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Post by Ex on Sept 7, 2021 16:52:02 GMT -5
It's worth nothing the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision were both consoles, not personal computers. This one looks cool to me: Never played it though. |
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Post by bonesnapdeez on Sept 7, 2021 17:41:55 GMT -5
Yeah I don't have that yet. It's on the ol' want list. I do have Atari Pooyan which is, well, it's Pooyan.
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Post by Xeogred on Sept 8, 2021 19:09:14 GMT -5
Normal Neutral/Demon Ending Level 88 Demon Compendium 51% All Magatama's and Labyrinth 99% completed 75:04
So, I got the lame ending. Dang! Playing things down the middle always has its faults in games and life in general but what can I say, hah. The Neutral ending apparently means, I don't fight either of the two main final bosses. But oh well. I see videos of players with levels in the 70's and I was nearly 90. I know I would have defeated them. By the end of the game here I had four characters in my main party that absorbed physical attacks (healed), among other things. Then there's the ultimate Magatama by reaching the top of the final dungeon and backing out to do the Bandou Shrine. This thing NULL's EVERYTHING except Almighty. Absolutely insane. Now I have a save I could probably load up to reach the bottom of the Labyrinth and go for that ending, but that was back at hour 68! I'd argue the final dungeon itself was kind of the final boss in ways and together with the Bandou Shrine, that's SEVEN bosses I'd have to do again. Not up for that. I feel content enough since story line wise, my ending does add up with my actions and while I miss some key bosses here, I did 99% of everything else.
Long story short, as of this week... I do feel that this is my personal GOTY for 2021. I do not say that lightly in the least because I loved Phantasy Star IV and Front Mission 4 as well. Maybe I could take the easy way out and say all three of these are 10's. But 75 hours of pure joy going through SMT3 was something else. It's been quite awhile since I've been sucked into a game this hard and so excitedly curious about everything about it. From aesthetics to mechanics to story, it was such a fresh and unique experience. It does everything right for my tastes, I seriously can't think of any flaws, other than the audio being pretty muffled and compressed. I guess the remaster might smooth that out but it seems like that release changes more than just the difficulty, even names and the dialogue have been changed up. So that's pretty wack. I'm glad I played the PS2 original. Anyways I can't stress enough, this is JRPG perfection and some of the best turn based combat of all time. I loved this game so much and am thrilled to dive more into SMT now. I don't know what took me this long other than it just remaining a bit of a niche' series. From afar, I always thought SMT looked a lot cooler than Persona and this experience cemented that fact for me. I did sample some Persona 4 years back and hated it, so maybe that kept me away from SMT longer than necessary. I just never researched them much or whatever. I had no idea what majesty awaited me, well it's never too late!
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Post by Ex on Sept 8, 2021 19:42:39 GMT -5
Xeogred>I got the lame ending I'm surprised you got the neutral ending, thought for sure you'd end up with the True Demon Ending. I also got the regular Demon Ending, though I thought it was a rewarding ending. >I'd argue the final dungeon itself was kind of the final boss in ways and together with the Bandou Shrine I kind of agree. I can tell you that Lucifer is only hard unless you know his one weakness, then he's a long drawn out war of attrition. Based on what I've read and watched. >all three of these are 10's I agree PS4 and SMT3 are 10/10. FM4 is a 9/10 for me. FM5 edges towards a 10/10. >this is JRPG perfection and some of the best turn based combat of all time I agree here as well, and it's unfortunate that most pass on SMT3. I guess now that the HD Remaster version offers a lower difficulty option, a lot more people will play it. However the OG challenge is one of the pillars of what makes SMT3 awesome, to dilute that would diminish its spirit. >I did sample some Persona 4 years back and hated it I certainly grew to despise P3P the more I played it. I'm willing to give P4G and P5R a chance someday though. >I had no idea what majesty awaited me, well it's never too late! I don't know about going backward, but I think going forward you'll find some winners. I wager DDS1 and DDS2 will be hits for you, along with Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux. I think it's awesome that you beat SMT3 and loved it. Now you see why I rated it a 10/10! I'll link this optional intro 'cause I always enjoyed it:
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Post by Xeogred on Sept 8, 2021 19:52:33 GMT -5
Now, I feel like I need the ultimate Phoenix Down and can rest again. 
Interesting that we landed the same ending. I think if it were a legit apocalypse, it probably would reflect how I'd act. Not really trusting anyone and looking out for myself, while not taking sides and stuff generally, haha.
I'd say I got that final boss "energy" AKA fulfillment well enough from Ahriman at least, in the final dungeon if you remember him. Really awesome design and tough battle.
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Post by Ex on Sept 8, 2021 20:05:25 GMT -5
Kagutsuchi actually gave me a hard time, I think it took me three times to take him (it) out. Damned Epcot center from hell!
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Post by Xeogred on Sept 8, 2021 20:15:27 GMT -5
I forgot to mention the ultimate Magatama you can get also has +10 in EVERY stat.
Dante was amazing too man. At some level he learns a passive skill that increases his normal attacks by 50%. For the first time ever, I had someone hitting harder than Demi-fiend after that. That said, Dante never felt overpowered either. His HP was a little lacking and his accuracy wasn't the best. Even fusing Fiend/boss demons, nobody ever felt game breaking and I appreciate when such a dense RPG with so many stats and mechanics at play, manages to keep that balance. I'm sure you can probably make some game breaking demons on a NG+ run though with meticulous skill inheritances and such, lol.
I still feel like I could maybe hit up another RPG next. Dang! That's abnormal. It's the year of RPG's for me. Might go for Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits.
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Post by Ex on Sept 8, 2021 20:25:36 GMT -5
I still feel like I could maybe hit up another RPG next. Dang! That's abnormal. Tastes change over time. There was an era where all I played was FPS games nearly exclusively. |
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Post by Xeogred on Sept 8, 2021 20:34:02 GMT -5
I'm kind of thinking game length a bit here too. I usually like to play some short stuff after a long game, especially 75 hours long... but I guess this year I've been digging being knee deep into more dense lengthy games that are an extra commitment to focus on.
It's cool having some sealed PS2 games I still need to open up. Something special about that haha. Oh wow, what's this artifact in here... a big manual!?
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Post by Sarge on Sept 9, 2021 0:25:35 GMT -5
Beat Marvel vs. Capcom (arcade version). Finally. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I wanted to try this AtGames stick that just came in. It seems like it's pretty high quality. But just like the Mad Catz stick I have, it was quickly revealed to me that I suuuuuuuck with a joystick. Too many years of pad play. It will take a lot of practice to get better.
On the positive side, I got a pretty groovy arcade stick. My biggest gripe about the last one was the buttons, which didn't have enough play or resistance to them. Well, these do, and it's greatly appreciated. The AtGames hockey puck comes with some interesting games on it. Not big names (for the most part), but very interesting games nonetheless. Some Taito classics like Rastan and Cadash (yay!), and interestingly enough, also some SNES/Genesis games like Gourmet Fighters Barayarou, Top Gear/Racer, Joe & Mac 2, Donald Duck in Maui Mallard (double yay!), and others. It's pretty intriguing. Of course, the real attraction is the "bring your own game" feature, so you can install darn near anything you want. I have a friend that says the emulation quality isn't up to MiSTer standards (probably not), but it's still a nice bonus as a little emulation box. (And yeah, my understanding is that you can also use other controllers on it as well.)
Anyway, MvC. What's here is good, but it still feels too much like the games before it - the upgrades feel incremental. MvC2 blows it out of the water. Still, it's an 8/10, with just enough to elevate it above the prior games, and sets the stage for perhaps the greatest "zany" 2D fighter ever.
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