So What Are YOU Playing II: Electric Boogaloo

[Krandor]

I'm pretty sure it's on game pass (or at least was)

[Corrderio]

Picked up the entire Yakuza series along with Tales of Arise since they were on sale and started up Kiwami. Does Kiryu have a habit of getting involved murders since I feel like I'm seeing a pattern.

Also holy shit at how much Nishiki changes while Kiriyu is in jail.

[Odesseiron]

Picked up the entire Yakuza series along with Tales of Arise since they were on sale and started up Kiwami. Does Kiryu have a habit of getting involved murders since I feel like I'm seeing a pattern.

Also holy shit at how much Nishiki changes while Kiriyu is in jail.

After playing the first 7 hours of Arise, I'm completely convinced the Kiseki series has spoiled me rotten the last year, going through all the games. For trails it took 10s of hours sometimes to get to a point in the story where there were the "real" stakes. Aside from like, CS3/4, but by that point you know everyone in the series, so it's not a huge deal. Even so, the opening hours are usually very slow.

In Arise, Within the first 5 hours you're already on a save the world mission with people you know nothing about and a savior of sorts. Can't find myself to care much at all about the characters. I've never been a big Tales fan, still think this is okay, but it can't compare to the series that I have come to love. Not that the Kiseki series is without it's problems...just ugh.

[Corrderio]

I'll have to check it out. Right now I'm into Yakuza too much. Heat actions are too damn fun.

Also holy shit the boss at the end of chapter 3 is nuts. I had a feeling he'd be tough but guy is a brick wall.

[Gokulo]

Tales games do ramp up the stakes pretty quickly most of the time, but the games usually do a pretty decent job of building the character relations throughout the story. Though personally Arise was not as good in this respect as previously titles

[Corrderio]

I can't comment much since the only game I got is Xillia (got Xillia 2 but never played it) and all I remember is it felt like a 2D competitive fighter with RPG elements

[Cream Soda]

Pandemic was Yakuza for me in 2020 and trails in 2021. Currently on cold steel 3

Both amazing franchises. Also if you're starting with Kiwami, be prepared for a rough time with Yakuza 3. It didn't age well game mechanics wise (they should do a kiwami 3 and remake it already), but the story is top tier and imo it has some of the cooler looking heat actions

[Ayn]

Tales games do ramp up the stakes pretty quickly most of the time, but the games usually do a pretty decent job of building the character relations throughout the story. Though personally Arise was not as good in this respect as previously titles

I dunno, I like the arise cast. I don't think it's fair to compare it with Kiseki since aside from a few, the games aren't directly interrelated. Whereas the Kiseki games do have more vast worldbuilding.

And yes -- Yakuza is great. I enjoy all the nods to previous games as you progress. There's like maybe two characters that never get a reference again.

[Ayn]

Pandemic was Yakuza for me in 2020 and trails in 2021. Currently on cold steel 3

Both amazing franchises. Also if you're starting with Kiwami, be prepared for a rough time with Yakuza 3. It didn't age well game mechanics wise (they should do a kiwami 3 and remake it already), but the story is top tier and imo it has some of the cooler looking heat actions

Agreed. If you're starting with Kiwami (or even 0), the transition between systems is kinda rough. 3 was especially brutal and I was tempted to skip it. But man am I glad I didn't.

4 and 5 hold up a bit better.

6. . . felt like a step down for me, but I had to see it through.

[Odesseiron]

I dunno, I like the arise cast. I don't think it's fair to compare it with Kiseki since aside from a few, the games aren't directly interrelated. Whereas the Kiseki games do have more vast worldbuilding.

And yes -- Yakuza is great. I enjoy all the nods to previous games as you progress. There's like maybe two characters that never get a reference again.

Oh I agree 100%, not comparing them at all. It's apples to oranges, for sure. I was just commenting on how used to Kiseki I got that this in comparison is almost jarring how fast it ramps up.

[Gokulo]

I dunno, I like the arise cast. I don't think it's fair to compare it with Kiseki since aside from a few, the games aren't directly interrelated. Whereas the Kiseki games do have more vast worldbuilding.

And yes -- Yakuza is great. I enjoy all the nods to previous games as you progress. There's like maybe two characters that never get a reference again.

Oh, I like them too. I just felt they didn't get as good development as characters in some other games

[Corrderio]

At Chapter 6 in Kiwami and geesh some of these bosses are nuts.

[Mayareira]

Currently playing FFXII (completing hunts casually, done w/ main story), FFXIII, FIFA 22, Ridge Racer Unbounded, Uncharted 4.

Once I am done with this set I'll be starting Tomb Raider series and continue w/Fallen Order.

has anyone played Astria Ascending? If so, how is it? Reviews seem a little hit or miss with it

Yup, been also wondering the same. May end up buying it if it goes on a good sale will write my opinion then.

[Koyangi]

If you liked FFXIII, you'll really like FFXIII-2. I thoroughly enjoyed it, the music also slaps.

I have platinumed FFXIII, FFXIII-2, and Lightning Returns twice. XD

[Mayareira]

If you liked FFXIII, you'll really like FFXIII-2. I thoroughly enjoyed it, the music also slaps.

I have platinumed FFXIII, FFXIII-2, and Lightning Returns twice. XD

Oh I'm loving FFXIII. I even found a limited edition of FFXIII-2 in the storage collecting dust, apparently bought it some 10 years ago and never had a chance to play it.

Can't wait to try it out I am almost happy to have saved these for 2021-2022, they aged just fine.

[Kaisha]

I have platinumed FFXIII, FFXIII-2, and Lightning Returns twice. XD

I question your sanity to deal with the 80hr grind of XIII's platinum twice. At least XIII-2 & LR were far more reasonable to platinum. I also enjoyed them far more than XIII since they were vastly better paced and ramped the difficulty up quicker instead of having a 20hr tutorial.


As for the thread, I somehow went down a rabbit hole and am playing Oblivion again. Basically not touched this since its original retail release + expansion where I originally played the utter fuck out of it. The game is exactly as I remember it, and I'm surprised it's not that aged feeling. Morrowind needed some modding TLC at the least to be playable on a modern rig at the minimum. Oblivion NPCs are still absolute comedy and is probably 80% of the reason I'm fucking around with the game again.

[Koul]

Ended up getting Astria Ascending. I would NOT buy it for anything more than 15$. I'm finding it to be a tedious game. Combat needs to be at least 1.5x faster and I'm not really liking any of the characters and dungeon maps may as well not exist cuz they're not helpful in any way lol

[Ayn]

Oh, I like them too. I just felt they didn't get as good development as characters in some other games

I think that's a fair assessment.

I'm in the second half of the game, I think.

Abyss probably has one of my favorite casts and I think they were developed well. I'd almost give a nod to Xillia, but they had two games to flesh that out over.

[Ayn]

Oh I'm loving FFXIII. I even found a limited edition of FFXIII-2 in the storage collecting dust, apparently bought it some 10 years ago and never had a chance to play it.

Can't wait to try it out I am almost happy to have saved these for 2021-2022, they aged just fine.

Have fun!

I still find FFXIII-2's title theme pretty soothing. It's one of the few PS3 games I kept; limited box and all.

[Yuri-G]

I rebought XIII-2 on the PC so I can stream it; haven't installed it yet but will someday. Really a fun game if you just ignore the story, like pokemon.