What are you playing 4: HD Remaster Gold Collector's Edition Thread of the Year

[Cespenar]

Pacing-wise I agree -- some of the dialogue (especially in the hub area) could have been interspersed a bit to keep it fresh. But still, I'm partial to it existing rather than not.

Just finished Control over the past few weeks. It's... fine?

Like, the characters, atmosphere and worldbuilding are pretty good, even if a reader of, say, the SCP Wiki or the Laundry Files (or any number of weird conspiracy thriller movies) has an idea of what's going on. But there's the shooter sections.

My feelings as well, more or less. It even surprised me a bit that they've managed to pull off that atmosphere so well, given that how overdone the subject is.

[Zevox]

I do in fact know where he's at. Tockletown adds a ton of more time into the game. Easily twenty hours where as the regular post game is like 40. So 80, with grinding, isn't far out.

You think the original version of the game's part 3 was 40 hours? That sounds like a gross exaggeration to me. The whole game clocked in at around 100 hours for me IIRC, and I'd say the split between the three parts was more like 40/40/20. Possibly a bit more in part 1 or 2 and a bit less in part 3, honestly.

[LibraryOgre]

And, got through Act 1 of Dragon Age 2 and decided to start over. Still a rogue, building very similarly, but the deciding point for me was when I realized I'd missed both Act 1 backpacks.

I've enjoyed it well enough. I had some friends criticize it for reusing maps, and I definitely see that problem, but I'm not as down with the complaint that gameplay was dumbed down. I do wish they'd abandoned the gear treadmill; I am so tired of it.

[Razade]

Um, but you literally just said grinding wasn't required?

I said it wasn't required unless you want to get to level 99. Getting to level 99 isn't required to beat the final boss, or anything else for that matter.

You think the original version of the game's part 3 was 40 hours? That sounds like a gross exaggeration to me. The whole game clocked in at around 100 hours for me IIRC, and I'd say the split between the three parts was more like 40/40/20. Possibly a bit more in part 1 or 2 and a bit less in part 3, honestly.

I'm at 124 hours in my first playthrough with the final boss fight and the last bit of the trials to go.

[Taevyr]

And, got through Act 1 of Dragon Age 2 and decided to start over. Still a rogue, building very similarly, but the deciding point for me was when I realized I'd missed both Act 1 backpacks.

I always felt DA2 is an excellent game that simply never got finished/done properly. It's most notable in act 3, which feels notably empty compared to the first two, and in the constant reuse of environments.

Beyond that? It excels at making you feel like you're actually in a living, changing city through the acts, and doesn't bother with any prophecies or "last of his kind" or "epic hero" stuff, instead having you be a guy/gal just trying to live his life with his family. That and the companions give it quite a "dysfunctional tabletop party" feel.

The gear treadmill's definitely the worst part, though. Even with your companions having default armor that does the trick, and you getting excellent armor through the main quests each act.

[LibraryOgre]

The gear treadmill's definitely the worst part, though. Even with your companions having default armor that does the trick, and you getting excellent armor through the main quests each act.

There's some armor pieces that get better with level. I'm keeping them as much as possible.

And, also, I now have a bit of headcanon about the darkspawn, especially given the Qunari redesign for DA2 (seriously, Sten was just a big dude with cornrows; I was mystified how everyone kept IDing him as Qunari).

The main forms of darkspawn are corrupted versions of the different races.

Genlock are corrupted dwarves.
Hurlock are corrupted humans.
Shrieks are corrupted elves.
Ogres are corrupted Qunari.

[Taevyr]

Genlock are corrupted dwarves.
Hurlock are corrupted humans.
Shrieks are corrupted elves.
Ogres are corrupted Qunari.

If I'm not mistaken the way this works is explained in DA:Origins at some point/in some codex entry; I'll put it in the Spoiler tag for anyone that hasn't played it yet and plans to.

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This is more-or-less how it works: Dwarven broodmothers produce Genlocks, Human broodmothers produce Hurlocks, etc. It's also why Ogres are so rare.

I love the redesigns of both Darkspawn and Qunari for DA2. Quite an improvement in both cases.

[LibraryOgre]

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This is more-or-less how it works: Dwarven broodmothers produce Genlocks, Human broodmothers produce Hurlocks, etc. It's also why Ogres are so rare.

I love the redesigns of both Darkspawn and Qunari for DA2. Quite an improvement in both cases.

Ah-ha! Thank you. I missed that bit of lore, apparently.

[Zevox]

Started on another holiday gift game of mine: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. I should probably note, I'm going into this having not played Breath of the Wild, since I do like Warriors-style spin-offs in general.

And I am enjoying the game generally, but I do have say: wow, this is weird. Zelda was my favorite character to play in the first Hyrule Warriors, but this version of her has a really strange moveset that I am not finding to be particularly fun - or all that effective compared to most of the other characters, for that matter. Including, for some reason, a super move where she... takes a picture of things with a camera. (And on a very minor note, it's really odd that she has a British accent when nobody else seems to.) And apparently this version of Impa is extremely young and some kind of Naruto fangirl. And they've got a miniature R2D2 with them. And Link isn't wearing his traditional outfit, but just some regular knight armor. And the Rito have been retconned into a more full-fledged bird-people race, rather than the beaked humanoids they were in Wind Waker (granted, that's probably for the better, their design in Wind Waker was weird, but still, jarring change). And suddenly there's magitech giant robots everywhere. And everyone can use a few different types of magic for some unexplained reason, including ice, time stop, and magnetism.

Geez, if this is all based on things that were in Breath of the Wild, they changed a lot more in that game than even I realized. (My own knowledge of its changes focused on gameplay-relevant things to decide whether I wanted to play it, not worldbuilding bits like this.) It really doesn't even feel like the Zelda games from before anymore, in a lot of ways.

So, yeah, bit of a shock to the system all around there. Still, it's a Warriors game, I'm going around slaughtering mooks and taking down the occasional halfway threatening foe, fun there. Could do without the giant robot bits, but that's my dislike of FPS stuff talking I suppose. I do feel like the game has some camera issues in a way that previous Warriors games I've played didn't though - especially with Revali's flight mode, I kind of feel like I need to avoid playing him just because that causes the camera to screw up so much. So far, Urbosa is hands-down my favorite character to play, throwing lightning around every which way, followed by Mipha and Link. It's quite strange to me that Link gets three different movesets depending on the weapon you give him though. I kind of want to stick to sword and shield just because it's strange to see him with anything else as his main weapon. And I'm assuming/hoping that, since he's the one character who apparently gets alternate costumes, he'll eventually have his classic outfit available.

Meanwhile, in Dragon Ball FighterZ, I reached a new milestone last night after resuming playing in the ranked mode: Living Legend, the original highest rank of the game's ladder. It's not anymore, it's more like 2/3 of the way up it, since they added higher ranks after launch, but still, feels like an accomplishment. It's certainly the highest I've ever climbed up a fighting game's ranked ladder, at the least.

[PhoenixPhyre]

I'm some way into route C/D of Nier: Automata[1]. And I'm realizing more and more why people act like "Yoko Taro game" == "twisty and oh so seriously screwed up." His brain is even more gloriously broken than mine is. By a long ways. And that's a good thing.

[1] Spoiler:

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Having just done the part with Pascal and then the 2nd 9S Resource Collector pieces.

[Razade]

And I am enjoying the game generally, but I do have say: wow, this is weird. Zelda was my favorite character to play in the first Hyrule Warriors, but this version of her has a really strange moveset that I am not finding to be particularly fun - or all that effective compared to most of the other characters, for that matter. Including, for some reason, a super move where she... takes a picture of things with a camera. (And on a very minor note, it's really odd that she has a British accent when nobody else seems to.)

I didn't play, but hope to soon, the original Hyrule Warriors but Zelda gets another move set after a while as you progress in the main story. It's much, much, better even though her outfit gets much much worse. I wouldn't use her until then.

And apparently this version of Impa is extremely young and some kind of Naruto fangirl.

The Sheikah in Breath of the Wild are a clan of Ninja based off the Iga with a Koga rival in the Yiga. Both have a secret village even. This is also 100 years in the past so of course Impa is going to be young.

And Link isn't wearing his traditional outfit, but just some regular knight armor. And the Rito have been retconned into a more full-fledged bird-people race, rather than the beaked humanoids they were in Wind Waker (granted, that's probably for the better, their design in Wind Waker was weird, but still, jarring change). And suddenly there's magitech giant robots everywhere. And everyone can use a few different types of magic for some unexplained reason, including ice, time stop, and magnetism.

All changes from Breath of the Wild/lore from Breath of the Wild.

Geez, if this is all based on things that were in Breath of the Wild, they changed a lot more in that game than even I realized. (My own knowledge of its changes focused on gameplay-relevant things to decide whether I wanted to play it, not worldbuilding bits like this.) It really doesn't even feel like the Zelda games from before anymore, in a lot of ways.

Zelda is always reinventing itself, its enemies and races. The Korok are no longer kid spirits of the forest but the strange plant things after Wind Waker for example. It's just what Zelda does.

So, yeah, bit of a shock to the system all around there. Still, it's a Warriors game, I'm going around slaughtering mooks and taking down the occasional halfway threatening foe, fun there. Could do without the giant robot bits, but that's my dislike of FPS stuff talking I suppose. I do feel like the game has some camera issues in a way that previous Warriors games I've played didn't though - especially with Revali's flight mode, I kind of feel like I need to avoid playing him just because that causes the camera to screw up so much.

Camera issues are certainly a problem, especially when you jump off a wall and paraglide when you don't want to.

So far, Urbosa is hands-down my favorite character to play, throwing lightning around every which way, followed by Mipha and Link. It's quite strange to me that Link gets three different movesets depending on the weapon you give him though. I kind of want to stick to sword and shield just because it's strange to see him with anything else as his main weapon. And I'm assuming/hoping that, since he's the one character who apparently gets alternate costumes, he'll eventually have his classic outfit available.

Link gets more weapon options because he can use all those weapons in Breath of the Wild. Spear is a ton of fun and Two Handed Weapons are probably the strongest thing in the game. It's not even a contest. The Master Sword, when you unlock it, is a lot of fun but nothing beats two handing Link.

Also, Link is not the only one to get alternate costumes but he gets the most options out of all of them.

[LibraryOgre]

Playing through DA2. Haven't made it to the Deep Roads for a second time, but I did play some Legacy, which is slowing me down.

However, while I'm a straight dude... I'm pretty sure Varric could get it. Goddamn, but that dwarf is smooth as his cheeks.

[Razade]

Playing through DA2. Haven't made it to the Deep Roads for a second time, but I did play some Legacy, which is slowing me down.

However, while I'm a straight dude... I'm pretty sure Varric could get it. Goddamn, but that dwarf is smooth as his cheeks.

Alas, he's one of (or the only if memory serves) Companion that is not a Romance option. It makes sense in the story, but they were going to have him as a Romance option. It got cut, like so many other things.

[Anonymouswizard]

Alas, he's one of (or the only if memory serves) Companion that is not a Romance option. It makes sense in the story, but they were going to have him as a Romance option. It got cut, like so many other things.

Aveline is also nonromanceable, and in fact has a non-PC love interest. As are Bethany and Carver, for somewhat obvious reasons.


Dragon Age:Inquisition only got me to make a male PC because it included Dorian. Such a pretty boy.


Anyway, back to Stardew Valley for some more farming.

[Taevyr]

However, while I'm a straight dude... I'm pretty sure Varric could get it. Goddamn, but that dwarf is smooth as his cheeks.

I've always headcanoned that Varric wandered into Thedas from some early-development Urban Fantasy Noir game for which he'd be the protagonist, and proceeded to smooth-talk everyone who tried to get him back where he belonged. He knew better than to stick around as a Noir protagonist.

Dragon Age:Inquisition only got me to make a male PC because it included Dorian. Such a pretty boy.

Dorian's the best: Probably my favourite companion out of the DAI bunch, to the point where I actually felt bad I had to let him down on the romantic front.

I did end up making a female elf with the plan of romancing Cullen: the guy deserved some extra happiness in at least one world state, after what origins and 2 put him through. And his entire romance is just so dang cute, really gives you those good fuzzy feelings.

[Zevox]

I didn't play, but hope to soon, the original Hyrule Warriors but Zelda gets another move set after a while as you progress in the main story. It's much, much, better even though her outfit gets much much worse. I wouldn't use her until then.

Zelda in the first Hyrule Warriors had a moveset that was a mix of swordfighting and light magic. Also, she had a bit of a "Warrior Princess" kind of look, with an outfit that was a mix of her traditional dress and some armor pieces, which I quite liked.

Glad to hear she gets a better moveset later in this one.

The Sheikah in Breath of the Wild are a clan of Ninja based off the Iga with a Koga rival in the Yiga. Both have a secret village even. This is also 100 years in the past so of course Impa is going to be young.

Uh, okay, I honestly did not know that Impa was in Breath of the Wild. More importantly though, are you implying that the characters in this game are the same ones as in Breath of the Wild? Because given that 100 year gap between them, plus the whole apocalypse that's supposed to occur, I'd assumed they were their ancestors - if that, since Link and Zelda have the whole reincarnation thing going on. I mean, I suppose I could see the non-human characters if they were in Breath of the Wild, since I'm pretty sure other Zelda games have implied that at least Gorons are long-lived, and it wouldn't terribly surprise me if Zoras or Ritos were as well, but the humans?

Zelda is always reinventing itself, its enemies and races. The Korok are no longer kid spirits of the forest but the strange plant things after Wind Waker for example. It's just what Zelda does.

Uh, Koroks first appeared in Wind Waker. (And I think have only been there, though maybe I'm just forgetting an appearance from Phantom Hourglass or Spirit Tracks, it's been a while and those were less memorable.) Are you confusing them with the Kokiri? Because those are different things.

I have to say though, while Zelda can certainly change a fair bit in setting between games, it's always struck a pretty consistent medieval fantasy tone. The only real deviation from that was Spirit Tracks having a train in it. Which is a much smaller deviation than magitech robots of all shapes and sizes that are apparently just suddenly considered normal by everyone.

Link gets more weapon options because he can use all those weapons in Breath of the Wild. Spear is a ton of fun and Two Handed Weapons are probably the strongest thing in the game. It's not even a contest. The Master Sword, when you unlock it, is a lot of fun but nothing beats two handing Link.

Also, Link is not the only one to get alternate costumes but he gets the most options out of all of them.

Oh, the Master Sword gets its own moveset, it's not just the same as the default sword & shield one? Neat, I'll look forward to that then.

And interesting to know that others get costumes too, though surprising considering nobody else even has the menu area for changing theirs at this point. I guess that gets unlocked once you find some alternate pieces for them?

[Cespenar]

Aveline is also nonromanceable, and in fact has a non-PC love interest. As are Bethany and Carver, for somewhat obvious reasons.

Aveline is not only nonromancable, but she has kind of a trolling moment (by the devs) in which the icon for the romance dialogue shows up in one of the conversations, but she either ignores or outright misses your attempts entirely. Then it clears up as she apparently had an eye for another, but that section was a funny bit of self-reference-deconstruction kinda thingy by Bioware.

[Razade]

Aveline is also nonromanceable, and in fact has a non-PC love interest. As are Bethany and Carver, for somewhat obvious reasons.

Ah yeah, forgot about her.

Zelda in the first Hyrule Warriors had a moveset that was a mix of swordfighting and light magic. Also, she had a bit of a "Warrior Princess" kind of look, with an outfit that was a mix of her traditional dress and some armor pieces, which I quite liked.

Glad to hear she gets a better moveset later in this one.

That sounds a lot better yeah. Her Light powers in this are a lot of fun but I never really found much fun in using her. Link and Impa and Urbosa were the ones I enjoyed the most and I used Link all the way through. The rest are just not...very fun for me. Even the secret characters. I think that's what I found the most disappointing in the game.

Uh, okay, I honestly did not know that Impa was in Breath of the Wild. More importantly though, are you implying that the characters in this game are the same ones as in Breath of the Wild? Because given that 100 year gap between them, plus the whole apocalypse that's supposed to occur, I'd assumed they were their ancestors - if that, since Link and Zelda have the whole reincarnation thing going on. I mean, I suppose I could see the non-human characters if they were in Breath of the Wild, since I'm pretty sure other Zelda games have implied that at least Gorons are long-lived, and it wouldn't terribly surprise me if Zoras or Ritos were as well, but the humans?

I'm not implying anything, I'm saying it's the case. Robbie, Purah and Impa lived on after the Calamity, they're the same people. It's not conjecture, Impa and Robbie are old as dirt and Purah used SCIENCE to extend her life but became a loli. They know Link, they recount history of The Calamity and the world after Ganon won. The Sheikah also seem to be long lived. Link and Zelda are also the same Link and Zelda. Link was put into a hibernation sleep and Zelda somehow survived fighting Ganon because Magic. Sidon was also alive back then but a kid, as you saw. You see him grown up in Breath of the Wild...and also Age of Calamity.

Uh, Koroks first appeared in Wind Waker. (And I think have only been there, though maybe I'm just forgetting an appearance from Phantom Hourglass or Spirit Tracks, it's been a while and those were less memorable.) Are you confusing them with the Kokiri? Because those are different things.

The Koroks are the Kokiri. The Kokiri became the Korok after the Great Flood. The Deku Tree says straight up ""Once upon a time, long ago, the Koroks took on human forms, but when they came to live on the sea, they took these shapes." The Zelda Box has one of the creators also quoted as saying "We created the Rito as the evolved form of the Zora that appeared in "Ocarina of Time" and the Koroks as what the Kokiri became once they left the forest. They appear different, but they have inherited their blood".

Oh, the Master Sword gets its own moveset, it's not just the same as the default sword & shield one? Neat, I'll look forward to that then.

Not it's own move set but like all other Zelda titles if you're at full health you get an energy blade that you shoot out of your sword which greatly increases the range of your attacks. If you pair it with a + Damage on Full Health symbol you can pretty much clear out mooks without every getting close. It's a lot of fun.

And interesting to know that others get costumes too, though surprising considering nobody else even has the menu area for changing theirs at this point. I guess that gets unlocked once you find some alternate pieces for them?

You only get The Champion's extra costume once you beat the main game. It's not the craziest costume but you get their Champion wear.

[tonberrian]

Re: Breath of the Wild, some spoilers, but Revali, Mipha, Daruk, and Urbosa are all dead in Breath of the Wild. Link is the same Link (spending time in a rejuvanation chamber for some reason, probably explained in Age of Calamity's endgame. Zelda got captured by Ganon or something and needs to be rescued in BotW, Impa just got WAY old - see spoilered picture - and Purah, who I'm pretty sure is in Age of Calamity, de-aged herself to a child.

The magitech robots are based on a type of ancient Japanese pottery from the Jomon period - essentially the pots have struck back against Link. In story, they were designed for the cycle BEFORE Age of Calamity, and are being used against Calamity Ganon again. Spoilers: It doesn't work. Zelda's whole deal is that she wants to be some sort of archeologist but has sacred duties involving fighting Ganon.

Instead of getting items from each dungeon in BotW, you unlock four powers for your magitech tablet (Sheikah Slate) right at the beginning of BotW. Bombs, Ice, Stasis, and Magnesis, which you use to do all the other puzzles in the game. Now some liberties have been taken with them in Age of Calamity, but them, and the pictures (which is an upgrade found later in the game) are all standard sheikah slate things.

Pottery:

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Impa:

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[Razade]

Re: Breath of the Wild, some spoilers, but Revali, Mipha, Daruk, and Urbosa are all dead in Breath of the Wild. Link is the same Link (spending time in a rejuvanation chamber for some reason, probably explained in Age of Calamity's endgame. Zelda got captured by Ganon or something and needs to be rescued in BotW, Impa just got WAY old - see spoilered picture - and Purah, who I'm pretty sure is in Age of Calamity, de-aged herself to a child.

Revali, Mipha, Daruk and Urbosa are killed piloting their weapons by the Calamity Blight entities. It's part of the storyline of Age of Calamity. You get to see why they would have died...but plot spoilers. Age of Calamity doesn't detail the loss to Ganon, it's a split timeline. They tell you why Link is placed in the vat in Breath of the Wild. He's wounded and almost dies and it's the only way to make sure he can come back and defeat Ganon sometime in the future.

Zelda seals herself in the castle with Ganon to keep the Calamity contained. She's been fighting Ganon for a century, according to Breath of the Wild, waiting for Link to wake up and use the Sword of Evil's Bane to banish it for good.

[Zevox]

That sounds a lot better yeah. Her Light powers in this are a lot of fun but I never really found much fun in using her. Link and Impa and Urbosa were the ones I enjoyed the most and I used Link all the way through. The rest are just not...very fun for me. Even the secret characters. I think that's what I found the most disappointing in the game.

Secret characters? Oh, do tell.

So far, for me, it goes Urbosa > Link > Mipha > Revali (except that his flight mode messes with the camera...) > Impa > Daruk > Zelda > The giant Korok whose name I forget. With my interest in actually playing them dropping rapidly after Mipha.
(Just got that last one, and my god, is he weird. I didn't think anyone's moveset would out-awkward Zelda's, but he managed it.)

I'm not implying anything, I'm saying it's the case. Robbie, Purah and Impa lived on after the Calamity, they're the same people. It's not conjecture, Impa and Robbie are old as dirt and Purah used SCIENCE to extend her life but became a loli. They know Link, they recount history of The Calamity and the world after Ganon won. The Sheikah also seem to be long lived. Link and Zelda are also the same Link and Zelda. Link was put into a hibernation sleep and Zelda somehow survived fighting Ganon because Magic. Sidon was also alive back then but a kid, as you saw. You see him grown up in Breath of the Wild...and also Age of Calamity.

Uh, okay, perhaps I should reiterate that I have not played Breath of the Wild, so I don't even know who some of those people are (Sidon, Robbie, Purah). And okay, I do remember the hibernation sleep thing with Link from having briefly watched a video of someone playing the start of Breath of the Wild, fair there. It's still kind of baffling that Impa or Zelda would still be alive after that long though. I mean, I guess with Zelda you can just hand-wave it with her having magic powers (although that seems like it's a lot harder if she was fighting Ganon that whole time!), but still, they have the whole reincarnation thing built right into the basis of the franchise, so why do it like this instead?

The Koroks are the Kokiri. The Kokiri became the Korok after the Great Flood. The Deku Tree says straight up ""Once upon a time, long ago, the Koroks took on human forms, but when they came to live on the sea, they took these shapes." The Zelda Box has one of the creators also quoted as saying "We created the Rito as the evolved form of the Zora that appeared in "Ocarina of Time" and the Koroks as what the Kokiri became once they left the forest. They appear different, but they have inherited their blood".

What?

Well, that's weird. And frankly rather dumb. Eh, one more thing to headcanon away, I suppose.

Not it's own move set but like all other Zelda titles if you're at full health you get an energy blade that you shoot out of your sword which greatly increases the range of your attacks. If you pair it with a + Damage on Full Health symbol you can pretty much clear out mooks without every getting close. It's a lot of fun.

Yeah, just got it - though I can't help but wonder what happens when I max out its level and start finding other weapons with higher stats than it. Kind of awkward with how this game's weapon mechanics work. Or maybe they do something like Fire Emblem Warriors did, where you can unlock a special power-up that makes it Link's strongest weapon in the end?

You only get The Champion's extra costume once you beat the main game. It's not the craziest costume but you get their Champion wear.

Okay, don't know who The Champion is, but I guess I'll find out.

[Razade]

Secret characters? Oh, do tell.

"Secret" is probably the wrong term for them but there are characters you can get for doing quests outside the game handing them to you. The Great Fairies (all of them as one character), Monk Maz Kosha are two you'll get before post-game. Terrako (the mini-guardian) and Ganon are the two you get post-game. Ganon is basically a ribbon, as it's the last thing you'll be doing more or less.

So far, for me, it goes Urbosa > Link > Mipha > Revali (except that his flight mode messes with the camera...) > Impa > Daruk > Zelda > The giant Korok whose name I forget. With my interest in actually playing them dropping rapidly after Mipha.
(Just got that last one, and my god, is he weird. I didn't think anyone's moveset would out-awkward Zelda's, but he managed it.)

Hetsu is...really not good yeah. Revali is just a pain with the camera and the other Rito you'll get is a lot more fun. Sad to see Impa on on your list, she absolutely annihilates everything after a few upgrades. Daruk and the other Goron are just too slow imho to be fun. Especially in their time trials.

Uh, okay, perhaps I should reiterate that I have not played Breath of the Wild, so I don't even know who some of those people are (Sidon, Robbie, Purah). And okay, I do remember the hibernation sleep thing with Link from having briefly watched a video of someone playing the start of Breath of the Wild, fair there. It's still kind of baffling that Impa or Zelda would still be alive after that long though. I mean, I guess with Zelda you can just hand-wave it with her having magic powers (although that seems like it's a lot harder if she was fighting Ganon that whole time!), but still, they have the whole reincarnation thing built right into the basis of the franchise, so why do it like this instead?

You've met Robbie and Purah already where you're at in the game. They're the scientists that you meet in cutscenes and they'll be larger to the plot. They were going to be playable if datamining is correct. So maybe DLC though I don't expect we'll be getting DLC.

Impa's still alive but old as dirt and looks like a Ghibli grandma. Zelda's still alive because time hasn't progressed for her because magic. Don't know why they didn't go for the resurrection plot this time but I imagine it's because of all the other departures they took. Changing the formula can be good. It's the most popular Zelda game because of all the changes so they did something right. Doesn't mean it's the best Zelda game....I certainly don't think Breath of the Wild is the best for a lot of reasons, but it for sure brought a ton of new energy to the franchise and was lauded by critics across the board.

Yeah, just got it - though I can't help but wonder what happens when I max out its level and start finding other weapons with higher stats than it. Kind of awkward with how this game's weapon mechanics work. Or maybe they do something like Fire Emblem Warriors did, where you can unlock a special power-up that makes it Link's strongest weapon in the end?

Other than two handed weapons on Link, my fully upgraded Master Sword does more damage than any other weapon. Especially if I'm at full hearts.

Okay, don't know who The Champion is, but I guess I'll find out.

Urbosa, Mipha, Revali and Daruk are The Champions. They get a champion's sash that can be equipped or unequipped after you beat the game. Like I said, it's not much but it's technically a change of costume.

[Zevox]

"Secret" is probably the wrong term for them but there are characters you can get for doing quests outside the game handing them to you. The Great Fairies (all of them as one character), Monk Maz Kosha are two you'll get before post-game. Terrako (the mini-guardian) and Ganon are the two you get post-game. Ganon is basically a ribbon, as it's the last thing you'll be doing more or less.

Huh, okay then - though I have no idea who Maz Kosha is. The Great Fairies sound likes an interesting one, I don't think any Great Fairy was playable in the original Hyrule Warriors (unless she was DLC, I never bought that game's DLC). Ganon being the last thing you can get definitely sucks though, he was fun in the first one.

Hetsu is...really not good yeah. Revali is just a pain with the camera and the other Rito you'll get is a lot more fun. Sad to see Impa on on your list, she absolutely annihilates everything after a few upgrades. Daruk and the other Goron are just too slow imho to be fun. Especially in their time trials.

There's another Rito and Goron to unlock? Interesting. Though yeah, agreed about the Goron lack of speed making them less fun - I had the same problem with Darunia in the first Hyrule Warriors.

And I don't doubt Impa is ridiculous - it seems like she'd have to be, what with the whole eight clones thing she has going on - I just don't find her very fun. It just feels like the whole thing with her is to get those clones and then spam literally anything, it doesn't matter what, because she'll dole out crazy damage no matter what with those active.

You've met Robbie and Purah already where you're at in the game. They're the scientists that you meet in cutscenes and they'll be larger to the plot. They were going to be playable if datamining is correct. So maybe DLC though I don't expect we'll be getting DLC.

Oh, those two. They have not reappeared since that opening scene as of yet, and I'm kind of grateful for that, as they felt really awkward and out of place.

Why wouldn't you expect DLC, though? The first Hyrule Warriors got a lot of it, as did Fire Emblem Warriors.

Don't know why they didn't go for the resurrection plot this time but I imagine it's because of all the other departures they took. Changing the formula can be good. It's the most popular Zelda game because of all the changes so they did something right. Doesn't mean it's the best Zelda game....I certainly don't think Breath of the Wild is the best for a lot of reasons, but it for sure brought a ton of new energy to the franchise and was lauded by critics across the board.

I'm not going to argue about its popularity, or even how good it is (haven't played it, so I don't feel I can), but I will disagree that changing the formula is any kind of inherent good thing. Changes can be for the better or for the worse (or neither), and personally, from what I've seen and heard of Breath of the Wild, the only change it made that I'd call for the better is the Rito's design. There's some that are neutral, but definitely plenty I think are for the worse as well.

Urbosa, Mipha, Revali and Daruk are The Champions. They get a champion's sash that can be equipped or unequipped after you beat the game. Like I said, it's not much but it's technically a change of costume.

Ah, okay. Since you said The Champion, singular and captitalized, I'd assumed that must be a unique character, separate from those four.

[Razade]

Huh, okay then - though I have no idea who Maz Kosha is. The Great Fairies sound likes an interesting one, I don't think any Great Fairy was playable in the original Hyrule Warriors (unless she was DLC, I never bought that game's DLC). Ganon being the last thing you can get definitely sucks though, he was fun in the first one.

Maz Kosha is a DLC Boss from Breath of the Wild. I don't find him, or the Faries for that matter, all that enjoyable personally.

There's another Rito and Goron to unlock? Interesting. Though yeah, agreed about the Goron lack of speed making them less fun - I had the same problem with Darunia in the first Hyrule Warriors.

And another Gerudo and another Zora along with two other characters. The roster is 17 characters in total.

Why wouldn't you expect DLC, though? The first Hyrule Warriors got a lot of it, as did Fire Emblem Warriors.

Game's been out a while and there's been no news for any which you'd think there would be at this point. It is one of their best selling games currently so there's still a possibility.

I'm not going to argue about its popularity, or even how good it is (haven't played it, so I don't feel I can), but I will disagree that changing the formula is any kind of inherent good thing. Changes can be for the better or for the worse (or neither), and personally, from what I've seen and heard of Breath of the Wild, the only change it made that I'd call for the better is the Rito's design. There's some that are neutral, but definitely plenty I think are for the worse as well.

But I didn't say it was inherently good. I said it can be good.

[Zevox]

Game's been out a while and there's been no news for any which you'd think there would be at this point. It is one of their best selling games currently so there's still a possibility.

Eh, it's only been two months. Granted, in this day and age that is a while for them to go without saying anything about DLC, but still, I'd hardly rule it out just yet. In an ideal world I think this about how long I'd want developers to go between the game's launch and any sort of news about DLC.

But I didn't say it was inherently good. I said it can be good.

Fair, actually. It came across to me with the same tone as I get from those who argue that change and experimentation is an inherently good thing, to prevent stagnation (which is an argument that I strongly disagree with). If that was an unfair reading, I apologize.

Nonetheless, I do personally not like most of the changes in this case. Even beyond the game mechanics and design elements that made me skip BotW, the addition of so much magitech into a previously strictly medieval-fantasy series will never sit right with me, personally, and the story element of so many characters just getting to survive a hundred years and an apocalypse when that doesn't make much sense and there's no real need for it does bug me. The former is certainly just my personal tastes, though, and the latter doesn't bother me so much that I couldn't overlook it in a game I otherwise liked, for what that's worth.

[factotum]

Put DQ11 on the back burner for now and loaded up Catherine: Full Body today. I was a bit puzzled when I saw that the *default* difficulty the game selects when you start it up is Easy...I wonder why it does that, thinks I, as I up it to normal and then start playing? Then I found out exactly why they did that, because the time limits on any difficulty above Easy are murderous when you're trying to solve what is, at its heart, a puzzle game. Time limits don't really sit well with the careful thought that's often required in the game. So, I restarted on Easy and am having a much better time of it--although even then they couldn't resist having a giant monster chase you up the towers every third level or so.

I honestly think you'd have to have the reactions of someone who can solve a Rubik's cube in 15 seconds to be able to get up those towers with the time constraints even in Normal difficulty, I dread to think what the harder one is like! I can fairly categorically say I won't ever find out because I won't be playing it on any harder difficulty, though, life's too short for that nonsense.

[Spacewolf]

Been playing some Star Sector, finally feel like I've got a handle on the game. Does anyone have any recommended mods for it? Since I've heard it's got a great modding community.

[factotum]

Well, finished Catherine...only took around 12 hours, it was rather short. Mind you, I've looked up online and apparently there are *thirteen* (!!) possible endings you can get, so I guess they're assuming you'll be playing the story mode multiple times in order to see all those. I doubt I'll be doing that, because I found Vincent annoying as heck and the plot was heavily reliant on the "Smart people just don't say what they should to each other" trope which also irritates me.

Kind of interesting to see not one but *two* trans characters in a Japanese game, though, got to give Atlus kudos for that.

[Zevox]

Further progress in Age of Calamity: I've unlocked the Great Faries and Monk Maz Kosha. For the former, I can definitely see why Razade's not a fan of them. They're just too damn enormous - it makes even seeing what some enemies are doing a problem, and makes dodging attacks from a lot of them feel near impossible. Sure, they can still block attacks, but sometimes that still puts them into a stun state that prevents doing any kind of counterattack. And their attacks are kind of ponderous and slow. They're just not that fun to deal with all of the drawbacks they come with.

Maz Kosha, though, I'm liking. I don't understand who he is, since the game didn't bother to explain it at all - he just kind of has a mission where he challenges you to a fight, then when you beat him he says "you're strong, I'll help you now" - but I like his moveset better than most of the game's characters. Haven't quite figured out what his seals are supposed to do, though. I figured out that you activate them by using his fourth heavy attack to summon that big forge, or whatever it is, and then hit it with his hammer using his R2 attack, but not what the benefit is.

Also, given how the story is going, I suspect that I'll be getting Zelda's second moveset sometime soon, so looking forward to that.

Well, finished Catherine...only took around 12 hours, it was rather short. Mind you, I've looked up online and apparently there are *thirteen* (!!) possible endings you can get, so I guess they're assuming you'll be playing the story mode multiple times in order to see all those. I doubt I'll be doing that, because I found Vincent annoying as heck and the plot was heavily reliant on the "Smart people just don't say what they should to each other" trope which also irritates me.

Kind of interesting to see not one but *two* trans characters in a Japanese game, though, got to give Atlus kudos for that.

Huh, I do not remember any trans characters in Catherine. Maybe those were additions in Full Body? I only played the original release. Or maybe I've just forgotten that much of the game, I suppose.

[Razade]

Further progress in Age of Calamity: I've unlocked the Great Faries and Monk Maz Kosha. For the former, I can definitely see why Razade's not a fan of them. They're just too damn enormous - it makes even seeing what some enemies are doing a problem, and makes dodging attacks from a lot of them feel near impossible. Sure, they can still block attacks, but sometimes that still puts them into a stun state that prevents doing any kind of counterattack. And their attacks are kind of ponderous and slow. They're just not that fun to deal with all of the drawbacks they come with.

Yep, that's pretty much every reason I dislike them.

Maz Kosha, though, I'm liking. I don't understand who he is, since the game didn't bother to explain it at all - he just kind of has a mission where he challenges you to a fight, then when you beat him he says "you're strong, I'll help you now" - but I like his moveset better than most of the game's characters. Haven't quite figured out what his seals are supposed to do, though. I figured out that you activate them by using his fourth heavy attack to summon that big forge, or whatever it is, and then hit it with his hammer using his R2 attack, but not what the benefit is.

Maz Kosha is a Sheikah Monk that serves as the DLC Boss for one of the Breath of the Wild DLCs. That's really it. He's not bigger in the story other than "Big Hard DLC Boss". His Runes just empower his attacks.