The Backlog Check-in Vol. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

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Phaseknox
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Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:20 pm

The Backlog Check-in Vol. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

Played: Undertale

Finished (playing): Undertale

Playing: ?

Added: Nothing

I haven’t been feeling very good, so I haven’t been in the mood to play anything. I was playing Undertale and somewhat enjoying it, but I stopped playing it because I’m not really feeling up to playing anything right now.

In other news, my landlord is selling her house that I’ve been renting the upstairs of so I have to be moved out by the end of the month. I’m moving in with my mom.

Games releasing this week
Another Dawn
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy
Bonkies
Butterfly
Caves and Castles: Underworld
Crashlands
Curious Expedition 2
Cyber Shadow
The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav
The Dark Eye: Memoria
Disjunction
Gods Will Fall
Golden Force
Heaven’s Vault
Hyposphere: Rebirth
Marchen Forest: Mylne and the Forest Gift
The Medium
Monstrum 2
Olija
The Pedestrian
Project Winter
Rangok Skies
Re:Zero: Starting Life in Another World
Rack N Ruin
Royal Tower Defense
Silver Chains
Sword of the Necromancer
TinyShot
Tohu
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crimson_tide
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

Post by crimson_tide »

Sorry to hear that, Phase. On both fronts. Moving SUCKS!!! I am curious about your thoughts on Undertale. All the indie cred that thing has built up hasn't really swayed me and I somehow know literally nobody who has played it. Earthbound is decidedly not my jam (but maybe after the retro DQ11 bits, I will have to go back...I really dig those). So your input would be welcome :) .

Played: FF7R, 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim, Sonic Generations, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo HD, Shadow of War, that Castlevania Collection game with Dracula as a kid that shoots fireballs and is after the alien thing that turned into the moon...I think?

Beat: Nothing

Probably Done With: Shadow of War...there's just too much. I liked Shadow of Mordor because it was pretty straightforward and the Nemesis system was actually a blast. Shadow of War just piles on too much. I was (and am still looking for) one of those types of Ps2/Ps3 big spectacle 10-25ish hour actiony games with light RPG mechanics...and Shadow of War is just too much like AC Odyssey for me to just pick up and play like that. I am glad for people who wanted more with that game but I kinda just wanted more Shadow of Mordor. I don't want to manage anything or seek out stuff for lore I really am not even a little invested in. So it's good but it's just not for me. Bummer.

So. FF7R. Tifa is my girl. Anybody say anything bad about Tifa and I will FIGHT YOU IN THE STREET!!! I didn't care for this last dungeon (running around some samey looking factory thing turning off lights...snore) but it was fine. The other Avalanche folks (especially Jessie) are pretty baller too and they are making me get through some of the kinda dull bits. Battle system is getting better too.

Now, let me tell y'all about the clearly greatest visual novel in all of creation, 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim. I am OBSESSED with this thing. It is a slow burn. Then the cat shows up. The game goes off the rails when the cat pops up. It's bonkers before that but this whole deal goes sideways and you NEED to know what is happening. Then you end up at the train platform and you're all like...yeah but WHY?!?! Oh, and I have to mention the girls' bathroom. You will HAVE to know what the hell went down in the girls's bathroom. The combat is fine. I get it but it's not the most visually stimulating tower defense thing ever created. But this story...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE play this game for the story. j, you can plat this thing in like a casual play through. Argyle, you like trippy anime bull****, don't lie :P . Phase, it's a really breezy play, like watching a movie and might help when you're in those moments you don't feel like doing much and you in particular will love the visual tone, trust me. old man, it's like nostalgic for you because you were actually in high school in 1985 (right?)...still, it's like mad nostalgic for you. izzy...c'mon, just take my word for it, you'll love it (just not for the gameplay).

There, I think I got everyone. Just PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give this thing a go when it's cheap and you are willing to take the chance on something way off the beaten path (it's just a visual novel with a tower defense bit to be perfectly honest). It's on the short side (I can't imagine it being more that 30 hours and I think that's really dragging it out). And you will love it...or at least appreciate it because it's going WAY WAY out there and trying what they are trying. I am going to finish it by next weekend but the time I have spent with it thus far has been more than worth it for me. I am going to cheat and put it on my GOTY list but man...it's just so GOOD at the thing it's doing.
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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

crimson_tide wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:55 amSorry to hear that, Phase. On both fronts. Moving SUCKS!!!
Thanks. Yeah, moving definitely sucks especially when you’re not feeling up to it.
crimson_tide wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:55 amI am curious about your thoughts on Undertale. All the indie cred that thing has built up hasn't really swayed me and I somehow know literally nobody who has played it.
Based on what I played of it it’s yet another overrated retro style indie game like so many tend to be IMO. While it has charm, humor and wit, it’s also quite obvious that it’s a one person developed home brew game. Basically, it has no production values whatsoever. Its graphics are about as rudimentary as 8-bit style graphics can get, and its gameplay is extremely basic. It’s more about the story and characters which are alright, but the writing can be pretty dumb at times as well. It’s the type of retro style home brew indie game that I only like to spend a couple of bucks on, I don’t feel that it was worth $10.
crimson_tide wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:55 amPhase, it's a really breezy play, like watching a movie and might help when you're in those moments you don't feel like doing much and you in particular will love the visual tone, trust me.
I definitely plan on getting it when it’s cheap.
crimson_tide wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:55 am old man, it's like nostalgic for you because you were actually in high school in 1985 (right?)...still, it's like mad nostalgic for you.
I was in high school in 1985, I think that cane was in college.
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argyle
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

Post by argyle »

Games added: Blasphemous, Senko no Ronde 2, maybe some more, it's been a minute

Last...whatever: Finished Immortals: Fenyx Rising (plat'd), played a bund of stuff that doesn't matter plus PERSONA 5 ROYAL

This week: PERSONA 5 ROYAL

So Immortals was a blast - enjoyed the heck out of it, hence I kept playing and nabbed the plat. Great open-world action/adventure. Recommended.

So then I was in the doldrums of trying to find something else to play & nothing really sticking. Tried a lot of stuff...was thinking about P5 Royal, but kept thinking that since Y's IX is coming out in a couple of weeks and I've been looking forward to that, I probably shouldn't get into another JRPG. But I'm also looking forward to P5 Strikers at the end of next month, because it's basically P5 Dynasty Warriors, but I started hearing that it's actually really story heavy like you would expect from a Persona and it takes place 6 months after P5 ends. So basically, I'll need to have played P5 first. Ok, fine, I'll give it a go - it didn't hook me the first time, but we'll see what happens now. C'mon game, impress me or something. :roll:

...
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I can't stop playing this game. Seriously, I don't know why it didn't click with me back when I originally tried it (the vanilla version, when it first came out) but it grabbed me almost instantly this time and has refused to let go. Everything is near-perfect - the characters and story are just phenomenal and really get you invested in everything that's going on. The graphics are simply incredible, and the game oozes style out of every single pore. Even the loading screens are super-slick. And the combat is very snappy and strategic. I also like that they've kept layering new elements on gradually to really build up your options without overwhelming you in the beginning. I'm in the second major dungeon now (just got my 5th party member) and I can't wait to play more. This will be my game for the foreseeable future.

BTW crim, I've had Aegis Rim in my backlog since it released. I'll move it up towards the top of the list. ;)

Phase, sorry to hear about your housing situation, but here's hoping this all turns out for the best for you. :)
"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. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

Post by canedaddy »

Phaseknox wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:18 pm I was in high school in 1985, I think that cane was in college.
Yep. Very impressive memory there! (Sorry about how you've been feeling and the move. That sucks. I mean SUCKS!!!!)

I'll definitely check out Aegis Rim at some point, just because it's Vanillaware.

And I guess I need to move P5 Royal into the must-play category.


Played recently: Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition, Super Mario Party

Finished: nothing

Added to backlog: nothing

Current backlog: 11 (9 PS4, 1 Vita, 1 Switch)

I'm in what I think is the last area of Divinity. A lot of big stuff has happened and tough decisions have been made. I'm glad I stuck with this one.

I also got my whole family playing Mario Party, which was hilarious. My wife, as I've said, doesn't play any videogames except Ribbit King, so she was pretty lost with some of the four-person co-op games and flailing around. :lol: I think she's on board now though.
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Phaseknox
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

Post by Phaseknox »

argyle wrote: Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:23 amPhase, sorry to hear about your housing situation, but here's hoping this all turns out for the best for you. :)
canedaddy wrote: Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:26 pmSorry about how you've been feeling and the move. That sucks. I mean SUCKS!!!!
Thanks. I’m moving in with my mom who has a three bedroom house, so it should be alright. Once I’m settled in I can start gaming again which usually helps put me in a better state of being.
Last edited by Phaseknox on Tue Jan 26, 2021 6:08 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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isthatallyougot
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

Post by isthatallyougot »

crimson_tide wrote: Sun Jan 24, 2021 9:55 am izzy...c'mon, just take my word for it, you'll love it (just not for the gameplay).
It sounds really interesting, but my PS4 is in storage at the moment. I'll keep it on my radar for sure though.
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Dragon kick your a$$ into the Milky Way!
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jfissel
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Location: Ohio

Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

Post by jfissel »

Finished: Donut County (platinum)

Now Playing: Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Maneater PS5

Added to Backlog: Donut County, Wattam

Current Backlog: 41 games

Late to the party this week. Put a few hours into Maneater (what a crazy game, lol) and then played a little more Valhalla while buying and then quickly beating Donut County.
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argyle
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Re: The Backlog Check-in Vol. 160: 1/23/21: Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy/The Medium Edition

Post by argyle »

Phaseknox wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 7:44 pm Finally...

I've been looking forward to this one for a long time, I hope it was worth the wait.
"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

Image
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