The Backlog Check-in Vol. 74: 6/1/19: The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr Edition

[Phaseknox]

Played: Tales of Berseria

Finished (playing): Tales of Berseria

Playing: ?

The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr comes out this week:

[argyle]

Games added: Lapis x Labyrinth, The Longest 5 Minutes

Last week: Finished Days Gone & Detroit: Become Human. Started LxL & Tales of Berseria, and I also played the network test beta for Code Vein

This week: More LxL & Berseria, and Liz and I are getting Warhammer: Chaosbane to play together

Code Vein is amazing. It is definitely a Souls-like, but it has an amazing anime style, some really cool & interesting game systems (like being able to change your class at will, unlocking classes as you play and being able to "master" skills from one class so you can use them in another). It also doesn't feel as brutal as a typical Souls game, tho it's definitely still challenging. I can't wait for its release now.

Detroit ended with the video game equivalent of a wet fart. Game started out really good, but it really got David Cage'd up by the end. Meh out of 5.

Chaosbane is a straight up Diablo clone, but early reports from those who have played the beta are that it's a great one:

[isthatallyougot]

Detroit ended with the video game equivalent of a wet fart. Game started out really good, but it really got David Cage'd up by the end. Meh out of 5.

I'm still playing Dark Souls 3, and I started up Superflight on PC and Trackmania Turbo on PS4. Having a blast with both of those. Superflight was such an unexpected gem. I'm addicted.

[jfissel]

Finished: Nothing

Now Playing: InFAMOUS: First Light

Added to Backlog: Nothing

Current Backlog: 29 games

I'll wait to reserve judgment on Detroit's ending until I play it myself. But that doesn't sound good.

[argyle]

So I sunk about 9 hours into Berseria so far, most of it yesterday. And I love it. It's exactly what I was looking for, a really good Tales game. The characters are really interesting so far and the story's a little on the dark side. Phase, I know you said you stopped playing because the story is all you were really playing for - and I think that's where we differ on JRPGs. To me, the combat & game systems are the most important element, and they certainly deliver. I LOVE the skills-from-equipment system that's straight out of FF9, and the combat manages to balance being frantic and nuanced.

Definitely what I was in the mood for, and a great change of pace from the open world games I've been playing so far this year.

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[Phaseknox]

Phase, I know you said you stopped playing because the story is all you were really playing for - and I think that's where we differ on JRPGs. To me, the combat & game systems are the most important element, and they certainly deliver.

I think that you might have misunderstood me, I was saying that I was primarily playing it for the story and characters since none of the other aspects of it (environments. dungeons, combat) were really doing it for me. The environments feel artificial/sterile, the dungeons are bland and the combat is button mash-y/repetitive. It was ultimately those aspects that made me stop playing, because I was liking the story and characters.

Game worlds, dungeons and combat are very important aspects in RPGs for me, and none of those aspects in Tales of Berseria are very good IMO. The game overall just feels archaic, and average to me. I'm glad that you're really enjoying it, but after the first few hours I felt that it started to go downhill a little and tread too familiar territory for the JRPG genre.

[argyle]

I just don't think you like JRPGs anymore Phase, I can't remember the last one you played that you enjoyed. Which is fine.

[Phaseknox]

I still like JRPGs, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force proved that. I just feel that a lot of JRPGs this gen have been fairly average, paling in comparison to the greats from previous gens. I haven't played Dragon Quest XI, Final Fantasy XV, Ni no Kuni II, Persona 5, or Ys VIII yet which are supposed to be some of the best JRPGs this gen, but everything else that I've played so far (besides the aforementioned Fairy Fencer F) have been pretty average IMO.