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[Lindsay]

I gave it a couple of missions and It didn't click with me at all. Coming out of FFX I really liked the turn order and combat system. I can't be going back to ATB battle systems after not playing it for years, plus the fact spells and abilities don't actually happen when you choose them, there's a further power up period....nah

Ya that's how I feel. Even on the least active setting battles are still way to hectic!

I'm biding my time until FFXV like everyone else, so I'm finally gong to play Xenogears.

Its still pretty great if ya can get past its slow UI an text speed. That stuff sucks hard but the games so neat it evens out. Should be about 40 hours long if ya use a guide, an don't needlessly grind like I did. Tip: don't blow your money on constant Gear upgrades! An save up 38,000k(?) by the time ya go to Nisan. Use that ta buy an Ether Doubler to equip on Elly an later other characters for easy massive damage in & outta 'gears!

 

[Chris_C]

I bought a Vita a couple of weeks ago (after selling my original in 2014) and am currently playing through FFX. I'm loving it so far, despite thinking I was done with turn based battles.

 

[Lothar]

Just finished Nier after putting it off forever. None of the endings really satisfied me, but I did look up the Grimore Nier info and I loved the world building and characters in general so I'm pretty excited about the sequel.

I'm biding my time until FFXV like everyone else, so I'm finally gong to play Xenogears. the Xenosaga games are the only Xeno-verse games I've played, and they didn't age very well, but a lot of people say this is the best, so we'll see.

You should love Xenogears if you love Nier. Much like Nier, mediocre gameplay with excellent dark atmosphere, world building, story, characters, and music.

 

[Fou-Lu]

I am at chapter 20 of World of Final Fantasy. Bearing the end. Game is shorter than I expected but with Pokemon and FFXV so close I can accept that.

 

[Glitter and Gold]

Started Xenosaga this weekend

up to the point where all the playable characters meet up prior to reaching Second Miltia

Really really enjoying the story elements, but I'm not sure I really understand what I should be building towards in gameplay.

So far I've figured out techs and ether skills( got Medica All through Shion and transferred it to Kos-Mos. LIFE SAVER) but I'm unsure how I should be spending my other points. I'm sitting on alot of them on Shion and just poured everything into strength for Kos-Mos.

I can't tell I'm underpowered or if this is just how the game is balanced. Last boss fight took ALOT of time. Especially since it self healed

 

[Hikami]

Thinking of continuing with Zestiria, I kind of just stopped? I think I'm in the "Go do all the sidequests, pleb" part of the game? Bout 32 hours in. Kind of wanna pick up The Last Remnant again, it's really fun on PC.

I remember doing the same. I didn't feel like doing all that so I stopped there. Picked it up months later and finished it though. Wasn't really worth it imo.

Is that before you fight

Spoiler

Tiamat

though? If so then at least reach that part. Highlight of the game for me, especially with the track that plays through it.

 

[ThatRandomCliff]

Currently playing Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. Really been enjoying it. Only Complaint I have against it is that the combat can be a bit...slow, in the mid to late game. They should add a way to just skip the animations, or at least speed up the animations, similar to how the auto battle button works.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Grandia and Rogue Galaxy. Quite the set of charming games.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

FFX-2 Remastered on PS4. Still got my original PS2 copy as well. I always really liked it.

 

[Marmaladefire]

T
Xenogears is a long ass game with ALOT of reading (not a bad thing) , I mean it's like 60 hours critical pathing. I hope you're playing it with some hacks or mods because the encounter rate is high and the combat gets super repetitive by the end of the game.

It has a really interesting story, it's worth your time for that alone. But yeah this game hasn't aged well in the gameplay, some speed hacks lot encounter rate hacks will really help through the slow parts.

Its still pretty great if ya can get past its slow UI an text speed. That stuff sucks hard but the games so neat it evens out. Should be about 40 hours long if ya use a guide, an don't needlessly grind like I did. Tip: don't blow your money on constant Gear upgrades! An save up 38,000k(?) by the time ya go to Nisan. Use that ta buy an Ether Doubler to equip on Elly an later other characters for easy massive damage in & outta 'gears!

You should love Xenogears if you love Nier. Much like Nier, mediocre gameplay with excellent dark atmosphere, world building, story, characters, and music.

Thanks everyone. I'm definitely going to use a guide at least since my patience for slow UI + High encounter rate for 60 hours is quite low. I think this along with Nier will make me feel like FFXV's battle system is ~*SPECTACULAR*~ in comparison, so maybe that's a good thing.

Started Xenosaga this weekend

up to the point where all the playable characters meet up prior to reaching Second Miltia

Really really enjoying the story elements, but I'm not sure I really understand what I should be building towards in gameplay.

So far I've figured out techs and ether skills( got Medica All through Shion and transferred it to Kos-Mos. LIFE SAVER) but I'm unsure how I should be spending my other points. I'm sitting on alot of them on Shion and just poured everything into strength for Kos-Mos.

I can't tell I'm underpowered or if this is just how the game is balanced. Last boss fight took ALOT of time. Especially since it self healed

Eh, I really like the story portions of Xenosaga (it's a glorified cheap CGI movie anyway) but the gameplay isn't very intuitive or necessarily balanced. I got frustrated before the midpoint, level grinded and then ended up designating Kos-Mos as the powerhouse, having Momo capable enough to heal/defend adequately and doing whatever the fuck with the rest of them as it seemed appropriate as they were all over leveled. That's not the fun, or natural way to do it, but the boss battles annoyed me so I didn't want to redo them anymore than I had to.

I think after FFXV is finished Exist Archive is the only thing on my agenda until Persona 5. Partly because I anticipate my work schedule getting pretty hectic, but mostly because I don't want to get burned out on super long JRPGs until then. I've been having fun with narrative focused games that are less demanding like Read Only Memories and VA-11 HALL-A so I'll probably go back to that type of thing for a bit.

 

[Easy_D]

I remember doing the same. I didn't feel like doing all that so I stopped there. Picked it up months later and finished it though. Wasn't really worth it imo.

Is that before you fight

Spoiler

Tiamat

though? If so then at least reach that part. Highlight of the game for me, especially with the track that plays through it.

I dunno I met old man who was all "Yo dude, go do sidequests, then talk to me when you're ready". I figured this was the padding part of the game and kinda lost interest, but now I wanna go back. If there's more good shit then I already did a lot of side stuff that should make the latter part of earthern historia hunting a bit less painful. Interest rising

 

[jonno394]

I dunno I met old man who was all "Yo dude, go do sidequests, then talk to me when you're ready". I figured this was the padding part of the game and kinda lost interest, but now I wanna go back. If there's more good shit then I already did a lot of side stuff that should make the latter part of earthern historia hunting a bit less painful. Interest rising

Thankfully I'd pretty much done all of the sidequests due to exploring every nook and cranny of the map and ruins as I went round and collected all but about 2 of the Iris gems. Just use a guide to find out which gems you are missing.

 

[djtiesto]

I am at chapter 20 of World of Final Fantasy. Bearing the end. Game is shorter than I expected but with Pokemon and FFXV so close I can accept that.

So the claim of "100+ hours" by the devs were unfounded? That's good to know, I want to play it but was worried the length was too much.

I put in a bunch of time into DQ Builders, and am now finishing up Chapter 3. God damn, I love this game so much. Also put time forth into Xanadu Next, about to fight the boss of the ice mountain. Next week I'm off all week so the plan is to finish up DQ Builders, Xanadu Next and Exist Archive... at least before FFXV comes out!

 

[Fou-Lu]

So the claim of "100+ hours" by the devs were unfounded? That's good to know, I want to play it but was worried the length was too much.

I wouldn't be surprised if you could platinum the game in less than 30 hours. It's taken less than half that to reach Chapter 20.

 

[Begaria]

Finished World of Final Fantasy (good game!), and now I've gotten into Grand Kingdom (also so far a good game!) Not sure if I'll be able to finish it before FFXV comes out, so it might go on the back burner.

 

[Glitter and Gold]

Eh, I really like the story portions of Xenosaga (it's a glorified cheap CGI movie anyway) but the gameplay isn't very intuitive or necessarily balanced. I got frustrated before the midpoint, level grinded and then ended up designating Kos-Mos as the powerhouse, having Momo capable enough to heal/defend adequately and doing whatever the fuck with the rest of them as it seemed appropriate as they were all over leveled. That's not the fun, or natural way to do it, but the boss battles annoyed me so I didn't want to redo them anymore than I had to.

Ah ok...

I guess I'll just keep rolling along until I hit a real wall, then just grind and brute force my way through the rest of the game.

Trying to complete all three before the end of the year so I won't worry too much about figuring them out if it's not worth it

 

[BKatastrophe]

Finished my second playthrough of Birth by Sleep, including the secret episode. I had a much more positive experience than my first time, but the game still has issues I can't ignore thus dropping it on the ranking ladder for KH games. Also seeing that Volume 2 teaser again killed me inside knowing that we'll never get it

 

[Mackenzie 92]

picked up Wild Arms 3 on PS4 over the weekend for $5. man oh man sweet sweet nostalgia. really digging it so far and it looks great

 

[Ra1den]

You should love Xenogears if you love Nier. Much like Nier, mediocre gameplay with excellent dark atmosphere, world building, story, characters, and music.

I don't think either xenogears or Nier had mediocre gameplay. Nier has an above-average combat system with satisfying hit detection, and FANTASTIC boss battles ( a rarity in modern gaming).

As for xenogears, it is a jrpg, so it's gameplay needs to be put into proper context. As far as jrpg gameplay goes, its battle system is quite a bit better than typical jrpg fare. I agree that the story is the main reason to play it, but the gameplay shouldn't be sold short.

 

[Glitter and Gold]

Xenogears has some really annoying boss encounters and dungeons though

I say that with it being among my favorite games on the platform

 

[BKatastrophe]

Began my replay of Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix HD. Going for a different build this time. Usually I pick Shield and drop Magic. This time I picked Magic and dropped Sword. Immediately reminded why I love this game and this franchise. Before all the anime bullshit.

 

[pbayne]

Put some more hours into Natural Doctrine. God the battle system is so addictive and always has you on edge. One little mistake and you're fucked but it's always fair. Story, characters etc are alright but fairly disposable making it a good podcast/tv game.

Also started and beat the first 2 dungeons in Ys memories of celecta. Same old great Ys gameplay. I like the map gimmick and lol the memories gimmick that plays around with the "adol sure gets amnesia a lot".

 

[Dalius]

Slowly making my way through Trails in the Sky SC. I'm on Chapter 2 right now.
I've been on the final boss of TMS#FE for a few months now. I'm not sure if my party is powerful enough and I really don't feel like grinding. I may lower the difficulty & just finish it off.

 

[momshotdad]

Earthbound! It's quickly becoming one my my favorite games of all time. It's so charming, funny, and challenging. I love everything that this game is doing.

 

[Ludist210]

I just wrapped up my Galaxy playthrough of Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness...by that, I mean I've created and cataloged every weapon, item, etc. and earned 98 battle trophies out of a possible 100. I missed a few enemies on my initial playthrough, so I need to get them in my Universe playthrough.

 

[Garudan]

Got SO5 still sitting on my PS4 menu when I got it from the sale.

Been playing Tales of the Abyss 3D getting hyped for Berseria.

TMS still in my Wii U but haven't played it in a while.

I haven't really been hooked by jrpgs recently and it really bums me out. I beat World of FF at least and am insanely excited for ffxv.

 

[Fou-Lu]

Earthbound! It's quickly becoming one my my favorite games of all time. It's so charming, funny, and challenging. I love everything that this game is doing.

I played it for the first time a couple years ago and feel the same way. Mother 3 was even better and the original Mother was pretty great in its own way. Such a good series.

 

[Meowster]

I really need to finish Chrono Cross.

 

[PassiveObserver]

Just started up Grandia 2. It's been a minute since I've finished a JRPG on console, so I'll try my damnedest to stay with it. Loving the bright colors and blue skies on my CRT. Finding it a bit hard to navigate thru towns and dungeons though; this compass makes no sense to me. That battle system though.

 

[Fou-Lu]

I beat Grandia 2 and am at the end of World of Final Fantasy. I guess it'll probably be Pokemon Moon and then Final Fantasy XV next.

Just started up Grandia 2. It's been a minute since I've finished a JRPG on console, so I'll try my damnedest to stay with it. Loving the bright colors and blue skies on my CRT. Finding it a bit hard to navigate thru towns and dungeons though; this compass makes no sense to me. That battle system though.

The arrow points to either the current objective or where you set it to. The red dot points north.

 

[TwoDurans]

Just finished Odin Sphere Lefioauhdlkfjalkjn and really, really liked it. I was considering starting World of Final Fantasy, but we're so close to FF15 I might just wait.

 

[Aters]

Just finished Odin Sphere Lefioauhdlkfjalkjn and really, really liked it. I was considering starting World of Final Fantasy, but we're so close to FF15 I might just wait.

Seriously, I can never spell the name of this game.

 

[Glitter and Gold]

About 25 hours into Xenosaga Ep 1.

Ended up just playing with a guide. Seems like alot of the game is triggering and finding missables, so I figured I'd enjoy it more just playing with a guide for those things.

Developed a little more appreciation for the battle system. It's not the best, especially with every attack being a mini unskippable cutscene, but it's a neat improvement on Xenogears. and I like that it tries to give you some freedom to manipulate how you develop characters with being able to give exchange skills between party members.

My biggest gripe is that it doesn't really give you enough points to really play with it. I'm especially starved since I played through the first half without a guide and missed some pickups that would have alleviated the resource strain a bit.

Still really really engaged by the games story. Always excited when I get to the next batch of cutscenes and can put the controller down.

I think I'm pretty close at this point. Right now I'm grinding a bit to kind of bring my weaker characters up to speed. Will probably be able to complete it this weekend.

 

[Lunafreya]

World of Final Fantasy! I'm clearing up post-game stuff and capturing more mirages.

Wonderful game and it really helps with the wait for Final Fantasy XV.

 

[Neoleo2143]

Just finished Odin Sphere Lefioauhdlkfjalkjn and really, really liked it. I was considering starting World of Final Fantasy, but we're so close to FF15 I might just wait.

Leaf-Thra-seer. Leifthrasir. That's how I pronounce it. Also one of my favorite games ever, definitely in my top 20 games.

 

[jonno394]

Started Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness a couple of days back., On the back of something like Tales of Zestiria, the combat just doesn't feel "right" so far. Hopefully I'll get to grips with it and its nuances.

Presentation is pretty good though.

 

[User123456]

Currently hopping between Xenoblade 3D on 3DS, Xenoblade X on Wii U and Final Fantasy 13 on PC.

So far, my favorite is Xeno X. Honestly, Xeno X is simply my favorite RPG ever made thus far. Unless it drops the ball at some point, I'll probably remember this game forever. Hopefully it'll get a Switch port, I've got friends who want to play it and want a Switch but not a Wii U.

 

[GoldCrusader]

Started Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness a couple of days back., On the back of something like Tales of Zestiria, the combat just doesn't feel "right" so far. Hopefully I'll get to grips with it and its nuances.

Presentation is pretty good though.

The combat never get good, it's so unfair for the play in the way it's made. It supposed to work like rock-paper-scissor, but man it always felt like fighting a losing battle. Just like you, I came from ToZ and since it had some much I liked in it, going in Star Ocean was very hard.

Aside from that, the visuals are amazing and don't miss that scientist girl like I did.

 

[mikeyvids]

I'm about 20 hrs and

Spoiler

exploring Tokyo

in SMTIV. Having not played in a week or 2 I'm completely lost.

 

[ys45]

After finishing Dragon Quest Builders last week I started Atelier Sophie .
It's slow to start and got some different mechanics than the other in the series but I like it so far .

It's always fun and refreshing to play a jrpg where you don't have to save the world (at least for now lol)

 

[bnx]

Just beat the main story of Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention. Played it all November. Will get into the post game at a later time.

Maybe I'll revisit Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness. I got up to Episode 9 but I never did finish it. That save file is almost from 3 years ago.

 

[Glitter and Gold]

Episode 1 of Xenogears done.

It's ok. I liked the same elements of the game that I did in gears. The narrative is most engaging when it's focusing on the characters in their internal conflicts. I kind of enjoyed it less when things started escalating to typical JRPG stakes.

Battle system gets better, but by the end I was fatigued by all the moving parts. Too many damage types to keep track of what each enemy is weak or resistant to and not enough system flexibility to adapt most of the times. Towards the end I just avoided most battles.

Overall I'm not in love with the game, but I'm invested enough to continue with the series. Probably going to start 2 later in the week.

 

[Malrend]

(Re)Playing Shadow Hearts: Covenant on the PS2 at present.
Such a great game.

Shame that From the New World is near impossible to find these days, I never managed to finish it.

 

[Adam Prime]

Currently hopping between Xenoblade 3D on 3DS, Xenoblade X on Wii U and Final Fantasy 13 on PC.

So far, my favorite is Xeno X. Honestly, Xeno X is simply my favorite RPG ever made thus far. Unless it drops the ball at some point, I'll probably remember this game forever. Hopefully it'll get a Switch port, I've got friends who want to play it and want a Switch but not a Wii U.

Yeeeah, I LOVE X. Have you even gotten the Skell yet? Because the game gets better when you get the Skell and then gets BETTER when you start flying!

 

[Fou-Lu]

Shame that From the New World is near impossible to find these days, I never managed to finish it.

Lots of copies on Ebay. They aren't that expensive either.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Just started FFX on PS4 for the first time. Can't believe how great it looks still for a PS2 game. Was going to play VII but decided to check out X first. Glad I did but kinda regret going with the expert sphere grid on my first play through. Have no idea what I'm doing lol. I've read up on how to best spec my builds but have no idea how to actually do it. Guess it'll make more sense once I actually have other characters to level other than Tidus. Just got past the Sphere grid tutorial so I'm not very far in anyway.

Should I stick with the expert grid or start over with the normal one since I'm not very far anyway?

 

[Omega Kirby]

Chaos Rings III

I haven't played the previous three games, but I've heard they were darker in aesthetic. But from what I'm playing of Chaos ring 3. It's pretty damn good so far.

The graphics look really nice, very vibrant colors. The gameplay is a mix of Final Fantasy and Persona, controls are perfect, music is top notch

 

[aravuus]

Chaos Rings III

I haven't played the previous three games, but I've heard they were darker in aesthetic. But from what I'm playing of Chaos ring 3. It's pretty damn good so far.

The graphics look really nice, very vibrant colors. The gameplay is a mix of Final Fantasy and Persona, controls are perfect, music is top notch

Really, worth the 20 bucks? How's the story?

Looks like it has a pretty traditional combat system, which is definitely a plus. Some mobile RPGs just have the weirdest fucking systems. Or are plain P2W, of course.

 

[Fou-Lu]

Finished World of Final Fantasy this morning, I liked it a lot.

Playing Pokemon Moon still and will be playing FFXV in a couple days.

 

[Labadal]

I think that I am almost done with Digital Devil saga and I resumed my I Am Setsuna playthrough that I abandoned a few months ago. Slowly progressing through Cyber Sleuth. The localization in that one isn't great and neither is the story. The game is still solid enough for me to play it every now and then.