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Final Fantasy VII Remake

This is my third time through the game, but I just had to play it again on PC. Each time I play it confirms that I prefer it over the original game, although they are entirely different experiences. A real highlight for me is how they've fleshed out Midgar and the various characters that inhabit it. I always found Tifa to be a boring character, who's only real attributes where on her chest. Her entire personality pretty much boiled down to the fact that she was in love with Cloud-- so much so that she never called him out on his bullshit delusions, even in private.

Another aspect I very much enjoy is Barret. I really like how they made him more charismatic. He never felt like a leader in the original game, just a caricature of an angry black man. He was a cartoon version of a Black Panther with an eco twist. While I can't say I disliked him in the original, he only had one interesting wrinkle to his character and it has to do with his past. This one really makes him feel like more of a living, breathing person. You get the sense that he has to grapple with the dubious morality of his actions. The speech he gives after the first boss battle really struck me. I didn't get the sense that he was just patting himself and everyone on the back, but very clearly acknowledging that they all did some fucked up shit and that he's willing to shoulder the burden. It's almost as if he's written in a way that acknowledges that he has to spin their actions positively to keep them going. It makes Avalanche feel more like a cult, how the group responds to it all, which I think fits in well with the depiction in Before Crisis. As an extension to this, the deceptive and manipulative nature of Jessie only furthers this feeling. It's a curious thing, because I feel like the overall tone of the game is far lighter than the original. However, I feel as though the more subtle writing in the remake makes it just as dark as the original-- along with there being far more gruesome and destructive consequences to Avalanche's actions.

All of that even works to make the death of the various Avalanche characters feel more impactful. I'm not a fan of how the game goes on to undermine all of that work, but it is at least done better in the remake than in the original. Avalanche in the original was just a group of people I never cared about, because they were never very fleshed out. They felt like friends of a friend, who I was just never going to meet again.

I also like the one, big addition to the story that everyone hates. I like it, because it does such a good job of predicting and commenting on fan culture in general. Things can change and be made anew, fresh perspectives on old things a nice. Nothing is sacred.

My favorite thing happens to be the combat system. It is, hands down, my favorite combat system in a JRPG. Playing Original and Remake back to back really confirmed it for me. I found the combat in the original dull at best, with the materia system being interesting but entirely needless to really utilize. You can do cool stuff with it, but most of the battles in the game can be won by simply hitting the attack command or using basic magic. There's a whole lotta apologists for that style of gameplay, the TB or ATB sorta style. I've never really bought into any of the virtues that they espouse. It's very rare to play a game in that style that is actually strategic or tactical, or at least has any sort of depth to it. Usually that sort of depth comes from a conscious effort to make the games difficult by gimping oneself. They aren't exactly Total War or XCOM in terms of strategy and tactics, and they never will be. The more action oriented combat in Remake is just far more fun for me, because at the very least it's pretty much always satisfying to play. Even when I set things up to steam roll, it's still massively satisfying to execute, due to the visual and haptic feedback.
 
V Rising is really fun, and I normally think Vampires are lame as fuck.

I'm just gonna say "BAT!" every time I transform into a bat when I get the form, too. What We Do In The Shadows S4 soon~
 
Replaying old games that I found at the parents house. All my old xbox games and 360 games they never got rid of, even the consoles. Playing MechAssault right now, thinking about playing the LoTR The Third Age next.
 
Fire Emblem: Three Houses

First Fire Emblem game I've really liked since Radiant Dawn. That being said, the game has some issues that keep it form being really great.

The entire presentation of the game is incredibly stiff. Very few animations look very fluid or interesting. This problems seeps right into the conversations, where characters are awkward and stiff. Even worse is how in some conversations five or so characters are sometimes smooshed into the frame, all facing the same direction but still having a conversation. It all feels horribly awkward and sometimes reminds me of a cheap dating sim.

Next, they seemingly fail to create an interesting, compelling realistic place for the characters to exist in between battles. The monastery feels cramped and small, and not the seat of governance for a religious, military organization. It feels like an approximation of what they wanted to place to actually be, which is not a feeling you want to give people. Nobody seems to be dong anything either, they all just stand around waiting for the main character to run up to them. It would have been nice if you actually got to see the characters do things. Another annoying misstep is the near complete lack of acknowledgement of the seasons. They pass by in the game, but it's never reflected in the visuals.

All of these problems are either fixed or handled better in Persona. If they want Fire Emblem to go down that path, especially since they added a calendar system, they really need to step their game up. Almost everything about Three Houses feels rushed and cheap, which is incredible when you consider what Atlus is pushing out and they aren't hardly throwing around Nintendo money. It comes across as a very lazy production, and the cheapness makes sense once you realize Koei Tecmo had a large hand in the development (still a fan of Kou Shibusawa}.

I like the game, but it's a constant, painful reminder of how the game could have been much more.
 
Cattails...

When Stardew valley meet stray cats...

Less polished than Stardew for sure but, I've just spent an hour roleplaying a cat and pouncing on frogs and mice and squirrels and I'm not bored yet.
 
I have started replaying Outer worlds and i must admit the second time around is so much better. However some "paths" are a little on rails.
 
Xenoblade Chronicles, I think I'm pretty far in and damn I was sleeping on this series. If you're an RPG fan definitely check this one out, the story/setting is fantastic.
 
Lady Bloody Ava said:
I redownloaded Conan Exiles to check out the new things.
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Luvia said:
After I finished Dead Island I went straight to grinding the hell out of 7 Days to Die. My first big horde was fucking terrifying ;_;
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These are both great games and I love the building options in both!

Replaying StarCraft 1 campaigns for the 50th time. That's going to be my whole Saturday.
 
Finally working to beat Dragon's Dogma in honor of the sequel being announced.

Damn good fun. Clunky in some places, but here's hoping the sequel is a vast improvement!
 
Currently playing Stardew Valley and have actually stuck to it long enough to really get into it. I'm also slowly working my way through Horizon Forbidden West again, and have just started God of War in anticipation of the sequel later this year.
 
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