RPGCast - Episode 259: "Don't Preorder Those Shoes!"

[sabin1001]

RPGCast - Episode 259: "Don't Preorder Those Shoes!"

Bethesda challenges our hipster fashion instincts. Nintendo is doing something with that NFC sensor. Square Enix is faring pretty well, actually. And then there's EA...who isn't fine.

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[Balance]

I just want to say, after a huge hiatus, I returned to Diablo 3 and reached paragon 49 but instead I got introduced to a new game "Path of Exiles" which Paws mentioned, as an example of a very small game with few maps that grew it's fan base from the start. well, I have the benefit of coming to it now, when it has far more content to enjoy. If you like titan quest or diablo, I recommend this game, it's absolutely free, has a very in depth skill system to enjoy, voice acting, atmospheric music and interesting itemization! I'm soo hooked!.

[MasterChief]

Going back to the previous podcast, I gave Scarlet Blade a shot.

The closed beta came out recently (though I didn't have to sign up or anything, I just made an Aeria Games account and went in. I don't think that's how a CLOSED beta works...), and it delivered on the titillation, if nothing else. Also, at the very least has proven serviceable in MMO game-play as well. the art style looks like Phantasy Star Universe filtered through Hentai Foundry, providing plenty of bright strips of color and crazy (often skimpy) designs which help to offset some of the more generic-looking early areas of the game. The combat is fairly standard MMO, with hotkeyed skills used by the number key and function key rows at the top of the keyboard, skill points gained at level-up which can be used to unlock/enhance skills, and all the other completely pedestrian trappings of the genre. Being that this is a western beta of a Korean game (it came out last year in South Korea as Queens Blade) there are some text hiccups, though the game is nowhere near Engrish and can be played/understood clearly.

One thing I dislike, and I hope this is addressed before the game leaves beta, is that there is only one path that's used by both factions, rather than the distinct areas seen in other games of this type. It rather makes the two factions pointless other than for the multiplayer games, which are basically deathmatches with up to 80 people in a chaotic cluster****. And yeah, it's pretty chaotic. The stun-lock that happens when other players hit you feels cheap given the battle system, and can make it impossible in some situations to get a hit in. In short, not really all that great.

However, it's clear that the multiplayer is the focus. In the environment, the monsters are mostly passive, with very, very few who will come up to attack you without being attacked or aggroed first. It can make the already tedious grind even more so. Quest dialogue doesn't help because there's just so many ham-fisted innuendos that eye-rolling replaces any arousal that might be gained. The portraits are pretty, at least, and most quests are delivered and concluded without having to trudge to quest givers, so at least the grind is plenty efficient.

Overall, the game is just average, and I wouldn't exactly recommend it. I doubt I'll be playing it much longer, but I thought everyone here would be interested at least.

[Strawberry Eggs]

The whole marriages for the best children thing in Fire Emblem: Awakening is really only a necessity on Lunatic and Lunatic+. Unless the RNG gods really have it in for you, the second generation characters should be just as good, and more often better than their parents regardless of who their mothers marry. I unintentionally made some "bad" choices, such as Frederick for Olivia or Libra for Nowi, and their kids still do well for Normal. I suspect Nah would still do well in Hard (and her Resistance is excellent). I made some unintentional "good" marriage choices as well, such as Cherche with Vaike and my Avatar with Chrom for some over-powered kids, especially on Normal.

On Normal and Hard, it really is just pair up who you want. I prefer to do so based on supports, personality, and the "why not?" factor.

[Ocelot]

I only have one problem with Fire Emblem: Awakening. That problem is my husband's StreetPass team that includes a Morgan with Ignis and Galeforce, wielding a forged-to-the-max Celica's Gale. Oh, and a sneaky swordmaster with Lethality. He laughed so hard the first time I faced that team and started cussing.

Seriously, it's the best game. And I'm with Berry on how to pair up characters. Sometimes I did it because they had awesome supports, sometimes because I wanted to see just how the game was going to manage to tie itself in knots getting two completely unsuited people together. Sometimes, like Tharja and Libra, the results were unexpectedly neat!