Al and Austin typically email about random games, tech, and their respective daily news topics as a morning ritual for sanity’s sake. Here’s their vomit for November 16th, 2012 (reverse chronological order).
- November 16th, 2012 -
8:46 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: ACR
HEY! LISTEN!
THE PLANET’S DYING!
LISTEN!
8:45 AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: ACR
Shu’up Navi!
8:43 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: ACR
Hey hey hey hey HEY!
8:42 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: ACR
Hey! I’m gonna wreck it!
8:42 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: ACR
Hey! What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow?
8:42 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: ACR
Hey! I accidentally marked this convo as spam.
8:41 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: ACR
Hey! How are you liking ACR so far?
8:41 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: ACR
Hey! How far are you?
8:40 AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: ACR
Today I will finish it! Gonna get my 7 master assassins achievement, complete sequences 8 and 9 and start Connor’s Quest.
Don’t bother me!! Lol
- November 14th, 2012 -
11:32 AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
Crazyman.
11:24 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
That’s shi’tty.
So if you master a materia, there’s magically a second one in your item inventory?
Now that I like and find it intriguing. A bonus incentive for your grinding troubles.
Just realizing I misspelled “Barret”. Also, dunno if you remember but I started the game maybe a few days after it came out on PSN so it was a while ago. I picked it up after Crisis Core at the 57 minute mark. I forgot that I had made the following name changes:
Cloud = Zackloud
Tifa = Bazooms
Barret = Ballet
I decided to go with it so once I got Red XIII I renamed him “Ruff”. Just the way your mother likes it.
I shoulda named Aerith “Gonnadie”.
11:24 AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
Materia reproduces when it reaches maximum xp. People used to grind strong summons (like Knights) to have more than one. I tip my hat to them but then again, we were kids with nothing better to do after school and on weekends.
I totally understand your viewpoint on the systems of FF6-8 and really have nothing to say as a result lol
And I believe Barret also said “Shi’t” in FF7, with the apostrophe either before or after the letter I.
11:17 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
So I think then that I am unaware of materia that splits. You’ll have to brief me on that.
But then that is perhaps a problem of the game not making that clear, as well.
And although the game gives you a choice, it doesn’t feel like a satisfying kind of one to make for this genre, because you don’t have to apply much skill to it. I feel like you have to weigh less here.
FF2 was very min-max and not everyone could do everything unless you wanted to pour hours into it.
Elder Scrolls, well, you’re alone so it makes sense to let you do everything but even then you have to work for it more tactically and plan out how you’re going to upgrade. (Except for physical acuity in Oblivion. You just jump everywhere, lol…)
At least in 6 you had characters who retained their class skills. No one but Locke could steal. Cyan and Sabin were largely unmatched at regular physical attacks, but cost you in other ways (Sabin, monk–low defense; Cyan was more expensive). Things like that.
Here, like you said, your characters are really just shells with which to level up materia. You might as well just have a party of sentient materia slots. Because I was fascinated by Midgar, I didn’t hate it, but I came around to hating 8 for that reason. Like you said, yes, we have a choice, and I’m making the choice right now–like I did with 8–to try and explore the system they give us and learn to use it “the right way”.
But I think the choices we are given should be within the context of using the system the right way. I don’t think I should be allowed the choice to almost eschew said system and spam through a JRPG (and sadly the end of FF6 becomes that, but it’s not that way for much of the game at least). Maybe someone else likes it, sure. That’s why I hated 8 and why I could have hated 7; and not asserting that it should be hated by everyone.
It makes me understand why Strider 2 was skewered for allowing infinite continues, although I don’t criticize that game for doing so and think it’s a different situation. Making the choice to use the infinite continues isn’t going to press the Attack and Jump buttons for you, for instance.
In any event, the gameplay complaints I have are, at this point, more niggling as opposed to damning. Like I said I still find it a good game. I just feel that these things are what keep it from being “great” like everyone wants to say it is. My bigger issue is with the fact that it has aged piss-poorly from an aesthetic standpoint (not the game’s fault), has art direction that is all over the place (definitely the game’s fault), loses a lot of intrigue) once you leave Midgar and seems to trot along at a laggy pace afterwards (definitely the game’s fault), and that Barrett says “shu’up” because, you know, he’s black, and that’s how all black people talk (Ted Woolsey’s replacement’s fault).
10:56 AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
Possibly.
Thing about getting everyone all that materia is the xp distribution gets super low. If you just bought one or two fires for example, they’d level up faster theoretically and split once maxed out, thereby saving you the miniscule gil you would have spent buying two or three in the beginning, respectively.
It’s all aboot choices, and you can’t hate the game for giving you choices.
I guess you can hate; that’s another choice given!
10:47 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
To provide a serious response:
I think what my issue with the everyone-can-do-everything scenario is that I see no reason to establish roles. It’s the same thing that, to me, plagues FF8, and is the reason I hated that game the first time I played it. Spamming GF’s got me all the way to the moon. I didn’t know any strategies for junctioning; I auto’ed it and didn’t care. I also liked the music and world less than 7′s the first time. So it was all thumbs down.
And so it is here. Restore materia was cheap, so everyone can cure. Elemental attack materia was also cheap, so everyone can Fire, Ice and Bolt. The only one whose physical attacks aren’t worth a damn is Aerith because she’s best kept in the back row, and even then, if I equip the Long Range materia (which I do), her attack power is actually pretty decent. So everyone can attack. Everyone can Captain Planet.
I wonder if the balance would have been better had the initial materia been more varied but harder to obtain, and instead of unlocking only one spell or command per upgrade, you opened up a tier. Who knows.
10:38 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
Never knew that about me, eh? I also have three balls.
10:38 AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
TMI
10:36 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
Never knew that about me, eh? I also have three balls.
10:35 AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
Never knew that about you! I thought this was just a post crisis core replay like I did years back.
I advise to pay little attention to materia growth until later. I believe that there’s a point where you receive loads of xp for materia and aside from crazy summons or yellow materia that just duplicates, you should see gains proportional to your progression.
Even though everyone can do everything, you can always establish roles and link specific materia to the roles. That sort of makes the characters shells but limit breaks, attack/defense values and hp limits still provide some value.
10:28 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
The dirty secret, which isn’t really secret, is that although this is a “replay”, I consider this my first “real” playthrough of the game. Back in the day I made it up to the point where the meteor is hovering overhead but I never actually finished it, and I really didn’t pay too much attention to the actual game as much as I did trying to blaze through it by doing quick level grinds with summons and frequent trips to the inn. I never focused on observing Materia growth and I never played close attention to many of the story beats after Midgar except for the biggest ones (Dyne, Aerith, Cloud going nuts). I forgot that you actually visit the Golden Saucer twice. I even forgot completely about Corel Prison (which weird because that is where you encounter Dyne and I remember him).
Going back to Materia growth for a second, it feels way too grindy. I guess it’s because this is a really long game (I’m almost 16 hours in, only on the first disc) and I didn’t get to level 2 spells until maybe about 12 hours in, but it just feels slow. Looking at how many points it takes to level up a materia, and then looking at how few materia you can actually equip, makes the whole thing seem slow. And because this game is the most guilty of the first 9 about the crime of “everyone can do everything” (second would be 8; third would be 6), having so few things to work with for the first what, 12, 15 hours of the game seems almost criminal.
To me, FF7 is still good. But it takes a while for the gameplay to get good, and up until you get to that point it’s pretty much only saved from a presentation and plot perspective by the microcosm they created in Midgar.
10:07 AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
It doesn’t take that long, esp if you use a faq. But being that you’re on a replay it doesn’t make sense to do so. Knights is just there so if you wanna beat Sep in one turn you can (Knights + Mimic).
10:04 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
How much of a grind is it? I’ve seen Knights Of The Round via 1997-era Quicktime .MOV and I have no desire to sit through a 90-second long summon unless it really is so powerful as to greatly improve my victory chances past the next-most-powerful summon.
10:02 AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Raced a chocobo
You know, every time I play FF7 I can’t resist getting the golden chocobo.
10:01 AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: Raced a chocobo
Yet another mini-game that drags down FF7.
Playing this game again and paying more attention makes me appreciate FF8′s almost laser-like focus (by comparison) even more.
- November 9th, 2012 -
9:08AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: Guardian Heroes XBLA $5 buy now
Well I mean, in absolute terms, ACIII still looks good. But I’ve just been so used to Revelations going at true 1080p with bumped up textures / effects that 360 hardware definitely looks dated in comparison. Also there are weird seams and pop-in (the latter of which is nothing new for AC but seems more jarring on console).
9:07AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: Guardian Heroes XBLA $5 buy now
WHAT really?? Man, if I was able to play games on a laptop… Xbox 360 gfx still look pretty awesome to me.
9:06AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: Guardian Heroes XBLA $5 buy now
Well, I bought it. If there’s one thing that can ever get me to turn on my Xbox 360, it’s Assassin’s Creed. But I gotta tell ya–Revelations on PC spoiled me. So far, ACIII on 360 is lookin’ REAL rough in comparison. I never thought I’d say this but time it’s for new hardware.
9:05AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: Guardian Heroes XBLA $5 buy now
*jazz sax*
8:35AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: Guardian Heroes XBLA $5 buy now
Fuck. I know I probably won’t play it, but it calls to me… CRACKPIPE
7:28AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: Guardian Heroes XBLA $5 buy now
[no message text]
- October 17th, 2012 -
11:15AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Android Games
And I saw you found the true story of Cloud. At least you can say you beateded it
10:46AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Android Games
Also, I’m sure you saw my FB status update, but:
10:08AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Android Games
*brnt* OH LOOK GIL *blat*
10:08AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Android Games
That’s the real test lol
10:04AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Android Games
As a mobile game, the REAL challenge is: Does it pass the Bathroom Test?
10:01AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Android Games
I shall patiently await a verdict. I read it’s a good RPG on the play reviews
9:56AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Android Games
3) Profit
9:53AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Android Games
How easily love is gained lol
9:45AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Android Games
So I gathered, from one of the reviews that was like, “EDIT–works on root now and I don’t have to change my SU name I love this game FIVESTARSLULZ”
9:38AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Android Games
It was updated yesterday to work on rooted devices. They apologized.
9:36AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Android Games
Oh wait! I remember more now. I saw a story where this wasn’t working for rooted users. When I later went to check it out on the Play Store, it wasn’t there… but by that time, I completely forgot about the news story… so I assumed it wasn’t out for Android yet. The obvious solution is that it wasn’t on the Play Store because they took it down to fix the root issue, and now it’s back up.
Can you imagine? In the span of the 15 seconds it took for me to go from the news story to the Play Store, I completely forgot about the reason why I had even gone to look it up in the first place.
DURRRRR
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/10/square-enix-chaos-rings-port-wont-work-on-your-rooted-android/
9:32AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Android Games
I don’t know–that’s what I’m trying to find out.
Refreshed my memory of when I first read about it–it’s a dungeon crawl with a 2-person party. From the design alone it sounds like it would fit nicely in that $10-$15 game mold without the need for in-game purchases. That’s just me making assumptions.
9:20AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Android Games
I don’t think they would charge so much up front then ask for more in “required” dlc… or did they on iPhone??
9:08AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: Android Games
What a misuse of branding for devious purposes!
“Oooh a shmup! No, wait, it’s Sonic And The Secret Wangs…”
I heard of Chaos Rings from iOS. I didn’t realize it was out on Android yet; I’m wary of it only because I want to see what the nickel and diming is like.
9:00AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: Android Games
Refunded Zaxxon. Doesn’t work on my phone. May need 1gb ram. Also it’s a temple run clone.
8:50AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: Android Games
Bought Zaxxon Escape for $1. Looks like fun judging from the trailer. Still installing.
While looking for it I happened upon a Square Enix game called Chaos Rings. $12.99 RPG original I think. I might get it.
- October 3rd, 2012 -
11:28AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: BWASDtion
You got a steal. GS is $16 and Bangai-O is $11 on Amazon.
11:28AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: BWASDtion
Holy shit… to Amazon!
11:25AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: BWASDtion
Went to gamestop to download a rare Pokemon and had to walk out with something. Bought Bangaioh Spirits and Golden Sun Dark Dawn for a grand total of $17
10:37AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: BWASDtion
Yes I remember those walls.
10:27AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: BWASDtion
Blatant invisible walls in this one Crisis Core mission.
Terrible.
10:23AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: BWASDtion
Interesting… I could see it working.
10:18AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: BWASDtion
I actually played Bastion with the mouse and keyboard. For like an hour. And it worked well!
- September 27th, 2012 -
12:06AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: holycrap
DING! …rather:
“…”
11:59AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: holycrap
Squirrel is a terrible name… Squall was sort of a terrible character. I guess that would have worked.
11:57AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: holycrap
Squall. Ugh. I think it was really Squirrel.
11:56AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: holycrap
Aerith is Iris as far as I’m concerned…
Never thought Cloud was a mistranslation due to Squall in the following game.
Let’s not bring up the spoony bard.
11:50AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: holycrap
Every time I think about the fact that they named a character “Cloud” I start to think about all the theorized “real” names that were just mistranslated.
Cloud… Claude?
Aerith… sorry, “Aeris”… Iris?
Prince Edward… Useless? (Sorry, I still hate having him in my party for the first part of FFIV.)
11:40AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: holycrap
The beginning of Crisis Core was a serious slog. That much I do remember. I think I was just excited to be able to play through the events that Cloud thought he lived.
11:38AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: holycrap
It’s not that it’s bad (I don’t think it is)–it’s just that so far it’s a middling experience that’s been overhyped and made out to have some grand quality that so far isn’t there by its parent franchise’s pedigree… which in and of itself is overhyped. Final Fantasy VII, not the entirety of Final Fantasy, I mean.
I’m 3 hours in. 3 hours in RPG time is still technically the beginning-ish. So obviously I’ll give it more time. But god, it’s a slog so far.
I bought “This Is The Last Battle” a short while ago. I can’t remember it at all but I know I Ultimate’ed it.
11:35AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: holycrap
How bad is it that I don’t remember any of it?
Just bought Force Your Way. Buying “This is the Last Battle” (Kurayominokumo from FF3) so this will be a fun Theatrhythm morning.
11:31AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: holycrap
Ah now I remember. IT WILL FRACTURE… YOUR SOOUUULLL.
Crisis Core is still fucking silly.
11:31AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: holycrap
Simultaneous dual screen platformer & shooter.
11:27AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: holycrap
Synopsis?
11:26AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: holycrap
When you get a minute, check out Fractured Soul for 3DS eShop. I’m about to drop $12 on this baby.
9:55AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: holycrap
Oh I see. I instantly assumed that this was like very recently funded and that the update was posted, like, yesterday. In my defense, I was reading it on me phone just after waking up…
9:54AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: holycrap
Yeah. I found this while reading a list of downloadable indie games available in the launch window.
9:50AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE: holycrap
I’m curious how they say they’ll have it available on Wii U–were they able to reach a licensing deal with Nintendo
1:22AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: holycrap
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1564776348/the-hardest-platformer-ever
- September 26th, 2012 -
11:57AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: FUK
eeeee!
11:56AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: FUK
This is why. The path from the Display button contact point got fucked the first time I opened it up to fix the wonky d-pad.
11:38AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: FUK
mmm buttah “i loves me sum buttah”
no citizens. I am expertly sending out the troops and bombs on the templars and guards.
Sequence #4. Get on that shit sonnn! AC3 November (or October 30 as the stores still say)
11:37AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: FUK
LULZ
Are you stabbying citizens now, drunkface?
It runs like butter on my new laptop at 1080p. It ran at maybe 24-30 on my old one.
11:36AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: FUK
eeee
Playing ACR right now btw madd drunk off mamajuana
11:35AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: RE:FUK
Well, the good thing is that it’s stuck at maximum brightness so I can see it.
The bad thing is that it’s stuck at maximum brightness and the PSP-1000 battery is poopshit.
11:34AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject: RE: FUK
wtf?
come by the place and get your psp[Ed. note: Austin gave Al his spare PSP a while back]. let me know beforehand so i can charge it up.
11:33AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject: FUK
My PSP Brightness button is now my Volume + button.
- September 20th, 2012 -
10:44AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject : RE: Bastion
“Kid found a new friend lying on the store shelf. Picked it up, brought it home, and that’d be both the first and last time he touched it. Well, there’s no gettin’ around that backlog, I suppose.” #bastionVoice
10:32AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject : RE: Bastion
I should have waited to buy S&P 2. Guess what I did with that game? For a hint, see: Bastion.
10:01AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject : RE: Bastion
Speaking of asses, I bought cheap-ass copies of Red Steel 2 and Sin & Punishment: Star Successor from Amazon. $10 and $13 respectively. They came today and I put them on the shelf, then I did a double-take at the spine logo art to see if I had somehow bought these games already…
9:57AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject : RE: Bastion
That’s new ass tech #nopunintended
9:41AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject : RE: Bastion
You think Blizzard and Capcom licensed Namco’s Xianghua ass technology for Nova from Ghost and Vanessa from PN03? :P #shekickshigh
9:31AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject : RE: Bastion
Random fact. Today’s Wikidroid featured article is Starcraft: Ghost.
9:30AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject : RE: Bastion
Lulz(sec)
You think Blizzard and Capcom licensed Namco’s Xianghua ass technology for Nova from Ghost and Vanessa from PN03? :P #shekickshigh
9:29AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Subject : RE: Bastion
Shit I keep playing the opening level and stopping so long I forget how to play.
9:13AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Subject : Bastion
Got three cores. Loving that game.
- September 19th, 2012 -
11:23AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
The only two titles in the “alliance” series of games are TA2 and War of Lions. Those 4 games came out around the same time.
I still kinda want Rev Wings but just haven’t/didn’t pull the trigger on the used no-box/instructions cart in Gamestop.
11:15AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
Right.
Revenant Wings. That was actually a thing.
(When I said FFT I should have specified I meant the Tactics Series as a whole.)
11:13AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Skip to FFTA2. Yes it still has the law system. Ivalice Alliance is FFXII, FFXII Revenant Wings, FFT War of the Lions and FFTA2.
10:21AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
I have to freaking re-start FFTA. Remember that was a victim of The Great Hotel Loss Of All Of My GBA Shit Of 2006? *sigh* And I put in over 100 hours, too.
Or should I just skip to FFTA2? Does it still have the Law system? Fuck de law! (Not really.) What was in the Ivalice Alliance–Tactics, XI, XII? (Might be totally whiffing on XI–can’t remember if Vana’diel is part of Ivalice, though I thought it was…)
10:00AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
Aw. But I understand.
FFTA2 is very very much like FFTA, which I of course highly enjoyed for over 200 hours. I am gonna try to just finish the main game but I know I’m gonna wanna do all the quests and any other extra shit that makes that game cool (and hopefully interact with the other Ivalice games since they are supposed to be in the same universe — “Ivalice Alliance” — wishful thinking)
9:57AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
I think I’m gonna stop once I unlock all the in-game songs and play all my DLC. Apparently there’s no special thing for getting S-Rank or above for every song.
9:55AM EST
From: Al
To: Austin
It might be. There’s a shit load of DLC already available as I’ve seen on the official site. A lot of my all time favs… I need to get back on that game!
9:51AM EST
From: Austin
To: Al
I read on the GameFAQ for Theatrhythm that tomorrow is the last day for DLC and then after that nothing else has been announced. Do you know if that’s true?
At least they’re making “Force Your Way” (regular boss battle music from FF VIII) available. That was one of my favorite battle tracks ever (even back when I hated the game) and I was sad that it was nowhere to be found in the core game or DLC.