Aiha's Gallery of Leaves

[AihaLoveleaf]

Platinum #48
Touhou Genso Rondo (6.36%)
Completion Time: 3 days, 9 hours

 

 

The search for games to occupy the gap between upcoming milestones and more demanding projects to be tackled in the near future led me again to the backlog (as opposed to the frontlog), to line up another game that -- like Hotshot Racing -- was also purchased a year ago. Touhou Genso Rondo slots in rather nicely: it's Stage 2 on the Touhou series page, it's the first Touhou PlayStation game in English, and it seemed to feature plenty of that signature "bullet hell" gameplay that the franchise is known for. Having looked at the trophy guide and the Platinum Difficulty Thread over at PST, the game seemed like it would be easy enough, even for a shmup newbie like myself. I boot up the game with optimism, blissfully unaware of the baptism by fire that I had just dipped myself into.

 

Touhou Genso Rondo, originally developed and published by CUBETYPE in 2012 for the PC, would become both the first Touhou "fan game" released on console and the first Touhou fan game to be released in the West, after being updated and released on the PlayStation 4 in 2015 in Japan, and 2016 in Western continents thanks to NIS America. Genso Rondo combines the gameplay of a 3D Arena Fighter with the shmup genre -- specifically, "bullet hell", also known as Danmaku. The gameplay takes direct influence from Japanese game series Senko no Ronde, and CUBETYPE reached agreement with developer G.rev before licensing Genso Rondo to sell on the PlayStation Network. Genso Rondo is a pretty straightforward package, and as far as single-player content is concerned, you have three modes to choose from: Story Mode, Arcade Mode, and Boss Rush Mode.

 

 

Story Mode in Genso Rondo is similar to the arcade modes of fighting games: you choose a girl and play through her specific story route, receiving sprinklings of story progression between danmaku battle sessions ending with you handing the other girl her rear after she's been defeated. For the niche this game is aimed at, it's likely you just want to see some moe girls in cute and comedic scenarios, and that is delivered here. Character routes offer plenty of moments that will pull a smile or chuckle from the player, so in that respect -- mission accomplished. Story Mode does, unfortunately, suffer the same issue that most fighting games do in that the depth is surface level at best. You won't find any deepening of lore, heavy character development, or progression of relationships among the cast here; every girl gets her roughly 30 minutes of standalone story, and then it's on to the next one. Among the three, Story Mode is the easiest; if you happen to lose both rounds of a fight, you can retry as much as you like until you finally see the ending. Consider it the calm before the storms that are Arcade Mode and Boss Rush.

 

 

Arcade Mode is where the kid gloves start to slip, and Genso Rondo shows you its hardcore side. Arcade Mode is similar to survival mode in fighting games: you have one health bar, you restore a little bit of health with each victory, and you keep going until your health finally runs out. When I gloriously failed my first Arcade run as Reimu, and realized there was no retry option, is when I had my first "Oh s**t, this game is harder than I expected" moment. Arcade Mode is endless, but for trophy purposes, you only need to win seven matches in a row. Even that proved difficult however, as I struggled and floundered for the next few hours of gameplay through my first couple of 7-win streaks in Arcade Mode. Luckily, after struggling through those few hours, I finally got a hang of this little shmup-flavored arena fighting mode, and things became very easy - with Arcade and Story clears banged out back to back. Conquering Arcade Mode restored my optimism; I was back on track! Or so I thought, until I polished off my last Arcade run, and moved on to Boss Rush.

 

 

A video tells a million words, as they say, so if you just want to see what Arcade Mode looks like in video form, then I'll link a video here.

 

Boss Rush Mode is where the kid gloves are fully removed, and Genso Rondo lets you know how hardcore it really is. Boss Rush takes the survival element of Arcade Mode, and pits you against an endless gauntlet of battles against the Touhou cast, but this time your opponents are in Spell Card mode. Any elements of arena fighting are completely out of the window now; this is pure Danmaku, and the girls don't go easy on you either. This time, you need to win ten battles in a row with each character for trophy purposes, and you can either deplete the opponent's health or wait 20 seconds for the timer to run out. Considering a single health bar can easily be depleted in those 20 seconds though, it often feels more like 20 minutes. After my first few fails, I strapped myself in for the long haul. Hours were spent running and failing, slowly memorizing bullet patterns and how to effectively navigate them. Due to the semi-random nature of bullet distribution in Genso Rondo, you're going to be hit. It's a matter then of learning which bullets deal "weak" damage and which bullets deal "strong" damage, so you can do your best to avoid them. Fortunately, though, Boss Rush does eventually click, and once you've succeeded your first character, it's largely a matter of doing it eight more times - which gets easier each time. That said, though, Boss Rush never quite reaches the level of ease that Arcade Mode does, and stays at least somewhat difficult throughout.

 

 

Just like with Arcade Mode, if you want to see Boss Rush in action, I'll link another video here.

 

As it's been hinted to above: Genso Rondo's trophy list can be pretty damn tough. If you're coming in with previous shmup or danmaku experience, it's possible your experience lines up closer to the 4/10s given on PST. Speaking of which: I checked the profiles that listed those ratings, and -- surprise, surprise -- I found hardcore shmup accomplishments among the posters, including the Raiden IV Platinum. Go figure. Anyway, Genso Rondo's list is pretty straightforward: Do every girl's Story Mode, run Arcade Mode with each girl, and then do Boss Rush with each girl. If you're brand new to danmaku, expect a bit of a learning curve. This was my first true rodeo with both shmup and bullet hell, and there was a lot to get used to. Despite that, the Platinum was done with in about 30 hours. While the experience proved to be a struggle in the moment, the list was completed in short order, since I was willing to stick with it.

 

Touhou Genso Rondo served me well as a trial-by-fire introduction to danmaku gameplay. While more difficult than I expected, that proved to be a good thing, as I've now sprouted my legs in the genre. While I don't see myself doing Lunatic no-death runs in the mainline Touhou games anytime soon, I have at least opened the door to exploring the genre further, and am eager to take on similar projects in the future. If you're looking to start the Touhou series on PlayStation, or looking to start your bullet hell journey, then Genso Rondo is a rewarding starting point -- if you can manage the difficulty.

 

[Deadly_Ha_Ha]

I'm definitely interested in that game. I'm not a weeb but it looks like a real video game alright

[AihaLoveleaf]

15 hours ago, Deadly_Ha_Ha said:

I'm definitely interested in that game. I'm not a weeb but it looks like a real video game alright

Let me tell you, mister: this game is quite real for 6% @ 10k owners. Do give it a buy in a future sale if you like indie games doing proper lists.

[Deadly_Ha_Ha]

7 minutes ago, AihaLoveleaf said:

Let me tell you, mister: this game is quite real for 6% @ 10k owners. Do give it a buy in a future sale if you like indie games doing proper lists.

UR effort for no UR platinium

[CelestialRequiem]

Weeby and good gameplay? Sign me up.

[Deadly_Ha_Ha]

5 minutes ago, CelestialRequiem said:

Weeby and good gameplay? Sign me up.

Bandwagoner

[Honor_Hand]

This one looks like another Touhou game that is sure worth experiencing. I'll be sure to give it a go at some point as I'm looking to get more involved with the franchise in general. Cute girls doing hellish danmaku battles? Sign me up!

 

Now, 4/10 my ass. I checked that Boss Rush mode video of yours and just at a glance you can tell this is not a 4/10. It maybe is for the guy who played Raiden IV, but this one definitely looks harder than a 4. It'll probably be a nice game to experience myself since I'm still getting acclimatized to the genre.

[AihaLoveleaf]

22 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

This one looks like another Touhou game that is sure worth experiencing. I'll be sure to give it a go at some point as I'm looking to get more involved with the franchise in general. Cute girls doing hellish danmaku battles? Sign me up!

Interested to see how you get on with Genso Rondo later. I can't be the only one getting my butt kicked by Danmaku Girls around here.

 

22 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

Now, 4/10 my ass. I checked that Boss Rush mode video of yours and just at a glance you can tell this is not a 4/10. It maybe is for the guy who played Raiden IV, but this one definitely looks harder than a 4. It'll probably be a nice game to experience myself since I'm still getting acclimatized to the genre.

Speaking of which: the next stage in the Touhou series looks incredible. Azure Reflections is also Danmaku, and looks highly refined. We can't possibly miss that one.  

 

It's also properly rated on PST, so expectations will already be aligned in the right direction from the moment the game starts.

[Yuber6969]

Congrats! I have virtually no shmup experience, and the idea of a shmup-arena fighter hybrid sounded appealing to me. After seeing your gameplay video though, I'll probably pass on it.

 

On 24/12/2022 at 9:57 AM, Deadly_Ha_Ha said:

UR effort for no UR platinium

 

I was thinking this too. Sounds like a rough plat.

[AihaLoveleaf]

3 hours ago, Yuber6969 said:

Congrats! I have virtually no shmup experience, and the idea of a shmup-arena fighter hybrid sounded appealing to me. After seeing your gameplay video though, I'll probably pass on it.

Thanks Yuber! It is a great little game, but yeah I wouldn't recommend it if the game doesn't appeal to you. Genso Rondo would very quickly become a miserable completion if your interest is not all the way there. If you do come back around for danmaku titles in the future though, do give it a second look.

 

3 hours ago, Yuber6969 said:

I was thinking this too. Sounds like a rough plat.

@Deadly_Ha_Ha was right. The Boss Rush runs were tough enough that I felt like I should have been popping ~4% trophies after each successful run with a new character. That's how it is with these plats in the 5-7% range -- you put in an "Ultra Rare" effort, but you don't get an "Ultra Rare" reward, lol. It's alright, though; the experience will prove valuable in future games.

[AihaLoveleaf]

Platinum #49
Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash (22.61%)
Completion Time: 3 days, 12 hours

 

 

I decided to try a thing that I see some profiles do, and use a Platinum for a non-Platinum milestone. My last couple of games were chosen partially because of their trophy counts, which allowed me to play Peach Beach Splash straight through, without having to jump between different games to fiddle with the numbers. Six of my completed games this year have had Marvelous' name on them -- plus a cameo or two -- so I'm pretty okay with their name showing up for trophy #2500.

 

Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash, developed by Tamsoft and published by Marvelous in 2017 for the PlayStation 4, is the sixth entry in the main series of the fanservice-heavy franchise. Peach Beach Splash combines the action of a team-based third-person shooter, with all the gambling fun of a trading card Gacha. Surprisingly, both are done to great effect. The novel idea of team deathmatches with non-lethal waterguns is executed well, and gets better the further you go. Even more surprisingly: the gacha gives you all the highs of pulling great new cards, without the lows of a predatory, money-grubbing business structure. Peach Beach Splash may be the safest, cheapest (read: completely free) way to get your gacha fix that I've seen so far, but more on that later.

 

 

Following the events of Estival Versus, Peach Beach Splash sees the girls, well... back to the beach again, actually -- though it's a different beach this time. After following the rainbow bridge to a remote island -- the game's primary setting -- a couple of familiar faces introduce the girls to the tournament they'll be participating in: the P1 Grand Prix, also known as the Peach Beach Splash. Split into groups of five girls each, four groups of Elite Shinobi face off for the grand prize of: whatever they want. Any wish will be granted, no matter how outlandish - fame, fortune, a lifetime's supply of meat; anything is up for grabs. Every moment of the tournament is broadcast exclusively on popular live-streaming platform, NewTube. 

 

Fun Fact: the 'New' in NewTube is pronounced "nyuu" -- one of many Japanese words for "boobs"

 

Estival Versus introduced radical new plot elements that are thoroughly explored in Peach Beach Splash. Story sections reach peak ridiculousness in PBS, but somehow it works. As usual with the series, PBS brings great plot progression and character development, and the script is peppered with both hilarious and tender moments alike. One of the most impressive points of the series has always been in its success of convincing the player to suspend disbelief of scantily-clad ladies exercising insane titty physics long enough to take important parts of the plot seriously, to which PBS excels just as much as the games before it. The series reaches a very climactic peak here, and those properly invested in the universe's established lore are in for a treat.

 

Now, getting to Peach Beach Splash's biggest spectacle: dress break is back. Remember Creative Finishers from Estival Versus? PBS introduces an even better mechanic -- Squirmy Finishers. Squirmy Finishers -- achievable after fully depleting an opponent's health -- let you get up close with the enemy to let loose a torrent of water that will most certainly result in an article of clothing being blown away. Similar to Teabagging in FPS games, executing Squirmy Finishers satisfies the lizard brain's immature urge to, not just taunt, but completely own the opponent before they go off to respawn. You take your choice of hosing down a girl's face, breasts, or buttocks; the latter two of which will result in full removal of whatever is covering them there, in all of its titillating lens flare glory. 

 

 

Gameplay in Peach Beach Splash is among the best the series has seen yet. You and your teammates pick one of ten weapon types -- all water-gun equivalents of TPS/FPS staples -- to carry out combat. An experience and upgrade system is available for you to upgrade characters, weapons, and skills. Rather than being distributed immediately, experience points are banked so that you can use them however you like, meaning you can safely stick to your preferred loadout. Reminiscent of Infinite Warfare's Fate and Fortune Cards in Zombies, a customizable deck of cards is also part of your loadout: granting users with both support and attack skills with potential to make your team completely OP. Though not an Action RPG, PBS hits similarly addictive notes with experience, money and card drops after each level, resembling the gameplay loop of looter RPGs.

 

Coming back to the gacha elements I mentioned at the start: PBS features over 800 trading cards for you to outfit your team with. Cards grant support abilities like healing, or attack skills in the form of projectiles. Pet cards are also present, summoning cute little critters onto the field to aid or fight alongside you. Cards range in rarity from Normal (N) to Ultra Rare (UR), and are obtainable both at the end of each level, and from buying booster packs in the shop using ingame currency. The gacha system built into PBS is, surprisingly, fair and non-predatory. There is no limited card FOMO, no premium currencies, and the drop rates are generous enough that you'll be seeing 5★ UR cards on a frequent basis. A few limited card packs are available as DLC, but the game never pressures you into spending money, as what's available over the course of the game is more than enough to get the Platinum. If you've got a gacha itch that you're afraid to use Genshin Impact to scratch, then Peach Beach Splash is your safest bet. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: the artwork is pretty damn hot. Have fun hoarding up hundreds of lewd cards to share with your friends and family.

 

The Nyu Nyu DX pack included with the special edition

 

The trophy experience in Peach Beach Splash is rather straightforward. You'll be seeing all of the game's main story to the very end. There's also a secondary tournament -- the V-Road -- that you'll need to play through and win every cup. Other than that, you have quite a bit of grinding to do for Experience and different types of "kills" on your opponents. As you can glean from the rarity: PBS is pretty easy. The upgrade system allows you to overcome the increased stats of enemies on higher difficulties, and you can freely play story missions on Easy -- which you're probably better off doing early on, as you'll be too underpowered to get S Ranks on Hard difficulty until later. PBS requires a heavy grind for the necessary experience to unlock several trophies, but the good news is that you need to be present for almost none of it; a turbo controller completely automates the grind for you, and a couple of overnight sessions can set you for the entire plat, letting you keep your focus on the fun stuff.

 

Though there have been a couple of spinoffs since, Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash currently sits as the latest canon entry in the main series. Though a new game was planned for 2018, a number of complications have resulted in the game seeing indefinite delay, leaving fans unsure if or when the next entry will finally arrive. For now, PBS is the end of the line. If you're invested in the series up to Estival Versus, playing PBS is a no-brainer. If you're new to the series, I recommend you go as far back as you possibly can, as entries in the main series do build on each other. As for me, I'm not quite done with Senran Kagura yet: I'll be going "backwards" to pick up parts of the story that I missed, including Burst Re:Newal -- a remake of the first game. I'm even looking at playing the 3DS and Switch games, now that I'm fully invested. If I get enough from those trophy-less experiences to share with the checklist, I'll make sure to do so. For now, though, I'll see you soon.

 

[Deadly_Ha_Ha]

Having the Shadow of the Colossus plat be my 2,000th trophy was actually a nightmare as you probably remember so props to you for curating your profile in this way but I can't see myself doing it again unless it REALLY falls into place

[Honor_Hand]

Excellent write-up for an equally excellent game. =D

 

It goes without saying but PBS is one of those genius ideas in gaming that I wonder how no one ever came up with it before. Like, why did it takes us so long to realize the potential of a TPS game with an all-out girls' cast splashing one another with Super Soakers? It's just genius, really. uwu

 

Now, for how great the concept is and how fun playing PBS is, it's not without its faults. Its gameplay is solid, its matches are fun, its story is engaging and its gacha card antics are fair (and the artwork is pretty darn hot, indeed), but the game is a bit unbalanced at times. Some of the support weapons aren't really that useful, and the Gatling gun is severely OP too. That last gif of yours up above reminded me of that. x3 I don't know, it's one area where I thought the game could use improvement. Better balancing to make all weapons have good usability all-around.

 

Another thing was the performance, it ran well for the most part. But its frame-drop would sometimes dip on my PS4 Slim during the most hectic moments. Although, I can imagine this not being an issue on a PS4 Pro or a PS5.

 

But really, this is just me nitpicking here. Other than that, it's certainly one of my favorite games in the franchise and one I most certainly recommend. Totally deserves a sequel later on if they ever want to revisit this idea again in the future. ^^

 

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Fun Fact: the 'New' in NewTube is pronounced "nyuu" -- one of many Japanese words for "boobs"

 

Aiha always having an edge here with his advanced Japanese knowledge. Now the particular shape of that NewTube logo makes a lot more sense. xxD

Also, obligatory pump pump pump gif. ;D

 

 

[Yuber6969]

Congrats! I've played the same SK games as you and PBS is easily my favourite. I actually liked that all girls played the same so that I could always use Rin lol. And I see from your GIF that you also abused the minigun.

[AihaLoveleaf]

On 12/30/2022 at 9:27 AM, Deadly_Ha_Ha said:

Having the Shadow of the Colossus plat be my 2,000th trophy was actually a nightmare as you probably remember so props to you for curating your profile in this way but I can't see myself doing it again unless it REALLY falls into place

Yeah, setting up the trophy# milestones in general can be a not-fun experience in some ways. I still enjoy it enough to go ahead and do it, but they can be a stressful process to get everything just right. Fortunately for me, I mathed it out ahead of time and found that if I played my last three games straight through with no diversions, then my Senran Kagura plat hits 2500 perfectly with no game hopping. Probably just going to be a one-time thing, though; I don't see myself using a Platinum for a trophy# milestone in the future, since I generally prefer to showcase other kinds of trophies with those spots.

 

On 1/1/2023 at 3:42 PM, Honor_Hand said:

Excellent write-up for an equally excellent game. =D

 

It goes without saying but PBS is one of those genius ideas in gaming that I wonder how no one ever came up with it before. Like, why did it takes us so long to realize the potential of a TPS game with an all-out girls' cast splashing one another with Super Soakers? It's just genius, really. uwu

 

Now, for how great the concept is and how fun playing PBS is, it's not without its faults. Its gameplay is solid, its matches are fun, its story is engaging and its gacha card antics are fair (and the artwork is pretty darn hot, indeed), but the game is a bit unbalanced at times. Some of the support weapons aren't really that useful, and the Gatling gun is severely OP too. That last gif of yours up above reminded me of that. x3 I don't know, it's one area where I thought the game could use improvement. Better balancing to make all weapons have good usability all-around.

Thank you, Honor! It is odd how it took so long for us to get a game of waifus in a Team Deathmatch setting, lol. Luckily for us we're currently living in that glorious future.

 

You're right about the weapon balancing, though. I didn't think to bring up the fact that most weapons plain suck, because the game doesn't force you to use any that you don't like, thanks to the EXP banking system. Now if we had to use each gun individually to level 10, I'd be sprinkling a lot more salt over how bad the experience is with certain guns.

 

On 1/1/2023 at 3:42 PM, Honor_Hand said:

Aiha always having an edge here with his advanced Japanese knowledge. Now the particular shape of that NewTube logo makes a lot more sense. xxD

Getting those little bits of insight here and there makes the experience that much more interesting. I'll be sure to bring in more of those nifty "keikaku means plan" TL notes where applicable. ?

 

On 1/5/2023 at 6:39 AM, Yuber6969 said:

Congrats! I've played the same SK games as you and PBS is easily my favourite. I actually liked that all girls played the same so that I could always use Rin lol. And I see from your GIF that you also abused the minigun.

Thanks Yuber! That is true; other than the melee attacks that you'll barely use, you can run any girl you like without much consequence. It was fun enough playing my favorite girls, but it was also a blast seeing them on the opponent team, where I can show up after the kill and detach some of those bikinis.  Miniguns were pretty insane, though: great range and great damage too. Running miniguns with a deck of Haruka cards made any match a confirmed win. If I ever come back for some of those Survival Pack cards, I'll certainly be running that loadout again.

[AihaLoveleaf]

Platinum #50
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 (18.88%)
Completion Time: 1 week, 4 days
Game Time: 87 Hours

 

 

For ease of reading: any wording such as "HDN" refers to the PS3 original Hyperdimension Neptunia, while "Re;Birth" and other terms will refer to the Vita remake specifically.

 

Having now played two of four(!) versions of the very first Hyperdimension Neptunia, this makes for my second rodeo with the beginning of the story. Using my experience of having played through the series so far in release order, I'd like to focus on the similarities and differences between this "remake" and the original. If you can't read Japanese or don't have a PlayStation 5, then your starting point is going to be a toss-up between the PS3 and Vita. There's even a case to be made for playing both versions, but more on that later.

 

 

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 -- developed by Compile Heart and Felistella, and published by Idea Factory in 2014 for the West -- is a PlayStation Vita remake of the original Hyperdimension Neptunia for the PlayStation 3. Re;Birth 1 covers key plot points of the original, while sporting gameplay improvements introduced in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory. Re;Birth1 blurs the line between remake and continuation, providing both a retelling of the original story while also providing continuity of the already established plot.

 

Hyperdimension Neptunia and Re;Birth1 share a few major plot points. Like the PS3 original, the player begins the game as witness to a climactic moment in a battle of the "Console War" that the four goddesses have been plunged into. Neptune becomes the unfortunate first target of the other three goddesses, resulting in her forceful removal from combat and her plummet from Celestia to Gamindustri where the adventure begins. Beyond that and a few other common plot points, however, Re;Birth1 is a completely different game: from the dialogue between characters, the girls you meet along the way, the dungeons you crawl through, and the quests you take on -- everything is completely different and feels like a fresh experience, even if you've already played the original. Even the ending routes have been completely redone, so PS3 players won't truly know what happens until they get to the very end.

 

Interestingly, Re;Birth1 is not merely a simple retelling of HDN: it's also the next step in the story following the PS3 trilogy. Explaining how I'm coming to this conclusion goes beyond the scope of this write-up, but I do have to touch on this to make my case. Rather than being a reboot of the series, Re;Birth1 is actually a game that takes place after Victory, but in a setting that recaps the events of HDN. This novel method of handling the plot means that new players can jump in, while old players rewarded for their investment into the series thus far.

 

 

Compared to HDN, gameplay in Re;Birth1 is completely revamped, and based on that of Victory. Given how far apart HDN and Re;Birth1 are, drawing comparisons to Victory is a simpler exercise. Compared to Victory then, Re;Birth1 is largely similar with a few updates - for better or worse. Most notably, Victory's Scouting system -- which previously allowed you to send chibified versions of characters and NPCs to dungeons in order to procure loot and unlocks -- has been replaced with the Remake System. The Remake System produces the same results with less tedium, but with the downside of being unexploitable -- meaning that you won't be easily raking in millions of Credits for no effort in Re;Birth1. The world map in Re;Birth1 is similar to mk2 and Victory with one noticeable difference: the insides of towns are gone! While this technically speeds up accessing the shop and other facilities by a couple of seconds, it removes much-needed personality from the game world, as the previously bustling towns of Chirping NPCs lifted the sense of isolation in a world that now feels exclusively populated with dungeons.

 

 

Stacking up HDN against Re;Birth1 when it comes to gameplay, there's no doubt that Re;Birth1 comes out on top. Re;Birth1 follows multiple quality of life improvements introduced in the tail-end of the PS3 trilogy, and is just that much more pleasurable to play compared to the dated mechanics of the original. 

 

The crown swaps places pitting HDN against Re;Birth1 when it comes to the story and overall experience, however. Re;Birth1 feels, in some ways, like the original story on 2x speed. Development of character relationships between goddesses happen awfully quickly despite the tensions of the Console War. The bonding period between Neptune, Compa and IF -- sometimes referred to as "Compiffytune" -- also suffers from this speedy development. Stretches of game time devoted in the original to helping you learn more about Compa's background, and IF's initial resistance to smoothly fitting in the group being omitted leaves Re;Birth1 with the odd situation of new characters quickly slotting into place. Coming from Victory, seeing the old crew jump right into their established roles is not as big of a deal, but such omissions may impact a new player's ability to bond with the original Compiffytune trio. Similarly, character-building side content for the other three goddesses present in HDN: like comedic scenarios exploring Vert's gaming obsessions, Noire's closely guarded cosplay hobby, and Blanc's complete devotion to both the reading and writing of literature are all missing in Re;Birth1. While not strictly necessary to the main plot, missing skits and side content went a long way towards character development and building the player's ability to care about the characters on screen. 

 

 

If you're coming to Re;Birth1 after leaning on the comforts of early access to DLC equipment in the PS3 trilogy, then the Vita remake will come as a bit of a shock early on. Re;Birth1 starts off challenging, even with DLC characters in your party, and features some interesting difficulty spikes in early boss fights. Even after enabling "Weaken Enemies" in the Remake System, you'll need to grind extra levels along the way to avoid getting swamped by monsters and bosses in each new dungeon. Assuming you did grab the DLC, however, the balance tips wildly in your favor if you can hold out until Chapter 5, as you then gain access to very easy leveling and a very strong weapon. 

 

PS3 trilogy players will be pleased to find that the Lily Rank (basically, character affection level) grind requirement present in mk2 and Victory is absent from the trophy list. What is present though, is a gigantic grind for Credits -- 100 million to be exact! Without DLC, expect a brutally boring grind on a certain late-game enemy for about 300,000 credits a pop. Do yourself a favor and pick up the Level Cap DLC; it's inexpensive and cuts down on the grind immensely. After a bit of preparatory leveling, you can easily handle Colosseum fights that pay out millions of Credits at a time, turning the grind from a boring slog to fun diversion, as you work to make your team ready for those higher level fights.

 

 

With all of the above laid out: where would I recommend a new player start, given the choice between PS3 and Vita? Honestly, if you want the full experience, then play both games. Neptunia is a series that rewards you for each game played; previous adventures are never truly discarded, and everything really comes together later on, with your knowledge of the characters and universe serving to prop the experience and make it that much more enjoyable. HDN and Re;Birth1 are both different enough experiences that you won't feel like you're slogging through the same game twice. Also, several references and in-jokes from Victory are present, and having the context beforehand makes it easy to keep up when characters are teasing each other over things that otherwise seem to come out of nowhere. That said, though, if you don't feel you need to be as invested, or just don't have time, you can still start with Re;Birth1 if you're willing to make concessions with your experience. As for me, I had a great time revisiting the old version of Gamindustri, and I'm eager to see how Re;Birth2 compares to mk2 in the future.

 

[Honor_Hand]

Congrats on your most recent completion, Aiha. And wxcellent write-up on Re;Birth 1 as well. ^^

 

It's cool seeing how this remake differs so wildly from the original game while at the same time still drawing heavily from it. Why, it might be an alternate retelling of the whole thing happening in a different universe altogether. That's a rather interesting approach to it. Makes me wonder how the PS5 Reverse version is going to fit in all this scenario Compile Heart and Idea Factory have crafted for this franchise.

 

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If you're coming to Re;Birth1 after leaning on the comforts of early access to DLC equipment in the PS3 trilogy, then the Vita remake will come as a bit of a shock early on. Re;Birth1 starts off challenging, even with DLC characters in your party, and features some interesting difficulty spikes in early boss fights. Even after enabling "Weaken Enemies" in the Remake System, you'll need to grind extra levels along the way to avoid getting swamped by monsters and bosses in each new dungeon. Assuming you did grab the DLC, however, the balance tips wildly in your favor if you can hold out until Chapter 5, as you then gain access to very easy leveling and a very strong weapon. 

 

I vividly remember my very first few moments in Re;Birth 1 being reasonably challenging with my party being wiped out after encountering foes that were just too OP for my current party. It gets slightly easier the more you progress, true, but the starting moments did force me to grind a fair bit in hopes of defeating these tough bosses. Can say I played without the DLC at the time so that probably factored a lot into the difficulty as well.

 

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PS3 trilogy players will be pleased to find that the Lily Rank (basically, character affection level) grind requirement present in mk2 and Victory is absent from the trophy list. What is present though, is a gigantic grind for Credits -- 100 million to be exact! Without DLC, expect a brutally boring grind on a certain late-game enemy for about 300,000 credits a pop. Do yourself a favor and pick up the Level Cap DLC; it's inexpensive and cuts down on the grind immensely. After a bit of preparatory leveling, you can easily handle Colosseum fights that pay out millions of Credits at a time, turning the grind from a boring slog to fun diversion, as you work to make your team ready for those higher level fights.

 

Ooh, totally. I didn't spend any money on the DLC back then and I still remember the incredibly boring post-game grind very well. I wish I would have known of this method when I tackled the game at the time. I had a good time playing it but the boring post-game grind somehow dampened my final impression of it. xP

[AihaLoveleaf]

20 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

Congrats on your most recent completion, Aiha. And wxcellent write-up on Re;Birth 1 as well. ^^

 

It's cool seeing how this remake differs so wildly from the original game while at the same time still drawing heavily from it. Why, it might be an alternate retelling of the whole thing happening in a different universe altogether. That's a rather interesting approach to it. Makes me wonder how the PS5 Reverse version is going to fit in all this scenario Compile Heart and Idea Factory have crafted for this franchise.

Appreciate it, Honor. ?

 

I wonder about the PS5 version, too. I've averted my eyes from doing any thorough pre-game investigations of future titles, but through the occasional screenshot and trophy icon I've noticed later versions of this game have characters worked into the base game that weren't in this Vita release. I expect at least some differences in the script to account for it, so I'm interested to see how that plays out later on. I'm about 99% sure that I'll be playing the Japanese Re;Birth1 Plus too, so that should eventually show up here for those that won't be experiencing it for themselves.

 

20 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

I vividly remember my very first few moments in Re;Birth 1 being reasonably challenging with my party being wiped out after encountering foes that were just too OP for my current party. It gets slightly easier the more you progress, true, but the starting moments did force me to grind a fair bit in hopes of defeating these tough bosses. Can say I played without the DLC at the time so that probably factored a lot into the difficulty as well.

The opening dungeon certainly took me by surprise in Re;Birth1. My shock when even the Dogoos were dealing significant damage to me, lol. In HDN on the PS3, you could make a beeline to DLC dungeons early on and grab endgame gear to ease the difficulty. In mk2 and Victory, they simply dropped the DLC items in your inventory and let you use them right away. Re;Birth1 was a bit hardcore in that they make you unlock those items through regular gameplay, so that was a bit of an adjustment. While the challenge was fine, the downside was that by the time I finally grabbed the Plan to make CPU Rings for that sweet 50% resistance boost, I was at a point in the game where it almost didn't matter anymore.

 

20 hours ago, Honor_Hand said:

Ooh, totally. I didn't spend any money on the DLC back then and I still remember the incredibly boring post-game grind very well. I wish I would have known of this method when I tackled the game at the time. I had a good time playing it but the boring post-game grind somehow dampened my final impression of it. xP

From the looks of those old PST/GameFAQs posts: the Polytan DLC wasn't around immediately after release. Not too sure about the Level Cap DLCs either. Had to have been rough for those folks that got stuck grinding outside of the Colosseum though -- my prayers go out to all of them. For those new players picking up the game in 2023, it's worth the couple of bucks to save your sanity points from being depleted.

[Yuber6969]

Congrats! Now that I know that Re;Birth 1 takes place after Victory, and that it skipped a lot of character-building moments, I see why I didn't enjoy it that much (thought it was just okay).

 

I'll hold off on Re;Birth 2 until you play it lol.

[AihaLoveleaf]

Platinum #51
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (11.54%)
Completion Time: 1 week, 4 days

 

 

Nowadays, it is pretty rare for me to play a game right at release. Getting swept into the hype and FOMO of "Day 1" has largely been substituted with being awash with the apathy, or enlightened with the patience of "Day 100", or even "Day 1000". For a younger Aiha with a smaller backlog, and a younger Aiha more easily convinced by the (usually) nice person behind the GameStop counter, buying games at or around release used to be a more frequent event. Such was the case on a glorious day in 2006 when I walked into GameStop not just to pick up my pre-order for the steelbook edition of Final Fantasy XII, but also to nab myself a fresh PlayStation 2 Slim. Mind you, it wasn't my first PS2, but it was my first PS2 -- severing any reliance I had on the "family console" shared between siblings, leaving me to obsessively play my new JRPG in peace. I spent the next month afterwards, playing to as much completion as I could stomach over the course of a few hundred hours, establishing one of my more memorable gaming experiences. Fast forward to 2023: a good buddy and I agree to pop the trophy lists on our accounts, so that we can both experience the game again around the same time.

 

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age -- released in 2017 for the PlayStation 4 -- is a port of the 2007 re-release of the original Final Fantasy XII from 2006. Before 2017, this version of the game was only officially available in Japan as Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System. Notable changes and updates were introduced, the most noticeable of which being twelve separate License Boards (known as "jobs") of which you can unlock two for each character -- which serves to eliminate the "sameness" of all characters having the same abilities later in the game. Another huge addition -- and my personal favorite -- is the inclusion of 2x and 4x speed modes. These speed boosts allow you to fly through both grindy sections and XII's pseudo open-world alike, shaving literally hundreds of hours from your playthrough. To highlight the difference 4x makes: my PS2 save file was around 300 hours when I finally moved on, whereas my PS4 save was sitting around 150 (plus another 20 for Trial Mode) with even more progression than my PS2 save! Players that tend to move through games at a brisker pace than myself should expect to finish up in about half the time.

 

 

Taking place in the continent of Ivalice, Final Fantasy XII tells the story of warring nations Archades and Rozarria, the struggle for power between the two, as well as the internal and external politics of the war as it concerns every nation of Ivalice. Said power struggle leads to the annexation of Dalmasca, where leading character and aspiring Sky Pirate, Vaan, resides. On journey to seek vengeance for a loved one taken from him by the war, Vaan ends up grouping with an unlikely cast including a fallen Knight, real-deal Sky Pirates, and the Princess of Dalmasca herself. Characters in XII are endearing -- Balthier especially, with his sassy quips, and insistence on being the leading man. For the most part, XII's story experience is a hit, but the lack of deeper character development was unfortunate. Compare even to other Final Fantasies, like FFVII, where the entire cast was dismantled and explored by the end of the game, and it leaves me wishing a bit more time could have been spent getting to know XII's group of renegades just a little better.

 

Did I forget to mention there's a hot bunny girl? Apologies

 

Most Final Fantasies feature a unique battle mechanic, and you either love it or hate it. XII brings in the "Gambit" system -- a set of unlockable 'scripts' that automatically perform combat actions during battle. For computer programmers: think of if -> then statements in coding. As an example: (Ally: HP < 70% -- Cura) would lead a character in your party to automatically cast Cura should an ally's HP fall below the 70% threshold. Director Hiroyuki Ito included Gambits as a way to relieve the player the tedium of controlling characters that aren't your main, as well as to better simulate the experience of playing "online" with other players in an offline faux-MMORPG setting. Detractors tend to state that Gambits lead to XII "playing itself", but I don't agree. On top of removing the obvious tedium of mashing X for 100+ hours, Gambits turn XII from active JRPG to something of a strategy game. You're still involved in the game, you still have to set commands yourself, but once everything is in place you let your characters loose to employ your carefully crafted strategy -- stepping in periodically if the battle is going south. Gambits are amazing, and I only wish that more JRPGs would have drawn inspiration from the system. Give the Gambit system a chance for yourself, combined with the game's 2x and 4x features, and see how you like it.

 

It's not a JRPG without an optional superboss, and for me, the memorable highlight of my PS2 XII experience was by far the fight with Yiazmat. With over 50,000,000 (yes, million) HP, the fight took most players several hours to complete in the PS2 original. I vividly remember my fight with Yiazmat taking me about five hours to complete, and I couldn't let the Gambits do their thing and walk away either; I had to actively track the fight to avoid a Game Over. Yiazmat was no joke on the PS2 version, especially since he was immune to debuffs that make him hit like a puppy in the PS4 version. My initial victory over Yiazmat stood out in memory for me among JRPG accomplishments, and was always something I looked back on fondly. So, how does the Yiazmat fight compare on PS4, where you can bring debuffs and 4x speed? Well, it took me about 15 minutes. Modern conveniences really make this battle convenient. Regardless, I'm happy enough to have faced Yiazmat for the first time in almost 17 years, and I love that I was able to record the encounter this time.

 

 

At its peak, Final Fantasy XII can be pretty challenging, as far as JRPGs go. Depending on how much cheese you're willing to employ, however, the game's difficulty peaks all have responses in the form of overpowered strategy or simple overleveling of your party. With that, then, FFXII's Platinum becomes more a matter of time than skill. XII's trophy list asks you to perform a fairly completionist-level run: including obtaining all spells, every technique, and filling out the bestiary. If you love scratching the completionist itch when playing your games and being rewarded for it, then XII's list is a treat. Strap in for the long haul, though, because it's going to take a while to get it all done.

 

Given Final Fantasy XII's existence as a AAA-level JRPG, it's going to have a wider appeal compared to niche titles in the genre. If you're into Japanese RPGs, Japanese games, or Final Fantasies in general, then you should probably give XII a try. If anything about the game in particular fires up your neurons: like Gambits, 4x speed, or the hot bunny girls, then there isn't much reason to avoid FFXII. All of that is to say that unless you just dislike JRPGs in general, then you should have Final Fantasy XII in your wishlist or backlog. I'm stoked to have gotten a chance to return to a more convenient version of the game, and to have achieved even more completion than my PS2 run in far less time. With this experience complete, I can finally close the book on XII and move on to new things. 

 

[Copanele]

Congrats! It really came as a shock when I saw that you platinumed a FF game that fast  the PS4 speed modifier really made a difference!

On 2/14/2023 at 8:33 PM, AihaLoveleaf said:

 

 

Did I forget to mention there's a hot bunny girl? Apologies

 

Ah so this is where the hot bunny girl is from ? i kept seeing her in various articles, but never knew the game.

On 2/14/2023 at 8:33 PM, AihaLoveleaf said:

 

It's not a JRPG without an optional superboss, and for me, the memorable highlight of my PS2 XII experience was by far the fight with Yiazmat. With over 50,000,000 (yes, million) HP, the fight took most players several hours to complete in the PS2 original. I vividly remember my fight with Yiazmat taking me about five hours to complete, and I couldn't let the Gambits do their thing and walk away either; I had to actively track the fight to avoid a Game Over. Yiazmat was no joke on the PS2 version, especially since he was immune to debuffs that make him hit like a puppy in the PS4 version. My initial victory over Yiazmat stood out in memory for me among JRPG accomplishments, and was always something I looked back on fondly. So, how does the Yiazmat fight compare on PS4, where you can bring debuffs and 4x speed? Well, it took me about 15 minutes. Modern conveniences really make this battle convenient. Regardless, I'm happy enough to have faced Yiazmat for the first time in almost 17 years, and I love that I was able to record the encounter this time.

Holy...5 hours? ok PS2 jRPGs really took no prisoners  

Again, bless the 4x speed. That's a serious QoL improvement!

 

Interesting game I'd say...I don't think I heard much about FF12, people mostly talk about Cloud 7, the HAHAHA kid from 10 and how awful 13 was  nice to see that 12 is a good entry!

[Taruta13]

I think this is a great thread. Let me review your reviews!

 

Don't worry, I'll read the entire reviews later.

 

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Platinum #34 - Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2

Platinum #37 - Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory

Platinum #46 - Hyperdimension Neptunia PP

 

I have played a few Neptunia games in various previous accounts: The original back when I still had a PS3, the remake on Vita, and the MMO knockoff Cyber Goddesses Online. All of them have their charm, though the original is a bit dated for me. However, I find the games to be a bit overcomplicated for me and I can't find any consistent guides telling me the best way to go through them. Still, I feel like these games are underrated next to Nippon Ichi's big seller, the Disgaea series. I find the fact that Vert has no CPU candidate(because the Candidates are counterparts to the real-life handhelds and Microsoft wisely decided not to go there ) and that busty Goddess getting all snippy and trying to steal the other Candidates to make her sister a bit hilarious. If it wasn't for the gameplay, I'd go for these titles, but I am glad you enjoy them.

 

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Platinum #35 - DragonFangZ

 

Might look into this. I enjoyed Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games when they were new as well as Azure Dreams(an old PS1 title where you climbed up a tower and got monster eggs) so this might be a go-to for me, even with the horrendeous translations. (As long as it's legible I can play it.) Also love the jab at the Dragonball name.

 

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Platinum #36 - Dead or School

 

Not really want to be a fan of the "fan-service" games, but this is an interesting concept, sort of like Devil May Cry with a female protagonist. If it's not too hard to master, I might be interested.

 

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Platinum #38 - Senran Kagura Estival Versus

 

Yeah, not really sure I want to touch this. I know that Senran Kagura is - mainly very busty ninja girls who fight stuff with their ninjutsu. Sort of like Ranma 1/2 on crack. Though I will give it the benefit of the doubt thanks to your review.

 

Then again, I saw the animated gif of the girl in the cage and saw her clothes being ripped off and thought "Uh yeeeah, I am not going to touch this series with a sterilized ten-foot pole, for my nieces might be watching."

 

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Platinum #39 - Titanfall 2 (8.29%) 
Completion Time: 1 day, 10 hours

 

It may surprise some readers of the checklist to learn that I do sometimes play non-Japanese games.

 

Nah, I saw your platinum list, you have the Spyro Reignited trilogy, so I know you don't just weeb it out all the time.

 

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Platinum #40 - Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd

 

Rhythm games are not my forte... though to be fair, after playing the demo for Theaterhythm: Final Bar Line, I may retract that statement for that title. Still, kudos to you, I'm sure that the songs of the vocaloid are amazing.

 

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Platinum #41, 42 and 43

 

Another rhythm game with VN elements, and three in a series? Well, I never got into manga or anime much(except for anime dubs) but I'm sure if I had been into Love Live, I would have eaten these up like candy.

 

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Onrush

Hotshot Racing

 

Not into racing games, sadly.

 

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Platinum #45
Babylon's Fall (44.10%)

 

Glad you could boost this considering how the game lost support fast due to the horrible reviews. Alas, the devs didn't realize how bad this game would fall. Still, good job on this platinum!

 

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Altered Beast

Golden Axe

Comix Zone

Alex Kidd in Miracle World

 

Not surprised to see non-plats. Some of these non-plats are great games despite not having an ultimate goal. There are a few games I would love to add to my collection despite them not having platinum trophies as I enjoyed playing them in other accounts: Song of the Deep, A Boy and his Blob, etc.

 

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Touhou Genso Rondo

 

I've seen a lot of Touhou going around. I even saw someone play a Mother 3 remake based on the Touhou universe, that's where I learned about all the characters. Not really into bullet hell shooters but if you like them, you do you.

 

Edited February 17, 2023 by Taruta13

[Taruta13]

Did you know that they are discounting Neptunia x Sengan Kagura by 40%, 80% if you're a PS+ member. I could get that game for $20! Just letting you know because I know you are a big fan of both franchises.

[AihaLoveleaf]

10 hours ago, Copanele said:

Congrats! It really came as a shock when I saw that you platinumed a FF game that fast  the PS4 speed modifier really made a difference!

Thanks Copanele! ? Being able to do what would have taken me 300 hours in about half the time was great. If JRPGs don't want to adopt Gambit-like systems, then they should at least consider speed boosters -- even if just for the older ones making a comeback via a port.

 

10 hours ago, Copanele said:

Ah so this is where the hot bunny girl is from  i kept seeing her in various articles, but never knew the game.

Yeah, XII was my introduction to the Viera species, but apparently they go all the way back to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance! I technically haven't moved forward with the series since my first time playing XII, but I hope Square brought them into some of the later titles, considering how easily they stimulate player engagement. ?

 

10 hours ago, Copanele said:

Holy...5 hours? ok PS2 jRPGs really took no prisoners  

Again, bless the 4x speed. That's a serious QoL improvement!

 

Interesting game I'd say...I don't think I heard much about FF12, people mostly talk about Cloud 7, the HAHAHA kid from 10 and how awful 13 was  nice to see that 12 is a good entry!

You're right about that! lol. Doing the hardest version of that boss at 1x speed back in the day is an experience to remember. I'm glad I did it when I did, because I certainly wouldn't want to do that again in 2023.

 

Despite 12 doing pretty well in terms of sales and reception, it does feel like it tends to be skipped over in discussion. My guess is that it may come down to the rather straightforward story and minimal character development, compared to the standout experiences that 7, 10 and 13 were -- for better or worse. ? When it comes to gameplay though, 12 totally nails it, and I love what Square pulled off here.

 

4 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

I think this is a great thread. Let me review your reviews!

Hey Taruta! Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind sentiment, as well as the time you took to check out the rest of the thread.

 

4 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

I have played a few Neptunia games in various previous accounts: The original back when I still had a PS3, the remake on Vita, and the MMO knockoff Cyber Goddesses Online. All of them have their charm, though the original is a bit dated for me. However, I find the games to be a bit overcomplicated for me and I can't find any consistent guides telling me the best way to go through them. Still, I feel like these games are underrated next to Nippon Ichi's big seller, the Disgaea series. I find the fact that Vert has no CPU candidate(because the Candidates are counterparts to the real-life handhelds and Microsoft wisely decided not to go there ) and that busty Goddess getting all snippy and trying to steal the other Candidates to make her sister a bit hilarious. If it wasn't for the gameplay, I'd go for these titles, but I am glad you enjoy them.

The first Neptunia game certainly shows its age nowadays - and I imagine that it did even at release. Though I do find its dated elements are part of its charm, it's undeniable that it did often feel like I was playing a PS2 game on the PS3. Based on some information from a friend in the industry though, it's entirely possible that the game actually was made in part with PS2 development tools, but there's no way to know that for sure without scouring the net for fossilized developer interviews.

 

Navigating the Neptune series does appear a daunting task at first, but I've discovered that going in release order gives you the full experience. Even at points in the franchise when you'd expect the series to branch off -- like the Vita games -- they still manage to maintain direct links to the PS3 originals, instead of casting them off for a new experience.

 

I also like the attention to detail within the series. Sad as it is for Vert that she lacks a little sister (lol), it is at least consistent with Microsoft's unwillingness to branch off from the home console market. A lot of my favorite Vert moments tend to involve her gaming obsession. For folks like us, it's easy to relate to her desire to clear the backlog and pop all of the achievements. I also can't help but feel a few neurons igniting when she proclaims mastery in my favorite genre.

 

 

4 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

Might look into this. I enjoyed Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games when they were new as well as Azure Dreams(an old PS1 title where you climbed up a tower and got monster eggs) so this might be a go-to for me, even with the horrendeous translations. (As long as it's legible I can play it.) Also love the jab at the Dragonball name.

I hope you enjoy it if you get around to it! If you've played PMD, then you'll be right at home in DragonFang Z. It scratches the itch for turn-based, strategic gameplay nicely - and filling out entries in the monster database hits similar notes to populating the Pokédex in a Pokémon game.

 

4 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

Not really want to be a fan of the "fan-service" games, but this is an interesting concept, sort of like Devil May Cry with a female protagonist. If it's not too hard to master, I might be interested.

Dead or School does sit pretty firmly in the niche category. ? It's understandable the fan service may be too great a barrier for some, but there is still a very fun action game underneath. The difficulty overall is pretty low, and by the end of the game your equipment is leveled up to the point that you become an overpowered mutant grinding machine, so feel free to dive in if it does appear interesting at all.

 

4 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

Yeah, not really sure I want to touch this. I know that Senran Kagura is - mainly very busty ninja girls who fight stuff with their ninjutsu. Sort of like Ranma 1/2 on crack. Though I will give it the benefit of the doubt thanks to your review.

 

Then again, I saw the animated gif of the girl in the cage and saw her clothes being ripped off and thought "Uh yeeeah, I am not going to touch this series with a sterilized ten-foot pole, for my nieces might be watching."

Heh, that's understandable. Compared to Dead or School, the Senran Kagura franchise is an even tougher sell for people that don't get into those sorts of games. As much as I did enjoy the gratuitous fan service, the biggest pull of the series for me has been the care the creators took in building its universe. The plot and continuity of the series is -- surprisingly -- pretty good, and the games succeed regularly in suspending your disbelief of busty shinobi babes on screen long enough to take its serious and tender moments with care. Certain character arcs -- sometimes spanning multiple games -- also hit pretty hard at times, and receive excellent closure later on. Senran Kagura does feel pretty similar to Neptunia in ways, which does justify both series eventually crossing over into each other.

 

That said though, if there are kids watching your gaming sessions, then it's definitely a skip. 

 

4 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

Nah, I saw your platinum list, you have the Spyro Reignited trilogy, so I know you don't just weeb it out all the time.

That is true, lol. I don't mind paying the time and attention to a Western release if it appears engaging enough. I'd also like to eventually get some Crash completions to complement the Spyro, but that can wait until later.

 

4 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

Rhythm games are not my forte... though to be fair, after playing the demo for Theaterhythm: Final Bar Line, I may retract that statement for that title. Still, kudos to you, I'm sure that the songs of the vocaloid are amazing.

I played the Theatrhythm demo too, and it was awesome! I have no experience with the 3DS titles, so I need some more time to get acclimated with the game's higher difficulties, but I'm excited by the game's seemingly high skill ceiling in Supreme mode. Likely won't be jumping in until the game sees a good sale in the future, but I'll make sure to play the full version eventually. 

 

5 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

Another rhythm game with VN elements, and three in a series? Well, I never got into manga or anime much(except for anime dubs) but I'm sure if I had been into Love Live, I would have eaten these up like candy.

For fans -- or receptive newcomers -- of the series, the Love Live Vita games are pretty decent. It was my first true exposure to the franchise, and I learned quite a bit about the plot - but more importantly, the quirks of each character. ? 

 

Unfortunately, anybody that can't read the story is really only getting about half of a game, and the gameplay of the rhythm game part of the experience alone isn't strong enough to justify the cost for most import players.

 

5 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

Glad you could boost this considering how the game lost support fast due to the horrible reviews. Alas, the devs didn't realize how bad this game would fall. Still, good job on this platinum!

Thanks! I probably should have taken those indicators of pulled support as a sign to leave the burning building that is Babylon's Fall alone, but it's far too late at this point. The saddest part was this being my first game from PlatinumGames, but at least the quality can only improve from here.

 

5 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

Not surprised to see non-plats. Some of these non-plats are great games despite not having an ultimate goal. There are a few games I would love to add to my collection despite them not having platinum trophies as I enjoyed playing them in other accounts: Song of the Deep, A Boy and his Blob, etc.

I'm pretty okay with picking up 100% lists if the game looks interesting. Non-plats do sometimes strike with disappointment when it's a game that totally should have had a plat; Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 for example required an effort more than worthy of one. It is what it is, though. The upside is that those non-plat lists do tend to have rarer trophies on average due to the lack of a Platinum to chase.

 

5 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

I've seen a lot of Touhou going around. I even saw someone play a Mother 3 remake based on the Touhou universe, that's where I learned about all the characters. Not really into bullet hell shooters but if you like them, you do you.

The Touhou franchise is absolutely massive, and once you get into the fangames and doujin projects, the rabbit hole is limitless. I reckon at this point that we all have at least one wacky piece of Touhou media that we've engaged with. ? I'm still rather green to the shooter genre in general, but I am finding it to tickle my lizard brain's desire for engaging gameplay, so I'll stay aboard to see where that takes me.

19 minutes ago, Taruta13 said:

Did you know that they are discounting Neptunia x Sengan Kagura by 40%, 80% if you're a PS+ member. I could get that game for $20! Just letting you know because I know you are a big fan of both franchises.

$19.99 is not too bad at all! For anybody that's ready to play the game right now, I think it's a great time to go in and purchase.

 

I've set the condition for myself that I won't play Ninja Wars until I've played everything that released in both franchises before it, but I am interested to see how both universes merge into each other. By the time I've gotten through that many games, the sale price should improve further, but we'll see.

[Yuber6969]

Congrats! I was always on the fence about FF12 partially due to the gameplay, but moreso due to the story. A political based story didn't sound appealing to me, and you saying that the characters don't really get explored puts me off further lol.

 

But then again, I thought FF15 had a great story, despite everyone shitting on it. I'll give this one a chance at some point, and the gambit system does make me curious now.