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everygame · 25 days

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Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age (Definitive Edition)

Developed/Published by: Square Enix Released: 27/09/2019 Completed: 14/02/2024 Completion: Finished the main story then defeated the true final boss in the post-game.

Well, where to start with Dragon Quest XI? I actually “finished” this before I even played through Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (and not long before–I can’t believe I did two lengthy Japanese RPGs in such quick succession) but the thing about Dragon Quest XI is is that it makes it immediately clear when you finish it that it’s not really the ending and you have to do the post-game to truly finish it. So I thought “oh, well, I’ll put it down for a while and play some other stuff and come back to it.”

That (obviously) meant I put it down for a year and after Strange Journey every time I thought about picking up another RPG I’d think “oh, but I haven’t really finished Dragon Quest XI…”

So with Persona 3 Reload and that out now I thought I better rip the band-aid off.

The band-aid could probably have stayed on?

Here’s the thing about Dragon Quest XI: It’s fine! It’s fine. It’s just… I never found it that interesting. I remember loving Dragon Quest IX, but here I could just feel the structure immediately and nothing exciting enough happens narratively that I became engaged. It’s the classic story: you’re the chosen one (snooze). You’ve got to collect X things from different parts of the world to defeat the big baddie (snooze). Every location you visit has a wee story chain/quest that involves you visiting the local dungeon, killing the local problem, and fixing the local situation.

It’s all… fine. The game is a bit too forgiving in that it’s super easy to avoid enemies so I think they accidentally broke the pacing, and in turn the character development is so expansive and complex that it’s just too much, with every character ending up with this huge list of spells and abilities that you end up using about 3 of (this is especially annoying when you come back for the post-game and discover you need to re-equip and respec your entire team because you’ve gone back in time and blah blah this blah blah that.)

Even if I loved the narrative and the play (and listen: I do like myself a turn-based battle from time to time, and I imagine the end-of-act 1 twist worked for some) Dragon Quest XI does the same thing I get annoyed at, say, Monster Hunter for: they keep just enough legacy interface to make doing things annoying.

There’s absolutely no reason that there’s both a menu on start that includes some things you use all the time (like your forge, or your mounts) but also a menu on a totally different button that has a bunch of stuff you use all the time as well (including quitting to the main menu, which is nested under “misc.”). And then you have things like an “Items” option and an “Equipment” option, and you can only easily see the equipment in your equipment bag from the… Items option. And character still have to be equipped with items before battles, which takes forever and every item is held individually (they do at least let you instantly put all non-essential items back in the item bag rather than have to remove them one at a time, but it’s still an almighty ball-ache.)

The game is full of these little niggles; things that are probably second nature to people who have been with the series since the beginning, but decidedly unenjoyable for those of us who aren’t. It could all just be a little more streamlined.

The thing is though is that it’s pretty obvious that Dragon Quest is a “if you like this sort of thing, you’ll like this sort of thing”, er, thing, and I think if you are someone who likes levelling up pre-existing characters, or like avoiding enemies and trying to farm metal slimes, doesn’t mind the interface or just are cool with yet another chosen one plot because you get to do those things, then Dragon Quest IX is pretty great! It looks good, there’s always forward momentum, and Eric from Two Doors Down voices your grandpa. Can’t really say fairer than that.

Will I ever play it again? No.

Final Thought: I should recount, however, something very funny. The post-game of Dragon Quest XI takes the plot in a weird, time-travelly direction that doesn’t make a ton of sense without you putting in a lot of work (“er, timelines can only exist if there’s a luminary… so the first timeline is absorbed into the second, but the third one is actually a loop…”) but offers a sort of open-world, “second quest” experience where you can go anywhere and fight all the bosses again but they’re much harder.

However you really only have to fight three, two who you fight basically immediately and then a third you can put off for as long as you like, meaning that the most efficient way to do the post-game (if you just want to see the credits) is to just farm metal slimes for a while and then beat the boss…

(Which actually raises another thing about Dragon Quest XI that annoyed me. You go back in time and because the protagonist is by tradition silent, he doesn’t explain anything to anyone. Meaning that there’s an entire sequence where he knows someone is a baddie, but just hangs out with them and relies on a different baddie stopping that baddie? I mean he just goes to sleep leaving the important mcguffin that destroyed the world in the previous timeline out??? And don’t get me started on the ultimate bad guy appearing and then just… hanging out in the sky doing nothing. Like what, was he ever going to do anything? What was he waiting for???)

…Wait, let me get to the funny thing. So I spent quite a while playing the post-game because misunderstood something I’d read. I believe that you needed the “Supreme Sword of Light” to make fighting the final boss not impossible, which is a weapon with a fairly complicated, specific plot-chain to unlock. Once I’d got it, I got into the final battle and it didn’t work.

Turns out you actually need the “Super Sword of Light” which you already have in your inventory to begin with.

I guess that’s what I get for skimming FAQs as soon as I get stuck…

Hi. If you’ve been following this tumblr, you will be familar that I usually try and drive to towards my ko-fi after every article. However, I would instead like to ask you for a favour–could you check out the fundraiser my best friend Steven is running to help cover travel insurance costs? I know there are so many deserving causes, but Steven has a stage 4 brain tumour and it would mean the world to me if you considered donating, or sharing his page, to help make his remaining time the best ever.

#gaming #video games #games #txt #text #review #nintendo #nintendo switch #dragon quest #dragon quest xi #dragon quest xi: echoes of an elusive age #square enix #2019

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creatormail · 1 year

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The Best New Games Coming Out This Month

Video games are a fun and relaxing way to spend time. Some of the best times we have are when we’re playing video games. From gaming on your phone to gaming consoles, there’s always some new experience to try out.

That’s why every month, we come up with a list of the latest video games that’ll keep you hooked for hours. Whether you’re looking for casual games or adventure games, there’s something for everyone in this list. Let’s get into it!

The Best New Casual Games of the Month

There are a variety of new games coming out this month that you can play on your smartphone, tablet, or PC. Some of the best new casual games include Time Crimes, which is an adventure game where you must solve the mystery of the stolen jewels; Drag Racing Heaven, a racing game where you control a car and race against others on a circuit; IQ Boggle, a puzzle game where you must match letters to create words; and Kingdom Rush Frontiers, a strategy game where you must stop an alien invasion. You can also try out any of these games on your gaming console if you have one.

The Best New Adventure Games of the Month

The new adventure games of the month are abundant and varied, with a few titles standing out above the rest. Among the best is Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age on Nintendo Switch. The game is the latest in the popular series and features highly polished gameplay and a beautifully created world. Players can explore large areas as they take on quests to save the land of Eorzea.

Another excellent choice is Team Sonic Racing on Nintendo Switch. This game combines classic Sonic gameplay with elements of racing games, making it easy to pick up but challenging to master. As players progress, they can unlock new characters, cars, tracks, and more.

Other great games include Telltale's The Walking Dead: Season Three and Nier: Automata. Both of these games offer engaging stories with satisfying endings that leave players wanting more. Picking any of these games will provide plenty of entertainment for players everywhere this month.

The Best New Puzzle Games of the Month

The month of May is full of exciting new games for players to enjoy. Mahjong is an old-world tile-matching game with a Chinese theme. It’s a great way to pass time and de-stress.

Jewels Connect is a match-three puzzle game with jewels as the main object. It's fun and addictive, and the levels get harder as you go along. Players can also unlock special achievements if they take the gaming seriously.

Gardenscapes is another puzzle game in which players must restore a garden to its former glory. The levels get progressively harder, so it’s best to complete them all before moving on to the next stage. Word Jumble is another word puzzle game in which the aim is to unscramble jumbled letters. It’s easy to pick up and highly addictive, making it perfect for anyone who loves puzzles.

Finally, Farm Frenzy 3: Ice Age is a farming simulation game in which players must manage their resources and crops efficiently to ensure their farm runs smoothly and generates the most profits possible. There are many different ways to play, so anyone can find something that appeals to them.

The Best New Strategy Games of the Month

The best new strategy games of the month are numerous and varied, but for the top games you can't go past the stellar list of titles coming to console and PC this month. A few standout games on that list include Empire: Total War on PC, Sid Meier's Civilization VI on PC, XCOM 2 on PC, and Fallout 4 on console.

These games offer endless hours of strategic gameplay for fans of the genre. If you're looking for more of a casual experience, check out Stardew Valley on consoles and PC. This delightful farm sim tasks players with cultivating crops and caring for livestock as they search for happiness in a colorful world.

Latest reviews of the best new video games

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the latest game to grace the gaming scene and has garnered a lot of critical acclaim. This game is an open world adventure game set in an expansive world of medieval Europe. The game features non-linear gameplay and allows players to explore the vastness of the world as they wish.

Fallout 4 is another highly anticipated game of the year. This game is an all-new and original story set in the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout. It features a massive, open-world environment and offers non-linear gameplay that lets players choose their own path through it. Rise of the Tomb Raider is another highly acclaimed gaming title of this year. This game returns to the iconic Lara Croiter franchise in an epic journey. The gameplay focuses on exploration and survival as Lara Croft traverses a vast, uncharted island filled with deadly obstacles and breathtaking vistas.

Gears of War 4 is one more highly acclaimed gaming title from this year that comes with loads of action, adventure, and adrenaline rush. The game is based on a militaristic atmosphere where players can experience high fames and low lows as they fight to protect humanity from extinction by playing as Marcus Fenix, a war veteran turned soldier on a journey to save his people from imminent destruction by destroying mankind's oppressors, the coalition forces.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which games are most likely to be popular this month?

Gamers everywhere are eagerly waiting for some of the month's most anticipated games to come out. Here are three of the most popular ones:

1. Shadow of the Tomb Raider: The latest Tomb Raider game is set in the wild and treacherous environments of Mexico and is expected to be a blockbuster hit with gamers.

2. Metro Exodus: A post-apocalyptic open world game set in the Moscow metro, Metro Exodus is sure to captivate gamers with its immersive setting and action-packed gameplay.

3. Spider-Man: With Marvel's newest movie set to come out this year, gamers are eager to play the newest installment in the Spider-Man series.

Conclusion

There are many video games that you can play during this time of the year. You can also try your hand at gaming-inspired crafts such as gaming art or gaming predictions, which we’ve written about in the past. Whatever game genre interests you, we’re sure you’ll find something to your liking. Happy gaming!

#@social media @gaming news

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denalcare · 1 year

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The Best New Games Coming Out This Month

The Best New Casual Games of the Month

The Best New Adventure Games of the Month

The Best New Puzzle Games of the Month

The month of May is full of exciting new games for players to enjoy. Mahjong is an old-world tile-matching game with a Chinese theme. It’s a great way to pass time and de-stress.

The Best New Strategy Games of the Month

Latest reviews of the best new video games

Frequently Asked Questions

Which games are most likely to be popular this month?

Gamers everywhere are eagerly waiting for some of the month's most anticipated games to come out. Here are three of the most popular ones:

1. Shadow of the Tomb Raider: The latest Tomb Raider game is set in the wild and treacherous environments of Mexico and is expected to be a blockbuster hit with gamers.

2. Metro Exodus: A post-apocalyptic open world game set in the Moscow metro, Metro Exodus is sure to captivate gamers with its immersive setting and action-packed gameplay.

3. Spider-Man: With Marvel's newest movie set to come out this year, gamers are eager to play the newest installment in the Spider-Man series.

Conclusion

#@game news #@best news

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capsulecomputers · 3 years

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Our review for Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition is live! Find out what we thought of it below!

#Dragon Quest #Dragon Quest XI #Dragon Quest XI S #Echoes Of an Elusive Age #Dragon Quest XI S Echoes Of An Elusive Age #RPG #JRPG #Dragon Quest Review

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laureviewer · 4 years

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Dragons Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age—A Review

WARNING: (not full) spoilers below.

‘We did it darliiiings!’

That’s what I cried, a-la the Great Sylvando, once I finished this game. 112 hours in, and all the way through it showed no signs of slowing. Which, for a shameless JRPG-lover like myself, is exactly what I want in a game. Hours and hours of combat, exploration through stunning scenery, empathetic and deep characters and, most importantly, a completely immersive and entertaining story that I can’t wait to see the climax—but, crucially, I can.

The Chosen One

The story begins in Erdrea, where monsters have invaded the fantastical world—why, we’re not quite sure. All we know, as the infant protagonist, is that we are found washed up on the riverbank by a kindly old man named Chalky, who takes us to his village and gives us to our adoptive mother, Amber.

And, guess what? He’s the Chosen One—the Luminary. You’d have thought our hero would have realised something was different about him with the presence of a very specific birthmark tattooed on the back of his hand, but he and his childhood friend Gemma do come from a sheltered town with very little knowledge of the outside world, after all. True to form for a lot of adventure games, he’s the only one who can save the world. After finding this out in a coming-of-age ceremony a few years later, Amber tells him to go to King Carnelian of Heliodor, who is sure to help him understand what all this means. Right?

If our silent protagonist could talk, this is where he would be screaming, ‘I’m not the Darkspawn!’ as King Carnelian throws him in the dungeon. But thank Yggdrasil he did, or we wouldn’t meet our first companion in our band of loveable misfits.

The Power of Friendship

I’m still unsure why, after so many hours of gameplay, why Erik endears himself the most to me, but he does. Sure, he’s the first one you meet, and you team up to escape the dungeon (running from a giant dragon along the way!), but he’s also a dishonest thief. Throughout the game, you never quite know if he’s in it for himself or to help you save the world. I’ve concluded that he’s actually doing it for you, and your budding bromance…or, at least, that’s my own head cannon. He’s misunderstood. His cutting sarcasm is welcome in a story of overly keen optimists (see: Sylvando). And he’s who the hero seems to look at whenever there’s a sweet, sentimental moment in the story, cementing their true friendship.

Or, maybe it’s because Akira Toriyama drew these characters, and his colourful hair and spunky attitude remind me of my childhood DBZ crush, Trunks. Either way, I’m Team Erik, with his knife-wielding, quick-thinking style of fighting, all the way. My only gripe is that his damage wasn’t that great for me until endgame, unfortunately.

Even though we don’t meet Sylvando until later, it seems that my mind demands he be the next to discuss—much like Sylvando demands much of the attention within the game. We first meet him at the circus, where he is a beloved performer. His quest is to make the people of the world smile—a noble endeavour in a world where the Dark One is coming to rid the world of happiness for good. He is the absolute epitome of flamboyance: he calls your band of companions ‘darlings’; he has a half-naked ship captain with bulging muscles and a pink face mask called Dave, of all things; and he even leads a peacock-feathered parade at a certain point in the game, which the hero must cheerily join in, feathers and sassy sway absolutely necessary.

And yet, he doesn’t simply function as comic relief. He is brave, charming, sympathetic, and quite often the heart of the group. He is always the one to ask if a character is okay, or if they need help, and has conviction that only Henrik, our resident knight in shining armour, would rival. Plus, he’s fantastic with a whip (because of course he is) and has some fabulous healing moves that have saved me more than once in a tough fight. The group would be nothing without Sylvando—and he absolutely knows it!

Veronica & Serena serve as our other characters who are bound by destiny. They are Keepers, born to protect aid the Luminary on his quest. As twins, you’d expect them to look the same…but, after an encounter with monsters, Veronica was turned into a child, and is stuck that way. As an offensive mage who hates being treated like a child, she serves as the brash one of the group, quick to anger, much like her fiery spells.

Serena, on the other hand, serves as the yin to Veronica’s yang. She is temperate and always willing to help, if somewhat hapless. The primary healer of the group, she excels in restorative and defensive magic, and has a harp to while away the less hopeful days. As a pair, these two are steadfast, loyal, and…to be honest, aren’t much more interesting than that, unless Veronica is being goaded into an argument.

Until the later game, anyway. I won’t spoil that here, but will just say I underestimated both their spell casting abilities and their importance in the story.

You know how the hero is the Chosen One, the Luminary and the absolute saviour of the world? Well, he also happens to be a Prince of Dundrasil. Had the fates been kinder, he might have been brought up in a huge castle, with loving royal family around to raise and guide him.

Rab, a fierce, playful and wise old man (with a banging Scottish accent) is ready to heal, attack with offensive magic, and guide our hero around the expansive world. And, as we find out after defeating him and his sexy companion in a battle competition in Octagonia (see: Jade), he is also grandfather to our hero, and thus a Lord of Dundrasil himself. He may seem old, but not only does he have royal blood, but he is a capable spell-caster and martial artist, making it apparent that he is one of the most capable companions in the game. If I were to ask anyone for advice, knowing that he would neither mince his words nor omit anything important, I would go to Rab.

You know what any game directed at kids needs? That’s right, a sexy warrior princess that you can stick in a bunny costume for most of the game. Even if you choose not to do that, her combat outfit doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

Thankfully, Jade isn’t just eye-candy. She has far more going for her. She’s a Princess of Heliodor, the hero’s childhood companion who lost him as a baby. She just wants to find him, her younger brother figure (sadly), and help him fulfil his destiny. Plus, as a battle and spear fighter, she has some of the strongest moves in the game—albeit mostly from her sexy, love-based moves such as ‘Hip Thrust’ and ‘Sexy Beam’, only comparable with Sylvando’s equally as sexy and flamboyant ‘Lashings of Love’ and ‘That’s Amore’ moves. She’s a badass bitch who takes no crap from lovestruck men or monsters.

Though, she has her very own Princess Leia moment, where she is captured by a horrific, giant, evil and ugly monster and made to wear a sexy outfit (hey, there’s that bunny girl outfit again). It is heavily implied she has been under his mind control, and that he’s been having his ‘wicked way’ with her. Good thing she comes out of it with sexy vampire powers, isn’t it?

HEAVY SPOILERS NOW. I warn you, don’t go any further if you care about that kind of thing.

Our final companion is one who doesn’t show up until late game. Sir Henrik, a Knight of Heliodor, is the hero we all need. He defends his ruler to the last (which, spoiler alert, nearly ended up being his fatal flaw), is willing to sacrifice himself for the good of all, and defends the weak: a true knight, with chivalry, bravery, and total care for all others. It’s a shame he hated the hero for the first half of the game, really.

But do I care about that? No, I care that his greatsword abilities make him an absolute tank. On a one-on-one fight, I needed him front and centre of every battle just for his incredible damage output. Against multiple enemies, he is less useful, but with his supplementary healing and defence skills, he isn’t just an attacker, but a true defender of the people to the last.

Calm it with the Combat

My god, this game has a lot of battles. While that’s expected for a turn-based JRPG, and there were a lot, unlike others such as Pokémon, you can choose which battles to avoid as the figures traverse the overworld. This is useful in such a slow-burning game, and also helps you find the monsters you want—again, a definite improvement on the way Pokémon works, as it saves you having to fight hundreds of creatures you don’t want to find the ones with the best EXP.

A notable exception to this is when you have to find and defeat a rare monster for a quest, which don’t traverse the overworld. This means you have to fight potentially hundreds of more common monsters to find the one you want, which can be frustrating, especially as it is all done on chance and not on how many you have defeated. While you can increase your chances with various items or equipment, it still adds a frustrating amount of time to an already long game.

Another vague annoyance is how much harder the game gets post-game. I actually did not have an issue with this, as a friend told me how to farm the elusive and high-EXP metal slimes using a particular Hero-Erik-Jade Pep Power and so I could use this ability throughout post-game. However, for those not in the know, the potentially grinding at the end of the game may put some people off finishing an already saturated game.

What I loved about the combat was how it kept getting harder and harder. I never worried about over-levelling (as said above, I was more worried about being under levelled) and that meant I could do what I do best: do all side-quests before the end of the main story. In other JRPGs, the completionist in me has always made me want to do all side-quests, but this has meant the final boss has been underwhelming and easier than it should be.

The variation of powers and attacks was also really interesting. You can spec into different forms of fighting for each character—I went for Swords with the hero, Whips for Sylvando, Boomerangs with Erik (after using Daggers for most of the game), Heavy Wands for Rab and Veronica, Wands for Serena, Spears for Jade, and Greatswords for Henrik—and this makes all the combinations of them in the party very cool. I normally just controlled the hero during the fights and let the others fight wisely, unless there was a specific quest to fulfil or a particularly hard boss. Not only did this speed up combat, but it also helped me to learn which of their moves were the most effective against which monsters automatically and quickly, which was easier than picking moves and trying them out myself. It’s easy, with enough gold, to respec if you like, and this I’m sure could make the game fee different every time if you wanted to play with different specs.

Pep powers were also a lot of fun. While it was sometimes annoying waiting for some or all of the characters to pep up and therefore use these moves that combine different characters’ moves for ‘Ultimate’ attacks, they provided fun cutscenes and made the battles more interesting. Plus, they reminded me a lot of DBZ moves, especially the epic ones with the hero and Rab!

Top tip: you can swap out characters and they will keep their pepped-up status. I wish I’d known about that a lot earlier!

The monster designs are great, as per usual Akira Toriyama style. There are lots of different kinds, from slimes, to mechs, to really weird ones like the kissy lip monster and the Bongo Drongos. The bosses are also amazing. Just all the character designs, from human to monster, to anything else. I see a lot of DBZ in all of them, which is fantastic.

You know what? Here’s some pictures. You’re welcome.

Mini Games & Challenges: Hey, I actually want to do these!

I often have issues with mini games, as sometimes they are so different from the main game that I just don’t want to spend time playing them. Gwent in another of my favourite games, The Witcher 3 is a good example: I never really learnt the rules, which I’m sure would have helped, but it was so detached from the main game I just didn’t care. Plus, it had no effect on the story or game at large, so what was the point?

In DQ11, sure, you don’t need to rack up 500,000 casino tokens in poker or the slots to buy better gear. You don’t have to finish first in all five Gallopolis horse races. Forging items isn’t totally needed to advance the game. It’s not necessary to win all five rounds of the Wheel of Harma in a certain number of moves (though this is much more like the rest of the game than the other mini games). But I did all of these, and it was great fun. It’s what’s helped make the game such a time suck (especially the casino) but I never felt like they were a chore.

Apart from the crossbow bullseyes. I did none of them as apparently I only noticed about three out of however many there are. They can suck my Sword of Light.

What’s a good JRPG without me questioning the point of life after it’s over?

JRPGs do it best—fight me.

The story of DQ11 is immersive, interesting, intricate and, at times, incredibly heart-breaking. Following the hero and his friends for over 100 hours really means you get to dive into their adventure, and more so, their relationships. You truly believe why they have chosen to follow each other into danger, to protect each other as well as the world. Sure, he’s the Luminary, so Serena & Veronica, the Luminary’s guides, at least have a reason to follow him to the end. The fact he’s the Luminary at may mean the characters have more faith in him than they would anyone else without lightning powers. But, even without that, you get the impression that they trust him for his innocent and yet resolute determination to do the right thing, whatever the cost.

The NPCs in the game also provide variety and are a lot of fun. There’s a lovesick mermaid, a brilliantly incompetent prince, two brothers in Laguna di Gondolia who are trying to sell the same things to you for different prices, and Silvando’s Smile Brigade, to name just a few. Their backstories, personalities and current stories all bring life to a game already chock full of it, and makes even simple fetch quests interesting and well worth doing, if you value a good story like I do. These little touches explain why the game clocks in at well over 100+ hours, but at the same time gives true justification to why that is. It’s the difference between a boring game, and one I loved to turn on and just relax of an evening. I might not have done all that much in three hours, but I still enjoyed every minute.

With everything considered, I will remember DQ11 fondly as one of my favourite JRPGs to date. The storyline, characters, combat and score are all fantastic and makes me wish I played the older games. Thank you, Dragon Quest, for giving me 112 hours of fun.

#game review #dragon quest 11 #dragon quest xi #dq11 #dqxi #games #gaming #review

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squinoas · 4 years

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Final Fantasy VII: Remake is both a blessing and a curse, to newcomers and series veterans alike - a (kinda) in-depth review of Final Fantasy VII: Remake.

Final Fantasy VII: Remake is both a blessing and a curse, to newcomers and series veterans alike.

As the latter, and someone who has played and enjoyed (and watched, in the case of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children), most of the compilation that followed the original, I feel confident in saying this game is a worthy remake of the standout hit that put Final Fantasy on the radar of the Western audience. The blessing is an imaginative and fleshed out retelling of a fraction of an original thirty-hour story – stretching it out and giving backstory to returning characters, while introducing some fresh (and welcome) faces along the way. The Midgar section in the beginning of the original Final Fantasy VII clocks in at around 3-4 hours of a player’s overall journey.

Not this time.

But is that also the aforementioned curse of this game? That those players who have enjoyed the original many, many times know of what it still to come? Throughout my play through of the game this felt like it was going to be its main detractor, when actually the ending completely throws this into the air.

Only time will tell if this is a good decision that will pay off, or if it will backfire. Nevetheless, I’m optimistic that the best is yet to come.

How long will we have to wait for more? That’s anyone’s guess at this point, especially with the Coronavirus situation. Safety comes first, and any delays to the second and third parts of this episodic epic (and I hope it continues to be epic) will be understandable – and hopefully, much like this first part, well worth the wait.

GAMEPLAY (COMBAT, MATERIA, WEAPONS)

Much furore has been made about the series ditching a turn-based system – one still employed by Dragon Quest (another Square-Enix property, and the most recent instalment, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, one of, if not my favourite, recent JRPGs).

Final Fantasy now employs an action-based model, more akin to another property, Kingdom Hearts.

Sometimes erratic and frenzied in 2016’s Final Fantasy XV, I’m happy to say that Square-Enix appeared to fine tune most of the aspects I disliked about that game’s playstyle and the result is Final Fantasy VII: Remake’s fun gameplay.

Keeping the ATB gauge involved was a good move, and gave the game a familiarity. The oscillating difficulties mean that there is a playstyle for everyone to find. I managed the entire game on normal mode (even my first time fighting the Whispers), until the Sephiroth boss battle. I have my own narrative issues with us fighting Sephiroth in the first part of this game anyway, but the difficulty spike in this battle on Normal mode felt unreal. I’d managed the slog that was the Hell House boss battle, and the annoyance of the escape from Shinra section, including that boss battle, but this was another level, and the only boss I had to change to easy mode for (which meant redoing the Whispers fight on that mode too).

On the other hand, there were bosses where, understanding their attack patterns and developing a strategy meant that winning the fight felt genuinely rewarding, as opposed to just time and energy-draining. An example of this was the Ghoul fought in the Train Graveyard – a new inclusion, and a whole strand of story that I enjoyed immensely. That battle really made use of switching between party members – Cloud and Tifa taking the lead in physical attacks and Aerith using her magic whenever necessary.

Materia has been updated, but not massively. Rather than a huge overhaul of the system, it still works largely how it did before. It’s been adapted for an action-JRPG but still comes down to strategy. However, an option to change materia mid-fight might have been prudent, considering the variety of enemy weaknesses. I found myself having to restart more than one fight because a batch of enemy scrolled through at least three different weaknesses and I was never adequately prepared for them at first. But at least restarting these fights was easy and hassle-free.

I liked the additions of new materia; such as Synergy which is another way to control what your other party members do in a fight, and the Magnify materia which works like the All materia of the original game. It made finding new materia fun and fresh, and meant I was constantly changing up my strategies to see what worked best.

The weapons system has been changed significantly, however. The upgrade screen looks stylistically like the crystarium from Final Fantasy XIII and the Historia Crux from Final Fantasy XIII-2. Therefore, it looks interesting, but is actually kind of boring when it comes to upgrading weapons. I ended up letting the computer upgrade my weapons with the balanced option, and this was a cool feature for people like me who found the task of upgrading tedious; especially when having to click out of each character’s weapons to only click into another one.

But the abilities that came with the weapons and having to develop a proficiency for these abilities was a nice addition. The only time I felt hindered by this was when Barret had to learn an ability on a close combat weapon. I like the fidelity to the original, but at the same time it was a handicap. Of course this is probably my own problem as I could have chosen not to use those weapons, something I may not do in a second playthrough.

Nonetheless, I felt like it encouraged me to play as every party member, and some were just downright cool. Special mention has to go out to Aerith’s Ray of Judgement, and Barret’s Maximum Fury which are so OP it isn’t even funny.

STORY (CHARACTERS, PLOT, ADDITIONS)

The original Final Fantasy VII is well known for the infamous ship wars. Clerith vs Cloti has been the ongoing debate for the past twenty years, and I don’t think this game is going to convince anyone that their side is right or wrong. It’s still left open to interpretation, at least in my opinion, and perhaps this was the best way to keep everyone satisfied. However, the game adds the additional element of having Aerith confirm that she did indeed love Zack Fair, the main protagonist and her love interest in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. As a ‘Zerith’ and ‘Cloti’ shipper myself, this game gave me plenty of moments to love for both couples. As someone who does have a liking for Clerith and Aerti, it kept me more than fed.

I have to give kudos to those involved with the game that they stayed true to the very canon interpretation that Aerith and Tifa are friends, and always were. True, they both expressed some small mote of jealously in the original game (and, at times, in this one too), but it quickly becomes obvious that they are both strong-willed young women who admire each other greatly. There are great examples of their burgeoning friendship but my favourites have to be kicking the lecherous asses of Don Corneo’s lackeys, and discussing a shopping trip for stuff for the bar.

All in all, the characters are kept true to their original incarnations. If anything, they – as with everything else in this game – are given to breath and work through things organically. They are fleshed out, and given further backstories, motivations and plot. I think this was best done with the doomed member of AVALANCHE, Jessie. She’s given a last name which, to begin with, makes her feel less like an ancillary plot device and more a character in her own right. To add to this, we meet her mother and father; which absolutely tugged at my heartstrings, what with her father’s tragic accident leaving him in a comatose state. We find out Jessie wanted to be an actress and was working at the Gold Saucer (this also works as a nice nod to places we know exist in-universe but will not visit until a later instalment).

Marle, Leslie, Madam M, Andrea Rhodes – every Chocobo Sam – are all fantastic additions, and I hope we see them again. In particular I would love to see Leslie reunited with his lost love in a future game.

Now, in terms of the story, I have played the original inside and out for many years, and always thought I would be against changes made to the story. Throughout most of the game most of these additions are simply changes that just make things more interesting for someone like me who’s played the original before. Towards the end, however, things take a drastic turn, and turn everything we’ve known on its head. As I said before, I have no idea where this is going to go in the next part, and there were some aspects that left me scratching my head.

The main of these being Zack. As far as anyone who has played the original or Crisis Core will know, Zack died in a last stand against the Shinra corps sent after him and Cloud after their break out from Nibelheim. However, the ending raises some interesting questions. At first I thought us defeating the Whispers had rewritten Zack’s fate, but maybe that’s not the case. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see where they take it (one change I did not like was Zack’s voice actor. I know all the English VAs were changed – which I wasn’t a big fan of in the first place – but the new voice actor does not sound good compared to Rick Gomez).

Overall, our characters end the game in more or less the same position as the end of the Midgar section of the original, but after the events of the battles with the Whispers it appears that certain events that would have been due to happen (the original ending with Red XIII, Aerith’s death, etc) may not happen at all – or at least, not in the way we think.

#GUESS WHO FINISHED THE GAME THIS MORNING SUCKAS #this girl #this post contains spoilers so do not go any further if you haven't finished the game #it's not really that in-depth but i was trying something new #it got kinda long tho #and a lot of this was written before i finished the game #if you guys want to know my opinion on anything i've missed out just send me a message #and yes this means the hiatus is OVER #gifs are incoming #everything will be tagged #ffviir spoilers #for at least the next few months #text post

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biscuitreviews · 4 years

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Biscuit Reviews Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Many game titles have a long lasting legacy: Mario, Sonic, Final Fantasy, and just recently, The Sims, are some of the titles that have existed and have been beloved to many generations of gamers. However, one series that has just as much of a lasting legacy, is a series that has never been popular in the West, Dragon Quest. Even though this series has never gained the traction that many other titles have, Dragon Quest has laid down the very foundation that for not only the JRPG genre, but for the RPG genre as well.

I’ve always been curious about this franchise and I have dipped my toes in it with Dragon Quest VIII. I never finished it, but the little bit that I have played I did enjoy. So with some gift cards and itching for a new game on my Switch, I went in with the latest entry into the series, Dragon Quest XI.

Dragon Quest XI starts with the birth of your self-named character. He is the Luminary, a person born to combat the Dark One. For the purposes of this review, I will simply refer to this character as Luminary as he seems to not have a canon name. Your quest, travel to the World Tree Yggdrasil to obtain the Sword of Light to defeat the Dark One. This premise is very simple and doesn’t really leave much of a lasting impression. Instead, it’s the characters within your party and their stories that carry you through the main plot.

Going through the main plot is also handled in an episodic way. You travel the world, hit a town, take on said town’s quest that may or may not deal with the main quest, solve problem, mainly through fighting the villain of the day, and moving on. We’ve seen this format in many old style RPGs and we still see some of that today in modern titles.

My biggest complaint regarding Dragon Quest XI actually lies within the Luminary itself. He’s a silent protagonist, literally. I get the design choice of a silent protagonist, it’s so the player can project themselves to the character. However, game design has evolved to where the silent protagonist does show hints of personality and interact with the world in more than just being a vessel for the player. In Dragon Quest XI’s case, that’s all the Luminary is, a vessel. He doesn’t really react or interact much with his surroundings, which in my opinion caused a disconnect between this character and me as a player. Yes, you could argue that games like Outer World or Elder Scrolls have a silent character that doesn’t interact much, but you have a choice in their personality and how the world interacts due to those decisions. Even the Persona series, who’s protagonist are traditionally silent, interact with the cast to display personality and the dialogue choices you select are reflective of their specific personality that they showcase.

As for Dragon Quest XI’s gameplay, it’s perhaps the strongest part of this game. Dragon Quest XI marks a celebration of 30 years of the series. So what better way to give the player the choice on how they tackle this RPG, by going modern or old school. You have the option to play the game in modern 3D or old style 16 bit graphics. It’s not just certain sections of the game either, its picking a style to play through the entire game. In a way, the game was built twice to accommodate the preferred style.

Even combat is fully customizable. Granted it’s turn based one way or another, but you can have it either as a traditional turn based RPG where your party is on one side, the enemies on the other and you just take turns going back and forth. The other option allows for a more open battlefield where positioning matters as it can alter how big area of effect spells and abilities play out.

Also, these options can be changed at any point in the game. You can even go back to any point in the game you played and retain all the experience, gold, and equipment when you switch between the 2D and 3D views.

There’s also a series of side quests that take place in previous Dragon Quest games. This is definitely catered more for long time fans of the franchise, but can serve as little nuggets for newcomers to possibly look into other Dragon Quest games.

Now Dragon Quest XI actually has post-game content. This ranges from extra bosses, dungeons and even story content. I love games that have this additional content as it gives you extra challenges and reasons to continue playing. However, post game story took a real hard tumble and greatly weakened the overall story of Dragon Quest XI. How does it weaken it you might ask?

Time travel.

Now, I am a big fan of time travel stories, it’s one of my favorite sci-fi tropes. How Dragon Quest handled time travel in the post game was perhaps the biggest disservice to its story. It negated all of the character growth your entire party went through in the 60+ hour journey. Which at first it made sense and I was for it. At the point in the story that you travel back to, all learned skills, equipment, and levels on all of my characters at that point are present. Which makes sense and honestly I thought it was a really cool detail. But, there’s a point in the story where the party gets all of their powers back prior to the time travel. Which would be fine, however I had a big issue with it. Those powers were tied to important character driven moments in the story and to just get that back in an instant cheapened it. In some cases, it made no sense. For example Rab, the Luminary’s grandfather, had to undergo additional training to get his new powers. Jade, the Luminary’s sister, had to undergo a very traumatic hypnosis to obtain her new powers. It’s that way with every single character. They just reobtain their new powers without having to go through a new growth moment in this new timeline.

I felt it would have made more sense if they had to undergo a different journey to obtain those powers again or find some way to merge their new selves with their previous timeline selves to make re-acquiring these abilities earned.

For Dragon Quest XI, I don’t know if this is the best entry point into the series. Its story is a bit on the bland side, but the gameplay is really strong. Despite having a downer story in the post game, I have to admit that the additional bosses and dungeons were fun and challenging. It did also have me interested in going back and trying previous Dragon Quest titles, especially the first three titles to see that history of the JRPG genre establishing mechanics that have been improved over time.

Dragon Quest XI receives a 3 out 5

#Dragon Quest XI #Dragon Quest #Biscuit Reviews #video game review #game review #gaming review #Square Enix

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liquidmetalslime · 5 years

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Some quotes:

As much as I enjoyed Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, I think I might actually like Dragon Quest Builders 2 even more. There’s so much to do here, exploration, building, quests and side quests, quirky character interactions, crafting and so on, that you’re constantly moving forward and progressing through the game however you see fit. Much like the original, the blending of a Minecraft-esque building mechanic with Dragon Quest characters and world design works extremely well, and makes for a really unique action-RPG that’s unlike anything else.

As you play through the story you’ll start to learn recipes and blueprints allowing you to build bigger and better items. Much like the first game you’ll start with simple structures, but quickly advance on to larger projects. The story does a great job of piecing out projects for you to tackle, getting players accustomed to the building mechanics but also doing so at a fast enough pace that it won’t bore returning players. It helps that the writing in Dragon Quest Builders 2 is really good, humorous and entertaining throughout, much like the mainline Dragon Quest series.

All in all, I’ve found Dragon Quest Builders 2 to be an absolute blast, and I’ve had a hard time putting it down just to write this review.

#i ghostwrote this #dragon quest builders 2 #dqb2 #reviews

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codyjayplays · 5 years

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Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age PS4 Review

Finally finished it so here’s my review of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for PS4. @squareenix @dragonquest

After almost a year after release and nearly 200 hours of game time, I’ve finally finished and platinumed Dragon Quest XI. It’s honestly one of my favorite rpgs on PS4 to date. When I played at launch last year I wasn’t too impressed. I had just started Marvel’s Spider-Man and I was looking for experiences closer to that. It was a pretty unfair demand but after giving it some time on the back…

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#akira toriyama #anime #dragon quest #jrpgs #manga #nintendo #ps4 #sony #square enix #switch

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satoshi-mochida · 5 years

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Square Enix announced the latest Japanese voice actors, additional new features, and “Voice Drama” downloadable content for Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition, as well as debuted new gameplay footage, during the latest “Dragon Quest XI S Channel” broadcast today.

Get the details below.

Latest Voice Actor Announcements

Protagonist (Baby) (Cry) – Touma Saito (Ayumi Tsunematsu’s son)

Kai (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura)

Booga (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura)

Masked Martial Arts Tournament Announcer (voiced by Shunsuke Takeuchi)

Indignus (voiced by Shunsuke Takeuchi)

Queen Marina (voiced by Atsuko Tanaka)

Grand Master Pang (voiced by Ayumi Tsunematsu)

Don Rodrigo (voiced by Akio Ootsuka)

The Sultan of Gallopolis (voiced by Shigeru Chiba)

Avarith (voiced by Ryuusei Nakao)

Yggdragon (voiced by Keiko Han)

Tyriant (voiced by Norio Wakamoto)

Homirin (voiced by Yuka Ozaki)

The Seer (voiced by Miina Tominaga)

Additional New Features

Party members will follow you on the field.

You can talk directly to party members without opening the menu.

You can change the music from Orchestra to Synthesizer at any point by going to the sound settings in the menu.

You can dash with the ZR button.

By using the new “Horse Bell” item, you can call your horse at any time.

You can now gain experience points when your horse knocks away an enemy on the field.

You can change the battle speed to “Normal,” “Fast,” or “Really Fast.”

The quests from the 3DS version of Dragon Quest XI in which you visit the worlds of past Dragon Quest titles will be included in the Switch version, but not without changes.

Voice Drama Downloadable Content

The following is a message from Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii, who was unable to appear on the program due to poor health:

“Thanks to everyone who made their voice heard, Dragon Quest XI S is being made to dive deeper into the story. And new story is also being added that allows you to experience each character as the protagonist. Through the unexpected sides of these characters and previously untold stories, I hope that you can be able to appreciate each character even more. I wanted everyone to further enjoy the drama of those characters, so I am actually making something as additional downloadable content. That something is a ‘voice drama.’ I would like to share more details now, but I should be able to share new information in June.”

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition is due out for Switch worldwide this fall. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is available now for PlayStation 4 and PC worldwide, and 3DS in Japan.

Dragon Quest XI S Channel: News Review and Voice Cast Announcement #2

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Navigation

19:50 to 20:32 – Booga, Masked Martial Arts Tournament Announcer, and Indignus voice samples

25:08 to 26:06 – Queen Marina, Grand Master Pang, and Don Rodrigo voice samples

42:00 to 48:57 – 3D Gameplay

49:07 to 51:55 – 2D Gameplay

52:09 to 54:45 – New Features Gameplay

1:00:57 to 1:06:15 – Vince Boss Battle Gameplay

#Dragon Quest XI S #Dragon Quest XI #Dragon Quest #DQ11 #Square Enix #Gematsu #Hope the new stuff gets added to the PS4 version via download or something.

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firsttimegamereviewer-blog · 5 years

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A First Time Reviewer: Upcoming

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of An Elusive Age.

Dragon Quest XI belongs in one of my favorite gaming genre of all time, Role Playing Game, but more specifically, Japanese RPG. From all different mainstream Pokemon games to Final Fantasy to Kingdom Hearts and the Fire Emblem series, JRPG was the first person to ever really steal my heart. My attraction towards these games is unexplainable. At times, I am blown away by their art direction, pure creativity, or even just minor adjustments to the traditional JRPG gameplay (i.e. the Bravely Default series/ Octopath Traveler). But one thing is for certain, I LOVE, LOVE the stories that are told and the messages that are being conveyed in these games. The LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, PAIN, and overall EMOTIONS that these games invoke. Dragon Quest XI just happened to be the biggest, most recent AAA JRPG release of 2018 and also the first Dragon Quest game on a home console since the PlayStation 2. I had to play it.

As a child, I have played a few Dragon Quest titles, all without completing any of them. As you will painfully come to see, I DO finish video games, it just happens to be a rare occurrence (but that’s a rant for another post). Currently, I am about 75% complete with the DQXI (60+ hours) and am slowly digesting the last bit of it as to give this game the justice it deserves. I will save most of my opinions for the final review. Right now, however, I will say that I am enjoying this game A LOT, with emphasis on A LOT. There are times where I do experience a little RPG fatigue due to the nature of 100+ immersive, role-playing games, but that is unavoidable.

#DragonQuestXI #FirstTimeGameReviewer #JRPG

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addongame-com · 2 years

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Игровые новости от AddonGame https://addongame.com/reviews/ranshe-bylo-lychshe-obzor-pokemon-shining-pearl/

Раньше было лучше: Обзор Pokemon Shining Pearl

Ежегодный релиз новых видеоигр в сериале Pokémon – это уже давняя традиция, которой не страшна даже непростая мировая обстановка. В этот раз очередь дошла до ремейка самых первых частей четвертого поколения карманных монстров. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl – переосмысление классических Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, вышедших на Nintendo DS в 2006 году. Основное действие происходит в заснеженном регионе Синно, который является аллюзией на один из крупнейших островов Японии – Хоккайдо.

В отличие от большинства прочих переизданий классической линейки, за создание Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl отвечали не авторы оригинальных Pokémon Diamond & Pearl из Game Freak, а сторонняя студия ILCA. Чем обусловлена смена ведущего разработчика, неизвестно, однако место главного руководителя все же осталось за Дзюнъити Масудой (増田順一). Вероятнее всего, основные силы были брошены на Pokémon Legends: Arceus, которая увидит свет уже в начале 2022 года.

Сама ILCA представляет собой второстепенную студию, которая обычно ассистирует крупным компаниям в создании компьютерной графики и анимаций для кино и видеоигр. Напрямую с играми фирма начала работать относительно недавно, но уже успела приложить руку к созданию таких крупных проектов, как Nier: Automata, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age и Code Vein.

Сам факт того, что ремейк игр четвертого поколения карманных монстров выйдет не из-под пера Game Freak достаточно насторожил давних поклонников сериала. Среди сообщества фанатов игры эпохи Nintendo DS до сих пор считаются вершиной развития франшизы – этакой «золотой эрой», после которой началось медленная стагнация. На переиздание Pokémon Diamond & Pearl были возложены огромные надежды, но на фоне откровенно посредственных Pokémon Sword & Shield имелись и опасения.

Не придавало уверенности в потенциальном хите и то, что Pokémon Diamond & Pearl были самыми слабыми представителями основной линейки на Nintendo DS. Хоть четвертое поколение покемонов и числится в разных списках лучших частей, заслуга это преимущественно третьей версии игры – Pokémon Platinum, в которой была проведена колоссальная работа над ошибками и добавлено огромное количество нового контента, без которого сложно представить регион Синно сегодня.

С точки зрения сюжетного повествования четвертое поколение откровенно звезд с неба не хватает. Первые успешные эксперименты со сторителлингом Game Freak проведет лишь спустя несколько лет после релиза оригинальных Pokémon Diamond & Pearl в Pokémon Black & White, начиная потихоньку отходить от стандартной формулы «собери их всех и одолей злодейскую организацию по дороге». Тем не менее, именно скудность местных диалогов и катсцен позволяет игроку сосредоточится на собственном игровом приключении, не отвлекаясь на длительные и бесполезные разговоры как в Pokémon Sun & Moon и Pokémon Sword & Shield.

Основной игровой процесс же остался верен себе. Игрок примеряет на себя роль начинающего тренера покемонов и отправляется в путешествие за титулом сильнейшего мастера карманных монстров. Перед участием в лиге Синно необходимо отобрать 8 значков у лидеров тематических спортзалов, попутно поймав и вырастив команду матерых бойцов. В свою очередь сами покемоны отличаются не только внешним видом, но и типом, параметрами, набором изучаемых атак и прочими атрибутами, привычными для жанра.

Бои происходят в пошаговом режиме. Оппоненты обмениваются ударами по очереди, а последовательность хода определяется характеристиками монстров. Исход боя зависит от знания сильных и слабых сторон каждого из участников сражения и грамотного выбора атак. Атакующие приемы, как и сами покемоны, делятся на типы и переплетаются между собой в замысловатую таблицу уязвимостей и сопротивлений.

После примитивно структурированных локаций Pokémon Sun & Moon и Pokémon Sword & Shield в глаза сразу бросаются разветвленные и вариативные зоны региона Синно. Каждая дорога имеет несколько опций прохождения, некоторые из которых требуют наличия у игрока велосипеда или особой атаки, позволяющей, например, разбивать преграждающие путь камни или деревья. Подобные умения, к слову, можно использовать сразу из меню, а не целенаправленно учить своих монстров нужным техникам как в оригинальных версиях игры.

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl – это отличный фундамент для хорошего ремейка, но что же конкретно было добавлено в Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl? Разработчики уверяли общественность, что новый проект будет максимально «верен» своим корням, и это действительно так.

В римейке есть ровно 493 уникальных создания. Новым монстрам из более поздних проектов серии места не нашлось. При этом в игру все же был введен Fairy-тип существ, дебютировавший в шестом поколении франшизы, вместе с парочкой новых атакующих движений.

К разочарованию некоторых фанатов, Mega-эволюции все еще уверенно игнорируются, и ходившие слухи о добавлении оных в Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl оказались уткой. Система Dynamax, дебютировавшая в Pokémon Sword & Shield, также не представлена ни в каком виде.

К сожалению, разработчики полностью проигнорировали изменения Pokémon Platinum, в числе которых Battle Frontier, искаженный мир Гиратины, ребаланс покемонов у рядовых тренеров и лидеров стадионов, и многое, многое другое.

Актуальные веяния не обошли стороной общий уровень сложности игры. Опыт, начисляемый за победу над тренерами и дикими монстрами, распределяется по всей активной партии игрока. Сразу стоит оговориться, что эту опцию невозможно отключить, как, например, в Pokémon Sun & Moon. И все бы ничего, но уровни покемонов в сюжетных схватках остались ровно такими же, какими были в Pokémon Diamond & Pearl. Баланс оригинальной сложности оказался полностью потерян, из-за чего покемоны игрока будут превосходить монстров оппонента на 5, 10, а то и 15 уровней, что окончательно лишает игровой процесс какого либо интереса.

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Приятным нововведением оказался обновленный Underground, который представляет из себя своеобразное подземелье со своей экосистемой, где можно отыскать редких покемонов и предметы. Среди этих коридоров игрок может установить себе секретную базу, однако обустраивать её теперь предстоит исключительно статуями монстров, а не разнообразной мебелью и устройствами, как это было в оригинале.

Разработчики добавили возможность поимки всех легендарных покемонов в рамках двух игр, не прибегая к переносу редких существ из других проектов, а также усилили команды уникальных тренеров, бросить вызов которым можно после прохождения основного сюжетного повествования.

Графически проект выглядит достаточно неплохо. Unity позволил авторам создать пеструю картинку с приятным и насыщенными цветами. Более того, общая производительность игры на голову превосходит все прошлые релизы серии, созданные на внутреннем движке Game Freak. Частота кадров стабильная, задние планы в боевых сценах поражают детализацией, а атаки покемонов обзавелись дополнительными визуальными эффектами.

Но весь этот дизайн окружения рушится о стилизацию гуманоидных персонажей. Протагонист и прочие тренеры смотрятся слишком неброско, выбиваясь из общей гармоничной картины. Местами кажется что пейзажи и персонажи были собраны воедино из двух абсолютно разных проектов. Стилистика “чиби” выглядит сносно во время передвижения по карте мира, но когда камера приближается к герою вплотную во время катсцен, вся магия куда-то улетучивается, и на экране остается лишь пара угловатых болванчиков.

Ожидаемо, смена внутреннего движка привела и к неприятным последствиям. Мелкие и крупные ошибки и изъяны встречаются то там то тут – от безобидных проблем с коллизией до серьезных дыр, позволяющих пропускать сюжетные контрольные точки. Проблем было настолько много, что размер патча первого дня превышал 3 гигабайта. К настоящему моменту некоторые крупные недочеты до сих пор не исправлены.

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl сложно назвать ремейком, поскольку количество нового контента так мало, что его сложно заметить невооруженным взглядом. И в этом кроется главная проблема. Игровой процесс настолько не отличается от оригинальных версий, что становится скучным. Мы видели это уже десятки раз, мы делали это уже десятки раз, и нам предлагают сделать все то же самое снова. Основная линейка франшизы уже давно испытывает острую нехватку новых идей и веяний, и Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl никак не пытается исправить ситуацию, выступая просто заглушкой перед релизом Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl – весьма ленивое переиздание хорошей игры, которое во всем уступает Pokémon Platinum, вышедшей 10 лет назад. Четвертое поколение карманных монстров получило самый вялый и скучный ремейк за всю историю существования франшизы, и это особенно печально на фоне культового статуса региона Синно. Осовремененная графика знакомых пейзажей определенно заденет ностальгические нотки в сердцах преданных фанатов, но на этом все положительные стороны данного проекта заканчиваются.

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capsulecomputers · 6 years

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Our review for Square Enix's Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is live! Is it worth picking up? Read on below to find out! #DragonQuest #VideoGames #Gaming

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huntermyfree845 · 3 years

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Dawn Of War 2 Retribution Cheat Engine Skill Points

I've been dinking around with 'Cheat Engine 5.5' and been getting all sorts of strange results when trying to lock or increase accumulated skill points for the four heroes of any campaign. From two points, spend a point, search next by decreased, spend a point, search next, undo, search next by increased by two points.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Retribution. Videogameasset My games. When logged in, you can choose up to 12 games that will be displayed as favourites in this menu. Recently added 21 View all 1,173. Oblivion in the newer game engine used by Skyrim. The team have recently released their first.

Dawn Of War 2 Retribution Cheat Engine Skill Points 3

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Tables for Dawn of War 2 Retribution and Chaos Rising. These are reuploads of the tables from the old forum and not my own. Retribution Table Features: God Mode Unlimited Resources Quick Energy Recovery Weak Foe Unlimited Squad Points Quick Production Chaos Rising Table Features: God Mode Quick Kill Unlimited Resources Quick Energy Recovery. A value in WH:40k Dawn of War II, in specific, skill points of my squads (for. The value pertaining to the skill points in DoW II and I attempt to change it. Closest I can get is 2-3 values and if I try to get any farther than that. Objective: Complete 10 waves in a single match while holding both strategic points as the Lord General. Domination Objective: Hold 5+ victory points at once in an online, free for All. Battle Team Objective: Create a 3 Player Party and Play a Ranked Multiplayer Game together. The Warrior Born.

Dawn Of War 2 Retribution Cheat Engine Skill Points Cheat

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bahamutgames · 3 years

Text

Afterthoughts S: Definitive Edition

Game: DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition (September 27, 2019)

Console: Xbox One (Via Xbox Game Pass)

Hey, it’s me again! It feels like it’s been forever since I last beat a big game with a lot of stuff to talk about. But the last time was actually only a month ago with New Super Lucky’s Tale. In the mean time I’ve been playing a couple of smaller games, tiny indie titles, a few fighting games. But nothing that I couldn’t summarize in a small twitter thread (which you can follow my twitter here if you want to see my art or just support me shilling my other accounts.)

Anyway! Just got done with another major RPG! After Nier Automata, I knew this was a game I really wanted to play before my Game Pass subscription expired. And after toiling away at it for the past month, I’m finally ready to give you all my thoughts on Dragon Quest 11! As always, this isn’t meant to be review. But just a general throw up of my thoughts and feelings after beating the game, because I love talking so much. As such, this shouldn’t be taken as a serious critique of the game, and shouldn’t be expected to be well written or thought out. Please do check out the game if it interests you at all!

SPOIL WARNING FOR DRAGON QUEST 11 AHEAD! GONNA TALK ABOUT THE WHOLE PACKAGE HERE, AS A FAIR WARNING

Opening

Prior to this, the only Dragon Quest game I had played was DQ 8: Journey of the Cursed King on Nintendo 3DS. I liked it, and thought it was pretty good. But wasn’t perfect and felt a little unnecessarily tedious to get through. But when 11 came out, I saw a ton of people saying it was an amazing RPG. People I followed who weren’t really into RPGs (as far as I knew) were raving about it. So I was really interested to give it a shot myself, but didn’t have the chance until I got game pass.

Stuff I liked

Where to begin? This is a 60 hour game so there’s a lot to talk about. I think first and foremost I just wanna gush about how pretty this game is! The graphics are amazing, I love how the environments are realistic but super brightly colored and saturated, making for ton of gorgeous areas that I couldn’t stop myself from taking pictures of. And Akira Toriyama’s just being placed in these beautiful worlds look so good and amazing. Without a doubt, especially considering its more on the realistic side, this is one of the nicest looking RPGs I’ve played.

Speaking of which, I really loved the character designs. Toriyama does fantastic work that I really like with pretty much everything, but his work on RPGs always tend to be my favorites. The designs for all the main teammates looked super good and all the monsters were really cool looking too. He really knows how to design cool looking dragons, this guy just gets it. On the same not of characters, the characters are fantastic. I really love everyone on the main team (my favorite was probably Serena.) They’re all super fun and I love the way they interact and really seem like a group of good friends. It was great to see how they all interact and work together. A scene that particularly sticks out is when they all forge a new sword of light together, which was fantastic.

I also thought the story and world was cool. Similar to my thoughts on DQ8, the story is pretty simple and easy to follow, but that doesn’t take away from it. It kind of feels like a fairy tale told on a grand scale. I love the idea of the Luminary, and Serenica being reborn into twins is awesome, Erdwin’s Lantern was a cool idea. And of course, Yggdrasil being a huge ass tree flying in the sky is absolutely the best thing ever, that’s so cool. ALSO, I have to give special shoutouts to Mordegon’s Sword of Darkness, coolest thing on the entire planet, I love swords with freaky giant eyes frantically looking around on them.

Lastly, I really liked the gameplay and combat of this game. I thought the way battles are set up as still being traditional turnbased combat but with the ability to freely walk around the field and look at the arenas was awesome. And getting to walk up to teammates to see their thoughts mid battle is super cool. Of course I loved all the different spells you can learn, and all the abilities you get through level ups. A new feature in this one (at least it’s new to me) is the Pep Up state, which is also cool. Particularly because it allows for Crossover Attacks between teammates, which is always the best thing an RPG can include, but most RPGs just choose not to. But DQ11 has it in spades and it ROCKS, there’s so much cool and genuinely useful crossover moves I didn’t even get to see all of them. And a final cool piece of the battle system was the ability to actually change equipment and teammates mid battle. I’m unsure if I’ve ever played a game that allowed for this (though I know they exist) but I thought it really made it feel like you could make use of your whole team and all your equipment. Being able to change teammates and what weapons they use for appropriate strategies was super fun.

Stuff I didn’t like

And, I did really like DQ11. I think I might even like it more than 8. There’s a ton of improvements. I feel like it’s less stingy with EXP, I feel like it was all around just easier to navigate and handle. But I still had a fair amount of issues with the game. Particularly in the- say it with me if you know what’s coming- post Yggdrasil content!! Prior to Yggdrasil, the game was buttery smooth. I flew through the whole thing and loved every second of it with minimal roadblocks (as opposed to DQ8 which roadblocked me at every boss.) And by the time I reached Yggdrasil, I realized I had been playing for 30 hours and didn’t even realize it! That’s awesome and pretty impressive considering I’ve played shorter games that felt like double that.

So, the game starts to crawl a little bit before Yggdrasil in my opinion. Once you have to start looking for the orbs, the game just kinda teeters for a bit there randomly. Like, the orbs are meant to be kind of a big deal, and yet the purple and whichever one you find in the bird dungeon thing (lol) basically get no fanfare. It felt like they were forgotten about and just had to be thrown in at the last second. Now, you could argue that the whole mural thing and the bird boss were those orbs’ fanfare. But it still felt so odd to me. Then, Yggdrasil falls.

I liked the post Yggdrasil stuff, I really did. I thought it was all pretty great from a story and character point of view. And getting to see the world that was so beautiful be corrupted and filled with powerful monsters was neat. I loved Sylvando’s whole parade thing, and every one else’s was cool too. But that’s kinda it. The whole section just drags along as you play with most of your team just gone and it goes so slow. And a lot of it really felt like it could have been condensed down a bit, I mean they don’t even show you what happened to Serena. Which I guess was because of what happened to Veronica but, still?

Again, it’s good story content and I don’t necessarily want any of it removed. But damn man, it really grinds to halt. And I also felt like it got really brutal during this part for no reason, kind of out of nowhere. The skeleton spectral sentinel, Gloomivore, and Booga were MASSIVE hurdles for me to get over randomly. And it got so bad I genuinely considered dropping the game because I just didn’t have the patience. It felt like an NES game again out of nowhere. Now, I do want to blame this on maybe not use the character builder right, or something. But still it was just so annoying out of nowhere. Thankfully I found the perfect strategy of Oomphle on Hendrick, Sap on the enemy, then have Hendrick spam Unbridled Blade, which was foolproof and beat every boss after that.

Thankfully once Serena joins your team again, and everyone is there (minus one aha) the game really picks up steam again. Everything after that was a breeze and went by without any issues. I think I hit one roadblock afterwards and it was pretty easy to just grind past. So I don’t know what happened there. The only other part I have a problem with is I do feel like the game ends rather abruptly. Like, not majorly. But I wouldn’t have minded seeing more about what happens between Eleven and Gemma or something. But that’s what the post game content is for I guess!

Some other nitpicks are that, I didn’t care about the music again. I think I liked more music in this one than DQ8, but still I’d be hard pressed to actually remember any songs from this game. I’m listening to the OST as we speak and other than the battle theme, I feel like I don’t remember what they sound like at all. And that’s probably cause I hate the composer but hey what can you do? I also wish it was easier to find Metal Slimes. I know they’re meant to be rare but I would’ve appreciated some appearing in the overworld just anywhere outside of the dragon chase scene? Weird to me you have randomly encounter them on the side of other enemeis.

Outside of that, uh. I think the Tockles were SUPER tick-tocked onto the game? It seemed like they were going to be massively important, but they just weren’t? I felt like you could’ve removed them and it would have made no change. I also thought there was gonna be WAY more time travel stuff. The scenes where you see the past are some of the best imo. Meeting Chalky from the past, playing as Rab in his kingdom, helping Eleven’s dad pass on. But these don’t feel enough to name the game “Echoes of an Illusive Age” if that makes sense? It just felt like there was supposed to be way more stuff with the Tockles and Time Travel stuff that just didn’t happen.

Now that I’m remembering it, it felt like there was TONS of stuff built up that just didn’t really go anywhere. Another big one is the whole deal with Erdwin’s lanter? Who was the guy who cut it in half? What was the deal with the lantern? Why did it fall? What was up with the dark Tockle? Wanna give any information on that? No? Okay. But if I had to guess, these all are explored heavily in the post game content, which is cool but sadly I did not have the time to play it. Maybe one day I’ll pick up a copy of the game and play through it fully.

Final Thoughts

Yeah it was good.

I am a huge fan of RPGs, but Dragon Quest just hadn’t fully clicked with me. I played 8 and liked it, but wasn’t blown away. I wouldn’t say I was blown away by this one either, but I am certainly very impressed and am eagerly anticipating whatever Dragon Quest 12 ends up being. This series is super founded in tradition (even if that tradition is detrimental to the gameplay imo?) but this game felt like a true evolution of that tradition while still holding onto it in the right ways. Are there ways to improve the game? Oh yeah, tons! But this is already a good step in the right direction. I will certainly be visiting the series more eventually (particularly 3, 4, and 5 are ones I’m curious about.) But I will probably emulate them to cheat when I run into roadblocks again.

After playing this, I also went back to play as Hero in Smash. They are still one of the best, if not my favorite character in the game. I think they are so fun and I love the randomness element that comes with them. Their stage is great too!

Also, seeing this gorgeous RPG with Akira Toriyama art in it made me REALLY want a new Blue Dragon. Like, REALLY bad. Please Microsoft if you’re listening PLEASE give us a new Blue Dragon. I don’t care what genre of RPG it is just give us a new one please I’m begging. Make it look like DQ11 and it will be the best game of all time.

Okay but enough of that. Thanks for skimming through or just letting me talk for a bit. For some reason the longer I held this one off, the less and less I felt like talking about it? Which is strange cause it’s a big game and I felt like I had tons to say during it. The only reason I even finished this and decided to post it was cause I already started it. Basically what I’m saying is that don’t be surprised if I just start making REALLY teeny tiny posts here instead of big rambles like this one.

But until then, I have work to do. I played through the Ty 2 HD remake on Switch recently and loved it all over again. I will maybe talk about that later. At the moment I’m playing Tales of Vesperia. Thanks again for putting up with me ramble about games, see you next time! Play something you love that puts you in an adventurous mood!

#2021 #Thoughts

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