Thread: OT | Octopath Traveler | Worship the $60 Altar of 8 Hyperbolic Adventures
"There’s been a lot of confusion over whether Octopath Traveler’s eight stories overlap or lead to some sort of epilogue. After finishing all eight, we’ve seen nothing like that. It’s not clear whether the game contains any sort of bonus endgame content—Nintendo says that it does, but the publisher could not tell us before publication what that content is or how to access it, only saying that it was “a matter of completing the storylines and some side quests.” - This is from the Kotaku review.
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Thread: Why doesn't Switch have an online achievement/trophy system?
Because Nintendo loves developers.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10336004/
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Thread: Switch is killing it this Summer with games
Well, for starters, the 50% both, 30% portable-only, 20% docked-only information was from an official financial report so you can question the accuracy of their data, but if they're outright lying that's illegal. There's also the evidence available to all to see that the Switch is selling incredibly fast and that even late ports are selling better than on other platforms which certainly suggests that people are using the major unique feature of the system.
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Thread: Switch is killing it this Summer with games
I own a PS4, a Wii U, and a good PC and I LOVE the Switch's lineup this year. Octopath Traveler is the only big new game on any system this year that I'm super excited about and there are so many games (indie & otherwise) that I've been holding off on buying & playing because I was waiting for the superior (to me - portability is a vastly bigger pro than anything the PC or PS4 versions have to offer most of the time) Switch version.
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Thread: Switch is killing it this Summer with games
Actually, you got that reversed. According to a study Nintendo did on the Switch's demographics, about 20% never take it out of the dock, 30% only use it in portable mode, and 50% use it in both modes. So for 80% of Switch users, the portability is a feature that is used.
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Thread: How many GaaS games can you engage at one time? Do you backburner?
I play Path of Exile regularly and every once in a while, I get in a Splatoon 2 mood and play that for a bit.
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Thread: Nintendo eShop - July 2018
Cosmic Star Heroine is currently at a 90% user score on Steam which admittedly isn't as good as Shovel Knight (96%) or Hollow Knight (94%) but is at least in the same general ballpark. Hardly any Metacritic sites reviewed the game at launch (due to me getting codes out to reviewers late plus the close proximity to Persona 5's release date) & the game was very buggy at launch (which has since been fixed). I expect the Switch Metacritic score for the game will be drastically better since the game is built for portability, it has all the fixes & improvements we've put into the game since the initial launch, and it's a fantastic port.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10297104/
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Thread: Nintendo eShop - July 2018
I listened to the first couple of podcasts about the game but never finished it. Did they like it in the end?
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Thread: Nintendo eShop - July 2018
Cool, cool. That's a big reason why your party keeps changing up for a lot of the game - to force people out of their combat comfort zone by making them try out new characters & abilities.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10298357/
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Thread: Saga Frontier is 21 years old today. Share your memories!
Liked this game a lot at the time to the point where I played through everyone's story. Would love to see it go up on the PSN, although I probably wouldn't play through the whole thing again.
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Thread: Octopath Traveler: Preview Thread
Just off the top of my head, both Earthbound & Dragon Quest/Warrior IV had no inter-party interaction whatsoever so Octopath Traveler is already ahead of the curve there even if all it has are the one-on-one conversations (that are already confirmed to be in the game).
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Thread: Octopath Traveler: Preview Thread
That's always the risk at going all-out with nostalgia. Like with our own game, the immediate connection most people make is Chrono Trigger, but it actually draws from a lot of different classic games (plus our own ideas) so if someone's expecting an exact CT clone, they could be disappointed. With Octopath, you're right in that FF6 is the most obvious connection (they've specifically mentioned FF6, plus the sprites are very similar in style to FF6) so someone expecting a FF6-2 could end up very disappointed, while somebody just in the mood for a good RPG might really enjoy it.
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Thread: The controversial ArenaNet firings of Guild Wars 2 writers (READ OP)
If I had just spent a while writing up a detailed explanation of my design process & then someone responded with a 4-tweet message that starts off by saying my approach has problems, then proceeds to explain my motivation to me (and gets it wrong because they completely misread everything I just wrote), and then suggests we do the exact opposite of what we're doing and presents a very common technique as if we've never heard of it, well, I'm going to be annoyed even if the tweets in questions aren't swearing at me. If I've had a bad day or have a history of receiving similar tweets, annoyed could easily turn to angry. For me personally, it would have been less annoying if it had just been one tweet along the lines of "I disagree and prefer branching dialogue trees." But instead it was a longwinded... #1 - Your approach has issues #2 - You want everyone to have the same experience (wrong - we're trying to design in a way to encourage the player to fill in the blanks with their imagination) #3 - What about dialogue choices? #4 - Dialogue choices would be better for players It comes across as pompous even if the tone is otherwise polite.
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Thread: Which genres have stagnated the most?
I actually find it hard to go back to a lot of SNES RPGs because I feel like the genre has improved a lot since then. The combat in games like the Etrian Odyssey series, Persona 3+, and Octopath Traveler (judging from the demo) is exponentially deeper & more strategic than the bare-bones, slow-paced systems used in games like FF6 & Chrono Trigger. There's generally a lot more to do outside of combat as well from the sim elements of the Persona series to the alchemy in the Atelier series to using path actions to uncover & solve sidequests in Octopath Traveler. Also, the writing in your average RPG these days is so much better than the average game of the 16-bit era (most games didn't even try to have good writing & many of them were rendered practically unintelligible thanks to poor localizations).
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
If you want to check out how well the game performs on Switch (very well - 60 fps + quick load times), Limited Run Games has put up the .
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Xanadu Next
Will probably join up for this one too because I bought this in a Steam sale last year & have been meaning to get to it, but I'm going to finish up Grandia first (in the first bonus dungeon on disk 2) and Octopath is going to be dominating my time.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10295528/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180712034732/https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-era-rpg-club-plays-xanadu-next.54775/
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Thread: RPGs with multiple standard battle themes.
Yeah, Grandia changes the battle music partway plus it also has different battle themes based on whether you get advantage or not.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10248374/
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Thread: Burned out of stealth kills....
For the longest time, I thought I hated stealth games and then I played Siren. Now, I just dislike stealth if it's not attached to a horror game.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9634864/
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Thread: Reggie: Hollow Knight on Switch is selling "exceptionally well"
Due to its size, I view it more as a better Wii U (able to play anywhere in the house without worrying about losing the signal) than a better Vita/3DS (kind of clunky to take it with me on errands), however I did just travel to Korea last week and it was super nice to be able to take it with me (I used it to play the Octopath Traveler demo some more; would have played other games too but I'm participating in the Grandia RPG Club). Love how nice games look in portable mode. The lack of a proper D-Pad is a weakness, but livable. The kids really like Mario Kart, Splatoon, and Labo. My main problem with the system is I wish I had more of a reason to use it. I did not like Zelda much at all (dislike the combat, dislike how it feels like it takes forever to go anywhere or do anything, my favorite part of Zelda has always been the dungeons, and well, I think I just don't think I like open-world games unless they have cool superhero-style movement like Gravity Rush or infamous) & Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was a big disappointment (I hear it gets better later, so I'll give it another shot sometime). My favorite Switch game for the longest time was Has-Been Heroes (really cool lane-based roguelike) & I've enjoyed some other indie games on the system like N++, "Totally not Castlevania 3," and VOEZ. I enjoyed Mario Odyssey for a couple weeks & Splatoon 2 is a fun game to play periodically when I'm in the mood, but mostly I've been neglecting the system in favor of other systems. This looks like it'll change soon though - I loved the Octopath Traveler demo & there's Hollow Knight and other indie games I'm excited to play on Switch. After Octopath Traveler, there's not much of anything big I'm looking forward to for the rest of the year (already imported DQ11) so I plan to use the downtime to catch up on a bunch of indie games I missed ideally on the Switch.
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Thread: Reggie: Hollow Knight on Switch is selling "exceptionally well"
I've been holding off on buying it since I wanted the Switch version. It'll probably be my next game after Octopath. And every article like this makes me hopefully for our own chances with our Switch port in August. :)
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Live stream of the Switch version going on right now:
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Physical edition won't be until later (maybe not until 2019).
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Sales weren't great, but I think after all the versions have come out, we'll be doing okay.
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
We're starting work on a new game called Rx Machina. It's a comedy where you work at a hospital that uses mechs that miniaturize and enter patients to fight diseases. Some gameplay similarities to CSH.
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
That's what LRG said. They said they've got a lot on their plate scheduled for the rest of the year & they don't want the physical version of CSH to get overshadowed.
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Woo! It's actually up now! August 14th release date! 10% off for preorders!
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
All we know is that LRG said that the physical copy would come out later 2018 or even early 2019.
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Preordering helps us in that the more preorder sales we rack up, the more likely Nintendo is to promote the game themselves (which leads to even more sales). Yeah, I'd like to do an AMA around launch. Although, you can already see what the icon looks here:
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Thread: Lifelong PlayStation fanboy seeking Switch advice for 9 y/o daughter
I have a 10-year old daughter, a 9-year old daughter, and a 7-year old daughter (plus other kids, but those are the closest in age to yours) and their favorite Switch games are Labo (Variety Kit), Splatoon, and Mario Kart. Mario Odyssey was also a hit (there's an easy mode which buffs your life total & has various other modifications to make it less frustrating). Note, they liked putting together Labo with my wife more than playing with it, but they had fun with both (if they're Lego fans, it should be a big hit).
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Thread: Buying a Nintendo Switch - Wait until Black Friday?
You'll get your Black Friday deal of a Switch bundled with 1-2 Switch for $30 more than the cost of the system itself and you'll like it.
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
I would still love to do an actual Sonic Mania-style new Phantasy Star game. Did a tentative inquiry that didn't go anywhere. Maybe if we have a hit game at some point, they'll be open to the idea.
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Just saw the Switch trailer for the game (basically the same as the older trailer but with the appropriate Switch logos & release date in). Love that Switch snap sound effect at the beginning. Hopefully that'll change with the Switch release of Cosmic Star Heroine. :) To-date, our best selling game is the Cthulhu Saves the World + Breath of Death VII bundle with over half a million copies download on Steam, but a lot of those were $1 or bundled. Oh and to clarify, we've had games do decently, but nothing huge.
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Thread: Octopath Traveler: Preview Thread
Maybe a Brandon Sanderson book.
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Thread: Hardest game you've ever beaten?
I beat Siren. I'd say it's a .
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Thread: Indivisible: Valkyrie Profile/Metroid, Indiegogo, PC/Mac/Linux/Switch/PS4/XB1 - Update thread
Isn't that going to make the Switch port difficult?
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Thread: Octopath Traveler: Preview Thread
Just purchased it & started the download. Now for the painful task of waiting until Saturday (time zone difference).
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Thread: Chasm finally has a relase windows, out summer 2018 on PS4/PS Vita (cross-buy) and PC
July 31st.
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Thread: Octopath Traveler: Preview Thread
Did they change it? It's Olberic's special battle ability and he was one of the playable characters in the 1st demo. Could Primrose use it in the 1st demo? Most every preview is saying that the individual character stories are all separate with some optional Tales-style skits you can watch where different characters interact with each other. There is a rumor that if you complete everyone's story that you unlock a finale that connects everyone together, but there's been no confirmation that this is not someone just making things up.
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Thread: What would a game need to be a worthy FF6 successor?
One of the quotes from an Octopath Traveler developer was that the game was designed as a FF6 spiritual successor and although it looks like it'll be a fantastic game, one that I'm personally excited to play more of (enjoyed the 3-hour demo so much that I probably spent a good 7-8 hours on it), I don't think it'll quite scratch that FF6 itch. It did get me thinking about what a game would need to be considered a worthy FF6 successor and this is what I came up with. 1 - The presentation needs to be top-notch. At the time, FF6 had some of the best graphics & music for an JRPG around and so ideally, its successor should follow suit. But if the developer wanted to try to ape FF6 visuals style to really hit home the homage, well, that's another option. 2 - A large cast of playable characters with no definite lead. Although there were characters more important to the plot than others (Locke, Edgar, and Terra are way more critical than Gau, Umaro, and Mog), there's no real main character. This is emphasized a few times - early on when the game split into 3 scenarios when your party splits up and later on when you lose everyone and start over with just Celes. 3 - Characters play very differently. From Edgar's item-based abilities to Sabin's moves that require fighting game-style inputs to Relm/Strago/Gau's movesets which all are monster-based in different ways, the developers didn't skimp in programming unique ways to fight with and power-up your characters. 4 - Character backstories. Yeah, there's a few throwaway characters, but most characters have a reason for teaming up with your party & you get to explore their motivations, both through the main story, and through sidequests that focus on them. 5 - A villain you love to hate. Before Sephiroth, there was Kefka. Interestingly enough, Kefka is actually the in the game, with more dialogue than even Terra! The game gives the player plenty of opportunities to interact with & see Kefka's villainy so that it's all the more rewarding to finally take him out at the end of the game. 6 - Structure. FF6 uses a very common structure in JRPGs - it starts out linear and becomes more non-linear (more sidequests) as the game progresses. However, it takes this one step further and features a major fake-out ending partway through the game that results in major changes after (revamped world map). A worthy FF6 would most likely need to do something similar to really match the feeling. 7 - Memorable setpieces. At a time when most JRPGs were fine with the "Town, Dungeon, repeat" structure, FF6 was more ambitious. From the river raft to the opera house to Locke's escape from South Figaro to the Ghost Train, the game is jam-packed with memorable scenarios. For that matter, the game starts off with the player piloting mechs - something that would have been a major selling point in most games (see Xenogears) but is just a random gimmick FF6 throws out a handful of times. 8 - Drama. Things get dark. Major characters can and will die. Though there are lighter moments and you can avoid some bad stuff based on your actions (like Celes' attempted suicide doesn't have to happen), it's not all fun and games. 9 - Secrets. From little ones like hidden items scattered various places (clocks!) to big ones like entire dungeons that are easy to miss, FF6 doesn't skip on the hidden content. Some of it is even story-focused like Shadow's dreams. 10 - Fun transportation. Chocobos. Airships. Ghost Trains. A castle that can submerge itself underground. The Serpent Trench. In FF6, you're going to be travelling all around the world & you're going to be doing it in style. So there you have my list. What do you think a FF6 successor would need to have? Are there any games that have come close in your opinion?
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Thread: What would a game need to be a worthy FF6 successor?
Mentioned it in the 1st point (Presentation).
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Thread: What would a game need to be a worthy FF6 successor?
From what I've played of DQ11, its a great spiritual successor to DQ8. Didn't feel very FF6 to me.
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Thread: What would a game need to be a worthy FF6 successor?
The entire premise of this thread is that I design RPGs & hearing FF6 brought up in regards to Octopath got me thinking about what it would require to make a game now that was lauded for similar things as FF6. It's clear from playing the Octopath Traveler demo that they're not trying to copy FF6, but that they're doing their own thing that takes some inspiration from various classic games, including FF6. When we were designing Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 4, FF6 was brought up a lot. Looking back, we really missed the mark there, although I think we made a decent game anyway (just far from what made FF6 great).
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Thread: I miss Mistwalker
Yeah, there are 9 jobs (shadows) - 1 job for each spell type (Sword, Black, White, Support, Barrier), a tank job (Guardian), 2 warrior jobs (Monk, Assassin), and the Generalist job which increases how many skill slots & accessories you can equip. When you get your shadow power (very early in the game, you must have stopped right before it), you start of with access to the Sword, White, and Black shadows. At set LVs, you get to unlock an additional shadow job until everyone eventually has access to every job (unlocks are specific to different characters so you can customize each character to your liking). Equipped jobs gain XP which leads to LVs and at set LVs, they gain new skills which can be equipped (you start out with 3 skill slots and gain more via the Generalist job). Skills can be a new active ability (like being able to cast black magic) or passive boosts. All in all, it's a fun system and on the harder difficulties, things are challenging enough to make it worthwhile to dig into it.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10183590/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180710022038/https://www.resetera.com/threads/i-miss-mistwalker.54050/page-4
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Thread: Octopath Traveler: Preview Thread
That's a character-specific special ability.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10185212/
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Thread: How do you people manage a large backlog?
I have a spreadsheet with 4 categories that I update every once in a while: 1 - Games I'm actively playing or want to play in the near future, along with an approximate completion % & listed in order of priority. Currently: Octopath Traveler (Finished Demo), Grandia (60%), Tokyo Mirage Sessions (60%), Dragon Quest XI - Mandarin edition (10%), Pillars of Eternity (0% - got gifted it by a friend recently) 2 - Series I would like to complete. Currently: Trails (SC - 80%), Ace Attorney (Justice for All - 75%). 3 - Chill games - these are games I like to play where completion is of minimal importance or irrelevant. Currently: Path of Exile, Splatoon 2, N++, VOEZ 4 - To-buy list. Exclude games in the series category. Also, excludes games that get instantly purchased the moment that they're out 'cause I'm super-excited about them (which is rare these days - maybe 1-3 a year). Currently: Hollow Knight, Into the Breach, Gravity Rush 2, Mario + Rabbids, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Bravely Second Note, this list doesn't remotely include every game that I own and haven't played since that way lies madness (and many of the games I own, I have no desire to play since I got them in a bundle with something else). I've found this system works well for me - I have a tendency to jump around from game to game and not finish anything so keeping track of my progress helps me to focus better there. And having a list of games I want to buy is eye-opening since I frequently find that for a lot of games, after the newness has worn out, I decide I don't actually want to buy the game in the end.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10184830/
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Thread: Anyone remember when you could start a game and it would just work?
Remember when I bought Final Fantasy 6 and around 2/3rds of the way through the game I used Relm's special ability in a battle & it destroyed my save file? Or when I played Lufia 2 and one of the dungeons was just a garbled glitchy mess of random tiles? Or having to create boot disks in order to get old MS-Dos games to run? Or spending 20 minutes rummaging through my stuff trying to find that copy-protection code sheet in order to start a game? Good times.
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Thread: Leaning on Franchises vs New IPs
Any big company needs to do both. You lean on your established series as a semi-regular source of steady income, but you constantly make new IPs with the knowledge that most of them won't won't make it past the first game, but that every once in a while, you'll have a big hit on your hands.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9930595/
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Thread: Would the N64 be remembered for half it was if Rare did not exist?
By the end of 1996 in the US, the Saturn had Nights, Panzer Dragoon Zwei (considered by many to be the best game in the series), and Dragon Force (one of the best Strategy/RPGs ever made, localized by Working Designs). It had some top quality brawlers in the form of Guardian Heroes & Three Dirty Dwarves. It had some key multiplatform titles like Tomb Raider. It had a solid selection of Action/Adventure/RPGs like Legend of Oasis & Dark Savior. And it had numerous games in genres that Sega platforms had traditional excelled at like arcade ports, sports games, and fighters. For the second year of a console, it had a strong selection of games. The Saturn's library was not why it sold poorly & the N64 sold much better.
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Thread: Why are there no famous indies similar to Mario 2D?
In replaying what are in my mind, the best 2D Mario games - Yoshi's Island & NSMBU - I noticed that there's just a boatload of content in there. Practically every level has a major gimmick to it that isn't seen elsewhere. So you've got a large content creation burden along with a large design burden and it's easy to see why indies gravitate towards smaller self-contained challenge room platformers like Super Meat Boy and N++. I'm guessing they were referring to the modern Giana Sister game rather than the old one that was a blatant Mario copy-cat.
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Thread: I gave my 12 year old nephew a SNES classic yesterday
Got a Famicom Classic & a SNES Classic. The kids liked Kirby & the Mario games and that's about it. Oh and they like some of the RPGs (FF6, CT, Earthbound, SMRPG), but they already had played them on the VC.
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Thread: What do you think is gaming's quintessential perfect storm?
The Chrono Trigger "Dream Team" - the creator of Final Fantasy, the creator of Dragon Quest, and the creator of Dragon Ball all teamed up along with a number of other exceptionally talented individuals and made something very special.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9939085/
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Thread: Will FFXIII ever be appreciated?
The soundtrack & visuals are great. The combat system is great BUT only with 3 character parties and you spend a lot of the first 20 hours or so with only 2 characters in your party at a time.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9936935/
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Thread: Any JRPGs with truly great dungeon design?
Also, I gotta say as a creator of RPGs, good dungeon design is tough. It's really difficult to make something that isn't just a main path with occasional side paths for treasures. Puzzles are tough to do well since you want them to be interesting, but if you make them too hard, then people get stuck and people don't like getting stuck on non-combat stuff in RPGs (admittedly, they don't like getting stuck there either, but at least there, you can grind your way out).
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9971378/
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Thread: Any JRPGs with truly great dungeon design?
Replaying Grandia recently, I was surprised at how good some of the dungeon design is. There's a good bit of variety from the ghost ship to the End of the World (which is a giant wall so the entire dungeon is mostly vertical) to various ancient ruins. Good number of basic puzzles and secrets, along with the occasional enemy ambush. Some difficult mazes as well. I think the reason why it's rarely held up as a sign of great dungeon design is because the camera isn't very good which makes things more confusing than they should be and there's a fair number of filler dungeons as well. I haven't replayed it recently, but I remember at the time thinking that Paladin's Quest (SNES RPG, known as Lennus in Japan) had good dungeon design. There are a few reasons why it isn't mentioned as much as other great SNES RPGs. One, it came out about the same time as Chrono Trigger and so as the prequel to a fairly average game by a smaller company, it got overshadowed. Two, unlike other popular SNES RPGs, it hasn't been rereleased digitally - you can easily play Chrono Trigger, FF4, FF6, Earthbound, SMRPG, and others these days, but to play the original Lufia 2, you either need a SNES or you need to emulate it.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9971284/
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Thread: One Year In: Nintendo Switch, Physical or Digital?
100% digital except for Labo (which was for the family and isn't really portable anyway). It's so great to be able to take the Switch with me and have my entire library at my grasp.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9174298/
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Thread: Why wasn't/isn't Resident Evil 4 on top priority for Switch Development?
The demand is that it's a classic game with high replay value that still doesn't have a good portable version. And given that it originally came out on the Gamecube and it has since been ported to a gazillion different platforms, it can't be THAT hard to port it to the Switch as well. The difference is that Capcom has already ported other games to the Switch including 2 games in the Resident Evil series (3 if you count the RE7 streaming edition) but hasn't ported the no-brainer choice.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9970269/
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Thread: This fall is pretty damn stacked! How will you prioritize?
I don't think there's anything I particularly want this Fall so it'll be a good time to catch up on the backlog & pick up older games I missed.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9982432/
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Thread: Final Fantasy VII Has Quite The Fan-Art Following...For The Last 20 Years
When he touches cold water, he turns into Lightning.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8147856/
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Thread: SNK 40th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION Date Announcement November 13 (NA) Trailer – Nintendo Switch
I'm torn - I really want Crystalis since it's one of my favorite old games & there are 2-3 other games I'd like to try but most of the collection doesn't interest me. Wish we could buy the individual titles piecemeal for $5-$10 rather than have to buy them bundled at $40. I prefer it to Secret of Mana (although Secret of Mana has great music).
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10021343/
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Thread: Battle Chasers Nightwar |OT| Now on the Switch
Was planning on buying this on Steam, but I just found out that since I'm in Taiwan, the regular Steam price comes out to about $22 USD. With the current 50% discount, that means that Steam version would be about a quarter of the price of the Switch version right now. Also, hearing that the load times are long on consoles makes it much more attractive to buy it on the PC since I have a SSD.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/7998401/
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Thread: The Joy of Persona 2
I haven't played Persona 5 yet (a 100-hour JRPG that's not appropriate for kids just isn't getting played in my house these days unless it's portable), but on the hardest difficulty levels of P4G, the combat has both flash & depth, especially when you're trying to maximize your shuffle time chances. Especially the bosses - most of them have more advanced attack patterns than you find in the vast majority of turn-based JRPGs. There's a lot more to the combat than just hit the weaknesses and win. Honestly, I think combat & gameplay in general took a dive after Persona 1. They dropped the melee/gun weapon aspect in Persona 1, along with the positioning, and there's an over-emphasis on combo magic in Persona 2 making the whole thing feel even more unbalanced. I also remember the menus being particularly clunky. Like combat in Persona 1 isn't exactly great, but somehow they made it even worse in the Persona 2 games. It's a shame because the story & characters are generally better in Persona 2. The Persona 2 games are desperately in need of a real remake (not the minor upgrades that the PSP version brought) or a non-interactive version (like an anime TV series).
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10177530/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180710022221/https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-joy-of-persona-2.53998/page-2
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Thread: I miss Mistwalker
The gameplay in Blue Dragon is fantastic as long as you bump the difficulty up (which requires a free DLC). The job system, the combat itself, the encounter design, all excellent.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10174280/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180710022227/https://www.resetera.com/threads/i-miss-mistwalker.54050/page-3
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Thread: I miss Mistwalker
Although surprisingly enough, a lot of the JRPGs that the Switch is getting aren't really 3DS/Vita style. Xenoblade 2 is a sequel to Nintendo's premier home console RPG series. Mario + Rabbids is a SRPG collaboration between Nintendo & Ubisoft. Octopath Traveler is a throwback JRPG collaboration between Nintendo & Square-Enix. Lots of indie JRPGs (Cosmic Star Heroine, Battle Chasers, Earthlock) that primarily target PC & home consoles. It is getting some of the old portable JRPG stuff too (home/portable cross-platform stuff like Disgaea, Atelier, Ys, and The Lost Child) but it already seems clear that the Switch is getting much better JRPG support than Nintendo's systems have in the past.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10177149/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180710022227/https://www.resetera.com/threads/i-miss-mistwalker.54050/page-3
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Thread: What are the top 10 best Gameboy games of all time?
Here's my top 9. Couldn't decide what to put in the 10th slot, but if GBC games that still work on regular GB count, I'd stick a Dragon Quest Monsters title there. In no particular order: Final Fantasy Adventure - I actually like this one better than it's more popular sequel (Secret of Mana). Great chiptunes, good visuals for the system, and simple but fun Action/RPG gameplay. And oh how melodramatic the story is. Final Fantasy Legend 2 - Climb the tower! Final Fantasy Legend 3 - It's a Saga game with a time travelling space ship! What's not to like? Zelda: Link's Awakening - One of the very best 2D Zeldas. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 - Wario's first starring game is still a good one. Kirby's Dream Land 2 - Way better than the 1st game Tetris - It's Tetris. Game Boy Donkey Kong - A Donkey Kong puzzler with a lot of levels Pokemon Red/Blue - It's Pokémon.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10176909/
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Thread: I'm playing all the Resident Evils for the first time in release order
Might I suggest the Siren series as well? It was created by the creator of Silent Hill & is the best of the old-school survival-horror series around IMO. It's a little tough to play the entire series though - Siren 1 is available on PS2 or PS4, the Siren 1 re-imagining is on PS3, but Siren 2 is only available on PS2 and not in all regions (just Asia & Europe, though it'll work on an emulator if you import a disk). Also, it's quite difficult, although they tone things down as the series progresses.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/7774418/
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Thread: The Lost Child |OT| Lucifel's Call of Cthulhu
Interested to see how this is, but probably won't get around to it for a while.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9390785/
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Thread: PixelJunk Monsters 2 |OT| Anywhere Anytime Monsters
Huge fan of the first game (bought it for PSP & then got the one w/upgraded visuals for Vita), but what I'm hearing has me leary. Poor performance on the portable system, stages too big & camera zoomed in too much, and not having tower info are all problems I wasn't expecting to hear about. Also, one of the reviews I read said that there's only 15 stages & most of those are just previous stages with different enemy layouts? If true, that's a huge downgrade. Also, is there no medal challenge mode? That was one of the best features of the first game and I haven't heard anything about it for the sequel.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8367064/
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Thread: Fox n Forests dev:“Switch is our strongest platform to date”3:1 sales ratio with PC and 4:1 with PS4
The Valve leak wasn't that accurate for our latest game so I'd take those numbers with a grain of salt.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10122187/
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Thread: Valve leaks Steam game player counts
Checked our own game and the results were noticeably less accurate than the old SteamSpy prediction method.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10122214/
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Thread: Fox n Forests dev:“Switch is our strongest platform to date”3:1 sales ratio with PC and 4:1 with PS4
So indie successes are doing amazing on Switch (Hollow Knight) & unknown indies are doing better on Switch (Fox n Forests). Success all around!
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10014080/
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Thread: Fox n Forests dev:“Switch is our strongest platform to date”3:1 sales ratio with PC and 4:1 with PS4
I'd be shocked if anyone was aware of 20% of the decent or better games on Steam. There are so many games on the platform that even quality stuff falls through the cracks.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10012339/
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
In other news, we just got a new for the Vita version from Gaming Age. I think they're a Metacritic publication which would mean that we would need just 1 more Vita review to have an official Metacritic score.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10112214/
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Thread: Notable Nintendo Switch Games: The Grand List
Small correction - Cosmic Star Heroine on Switch is published by Limited Run Games (self-published elsewhere). Also, in the same conference, a Switch port of Dust: An Elysian Tail was announced.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9105581/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
I'm up to the volcano now. A couple thoughts - I forgot how mana eggs tended to be clustered together - like right after the giant wall, you get 4 one right after another. Justin & Feena have all magic, Sue has everything but wind. A couple of tips - get Sue water magic ASAP and then go fire -> earth. She can get 3 weapon + element skills (Water, Fire, and Fire + Earth) very early on compared to everyone else and those are FANTASTIC for building up XP. If you abuse those skills to gain LVs, she becomes a BEAST. She actually deals more weapon damage with her long-range bow than Justin in my game right now thanks to her high bow & earth skill levels. Environmental traps (like poison floors) that are near restore points or dungeon entrances (go back to the town inn) are great for getting those water skill levels up. XP for each heal use decreases as the skill levels up so you'll want to keep using more advanced heal spells since the more advanced the heal spell, the more XP it gives. There's enough mana eggs to give everyone every element so if you're thorough with your exploration, you don't need to worry about that. Also, when characters leave permanently, you get special books placed in your item storage that will give skill levels to another character. The amount given is 1/3rd the amount the character learned (so for example, a character who leaves with LV9 Water magic will get you an item that gives +3 Water LVs). The story is great & I love how Justin & Feena go from friends to something more. And I love how camping makes things feel like an epic journey.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9634406/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
Also, all these early 3D FMVs in Grandia are a HUGE step-back from the classic anime FMVs in Lunar:EB which is a real shame since most everything else is either on par (music, characters) or drastically better (combat, graphics).
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9638322/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
I believe there are 3 bonus dungeons, all of which are on disc 2. There's also a Saturn-only expansion pack of sorts that was never released in English called Grandia Digital Museum which has a few extra dungeons.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9711232/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
Finished Disk 1 the other night & got Rapp. The mermaid scenario was fun. The forest you meet Rapp in not so much. Some of the dungeon design is great, but it's generally dragged down by the poor camera - makes me appreciate how much camera movement has improved since the 90s. And I take it all back - water magic for Sue is a trap! Go fire, then earth with her, and just get her mace skill up high enough to learn the fire+earth skill, and then focus entirely on her bow skill & magic. The problem with water magic with Sue is that, yes, she gets a good mace+water skill and once you get it, you can pump her water magic up high, but water & maces don't do much for her stats (all defensive) and you don't need the high-level heal spells that early in the game so just give water magic to Justin/Feena. Fire magic on the other hand boosts Sue's act speed (which she desperately needs) & Earth + Bow both boost her strength which combined with her bow range overcoming her weak running speed turn her into an attacking powerhouse. She has a fire weapon skill that generates weapon + fire XP fast, plus a weapon + fire + earth buff skill that can be spammed and generates a moderate amount of XP with each use so you can get her bow/fire/earth LVs up really high - towards the end of disk 1, she was dealing more damage than Justin.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9929835/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
To anyone else reading this, don't do this. Sue's rather bad without any mana eggs and there are 18 mana eggs in the game and you only need 14 mana eggs to max everybody out (4 for Justin & Sue, two characters that start out with 1 mana egg already unlocked, and then everybody else either starts out with all the magic they can use or can't use magic). Even if you want to save mana eggs to max out everybody else faster, you should still give Sue a couple eggs.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9942428/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
Replayed up to the mine yesterday. The translation is better than I remember (like the Lunar games, there's lots of inter-party dialogue & like the Trails games, there's tons of NPC dialogue) & the dub is worse (though I've heard even worse). Combat is super easy so far, made easier if you regularly get advantage. I don't think the first boss even managed to get a hit on me. Makes me wish that the Grandia 2 Steam release had been a mega-hit and they did a remaster of Grandia 1. Clean up the writing, redo the dub, combine the strong points of the PS1 & Saturn releases, reduce combat downtime & load times, add some difficulty options, and throw in the Japanese-only expansion pack.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8942815/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
More specifically, skill speed is based on your weapon/element levels. The higher you are above the minimum to use the skill, the faster the skill is.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9054033/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
Now I feel old. When I saw Iwadare on an Ace Attorney credits list, I thought "Wow, it's Noriyuki Iwadare of Lunar & Grandia fame!" If I ever got the opportunity to make a 2D retro-style Grandia spin-off, I'd make Justin's mom the protagonist during her Lilly the Skull pirate days. I was planning on putting Grandia-style meal sections in Cosmic Star Heroine, but since the game went so far over schedule, they ended up getting cut. You can still see the remnants in a few places in the game where the characters sit down & discuss things at a table (this happens in the API base at the beginning of the game, Lauren's apartment, and on your spaceship), but these scenes are sadly non-interactive. Also, we did Grandia-style timebar knockback in our Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness games. I'd like to go full-blown Grandia-style combat w/character movement in a future game, but that's more difficult than what we did or what Child of Light did.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8815673/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
Ooh, I'm a big Grandia fan even though I've never finished it in English (played it in English, but I've only finished it in Japanese on the Saturn). Thinking of stopping my P4G Very Hard replay run since I just beat the Normal ending boss & it's getting to be more tedious than fun & starting this up.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8767912/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180708170232/https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-era-rpg-club-plays-grandia.47054/
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Thread: The ERA RPG Club Plays: Grandia
Weapon skills with an elemental component (like Feena's Fire Whip) are great for getting skill XP. MINOR SPOILER ON WHO ISN'T IN THE FINAL PARTY:
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8768337/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180708170232/https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-era-rpg-club-plays-grandia.47054/
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Thread: The best of survival horror
Siren 2 is so good - more variety & creativity in missions (like a character who is blind and has to use enemies/dog to get around), not as brutally difficult as the original game, while still having a huge amount of content like the first game. It's a shame it never came to North America (only Asia & Europe) since I think it's the best game in a fantastic series. Besides the Siren series, I really like the Resident Evil series (REmake + 2-4) and Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (which is buggy & has some weak segments, but when it's good, it's amazing). Also, I really like Parasite Eve 2 which is kind of a cross between a PS2 RE game and an RPG.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/3120776/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180708170244/https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-best-of-survival-horror.15205/page-3
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Thread: Has the demo sold you on Octopath Traveler?
Debating on whether or not to replay the demo so I can get further, I enjoyed the demo so much. I think the last time I enjoyed a demo this much was on the Gamecube with RE4.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9375166/
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Thread: Has the demo sold you on Octopath Traveler?
Besides the visuals, the combat system seems really neat (combining some of the best aspects of Bravely Default with a break system like Has-Been Heroes) and it looks like it'll be plenty beefy with 8 main playable characters and a nice mix of linear & non-linear content. Mostly it seems like it's a great attempt at fusing nostalgia with modern aspects. If the demo is any indication, there's some difficulty scaling depending on the order you do things. Like the first origin quest assumes you have 1 character at LV1, whereas the second origin quest you have 2 characters at around LV5, etc. You're not playing 8 LV1 single-character scenarios.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9387196/
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Thread: Has the demo sold you on Octopath Traveler?
One of the classes can equip a passive ability that reduces the random encounter rate.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9388315/
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Thread: Has the demo sold you on Octopath Traveler?
Looks like it'll have a lot of depth if you really want to dig into it. Basically, it's like a streamlined Bravely Default combined with a streamlined FF13 break system. To go into more detail: It's like Bravely Default minus the Default. You get a boost point each turn automatically (up to a max of 5) & you can use up to 3 boost points in a turn to boost any move. So like an attack could hit multiple times, a chance-based move could have a higher success rate, etc. I feel like this is superior to the implementation in Bravely Default for two reasons - one, it's faster-paced (you only pick one move no matter what, whereas in Bravely Default you could pick up to 4 moves in a single-turn) and it's more player-friendly (since you automatically get points instead of having to build them up with defends). It's like a streamlined FF13 break system. Every enemy has 1 or more guard points. Every hit you make with a type that they're weak against (weapon types + magic element types) makes them lose a point. When they lose all points, they go into break mode briefly which means they're stunned (skip their next turn) & take more damage. I feel like this is superior to the implementation in FF13 because it's much more transparent & easier to plan around (whereas in FF13, you just switched to your ravagers and crossed your fingers). To go along with that, characters can simultaneously equip a weapon of each type that they're able to use and you can freely switch between them in combat just by pressing left/right on the attack command. Another thing I haven't seen a lot of people mention is the class system - when you get enough job points to unlock an ability, you can choose from many different abilities, with each successive ability costing more job points. So like with the merchant girl, I had her get a dodge move first (places a buff on her that makes it so the next physical attack against her is guaranteed to miss) but I could have gotten a group wind spell or a healing ability or an ability to summon mercenaries into combat at a price, etc. You can also get passive abilities that you can equip into 4 free slots - it looks like passives are unlocked based on how many total abilities you have in your job. Anyway, I really enjoyed what I played in the demo - there was a decent amount of strategy even with my solo character (using dodges to build up boost while avoiding damage, trying to take advantage of her steal money ability in boss fights) although that'll vary depending on which character you start with. It looks like combat will be a lot of fun once you get a full party if you like strategic turn-based JRPG combat.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9342020/
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Yes, it's $15 USD.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10086326/
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Thread: New Octopath Traveler Demo June 14th. Progress transfers.
Played about 5-6 hours now (restarted) and seen 5 of the 8 openers. Still liking the gameplay & the various classes & character abilities are interesting (although some more than others). Music & visuals are both quality. The main thing I'm a bit worried about is the story pacing - it feels like every story sequence takes like 50%-100% longer than it needs to take with a lot of dialogue that feels repetitive, and a lot of slow sprite animation flourishes between dialogue lines that don't feel like they add much to the experience. I'm also a bit worried about balance - this feels like the kind of game where a lot of the time you're going to be grossly overpowered or underpowered for the content. That's not necessarily a deal breaker since that kind of game can be fun too, but I'll have to see how it plays out in the full game.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9637726/
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Thread: New Octopath Traveler Demo June 14th. Progress transfers.
Made the mistake of playing the demo (went with Tressa). Waiting until the end of next month (for payday) is going to be tough now. With Tressa, definitely make sure that you use her steal money ability on every enemy in boss encounters as the amount you get can be huge. The success rate increases as the enemy's HP decreases & you can boost it further with boost.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9339210/
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Thread: RPG Community |OT| Take the Epoch to a New Era
I've played it, but honestly don't remember much about it other than it had a heavy steampunk aesthetic (with a lot of famous manga/anime artists involved) & that your weapons were all steam-powered and prone to overheating. I think I only played a few hours before binning it.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9940183/
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Thread: RPG Community |OT| Take the Epoch to a New Era
A friend surprised me with a copy of Pillars of Eternity & I managed to free up enough space on my SSD to install it. I'm torn on starting it though since Octopath Traveler comes out next week & I've been eagerly waiting for that. Plus, I'm still finishing Grandia 1 in the ERA RPG Club.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9942491/
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Thread: RPG Community |OT| Take the Epoch to a New Era
The song in question: At one point, I wanted to try a made-up language for that song (like the one used in the Panzer Dragoon series), but the guys at HyperDuck are friends with Laura Shigihara and she's bilingual so a Japanese+English song just made sense. And we tried to avoid the generic "Super cute J-Pop" song that most Western developers stick in their RPGs when they do a Japanese song.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/3115744/
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Thread: RPG Community |OT| Take the Epoch to a New Era
I don't actually remember my first RPG. I know I played Dragon Quest 1 & Final Fantasy 1 early on & there were some PC RPGs I played early on like Questron 2 & Nethack, but I don't actually remember what I played first.
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Thread: RPG Community |OT| Take the Epoch to a New Era
For our next game, Rx Machina, I'm thinking of using a LV-Up system similar to FF12 (which I believe is also similar to DQ11 but I haven't played it yet) and was wondering how people felt about that kind of system (I will confess, I've barely played any of FF12 & DQ11 isn't out in English or Chinese yet). Large grid (maybe 10x10) with each slot having an ability, stat bonus, or passive ability. Each character gets their own unique grid. Each LV-Up lets you unlock one adjacent slot. For abilities that appear multiple places on the board, the first one unlocked gives the character the ability and multiple unlocks boost the ability's strength. There will also be an activity in town during the sim segment that you'll be able to use to reset boards if you want to respect between missions. I'm thinking this would allow for a nice bit of customization without getting crazy complicated like say the Sphere Grid from FFX (with all the different paths, locked doors, and requirements for specific items) or Path of Exile's system (which is simple but HUGE).
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/412113/
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Thread: RPG Community |OT| Take the Epoch to a New Era
Right. If you want more CRPG talk, talk about CRPGs. And if what you say is interesting, other people may join in. And like for me, I play much more JRPGs than CRPGs, but some of the JRPGs I love are border-cases (like the Etrian Odysey series & BoF: Dragon Quarter). And if people were talking about CRPGs that sound interesting, I would definitely make a mental note to check them out later.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/413326/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/NGnR5
Thread: I am convinced The Evil Within 2 is the modern Silent Hill 2, a new monument to the genre
The new Silent Hill is Siren.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9791929/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/f5MQP
Thread: Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion |OT| Metro Exodus
I'm very anti-multiplayer & Splatoon 1/2 are the only multiplayer-focused games I love. I have yet to finish the single-player modes of either game, not because they're bad, but because the multiplayer is too fun. This DLC is tempting me to buckle down & finish the story mode though since the DLC campaign sounds awesome.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9225544/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/mphRb
Thread: "Octopath Traveler has been developed as a spiritual successor of FFVI" Takahashi-san
I agree with you here as well. The approach they've taken here (pixel art combined with 3D visuals & modern effects) is far from the only viable approach. I like Octopath's style, but I also love traditional high quality pixel art.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10082495/
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Thread: "Octopath Traveler has been developed as a spiritual successor of FFVI" Takahashi-san
As someone who makes RPGs with retro aesthetics, this is worth emphasizing. People have rose-colored glasses & if you want to capture the nostalgic feelings they have for classic games, you gotta match their memories not the reality. Like with our most recent game, visually, it's closer to a Saturn or PS1 game than a SNES game due to the higher resolution, expanded color palette, high number of animation frames or major sprites, and absence of tiles, but reviews always compare it to SNES graphics. And every one of our previous games has been called an 8-bit game regardless of their visuals.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10081712/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/5rJ4P
Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Next week should be big. The Switch digital preorder page should go up, the official release date will be announced (no more vague August), and LRG should get Switch review codes. I'm very excited. :)
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10080663/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/gtOkt
Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
It's not that interesting of a story. When the Switch was first revealed, I emailed Nintendo expressing interest in releasing the game on the Switch. I got a form letter back saying they weren't ready to accept applications but to sign up as a Nintendo developer (for Wii U / 3DS) which I did. For months, I periodically contacted Nintendo - I eventually got responses from actual people instead of generic form letters, but they were always vague non-committal "try again later maybe" responses. Talking to other indie dev friends, I heard that Nintendo generally didn't like to work directly with tiny indie devs and that our best bet would be to release through a publisher who was already approved for Switch releases. We were contacted by a major publisher who wanted to release the game for us on Switch, but the terms weren't great (mind you, they weren't awful either) and we'd have to port it ourselves. While we were debating whether or not to sign up with them, we were talking with LRG about our physical releases and they offered to port & release it for us with very favorable terms since they wanted to also do a physical release for it. They did all the porting work (although they asked us questions periodically & we were able to offer a suggestion that led to fixing an error that made the start-up load times longer than needed) and that's the story. :) $15 USD. That's precisely the reason why we're launching in August. Didn't want to compete with Octopath Traveler and by then, people who pick up Octopath at launch should be finishing it up & hopefully looking for their next RPG.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10081148/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/F68JP
Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Preorders still count as sales when it comes to creating the Top 30 Best-Selling lists (All & Digital-only) so if we managed to break onto one of those before launch that would be HUGE. There's also the possibility that even if preorders aren't enough to break into either top 30 list that preorder sales could be strong enough to convince Nintendo that they should include the game in their general indie game marketing plans. I believe that LRG may be providing an option for people who would like to turn their PS4/Vita order into a Switch order so contact them and express your concerns.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10082162/
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
They didn't just test it on Switch, they did the actual porting. We've also discussed them handling the XBO port but that'll be after the Switch version is out. As long as it doesn't do worse than Steam (and I don't see why it would - it's a great fit for portable, there's less competition, review codes are going out in plenty of time & it's a high quality port that isn't buggy like the PC version was at launch), I'll be pleased. If it does noticeably better than Steam, I'll be ecstatic.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10082939/
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Still too early, but between the digital & physical versions, it looks like we have a good shot at breaking even which is about all we could ask for from a Vita release in 2018. However, because of all the optimization that I did for the Vita version, the game was easier to port & the performance on Switch is fantastic (quick load times & steady 60 fps with only minor dips when loading/switching maps). So even if the Vita version "only" breaks even, the fact that it helped pave the way for the Switch version means that it should make it well worth the effort. The game hasn't been an amazing seller so far. Total combined sales for all platforms is under 100k. However, I'm confident that if Cosmic Star Heroine is going to succeed anywhere, it's going to be on Switch - it's a perfect fit for the demographic, it's a very high quality port, the game excels in a portable environment, there's not a lot of turn-based JRPG competition on the platform, and the game is already done & approved so we have over a month to try to build up hype. I'm obviously biased, but the game is sitting at a 90% user rating on Steam with over 200 reviews. People generally praise the innovative & tactical turn-based combat, the brilliant soundtrack from Hyperduck, the fantastic pixel art, and fast pace of the game.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9075544/
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
No, LRG did the port.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9091158/
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Switch is region-free & LRG ships worldwide.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9091569/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/o7Pun
Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
I wish. I'm trying to get the PS4 version updated so that they can print the physical copies. We're still planning on making Rx Machina, but we're thinking about doing a shorter Breath of Death sequel as a palette cleanser.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9092040/
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Hey, I liked the RPGamer review - yeah, they didn't care for the story, but they gave us high marks in visuals, music, and combat system (my baby). I think the big sticking point for a lot of people is the tone & pacing. Although I spent a lot of time analyzing Chrono Trigger to see how it handled character movement & combat positioning & Phantasy Star was a big influence for plot & setting, I gotta admit, when I think nostalgic JRPGs, I think the Lunar games and I tried to emulate their mix of serious & silly. The result is a game that's more of a cheesy celebration of over-the-top sci-fi/fantasy pulp than the serious game that some people wanted. I feel the Freedom Festival scenario is a good litmus test (and I'll be vague here to avoid spoiling it for people who haven't played the game yet) - it starts out as an homage to stuff like Chrono Trigger & Xenogears, then events start happening & it just gets more and more over-the-top ridiculous. And some people see all this and think "Awesome!" and others think "Stupid!" And both responses are valid because different people want different things from their games. As far as pacing goes, one of my pet peeves is RPGs that are too slow & have too much filler. Like, one of my favorite games of all-time is Persona 4 Golden, and man, that game would be even better if they sped everything up a bit & cut some of the fat. I will admit that I maybe went a little too far in the opposite direction with CSH, but better a game that leaves you wanting more than a game that's too long. Anyway, everyone's welcome to their own opinion, although saying that you feel duped implies that people were lying to you because they like us rather than that they just had different opinions. The game has a 90% rating on Steam and it's not like anybody there cares who we are. Oh and here's a recent review of the Vita version: - I think it expresses both the strengths & the weaknesses of the game rather well.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9112539/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/2Ct66
Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Yes, Limited Run Games did the port themselves (asking me questions as they went along). I'm super excited about this. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, but that would be really nice.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9052475/
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
Prices should be the same as other versions.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9054204/
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Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
I think the old E3 trailer we did does a good job selling the game (make sure to have audio on):
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9055589/
Archive.is (legacy): https://archive.is/jUwqU
Thread: Cosmic Star Heroine coming to Nintendo Switch in August (Digital + Physical)
I don't think so.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9060193/
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Thread: Kickstarter regrets
3 weeks ago, the developer of Soul Saga posted a where they said that Soul Saga will be going up on Early Access this month. Don't know if it'll be worth the wait, but the developer seems determined to actually release it. Heart Forth, Alicia is taking forever, but when I played the E3 build a couple years ago, it was really promising. When it finally comes out, it should join Hollow Knight as a top-quality Metroidvania.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10080865/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180706213008/https://www.resetera.com/threads/kickstarter-regrets.53617/page-3
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Thread: I wanna play the Dragon Quest 1-6 which versions are best? Are they even worth playing still?
1-2 skip 3-4 NES 5 DS 6 SNES fan-translation Of the lot, my ranking goes 6 > 3 = 4 > 5 > 2 > 1.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9788184/
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Thread: Dragon Quest Community Thread |OT| Party Chat
Played DQ11 Chinese for a couple more hours. Some more thoughts: There was a simple stealth segment. Was pretty easy and if you fail a segment, it just means you fight a battle. There was also a Crash Bandicoot style "Run down while a giant thing chases you" segment. Really easy and I thought it was funny that other monsters were running away too (metal slime!). Got my second playable character. Thief-type - boomerangs, daggers, and thieving skills. Had trouble reading the first boomerang skill until I realized that they had written slime phonetically in Chinese (does extra damage to slime family enemies). Didn't know that there were multi-character unite moves, but that's cool. You can only use them when both characters are in glowy mode. This would be a difficult game to play through without some language ability - for example, there was a segment where you need to give a kid a couple items that's really easy if you read what the kid says, but would be rather difficult otherwise. I've had fun with the two "world" maps I've been too. Lots of different monsters to fight (or avoid), some secrets to find, and just generally pretty. Switched the camera system from free roam to cinematic in battles and I like that better since running around in combat didn't seem to do anything useful. Load times aren't bad. Maybe 3-5 seconds when switching between maps (and the maps are large) & nothing besides that. I think I'm heading to the first honest-to-goodness dungeon (not counting the tutorial dungeon or the stealth/escape dungeon), so I'm excited for that.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/1127938/
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Thread: Dragon Quest Community Thread |OT| Party Chat
Just finished making a Taiwan PSN account. Super excited to play DQ11 now that the Chinese version is out.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/921281/
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Thread: Dragon Quest Community Thread |OT| Party Chat
PSN point cards purchased! Also bought a notebook to write down new characters so it can double as Chinese study. Now to try to wrest the TV away from the kids long enough to download DQ11 (said it requires 30 GBs, but I have a pretty fast Internet setup). Here's a quick breakdown: DQ1 - The original. Only 1 vs 1 combat, tiny world with only a few locations. DQ2 - Much expanded sequel. Three character party with multiple enemies in combat. Drastically bigger world with lots of places to explore. One of the harder games in the series. DQ3 - This is the first one that's really popular even now. Big world, first game in the series with 4 character party. Make your own characters, plus a basic multi-class system (at a certain location, you can reclass which drops you down to LV1 but you get to keep your spells & half your stats). Has some fun connections with DQ1. DQ4 - This is the first game in the series with more of a story focus. There's 5 chapters - the first 4 chapters each focus on a different character (or characters) and then chapter 5 finally reveals the Hero (or Heroine) who then recruits the main characters of the previous 4 chapters to fight the big bad. A popular game in the series. DQ5 - The first game that wasn't on the NES and the one that introduced monster recruiting to the series. Has a generational aspect to it - at one point, you marry one of the main characters and then later, there's a time leap & you join forces with your children. One of the most popular games in the series. DQ6 - Has a class system and a dual world setup. One of the nicest looking SNES RPGs around. DQ7 - It's DQ6 but bigger & more complicated. Set party w/class system. First game in 3D (PS1). DQ8 - First game on the PS2. Set party w/skill points. Really nice graphics & a big 3D world to explore. One of the more popular games in the series. DQ9 - On the DS. Make your own party. Lots of post-game content. DQ10 - The MMORPG. DQ11 - PS4 & 3DS with a Switch version coming sometime in the future. Currently only available in Japanese & Chinese with an English version scheduled for sometime next year. My personal recommendation for a FF fan to jump into DQ would be either DQ8 (PS2 or mobile) or DQ4 (DS or mobile).
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/926291/
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Thread: Dragon Quest Community Thread |OT| Party Chat
Okay, played about an hour of DQ11 now. Spent the first few minutes flailing about while I had to remind myself that confirm/cancel are reverse the NA norm. Graphics are basically better DQ8 which I'm cool with. One of my 3-year-olds was super excited about the dog that shows up early on and spent the entire time telling me to chase & find it. So no comments on the music's quality. I'm really pleased that the Chinese font is easy to read. First "dungeon" is basically a super-easy tutorial. They give you 2 non-controllable allies, one of which automatically heals & restores your MP so I don't even know if it's possible to lose. Story is nothing special so far, but there have been more cutscenes than I expected. Even in the linear areas so far, they've still managed to hide some secret treasures here and there. I'm not surprised, but I'm still a little disappointed that saving is still tied to churches. Looks like you can opt into some self-imposed restrictions like no running away in combat for higher difficulty. Really excited to play more. Looks like I'm about to get my first taste of the world map.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/940834/
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Thread: Dragon Quest Community Thread |OT| Party Chat
That's a little better, but it's still unfortunate that there's no free save option. Even a temp emergency save/quit would be a big improvement to playability.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/941554/
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Thread: SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: Strange Journey Redux |OT| Bizarre Trek Into Darkness
I'm currently playing a P4G Izanagi only run on the Very Hard difficulty mode so XP gains are even less than normal. It's going really well (just have the Normal End, Vita, and True Ending dungeons left to go). Not NG+ so I have to rely on whatever skill cards I get via Shuffle Time. It's actually kind of funny - despite being lower LV than everybody else, my Izanagi has drastically higher stats than everybody else's Persona thanks to all the Shuffle Time stat bonus cards.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8111940/
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Thread: SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: Strange Journey Redux |OT| Bizarre Trek Into Darkness
Tempted to buy this now but I'm currently replaying P4G on the hardest difficulty so I should probably finish that first (just got Naoto).
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/7974028/
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Thread: Vita Community |OT| ReVitalized
That's out of date - a build of CSH has already been approved by Sony NA (still working on Sony EU) and we're going to announce the release date very soon (and the release date will be very soon).
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/6607431/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180706173629/https://www.resetera.com/threads/vita-community-ot-revitalized.658/page-67
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Thread: Vita Community |OT| ReVitalized
The plan has always been to do the physical PS4 & physical Vita releases for CSH soon after the Vita digital release comes out. Basically, have the Vita version come out, see if there's anything that needs to be patched, patch, and then release the physical.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/6607567/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180706173629/https://www.resetera.com/threads/vita-community-ot-revitalized.658/page-67
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Thread: Vita Community |OT| ReVitalized
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/3917973/
Archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20180708170335/https://www.resetera.com/threads/vita-community-ot-revitalized.658/page-45
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Thread: Who's the most famous video game character introduced after 2000?
Halo has a relatively narrow demographic (primarily US, primarily 16-35 males) and has been rapidly dropping in relevancy. Maybe at the height of its popularity, but there's no way it's beating out something like the Minecraft Creeper or an Angry Bird for non-gamer recognition these days. As far as indie games go, I'd guess Freddie from FNAF would be the most famous with maybe Shovel Knight in 2nd place. Although I swear that for 6-12 months after the game came out, Undertale characters (especially Papyrus) were everywhere online.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9972447/
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Thread: PS2 unsung gems (that hold up in 2018)?
Glad to hear all the love for Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter as that's my vote for best PS2 game. Here's a no-brainer - since you mentioned Siren: Blood Curse, make sure to play Siren 1 & 2 if you haven't already. They're both fantastic games (better than the PS3 game IMO), although Siren 1 in particular is quite difficult. Siren 2 isn't available in NA but it was released in EU.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10052012/
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Thread: Indie Game Development |OT 2018| Come, help, learn, show and tell!
As long as people aren't outright copy/pasting our assets, I don't mind if their UI looks similar to ours.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9254738/
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Thread: Hollow Knight on Switch has already sold over 250k copies in just two weeks
A year or two ago when SteamSpy was still able to access info more easily, I was paying close attention to Steam indie releases and generally speaking, selling 100k or more in your first month placed you in the top tier of indie successes. Selling 250k on a single platform in half a month places you in indie mega-blockbuster status. I don't need to imagine. I'm crossing my fingers so hard for our Switch release and news like this gives me hope. I'd be pleased even if we only got a tenth of these figures spread out over the course of a year. :)
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9862719/
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Thread: How do I get into Phantasy Star? How are the battle systems?
No, the latest Genesis collection on the PS4 & Xbox One that came out recently has Phantasy Star 2-4. The Switch is getting various classic Sega games under the Sega Ages banner sometime later this year and Phantasy Star 1 is already confirmed to be one of them. Based on the quality of ports they did to the 3DS, the Switch version of Phantasy Star 1 will probably be really good.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10044872/
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Thread: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon |OT| Dracula's Circle
Sounds like the game is fairly quick & easy to beat once, but could pose more of a challenge to try to 100% with the various paths & modes. In any case, as a big CV3 fan, I plan on buying this as soon as it goes up on Switch.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8277500/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
If you've been following our progress, you know that we've wanted to do a Switch version for quite some time, that we've been looking into working a publisher to get it on Switch, and that we weren't planning on announcing anything until everything was finalized. We submitted the Switch version to Nintendo at around the beginning of the month & passed Nintendo's final approval process right before E3 so it was the ideal time to announce it. I apologize to anyone who ordered the PS4 or Vita version who would rather have a Switch version. On the plus side, neither version oversold (they were pretty much right on par with expectations) so if you want to sell them later, you should be able to at the bare minimum recoup your cost, if not make a profit.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9209481/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
Timing aside, the "all sales are final" is a key part of LRG's business plan. They're a tiny company & their profit margin is low (since after production/shipping costs, most of the profit goes to the developers/publishers of the games) but they manage to thrive because they minimize their risk. Opening up the floodgates to mass refunds whenever a new port is announced is the kind of thing that could put them out of business. Same thing for a lot of indie developers (us included) - most of us teeter on the edge of staying in business & not and trying to convince people not buy our game now but wait for a better version that may come at some later date isn't a great business plan.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9224354/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
Your number guesses are inaccurate. PS4 CE + PS4 regular is about 5k Vita CE + Vita regular is about 5k More regular editions were purchased than CE. This is true for both PS4 & Vita. Chances are we would have sold more if we hadn't done open preorders, but I don't regret the decision.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9016810/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
I've already said too much. *throws smoke bomb down
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9017673/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
CSH sold about 5k on PS4 physical & about 5k on Vita physical. The regular editions sold more than the CEs. Any speculation beyond that is just that - speculation.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9024244/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
Cosmic Star Heroine PS4 CE is down to 5% stock remaining.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8412936/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing it'll last the standard amount of time.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8046047/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
To answer a few questions: There are regular & collector editions for both PS4 & Vita (so 4 SKUs). The regular editions are $30 and are open pre-order. The collector editions are $65 and have limited quantity. Kickstarter backers will get an email with info on how they can order the collector editions in advance. If a substantial number of kickstarter backers order the collector editions, we'll up the quantity. The regular editions are $5 more expensive than standard LRG releases because they include a 60+ full-color manual.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8041536/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
LRG has a specific quantity that they're planning on for the CE, but if early purchases from KS backers are higher than expected, they'll up the quantity so non-backers still have a chance to get one.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8041762/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
I've been told they'll be in the game cases. The content of the two manuals is the same, but the regular editions have standard PS4/Vita instruction manuals whereas the manual in the CE is setup more like a Working Designs SCD manual (so larger to fit the SCD case & I believe they're going to do some fancy foil stuff on the cover). EDIT: From LRG's twitter account: "The manual is formatted to fit the long-box case and will feature high-gloss thick stock for the cover with foil elements. Our printer has been given some Sega CD Working Designs manuals for reference."
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/8042489/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
Yeah, the physical copies should have the most recent version of the game.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/7846587/
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Thread: Limited Run Games |OT| Sweet XOXO for Digital to Physical Media
*whistles*
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/7131977/
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Thread: Octopath Traveler making waves on Amazon. Why?
Whoops, I meant butchered localization. Among other things, they outright removed a huge portion of the game in the North American release (there are 2 main story paths & in the NA PS1 release, they removed 1 of them).
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10051651/
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Thread: Octopath Traveler making waves on Amazon. Why?
I'm really excited to play Octopath Traveler and loved the demo. However, we've seen in the past that Amazon video game sales charts aren't a great predicator of overall success. I'm really rooting for the game and hope that it brings a lot of turn-based JRPG fans to the system who a month later will be looking for more turn-based RPGs to buy. ;)
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10050837/
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Thread: Octopath Traveler making waves on Amazon. Why?
And the Lost Child the week before that. And Battle Chasers the month before that. And Earthlock & Atelier Lydie a couple months before that. There's actually been a fair number of JRPGs released this year for the Switch, although admittedly, most of them are ports.
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Thread: Octopath Traveler making waves on Amazon. Why?
I don't remember the exact game, I just remember that there was a game I was rooting for that got up high on the Amazon sales chart and then when we got overall NPD sales data, I don't think it even charted. But if preorders for the game are showing up high on the eshop itself, that's certainly a good sign. Right now, my main decision about the game revolves around whether I'm going to buy it as soon as it launches or if I'm going to be more responsible and wait for the end of the month when royalties come in.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10051016/
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Thread: Octopath Traveler making waves on Amazon. Why?
Switch owners are starving because they're spending their food budget on more games.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10051338/
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Thread: Octopath Traveler making waves on Amazon. Why?
Seriously. After 1.5 years in North America, the PlayStation 1's RPG library was pretty much Beyond the Beyond, Suikoden 1, and a butchered localization of Persona 1. Wild Arms 1 came out a little later and FF7 finally hit at around the 2 year mark. All this from what is commonly considered one of the best systems for RPGs of all-time. Most consoles have really weak RPG libraries for the first couple of years. That the Switch is doing as good as it is in this genre already is impressive. Nobody's buying a $60 turn-based RPG with retro-pixel-based visuals and not knowing what they're getting into. Doubly so given that there's been 2 big demos for the game already - one of which lets you play the start of the game for 3 hours. And ebay is flooded with used copies for every major release a few days after launch. That's just how used copies work.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10051482/
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Thread: 4gamer Octopath Traveler review
I'm predicting low 80s Metacritic myself - the people who love it will LOVE it, but the graphics are going to turn some people off, and the gameplay seems like it'll be frustrating for people who don't fully engage with it (which will include some reviewers). I personally can't wait to play it.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9930491/
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Thread: Dark Souls 1 seems to be looked upon fondly? I can't help but criticise it for all its flaws.
Bloodborne is really good and was the first game that felt like a worthy Dark Souls sequel to me. With that said, it's a shorter & more linear game with drastically less build options than any of the other Souls games (and what builds it does have lack variety) which really hurts its replayability. Dark Souls 3 just never clicked for me. Coming after Bloodborne, it felt like a step down with combat, while still not having the size of Dark Souls 2 or the fun interconnected design of Dark Souls 1. And I get that they wanted to make weapons more interesting, but ditching the spell system from Dark Souls 1 & 2 with a generic MP system was a big downgrade in how fun & interesting magic was. It also felt like they ramped up the combat difficulty a lot faster than the other games like they assumed anyone playing Dark Souls 3 had already played the previous games. One thing that I think gets lost now is just how well designed Dark Souls 1 was for replayability. There are all these different weapons & spells, each of which lends itself to different playstyles which encourages replayability, but also, there are so many secrets scattered throughout the game's levels that when you do go back to replay with a different build, there's a good chance you'll find brand new secrets that you missed the last time, including entirely optional areas. Throw in the fact that certain one-time enemies have a chance of dropping special equipment and different playthroughs can feel very different. In contrast, the later games tended to be more linear, but also the later games came out at a much more rapid rate. There was nearly a 2.5 year gap between Dark Souls 1 & 2, but then these games came out on a year schedule (2014 - Dark Souls 2, 2015 - Bloodborne, 2016 - Dark Souls 3) so there was less incentive to really dig into each one since even the shorter Souls-style games are fairly long.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/10044380/
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Thread: ResetEra's Most Anticipated Games of 2018
Cosmic Star Heroine was in the Top 40 last year. I think our total sales are something like 30k-40k. So um, yeah.
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/3018520/
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Thread: Lumines Remastered |OT| SHININ' SHININ' SHININ' SHININ' SHININ' SHININ' SHININ' SHININ' SHININ'
10+ secs initial or 10+ secs whenever a skin loads?
Link: https://www.resetera.com/posts/9744261/
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