Lurker > CassandraCain

I've never really been too bothered by the rain. It seems easy enough for me to find other methods of getting to where I want, and the rain aesthetic is beautiful.

I do however understand why so many people have a problem with it.

I don't think anyone would argue about the weak pacing of the film. I loved Jyn but everyone else was just glorified canon fodder (I mean, Jyn was too I guess), even Cassian. The movie was at its best when it was simply vomiting star wars imagery and fan service onto the screen. The plot was a complete mess for sure.

Andor on the other hand is actually interested in telling a real story with actual characters. If we lived in a better timeline Rogue One would have started off as this show leading into the big action finale of a film.

I'm slowly catching up, my biggest complaint so far is Cassian shaving his glorious beard off. He could have at least kept it for a while longer but oh nooo we gotta make sure he looks like he did in Rogue One which is still five years awayyyy

Also this show is very different from the structure of Rogue One so I'm not surprised people who didn't like that movie can still enjoy this show. The only similarity I see is that all the characters we meet are doomed.

I'm pretty sure there's only one shrine locked behind a quest, the Kakariko one. All the others you can find in the world just by stumbling on them. The shrine quests themselves are usually only to point you in the right direction, but they aren't required.

Some of them are hidden really well, admittedly I had to resort to a guide to find them all. Although that's in part due to my absolute refusal to use the sensor.

Thankfully that is not a problem on snow! It won't deplete any durability, so long as you avoid the rocky surfaces.

Have you tried out shield surfing yet? Several of my hours played were dedicated to hitting the slopes of Hebra.

More games need to incorporate snowboarding as a side activity.

Yeah I kinda figured that would be the result of using ice arrows. You'd have to rush through the hideout before they unfreeze and call the alarm. Using ancient arrows seems like the only real cheese method.

I enjoy that sequence of forced stealth quite a bit though, as I'm a naturally sneaky person. It might help to cook some food that will give you a stealth boost, pretty much the only instance in the game where that's useful.

I'm half expecting Affleck to reprise his Daredevil role in a multiversal cameo, at some point after Charlie Cox is firmly planted in the MCU.

ZeldaTPLink posted...

eventually I figure out you gotta make ice cubes with cryonis to block the sun.

What?! Never even thought to use cryonis on that puzzle, I always went through the trouble of rolling up one of those snowballs and using its shadow.

Still learning new things even after all these years, what an incredible game!

And you are correct about the npc being in Gerudo town, shouldn't be too difficult to figure out which lady serves drinks ;)

ZeldaTPLink posted...

The NPCs say it's empty, but it's really full of landmarks, like a platformer game or something.

BotW's map design is essentially perfect and what every open world game should strive for. The landmarks are set up so that you can find your way around by just observing your surroundings (npcs and signs pointing accurately to specific locations can help too).

Another challenge I had in place for my second playthrough was no map and no fast travel. It added an extra level of immersion that felt completely unique and incredible. Finding my way around an open world without a compass/markers is not something I would ever try in another game, but it works so seamlessly in this one.

Josh Keaton deserves more respect

YES! I have hope that they'll manage to get Glover to return, at the very least for a cameo if nothing else. I'd also like to see the replacement characters from season 5 and 6 return for their roles. Hickey was pretty cool, Franky was alright.

Does Toy Story count

I don't think I explored it thoroughly on my first playthrough, which is what enticed me to go there immediately on a replay (also for another secret reason). I was determined to see it all, and the lack of gear made it incredibly tense, especially with limited prior knowledge of how all the paths connected.

Yeah I mentioned early in the topic how on my second playthrough I went straight to the castle after leaving the plateau. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had in a video game.

Yeah, and admittedly I'm not caught up yet, but the first four episodes gave me some genuine laughs that I was not expecting. I thought it was a refreshing spin, if you can't have high budget action scenes then you might as well have witty dialogue. It reminds me slightly of Community.

I couldn't care less about any courtroom drama so I'm glad there's no real focus on it.

I'd counter that the most change someone does is in their early 20s. For me it was even later 20s when I started understanding who I was and how life works.

I can absolutely see a young Han acting in the way he did in the film. He was cocky and arrogant, not taking things seriously when he's in over his head, and he even shoots first. These are all aspects of the character that become more refined as he ages, leading to the Han in the OT.

The hatred directed toward young Han honestly confuses me a bit. I mean, we can accept that a whiny insolent child became the most fearsome and iconic villain in all of film history, but we can't accept that Han may have been a bit different at a younger age?

If you're talking about Han, I think he was perfect casting. He doesn't play the older Han that we all know and love, he plays a younger version of the character that you could see growing into the original guy.

Thats also the reason I didn't much care for child Leia, she's *exactly* the same character as her older self. Indicating she was just born with a perfect personality that never had to change or grow. I guess a lot of people prefer that approach though.

Oh I wasn't complaining. It's nice having somewhere to talk about star wars without it devolving into toxic arguments, as tends to happen anywhere else on the internet.

Maybe the next topic should include star wars in the title for real tho

Me too, from the start I thought it was a harmless fun adventure movie.

These MCU topics sure like to get sidetracked by Star Wars

Aecioo posted...

>:|

Is that... a look of concern for my detached mental state? >.>

All good options. The castle is one of if not THE best area in the game to explore. Lynel hunting is a great challenge and it feels good to progressively get better fighting them. Especially later in the game when you just walk over every enemy you come across including bosses, and you seem to be at that level now.

Also you raise a good point about Teba I never considered, he's so unremarkable. Maybe that's why I never really remembered his existence. Compared to the other three, who are all wonderful characters. Maybe it's because Revali is just too damn cool Teba can't even hope to live up to that legend so he doesn't even attempt to.

Star Wars is three timelines in my headcanon. The original timeline (my preferred one) that only incorporates the OT, everything surrounding it remains pure speculation. Second timeline is with the PT and everything that era introduced.

And third timeline is Disney era that focuses on rehashing the past. It revolves around the OT, holding it up on a pedestal and revering everything it did while also trying to redo/add as much as possible without outright retconning anything (although they walk a fine line in some cases).

I'm both repulsed and intrigued by the idea of shine first experiencing the movies in chronological order.

On one hand they aren't designed to be viewed in that way, as the prequel films seem designed with the expectation that you are familiar with the first trilogy.

On the other it would be an interesting experiment at least. A watchthrough topic would be entertaining if you do choose that route!

I'll prob be the only vote for Subnautica. Recently got into it myself and was obsessed for weeks. These are games I don't typically play though so everything about its gameplay and mechanics was new to me.

Ultimately it was just an extreme delight to build cool underwater homes. Living beneath the sea is a dream of mine.

It has become a more welcoming board in some ways at least.

Hi srpg! Returning to board 8 after a long absence can be refreshing eh?

I don't know why but on first glance I immediately love whatever it is

So is the evolution Wigtrio?

...I finally finished reading through your list (got distracted and forgot about it for a few days oops), very entertaining write-ups! As with seemingly everyone else here, you introduced me to some new games that I'd like to try. First of which was Edith Finch.

I've never played a narrative game like this before as I typically prefer games with some form of action. You got me interested though, and I've been meaning to expand on my range of genre. Glad I did, what a hauntingly beautiful game. I felt stark emotional nostalgia the moment I first walked into the house.

And the sequence with the guy's imagination taking over, holy crap.

Ryan Reynolds is the real life living embodiment of Deadpool and I love it. Surely there doesn't exist a more perfect casting choice.

And I'm extremely happy but not at all surprised Disney got Hugh to return in some form (although half expecting this to be a huge troll and he only shows up for a quick cameo). Getting previous actors to return for their roles is kind of a running theme for them at this point!

For me, I'd place Kaidan on bottom, boringness is worse than being a bad character. Like Ashley, who is a bad character but at least she attains character growth and becomes a decent human being by 3.

I agree with your assessment of Miranda as well, though I would put her above the latter two.

And I would switch Kasumi and Zaeed just because spy/assassin > mercenary. Otherwise spot on rankings so far!

ZeldaTPLink posted...

Using statis on a metal block, hitting to accumulate inertia then climbing it to propel myself forward.

Nice. I never thought to tackle that particular puzzle in that way, there are metal blocks hidden beneath the quicksand that you can stack to make a step path.

That's one of the many reasons I love this game though, it encourages you to find creative solutions.

Also I've never had to defeat any bears, I have an aversion to harming any wildlife, even if virtual. I have however claimed one as my trusty bear-steed (temporarily).

Four Kings shouldn't be too tough. I had similar reservations on my ng+ figuring I would die a few times, then I lazily beat them in one try.

I almost wanted to let them kill me so I could get a cleaner fight but eh

I kept it off for most of my first playthrough as well. Incedsant beeping sounds annoy me.

I'm glad they got rid of the low heath alarm at least.

andylt posted...

Several people here seem to prefer Day 1 DS2 to the fancy remaster version so I was leaning to that, but maybe I should get the newest one so I have access to the DLC and all that. Is there much difference between versions, like how bad is the new enemy placement really?

Sorry I should have explained better. There is the original version of DS2, which eventually required bug and balancing patches as is typical. Then for the new generation of consoles we got a remixed version of the game, called Scholar of the First Sin, which was intended to be an upgraded and more challenging experience. It's not available on 360 regardless, my original point was you don't need to play offline.

Also yeah NG+ is easier for sure. You're already practically at full power and the enemies/bosses are all the same except that they do a bit more damage.

I only just started reading through this topic so I gotta bump it, can't let it fall into the void yet

2 and 3 are both worth playing imo, Elden Ring can wait

Yeah stalkers would frequently aggravate me when I would run in for a hit and they casually backstep out of the way. Of course it makes sense as they solely rely on a long range attack... wonder why they never try swiping at Link with one of their many legs.

But yeah that's why I eventually prioritized parrying their lasers back at 'em since getting in close is more of a challenge. There are some methods though, such as shooting them in the eye to briefly stun/blind them.

Also plz forgive me for shamelessly plugging my recent minute long victory against Gwyn. I think I've only actually beaten him once or twice in the past, so I wasn't as familiar with him as most of the other bosses (Manus was in the same boat) but I was determined to parry him to death. Took me a few tries but I'm satisfied enough with this win.

https://youtu.be/rGYOhb4BIlc

I don't think the patches for DS2 are bad, unless you particularly want to use overpowered lightning magic. You seem content with melee though, which the second game improves on in some ways. You'll also need the patches to play the DLC.

Good job with Gwyn! He's not meant to be an overly difficult opponent, as this is his depowered form. Much like Artorias -- who fights with his off hand as his sword arm is broken and useless (you can see it dangling throughout the fight, this is one of the reasons he's my favorite character) -- Gwyn is way passed his prime. Basically a cripple at this point. Still a great fight though, and he at least still looks intimidating.

It's up to you if you wanna try ng+ as it does offer you an opportunity to play the beginning of the game in any order you want, allows for some nifty sequence breaking. But you can always come back to this game later if you just wanna keep the momentum going into DS2.

I don't care about Cassian either, but the show seems like it could be pretty damn good regardless. It actually looks like Star Wars. The sets and costumes are all on point. At least from what we've seen, the actual show will probably still have some low budget scenes... just hoping it doesn't get as bad as the little Leia chases.

Fun fact: Kalameet has an extra layer of difficulty if you want his weapon. Cutting his tail off is quite the chore, as he only has two attacks where he'll stand on his hind legs, giving you a short window of opportunity to get one hit in. I remember attempting to get this thing in my PS3 days to no avail.

I finally managed to do it in my recent playthrough, and it felt like a true accomplishment. The sword is pretty badass too.

edit: also I can't remember, did you leave Gwyndolin alive? Beating him yields some rewards. I'm trying to think of a reason why you would want to take out Priscilla as well but there is none.

I'm with Aecioo on Sekiro. My second favorite after Bloodborne. It's much faster paced and more parry focused, which is something I vibe with. It can be tough getting used to, but once you click with the style it feels the most gratifying. The controls are incredibly smooth.

I would also recommend Demon's Souls at some point, though not a priority. It is definitely dated but the experience is still unique even among the rest of the series.

I concur with these fellas

And after this topic enticed me to replay the game, I have confirmed for myself that Dark Souls > Elden Ring (if ever so slightly)

Solid

Alternatively, riding a horse into battle can give you a starting advantage. You get a decent amount of height leaping from the saddle, allowing you to enter bullet time and snipe at foes. You can do a lot of initial damage this way, especially if you use the ice/bomb arrow combo.

Yeah you need to find an npc near Artorias' arena to assist you with the dragon, before you can actually fight him.

Good job with Manus! I was hoping you'd get more use out of the silver pendant than I did, as it seems tailor made for that fight. Instead I had to watch the tells for his different magic attacks and dodge accordingly. Raising his staff means dark rain, roll directly away from him. When he swipes left on you with his staff, immediately roll to the side and hopefully evade the cone of darkness. Plunging his staff into the ground summons the circle of dark orbs that close in, quickly dash toward him and get right in the guy's face where the orbs won't reach you. This was my favorite of his magic attacks to deal with since it offered easy opportunity to counter.

Still, it seems cooler to use the pendant. Hopefully I remember it next time lol

I think the more accurate question would be if you donated sperm, in this case magical sperm, then is the resulting child your son?

Big_Bob posted...

If that's not incest, then Porn sites don't have incest either.

Well, they don't

Also I believe Japan is a bit more lax about it overall

andylt posted...

I wish this fight was a little easier so I could enjoy it more

Something I recently learned is that the fight can be made rather easy if you attack him relentlessly while he's powering up. You can knock him out of it and he'll continue without the enhanced attacks.

Artorias is one of my favorite fights in the entire series. That little exploit made it even better. I wish more future bosses had a mechanic where you could stagger them enough to prevent a second phase.

Also about the Silver Pendant, it's a parry item. You have to time it right to deflect dark magic launched at you. Personally I never got any use out of it, I intended to try it out on my recent run but immediately forgot about its existence after retrieving it.

Nah they're just singing the Alolan version, where the letts and trios are more laid back due to island life