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| Maou 2393th Post
  
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|  "Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Thu 27 Dec 13:12:  
Since despite my best efforts, I appear to have actually played a few games that were released this year, I'd better start the 2012 Game of the Year: Year of the Dragon Edition thread!
Fighters
Skullgirls: I was actually delighted by how fun I found this earnest little game made by such a small team. The oddly-proportioned characters are oddly sexy and appealing, animate beautifully, and--as someone here likely said--have a Street Fighter II-like purity of design in that their character images match their fighting styles very well. I was surprised I didn't like the soundtrack more given that Yamane Michiru and Vincent Diamante were both on staff---only the "la, la la la la LAH" tune from the outdoor park stage really sticks in my mind. No one I play against seems to care about fighter music as much as I do, but given all the time you spend on just a few stages, I think it's key. Maybe the noir/grotesque themes tricked the composers into making disappointingly sedate or grim music. I mean, it's not like I needed the thumpa-thumpa-thumpa super-bass of Street Fighter Zero 3...actually, maybe it is!
Artistic
Journey: Like with Flower, I sat down at a friend's and played this through in one long sitting, which was a mesmerizing experience. The sandy vistas and sense of mystery (as ever) are outstanding, and I think these days I enjoy discreet artistic experiences as opposed to games with amazing "replay value" or whatever. The nicest thing about downloadable games is that making compact, tight experiences like this has become possible, with no need for padding. The sheer sense of exertion and friction and resistance in the final scenes is palpable, nearly as much so as the joy that comes with the force and impact of heroically breaking through rust and ruin in the final stage of Flower to restore beauty. I can only hope that their continued success will inspire That Game Company to come up with a non-stupid company game and Jenova Chen to stop using an odd ghost-alien from 1997 as his moniker, though this will probably not be the case.
Smart Phone
Ziggurat: Tim Rogers and friends made a wonderful little iphone game that has a Treasure-like design sensibility and sense of force/impact ("friction," as he often says), a brilliant little Famicom soundtrack, and a ziggurat that looks gloriously reminiscent of Yoshi's Island. It's a simple mechanic of fending off villains while immobile and atop a towering structure, but the fun of fighting off the hordes really stands out in light of the subtle end of the world that unfolds as the sun sets and the moon rises, all telling wordlessly of a last stand. I killed about 660 aliens on my best run and saw the end times but not quite the end, and I was shaking at the end in a way I hadn't done since getting to the end of an action game since...Sonic 2? Super Mario Brothers 3?
Game of the Year
Final Fantasy VI: Just kidding, the best game of 2012 is still from 1994. I spent the earlier part of 2012 preparing for the upcoming 20th anniversary of FF VI by playing through the first half and marvelling at how tight and well-scripted and fun it is. If only the later ports weren't so bad, I wouldn't quake in mortal fear of my creaky Super Famicom battery erasing my save.
So in the end...the most played games of 2012 were: SSF IV and SFZero 2!
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Thu 27 Dec 22:50] |
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| Pollyanna 3362th Post
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| "Re(1):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Thu 27 Dec 13:54
I'm having a tough time thinking of "best ofs" and "runner ups" in a lot of categories this year. Anyway...
Yet to play: (for the record)
Shin Hokuto, Fantasy Life, Unchained Blades EXXiV, Journey, Dishonored, X-Com, Gyakuten Layton
Late to the Party Awards (Celebrating games that were on people's lists last year)
Sonic Generations would've been in the running for "game of the year" if I had played it last year. This is my favorite Sonic game of all time, conveniently picking the best things from the series and cramming them into a very attractive package. Too bad about that last boss, though...that was pretty much the worst thing in anything ever, and that's counting Illbleed. As a side note, I like to think that Classic Sonic was initially excited to see that he could actually talk in the future, only to later contemplate suicide after seeing all the incredibly lame friends he'll make that think hotdogs are a good birthday present.
Arkham City was a great experience, even for a non-Batman fan such as myself. If I liked Batman and gratuitous use of the word "bitch", I would probably orgasm nonstop while playing this game.
Mario 3D Land was tragically lacking in creativity in some areas, but had such delightful level design that I couldn't help but love it. It's a fantastic example of classic Mario in 3D.
Still Haven't Played it Sub-Award
Shinobi (3DS). I have a 3DS backlog, so this one still isn't a high priority.
Game of the Year: Gravity Daze
I think I decided this a long time ago and was probably quite vocal about it, so it's no surprise. I will quote myself, though:
"Somehow, they created something completely new and got it absolutely perfect on the first try."
and
"This game far exceeded my expectations for itself and video games in general. It deserves every award and lots of awards that haven't been made up yet."
Although I enjoyed a lot of games this year, none are quite in this class, so no runner up.
Best Soundtrack: Bravely Default
An instant, all-time favorite, this ranks up there with my most beloved RPG soundtracks (Oath in Felghana, Final Fantasy 4). The character theme songs played in battle are especially cute and the last boss theme is exhaustingly epic. The soundtrack as a whole is extremely listenable from beginning to end. Personal favorites include the intro AR track and the theme of Flowell, though I tend to gravitate to the battle tracks.
Runner Up: Kid Icarus Uprising
This would probably win in a different year, but it would be difficult for any soundtrack to beat Bravely Default for me. Still, Kid Icarus is quite an impressive production by pedigree alone and plays extremely well in the game itself as well. Favorite is probably Dark Pitt's theme.
Best Soundtrack 2013: Soul Sacrifice
Seriously, have you heard this?! It's like having another Xenosaga soundtrack from Mitsuda. Haunting! Beautiful! What could possibly beat this!?
Best Fighting Game: Persona 4 Arena
This one wins by default because it's the first in its series(?) and feels remarkably complete in itself. I don't know that it actually ranks among my favorite fighters, but it's fresh and nicely packaged with little to complain about.
Runner Up: Tekken Tag 2
This is probably a better game that Persona 4, but it also borrows heavily enough from Tekken 6 that I'm reluctant to give it as much accolade.
Best Non-Game: Virtue's Last Reward
What little game was there was absolutely painful to play on Vita, but as a novel it was nice. I guess $40 is a little pricey for a novel, but hey, I enjoyed it from beginning to end as long as I wasn't trying to click on stuff.
Runner Up: Animal Crossing 3DS
I'm not an Animal Crossing fan, myself, but I enjoy seeing what other people do in the game.
Why am I Playing This Again Award: Persona 4 Golden
The Vita version actually improves on the original nicely, but this game is still overrated.
Runner Up: Megaman 2
I had to check my memory/the hype on this game to see if it was actually great or not. It was good, but I think I won't need to play it for another 10 years or so. The soundtrack is still fantastic, though.
Best Final Boss: Bravely Default
The boss actually was lame-looking and the fight was mercilessly long, but it did so many things I've never seen before in a game. I felt despair, my heart leapt, I smiled and laughed and grinded my teeth. It fit the player into the world and fit everyone playing the game into the same universe. Clever! Clever!
Runner up: Everything except Biohazard 6
A lot of neat ideas that don't take the player into account very much. Very common for that game.
*Low Points*:
Capcom
I enjoyed a lot of Capcom games this year, but their flaws were compounded by DLC woes. I won't pick on SFxT any more than it's been picked on already, but the rest of the their lineup had issues, too. Asura's Wrath was extremely short, full-priced, almost completely lacking in extra content then expected you to buy the end of the game separately. Dragon's Dogma launched with on-disc DLC, but had uneven content that could use a lot of work within the game itself. Biohazard 6 launched without half of its multiplayer modes (which also cost money, were complete and are on the disk) and might lose its fans before they're implemented (that's another game I don't need to pick on so much, though). The end feeling is :"I like a lot of Capcom games, but they're a shitty company".
Fighting Games and Me
I love fighting games so much, but it seems like only assholes play them. From elitist bastards posting on messageboards to cheap, hate-mail sending jerks and disconnectors, I wonder if fighting games can survive their community much longer.
Tales of Xillia 2
I was tricked into buying this game by its unexpectedly positive reception. The story is good and I enjoy the characters, but holy crap is this game ever full of irritations. They borrowed so much from Xillia 1 and yet they still came up short in so many places.
Mass Effect 3 if you didn't Import ME2 Data
Seriously, this is just mean.
Poor, Poor Level-5
I thought people liked these guys? What's going on here? They can't sell anything!
WiiU Launch Hiccups
I am still fond of the system, but it launched with obnoxious firmware updates and no TVii. Interface is unreasonably slow and the outlook for future games is fairly empty. Companies always answer "no" when they're asked about WiiU versions of games and some ports don't stack up as nicely as they should. Well, it's still early. I wish them the best.
I am SO SCARED for the Vita
I own a lot of Vita games. I love the system. There are not enough of me to give it any measure of success. I have literally no idea whatsoever what could make this system sell in America.
*High Points*
Stupid Companies Showing a HINT of Kindness
Square's treatment of Final Fantasy 14 is very exciting for me. I want this game to succeed more than I've ever wanted a game to succeed before. It doesn't even matter if I play it...it would just be a triumph of good will. Their outsourcing seems to be doing well for them too. And to be fair after my complaints, Capcom's extremely wilted olive branch is something at least. The Bio 6 patches are better than nothing, the SfxT changes sound positive and cheers to Capcom USA for putting together Street Fighter x Megaman. This stuff hardly makes up for their low points, but it helps shake the feeling of "They will only continue to suck and find new ways to suck".
Buying Games off the Japanese 3DS Store
THIS IS NUTS. The system isn't even region free, but within a few clicks I can buy games for (reasonably) cheap with my US credit card!? Can I do this everywhere, all the time from now on, please?
Musou!
I used to direct so much mockery towards Musou games, but now I find new games coming out long before I'm sick of the old ones.
Looking Forward to:
-Soul Sacrifice
-Lots of nice-looking Shonen Jump games
-Even 1 nice WiiU exclusive announcement?
-FFXIV's relaunch
-The Last of Us
-Anything from Platinum
Preordered:
-Kamipara LE
-Senran Kagura Vita LE
-Last of Us
-Metal Gear Rising
-Tales of Hearts R
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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| Iggy 9410th Post
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| "Re(1):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Sat 29 Dec 00:46:
It's more of a list of "what I played this year". I'm actually surprised I played that much!
2012 “It’s not you, it’s me” Award : Max Anarchy
I enjoyed the demo quite a lot, but then I didn't import the game, thinking “hum… it would be too expensive, maybe the next time I have a big order from Japan…” The next day, my flatmate appears with a free copy that probably magically rained from the sky upon him. I maybe played one hour...? I'm not even sure we redeemed the preorder code for Bayonetta that was in the box. I feel like a very bad Bayo fan. I would really, really like to like the game, it’s just… something prevents me from even touching it. I don’t understand. I'm sorry Max.
2012 Least Disappointing Crossover
Bronze Award: Street Fighter X Tekken
In that case, it’s not me, it’s definitely you, Capcom. I spent all these years looking at Tekken thinking “I like the characters, but I can’t stand the game, if only I could play with them in a Street-Fighter kind of engine”, and when the thing finally happens, I just can’t stand the game more than an hour. How could that possibly happen? The game even has Kuma doing an R.Mika cosplay! Capcom, I am extremely angry at you.
If the game has one thing to be remembered for, it’s that it proved Capcom fighters don’t go well with the DLC concept. If the original game had been released without the DLC, had been loathed by everyone, and then Capcom had done like always and released the 12 characters along with the 2013 update in a new game called “Super Street Fighter X Tekken”, the backlash would have been almost unnoticeable.
Silver Award: Gyakuten Layton
On paper, the crossover made sense. After playing just the intro, it’s obvious the concept couldn't work at all. Trying to keep the flavour of both games by cracking the crossover into two separate dynamics seemed a good idea, but in fact, it requires you to play a Layton game AND a Gyakuten game at the same time. In fighting games, crossovers cater to at least the fans of the organizing company who receive new, foreign characters, while the fans of the other company are welcome to join in for a while, leading to a wider potential public than you would have had with a regular, non crossover title. Here, you actually have to at least like BOTH franchises to go forward: especially in the case of the Gyakuten segments, who are as well written as anything written by Takushu (My eternal love to you) but can be very polarizing. I know a few people who would just drop the game there and never come back. As for me, I’m OK with the minigames, but could someone kill Layton and his twink, please?
But, well, it’s still the occasion to meet Takushu again after the brilliant Ghost Trick. Oh, and speaking of which: I also give a 2012 Nelson “Ha! Ha!” Award to Level 5, a company I never liked, whose success I never managed to understand, and it seems this year was the year everyone joined my bandwagon. Hurray!
I suppose that means now I'm supposed to start liking them. Damn it.
Gold Award: Playstation All Stars Battle Royale
PS ASBR, the gift that keeps giving. From the premise to the first videos to the hypocrisy of “Smash Bros? Never heard of it” to the character choice… everything was fantastic from beginning to end. It even had Seth Killian and Lupinko spoiling the roaster in advance! And all that enjoyment for free!
It could only have been better if the PSN had been hacked again when the game was released.
The 2012 “Just according to Keikaku*” Award: Diablo 3
Nothing, not the sales numbers, the quality of the final product, the flaws, the outraged reactions all over the internet, the server issues at launch, the Torchlight comparisons, the tons of salt and trolling and other “What a shitty game, I only played it 200 hours and never came back, I'm never buying another Bizzard product” reactions, nothing at all was surprising in the least. Oh, maybe the writing succeeded in being worse than expected.
Best browser-game now that I managed to stop playing Kingdom of Loathing with the help of God and my therapist, a.k.a. Best game my employer paid me to play instead of working at the office that would not be KoL
Bronze Award: Parameters
Silver Award: Mine Sweeper RPG
Gold Award: Knightmare Tower
Special mention to Triple Town, but since it’s a Facebook/Google+/whatever other stuff I’m not aware of, it probably should be in a category of its own.
The 2012 Most Questionable Expansion Award
Bronze Award: CiV Gods&King
The problem with strategy games is that it’s difficult to improve your game (once it has reach an acceptable balance) without adding more layers of complexity. Hence the necessity to start at the most bare-bone level (thus angering fans because your new games doesn’t have X or Y), and then build up on top of that. Each new thing you add raises the amount of necessary micro-management of your thing, and Religion, while far better implemented than in Civ 4, sometimes dangerously topples into tedious territory. Fortunately, it can be ignored, turned off, and moreover, CiV retains the magic of the “one more turn” endless chain of micro-objectives that actually makes me scared of playing a new game. I think that fear is very much what ex-addicts feel when they get too close to their previous drug of choice. Will the next extension add even more complex and annoying micro-management? More than probably. While I get it day one? I'm already playing it IN MY MIND.
Silver Award: Dark Souls Prepare to Die
Come on, From. That’s not an expansion, that’s just two zones you added without much link to the rest of the world. I'm not calling that an expansion, I just call it “new marketing plan to capitalize on the great word-of-mouth on the game and sell even more copies”. And then I just give you all my money.
Gold Award: The Binding of Isaac: Wrath of the Lamb
I have never seen any better illustration for “more=/= better”. By adding even more stuff, more enemies, more floors, more bosses, more items, the expansion actually broke a game which had an perfect balance of strategy, random elements, risk vs reward… the expansion added so many things that the random elements just breaks everything. Some of the bosses are also way too strong to appear that early, more broken item combinations but even less likely to appear with all the new stuff… Just roll a dice; you’re either the king of the world or stand absolutely no chance and can reset without even trying to go through a couple of floors.
Farewell, my 2011 GOTY. I loved you.
The 2012 Heir of the mystic sword “Katana” of the clan “sensei” of the legendary ninja “Shibuya Power” Award: Mark of the Ninja.
OK. The game is great, the controls are great, the level design is great, the art is great, but OH GOD JUST SHUT UP WITH YOUR SHITTY WAPANESE NONSENSE. It’s probably the equivalent to Bastion last year: I would have enjoyed the game much better if all the characters were mute and there was no plot. Except Mark of the Ninja is a far better game, and except that even Bastion's narrator didn't annoy me to the point I had to stop playing after an hour. “Let me tell you the legend of the Yin NO I WONT JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP.
Game I enjoyed better than Mark of the Ninja even though it lasts 15 minutes at the same time: Thirty Flights of Loving
Yes, that’s how you tell a story. it’s not even a real “game” in the sense you just follow the path to look at the next sequence, but everything it tried was done perfectly, and as a side note it didn’t make me want to punch through my screen. Note for 2013: any story-driven game where no one talks gets an instant 50% bonus in my book.
Best Point-and-click game of 2012: Edna&Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes
I wonder if I should put The Walking Dead here, but there was very little thinking required in that. I just watched my flatmate playing through it, and don’t think I missed anything. Harvey’s New Eyes, on the other hand, is the kind of game you would think directly taken from the Monkey Island-Maniac Mansion era. Only german people could do that. The first half of the game is perfect, just like an old rusty game, with clever writing, enigmas and solutions. The second half is OK too. That was a very pleasant surprise, and I don't even like point-and-click games to begin with!
Worst plot element that need to die and never come back after 2012: that character you relied on through the game is actually only in your mind
Guys. I understood Bruce Willis was dead when I saw the trailer of the Sixth Sense, and I actually thought that was intended and the big surprise of the movie was that actually, he was not really dead. 13 years later, the plot device hasn't gotten any better. Let’s just agree to stop that and never use it again, OK?
Best fighting game of 2012: Jojo ASB
It has everything: it looks good, the trailers are dynamic and fun, the systems look cool, and the threads on 2ch are bubbling with life, rumours, speculations, hoaxes, flame wars about tiny fanwank on the colours of a character's shoelaces… And we can speculate about the final game for days without any limitations! It’s like reading about the new KOF back in 2000!!! At that point, who cares if Hermes’ faster dash is actually slower than Hol Horse’s back dash, or if Whamu’s overhead is minus 5 frames on hit. There’ll be plenty of time to be disappointed and complain whenever the game will be released. Right now, I'm enjoying the game at its fullest.
Best game of 2011 I played in 2012: Dark Souls
Best mod of 2012: Durante’s fix to play Dark Souls with higher settings on PC.
My computer is far from a powerhouse, and yet the performance improvement is incredible. I could buy a new computer just to play that game at max settings. The game is just GORGEOUS.
Games that almost were my GOTY but failed by a narrow margin
Dark Souls
Circumstances made it miss the line twice in a row. I think I’ll pay for it in my next reincarnation or something. Still one of the very best games ever produced, and, I’m not overstating anything.
X-Com
There is absolutely nothing bad to say about X-Com. Nothing. That’s how good the game was. I enjoyed every second of it, every minuscule micro-objective that kept me playing like a Civilization game, and all the times I went to bed at 3AM after saying “OK, I’m just waiting for the next science project to be completed”.
Bravely Default
Also best Final Fantasy game of the year, and of the decade. If Maou managed to escape his twisted time loop, that would be his GOTY of 2004.
GOTY 2012: TOKYO JUNGLE
This game probably comes from the same parallel universe that Maou is from. There, it’s probably a classic arcade game where you just try to live as long as possible with your single credit, that has just got ported as a retro classic on Sega’s new console.
Video games allow you to do stuff you couldn't usually do IRL. Jumping over buildings, punching through mountains, send your enemies to the Chaos Dimension… But the best games are those that make you do stuff you didn't know you wanted to do.
Tokyo Jungle made me play as a rabbit dressed-up as a Village People-construction worker to go kick stupid Pomeranian dogs in the nuts in front of the train station.
Tokyo Jungle made me dance the Fantasia ballet with an Alligator family through downtown Shibuya.
Tokyo Jungle made me curse at my baby lion because the spoiled brat wanted to eat pterodactyl today.
Tokyo Jungle made me think “I’m really eating like a swine” and then notice that I was, actually, playing as a swine.
Tokyo Jungle made me count the calories I was eating to check if I grew up to be a BOSS human.
Tokyo Jungle made me walk in the streets with my 5 ostriches sisters and we were running after all the cats of the neighbourhood to pick at their eyes.
If anyone has any kind of valid argument on why this game shouldn't be the best thing that came out of the videogame industry this year, I’d be interested to hear it.
[this message was edited by Iggy on Sat 29 Dec 00:57] |
| Gojira 2904th Post
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| "Re(1):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Sat 29 Dec 08:45
2012 was kind of meh for me, but it did manage to bring me back into fighting games for a while.
Best Worst Fighting Game: Soul Calibur V
I really hate that as a fighting game this gets looked over for all the wrong reasons. Yes it has some missteps. It gets rid of a few characters, it has an incomplete single-player, and the very last hidden characters have copied elements to them. Odashima was always saying that Bamco had no faith in the series and forced him to take a focused approach from a lack of time. However what was focused on were the CORRECT THINGS for a fighting game. The new ideas add a new dimension to the game that was never there before, the gameplay is back up to normal speeds (I tried playing SC4 afterwards and it felt unbelievably slow), the cast is a good variety and actually pretty balanced in spite of a few killers, and the netcode works very, very well without being GGPO. Had the game not failed, those characters it was missing could have been added later. Now there's really no telling where it could have gone.
Honorable Mention: Street Fighter X Tekken
Since I play both games, I really wanted to like it. Then all that other stuff happened and everybody took every chance they had to crap on it. Yeah it really might have been bad, but even if it was I had no honest way of knowing. I sure wasn't going to listen to the opinions of people who were too obsessed with hating the DLC, too unwilling to accept the gem aspect, and too scared by youtube infinite videos to deconstruct the game in a calm and intelligent manner. Sorting through the hatred required too much patience, so I just stayed with SC5.
Most Hype Lost in a Single Con: Tomb Raider
At PAX Prime I had a little time to kill and seeked out the Squenix booth to see this game, which had looked like an exciting reboot to the franchise, and after playing the demo for 15 minutes I was feeling pretty let down. The demo sees you taking a straight path with invisible "kill" borders into a small clearing where you chase a deer around for 15 minutes, all the while getting accosted by flashback cutscenes. For me the TR franchise was more about exploration than being a movie game, so this new Uncharted-like direction just didn't sit well with me. Recent footage of the game does show some open-world exploration at least, but it doesn't really change that the demo kind of ruined my interest.
Best Time Sink: Skyrim
Technically this is 2011 but I was a little late to the party. Yeah I should be completely down on WRPG types, and Skyrim has one of the hammiest, silliest Tolkien-wannabe fantasy tales known to man with a large percentage of incredibly boring templates for characters. BUT I like exploration and oh my freaking GOD did this game have exploration. I logged 120 hours into it and by the time I had visited every corner of the map, I had only advanced the main plot about as far as learning shouts from the Greybeards. And I'm still going back to it now and then.
Best Improvement on a Final Fantasy Game I Played in 2010: FFXIII-2
Although not everything it did was great, it at least managed to change everything I hated about FFXIII. NPCs, quests, a more open-world aspect, hidden things to find, and easier ways to earn money. Too bad it also failed to deliver on the promise of more Lightning, and instead gave us Lightning's anorexic sister and Sora 2.0. Oh well. Someday I'll get to the DLC, probably when Return of the Lightning is about to come out. I see no reason to rush it.
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| Nekros 524th Post
New Red Carpet Member
| "Re(2):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Sat 29 Dec 18:08
In 2012 I played many games, but I didn't enjoy them as in 2011. Too busy with other things, I suppose, or lack of quality in general. Btw I have still to play many games (Dishonored, Mario 3D Land, X-com, Dust, Lumines ES...too many!)
Game Of The Year:
Gravity Rush/Daze/Whatever
It's fresh, is interesting, is "sensitive". It has its flaws and being on Vita essentially sums them all (controls, not being successfull due to small audience of the console, not being released on PS3 as planned) but is a game that came directly from a time -or a universe- where Japan still make the difference in heart and soul.
Fighting game of the Year:
BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma
Ok, I didn't played it, but I refuse to choose DOA5. FG on consoles weren't so good this year, and being in Europe sucks in particular since we didn't get nor Persona nor Guilty Gear on psn.
RPG of the Year:
The Witcher II
Something I want to share about this game is that has some appeal and some unique traits that could be interesting even if you absoulutely hate dark ages fantasy. As someone who consider the genre ABSOLUTE SHIT, I find TW2 an amazing game, with good concepts and a non-linear writing (that fits a game like this more than Deus Ex).
Downloadable Game of the Year:
Tokyo Jungle
A fat tabby cat as your main character to rule over Tokyo? My cat loved this game, but was disappointed by the fact he couldn't eat the giant tuna. Pure arcade flavor, original concept. Too bad the animals aren't too different and you can't play as birds too.
Non-Game of the Year:
Journey
I hardly speak of Journey as a game (seriously, it lacks gameplay) but is a unique experience and a piece of art to see, hear and feel.
Portable Game of the Year:
Kid Icarus: Uprising
I love rail shooters. This is a rail shooters that can drag you for hours (and lasts hours too!) if you master the control scheme.
Game of 2011 I played this Year:
Akai Katana Shin
Because it was released here only this year. Amazing game, though.
Most Pleasant Surprise:
Okami HD
I liked Okami only for the art and music, but couldn't find any aspect to call that game a masterpiece when I played itr on PS2. Now I enjoyed a lot this game (even got the Platinum), and appreciate a lot of little things although I still find the dialogues very boring and intrusive. Maybe is due to the lack of unique concepts this day that I liked Okami so much.
Worst Games/Delusions/Things I'm sick of:
- Nintendo being conservative to their franchises and giving us continuosly reashed games.
- Hatsune Miku games (wtf with that character?)
- Capcom and its chronic dlc diarrhea
- Level 5 games (Ninokuni in particular)
- Nippon Ichi
- I'm so sick of complaing about COD and fps in general that is pointless to make another rant here.
- Square Enix and that Versus...
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| GekigangerV 1803th Post
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Silver Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Re(2):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Sun 30 Dec 13:48
quote:
*Low Points*:
Capcom
I enjoyed a lot of Capcom games this year, but their flaws were compounded by DLC woes. I won't pick on SFxT any more than it's been picked on already, but the rest of the their lineup had issues, too. Asura's Wrath was extremely short, full-priced, almost completely lacking in extra content then expected you to buy the end of the game separately. Dragon's Dogma launched with on-disc DLC, but had uneven content that could use a lot of work within the game itself. Biohazard 6 launched without half of its multiplayer modes (which also cost money, were complete and are on the disk) and might lose its fans before they're implemented (that's another game I don't need to pick on so much, though). The end feeling is :"I like a lot of Capcom games, but they're a shitty company".
I found Asura's Wrath . . . adequate since I only paid $20 for the base game knowing full well that the true ending was locked behind a pay wall. I am surprised that they never ended up making a straight up anime of the damn thing though.
quote:
Fighting Games and Me
I love fighting games so much, but it seems like only assholes play them. From elitist bastards posting on messageboards to cheap, hate-mail sending jerks and disconnectors, I wonder if fighting games can survive their community much longer.
I know what you mean. Sometimes it is hard to have a meaningful conversation with some people on message boards. Online play hasn't been too bad for me. Only stuff I hate are people who do "tea-bagging" in Marvel. Someone thinks their the hot shit because they beat me after I have a four month lay off from the game.
Got a good set in with Rugal a couple of weeks back (by good set I got destroyed in SF4 and HDR). I learned you really got to play with people you are familiar with to get the best interaction.
quote:
Buying Games off the Japanese 3DS Store
THIS IS NUTS. The system isn't even region free, but within a few clicks I can buy games for (reasonably) cheap with my US credit card!? Can I do this everywhere, all the time from now on, please?
This intrigues me as I never heard of this before. I must look this up later to see if I want to get anything off the Japanese store.
GekigangerV's 2012 Year in Review
So this year was fighter year for me I got TTT2, P4A, DOA5, VF5FS, Skull Girls, MvC origins and the three Model 2 games SEGA released online. I double dipped on UMvC3, KOFXIII, MVC2 since I got a 360. I got the SF 25th Anniversary set which allowed me to get SFxT and also double dip in SSF4AE, HDR and SF3. And that is not counting some of the SEGA Saturn stuff my brother brought back from Japan while visiting for Christmas (Advanced Variable Geo was pretty damn fun and would like a mix of that with Skull Girls style)
It is very hard to keep up with that many fighters and maintain any level of decency. I got fairly adequate in VF5 and I think I am above the general online population in UMvC3 when I get back in the groove of things, but as for the rest I played enough that once I got into a lull I would just quit and not try to improve myself.
For KOFXIII, I never really tried to even create my own HD combos or to really go for a team order that would force to manage my meter for an anchor to use that meter. I just put my team in an order that I would enjoy best and that just stunted my growth in the game.
Fighting Game of the Year
I would have to give this to TTT2. It is the first Tekken game I really got into since 3 and to tell you the truth I only picked it up to get familiar with Tekken again in the case TxSF ever comes out. It's got a great roster with plenty of extras. The training mode is enough for you to understand what you need to do to get started. The only "downside" is that because of the huge roster it is easy to get frustrated by different people online who have numerous high/mid/lows and its hard to make a read on them in just one match.
Downloadable Game of The Year
Other than fighting games, I have really taken the opportunity to go through XBL especially with the Bing reward points system giving me points on a couple of accounts. SEGA has most definitely been on a roll this year with some of their ports. Jet Set Radio and Nights into Dreams were both enjoyable. However, the gem of Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit really takes the cake as an original title. The aesthetics remind me quite a bit of Earthworm Jim, but the gameplay is original enough and takes a fairly simple concept and tries to not make it mundane. Although the $15 price tag may be too much, I would highly recommend it for $10. Be sure to keep an eye out for sales of this game.
Soundtrack of the Year
I am split between Lollipop Chainsaw and Asura's Wrath. Lollipop Chainsaw make great use of licensed pop music. Asura's Wrath's music fits nicely and also gets you in the mood to kick ass, especially when they play From the New World during the Moon fight.
GOTY
Red Dead Redemption. Yeah it came out in 2010, but I didn't get a chance to play it until this year and it is by far the best game I got to play. I usually don't finish the Rockstar games I get (GTA). I usually complete a couple of levels then just spam codes for ammo and life and go on a rampage, but something about RDR compelled me to keep going. The story mission structure wasn't really too varied to be honest. Mostly hear some guy talk, go to area on map, shoot people in that area.
However, the world is FILLED with numerous side missions that give the game some life. I remember riding up to my first distressed stage coach and having some guys jump from behind it to shoot me dead right there on the spot because I didn't react in time. Collectibles are part of the world and have a sense of context (skinning animals, collecting herbs, doing trick shots) as opposed to other games that throw in tokens around the world to be collected (Spider-Man games, Crackdown, etc.). It was fun to gamble in the game with liars dice and Texas Hold'em. Bounties were fun to catch (especially after I figured out that you could snipe horses from a distance and the outlaws AI wouldn't notice). It was all the cool stuff of Back to the Future III minus being able to fully hijack a track.
Game I wanted most to come out this year but didn't
Dragon's Crown. Haven't heard much news about that in a while either I don't think.
Also Looking forward to in 2013
MGR: Revengance
SFxT 2013 patch
Possible Skull Girls Patch
Jojo ABR
Possible Vampire news
Hopefully Bayonetta 2 by years end
Injustice (I have a weak spot for comic stuff)
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| Pollyanna 3363th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine
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| "Re(3):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Thu 3 Jan 16:48
A lot of stuff to cover...Really enjoyed seeing Iggy's robust list for the year.
Dragon's Dogma
quote:
I even loved that the game sort of obtuse and if you weren't careful you could easily have the guy who runs the inn fall madly in love with you. Here's to hoping Capcom keeps that franchise going because, man, that game was fun.
Well, I can certainly agree that I hope they keep the franchise going, but mostly so that they iron out some of the obtuse (that's a good word) bits from the original. You can't beat the enemies, animations and battle system. The fantastic way that you interact with the world also made me retroactively like Dark Souls less. I got a big kick out of how my character was a little girl, but the women in the game treated her like a handsome man. I don't think I'd like a repeat of that in the sequel, hilariously creepy though it was.
On a side note, I'm glad to see they're adopting some of the ideas from DD into the new Monster Hunter. Now if we can get multiplayer DD, we'll really be rocking.
quote:
2012 “It’s not you, it’s me” Award : Max Anarchy
I'm sad to exclude this one from my list because I did enjoy it quite a bit, but the way that multiplayer was overrun with insane crap so quickly made me drop it faster than I normally would have.
SFxT
quote:
If the original game had been released without the DLC, had been loathed by everyone, and then Capcom had done like always and released the 12 characters along with the 2013 update in a new game called “Super Street Fighter X Tekken”, the backlash would have been almost unnoticeable.
It's rare for a fighting game to be awesome on the first swing. That's why I praised Persona so much. I think the "pay $15 for a downloadable update" model is nice, but doing it all beforehand (and hiding it from the players) denies them the chance to get it right the second time. I'd like to see the update be awesome and renew some interest in the game, but I have a feeling it has a shadow on its shoulder it can't escape.
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Best Worst Fighting Game: Soul Calibur V
This is one of the most tragic casualties of the "launch your games before they're finished" trend. Everything the game has is good, but all people can see is what's missing. It's a lose-lose situation, because if the game sold extremely well it would say "it's okay to launch an incomplete product", but with mediocre sales, we can't hope to see everything they wanted to include. As it is, it got washed away by other fighting games (for me at least), but I'd still love to see what would've happened if they had a little longer.
quote:
Game of 2011 I played this Year:
Akai Katana Shin
Because it was released here only this year. Amazing game, though.
Ooh! Forgot about this one! I played it this year as well. I'm not a shooting game player, so there's not much I can say on it, but it might be my new favorite Cave game. I love the concept and how it's portrayed in the game.
quote:
Portable Game of the Year:
Kid Icarus: Uprising
This is a great game, but not one I cannot play portably. I have to play it on my desk. At least I can run an audio cable to my speakers and blast the music that way, though.
quote:
I found Asura's Wrath . . . adequate since I only paid $20 for the base game knowing full well that the true ending was locked behind a pay wall. I am surprised that they never ended up making a straight up anime of the damn thing though.
Asura's Wrath is totally worth $20. If they had charged $40, I would've been placated.
On fighting games...
quote:
I learned you really got to play with people you are familiar with to get the best interaction.
I need to play with people from the board more. There were so many releases this year that it was difficult to find ONE GAME to get behind.
Also...
TTT2
quote:
The only "downside" is that because of the huge roster it is easy to get frustrated by different people online who have numerous high/mid/lows and its hard to make a read on them in just one match.
This is something that keeps me out of Tekken. There's so much memorization. It takes a lot of practice for me to remember everything for the characters I use (then I forget if I take time off), but remembering all of my opponent's stuff is just impossible. On the upside, that's something you can learn in combat and the execution barrier is nice enough to get you out of training mode fairly quickly.
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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| Nekros 526th Post
New Red Carpet Member
| "Re(4):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Sat 5 Jan 05:08:
@Ishmael: I'm glad someone remembers Buraiden! Mess of a game but great fun, especially when you unlocked the secret characters (although not in their original form). ABR doesn't seems much funny, I've played the beta but found it it lacks a lot in offering, even the menus are dull. Smash Bros has a reason because its characters are iconic and exist from decades but I doubt someone that is not 15 may be excited in a Smash ripoff filled with gritty "realistic" characters and western platformers mascots. Maybe it will be interesting playing as Kat, but to me it's not something to look after, especially when lacking the REAL IPs that made Playstation successfull (Tomb Raider, Crash, Residen Evil, Final Fantasy, original Dante and original Snake... personally I'll add Okami and Katamari as well). I find more intriguing Jump Superstar, Shonen AceXSunday and DreamMix TV World Fighters.
@Polly: you play Kid Icarus on your desk because of the speakers or because of the plastic thing that comes with the game? Personally, I've never used it. Sure, is a game you can't play on bus or train but on your bed it works perfectly even without the support. Try it on a slightly plane surface where you can get comfortable with your wrist and forearms; it's not as playing other portable games but it's better than on desk or a table ^_-
Also, on Gravity Rush: I've beaten it yesterday and was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. Where the game is as its best (story, character, presentation) doesn't give any kind of resolution to the plot, giving no reason or explanation to ANY plotpoints, including the major ones (
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Who's Kat? What really is Dust? What are the creators up to? Why Raven grows up all of a sudden?
End of Spoiler
. I've never felt betrayed like this because the premise and setting where very good. When you span your story among 3 games with change of direction in between like in Mass Effect you'll know this will end in a trainwreck but when it comes from the mind of Silent Hill creator it feels really unfair.
Also, the game has a core problem with the controls and focalizing on side-missions no one cares about - in general on the less fun aspects of the game -. A Zelda-like game with the Gravity franchise could be very potential, as it is... is nothing more than an interesting experiment.
[this message was edited by Nekros on Sat 5 Jan 05:13] |
| Pollyanna 3364th Post
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| "Re(5):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Sun 6 Jan 18:22
Okay, Gravity Daze questions, keep in mind, I haven't played much of this in English and it's been a while...
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Kat is a fallen queen from higher up on the tower (you can see her castle in the opening, by the way). She either had her memories erased or lost them when she fell. I think she was betrayed by someone? We also know that Alias came from higher up the tower.
The further up you are on the tower, the faster time moves. So everyone the kids at the bottom know are dead by this point. Raven is older than the rest of them because she moved up the tower where time moves faster.
I don't think we know what Dusty is other than a "Guardian". He could be a tool of the Creators or something made by people higher up the tower. Same goes for the Nevi.
The Creators are trying to maintain the "dream". They presumably manifest in people when it is in jeopardy.
End of Spoiler
Obviously the game was built with a sequel (or sequels) in mind, but I think it revealed enough and ended on a good enough note. Maybe I'm just biased because I like the end song so much, though.
I didn't have any problems with the controls. The camera felt very "hands on" like Monster Hunter. I've heard plenty of complaints though, so I assume they rub a lot of people the wrong way and I'm the minority.
I do have problems with the controls in Kid Icarus, though. I don't want to blame the game, though, because it's gutsy and it's a good game...it just has a learning curve. Using the stand is a necessity if I have 3D on, but it helps with the controls otherwise. I'll try laying on my bed next time I play, but yes, I am gimped on the game.
I feel like the controls would work perfectly with a Wiimote/nunchaku combo. Actually, I'd love to see a WiiU Kid Icarus with a cameo-filled expanded multiplayer to tide people over until Smash Bros.
And yes, the menus on Playstation AllStars are boring. Not as boring as the awful, lifeless cinemas, though. I think it's a good game at its core, but the "total package" has no vision.
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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| karasu99 1054th Post
PSN: robotchris
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Red Carpet Premium Member
| "Re(6):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Mon 7 Jan 04:58
quote:
Okay, Gravity Daze questions, keep in mind, I haven't played much of this in English and it's been a while...
Obviously the game was built with a sequel (or sequels) in mind, but I think it revealed enough and ended on a good enough note. Maybe I'm just biased because I like the end song so much, though.
I didn't have any problems with the controls. The camera felt very "hands on" like Monster Hunter. I've heard plenty of complaints though, so I assume they rub a lot of people the wrong way and I'm the minority.
I do have problems with the controls in Kid Icarus, though. I don't want to blame the game, though, because it's gutsy and it's a good game...it just has a learning curve. Using the stand is a necessity if I have 3D on, but it helps with the controls otherwise. I'll try laying on my bed next time I play, but yes, I am gimped on the game.
I feel like the controls would work perfectly with a Wiimote/nunchaku combo. Actually, I'd love to see a WiiU Kid Icarus with a cameo-filled expanded multiplayer to tide people over until Smash Bros.
And yes, the menus on Playstation AllStars are boring. Not as boring as the awful, lifeless cinemas, though. I think it's a good game at its core, but the "total package" has no vision.
Playstation All Stars is at the top of my list of games that were excellent and fun despite being ruthlessly and unreasonably panned before their release. It's a fun game in all kinds of ways!
I deliberately haven't submitted for anyone's approval my list of the past year's best games, since I've played an enormous pile of games this year, vastly more than I had in the last decade at least. I've been attempting to understand a few genres (FPS, RTS, and so on-- lots of acronyms) that I had previously flat out avoided due to disinterest and sometimes outright dislike. I played, for example, Borderlands, a game that my FPS-hating friends had suggested might actually appeal to me, and it did. I doubt I'll be bro-ing up and playing Call of Duty any time soon though. A lot of this behavior was supported by Steam's insane holiday sales, where if you paid enough attention, you could score a game that retails for $60 at an obnoxiously low price like $17. I bought and played a bunch of games I never would have even considered, much less on PC, if not for their stupidly low prices. My bank account is officially thankful that the sale is over, finally.
I suppose 2012 was an odd year, in that I got three new systems-- the Wii U, the Vita, and the 3DS. Out of those three I especially loved the Vita, although I really enjoyed at least one game on each system.
I'm not even really sure what would be my favorite game I've played. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that it's probably Dynasty Warriors 7, which I played for the majority of March through June. Like a mesmerized fool I will continue to march out blindly and buy subsequent games in the series until they stop making them sometime around the 2070's.
www.secret-arts.com
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| Pollyanna 3367th Post
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Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(8):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Sat 12 Jan 19:39
quote:
A lot of this behavior was supported by Steam's insane holiday sales, where if you paid enough attention, you could score a game that retails for $60 at an obnoxiously low price like $17. I bought and played a bunch of games I never would have even considered, much less on PC, if not for their stupidly low prices.
No kidding. There are a lot of big name PC games that I want to play because they're so well-loved, but don't personally interest me that much. A year after their release, Steam always finds that "magic price point" for me.
I was just saying the other day how wonderful it is that they can "create" customers that weren't there before. Now, when Bravely Default (or whatever) comes out in the west and I've long forgotten about it, I'll be playing the long-since forgotten PC hits of 2012!
My PC is better than any current console, so it's always fun to test it out as well.
quote:
I still don't get some tricks and the obligatory motion sensitivity; it's ok to show Vita features but I think the game deserves to be on PS3 like in the beginning. There's nothing that can't be done with "classic" controls and I don't find a reason for this to be on Vita exsclusively. Is also dumb the fact the game sold poorly...it sold poorly because is A NICHE GAME ON A NEWBORN SYSTEM NO ONE CARES OF. Will this prevent us to have other games with Kat and friends? I'm afraid of.
I'm hoping we'll see a cross platform sequel with a re-release of the first game on PS3. I personally thought the tilt controls were very clever, as people have been tilting their controllers like that for years, rather it did anything or not. Of course, you could just use the right analog if you wanted, but I used them in tandem. Still, yes...I don't think it's something they couldn't do on PS3 just as well. I'll take anything.
The plot elements were a bit hidden, but I think they were saving them for sequels, anyway. It's hard to notice unless you're playing through a second time, but there isn't a lot of "throw away" dialogue in the game. Even the random townspeople will reveal a lot of little details.
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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| Iggy 9411th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(9):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Sun 13 Jan 04:51
I finally beat the "true boss" of Bravely Default. I cannot emphasize what Polly said before: if you get the game (and you should), try to get as many friends as possible to play it along with you (at least 2, with 4 friends being the sweet spot, I suppose. IRL not necessary, but that helps).
Not only will it help quite a lot along the way, it will also make everything better in the end if you all motivate yourselves to grind through the second part. To be clear, it's still a RPG you play alone, it's not co-op or anything, it's just... support ? Something like that.
I wouldn't say it's my favourite RPG ever, because there cannot be any new favourite RPG ever once you're past 20, but the whole experience felt absolutely perfect, a neat balance between old good stuff perfectly executed and new stuff bordering to the videogaming avant-garde that blends very well together. Their use of some of the gimmicks of the 3DS outshines even Nintendo.
And the final boss is easily my favourite boss fight in a RPG. And the music is not even from Itoken!!!
If you have a Japanese 3DS and you like SFC RPG, there is absolutely no reason not to buy this game. And if you don't, harass whatever SQEX or Nintendo office in your country to localize the game there.
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| Pollyanna 3368th Post
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| "Re(10):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Edition" , posted Sun 13 Jan 07:56
quote:
I finally beat the "true boss" of Bravely Default. I cannot emphasize what Polly said before: if you get the game (and you should), try to get as many friends as possible to play it along with you (at least 2, with 4 friends being the sweet spot, I suppose. IRL not necessary, but that helps).
I'm so glad I can finally talk to someone about this.
Spoilers for everyone else, but if you don't think you could want the game any more, read..hahah...
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
I like how the last boss had moves that were designed to make you feel helpless, no matter how strong you were. You shared a sense of "this is terrible! This is impossible!" with the characters. I also love that when he disabled you in the last part of the fight, you could still call your friends for help...that's all you could do. It was like "you may strike me down, but another will take my place...and another...and another." This endless stream of hope pounding away at an impossible adversary was such an impressive feeling. It felt like "fighting a god" much more so than the usual RPG "some big thing with angel wings comes out of nowhere and you punch it until it dies."
But with that song, I think any battle would be epic.
Also, I love how incredibly lame Airy was as a villain. Her sister must be so embarrassed.
End of Spoiler
Ooh ooh! And I love how the title of the game changes after you win it! The final, perfect touch!
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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| Iggy 9412th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(2):Re(10):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Ed" , posted Mon 14 Jan 02:42
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
Airy was brilliant! Especially in the other ending (the "easy" one), when she mocks the character by faking her old, pretty voice. That was super funny and cruel!
> I like how the last boss had moves that were designed to make you feel helpless, no matter how strong you were.
I don't know... I was very very strong (level 85 I think ? with each character having maxed 5 jobs each, more or less) so the feeling was more of a real, full throttle match "you can do this? well I can do that!"
The thing with being blocked from doing anything but calling your friend was brilliant. I didn't feel any despair as you imply, more of a "you're evil, and therefore you cannot win, because I have the power of love and friendship with me!". Some sort of DBZ Genkidama situation, but where it actually means something, not just lame text description on how everyone encourages you while you're doing all the work alone..
>Ooh ooh! And I love how the title of the game changes after you win it! The final, perfect touch!
I haven't noticed that!!! What does it say?
Also, it was weird to have Airy come again at the end as a fairy, saying something like "see you next time". I'm all for a sequel of some sort, but... It felt like a 3D CG that was done early in the development of the game, so they had to use it, but then the writer from 5pb mae that whole QB thing with her and it feels a bit out of place.
End of Spoiler
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| Pollyanna 3370th Post
PSN: Lilly_Dopamine
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Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(3):Re(10):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Ed" , posted Mon 14 Jan 08:53
Spoiler Town!
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
The "F"s go away from the title. People have said that it's because it's not Final Fantasy, but I don't know if that was their intention. Anyway, that makes the subtitle "Lying Airy."
And the fairy at the end and the beginning is not Airy, but her sister. It's easy to think "oh, she doesn't look quite right because they always do the FMV first", but watch it again and it'll make sense.
Did you get the third (I think?) revision of the fight with Papa Brave? I cried and cried. That was the emotional climax of the game for me.
Also, did you see the scene in Eisenberg (sp?) with Tiz and Ringabell at the inn? It made me feel like "Tiz isn't coming out of that hole in the end, is he?". (Well, I had the right idea, even if that wasn't true...)
On a side note, holy crap, I love that owl guy you get your summons from.
End of Spoiler
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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| Iggy 9417th Post
Platinum Carpet V.I.P- Board Master
| "Re(6):Re(10):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Ed" , posted Fri 18 Jan 23:19
(Spoilers about scenario)
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
It was slightly different, but not too much. The interesting part was talking to the NPC in Eternia, who explain how Idea's parents met, how they got married, and how Kamiizumi helped them. It was a cute backstory. And what Idea says to him before the fight also changes slightly to reflect that she knows it's "thanks to him" that she's been born (he's now twice her spiritual father, in a way). After the fight, he doesn't die, he just... I don't remember, go somewhere to train his spirit even more or some boring thing like that
End of Spoiler
(Spoilers about the job system)
Spoiler (Highlight to view) -
I liked how some of the weaker classes (superstar especially, or time magician) could become absolutely beastly when they become secondary jobs to a stronger one. Same for Red Mage: it was OK, but so much better when used in combination with BP-dependant jobs.
I didn't like merchant too much (never had money issues, so I didn't pursue it). Also, is the doctor job (not the one you get from Victor, the one from Gata (?), about item combinations) any useful? I maxed it because I thought "there has to be something!", but in the end, it was all kinda meh.
Also, the black mage job seems really lackluster. Until you get Victoria's job, it's almost useless, and even when you mix both jobs, I always find there's better things to do with less MP to deal more damage. Maybe I'm not using it right... White magic is really great though, especially coupled with Victor's job. Using a simple "Cure 1" to fix everyone in the party to almost max HP was a thing of beauty.
I like that many players seem to think there's a grossly overpowered job in the game, but they rarely agree on which one. Chaz thinks Hunter is overpowered (these bows!), while I think it's Valkyrie (Crescent Moon!) and others think it's Ninja (auto-evade+manipulate the ennemy+counter)... It's great!
End of Spoiler
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| Pollyanna 3373th Post
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| "Re(7):Re(10):Game of the Year: 2012 Dragon Ed" , posted Sat 19 Jan 06:57
I don't think this is particularly spoilerific...
I guess chemist is useful in that it gives you something to do with all of those items you build up that don't sell for crap. Merchant allows for you to get more expensive weapons earlier (since you'll likely max your town quickly), but I think it's more about doing crazy damage after you're rich. It has some really fearsome skills if you're willing to pay for them. I loved being able to sell items to enemies, even if it was useless. Selling a monster its own parts is just...wow.
I liked Paladin's "critical magic" skill. That an the one that protects everyone from one attack (rampart?) were must-haves for me.
I leveled Victoria's class (I don't know what to call it in English) and black mage all the way, but they were never as good as summoner. I couldn't figure out what kind of stat magic was at play, but vampire with a summoner sub was surprisingly effective.
Yeah, superstar was my favorite job used as a sub. Ringabell was dark knight/superstar. Its innate ability totally stinks, since you'll have more than enough MP unless you pair it with summoner anyway. The last few dark knight skills were really neat. The one that powers you up, then kills you in a few turns and the one that does the crazy black lightning over and over while it eats you life away...so much fun.
I bought a very strong bow early on, so yeah, hunter and ninja were hugely powerful in reference to other jobs for most of the game. I vowed to not use either at the end, so Tiz ended up with the strange pirate/paladin combination. You really had to finagle things to make pirate worth a damn and the def down attack seemed to be the only worthwhile skill it had.
The last job made me mad, because even with the skill that made all spells hit "all", its skills only worked on one person. Maybe that only works with offensive magic (making it useless). The costume was super cuuuute, though.
青春謳歌 弱肉強食
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what's going on!? Toh Shin Den is about to present to you a super hot virtual battle
