Aiha's Gallery of Leaves

[AihaLoveleaf]

18 hours ago, Cave Johnson said:

I always enjoy reading your detailed monthly updates, and there a few I meant to respond to before time slipped away from me. Now that you have a checklist it'll be easier for me to show up a few weeks late, lol. Anyway, going back to the original HDN is rough after playing just about any other main game in the series, so perhaps it's for the best that you played that first. I started with Re;Birth 1, so I'm not sure how I would've felt about it had I started with it. mk2 is quite an improvement over the original, and Victory refines the formula even further (as you'll find out later). 

Thank you, Cave, for checking in! ? One thing I do like about Checklists, compared to Status Updates, is that there's less of a stigma with coming in a bit later to talk about a review posted a month or a year ago. Not that I mind if somebody pulls up a Status Update from forever ago to talk about something, but if people are more comfortable with necromancy in the checklist section, then it's another good reason for me to be here.

 

I had a feeling that HDN would probably be a little too rough and primitive if I played the series backwards, which is one of the bigger reasons I made it a point to play everything in release order. I had also received similar warnings from @Yuber6969 about the Senran Kagura series, which is why I made certain to start from the beginning, at least as far as PlayStation is concerned! That strategy has had a 100% success rate so far, in that I've been able to enjoy the first games in both series. Hard to complain about the lack of polish and QOL, if I don't know any better going in. That said, though, mk2 made some seriously nice QOL improvements over HDN, so I'm happy to see what Victory does for gameplay later on. 

 

18 hours ago, Cave Johnson said:

Glad to hear that you liked Nepgear, as many didn't seem to like her as the main character (to the point where these complaints are the subject of some jokes in Victory). I also like that you mentioned Yui Horie; I couldn't imagine disliking any character that is blessed by her angelic voice. 

I couldn't possibly hate Nepgear! As soon as she called me onii-chan in the bonus character voices menu, I was in, lol. I could possibly see some players needing some time to get adjusted if they happened to enjoy the first HDN as much as I did, but she did grow on me pretty quickly. I wonder if those that didn't get past the feeling finished the story, as she does mature enough over the course of the plot to overcome her shortcomings in terms of personality. Either way, Nepgear is a winner for me, so my new expectation is to be getting ample amounts of Nepgear and Neptune in the future. I'll find out soon if Compile Heart and Idea Factory were able to deliver on expectations. ?

 

18 hours ago, Cave Johnson said:

This series does have a problem somewhat with sometimes bringing back characters, sometimes not. I've played most of the games in this series, and I couldn't possibly remember what characters are included or left out of each game. I vaguely remember Cave and Falcom being in either Re;Birth 1, 2, 3 or perhaps all of them. To make matters more confusing, there is one game where there are two separate characters named Falcom (one for each of their most popular game series). It's surprising to me that there hasn't been a fighting game spin-off yet, as the potential character roster would be insane. 

A second Falcom is both hilarious and sad - and to have them both in the same game just sounds way too ridiculous, lol. I guess if the game makes it work out somehow, then it's fine. The Falcom in mk2 seems to be based on the Ys series. Though I did give the title of favorite DLC character to Cave this time around, I still loved Falcom's Chirper scenes. The sequence of events involving the books written about her various adventures were the highlight for me, especially considering how Nepgear and Blanc reacted to Falcom's stories.

 

I'm both sad and surprised that a fighting game spinoff has not happened yet. Even the creator of the series apparently wanted a fighting game to happen, at least given an unlimited amount of money to take the franchise in whatever direction she pleases. I say give license of Neptunia and Senran Kagura to ArcSys to create a gigantic 2D fighter. The potential would be insane, as ArcSys have proven several times they can bring fanservice and stellar gameplay with little to no compromise in either area. It's also pretty much a given that we would end up with a hilarious story mode to go with it. I hope the possibility isn't completely off the table, this far out into the life of both franchises.

 

18 hours ago, Cave Johnson said:

That's very close to how I feel about these games. If one were to critically analyze everything in them, it's easy to find flaws such as the recycled dungeons and lack of towns that aren't just a menu screen. Some may not be able to overlook these flaws, but for me, the pros outweigh the cons by far. Anyway, I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on Victory when you get to it. It introduces a certain sleepy sadistic maniac, who happens to be my favorite character in the series.  

I agree with you there. The flaws in this series definitely are present. Reused dungeon assets and lack of a true town experience are negatives that should be pointed out. I've read reviews from more professional outlets that had no issue tearing HDN and mk2 apart for its shortcomings, and I kind of see where they are coming from. Like you mentioned, though, the good far outweighs the bad, and if I'm getting my fix of moé, I can set aside the shortcomings for a pleasurable experience. 

 

Besides the character art in the banner of the PSNP page for Victory, I haven't looked at much of the game yet, so it'll be about as fresh an experience as it gets for me, which is just how I like it. ? Victory is loaded up and ready to go (thank god it's available for cheap on the PSN nowadays!), and I'm excited to see the where the rest of the PS3 trilogy goes, before heading into the craziness of remakes and spinoffs to come soon after.

[Cave Johnson]

2 hours ago, AihaLoveleaf said:

Thank you, Cave, for checking in!  One thing I do like about Checklists, compared to Status Updates, is that there's less of a stigma with coming in a bit later to talk about a review posted a month or a year ago. Not that I mind if somebody pulls up a Status Update from forever ago to talk about something, but if people are more comfortable with necromancy in the checklist section, then it's another good reason for me to be here.

 

I had a feeling that HDN would probably be a little too rough and primitive if I played the series backwards, which is one of the bigger reasons I made it a point to play everything in release order. I had also received similar warnings from @Yuber6969 about the Senran Kagura series, which is why I made certain to start from the beginning, at least as far as PlayStation is concerned! That strategy has had a 100% success rate so far, in that I've been able to enjoy the first games in both series. Hard to complain about the lack of polish and QOL, if I don't know any better going in. That said, though, mk2 made some seriously nice QOL improvements over HDN, so I'm happy to see what Victory does for gameplay later on. 

 

I couldn't possibly hate Nepgear! As soon as she called me onii-chan in the bonus character voices menu, I was in, lol. I could possibly see some players needing some time to get adjusted if they happened to enjoy the first HDN as much as I did, but she did grow on me pretty quickly. I wonder if those that didn't get past the feeling finished the story, as she does mature enough over the course of the plot to overcome her shortcomings in terms of personality. Either way, Nepgear is a winner for me, so my new expectation is to be getting ample amounts of Nepgear and Neptune in the future. I'll find out soon if Compile Heart and Idea Factory were able to deliver on expectations. 

 

A second Falcom is both hilarious and sad - and to have them both in the same game just sounds way too ridiculous, lol. I guess if the game makes it work out somehow, then it's fine. The Falcom in mk2 seems to be based on the Ys series. Though I did give the title of favorite DLC character to Cave this time around, I still loved Falcom's Chirper scenes. The sequence of events involving the books written about her various adventures were the highlight for me, especially considering how Nepgear and Blanc reacted to Falcom's stories.

 

I'm both sad and surprised that a fighting game spinoff has not happened yet. Even the creator of the series apparently wanted a fighting game to happen, at least given an unlimited amount of money to take the franchise in whatever direction she pleases. I say give license of Neptunia and Senran Kagura to ArcSys to create a gigantic 2D fighter. The potential would be insane, as ArcSys have proven several times they can bring fanservice and stellar gameplay with little to no compromise in either area. It's also pretty much a given that we would end up with a hilarious story mode to go with it. I hope the possibility isn't completely off the table, this far out into the life of both franchises.

 

I agree with you there. The flaws in this series definitely are present. Reused dungeon assets and lack of a true town experience are negatives that should be pointed out. I've read reviews from more professional outlets that had no issue tearing HDN and mk2 apart for its shortcomings, and I kind of see where they are coming from. Like you mentioned, though, the good far outweighs the bad, and if I'm getting my fix of moé, I can set aside the shortcomings for a pleasurable experience. 

 

Besides the character art in the banner of the PSNP page for Victory, I haven't looked at much of the game yet, so it'll be about as fresh an experience as it gets for me, which is just how I like it.  Victory is loaded up and ready to go (thank god it's available for cheap on the PSN nowadays!), and I'm excited to see the where the rest of the PS3 trilogy goes, before heading into the craziness of remakes and spinoffs to come soon after.

 

The inconvenient thing about status updates is that everyone who responds gets a notification every time someone else does after them, and there's no way to unsubscribe from this feature as far as I know. At the end of the day I doubt anyone cares all that much, but somehow I feel like I'm spamming a bunch of notifications when I respond a week later after ten others have.  

 

I made the same mistake with the Atelier series. In fact, I'd argue that going back to the original Atelier Rorona after playing the plus version is far worse than going back to the original HDN after playing the Re;Birth versions. On the contrary, I started with Senran Kagura Burst on 3DS (an otherwise excellent dust collecting device) and I don't think it's a bad starting point. Although it's possible that I only think that way because I started with it. If anything, I found that Senran Kagura goes down in quality with later releases, though only when it comes to the story anyway. Burst and Deep Crimson are leagues above the rest of the series when it comes to the plot, and I'm talking about actual plot here, not that kind of plot. For whatever reason the storyline from Deep Crimson wasn't continued and everything started anew with Shinovi Versus.

 

That reminds me, I should probably go back and listen to some of the bonus character voice clips, since my understanding of Japanese was very minimal back when I played mk2. I like that many of these games contain a bonus character voice menu, which is something generally only seen in VNs. Anyway, I'm not sure how much of the hate for Nepgear is actually real or just the development team screwing around. For all I know it could've been just a few fan complaints online that became somewhat of a running gag in Victory. 

 

The second Falcom represents Trails / Kiseki, I guess they couldn't fit that and Ys into one character. Two characters is kind of ridiculous, though. While I prefer Kiseki, it makes more sense to represent Ys due to its historical significance as one of the longest running RPG series. Quite ironically, Cave was one of few game companies I hadn't heard of prior to playing these games. 

 

I haven't played it myself yet, but given the recent Nep x Senran Kagura crossover spin-off it's certainly a possibility. I suppose the closest we've got so far is Homura as a DLC character Nitroplus Blasterz, which isn't very close at all. 

 

It's really a miracle how far this series has come despite how rough it started out. Based on the reception you'd think a sequel would've been completely off the table, but it ended up working out anyway. 

 

That's the best way to do it. I went into this series having no idea what to expect and I think it worked out better that way. I wasn't aware that Victory could still be purchased digitally, and it's a good thing that it's cheap. Some games haven't been discounted in years (or ever) and probably never will be before being delisted (like every version of Project Diva: Dreamy Theater).  

[AJ_Radio]

Enjoyed everything that was written in this thread thus far. 
 

I keep pushing back Sonic Adventure 1 and Sonic Adventure 2 because I know I’m going to spend a few weeks at least getting them both done. That’s me being generous. 
 

Sonic & All Star Racing Transformed is no walk in the park either. Going to be pretty tough, because I’m stuck on the digital version and thus I probably won’t be able to use the Yokozuna glitch. 
 

Most of your list I literally don’t recognize because it’s well… pretty far into Japanese anime/manga territory.

[AihaLoveleaf]

6 hours ago, AJ_Radio said:

Enjoyed everything that was written in this thread thus far. 
 

I keep pushing back Sonic Adventure 1 and Sonic Adventure 2 because I know I’m going to spend a few weeks at least getting them both done. That’s me being generous. 
 

Sonic & All Star Racing Transformed is no walk in the park either. Going to be pretty tough, because I’m stuck on the digital version and thus I probably won’t be able to use the Yokozuna glitch. 
 

Most of your list I literally don’t recognize because it’s well… pretty far into Japanese anime/manga territory.

Thanks AJ!

 

Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 will definitely take some time to get through. With each game having only 15 trophies each, there will also be a considerable length of time between actually seeing those last few trophies popping up in the corner of the screen, once all the easy ones are out of the way. Do give the games a spin, though, if the Sonic Origins platinum leaves you feeling a bit empty. The Sonic Adventure lists make you do everything, and you'll really feel whole once you've finished both of them.

 

Both All Stars racing games are on the to-do list for me as well. Fortunate enough to have the physical version of the game for patch removal purposes. I read the new thread that came up a little while ago, and it sounds like the game does get easier if you combine version 1.00, DLC, and four controller splitscreen - at least easier to a certain point. I suppose we'll find out when it's time to finally commit to that playthrough.

[Deadly_Ha_Ha]

AihaLoveleaf is the greatest person on earth and to know him is to know greatness

[Destructor-8]

On 17/06/2022 at 0:31 PM, AihaLoveleaf said:

Appreciate it, Destructor! I'd eventually like to have at least played one of every kind of game out there, so I'll make sure to keep up the variety. ?

 

That's cool. Yeah you have a nice collection & look forward to reading all the reviews that you do. I've bought more games ever since I've started to read what others say about this or that game. I have quite a few to try out in the future.

 

8 hours ago, AJ_Radio said:

Sonic & All Star Racing Transformed is no walk in the park either. Going to be pretty tough, because I’m stuck on the digital version and thus I probably won’t be able to use the Yokozuna glitch.

 

I still need to get to this sometime. It's the best one too.

 

1 hour ago, AihaLoveleaf said:

Both All Stars racing games are on the to-do list for me as well. Fortunate enough to have the physical version of the game for patch removal purposes. I read the new thread that came up a little while ago, and it sounds like the game does get easier if you combine version 1.00, DLC, and four controller splitscreen - at least easier to a certain point. I suppose we'll find out when it's time to finally commit to that playthrough.

 

Yeah I think that's something to do with slowing the expert AI throughout the career as well as helping with out with some of the grind too. I definitely wanna do the career without slowing the AI to know what expert is like so if I get to it then I'll let you know what it's like. I'll probably do it after everything else to get the grind done. I might not get to it for awhile though lol.

[AihaLoveleaf]

Platinum #35 - DragonFangZ (13.33%) 
Completion Time: 1 week, 3 days

 

 

Often, hidden gems are brought to our attention by word-of-mouth - lovingly recommended by a buddy, or source that you place a level of trust in. That was not the case with DragonFangZ. It was only by luck that I happened upon the PlatPrices store page while clicking through Japanese game titles for something, anything of interest during a sale from last month. Even luckier to catch the game during what seemed to be its first sale on PS4 ever, since being ported to the platform in 2019. Watching the trailer, the cute character art and turn-based combat caught me right away. This looked a little different from the JRPGs I'm used to, however. It turned out that this would become my first experience with the Rogue-like genre. If you're concerned I may be misusing the term: don't worry! I made sure to do my research first. I learned before purchase that Rogue-likes feature Permadeath, something that usually scares me off from a game! I would have done myself a great disservice leaving the game there, though - it was calling to me, and looked like a title I could really get absorbed in. I also have a commitment to get at least one completion in every genre. I won't be terribly useful in the hobby of talking about video games if I'm leaving a new experience on the table, so I made my purchase, and lined it up for my next project.

 

Despite the peculiar similarity DragonFangZ's title might have to a series about buff dudes with glowing hair, it's not quite what they were going for with the choice of name. Toydea's DragonFangZ, released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, is actually a follow-up to the game DragonFang, hence the Z. There isn't much out there on either the series or the developer, even in Japanese, so I'll stick to what I know. 

 

Rose and Fairy, the heroine and companion of DragonFangZ 

 

As mentioned before, DragonFangZ is a turn-based, rogue-like RPG, and served as a crash course for what the rogue-like genre had to offer. Staple elements were introduced to me here, including: random environment generation, grid-based movement and exploration, item/resource management and discovery through usage, and of course the big bad permadeath. From the few that have reviewed the game before me, comparisons have been made to Shiren the Wanderer, and Mystery Dungeon titles. Now, I can't say that I've played any of those, but I did watch them on YouTube, and, yep, DragonFangZ looks just like them.

 

DragonFangZ puts you in control of Rose, a Dragonewt. Though the lore doesn't go quite deep enough to tell you what Dragonewts are all about, it is at least made clear that Rose is a cheery, half-dragon, half-human girl, that is capable of talking to dragons, and reaching the hearts of monsters to employ their abilities. Rose is also accompanied by her foster parent - a lady simply referred to as Fairy. Despite her comparatively diminished physical presence, Fairy is mature, and serves as the brains of the operation. Fairy is strict when handling Rose, much like a mother to her daughter.

 

The story sees Rose and Fairy transported to a world known as the Tree of Time. With no clear way out, Rose has no choice but to venture forward through the Tree's premier dungeon: Dragon's Cradle. Though a number of dangerous monsters lie ready to thwart Rose's escape plan, if she can make it to the 30th floor of the Cradle, perhaps she'll find a way out. It's certainly worth a try.

 

 

With any story comes dialogue, and with any localized Japanese game comes translation. Unfortunately, DragonFangZ's translation is... not good - at all. A hilarious English script reminiscent of Zero Wing's famously poor translation is waiting for you here. Rose's first line upon entering the story: "Owie Wowie!" briefly misleads you into thinking that you might have started a game that received proper localization from an English speaker, but you're quickly taken from bait, to switch, as dialogue immediately begins to resemble that of machine translation afterwards. On top of stilted, unnatural translation, you're also subject to a number of typos, including: "Realy?", "being worryed about yourselves is important", "we had better go to Dragon's Egg for practices" and more. The poor translation does unfortunately extend to item names and descriptions, which can make figuring out some items and their mechanics confusing, until you've tried them out for yourself.

 

All Your Base Are Belong To Amon 

 

DragonFangZ's main feature is Dragon's Cradle - a 30 floor dungeon where everything is randomly generated as you descend to each new level. This is where the game's story take place, and where you'll also be spending most of your time on the way to Platinum. Along the way you'll a few interesting characters, like the clumsy priest who easily loses her glasses, Anneliese. The dodgy translation strikes again when interacting with the non-playable cast. Despite rather natural dialogue in the original Japanese script, the less than passable English script serves to make new characters seem much derpier than they actually are.

 

The task that will actually have you spending countless hours in Dragon's Cradle, though, is pursuit of completion of the monster database. This is where the game starts to resemble Pokémon a little. Though you aren't exactly catching any monsters, you do have to obtain all of their Fangs, which are equippable items that monsters can drop. With all the items and skills you have to throw at an enemy to guarantee its Fang drop, it does start to feel something like a Pokémon battle. Though there are 206 entries in this game's "Pokédex", you only have to fill out 178 of them in pursuit of the Platinum.

 

Getting a new monster Fang 

 

The previously described task of database completion would normally be a slog, but thanks to the game's rogue-like formula, it manages to stay interesting throughout. DragonFangZ is fun, and addicting too. Random level generation makes sure that no two runs feel the same, and I always found myself itching for "one more run" as soon as I finished floor 30 of the Cradle. Scoring a "good run", where I knocked out several database entries and collected great loot was highly gratifying. Each Fang picked up, each checkbox ticked on my spreadsheet scratched an itch that is usually done playing monster collection games like Pokémon or Nexomon. 

 

The dungeon that you'll probably spend the least amount of time in is Fairy's Garden. This is a 50 floor puzzle dungeon that unlocks relatively early into your adventure. Each floor presents a "question" that the player has to "answer" by making it to the end of the level. You're not allowed to cheese it with your high-level gear, though. You have to play by the game's rules and go in fresh. Fairy's Garden puzzles primarily involve monsters that are strong enough to beat you in one hit, so clever use of items and skills are the name of the game here. As far as puzzle-based diversions from the main story go, Fairy's Garden is closer to what Catherine's Rapunzel should have been: a cute distraction that doesn't overstay its welcome. Besides stage 18, puzzles here are pretty fair and don't feature RNG, making it rather fulfilling if you manage to solve any of these on your own. 

 

Level up!

 

Though Rose's level does reset to one with each new run of any of DragonFangZ's dungeons, a useful meta-progression system is still available. Items are the one thing allowed to be taken with you, as long as you don't die before the end of your Dragon's Cradle run. This works out pretty nicely for trophy hunters, as you can eventually stomp all over the Cradle with level 99 gear. You also have access to a warehouse, where you can stash even more loot, or save items from being swiped from Rose's fingers if the grim reaper of permadeath happens to come pay a visit. The conveniences offered here certainly get no complaints from me - the game is challenging enough as it is!

 

The blanket of comfort offered by meta-progression is promptly ripped off, though, as soon as you step foot into Dragon's Abyss - DragonFangZ's ultimate challenge. No items from the outside are allowed in this 50 floor dungeon, meaning you have to do the whole thing from zero. On top of that, the encounters are even more difficult than Dragon's Cradle. Things definitely get very real here, but by this point in the game you've played enough to gain a deep enough understanding of the mechanics to squeak out a win. The Abyss took several hours to descend, and had me on my toes looking for every opportunity to recreate the item build that I wasn't allowed to bring in from the outside. Making it through to the end felt great, though, especially when my victory over the final boss happened in a clutch moment where everything lined up just right at the end!

 

Don't worry, you won't need to buy any 'pay downloadable content' for the Platinum! 

 

DragonFangZ leaves me with a particularly satisfying completion, especially considering the game has no guides on the internet. Even searches in Japanese, while providing me with a useful wiki and a few YouTube videos, did not produce anything resembling an actual walkthrough. I was largely on my own with the game, to figure out everything that I wish I had a guide around to learn about sooner. Though I did eventually figure enough out to get the Platinum, there are still countless unexplored item combinations that I hope a community effort will get around to uncovering one of these days... at least if people eventually buy the game. 

 

As rogue-likes usually go, DragonFangZ is a challenging game. The stakes are high, and permadeath can really set you back, if you allow it to catch you. As is also common for the genre, though, cloud saves offer a huge safety net to pick yourself up from if you happen to tumble. Though the game never quite feels "easy", it is at least doable, and you'll get there if you dedicate yourself to it. Fortunately, DragonFangZ is fun enough to be enjoyable on the way to the end of the trophy list. For my first experience with the genre, it was a great introduction, and it'll be a lot easier here on out to size up similar games for future projects. 

 

Whether DragonFangZ is appropriate for "baby's first" rogue-like, I'm not certain, but it did work out for me. If you're interested in trying it for yourself, then you may be able to pretty soon, and with less suffering than I endured! The trophy guide - created by yours truly - is basically complete, and will hopefully end up published at some point. It'll be the first true guide for an English-speaking audience, and will hopefully make a Platinum available that was previously held by only by Japanese accounts. If you ever see the guide go live, feel free to check it out, and see if you're up for the journey. With Rose's courage, and Fairy's wisdom, you'll make it through to the end.

 

[Yuber6969]

Congrats! Some of the Engrish you described reminded me of a certain someone that we know lol. Also made me nostalgic for "This guy are sick!"

 

I don't think I've played anything in the genre, so I'm really not sure if I'd like it or not even after reading the details here. What do you think? I do like the Digimon-esque aspect of it though.

 

Also, I agree about Rapunzel being unwelcome.

[AihaLoveleaf]

4 hours ago, Yuber6969 said:

Congrats! Some of the Engrish you described reminded me of a certain someone that we know lol. Also made me nostalgic for "This guy are sick!"

Thanks Yuber! Funny that you referenced a bit of Engrish from Final Fantasy 7, as that can also be linked back to this certain someone. ?

 

5 hours ago, Yuber6969 said:

I don't think I've played anything in the genre, so I'm really not sure if I'd like it or not even after reading the details here. What do you think? I do like the Digimon-esque aspect of it though.

Rogue-likes are different enough that you probably won't really know if they're for you until you try one. I'll have to do some research to see what the easiest entry points are for the genre on PS4. It feels like DFZ may be somewhere in the middle, with games like Shiren and Genso Wanderer being a little more real in terms of difficulty. Hopefully somebody that's played games like DragonFangZ can jump in at some point and comment. ?

 

Standard JRPGs acclimated us to a certain level of comfort. Your levels are always growing, your equipment is always getting better, you can hoard items to your heart's content, and the consequences for death are mostly dismissible. DragonFangZ takes almost all of that away from you. Levels are ethereal, you can't hoard gold between runs and ball out at the merchants, and you will have to learn to be okay with the fact that you can't take everything with you. The limited inventory was the biggest struggle for me. ? I often found myself internally begging for just one more item page - one more item slot! Those are the rules of the game, though, so I learned to live with it. These differences don't make rogue-likes bad, but they do make for a completely different experience that you have to change your mindset and approach for.

 

To get some idea of whether you might enjoy the genre, look to past experiences with games that have - at least - bits and pieces of Rogue in them. Something like Diablo, Minecraft, or even Zombies in Call of Duty. The concept of starting from zero, building yourself up for the big challenge ahead, and then wiping the slate of progress clean to do it all over again in your next run, or next character, depending. If that kind of thing does strike a feeling of appeal for you, then there might be something here for you.

 

5 hours ago, Yuber6969 said:

Also, I agree about Rapunzel being unwelcome.

Reverse Rapunzel? More like Reverse Fun. What a snooze that was. ?

[Sgznf]

Owie Wowie!  

Congrats Aiha on another fantastic write-up and your 35th platinum trophy. 

 

It's always interesting reading about your experiences, I had never even heard of DragonFang, let alone the sequel but it actually looks fun.

[AihaLoveleaf]

21 hours ago, Sgznf said:

Owie Wowie!  

Congrats Aiha on another fantastic write-up and your 35th platinum trophy. 

 

It's always interesting reading about your experiences, I had never even heard of DragonFang, let alone the sequel but it actually looks fun.

Thank you so much, @Sgznf! ?

 

I'll be surprised if anybody's heard of DragonFang; the game looks almost as obscure as its sequel! It sure is nice looking, though. If Toydea can justify bringing it to PS4 one day, I'd love to give it a playthrough.

 

[Honor_Hand]

Congrats on the platinum, Aiha. And great, detailed write-up as always. ?

I have to admit, I've heard the terms rogue-like and rogue-lite used extensively in gaming lately and, up until now, I wasn't entirely sure what those terms meant for the games themselves. Like, I had a vague idea about them, but that article you linked at the beginning of your post really provided all the insight I was needing to truly understand and differentiate these two. Personally, I'm not entirely sure if this genre is for me yet. The only previous experiences I can recount in the genre would be Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness on the DS; which I greatly, greatly enjoyed for its surprisingly emotional storyline and not so much for its gameplay; and a couple of Diablo games. I may have played other games with similar rogue-lite elements in them in the past but I can't recall any right now.

 

That Pokemon game, those dungeon exploring mechanics and such, I remember thinking they were novel at the time and I found them okay but I'd be lying if I said they were the ones that keep me glued to the game. It was the story, of all things, what kept me hooked to it. And in a Pokemon game, I know. ^^;; It was darn good. That's why I'm not entirely sure if this genre could be for me.

 

DragonFangZ looks like a cute little game and I can see that you had a pretty good time with it, "All your base are belong to us" aside. So good that you wrote a guide and everything, which is really commendable. Hope to see it published soon. ^^ I can see the game resembles that Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game I played a long time ago. Not sure if I'd be willing to give it a go based on gameplay alone but maybe with a good discount, I could consider giving it a go.

 

Thanks for the write-up again. It was awesome. =D
And those gifs look great on your pieces. I kinda want to use those on mine too but I am too lazy to do them, lol. xxD

[AihaLoveleaf]

13 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

Congrats on the platinum, Aiha. And great, detailed write-up as always. ?

I have to admit, I've heard the terms rogue-like and rogue-lite used extensively in gaming lately and, up until now, I wasn't entirely sure what those terms meant for the games themselves. Like, I had a vague idea about them, but that article you linked at the beginning of your post really provided all the insight I was needing to truly understand and differentiate these two. Personally, I'm not entirely sure if this genre is for me yet. The only previous experiences I can recount in the genre would be Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness on the DS; which I greatly, greatly enjoyed for its surprisingly emotional storyline and not so much for its gameplay; and a couple of Diablo games. I may have played other games with similar rogue-lite elements in them in the past but I can't recall any right now.

Thank you kindly, good sir. ?

 

I'm glad the article helped out. I was thoroughly confused as to what the terms actually meant, and it was probably because they were being applied to so many types of games, that I just couldn't be bothered racking my brain any further, lol. I'm glad the air is finally cleared, though, at least for us.

 

I often see Pokémon Mystery Dungeon held as one of the best in the genre, so if that didn't impress you in terms of gameplay, then things may not be looking good. I have seen a few on PS4 that look worth playing, and happen to feature cute girls as playable characters. As we all know, cute girls make new games and new genres more approachable, so it should be fine, right? I'll make sure to share my findings whenever I get to the next ones.

 

13 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

DragonFangZ looks like a cute little game and I can see that you had a pretty good time with it, "All your base are belong to us" aside. So good that you wrote a guide and everything, which is really commendable. Hope to see it published soon. ^^ I can see the game resembles that Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game I played a long time ago. Not sure if I'd be willing to give it a go based on gameplay alone but maybe with a good discount, I could consider giving it a go.

Thank you! I hope the guide will eventually make its way to those curious about the game, or those that may have given up because they just could not figure out what to do. Hopefully the most recent sale was just the first of more to come. It's worth getting on discount, but maybe not at full price.

 

13 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

And those gifs look great on your pieces. I kinda want to use those on mine too but I am too lazy to do them, lol. xxD

"A picture is worth a thousand words, but a GIF is worth a million" -Compa's Grandpa... maybe (not really)

 

I love getting those GIFs in there when I can. Sometimes it's best to see things in motion, and I'm happy the PS4 removed the biggest barrier to GIF creation for those without capture cards. It also keeps the flow of reading going, since you don't have to stop to pop open a ~10 second YouTube video. A bit of extra work, but it's worth it. ?

[Kefka1986]

I love how detailed your posts are! I'll follow this thread closely, as well as Dragonfangz just in case it's on sale in the future, it seems like a cool little hidden gem of a game!

 

 

[AihaLoveleaf]

12 minutes ago, Kefka1986 said:

I love how detailed your posts are! I'll follow this thread closely, as well as Dragonfangz just in case it's on sale in the future, it seems like a cool little hidden gem of a game!

Thank you Kefka, it really means a lot to hear such kind words. ? For the right person, DragonFangZ really is a gem, so I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. I also noticed you've completed a lot of games I'm interested in trying for myself - like those NIS, Compile Heart, and Falcom RPGs! Some of those will eventually show up here, in due time. ?

[AihaLoveleaf]

Platinum #36 - Dead or School (40.92%) 
Completion Time: 3 days, 5 hours

 

 

My good buddy @Nelson_ brought Dead or School to my attention a few months back, when he played through the game for a second time. I sat on the fence for a while as to whether the title was worth playing - at least anytime soon. It would eventually have been played, regardless, because... look at it - I'm definitely the target audience for this. Hearing that the game was actually good, however, bumped it up the queue for me. If it's good enough for a friend to play twice, it's good enough for me to play once.

 

Dead or School was introduced to Western audiences on the PS4 in 2020, and - as of right now - is Studio Nanafushi's only game. The title exists as something of a "What if?" side story to a manga created by the game's artist, Mokusei Zaijuu. The game came to exist as a result of crowdfunding, and had to be created within the constraints of a limited budget - limited enough that the same actor, Renge Todo, performed every voice acted role in the game (don't worry though, she did a fine job, and I didn't even notice until the credits rolled)!

 

"Paradise-like" is not how I would have put it

 

I won't talk about the manga that Dead or School is related to, as even the title may spoil parts of the game for a new player. What we can talk about, though, is artist Mokusei Zaijuu. Outside of DoS and its parent manga, Mokusei is known for erotic manga - often of the doujin variety. As you've noticed, Dead or School is a fanservice-heavy game, with plenty of sexual themes to accompany the violence. Though the line is never crossed, it's definitely prodded, as ecchi is abundant, and every girl is sporting a noticeably large rack. In the interest of crafting a more complete review, I set out to "research" some of Mokusei's past work (I read through a couple of K-On! doujin), and the quality is there. Mokusei draws some fine looking ladies, including our heroine: Hisako.

 

Suggestive restriction of movement by a freakishly ugly mutant? Just like my Japanese animes

 

A war waged against Mutants (that's the "Dead") forced humanity underground for 78 years. The surface world has become uninhabitable, and two generations of humans have grown up since, with no memory of life in the world above, other than stories passed down by elders. Though most have grown content with their subterranean lifestyle, the youths have grown restless, and crave a taste of life above ground, to see if it matches the stories they've been told. Hisako - capable fighter, and heroine of the game - is imparted memories of school life from her grandmother, and even receives her grandmother's old school uniform as a gift. This event kicks off the story, as Hisako is now determined to bring humanity back to the surface, so that she can experience life as a schoolgirl (and there's the "School"!).

 

There's a lot going on in the gameplay for Dead or School, which is why you tend to see so many labels applied to it. At its core, Dead or School is a Metroidvania - with boobs. Maps are expansive, and will have you doing the expected backtracking as you unlock pathways and solve puzzles. The game plays out in 2D, and is action based, with a heavy helping of RPG elements. Hisako's weapon loadout allows for three weapon types: Swords, Machine Guns, and Launchers for combat up close and far away. Reminiscent of games like Diablo and Borderlands, new weapons can be bought from shops, or looted from enemies. Once obtained, you can upgrade or apply augmentations to your selected loadout to turn Hisako into one badass schoolgirl. 

 

Turning a few Mutants into pulp with the Buzzsaw

 

Dead or School features seven levels, each modeled after a district in Japan. All levels are accessed underground, through Japan's still-functional train network. Maps explore both the underground, as well as the surface - which is where things really get interesting. Culturally relevant landmarks, such as a live music arena based on the Nippon Budokan have been recreated above ground. Players outside Japan will recognize buildings on the surface of Akihabara, as the location is known internationally for being a hotspot of otaku culture. 

 

Just dropping in at the AKIBA@Moé Café... did I come at a bad time?

 

Levels encourage the player to fully explore every inch of Japan's districts, and you'll have to as it's required for multiple trophies, regardless. Along with combat against waves of Mutant enemies as you progress through each map, you're also tasked with picking up the game's collectibles, in the form of souvenirs - items culturally relevant to the district - and refugees - humans in distress that join you on your adventure afterwards. Vending machines serve triple-duty as save points, shops, and means of HP/ammo recovery, making them a true oasis in a desert of the dead. Every level ends with a boss encounter, each unique or grotesque in its own way.

 

Type 07 Battle Tank is a sweet boss fight, and feels like something out of an old Sega game

 

A complete trophy run of Dead or School is on the short end, likely coming in around 30 hours or less, depending on your pace. Time well spent, however, as gameplay is fun and addicting. The random nature of loot, and weapon augmentation will keep you glued for hours as you work towards the ideal version of your weapon loadout. Though you may not expect it from a fanservice-centric title, the game presents a surprisingly good sci-fi adventure - intriguing enough to keep you going as you uncover every detail of Dead or School's universe. Though flaws are apparent, such as the appearance of Engrish in the game's script, minimal voice acting, and the occasional (but not game-breaking) slowdown, the good outweighs the bad in this indie project that clearly had a lot of love poured into it by its small development team of three. 

 

If you tend to enjoy games of the fanservice variety, then you probably don't need me to tell you to play Dead or School; you're going to do it anyway. Fans of Senran Kagura should find something to enjoy here as well. If you don't usually seek out games for anime titties, but enjoy metroidvanias and 2D action, you might find this satisfactory, if the fanservice doesn't put you off. Though Dead or School may not blow away, it still brings a charming 20-something hour experience that I'm happy to have engaged in. If Nanafushi ever brings their planned sequel to reality, I'm more than happy to attend the next semester.

 

[Yuber6969]

Congrats! "Fans of Senran Kagura should find something to enjoy here as well." All I needed to hear lol. Gonna play this one sooner rather than later.

 

Fanservice aside, you should check out Mega Man Zero. What you wrote here reminds me of that, gameplay-wise.

[Honor_Hand]

Awesome write-up and platinum here, AIha. Now I know I'm sold on Dead or School. I already had my eyes on it and your piece and the good time you spent on the game motivated me to totally check it out once I spot it on a future sale. A Metroidvania title with titties and one badass schoolgirl mowing down tons of zombies plus some RPG elements and cool, action-packed boss fights? I am in. =D

 

Fair to say that Studio Nanafushi did a pretty good job on this one. Hopefully, this won't be the last time we heard from them. It's always nice to see an indie studio creating quality games like this. For a moment, I thought this one could've end up being a clunky experience or something, but it seems those 20-30 hours it takes to beat it are well worth the investment. ^^

 

Also. ☝️

 

On 16/7/2022 at 1:52 PM, AihaLoveleaf said:

Suggestive restriction of movement by a freakishly ugly mutant? Just like my Japanese animes

 

 

I've seen enough of these "Japanese animes" you speak to know where this is going. xxD

 

And you mentioned Mokusei's past work involved K-On! doujin as well? Hmmm, sounds like some research is in order. =w=

[AihaLoveleaf]

10 hours ago, Yuber6969 said:

Congrats! "Fans of Senran Kagura should find something to enjoy here as well." All I needed to hear lol. Gonna play this one sooner rather than later.

 

Fanservice aside, you should check out Mega Man Zero. What you wrote here reminds me of that, gameplay-wise.

Thanks Yuber! Though Dead or School isn't as great as, say, Shinovi Versus, there's still enough appeal here for fans of service. It may feel a bit slow early on, but the game really picks up once you get your first "OP" weapon.

 

Mega Man Zero does look pretty sweet, and there seems to be a nice amount of git guddery as well, based on the gameplay I watched earlier. When the sale prices are right for the series, I may go ahead and grab them up.

 

8 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

Awesome write-up and platinum here, AIha. Now I know I'm sold on Dead or School. I already had my eyes on it and your piece and the good time you spent on the game motivated me to totally check it out once I spot it on a future sale. A Metroidvania title with titties and one badass schoolgirl mowing down tons of zombies plus some RPG elements and cool, action-packed boss fights? I am in. =D

Thanks Honor! The boss fights here are indeed pretty cool. Though you're ultimately employing the same gameplay mechanics throughout, the way you approach and handle each boss is unique. Also, boobs - definitely boobs. ?

 

8 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

Fair to say that Studio Nanafushi did a pretty good job on this one. Hopefully, this won't be the last time we heard from them. It's always nice to see an indie studio creating quality games like this. For a moment, I thought this one could've end up being a clunky experience or something, but it seems those 20-30 hours it takes to beat it are well worth the investment. ^^

I'm impressed by what Nanafushi were able to put together here. The game isn't totally jank-free, but nothing truly game-breaking appeared in my playthrough, which was great. I also hope Nanafushi will find the funds/motivation to complete their next project, whatever it might be. They mentioned via Steam that they had interest in a Dead or School 2. There's also a video on their YouTube channel about a VR rhythm idol game (which looks like a music-based runner). Neither of the two have seen any developments in the past few years. Would be joyed to see a sudden announcement from them sometime this year. Here's hoping.

 

8 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

I've seen enough of these "Japanese animes" you speak to know where this is going. xxD

 

And you mentioned Mokusei's past work involved K-On! doujin as well? Hmmm, sounds like some research is in order. =w=

Plenty more service where that came from, as well as a few "cute" scenes that are a little less raunchy than what the game usually displays. Those are best experienced in the contexts of their moments in the game, though, so I'll leave those for the player to discover. ?

 

Yeah, the couple I read were a bit weird in terms of plot, lol, but the action was good enough. Between the ero manga, and his original manga, there seems to be quite a bit of material to sink some time into. Will have to line up the manga Dead or School came from as a future reading project to enhance my connection with the game's story.

[AihaLoveleaf]

Platinum #37 - Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory (17.30%)
Completion Time: 2 weeks, 5 days

 

 

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory introduces wild new plot devices that, if described in context of Victory by itself, could be done in a non-spoiling fashion. However, if you consider that HDN, mk2, Victory, and VII are all part of the franchise's main continuity, then describing those new plot elements in any detail would be akin to "mid-game spoilers" to those playing in release order. With that in mind, I'll be a little more general than general when describing anything related to the story. Anybody that's already played Victory (or Re;birth3) will be able to fill in the blanks, regardless.

 

By the time I finished Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, I was fully inaugurated into the Neptunia fandom. I'd received introduction to the most important characters, their personalities, and the world they live in. With two positive experiences beforehand, I was giddy with excitement going into the third entry of the series, knowing that I was probably in for another treat of a game. And what a treat it was, as Victory grabbed me from the very start, with the most refined experience of the PS3 trilogy.

 

 

Compile Heart and Idea Factory's Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory, originally released in 2012 for Japan, and 2013 for the rest of the world, is a direct sequel to Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 that came before it. I expressed complaints last time about the lack of continuity between the first two games, but that seems to have been somewhat resolved here. Time invested into the first game in the series is rewarded in a pretty big way here. I won't go into the why, to further avoid spoilers, but Victory changes everything I thought I knew before, and has revealed to me the value of every entry in the series. If you're bothering with the PS3 games at all, then you need to play all three of them.

 

It's been a real treat playing through the franchise in release order. Like any good series, Neptunia's gameplay gets better with each installment, and the differences are easy to appreciate when playing the series forwards. The most noteworthy improvement is noticeable the moment you start the game: the graphics! The introductory scene upon starting a new game is seriously impressive, and left me feeling as if I had jumped an entire console generation between games - despite mk2 and Victory both being PS3 titles. Along with improved 3D assets and battle animations, hand-drawn 2D characters have returned for story scenes, which is much prettier to look at, despite limitations in range of movement.

 

 

Plenty of improvements to gameplay accompany the buff to visuals as well. The Share system from HDN and mk2 is still present, and relevant as ever, but is no longer used to determine endings. The freedom given by this change allows you to quest freely and distribute shares, without destroying your playthrough. Additionally, the newly-added Scouting system - a feature allowing you to send NPCs to dungeons to gather items - adds a fun way to grind for items outside of combat. NG+ has seen a major update as well; you carry far more over between playthroughs than you did in mk2, meaning that you no longer have to stress over losing things like shop unlocks, or Lily Ranks on your DLC characters!

 

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the increase of the franchise's defining feature - the fanservice. I don't just mean Neppy's 4th-wall shattering, meta references and commentary - though that's there if you're looking for it - but I'm talking about the plot. Victory brings the most ecchi, the most lewdity, of the series so far. Breasts are plentiful, and though it doesn't quite reach the levels of Senran Kagura (more on that later), there are still plenty of melons for fans of produce. It's hard to believe that this got the T rating, rather than mk2.

 

 

Victory sees return of franchise title heroine, Neptune, to the game's leading role. Following the events of mk2, Neptune and Nepgear enjoy a life of relaxation, at least until a protest group - with a whopping member count of one - attempts to persuade the public that a world without Goddesses is ideal. Inevitably, our girls find themselves in another pickle, and the sooner Neptune saves the world, the sooner she can get back to gaming and sleeping.

 

A new Neptunia brings new girls, and new girls bring opportunity for new best girl, and in a series full of best girls, it's a welcome addition. Plutia - voiced by Kana Hanazawa (wow!) - joins the party this time around, and she is just precious. In the words of Neptune, Plutia is bed-headed, spaced-out, and gullible. Trusting to a fault, empathetic, and caring, Plutia is CUTE... at least, until she transforms. Upon transformation, Plutia becomes Iris Heart, going from sweet angel, to sexy dominatrix. To Iris Heart, everybody is a potential play-thing to be teased, tortured, or worse. The way Iris Heart toys with the cast - whether friend or foe - is incredible, and contributes to some of Victory's most memorable moments. 

 

 

There are three certainties in life. You've heard the first two a million times, but the third certainty is certainly abundant DLC in Neptunia games. Unlike the first two games, Victory definitely pushed acceptable limits of DLC to cram into a moè girl game. There is a lot of relevant DLC in the shop - relevant meaning non-cosmetic DLC worth considering for a playthrough - and it adds up quick, too. The NA version of Victory brings a total of nine(!) DLC girls that you can add to your party. DLC ladies are usually worth the price due to the memorable impressions they leave on the player, but unfortunately, Victory finally drops the ball. The problem isn't with the girls; they're cute, sexy, memorable personalities - the whole deal. The problem is that, unlike HDN and mk2, DLC girls aren't worked into the main story, but rather exist as pieces of side content that you occasionally get a laugh out of during an optional story scene. While scenes with the DLC girls are great, and explore some interesting character interactions with a couple of girls in particular, they ultimately didn't bond me to the optional cast in the same way the first two games did, which is really a step in the wrong direction for how DLC characters should be handled. Considering that, and the fact that the goddesses come out way ahead in combat ability later on, most players are better off saving the cash and watching the DLC scenes on YouTube, unless you really value having those scenes as part of your playthrough. 

 

Marvelous AQL, DLC character based on the Senran Kagura universe!

 

As is usual in Neptunia, earning trophies are more a matter of time than skill. Grinding extra levels and money helps trivialize difficulty, and buying DLC gear can completely eliminate any chances of defeat. Thankfully, you only have three endings to deal with this time, and they are pretty easy to obtain, as long as you're paying attention during the later chapters of the game. Outside of the story, the bulk of your trophy time will be spent grinding. The level 99 grind is a given, but the Lily Rank grind is even worse this time around, as you don't have Chirper events to farm easy Lily Ranks with during NG+ runs. If you're used to JRPGs, though, it's nothing you haven't seen before. Pop open a podcast, YouTube video, or some music and get to it. 

 

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory is peak PS3 Neptunia, and is a no-brainer if you're already deep into the original console series. If you've already played HDN and mk2, things only get better in Victory, so you can safely go into Victory knowing it will be a good time. If you're completely new to the series, start with either HDN (Hyperdimension Neptunia, PS3) or Re;birth1 (Vita), as Victory (or Re;birth3 for Vita players) is best enjoyed with the experience of the games before it.

 

 

With the PS3 originals finally experienced, it'll soon be time to venture into the franchise's remakes and spin-offs. The plan is to play through trophy-enabled entries in the franchise, as close to release order as I can possibly get (problems may occur when I get to the PS5 exclusive Reverse). I do also intend to play through the Re;birth remakes of the PS3 titles on the Vita, and I'll make sure to let you know if there are any differences you need to be aware of. I'll be Nepping for a good while in this thread, with other games here and there to mix things up. 

 

Thanks for reading, and see you soon. 

Edited August 9, 2022 by AihaLoveleaf
Typo

[Kefka1986]

I have always wanted to start the neptunia franchise and the Atelier franchise, I definitely think you did the right thing starting with the very first and going up from there, there are a ton of games and spin-offs, but nothing beats the original experience.

 

Please tell us when you are done with the entire collection if you recommend to experience the ps3 games, or we can jump directly to remasters (and which spin-offs are worthy! I read some are great and some are… let’s say not so great ?)

 

 

 

[Sora9427]

Congrats on Both Platinum, 2 great addiction tyo your collection, i should read the Review properly later since i wanna play them both, well i even have HN already  

 

I have to say i simply LOVE the Little gif you put about the games when possible, they add so much and looks really nice, i should start trying doing some too, they are my favourite thing to see checking your reviews! 

[AihaLoveleaf]

12 hours ago, Kefka1986 said:

I have always wanted to start the neptunia franchise and the Atelier franchise, I definitely think you did the right thing starting with the very first and going up from there, there are a ton of games and spin-offs, but nothing beats the original experience.

The originals have been great, and it was nice to enjoy the series on the console for a little while, because I'm going to be occupied with those Vita Neptunias for quite a long time before I finally get to see what's on PS4. ? Going into those spin-offs already knowing the characters, story, and universe can only improve the experience, so it will be interesting to tear into the first one in the way that developers probably intended.

 

Atelier is a future project for me as well. Gotta figure out my preferred plan of attack for the franchise, but hopefully I figure something out by the time I catch up with Neptunia.

 

13 hours ago, Kefka1986 said:

Please tell us when you are done with the entire collection if you recommend to experience the ps3 games, or we can jump directly to remasters (and which spin-offs are worthy! I read some are great and some are… let’s say not so great )

I will definitely share my findings with the Vita remakes, along with any new/stripped features, and other noteworthy comparisons to be made. I'll talk about each Re;birth game as I finish them up, so you won't be waiting too long for comparisons to the PS3 experience. ?

 

I've also heard from friends and others about some of the spin-offs being not so hot. ? That's a pity, because the main storyline games so far have all been brilliant. I'll knock on wood and hope I end up the guy that somehow has a positive experience with all of them, lol.

 

12 hours ago, Sora9427 said:

Congrats on Both Platinum, 2 great addiction tyo your collection, i should read the Review properly later since i wanna play them both, well i even have HN already  

Thank you Sora! Both Dead or School, and Victory (or Re;birth3) are a great time, if you're in the mood to play something moé. Since you're going the Vita route, it's definitely worth coming back to Re;birth2 someday, to get yourself ready for the third game. 

 

12 hours ago, Sora9427 said:

I have to say i simply LOVE the Little gif you put about the games when possible, they add so much and looks really nice, i should start trying doing some too, they are my favourite thing to see checking your reviews! 

Thank you for that! ? Making those gifs is pretty fun, and I love how easy it is to do with the PS4. Wish I could have done the same for the PS3 Neptunia games; those are loaded with gif-worthy moments that would have looked great in a review post. It will definitely happen when I get to the PS4 games. ?

[Cave Johnson]

I thought I was following this thread, but I guess I wasn't. I can't say I've heard of DragonFangZ or Dead or School prior to this, though I might have to check them out now. Having only played Risk of Rain, I have no experience with RPG rougelikes. DragonFangZ seems like a better place to start than what I was initially thinking of starting with (The Guided Fate Paradox). Dead or School, on the other hand, looks pretty straightforward. 

 

19 hours ago, AihaLoveleaf said:

A new Neptunia brings new girls, and new girls bring opportunity for new best girl, and in a series full of best girls, it's a welcome addition. Plutia - voiced by Kana Hanazawa (wow!) - joins the party this time around, and she is just precious. In the words of Neptune, Plutia is bed-headed, spaced-out, and gullible. Trusting to a fault, empathetic, and caring, Plutia is CUTE... at least, until she transforms. Upon transformation, Plutia becomes Iris Heart, going from sweet angel, to sexy dominatrix. To Iris Heart, everybody is a potential play-thing to be teased, tortured, or worse. The way Iris Heart toys with the cast - whether friend or foe - is incredible, and contributes to some of Victory's most memorable moments. 

 

 

It's not often that I see a paragraph I agree with so strongly! You really caught my attention with this part, lol. Unfortunately, however, this is the part where I deeply regret to inform you that Plutia only appears in two of the spin-offs... Perhaps it is due to this that I can't help but criticize some of the spin-offs so harshly; if they stopped leaving out my favorite character from the series (and number one favorite seiyuu) my bias would probably go in the other direction. 

 

20 hours ago, AihaLoveleaf said:

With the PS3 originals finally experienced, it'll soon be time to venture into the franchise's remakes and spin-offs. The plan is to play through trophy-enabled entries in the franchise, as close to release order as I can possibly get (problems may occur when I get to the PS5 exclusive Reverse). I do also intend to play through the Re;birth remakes of the PS3 titles on the Vita, and I'll make sure to let you know if there are any differences you need to be aware of. I'll be Nepping for a good while in this thread, with other games here and there to mix things up. 

 

Will you be going with Re;Birth 1 or Producing Perfection first? They came out the same year, but I'm not sure about the exact dates. I don't think Producing Perfection is quite as bad as some say, and I'd bet some of the hate comes from the platinum being kind of annoying rather than the actual game itself. Re;Birth 1 is one of the best games the series has to offer and is where it all started for me. Whatever you choose, good luck Nepping (not that you'll need it). 

[AihaLoveleaf]

1 hour ago, Cave Johnson said:

I thought I was following this thread, but I guess I wasn't. I can't say I've heard of DragonFangZ or Dead or School prior to this, though I might have to check them out now. Having only played Risk of Rain, I have no experience with RPG rougelikes. DragonFangZ seems like a better place to start than what I was initially thinking of starting with (The Guided Fate Paradox). Dead or School, on the other hand, looks pretty straightforward. 

DragonFangZ is not a bad starting point! It can be challenging at points, but always feels doable, unlike some of the hybrids and roguelites out there I am sure, lol. I was checking out Guided Fate Paradox a little while ago, and was wondering why it caught a 9/10 rating on PST. Checked the guide again, and it looks like it's a rogue-like with permadeath -- yep, explains a lot. I might be able to drum up enough interest in that for a future project, depending on how I'm feeling after some more research.

 

1 hour ago, Cave Johnson said:

It's not often that I see a paragraph I agree with so strongly! You really caught my attention with this part, lol. Unfortunately, however, this is the part where I deeply regret to inform you that Plutia only appears in two of the spin-offs... Perhaps it is due to this that I can't help but criticize some of the spin-offs so harshly; if they stopped leaving out my favorite character from the series (and number one favorite seiyuu) my bias would probably go in the other direction. 

Glad you liked that part! ? I can tell from the PSN avatar you're also an enjoyer of that sweet and sadistic CPU. The bad news is unfortunate, but I guess that does explain why I never really see Plutia on the artwork for any of the spinoffs. I'm already somewhat used to the feeling of losing girls I like (mostly the DLC girls) between games, when they fail to come back. The curse of adding too many girls to the moéblob, I guess. ? Plutia is kind of an important character, though, so it does feel bad to waste such a great girl, and seiyuu too! I'll be happy if I accidentally get some more Hanakana in a future Japanese game, at least. 

 

2 hours ago, Cave Johnson said:

Will you be going with Re;Birth 1 or Producing Perfection first? They came out the same year, but I'm not sure about the exact dates. I don't think Producing Perfection is quite as bad as some say, and I'd bet some of the hate comes from the platinum being kind of annoying rather than the actual game itself. Re;Birth 1 is one of the best games the series has to offer and is where it all started for me. Whatever you choose, good luck Nepping (not that you'll need it). 

Wikipedia has Producing Perfection listed first, so that'll be the next one up for me. I also heard from others that parts of it are not-so-hot, but I'm still feeling optimistic about it. I'm eager to try out an idol simulator for myself. Idolmaster 2 is in the cards, but chances are I'll end up playing Neptunia PP first. I'm also eager to check out Re;birth1 -- as that's really a title where I have questions that need answers, so I won't be holding off too long for it. ?