Cyhwuhx

Weirdly, I agree. We've now almost spent 20 years watching the series remake itself into multiple increasingly action-ish forms of an offline MMO with stagger bars. It would be nice if they started replacing it with something new. Seriously though, why is the stagger bar such an integral part of FF combat these days? Even the "nostalgia bullshit" contains stagger bars. And now we are getting a character action game. With a stagger bar. We've seen them shaving down turn-based combat and in-game command selection elements with every new title and spin-off, but somehow for some reason, the stagger bar survives. Ignore me though, because 16-bit RPG game design, yeah, that is still definitely the main problem holding the franchise back. Full disclosure: I detest the stagger bar.

Unfortunately, I’m out. This is now on track to become Square’s God of War in scope, audience, and gameplay, and no, that is not what I want to play as a JRPG. And then they still add those bloody Stagger and MMO systems on top. Oh well, enough classic JRPGs out these days. It’s not like the genre is dead. Just disappointed we’re skipping another possibility for a high budget classic JRPG.

Once again this has a godly soundtrack.

Oh wait, it runs OK. I wouldn’t buy it uniquely for Deck but it’s a nice option to have. Especially with controller support confirmed.

It's a turn-based CRPG. You're not going to get GoW amounts of graphics. I've played this on Steam Deck already and it's perfect. If you've played actual D&D it's really, really familiar to pick up and play. 🤩

The main issue in Tallon Frigate is that the platforms aren't that visible. The rest of the game does a great job in making platforms visible, either through lights or design. Here everything is coloured the same,the electricity is gone, and visibility has gone down the drain, even with the Gravity Suit. It makes you second guess whether you can stand or reach something.

😠

🐞🪡

This probably means you are missing an upgrade and...

TBH considering the absolute tat available on the Nintendo eShop, this kind of deal could've been brokered during a quick lunch at Nando's.

This has turned into a predatory mobile game entirely. You get a stupid virtual space to act as your main menu with virtual cosmetics to collect (and buy), there's a virtual currency to mask costs, there's a constant comparison to online scores to drive "engagement", and that's on top of the prices being raised for all tables without any consideration for people having spent money on the previous versions. And dear lord, that "tutorial" is just an insult. Installed this to try it out, but I'm actually appalled I have unwittingly unlocked a trophy for this and can't scrub the title from my account as a result. Deleted the game and returned to Demon's Tilt instead.

Yeah, this clearly only serves one purpose. Still, if it pushes Microsoft to becoming platform agnostic and potentially showing the entire industry the way forward (pipe dream, I know), I'm all for it.

Ooh. Maybe Normal is NTSC and Hard is initial PAL then?

It’ll be fine and a lot of fun. We’ve been using Roll20 ever since the pandemic rolled along and still use it next to our in-person sessions. It’s a great tool, but requires a bit of extra preparation at times. Especially when using homebrew stuff. As such I’d bite the bullet and get an official starter module (Phandelver is a good start) next to a base Roll20 sub. We tend to keep our sheets offline and mainly use Roll20 for rolls, maps and character placement (and the Octopath Traveler OST playing on heavy rotation in the background). Start using it as a shared virtual table and you can slowly learn and add all its features and enhance your sessions. Tip: use screenshots from Hero Forge’s editor to create player character icons for use in Roll20. If you have some specific questions about Roll20, give me a shout. 😄

There already is an additional easy mode.

5E Rangers are severely underrated imo. The ones in my parties became walking rail guns with Hunter's Mark "lock-ons". 😅 Also, can I interest you in some Hero Forge? 😬

I do remember charged (ice) shots + missiles being quite OP in general. Phazon Mines is indeed multiple charge shots (hence why the additional charge time is a bit annoying). If they changed anything, maybe shots in general deal 1.5x more damage or something like that? Older tactics then still work, but 'panicked shooting' would become more effective as well.

Excellent BGM for D&D sessions as well.

I personally found it to be easy to the point that I was wondering if they lowered the difficulty, but thought it was probably due to me ehr... playing a Metroid again. But if you also seem to notice it, it might actually be true? Either that or you're becoming a die-hard Metroid player.

🤫 It is kind of creepy how close this is to my real-life reaction.

I'm having a large play session today in Descent into Avernus. [Chapter 1/2 spoilers] One of my party members is a wizard focusing on charm and illusion and it's been an absolute laugh. Also very fun to see a wizard deploy tactics other than fireball-and-hang-back. Other members are a naÏve alcoholic tabaxi monk, an uncaring goliath champion, and a soup ladle wielding tiefling druid. Thank god they have some clergy on board...

When in doubt, let them roll. Just choose a skill check and watch a resolution pop into a situation. Also works for yourself, just roll a d20, even if you don't attach meaning to it and often you'll know exactly what you need after rolling. Use scraps of paper, death rattles, and NPC conversations (great for (Passive) Perception checks) to provide hints as to where to go next. Don't outright tell them; players usually want to explore what they've discovered, not take the guided tour. Always remember an unprepared piece of content is just a name-change away from a prepared piece of content. (Do make notes in such cases!)

Of course, those cost five missiles. (RIP Ice Bream requirement. Tallon Metroids are a weak breed.)

Isn't that the plot of...