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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2020 11:26:06 GMT -5
Sounds like suffering through the not so great parts from the first game was worth it. Maybe I'll give the series another shot, eventually.
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Post by Ex on Aug 26, 2020 11:38:09 GMT -5
Sounds like suffering through the not so great parts from the first game was worth it. Maybe I'll give the series another shot, eventually. For what it's worth, Bound in Blood is a prequel. So from a plot perspective, one's enjoyment won't be affected by playing BiB first (or only).
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Post by Xeogred on Aug 26, 2020 13:01:50 GMT -5
I always think of Kirby's Adventure with standoff duels, lol. That definitely looks cool.
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Post by Ex on Aug 28, 2020 10:07:05 GMT -5
paulofthewest How's your Wild Arms play going? Sarge How's your Alter Code F play going? -
As for my play of Bound in Blood, I did put some more time in it last night, and had plenty of fun. Aside from the linear chapters (missions), there was a point where the player is given an open-world-ish area, wherein one is allowed to take on sidequests for earning cash. You spend the cash at a gun shop, to buy better weapons and ammo. That open area was a nice diversion and break from the linear campaign. However, the open area and sidequests were completely optional, and the game gives the player the choice to engage with it, or ignore that entirely and just skip to the next story chapter. In that regard, I just started chapter 7 last night, and there's 15 chapters. So I'm not even halfway done yet. Thus far I very much enjoy BiB. Although it's very FPS-centric, meaning you are shooting shooting shooting. So far there's less exploration and platforming than the original CoJ. Granted, I keep choosing to play as Ray, who is the gunslinger. One could play as Thomas, whom has a whip and does more platforming stuff, but nah... Ray is such a badass, I can't not play as him.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 28, 2020 10:34:33 GMT -5
It's going! I spent way more time on it last night than I thought - lots of optional stuff, but mostly the Puzzle Box areas where you have to clear out a bunch of colored boxes.
EDIT: I should add to this post a bit. Now that I've started making progress again, I'll say the game is good, but I also can see why I fell off the wagon. I'm not sure why it seems to be the case for this and Wild ARMs 3, its closest compatriot, but the sign-posting for what to do next can often be really, really bad. I mean, there's a bit where I have to track down the powers of "Life" and "Evil" (which probably was meant to be death). Except you're really not given much of a hint at all where they might be. The first was pretty easy, though - the forest I just came through had a big face with a glowing orb. Just use your "Freedom Key" on it and follow it around the forest a bit to get the new Medium. The other, though, actually requires you to backtrack alllll the way to Curan Abbey, Cecelia's starting point, checking the library for a book, finding out from the librarian that someone has the real book checked out and getting their ID Card, and then going to the "Forgotten House" to unlock a door from earlier. Perhaps if I were starting from the beginning I'd have remembered some flavor text about this, but as it is... yeah, you'd just be hunting from town to town, trying to figure out what to do. Not even ashamed about checking a walkthrough.
Outside of that, I have limited flight capability now, which is why I spent so much time doing optional stuff. The Puzzle Box dungeons give rewards on completion, and a few of them are pretty tough. I figure I'm about to get back on track, though - need to track down two parts to get full flight abilities, and the game is nice enough to highlight those on the map.
I do wonder if this or the original version is better. The translation here can be really sketchy at times, but I've also heard the same thing about the original. The battle system is quite slow, but I don't know if it's any faster or slower than the original - I haven't booted it in some time.
EDIT 2: Hoo boy, Puzzle Box #29 was a rough one.
EDIT 3: Another dungeon down. Pretty neat one overall - one of those "split the party up and help each other via teamwork" types. Not sure how close I am to the end, but it can't be that far away. I'm around level 45, and have almost the same number of hours in. I'm probably going to stop progressing for a bit and grind a little - I know there are the "Apple" enemies that function as EXP stashes. The difference is that you get as much damage as you inflict. I figure even without some great setup, I can hit pretty hard with my improved Lock-On + Gatling Raid. (That is my go-to boss killer, and boy does it pack a punch with the right build.)
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Post by paulofthewest on Aug 29, 2020 19:15:35 GMT -5
Ex It is going well, JRPGs are definitely longer. While I haven't looked at the sequels of Wild Arms, I'm glad they are made. This first one has a lot of potential in it and it seems they didn't have time to flesh out. Especially the ARMs--if they had customization that would add a significant amount of depth to the game. Instead you simply upgrade the weapon. Also, three person split thing is cool but again not The Lost Vikings level. Also, the Golems (AKA Mechs) could be a whole series/game of themselves. The quick draw/sword tech could also have some questing to it. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying it. Once I finish I'm going to be curious which direction they took the series. One thing I really like is the magic system. You find Crest Graphs which allow you to know a spell (any spell, but you must bind to a crest graph for it.) So, you get to choose and build your repertoire as the game progresses. Nice and simple.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 29, 2020 21:12:22 GMT -5
I really feel like I'm going to have to play through the original now to see the changes in Alter Code: F.
I'm almost up to 50 hours. I've hit the final dungeon, so now I'm poking around outside for optional stuff. For better or worse, you can't recruit the new members for your party until you hit the final dungeon. It's just as well, because I'm likely going to make a concerted effort to finish it up tomorrow.
Oh, and there's a lot of optional stuff in this one. Don't know if the original has all these extras, but I kinda doubt it. HLTB has the "Main + Extras" for this one at 54 hours, and only 30 for the original. (Which might be a really good argument for that one.)
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Post by toei on Aug 30, 2020 2:39:13 GMT -5
I can confirm that the original is definitely not 50 hours territory, and no, not that many side-quests that I recall. I don't think the series got long until the PS2, following the trend for the genre in general.
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Post by Ex on Aug 30, 2020 21:22:06 GMT -5
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a western themed FPS, developed by Techland, and published by Ubisoft in 2009. Bound in Blood is a prequel to the original Call of Juarez. The plot as a result, is closely tied to the original CoJ, cleverly written so as to keep canon, while also being an entertaining tale in its own right. This a tale of three brothers escaping the American Civil War, seeking a legend of gold in the west, and encountering betrayal and vengeance abound. The player spends most their time gunfighting vicious battles through a relentless barrage of furious aggression. +Easily the best western themed FPS I've ever played. +Incredibly good gunplay with outstanding level design. +Phenomenal graphics for being a 2009 console release. +Side missions and the ability to purchase upgraded weaponry. +Above average writing with truly excellent voice acting (especially Ray). -Base game design (rootin' tootin' shootin') can become repetitive if played in long doses. -Your AI partners can be really aggressive in their signposting. -Late game showdowns can be tedious occasionally. -William is an annoying little prick. -I'd have liked another open area with side missions (there's only two of those areas). It's pretty incredible how big an improvement BiB is over the original CoJ. All I can say is, those three years between these two releases were put to good use. For fans of westerns, or fans of FPS, I strongly recommend playing this game. For fans of both genres, consider Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood a must play. This is one of the best first person shooters I've beaten in a very long time. Now, I'd have appreciated a bit more variety to the game design on occasion. But on the other hand, if the player doesn't want to use a whip and platform jump, they don't have too. (BiB gives the player the choice of using Thomas (whip/jump) or Ray (shoot shoot) 95% of the time.) Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a triumph and has aged incredibly well. Ex's time to beat: 10 hours 8 minutes Ex's rating: 8.5/10- I am interested in seeing how Wild Arms and Alter Code F differ. I plan to beat one more game for this CR theme, although it may be September before I do it.
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Post by Xeogred on Aug 31, 2020 2:42:11 GMT -5
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is a western themed FPS, developed by Techland Wait a second, this is a Techland series? Say no more... had a blast with Dying Light, so I'm definitely curious to see some of their earlier FPS's. Added three Call of Juarez's to my wishlist now.
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