Ashtear
@Ashtear@lemm.ee
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing? 1 week ago:
Still thoroughly sucked into Pathfinder: Kingmaker. At least I’ve stopped poking around in side areas now, just focusing on advancing the main story. Also doing companion quests. This might be the longest game I’ve ever played? I think I still have at least two more full chapters to go.
- Comment on Can you see yourself cutting off by a generation of gaming? 2 weeks ago:
Seems I’m way too picky for that. I fell down an MMORPG rabbit hole for several years a while back and have spent the last several years catching up. Already starting to feel like I’ve played most everything from older gens I’m going to really like.
One thing I’ve noticed is I’m wishlisting way more upcoming games than before. There’s the occasional exception, but if I keep a rolling release schedule, I’ll generally still be playing new stuff well after release.
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 2 weeks ago:
Only ones of those I tried were Pillars and Divinity (and its sequel). I found Pillars rather obtuse early on so I didn’t stick with it very long. I liked how fresh Divinity felt, having its own ruleset that was still simple to understand. Didn’t like how super strict the level differential was and the quantity of traps in the game was beyond sadistic. In hindsight, I don’t think that one was very good overall.
On the other hand, I thought D:OS 2 was incredible. It was still way more strict on XP than I’d like, but that’s the only thing I would have changed about the game. Looks like it came out just before Kingmaker did, so I’m not surprised it got buried. Larian’s just on another level, and Baldur’s Gate 3 ended up fixing that one issue I had (while elevating almost everything else at the same time).
I still am enjoying Kingmaker so much, though. Probably would have blown my mind if I’d played it before BG3, heh. Hoping for a little bit more character writing, but in any case, I’m really enjoying the battles.
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 3 weeks ago:
Firewatch is such a great, bite-sized experience. Still think about it from time to time.
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 3 weeks ago:
Started Pathfinder: Kingmaker and I got sucked into it big time. Just finished the prologue last night. Reviews for this were not great, so I don’t know if the game improved dramatically after release or if there are rough spots in the campaign coming up.
I guess it’s also possible its old-school feel contributed to some of that. I really do feel like I’m playing a fresher version of Baldur’s Gate 2, complete with unfortunate quirks.
- Comment on Could you imagine a Nintendo title being advertised like this today? (Conker's Bad Fur Day, 2001) 3 weeks ago:
This even being on a Nintendo system–subject to Nintendo’s review–was a major change. Nintendo of America was as puritanical as it came up through the 16-bit era. Something like this releasing on a Nintendo system was unconscionable as late as 1995.
- Comment on It's 2025 now, what are the games you'll be starting the year with? 4 weeks ago:
Yeah, my gaming experience lately has been a bit of tension between sticking it out and learning when to drop stuff.
I didn’t like the Trails series at first but the fourth and fifth games ended up being all-time favorites. This one’s not going to get to that point, but it’s also part of a larger series that could have a lot of fun gameplay to mess around with.
- Comment on It's 2025 now, what are the games you'll be starting the year with? 4 weeks ago:
Just started Disgaea 1. For whatever reason I’ve bounced off this game half a dozen times since first trying it all the way back at release, but I’ve more or less settled into a groove with it now.
Having a good time with it, though I’m wondering if I should pick up a manual or something somewhere. Kind of obtuse systems and details I’d normally be able to get out of the UI, but not here.
- Comment on What's the game you play when nothing else sounds good? 5 weeks ago:
I want a sequel to this so bad. Loved almost everything about it.
- Comment on What games did you complete in 2024? 5 weeks ago:
Some heavy hitters in the genre here!
Don’t know how the narrative took hold in some spaces that it’s skippable, but I’m glad you didn’t skip Sky the 3rd. Hopefully you did most of the doors, especially Star Doors 8 and 15. You’ll likely appreciate the game more as the series goes on, and after Zero, you probably are starting to see why.
I’m excited-by-proxy for your journey through Azure. Enjoy.
- Comment on What games did you complete in 2024? 5 weeks ago:
72% positive on Steam. I think it’s going to end up one of those silent majority games like Inquisition did (though it doesn’t look like it’s going to sell as well as DA:I).
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing? 5 weeks ago:
Just picked up Radiant Historia the other day and it’s been a surprise. The soundtrack especially has been 10/10 so far, no notes. I really should play more games Shimomura’s scored.
- Comment on What games did you complete in 2024? 5 weeks ago:
I made posts here on some of the games I was patient on this year, so I’ll include links to those in-line here along with the rest of my list, in chronological order:
Control - I ended up grabbing–and devouring–Alan Wake 2 very soon after finishing this, mostly because one of my favorite singers ever resurfaced on the game’s soundtrack, to my complete astonishment. The setting and a few of the dialogues remain fresh in my mind, but the rest of Control ended up buried under AW2, which is saying something considering I don’t like survival horror.
Lost Odyssey - Interesting timing, as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was announced just a few months after I finished Lost Odyssey, a clear source of inspiration. I hear a lot from JRPG fans that wish there were more games with adult cast members and mature narratives, and LO fits the bill. “Letters from a Weakling” is still utterly devastating.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Torna: The Golden Country - Mostly just more Xenoblade Chronicles 2, a new main character and some light changes to the battle system keep things fresh. Come for the soundtrack, stay for the emotional scenes. Despite being forced into hours of side quests, this was worth seeing through to the end.
Atelier Meruru - My favorite of the Arland trilogy, I was engaged by the alchemy and kingdom building throughout the game. Real fun sense of progression with city, world map, and music changes. Surprisingly touching scenes with returning characters.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (plus Future Redeemed) - A solid entry in a fan-favorite series I gave my thoughts on earlier, but what stands out in hindsight is how good the side quests were. A long time weakness of JRPGs, it’d be nice if the genre was spurred to step things up. The base game and Future Redeemed were sprinkled with enough Xenogears references to get my brain churning.
Atelier Ayesha - Ayesha changed the vibe in a dramatic way that I wasn’t entirely prepared for. Enjoyed that, the new cast, the story, and the soundtrack, not so much the gameplay. I’ve been proceeding through this series slightly faster than they get released, so maybe I’ll catch up some day.
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor - Plenty of spectacle and fun with lightsabers, yet all those hours spent running around are already fading from memory. The game’s focus on family and home still resonates with me in a way it wouldn’t have ten years ago.
Citizen Sleeper - Recent events have me turning this story over in my head a few times. I thought this had a strong anti-capitalist message, but I may have even underestimated it. This one’s earned a replay, and soon.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox - I wouldn’t have made it through this game without the Ys brand, a series I grew up with. It did get better in the back half, but probably still not worth it. The city exploration did little for me and I never want to see a raid/Nox battle again. With the recent announcement of an “enhanced” version of Ys X, it’s going to be forever before I get to it. Monstrum Nox is going to be stuck in my craw for a while.
- Comment on Patient gamer badge of honor on the Steam Replay 2024 5 weeks ago:
That 15% number is reassuring. Huge majority of Steam users are patient gamers!
- Comment on Bi-weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing? 1 month ago:
Been considering jumping back into this one. I absolutely hate it when loot-oriented RPGs make it easy to find gear with level requirements, and boy did Everspace 2 ever do that. The inventory system made it even worse.
I don’t know if there’s a mod now or a change that eased up on this, but it was enough to push me out of the game when I tried it earlier in the year.
- Comment on What's next after Half-Life? 1 month ago:
For historical perspective developed in parallel with Half-Life 2, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is worth a look. With Call of Duty being the revenue juggernaut it is now, I think we sometimes forget how it started. Allied Assault is a landmark game that’s an ancestor in CoD’s lineage.
On the other end of the timeline, the founders of the studio that developed the original Call of Duty went on to make Titanfall. Titanfall 2 has an excellent single-player campaign that holds up very well.
- Comment on Bi-weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing? 2 months ago:
After finishing Citizen Sleeper, I’ve been trying again to get into Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. I’m still struggling, and it’s kinda bewildering. I’ve been an Ys fan since I was little and this is the first time I haven’t been able to get into one of them. I’m happy when I’m in a dungeon. Otherwise, I can’t get on with the story and cast (like Ys VIII, it’s a heavier focus here).
A friend suggested I continue on with Horizon, so I’ll probably pick up The Frozen Wilds this week, too.
- Comment on Witcher 1&2 are probably worth playing 2 months ago:
Unfortunately the open world content in The Witcher 3 is quite tacked on, the kind of generic stuff you’d find in any game that uses the same sort of system to fill out its maps. The actual side quests are often very good, however. Many of these have far-reaching consequences or plot twists sending you down rabbit holes you wouldn’t have seen coming when you first pick up the job.
If you ever do find a reason to try the game again, just avoid the generic map markers entirely. As I’d tell anyone reading, there is rarely good reason to dip into them.
- Comment on Citizen Sleeper: A Compact, Sci-Fi Exploration of Survival at the Fringes of Space and Humanity 2 months ago:
Yeah, it took me longer than that, but there was certainly a point after which I wasn’t too concerned about money.
- Submitted 2 months ago to patientgamers@sh.itjust.works | 7 comments
- Comment on Witcher 1&2 are probably worth playing 2 months ago:
The Witcher 3 is one of the best games I’ve ever played, and I do think The Witcher 2 is worth trying going back to beforehand, considering how much the previous experience enhances the third game. I usually tell people that Chapter 1 (not the intro, which is good) is pretty rough. It’s a bit aimless and the first boss there can be too difficult for an early game challenge. After that, it really picks up and sprints through the finish line, in my view. I disagree quite a bit on the writing; I think there’s some excellent writing to be found in the game, both with an interesting core cast that continues its level of quality banter and intrigue into the sequel, and also on the politics of neutrality and the ripple effects that a set of small changes can have on the broader power struggles of the continent.
The Witcher 2 is also rare in that it has a genuine branching storyline. It’s not quite to the insane degree that Baldur’s Gate 3 went with it last year, but it’s still very much the kind of design modern AAA publishers/developers shy away from, not wanting to invest resources in whole swathes of the game that half your players aren’t going to see. Helps a lot for replay, especially since that first chapter gets smoothed out quite a bit once you know what you’re doing.
- Comment on The Man Behind the Legendary Donkey Kong Country Soundtracks 2 months ago:
Nice to see OC ReMix get a mention.
- Comment on What's the best super nintendo game based on a movie? and why is it alien 3? 2 months ago:
I enjoyed Batman Returns. It’s nothing more than a Final Fight clone with a licensed property slapped on it, but hey, I liked Final Fight.
- Comment on Half-Life 2 peaks at 52,000 concurrent players, 20 years after its release 2 months ago:
If you’re into the nuts and bolts of game development at all, the commentary is fantastic.
- Comment on In the context of the leaked Warcraft II remake, do you still trust Blizzard to produce good games? 2 months ago:
Would be foolish not to go patient on it after Reforged. After D2R, I’m not completely writing it off, though.
- Comment on Ghost of Tsushima - I've heard it's a nice game, but it overstays its welcome. Do you agree? 2 months ago:
I had an absolute blast with it for about 15-20 hours earlier this year and then it started getting super repetitive. Ended up dropping it for a new release.
Great villain, though. I’ll probably go back to it just to see how the story plays out.
- Comment on Patient gamers, what are your favorite OSTs? 2 months ago:
My top four haven’t changed in a while:
- Chrono Cross
- Nier Gestalt/Replicant (original version)
- Persona 5
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
I love EDM, so any game that uses it or is inspired it holds a special place in my heart, like Streets of Rage, Rez, Dance Dance Revolution, or the Trails of Cold Steel games (especially the second one).
- Comment on Patient gamers, what are your favorite OSTs? 2 months ago:
I love that one can still web search for that and still find the song 😂
- Comment on Professor Layton Games, what's your experience? 2 months ago:
This is actually why I didn’t get very far in Diabolical Box. I had a decent time with Curious Village, but I needed a little more, and it was clear the second game wasn’t going to get there.
- Comment on What is your favorite Halloween older game? 2 months ago:
I really liked Clive Barker’s Undying and replayed it a couple times. Great atmosphere, though I’m not sure how well it would hold up today. Early 3D stuff.