Anything that is gaming related that doesn't fit well anywhere else
User avatar
ElkinFencer10
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 8582
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2010 8:34 pm
Location: Henderson, North Carolina

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by ElkinFencer10 Thu Oct 07, 2021 8:57 pm

ZRofel wrote:
ElkinFencer10 wrote:The Muv-Luv series is on sale on Steam. Just sayin'. Go buy and play it.


There's always a lot of talk about Muv-Luv, particularly in the visual novel thread. So what's the deal? Why's it so good? I like visual novels. Evangelize me!

Okay, so part of the reason it's so good is that it's just fantastic writing. But it's also a progression across the main trilogy that shifts genres dramatically. The first part - Extra - is a typical cutesy slice of life pick-your-waifu VN. The second part - Unlimited - is a coming-of-age story in a war-torn world that manages to be serious while still retaining the cutesy pick-your-waifu aspects. The third part - Alternative - is a balls-to-the-wall apocalyptic war epic that will make you cry and hurt; it's god-tier trauma porn.
Exhuminator wrote:Ecchi lords must unite for great justice.

Image
User avatar
ZRofel
24-bit
 
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 10:10 pm
Location: At the beginning

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by ZRofel Wed Oct 13, 2021 4:16 pm

ElkinFencer10 wrote:
ZRofel wrote:
ElkinFencer10 wrote:The Muv-Luv series is on sale on Steam. Just sayin'. Go buy and play it.


There's always a lot of talk about Muv-Luv, particularly in the visual novel thread. So what's the deal? Why's it so good? I like visual novels. Evangelize me!

Okay, so part of the reason it's so good is that it's just fantastic writing. But it's also a progression across the main trilogy that shifts genres dramatically. The first part - Extra - is a typical cutesy slice of life pick-your-waifu VN. The second part - Unlimited - is a coming-of-age story in a war-torn world that manages to be serious while still retaining the cutesy pick-your-waifu aspects. The third part - Alternative - is a balls-to-the-wall apocalyptic war epic that will make you cry and hurt; it's god-tier trauma porn.


It sounds interesting, but I gotta be honest, I'm not sure after the last two years I'm up for something that could be described as "trauma porn" :cry:
User avatar
DaydreamStarbeam
8-bit
 
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2021 8:53 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by DaydreamStarbeam Sun Oct 31, 2021 9:46 pm

The Neptunia series, for the same reason the owner of oprainfall (aka NepsKnight) loves it: the universe (characters/locations/etc) are unforgettably great, and the music is amazing (particularly Victory 2's score), regardless of the kinda bland gameplay... not really big on RPGs/etc but I love this series so much - I own the DVDs to the anime too <3

(The user 2 posts above is a fan too, nice! My favourite characters are Neptune, Compa, Iffy, 5pb, Plutia, Linda/Underling, MarvelousAQL, Broccoli/Puchiko, Uzume and Uni BTW, though I lowkey love them all.)
I feel like I have to retreat when anyone potentially knows me and any of those unforgivable shenanigans I refuse to own up to (because others' accounts of them are far more trustworthy).
User avatar
ZRofel
24-bit
 
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 10:10 pm
Location: At the beginning

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by ZRofel Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:09 pm

Ack wrote:No, it just means the rest of you are not worthy of WeaponLord and 7th Saga.


So, 7th Saga gets a lot of hate, and I'll admit, I played it a lot when I was much younger and didn't really care for it. But, if I was going to try and have a good time with it, what would I need to do? Kind of like another series of SNES/Super Famicom jRPGs with Saga in the title, I feel like it's very easy to break 7th Saga so that it becomes a miserable slog, like by picking the wrong starting character, picking the wrong partner, collecting the the runes out of order, etc. When I first played I picked the robot, swapped my partner with impunity, spent forever leveling up, and randomly killed the alien character in a bar fight, all of which I feel totally messed up the RNG. So if I was going to play it in a way that minimizes frustration, how should I approach it? Even with all of its weird quirks, it is a strangely intriguing game, and I've wanted to find a way to enjoy it.
User avatar
Ack
Moderator
 
Posts: 22287
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:26 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by Ack Wed Dec 01, 2021 1:23 pm

ZRofel wrote:
Ack wrote:No, it just means the rest of you are not worthy of WeaponLord and 7th Saga.


So, 7th Saga gets a lot of hate, and I'll admit, I played it a lot when I was much younger and didn't really care for it. But, if I was going to try and have a good time with it, what would I need to do? Kind of like another series of SNES/Super Famicom jRPGs with Saga in the title, I feel like it's very easy to break 7th Saga so that it becomes a miserable slog, like by picking the wrong starting character, picking the wrong partner, collecting the the runes out of order, etc. When I first played I picked the robot, swapped my partner with impunity, spent forever leveling up, and randomly killed the alien character in a bar fight, all of which I feel totally messed up the RNG. So if I was going to play it in a way that minimizes frustration, how should I approach it? Even with all of its weird quirks, it is a strangely intriguing game, and I've wanted to find a way to enjoy it.


That is completely understandable why you bounced off the game so hard, because you basically did as many things you could do to give yourself the most difficult playthrough.

The robot isn't actually the most difficult starting character, but he lacks the gear and general utility to go very far. I'd recommend starting with your more generic tanks, the knight Kamil being the easiest starting character. You can beat the game with all of them, but Kamil offers some healing as well as tanking ability and decent enough damage output. If you prefer a little bit more tanking with a little less utility, the dwarf is also a strong contender for first choice. The priest Valsu is tough to get going but has the best healing and becomes effectively invincible at level 30, while the elf offers some strong magic options at the expense of defense and is more of a glass cannon. The alien and the demon are probably the two hardest choices because they are gimped on gear, healing capabilities, and in some cases stat growth, and they have a tougher time getting folks to team up with them.

Then there is the partner. Of all the partners, Valsu the priest is the best. Why? Because he offers the best healing to support the party, he gets a spell at level 30 that basically makes you unbeatable, and he can be the villain, so having him as a partner removes the problem of having to fight a character that can make himself basically indestructible. Beyond that, it's best to choose someone who compliments the party, so if you're using someone like the dwarf, having the elf come in with healing and offensive ice magic works well. The other thing to keep in mind is that the robot and the elf are never the villains, so though you may fight them at times, you don't have to worry about them opposing you later.

Next up, don't bother fighting other characters when it's avoidable. If you need to get a rune off them, then ok, you have to fight; otherwise there is no benefit to taking them on. Save before you talk to one of the main characters, just to be safe. Also, you can level up too much. This is specifically about the rival characters, because they level up as you do. So if you're a level 10 demon, you'll fight a much weaker version of the alien than you would if you were a level 15 demon. Note again why it's good to have Valsu be your partner, because at level 30 as an enemy, he gets his big spell and will use it and any runes in his possession religiously to keep himself going. Note however that all the characters have their negatives, so if you're going up against the demon, prepare to be nuked from orbit but chip away because he lacks any healing magic.

It's pretty easy to figure out things like turn order in 7th Saga, which will only change based on specific stat changes, so once you know the order of a fight, you can plan for how every round will go down accordingly and consistently whenever you face that particular monster. This means you have a better chance for setting up combos and knowing when to pull off healing, stat boosts, or other abilities. Also, it's a game where defending is crucial, because you do more damage the turn after you defended.

Also, if you absolutely, positively cannot get into the game, note that the difficulty was cranked up for the NTSC-U release; the localization reduced player character stat gains while cranking them up for enemies, so they are always tougher. If you want an easier time, play Elnard, the NTSC-J version of the game. It's more forgiving...but you won't have beaten The 7th Saga if you want the challenge.
Image
User avatar
Nemoide
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 2395
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 6:37 pm
Location: New York state

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by Nemoide Thu Dec 02, 2021 3:04 pm

I keep thinking about this thread and how I feel like I must post something (among my friends, I have the reputation for loving weird/bad garbage media in general) but my brain is so warped that I don't actually know what the game community at large thinks of most of the games I like.
To a lot of folks, the Dragon Quest series is weird and obscure, but to others (mostly people in Japan) it's the peak of mainstream gaming. Deadly Premonition is a game that fiercely polarized critics but on another forum I post on (Insert Credit), it's generally beloved by all. Then you have games like Space Harrier for Sega Master System which I love and in my mind is generally considered a system-defining essential game, but any time I see folks talking about it, it seems like they're badmouthing it.

In short: I DON'T KNOW! I just play what I think is cool and I typically don't try to promote games because I know my taste is different from everyone else's!
Image
User avatar
Ack
Moderator
 
Posts: 22287
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:26 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by Ack Thu Dec 02, 2021 3:10 pm

And Deadly Premonition is amazing.
Image
User avatar
o.pwuaioc
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 8369
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:59 pm
Location: I miss NYC already.

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by o.pwuaioc Thu Dec 02, 2021 3:39 pm

Space Harrier is not without its faults, but who's badmouthing it? Perhaps just some port of it?
User avatar
Nemoide
Next-Gen
 
Posts: 2395
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 6:37 pm
Location: New York state

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by Nemoide Thu Dec 02, 2021 7:12 pm

It's really just that SMS port, but I can at least point to Sega-16 giving it a 6/10.
I know 6/10 technically isn't bad per se but it certainly isn't a strong recommendation!
Image
User avatar
ZRofel
24-bit
 
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 10:10 pm
Location: At the beginning

Re: Game evangelism: Unsung, weird, or bad games you promote

by ZRofel Mon Jan 31, 2022 5:50 pm

Okay, what are everybody's top 10 games you think people don't talk about enough? I don't mean necessarily "Hidden Gems" but games that, whatever their current state of notoriety is, you think it should be even more. Here's my list, in no particular order:
    Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (Xbox/PC, 2005) - Hilariously slapstick zombie apocalypse simulator where you play as the adorably titular patient zero. This game was made by a bunch of Halo people after they left Bungie, and despite getting good reviews, it pretty much disappeared after release until it magically reappeared as a GameStop exclusive for modern consoles a few months back. Even the clerk I bought it from had never heard of it.
    The Surge (PS4/Xbox One/PC, 2017) - Dark Souls set in Silicone Valley. A little rough around the edges, but one of the very few "Souls-like" games that feels like it gets it.
    Super Daryl Deluxe (PS4/PC, 2018) - Napoleon Dynamite meets The Venture Brothers and turned into Castlevania: Symphony of the Night with a smidgen of Guardian Heroes thrown in. Legitimately one of the best games I've played in years, and it doesn't even have a Wikipedia page!
    Vice: Project Doom (NES, 1991) - Basically a late-'80s anime done as an NES game, and arguably one of the best action platformers on the NES.
    Bully (PS2, 2006) - This is Rockstar's best game, bar none, and yet I feel like it gets completely overshadowed by Grand Theft Auto and the Red Dead series. It features the same open-world mayhem and heavy-handed satire as their other games, but on a much, much smaller, more intimate scale. You're not a sociopath inflicting himself on a city of faceless NPCs, but a kid who can choose to harass or be kind to the residents of small boarding-school town who he knows and interacts with regularly.
    Three Dirty Dwarves (Saturn/PC, 1996) - Just finished talking about this over in the Saturn thread, but it's essentially a manic brawler with the style and tone of a bizarre European cartoon. A really fun, unique game with a style that didn't really mesh with the jRPGs and shooters the Saturn was known for
    The Neverhood (PC, 1996) - A gorgeous, hilarious claymation point-and-click adventure game that should be viewed alongside the other greats of the genre. Somehow manages to combine Myst-like isolation and puzzle solving with Ren & Stimpy-style weirdness and crass humor in a way that not only works, but creates a truly singular tone and style. Practically every other classic adventure game has been re-released on Steam or GOG, but still no Neverhood...
    Jump Ultimate Stars (DS import, 2006) - To my mind, the only Smash Bros. clone that actually succeeds in aping the fun of Smash while also being its own thing. Features a KOF-size roster of characters from dozens of different manga, their look and combat-style perfectly captured in the excellent sprite-work. I don't think I've ever heard another human being mention this game.
    Jaki Crush (Super Famicom import, 1992) - The third in the Crush series of pinball games after Alien and Devil's, and to my mind the best of the three. A gruesomely gorgeous pinball title that totally nails the grimy Japanese horror vibe and also the manic intensity of the best pinball tables. Much less known than its older siblings, probably because it was never localized in the west.
    Skyblazer (SNES, 1994) - An awesome action platformer with a vaguely middle eastern vibe. Gorgeous graphics and fantastic music put it on par with something like Actraiser or Demon's Crest (I actually like it better than Demon's Crest...). It looks like, other than the also solid, if a little clunky Hook, the developers never really did anything else of note aside from some contract work for SNK.
Return to General Gaming

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 52 guests