Lurker > pyresword

xp1337 posted...

So I started Utawarerumono (well yesterday) and this almost feels at times like Dr. Stone but Senku got iseaki'd and had his intelligence nerfed to reasonable levels. Finally made it to an opening movie splash so I guess I'm done with the prologue? Things certainly escalated quickly there.

Specifically there was the ultimate "y'all done fucked up" moment when Nuwagi's soldiers killed Tuskur. Who was the best. So we rose in rebellion. And while I was joking a bit with my Dr. Stone Isekai comparison I am explicitly not ruling out that framework because Hakuowlo's base memories definitely seem to be from a more "normal" world than wherever we are and he has some basic working knowledge of chemistry/agriculture/smithing that is way beyond the scope of knowledge possessed by anyone in the village.

Battle system is a bit weird to adjust to and there was some weird moments in the last battle I played where I thought I knew the enemy range but NOPE but you basically have Infinite Divine Pulse so it doesn't really matter.

Huh. Interesting that this was all in the prologue. I had always assumed the anime rushed this part in order to prioritize the more action-y segments later on, but seems like it was probably like this in the source material as well.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

I've been wanting this for years but holy shit I can't believe they're actually doing it.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

I'd do this most likely.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Akeldama
The Least 333sec
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

A Place Further Than the Universe
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Oh, Miss Hokusai was actually a movie I'd thought about watching myself. Guess I can...uh...cross it off the list.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

We've never interacted much aside from a few visual novel topics here and there but I hope you're doing okay.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Also I felt some obligation to nominate a good song for this particular ranking topic, but I just want everyone to know I was very close to nominating Order a Pizza: A Visual Novel - Void Theme only because of the ridiculousness of the title.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Pyre - Grand Ceremony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tJ06_qtmbc
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

I didn't have the impression that the Class VII characters themselves were figured out an any level of detail during the Crossbell arc, though that is admittedly a guess on my part. The idea for Class VII as a whole I think was in place as well as the overall plot for CS1/2, I just don't know how much of the specifics were worked out. (Fun fact: According to Kondo, Olivier was intended to be the protagonist of the Erebonia arc at some point of the planning cycle, but I think this concept had been long-since scrapped when the Crossbell arc came into being.)

I do agree that Falcom likes to re-use character arc ideas from time to time, but I actually disagree with a few of the specifics you have here.

--A large part of the Falcom fanbase likes to draw Rean/Lloyd parallels and I just..don't really agree. There are similarities in terms of how they interact with their companions, but I'm not sure how much further I would take any comparisons. In particular, to me one of the defining aspects of Rean's character is that at every stage of the narrative (so far) he's crippled by a sense of uncertainty in his identity and what he wants to accomplish, and also by a fear of his own agency in the world and that he might take actions that he later comes to regret. Lloyd doesn't really have any of that, and I'd argue in he can be viewed as a foil to Rean in the sense that one of Lloyd's defining characteristics is an unyielding ability to cut through such uncertainty and identify exactly what his role is and embrace it. I suppose, just characterizing them as foils must mean that there is some lens through which the characters can be viewed similarly, but I do steadfastly reject the idea that they are the same character. (This isn't exactly what you said, but it is what I've seen a lot fans of the series say)

--I also don't agree with the Randy/Fie comparisons, though I think a lot of why I say this has to do with content in Ao no Kiseki. Their personalities are very different though, and I actually think their background/circumstances are quite different aside from just them both being former jaegers. (ie. I think the nature of their relationship with their former corps is different in a fundamental way)

--I do more or less agree with your characterizations of Elie/Tio/Joachim.

I also think there's another big character parallel that I would draw which you didn't call attention to, but I can't remember right now how much of this plotline is in Ao so probably I will avoid commenting on it for now.

Might comment on more later.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

A Place Further than the Universe
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

The two main characters of Liz and the Blue Bird are side characters in the TV series.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Tag even though I haven't seen a lot of these but let's go A Silent Voice.

Liz and the Blue Bird is a strange inclusion to me. Can you watch that without watching the TV series first? If so I may have to go ahead and do that >.>

Wanting to watch the movie was a major factor in me deciding to finally watch the Hibike Euphonium TV series, because I thought I needed to do that first, but then I stopped halfway through >.>
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Finally he can preach the gospel of Estelle Bright for the masses.

(Congratulations)
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

I tend to think that most of the story issues with Cold Steel 1 and 2 are also present with 3, because yeah I do find it hard to care about most of the conflict in the game. Ironically the best parts for me were scenes in Hamel from chapter 1 and some of the Juna scenes in chapter 2, and really those scenes are only good because they're piggybacking off of story beats that already happened in the Sky and Crossbell arcs.

I do think that Cold Steel 3 does a much better job with individual character arcs and with its group dynamic than the first 2 games did, but it still feels to me like something is missing a lot of the time.

As for general gameplay strategies, what I did most of the time is just stack as much break damage as possible on 2 characters and then pick whatever Brave Order let's you inflict Break as soon as possible. Then just do as much damage as possible while they're in Break, and then repeat. Also I will point out that the Scorpio master quartz is insane and I recommend abusing that as well.

If you want specific strategies that blow the game completely apart, you can try these:

--This one only works when you have access to New Class VII's Brave Orders, but you can use Sledgehammer to get them into break, and then just spam normal attacks while repeatedly using Wind Blade. You will never run out of BP since all your attacks will crit them in break, so you can just repeat this near indefinitely to put out an absurdly high amount of damage before they get a chance to get out of break.

--This strategy is limited by your EP and your BP, but you can cast spells instantly with near-zero delay if you combine Divine Song with CD reduction master quartzes and Bell quartzes. The setup I went with is to get them into break by whatever means necessary and then have my spellcaster in reserve and also equipped with Scorpio as their secondary master quartz. Then as soon as the enemy gets into Break, switch in the spell caster, use divine song, and then just unload high level arts on them. Because of Scorpio your damage output is pretty insane, and for me it was enough to just finish off most bosses by itself with one rotation of doing this.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

We did have one of the worst results of the past three years today but it wasn't the ToC. I hate you SDMB
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Massive X
Mechalullaby
Flying Clouds, Drifting Haze
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

I presume he's talking about the part where Bleublanc asks Sharon if she's "going down the same path as Joshua and Renne". Not sure on the exact quote but it's something like that. (Which yes has multiple spoilers for the Sky arc if you understand the context.)
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

A Place Further Than the Universe
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

+3 Looking Up at the Sky
+1 B.T. Dutch
+2 Butterfly Girl (VS Narmaya)
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Solfadore posted...

On the coast, my party of six is woefully outnumbered against 20 purple Jaegers, but Jusis shows up on a horse and they all run away. Can't beat the power of Cutscene Jusis!

If the plot demands a heroic entrance than goddammit he's gonna get his heroic entrance.

- Mandatory Vantage Masters story battle. Hiding with a Ranger in the back like a coward has still not failed me, though I since faced one Witch deck who could 4 damage per turn without retaliation and it was pretty close.

IMO Witch is the strongest once you get access to it. You can stick it in the back just like with Archer, but it also starts you off with a lot more mana and makes maintaining field control much easier. I was using a Thief deck at this point because I thought it was the most fun, but I'm not totally convinced of which was the strongest option between Thief/Knight/Archer.

In general I will say I don't like Zephyr much, even after they get more development in this game. Red Constellation is so much better.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Ok waited almost a day so here goes.

Okami

Cursed Hana Valley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp1MHSeHa0o

Ezofuji, Wawku Shrine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b24Yjac5_mE

Kushi's Ride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAvQNB_8HZQ

Theme of the Celestials
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfczAmFIsTE

Yami
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XugG82XlAOw
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

MZero posted...

Subs and have never heard any other term outside the internet

I'm convinced these other names are a hoax

---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

A Place Further Than the Universe
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Aw yeah THE BROS. Best FC party.

I don't know how recently you played chapter 2 of FC, but I felt like some stuff in that teases the Kloe plot twist pretty hard?

At least it was clear she was nobility or something like that at any rate, I'm not sure that I immediately said "yep she'd def the princess!" or anything though.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Tag.

I mostly know what I'm going to nominate, but I'll hold off for a bit. My nomination will be in the category of "five songs from popular game that are not the five most popular songs from that game", and I don't want to discourage others from nominating it.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Infinite Dungeon 2
Burning Force Medley
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

A Place Further than the Universe
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

+3 Chant This Charm
+3 Weight of the World (Japanese)
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

I suspect it's true that a random sampling of people would largely say they've been helped by police for the reason that for most people police have little to no direct impact on their lives, but they would cite some society-wide reduction in crime due to general police presence as a help.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Madoka
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Aw yeah nice. Ao no Kiseki so good
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

A Place Further Than the Universe
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Psshhhh who needs Cast quartzes when you've got Divine Song.

But yeah, my impression of Musse is that her crafts and such are kind of bad, but just by virtue of being the strongest arts user she's well-positioned to take advantage of a significant uptick in the power level of arts related quartzes.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

MZero posted...

there's never too many Trails playthrough topics...

yes this is true
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

You're actually correct for the record; they were originally intended as one game. Though, I don't know if the problems were hardware limitations or production/scheduling issues.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

NFUN posted...

oh it was Tio Guy was escorting. I probably should've been able to guess that.

but also, like... you'd think she'd've told Lloyd about that at some point

I feel like it makes sense that she hasn't done it yet, but I also can't remember how much the context behind those events the player is supposed to have at this point. I don't think it's really something she'd want to talk about though, and she's already not very talkative in the first place.

NFUN posted...

speaking of little cat girls, Fie, the third (!) in the series, apparently was a member of the same Jaeger corp Rossi was in. I think. Pretty sure she was Zephyr

Yes this is correct.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Oh I somehow mentally removed "good" from your post when I read it and it totally changed the meaning of your post lmao
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Shie Hassaikai probably the best arc of the series so far :(
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

-(Isoleucine)-
-
Butterfly Girl
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

A Place Further than the Universe
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Oh wait I just realized Merciless Savior is in the same bracket as EXEC_PAJA so I can't actually root for it.

I take back everything.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Aw yes more people playing Utawarerumono. Though, it's only Mask of Truth when I start veering into best game ever territory, but still. Mask of Deception as well as the anime adaptation for the original game were both very good.

(Note: Do not watch the anime adaptation of Mask of Deception under any circumstances, or so I'm told)
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Excuse me Yui is the best I will not stand for this slander.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Is this finally the year for The Merciless Savior!?
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

The Merciless Savior
Megalovania
-
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

Madoka
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

He was responding to my post since I explicitly said I hadn't played the VN.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

I found the gameplay of the courtroom segments of Ace Attorney just as frustrating as some of the investigation segments in some respects, if not moreso. Really not a fan of the series in general. The story is solid but certainly not worth going through all that.

The Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel movies have been really good, as far as VN-to-anime adaptations go, though you can't really start the series with Heaven's Feel. Think I liked those even more than that route of the VN though which was already amazing.

Steins;Gate is also great though and I voted for it in this topic despite only ever having watched the anime and never playing the VN.
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.

A Place Further Than the Universe
---

I didn't do guru this year but azuarc can be in my sig anyways.