Topic: Games You Recently Beat?

I finished Ys IX this evening, really solid JRPG, definitely worth a look.

Inmost (Switch)

First, a warning: There is some dark subject matter in this game that hits close to home with situations people experience in real life. This one definitely isn't for the young ones and earns it T rating.

This was an intriguingly dark, moody game, very interesting indeed. It's a puzzle-platformer that covers three different scenarios: That of a knight, a young girl, and a middle-aged man. Each has a different moveset and actions associated with them, keeping the gameplay fresh and interesting; their movesets aren't hard to learn. Many of the puzzles and environmental hazards feel fair, though there are a small handful that have to be accomplished via trial & error. In particular, the portion with the bells in the last third of the game can be irritating. Occasionally, I also had trouble getting the young girl to climb on some platforms.

I won't say much on the story as it's hard to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say that it's a bit hard to follow and convoluted the first time through, up until the glut of information the player receives in the game's final moments. In fact, I had to play through the game again just to see all the events with the endgame context in mind. Definitely a lot to digest. There aren't many characters in the game, but most that the player comes across add to the game in their own way.

The game is absolutely gorgeous if one appreciates pixel art. Many of the animations are done well, and environmental details are lovingly crafted. Objects fall, rain pours, backgrounds and foregrounds scroll in layers, creatures move to maim and kill....There truly are some bleak moments in this game, balanced out by some beautiful or humorous ones.

Most of the music isn't much to write home about, but there are some nice pieces that fit in well with the scene in question.

@bimmy-lee Tagging you as you expressed interest in this game. It's certainly worth a purchase if you're into what I covered above. I'm willing to go into more detail for you if you're curious.

I recently finished Ace Attorney Investigations 2. I did not see the ending twist coming, even though looking back on it some signs were there. So that was really cool. Other than that, though, I was disappointed in it. There was far too much of the story that just didn't add up or make any sense at all. I liked how a lot of previous characters were making cameos, but then a lot of them ended up making more than cameos and being a major part of the plot, and I thought that was cheating a little. I would have liked new characters. Mostly, though, it was really just another AA game, just with Edgeworth instead of Wright. More AA is not a bad thing, and it certainly wasn't a bad game, I just hoped for something a little different from a spinoff (I thought the first Investigations game mixed it up more than this one did, but it's been so long since I've played it I may be wrong).

Yesterday I finished Resident Evil Village - it was almost perfect!

And today I just wrapped up 2 games! Resident Evil Revelations(PS4) and Resident Evil Deadly Silence (the original version of RE1). Revelations was fun but not memorable. And the original RE1 is still extremely good!

Oh, so what stopped it being perfect, then, @Zuljaras ....? Both Revelations games have that 'problem' but they're what got me into the series, so I'll have a different perspective than an existing fan of the main games might do on those

@BruceCM For Village I only wanted to have backtracking to the castle and the other areas. For example exiting the castle does not let you in again (the drawbridge is up). The elevator to House Beneviento stop working after you exit it on the way back, same with the Reservoir.

This is my ONLY gripe with it. But on the bright side it will encourage me to start a new game +

Next stop is Revelations 2.

PS: In Village I loved the "This boulder punching a**hole" quote from Heisenberg. It was hilarious if you know what it means!

Eh, well, for those areas, I assumed I wouldn't be able to go back after finishing them, so I tried to make sure I'd got everything before doing so, @Zuljaras ..... It was worse with the Village, since they kept moving stuff & I could never get a couple of things which I naturally expected I could go back for later
But then I obviously didn't actually need them, so that's good! I'd have much preferred it if they could have made The Lady the final boss instead of the H guy, too. I'll probably replay it sooner or later, too, so I'll make sure to get those things next time & double check I didn't miss anything else

Recently beat Star Wars Republic Commando. Thought the gameplay was good, wished it was a bit less linear. A modern remake, though extremely unlikely could have lots of potential. If there was 1 more campaign/planet thing, I would've thought it worth 15$. I would say wait for a sale to get this one.

I rolled the credits recently in Monster Hunter Rise. Though this obviously means I'm far from done, particularly with how many content updates Capcom seems happy to push. Not that I'm complaining!

Overall I'm enjoying the game so far, though there have been a couple moments that feel a bit cheap (Getting pinned in small places a time or two, trying to flee and regroup and still getting ambushed from what I was trying to back off of from behind, etc.). I'm glad I've stuck with it as everything is starting to really click, but I won't deny that there's been quite a learning curve and a TON of information to get through; I'm still getting the occasional tutorial popup. It's my first proper Monster Hunter, so at least I was warned that this is how it is for most in the beginning.

@Tyranexx Glade to hear it, and that cheap stuff your talking about, Just look up MH rise gone wrong, (Once you have beaten the final boss) and its much worse LOL, Like me getting the dumbest hitbox ever, in the air!

@Tyranexx very good! My thoughts exactly when I finished. Are you jumping into FE3H?

@Snatcher The retreat thing actually happened to me against Magnamalo. I fainted twice during that fight; the first time was fair, but the second time was during that retreat I mentioned. I was booking it as fast as I could (darn Palamute wasn't coming fast enough), was trying to regain health and treat my character for the hellfire effect. I was about at half health, and the [insert words of choice here] comes up behind me and slams me with his tail. Instant faint. I was steamed enough that I paused the game and walked off for a few minutes. I will look up that video you mentioned.

@NintendoByNature It'll probably be awhile yet before I jump into FE3H. I'm still hacking around with Rise a little, plus I'm currently working on another FE (Shadows of Valentia on 3DS) and don't often play more than one game in the same franchise and genre at the same time.

Just beat the most recent God of War. It was a really good game, but the ending felt a little underwhelming. I think it's because Baldur felt like a sub boss.

I reached the credits in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia this past weekend. Wow. Just...wow. That was probably one of the best stories I've experienced in the series. For reference, I've played every entry that came West up to this point barring both Tellius games and Three Houses. A decent plot with a twist or two I didn't see coming (and one I did due to various dropped hints). What really sold it was the wonderful banter between the characters. Even better is that the majority of the game features voice acting. This clearly had a lot of work put into it and rarely sounds otherwise.

Gameplay-wise, it's a bit of an odd duck compared to the the other entries I've played. I won't try to spoil much. There's some dungeon exploration involved, attacking and healing (especially for casters) work very differently, and class promotions are also different. These changes, I feel, are a strength of the game, not a weakness. There's also a mechanic, should one need it, that lets you rewind mistakes and replay previous turns, resetting up until the beginning of the battle. It's a nice option to have, though it's not forced on the player. It also has a limited amount of uses per battle, though this can be expanded as the player progresses. As this is a full remaster of the original Fire Emblem Gaiden, some of the overworld maps seem generic but are serviceable.

The game is visually pleasing for a 3DS game. The 3D effect, while not essential per se, is also done well here. Music-wise, none of the tunes really stick out too much in my mind, but it is pleasant and fits the scenes it's used in. There are also some animated cutscenes.

This game is easy to recommend for fans of the series and strategy RPGs in general. I feel that many overlooked it since it was one of a handful of quality games (along with other underrated gems like Ever Oasis and Metroid: Samus Returns) that released after the Switch launch.

@Tyranexx I've only played 3H in the series and I want to get into the rest of them, especially on 3ds. I hear awakening is best of the bunch, but im open to any of them. When looking on Amazon and Nintendo eshop, I see so many different versions and prices and I'm worried some of them might be dlc only. What are the definitive or titles I should be looking for on the eshop or Amazon?

@NintendoByNature For 3DS titles, the ones I'd recommend most are Fire Emblem: Awakening and Fire Emblem Echoes. The former is what roped me into the series with its excellent demo and has, story-wise, a pretty interesting plot. That might be the one to start with if you can find it for a reasonable price. The latter is, admittedly, probably a tad more generic story-wise, but the writing, different mechanics, and VA work more than make up for it. I haven't played the original Fire Emblem Gaiden, but I daresay Echoes is the better version. Both should retail at $40 MSRP.

Both main Fates games are a bit weaker than those two but still worth playing if you're a series fan. It was an odd release; they went with the Pokemon approach and released two physical versions, though each version past the first few chapters has a completely different plot, maps, and doesn't share many recruitable characters. Birthright is slightly stronger in the story department, a bit easier/more forgiving difficulty-wise, and has a few decent characters, but its maps mostly play it too safe and the plot is predictable. Conquest is meant for more of a hardcore audience and has better-written characters and fun maps, but it's let down by its Swiss cheese plot. There's a third version, Revelation, but it's DLC-only unless you can get your hands on the expensive special edition cartridge that shipped with all three games in one package. I haven't played this one and have heard...mixed things. Three Houses was handled much better in this regard.

Your eShop pricing confusion may come from the Fates entries; the two retail versions should be $40, but the other two paths could be bought as DLC for $20 apiece if you already have one full version of the game (So you would likely spend $80 total if you want the main paths...not counting the extra DLC). It will use the save data on your 3DS to grab your customized version of Corrin from the first route and apply them to the next one, starting at the moment where things split off. This even works if you have two physical versions of both Birthright and Conquest; in my case, I got the former on clearance at Walmart a couple years ago as $19 was quite a steal!

@Tyranexx awesome thanks for the explanation. This clears it up for me.

Finally got end credits for Sakuna. I didn’t want it to end so I dragged it out but there is still tons to unlock and I still wanna get my rice crop in shape. That said I will have to increase the difficulty of the combat...spent too much time farming and I am overleveled. Loved the ending though. I think they left enough for a sequel too. Still my GOTY of last year and one of my top 10 switch games.

@NintendoByNature No problem! Navigating normal DLC gets crazy enough already. Throw in the lite versions of two retail titles, and it's easy to see how someone would get confused. They handled the split routes much better with Three Houses, from what I've read and been told. Still need to experience that game for myself lol.

Played through the EDF 4.1 campaign for the second time. Only 98 missions 18 more times left to go as I work towards that platinum trophy that'll probably taken several hundred more hours to obtain. Good game, good series, the very definition of "value for money".

EDF: WB on Switch seems like it'll be a much shorter game, having reached 15% completion in a tenth of the time I've invested in 4.1.