The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

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Phaseknox
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The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

Played: Chronus Arc, Stranded Deep

Finished: Nothing

Playing: Chronus Arc

Added: Chronus Arc, Earthlock, Stranded Deep

I was planning on playing Ary and the Secret of Seasons last week, but preordering it from Amazon did me no good because they didn't get it and still don't have it and I don't know when they will. I still think that it looks fun despite a lot of reviews panning it mainly due to performance/technical issues which usually don't bother me too much unless they're game breaking.

I bought Stranded Deep because it was on sale, and looked like an interesting first person survival game. I played a little of it and it seemed like something that I could possibly get into when I was in the mood for the type of game that it is (crafting/survival), but I'm not really in the mood for it now.

I also bought Chronus Arc because it was on sale as well, and started playing it. It's another Kemco old school style top down view 16-bit pixel art turn-based JRPG, and I'm finding charm in it like I usually do with these throwback JRPGs. I'm not sure if it will hold my interest until the end, but I'm enjoying it for now.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning and RPG Maker MV come out this week.
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argyle
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by argyle »

Games added: Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online (what I used my $25 eBay coupon on), Ace Angler, Redeemer, La Mulana 1&2

Last week: Finished Concrete Genie, played Fate/extella Link, Redeemer, La Mulana 1

This week: More Fate/extella, and I think I'm in the mood to dive back into the FF7 Remake now

Concrete Genie was an amazing game. Short, but the perfect length imo. It's one of those really unique first party Sony games that they seem to put out just because they can (kinda like Puppeteer). I'd call it an adventure / puzzle game I suppose, you explore a city painting on walls and solving environmental puzzles. Has a good story as well, and a great art style. Very relaxing game. Highly recommended, will most definitely be in my top 10 this year.

I'm picking up Amalur this week for Tam, she never finished the original and is wanting to give it another go.
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis

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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

argyle wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 2:39 amI think I'm in the mood to dive back into the FF7 Remake now
Did you ever finish Darksiders III, or The Outer Worlds? I remember that you were playing and liking them, but then you stopped talking about them.
argyle wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 2:39 amConcrete Genie was an amazing game. Short, but the perfect length imo. It's one of those really unique first party Sony games that they seem to put out just because they can (kinda like Puppeteer). I'd call it an adventure / puzzle game I suppose, you explore a city painting on walls and solving environmental puzzles. Has a good story as well, and a great art style. Very relaxing game. Highly recommended, will most definitely be in my top 10 this year.
Wow, that’s high praise. It wasn’t really on my radar, but now it is so I plan on getting it when it’s cheap.
argyle wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 2:39 amI'm picking up Amalur this week for Tam, she never finished the original and is wanting to give it another go.
It’s such a great game, one of my favorites from last gen and one of my favorite action RPGs in general. I hope that they make a sequel.

In other news, Amazon shows that they have Ary and the Secret of Seasons in stock now but they still haven’t shipped my copy. :|

I preordered RPG Maker MV from GameStop (online), and I hope that unlike Amazon they ship it to me the day of release or soon after.
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isthatallyougot
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by isthatallyougot »

argyle wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 2:39 am Concrete Genie was an amazing game. Short, but the perfect length imo. It's one of those really unique first party Sony games that they seem to put out just because they can (kinda like Puppeteer). I'd call it an adventure / puzzle game I suppose, you explore a city painting on walls and solving environmental puzzles. Has a good story as well, and a great art style. Very relaxing game. Highly recommended, will most definitely be in my top 10 this year.
Man do I *LOVE* Puppeteer. Never even heard of Concrete Genie though. May have to check it out.

I'm playing Finny the Fish (PS2). I can swim around and eat other fish! :P
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jfissel
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by jfissel »

Finished: Ghost of Tsushima (platinum #69, nice)

Now Playing: Hmmm

Added to Backlog: Guacamelee 2, I Am Bread

Current Backlog: 35 games

Ghost is completed! I have like 20 banners and 2 crickets to find, but I'm calling it. Fantastic game, although I did have some minor nitpicks with button presses not being recognized. It's going to be in the running for my GOTY, no doubt.

Not sure what to play next. I do have to finish up the Detroit platinum, but I also have Cuphead, Guacamelee 2, and I Am Bread as recent purchases.
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argyle
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by argyle »

Phaseknox wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 3:56 am Did you ever finish Darksiders III, or The Outer Worlds? I remember that you were playing and liking them, but then you stopped talking about them.
Nope, another couple I need to get back to. Actually, I'm waiting to get back into The Outer Worlds once I have the Xbox Series X, because the load times are pretty nasty on that one - hoping that what they're saying is true & these new-fangled consoles drastically cut down on loads. I'm really close to the end of Darksiders 3, definitely plan to wrap it up before the end of the year.
Phaseknox wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 3:56 am It’s such a great game, one of my favorites from last gen and one of my favorite action RPGs in general. I hope that they make a sequel.
Yup, I loved it - think I 100%'d that one if I remember correctly (played it on the 360, so whatever their equivalent to a plat is :P ).
Phaseknox wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 3:56 am In other news, Amazon shows that they have Ary and the Secret of Seasons in stock now but they still haven’t shipped my copy. :|
I got SO mad at Amazon recently. I ordered that La Mulana 1&2 from them, and the only way it's sold is a CE in a cardboard box. They shipped it in a padded envelope, so naturally it was pretty dinged up by the time it got to me. I requested a exchange and let them know what the problem was. They sent out a replacement, this time in a NON-padded envelope. :| I can't make up stuff this stupid. So I requested a refund this time. I saw that GS had it for the same price (the only reason I ordered from Amazon in the first place was their reduced price on it) and they sent it in a nice box w/ plenty of packaging material - y'know, like you would EXPECT. I swear, I order stuff from Play-Asia all the time which is in Hong Kong, and they have WAY, WAY better customer service and do a better job of packaging and shipping things than Amazon even thinks of doing. I really want to kill my Prime when it comes up for renewal next year, the only reason I renewed this year is because my folks are using my account for streaming but I think I can get them using something else.

It didn't help any that I found out a couple days after all of this happened that Jeff Bezos had become the world's first $200-BILLIONaire.
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis

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canedaddy
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by canedaddy »

Amalur is one of my all-time favorites. So glad they're bringing it out for PS4 with new DLC next year.


Played recently: Dark Cloud 2

Finished: nothing

Added to backlog: nothing

Current backlog: 35 (14 PS4, 9 Vita, 7 3DS/2DS, 5 PS2)
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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

argyle wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 9:45 pmI got SO mad at Amazon recently. I ordered that La Mulana 1&2 from them, and the only way it's sold is a CE in a cardboard box. They shipped it in a padded envelope, so naturally it was pretty dinged up by the time it got to me. I requested a exchange and let them know what the problem was. They sent out a replacement, this time in a NON-padded envelope. :| I can't make up stuff this stupid. So I requested a refund this time. I saw that GS had it for the same price (the only reason I ordered from Amazon in the first place was their reduced price on it) and they sent it in a nice box w/ plenty of packaging material - y'know, like you would EXPECT. I swear, I order stuff from Play-Asia all the time which is in Hong Kong, and they have WAY, WAY better customer service and do a better job of packaging and shipping things than Amazon even thinks of doing.
I mostly buy music CDs and games from Amazon and my games usually arrive fine because they're sturdy plastic cases, but my music CDs often have broken/cracked jewel cases or somewhat smashed digipaks. This wouldn't be the case if they shipped them in cardboard boxes, but they're almost always shipped in either barely padded envelopes or non-padded plastic envelopes. There have been times in the past that my items were shipped in cardboard boxes if I ordered multiple items, but it didn't happen very often and hasn't happened for a while now.

I don't have Prime so I never know when Amazon is going to ship my orders, sometimes they're quick but more often they're not and I have to wait days until they're shipped and even longer until they actually arrive. For example, I ordered Trials of Mana days after Ary and the Secret of Seasons but I received Trials of Mana today and Ary and the Secret of Seasons still hasn't even shipped yet. :|

As much as I like owning physical copies of games, I admit that it's nice to buy them digitally and get them instantly as opposed to having to go to a store and buy them (which is a 30 mile roundtrip for me which is NOT convenient), or waiting days/weeks for them to arrive in the mail. I wanted to play Ary and the Secret of Seasons the day that it came out so I preordered it expecting to receive it at least close to its release date because I thought that was the whole point of preordering, but now it's basically been a full week since it came out and it hasn't even shipped yet. I could have been playing it the day that it came out if I bought it digitally. Another drawback to physical copies of games is that the disc drive in your console has to be working to play them, if it goes out then you're screwed unless you get it repaired or buy another console neither of which are a convenient option. The disc drive has basically gone out in my Xbox 360 rendering my huge library of physical games useless until I get it repaired, or replace the console. The disc drive also started going out in my PS4, it wouldn't read discs at all until I discovered a fix online that said to place the console upside down which worked. But how long is that going to last? If I could go back in time I would be digital only with my PS4 for these reasons, not to mention that digital versions of big retail released games sometimes go on sale for just a few bucks which the physical versions never do. But I like owning physical copies of big retail released games, so I often pay more for them.
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argyle
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by argyle »

BTW, I read a review last night from someone I trust who said that the Amalur "remaster" is more of just an upscaled port with very little changed. Well, very little good changed - apparently they introduced a lot of bugs. :( After reading that, I just ordered Tam an $8 copy of the 360 version off of eBay, since it's one of the games that's backwards compatible w/ the XBOne. Glad I read that before dropping $40 on the port. I'll just move what I put down on it at Gamestop over to the Mario 3D collection.

I was hoping they had put the same care into the remaster that they did with Saints Row The Third, since they're both put out by THQ, but I guess that's not the case.
"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed
if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I
became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the
desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis

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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 140: 9/5/20: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning/RPG Maker MV Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

argyle wrote: Tue Sep 08, 2020 2:33 amI read a review last night from someone I trust who said that the Amalur "remaster" is more of just an upscaled port with very little changed. Well, very little good changed - apparently they introduced a lot of bugs. :( After reading that, I just ordered Tam an $8 copy of the 360 version off of eBay, since it's one of the games that's backwards compatible w/ the XBOne.
Yeah, I skimmed several reviews for Re-Reckoning and they all basically said the same thing. Even though the last time that I played the original on my Xbox 360 and felt that it still looked/performed good, I was considering getting Re-Reckoning if its graphics and performance were greatly improved over the original which apparently isn’t the case so no thanks.
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