The Backlog Check-in Vol. 4: 1/27/18: Dissidia Final Fantasy NT Edition

[Phaseknox]

Played: Sword Coast Legends

Finished (playing): Sword Coast Legends

Playing: ?

I stopped playing Sword Coast Legends, I put some good time into it and was finding the experience to be rather average. It's not bad, it's just not really good either. It's primarily a dungeon crawler, and a lot of the dungeons are overly big and mazelike. Then they started to introduce obscure puzzles that dragged down the dungeon crawling even more. The combat isn't very interactive, and pretty dull for the most part. The core game is repetitive, and despite having some decent quests I just wasn't having much fun playing it.

I'm not sure what I'm going to play now.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT comes out next week.

[canedaddy]

I'm not sure what I'm going to play now.

How about... Witcher 3??


Played this week: Horizon Zero Dawn, Summon Night 5

Finished this week: nothing

Added to backlog this week: nothing

Current backlog: 36 (11 Vita, 11 PS4, 7 PS2, 5 3DS, 2 PS3)

Yep, still plugging away on Horizon (over 50%) and SN5 (Chapter 13 of 25, hit a spot with required grinding... ugh).

[Phaseknox]

I'm not sure what I'm going to play now.

How about... Witcher 3??

I'm not in the mood for a big open world action RPG right now, especially since I just played Horizon Zero Dawn.

I started playing Dust: An Elysian Tail, and I've been enjoying it for the most part. It's a 2D side scrolling action adventure platformer with light RPG elements. The graphics and character animations look like an interactive cartoon, and the voice acting and music are really good. It plays tight, and moves at a smooth 60fps. It's quest based with an open-ended design structure to the levels that allow for some exploration.

It seems like it's aimed at a younger audience despite offering a challenge on normal, and including some dark themes. I'm finding the experience to be somewhat repetitive since the levels drag on for really long, and the core gameplay is button mashing/hack-and-slashing large groups of enemies throughout them. The combat and movement is a little faster than I would like, and there's no block just dash dodging.

The story is pretty good, and there's a lot of character interaction and humor. These aspects are part of what are keeping me playing since the core gameplay (while decent) is a little redundant.

[jfissel]

Finished: Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Now Playing: Virtue's Last Reward

Added to Backlog: Nothing

Current Backlog: 29 games

I've got Shadow of the Colossus coming next week, but I think I can fit in a game in before that. So I'm going to start on the middle entry of the Zero Escape trilogy.

[canedaddy]

I got stuck in Virtue's Last Reward and quit. Can't remember the details but it was a very annoying segment. I'm sure you'll be fine, being a machine and all.

[jfissel]

I think I remember reading about a save glitch somewhere, so I'll have to make sure I know the details to not trigger that. Was that your issue or was it something else?

[argyle]

Games added: Lost Sphear, Monster Hunter: World

Last week: Finished nothing, played Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, Fallout 4, Monster Hunter: World

This week: Mainly MH, and picking up Dissidia tomorrow so that too.

I can see why my friend really likes Digimon, but I don't think it's for me. The creature capture/evolution loop is fun, but for me the rest of the game around it is just lacking. The story is pretty weak and a rough translation doesn't help much, and the dungeons are very plain and repetitive - "cyber" looking hallways. If I didn't have other *much* better JRPGs in my backlog, then I might stick with it some more, but I think I'll just go back & finish up World of Final Fantasy when I get the JRPG itch next (unless Ni no Kuni 2 is out by then).

For now I'm all about some MH. The game is gorgeous, and is definitely the most accessible of the series yet. That said, there's still a steep learning curve mainly due to the amount of depth the game has to offer. But Tam was very interested after watching me play some Friday night, so Sat. we went out & got her a copy. We had a blast playing it together this weekend.

[canedaddy]

I think I remember reading about a save glitch somewhere, so I'll have to make sure I know the details to not trigger that. Was that your issue or was it something else?

Honestly, I can't remember. I know there was a section in a garden... meh. Too bad the old board is gone, I'm sure I complained about it there.

[Phaseknox]

I can see why my friend really likes Digimon, but I don't think it's for me. The creature capture/evolution loop is fun, but for me the rest of the game around it is just lacking. The story is pretty weak and a rough translation doesn't help much, and the dungeons are very plain and repetitive - "cyber" looking hallways.

I guess that this is another game in my collection that I will play later rather than sooner. I hope that I like it enough to stick with it when I eventually play it, but based on your description of it that seems unlikely.

For now I'm all about some MH. The game is gorgeous, and is definitely the most accessible of the series yet. That said, there's still a steep learning curve mainly due to the amount of depth the game has to offer.

Do you think that I would like it? It was developed by the same team that developed Dragon's Dogma, and I really liked that game. Is it similar?

Too bad the old board is gone, I'm sure I complained about it there.

We really need the previous board content added to this one, I hope that's something that DG plans on doing.

[Phaseknox]

I stopped playing Dust: An Elysian Tail. I know, big surprise. I put some good time into it, but I stopped having fun playing it mainly due to its repetitiveness. The primary gameplay is hacking-and-slashing tons of rather weak enemies throughout overly long somewhat same-y looking levels, and then facing a boss that presents more of a challenge. Lather, rinse, repeat. Yawn.