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Ashtear

@ Ashtear @lemm.ee

Posts
22
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302
Joined
2 yr. ago

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • I actually don't have one with Warlock as the main class! I love debuffs/CC, and trying to get my spell DC as high as possible means staying in the class (and short rest spell slots).

    Whenever I multi Warlock it tends to be in martial builds, getting the extra attack with Pact of the Blade, or a quick dip into it for Mortal Reminder. I have a crit build I do this with.

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • I'm itching so bad for the BG3 update. It's been one of those games where I'm in the shower and a new multiclass build pops in my head and next thing I know I'm reinstalling it. And now I get a bunch of new toys!

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • I don't see this one talked about much, but when I do, I hear the story is amazing?

  • Final Fantasy XVI - Sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and punch big, dumb monsters

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  • I did like the one on the brand surgery. I had a hunch that one would be good and went with it. However, what I really wanted was more on

    Jill's curse progression,

    but from what I can tell, there wasn't one for that. Just the one with the flowers. (I haven't played the DLC, though I plan to some time.)

  • Final Fantasy XVI - Sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and punch big, dumb monsters

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  • Ah yeah, this one's not nearly complicated enough to have all that, hah. You'll get a prompt concisely describing a new system when you unlock one and a small summary of new powers when you get them. That's about it.

    If Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the ultimate hand-holding tutorial experience, FFXVI is about as far as you get on the other side of the spectrum while still having tutorials/descriptions.

  • Final Fantasy XVI - Sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and punch big, dumb monsters

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  • Even among JRPGs, Persona 5 and Dragon Quest XI were turn-based games that were big sellers. Octopath and Like a Dragon have had some success too.

    But yes, it does seem like the division leads at SQEX want action combat for mainline Final Fantasy. Maybe we'll get something in a hybrid style like Metaphor or the recent Trails games.

  • Mid game review: Life is Strange 2 (2018) PS5

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  • This was ultimately my least favorite release of the series, but I agree that the "choices matter" element of the game is quite strong. I always appreciate a lower budget game like this really going for it in that realm.

    The story hasn't aged well for me--this game's initial plot hook would have looked a lot different after 2020--and it's sad that the atmosphere of the game feels quaint today. A lot of what the two go through is disturbingly commonplace among persons of color in the US, but then they have this cult chapter of the story that stretches suspension of disbelief well past the breaking point. I'm still annoyed at its inclusion, which I think undercuts the (very important) greater message the story was trying to tell.

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • You're not kidding. I think my death count on Demon is the highest for me in any FromSoft game.

  • No One Was Around To Collect Life Is Strange: Double Exposure's Award For Social Impact Following Layoffs

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  • I didn't hate DE and really liked most of True Colors, but the first game really was lightning in a bottle. They haven't come close to it.

  • No One Was Around To Collect Life Is Strange: Double Exposure's Award For Social Impact Following Layoffs

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  • The series is definitely in trouble. Who knows, maybe SQEX will shuffle it off to a different studio again.

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • It took a good chunk of time for 13 Sentinels to hook me, but it eventually did and it's continued to grow on me after finishing it. Delightful soundtrack, too.

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • Among games with a fixed narrative, Persona 5 Royal is still the longest game I've ever played.

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • Got burned out on Owlcat games. Really enjoyed Pathfinder: Kingmaker but thought it was almost there in some areas, and kept hearing people say Wrath of the Righteous was better. Got through maybe half of the latter and can't say I agree as of yet. But I'm having to put it down for now, thinking I jumped back in to a CRPG too soon. The encounter density is just too much for me, and I might have to put the crusade management on auto next time I pick it up.

    Grabbed Final Fantasy XVI instead. It's a nice change of pace, really enjoying it so far.

  • GTA 6's console-only launch reminds me of how much I despise console exclusivity - is it worth waiting years for PC ports?

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  • This is another of the benefits of patient gaming, avoiding the delays caused by the double-dip fishing Rockstar does with their games. For me, the last three years' release schedules have been so stacked that they don't leave much room for temptation or frustration with delays. I've always got something to play.

    I understand the frustration for the diehard GTA fans, but I would have figured those people moved to console if they weren't already.

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • Well...that's better than the 20+ I needed for Crusader Kings 2.

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • Jumped into Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous a couple weeks ago. Was a bit concerned at first because I enjoyed Kingmaker and kept hearing this one was better, but I was not feeling it. Then the end of the first chapter hit and the hook set in deep. I'm not far in, but the scope of this story is already really impressive. I feel like this is the kind of thing that's too ambitious for me to ever have a chance at playing in tabletop (not without a really experienced DM and group, anyway), so it's cool that this story can be experienced in this way.

  • Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week?

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  • Terra Invicta has been on my wishlist for a while now but I've been holding off because a) I sometimes avoid early access and b) the learning curve sounds brutal. Sounds like it'd be right up my alley if I got into it, though.

    Surviving Mars is delightfully chill. Amazing soundtrack, too.

  • Bafta: "we’re asking players from around the world to help us decide the Most Influential Video Game of All Time."

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  • And it's not just that. Half-Life also spawned Counter-Strike, one of the foundational pieces of e-sports (if not also the modding scene in general today). Not to mention being a precursor to today's digital distribution model in the industry.

  • 'These kids do not care about romance': Game devs want to know what today's teens want, and surveys say sex and romance isn't it

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  • Nice to see a shout-out for DOS2. I liked that it leaned into its sex scenes when called for. Too many M-rated games are still afraid to go there with it. I also feel like it's a bit more earned when it takes a while to develop, or as is often the case, the setting is so oppressive that it puts romance firmly in the background. Mass Effect 3 was great about this.

  • Just started playing Life is Strange

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  • It's definitely one of those that can take a little while to click with the player. I had the advantage of being deeply interested in the setting. It made me miss living in Oregon so, so much. Aside from that, I really came to like the characters by the end of the original game and Before the Storm.

    I've continued to enjoy the series--yes, even the newest one--aside from LiS 2, which felt like misery porn after a while. That said, all of the games excel at getting the quiet moments right, and it's worth taking a moment to pause when the game offers the chance.

  • Gaming @beehaw.org
    Ashtear @lemm.ee

    13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim shipments and digital sales top one million

    www.gematsu.com /2023/08/13-sentinels-aegis-rim-shipments-and-digital-sales-top-one-million
  • Gaming @beehaw.org
    Ashtear @lemm.ee

    Sea of Stars (2023) review thread