Board 8 > SaveEstelle/LeonhartFour in Different Houses: Endgame Edition [SELF]

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm trying to figure out what's longer between the appendices at the end of Return of the King or the post-credits content in Cold Steel II

how is it that the credits rolled two days ago and I still haven't finished the game
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CS2 could've used a stronger hand by the editor. Good amount of content that should've been cut there.
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I'm pretty sure I stayed up until the crack of dawn thinking I had to almost be at the end three days in a row with that game.

it's disgusting.

I think I'll save my thoughts re: Zero for after you finish.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

CS2 could've used a stronger hand by the editor. Good amount of content that should've been cut there.

Hot Take: CS1 and CS2 could've been one game.
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Well, they were supposed to be, right?

Also, a few more Attack on Titan hot takes after I've had some time to let it sink in.

I barely even recognized unkempt Mikasa there. If she hadn't talked, I might not have. Also, is it me, or are they deliberately trying to make Eren look more like his dad now? Ironic considering how Zeke said a few episodes ago that he doesn't really look like him.

And speaking of Zeke, I think this episode firmly established him as the biggest douchebag/tool in the series, and that's quite the accomplishment.

But yeah, it's pretty clear where the series is headed for its final season now.
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also KH3 and some other PS4 games like GoW are on sale for 20 bucks on Amazon for Prime Day if anyone's interested
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I think so? I never saw any confirmation from Kondo that he meant for CS1 and CS2 to be one game, but it would've make sense. There's some parts in CS1 that seem like filler nonsense too.
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LeonhartFour posted...

Well, they were supposed to be, right?

This is my understanding yes.

Also I've read that the story content of Cold Steel 2 was originally intended as just the final chapter of that game.
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pyresword posted...

LeonhartFour posted...

Well, they were supposed to be, right?

This is my understanding yes.

Also I've read that the story content of Cold Steel 2 was originally intended as just the final chapter of that game.

Which makes sense because it only covers about a month (not counting the post-credits content).
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dowolf posted...

I'm pretty sure I stayed up until the crack of dawn thinking I had to almost be at the end three days in a row with that game.

it's disgusting.

lol. I was going to cite your experience with this when Leon was talking about beating the game yesterday.

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Oh right, I also watched AoT S3E8 but forgot to talk about it. My first reaction when Zeke sold out his parents was that he was actually playing the game they wanted to him way better than they intended. They told him to infiltrate Marley and what better way to assure them of their loyalty than that? OTOH, he sounded anti-Grisha/bitter when he told Eren they were both victims of his but I mean like... he's not wrong based on this flashback! Grisha comes off worse than Zeke IMO, though he admits his faults in the flashback so it sounds like he realized later on.

and yeah mikasa was initially unrecognizable to me too until she spoke lol

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I also believe I have resolved my TV issue so I can start CS2... shortly. Again.
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Aw yeah Rank A0 get

but another old schoolhouse investigation? seriously?
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yeah but this time EVERYONE IS HERE
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So now I've gone from playing Zero to Cold Steel 1 to Trails the 3rd, it seems.
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They wanted to remind you of all the better Trails games you already played clearly.

Cold Steel II is still like a solid 8/10 but it is my least favorite in the series so far despite the Intermission and the finale (the part you already played, I mean) being amazing.

I guess I also haven't played Ao yet, but both reputation and the setup they're doing in Zero suggest that it is very unlikely to end up as my least favorite in the series
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...Yeah, I'm not even going to bother with this tonight because there's no chance I finish this.

Darn you Cold Steel II
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xp1337 posted...

yeah but this time EVERYONE IS HERE

Which is part of the problem with it. Too many playable characters is a bad thing!
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only because there aren't enough party slots

too many hard choices to be made there tbqh
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well at this point I just want to be done with the game so I'm just rolling with Rean/Laura/Jusis/Sara/Emma/Sharon/Claire

I thought CS2 was clearly better than CS1 after finishing the Infernal Castle but that's becoming less clear the longer this game overstays its welcome
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fwiw this is really really the end this time
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to be honest this is kind of how I felt in Tales of Xillia after they switched worlds because the game just started to drag and feel kind of aimless

it feels like there was already a proper climax and you need to wrap it up promptly afterwards to capitalize on the good feelings
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You're far enough into the epilogue where I can say that I think all this post-Infernal Castle stuff had value in showing how Rean has been changed/affected by all those reveals, and his breakdown to Towa is a A+ scene for them.

Showing how Rean has been forced into the role he's now in and how he's taking it is important for CS3 going forward I think (again unless they just forget all this) but yeah they could have cut a lot of stuff from this.

On one hand I appreciate being able to have a dungeon where you can experiment with every combination you could want and the Anton quest is hilarious but like... pacing-wise I dunno about this!
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I mean, I get what they're going for here, but I feel like they could've done it in a much more straightforward fashion.
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Yeah, they could have. I don't hate what they did though.
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Eh, the over-focus on Rean is the worst part of CS2 in general. CS1 is pretty good about developing the cast in general, while CS2 is pretty much just the Rean show. Having an epilogue just to develop Rean more is kind of silly on top of that.
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Finally went and played through Torna. Pretty good stuff! Improves on basically all the bad parts of XB2. Unfortunately the best parts (doing the side quests because I am insane) aren't as good, but they're still good in general. Maxing Affinity charts way too addictive. I feel like they should've called this Xenoblade Zero or something to sell more copies. Calling it DLC is a real disservice to what it is.

Also, is there a way to tell which Slates you've collected? I'd like to do them and finish everything off, but I'm not sure which ones I missed...
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If you've turned in the slate, there's no way to tell if you've got it before or not.
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Dang. Thanks.
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https://twitter.com/netflixfamily/status/1151118506336931842

Oh hey, the Rocko's Modern Life movie is finally coming out next month!

Which reminds me that I never saw the Hey Arnold movie.
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Can I finish Cold Steel 2 before this topic reaches 500? That's the question of the day.
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LeonhartFour posted...

Can I finish Cold Steel 2 before this topic reaches 500? That's the question of the day.

...

maybe
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Well, it took me nearly the entire game, but I did manage to finally unlock every orbment slot for everybody.

Also, what are these Phantasmal Mirror things?
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LeonhartFour posted...

Also, what are these Phantasmal Mirror things?

They were originally DLC (or patched in after release? I forget.) in Japan that we get out of the box.

They're accessories that when you equip it to a character it "changes" them into one of Crow, Vita, Altina, Lloyd, or Rixia; Depending on the accessory) Battle-only obviously. They have a set quartz load-out you can't change but they're generally OP, especially their crafts. It's more for fun than anything, though they do have victory screen dialogue with a surprising amount of characters when linked including with each other on occasion.

If you're just looking to finish the game don't bother lol unless you just have all that mira lying around to buy them.
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Nah, I don't have enough mira lying around to buy any of them. I was just wondering what they do because the item description kind of hinted at that but it wasn't totally clear.
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they told me I'd be facing off with the Great One but I don't see The Rock anywhere
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wow even the game admits this whole thing has been pointless
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The first fight in the new FF14 raid has FF8 music, you should get into FF14 Leon !!
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Whew, Cold Steel II finally beated

I'll give some final thoughts tomorrow
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congrats

but it's not really beated until you watch this video of the NG+ quest that is stupidly important

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWDB_JPYNOg" data-time="
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Well, that was quite the thing.
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Cold Steel 2 NG+ Spoilers

Yeah, of course the goofball teacher is a fucking Dominion.
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I actually wasn't that surprised? He does some things in CS2 that are somewhat odd otherwise.

Now just wait for 5 games down the line when my "Dorothy Hyatt is a Dominion" theory gets confirmed...
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Can I save Estelle in Cold Steel?
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BK_Sheikah00 posted...

Can I save Estelle in Cold Steel?

Uh, not yet. I imagine she'll show up eventually. She's been referenced indirectly a few times.
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Okay, let's wrap this up so we can wrap this topic up.

I liked the beginning and the finale of the game. I feel like once you took over the Courageous, it just turned in to a bunch of recruiting/fetch quests followed by a main story mission every so often, so it was basically Mass Effect 2, but not as good (not to say it was bad, but it didn't feel as...crisp, I guess). I think it got a little bloated as you expanded the map, too, because then I felt compelled to go to every location every time to make sure I didn't miss something important. That's fine for some people, but it was a little exhausting by the end. The epilogue definitely overstayed its welcome. I feel like the game was a bit too big for its own good.

Cold Steel II is kind of inconsistent, but when it's good, it's really, really good. I think I'd still rank it over the original Cold Steel just because its great moments are better and more numerous than CS1's great moments and I tend to judge a game more by its peaks than its valleys. I think CS2 had some really poignant moments, too (I really, really enjoyed everyone's reactions to meeting Rean again at the beginning, as well as everyone thanking Sara at the very end. That was a nice little moment. Rean breaking down in front of Towa was really solid, too).

Time for character rankings:

Rean > Laura > Sara > Emma > Jusis > Olivert > Claire > Sharon > Fie > Rufus > Vita > McBurn > Crow > Duvalie > Victor > Elliot > Alfin > Gaius > Toval > Angelica > Towa > Elise > Alisa > Machias > Celine > Millium > George > Leonidas > Xeno > Bleublanc > Altina > Cayenne

Something like that.

And I'll go ahead and make an addition to the female character rankings as we wait for CSIII.

Nagato > Maya > Yakumo > Kurisu > Chizuru > Estelle > Leia > Yukiko > Fina > Eru > Kotomi > Phoebe > Aqua > Makoto > Shoko > Mitsuru > Yui > Tessa > Takano > Luna > Yachiyo > Shiori > Daphne > Milla > 2B > Laura > Drummer > Wagatsuma > Ritsu > Akane > Pepper > Brawne > Amy > Rin > Namine > Seo > Mitsuha > Peach > Botan > Sophia > Yurippe > Mikasa > Samus > Eureka > Sypha > Art3mis > Valentine > Lotus > Mizuno > Zelda > Vera > Elizabeth > Yuri > Cora > Kotori
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That's pretty much exactly what I felt about the game overall, in terms of what parts were good, etc etc.

My character rankings are way different, but whatever. Offhand, Crow was easily my #1 after CS2. The next tier was something like Jusis, Alisa, Rean, Vita, and Angelica in some order.

I really love Vita I am so excited for whatever she will do in CS3/4
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https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/77870199

New topic.
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pyresword posted...

My character rankings are way different, but whatever. Offhand, Crow was easily my #1 after CS2. The next tier was something like Jusis, Alisa, Rean, Vita, and Angelica in some order.

I really love Vita I am so excited for whatever she will do in CS3/4

Eh, I wasn't impressed with what they did with Crow in CS2. They tried to turn him into the rival mentor type, but I don't think they pulled it off that well. I think part of it might be his VA. He honestly sounded kinda bored half the time.

I think Vita has a lot of potential, so she has room to improve her ranking. I wish CS2 had done more with her, honestly.

And I'm not sure I think Duvalie is really all that great of a character, but her voice actress knocked it out of the park. Definitely the best VA performance in the game (along with random provincial army officer dude).
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I really liked Bleublanc's VA to be honest. It was good enough to make me not hate the character so that's something.
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Kirk Thornton is a really good VA, yeah.
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ya go my FFVIII HD Remaster
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