It is absolutely soul-crushingly hard at the start. Once you slog through the Earth Cave, get the canoe, and make it to the Castle of Ordeals you can pick up an item with unlimited casts of LIT2 which helps a ton. Let’s not get into how much I wanted to smash my computer in the face trying to get through the Ice Cave, though – that’s the one spot where I eventually resorted to using emulator save states to get through because seriously fuck that place with the biggest cactus ever.
What are y'all playing? ver 2.0
RpgN
#1146
Thank you for the explanation. Gosh, I feel like such a MM noob. Never knew the sequels use roman numerals officially.
I bought that one during sale once (around €5) even though I am far from a Street Fighter fan normally. Did you enjoy the gameplay?
archnemesis
#1147
Yep, it is pretty good. It’s a bit tricky to nail special moves with the Vita controls though.
archnemesis
#1148
The aim of The Swindle (PS4) seems to be to steal as much money as possible while avoiding detection. There is a pretty deep progression system where you can upgrade abilities, buy new tools and improve your hacking skills. You are limited to a hundred lives and whenever you die you lose a very nice XP bonus. Because of this I’ve already restarted the game a dozen times. The controls aren’t great, but otherwise I really enjoy it.
archnemesis
#1149
I started playing FTL: Faster Than Light again and it’s as amazing as ever. My first few attempts went really bad. Now that I’ve remembered what to prioritize I’m doing better. This run I might even make it to the end. I have three different types of laser blasters installed on my Federation Cruiser and the artillery beam has been upgraded to the maximum level. If I add a third shield and another few points of evasion then I think it’ll be enough.
MidnightTrain
#1150
Ooh, is that the tablet edition or something? Fuckin’ love that game. Only played it on PC, though.
I got back into Dark Souls recently, myself. Almost made it through Sen’s fortress. God I love that place.
archnemesis
#1151
Yep, that’s the iOS version and it’s excellent! All UI elements change in size when you highlight them and it’s intuitive to click on interactive elements. I had barely played it before and now I’m unlocking new ships and achievements.
Leo
#1152
I haven’t been playing very much in a while. I started a new save of the mobile port of Dragon Quest II because my old save was on my old phone, which I had to replace on account of it being damaged. My last save was near the end of the game, so I’m a bit annoyed. Although, I couldn’t remember what to do next at the point where I was at. They didn’t exactly spell out your next objective in the early DQ games. I suppose it was for the best that I started over.
John
#1153
Finished Xanadu Next. Been at it with this one for a long time now, essentially since it was released. Really loved it, typical Falcom goodness with a more considerate pacing and a somewhat awkward combat system that’s more about crowd control and abusing attack patterns. Even some kiting at times. I would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of the Ys games, or even ARPGs in general. It’s super well built, and the localization is often surprisingly invested, which is a real plus, the game’s dialogue is very evocative of historical fiction and it helps that the story is itself very historical, with you going about finding tablets that describe the history of the place you’re exploring, and even pages of a journal written five hundred years before the events of the game.
Also the very workmanlike low fidelity graphics are AWESOME god i love this shit so much
RpgN
#1154
Time for more gaming goodness.
Completed
Spyro the Dragon (120%)
My experience with this game has been positive. Challenge increased gradually but it never became annoying. Collectibles were not difficult to find and feel like they have been integrated decently with the story mode, even though they are optional on the first play-through. For collecting everything you unlock one special level where Spyro gets to fly freely and collect lots of loot. It was worth it by being surprising and still integrated with the story, even if the story is minor with a platformer like Spyro. Whenever I think of Spyro, I feel the word ‘‘Balance’’ fits with how it was developed. There is an excellent balance between gameplay, collecting, story, polish, length etc.
New Game
Hyrule Warriors Legends (3DS)
I was not supposed to start this game any time soon. The recent discount of 30% on DLC forced me to start the game in order to buy all the DLC in one pack. This made me want to try the game out and now I’m hooked 
This being a Dynasty Warriors type of game, you know what to expect in terms of gameplay. Still, some elements have been added to make it more distinct and fitting to the Legend of Zelda games. I will go more into detail soon. What’s apparent straight away is the difficulty of the game. It is very challenging to multi task and be in different spots for objectives. The new QoL improvements were needed to balance the challenge somewhat. I’ve had many game overs with the last missions for not being careful or fast enough. Luckily the game has checkpoints and even save mode within battles, making this less of a frustrating problem. This game is incredibly addictive with the way you progress with the story and the way you make the characters stronger. There is a lot to talk about but I will keep that for other times 
I have completed 8 out of 32 story mode missions (Legend Mode) and played some missions from Adventure Mode. I’m having tons of fun with it despite some flaws.
Currently Playing
Sonic Lost World (3DS)
It might be a surprise to see this on my list. I’ve completed the story mode a while ago. My experience was leaning on the negative side for having difficulties with the controls and how punishing the levels can be. Streetpass mode made me play the game again. This has made me understand it better and enjoy the game more. I’m trying to collect all the hidden stars and getting S rank on most levels. Collecting all the hidden stars is worth it since you get an extra level in every world. The gameplay is very precise and you need to learn different controls and memorize the levels to get good at it. It is more fun taking time to finish one level instead of rushing through levels like I did previously. I’m also learning to make use of items and upgrading the shop. This will be a good game to play in between.
archnemesis
#1155
Fire Emblem Heroes (iOS/Android) was released earlier today. It’s very similar to one of the mobile Final Fantasy games made by the same development studio. It’s alright and I will probably play it for a week or two before I hit the inevitable pay wall.
RpgN
#1156
Completed Game
Lady Sia (GBA)
I’m not sure if I mentioned this game before. It’s 2D platformer with a simple battle system and magic. The game has some neat ideas but its flaws were too distracting to make me fully enjoy it.
The good:
- Platforming
- Graphics/style
- Animation
- Challenge
- Cool & tough female character
The bad:
- Repetitive and mediocre music
- Cheap deaths
- Not enough checkpoints in a level
- Magic is difficult to execute with the d-pad combination
- Repetitive boss fights
- Unclear objectives
With the last one I mean it is not communicated properly what you are expected to do through the graphics. You don’t know what objects can be used, which doors to enter or how to defeat bosses. I had to make use of a video walkthrough to clear certain levels.
Currently Playing
Hyrule Warriors Legends (14/32 levels in Legend Mode)
Forza Motorsport 3 (2/6 year 2)
Hyrule Warriors Legends is truly a treat for fans of Zelda games. The playable characters are all very fun to control with their own unique move sets and very faithful to the games. Many Zelda elements have been used successfully with the musou gameplay. For instance, items such as Hookshot, Bomb and Arrows are used to defeat enemies and find secrets. Different type of fairies can be used to unlock special moves or protect the character. Heart pieces are hidden in the levels. You have the well-known full heart pieces or collecting 4 parts. Cutscenes, while in full motion videos, have text bubbles with the occasional sounds that characters make. Certain levels are based on Legend of Zelda games. Soundtrack has been remixed/re-arranged along with new soundtrack. I’ve completed a fair bit of Zelda games (Zelda 1, Zelda 2, ALTTP, OOT, WW, Link’s Awakening and Crossbow Training) but I wish I completed more to enjoy this package as a fan more.
As mentioned before though, this version has new gameplay additions compared to the Wii U version. Now you can control different characters in the battlefield. You can also command them to go to certain spots and switch to them. You can use the ocarina flute to warp to previously activated statues. This all adds lots of strategy and variety to the mix. You might think the game is easier for it but it’s far from the truth. So much is happening and new objectives are popping continuously. You can do objectives simultaneously. This has made the game a management sim where you’re constantly on the run. While this keeps the gameplay interesting, you can’t really relax when you’re playing it. This is where I am expecting Adventure Mode is for based on the little that I have played of it (to be continued).
I’m close to finishing year 2 of Forza Motorsport 3. More assist options have been turned off and newer races are slowly becoming more challenging, making the gameplay more interesting. I started upgrading cars manually for the first time! But I still have no idea how to tune my cars.
RpgN
#1158
I didn’t expect the game to be recognized or have fans 
Did you unlock the extra levels with 100% completion?
MidnightTrain
#1159
No, no. I was too young for that stuff Like middle school I think
But I did beat it! I remember the shark boss dude with the waves was my favorite.
That game had such great animations. I should replay it
LabouredSubterfuge
#1162
No need to lash out just because I have the best hot takes on the internet.
RpgN
#1164
New Game
F-Zero Maximum Velocity (GBA/3DS)
My history with F-Zero is a complicated one. I’ve owned the physical versions of this game along with GP Legend (GBA sequel). I didn’t know how to control vehicles or how F-Zero games are meant to be played. I’ve sold them quickly for finding them too difficult. F-Zero Maximum Velocity being one of the 10 free GBA games 3DS Ambassadors received, I gave it another chance on the 3DS. The result was the same in 2011. 6 years later I felt like giving F-Zero Maximum Velocity a third and final chance. Third time is a charm because I finally get it. I’m actually enjoying myself a lot this time.
I’ve never played a racing game with its own unique way of handling the genre. Perhaps it’s because I’m inexperienced when it comes to racing games. I always thought there was one way of playing arcade racing games, the objective always being taking the top spot. F-Zero Maximum Velocity changed the way I think about racing games.
The game is still very challenging. The focus doesn’t lie on being ahead of your opponents and keeping the top spot, it lies on surviving long enough to make it at least in the top 3. Vehicles have HP that affect your speed and performance. If you’re low on health, your speed decreases and if you reach 0, you lose a life. Other vehicles, obstacles (such as bombs) or roads can all decrease your HP. Vehicles are often way faster and more aggressive on Master class. You can only reach the top 3 with boosts where you receive 1 with every lap that you finish. Selecting vehicles each with different stats related to turn, speed, balance etc. make them control differently and crucial to picking the right one for the job.
All that has been mentioned makes F-Zero races very exciting. The soundtrack being catchy and tracks being interesting also add to this being a great game, one that I have underestimated in the past. There are 4 series (Pawn, Knight, Bishop, Queen) with 4 difficulty levels (Beginner, Standard, Expert, Master). It’s not a long game. I’m currently in Bishop doing the Expert class. I’ve avoided Master Class but I will give it a shot after doing up to Expert Class on all series.
I’m considering buying F-Zero GP Legend again :x
Completed
Bravely Second Demo
Having spent at least 8 hours with the demo, it might be worth mentioning this again. I’ve not really completed the demo when it comes to receiving all the bonus for the full game, but I did defeat the last boss and cleared the story. The requirements for the rest of the bonus is too grindy. Time that can be spent on the full game. As mentioned before, the quality of life options in this game are wonderful. I really want to start with Bravely games. Once World of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy V are done, I will start with Bravely Default.