Final Fantasy VII Remake

So they are mostly for quick relocations then?

>The dodge move does not have invincibility frames.

I'm aware of this. It just seems like there are moves you can't dodge.

>So they are mostly for quick relocations then?
They do actually get you out of the way of most attacks but some it doesn't seem to matter.

Tifa's running speed is fast enough that half the time that's all I do.

Yeah the dodge is for "moving out of the way" rather than to try to I-frame through an attack. They want you to kind of pre-emptively predict rather than react, I guess. Or block or find cover or just heal up and pray like you would in the original game.

Personally I'm bemused because the combat designers are the same people who made Kingdom Hearts 2... which infamously also lacked invincibility frames on its dodge move, and the many complaints about them caused them to correct that in Final Mix. You could say they forgot the lesson but I wonder if someone on the design team likes the idea of having to move out of the way before an attack would connect instead of phasing through it.

Some attacks are tricky.

Like the scorpion guard's missiles; it fires a huge barrage and it makes you want to start dodging because it looks like they're all going to hit but only 2 actually will and that's where you have to dodge. I found I was constantly dodging into their impact area.

If I recall correctly, I think that's because the other missiles are aimed at the other party members?

I guess some of them would be but you only have Cloud and Barret at that point and the missile spread is wider than just area two characters are standing. It also seems enemies prioritize who you're playing as.

Did anyone end up finishing this?

Any new opinions?

Ok, finished Yuffie’s DLC. She’s definitely more built like an action game character, and it’s a lot more fun overall. If they want the other characters to compete with her in the sequel they’ll have to make some adjustments for sure. Cloud and Tifa are fine already, but Barret and Aerith need something more in their base kit.

Yuffie’s basic combo has a launcher built into it, which emphasizes her aerial game, which is pretty strong. Her unique ability consists of throwing her shuriken, and while it’s out you can use long ranged magic attacks, of which you can change element with an ability, making her less dependent on spell materia (which makes her more independent from having the right spells for elemental weaknesses). You can retrieve your shuriken by either making it come to you (which will pull enemies towards you) or by teleporting directly to the shuriken’s position while remaining airborne. You can basically throw your shuriken and get to it to gain lots of air time. If you hold square (your basic attack button) you backdash and pull enemies towards you. So she has two built in ways of pulling enemies and one teleport (all without using ATB), giving her already a lot more combat depth compared to the rest of the cast. She can also pull enemies with Windstorm, one of her basic abilities which creates a mini tornado where her shuriken is.

While she has 3 ways of pulling enemies, she lacks any knockback abilities. Not that they are essential in this game, but I guess they didn’t want to make her too complete, since she’ll also be in Rebirth.
Upgrading your weapons also give you Mug, which does a lot of damage in a nice area and has a steal effect which is completely and utterly useless, if you manage to steal anything at all. There is one enemy that you can cripple using Steal/Mug, but it’s only one and it’s disappointing, hope this gets explored more in the sequel. Note that she’s the only character that gets new abilities by weapon upgrades.

As for her defenses, she’s the only one to get a “true” dodge (with iframes) which uses a bit of ATB, and a perfect block. When you block you get like 10 frames of invulnerability and some other passive depending on the weapon (ATB boost, Regen or Barrier), but you have to unlock this with upgrades. When you do a perfect block against certain enemies you can either interrupt them or build a lot of stagger. This is great considering that the defense game is nothing special in the normal campaign, and this is an organic way of introducing some execution heavy elements while not pigeonholing you into a specific playstyle (and it’s also needed since her dodge with iframes would be the better alternative otherwise).

Lastly, her other big mechanic is Synergize. You get only one partner in her campaign, and you can’t directly control him. But you can make him use his abilities and can use Synergize. When you do the latter, he will get teleported to Yuffie, attack when you attack and protect her from knockbacks. Your basic combos get enhanced and I think you also get harder to interrupt. This is pretty busted since you can stagger enemies pretty easily just with basic attacks. The only downside is that Sonon will not build ATB as well when synergized, but you can use a certain materia you get halfway the campaign to get an ability (which doesn’t use ATB) to restores a lot of his ATB. The only times you don’t want to be synergized is when you want Sonon upclose and Yuffie far away to either use spells or spam her magic attacks. If both characters have one ATB charge they can also use combined abilities which are also pretty busted. This are confirmed in Rebirth and I like these, since it builds another dimension of resource management to the game.
The difficulty of the DLC was higher than the base game, but I suspect that’s due to the fact that I still don’t know how to use Yuffie very well, but she seems borderline broken, especially with Synergize. The final boss was a pain in the ass though.

I suspect they used this DLC as a playground to experiment with some concepts they’ll use in Rebirth. If that's the case (most definitely is after the last trailer), then I’m pretty excited about it.

Good notes, I had kinda the same opinion of the DLC as you: it definitely seemed like they were taking a half step towards what they wanted to be in Rebirth, and Yuffie is really fun to use overall.

>dodge
I liked the way this was handled in the DLC. It makes me wonder if they'll tweak the system overall or cave to the bitching from normies who didn't like that the base game didn't have dodges full of iframes.

Was expecting your notes in the other thread. Glad to hear that Yuffie is indeed designed like a proper Action game character. I'm even more eager to try this game now (but being able to actually do so is another matter). Hope they continue to improve on the Action elements going forward.

>cave to the bitching from normies
Didn't see that much bitching regarding the dodge, so I don't think they'll touch it (maybe they could gate iframes behind a weapon upgrade). They bitched (rightfully) about the unclear unblockable attacks, and they resolved this in Intergrade, even if they did so in the lamest way possible (big red sign).

>expecting your notes in the other thread
Figured I should have posted them here to keep the other thread more clean.

>like a proper Action game character
Yeah, and it's pretty nice what they have been able to accomplish in her base kit alone. Considering that the characters in this game just get one ground combo, one aerial combo, two held imputs at max and one "unique ability" as the game calls them (which is the attack/mode you perform with triangle/Y) they did a pretty good job with her. Also like how mobile she is compared to the other characters.

>continue to improve on the Action
We can only hope, but I'm optimistic. They just have to make a No Exp materia and we're good to go.

>keep your notes in the dedicated thread
Good idea. Let's move the conversation here, then.

>her base kit
Indeed, that's impressive.

>No Exp
Been saying this for a while, but I'd really like to see them expanding on KH1's HP% options. Of course, with the KH2 combat lead out of the devs team, it's likely that it won't happen. Still, interested to see what they can do with the Demi Materia (hope it's not tied to just being an item). Enemy Skill, too.

>locking enemies down before they can do anything
Respectable.

>immunities
Strange that they allowed this for a real-time system (even if it's just a hybrid).

>hard to charge LB
What do you need to do?

>Lv 7 or 30
The former, but having info on both doesn't hurt.

>50-60% damage increase
Oh? Thought it was going to be higher. Interesting.

>no damage at all
There isn't a damage floor, is there?

>Cloud's Attack Power
So his STR stat?

>can't get to Lv 7 at the endgame
Would need mods for this kind of thing, though if it's not possible at all, or if you're only going to be doing chip damage, then it's not worth it. Unless Poison works against major threats. Would need to have one of these three elements (which KH had): HP% based damage (Gravity, Poison), really high hitcount attacks plus rapid fire, or a relatively high damage floor (so you're never doing chip damage *though that also depends on enemy resistances, which is different from the normal Defense stat*). Maybe instant death, but it depends on how it's executed, same as fixed damage antics. Though not sure if they're willing to put that many workarounds to Stagger.

>only need to do it once
Good point.

>only one spell before running out of meter
Would need to make it count, then.

REBIRTH releases on February 29, 2024.

Rebirth looks fucking great. Can’t wait.

>not tied to just being an item
That was really disappointing considering is the only source of % based damage in the entire game.

>Enemy Skill, too
ES is in this game, you can learn 3 abilities with it, one being Self-Destruct and it has some cool interactions.

>allowing immunities
You can nullify a lot in this game. Every element, poison, stop and slow (plus physical damage with Aerith's LB).

>What do you need to do?
Take a lot of damage basically, but in my entire playthrough I've only used 2 LB per character. There is an accessory exclusive to Hard Mode which makes it recharge automatically and it autofills the bar at the beginning of every battle, but I didn't unlock it yet. There is an accessory (available since Normal) that charges the bar if you use ATB, but even with that it's super slow. One thing I've seen you can do is use Self-Destruct (but you need to slot Instant Death immunity) to take a lot of damage and charge your LB very fast.

>no damage floor
Don't know. I tried to look into some cheat tables for the game but there was no option to turn the level down and I don't know how to search for the values myself.

>his STR stat?
That plus the attack of the weapon (and some passive increases you get by levelling the weapon up like 5% more damage to basic attacks and stuff like that).

>Poison
It works against lots of bosses and its sustained damage is fixed. I did some testing (against one enemy only, have to confirm), and it does 0,15% of the enemy health per tick, and it does 2 ticks per seconds (or at least, more than one tic per second). It lasts 180 seconds, so it should be pretty effective if you manage to stay alive for that long. I want to see how it works against other enemies too.

>KH elements
Don't know about the damage floor, but HP% based damage might be useful with Poison (and the gravity orb if you're playing on Normal). You can't use Instant Death in this game unfortunately.

>they're willing to put that many workarounds to Stagger.
Despite it not being THAT central, it's still the most important mechanic in the game, and they want you to abuse it.

As for the Rebirth trailer, yeah it looks good (outside the minigames). Melee for Barret and Aerith (and it's not weapon dependent), Syncronized attacks, playable Red XIII, Caith Sith, Yuffie, Sephirot and Vincent, FFXII style gambits and the ability to arrange your party. It will definitely be better than Remake. I hope for a Very Hard mode but we'll see.

>only source of HP% damage
Outside DoTs, yes. Hopefully Rebirth gives us a proper Demi spell. But again, would work extremely well as a workaround to Stagger, so it may not even appear at all, or it may not be that effective.

>Self Destruct has cool interactions
Interesting. Tell me more.

>can nullify a lot
Very strange for an Action game to do this via passives (though I know this is supposed to be an hybrid).

>statuses
Guess these are more understandable.

>can even nullify physicals
Then I assume LB's really are as hard to build up to compensate, as you noted.

>only used 2 in your playthroughs
In stark contrast to the original (basically used them whenever they were available *then there was Mime*).

>accessory exclusive to Hard
Is it better at building up LB's than the Normal exclusive accessory?

>use Self-Destruct to get LB's fast
Is there an element of risk involved?

>Instant Death immunity prevents Self Destruct killing you
Weird. In other games, it overrides this immunity (in many games, it even erases the caster from the current battle permanently).

>how to search for values
I'd look for your current Level, get enough experience to level up, then look again for your newly acquired Level. Maybe do it a couple more times in order to minimize the amount of unneeded addresses.

>STR + Weapon Attack
Noted.

>passives
Added after every other (relevant) calculation, I presume.

>works against a lot of bosses
Excellent.

>roughly 0.30% per second
>lasts 3 minutes
Could be okay if the spell you used to inflict it dealt respectable damage. Should add up pretty nicely. That said, it should be best saved for high HP stuff.

>see how it works against other enemies
Let me know of your findings.

>can't use Instant Death
Weird. It's not like a FF game with Stagger didn't already do this before (XIII), but it was also a pretty unique take in the series (not only it had a chance of inflicting Death, it also dealt a lot of damage *if it failed*). Since status resistances decreased if an enemy was Staggered guess that's why they could justify putting a spell like this in a game with Stagger (as it doesn't work around Stagger so much as encouraging you to use it in combination with Stagger).

>want you to use Stagger
Seems like it. Really wonder how Rebirth will balance things out from now on. Will it let you have more leeway about fighting however you want (Stagger matters a bit less), or will it be more or less the same as how Remake did it? Only one way to find out.

>the trailer
Seems great, yes. Can't remember when was the last time I looked forward to a game's release (CHAOS just got better and better the more I read about it, but I don't remember specifically looking forward to it prior to release). Of course, I won't be able to get it at release, but I'm still eager to hear how it will turn out.

>gambits
They were in the trailer? Must have missed them.

>VH mode
I got my hopes up when I read the developer interview, and it mentioned something about harder difficulties (plural), but that was in relation to minigames.

>proper Demi spell
We can only hope. DevilNeverCry played the game early (invited by SE themselves) but I don’t want to spoil the game for myself.

>as a workaround to Stagger
Which wouldn’t be the worst thing (quite the contrary), but it could still be done (especially since they could just make some bosses immune to it, like it is in Remake already).

>tell me more
Outside of charging LBs very fast, you can take less damage from it if you slot an elemental affinity to your weapon and the same to your armor. So SD will have that element but you’ll also be resistant to it, which is pretty cool. You can also pair it with HP absorb, so you don’t end up too low once it goes off.

>Very strange
Indeed, but appreciated nonetheless.

>LBs being hard to build up
Yes but you can work around it with SD and the Hard exclusive accessory. Seen some videos and you can pretty much spam them.

>is it better at building up LBs
You start every fight with the meter full and then it passively builds up. Haven’t used it but sounds way too powerful. I guess they wanted to heavily reward players for going after the Superbosses, and you can still not equip it (or if you play Hard chapter by chapter you’d only get it towards the end).

>in other games, it overrides this immunity
Don’t know how powerful the ability is in the other FFs but if it’s very strong it makes sense. It would have made sense here too since after every battle party members get revived at 1HP.

>Cheat Engine
Noted, will see what I can do.

>added after every other calculation
Should work this way but haven’t tested it.

>let me know of your findings
I should have more time now, so I can test things properly.

>status resistances decreased if an enemy was Staggered
Sounds like a good idea (from a designer standpoint) since you’d still need to play around it if you wanted to use your more powerful tools. Don’t think VIIR works like this though. Enemies have hard coded resistances, but unless they are outright immune to a status your first cast will always work, then your chance of hitting them with it decreases after every use (should also note that sometimes the enemies can’t be put to sleep even if they aren’t immune to it, it depends if they are in certain animations or not).

>must have missed them
Read that they wanted to implement them in Rebirth, don’t know if they are in but after they said it I’d be surprised.
“However, next time, I’d like to create an AI that can juggle a variety of techniques and magic. My goal is to surpass Final Fantasy XII’s Gambit system”
This was from VIIR lead battle programmer in 2020.

>that was in relation to minigames
Of course, why would it be any other way.

>However, next time, I’d like to create an AI that can juggle a variety of techniques and magic. My goal is to surpass Final Fantasy XII’s Gambit system”
Then he should make a new game focused on them and drop this FF7 fanfic stagger game.

>as a workaround to Stagger
Doubt they'd let us beat their precious, unoriginal, boring mechanic with something actually fun.

Hell even Star Ocean 2 has it now. It's a disease. A curse.

Malcar: >DevilNeverCry
Never heard of him, he's a YouTuber or something?

>make some bosses immune to it
In KH1, most things were vulnerable to Gravity IIRC, they just had a lot of resistances. But its synergy with Stop is what makes it shine against them. Makes it so that you don't give them a chance to fight back, while also being one of the fastest ways to beat them, but it also costs a LOT of resources (a max MP bar won't cut it, Ethers or preferably Elixirs are a must).

FFX also had stuff like the final boss being Poison vulnerable, but with varying degrees of susceptibility (Poison can deal 25% damage at most, or 1% at its weakest).

>like it is in Remake already
If it's just some bosses, then that would be good.

>SD gaining elemental affinity
This is definitely different to how it works in pretty much any game in the series. Legit didn't expect them to allow us to change its elemental properties (which is usually non-elemental).

>being able to spam Limits
So you can do this with Aerith's Limit to trivialize physical focused bosses?

>accessory
Sounds busted, yes. But still probably not as much as KotR in the original game.

>how powerful the ability is
Think it isn't normally usable in IV, but if you glitch it to be so, it can destroy anything and everything. V's is based on your current HP, so it can either be very weak or decently strong (but if at the endgame, not worth using it over even stronger offenses without the death factor). Think VIII's and X's remove the caster from the battle permanently. Heard it has plenty of uses in NSG runs in X.

>made sense here too
On a slightly different note, Eject (removing someone from the battlefield permanently u til the battle ends) isn't a thing in VII Remake, is it?

>first cast is always successful
Oh? So you can go for Stop at the beginning to get free hits in (assuming immunities aren't at play)? No wonder Death didn't make it in, then.

>whether something can be put to Sleep depends on what it's doing
Sounds interesting. On paper it means you should wait for a good opening to go for this. Does Magic prevent stuff from waking up like in other FF games?

>old interview on Gambits
Ah, yes, now that you mention it, I do remember reading this. Must have forgotten about that.

>why would it be any other way
SBK said it best. In reality, they're making us play through the combat, in order to get to the real meat of the gameplay, and their true passion (minigames).

Birdman: >make a new game focused on them
"Okay, and how about being able to stagger enemies if the player uses the correct Gambits?" - The dev

>Star Ocean 2
>2
Weren't there more games in this series, or is it a KH sort of deal where the third numbered game is actually the 9th game in the series?

>DNC
He's a Youtuber, mainly DMC content (obviously) but nothing too great imo.

>KH1 making you delete foes but requiring lots of resources
How it should be in an ARPG.

>change SD elemental properties
It takes the element of your weapon, and I think this applies to all your non elemental abilities (not spells) as well.

>trivialize physical focused bosses
Pretty much. It's telling that that accessory has its effect halved against Weiss.

>not as busted as KotR
KotR is the supreme offensive option and it's why it's boring. The LB charging accessory may be busted but it only allows you to do more with what you have, it doesn't replace anything.

>Eject
Not to be found here unfortunately.

>can go for Stop at the beginning
Yes, but it's better to use it during Stagger since you'd be hitting the enemy for more damage (at base you do 160% damage to a staggered enemy, but you can increase the multiplier by using certain abilities).

>magic prevent stuff from waking up
No, it's one hit regardless. Don't know if poison damage wakes up, have to check. That said, Sleep is best used as a brief interruption in this game (and to stop certain powerful attacks).

>minigames
I don't get this obsession with them. Kamiya is also super guilty of this. Make a Mario Party clone and leave this shit out of combat focused games.

@Birdman
>It's a disease. A curse.
There is no stopping it now. It could have been way worse in this game, but still, using various states to stop an enemy in its tracks would have been better (especially since you already have Sleep and Stop). I wouldn't mind this for a couple of enemies but for all of them it makes the combat a bit one note sometimes.

Malcar:

>YouTuber
Noted. But I don't suppose he's allowed to say a lot about the game just yet (let alone upload gameplay footage).

>KH1
On that note, somebody found a hidden interaction between a spell and an enemy somewhat recently. Great to see that people keep finding stuff decades after release. Someone notified me of this in Twitter, but I barely use that (the notification is 20 days old).

>takes the element of your weapon
Would think it would have an element of its own (and since it's usually magical by nature *even if it's a Blue Magic spell*, it shouldn't be affected this much by your weapons beyond their stats boosting its power), but oh well, we've more than established that this is very different to how it works in other games.

>applies to all your other non-elemetal abilities
Including non-ES abilities?

>can trivialize physical focused bosses
I see.

>halved against Weiss
And just him specifically? That says quite a lot, indeed.

>KotR
On that note, I wonder if the summon will even appear in this or the final part of this game. If so, how could it even work? Being a bit pessimistic here, but maybe they'd still leave it as a win button, except it's tied to NG+ (where it is reasonable to exist, since that's "screw around" mode).

Also, I've never asked properly, but have you played OG VII? Or any of the other titles?

>allows you to do more
>doesn't replace anything
Yes, that's a pretty important distinction.

>Eject doesn't exist
It's fine, I guess. Eject in other games was just another instant death option for mobs (since they rarely could revive themselves) if they happened to be immune to standard Death or Petrify/Break. Could be a pretty dangerous move to look out for when used against us, but since (I assume) that allies won't be able to completely protect themselves outside immunities, they'd have to let us interrupt it (either via attacks or working statuses).

>better to use it during Stagger to extend the punishment
Hmmm... yes. Makes sense.

>160% at base
Thought it would be higher. Also, does this mean a +60% increase, or a x2.6 boost in damage?

>used as a brief interruption in this game
That's... a really neat use of a status effect. Coupled with the fact that it affects most stuff, it really makes up for the lack of i-frames on your standard dodge (covering your bases quite nicely). Could probably be OK to get a breather room too. Is it hard to time it at the right moment when you see an enemy going for a strong attack?

>don't get the obsession
Being serious for a moment (not trying to defend them, of course), maybe it's to attract casuals (thus more sales)? Seen some people in the board I've linked to a few times in "The Vent Club" claiming that the minigames from Rebirth "look fun". Also, from the same board, someone was annoyed because of a statement they read regarding XVI and its lack of minigames (or distractions? I don't remember, but not sure if either are even true).

>Kamiya is also guilty
SBK once brought up one instance where Kamiya stated that he gets carried away designing things that look entertaining on paper/at first, while not thinking about the player when doing this (lacking the foresight to see how what he's doing is a pretty bad idea).

>no stopping it now
What next? Will they find their way into other genres? Fighting games? Maybe Racing games?

Birdman: I forgot to mention, but I coincidentally saw someone sometime ago comparing a few of Okami's enemy types and their states (when they lose color) to Stagger. Things like this are what makes me lose faith in humanity.

>Birdman: I forgot to mention, but I coincidentally saw someone sometime ago comparing a few of Okami's enemy types and their states (when they lose color) to Stagger. Things like this are what makes me lose faith in humanity.

Then might as well call absolutely any knockdown state stagger too.

Stagger is very specific for me. All your tools are weak until you get the bar down then enemy takes a seat and all your same tools do more damage. That comment also shows whoever said it is mechanically blind SCUM who doesn't know how many ways you can kill an enemy without the colorless state in a few hits, and also that it isn't even stagger since there's no meter or anything. It's just a type of stun and can be done instantly on pretty much everything by using the right abilities.

>Including non-ES abilities?
Yep, because the game considers them coming out of your weapon (that you infused with an element), so something like Cloud’s Triple Slash will have elemental properties as well.

>And just him specifically?
That I know of yes.

>how would KotR work
Summons here are basically another party member that you can’t directly control outside of using their abilities (which use your ATB) and use their ultimate attack when they retire from battle. They are set on a timer and can be summoned using one or two ATB bars. The summoning condition is just if the arena allows it (so smaller Summons can be used more often). After a while (and I think taking damage speeds up the process) a bar will charge up automatically, when full you can summon (assuming you have the ATB). KotR would probably be just King Arthur and some of the other knights will join for the ATB abilities, and it will use the iconic attack when the timer runs out.

>have you played OG VII? Or any of the other titles?
Only finished FFIV and played a bit of X, but I know about the series from the various talk I’ve seen online.

>stagger damage
60% increase.

>timing Sleep
The cast time is pretty fast and most enemies have big windups when using strong attacks, so it’s not too hard. After the enemy is asleep you can take the opportunity to use the -aga spells (or other abilities) which have a longer cast time instead of waiting for the stagger.

>minigames to attract casuals
That’s probably it. They love “variety” and longer games in general (even if most don’t even finish them), and minigames do both, doesn’t matter if they are a pointless distraction at best and detrimental at worst and distract from the core gameplay, especially since they try to emulate other genres badly (see Kamiya’s shmup segments). VIIR has the shitty bike sections but they can be skipped when playing on Hard (unfortunately the others minigames can’t).

>Kamiya
It’s tempting as a designer to stuff your game with as much stuff as possible, especially things that sound cool, as you said (bike sections, shmups, platforming etc.). They could work but they need to be at least as quality as the good games in those specific genres, but doing that would require too much work and so we ultimately get stuff like Mundus 1 in DMC.

>stagger into other genres
To be fair flight sims could really use it, just to spice things up.

Also I tested some stuff about Poison. Its damage is 0.15% of the enemy health per second, not twice a second, that was my mistake. It doesn’t wake up enemies when asleep and its damage is fixed (ignores modifiers like Berserk).

>Self-destruct
>coming out of your weapon
Amusing.

>Summons are another party member
Do they stay on the battlefield indefinitely until you perform their ultimate attack? Is there any benefit to leaving them to their own devices, or does the game encourage you to use their abilities over yours (given that they both use a shared resource)?

>finished IV
Simple, but for what it is, it was a good first step for ATB. Then V came right after, which was unbelievably great (and still is).

>X
Wish some of the ideas it had could have been expanded upon. Unfortunately, no other title did this.

>60% increase
Thought it was going to be higher, but that's probably at base.

>not hard to time Sleep
Good, so its utility to interrupt enemy attacks is probably consistent.

>casting -ga spells
Thought they were best saved for the Stagger boost. So they're good to use even prior to this?

>love 'variety'
But certainly not from the core.

>emulate other genres badly
How can they not see what's wrong with this? Wait, I shouldn't even be questioning this....

>require too much work
Especially in current times. Also, for as much as Kamiya loves shmups, it's weird that he had no part in that Star Fox game that Platinum made. Don't even know if it's good for what it tries to be. Just know that the fanbase still prefers SF64.

>flight sims
Not familiar with them, so I'll take your word for it.

>damage is 0.15% per second
Noted.

>doesn't wake up enemies
Both statuses could work pretty well with each other. Can you prevent your party members from attacking the enemy (so as to stop them from waking the enemy up)?

>damage is fixed
Think only VI's Poison was the only one that got stronger over time (up to a certain point, anyway). A bit like Toxic from Pokemon, in a sense.

>summons
They have a set timer, when it expires (or when the character who summoned them dies) they'll perform their ultimate attack.

>leaving them to their own devices
It's better to use their unique abilities since you can only summon once per battle and they have a time limit. Their abilities are also pretty powerful so it's best to abuse them as long as you can. Note that any character can activate the Summon abilities by spending ATB, not only the one who summoned.

>V was great
Hoping to play it properly some day.

>ideas it had could have been expanded upon
For example?

>60% at base
You can increase it by 40% pretty regularly by using Tifa's abilities, which increase the Stagger damage. Barret and Aerith have one too that does this but Tifa is the best since you can charge these beforehand and use them as soon as the enemies is staggered.

>best saved for the Stagger boost
They're always good, maybe even better in some cases since you can hit the damage cap with them with stagger active. They also build stagger rather well themselves.

>not from the core
Unfortunately.

>not see what's wrong with this
They want to create something new and maybe experiment with other genres without having the pressure to actually do it well to justify a whole game. Even if a minigame turns out shitty it's just a little part of a bigger game, maybe that's why they feel compelled to do this.

>no part in Star Fox Zero
He did work on Sol Cresta (as a director as well), which is a proper shmup, but as far as I've seen it didn't get too much love even from the hardcore shmupheads. Trying to get into the genre myself so I might try it sooner or later.

>prevent your party members from attacking the enemy
I have to check but probably no if there is only one enemy on the field. If there are multiple you could lock on to one, but I don't know if this signals to the AI that they also have to attack that specific enemy. If that's not the case, then this strat would only work when you're forced to only control one character (which to be fair happens more often than you'd think).
Also I would have loved if Sleep worked like in MonHun where you get bonus damage on the wakeup attack, but it would have probably been a bit broken with the current mechanics.

>VI's Poison was the only one that got stronger over time
So every turn it would deal more damage than the last?

>the Stagger damage
>the enemies is staggered.
>with stagger active
>build stagger

It's very hard to talk about this game without mentioning the Sit Down Meter (SDM for short) unfortunately.

Malcar: >if certain conditions are met, they will unleash their ultimate attack
Noted.

>better to use their unique abilities
I see, and what do their abilities offer? Just raw damage, or some utility?

>any character can activate the Summon abilities
Interesting, so you can use them more often by switching characters around.

>hoping to play V properly some day
Advance version is the best. SNES would be second best. After a notable gap, the Pixel Remaster would be a third.

On a side note, I really need to play XII myself. I was planning to wait until I got to play Zodiac Age, since IZJS (PS2 re-release) doesn't have as many features (such as dual jobs), but everything else just sounds so great that I'm barely able to wait any longer.

>example
Boss specific gimmicks. You can ring the Chocobo Eater out, for example. Or deal massive HP% damage to one early robot boss (at least I think it was HP% based) by interacting with the environment. Things like that should've been expanded upon.

>increase it by 40%
Stacks additively?

>Tifa's is the best
Are Aerith's or Barret's at least situationally good?

>always good
Sounds neat.

>a little part of a bigger game
One particular Platinum haters claims that you barely get to engage in the core of their games, particularly Bayo and W101. Not sure how much truth there is to that though.

>did work on Sol Cresta
>a proper shmup
Oh, I see.

>didn't get much love from hardcore shmupheads
Oof.

>trying to get into the genre
I played some of Gradius a few years ago, since I had listened to some of the songs beforehand, and loved them. Don't remember if I finished it though. Think it was the first game on the NES.

>depends on how many enemies there are on the field
Strange.

>MonHun
Another series I need to get into. I have a 3DS, and heard some of the decent titles got released there. Can you confirm this? And for future reference, which are the good titles?

>bonus damage on the wakeup attack
That would've been neat.

>a bit broken
Yeah, would be a bit too strong for a game with... that mechanic. Especially if Sleep works on a good number of enemies.

>every turn it would deal more damage than the last?
Precisely.

Birdman: >the forbidden word
You know, the next game I've decided to play from my backlog is LR. Made this decision mostly because of a certain tech that could potentially help work around SDM (to the point that using it at all may be broken).

Not sure if the following is the result of max stats (making the point moot), but if not, here you can see how quickly this guy destroys the superboss (on Hard, fight lasts a minute):



Boss takes a seat on the 0:27 second mark, but prior to that, you can see that he removed a pretty good chunk of the life bar. Recovers on 0:35, and still proceeds to do good damage afterwards.

Again, I'll have to check for myself if this 'tech' is really that good on its own, or if it needs high stats to even make it worthwhile (no point in dealing double or even 5x damage when your base is super low, and the enemy's HP is way too high).

>summon’s abilities
They’re mostly elemental damage, but sometimes they deal AoE damage or fill the SDM faster. Sadly the most interesting Summons are DLC/preorder only. There are three of these and they are small (which means that they can be summoned in more fights since the arena accommodates them). One has Barrier, Manaward and Haste as abilities, but they target everyone and don’t require mana (but require 2 ATB charges instead of one). The other is Cactuar, which can inflict Poison + Slow and it’s Ultimate Attack does fixed damage (but it’s trash). The last one casts the basic elemental spells on all enemies, without mana and with one ATB charge (while also increasing the SDM faster than the regular elemental spells). They are pretty busted but the bigger summons have more damage potential (while being more boring since that’s basically all they do).

>use them more often by switching characters around
You don’t have to necessarily switch characters do activate an ability. If you have the ATB you can use them by just opening the menu.

>V versions
Heard that. Shame that the Pixel Demaster isn’t up to snuff. Do you know if it’s the same for VI?

>Zodiac Age vs IZJS
IIRC SBK said they are both great. Dunno how much of a difference dual jobs (and other features) make tough.

>ringouts and environmental damage in FF
Sounds great. Is X the only one with these elements?

>additively
Yes.

>Aerith's or Barret's situationally good
Turns out I was wrong and only Aerith has an ability like this. Still, it’s good but it requires a bit more setup (i.e. you need to be ready to use it since you need two ATB charges for it and it has a long cast time).

>barely get to engage in the core of their games
Definitely not true for Bayo. There the distractions are annoying but bearable. Can’t speak about W101 but supposedly that game is more stuffed with this crap but there should still be plenty of combat to be enjoyed. I know @Roy didn’t like Bayo 3 that much since that too was filled with minigame bullshit.

>MonHun
Got into the series two years ago with Freedom Unite and loved it very, very much. Put 350 hours into it, fantastic game, really positioning heavy, but that’s on the PSP. On the 3DS there are 3 Ultimate, 4 Ultimate and Generations (there is also Generations Ultimate but it’s only the Japanese version on the 3DS, otherwise it’s on the Switch). The general consensus is that 4U is the best game in the series, while I didn’t like it as much (much preferred the design of FU). The general gist is that 4U takes too much time to get hard, but when it does it’s not enjoyable since in this game the monsters are unpredictable while you don’t have too many tools to deal with that, the maps suck (too much uneven terrain that can throw you off) and the weapon balancing is garbage (3 out of 11 melee weapon classes are good and the others are kinda bad). But maybe I might be the crazy one since everyone seem to love this game.
Generations is basically 4U but you have alternative movesets for your weapons and special abilities that need meter to activate, and both are great in dealing with the more unpredictable monsters, so I see the game as just a straight up better 4U (since it has most of its monsters and it uses the same engine), but it's not a good idea to play that one first since it puts too much on the table and it can be hard for a new player to grasp all the mechanics.  
3U I didn’t play, but from what I’ve seen it’s similar to 4U while being easier overall and having underwater combat. Ultimately I’d say that, despite everything, 4U is a good place to start (Freedom Unite would be even better but you need an emulator or a PSP for that; alternatively there is also Portable 3rd which should be good for a start, but that one is both PSP and Japan only).
Also keep in mind that these games are very long if you want to experience all the content (I'm talking like 300 hours, maybe more for 4U).

>LR video
What the fuck am I looking at. Seems cool.

>mostly elemental damage
Are they on par with -ra or -ga spells?

>AoE or fill the SDM faster
Sounds like it could come in handy sometimes.

>most interesting Summons are DLC only
Oof. Hopefully they're included in Rebirth's base release.

>different costs for AoE abilities
Interesting. Does it introduce an element of resource management?

>Cactuar's fixed damage is trash
As tends to be the case in the games he appears in. Still, that doesn't mean it's good to keep repeating this.

>not necessary to switch characters
I see.

>PR isn't up to snuff
Some of the core ideas are still there, but it also breaks interesting stuff as well (then there is the GBA content, which they still haven't included).

>if it's the same for VI
All I know is that the GBA content isn't a thing (same for IV). Not sure about the finer details (at best it could be on par with the SNES version).

>both great
I'm sure. One of the best IZJS runners showcases quite a lot of neat stuff, so ZA just might allow a little more flexibility. Then again, I heard dual jobs were a thing because casuals whined about one job being too restrictive, but apparently it doesn't break anything too badly (quite the opposite, it enhances some jobs that were lacking by themselves).

>other features
Auto save is apparently a godsend for farming. The x4 speed up feature could come in handy for traversal, and for dealing with minor mobs.

>the only one
Far as I know, yes.

>they stack additively
Noted.

>Aerith's ability is still good
>requires more setup compared to Tifa's
Got it.

>not true for Bayo
Should have known.

>W101 is worse on this front
So I've heard, yes.

>Roy played Bayo 3
Oh?

>FU
Sounds fun. Should look into it.

>on the PSP
No problem. Is there any good MonHun game on the Vita? Heard there was an emulator for it, and it's apparently (for good reason) less demanding than more modern emulators.

>Generations is JP only on 3DS
Is there a fanmade translation patch?

>4U is the better starting point
>Generations is a straight upgrade, but not as beginner friendly
Curious.

>FU would be even better
Then it's settled.

>games are very long
Duly noted. Will need to find some spare time to play them after beating some games from my backlog first.

>what are you looking at
The explanation is likely just as complex as what you're seeing without context.

In essence, he's 'tricking' the game into loading better modifiers for the attack he's executing by switching to another 'garb' (or clothes). So, he casts Flamesparka/Elementa in a spell focused garb, and then immediately switches to the status ailment garb, the latter of which provides a 250% increase for all damage (IIRC), which makes the game think that Flamesparka/Elementa have these modifiers as part of their base. This also works with physical skills, so this trick can make high base damage attacks broken.

So the video goes like this: use Flamesparka -> switch to status ailment garb (the yellow one in the video *Flamesparka is now 250% stronger*) -> switch to the garb that has Elementa (the red one in the video) -> Use Elementa -> switch to status ailment garb for the bonus (Elementa is now 250% stronger) -> switch to the garb that has Flamesparka (the blue one in the video) -> use Flamesparka -> repeat.

So I guess you should be pressing various inputs in a specific sequence very quickly (as switching to the status garb has a window).

> elemental damage carry over from garb mid animation
That's actually pretty cool, does it have tight timing associated with it?

> bayo3
Wasn't a fan. It's easy to point at the minigames, but felt that a lot of mechanics didn't transition over nicely either. The summons were insanely unbalanced, and quickly devolved into more of a 'just summon them while you do work for bonus damage'. Sure it opened up some unique combo-routes, but in general they are more cool as "assists" mvc style than really having a summon that you control.

Pair this with having force sections where you play as an extremely limited and generic Vergil-clone with 1 small moveset, dull levels, constant influx of unskippable minigames, some 5minute long unskippable cutscenes (due to there being a QTE near the end) and you just get a really mid action game. I'd focus on other games first.

> Bayo1
This one is pretty 'pure', there's two chapters that are mini-games. I'd suggest 100%ing them asap and just moving on with your life. The only real crime this game commits is hiding its best boss behind a 10+ minute Space Harrier ripoff. Bayo2 is better in this regard, with only 1 minigame really.


> W101
A ton of minigames and honestly goes a bit too ham with them while also making a lot of them ranked (i.e., get hit in the minigame and your rank tanks). They at least usually use the gameplay mechanics instead of just becoming a totally different game like B3 does, so it's not too bad.

>on par with -ra or -ga spells
Didn’t test all of them but they are significantly stronger (like 2 or 3 times stronger than -ga spells), and without using MP, but it’s fine since you can only use summons (the big ones at least) in certain arenas and only once per battle.

>come in handy
They sure do.

>included in Rebirth's base release
We’ll probably get a new set of DLC summons. This is how the industry is now unfortunately.

>introduce resource management
Not really, since you’ll want to use those while the Summon is still up, and it’s still more cost effective to spend 2 ATB bars to buff 3 party members than to use one spell 3 times (and it takes less time too).

>Cactuar has always been trash
Didn’t know that. I know that he’s the joke mon of the franchise but I didn’t encounter him in FFIV nor the little I played of X.

>PR worse than GBA
Shame, could have been the definitive version (of both V and VI). Emulation still wins I guess.

>dual jobs being useful but not broken
How it should be.

>autosave + fast forward
Quite literally time savers.

>MonHun on the Vita
There are the PSP games that you can play on it (either by buying them from the store *if that’s still open* or by using some other trickery) and that’s it.

>MHGen translation
Monster Hunter Generations (which is the game without the unexpanded game) is already localized in English, while Generations Ultimate (the expanded game) is only there in Japanese under the name Monster Hunter XX, but there is a translation I believe. Don’t know how to install it though.

>4U vs GU
Mind that I’m in the minority here. The majority prefers 4U but the reasons they give are mostly superficial, like story (which is even less important than usual in a game like this), quest progression and the lack of the alternative movesets and supermoves (which make the game cleaner, but you can play without them in GU and the combat and most monsters will be exactly the same as in 4U). Others are just salty that their favorite weapon got nerfed in GU.

>it's settled
Splendid. Let me know if/when you start it.

>need to find some spare time
Despite their length the games lend themselves well to short playsessions, since a normal hunt won’t take more than 20 minutes. They got super popular on the PSP for a reason. Another thing to keep in mind is that you can stop after you feel like you’ve experienced enough content, especially since they have like 3 different “final bosses” at various stages of the game (which serve to unlock the subsequent set of quests).

>LR explanation
Love this kind of jank. Wonder if it’s practical of if it was just a fun showcase.

@Roy
Didn’t really heard than many opinions about Bayo 3 (which speaks about its quality tbh). I though Summons were going to be better integrated with the core combat. Also didn’t they update Viola (or whatever she’s called) after a while?

> viola update
They only really changed how easy it was to activate witch-time through parrying, they eased up on the requirements.

> nobody talks about it
It doesn't have much to offer in the long run I fear. The 'assists' don't offer much combo complexity like before. The enemies aren't that threatening thanks to the low difficulty and efficiency goes out the window when you have a suicide-bomb of doom that can OHKO basically everything (Phantom). In general the core audience will no doubt stick to B1, while the more casual fans just move on new pasture. It might see a revival at some point but the game isn't getting any updates/dlc so I doubt it.

> summons
I think they made a key mistake in forcing Bayonetta to stand still while 'controlling' the demons. As a result you only really have two options. You either stand still and control them, or use their cool-down attacks while doing your own thing at the same time; with the latter generally being vastly superior since you then have two damage sources. The summon's inclusion also heavily nerfed Bayonetta herself, with enemies being far harder to stagger etc.

>can't control both at the same time
Big disappointment then. Was expecting something more akin to V. Don't know if I'll try it in the future, it will be maybe good for a quick playthrough to see what it's all about.

Raeng: >does it have a timing element
Yes. For physicals, the closer you are to the enemy, the harder it is to time. So if you're far from the enemy, you can select the physical, and switch to the status ailment garb while Lightning is running towards the enemy. Think spells in general are easier to time than a physical used at close range.

>summons are insanely unbalanced
>mid action game
That so? Sounds disappointing. Think this is the least positive take I've seen about the game.

>pretty 'pure'
I see. There's one guy in GFAQs who seems to take things to the extreme, saying that Platinum barely lets you play the game, and when you do, the games are generally not that good (though I ignore the latter part). Says the best Clover/Plat game is Viewtiful Joe, so take that as you will.

>move on with your life
Are the minigames really that bad? Or is the combat not that good?

>get hit in the minigame and your rank tanks
Yeah, I've heard this from SBK before. That's a bit much.

>even B3 isn't completely worse than W101 on this front
Oof.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Malcar: How long do you think it'll take Zesty to finish the OHKO? Seems we're in for a long ride.

>significantly stronger than -ga spells
Considering the limited uses (per battle and in certain arenas), that seems very fair. Though I wonder if they'll appear more often in Rebirth, given that we're in the overworld portion of the OG now.

>new set of DLC summons
Likely. Wonder if every 'Part' will get a 'Final Mix' expansion.

>unfortunately
And it will keep getting worse.

>doesn't add more resource management
I see.

>Cactuar
Think he debuted in VI. The summon was only a thing in VI Advance.

>X
They do appear there, yes. But only as enemies.

>could have been the definitive version
Exactly. But alas.

>just the PSP games
Then I'll just stick to these for the time being.

Note: How much of an improvement are the more modern MonHun games?

>Monster Hunter XX
Alright. Will check around if there is a translation patch for this.

>minority
Not a problem.

>hyping up non-gameplay aspects
>story
That says more than enough.

>let you know
I will. Be certain of that.

>lend themselves well to short play sessions
That certainly helps, glad to know this.

>if it's practical
Maybe a bit *too* practical (bordering on broken territory), but as I said, I'd need to get there and determine if it's mostly stats doing the work, or this.

>how long for the OHKO
If it took Zim 6 months to get his then Zesty is going to take a very long time to do it. As Dante said, he believes his own delusions too much, so now he’s shooting himself in the foot for no reason doing it with no upgrades. Also, he doesn’t have a good mentality imo. He should go in knowing in advance what to do and also have a plan B (kinda like when trying to get a 1CC clear of an arcade game). Too often he just wants to wing it and hope for the best. He’s improving but it will be a slow process, but I trust that the guy will be able to do it. Also now GMG might join us since it’s a NUR and not only an OHKO.

>very fair
Their once per battle use and relatively tough activation conditions more than make up for it yes.

>appear more often in Rebirth
I think they’ll leave them as is (in power and usage), but we’ll get a lot more of them, that’s for sure.

>every 'Part' will get a 'Final Mix' expansion
Most likely, that’s how SE operates. Not that I’m complaining, these “Final Mix” versions of action games always improve and add stuff without breaking anything.

>more modern MonHun games
World and Rise are more of a sidegrade than a true improvement. The combat shifted priorities and now it’s much more focused on counters and reaction speed rather than positioning and prediction (you could already see some of this in Generations/GU), with basically every weapon having at least one counter and monsters attacking in a more erratic way and with more tracking. They are also agreed to be easier overall (with more possibility of snowballing the fights in your favor) and in general they made some baffling changes, like being able to stock up infinitely during the missions (which means infinite healing and ammo *if you’re using a Bowgun*), when before you needed to use your resources well. They are still good action games but are less unique than they used to be.

>translation patch
There is one as far as I know but I never patched a 3DS game, so I wouldn’t know how to help you.

>I'd need to get there
Hopefully it’s not a max stat strategy. LR seems pretty cool, will have to play this too in the future.

>the OHKO
Hard to believe that after this post he made it to one of the Boxes (leaping from Olympia all the way to the noted area). And even more unbelievable that it had to end like this. But oh well. For the best (if that will keep him sane).

>GMG joining us
Nah, he doesn't like such things. At all. Not even if one were to do an OHKO for all six GoW proper games, back to back (his words).

>leave it as is
Likely. If they can't be used all the time like you say, then this would be the most logical route to take.

>always improve
On that note, I heard XVI will be getting DLC soon (if it hasn't already). Though the core is so dull that I don't think they can really improve much (let alone to the extent to draw in Action fans' attention).

>more of a sidegrade
That right? And here I was always under the impression that they were straight superior, judging from what certain fans of the series say.

>more focused on counters and reaction speed rather than positioning and prediction
I see. Less about tactics and more about raw skill, then?

>less focus on resource management
Oof.

>there is a patch
That's all I needed to know. I only patched two 3DS games, and it wasn't hard for either. I'll manage.

>LR
Kept playing, and ran into an area where the framerate drops significantly, which means my machine can't handle it completely. I'll skip it for the time being, and I'll play something else.

>if that will keep him sane
Don't know if he will try it again, the stench of failure might haunt him, and he might feel better after the Ragnaslop DLC delivered (in actually being a GAME with GAMEplay). If he does return then I'll be there for sure.

>he doesn't like such things
Thought so. He even refused to enter the vets' Discord club. He's a man of principle.

>XVI DLC
From what I've seen the game needs a lot more than a DLC to become good. The Sit Down Meter kills everything it touches.
On that note, I started LR. Seems cool so far. Just inputs, cancel properties, limited recovery items, good customization options. Will probably post in its dedicated thread (if there is one) if I see something worth noting. I've seen that a common complaint is the low enemy variety. Is this true or is it just FF fans being FF fans?

>judging from what certain fans of the series say
Fans only care about convenience, as since World/Rise have lots of QoL changes (and are generally easier) they are the better games for them.

>more about raw skill
The raw skill required seems to be equal compared to 4U and GU (they're definitely more execution based that FU, which was pretty simple once you figured out a strategy for a given monster), just with less regard for positioning. Some people said that the newer games boil down to: use your strongest combo on a weakpoint -> dodge/counter when the monster counterattacks. Don't know how much of this is true (probably more than I'd like).

>I'll manage
Glad to hear.

>the OHKO
Should have known Vally wouldn't be enough to bring him the joy that an OHKO W would give him. In any case, good that he got what he wanted. But we've also determined that streams don't necessarily hinder someone's performance. Because he got L's that he never got on stream (against Cronos, and Herc of all things).

>Discord
If GMG ever joins such a platform, I'll be playing FIFA for a month.

>a lot more than a DLC
Just so.

>SDM
Still surprised that the team released a worse product than TN (CHAOS) with this system.

>started LR
Oh? That's great to know.

>good Action elements
Man. Why did my PC have to be so weak?

>dedicated thread
By all means. Interested to know more. And don't forget to test the status ailment thing (the buff). The channel has more info of that in the description, though the forum link doesn't lead anywhere now.

>low enemy variety
Dante (MrTrademark) notes it's true, but what's there is fun to fight. Surprised to know he played this game. Might want to ask him a few things if you wish.

>lots of QoL
Ah, that explains a lot.

>use your strongest combo on a weakpoint -> dodge/counter when the monster counterattacks.
...

>If GMG ever joins such a platform, I'll be playing FIFA for a month.
Don't you say that!

>OHKO W
Can’t say I didn’t expect it, but it was nice nonetheless.

>streams don't necessarily hinder someone's performance
What they do is making your failures public, which kill your morale even more. He mentioned that the winning attempt is a two parter because he failed at the Box n.7 and immediately tried again. If it was on stream he would have stopped right there (as he always did).

>playing FIFA for a month
Can’t wait for the FIFA PAIN+ run (which would be just a vanilla run, the game’s already painful as it is).

>CHAOS
Have this on the backlog too. Don’t know when I’ll start it, but I gotta finish LR first for sure. More than halfway there now.

>weak PC
Hopefully you’ll get a better one in the future, both for emulation and new-ish releases. I also heard that LR is somewhat badly optimized, so it could also be that.

>ailment switch buff
Will try it when I get all the stuff that I need. I rewatched the video and having played the game I understand it better now. I’ll try to use archive.org to see if the old forum posts are still there.

>what's there is fun to fight
Can confirm. Not that many jobber monsters either, a lot of them can put up a fight. Also from what I’ve seen the variety isn’t so bad, there are like 30+ unique monsters (not including bosses), which is decent for a game like this. I played NEO TWEWY recently and it has the same length as LR but half the enemy types (only 15 * also excluding bosses *), which I felt like was a bit of a problem. Here there’s enough variety.

>Dante
Didn't know he was into ARPGs, but there's a lot I don't know about that man. Apparently his favorite games are the GOW trilogy (not GoW), which was a bit of a shock. I'll ask him if I have any questions about LR tech for sure.

@Birdman
Relax, the sun will explode before GMG joins Discord. Wright is safe from FIFA.

Birdman: Malcar has you covered.

Malcar: >kill your morale even more
Right. Though I wonder if the fight against Skorp in Apollo PAIN+ would have gone differently if he was doing it off-stream (no chance this would have happened, but still). I'm still wondering why his performance is somehow worse when GMG is in the chat.

>would have stopped
100% right.

>FIFA PAIN+
I'll love it just as much as Dante loves DMC5 PAIN+. You can tell how much by looking at his last update.

>get a better one
Yeah. If I don't get an Xbox, I'll use that instead to play many of the games I've been willing to play for some time. Ninja Gaiden will be among the first. Hopefully the game doesn't deceive me into playing an easy setting masquerading as Normal or Hard.

>NEO TWEWY
The dedicated topic says a lot of things about it. Heard the original is also worth playing. There's some conflicting info about the original KH team having worked on the original.

>Didn't know he was into ARPGs, but there's a lot I don't know about that man.
Same here. He says he "isn't really a DMC or GoW guy", despite knowing just as much or even more than the average vet (of either franchise). Numbers are his weakness though. He says his info on Evil Within and other Horror titles far outclasses any info he may have about DMC or GoW (which is already very high).

>Gears
Yes, I thought it was a joke at first, but apparently it's true.

Note: Happy new year to you all.

>wondering why his performance is somehow worse when GMG is in the chat
His aura is just that powerful. His mere presence is enough to strike fear in the heart of every man and woman on the planet.

>DMC5 PAIN+
Best run for the best gaem, no wonder why Dante loves it so much.

>Ninja Gaiden will be among the first
If you have a decent PC you can play Sigma 1 (close enough to Black) and emulate Vanilla NGII, although playing them on an XBox would be preferable.

>Hopefully the game doesn't deceive me into playing an easy setting masquerading as Normal or Hard
It only does if you think that DMC4>3 and GoWIII>GoW and GoWII.

>Heard the original is also worth playing
So did I. I'd have to hack my 3DS in order to play it (and many other games from both the DS and 3DS).

>Numbers are his weakness though
In what way? Doesn't care about them?

>lots of info on TEW and other horror
The depths of his knowledge know no bounds. When I'll start TEW properly I'll be sure to ask him then.

>apparently it's true
Curious to hear if it's because of nostalgia/multiplayer or if the games are truly that good mechanically. I think it's the former (like Roy saying that his fav game is Super Mario World), but I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time a game has much more depth than the audience realizes.

Also happy new year to all of you.

>his aura is just that powerful
Couldn't have said it better myself.

>no wonder why Dante loves it so much
Which is why I REMIND him about it every week/month or so. After all, who doesn't like being reminded about a thing you so dearly love?

>decent PC
Depends. Are NGS1's requirements about on par with LR's?

>emulate NGII
I'm 95% confident my PC won't be able to do this.

>It only does if you think that DMC4>3
Oh, he's actually serious about this?

>hack the 3DS
It's not so difficult (though that also depends on your firmware's version). For a while I thought I'd need a foreign flashcard in order to do this, turns out you only need a PC, access to internet, and an SD card (or a micro SD + the adapter).

>in what way?
Just in general. If you brought up the word 'formula', he'd respond with a "sheesh", let alone the actual formula.

>When I'll start TEW properly I'll be sure to ask him then.
Infinity and SBK also know a lot, and I think Raeng does too. Though I can't say it isn't interesting to see if Dante knows a few 'trademark' moments that even select few vets among vets don't even know about.

>Curious to hear if it's because of nostalgia/multiplayer or if the games are truly that good mechanically.
Well, Fattah (someone who shows up in Zesty's streams) once (months ago) told me that he 'recently' got into Gears, and that he enjoyed them more than he'd have expected, so you may also want to talk with him about it. Wouldn't be surprised if Dante has been giving him tips.

>who doesn't like being reminded about what they love
A particular group comes to mind, it starts with a G and ends with a okeks.
Speaking of, didn't know GMG was so infamous on /a/. His trolling dedication payed off big time.

>NGS1's requirements
They're a bit higher but nothing to worry about imo, unless your PC will have 4 GB of RAM.

>my PC won't be able to do this
360 emulation is pretty GPU heavy, so it'll mostly depend on that, and GPUs have been awfully expensive the last few years. I got mine a bit before the crypto bullshit so it was still at a reasonable price. Right now the prices are coming down a bit but are still higher than they were before, plus it depends on where you live. Prices in my country are pretty high compared to the US when it comes to PC parts.

>serious about this
His opinion switches back and forth but the fact that he's even considering it insults me. Guess the combo parasite never left his brain after all.

>not so difficult
Glad to hear.

>or a micro SD + the adapter
This is what I have. Hope it works well.

>see if Dante knows a few 'trademark' moments
If he claims his TEW knowledge is that high than it's probable. We'll see when I get there.

>Fattah enjoying GOW
>thanks to Dante's tips
Could be. I played the first one ages ago and it didn't strike me as too spectacular, but I remember it being well done for what it was. Have to ask Dante (or Fattah) if there's more under the surface.

>Gokeks
Too right.

>/a/
Never been there (or 4chan in general), but I have heard tales from GMG himself, yes.

>will have
You mean doesn't have?

Also, my PC has no dedicated graphics card.

>pretty GPU heavy
That alone definitely means that my PC won't be able to handle it.

>GPUs got more expensive
Oof. Should have bought one when I had the chance.

>it being a consideation is insulting
Can't speak from my own perspective, but yeah, everything I've read or seen about the game seems to point to one conclusion: that 3 is in a different (and obviously higher) tier.

>never left
I guess this parasite is just too strong. Good thing that SBK saved me from dipping into these waters.

>this is what you have
So do I. Works well enough for me (for 3DS, NDS, and SNES and below *if you care about that*, GBA, too).

>have to ask Dante or Fattah
Seems like the former is more knowledgeable (as per the words of the latter), but you can also ask Fattah if the games are worth delving into. Or both, really.

NOTE: Dante says Gears has more in common with GoW beyond sharing the same acronym. Apparently the trilogy is great, while 4 and 5 are more like the GoW handhelds in terms of quality. That's where GoW proper is concerned (for this analogy). Not sure if there's any nu Gears.

>never been to 4chan
Fun little site for what it's worth (when there are good threads there is). Also very different from forums since on the bigger boards (like /v/) threads come and go very fast, so you must be there if you want to discuss.

>doesn't have
Thought you were planning on getting a new one. My mistake then.

>my PC has no dedicated graphics card
PS2 emulation doesn't seem to suffer at least.

>3 da baest
One could make the argument for 1 being the best, but I prefer the higher variety of options 3 offers (while remaining relatively balanced), plus more resilient enemies and more "stuff" in general. 4 drops the ball pretty much everywhere while 5 is almost there but it's way too easy (and Nero and V aren't up to snuff compared to Dante). The ranking would be 3>1>5>4>2. Don't know where to put DmC. SBK puts it below 4, but the game has some fans (our beloved Mr. Trademark himself). Will love to play it to see for myself but the Definitive Edition isn't on PC and I'm not getting a PS4 for that.

>SBK saved me from dipping into these waters
And we all thank him for that, just like Zim for Zesty (for the most part).

>ask both
When I'll get the chance. Couldn't tune in for Zesty's stream today, and most likely won't be able for some time, so that'll have to wait.

>GOW being similar to GoW
Amusing.

>any nu Gears
There isn't any to my knowledge.

>fun site
GMG seems to have a good time with it, from what I've seen. It's probably mostly just putting Gokeks in their place. Oh and that XV guy, who lets SBK live rent-free in his head.

>threads come and go very fast
So would you say it has higher traffic than gaming boards on GFAQs?

Note: Seen the VII:R topic on GFAQs?

>getting a new one
I may upgrade some parts. Also, for what is worth, I have 8GB of RAM. Intend to buy a relatively decent GPU and a bigger HDD.

>PS2 emulation doesn't seem to suffer
Only if I have Vulkan enabled. Otherwise, titles like GoW run like a slideshow for some reason (despite the emulator being in development for what, nearly two decades now? Also, the console being 20+ years old).

>1 being the best
I've seen a fair share of people saying so. 5hadows and sometimes SBK (though it's mostly him presenting reasons on why one would say so, not sure if he personally feels that way) come to mind.

>more resilient enemies
By that you mean they can put up more of a fight compared to 1, where you can (based on what I heard) eat them alive with Grenade Rolling?

>5 is almost there
Thought you were with Dante on it being the worst (besides 2). But perhaps even he's joking.

>Dante loves DmC
Indeed. Genuinely shocked me. If I ever get to it, it'll have to be the DE. Don't want to touch vanilla.

>for the most part
About the best way to put it.

>couldn't tune in for Zesty's stream
You didn't miss out on much. Some jokes here and there and chatting about whatever with Fattah, Kira, Alpha, and others.

>XV guy
He's still at it from what I've seen. Still accusing everyone of going against him of being SBK, still seething.

>higher traffic than GFAQs
Much higher, for /v/ at least. The other videogame boards are a lot slower, but still decently active compared to GFAQs.

>VII:R on GFAQs
A specific topic or the board in general? I've been to the board a couple of times but never interacted.

>PCSX2 sucking for 20+ years
I've seen people claim that the emulator only got better recently because the Duckstation (great PS1 emulator) dev has been helping with the project. If that's so it would be embarrassing for the PCSX2 team.

>DMC1 vs DMC3 enemies
DMC1 enemies are generally more aggressive compared to 3 (which has some pretty aggressive ones, but others are a bit more passive) but they have a lot less HP. Couple this with no health boost on DMD (they actually get a 10% decrease on DMD iirc), the insane damage buff DT gives to Dante and the fact that the enemies enter DT only after some time has passed (plus some OP offenses like grenade rolling) and you can smoke them before they have a chance to do anything. In 3 even if you go with the best strats it can be tricky to deal with enemies without letting some enter DT, while other are super resilient no matter what (the Fallen, Arachne Queens, Hell Vanguards, Sloths and Greeds to a lesser extent).

>he's joking
I think he dislikes the game, but more for vibes than anything. It feels like they wanted to make a game that would get the most acclaim/sales rather than the game they wanted to make. It's like they crafted the game for one type of DMC fan specifically, which is the casual one that enjoys combos (without being able to pull them off, and that's why the combo execution got drastically lower in 5 and they deleted some combo tech from 4), breadth as opposed to depth, hates puzzles (this one I can agree with) and loves Vergil. Fortunately for them this type of DMC fan is also the most prominent one.

>Don't want to touch vanilla.
A wise choice.

>chatting about whatever
Best kind of chatting. Maybe I'll manage to tune in for the next ones, but I'll have to see.

.