero X

Favorite Game Played in 2024: Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven

Least Favorite Game Played in 2024: Cosmic Fantasy

Sleeper Hit of 2024: Reynatis

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2024: Seeing everything come together so beautifully in Metaphor.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2024: Finding the deluxe edition of Shin Megami Tensei V for Switch. Now I have a cool slingbag!

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General / Re: What are the worst games you ever tried?

« on: January 03, 2025, 08:23:44 pm »

I've played some STINKERS.

Spectral Force 3: This was before Idea Factory struck gold with Neptunia. Way before. The game is ugly as piss, the balance is off, it's slow even as a strategy game, and the story is stupid as hell. Oh, and the token healer CAN'T HEAL HIMSELF.

Forever Kingdom: From Software wasn't always the pinnacle of quality. This game on the PS2 is a perfect example of it. A shared life bar? And enemies that always hit like trucks? Sounds GREAT! -.-

I'll think of more later.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2025!!!

« on: January 02, 2025, 06:25:34 pm »

2. Reynatis

First platinum of the year! I'll write a review for this one at some point with a lot more information. Unsurprisingly, I actually liked it. But, that's on brand for me. I liked Lost Dimension. I liked Crymachina. I even liked Monark. So, me liking this isn't too surprising. I had two major issues. The first was when you were in Liberated Mode outside Another. It was a nuisance with the way you'd trend so quickly. It meant having to exit/re-enter the place I was exploring. The other issue was with the story. I still can't tell you half the stuff they were talking about. Marin wants to be the strongest. Sari wants to eradicate rubrum. Everything else that happened with the enemies, Legacies, etc? I have no clue. Oh well. Fun game. Fun characters. Eager to get a thorough review up for it.