Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

I’m not too sure if Resident Evil is for me, @BruceCM. I’m not a fan of horror, at least the cheap jump scare type, but having said that I’m open to it if it’s a good game. And if there’s an easy mode.

If there’s one horror game I’d like to try, is a modern Silent Hill game. Apparently that game uses psychological horror to destroy you from the inside. That’s something I’d love to feel. I’ve tried Until Dawn, in the most immersive way; lights off, at night. It worked wonders and it terrified me quite badly.

@Eel Given she’s a vampire I’d understand, of course she makes a right show of it, sucking your severed hand like a child would an ice cream.

In that I found the concept in Attack on Titan interesting in that the Titans don’t even need blood. They can’t digest and such, so it’s purely for sport...

Well, RE games do have some "jump scares", @TheJGG... But I wouldn't say they're the cheap sort & there's a lot more to them
Perhaps pick one of the older ones next time they're on sale to try it out?

Haha in 8, there's a part (after Castle Dimitrescu) that is like, taken straight out of Silent Hill. It was a very interesting change of pace.

@Tyranexx Yeah, if you're watching/browsing at the office, then that's not exactly the ideal environment to take the time to watch video reviews. Over here, we've also got to deal with stricter browsing protocols/firewalls in the office, so I usually check out NLife on my phone, which obviously explains why I almost never comment during the daytime, because I hate making longer comments on my smart phone, having to fidget with the smaller touch screen.

On a side note: now that you mentioned it, I'm also wondering what happened with our resident DDR guru.

@MarioLover92 What with the current experience I have on here, I think it's safe to say that the forums, and specifically this very one, are a FAR more enjoyable hangout than some of the various comments sections. I'm not one to easily point fingers, but I've been a member and previously a visitor for many, many years, and it has slowly but steadily grown worse with the coming of certain newer members, so I usually stick to communicating with the people I know and appreciate.

@Haruki_NLI I see no smileys or any other kind of additional notes hinting at possible sarcasm, so for now, I'm assuming that you're actually serious about loving your work...

@Eel It was very much like Dead Silence (if you know that movie! If not I highly recommend it!!!) after you get to the 1st floor the second time. There even was a grave with dolls like in the movie legend. She had no kids, only dolls and her wish was to be buried with her dolls!

@Zuljaras Haha yeah it did remind me of that movie! Even the aesthetic of the puppeteer herself, she was like a younger Mary Shaw.

Is the e-shop down for everyone today

@MarioLover92 I think I visited the site on and off for several years; I started visiting sometime in 2011, I think. I ran across NL from searching for Zelda/Skyward Sword news. Though I didn't bother joining until mid-2015 lol. The Wii U certainly had flaws and was certainly mishandled in mechanics and advertising. Still, there are benefits to owning a system, especially if one enjoys its eShop offerings.

On the drawing: I do agree on the flagpole, but I'd call that a mild issue. As for what to draw next...maybe something or someone else in the Mario universe? A Luigi's Mansion scene maybe?

I ended up visiting both grandmothers for Mother's Day - ate takeout with one with some of my family - as well as my own mom. It was a good day, albeit a long one lol. We don't go quite as crazy for Father's Day.

@NintendoByNature To my knowledge, my copy hasn't shipped yet. Not complaining as long as I get the game at all! You're already finished with Monster Hunter Rise? I'm taking my time, trying to do every Village quest at least once and have been digging into multiplayer a little with some online acquaintances. It's also not the only game I'm juggling. I've also been playing Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia when my brain isn't running on fumes after work.

@BruceCM Yep, I tried the Conception II demo back when it first dropped and wasn't that impressed with it. Odd premise aside, it didn't really do much to win me over. There were other games at the time that caught my attention and limited college funds. XD

I'm not really a Resident Evil fan. The series's "scares" aren't really my type (Most are way too obvious to me lol), and IMO some of the scare factor goes away when you can mow down most opponents with bullets and explosives. It's been awhile since I've played a horror title, but the first couple chapters of Fatal Frame V: Maiden of Black Water (I believe it's called Project Zero across the pond) were sufficiently freaky. And you're only armed with a camera!

@ThanosReXXX While we certainly have network protocols in place at the office, I've never ran across anything (to my knowledge, anyway) that triggered the firewalls. I just have to be careful of who's around if I surreptitiously decide to open up a video for a couple minutes. I really don't do much video watching at work, but all it takes is the wrong person to come along, see that, and think otherwise.

I also check NL on my phone - usually during breaks - which is why I likewise don't do much posting during the day unless it's something short. I can belt out long posts on my phone, but actual keyboards are much more efficient.

I'm hoping Anti's okay. Ideally he just took a break from the site again.

@TheJGG IMO There's absolutely no shame in using guides if they save several hours of time and sanity. Agreed on OoT, MM, and TWW having (mostly) excellent puzzle design. Though part of the Wind Temple in The Wind Waker HD had me scratching my head for a good while and saying "Why?" lol. I think the only other temple I genuinely had trouble with was the Forbidden Woods, and I wasn't stuck for as long there. What is it with these confusing woodland temples? I also had problems with the Forest Temple in OoT (I still have to mute the tune sometimes) and (mentioned before) the first dungeon in TP as well. Probably the game with the most obtuse puzzle design I've played in recent memory was Grim Fandango Remastered on the Switch. Decent game, but man...I thought I knew puzzle design. I had to use a guide!

The prerequisites before starting a new story chapter were aspects I liked about Xenoblade Chronicles X; they forced the player to explore more of the world and aid its denizens. I'm sure it wasn't for everyone, but those requirements really added to the game in my book. It didn't take me too long to get to Noctilum and Oblivia, but it did take a little while to get to Sylvalum; there was never a huge need to go in that direction for the longest time, so I put it off. I was probably 40-50 hours in before going there. Beautiful area, though I can't say I'm too fond of the fog effects (when they occur) or music.

As for WoW: My heaviest periods of playing were in 2009 and a little of 2010. So a little over a decade. Though the vanilla version of the game launched way back in 2004. It's truly impressive that the game has been going as long as it has, though it's sort of telling that they're starting to release "Classic" versions of the game just to rope in the old-school players again.

I really like how, retrospectively, Twilight Princess is almost essentially a later version of the world first featured in Ocarina of Time. I don't fully buy the "Zelda Timeline" stuff, but some games (ignoring obvious sequels) are clearly related to each other either directly or indirectly. In any case, the timeline does make for some excellent discussion!

In retrospect, I do agree that Jade Face's arc could have had a better conclusion. Short but sweet, almost too short. It probably would have given Sharla a little more closure. A mild criticism overall. I did experiment with the other party members and actually had a pretty decent second party of Dunban/Sharla/[Seventh Character] at one point, with the latter as a fairly decent tank with one build. The only characters I couldn't really get a hang of using were Riki and Melia, though both were fun in their own ways. I've heard/read Melia can be a monster with the right investment, however. She was a bit too squishy for my liking though, even with HP gem and high armor investment.

Still working on Kingdom Hearts III then? I'm glad you're enjoying it! Love the Working Together tune you provided. I do know a thing or two about the lore of the series, due in part to picking up one of the manga volumes many years ago, but I'm definitely not caught up lol. Maybe one day, but I'm pretty sure now isn't the best time to dive into the series. XD

On Covid: Like you, I wasn't under the fantasy that we'd be back to normal by [Insert date/holiday here], at least not anytime soon. The virus is here to stay and, I think, will now join the seasonal rotation of other illnesses like the flu that we'll need to get vaccinated for every now and again. The economy here is still recovering. Especially in states that haven't fully opened back up yet, like mine. Most of the world, minus those very few places that this hasn't touched, is still reeling and working on regaining its balance. We're getting there, I think, but I expect more bumps and setbacks along the way. India is especially in my thoughts a lot. As for my travels, I'm not going too far south - mostly in my state for the time being - but I may take a trip to a neighboring state in the fall, near my birthday. It'll be a nice break before Haunt season starts, as well as the added craziness in the weeks before my sister's impending wedding; she's getting married the weekend before Christmas.

On my internet: That was my previous internet provider. I'm quite pleased with the fiber provider I have now, though they cut early adopters a good deal. I'm only paying a few bucks more per month for MUCH better internet. It's very hard to complain about ~150 MB/s down! I could go higher if I really wanted, but it's just me lol. In fact, my previous provider filed bankruptcy; can't say I'm surprised, though I do feel for the employees and customers who were likely affected.

I'm now trying really hard not to look up some of that fanart. I briefly went down that rabbit hole once, several years ago, out of innocent curiosity in regards to a less...mature character, and let's just say I still regret those image results. X_X

@Tyranexx yea I finished the other day. I did nearly every 4 star village quest then the big guy gave me a urgent quest. I think I did one more 4 star quest before jumping to the urgent. Honestly, I wasnt really super into the game. I'm glad I tired it but I don't think it's for me. So once credits rolled around I was ready for it. I'm already enjoying FE3H much more. Although there's been a TON of reading lol

@Northwind This clip of Elon Musk is kinda funny. His awkwardness, and the fact that he makes rockets that land, he invented PayPal, and he's crazy rich, just makes it funny to see him talk like this. (I don't care for the rest of the sketch, though)

"...And I stand, you.
I can only imagine the feels you're going through right now" 😂

@NintendoByNature Rise is a different beast, that's for sure! It's taken me a bit of time, but I think it's finally clicked. I'm hoping to at least roll the end credits soon - I'm currently on the 4* Village Quests - then I might dive back into multiplayer now and again. There are a couple of armor sets and some weapons I'd like to craft too. I've taken to the switch axe.

I'm looking forward to my own time with Three Houses. Though FE games generally are text-heavy. I appreciate the fact that the vast majority of Fire Emblem Echoes is voice acted. I was hoping to play tonight, but my brain couldn't take much more text today lol. I ended up beating up monsters instead...and vice-versa. XD

Fire Emblem has fantastic voice direction (at least from Three Houses) @NintendoByNature, so you can expect some decent immersion.

I believe the Persona games have better voice acting than the Fire Emblem games though, because for one, there's much more of it. The actors tend to live their roles as a result, because there's so many cutscenes, battle lines and such.

I need Disco Elysium in my life, because I'm banking on that game to get me back into reading.

Yeah, the premise was ridiculous & if that had been supposed to compensate for the boring basic gameplay, it didn't show the relevant bits, @Tyranexx .... But Spike do have quite a range of games available! I like the Danganronpa, Steins Gate, etc, stuff & need to get around to the Robotics Note games soon

Oh god.

Watching someone else playing, I only just now found out there's a save room inside Castle Dimitrescu in Resident Evil 8, with a shop and everything.

I literally never saw the door to it. I played through that whole section in one go, without saving. All the while thinking the game was mean for not having any save rooms in the first floor of the castle.

@Eel Really? That was my most obvious room of all. When Alcina or her daughters chased me that was the one place I run to hide from them. The all act like Mr. X from RE2 Remake and stop immediately when I am at the door Staring at each other

@ThanosReXXX
more of an insult to skeletor than anything. although i did pick this dude up yesterday

Oh, I missed that room for awhile, too, @Eel .... Fortunately, when she was chasing me around there, I happened to go into it! If you plan to replay, at least you'll know where it is

It’s been a little while, hope everyone is well. We’ve been soaring on the wings of new dog love around here. Our old boy Maximus passed away in April from cancer after a legendary 13 year run with us, and after a mourning period; we went to a shelter to meet a little lap dog, and ended up going home with a big, sweet boxer/mastiff mix. She’s adjusted very well, though she did destroy a portion of my biggest jade plant when she had a trial run alone in the house outside of her crate. We’ll get it all ironed out eventually.

@Tyranexx - Thanks for tagging me in your Inmost review. It does sound about like I was expecting. I take it then that it’s pretty short as you’ve played through twice now? I’ll certainly keep it in mind, and I appreciate the information. I just finished Crossing Souls, which is a puzzle platformer of sorts as well, so maybe I’ll grab Inmost in a sale and have it in the library for when I’m feeling another PP. I’ve been sitting on River City Girls for a while and started it on Sunday. It’s fantastic, so I’ll be set for a week or two maxing out that one, making River City punks barf all over themselves.

@ogo79 - Oh man, that’s glorious. Isn’t Scareglow one of the rarest figures that was actually mass produced? I don’t remember ever even seeing him on an episode of MOTU, but that figure is the stuff of legend.

@ThanosReXXX - I mentioned above that I played through Crossing Souls, and I thought of you a few times as the game is set in the mid 80s and soaked in nostalgia for a lot of the shows and cartoons we were talking about a little while ago. Real solid game if you’re ever in the mood for a puzzle platformer with a little bit of challenge.

Scareglow reminded me that I think MOTU has the coolest rogue’s gallery of any old cartoon, though I only know of some of the villains (like Scareglow) from the figures as I never actually saw them on the show. Just curious if the action figures were available to you back in the day, or if you had access to just the cartoon? The MOTU sections in toy stores used to be massive, and browsing them is how I found out about some of the characters. Trying to pick one figure out of the lot could be overwhelming, but also very fun.