Backlog 2021

[cinnamon_yuki]

@Kikki:

I would be a bit bias but I find Dimitri x Byleth was very interesting because the relationship flows naturally between them throughout the story. But of course, choose whoever you like best!

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Read Chapter 5 of Errant Kingdom, Ambassador route last night and we're moving to romance territory now that we decided who to pursue and the plot thickens a bit in this Chapter. I expect that the next chapter will be more plot related. I really need to start on my Knight and Nomad route with the same RO because they have different scenarios for each route.

In my CP2077 playthrough, I finally decided to take one of the Cyberpsycho gig. At least, it's less creepy than the other one. That will stay with me forever!

[Bluie]

(More yelling.)

SKREE. It happened again. I did not touch the event, I left main quest on for assurance and I got BOOTED out of the bounty I was doing because somebody is just...COMING ON IN! AHHHH. Fff. I may need to take a break from Genshin. (At least until the event is over...)

Yep. Event is still wack. I managed to get enough of the currency to get the last two pieces of refinement material for the event sword, and then I was practically forced to leave via glitches. Matched with a person whos world was level 2, so me and the other world 4-5ers murdered the demon plant with no problems until the battle literally got stuck on phase one and no way to proceed other than die. So yeah, I dipped and I'm not playing again until after the event is over. Heck, I might not play again until the next banner.

[Kikki]

Sorry you guys are having trouble with the new stuff in Genshin Impact; doesn't sound like fun.

~

Slow characters (with small movement range) are USELESS in FE:TH, I've gotta say. I did the battle between all three houses, I think it was chapter...7? Dedue, Annette and Mercedes were all 100% useless. They can move such tiny amounts that by the time they GOT anywhere, the battle was already over.

What is even the point of any character who can only move three spaces in any direction? I must have to change their classes or give them some kind of range accessory or something, because as it is, I have no reason to use them in any battle that isn't clustered in one smaller area. They're all useful enough if they ever somehow manage to come into range of an enemy, but in that battle, none of the three of them ever so much as scratched an enemy because they were way back crawling their way forward from the starting area. It was annoying and hilarious at the same time. And the class I have Dedue as has about 2 more movement spaces than he did in the other class I tried him in, lol. I guess it's all this heavy armor, but man, if he ever actually reaches anyone, he caves their poor little heads in, in one smash.

Still, if he can never get to them, it's pointless. Dimitri is screaming across the landscape at warp speed, and Byleth isn't far behind, with Sylvain, Ingrid, Felix, Ferdinand, Catherine, Shamir...everybody else is so much faster to move.

[Bluie]

There are some maps in FE:3H where you're not gonna want everyone charging ahead. Sometimes you need an immovable wall to block enemy reinforcements or somebody nearby other enemies to focus on them instead of whoever you're working on moving ahead. You're still early game so the maps a pretty much 'run to the boss', but it may not always be that way.

With that being said, if you want to change your characters into other classes you'd prefer, go for it. 'Pony Emblem' is a known meme in the fandom due to players constantly reclassing all their units to cavalry classes 1. Because of mobility and weapon variety and 2. because they can. Obviously an entire party being pony riders has it's drawbacks, but it's highly doable lol. Annette and Mercedes are good with magic, so maybe look into making them into Mortal Savants OR make one of them your Dancer, which is an event you'll trigger in a certain chapter. With Dedue, I've had him work really well as a Wyvern Rider, so maybe that's more your thing.

However, depending on how many characters you end up recruiting, some characters are going to be benched regardless. When you get it unlocked, you can slap some characters onto another's battalion for more support and stats, but honestly, if someone isn't working for you, don't be afraid to bench them. I honestly never used Mercedes because she was always heavily outclassed by everyone else.

[PeachyKeen]

i've been getting back into playing my switch after leaving it for hiatus for MONTHS on end (oops). this is the first year i've actually had a backlog, but im glad my switch is getting the love it deserves this year. that being said, my backlog isn't huge, but here it is!

backlog/games i haven't started;
-coffee talk
-code: realize
-spiritfarer

games i'm currently playing/have started;
-rf4s
-tales of vesperia
-tokyo mirage sessions#fe

rf4s, i'm trying to get my file to the point where i can marry all the candidates so i can see their newlywed modes. im really struggling with bad luck crafting haha.
tales of vesperia is phenomenal, but im such a completionist with the side quests the game doesn't prompt you about that i don't play unless im hunkering down for hours with a guide.
tms#fe i just kinda stopped playing, but its a super cool game

[Ronin19]

backlog/games i haven't started;
-coffee talk
-code: realize
-spiritfarer

games i'm currently playing/have started;
-rf4s
-tales of vesperia
-tokyo mirage sessions#fe

I haven't played Code: Realize, but those are all great games! I hope you enjoy them when you finish them.

I managed to beat the first boss of Lost Odyssey. I was gonna show my boyfriend how stupidly hard it was, but then I beat him. I was so happy and dumbfounded that it went down because I was sure I was gonna have to start over again.

[Harvest Moon kawaii]

I beat the first boss in Paper Mario: The Origami King.

[Kikki]

Wonder what it would have been like to play this game a year or so ago, when it was still current. I don't really want to bring too long of a conversation about an old game into the thread, so I'll put my stuff in spoilers now to put it more out of the way.

Spoiler:

A bunch of my characters are getting into the 'Advanced' stage now. So far I've just let them be whatever they drift toward, but so many of them wanna be Paladins, it seems. I think Felix wants to be a 'Mortal Savant', though I've no idea what that is, lol. Maybe somethinig with magic, since Felix somehow developed magical abilities. How'd he do that? I don't think Byleth told him to! Well, just as long as he doesn't wanna be a Paladin.

Anyway, it makes me laugh how in this game, so many of the bonding (support) events are the characters fighting with each other, and noooooot in a cute or sweet way, but genuinely angry/at loggerheads. That seems to be a Japanese thing, though...they think that you fight is 'proof that you're close', as far as I can tell. Not really a concept I enjoy. Though the supports between Felix and Ashe are gold, so far. Actually, all of Ashe's scenes seem unusually interesting. Felix's interaction with Ingrid are very harsh, though it's neat that they've made them so convincing.

I don't know why every time they level up, they all say 'this sucks' or 'I'm a terrible example to others' or 'this is the worst' or stuff like that. Why are they complaining about levelling up??

I figure I'll go for Dimitri, since playing Blue Lions is the only time that's possible. If I want Ferdinand or Sylvain or Felix (that prickly bugger) or Linhardt or Lorenz, that'd be easy enough in another route, if I end up doing one some time. I can see playing other routes later, but not repeating the same one just to marry someone different when marriage isn't even much of a deal in this game, as far as I can tell.

At least the game is pretty easy, so far. I get sick of doing battles when I have do them several weeks in a row, but overall the balance of the game seems really good.

Catherine and Shamir have been awesome. Though I bet now that my own kids are getting into the Advanced classes, I won't need to use them as much. It's unfortunate though that every time I think of Shamir, I think 'Shamir Shamazel', the ridiculous, derpily evil genie who gets drunk from eating mints, from King's Quest IV (a game from 1992, and my favourite in the series.)

[Ronin19]

I'm about ready to throw in the towel for Lost Odyssey as well. I like the story, characters, gameplay, and music better than Blue Dragon, but the first few bosses are awful. It's widely accepted that the first three bosses are tough and then the game gets easier. So, basically, after the first 5 hours roughly of the game, I can start to really enjoy it. How is that fun?

The first boss killed me 4 times, the second one killed me once, and then I fight the third right after the second boss with no time to really heal and it kills me. How is this fun? A strategy is involved with killing the bosses, which I understand; most JRPGs and RPGs, in general, have some form of strategy for killing bosses as opposed to simple monsters. The first shop is back in the first town and I haven't had a chance to backtrack. I would have to go back so far for healing items and to be healed.

[Mikodesu]

Yep. Event is still wack. I managed to get enough of the currency to get the last two pieces of refinement material for the event sword, and then I was practically forced to leave via glitches. Matched with a person whos world was level 2, so me and the other world 4-5ers murdered the demon plant with no problems until the battle literally got stuck on phase one and no way to proceed other than die. So yeah, I dipped and I'm not playing again until after the event is over. Heck, I might not play again until the next banner.

Ugh. D: Sorry to hear match making is still bugged. At least you held in there to get the sword upgrades! It must all be something with online because I never had the boss glitch in single player. (Hit box issues, but...that's another thing.)

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I can confirm Link Between Worlds is a fantastic pick up and play! (As if that needed confirming. lol) Difficulty is a personal thing, but...being able to turn on the game and have map markers for dungeons I haven't finished and just...go! Do! Excellent! If you did part of a dungeon and left, though...« Harvest Goddess » speed. At least dungeons are short.

And in Ring Fit news...the velcro straps on the ring-con wash great! (In the washer, that is.) I've washed them by hand before and they never seemed to get all that clean, so for New Years I took the day off and did a Big Wash (shoes, velcro straps, that sort of thing). The straps are good as new at this point.

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Edit: Unimportant update. Survey for the Dragonspine update/Chalk Prince event came in for Genshin! (Saw it when I jumped on to quickly do my weekly bosses and flee.) Got to throw in how much I loved the new area and report the bugs I experienced. Glad for both!

[iLoveSprites75]

*Cough cough*... Y'all got any more of them online resources?

I am coming into 2021 with probably close to 50 or so games in the backlog... At least as far as finishing a story goes. And that's a legitimate number, my count during the summer was 43 and I had instead put 300 hours into Animal Crossing. Full time work, going into this semester at 3/4 time school (3 large classes), a mom, and with a resolution of trying to revive my social life (or rather, be less of a hermit), finish all of the games, and take better care of myself (which means taking more time to care for myself physically and not loaf about all day long on my days off...)

Also became part of another forum and would love to become part of their review team, which means I need to get my rear in gear as far as gaming goes. I'm not even sure where to start. Do I start with the longer stories? Shorter stories? Do I go by system? Please help!

Oh, edit to add quick: My main problem is too often playing games that are "open-ended" rather than banging out the story games. I find myself going back to HM, Animal Crossing, and The Sims mainly.

[Kikki]

More online resources? I'm afraid there's nothing other than those already mentioned to Harvest Moon kawaii. For keeping track of all your games (you can organize them by category, by finished, currently playing, abandoned, backlogged, wishlist, etc) you can use sites like Backloggery and Grouvee. I personally like Grouvee because I find it very simple...I don't even know how to use Backloggery, but I think there are more people here who use that one than the other.

To help you prioritize your games and decide what to play next, Howlongtobeat.com comes in handy, because sometimes it's helpful to know that a game takes most people 10 hours to play through unless they're a completionist, in which case it may take 16. (Etc.)

I had over 50 games on my backlog three years ago, too, but I used those sites and the Backlog Blitz method of paring my games down (I find it's more motivating than working without any framework at all) and now I have none.

If anyone here uses other sites or methods that you find helpful, please mention them!

EDIT: Okay, I've reached March...um, chapter...11? I think? The identity of the Flame Knight or Flame Dragon or Flame...thing. It was just revealed. I don't know what chapter that actually is, but it's gotta be 11 or 12.

Spoiler:

The identity of Flamey actually did surprise me, though it shouldn't have. I mean, I knew the dagger belonged to Edelgard. But all the Sothis and Rhea revelations were pretty expected.

I'm not really clear on the game format after this, though. I mean, it can't stay as school life, can it?

EDIT 2: Oooooh...Dimitri looks like death warmed over! Well, he always did seem like a touch of a nutter.

[Bluie]

I'm not really clear on the game format after this, though. I mean, it can't stay as school life, can it?

You'll see! :>

Edit: Unimportant update. Survey for the Dragonspine update/Chalk Prince event came in for Genshin! (Saw it when I jumped on to quickly do my weekly bosses and flee.) Got to throw in how much I loved the new area and report the bugs I experienced. Glad for both!

Yep, thank goodness. I mean, their last event with Fischl and Mona worked really well aside from being a resin suck. Instead of giving us a balls-to-the-wall boss, there was waves of enemies you took out at different difficulties. It was FINE and glitches were kept to a minimum. I think they got a little too excited with this one and didn't playtest is properly and here we are. If/when they rerun it (and they probs will like, after the rest of the map is revealed) I hope its in prime form.

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I think I'm gonna finish Sakuna today. There's not a ton of space left on the island to explore and Sakuna is practically a « Harvest Goddess » in both farming and combat now, so I feel like I'm closing onto the end. I managed to get 3 dogs and 3 cats + the ducks when it comes to farm animals. Internet says that there's a total for 5 cats and dogs each and that there's cow somewhere out there too. You get animals by sending the youngest kid out exploring and then Sakuna immediately coming back to base to trigger a cutscene showing what animal he brought back. I've sent the tiny-tot to every available spot and if the other animals aren't coming home, I must just not have the right spot open yet. Gonna have to see if I run into them today.

After I finish Sakuna, I plan to finish Yokai Watch 4++. I'm maybe halfway through? And because I bought the expansion off the JPN eShop, there's more to play after I get the credits, but I'm going to shelve it before getting into post game. Mainly because I want to focus on other games AND if the game ever actually does get localized, I would like something to be fresh and new when/if I replay it.

After that, I'll probably play Tokyo Xanadu, then Hades, and then finally Fenyx. Wanna get my physical games done first so I can safely nestle my FFXIV disc back in it's permanent spot and have my Switch ready for when my copy of Nekotomo arrives. I'm buying every title I want this year digital UNLESS there's some kinda hot deal. Mainly because I'm impatient and I don't like fussing with cartridges and discs. The only games I get physical now are the ones my husband and I want to share between systems, and the only one that qualifies in the future is BoTW2.

[Kikki]

Oh my goodness. (Inconsequential rambling proceeds...)

Spoiler:

Ferdinand was the only character I *had* to have, for some reason. I just find his personality so cute. I really didn't expect him to look like that after the time skip, though! Oh man...that is so my type it hurts, lol. (In fantasy, that is. IRL, I don't have a type!) Look at all that HAIR! Beautiful, even elegant, and yet just sliiiightly dangerous-looking. Well, Dimitri is sort of the same right now, too, but, um...I'm not into the bugs-in-brain crazed type, tbh.

Caspar, who was so stupid-looking as a kid (I always felt he looked vaguely bird-like) grew up awfully nice, too. Poor Ignatz, though, kept his dorky look. I feel a bit bad, making him an assassin. (But he asked!) Cyril didn't change even the tiniest bit, that I have seen so far. (He became a wyvern rider.)

Honestly in many cases I'm not really sure how they ended up in the classes they're in. I can't say it was because of a well-thought-out plan or anything.

I don't care about Rhea, tbh. Never liked her, don't care where she ends up. I locked myself out of advancing her to B-rank support somehow in Ch.10-11, but...meh. I dare the story to try to change my mind.

Well, it's a good story, though for some reason I feel sad. My motivation to play went down after the time skip. It didn't disappear, but it definitely dropped. Might hop back on over to Fenyx for a bit. A change is as good as a rest, they say. Or something like that.

[Harvest Moon kawaii]

I beat the second boss in Paper Mario the Origami King, and cleared the Red Streamer!! Yaay!