Writeups & Prediction Prizes

Topic List	Page List: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ... 10
Raka_Putra 02/29/20 2:17:56 PM #101:	Her design looks like a generic cleric from a fictional JRPG. --- Into the woods, but mind the past... Into the woods, but mind the future! <cite>Raka_Putra posted [p:935041370] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Her design looks like a generic cleric from a fictional JRPG. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 02/29/20 5:02:59 PM #102:	#76 - Meredy (Eternia) Balir and Shizel They were kind, long ago. Long, long ago. But Meredy remembers. Warm light, memories Boy, I tell ya, this sure is a character in a video game. I think the best thing I could say about Meredy is that she wasnt an absolute disaster. I was very concerned during my first playthrough of Eternia that I would have to endure poorly voice-acted gibberish for much longer than I actually did. The problem is that even after she starts being translated, I still had to endure stilted English-as-a-second-language dialogue that was also poorly voice-acted. Yeah, when the most lasting impression a character leaves on me is their terrible voice acting, its a bad sign, especially in a game where none of the other characters are exactly known for being good examples. Her voice crosses the line from fun-bad to actively unpleasant, and I remember little else of note when it comes to Meredy. Her crash landing on Inferia and subsequent foretelling of the Grand Fall is obviously what sets the story into motion, but after that initial period, she does shockingly little in the way of driving the plot forward. The other characters talk about doing [so-and-so] for Meredys sake and so forth, but she herself is a glorified background character once we learn whats going on. Her relationship to Balir and Shizel doesnt really add anything. Neither does the sudden revelation that ~~she can harness the Dark Aurora,~~ which is little more than a throwaway setup to have an excuse for a tense ending scene. And neither is the teased romance with Keele, considering their interactions dont tell us anything we dont already know about her. Shes an interesting enough battler, though. Eternias Craymel Cages give her some decent customizability and the ability to use Quickie to attack while youre casting is a neat mechanic, but shes still one of the less enjoyable members of Eternias cast to use in combat. And I kind of hate her design. She looks about half as old as she actually is and I feel like they were trying way too hard to make her super cutesy. TL;DR: From a strict likeability perspective, I suppose Meredys fine. Shes just boring. Theres not a whole lot of depth to her personality and shes not even relevant enough to the story to make it somewhat justifiable. Plus, most of her goodwill is overwhelmed by the constant feeling of not wanting to hear her talk. A resounding meh for this one. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935047431] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>#76 - Meredy (Eternia) Balir and Shizel They were kind, long ago. Long, long ago. But Meredy remembers. Warm light, memories Boy, I tell ya, this sure is a character in a video game. I think the best thing I could say about Meredy is that she wasnt an absolute disaster. I was very concerned during my first playthrough of Eternia that I would have to endure poorly voice-acted gibberish for much longer than I actually did. The problem is that even after she starts being translated, I still had to endure stilted English-as-a-second-language dialogue that was also poorly voice-acted. Yeah, when the most lasting impression a character leaves on me is their terrible voice acting, its a bad sign, especially in a game where none of the other characters are exactly known for being good examples. Her voice crosses the line from fun-bad to actively unpleasant, and I remember little else of note when it comes to Meredy. Her crash landing on Inferia and subsequent foretelling of the Grand Fall is obviously what sets the story into motion, but after that initial period, she does shockingly little in the way of driving the plot forward. The other characters talk about doing [so-and-so] for Meredys sake and so forth, but she herself is a glorified background character once we learn whats going on. Her relationship to Balir and Shizel doesnt really add anything. Neither does the sudden revelation that she can harness the Dark Aurora, which is little more than a throwaway setup to have an excuse for a tense ending scene. And neither is the teased romance with Keele, considering their interactions dont tell us anything we dont already know about her. Shes an interesting enough battler, though. Eternias Craymel Cages give her some decent customizability and the ability to use Quickie to attack while youre casting is a neat mechanic, but shes still one of the less enjoyable members of Eternias cast to use in combat. And I kind of hate her design. She looks about half as old as she actually is and I feel like they were trying way too hard to make her super cutesy. TL;DR: From a strict likeability perspective, I suppose Meredys fine. Shes just boring. Theres not a whole lot of depth to her personality and shes not even relevant enough to the story to make it somewhat justifiable. Plus, most of her goodwill is overwhelmed by the constant feeling of not wanting to hear her talk. A resounding meh for this one. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 02/29/20 10:31:58 PM #103:	And here's one highly requested elimination down. #75 - Genis Sage (Symphonia) My stupid actions have killed many people. I dont know what you did, and your crime wont go away, but when youre suffering its alright to at least say so. Genis is kind of a tough character to cover, so Ill start with the simple base-level stuff first. Personality-wise, I actually think hes mostly fine. At times, hes the stereotypical annoying kid character that you just want to shut up. Other times, his snarky bluntness can be entertaining, especially when he really gets on a roll and starts ranting. Mostly, though, hes just kind of there, making observations of relatively little importance on the happenings in the story. His primary role in the party dynamic is to be Lloyds best friend, which he fulfills pretty well. Their relationship reminds me a bit of some of my friendships. At least, you know, until Dawn comes, where hes apparently perfectly willing to believe Lloyd is slaughtering innocent people and justifies it by assuming it must be for a good reason. Literally, he says that. No, it doesnt make any sense to me, either - thats DotNW for ya. Thematically, Genis presents me with something of a conundrum. Broadly speaking, hes the party member with the closest connections to the racism story threads in Symphonia, both because hes obviously experienced it firsthand and because hes so intertwined with Mithos, who ~~sort of uses that as his whole motivation as the antagonist.~~ Geniss main conflict is that he agrees almost completely with everything Mithos says, and ~~only really opposes him because the rest of the party does even though his ultimate goal is pointless if you think about it for half a second.~~ He openly admits his hatred for humans, which is completely understandable but isnt exactly a quality thats very charming. So do I give him points for being a realistic and mature study on the subject or take them away because those same traits make him sort of off-putting? He is just a kid, so some amount of thinking with his heart instead of his head is to be expected, but hes clever and introspective enough in most other situations that I dont know if that excuse necessarily plays too well. I do really love that, in the end, hes the one to recognize that ~~Mithos wont truly be defeated until discrimination itself is eliminated~~, though. I think thats the kind of thinking that was supposed to define his character, but it feels so inconsistent for the rest of the game that I cant really say for sure. TL;DR: Im dropping Genis here because, if you put a gun to my head and told me to make a firm decision, Id say that the fact that I have so much trouble figuring out what Im ultimately supposed to think about him in relation to Symphonias themes makes him a poorly executed character, despite a good and respectable concept deep down. The rest of Symphonias cast doesnt have that issue. And its not like he contributes enough elsewhere to bump him up at all. If somebody loves Genis and wants to try and change my mind, be my guest, but I think hes too awkwardly and inconsistently written to effectively fill the role hes meant to. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935060103] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>And here's one highly requested elimination down. #75 - Genis Sage (Symphonia) My stupid actions have killed many people. I dont know what you did, and your crime wont go away, but when youre suffering its alright to at least say so. Genis is kind of a tough character to cover, so Ill start with the simple base-level stuff first. Personality-wise, I actually think hes mostly fine. At times, hes the stereotypical annoying kid character that you just want to shut up. Other times, his snarky bluntness can be entertaining, especially when he really gets on a roll and starts ranting. Mostly, though, hes just kind of there, making observations of relatively little importance on the happenings in the story. His primary role in the party dynamic is to be Lloyds best friend, which he fulfills pretty well. Their relationship reminds me a bit of some of my friendships. At least, you know, until Dawn comes, where hes apparently perfectly willing to believe Lloyd is slaughtering innocent people and justifies it by assuming it must be for a good reason. Literally, he says that. No, it doesnt make any sense to me, either - thats DotNW for ya. Thematically, Genis presents me with something of a conundrum. Broadly speaking, hes the party member with the closest connections to the racism story threads in Symphonia, both because hes obviously experienced it firsthand and because hes so intertwined with Mithos, who sort of uses that as his whole motivation as the antagonist. Geniss main conflict is that he agrees almost completely with everything Mithos says, and only really opposes him because the rest of the party does even though his ultimate goal is pointless if you think about it for half a second. He openly admits his hatred for humans, which is completely understandable but isnt exactly a quality thats very charming. So do I give him points for being a realistic and mature study on the subject or take them away because those same traits make him sort of off-putting? He is just a kid, so some amount of thinking with his heart instead of his head is to be expected, but hes clever and introspective enough in most other situations that I dont know if that excuse necessarily plays too well. I do really love that, in the end, hes the one to recognize that Mithos wont truly be defeated until discrimination itself is eliminated, though. I think thats the kind of thinking that was supposed to define his character, but it feels so inconsistent for the rest of the game that I cant really say for sure. TL;DR: Im dropping Genis here because, if you put a gun to my head and told me to make a firm decision, Id say that the fact that I have so much trouble figuring out what Im ultimately supposed to think about him in relation to Symphonias themes makes him a poorly executed character, despite a good and respectable concept deep down. The rest of Symphonias cast doesnt have that issue. And its not like he contributes enough elsewhere to bump him up at all. If somebody loves Genis and wants to try and change my mind, be my guest, but I think hes too awkwardly and inconsistently written to effectively fill the role hes meant to. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xp1337 03/01/20 12:26:21 AM #104:	NBIceman posted... And here's one highly requested elimination down. i feel like the "highly requested" was just me stating it repeatedly lol. >_> --- xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out? <cite>xp1337 posted [p:935064153] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>NBIceman posted... </cite> <quote>And here's one highly requested elimination down.</quote>i feel like the "highly requested" was just me stating it repeatedly lol. >_> </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/01/20 1:30:03 AM #105:	Eh, there was a couple of you. It's all relative, you know? Not like there's a whole bunch of people reading this topic! Last of the night. #74 - Philia Felice (Destiny) Rutee, youre a strong woman, so you may not understand what Im talking about. I want to carry my own weight amongst you and not to be a burden... In playing some of the earlier Tales games and considering how the series has evolved over its ~20 years, I often get the feeling that I would like certain characters a lot more if they just had the benefit of modern writing for the series, where character development is a much bigger focus. Philia, though, doesnt give me that impression. Her entire identity is based around being a sweet, accepting, rigidly pious girl, and thats the sort of character that just never seems to land for me in fiction. Too often they come off as stuffy and preachy, and Philia is no exception. She at least has the good sense to tone down the preaching a bit when shes called out on it by the other party members, and its not like she ever gives the impression that she thinks shes better than everyone else, but she also just never feels very fun. Her only real show of personality is the little wink in her victory pose, which is cute but doesnt really seem to suit her. And theres a couple of instances where she demonstrates some surprising cleverness and cunning in the partys dealings with other people, but she doesnt get a chance to stretch that muscle too much because its not the sort of thing thats frequently necessary in Destinys straightforward plot. When she first joins, she has a few lines of dialogue (like the above quote) that hint at her desire to grow stronger so she doesnt hold the party back, but that thread is completely forgotten about soon after. I do appreciate that they at least got a little creative with Philia as a combat unit and made the party priest an offensive spellcaster instead of a dedicated healer. Shes a pretty effective one, too, and who doesnt love the Philia Bomb? And Im mostly neutral on her visual design. Its fine, I guess, and it fits her character, but its also pretty safe and unremarkable outside of the giant glasses, and something about the shade of green used for her hair looks unappealing to me. TL;DR: I know people tend to like Philia and I almost feel like Im underrating her, but I just dont care for her archetype, and since she comes from an era where Tales wasnt yet in the business of subverting tropes, she doesnt have much else to offer. Maybe she's just another victim of the Destiny remake not coming overseas. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935066167] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Eh, there was a couple of you. It's all relative, you know? Not like there's a whole bunch of people reading this topic! Last of the night. #74 - Philia Felice (Destiny) Rutee, youre a strong woman, so you may not understand what Im talking about. I want to carry my own weight amongst you and not to be a burden... In playing some of the earlier Tales games and considering how the series has evolved over its ~20 years, I often get the feeling that I would like certain characters a lot more if they just had the benefit of modern writing for the series, where character development is a much bigger focus. Philia, though, doesnt give me that impression. Her entire identity is based around being a sweet, accepting, rigidly pious girl, and thats the sort of character that just never seems to land for me in fiction. Too often they come off as stuffy and preachy, and Philia is no exception. She at least has the good sense to tone down the preaching a bit when shes called out on it by the other party members, and its not like she ever gives the impression that she thinks shes better than everyone else, but she also just never feels very fun. Her only real show of personality is the little wink in her victory pose, which is cute but doesnt really seem to suit her. And theres a couple of instances where she demonstrates some surprising cleverness and cunning in the partys dealings with other people, but she doesnt get a chance to stretch that muscle too much because its not the sort of thing thats frequently necessary in Destinys straightforward plot. When she first joins, she has a few lines of dialogue (like the above quote) that hint at her desire to grow stronger so she doesnt hold the party back, but that thread is completely forgotten about soon after. I do appreciate that they at least got a little creative with Philia as a combat unit and made the party priest an offensive spellcaster instead of a dedicated healer. Shes a pretty effective one, too, and who doesnt love the Philia Bomb? And Im mostly neutral on her visual design. Its fine, I guess, and it fits her character, but its also pretty safe and unremarkable outside of the giant glasses, and something about the shade of green used for her hair looks unappealing to me. TL;DR: I know people tend to like Philia and I almost feel like Im underrating her, but I just dont care for her archetype, and since she comes from an era where Tales wasnt yet in the business of subverting tropes, she doesnt have much else to offer. Maybe she's just another victim of the Destiny remake not coming overseas. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/01/20 1:38:58 AM #106:	Tag. Glad to see Rose so low, what an embarrassment. The supposed story of exactly what happened during that game's creation to result in such a travesty of a character and, inevitably, mess of a game as a result are so fucking wild to me, too. <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935066392] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Tag. Glad to see Rose so low, what an embarrassment. The supposed story of exactly what happened during that game's creation to result in such a travesty of a character and, inevitably, mess of a game as a result are so fucking wild to me, too. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
WickIebee 03/01/20 1:46:50 AM #107:	Fun fact. The thing you listed as Genis's entertaining side... Is what I refer to as my own flaws. (Not snarky bluntness, but just the similar way how I can just drive onto a rant about what I'm serious about). Says a lot immediately on how I view Genis. And honestly... Genis completely agreeing with Mithos is literally him lacking the judgment that his sister raised him through all that prejudice herself, therefore would have far better judgment of the prejudice than Genis would. --- I'll just go back to gifs. Not like the winner was gonna click my topic. https://imgur.com/SXyi7uX <cite>WickIebee posted [p:935066605] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Fun fact. The thing you listed as Genis's entertaining side... Is what I refer to as my own flaws. (Not snarky bluntness, but just the similar way how I can just drive onto a rant about what I'm serious about). Says a lot immediately on how I view Genis. And honestly... Genis completely agreeing with Mithos is literally him lacking the judgment that his sister raised him through all that prejudice herself, therefore would have far better judgment of the prejudice than Genis would. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/01/20 4:59:46 PM #108:	No characters today, but I'll do a little mini ranking instead that I'm gonna call a Skit because I'm cheesy like that. Top 10 Tales Towns 10. Shoalhaven (Hearts) I dont know exactly what it is about this place. I just really like the idea of having to take a boat out to the real central part of the city where all the well-to-do people actually live, because its a charming and compact little area. The long sidequest having to do with recovering and then reinstalling the towns legendary bell so that the older folks there can hear it again and the young ones can understand what it meant to them all - Im a sucker for that kind of thing. Its not quite as strictly impressive as the other towns on this list, but its pretty unique and memorable all the same. I always look forward to visiting it during Hearts playthroughs. 9. Yseult (Berseria) Im a sucker for a good beach city, especially when its accompanied by a pleasant and generic tropical theme song. Yseult just feels like the ideal vacation spot. Get to stay in a hut that looks rustic from the outside but is actually quite nice on the inside, take a walk through the shallow water, explore little side paths around the shoals, maybe hang out with those cute pengyons and then have one for dinner later. Just a cool little seaside town. 8. Lastonbell/Stonebury (Zestiria/Berseria) Lastonbell is the real prize here, boasting some nice winding city streets, a big ol bell (what an odd pattern we have developing here), and that cool little garden area off to the side. But I think the most interesting part of it is getting to see its very humble beginnings 1000 years previous in Berseria. Exploring the little farming town, helping an old man brew a wine hell never actually get to taste himself, seeing a couple NPCs get engaged, and hearing the original idea for the bell that would come to define the city - more than anything else in Berseria, all those things make you feel like youre really watching history develop. 7. Grand Chokmah (Abyss) More than any other place, Grand Chokmah espouses a recurring design theme in Abyss where Malkuth just looks way prettier than the much more militaristic and modernized Kimlasca. Theres so much beautiful architecture in this city, both in the background and foreground, that fits perfectly with all the water surrounding it. I can spend a lot of time here just staring at the waterfalls or aqueducts and listening to the lovely theme. Most importantly, though, this place has Emperor Peony. 6. Yu Liberte (Graces) Most Tales oasis towns follow what is pretty much the standard JRPG blueprint. Very small, simple buildings, comparatively unimportant stops on the way to somewhere else that just make the desert feel a little less lousy. Theres nothing wrong with those, but Yu Liberte stands out as being so much more interesting with all its nice fountains and archways and such. The watercolor-style art in Graces makes it all pop even better, too. Its really the only Graces down that isnt boring, so I guess they packed all their good ideas into one place. 5. Keterburg (Abyss) Theres nothing quite like a good snow town in JRPGs, and Keterburg is up there with the best. It manages to feel incredibly cozy despite the frosty weather, and it pays host to some really interesting character moments. Plus, its got the games casino, which is always gonna score points with me. 4. Fennmont (Xillia) The combination of the perpetual night with the warm lights dotted about the city makes Fennmont pretty singularly gorgeous. Its nice to revisit it over the course of the original Xillia to explore all its different features and all, too, but this is definitely an inclusion pretty much for aesthetics alone - its that nice. 3. Werites Beacon (Legendia) JRPGs obviously dont really have hub worlds, but this place always felt like something akin to it. Its big, but its full enough to justify its size, and the amount of time you spend there with all the chances you get to see the interplay between the townspeople make it feel like a real community, which is kind of a rare thing. Its bright, happy, and pleasant, capped off by a fantastic theme. 2. Taliesin (Berseria) Look at all the kitties! I love the obvious inspiration they took from modern Greece for this place, whether its all the stray cats lazing about and stealing the heart of a cat person like me or the whole idea of it being kind of carved into the cliffside by water. Taliesin also does verticality better than any other Tales town - theres a lot of height to it but its easy to navigate - and all the little nooks and crannies to explore, like with Yseult, are fun details. Plus, it plays nicely into the whole theme of the game where the cats are banned for a while due to allegedly carrying daemonblight only to be let back in when people start thinking for themselves and realizing cats are cool. Just lovely. 1. Dahngrest (Vesperia) With the possible exception of KHs Traverse Town, theres no better place in JRPGs to just chill for a while. Dahngrest manages to combine the somewhat grungy atmosphere of a place living completely outside imperial rule with the inviting feeling of a community where everyone pulls their weight and contributes something unique. It looks particularly pretty at nighttime and just seems like somewhere youd love to visit for a little while and stare up at the stars in the evening. Throw in what is easily the best town theme in the series (maybe one of its better tracks overall) and a couple of the games overall most memorable moments and youve got a perfect town. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935088866] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>No characters today, but I'll do a little mini ranking instead that I'm gonna call a Skit because I'm cheesy like that. Top 10 Tales Towns 10. Shoalhaven (Hearts) I dont know exactly what it is about this place. I just really like the idea of having to take a boat out to the real central part of the city where all the well-to-do people actually live, because its a charming and compact little area. The long sidequest having to do with recovering and then reinstalling the towns legendary bell so that the older folks there can hear it again and the young ones can understand what it meant to them all - Im a sucker for that kind of thing. Its not quite as strictly impressive as the other towns on this list, but its pretty unique and memorable all the same. I always look forward to visiting it during Hearts playthroughs. 9. Yseult (Berseria) Im a sucker for a good beach city, especially when its accompanied by a pleasant and generic tropical theme song. Yseult just feels like the ideal vacation spot. Get to stay in a hut that looks rustic from the outside but is actually quite nice on the inside, take a walk through the shallow water, explore little side paths around the shoals, maybe hang out with those cute pengyons and then have one for dinner later. Just a cool little seaside town. 8. Lastonbell/Stonebury (Zestiria/Berseria) Lastonbell is the real prize here, boasting some nice winding city streets, a big ol bell (what an odd pattern we have developing here), and that cool little garden area off to the side. But I think the most interesting part of it is getting to see its very humble beginnings 1000 years previous in Berseria. Exploring the little farming town, helping an old man brew a wine hell never actually get to taste himself, seeing a couple NPCs get engaged, and hearing the original idea for the bell that would come to define the city - more than anything else in Berseria, all those things make you feel like youre really watching history develop. 7. Grand Chokmah (Abyss) More than any other place, Grand Chokmah espouses a recurring design theme in Abyss where Malkuth just looks way prettier than the much more militaristic and modernized Kimlasca. Theres so much beautiful architecture in this city, both in the background and foreground, that fits perfectly with all the water surrounding it. I can spend a lot of time here just staring at the waterfalls or aqueducts and listening to the lovely theme. Most importantly, though, this place has Emperor Peony. 6. Yu Liberte (Graces) Most Tales oasis towns follow what is pretty much the standard JRPG blueprint. Very small, simple buildings, comparatively unimportant stops on the way to somewhere else that just make the desert feel a little less lousy. Theres nothing wrong with those, but Yu Liberte stands out as being so much more interesting with all its nice fountains and archways and such. The watercolor-style art in Graces makes it all pop even better, too. Its really the only Graces down that isnt boring, so I guess they packed all their good ideas into one place. 5. Keterburg (Abyss) Theres nothing quite like a good snow town in JRPGs, and Keterburg is up there with the best. It manages to feel incredibly cozy despite the frosty weather, and it pays host to some really interesting character moments. Plus, its got the games casino, which is always gonna score points with me. 4. Fennmont (Xillia) The combination of the perpetual night with the warm lights dotted about the city makes Fennmont pretty singularly gorgeous. Its nice to revisit it over the course of the original Xillia to explore all its different features and all, too, but this is definitely an inclusion pretty much for aesthetics alone - its that nice. 3. Werites Beacon (Legendia) JRPGs obviously dont really have hub worlds, but this place always felt like something akin to it. Its big, but its full enough to justify its size, and the amount of time you spend there with all the chances you get to see the interplay between the townspeople make it feel like a real community, which is kind of a rare thing. Its bright, happy, and pleasant, capped off by a fantastic theme. 2. Taliesin (Berseria) Look at all the kitties! I love the obvious inspiration they took from modern Greece for this place, whether its all the stray cats lazing about and stealing the heart of a cat person like me or the whole idea of it being kind of carved into the cliffside by water. Taliesin also does verticality better than any other Tales town - theres a lot of height to it but its easy to navigate - and all the little nooks and crannies to explore, like with Yseult, are fun details. Plus, it plays nicely into the whole theme of the game where the cats are banned for a while due to allegedly carrying daemonblight only to be let back in when people start thinking for themselves and realizing cats are cool. Just lovely. 1. Dahngrest (Vesperia) With the possible exception of KHs Traverse Town, theres no better place in JRPGs to just chill for a while. Dahngrest manages to combine the somewhat grungy atmosphere of a place living completely outside imperial rule with the inviting feeling of a community where everyone pulls their weight and contributes something unique. It looks particularly pretty at nighttime and just seems like somewhere youd love to visit for a little while and stare up at the stars in the evening. Throw in what is easily the best town theme in the series (maybe one of its better tracks overall) and a couple of the games overall most memorable moments and youve got a perfect town. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/01/20 5:02:26 PM #109:	Dahngrest stands out to me a ton because you walk in to there and realize "oh this game has a soundtrack". Before that, it was debatable! <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935088949] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Dahngrest stands out to me a ton because you walk in to there and realize "oh this game has a soundtrack". Before that, it was debatable! </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
WickIebee 03/01/20 7:28:59 PM #110:	rip Symphonia cities. Though sadly it's true, just not as great as the rest of the series. --- I'll just go back to gifs. Not like the winner was gonna click my topic. https://imgur.com/SXyi7uX <cite>WickIebee posted [p:935094763] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>rip Symphonia cities. Though sadly it's true, just not as great as the rest of the series. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/01/20 7:34:43 PM #111:	Meltokio is an honorable mention but even then I think it'd be behind like 3 or 4 others. And yeah, that's about it for the serious Symphonia contenders, although Luin is cool for the whole restoration angle and I do have a bit of a soft spot for Asgard. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935094971] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Meltokio is an honorable mention but even then I think it'd be behind like 3 or 4 others. And yeah, that's about it for the serious Symphonia contenders, although Luin is cool for the whole restoration angle and I do have a bit of a soft spot for Asgard. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/02/20 1:32:21 PM #112:	Back to our regularly scheduled programming. #73 - Kunzite (Hearts) I have observed Master Lithia smile for the first time in nearly 2000 years. I desire nothing else from this world. This guys design reminds me so much of a NetNavi from the Mega Man Battle Network games. Remember those? Throw Kunzite in his red-colored alternate costume and add the visor, and you end up with something that looks a lot like how I imagine Crash Man couldve looked if hed been in the BN series. Which he shouldve been, by the way. My boy never gets any respect. He was the coolest MM2 Robot Master. Im stalling here because I have no idea what to talk about with Kunzite. They wanted to make a robot character and he sure is robotic, with very few personality traits to speak of or analyze. Like, Ill give him points for being exactly what he was meant to be I guess, but since what he was meant to be was an unemotional, deadpan cyborg thing, he falls a little short on pure entertainment value. I know the whole point was always that his synthetic Spiria is just as real as anyone elses all along and that he actually does have his own personality to a certain extent, but its not executed very well. Hearts writing isnt that good, so his more emotional actions come off more like inconsistent characterization than true development. He has a few good scattered scenes, though. When hes first introduced, he doesnt understand the significance of a smile at all, but during the games final act we get the quote above, and it feels genuine. His anguished breaking of protocol to ~~implore Lithia to keep living in the ending~~ is also sweet. But beyond those rare moments, theres just not much there. He gets swallowed up in the large Hearts cast. Hes good fun in battle because hes able to rack up some really insane combos, but hes hamstrung a bit there because of his darkness elemental affinity, which is resisted by a lot of the big bosses in the game. And as much as I do enjoy his design, its on more of an ironic level - the extra arms are too over-the-top and sometimes he just plain looks goofy in the context of the rest of the game. TL;DR: Kunzites placement down here among the characters Id consider poor almost feels a little unfair, because I dont dislike him. I just find him aggressively dull. He plays his straight man role well, but all things considered I just dont have many strong feelings on him. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935123733] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Back to our regularly scheduled programming. #73 - Kunzite (Hearts) I have observed Master Lithia smile for the first time in nearly 2000 years. I desire nothing else from this world. This guys design reminds me so much of a NetNavi from the Mega Man Battle Network games. Remember those? Throw Kunzite in his red-colored alternate costume and add the visor, and you end up with something that looks a lot like how I imagine Crash Man couldve looked if hed been in the BN series. Which he shouldve been, by the way. My boy never gets any respect. He was the coolest MM2 Robot Master. Im stalling here because I have no idea what to talk about with Kunzite. They wanted to make a robot character and he sure is robotic, with very few personality traits to speak of or analyze. Like, Ill give him points for being exactly what he was meant to be I guess, but since what he was meant to be was an unemotional, deadpan cyborg thing, he falls a little short on pure entertainment value. I know the whole point was always that his synthetic Spiria is just as real as anyone elses all along and that he actually does have his own personality to a certain extent, but its not executed very well. Hearts writing isnt that good, so his more emotional actions come off more like inconsistent characterization than true development. He has a few good scattered scenes, though. When hes first introduced, he doesnt understand the significance of a smile at all, but during the games final act we get the quote above, and it feels genuine. His anguished breaking of protocol to implore Lithia to keep living in the ending is also sweet. But beyond those rare moments, theres just not much there. He gets swallowed up in the large Hearts cast. Hes good fun in battle because hes able to rack up some really insane combos, but hes hamstrung a bit there because of his darkness elemental affinity, which is resisted by a lot of the big bosses in the game. And as much as I do enjoy his design, its on more of an ironic level - the extra arms are too over-the-top and sometimes he just plain looks goofy in the context of the rest of the game. TL;DR: Kunzites placement down here among the characters Id consider poor almost feels a little unfair, because I dont dislike him. I just find him aggressively dull. He plays his straight man role well, but all things considered I just dont have many strong feelings on him. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
tazzyboyishere 03/02/20 2:20:11 PM #113:	Flanoir is my favorite city. I have a lot of nostalgia for Symphonia as it was the game that got me into JRPGs, but just the weight of everything I knew would be coming up as I was in such a tranquil place was beautifully made. --- https://imgur.com/l7xxLh1 PSN/Steam - RoboQuote ; NNID - TazzyMan <cite>tazzyboyishere posted [p:935125844] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Flanoir is my favorite city. I have a lot of nostalgia for Symphonia as it was the game that got me into JRPGs, but just the weight of everything I knew would be coming up as I was in such a tranquil place was beautifully made. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Xiahou Shake 03/02/20 2:24:39 PM #114:	Kunzite didn't knock my socks off character wise but holy bajesus is he fun to play as. Honestly only Chal aka Mr. "You're never touching the ground again" competes in that game. --- Let the voice of love take you higher, With this gathering power, go beyond even time! <cite>Xiahou Shake posted [p:935126018] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Kunzite didn't knock my socks off character wise but holy bajesus is he fun to play as. Honestly only Chal aka Mr. "You're never touching the ground again" competes in that game. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/02/20 4:25:33 PM #115:	And now xp gets his wish. #72 - Lailah (Zestiria) The Shepherds a mess, I guess, I guess! My process for putting together this list involved ranking characters against their own cast first before I ordered them in the final list. The first part of that process gave me quite a bit of trouble with Zestiria, because it felt very wrong putting Lailah even as high as #4 out of 8 on any conceivable list. She's another example from Zesty of a character that, on a purely conceptual level, should've been pretty enjoyable. And she's not aggressively bad. Shes pleasant and likable enough personality-wise, and some of her puns are at least deserving of a chuckle. To a certain extent, I appreciate the way she conducts herself as the Prime Lord, in that she doesnt just pull rank to overrule the other seraphim during disagreements. I also love her design. It projects the sort of dignified air that befits someone of her importance without being stuffy, and its just visually appealing in general besides. The colored tips in her hair look much better than they do for some of her castmates - they just suit her better. The problem is that, once again, the games outrageous writing problems completely torpedo her. Shes ostensibly the mentor, the guiding force behind the Shepherds journey that teaches him how the whole thing works, what hes supposed to do, what he can and cant do, etc. But nothing she does actually makes any sense. One of the first things she tells Sorey is that she wants him to find his own answer to the problems he encounters. She then proceeds to spend the rest of the game preventing him from finding his own answers to things by telling him why he cant do some thing or the other. She cant tell him why, though, because that would break her oath. Never mind that theres no in-universe reason for that stupid pact to have even been made in the first place. Her random deflections off of those subjects start off funny but get annoying real quick, especially once she continues doing them even when the party stops talking to her directly. Theres even a couple of skits where her portrait will appear in the middle of a skit for the express purpose of not contributing to the conversation. Then theres the obsession with armadillos and curling that just feels like a bad 3DS Fire Emblem gimmick and Man, Lailah goes completely off the rails. I really get the impression her role was originally supposed to be something entirely different. The caricature she is at the end is barely recognizable compared to how she started. Conspicuous by its absence in Zestiria is the traditional Tales traitor character, and I almost wonder if that was Lailahs intended path before the game got its insane overhaul. Doesnt matter, though. What weve got is what weve got. And what weve got is pretty nonsensical. TL;DR: I wanted to come up with a pun for this section, but my oath prevents me from doing so. Look at the pretty bird. If only it could curl. Up the down escalator. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935131128] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>And now xp gets his wish. #72 - Lailah (Zestiria) The Shepherds a mess, I guess, I guess! My process for putting together this list involved ranking characters against their own cast first before I ordered them in the final list. The first part of that process gave me quite a bit of trouble with Zestiria, because it felt very wrong putting Lailah even as high as #4 out of 8 on any conceivable list. She's another example from Zesty of a character that, on a purely conceptual level, should've been pretty enjoyable. And she's not aggressively bad. Shes pleasant and likable enough personality-wise, and some of her puns are at least deserving of a chuckle. To a certain extent, I appreciate the way she conducts herself as the Prime Lord, in that she doesnt just pull rank to overrule the other seraphim during disagreements. I also love her design. It projects the sort of dignified air that befits someone of her importance without being stuffy, and its just visually appealing in general besides. The colored tips in her hair look much better than they do for some of her castmates - they just suit her better. The problem is that, once again, the games outrageous writing problems completely torpedo her. Shes ostensibly the mentor, the guiding force behind the Shepherds journey that teaches him how the whole thing works, what hes supposed to do, what he can and cant do, etc. But nothing she does actually makes any sense. One of the first things she tells Sorey is that she wants him to find his own answer to the problems he encounters. She then proceeds to spend the rest of the game preventing him from finding his own answers to things by telling him why he cant do some thing or the other. She cant tell him why, though, because that would break her oath. Never mind that theres no in-universe reason for that stupid pact to have even been made in the first place. Her random deflections off of those subjects start off funny but get annoying real quick, especially once she continues doing them even when the party stops talking to her directly. Theres even a couple of skits where her portrait will appear in the middle of a skit for the express purpose of not contributing to the conversation. Then theres the obsession with armadillos and curling that just feels like a bad 3DS Fire Emblem gimmick and Man, Lailah goes completely off the rails. I really get the impression her role was originally supposed to be something entirely different. The caricature she is at the end is barely recognizable compared to how she started. Conspicuous by its absence in Zestiria is the traditional Tales traitor character, and I almost wonder if that was Lailahs intended path before the game got its insane overhaul. Doesnt matter, though. What weve got is what weve got. And what weve got is pretty nonsensical. TL;DR: I wanted to come up with a pun for this section, but my oath prevents me from doing so. Look at the pretty bird. If only it could curl. Up the down escalator. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xp1337 03/02/20 5:40:35 PM #116:	justice --- xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out? <cite>xp1337 posted [p:935134624] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>justice </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/02/20 10:23:02 PM #117:	And here we've got the OrangeCrush prediction coming halfway true... #71 - Cheria Barnes (Graces) I'll get stronger, you know? And then we can run at the same pace. We can do anything if we stay together, Asbel. The Graces "Child Arc," despite being pretty slow and lame from a gameplay perspective, was a fairly clever storytelling device that set up some interesting threads for both the game as a whole and for individual character arcs. Some of them were explored relatively well. Others were not. Cheria falls into the latter category. Cherias illness as a child is actually treated with respectable gravity. Its not like its ever really in doubt that shes going to stick around, but it tugs at the heartstrings a little to watch her have a big coughing fit and then weakly murmur to herself about how she hopes she even gets to grow up. Shes also really great at the beginning of the main story when shes angry at Asbel and refuses to give him any kind of pass for breaking his promise and abandoning Lhant as a kid or to play along with his awkward attempts to pretend like none of that ever happened. The writers gave themselves a lot of room to make Cheria a really well-developed character by putting focus on her relief organization work (because she knows how valuable life is given how close she was to losing hers) and by forcing Asbel to really earn his way back into her good graces by making amends for his choices. Thats not what happens. Cheria patches things up with Asbel almost immediately and, for the rest of the game, settles into the role of tag-along love interest. And the romance between them isnt very good. I actually think the two of them have decent chemistry, but it never has any room to breathe, because its the focal point of Cherias entire character. Theres an extremely well-done side event (that really shouldve been part of the main story) where its revealed that her late mother was a pianist who played music for her eventual husband because she didnt have the courage to tell him how she felt in words, and Cheria acknowledges that she turned out the same way, but instead of using that as a springboard to take some initiative and grab life by the horns (you know, like how youd kind of expect a kid that never thought shed survive her adolescence to do), the status quo is maintained. Good romances develop both characters, but Cheria never evolves at all. She just continues blushing and making embarrassed denials for the whole game. She had every reason to defy the tropes and she just doesnt. Her design isnt anything to write home about, either. Shes very cute, especially in some of her costumes like the Rita cameo outfit, but her default outfit is way too garish for a character that doesnt particularly like being the center of attention. And I never really played her enough in combat for her to score any points there, though I know she can be game-breaking in the right hands. Plus, Laura Bailey hands in a rare performance that just seems... off somehow. It often sounds like she was trying to deliver her lines while opening her mouth as little as possible or something. Overall, I dont hate Cheria. Her status as the Team Mom leads to some humorous and sweet moments and its not like shes ever actively annoying. Shes just kind of there, and thats a shame because there was plenty of potential for her to be more than that. TL;DR: Basically likeable character who just seems to be in constant conflict with herself, who consequently ends up feeling like she makes no sense. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935147391] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>And here we've got the OrangeCrush prediction coming halfway true... #71 - Cheria Barnes (Graces) I'll get stronger, you know? And then we can run at the same pace. We can do anything if we stay together, Asbel. The Graces "Child Arc," despite being pretty slow and lame from a gameplay perspective, was a fairly clever storytelling device that set up some interesting threads for both the game as a whole and for individual character arcs. Some of them were explored relatively well. Others were not. Cheria falls into the latter category. Cherias illness as a child is actually treated with respectable gravity. Its not like its ever really in doubt that shes going to stick around, but it tugs at the heartstrings a little to watch her have a big coughing fit and then weakly murmur to herself about how she hopes she even gets to grow up. Shes also really great at the beginning of the main story when shes angry at Asbel and refuses to give him any kind of pass for breaking his promise and abandoning Lhant as a kid or to play along with his awkward attempts to pretend like none of that ever happened. The writers gave themselves a lot of room to make Cheria a really well-developed character by putting focus on her relief organization work (because she knows how valuable life is given how close she was to losing hers) and by forcing Asbel to really earn his way back into her good graces by making amends for his choices. Thats not what happens. Cheria patches things up with Asbel almost immediately and, for the rest of the game, settles into the role of tag-along love interest. And the romance between them isnt very good. I actually think the two of them have decent chemistry, but it never has any room to breathe, because its the focal point of Cherias entire character. Theres an extremely well-done side event (that really shouldve been part of the main story) where its revealed that her late mother was a pianist who played music for her eventual husband because she didnt have the courage to tell him how she felt in words, and Cheria acknowledges that she turned out the same way, but instead of using that as a springboard to take some initiative and grab life by the horns (you know, like how youd kind of expect a kid that never thought shed survive her adolescence to do), the status quo is maintained. Good romances develop both characters, but Cheria never evolves at all. She just continues blushing and making embarrassed denials for the whole game. She had every reason to defy the tropes and she just doesnt. Her design isnt anything to write home about, either. Shes very cute, especially in some of her costumes like the Rita cameo outfit, but her default outfit is way too garish for a character that doesnt particularly like being the center of attention. And I never really played her enough in combat for her to score any points there, though I know she can be game-breaking in the right hands. Plus, Laura Bailey hands in a rare performance that just seems... off somehow. It often sounds like she was trying to deliver her lines while opening her mouth as little as possible or something. Overall, I dont hate Cheria. Her status as the Team Mom leads to some humorous and sweet moments and its not like shes ever actively annoying. Shes just kind of there, and thats a shame because there was plenty of potential for her to be more than that. TL;DR: Basically likeable character who just seems to be in constant conflict with herself, who consequently ends up feeling like she makes no sense. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xp1337 03/02/20 10:30:13 PM #118:	Cheria definitely had a lot of wasted potential. You're right that the dynamic the game looked like it was going to have with her rightfully pissed at Asbel for his going off and not even writing her for seven years but they drop it very quickly. I do still like her though, more than Hubert and probably Asbel, Sophie, and Pascal? She also is an absolute monster in combat. I didn't start playing as her until near the end of the original story and then during the entire f Arc but oh man she's insane. Definitely the most fun I had with Graces f's already great combat system. --- xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out? <cite>xp1337 posted [p:935147691] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Cheria definitely had a lot of wasted potential. You're right that the dynamic the game looked like it was going to have with her rightfully pissed at Asbel for his going off and not even writing her for seven years but they drop it very quickly. I do still like her though, more than Hubert and probably Asbel, Sophie, and Pascal? She also is an absolute monster in combat. I didn't start playing as her until near the end of the original story and then during the entire f Arc but oh man she's insane. Definitely the most fun I had with Graces f's already great combat system. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/02/20 10:35:33 PM #119:	I remember her visually, but in the context of the game I forgot she existed. I think I also mix her up with the boring potential love interest from Xillia. <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935147911] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>I remember her visually, but in the context of the game I forgot she existed. I think I also mix her up with the boring potential love interest from Xillia. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Xiahou Shake 03/02/20 10:42:53 PM #120:	Cheria's a straight up goddess in battle, like holy hell. The moment you realize the girl you've relegated to healbot duty is actually DIO in a skirt is a pretty glorious one. Largely agree with your analysis on her character, though there's still a ton of characters that haven't shown up yet that probably deserve to be below her still! --- Let the voice of love take you higher, With this gathering power, go beyond even time! <cite>Xiahou Shake posted [p:935148232] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Cheria's a straight up goddess in battle, like holy hell. The moment you realize the girl you've relegated to healbot duty is actually DIO in a skirt is a pretty glorious one. Largely agree with your analysis on her character, though there's still a ton of characters that haven't shown up yet that probably deserve to be below her still! </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xp1337 03/02/20 10:49:44 PM #121:	Xiahou Shake posted... The moment you realize the girl you've relegated to healbot duty is actually DIO in a skirt is a pretty glorious one. kono cheria desu --- xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out? <cite>xp1337 posted [p:935148524] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Xiahou Shake posted... </cite> <quote>The moment you realize the girl you've relegated to healbot duty is actually DIO in a skirt is a pretty glorious one.</quote>kono cheria desu </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/02/20 11:00:57 PM #122:	Xiahou Shake posted... Largely agree with your analysis on her character, though there's still a ton of characters that haven't shown up yet that probably deserve to be below her still! It's going to become increasingly evident in my writeups that, all else being equal, I regard "forgettable" or "inconsistent" or "failing in their purpose" or even "boring" to a certain extent as being worse than simply "obnoxious" or "unlikable" in general. So Cheria, for example, checks off all four of those former boxes to varying degrees and at varying times even if she's far from ever checking off the latter two. You can probably use that as a vague-ish hint as to what I think about some characters (including one highly requested one) that are still hanging around while characters that I actually at least sort of like are dropping off. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935149036] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Xiahou Shake posted... </cite> <quote>Largely agree with your analysis on her character, though there's still a ton of characters that haven't shown up yet that probably deserve to be below her still!</quote>It's going to become increasingly evident in my writeups that, all else being equal, I regard "forgettable" or "inconsistent" or "failing in their purpose" or even "boring" to a certain extent as being worse than simply "obnoxious" or "unlikable" in general. So Cheria, for example, checks off all four of those former boxes to varying degrees and at varying times even if she's far from ever checking off the latter two. You can probably use that as a vague-ish hint as to what I think about some characters (including one highly requested one) that are still hanging around while characters that I actually at least sort of like are dropping off. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/03/20 12:34:18 AM #123:	One more tonight. #70 - Elize Lutus (Xillia) "Sharing is caring!" It says a lot about Elize that I couldnt find a legitimately good quote from her in either Xillia game and was therefore reduced to meme-ing with the one she repeats twenty times in every battle. To her credit, for the most part, she avoids the pitfalls that many child characters fall into of being actively irritating or general deadweight as far as usefulness. Yeah, Teepo can be obnoxious at times, but for a while, hes the only thing giving her any real personality. And I think some people lose sight of the fact that Teepo was meant to be sort of obnoxious (like, for example, the one single time that Rowen loses his temper in either Xillia game is due to Teepo annoying him). I get that the idea was to really sell that she was an isolated child with no friends and very little contact with the world in general, but she takes way too long to come out of her shell and her extreme meekness keeps her from ever being very compelling. Her usefulness in battle does give her a few points, but theyre eliminated by her silly design. The dress is way too garish and it just doesnt fit her character at all. The absolute biggest problem, though, is the voice acting. It sounds like the recording room was rapidly running out of air and Karen Strassman was desperately trying to finish her lines before she lost consciousness. Its straight up ear-bleeding at times. Not quite Shirley level, but not that far off, either. Xillia 2 helps Elize out quite a bit, all because she gains quite a bit of confidence in the year following 1. Her voice is waaaay more tolerable, which is good because shes learned not to always rely on Teepo to say what shes thinking. Her costume has also really improved (the pigtails are a nice touch in particular) and her character episodes touch on some nice themes that let her mature a little. By the end, shes struck a nice balance between maintaining her overall cheery disposition and outlook on the world without being completely naive about it, and she develops one of the more heartwarming relationships with Elle out of the main cast. Funnily enough, the only place she takes a step back is on the battlefield. Since every other character has access to healing now, you dont need Elize nearly as much. She doesnt get enough spotlight in either game to talk about her any more than this, which leaves her without a whole lot of legs to stand on as far as climbing up the rankings. Remember the whole Booster experiment storyline that was supposedly a big deal in X1? I barely do, because it was only a big deal for about a half hour. So yeah, theres just not much going for her. Shes just fine for what she is. TL;DR: Acceptable but forgettable kid character. Luckily for her, Xillia 2 exists. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935152511] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>One more tonight. #70 - Elize Lutus (Xillia) "Sharing is caring!" It says a lot about Elize that I couldnt find a legitimately good quote from her in either Xillia game and was therefore reduced to meme-ing with the one she repeats twenty times in every battle. To her credit, for the most part, she avoids the pitfalls that many child characters fall into of being actively irritating or general deadweight as far as usefulness. Yeah, Teepo can be obnoxious at times, but for a while, hes the only thing giving her any real personality. And I think some people lose sight of the fact that Teepo was meant to be sort of obnoxious (like, for example, the one single time that Rowen loses his temper in either Xillia game is due to Teepo annoying him). I get that the idea was to really sell that she was an isolated child with no friends and very little contact with the world in general, but she takes way too long to come out of her shell and her extreme meekness keeps her from ever being very compelling. Her usefulness in battle does give her a few points, but theyre eliminated by her silly design. The dress is way too garish and it just doesnt fit her character at all. The absolute biggest problem, though, is the voice acting. It sounds like the recording room was rapidly running out of air and Karen Strassman was desperately trying to finish her lines before she lost consciousness. Its straight up ear-bleeding at times. Not quite Shirley level, but not that far off, either. Xillia 2 helps Elize out quite a bit, all because she gains quite a bit of confidence in the year following 1. Her voice is waaaay more tolerable, which is good because shes learned not to always rely on Teepo to say what shes thinking. Her costume has also really improved (the pigtails are a nice touch in particular) and her character episodes touch on some nice themes that let her mature a little. By the end, shes struck a nice balance between maintaining her overall cheery disposition and outlook on the world without being completely naive about it, and she develops one of the more heartwarming relationships with Elle out of the main cast. Funnily enough, the only place she takes a step back is on the battlefield. Since every other character has access to healing now, you dont need Elize nearly as much. She doesnt get enough spotlight in either game to talk about her any more than this, which leaves her without a whole lot of legs to stand on as far as climbing up the rankings. Remember the whole Booster experiment storyline that was supposedly a big deal in X1? I barely do, because it was only a big deal for about a half hour. So yeah, theres just not much going for her. Shes just fine for what she is. TL;DR: Acceptable but forgettable kid character. Luckily for her, Xillia 2 exists. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xp1337 03/03/20 12:40:03 AM #124:	Maybe unpopular opinion? Millia was the worst Xillia character and drags Jude down with her. Supporting cast was doing work to try and carry things in Xillia 1. --- xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out? <cite>xp1337 posted [p:935152685] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Maybe unpopular opinion? Millia was the worst Xillia character and drags Jude down with her. Supporting cast was doing work to try and carry things in Xillia 1. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
WickIebee 03/03/20 12:52:03 AM #125:	I liked Elize a little, but ultimately everyone I like less than her (outside... actually not liking Millia like xp though I don't really agree that she drags Jude down with her) is eliminated, so... guess I can't complain. Well, technically I also don't really like Zelos but he's still a funny character in some of his antics. Unlike... Well. Teepo. --- I'll just go back to gifs. Not like the winner was gonna click my topic. https://imgur.com/SXyi7uX <cite>WickIebee posted [p:935152993] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>I liked Elize a little, but ultimately everyone I like less than her (outside... actually not liking Millia like xp though I don't really agree that she drags Jude down with her) is eliminated, so... guess I can't complain. Well, technically I also don't really like Zelos but he's still a funny character in some of his antics. Unlike... Well. Teepo. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xp1337 03/03/20 12:53:40 AM #126:	I say that because Jude's character gets increasingly swallowed up by Millia. It's kinda telling when one of his best moments is ~~when Millia is gone and you have that super tense Jude/Alvin/Leia confrontation~~. --- xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out? <cite>xp1337 posted [p:935153029] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>I say that because Jude's character gets increasingly swallowed up by Millia. It's kinda telling when one of his best moments is when Millia is gone and you have that super tense Jude/Alvin/Leia confrontation. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/03/20 12:55:34 AM #127:	I am very curious as to when the first Berseria character will show up. I can't really seen any of the outside the top 25 at worst. <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935153070] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>I am very curious as to when the first Berseria character will show up. I can't really seen any of the outside the top 25 at worst. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xp1337 03/03/20 12:57:44 AM #128:	MichelBollinger posted... I am very curious as to when the first Berseria character will show up. I can't really seen any of the outside the top 25 at worst. Rokurou is kinda meh, especially given his surrounding cast. I think he could fall significantly lower than the others, especially given Iceman's criteria so far. Although the final fight with ~~Shigure~~ is so hype it might propel him who knows. --- xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out? <cite>xp1337 posted [p:935153138] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>MichelBollinger posted... </cite> <quote>I am very curious as to when the first Berseria character will show up. I can't really seen any of the outside the top 25 at worst.</quote>Rokurou is kinda meh, especially given his surrounding cast. I think he could fall significantly lower than the others, especially given Iceman's criteria so far. Although the final fight with Shigure is so hype it might propel him who knows. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/03/20 1:00:19 AM #129:	Rokkuro is definitely the weakest, if any of them was gonna fall out it would be him. Still, so many good skits with Eizen. The fact that they made a little kid character in that game that is not only not an annoying little shit but also very good is just astounding. <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935153198] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Rokkuro is definitely the weakest, if any of them was gonna fall out it would be him. Still, so many good skits with Eizen. The fact that they made a little kid character in that game that is not only not an annoying little shit but also very good is just astounding. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Mewtwo59 03/03/20 1:45:09 AM #130:	MichelBollinger posted... I am very curious as to when the first Berseria character will show up. I can't really seen any of the outside the top 25 at worst. The better question is does anyone from Zestiria beat anyone from Berseria? --- ""Love" is making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope." HK-47 <cite>Mewtwo59 posted [p:935154259] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>MichelBollinger posted... </cite> <quote>I am very curious as to when the first Berseria character will show up. I can't really seen any of the outside the top 25 at worst.</quote> The better question is does anyone from Zestiria beat anyone from Berseria? </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/03/20 1:49:29 AM #131:	Uh....I guess Zaveid is technically on the Zesteria list even though he's better in Berseria??? He's got a real damn good theme song! <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935154329] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Uh....I guess Zaveid is technically on the Zesteria list even though he's better in Berseria??? He's got a real damn good theme song! </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xp1337 03/03/20 1:57:21 AM #132:	Edna could place ahead of Rokurou. Zaveid too but that might be cheating by leaning on his Berseria content. My prediction had Edna over Eizen and Magilou but those are much riskier and could go either way. But Edna is definitely better than Rokurou IMO. --- xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out? <cite>xp1337 posted [p:935154498] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Edna could place ahead of Rokurou. Zaveid too but that might be cheating by leaning on his Berseria content. My prediction had Edna over Eizen and Magilou but those are much riskier and could go either way. But Edna is definitely better than Rokurou IMO. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/03/20 1:58:38 AM #133:	Edna over Rokuro, sure. Magilou is top 5. <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935154520] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Edna over Rokuro, sure. Magilou is top 5. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xp1337 03/03/20 2:01:50 AM #134:	She definitely would be if they explored her ~~actual personality~~ more. Scales tipped a bit too much in favor of her trolling instead IMO. She's definitely in the upper echelon though. --- xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out? <cite>xp1337 posted [p:935154580] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>She definitely would be if they explored her actual personality more. Scales tipped a bit too much in favor of her trolling instead IMO. She's definitely in the upper echelon though. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/03/20 2:06:12 AM #135:	I personally think just having slight hints of that personality works very well in the context of Berseria. I do wish we would get a follow up, though. Magilou ranks pretty high in my overall video game character list, not just Tales. I would confidently say my #1 for Tales...maybe. Her competition would be Velvet and Luke, but they both have main character prominence bias. Speaking of new Tales games I want, where the fuck is...its been so long since they've talked about it I've literally forgotten the name of the new Tales game. <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935154672] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>I personally think just having slight hints of that personality works very well in the context of Berseria. I do wish we would get a follow up, though. Magilou ranks pretty high in my overall video game character list, not just Tales. I would confidently say my #1 for Tales...maybe. Her competition would be Velvet and Luke, but they both have main character prominence bias. Speaking of new Tales games I want, where the fuck is...its been so long since they've talked about it I've literally forgotten the name of the new Tales game. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/03/20 2:35:01 AM #136:	Tales of Arise is the new one. We were supposed to get new footage recently but the event got cancelled due to the coronavirus. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935155208] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Tales of Arise is the new one. We were supposed to get new footage recently but the event got cancelled due to the coronavirus. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Xiahou Shake 03/03/20 2:42:23 AM #137:	Supposedly it's coming out this year! ~~I absolutely don't believe it's coming out this year.~~ --- Let the voice of love take you higher, With this gathering power, go beyond even time! <cite>Xiahou Shake posted [p:935155326] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Supposedly it's coming out this year! I absolutely don't believe it's coming out this year. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/03/20 2:45:32 AM #138:	I'd just as soon they take their time with this one. I'll need a break from the series once I'm done with this list anyhow. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935155381] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>I'd just as soon they take their time with this one. I'll need a break from the series once I'm done with this list anyhow. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Xiahou Shake 03/03/20 2:47:04 AM #139:	It's good that their taking their time - between that, the new engine and the new creative team this game actually has a chance of being legitimately god damn incredible. Still feels odd to go so long without a game but it's absolutely (theoretically) for the better. --- Let the voice of love take you higher, With this gathering power, go beyond even time! <cite>Xiahou Shake posted [p:935155405] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>It's good that their taking their time - between that, the new engine and the new creative team this game actually has a chance of being legitimately god damn incredible. Still feels odd to go so long without a game but it's absolutely (theoretically) for the better. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/03/20 2:52:20 AM #140:	I am all in on the new engine, though there is something to be said thatbthe first game to be made exclusively for modern consoles...is coming out after the next generation starts. <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935155489] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>I am all in on the new engine, though there is something to be said thatbthe first game to be made exclusively for modern consoles...is coming out after the next generation starts. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
OrangeCrush980 03/03/20 7:01:37 AM #141:	NBIceman posted... It's going to become increasingly evident in my writeups that, all else being equal, I regard "forgettable" or "inconsistent" or "failing in their purpose" or even "boring" to a certain extent as being worse than simply "obnoxious" or "unlikable" in general. So Cheria, for example, checks off all four of those former boxes to varying degrees and at varying times even if she's far from ever checking off the latter two. You can probably use that as a vague-ish hint as to what I think about some characters (including one highly requested one) that are still hanging around while characters that I actually at least sort of like are dropping off. When you say things like that it makes me wonder how many Tales characters you actually like, lol --- Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality <cite>OrangeCrush980 posted [p:935159130] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>NBIceman posted... </cite> <quote>It's going to become increasingly evident in my writeups that, all else being equal, I regard "forgettable" or "inconsistent" or "failing in their purpose" or even "boring" to a certain extent as being worse than simply "obnoxious" or "unlikable" in general. So Cheria, for example, checks off all four of those former boxes to varying degrees and at varying times even if she's far from ever checking off the latter two. You can probably use that as a vague-ish hint as to what I think about some characters (including one highly requested one) that are still hanging around while characters that I actually at least sort of like are dropping off.</quote> When you say things like that it makes me wonder how many Tales characters you actually like, lol </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/03/20 1:48:33 PM #142:	OrangeCrush980 posted... When you say things like that it makes me wonder how many Tales characters you actually like, lol I'd say about half of them are characters that I both like and consider "good." But there's quite a few more that have some aspects I like about them. We're already well clear of the characters I think are detriments to their game in every way. #69 (nice) - Cress Albane (Phantasia) Even if... even if you had some reason... Destroying life without a second thought... I'll never forgive you!! I could really say a lot of the same things about Cress as I did about Mint. Hes the archetypal JRPG/anime protagonist. Young, somewhat hot-headed, a little bit of a doofus sometimes, uncompromisingly brave, good with a sword, has a lot of women fawning over him Name a trope and he probably fits it. He does have a few interesting story beats, though. He takes the stuff with Suzus parents incredibly hard despite not even landing the killing blow and the whole thing not being his fault in the least. He clearly feels guilty about keeping the death of Mints mother from her, to the point that he apparently goes back at some point to bury her himself and even visits the grave at least once. And I like the stance he takes on Dhaos in the final battle, where its not that he doesnt care what his reasons are so much as he doesnt believe any reason could justify whats been done. But thats kind of it. He doesnt really drive the story along a whole lot or do anything memorable. Hell throw out a pun every once in a while but hes not particularly funny. And the romance with Mint is practically nonexistent, especially from his side. Where he really scores some points is in battle. He was obviously meant to have a pretty ridiculous damage output and it makes him a lot of fun to play even in the slightly rough Phantasia battle system. His artes repertoire is super solid, too - Distortion Blade is one of my favorites in the series. TL;DR: Like Mint, Cress is largely a product of his time. Phantasia was a safe JRPG story that brought with it a safe main protagonist, and while theres not exactly anything wrong with that, it kind of makes him stand out among Tales main characters in a lot of the wrong ways. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935173326] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>OrangeCrush980 posted... </cite> <quote>When you say things like that it makes me wonder how many Tales characters you actually like, lol</quote>I'd say about half of them are characters that I both like and consider "good." But there's quite a few more that have some aspects I like about them. We're already well clear of the characters I think are detriments to their game in every way. #69 (nice) - Cress Albane (Phantasia) Even if... even if you had some reason... Destroying life without a second thought... I'll never forgive you!! I could really say a lot of the same things about Cress as I did about Mint. Hes the archetypal JRPG/anime protagonist. Young, somewhat hot-headed, a little bit of a doofus sometimes, uncompromisingly brave, good with a sword, has a lot of women fawning over him Name a trope and he probably fits it. He does have a few interesting story beats, though. He takes the stuff with Suzus parents incredibly hard despite not even landing the killing blow and the whole thing not being his fault in the least. He clearly feels guilty about keeping the death of Mints mother from her, to the point that he apparently goes back at some point to bury her himself and even visits the grave at least once. And I like the stance he takes on Dhaos in the final battle, where its not that he doesnt care what his reasons are so much as he doesnt believe any reason could justify whats been done. But thats kind of it. He doesnt really drive the story along a whole lot or do anything memorable. Hell throw out a pun every once in a while but hes not particularly funny. And the romance with Mint is practically nonexistent, especially from his side. Where he really scores some points is in battle. He was obviously meant to have a pretty ridiculous damage output and it makes him a lot of fun to play even in the slightly rough Phantasia battle system. His artes repertoire is super solid, too - Distortion Blade is one of my favorites in the series. TL;DR: Like Mint, Cress is largely a product of his time. Phantasia was a safe JRPG story that brought with it a safe main protagonist, and while theres not exactly anything wrong with that, it kind of makes him stand out among Tales main characters in a lot of the wrong ways. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/03/20 2:32:52 PM #143:	The Phantasia cast in general is like the random units you start out with in a generic fantasy Gacha game. Everyone of if them you could see popping up as a character. <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935175213] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>The Phantasia cast in general is like the random units you start out with in a generic fantasy Gacha game. Everyone of if them you could see popping up as a character. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Alanna82 03/03/20 3:42:38 PM #144:	I really shouldn't have put Arche in my guesses then. I just had that fan line about her in my head so I had to put her on the list. The one where its like "I bet Arche fucks like a tiger!" (not actually what it says in Japanese) --- Don't mess with a Bunny! <cite>Alanna82 posted [p:935178138] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>I really shouldn't have put Arche in my guesses then. I just had that fan line about her in my head so I had to put her on the list. The one where its like "I bet Arche fucks like a tiger!" (not actually what it says in Japanese) </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Mega Mana 03/03/20 5:23:05 PM #145:	Alanna82 posted... I really shouldn't have put Arche in my guesses then. I just had that fan line about her in my head so I had to put her on the list. The one where its like "I bet Arche fucks like a tiger!" (not actually what it says in Japanese) Aww, but that means my love for pink haired witches is based on a pack of lies!! --- "In my headcanon, some staffer saw Trump pull out his phone and start typing so they just Terry Tate Office Linebacker'd him out of his shoes." - FFD <cite>Mega Mana posted [p:935182433] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Alanna82 posted... </cite> <quote>I really shouldn't have put Arche in my guesses then. I just had that fan line about her in my head so I had to put her on the list. The one where its like "I bet Arche fucks like a tiger!" (not actually what it says in Japanese)</quote> Aww, but that means my love for pink haired witches is based on a pack of lies!! </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/03/20 7:22:57 PM #146:	Yeah, that line about Arche is the exact reason I was avoiding fan translations. #68 - Kohaku Hearts (Hearts) Dearest brother. Do you WANT me to kick you? Kohaku starts off really, really strong. Her introduction involves her tackling her brother off the cliff to flee from Incarose despite her admitted fear of heights, showing her daring and her cool confidence in the face of danger. And when she washes up on the beach in Seaville, her personality is established immediately, as shell kick the hell out of Hisui one second and then turn right around and flash Kor a disarming, innocent smile. Its a fun setup. I generally enjoy the whole aggressive spirit, gentle soul type of character like that. And I like her design a good bit. Its elegant in its simplicity and suits her character pretty well. She was all set to become a character I quite enjoyed. But then her Spiria Core gets shattered and everything kinda goes to hell. Its a fine plot point in theory and it suits the whole fairy tale motif of the game, and at first, they do a pretty good job of writing her in accordance with the few emotions she regains. But they get lazy eventually as more Shards show up, starting to interpret their effects differently from scene to scene as the plot demands her to take certain actions, whether theyre consistent or not. And no matter how well it works or doesnt work in the narrative, its rough for her as an individual character to have her full personality locked up for half the game. After shes fully restored, I kept waiting for beginning-of-game Kohaku to show up again, but she never does. Theres some tomboyish traits still present, but the indomitable spirit and proclivity toward straight violence arent. And they were desperately needed because she feels more demure and unassuming than she was before, which is probably due in no small part to how often she ends up playing damsel in distress for Kor to save. Those two dont have much chemistry, so to build up their big bond, the solution was to continually put her in perilous situations that she needed to be rescued from, even if she really shouldve been able to get out of some of them herself. It seems like it wouldve been easy to throw in a subplot (or hell, even just a line or two wouldve helped) about her true personality never being able to come back completely after such a shattering (heh) event as her Core being broken. The fact that nothing like that happened leads me to believe that she wasnt meant to be characterized as inconsistently as she was. TL;DR: Kohaku spends the first half of Hearts as an incomplete character in the story and the second half feeling like an incomplete character in reality. There was great potential for a strong female character here and instead she ends up as little more than a love interest. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935187788] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Yeah, that line about Arche is the exact reason I was avoiding fan translations. #68 - Kohaku Hearts (Hearts) Dearest brother. Do you WANT me to kick you? Kohaku starts off really, really strong. Her introduction involves her tackling her brother off the cliff to flee from Incarose despite her admitted fear of heights, showing her daring and her cool confidence in the face of danger. And when she washes up on the beach in Seaville, her personality is established immediately, as shell kick the hell out of Hisui one second and then turn right around and flash Kor a disarming, innocent smile. Its a fun setup. I generally enjoy the whole aggressive spirit, gentle soul type of character like that. And I like her design a good bit. Its elegant in its simplicity and suits her character pretty well. She was all set to become a character I quite enjoyed. But then her Spiria Core gets shattered and everything kinda goes to hell. Its a fine plot point in theory and it suits the whole fairy tale motif of the game, and at first, they do a pretty good job of writing her in accordance with the few emotions she regains. But they get lazy eventually as more Shards show up, starting to interpret their effects differently from scene to scene as the plot demands her to take certain actions, whether theyre consistent or not. And no matter how well it works or doesnt work in the narrative, its rough for her as an individual character to have her full personality locked up for half the game. After shes fully restored, I kept waiting for beginning-of-game Kohaku to show up again, but she never does. Theres some tomboyish traits still present, but the indomitable spirit and proclivity toward straight violence arent. And they were desperately needed because she feels more demure and unassuming than she was before, which is probably due in no small part to how often she ends up playing damsel in distress for Kor to save. Those two dont have much chemistry, so to build up their big bond, the solution was to continually put her in perilous situations that she needed to be rescued from, even if she really shouldve been able to get out of some of them herself. It seems like it wouldve been easy to throw in a subplot (or hell, even just a line or two wouldve helped) about her true personality never being able to come back completely after such a shattering (heh) event as her Core being broken. The fact that nothing like that happened leads me to believe that she wasnt meant to be characterized as inconsistently as she was. TL;DR: Kohaku spends the first half of Hearts as an incomplete character in the story and the second half feeling like an incomplete character in reality. There was great potential for a strong female character here and instead she ends up as little more than a love interest. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
xNinjaOfChaosx 03/03/20 8:03:14 PM #147:	NBIceman posted... Yeah, that line about Arche is the exact reason I was avoiding fan translations. While I understand and find it reasonable that this was part of your criteria, I also think it's a bit misguided to rely solely on the localization. In this particular case, sure that SNES translation is pretty wild, but the PSX version of Phantasia is largely considered to be a solid fan translation that is better than the GBA version we received. As someone part of the localization industry, it becomes apparent how much a title can change when bringing it over, and not necessarily in terms of content but in context. It's common for a project to have multiple translators and multiple editors that each take various parts throughout the title, which can lead to an inconsistent tone/voice. I can't say with any certainty because I've never seen the original Hearts R script, but that dissonance in Kohaku's personality could very well be the result of poor management in a shoddy localization (a criticism that's commonly lobbed at Hearts R to begin with). In short, I get for the purpose of this list given the scope, you wanted to keep it limited to official releases, but I do feel like alternate translations have their merits, if only for comparison sake. --- https://imgur.com/CvoVsVq <cite>xNinjaOfChaosx posted [p:935189739] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>NBIceman posted... </cite> <quote>Yeah, that line about Arche is the exact reason I was avoiding fan translations.</quote>While I understand and find it reasonable that this was part of your criteria, I also think it's a bit misguided to rely solely on the localization. In this particular case, sure that SNES translation is pretty wild, but the PSX version of Phantasia is largely considered to be a solid fan translation that is better than the GBA version we received. As someone part of the localization industry, it becomes apparent how much a title can change when bringing it over, and not necessarily in terms of content but in context. It's common for a project to have multiple translators and multiple editors that each take various parts throughout the title, which can lead to an inconsistent tone/voice. I can't say with any certainty because I've never seen the original Hearts R script, but that dissonance in Kohaku's personality could very well be the result of poor management in a shoddy localization (a criticism that's commonly lobbed at Hearts R to begin with). In short, I get for the purpose of this list given the scope, you wanted to keep it limited to official releases, but I do feel like alternate translations have their merits, if only for comparison sake. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/04/20 12:54:49 AM #148:	Oh, I love fan translations in the broad sense, for sure. They're just a can of worms for a project like this, as you said. #67 - Regal Bryant (Symphonia) "What is this ominous light that threatens to engulf us?" One of a small handful of characters on this list that is less than the sum of his or her parts. Theres a lot about Regal that I quite like. His backstory is solid and well done pretty much all the way through (even if its just a more dramatic version of something that happens two other times in the game), and its a good way to have his cool fighting style make sense in-story. He has good chemistry with a lot of the other party members, particularly Raine - the skit where the two of them discuss whose lives in the party take priority is one of the best in the game, and I wish it had been a full scene so it couldve been voiced and better fleshed out. He has easily the best Flanoir Doctor scene and, just as easily, the most badass ~~sacrifice scene in Welgaia~~. Hes fun in battle once you get the hang of him, although I feel like a lot of his moves dont actually combo the way theyre supposed to. His voice acting makes the most out of his often-shaky dialogue. And of course, the freaking Hadoken is awesome. Heres the issue: I do not know why hes in the game. The Symphonia cast is bloated enough to begin with. They didnt have to exacerbate the problem by adding in someone with absolutely zero plot significance. His story is entirely self-contained (if you dont believe me, look at the game script after the scene with ~~Alicia~~ on the Lezareno roof - he barely speaks if you dont choose him as Lloyds BFF) and just rehashes something we already know (namely, that Exspheres are bad). Nothing in it really feels like it happens organically. I mentioned how great his Flanoir scene is, but hardly anyone will see it because its so difficult to raise his affection. He only really exists to be an add-on to Preseas story, and Ill have a bit more to say on that when I get to her. All that would add up to Regal being a perfectly average character, but then Dawn comes along and completely torpedoes him, and I dont just mean because it gives him BY FAR the worst Mystic Arte in the series. Hes the absolute biggest victim of the writers of that game misunderstanding the Symphonia cast. They treat his being arrested like a running gag, despite his status as a self-labelled and self-punished criminal and all the development thereof being handled with the seriousness it deserves in the first game, which in turn cheapens said development. But the worst line he gets is when Emil first brings up that Decus could have been impersonating Lloyd when he went on his murder sprees. Regal says We have no idea what the truth is. What? I dont know if that just comes out wrong or something, but to me it reads like instead of saying Yeah, that makes sense, hes saying Well, hold on, its still ~~possible~~ ~~it was actually Lloyd killing all those people.~~ Man, that game is so bad. Regal didnt deserve what it did to him. TL;DR: Regal has a lot going for him, but hes hamstrung in the original Symphonia by his effectively being completely pointless, and then even more in Dawn by becoming a joke and being generally stupid. I wish I could put him higher, but ultimately I wish more that he just didnt exist. --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935202807] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>Oh, I love fan translations in the broad sense, for sure. They're just a can of worms for a project like this, as you said. #67 - Regal Bryant (Symphonia) "What is this ominous light that threatens to engulf us?" One of a small handful of characters on this list that is less than the sum of his or her parts. Theres a lot about Regal that I quite like. His backstory is solid and well done pretty much all the way through (even if its just a more dramatic version of something that happens two other times in the game), and its a good way to have his cool fighting style make sense in-story. He has good chemistry with a lot of the other party members, particularly Raine - the skit where the two of them discuss whose lives in the party take priority is one of the best in the game, and I wish it had been a full scene so it couldve been voiced and better fleshed out. He has easily the best Flanoir Doctor scene and, just as easily, the most badass sacrifice scene in Welgaia. Hes fun in battle once you get the hang of him, although I feel like a lot of his moves dont actually combo the way theyre supposed to. His voice acting makes the most out of his often-shaky dialogue. And of course, the freaking Hadoken is awesome. Heres the issue: I do not know why hes in the game. The Symphonia cast is bloated enough to begin with. They didnt have to exacerbate the problem by adding in someone with absolutely zero plot significance. His story is entirely self-contained (if you dont believe me, look at the game script after the scene with Alicia on the Lezareno roof - he barely speaks if you dont choose him as Lloyds BFF) and just rehashes something we already know (namely, that Exspheres are bad). Nothing in it really feels like it happens organically. I mentioned how great his Flanoir scene is, but hardly anyone will see it because its so difficult to raise his affection. He only really exists to be an add-on to Preseas story, and Ill have a bit more to say on that when I get to her. All that would add up to Regal being a perfectly average character, but then Dawn comes along and completely torpedoes him, and I dont just mean because it gives him BY FAR the worst Mystic Arte in the series. Hes the absolute biggest victim of the writers of that game misunderstanding the Symphonia cast. They treat his being arrested like a running gag, despite his status as a self-labelled and self-punished criminal and all the development thereof being handled with the seriousness it deserves in the first game, which in turn cheapens said development. But the worst line he gets is when Emil first brings up that Decus could have been impersonating Lloyd when he went on his murder sprees. Regal says We have no idea what the truth is. What? I dont know if that just comes out wrong or something, but to me it reads like instead of saying Yeah, that makes sense, hes saying Well, hold on, its still possible it was actually Lloyd killing all those people. Man, that game is so bad. Regal didnt deserve what it did to him. TL;DR: Regal has a lot going for him, but hes hamstrung in the original Symphonia by his effectively being completely pointless, and then even more in Dawn by becoming a joke and being generally stupid. I wish I could put him higher, but ultimately I wish more that he just didnt exist. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
NBIceman 03/04/20 12:59:12 AM #149:	And with that, we've made it through our second tier. "No, no, no! Horrible! Terrible! Contrived! What kind of shoddy performance is this? Youre an eyesore! Get out of my sight! 67. Regal Bryant (Symphonia) 68. Kohaku Hearts (Hearts) 69. Cress Albane (Phantasia) 70. Elize Lutus (Xillia) 71. Cheria Barnes (Graces) 72. Lailah (Zestiria) 73. Kunzite (Hearts) 74. Philia Felice (Destiny) 75. Genis Sage (Symphonia) 76. Meredy (Eternia) 77. Mint Adenade (Phantasia) 78. Moses Sandor (Legendia) 79. Dezel (Zestiria) 80. Colette Brunel (Symphonia) 81. Hisui Hearts (Hearts) The reaper and a daemon are shaking their heads at this overwrought monstrosity. Intrinsic worth, zero." 82. Chat (Eternia) 83. Grune (Legendia) 84. Mikleo (Zestiria) 85. Chelsea Torn (Destiny) 86. Patty Fleur (Vesperia) 87. Sorey (Zestiria) 88. Leon Magnus (Destiny) 89. Bruiser Khang (Destiny) 90. Emil Castagnier (Symphonia) 91. Jay (Legendia) 92. Suzu Fujibayashi (Phantasia) 93. Marta Lualdi (Symphonia) 94. Rose (Zestiria) 95. Shirley Fennes (Legendia) --- https://imgur.com/UYamul2 Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights <cite>NBIceman posted [p:935202978] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>And with that, we've made it through our second tier. "No, no, no! Horrible! Terrible! Contrived! What kind of shoddy performance is this? Youre an eyesore! Get out of my sight! 67. Regal Bryant (Symphonia) 68. Kohaku Hearts (Hearts) 69. Cress Albane (Phantasia) 70. Elize Lutus (Xillia) 71. Cheria Barnes (Graces) 72. Lailah (Zestiria) 73. Kunzite (Hearts) 74. Philia Felice (Destiny) 75. Genis Sage (Symphonia) 76. Meredy (Eternia) 77. Mint Adenade (Phantasia) 78. Moses Sandor (Legendia) 79. Dezel (Zestiria) 80. Colette Brunel (Symphonia) 81. Hisui Hearts (Hearts) The reaper and a daemon are shaking their heads at this overwrought monstrosity. Intrinsic worth, zero." 82. Chat (Eternia) 83. Grune (Legendia) 84. Mikleo (Zestiria) 85. Chelsea Torn (Destiny) 86. Patty Fleur (Vesperia) 87. Sorey (Zestiria) 88. Leon Magnus (Destiny) 89. Bruiser Khang (Destiny) 90. Emil Castagnier (Symphonia) 91. Jay (Legendia) 92. Suzu Fujibayashi (Phantasia) 93. Marta Lualdi (Symphonia) 94. Rose (Zestiria) 95. Shirley Fennes (Legendia) </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MichelBollinger 03/04/20 1:00:22 AM #150:	No Abyss, Vesperia, of Berseria characters so far, good show. Patty ain't real. <cite>MichelBollinger posted [p:935203014] in Iceman Ran... [t:78413187]...</cite> <quote>No Abyss, Vesperia, of Berseria characters so far, good show. Patty ain't real. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
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Board 8 > Iceman Ranks Every Tales Series Party Member w/Writeups & Prediction Prizes (+) Yeah! (+)

Board 8 > Iceman Ranks Every Tales Series Party Member w/Writeups & Prediction Prizes