madbuk

The cross-save is automatic? There’s no way to opt out of it?

Progress Updates: #490 - Trials of Mana I enjoyed this game quite a bit. The story is nothing special, the characters aren't either, and the combat is fairly basic, but all of it comes together into a really solid package. It's not something that I'd say would be up for any awards, but sometimes an average game like this one is refreshing and uniquely enjoyable to play through. Sort of like my feelings towards Danganronpa Ultra Despair Girls - it's not a great game, but it hits the spot perfectly regardless somehow. That said, it did begin to wear a bit thin by the time I was doing my third playthrough of it. I'm disappointed by just how little the story ever changes, even if you bring along a completely different cast. It wasn't exactly unenjoyable, but I certainly began rushing to my objectives instead of fighting things more frequently. I'm definitely interested in trying out the other games in the series at some point, but I have no idea when that'll be.

Trials of Mana done. Enjoyed my time with it, and glad that this thread got me to give it another look since I had initially written it off assuming it was a turn-based game. I don't think it held up for 3 whole playthroughs though, it doesn't change enough to justify that and it got pretty dull by the third one.

I've already committed to AC Valhalla being my next game (cleanup is long overdue and I did a poll that it ended up winning), but am looking forward to Trials after. I was under the impression it was a turn-based series, and am pleasantly surprised to learn that it's not.

Progress Updates: #490 - Final Fantasy VIII After some very lackluster past experiences with this franchise, I was almost ready to give it up completely (well... other than 7 Remake, I do want to try that eventually), but so many people told me that I'd enjoy this one a lot more due to setting/characters that I figured I'd give it a try since it's on PS+ Extra anyway (and I was told it was also relatively short, too.) I... should not have listened to the advice. This game features many of the same problems that plague other FF games - bland, undeveloped characters, a lackluster main narrative, game mechanics that are completely archaic even for the time they released (a big example being having to reload a save when you die. PS1 games already solved this issue), unenjoyable combat, and to top it off the stat system in this is needlessly convoluted. Thankfully it gives you a handy "Auto" button to assign magic optimally, but why is it even a system in the first place? Relative to the other FF games I've played, I will say this one probably has the best minigame of them all in the form of Triple Triad. It's a little too easy to just get powerful cards then stomp any opponent with no effort, but I liked the idea of the game. Squall is also a stronger character than Cloud, Tidus or Lightning, because they actually do something with him (similar to what they tried with Lightning, except executed properly), but he still wasn't overly compelling. I shouldn't have bothered giving this a chance, and it just reinforces that this franchise isn't for me. Other than 7R, 16 (because it's no longer turn-based) and Theatrhythm, and maybe (but probably not) 12 since I've heard glowing praise for that game, I'm just not going to bother anymore.

I'd like to join. My recommendations: 428 Shibuya Scramble Bound I've also got a question about the veto process - I see Ys IX is in the list, if for example it was chosen for me but I hadn't done Ys VIII yet, would I be able to change it to the earlier game?

No need for the antagonism, having this thread here is still useful documentation for anyone looking at the list here, since it'll be right there on the sidebar where the forum posts are.

Progress Update: #489 - Mafia I've been wanting to try out this series for a while now, and after learning that all of them will be leaving PS+ this month I decided now was the time to at least play the first game (not going to risk starting 2 too with it leaving so soon). I honestly really appreciated the minimalist open world this game had. It didn't try and pretend it was more than it is by padding it with garbage filler content, it was just an area used for missions, which worked very well. And a hub for over a hundred pointless collectibles, but let's just ignore those. The mission design was nothing particularly noteworthy but it's also a very old game, so it's good enough keeping that in mind. Combat felt good and the driving isn't as bad as people were telling me it was. I appreciated that after finishing a mission it sent you straight into the next one without you having to travel from one end of the map to the other to activate it like most other open world games do. The story was.. enjoyable, up until the end where it really didn't manage to stick the landing imo, which is a shame because of how relatively interesting it had been up until then. It does make me wonder what Mafia II involves since this didn't feel like a game that really needs a sequel. Will I ever actually play 2, though? Honestly this'll probably end up as another Crysis. I play the first game from PS+, enjoy it, and then never see the sequels cheap enough to continue playing them. Which is a shame, but at least I got one experience with the franchises.

Progress Update: #488 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero What an absolutely surreal feeling it was to actually be playing these games. For over a decade, fans have assumed that these games would never come west and be a permanent gap in the story... but here they are. I'm still shocked by its simple existence even after 100 hours of playing it. Geofront, the team behind the fantranslation that the official localizer used as a basis for the official release, did good work making this available for more people and I cannot thank them enough. It's crazy to think that the entire series can now be played completely in order with no gaps in official English releases, after there being gaps for such a long time. For years I've been seeing people hype this (and its sequel, Azure) up as two of the best Trails games in general, but honestly I'm not sure I agree with the hype. It's certainly very good, as all Trails games are, but when compared to the likes of Cold Steel 3 or Sky the 3rd it's not even close imo. Sky the 3rd in particular was just an absolutely phenomenal game. 3rd also had a lot of setup for this particular game, and I was interested to see how well it would get paid off. I'm happy with the results - I do think some of it could've been handled better (maybe Azure covers it in more detail) but for the most part it was a very satisfying story to watch unfold. I cannot express my thanks anywhere near enough to both NISA and Geofront for making this release possible. It's just a magical feeling to be playing it and I'm very glad to have had the pleasure. I love this series so much.

Let’s not forget about the Subnautica, too. It might not be finished but it’s still a duplicate unfinished list.

If stacks are so distasteful why do you have multiple?