Essence_of_Meh
@Essence_of_Meh@lemmy.world
- Comment on Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 52] 1 day ago:
Man, and here I was waiting to strike from the shadows. So much for a surprise janitorial attack.
- Comment on Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 52] 2 days ago:
I didn’t have much time to read (it’s that time of the year after all) so I ended up catching up on few things. Both Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You and The Useless Idol and Her Only Fan in the World had some really cute chapters recently. This Healer is Annoying doesn’t really hit as much lately, though that might be because the breaks between chapters are so long it can be difficulty to stay invested.
Besides that, I’m still sticking with few of the villainess manhwa I talked about before, many others on the other hand fell into update limbo and may or may not reach their conclusions. It’s a slow life at the end of the year it is.
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 6 days ago:
I’m almost done with Shadowrun Returns - all that’s left is the grand finale. Looks like my breaks for Unbeatable didn’t affect my progress as much as I thought they would.
I’m still surprised by the balance between dialogue (or non-combat gameplay in general) and combat - the former is the more interesting part of the game for me so the current state of things is right up my alley. Not that combat is bad, I actually enjoy it way more than I thought I would, but talking with characters is something I always look forward to the most. This is even more highlighted here as I also love the feeling of community in the “Seamstresses Union”, the main hub of the game - there’s not much to do there nor is there a huge amount of interaction with characters but what’s there is enough to make the place feel like home away from home. It’s great.
Writing is pretty engaging for the most part. There were a few less interesting parts but they didn’t really affect my enjoyment though I can’t say I’m a fan of the last minute swerve into the “gotta save the world” narrative. It’s “fine” but I would simply prefer the game to stay with the small(ish) personal stakes instead. I did end up liking pretty much all of the side characters at least (and even some of the random mercs which have no character or conversations at all).
I was worried about two things when I started this playthrough:
- Complexity of the game - I haven’t played Shadowrun before and I don’t really play many isometric RPGs these days so I wasn’t sure how well I’ll handle it.
- I have a bad tendency of starting games, then taking multi month breaks because I got distracted by something else. Thankfully, I managed to power through my mind goblins and finish (well, I will tonight) the game in “one go” - it’s not much but I’m proud of myself considering how big of a problem it can be.
The only issues I have with the game are the fact that some etiquette options are pretty much useless in the campaign and that for some reason game always starts on my second monitor, with a borked resolution. Both issues are a bit annoying but they not game breaking so whatever. Other than that nothing stood out in other negative ways.
All in all, I had a great time and can only hope most of my remaining backlog will be just as entertaining. Time to search for another pick.
- Submitted 1 week ago to manga@ani.social | 1 comment
- Submitted 1 week ago to manga@ani.social | 1 comment
- Submitted 1 week ago to manga@ani.social | 2 comments
- Comment on Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 51] 1 week ago:
Last week I mentioned problems with reading on Mihon. I really wasn’t looking forward to migrating my library again so I decided to procrastinate instead (good thing too since the issues seem to be fixed for now). I ended up reading through Don’t Fall for the Villainess since it was one of the few things that worked without problems at the time.
It’s the usual fair - lady ends up isekai’d into a villainess in fantasy world, story happens. It’s… pretty bland, to be honest. The technical side is solid thanks to a unique art style and some interesting panelling from time to time. Story on the other hand was rather boring.
She’s a villainess hated by everyone but after the intro it barely has any significance to what happens in the plot. People hate her, meet her and then are smitten instantly. She’s perfect in every way, everything she does goes without a hitch and with only token opposition. It’s honestly the worst kind of wish fulfilment I can think of (boring one).
It’s an alright read if you have nothing better to do and don’t want to think much but if you’re looking for something interesting there are a lot better titles for that.
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 1 week ago:
Yeah, that was my main issue with the writing as well but I treat it as a remnant of the times. Not that it makes it any better mind you, it’s just where the industry (and culture at large to some extent) was back then so I can look past it, even if I don’t like it.
It is what it is, at least now I know I can safely skip the other titles when looking for point and clicks to play.
- Submitted 1 week ago to manga@ani.social | 2 comments
- Comment on Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 50] 1 week ago:
I sure hope so. Just thinking about having to migrate stuff again is giving me a headache.
- Submitted 1 week ago to manga@ani.social | 1 comment
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 1 week ago:
I don’t mind the writing that much since not everything has to be up my alley and, more importantly, it’s a remake of a game from 1987 - different time, different industry. I do however think they could update it a bit more in terms of gameplay at least. Maybe not completely reworking the moon logic behind some puzzles but getting rid of the option to hard lock your progress would be enough to improve the experience quite a bit, at least for me.
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 1 week ago:
I’m mostly focusing on my backlog for now (except for already mentioned Unbeatable) but I’ll keep this in mind. Thanks for letting me know about it!
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 1 week ago:
Daggerfall Unity
Still playing and following through with my plan to finally do some “adventurous” missions. It’s pretty much a full-on role-play of a weak person tasked with various “hero” jobs. Need sneaking? I can do that. Fighting weak enemies? Sure! Get something from a dungeon filled with powerful hostiles? I… can try sprinting through? Things can be a bit difficult at times when playing a non-combat character (until now) so I ended up bailing on few of the quests but I’m slowly improving. It’s an interesting way of playing compared to the usual power fantasy. It also helps me to finally get used to the approach of “failing is fun” - not the same as “losing” since I keep going instead of starting from scratch but dealing with consequences (however minimal in this game) is something I’d like to expand to other games I play.
It’s not an easy switch after years of being “the chosen one” but I’m getting there.Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded
Continuing with my point and click adventures I decided to try Leisure Suit Larry. I got it for free on GOG some years ago but never really gave it a shot since I didn’t think it was up my alley. Here are some brief thoughts: - Art looks nice but the art style is very inconsistent. I’m sure it’s intended but it it doesn’t always work in my opinion. - It could really use subtitles. There are no separate volume sliders and dialogue lines can get lost under the music (there’s an option to turn off the music but that’s not a great choice either for me). - Gameplay is simple but enjoyable, there are no dead ends according to the tutorial but you can absolutely screw yourself by running out of money. You can (and later have to) get more through gambling but that’s not really a viable solution without save scumming. - Writing is… not my cup of tea but it’s fine for what it is. Constant narration can be a little annoying at times. All in all, it was fun enough but I don’t think I’ll be checking out other games in the series. I’m glad to scratch this off my backlog at least.
Shadowrun Returns
I was a little worried since I haven’t played this kind of RPG (let alone a Shadowrun title) in a long time but it’s been pretty straightforward so far. Combat is simple and enjoyable even without a proper tutorial. I appreciate the amount of skill and item checks so far, leading to multiple ways of solving problems. Not all of them, obviously, but it’s still common enough to be noticeable. Art style and graphics in general hold up really well, so does audio. I also like the writing so far, especially how pleasant the conversations can be - just two people being courteous towards each other, without the need to act edgy just because cyberpunk. The only thing I don’t particularly care about is the mix of sci-fi and magic. Not that I hate it, it just does nothing for me despite being a pretty unique approach to the genre. So yeah, it’s cool and I’m enjoying it so- What’s that? Unbeatable just released? Yeah… I’m gonna have to take a break from Shadowrun for a bit. I’ll be back once I’m done doing crime.
- Comment on Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 50] 2 weeks ago:
Thanks, I’ll give them a shot then.
- Comment on Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 50] 2 weeks ago:
What other extensions do you use?
- Comment on Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 50] 2 weeks ago:
I had the same thing happen when accessing them through a website as well (maybe they do the same due to ublock when that happens). I think, or at least hope, it’s a technical issue since places with multiple entries for the same chapter can have some of the copies working properly.
I’ll probably start looking for alternatives, just in case.
- Comment on Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 50] 2 weeks ago:
Anyone else having problems with sources on Mihon? I had multiple cases of chapters (from various sites) coming few pages short for the last two weeks or so. Can’t say I’m looking forward to searching for alternative sites with affected series.
- Comment on [DISC] A Cool Girl and a 12cm Promise - Ch. 51 2 weeks ago:
Man, reading this chapter on the same night I read through the first part of Narcissu (a visual novel about terminally ill duo) was not the smartest decision. I’m gonna go squeeze a cat or something.
- Submitted 2 weeks ago to manga@ani.social | 1 comment
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 2 weeks ago:
I’m not exactly an expert on Daggerfall but I’ll try.
First things first, Daggerfall is less of a structured game (in modern sense) and more of a life sandbox compared to later games. Some basic tips:
- Save often.
- There are no map markers, ask locals about where to find stuff/people to make things easier.
- Fast travel takes (in-game) time and has various options which will affect the cost, travel speed and whether you’ll reach your destination well rested or not.
- Quests are timed (yes, all of them).
- Most of your adventuring will be focused on randomised quests.
- Locations open and close at specific hours, you can break in if you want but don’t expect a warm welcome.
- Dungeons are HUGE, nonsensical and, sometimes, impossible - there’s an option called “Smaller Dungeons” in the settings menu on the initial launch screen, it’s a good idea to use it.
- You can train your skills in guilds for a fee (you need to join them first, I believe). This type of training costs time, money and fatigue, and has a global cooldown so you can’t do a tour through all the guilds in a city and train everything in one day.
- Item repairs have to be done at blacksmiths and take multiple days (depending on item state, if I recall correctly). This can be toggled off in the settings menu on the initial launch screen if you want.
- Diseases are a serious matter - they won’t pop up instantly but show up some time after contracted and will kill you if left untreated. They will also progressing during fast travel as moving between places does take appropriate amount of time.
- Diseases like Vampirism or Lycanthropy can be contracted at random when fighting respective enemies and have pretty significant effects on gameplay (both positive and negative).
- Buying a wagon gives you additional storage for loot, just keep in mind that personal inventory and wagon inventory are separate and the latter can’t be accessed in dungeons unless you’re near the exit.
- Some equipment has various states it can be toggled between - using a cloak for example will switch between having your hood up or down (it doesn’t affect gameplay in any way).
Unlike newer games, most of the action happens at POIs, with travel taking place via world map - moving between locations manually isn’t particularly interesting due to lack of random (or any, really) encounters, simple terrain and huge landmass the game is set in. If you want to travel by yourself then check out some mods to make it a bit more worthwhile.
If you’re interested in a vanilla experience then the base package is fine as is. If you want more (better graphics, random encounters outside of towns, new quests or gameplay additions) then Nexus Mods has you covered. Here are some neat ones that don’t affect the gameplay much:
- World Tooltips - adds basic tool tips when aiming at objects (item or character names, level transition destination, location opening hours etc).
- Quest Offer Locations - quests can take you to various parts of the world but don’t inform you about where you’re suppose to go until after you agree - this mod changes that.
- Convenient Quest Log - makes quest log more readable, adds quick actions to cancel non-story quests and travel to the required location.
- Lively Cities - adds various NPCs to dwellings to make them feel more lively, like the name suggest.
- Basic Roads - adds roads between towns and cities. Useful for navigation if you’re interested in manual travel.
- Wilderness NPCs - adds random NPCs (friendly and hostile) outside cities, also useful when travelling manually.
- No Rush Main Quest - removes timers from main quests. Dunno how useful it is since I haven’t used it (nor did much of MQ) but adding it just in case.
That’s all I have for now, I’ll update the post if anything else comes to mind.
- Comment on Weekly Recommendations Thread: What are you playing this week? 2 weeks ago:
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Tried playing it on my Steam Deck but it doesn’t want to cooperate unfortunately. Despite multiple attempts over various versions of PPSSPP (emulator) and playing around with settings, game always crashes after 15-30 minutes of play. I might try setting it up on my desktop as a last ditch effort but that will have to wait as I don’t care enough to bother with it at the moment. I’ll finish it one day.
Daggerfall Unity
After my failure with GTA:LCS I wasn’t really sure what to play and decided to go back do Daggerfall instead. Not much new to say about it for now as I only updated the mods and did a few quests. Still haven’t touched the main story outside of reporting to Castle Wayrest since my character is not a fighter and was sent away to train before proceeding (not that I expected anything else, it’s just where I stopped with that for now).
It’s time to play the game properly for a bit, I guess.Sam and Max Hit the Road
I finished the game two or so weeks ago but I’ve been thinking about it again over the last few days so I might as well mention it here. Despite my initial reaction (I liked it well enough, just not to a huge degree) I’ve been slowly warming up to it, especially the writing. I think the main reason behind my previous opinion had to do with the fact I’m not having a good time in general at the moment so everything I do is tainted by my foul mood. I needed some time to let my brain catch up and understand what I just played. The more I think about it the more satisfied with the game I become - it’s an interesting reversal since I usually tend to lean towards being more critical as time goes one and I have the chance to look at things from a distance. I also started watching someone else’s playthrough which allowed me to look at things from a different perspective as well. All in all, it’s a lovely (and rare) surprise.
- Submitted 3 weeks ago to manga@ani.social | 0 comments
- Comment on Manga Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 49] 3 weeks ago:
I finally caught up with Kowloon Generic Romance. After leisurely paced early parts of the story and mysterious middle chapters things are really picking up. We have some pretty big personal changes, more details about the core secrets and another good look at the past of Kujirai B. We also got hints about potential end game the story might be going for.
It’s been a while since we had an update for the series but I can safely say it was worth the wait. I just hope it won’t take as long for the next one.
- Submitted 3 weeks ago to manga@ani.social | 0 comments
- Submitted 3 weeks ago to manga@ani.social | 0 comments
- Comment on Yōjo Senki II (The Saga of Tanya the Evil II) Teaser PV 3 weeks ago:
It’s a completely understandable question, especially since its been 6 years since the movie released and 4 since season 2 was announced. But yeah, this should be after the movie.
- Comment on Yōjo Senki II (The Saga of Tanya the Evil II) Teaser PV 3 weeks ago:
It should be set after since movie was a direct continuation of the first season. It’s difficult to say based on the teaser alone as it doesn’t seem to have any new scenes (most look like they’re from the first season but I don’t remember the movie enough to say whether parts of it were present as well).
It also wouldn’t make sense to reanimate parts of the story already released in the movie.
- Comment on Settings you believe ANY game should have? (This is me advocating for a restart/reboot button on ALL games) 3 weeks ago:
Yup, something like this or simple sliders would be an ideal solution for what I’m talking about - preferably both, depending on whether the setting is a numerical one or not. It doesn’t have to be a completely granular access to every value, I just want enough control to adjust the experience when things are close but not exactly right.
- Comment on Timesplitters Remake 3 weeks ago:
Jose Pavli, composer for Project Wingman, (re)created music for this project. It’s available on his Bandcamp page.
