Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

@TheJCG, Wrong thread Video game foods you wanna eat, not which SSBU fighter would be which food.

@Tyranexx Thanks! It's been snowing here again, though the snow has seemed to stop now. I still have my copy of MMBN3 White, though I had it since the same time my bro got MMBN5: Team Colonel. I do wanna pick up MMBN3 Blue soon.

I've had my copy of Paper Mario: TTYD since Christmas 2004, and yes, I highly recommend it, but not at those insane prices you may see on eBay. Here's hoping that it comes out on Switch or its successor in some form! It's my favorite Mario RPG, but I also like the original Paper Mario quite a lot. That's on the Wii U Virtual Console, in case you have yet to play it. It's definitely more lighthearted compared to TTYD, but it's still a charming Mario RPG that I'd totally recommend to anyone.

I've heard of Horizon Zero Dawn and I'd love to give it a shot. If only the PS5 wasn't sold out everywhere...even the PS4 is out of stock.

@bimmy-lee The rosebushes are in pretty good shape. Many of them sit near the house and were somewhat out of harm's way. All good from what I can tell. My sympathies on the damaged trees, hopefully they pull through!

Honestly, my main landscaping problem right now is ye olde mole again. Not sure if it's the same one from before, or if a new one moved in. It's tearing up some of my landscaping. I'm thinking about borrowing my parents' dog to see if she'd dig the thing up, but she doesn't travel well either.

@BruceCM That's a good point: overhyped games usually have some measure of quality to them! It's rare that I give a game a 10, and it's never been a perfect 10. Usually there's some really small issue or two that bothers me. I round scores up and down accordingly.

@ThanosreXXX I dearly love my brother, but...in my honest opinion, he isn't the best singer. We'd be sparing your ears.

@MarioLover92 The temps shot up into the mid-50s today, so I think I can safely say there isn't any trace of snow left. XD

The physical Battle Network games I own are: MMBN3: White, MMBN4: Red Sun, MMBN5: Team Protoman*, and MMBN6: Cybeast Gregar. Missed out on the first two entirely. I've played part of Team Colonel via a cousin's version of Double Team DS, and I once owned Cybeast Falzar. I obtained the latter since I loved the other version so much. The games are similar, but overall I preferred the Link Navis and Cybeast abilities in Gregar. I sold Falzar several years ago.

Believe me, I've looked into getting TTYD, but the eBay prices scared me off. XD The original Paper Mario is indeed on my radar and is, in fact, one of the few VC games I still need to grab off of the Wii U eshop.

@TheJGG Foresight would've definitely been appreciated! I'd been listening to the soundtrack for some time before picking up XC:DE; the YouTube algorithm shuffled a track or two my way when I was originally listening to tracks from XCX. I fell in love and still frequently listen to many of the tracks. This includes XC2, which I also haven't played yet.

I think the electric guitar is the primary reason why I like the retouched version of Mechonis Field more. The synths play a large part in why I like the song so much. I like a lot of the Mechonis soundtracks in the game, actually. As for Central Factory, I found the original track to be meh before it inevitably grew on me. I LOVE how much Satorl Marsh was changed, IMO the new track is better than the original. Mechanical Rhythm is another retouched track that is done better in my book.

Nintendo would definitely benefit from porting or remastering a lot of their back catalogue. Droves of fans would definitely fling money at retouched versions of games they played yesteryear or missed out on entirely, if Super Mario 3D All-Stars is any indication. I used the Wii U VC primarily for SNES and GBA games, with a couple of Wii and N64 downloads thrown in. Without the eshop, I very likely would never have played through the excellent Metroid Prime Trilogy; physical copies, at least at the time, were astronomically high. I delved into the 3DS VC as well, primarily for NES, GB, and GBC. A few of the games were nostalgia trips, but I missed out on a LOT of games back in the day for one reason or another.

Honestly, if the PS5 wasn't rarer than an uncooked steak at the moment, I could see how some would go for it just for the backwards compatibility alone. BC is a definite perk for me when console hunting. The hardware boosts would be welcome as well. Likewise, I only have one blu-ray disc to my name (and technically no means to watch it right now).

Hah, I forgot Horizon: Zero Dawn and BotW released so close together! It's only been a little over four years, but in some ways it seems like an eternity ago. I could see myself diving into H:ZD just for the world alone! A good story would definitely be a huge plus too. So many wonderful game worlds to explore, so little time. XD

The weather here has some seasonal consistency, but it can certainly vary. I live in a part of the US's interior that experiences cool to cold winters and warm to hot humid summers. Spring and fall are typically the most pleasant temp-wise, but they can certainly fluctuate.

It reads as though you had a pleasant time with your track stroll! Minus the hot temps, but I'm assuming that's a given at this point. Looking forward to those pics if you're so inclined, but in your own time.

@Minako Ah well, my point still stands though, who in the heck would eat that with a straight face?

@Tyranexx Right now I have MMBN3 (White), 4 (Blue Moon), and 5 (both Team ProtoMan and Colonel - I kinda like the ProtoMan one more). So I kinda wanna get the other versions on the Wii U VC. I did have MMBN6: Cybeast Falzar back then so I think I'll get the Gregar version on the Wii U, to change things up a bit lol.

Yeah, can't blame you on those sky-high prices on TTYD - it's why I think it should get a rerelease of some kind! The original Paper Mario is definitely a very good alternative, as it pretty much has the same gameplay as its sequel.

Oh yeah, about Metroid Prime Trilogy. I got it when it first came out on the Wii U eShop and I'm so glad I did, especially since it was $10 and physical copies were incredibly expensive. MP1 was the one I spent the most time with though.

Hopefully the PS5 will be back in stock when it's a good time for me to own one. I was thinking of having one for this year's inevitable holiday season.

I only played the 2 Xenoblades on Switch (or do you count Torna as a whole game, lol?), I liked the music in them a lot ....

@TheJCG I like Persona I guess I'm a fake fan though as I haven't played any, I will soon though.

@Minako I started into the Persona series last year, played and beat 5 Royal, plus played through a bit of 4, watched the anime, and watched a playthrough of 3. Not the most die-hard fan but I'm extremely excited for the future of the series. Which console(s) do you own and where would you start?

I've played a good number of games with a variety of music @BruceCM but Xenoblade Chronicles as a series has some of the best music I have ever heard. I'd say overall it ranks second, to the Legend of Zelda series.

@TheJGG Switch, Xbox 360 and 2ds. I'd like to play 4. I've got spinoffs though.

@Minako You likely know this already but that’s far from the best console lineup for playing mainline Persona games 4’s a fantastic game with a great story and the best characters of all. I believe that 5 has good characters, and a decent story but the best gameplay. 3 I expect has the better story.

I imagine you’ve gotten this a lot but I recommend getting a PS4, probably just for 5 at the start. That game takes a very very long time to complete so it’ll be a very investing adventure. Took me 82 hours, and I skipped a lot of cutscenes near the end.

@Tyranexx You haven't played Xenoblade 2 yet? Well from the perspective of someone who's only played DE (which isn't me, but you!) it's a game that has less dizzying highs and lows. More balanced if you will. I prefer 1's music but 2's is very good in its own right, mainly because it was all recorded with live instruments, but also because the core composers returned. It has a much more fantasy-based setting than X, that's for sure.

X is the black sheep of the Xenoblade franchise. It kept fundamental aspects of the original game, but added so much, both good and some bad, to the table. One such addition was the hiring of Hiroyuki Sawano of course. I noticed with the score that he utilises nearly every style of music available to him, to craft an atmospheric, in-your-face experience. There's a clear spectrum, from soft and relaxing pieces to blaring orchestrated madness.

I listened to some of Sawano's music from Attack on Titan and it has his fingerprints all over it. One of my favourite songs from the Season 1 soundtrack is "attack ON titan". Throughout the song there's this really light flanger thingy. Add the drums, the choir, the horns and the electric guitars and it becomes classic Sawano. If you can say to me with a "straight" face that this doesn't radiate his style I'll be surprised!

Well... I made a wish lift over on the E3 wishlist thread, and I think that particular post of mine made it clear that this'll be an important year for Nintendo. On that note they'd better port Xenoblade X to the Switch, that game is far too good to be left behind. I'm very much hoping that games like Metroid Prime: Trilogy do get ported to Switch, because I'm past the point where I'd buy Wii games, let alone take my Wii U out of the box at the moment!

Uncooked steak... I like that analogy. The incentive for getting it is very strong because of backward compatibility, free cross-gen upgrades and game boosting, but that won't sell a console alone. Major games that I'd at least be very interested in, like Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Horizon: Forbidden West (Horizon Zero Dawn's sequel), Gran Turismo 7, and so on, have been delayed, so right now most PS5 players are sat there thinking; "did we miss the party?"

But damn it's such a massive step up from PS4 in so many ways. I've asked many people on all corners of the real and virtual world and I'm probably the only person who thinks that the PS5 looks good. I don't think it looks good, it's the prettiest console I've ever owned. The UI is so smooth, and everything molds together perfectly. The runtimes are nonexistent. The noise... there's almost no noise! So it's a strong console. Just need those games.

Well at least Horizon's got a sequel... a named sequel with a good outline as to what gameplay and story will be like! As is usually the case with western games the main story is good, but is backed up by some absolutely deep lore, and very good side quests. The motion capture and voice acting is great, and the graphics... just so beautiful. We got time to explore them, we just need to make that time.

Today it passed 40 degrees on the in-car thermometer. Went up to 41 while we stopped at the supermarket. Standing outside for two minutes is enough to give me a thin layer of sweat. Every other minute I end up complaining about the heat! But it's gonna get worse so I'll need to suck it up and live with it. I don't have winter clothes anymore but I'd welcome some colder weather!

Speaking of, the track walk was very good. It was hot though, so hot that I didn't run for more than a total of ten minutes in the hour I was there. But I saw the sights and it was such a cool experience.

https://i.ibb.co/KVGj1HW/Whats-App-Image-2021-04-23-at-08-32-...
https://i.ibb.co/z2Qjzdw/Whats-App-Image-2021-04-23-at-08-32-...
https://i.ibb.co/jzw5yJW/Whats-App-Image-2021-04-23-at-08-32-...
https://i.ibb.co/WGkZLcz/Whats-App-Image-2021-04-23-at-08-32-...

@TheJGG I was considering getting a PS4 and sticking with it as my other course of action, since the PS5 is really hard to get now. But even that is sold out. I did hear that Sony discontinued most of the PS4 models...may have to get a secondhand console.

@MarioLover92 That’s a right shame, you’ve said at times how you’re willing to explore the wider gaming world, and I’m sorry your dedication can’t pay off now. I wonder how long you’d be willing to wait though, because if you can get a brand new PS5 in a few months it’s the best of both worlds from my point of view.

@TheJGG Oh I know it, all right. Can't get a PS4 though, My Mum already scorns me for being an almost 17 year old teenage girl still into video games and I have younger siblings so wouldn't be able to play Persona with them around.

@TheJCG why are you called that by the way?

@Minako it’s a shame you’re mom thinks that way. You’re kinda in the same position as I am with Danganronpa. Love the series, still haven’t played one of the games yet😂. Younger siblings and my mom thinking any game with an anime art style is super inappropriate, means I probably won’t be able to play them till I move out.

Well for the most part I’d say people our age nowadays have grown up playing video games, so that’s a mighty surprise @Minako. Shame you can’t start now, it’d be surprising how much you can learn from those games as far as things like Jungian psychology, Gnosticism and Freudian psychology go. The games aren’t afraid to tackle mature themes too.

I’ve had my own family watch me at times as I play games such as Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and the Persona games and they were all very much interested! But there’s a fair bit of swearing in 5, so maybe that’s why.

May as well ask, what is it about the Persona series that inspired you to gallivant across the web with the name ‘Minako’? And video games for that matter, seeing as how you seemingly don’t have much exposure otherwise? As for me... I initialised the name of a very old YouTube channel I started five years ago. The name? JedgamesGUY. TheJGG!

@Blooper987 My own mother was very surprised to see the general Japanese character design aesthetic, namely for Cloud Strife. Really girly design, smooth face, blond hair... and she was completely unsurprised when she saw the cross dress scene.