What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[Squire Grooktook]

Didn't have any problems with the dash in HLD.

I can't muster the will for that. If an RPG's story or world isn't sucking me in, I can't continue no matter HOW good its battle system is.

Fire Emblem Fates/If was a really painful reminder of this for me. Never thought it was the most engaging franchise in terms of narrative, but until that games clusterfuck of an anime nightmare, I hadn't realized how much a charming cast and adventure romp plot mattered to the formula. Really sucked the life out of it for me.

A shame too, because mechanically it's probably one of the best in the franchise. Probably the best soundtrack in the series too, and generally nice art direction and presentation. Ah well...

[Perikles]

I'm the sort who's willing to overlook a dumb story if the nuts and bolts are well-executed enough to keep me interested.

I can't muster the will for that. If an RPG's story or world isn't sucking me in, I can't continue no matter HOW good its battle system is.

I personally tend to prefer simplistic RPGs over ambitious projects that are ultimately disappointing. When I'm playing a Dragon Quest game (incidentally started with the SFC rendition of the second game yesterday, such a refreshingly brutal game; no curlicues, no grandiloquent speeches, just ambushing baboons that hit like a truck) I know there's most likely going to be the bad guy and the real bad guy. I'm not going to expect anything outside of that (and some amusing puns in the case of the splendid Zenithia trilogy on the DS, haven't played anything after the sixth game) and am having a good time with those when I'm in the mood for the genre. It's much worse to me when there's evidently a vast scope (mores, politics, complex character development...) but not the means or even a concept to properly develop it (ain't that right, Kojima? ).

[Ruldra]

I can't muster the will for that. If an RPG's story or world isn't sucking me in, I can't continue no matter HOW good its battle system is. Case in point: Shadow Hearts Covenant. One of the best Turn-based battle systems I've seen (at least for a PS2 RPG), and it's squandered by an insultingly dumb anime cliche story, which in turn squanders a criminally underused setting (WWI Europe).

In my case, that happened with Resonance of Fate. Pretty interesting battle mechanics and all but goddamn the story is absolutely retarded. The entire point of one chapter is simply to go pick up a bottle of wine somewhere. Even the protagonist thinks that's stupid but the woman asking for it has big bouncing boobs so he agrees. Fuck off with that shit.

I don't really care about the story in any other genre but it's super important in RPGs for me.

[Squire Grooktook]

The entire point of one chapter is simply to go pick up a bottle of wine somewhere. Even the protagonist thinks that's stupid but the woman asking for it has big bouncing boobs so he agrees.

That's the kind of goofy stupid shit I love though.

[Shoryukev]

Phantasy Star - SMS
Just saved Odin from his stone imprisonment, and exploring the second planet a little bit. Currently debating printing out the dungeon maps, or facing it without any guides. The 3D dungeon aspect (along with the presentation of the entire game really) is very impressive for an 8-bit system, but finding your way through a maze in a first person perspective is a tad dizzying.

Chrono Trigger - SNES
Almost at the end, but haven't been putting much time into it lately. As a whole I've been really enjoying it, but haven't had much time to dump into RPGs.

Super Mario Bros. 2 - NES
I some people don't care for this one, but I find it enjoyable. It's also relaxing to play something that isn't either brutally difficult or a time sink.

Streets of Rage 3 - Genesis
Been playing this casually with my 5 year old son. I'm not that familiar with this game, but I've played #2 so much as a kid that it's ingrained into my brain so it's a welcome change of pace.

Magician Lord - Neo Geo AES
I've been picking this one up every now and again. It isn't amazing or anything, but there's something about it I really enjoy that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's the large sprites or the fact that I really wanted the system as a kid.

[Squire Grooktook]

I've never noticed much standout about the gameplay, but Magican Lords art direction and atmosphere are simply outstanding.

[Blinge]

Phantasy Star - SMS
Just saved Odin from his stone imprisonment, and exploring the second planet a little bit. Currently debating printing out the dungeon maps, or facing it without any guides. The 3D dungeon aspect (along with the presentation of the entire game really) is very impressive for an 8-bit system, but finding your way through a maze in a first person perspective is a tad dizzying.

Heh, it only gets more dizzying from here on out. I drew maps most of the game but gave up in the end due to the trap doors that can put you in the middle of a floor you haven't seen yet, not knowing which way is up. Although the compass is probably useful enough for dealing with that.

You should post your impressions in the Phantasy Star thread!

[Ruldra]

That's the kind of goofy stupid shit I love though.

Well then...you're gonna love this game.

[Shoryukev]

Phantasy Star - SMS
Just saved Odin from his stone imprisonment, and exploring the second planet a little bit. Currently debating printing out the dungeon maps, or facing it without any guides. The 3D dungeon aspect (along with the presentation of the entire game really) is very impressive for an 8-bit system, but finding your way through a maze in a first person perspective is a tad dizzying.

Heh, it only gets more dizzying from here on out. I drew maps most of the game but gave up in the end due to the trap doors that can put you in the middle of a floor you haven't seen yet, not knowing which way is up. Although the compass is probably useful enough for dealing with that.

You should post your impressions in the Phantasy Star thread!

I will probably at least try my hand at drawing it out on graph paper, that seems to be the bare minimum for figuring things out. If I struggle, I've got an MsWord document I downloaded to print out that will help me....the only thing I don't like about it is the maps are far too detailed. I don't want to see events and dialog on the map, just a general perimeter and door/staircase locations. It gives too much away!

So far I've had a pretty pleasant experience. I've seen a lot of people talk about the translation to English bothering them....but "well," I've honestly rather enjoyed the Engrish. I just played through and beat Dragon Warrior 1 on the NES a couple months ago, so I'm well prepared for a long grind LOL.

One thing I will say, is I'm really impressed at the visuals for an 8 bit system. Some of the enemy sprites are huge, and very colorful. I have PS2 and 4 for the Genesis, but I waited it out till I got the first game to play them....so I'm all lined up to sweep through the series. I might buy #3 as well, but from what I've read it is the black sheep of the family. Also #4 is supposedly connected to the story of #2 directly, so I don't mind playing the third installment last.

[Mischief Maker]

I can't muster the will for that. If an RPG's story or world isn't sucking me in, I can't continue no matter HOW good its battle system is.

In my case the most recent offender was Infinite Space for the DS. I'm naturally inclined to like space opera games, especially with such a dearth of them on the system.

But I believe Nudemaker, the developer, is a hentai company that branched out into the general market but still couldn't help themselves. Just like "The Dark Knight" pulled off a PG-13 rating by implying horrific levels of blood and brutality but not actually showing any of it, Infinite Space implies horrific amounts of rape, incest, and other perversion but not actually showing any of it.

Plus the combat system in Infinite Space is awful. The game's only redeeming value is the tetris minigame for fitting systems into your ships' hulls.

[null1024]

Shadow Dancer [Genesis].

I was on a roll until 4-1, absolutely perfect up to that point, and then after I started dying a bunch for stupid reasons, I turned the machine off.
one of these ages, I'll 1LC the game, but this stage, the black ninja room, and the final boss are kind of really in the way

and then I still need to clear the game on the other difficulty settings
But hot damn, I love this game.

[BIL]

The entire point of one chapter is simply to go pick up a bottle of wine somewhere. Even the protagonist thinks that's stupid but the woman asking for it has big bouncing boobs so he agrees.

That's the kind of goofy stupid shit I love though.

Same pretty much. The most exasperated I've ever been with an RPG was FFVIII's sniper fiasco, but I have to say if Quiznos' motive for leaving was not to apologise, but score some sweet, bouncing, scissoringly sapphic sexx0rz with Rhiannon in her dad's office, I'd have been 100% supportive. Especially if all the retarded shit that went on with mr. dickless sniper was intercut with the highlights of said teen lesbianic romp! As the leading lights of the porno flick scriptwriting community long observed, nothing resolves the inexplicable so satisfactorily as a resort to the universal human drive for a bit of the ol' rumpy-pumpy.

[Bonus!]

I started Demon's Souls the other day, which is my first 'Souls' game. I like it quite a bit. Talk of difficulty and alleged obtuse mechanics seems greatly overblown. Even the world tendency system is explained in-game, via some notes left by the developers. The graphics are a bit rough at times, and the ragdoll physics of slain enemies a bit bizarre. Apart from that, it's pretty great. But I'm obviously preaching to the choir.

[BIL]

Talk of difficulty and alleged obtuse mechanics seems greatly overblown.

Sadly I'm yet to play any of the series, due to spending all my time/resources on older stuff - but I've long found that the mainstream's "OMG, IT IS BUTTOCKS-FLAYINGLY PAINFUL" is the enthusiast's "Hmm, this is substantial." My ears prick up whenever I hear wailings and lamentations from the normies!

[Squire Grooktook]

Anime Lesbianism really does make everything better.

Re: Demon's Souls

Keep in mind, Demon's Souls is actually the easiest of the franchise. By far even. Coming to it after Dark Souls and Bloodborne, I cleared almost all the bosses (with the exception of the dreaded Flame Lurker in the caves, and Man Eater duo in the Tower) on my first attempt.

Dark Souls and Bloodborne are substantially more challenging, but even then it's the kind of game that will fold to a veteran action gamer in much less time then a harder 1cc would.

[soprano1]

Dragon Quest VII on 3DS.

[Bonus!]

Keep in mind, Demon's Souls is actually the easiest of the franchise. By far even.

Did you play Demon's after Dark? It seems that the first Souls game you play is the hardest. People who started with Demon's seem to think that Dark is considerably easier, and vice versa. This is to be expected as the games are mechanically similar, so skills transfer between games.

[Squire Grooktook]

Keep in mind, Demon's Souls is actually the easiest of the franchise. By far even.

Did you play Demon's after Dark? It seems that the first Souls game you play is the hardest. People who started with Demon's seem to think that Dark is considerably easier, and vice versa. This is to be expected as the games are mechanically similar, so skills transfer between games.

I played it third after Dark and Bloodborne. Learning the series fighting style is definitely a big part of it (much like shmup fundaments). That being said, I think it's definitely objectively easier then the other two in terms of the amount of resources it gives you, how aggressive the late-game bosses are, etc.

In contrast, I played Dark Souls 3 after Demon's, and the mid-game difficulty spike in that one hit like a motherfucker.

[Some-Mist]

I feel like dark souls gives you better resources to deal with enemy threats. where demon's souls (iirc) was heavily reliant on your stat build and farming rare stones for upgrades, dark souls was more heavily reliant on the variety of weapons/armor/accessories at your disposal. there were a lot of different ways you could build your character in DS1 and upgrading felt more streamlined unlike DeS which was really restricted to stone farming.

I'd say that ornstein and smough is the hardest encounter between both games, but once you progress far enough in dark souls can make the game your bitch.

been playing through DS3 myself (I'm pretty sure I have a handful of bosses left in the castle I'm in), and I'm actually having a more difficult time than I had with BB/DS1/DS2 and probably demon's souls. which it's hard to think back about DeS since I played it early '09 when there weren't resources you could refer to. I remember having a really difficult time figuring out tendancies for my later playthroughs, and the only available information was a japanese wiki that didn't translate well. but it did have handdrawn maps in microsoft paint which were nice. by the time the US version released I finally knew it well enough to nab the platinum within a couple of weeks but I haven't really played it since then. I'd be curious how I'd be able to handle it now..

there's an insane amount of information out there now for every release, but I typically do a media blackout and solo run through during ng no matter what.

[Blinge]

there were a lot of different ways you could build your character in DS1 and upgrading felt more streamlined unlike DeS which was really restricted to stone farming.

I don't see this at all.
Firstly, casting is more broken in DeS than any other Souls game, you can destroy the game with magic... fuck magic.

As for melee builds I still don't agree - Nothing in the game truly warrants the deliberate farming of stones.
What's the toughest battle, Maneater? It's pretty feasible to beat with just a mildly upgraded regular weapon, provided you're at a reasonable soul level and have been allocating your stats for said weapon.

If you find

Spoiler

the Dragon Longsword in stonefang

you have everything you need to beat most of the game imo. You could upgrade it once or twice without having to farm stones either, just exploring.

All my points assume we're just talking about beating NG.

I'm with Squire on this one, DeS may throw some nasty curveballs but once I'd beaten the first 3 souls games several times, DeS is the easiest to go back and beat again.

[Squire Grooktook]

Yeah I didn't farm and had like a +2 weapon the whole thing.

[Obscura]

I haven't played Demons, but I don't fall into the "first one I played is the one I think is hardest" category.

I'd say that, in terms of difficulty, DS2 (vanilla, can't speak for SotFS) > DS1 > DS3.

DS3 is the easiest Dark Souls game for certain, IMO. Still my favorite, but definitely the easiest. Linear world means you're never in over your head, and the boss fights are easier since they go down so fast that you don't really need to have their patterns stone-cold down. The common enemies are a bit more dynamic and unpredictable than in the earlier games, but the combat system feels a touch more flexible to compensate (I swear, it feels like I can cancel the last few recovery frames of an attack into a roll in DS3, unlike the earlier games).

DS1 is harder than DS3 mostly by virtue of being less linear in the early game (so you spend a lot of time trying to figure out which tough enemy is the one you're supposed to be going after) and having a few tougher bosses (Gaping Dragon, O&S, Demon Firesage if you don't figure out the trick).

DS2 vanilla is a lot nastier than the other two. More complex and demanding combat scenarios are created through synergistic enemy placements, and the bosses are the hardest in the series, with lots of multi-part bosses and high-HP heavy hitters. Less linearity in the first 2/3rds of the game is another twist.

Not counting the DLCs in the above, because DS3's DLC isn't out yet. All of the DLCs are harder than all of the base games, though.

[Some-Mist]

there were a lot of different ways you could build your character in DS1 and upgrading felt more streamlined unlike DeS which was really restricted to stone farming.

I don't see this at all.
Firstly, casting is more broken in DeS than any other Souls game, you can destroy the game with magic... fuck magic.

As for melee builds I still don't agree - Nothing in the game truly warrants the deliberate farming of stones.
What's the toughest battle, Maneater? It's pretty feasible to beat with just a mildly upgraded regular weapon, provided you're at a reasonable soul level and have been allocating your stats for said weapon.

If you find

Spoiler

the Dragon Longsword in stonefang

you have everything you need to beat most of the game imo. You could upgrade it once or twice without having to farm stones either, just exploring.

All my points assume we're just talking about beating NG.

I'm with Squire on this one, DeS may throw some nasty curveballs but once I'd beaten the first 3 souls games several times, DeS is the easiest to go back and beat again.

I guess that means I'll have to dust off my copy again soon.
part of my experience comes from that I rarely use magic tho I did hear that it makes the game easier to handle. DS1 you could pretty much infuse a weapon with lightning and do some clean sweeping. pyromancy as a supplementary skill makes it quite a breeze tho I mainly play through as a melee only player for the most part.

I definitely farmed out pure bladestone but you're right that it's not required in early new games of demon's souls. I think the furthest I made it in DeS was ng+++++ whereas dark souls I was pretty much sick of by ng++. still haven't experience the DLC either...

as far as hardest boss, I'd almost vouch to say the false king followed by maneater and flamelurker. old monk was extremely hard with a roll of the dice too (if you got someone really good who invaded/controlling him).

[Squire Grooktook]

False King was another I beat on first try, blind. He has some mix ups, but his pressure isn't bad enough to make you sweat.

Maneater and Flame Lurker were very legit challenges that took a lot of planning and observation to pass.

[Blinge]

DS2: I see a lot of players beat the ranged-enemy placements that get Obscura hard by simply sniping them with bows.
It's lame, but it does defuse that aspect of the challenge.

Maybe you're right about Ds2 being harder overall but the player's given better tools to deal with it than 1 gives. For instance, you can pump ADP to give you a much better roll - a roll that goes in any direction relative to where you're locked on - whereas in Ds1 you can only roll in cardinal directions. (That took some getting used to when I went back!)

You can also wear a lot more armour without sacrificing mobility in 2.

I definitely farmed out pure bladestone but you're right that it's not required in early new games of demon's souls.......
..... still haven't experience the DLC either...

Isn't that most ridiculously rare drop in the game? The only reason I farmed for that was trophy reasons. There's no way it's necessary to beat any damn loop. Sorry if that's not what you meant.

Well I typically mean the first loop of a souls game when I consider 'beating' the game.
I really think DeS can be reasonably beaten without purposefully going out to farm stones.

Definitely play the DLC for 1 and 2 man. Both fantastic, and Ds2 has the best DLC for any game I've played, period.

[Sumez]

Dark Souls 3 had a mid game difficulty spike??

I thought it was like Bloodborne where once you get over the initial hurdle, the rest of the game is smooth sailing.

Only the last two (mandatory) bosses really felt extra demanding for me.
Great game, still

[Bonus!]

From what I, as a Souls noob, gather is that your build greatly influences the difficulty. Some people absurdly claim that this makes those games "unbalanced" when it is in fact completely logical that different builds should excel at different tasks in a game that throws vastly different challenges at you.

[professor ganson]

Case in point: Shadow Hearts Covenant. One of the best Turn-based battle systems I've seen (at least for a PS2 RPG), and it's squandered by an insultingly dumb anime cliche story, which in turn squanders a criminally underused setting (WWI Europe).

Heh, we may occupy opposite ends of it, but we're definitely on the same spectrum: Shadow Hearts is one of my favorite series, though my personal pick of the litter is From the New World, whose story and cast are even more ridiculous than Covenant's.

Wow, somehow I don't remember Shadow Hearts on PS2. Sounds like something I should definitely try out.

Dragon Quest VII on 3DS.

I've got this on hand, but sadly I'm too busy to play games right now. Looking forward to it, though.

[Immryr]

Dark souls 2 has infinite healing items......... That pretty much removes any difficulty or tension.

[Bonus!]

Dark souls 2 has infinite healing items......... That pretty much removes any difficulty or tension.

I sense a pseudo-hardcore gamer. Have you actually finished the game or are you just regurgitating what you read somewhere online? I'm quite certain there is a cool down period between using healing items. I'm also rather certain that there is stun lock in DS2. Also, to give you more arguments for your next Internet battle: you can farm healing grass in Demon's Souls too. It, like totally, makes the game a walk in the park, bro. For realz!