Backlog 2019

[ryume]

Spoiler:

I think Alfin is probably my favorite female character. So much so that I wouldn’t mind if Rean ended up marrying her at all haha. I actually kind of wanted the dance to be exactly what everyone was speculating it was going to be... until Alfin made her little announcement. I ADORE her voice actress (who is also the same voice actress for Fie, FYI, AND she voiced a main character in FE:TH), and yes, she is incredibly strong, especially for a princess. Her and Olivert are probably my 2 overall favorites of the series. And yes, it again seems out of character making her swoon on demand. I feel it would have been more fitting for someone to have to hold her down from going ballistic on those that took her loved ones away from her. Blegh.

I DO love Rean, but I’m unsettled because I really don’t know where he will end up as a person (not that I doubt it won’t be as someone who is inherently good/kind/just, because it nothing else, he WILL be all of those things since he already IS), if that makes sense. I love him though, damaged goods and all. They made him look so much more handsome and mature in this entry, too. Your analysis of Rean is rather elegant, by the way. You’ve always had a lovely way with words, though

Your resentment is perfectly understandable. Overall, the story is reasonably well-crafted, and you, as am I, are INCREDIBLY invested in these characters. It’s aggravating to see them fall victim to lazy plot devices, poor writing or become scapegoats out of left field BECAUSE we love them so much. At least that’s what I think.

[Kikki]

Aw...wow. That was an awesome unexpected compliment; thank you I tend to wax long over characters I'm really invested in.

None of this is very spoilery, but still...

Spoiler:

I felt the same way about the dance. The only actual open, confirmed romantic options you have for Rean in CS III are Alisa, Laura and Emma, and I prefer Alfin for Rean over any of those three, tbh. (I like all the girls in Class VII but honestly I don't feel any chemistry in that relationship. Especially with Emma. Fie would be a slightly more interesting choice, as would Juna. The problem is that Rean doesn't really show more interest in one girl over any of the others, though it's written in such a way as to make it clear that the default option is really Alisa, of course. Of the three, I'd go for Laura. Though I best like Sara as a match for Rean, tbh, and after her, Claire, who has already been written entirely out of the bonding options.) Also, all of those things I said about Rean are why I don't entirely begrudge him his already enormous and ever-growing harem. Because he really IS oblivious to it, and that is entirely within character for him, imo. He thinks so little of himself that he can't really believe any woman thinks he's special. Even Musse, who is as subtle as a rhino. He knows he's being flirted with, but he thinks it's a joke, teasing, or maybe even outright mockery. (I hate Musse's name, btw. It's the spelling. It looks like it should be pronounced 'mussy' or 'moose', or 'mewse' to me. It's only subtly different, but I'd have preferred Musé.)

Though it was laid on so thick at times that the harem thing got sickening. I just didn't resent Rean and his obliviousness for it. (Also, what was with girls seeing Rean together with a guy, just standing around in public talking casually together, and assuming it was something romantic? I was fine with the assumptions when Alfin/Elise got silly at the end of CS I about who Rean chooses for his bonding event if it happens to be one of the guys, but just for standing around talking to a student at arm's length? That's stretching the believable beyond my ability to follow it.)

I want Rean to end up a happy, stable man at the end of all this. Engaged or dating, having FINALLY accepted that someone actually loves him enough to make him their #1, and with a job he loves and is well-regarded for. But I suspect he's going to end up a wandering do-gooder, perhaps a bit like his master, Yun Ka-fai.

You'd think the fact that Yun Ka-fai chose REAN to be the final blade of the Eight Leaves would instill him with some sense of value. I mean, Cassius Bright and Arios MacLaine were options, but he chose Rean. Please reflect on how special that makes you, Rean. It's not even because of your sword skill (imo)...it's because of your inner light. A purity of heart that the other two men just don't have. "...become that flashing blade which illuminates the darkness..."

It just makes me really sad sometimes that his self-regard is so fragile.

I think Falcom has the intention of ending each arc of the series on a more-or-less happy note for key characters. Hopefully I'm not wrong about that.

[Kikki]

Double post because this is completely separate from before and possibly of interest to some people, as I have now 'played' Ring Fit Adventure and I know a few have been curious about it.

The game seems to have received an update or two, because it now asks your weight (it also asks your region to find out if you want miles or kilometers, and pounds or kilograms.) Unlike Wii Fit, it does NOT tell you you're too fat or too thin...there is no commentary on your weight. It just says 'Okay!' and continues on. This makes sense to me. How could it possibly calculate your calorie expenditure without knowing your weight? Anyway! My overall conclusion is that I quite like it...it was fun. Rather than getting on a treadmill or elliptical or other cardio machine, using Ring Fit feels a bit like having a workout buddy...like someone easy-going and (protectively) supportive is doing the workout WITH you. That was my feeling, anyway.

Though I'm an oddball, so my opinion will have different value depending on the situations of others. Here's my general health/fitness history, to provide context, if needed. If not needed, just skip it!

Spoiler:

I LIKE working out. Even if my muscles are hurting and I'm gasping and feel like I'm gonna be sick, I STILL like it. So I guess anyone who hates to work out would need to take my opinion with a big grain of salt. I used to be really fit. 8-9 years ago (I'm 41, btw) I was doing 10 hours of working out every week...5 hours of interval running and 5 of weight training in winter. (And loads of cycling instead of the interval running every day in the warm weather.) But because I have chronic inflammatory issues and multiple sclerosis...which seems to cause some kind of nerve malfunction or something that easily creates pain feedback even when nothing's actually wrong...it's been a long time since I've been able to exercise intensely. In fact for several years, any muscular exertion caused me a LOT of pain for weeks afterward.

In other words, I'm pretty wildly out of shape, now. Also because of previous damage I have some annoying spinal issues (on top of naturally low blood pressure) and become dizzy quite easily. And my motor control on the left side of my body is permanently not at 100%, so I tend to be muscularly a bit shaky on that side, both in arm and leg. You can't tell when I'm just walking around normally because it's not bad enough to hinder basic movement, but if I'm moving fast or vigorously (aka: exercising) it starts to become noticeable. I'm also horribly uncoordinated, just naturally...like pretty much every member of my dad's side of the family.

On the 'good' side, I tend to be unusually flexible. (Though it's actually not really a good thing...it tends to lead to injuries because I overstretch without realizing that I am doing so.)

And this was my experience with the game.

Spoiler:

The 'game' asked me some questions and assessed me at a '10' for difficulty, and I think it goes up to 30. I only finished two levels and half of the third, because I ran into an exercise that might not be very good for me...I can't really lower my head a lot when exercising or I get really dizzy. (I also tend to over-exert myself even when told not to...and the game DOES continually tell you not to overdo it, and to be careful of your posture, and have some water. It even tells you to go change your clothes before the cool-down portion at the end if you've gotten sweaty, cuz it doesn't want you to catch a chill!) So sitting on the floor and then getting up again right away with my pulse accelerated made me feel REALLY sick, and I had to quit, lol. Once I get used to it that will probably ease off and eventually even vanish, but to begin with I probably need to minimize the use of that exercise. Which you can do! You can actually choose the type of exercises used in each 'battle'.

Which really helps if you have specific circumstances, like a bad joint or etc.

The joy-con's ability to take your pulse seems to work really well, but do as it says and don't press too hard; it takes your pulse more accurately if you simply set your thumb securely but gently over the sensor, rather than pressing it down onto it.

Also, I used the game on 'silent' mode because I'm upstairs and my sister sleeps until noon most days. :rolleyes: You flex your knees repeatedly to bob up and down in place on silent mode, rather than running in place. I thought it might be super wimpy, but it actually works surprisingly well. You can get quite tired doing it, if you're following Tipp's motions and doing the flexing at the right pace and depth.

'Game'-wise...well, it feels much more like a workout program than a game. However you could probably MAKE it feel more game-like by really paying attention to extras. For example, there tend to be coins and boxes around. You have to press in on the ring-con to shoot out a blast of air, to break boxes, and pull out on the ring con to turn it into a vacuum, to suck up coins that are lying to to the sides of the path. You also seem to have a higher and lower path, and it's slightly more difficult to stay on the upper path because you have to remember to point the ring-con downward and squeeze the sides in to shoot out a blast of air to propel you upwards over gaps in the path, if you want to stay on the upper level. Otherwise you'll end up falling to the lower one. So if you pay attention to breaking crates and getting coins and stuff, it's a bit more game-like.

If anyone has specific questions about how Ring Fit works, go ahead and ask me. But I think this is WAY too long already

[Samansu]

Oh nice Kikki! I went ahead and bought it too since it was on sale, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet since I know set up takes a while.

Did you feel like it actually is a workout? Where would you put it as a workout in a normal exercise regimen? I am wildly out of shape as well and looking to ease back into working out. I have never been huge on working out, but have enjoyed swimming and yoga in the past so I know I CAN enjoy exercise if it is something I'm interested in. I'm glad this is a more aerobic program and that there is a buddy with you to encourage.


How is the resistance of the band? Does it feel solid and durable? Is it pretty hard to pull out/push in? Does the leg strap stay in place well for you?

Sorry for all the questions!

[Kikki]

Set up is actually quite fast! You can be working out within five minutes of starting the program. You don't need very much space, either. Just a foot or two of space on each side of you.

If you are very fit, Ring Fit is probably a bit too light. Not WAY too light, but more something you'd use on an off day than as a regular thing. But anything less than that, and it's quite a workout. I was only on a 10, but it was pretty intense...my heart rate was at 150. I would honestly suggest a difficulty of just 1 for anyone who has never worked out or whose last regular workouts were a few years in the past.

The ring is VERY resilient, but has lots of tension. It will tire your arms out to push or pull on it repeatedly, for sure. The game tests your pushing and pulling strength with it at the beginning, so even if you're really weak, it'll take that into account and won't make you push or pull as hard in the regular exercises. The band stays in place very well if you're wearing clothing where it is placed (even if it's slippery lyrca/spandex) but is a bit slippy if you put it on bare skin.

It's not as demanding as interval running, or biking up a big hill, cardiovascularly speaking. (I have at times in the sadly departed past done VERY INTENSE cardio workouts. I can't do high-impact, any more, though. I have to avoid impact as much as possible, and Ring Fit does allow for that.) And it's not like lifting weights...you're MUCH more likely to tighten up than bulk out. But it's definitely quite a lot of exercise, and if you put it on max difficulty I think it'd be sufficient to work out even someone fairly fit, on a cardio level. And it'd be quite toning, muscularly-speaking, like a body weight workout. (You could also potentially use strap-on weights around your wrists and ankles to increase the difficulty if you got fairly fit and started to find it too easy even on higher difficulty levels. And even then you still wouldn't bulk...it' just be toning.)

Honestly I'd say it's a great workout to train general, every-day fitness, to just lift your overall health. It'll increase your cardiovascular ability and tone you up with even fifteen or so minutes a day. I'd start on the lowest difficulty to begin with, and don't do too many levels at once...only the first three levels your first time, I'd say, and answer all the questions with the least fit options so that you get the lower difficulty (you can manually adjust the difficulty in the menu, though.)

I really enjoyed that Ring Fit felt like it cared about me, lol. Between Tipp and Ring, I felt like I had a somewhat silly big bro doting on me, telling me to go a bit slower (I tend to exercise too hard if I'm not monitored.) and to have some water and to change out of my sweaty clothes right away, lol.

Nah, bring on the questions!

[Bluie]

Still plugging away at Atelier Ryza. Got my full party right now and my secret hideout is starting to come together. It's been a really fun romp so far. It feels like Atelier but also doesn't at the same time. I like this new direction the series is leaning into.

And while the graphics are gorgeous, I gotta say that OST is really standout this time. Atelier OSTs are really good all the time, but the dungeon themes are killing it this time around. It's also a really nice touch that there's night variants for all themes outside the hideout. It kinda tickles my Xenoblade 2 bone juuuust a tad.

This and this are my personal favourites out of the OST so far. They're day variants of two dungeons, and their night variants are nice too.

I'm also really digging the new battle system. Once you get the hang of it and figure out what character you like playing as, you can unleash crazy combos and watch the carnage unfold. I killed one of the superbosses last night by the skin of my teeth and it was SO much fun to pull off. Can't wait til I reach the point where I can make the best bombs and blow everything away. >:3

Sidenote: I found further customization in Fitness Boxing recently. You can change the punches to different elements/items and you can choose any background from any workout. This is in free mode (which I use) and I enjoy using steel punches because they give off a satisfying blacksmith hammer noise and spark.


anddddhhhhh9daystilpokemon. It is getting REAL hard to ignore the leakers. I did see the starter evos though and uh... I'm no longer team Soble. Scorbunny all the way!

[Samansu]

Thanks so much Kikki! I'm gonna get set up and start tomorrow morning. I will definitely be starting at the lowest levels and working up. I wanna work up to 30 minutes with it a day, but will be starting slow. The first 3 levels sounds about right for day one. I'll let you know how it goes!

Bluie that's cool that you found more customization! I bet the metal sound is really satisfying.

[Kikki]

So Ryza really does feel different from the usual Atelier, huh? Hmm, interesting...

But it's still very slice-of-life, right? And the alchemy is about the same?

~

Don't feel bad if you do the first workout and then are too sore to do another the very next day! Even on a really low difficulty. It actually makes your muscles pretty shaky afterward since you're in almost constant motion (the only time you're not moving is when you finish a level and return to the world map to select the next level...you get a slightly longer break if you test your pulse at the end of each level, which I would advise doing rather than skipping) so there's potential for a lot of soreness at first. Once the initial soreness wears off it's probably a lot easier to do every day

Good luck with it! I thought it was quite fun and look forward to doing more. I just hope that weird nerve pain or whatever it is doesn't decide to kick back in. (The docs say it's fairly typical when you have MS but they don't know what it actually IS.) I seem to be able to get that any time my muscles do any work at all...it's like they misunderstand simple use and think they're actually damaged. -_- Stupid things. (Though it's actually my brain that causes the trouble; I shouldn't blame the muscles.)

[Samansu]

Thanks so much! I definitely will try not to push myself too hard. Hopefully my body will acclimate quickly lol.

I just wanna say it's awesome that you are trying and doing it with the nerve pain you have. That definitely can't be easy. I certainly hope it decides to leave you be so you can keep going. It can't be easy when you have that. It's not the same, but I've got a friend with ALS and she is in a similar boat and unable to do any exercise beyond walking her dog really.

[Bluie]

It starts out slice of life and then goes into being a full plot. The first goal is for Ryza, Lent, and Tao to master their respective interests with the help of Empel and Lila. Then the goal is to convince Klaudia's dad to let her join the party, and the once Lila and Empel join your party, it shifts to the actual plot. It kinda feels like a summer vacation that transitioned into serious business.

You can however, still take as much time as you want to move the plot forward. There's a lot of gathering, synthesizing, quests, and treasure hunts to keep you occupied if you're not ready to go kick the next boss to the curb.

The battles being active now also add a new flare, especially when an enemy starts charging their super move and you gotta work on stunning it before you all die.



Its going to be weird going back to Lulua (I skipped it for now) after I finish Ryza.....

[Kikki]

Battles are active? Like...not turn-based? If so, that's a HUGE difference! And plot being big is a little different, too. But you like it okay? Not missing previous conventions that have shifted in a new direction?

~

Thanks, Samansu I feel bad for your friend! ALS is way, WAY worse than MS. Well, ime, anyway. (Admittedly if you have very aggressive progressive MS, it's pretty grim...my neighbour was in that situation.) It's great that she can still walk her dog; I hope she's one of the cases where the progression is slower and they live quite a while. I mean, Hawking had ALS for over fifty years and lived into his 70's!

MS can shorten your lifespan a bit, indirectly, since you're less able to exercise and more prone to accidents like falling, and choking, but other than a few interesting challenges like suddenly finding you can't make your arm work properly, for me it hasn't been that big of a deal. (Honestly having your limbs go wonky is entertaining, at times. I once moved to pick up the shampoo off a shelf while showering, and instead of reaching forward, I poked myself in the eye. I still wonder if I startled anyone when they heard me burst out laughing while in the shower. I knew my arm wasn't working right, but I didn't expect it to go in the exact opposite direction of where I was aiming!) I honestly have a VERY, almost freakishly stable case. The chronic inflammation or nerve problems or whatever it is seems to cause me more trouble than anything else.

I love to exercise so I hope this will work out. But I have to be sensible, so I think I'll turn the difficulty down manually next time, and avoid or modify any exercises that make me sit or lie on the ground. At least to start with!

[Samansu]

Thanks, Samansu I feel bad for your friend! ALS is way, WAY worse than MS. Well, ime, anyway. (Admittedly if you have very aggressive progressive MS, it's pretty grim...my neighbour was in that situation.) It's great that she can still walk her dog; I hope she's one of the cases where the progression is slower and they live quite a while. I mean, Hawking had ALS for over fifty years and lived into his 70's!

Well thank you. Most fortunately though she has an almost freakishly stable case of ALS. She has not progressed any further into the degeneration for a few years now. She has wrist and ankle weakness an has lost full mobility of her hands, but she is doing fantastically overall and has no trouble working at our job which requires lots of typing. Hopefully it stays just like it is and your MS doesn't progress either!

OMG that shower story is kinda hilarious in a black comedy way. I don't blame you for laughing because I would have! XD Better to find humor in things like that.

For sure! Lower the difficulty and make any accommodations you need. I'm sure you can find a comfortable way to do a similar movement without having to sit on the ground or lie down. Maybe you could use your couch or bed? Idk where you are doing the exercise, but maybe being able to sit or lie on a higher surface would help?

[Kikki]

Thanks, Samansu I feel bad for your friend! ALS is way, WAY worse than MS. Well, ime, anyway. (Admittedly if you have very aggressive progressive MS, it's pretty grim...my neighbour was in that situation.) It's great that she can still walk her dog; I hope she's one of the cases where the progression is slower and they live quite a while. I mean, Hawking had ALS for over fifty years and lived into his 70's!

Well thank you. Most fortunately though she has an almost freakishly stable case of ALS. She has not progressed any further into the degeneration for a few years now. She has wrist and ankle weakness an has lost full mobility of her hands, but she is doing fantastically overall and has no trouble working at our job which requires lots of typing. Hopefully it stays just like it is and your MS doesn't progress either!

OMG that shower story is kinda hilarious in a black comedy way. I don't blame you for laughing because I would have! XD Better to find humor in things like that.

For sure! Lower the difficulty and make any accommodations you need. I'm sure you can find a comfortable way to do a similar movement without having to sit on the ground or lie down. Maybe you could use your couch or bed? Idk where you are doing the exercise, but maybe being able to sit or lie on a higher surface would help?

Poking yourself in the eye out of the blue is always at least a bit funny, imo You do a lot of funny things when the signals between your brain and your muscles are shooting off haywire! I lost a shoe a few times by accident; flip-flops are easy to put on but they're not a great idea when your leg is basically doing whatever the heck it wants to rather than what you TELL it to. I've also kicked myself in the leg a few times, and stepped on my own toes. It's very goofy. It doesn't happen often, though; in all these 15+ years I've only had three definite attacks. (It's not always possible to tell for sure when you're having one since the symptoms can be weird or subtle, but sometimes it's unmistakable.) Glad your friend is stable!

Yeah, I was considering putting a bench in place. It's probably my just low-blood pressure that is mostly responsible for the dizziness...you have to be more careful of it when you're exerting yourself, or so I find. The exercise should be just as effective even if done on a bench instead of the floor. I'm bad at being reasonable when it comes to exercise...I'm the go big or go home type...but it works out a lot better for me if I'm sensible. So I'll reduce the difficulty for sure, since I'll probably be more successful in the long run, that way.

[Bluie]

Battles are active? Like...not turn-based? If so, that's a HUGE difference! And plot being big is a little different, too. But you like it okay? Not missing previous conventions that have shifted in a new direction?

Yeah, your party auto attacks and will do different actions based on their role(attacker, support, ect), tactics level, and mode(negative or aggressive). There is still a wait bar on the side (that dictates when everyone auto acts) and attacking normally builds up a gauge. If you build it up enough you can use it for skills or to raise the tactics level (which lets you attack more and do more damage). Every character can carry items (bombs, healing, ect) but it's determined by their weapon (slots) and dexterity (strong enough to wield it). Items aren't bound by the gauge, but rather a usage counter that will go dry if you spam them. You can get the counter back by sacrificing items that will be unusable until you exit the dungeon back to your hideout.

ALSO, your party members will ask you to do specific actions (Use a Skill, Use an items, buff/debuff, ect) and it you do what they want, it sets off combos. The higher your tactics level, the more damage you'll do, and the more likely your party members will pull off finishing moves (which damage the enemy or heal party members).

To top it off, if you have at least a count of 10 in the gauge, you can pause the battle for a quick attack, letting you choose either a skill or an item as a follow up attack. This is really fun to spam in certain situations and IMPERATIVE to stop enemy ultimate attacks. Both you and the enemy have stun bars under their health

In boss fights, you want to raise the tactics level to the highest level (five iirc), then pull off combos, wait for the ultimate attack to start charging, then stun the boss and wail on it with more combos.

It flows really well and it a lot of fun once you have your team figure out. I don't really miss the turnbased formula too much as most of the Atelier games had actionbased commands in them (using an extra item or switching out party members or follow up attacks). You just have to pay attention now as the battle only pauses for quick attacks lol.

[ryume]

I'm really glad I managed to finish ToCS before returning to work, but now it's left me feeling oddly empty in terms of gaming. I'm lackluster about playing anything, probably because Falcom games are never for the faint of heart

Been puttering around in the Switch version of DQXI finally. It's a much more relaxing experience since I know everything that happens, so I'm just meandering and taking in the sights, compared to when I played it on initial release on PS4 and had that sense of urgency because I'm always impatient to see what happens next Also enjoying the addition of the Japanese voice cast - Erik (my favorite) is voiced by the same seiyuu as Rean Schwarzer - just can't seem to get away from Class VII LOL. Sadly, the camera work still makes me incredibly nauseous on Switch like it did on PS4