Jump to content

Durandals Almanac v2.0


Durandal

Recommended Posts

That's a pretty cool way to organize yourself. My girl does pretty much the same thing mentally, she divides the games she is sure she is going to go for the Platinum from the games she might consider going for. And then come the games she will only complete the story and finally the ones she is definitely not interested in playing. Although her biggest group is the last one, she is pretty selective on which games she likes to play xD

 

Are you planning on getting a PS Vita or a PS3 (or using PS Now) to play some portable/older tiles? Or are you gonna focus from PS4 onwards?

 

Good luck with the hunt, I'll be checking the progress on your thread every now and then.

 

Good luck with your predictions as well, don't worry, we will do our best to hold you to them. ?

 

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you! Well I admit I am a bit of a statistic nerd, you should see my spreadsheet where I organize all my PS4 games. :) In fact I was, or still am using this spreadsheet to do just that. This checklist here is sort of a backup but also a bit of self promoting. ;) Or just another thing that makes this site so great.

 

Well since I am huge NieR fan now there is this idea floating around in my noggins to by a PS3 just to play Replicant or even Drakengard. But I would rather wait for a remake to be honest since there are so many games that are available for both PlayStations and of course the 4 is more attractive. Also I could get a 3 for a very good price now, or even get a used one. A Vita is probably the last thing on my mind since more or less at home most of the time. And I still have my PC, at least for some games so I wouldn't even know how I could manage three gaming platforms. Maybe if Sony comes up with a new Vita with some interesting options.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So the first week since I started my this little project has ended, ok it's been only 2 days but still time for an update!

 

I am mostly focusing on Ni no Kuni II and I am progressing rather nicely, made it to chapter 5 and got my kingdom to level 2. But more importantly I made to rank D, small improvement there, with 20% now complete and I have collected 14 trophies so far. Well I have always been a rather slow or diligent gamer so this game will take a good long while for me to finish. I also played a bit Diablo III but not much, I spent way too much time with the PC Version, and I can't for the love of god figuring out why I even bought it! But I made a few trophies and the campaign is coming along nicely.

 

I also bought Fallout 4 and Deadlight from the "Under €20 Sale". Deadlight is a nice little Walking Dead inspired platformer with a cool dystopian setting and all that. The story is ok, bit of a cliché but the ending is nice. The bad part is that the controls are not precise enough for my taste and the gameplay is not very polished. You can die a lot because you made the wrong choice in a split second or the controls won't do what you want them to do. Which is sad, since the game is not bad. It's also very short which means you can get a lot of trophies in a matter of hours. I collected 29 out of 33 so far and completed the everything in the game. Only thing remaining for the Platinum is to finish the game in Nightmare mode, killing lots of things and survive this mode for a good while. The funny thing about the trophies are their names, they are all pop or rock songs from the 80s!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's your take on Ni no Kuni II up to this point? I haven't heard too many good comments about the game.

 

I'm not too keen on the first one. I thought it was a good JRPG but not the masterpiece I heard so much praise about before purchasing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, my experience with JRPGs is very limited. I only have played some old Sega Megadrive Classics, I think Shining Force or something. Anyway I quite like Ni no Kuni. But not because of the RPG part, which is in my opinion limited. There is no real interaction with my party members and everything is very linear. Also there are no choices or even alternate approaches for quests. BUT. I like the kingdom part! I always liked to built something in my RPGs, be a stronghold or just a base. And this kingdom really feels alive. Plus the story is all around building a bond with other nations, you might even call it political. Not that you can influence anything. The combat system is nice, a tad too easy. And the micromanaging isn't too cumbersome. The interface really helps with that. I also like the different approach of the story and the theme. It's not your superhero who saves the day, rather a boy who don't know what it means to be king, yet. So all in all it's a cool experience and I am looking forward to completing it.

 

And I haven't played the first one, since it's a PS3 exclusive, right? Oh and as far as JRPGs are concerned I think I give it a try again. I already have a few titles in mind. Tales of Berseria and the next Dragon Quest, which I think looks really interesting. And there is Persona5 of course! :)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, Honor_Hand said:

What's your take on Ni no Kuni II up to this point? I haven't heard too many good comments about the game.

 

I'm not too keen on the first one. I thought it was a good JRPG but not the masterpiece I heard so much praise about before purchasing.

 

It's a good game that matches up with what Level-5 did with Dark Cloud and Rogue Galaxy. However, it did change up a lot from the first NNK but isn't bad because of it. I see more positive than negative going on. The game as a whole is above average.

 

I've seen more good things said about it in real reviews. Not much point in focusing on the very vocal minority that let 1 or 2 bad things overshadow the entire game. 
 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, Durandal said:

Well, my experience with JRPGs is very limited. I only have played some old Sega Megadrive Classics, I think Shining Force or something. Anyway I quite like Ni no Kuni. But not because of the RPG part, which is in my opinion limited. There is no real interaction with my party members and everything is very linear. Also there are no choices or even alternate approaches for quests. BUT. I like the kingdom part! I always liked to built something in my RPGs, be a stronghold or just a base. And this kingdom really feels alive. Plus the story is all around building a bond with other nations, you might even call it political. Not that you can influence anything. The combat system is nice, a tad too easy. And the micromanaging isn't too cumbersome. The interface really helps with that. I also like the different approach of the story and the theme. It's not your superhero who saves the day, rather a boy who don't know what it means to be king, yet. So all in all it's a cool experience and I am looking forward to completing it.

 

And I haven't played the first one, since it's a PS3 exclusive, right? Oh and as far as JRPGs are concerned I think I give it a try again. I already have a few titles in mind. Tales of Berseria and the next Dragon Quest, which I think looks really interesting. And there is Persona5 of course! :)

I see. The kingdom building part definitely sounds interesting. I like to hear both the good and the bad opinions about a game. I actually liked the first one and went for the Platinum and everything. Maybe I was overhyped by the game at the time from what I heard from almost everyone. This one has been getting good reviews from gaming sites but I have seen a number of mixed responses from gamers, so it has actually caught my attention for that.

 

The first one was originally released as a Nintendo DS game, and the PS3 version we got later is a considerably enhanced port of that DS version so I guess that rules it out of being an exclusive title for the console? Not too sure on that one.

 

31 minutes ago, TJ_Solo said:

 

It's a good game that matches up with what Level-5 did with Dark Cloud and Rogue Galaxy. However, it did change up a lot from the first NNK but isn't bad because of it. I see more positive than negative going on. The game as a whole is above average.

 

I've seen more good things said about it in real reviews. Not much point in focusing on the very vocal minority that let 1 or 2 bad things overshadow the entire game. 
 

Thanks for sharing as well. I really have don't have much experience on PS2 games as a whole so I wouldn't be able to compare it with those 2 other games from the same developer. As I told Durandal I actually liked the first game in the series and I'd be open to trying this one as well eventually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@TJ_SoloTrue that. I only read two reviews and they are both full of praises, not that I read much reviews anyways. But from what I read it appealed to me because I usually play western games. They all seem to have a certain theme which is getting quite boring now. At least where AAA games are concerned. So I guess I was looking for something different for a long time now without knowing what it was. So far it's a nice addition to my usual games and I am glad that I actually paid attention to a review for once!

 

@Honor_HandAh it shows how little I know about the whole console gaming culture, or the Asian gaming market.:) The xbox is basically a younger brother of a PC. That's another part I like about this PlayStation experience. I get to learn new things or even try something I've quite forgotten about.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Time for another update I think.

 

Apparently I am even slower then Honor_Hand. Which means I did almost nothing last month.  Ok, that's an understatement but I hardly finished anything and got very few trophies. Nevertheless here is a little rundown.

 

First things first. I made a few changes to my Almanac. I added a Story Milestone and a Trophy Hunt section. And tidied it up a little bit.

 

Now to the things I did managed to do. My main occupation was to drag myself through Ni no Kuni II. Which is a good game basically, but the good part is buried deep inside a huge grind. You need to do countless boring stuff, it's almost as if this game wants to be an MMO. Anyway I am almost finished with the story, or I should say I could've finished it already were it not for all the other things I had/wanted to do first. But apparently the real horror only begins after that! Gathering the last trophies which involves even more grinding.

 

The other thing I finished was Destiny 2, well I played the third and last class until I got the trophy I wanted, so the game is basically on hold for eternity, until I want to shot stuff up again. Which is the only thing this game is good for! I also did a few other smaller things like this. But like I said I was very lazy last month.

 

Although one thing I made a lot of progress is somewhat game related. I have a youtube channel since April. It is just a personal archive where I store some of the moments I enjoyed while playing a game. It is public but it is not your usual channel where some guy talks a lot while playing a game. In fact there is no talking whatsoever. It's just a collection of gameplay, boss fights, story moments and a lot of cutscenes all bundled together in videos of various length. I edited and uploaded 86 videos from 5 or 6 games so far. Not sure where I am going with this but I think it is in good shape for now. Check it out here if you want to.

 

And of course there is a new month upon us, which means the Summer 2018 Backlog Challenge is on! I picked nine games I want to finish and hopefully earn a few trophies.

 

Darksiders / Assassin's Creed Revelation / RiME / Persona5 / Uncharted Part 1 / Beyond: Two Souls / God of War / The Order: 1886 / Ratchet and Clank

 

I already started with Darksiders and got quite far, I hope, and it's a fun game. The combat is nice and the progression is very entertaining. I think I am going to enjoy this one. The game I am looking forward to the most is Persona5. I love the art design and presentation and the setting looks very cool. Of course there are a lot of gems in that list, which means I am going to have a lot of fun over the next three months. But hopefully I pick up a few games from my backlog and finish them too. Did I say Ni no Kuni II?! ?

 

Anyway thanks for reading and stay tuned ...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have a good selection of games for your Summer 2018 Backlog Challenge.

 

It's a shame most RPGs eventually devolve into some sort of grinding. At this point, is something that has to be expected in almost any game from that genre. That's not to say that grinding is horrible but there are some games in which is more bearable than others. At least you're playing a great game and not stuck with some other borefest. *cough*cough* Cross *cough* Edge *cough*

 

Out of that list you have there, I'd love to be able to play Persona 5. It definitely looks like such a unique game. I have also heard Darksiders is pretty cool too. Some people have described the game to me like a combination of God of War and The Legend of Zelda, which sounds amazing honestly. ;)

 

Cheers! :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah Darksiders does have this reputation. I can't really comment on that because, well ... I never played any Zelda before. Sad I know. Maybe one day I get my hand on a switch and play at least the last one. :)

 

And yeah it's true that most RPGs turn into a grindfest these days, just take a look at BioWares latest games. But there are great examples that hold the candle high up and show that good old RPG don't have to be like that. Like Divinty Original Sin II and Pillars of Eternity. I am so looking forward to the PS4 version of Divinty! I played the PC version for more then 500 hours, and there is still stuff to do. And Persona5 seems to be a good example too, so I think it could be one of the first games you might want to play if you get yourself a PS4. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have updated my list to version 2.0, so to speak. And I think this is the final one. I rearranged a few things, removed one section and added a Top 10. There is also a small wishlist now for games that I am interested in, whether they've already been released or not.

Edited by Durandal
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Durandal said:

I have updated my list to version 2.0, so to speak. And I think this is the final one. I rearranged a few things, removed one section and added a Top 10. There is also a small wishlist now for games that I am interested in, whether they've already been released or not.

Everythings looks super nifty now! ^_^ Good luck finding great games to fill that Top 10 list of yours.

 

Think I'm gonna sit down and take advantage of this clear Sunday morning to update my journal. Although, to be honest, I sometimes lack the motivation to write out anything... :hmm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's new:

Well I couldn't resist and bought some stuff for XCOM2. Nice trap you laid out there Sony with your well timed AddOn Sale. But it's a great game and I really loved the first part. If I remember correctly I put over 300 hours into it and managed to finish an Ironman game, which is a normal game with only one saveslot. So when any of your teammates dies he or she is gone for good. That was some really intense fun! I am however not sure if I can get used to the controls, since I played the first XCOM with mouse and keyboard. And this one will be added to my Summer 2018 Backlog Challenge. I guess after all the action games I needed some nice Turn-Based Strategy, so I start this one right away!

 

I also bought four PS4 Themes, I admit they are kinda expansive but I couldn't help myself. Two Persona5 and two XCOM2 Themes. And let me tell you they look great and the music from P5 is just awesome! Also the XCOM2 is a bit haunting with that alien head looking straight at you! It is even a bit animated so you really feel watched all the time, great stuff!

 

Big Update:

I can put my 4th Platinum Trophy on my virtual shelf! And since a picture says more then lots of words, take a look ...

1Lb42902.png

Ni no Kuni II sure put me through a lot. I enjoyed the game sometimes, other times I really wanted to put it in the shredder! What really annoyed me was all the grinding you had to do, and not just for the trophies. And a lot of it felt so unnecessary. Anyway I am currently writing a little review which I will put up later. But for now I am going to enjoy this trophy and watch the making of BluRay tomorrow.

Edited by Durandal
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great work on the Platinum! Glad to hear that you finished your grind on Ni no Kuni II. ? At least your game looks WAY more enjoyable than the snore-fest I'm playing right now. Looking at you Cross Edge! xD I will get it done...eventually...I'm sure of it.

 

Good luck with XCOM2. Not sure if the Platinum on that one is hard but my wife suffered a lot with XCOM: Enemy Unknown on PS3. Multiple playthroughs and a punishing difficulty for either the Impossible difficulty and the Ironman mode. She got the platinum eventually but damn it was hard. Game looks great but after seeing her suffering that much, I opted to stay away from it lol.

 

...aaaaannnndddd, I owe you a rep point over here. I'm out of them at the moment. :P

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you! I only played Enemy within on the normal difficulty but I had a few of those extra options activated. It was hard but but never really unfair. Congratulations to your wife though, I never got all achievements for this game. Some of the trophies sure sound difficult. XCOM2 does have at least one trophy that is really hard or at least I think so, you have to complete the game on the highest difficult setting. And the game is very punishing in the beginning but not unfair. I just need to get at least a handful of upgrades and level some soldiers then it will be a bit easier.

 

So how far along are you with Cross Edge?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Durandal said:

Thank you! I only played Enemy within on the normal difficulty but I had a few of those extra options activated. It was hard but but never really unfair. Congratulations to your wife though, I never got all achievements for this game. Some of the trophies sure sound difficult. XCOM2 does have at least one trophy that is really hard or at least I think so, you have to complete the game on the highest difficult setting. And the game is very punishing in the beginning but not unfair. I just need to get at least a handful of upgrades and level some soldiers then it will be a bit easier.

 

So how far along are you with Cross Edge?

I'm on the endgame, grinding my way as if there was no tomorrow. It looks as if I haven't made any progress on any game for the last couple of days (no trophies for almost a week) but I have been playing with my Vita on the side while I grind Cross Edge. Right now, I'm at level 205, trying to kill a number of mini-bosses to unlock certain titles. After I finish with them, I'll start to work on doing the synthesis for all the items in the game... which are a crapton, especially weapons. Since there are 35 playable characters and not all of them share the same weapon type, I'm gonna be synthesizing for a long time. Not sure up to what level I'll need to grind to... I think the game goes up to 999 but the guide I'm using doesn't say anything about it. My guess is that I'm gonna need to grind my main characters up to level 999 in order to obtain the rarest drops from some of the end bosses.

 

Not pretty...really. :(

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A small review of Ni no Kuni II. Not even sure why I wrote this wall of text, maybe it is my way to cope with the unsatisfying experience. In any case it is not an in depth review but my thoughts about this game.

 

Unfortunately Ni no Kuni II is somewhat flawed. Mostly because it is overburdened with repetitive gameplay and too much redundancies. Overall I still enjoyed it but it is one of these games that leave you with a shallow aftertaste, like a cheap wine.

 

What attracted me to this game in the first place was the unusual story. Most of the times I play games with a silly epic hero tale for whatever reason, except for the occasionally game with a truly great story. I knew upfront that Ni no Kuni II wouldn't be one of these games but nevertheless I would say it is a good story, well written even with good moments but it won't leave a lasting impression. What I missed the most about it was the lack of decisions or choices, which is something I expect from a RPG. There is also no interaction with your companions or any NPC nor does the game have a meaningful dialogue system. Instead you read a lot of text and press X a lot in order to continue the dialogue. Of course none of this is really required to make a good game but it does give a game depth. I wouldn't even classify this as a RPG because of this. Instead it is a clever mix of three genres. A fun but not very complex real time hack n' slay part and a simple real time strategy part called skirmishes. On top of this is the city builder or kingdom builder, which is the most intriguing part. It's also the only part of the game that has a noticeable progression, while the other two never really change.

 

I am going to give you a few examples. First of all there is no skill system so you can't develop your characters. All they have are a few spells and combat techniques, which can be upgraded to some degree but nothing that requires any planing. The only thing you need to do is to decide which of these few skills you want to use, because you can only have four active per character. Furthermore there are so many things you can craft but it doesn't matter if you do. Most fights, including every story relevant boss fight are rather simple. You can just complete the game with the gear you pick up on the way. The only time you need these high level legendary items is when you want to fight the high level mini bosses. They are the hardest part of the game and require good gear and at least some sort of strategy, but they are completely optional. Then there are the higgledies, these little guys are basically a mini army who help you in combat. There are one hundred of them and each of them has four skills and you can have up to four higgledies in your party. Now the interesting element is that you could form a squad of four higgledies with a common trait for a synergy effect. But there is hardly any reference about any of this in the game. So it is mostly guess work or reading/watching online guides. Or you can just ignore all this and pick a few higgledies who can summon a knight on the battlefield. With 2 or 3 of them in your party you can defeat almost any boss without much effort. Luckily you can avoid a lot of these fights, otherwise it would be really tedious.

 

The skirmishes in the game are basically where your armies clashes with other armies on a special battle map. There are always four units in your army which can be chosen from a big pool. These units come in a few range of categories, like pikemen of rangers. They all counter a specific unit but can in turn be countered by another class, the typical Rock, Paper, Scissor system. All you have to do is make sure the right army faces the correct type of army. The maps are all nicely designed and fun to explore but more importantly the combat itself is fun as it is interesting but again not very complex either. Which is fine because they just serve as a distraction, consequently you can ignore almost all of these battles. Except for a few story relevant skirmishes, but they aren't really hard nor do they require a lot of leveling.

 

The building of the kingdom is the most fun part of the game, and as I said the one with the only real progression. It starts with just a few tents but after a while you have your basic castle and a some buildings. The buildings all have different impacts on your game. Mostly you can research upgrades for just about anything in the game and they gather resources for you. The higher the level of the kingdom the better these upgrades and resources will become. But of course those crafting materials aren't really needed except for your occasional quest. Or if you want to upgrade your higgledies or even craft items. And it sure does feel nice to walk around this kingdom and talk to the citizens after you recruited them or just take in the sights. Recruiting citizen is a huge part of the game where you have to do quests, basic errands like killing enemies or a specific boss or gathering materials. There are a lot of errands like this because there are one hundred citizens. But a good part of them can be recruited just by talking to them. I really liked this part of the game.

 

And a few words about the quests. There are 175 quests and a lot of them are required to finish the game . Sounds like a lot but the majority of them can be finished really quickly. Sadly it is still very boring because there are only a few different quests, so you end up doing them over and over again. They also don't affect the story, you only do all this because you need to upgrade your kingdom or recruit citizens and occasionally a skirmish unit. One big gripe I have with the quests in general is that none of them can be complete in different ways, which is something I consider essential for an RPG. A smaller one would be that none the side quests tell any interesting story.


So in the end you have a game with a nice story but a lot of redundant gameplay . On top of this you have quite a bit of grinding to finish quests or find the majority of your citizens or higgledies. It is even more time consuming if you want all the trophies. Luckily there aren't any hard ones, or maybe one or two.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

June update

 

This was actually a very productive month. I got a lot trophies because I finished five smaller games, which I bought this month. I also got my 5th and 6th platinum, reached level 10 and got the 500 trophy milestone! So lets have a closer look.

 

Platinum Trophy #5

La7d402.png


A wonderful little game and one of my all time favorites, ever since I played the original PC version in 2010. What makes this trophy special for me is that it I managed to do something I hardly ever do, playing a game on the hardest difficulty and with hardcore mode to boot. It was actually easier then I thought, except a few boss fights. You can watch me play the last 12 levels on my youtube channel. They are all about 10 minutes long. But that is only the first part, the second is that I not only reached the 500 trophy milestone with it but also level 10! I think that's pretty amazing, especially because I didn't planned it this way.

 

The sixth platinum I earned is the one for The Walking Dead Collection. Well kinda, it's so easy it is almost embarrassing, but I guess that goes for all Telltale games. There is only one trophy where you actually have to do something other then just follow the story chapter by chapter. Anyway the collection is nice but only the first season stands out. Season 2 and Final Frontier are OK but somehow lacking almost everything that made the first season so unforgettable. While Clementines season is more enjoyable then Final Frontier it is unfortunately not very good. I think it is because most characters are basically extras with no real depth, but the ending almost made up for it. Then there is Final Frontier, which is ok but somehow it feels more like a soap opera thrown into the world of The Walking Dead. Plus there are too many cliché characters like that douchebag David. Overall it is nice but forgettable. Michonnes Mini Series is the worst part of the package. I think it is a nice bonus for the fans of the comics but it doesn't add anything to the first three seasons and has some super annoying QTEs. The story isn't exactly mind blowing either, just the opposite. What makes it so boring is that it is mostly unnecessary violence with very little character or story development. I get that Michonne is a badass and all that but compared to the first game this one is all about killing walkers and humans, or beating the shit out of them. And that's not good enough for this series.

 

Unfortunately all this messed up my Summer Backlog Challenge quite a bit. In fact I played none of the games I wanted too, except a bit Darksiders. But there are still two more months, so maybe I can catch up with that. Fortunately most of the new games won't end up in my backlog.

 

I also made a few small changes to my checklist. Basically I removed the 4th section and renamed the rest to "Categories" which is more fitting I think. But I added a Trophy Backlog, which is for games I am still in process of collecting trophies. And my milestones will now include every 500th trophy and every 10th level

There are also a few new additions to my top 10 list, which has now expanded to a top 15 list. And that's it for June 2018!

 

Outlook for July:
• Hob - new
• Shantae: Half-Genie Ultimate Edition - new
• Darksiders - ongoing
• Dragon Age Inquisition GotY Edition - new

• Deadlight Directors Cut - trophy backlog

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations on your very productive month. I see you not only got a number of Platinums but also managed to reach a number of milestones in the process. Great work on that. There is still a big journey in the world of trophy hunting ahead for you. Glad to see your making progress and are enjoying yourself. :)

 

Oh, I have heard the Platinum in those Telltale games are super easy. You just go through the story and that's it. I did buy the first season of their Walking Dead game years ago but I haven't got to play it yet lol. I'm not into the series and I solely bought because it was on sale. Guess I will it play at one point since I have heard the storytelling in those games is exceptional.

 

I see you made a number of cool changes to your thread as well. I like how everything looks tidied up and organized. Mine looks like an incomplete mess in comparison xD

 

Good luck on your new games for this month. Will be looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them. Especially on Shantae: Half-Genie. I like platformer games and that one actually looks pretty cool. I have also heard many positive things about it so I'm pretty sure it was a good pick for you.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...