Cassylvania's Miserable Little Pile of Platinums

[Rally-Vincent---]

8 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

Have you guys seen Groundhog Day?

 

Phil? Phil? Hey Phil! Phil Connors!

[malone0820]

Very impressive list, I only got into hunting trophies specifically because of the pandemic and I jumped from 4 Plat's to 49 since March when I was laid off. I have a new job the last three months so I have slowed down, but I am continuing to earn. Witcher 3 is going to be my 50th Platinum. For milestone numbers or whenever i feel like it I put up a vote on Facebook for my friends to pick what is next. Thats why Witcher is next and 60 is going to be Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

[Briste]

12 hours ago, Rally-Vincent--- said:

Phil? Phil? Hey Phil! Phil Connors!

Ned! Ryerson! Needlenose Ned. Ned the Head. Come on, buddy. Case Western High! Ned Ryerson. I did the whistling belly button trick at the high school talent show. Bing! Ned Ryerson, got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn't graduate. Bing again! Ned Ryerson, I dated your sister Mary Pat a couple times till you told me not to anymore.

[realm722]

On 11/19/2020 at 10:45 PM, Cassylvania said:

Would I recommend this game? That depends. Is there somebody in your life you really hate that you can gift it to? I mean, you're probably only going to hurt completionists because anybody else would check out after a few hours, but I could see a few people spiraling into madness as the realization of what they need to do for the platinum slowly starts to sink in. How is this even at 20% rarity? You know how? Because anybody who popped a single trophy has already committed themselves to the long haul.

 

If this game ever gets DLC, I'm quitting gaming forever.

 

I appreciate your sacrifice having played this. As much as it must have sucked, it sure as help lets me put Marenian Tavern Story in the "Hide" section on all my game browsing websites. It had such a cute aesthetic for a game and if you only saw the 20% rarity you'd say say to yourself "how bad could it be?". What blows my mind is on the 100% completion list there are people who completed the game in 3-5 days. It reminds me of the torture I went through while playing Dragon Quest Heroes: TWTWatBB - like... how do you just... sit there and play it straight for that many hours?

[Cassylvania]

On 11/19/2020 at 11:02 PM, Spaz said:

Still sucks Indivisible had to go out like that. But I definitely encourage to keep moving forward, you got a great trophy profile and a great thread. I really appreciate all the commentary you've provided.

 

Thanks. I realize some of my more recent comments and reviews have become increasingly sarcastic, but I'm not licked yet. The journey to 250 platinums must continue!

 

On 11/20/2020 at 8:06 AM, malone0820 said:

Very impressive list, I only got into hunting trophies specifically because of the pandemic and I jumped from 4 Plat's to 49 since March when I was laid off. I have a new job the last three months so I have slowed down, but I am continuing to earn. Witcher 3 is going to be my 50th Platinum. For milestone numbers or whenever i feel like it I put up a vote on Facebook for my friends to pick what is next. Thats why Witcher is next and 60 is going to be Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

 

The Witcher 3 has kinda been a meme around these parts. I say I'm going to play it, it never happens, a few months go by, I say it again... But for real, I'll probably get to it soon. I know it's really good.

 

It's cool to look at your stats page. I'm sure a lot of people have a bump in their profile from the pandemic (mine is more like a rapid burnout), but I doubt very many have one as prominent as yours.

 

On 11/20/2020 at 11:31 PM, realm722 said:

I appreciate your sacrifice having played this. As much as it must have sucked, it sure as help lets me put Marenian Tavern Story in the "Hide" section on all my game browsing websites. It had such a cute aesthetic for a game and if you only saw the 20% rarity you'd say say to yourself "how bad could it be?". What blows my mind is on the 100% completion list there are people who completed the game in 3-5 days. It reminds me of the torture I went through while playing Dragon Quest Heroes: TWTWatBB - like... how do you just... sit there and play it straight for that many hours?

 

I've put some thought into this. Theoretically, I think you could avoid popping a single trophy in Marenian Tavern Story until the very end of the game. Every trophy is tracked in your journal and none of them are required to advance further in the game. My first trophy, which I got 15+ hours into the game (and still days before the next one), was for killing 500 birds/beasts. You could avoid that one by farming on the beach instead of in the forest, which is probably what I should have done anyway, since my last trophy before the platinum was for killing 500 crabs. Everything else could be circumvented by just keeping an eye on your stats.

 

I liked DQH, though. ? At least the grinding there was somewhat fun, if only because of Bianca.

 

Well, despite knocking off one game, I've added two more: House Flipper and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. One of them is just a huge waste of time and I don't know what I was thinking. The other is a rice farming simulator.

 

Next weekend is a long one. What do you say we try for another plat?

[Baker]

On 20-11-2020 at 4:45 AM, Cassylvania said:

 

I have the digital version. I heard there were some stability problems, but I didn't think they were game-breaking. From what it sounds like, most of the crashes are from dying and retrying during Boss Rush, so I guess you could just master every fight to avoid it.

 

I doubt I'll have the patience if it crashes more than once. I don't have it in me anymore for button mashers.

 

 

My problem with the story is that I hate every character (except the ones you play as). I started with Yunica, who was fine, and Hugo seems to have some good dialogue. My issue is that every other character is useless, and yet they act like they're the real heroes of the game. Like I'm the one killing the monsters, I'm the one defeating the bosses, and then they just show up and are like, "Hey. You can go home now. We got it from here." YET THEY DO NOTHING.

 

I'd have a lot more respect for them if they fought alongside you for part of the game. This really should've been made for co-op.

 

 

Maybe you’ll feel different about the story once you finished the game as Toal. For me the best character with the best story and the most fun to play as. Maybe some spoilers, but if that true final boss wasn’t in Toal’s Boss Rush I would have picked him for going for that trophy.

 

And the button mashing, yeah it sucks. My thumb hurts after a Boss Rush attempt. If you beat all 12 or 13 if you play as Toal without dying you’ll be mashing the square button for an hour straight. Pretty hard to do as Nightmare is just not a fun difficulty. The bosses hit so hard so you die so fast and they are bullet sponges, so it’s dodging all the time to try and get a few hits in. And with no pause button and crashes all the time you can’t take a little break. Ofcourse without the crashes it would have been easy as you can just trial and error your way through it. I’m really thinking about picking up a cheap turbo controller just to make Boss Rush more manageable and less frustrating.

[malone0820]

11 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

 

Thanks. I realize some of my more recent comments and reviews have become increasingly sarcastic, but I'm not licked yet. The journey to 250 platinums must continue!

 

 

The Witcher 3 has kinda been a meme around these parts. I say I'm going to play it, it never happens, a few months go by, I say it again... But for real, I'll probably get to it soon. I know it's really good.

 

It's cool to look at your stats page. I'm sure a lot of people have a bump in their profile from the pandemic (mine is more like a rapid burnout), but I doubt very many have one as prominent as yours.

 

 

I've put some thought into this. Theoretically, I think you could avoid popping a single trophy in Marenian Tavern Story until the very end of the game. Every trophy is tracked in your journal and none of them are required to advance further in the game. My first trophy, which I got 15+ hours into the game (and still days before the next one), was for killing 500 birds/beasts. You could avoid that one by farming on the beach instead of in the forest, which is probably what I should have done anyway, since my last trophy before the platinum was for killing 500 crabs. Everything else could be circumvented by just keeping an eye on your stats.

 

I liked DQH, though. At least the grinding there was somewhat fun, if only because of Bianca.

 

Well, despite knocking off one game, I've added two more: House Flipper and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. One of them is just a huge waste of time and I don't know what I was thinking. The other is a rice farming simulator.

 

Next weekend is a long one. What do you say we try for another plat?

 

Thanks for the compliment. I have an extensive back log of games (as most of us do I am sure), So I kinda decided to go for Platinum trophies as a way to extend the games I have since after buying a house, which during the pandemic was a pain, and other life events I don't have the money to just get every triple A title I used to. 

[AJ_Radio]

Well since you're going for 250 platinums, make The Witcher 3 your 250th. You won't regret it.

[Cassylvania]

On 11/22/2020 at 9:42 PM, BB-BakkerJ said:

And the button mashing, yeah it sucks. My thumb hurts after a Boss Rush attempt. If you beat all 12 or 13 if you play as Toal without dying you’ll be mashing the square button for an hour straight. Pretty hard to do as Nightmare is just not a fun difficulty. The bosses hit so hard so you die so fast and they are bullet sponges, so it’s dodging all the time to try and get a few hits in. And with no pause button and crashes all the time you can’t take a little break. Ofcourse without the crashes it would have been easy as you can just trial and error your way through it. I’m really thinking about picking up a cheap turbo controller just to make Boss Rush more manageable and less frustrating.

 

That's what I've been using. ? I feel like it's more useful for grinding levels than killing bosses, though. You have to hold the attack button down to rapid fire, but you can't jump while you're attacking, so it can throw your rhythm off. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm faster than the turbo button. (Not a flex. Just years of practice.)

 

Speaking of years of wasted time...

 

Platinum #233 - House Flipper

 

I'm a sucker for simulators. I don't know why. I think I just like doing things without actually having to, you know, do them. I put the vinyl flooring in our house last year and it was a huge pain. You have to cut off the ends of individual boards, make sure they're flush with the wall, cut around the trim to get everything to fit snug in the corners... Oh, and I had to do it all in the dark too because the light in the basement is bad. 

 

But the feeling of a finished project is pretty great. So, surely a game based around tedious household work will be fun, right?

 

Eh, not really. The novelty wears off after about an hour. I'm not sure what else they could do with a game like this, but I'm glad it was only a 10-12 hour platinum. Didn't feel like it overstayed its welcome, but I also wasn't sad to see it go. Oh, but including Walt's house from Breaking Bad (complete with pizza on the roof and money under the floorboards) as a buyable property? Genius.

 

Not going to recommend this game since The Sims 4 does literally everything better, but...maybe it has some nice mods on PC?

 

Going to go back to playing Person Who Really Wants a PS5 But They're Sold Out Everywhere Simulator.

[Jens]

7 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

Going to go back to playing Person Who Really Wants a PS5 But They're Sold Out Everywhere Simulator.

I've heard that it's the biggest MMORPG since WoW  Just don't bend the knee and pay those scammers out there, you'll be able to muster the patience. I'm just curious how long it'll take for that bubble to burst. The next wave of consoles will be bot-spammed too, so that probably won't help either.

I just dislike it a great deal when companies openly invite scammers by announcing limited supply. Sony did the Nintendo thing and I'm not a fan.

[effdeegee]

That's a nice, balanced collection of platinums, and a good looking main post!

[AJ_Radio]

I see you were playing The Messenger. A mixture of the old 8-bit/16-bit retro style combined with an obvious influence of Ninja Gaiden make a solid platformer. 
 

You pretty much have to look up a YouTube video for the trophy for getting through the dark cave without using any light. Nothing too difficult in this game, although the DLC has some tough platforming bits you must overcome. 

[Cassylvania]

5 hours ago, Jens said:

I've heard that it's the biggest MMORPG since WoW  Just don't bend the knee and pay those scammers out there, you'll be able to muster the patience. I'm just curious how long it'll take for that bubble to burst. The next wave of consoles will be bot-spammed too, so that probably won't help either.

I just dislike it a great deal when companies openly invite scammers by announcing limited supply. Sony did the Nintendo thing and I'm not a fan.

 

The funny thing is I did this to myself. I had a PS5 in my cart when they first went up for pre-order. I just talked myself out of it and later decided it'd be fun to play the role of someone trying to get a new console on launch day. It's been an interesting experience, not wanting something so badly that I get upset when things don't work out but also getting just a little frustrated and excited when the opportunity presents itself. Sorta like when we'd used to play my dad at video games and you could tell he didn't really care, but then he'd get the lead in Mario Kart and suddenly it was the greatest thing in the world.

 

I want my carrot on a stick.

 

4 hours ago, effdeegee said:

That's a nice, balanced collection of platinums, and a good looking main post!

 

Thanks! And congrats for getting the 69th like on that post. I wanted to announce it was coming up, but figured that'd be way too juvenile.

 

I am kinda proud of the balance, though. It's something I've sorta moved away from talking about since organizing the games that way, but one of the purposes of doing that was to encourage me to try new things. I used to think the only kinds of games I played were platformers and RPGs, and...for the most part, I guess that's true...but I get a little excited when I get to add something to Survival Horror or Arcade.

 

I probably should move Darkest Dungeon to somewhere else, but it's like...how do you even categorize some of these games?

 

30 minutes ago, Spaz said:

I see you were playing The Messenger. A mixture of the old 8-bit/16-bit retro style combined with an obvious influence of Ninja Gaiden make a solid platformer.

 

Yes, that's one of seven active games I have going right now. Things are getting a little out of hand. I think I probably would've gotten further in The Messenger, but I've been playing so many retro-style games for the past few months that I was starting to get burned out. Mariana Trench Story didn't help.

 

At least I beat Ys Origin with all three characters. Now I just gotta do it all over again on the hardest difficulty. Then Boss Rush... Hooray.

 

[AJ_Radio]

Seven active games is a bit too much. I can only handle around three active games, otherwise I have to drop one to focus on the others.

[Rally-Vincent---]

7 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

 

The funny thing is I did this to myself. I had a PS5 in my cart when they first went up for pre-order. I just talked myself out of it and later decided it'd be fun to play the role of someone trying to get a new console on launch day. It's been an interesting experience, not wanting something so badly that I get upset when things don't work out but also getting just a little frustrated and excited when the opportunity presents itself. Sorta like when we'd used to play my dad at video games and you could tell he didn't really care, but then he'd get the lead in Mario Kart and suddenly it was the greatest thing in the world.

 

I want my carrot on a stick.

 

You must have a gigantic backlog. Shouldn't be too hard to bridge some time until PS5 is back in supply without jitterbug knees.

[Cassylvania]

On 11/27/2020 at 6:18 AM, Spaz said:

Seven active games is a bit too much. I can only handle around three active games, otherwise I have to drop one to focus on the others.

 

Make that eight. I just started KH:BBS. ?

 

On 11/27/2020 at 8:36 AM, Rally-Vincent--- said:

You must have a gigantic backlog. Shouldn't be too hard to bridge some time until PS5 is back in supply without jitterbug knees.

 

Yeah, I think I'll be fine. Empire of Sin comes out this week. I kinda want to get it day one, but...again, eight games at once is a lot. I'll have to see how involved the trophy list is. It's Paradox, the same guys who brought you Cities: Skylines, so I imagine it's going to suck.

 

Speaking of suck...yeah, this is where I'd usually post another platinum, but I too am experiencing the infamous Boss Rush crash in Ys Origin. Only happened once, but that was enough to make me quit. I think we're going to have to do a little problem-solving to get through this one. The first step is going to be getting more consistent at actually killing the bosses on my first attempts. There are twelve of them, but I figure I really only have to master eleven of them, since losing to Epona (the first boss) is equivalent to the game crashing anyway. Also, Epona sucks because she's faster than you. That should be a sin in any boss fight.

[Rally-Vincent---]

7 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

Yeah, I think I'll be fine. Empire of Sin comes out this week. I kinda want to get it day one, but...again, eight games at once is a lot. I'll have to see how involved the trophy list is. It's Paradox, the same guys who brought you Cities: Skylines, so I imagine it's going to suck.

 

We'll see. I'll be getting it Day 1, but I don't know when I'm going to play it. My backlog grows, and Cyberpunk 2077 is coming soon.

[Baker]

13 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

 

Speaking of suck...yeah, this is where I'd usually post another platinum, but I too am experiencing the infamous Boss Rush crash in Ys Origin. Only happened once, but that was enough to make me quit. I think we're going to have to do a little problem-solving to get through this one. The first step is going to be getting more consistent at actually killing the bosses on my first attempts. There are twelve of them, but I figure I really only have to master eleven of them, since losing to Epona (the first boss) is equivalent to the game crashing anyway. Also, Epona sucks because she's faster than you. That should be a sin in any boss fight.

I’m sorry to hear you suffer from the crashes too. So annoying...

 

The start of Boss Rush vs Epona. Pop shield, run run run away!!! Ah too slow, you’re dead by her spear combo. Game crash ?. 
 

That happened to me at least 10 times.

Edited November 28, 2020 by BB-BakkerJ

[Cassylvania]

On 11/28/2020 at 1:29 PM, Rally-Vincent--- said:

We'll see. I'll be getting it Day 1, but I don't know when I'm going to play it. My backlog grows, and Cyberpunk 2077 is coming soon.

 

Have you had a chance to try it (Empire of Sin)? I started to watch Christopher Odd's playthrough, but reviews so far seem overwhelmingly negative.

 

On 11/28/2020 at 1:32 PM, BB-BakkerJ said:

The start of Boss Rush vs Epona. Pop shield, run run run away!!! Ah too slow, you’re dead by her spear combo. Game crash . 

 

Pretty much. ?

 

You can trap her behind a pillar for a (fairly) easy kill, but I think it only works for Hugo. I don't know how to handle the slugs in the next fight. Their pathing is annoying and there isn't much room to maneuver. I just wish you could shoot in one direction while moving in the other. That may be the one boss fight where the turbo controller is more of a liability than an asset.

 

Anyway, I'm working through KH:BBS right now. I took the two (six) playthrough approach, which I'm starting to regret because of how much grinding is involved, but at least you can rubber band the joysticks to reach max level. Presumably. I haven't tried it yet, but that might be how we handle Critical Mode.

 

Also, that ice cream mini-game sucks.

Edited December 8, 2020 by Cassylvania

[Baker]

45 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

 

You can trap her behind a pillar for a (fairly) easy kill, but I think it only works for Hugo. I don't know how to handle the slugs in the next fight. Their pathing is annoying and there isn't much room to maneuver. I just wish you could shoot in one direction while moving in the other. That may be the one boss fight where the turbo controller is more of a liability than an asset.

Wait. How do you do that? I would love to know or see a video of this. Epona is so annoying, because she’s just too damn fast for Hugo. For me one of the harder Boss fights.

[Cassylvania]

3 hours ago, BB-BakkerJ said:

Wait. How do you do that? I would love to know or see a video of this. Epona is so annoying, because she’s just too damn fast for Hugo. For me one of the harder Boss fights.

 

If you stand on one side of a pillar and get her on the other, she'll sometimes keep trying to attack you through the pillar. (Technically, she can still hit you if you're close enough, but your weapon has longer range.) The best way to set it up seems to be to bait a flame charge into the wall, giving you time to run to the other side of the pillar. Keep trying if it doesn't work. She will eventually sidestep out of it, but it simplifies the battle a lot. I'm not even going to bother practicing her beyond that.

Edited December 8, 2020 by Cassylvania

[Rally-Vincent---]

18 hours ago, Cassylvania said:

 

Have you had a chance to try it (Empire of Sin)? I started to watch Christopher Odd's playthrough, but reviews so far seem overwhelmingly negative.

 

No, and it's gonna be a while. My "main game" slot is P5R right now, and my "time waste game" slot is occupied by Enter the Gungeon, at which I suck more than at Nuclear Throne. I just loaded the trophy information to keep my backlog here. Didn't look at let's play not to spoil anything.

[kingofbattle8174]

On 11/26/2020 at 10:39 AM, Cassylvania said:

 

That's what I've been using.  I feel like it's more useful for grinding levels than killing bosses, though. You have to hold the attack button down to rapid fire, but you can't jump while you're attacking, so it can throw your rhythm off. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm faster than the turbo button. (Not a flex. Just years of practice.)

 

Speaking of years of wasted time...

 

Platinum #233 - House Flipper

 

I'm a sucker for simulators. I don't know why. I think I just like doing things without actually having to, you know, do them. I put the vinyl flooring in our house last year and it was a huge pain. You have to cut off the ends of individual boards, make sure they're flush with the wall, cut around the trim to get everything to fit snug in the corners... Oh, and I had to do it all in the dark too because the light in the basement is bad. 

 

But the feeling of a finished project is pretty great. So, surely a game based around tedious household work will be fun, right?

 

Eh, not really. The novelty wears off after about an hour. I'm not sure what else they could do with a game like this, but I'm glad it was only a 10-12 hour platinum. Didn't feel like it overstayed its welcome, but I also wasn't sad to see it go. Oh, but including Walt's house from Breaking Bad (complete with pizza on the roof and money under the floorboards) as a buyable property? Genius.

 

Not going to recommend this game since The Sims 4 does literally everything better, but...maybe it has some nice mods on PC?

 

Going to go back to playing Person Who Really Wants a PS5 But They're Sold Out Everywhere Simulator.

 

I had fun with this game and it does keep on giving, well at least that is what the devs are promising in the near future. There was a small update with a new free cyber punk apartment released a few days ago and I am pretty sure some of the DLC's that are on steam are on the verge of finally getting a console release. The twitter account keeps teasing about some big news in the next few days and not this last house. If the give the same trophies that are on the steam, you may lose the 100% you have on this title. 

[Cassylvania]

On 12/8/2020 at 2:07 PM, kingofbattle8174 said:

I had fun with this game and it does keep on giving, well at least that is what the devs are promising in the near future. There was a small update with a new free cyber punk apartment released a few days ago and I am pretty sure some of the DLC's that are on steam are on the verge of finally getting a console release. The twitter account keeps teasing about some big news in the next few days and not this last house. If the give the same trophies that are on the steam, you may lose the 100% you have on this title. 

 

I expected that. In fact, I just kinda assume every indie game I play now will come out with DLC somewhere down the line. Not such a big deal since I like seeing more content, but having to relearn the mechanics of a game I finished months or even years ago does get kinda annoying. (Still waiting for Episode 4 of The Long Dark...)

 

I FINALLY have some good news to announce.

 

Platinum #234 - Nexomon: Extinction

 

I know many of you are wondering why I'm not doing the second annual Games of the Year Awards. To be honest with you -- besides the fact that everything has been cancelled this year -- I just didn't think it was going to be all that interesting. Persona 5 Royal was in prime position to sweep every category. Best music, best animation, best gameplay, best characters, best story... Well, I'm not going to say Nexomon: Extinction would give P5R a run for its money, but it would very likely clinch Sleeper Hit of the Year. I don't even know where this game came from. I just saw it on the store one day and decided to try it out. It has all the makings of a cheap mobile game (and is an obvious Pokemon clone), and yet there's so much to like here that I almost want to smack the developers for taking the self-deprecation route. This game constantly pokes fun of itself and the genre, and yet it does more for monster-taming RPGs than Pokemon has done in years. Forget Sword and Shield. This is the gold standard going forward.

 

Why? First, the story. It's stupid. The thing is, it's actually a better story than anything in Pokemon, outside of maybe the original anime. Who could forget the asshole trainer who left his Charmander to die, or Ash saying goodbye to Butterfree, or Meowth's tragic backstory, or the nightmare fuel that was Sabrina's entire character arc? I don't think the games have ever evolved beyond mute kid who beats up other kids' pets to become "the very best." If anything, the games have strayed as far away from interesting characters and storylines as possible. It frustrates me to no end. What I wouldn't give to have a rival that said, "Smell ya later!" again...

 

But I digress. Nexomon doesn't try to have an amazing storyline, and yet...it somehow does. I think having Coco helps. He's basically a sidekick who does the talking for you, but he's also the one responsible for most of the fourth wall breaks. Yeah, it does get a little annoying (after all, fourth wall breaks are most effective when you have three strong walls to begin with), but how nice it is to see actual personality in games like this again. Some of the other NPCs are particularly awesome too. I liked the girl with the pickaxe. Can't remember her name, but she made me laugh the most.

 

Anyway, I said this looks like a mobile game. And it kinda does, but I don't mean that as an insult. There are no microtransactions as far as I can tell (I'm aware there is a mobile version of this game or an earlier version that likely has these), but the UI is simple and the design is sleek, so you get the initial impression that this is F2P or at most a $10 game. It'd be a steal at that price.

 

See, here's the thing. There are over 350 Nexomon and the designs are actually really good. In fact, everything is gorgeous. This is the Pokemon game on console I've always wanted and still haven't gotten. I opted to use as many Nexomon as I could throughout the game, but I eventually settled for a team of six that seemed to cover all weaknesses. It's just kinda hard to tell because type matchups aren't quite what you'd expect. Like, water beats fire, but ice is also water, so Nexomon who look like they're ice aren't and are not weak to fire, and wind (flying) beats mineral (rock), and psychic and ghost...beat each other? Or are randomly good against other things? I have no idea. Those ones are free-for-alls. But it doesn't really matter because...unfortunately, the game does falter a bit when it comes to combat.

 

In Pokemon games, every move has a certain amount of PP, which tells you how many times you can use that move before you need to use an item or visit a Pokemon Center to restore your team. In Nexomon, each move uses a certain amount of stamina from a shared pool (sorta like mana). Stronger attacks generally use up more stamina, but they're also slower. Weaker attacks are faster, so they're better to use if your enemy is weak or has low HP, but none of this makes the combat bad. It just requires a different strategy. What does make the combat bad...is that trainers and random encounters level up with you.

 

That is such bad game design. I'm not saying combat in Pokemon games is perfect, because grinding your way through your problems is a mechanic that you've always been able to abuse, but keeping you on even footing with the monsters you encounter means most battles become a coin flip. Even when they're not, you're likely going to in pretty bad shape for the next battle. This leads to a VERY tedious cycle of having to run back to the nearest town to heal after every few fights (or just accepting losses like I did, because there's no real penalty for losing, other than being sent back a few screens). Eventually, you'll learn other ways to abuse the system. You know how I beat almost every battle in the end game (including the equivalent of the Elite Four and the subsequent battles)? By alternating using elixirs and the move Telepathy, which becomes stronger every time you use it. With my Nexomon Glunch having such a high HP pool (think Chansey), I could always stay near peak health and slowly chip away at the enemy. It was hilarious, but I still felt dirty.

 

It's not as bad as I make it sound because I think there is a "cap" to how strong encounters can become, which is dependent on your progress in the main storyline, but it does make the pacing feel odd. You can visit some areas, like Palmaya and The Drake Isles, too early in the game, resulting in an overwhelming amount of new content and Nexomon for players still trying to learn the ropes. I always prefer when RPGs either block off access to these areas until later in the game or fill them with higher level enemies that absolutely rip you apart if you venture in there unprepared. I've told you before about my experiences with West Karana in EverQuest. Or many starter areas in the Souls games. Make the player WANT to come back later.

 

The trophy list is fair and what you'd expect, but it's a grind. You're probably looking at a 40 hour game with another 15-20 hours of catching and raising Nexomon. I'm not sure how that factors into my dollars-for-hours value when it comes to buying games, but at $19.99 full price, you're getting your money's worth either way. Going to highly recommend if you have any interest in games like this, especially since it's a fraction of the price Nintendo puts on newer Pokemon games.

 

Here was my late game team, for those interested.

 

 

 

[CJ-Olly6]

On 11/22/2020 at 8:13 PM, Cassylvania said:

Next weekend is a long one. What do you say we try for another plat?

"Shall I give you despair?" - Sephiroth

 

Sorry, I had to say that. My new account is tempted to platinum FFVII because they revealed Sephiroth is the next to be in Smash.

On 11/26/2020 at 10:39 AM, Cassylvania said:

Going to go back to playing Person Who Really Wants a PS5 But They're Sold Out Everywhere Simulator.

Oh yeah, I'm playing that too. The platinum for it really really sucks.

On 11/28/2020 at 0:19 PM, Cassylvania said:

Make that eight. I just started KH:BBS.

Good luck on that!

22 minutes ago, Cassylvania said:

I know many of you are wondering why I'm not doing the second annual Games of the Year Awards. To be honest with you -- besides the fact that everything has been cancelled this year -- I just didn't think it was going to be all that interesting. Persona 5 Royal was in prime position to sweep every category. Best music, best animation, best gameplay, best characters, best story...

Other than the new Smash reveal, the Game of the Year Awards were boring as hell. And Persona 5 Royal didn't even win anything, The Last of Us 2 won two awards and FF7R won the best in music.

 

Also, I might as well try out Nexomon and get rid of all my Pokemon merchandise(except the dolls as I need something to decorate my bedroom with): Ever since Pokemon went 3D, everyone has used the franchise as a latrine. I sort of like the Sword and Shield's plot and graphics but the battle mechanics are meh... and after Crown Tundra allows you to capture legendary Pokemon and make an entire team to rape the main story with, the charm is gone.

Edited December 12, 2020 by CJ-Olly6