Wednesday 15 January 2014

30 questions about video games from tumblr

so i was strolling around around on tumblr and came across an "ask me" list about video games.

So i was all... Sounds good.
but i figure... no one is going to ask... and i wanna answer every question so....

30 questions about Video games! from Tumblr

1:Do you try to stay away from walkthroughs? 
I always try to stay away from them but there are times where i just have no idea what I'm supposed to do next and i will check walkthroughs as a way of getting a hint.  the only time i will outright consult them is if there is a game with multiple endings and theres an ending i want to get... but even then i usually play through walkthrough-less first and then i go back.

2:Company you're always loyal to? 
I think being outright loyal to a company is a dangerous mindset. Even good developers are capable of putting out a less then stellar product. and you also get people fighting about which company is better and in the end it divides the community.
That being said, when i see game with Either The Atlus or Falcom logo on them i am more willing to give them a try so i guess I'm loyal to them... however i don't think either company has produced only perfect gems descended from the heavens so i am cautious but still 'loyal'

3:Best game you've ever played? 
Hm... can anyone really answer this question? i mean i can list of some games i really like but i don't think i can pick one as being the best I've ever played... so I'll just say it's probably either Ys 3/7/4/origin, Avalon code, Disgaea, 9 hours 9 persons 9 doors, Tales or phantasia or Radiant Historia... all these games have things in them that i consider great but i can't pick a best game among them cause they all have flaws as well.

4:Worst game you've ever played? 
I try to avoid bad games.... but i still have a list for this.
Rhythm Thief - a Rhythm game that lacks a few any good songs, consistent gameplay, consistent time measures, readability and above all that is just a prof. layton ripoff without realising whats fun about layton.

Hoshigami Remix - just an outright broken and damn near unplayable game all compounded by a lacklustre story and cheating AI. I didn't get very far in the game before i tried to return it and the cashier informed me i may as well keep it cause i would only get 1 cent back from it. 
so it shits on my shelf gathering dust never to be played again. 

A Witch's Tale - when i get mad at games i tend to throw whatever I'm holding into something soft to vent my frustration... i always have a pillow handy and i never throw hard... it's more of a "get this away from me before i actually break it" kind of toss. 
this game made me throw my ds into my bed a few times but the time i remember most was during this underwater world section... this game has the dreaded 'underwater timer' which i loath in any game but in this game it's particularly insulting because the main character is really hard to control thanks to her movement being determined by the touch pad.
so after getting stuck for the millionth time i said screw it and looked up a walkthrough cause i obviously wasn't doing it right (i was it was just broken) and then when i saw two things that made me cringe.
1. How to get True end
2. 1st playthrough is just a dream and you have to replay the game to get true ending.
well that game was out of my system so fast cause i wasn't going to play something i had to play again to get the real ending.

L'Ark Rise Fantasia - one time i was in transit and someone was talking to me about games and this game came up... I hate this game... the person liked it a lot and the look on his face of "awww but i enjoy it" made me feel bad... but then i explained why i hate it.
The voice acting is the worst i've ever seen
I was going to put a vid of the opening scene there but no... this video captures the terrible voice acting so much better.
The gameplay is non existent and completely plays itself... it has a needlessly complex battle system with an auto button and yeah.... you are going to be hitting the auto button constantly.
and then they story is just okay... it's not the worst story I've ever seen but it's nothing we haven't seen before.
but yeah Ryfia's (purple haired girl in white) voice acting is probably the single worst i have ever heard in anything ever...

5:A popular series/game you just can't get into no matter how much you try? 
Dangerous question... okay.
Legend of zelda - I love the art and the story but the gameplay actually makes me really really angry... it isn't fun for me so i just can't get into the series as a whole.
Final Fantasy series - I have played a little bit of every FF game except 8, 9, the early tactics games and the online games and no matter what i just never end up beating them. I like them to a point but then one of two things happen... It becomes a grind fest in order to beat the game or goes into space.... or both. 
I hate Grinding... i think the concept of it is flawed, I think that you should be able to beat a game playing through it as normal without worrying about side quests and still be able to beat the final boss... it should be hard as hell but do-able.
Sidequesting should allow the fight to be easier... but in the end side quests should be optional. But final fantasy games seem to feel that if you don't spend hours getting your level/grids as high as possible you simply are not playing it correctly.  so in the end the game that at one point was fun become a boring grind fest as i look around trying to find crap i missed and it always ends in me putting the game down indefinitely. Or it worse it ends with me gaining a level, saving, trying the boss, failing and then repeating till i win and that just isn't fun to me.
To date i have only ever beaten the tactics games on DS and 10... and 10 is a technicality cause my game froze after i beat the final boss (guess my system though that terrible boss was a joke and decided to become the final boss)
I did get to the final boss in 7 but... well.... you know that attack he does? the one with the really long cut scene? yeah... first time i encountered that i jumped up and turned off my system to avoid panic attack... the second time i just left the room listening for the attack to finish and when i got back my party was dead cause my level wasn't high enough so i said.... screw it i can look up the ending. 
I don't think the Final fantasy games are bad and i can get into them easily enough... i didn't even hate what i played of 13 (though when our system red ringed and i wasn't about to replay that) but i just find it hits a point where the fun stops and while not every game needs to be fun i do feel games need to be enjoyable.

6:A game that's changed you the most? 
The most.... hm... I'm going to have to go with Tales of Phantasia.
it was the first game i ever did everything in... got every secret, every summon every spell and nearly maxed out every character. I loved the story i loved the use of comedy and i loved the somewhat action based game play. it also helped me feel confident enough to try other niche games i had never heard of since as i mentioned before... the most popular RPGs out there just weren't doing it for me. 

7:A game you'll never forget? 
that's tough cause from n64 onward i haven't really forgotten any of the games I've played... so i guess I'll go with what game i tend to think off from time to time despite how much time has passed... which would be avalon code. I bought the game brand new for 10 bucks on a whim and despite some buggy aspects i really really loved it... not to mention the art is stunning. but yeah fun game and now I'm good at slider puzzles.

8:Best soundtrack? 
Ha ha ha... oh boy... i can't pick a best overall so I'll just say Ys 3,4,7 and Origins and Radiant Historia... and i guess wind waker... i may not love the game but that score is simply lovely. 

9:A game you turn your volume off every time you play it? 
L'ark rise fantasia but more so for the voice acting... from what i remember the music is just kinda mediocre. 

10:A game you've completely given up on? 
See answers for #4 and #5

11:Hardest game you've played? 
I'm not a fan of 'hard' games... i just like enjoying the experience and stressing out isn't fun... so i guess Ys Origin on hard with Hugo. I am playing ys4 right now on nightmare but i doubt I'll beat it so I'm not counting it. 

12:Shortest time you've beaten a game in? 
I'm pretty sure the game is Ys 1 and according to steam i spent 5 hours on it so yeah... it's a pretty short game so that makes sense.

13:A game you were the most excited for when it wasn't released yet? 
In the past: Ys Memories of Celceta, i was so excited for this game i actually bought a vita when it came out.
Currently: Trails in the Sky SC since it's been a long time coming and hopefully with it being translated ow we will get some other games from the Kiseki line... I'm okay with DL only titles if it means i get my fix. also I'm so excited to hear that the translator from recettear is working on it cause they did a wonderful job of that game. 

14:A game you think would be cool if it had voice acting? 
Pretty much every game that doesn't have voice acting would be that much more enjoyable with voice acting... i love voice acting (excluding crappy ones like L'ark rise fantasia) and yeah... i prefer when they give the option for language of VA (though 99% i pick english) so that if the english sucks i can switch it. 

15:Which two games do you think would make an awesome crossover? 
this could go either way but A tales of and Ys series cross over would make me smile from ear to ear... by it ys characters in a tales of setting or Tales of characters playing like an Ys game... both ideas make me grin from ear to ear. 

16:Character you've hated most? From what game?
Tidus from Final Fantasy 10 and Seraphim from Disgaea. 
Tidus cause he's just so unlikeable and the story continues to try and focus on him when it is (against everything he says)  in fact not his story but in actuality yuna's story... she should be the main character... but instead we get this annoying doofus playing the main character and yeah... just annoys me. 
Seraphim cause... well.... Spoilers: thanks to him i couldn't use my best character in the final fight : End spoilers.

17:What game do you never tell people you play?
I'm not really ashamed of any games i play... but i don't think people realise how much i play games like bejewled or the pokemon version of tetris attack  (pokemon puzzle league) so yeah... those i guess...

18:A game you wish your friends knew about? 
Back in the day i would have said Tales of games but those have grown in popularity so now I'll say Ys games cause Dammit i just enjoy them so much and i want my friends to enjoy them. 

19:Which game do you think deserves a revival? 
Ys 5 but knowing falcom I'm sure it's in the works... right after they release Ys 8

20:What was the first video game you ever played? 
According to family: Super Mario Bros/duck hunt when i was 2
According to my memory: Diddy Kong racing when i was 7 or 8.... but i believe my family on this... i just do not remember anything before 7. 

21:How old were you when you first played a video game?
Again i was a toddler apparently though i do not remember it... i remember i would watch my dad play games occasionally but i didn't start playing games by myself till 7 or 8 (i wanna say 8 cause i don't see how i could play games with a broken arm when i was 7... granted 2 months between breaking the arm and christmas so.... maybe? gah that time is too fuzzy for me)

22:If you could immerse yourself in any game for one day, which game would it be? What would you do? 
Ys Memories in celceta, go to the town where ancient lore plays, go to the spot where the relic is kept and just draw and hope that the music in the game is the ambient music in the town... it would just be so wonderful. 

23:Biggest disappointment you've had in gaming? 
Finding out i don't like zelda games... i know it sounds odd but i REALLY wanted to like Link to the past and realising that not only did i not have a good time with it but I've never had a good time with a zelda game was a bit... surprising. It was like i had been lying to myself in order to conform to this idea of what a gamer is and not enjoying one of the most beloved games out there made me wonder what am i not getting... why am i not connecting to this thing? I'm over it now cause honestly if not liking a super popular series makes me less of a gamer then  that's not a community i want to be a part of... i want to be part of an inclusive community that likes and dislikes all sorts of games and still gets along.

24:Casual, Hardcore, or in the middle?
Probably in the middle, it's hard cause i play really niche games no one talks about so some people have assumed I'm this hardcore jrpg fan and I'm not...  i play games for enjoyment above all else... and the best way to find games you enjoy is to try a bunch of games that you may not have heard of.

25:Be honest; have you ever used cheats (like ActionReplay or Gameshark)? 
No, i have one for the DS but i never ended up using it. 

26:Handheld or console? 
I actually prefer handhelds... i like that i can pause at any time by just putting it to sleep and that i can go anywhere and play for 5 mins or play for an hour... playing P4 on Handheld was way more enjoyable then it was on ps2.... i think consoles have their place though but if I'm not worried about graphics i would rather play a handheld version of a game then a console one. 

27:Has there ever been a moment that has made you cry? 
name a game with a sad scene in it and i promise you it has brought me to tears. 
the worst offenders are: 
Disgaea - Normal ending (and my preferred ending)
Tales of Phantasia - Truth about Dhaos
Persona 4 - Hospital scene
Ys MoC - Knowledge
Radiant Historia - True ending
Trails in the Sky - That cliffhanger

28:Which character's clothes do you wish you owned the most? 
Even though I'm a girl... I really love Adol's outfit in celceta and with no alterations (aside from getting it to fit) i would wear it... i adore his hoodie and the points his shirt go into... I am actually contemplating cosplaying it (as a female Adol)  just so i can have the hoodie and necklace and wear it to work and have no one be the wiser cause i ALWAYS wear hoodies.... and it would be one of the more normal looking ones.... so yeah... i mean there's also Elena's guard outfit from Oath/Alternative saga but that's just cause i love the scarf and the sword is pretty awesome too... though it would be tricky to make.

29:Which is more important, gameplay or story? 
Music....
okay in all honesty i don't know... i have forgiven games that play badly that have a great story and i have forgiven games that have a crappy story but are really fun to play.... but out of the two... i guess the edge has to go to gameplay cause if the controls stop me from having a good time i wont be enjoying the story.  But my original answer still stands... if the music is worth it i will forgive a lot.

30:A game that hasn't been localized in your country that you think should be localized?
*insert any Falcom game that hasn't been localized in any form* honestly... so many.... but yeah.... falcom games for sure... and also the tales games we haven't gotten... it would be nice to get those.

so yeah... that's it... i did the thing no one asked me to do... yay~

12 comments:

  1. It's not like you have to do something only if you're asked to ;P That Q&A is interesting, I just don't agree with your analysis about Final Fantasy. Granted that when I talk about it, I keep FF VII and VIII in mind, I remember that you'd have to grind only if you want to beat the secret bosses - respectively, Emerald Weapon and Omega Weapon - otherwise you just have to use some strategy and maybe not escape from battle often :P
    I don't know, they sure were harder than the average today's game, but even if you did have to grind a little, they were masterpieces that deserved that :D

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    1. Yeah and I wouldn't for an instant say any final fantasy game is terrible or even Bad (not even the newer ones... though some of them get a little silly)... Had I gained another 5 levels or so in 7 I could probably beat it...
      my issue with 7 is purely with the attack supernova... everything else about the game was enjoyable (even if the graphics surprised me cause my first time playing an FF game was 10) Just the combo of needing to spend time leveling (an activity i do not enjoy) for the chance of having another panic attack... didn't sound like a good time to me.
      But i do wonder why i was so under leveled... i mean i never ran from a fight... Even when i played 10 despite doing most of the side quests i was still way underleveled for bosses like Overdrive Sin

      and now that i think about it i have to edit my thing cause i haven't actually played 8 or 9 at all so yeah... oops.
      i've heard they are good... i hear they have space segments (but i may be wrong) so i'm not in a rush to play...

      But yeah the FF games are really good... i just seem to hate grinding in any capacity... it's also probably why i'm not a fan of Ys1... you can't even damage some enemies if you aren't leveled enough/have the proper equips and that is just... frustrating. (to me at least)

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    2. Hahaha, yeah that's totally understandable XD Not having played 8 is a shame though, I think it's the only one that is (almost) on par with 7, overall quality-wise. 9 is nice but not among my favourites - I actually like 10 more than it :P
      Oh and I can confirm you that - at least 8 - has a space sequence. By any chance, may that be a problem?

      About Ys I, I agree with you - the first levels, when monsters can kill you with a few hits, are really a pain. At least grinding there is kinda fast, and when you have some decent equipment you almost don't care about normal enemies at all :D

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    3. yeah me and space do not get along, for whatever reason it triggers panic attacks in me... so i tend to avoid things that deal with it. It's not every time but still i avoid it where i can. So yeah not a fan of sci-fi and i get a little annoyed that sci-fi and fantasy get lumped together a lot over here.

      I actually really enjoyed 10 i just hated that it had the wrong main character. Had the focus been on yuna or auron i may not have minded him so much... to be fair though "To Zanarkand" is one of my fav songs (granted FF games have an incredible score)

      yeah Ys1 is stressful until you get max level and/or the silver sword and it's its just "i am Adol, destroyer of anything that happens to touch me at a slight offset, fear my diagonal moveset!"

      though even with max level/best possible weapon at the time that boss that turns into bats... oh boy did i suck at that boss.

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    4. I see; I'm not a fan of sci-fi either actually, though it's just a matter of preferences for me. Anyway, the space sequence in FF 8 might make you feel kinda anxious: it's a critical moment for the plot, and in a bad way :P

      Hahaha, I can understand that XD I found the bosses hard as hell until I died 3 or 4 or 5 times, i.e. untile the time I understood what to do. In the case of the bat boss, it was until I discovered the corners were the safe spots :D Probably it was because I couldn't apply my philosophy against bosses, which was "kill 'em before they kill ya"; it worked great against regular enemies though, especially on high levels XD
      Anyway, fortunately the diagonal moveset is much more devastating and easier to apply in Ys II XD

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    5. Speaking of Ys II
      i love the magic in that game "i'm just constantly raining fire on all of you with my homing items" (hawk an falcon statues?)
      It's thanks to the magic that i was able to beat The DS versions which took out the bump mechanic but left in the lack of recovery time and the enemy touch= death thing and traded it for a broken attack button... but yeah magic made it work and it's probably why i enjoyed Ys II way more then 1.
      though i wish both games had higher level caps... oh well.. technology of games of the day i guess.

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  2. I actually got the hawk statue not a long time ago, and I think I used it only for one boss until now :P All of the others were something like "do you like 2D shooters? 'cause it's time to dodge a storm of bullets while you keep spam that fire magic!" :D
    Heck, in the PC version magic is not so powerful, rather it's kinda weak compared to physical attacks; I'm glad I'm playing that version XD
    Oh and yeah, assuming Ys I and II are the same, the low level cap is kinda annoying, but then again the games are just some hours long, so I guess it's okay this way :P
    (I really have to finish Ys II, so that I can start Oath in Felghana and then Memory of Celceta - I really look forward to it, especially every time I read your comments about it XD)

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    1. oh no what if i over hyped it *worry* I hope you enjoy ys 3 and 4 when you get to them!
      still Ys II is good and pretty short (at least compared to 3, 4, 7 and i guess origins...) so hopefully you'll be able to finish it soon.

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    2. Hahahaha, no problem at all :D On the contrary, I hope to clear Ys II and OiF sooner because of the hype!
      Thank you! :D Hopefully I'll start / finish them when the exams will let me relax a little :P (Those, and Time and Eternity as well XD)

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    3. ah exams... i remember the days.... i do not miss them
      but yes enjoy the games, good luck with exams and have fun with time and eternity! i haven't gotten to play it but i heard it's interesting.

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    4. Oh, I think I too won't miss them :P Thank you very much, anyway :D
      Time and Eternity is a game that I had to try at least to see if it was worthy of all the disapproval it got; maybe I'll write something about it when I'll finish it - granted you're interested of course :P

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    5. i would love to see your opinion of it... i've seen both good and bad reviews (mostly bad) but i think if nothing else it seems like a neat experiment... but i'll never know unless i play it on the ps4 if they figure out that gaikai stuff

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