The Backlog Check-in Vol. 274: 4/1/23: GrimGrimoire OnceMore Edition

[isthatallyougot]

I have Crystalis on my little retro game console, and I plan on playing it. I started playing BloodRayne ReVamped, and it’s a really good remaster displayed in HD widescreen and running at 60fps. Like you I’ve been wanting to play more retro stuff lately, BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2 are a couple of my favorite third person action games from the past and I was really enjoying playing the first game again now. Unfortunately, my stump is hurting too much to play for very long. It only doesn’t hurt much when I lay in bed and don’t move it.

Just finished it up. Good game. Hopefully you can dig into your retro console once you're feeling better.

[jfissel]

I have Crystalis on my little retro game console, and I plan on playing it. I started playing BloodRayne ReVamped, and it’s a really good remaster displayed in HD widescreen and running at 60fps. Like you I’ve been wanting to play more retro stuff lately, BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2 are a couple of my favorite third person action games from the past and I was really enjoying playing the first game again now. Unfortunately, my stump is hurting too much to play for very long. It only doesn’t hurt much when I lay in bed and don’t move it.

Just finished it up. Good game. Hopefully you can dig into your retro console once you're feeling better.

I remember renting Crystalis several times from the local video store (probably Blockbuster, lol). I don't know how far we ever got though. Maybe it's worth a revisit since I love those old school RPGs.

Dang, sorry to hear about your setback, Phase...sending good vibes your way for speedy healing.

[Phaseknox]

Does anyone know how to contact crim, we need him back.

[isthatallyougot]

I remember renting Crystalis several times from the local video store (probably Blockbuster, lol). I don't know how far we ever got though. Maybe it's worth a revisit since I love those old school RPGs.

Renting at Blockbuster - those were the days. Yeah, if you like old-school Zelda / action RPGs, I'm sure you'd dig it.

Does anyone know how to contact crim, we need him back.

I probably offended him with my odor.

[crimson_tide]

Does anyone know how to contact crim, we need him back.

What're you on about, I've been here the whole time

Sorry if it seems like I flat left y'all, life got ridiculously busy in the new year. I have the 3 girls at home, my wife, I took on new responsibilities at work I should have thought more clearly about beyond 'well my students need this'. All of that lead to time just disappearing. So I have just been out of touch, sorry fam! I really feel for you Phase, I read through previous threads to get a sense (the old man reached out for me on PSN to give me the brief overview). All of that sounds awful though I am glad you are at least home now. I hope after this recent setback it's all smooth sailing for you going forward with this new situation!

Part of the reason I disappeared is because I have barely played anything. I made it through the 2b and 9s portions of Nier Automata. I'm at a part in the third run I hate where they keep taking abilities from me like JUMPING WHEN THEY WANT ME TO PLATFORM so I put it down, probably until summer. This year, I have only beaten Arkham Asylum, Arkham City and The Manhattan Project in the TMNT collection (the kiddo and I agreed this one was way too long). That was back in January. I just haven't had any real time.

For you DQ heads, I have made it about 20 hours into DQ8 on the 3DS. I always feel underpowered, underleveled, and underprepared for literally everything. DQ11 felt great all the way through and I know I am doing something wrong with DQ8. I am at a part where I just got a boat, I am sailing west to get at jester boy but I keep getting clobbered by a single enemy that uses gigaflash. Not cool but I will pick back up after spring break on the train next week. Any pointers on this game would be MUCH appreciated.

I gave up on my racing game quest pretty fast. Racing games are fun but not the way that fighters were. So I want to shift my focus this year to series. I have never actually played DMC so I downloaded the whole shebang straight through 5 yesterday. I have always been curious but needlessly concerned about the difficulty. I am going easy in all of them when I am given the chance. I tend to avoid character action because of difficulty but they look cool so I think I'm just going to go for it. I might even finally just give God of War a go.

Oh, j I bought Ishin! and started it. Probably saving it for my summer game. I made it through chapter 2. Good stuff though I really don't like having to deal with blacksmithing/crafting most of the time (DQ11, strangely I was fine with). And izzy, I keep ALMOST buying that SNK collection just to play Crystalis again. I LOVE Crystalis, was the first action rpg I ever beat, I was obsessed with its ridiculously obtuse puzzles and the whole 'NES you must talk to everyone before you can move on' nonsense. Such a cool game.

I am going to make it a goal to check in at least weekly, fam. Hope all's well with the rest of the crew!

PS- Very, very late 2022 GOTY incoming by the end of the week (Lost Judgment and I have unsettled business...) !

[jfissel]

For you DQ heads, I have made it about 20 hours into DQ8 on the 3DS. I always feel underpowered, underleveled, and underprepared for literally everything. DQ11 felt great all the way through and I know I am doing something wrong with DQ8. I am at a part where I just got a boat, I am sailing west to get at jester boy but I keep getting clobbered by a single enemy that uses gigaflash. Not cool but I will pick back up after spring break on the train next week. Any pointers on this game would be MUCH appreciated.

Oh, j I bought Ishin! and started it. Probably saving it for my summer game. I made it through chapter 2. Good stuff though I really don't like having to deal with blacksmithing/crafting most of the time (DQ11, strangely I was fine with).

I don't remember a lot of DQ8, haven't played it in a long, long time.

And don't worry about crafting stuff - I have only done that a few times and it's been unnecessary for anything but completion %. Though targeting some weapons with great stats/abilities might be useful for a minimum experience in that shop. People are saying that crafting all the weapons to get 100% completion and the platinum trophy takes forever due to money and item grinding...not my jam, so I'll skip a lot of that.

[canedaddy]

For you DQ heads, I have made it about 20 hours into DQ8 on the 3DS. I always feel underpowered, underleveled, and underprepared for literally everything. DQ11 felt great all the way through and I know I am doing something wrong with DQ8. I am at a part where I just got a boat, I am sailing west to get at jester boy but I keep getting clobbered by a single enemy that uses gigaflash. Not cool but I will pick back up after spring break on the train next week. Any pointers on this game would be MUCH appreciated.

Thanks for checking in! Like j I played DQ8 a long, long time ago. I think of it as my favorite in the series (maybe because it was my first?) but I do recall having to grind a bit because I was getting my butt handed to me.

Sounds like izzy, who thought DQXI was too easy, would really enjoy it.


On the gaming front, I'm in a rut... not feeling too excited about playing anything I own.

A friend just told me the Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order game is great. Any of you guys played it?

[isthatallyougot]

I am going to make it a goal to check in at least weekly, fam. Hope all's well with the rest of the crew!

Great to see you make an appearance. I hope you can stick around from time to time. Our tiny community is already on life support. I hope life grants you some more time to game, if that's what you'd like to do. 4 girls and one dude in the house, oh my! (or did I misunderstand and your wife is one of the 3?) Either way.

Sounds like izzy, who thought DQXI was too easy, would really enjoy it.

That's what I was thinking. (I'd still be open to going back to XI with some modifiers, knowing what I know from having played it once too.)

[Phaseknox]

I really feel for you Phase, I read through previous threads to get a sense (the old man reached out for me on PSN to give me the brief overview). All of that sounds awful though I am glad you are at least home now. I hope after this recent setback it's all smooth sailing for you going forward with this new situation!

Thanks, and welcome back. I really screwed up by falling and breaking open the incision on my amputated stump, my doctor put it back together but yesterday when I saw him it had some discharge and was somewhat red and swollen. He’s afraid that it could get infected, so he put me on antibiotics and told me to keep my stump elevated at all times which isn’t easy. I’ve been spending so much time in bed that I might as well still be in the hospital.

This year, I have only beaten Arkham Asylum, Arkham City and The Manhattan Project in the TMNT collection

That’s more than I’ve finished this year, I haven’t finished anything. I’ve barely played anything because I’ve been in the hospital and rehab most of the year, and now I’m basically laid up. I started playing BoodRayne ReVamped which I’ve been enjoying, but I can’t play for very long until I need to lay in bed again.

I am going to make it a goal to check in at least weekly, fam.

Yay!

Very, very late 2022 GOTY incoming by the end of the week

Yay!