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Post by anayo on Oct 12, 2020 10:36:08 GMT -5
Recently I collected all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 for the Mario 3D All Stars compilation. So I began Super Mario Sunshine next. I just wanted to say how taken aback I was by the visual improvements. There's so much more detail, the character animals animations are more bouncy and lively, and there appears to be some rudimentary version of programmable shaders on some surfaces. It's reminding me of why I wanted a next-gen console so badly when I still had my N64 in 2003.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 12, 2020 10:40:33 GMT -5
No question that generation was a big leap. I honestly think that was the biggest jump in 3D gaming - the fidelity coming from what was on PSX/N64 to PS2/GC/XBOX was pretty astounding. Some of those games still look great today, even if they're not pushing HD resolutions. Although I guess in the case of Sunshine, it is now!
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Post by Xeogred on Oct 12, 2020 11:24:31 GMT -5
I think Sunshine benefited the most from the 3D All Stars ports too. Widescreen, HUD cleaned up and shrunk down some, etc. Galaxy still looks great too though.
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Post by Xeogred on Oct 15, 2020 10:49:19 GMT -5
One knock on FF12 is that it does suffer from those classic cryptic JRPG side quests basically requiring a FAQ/Guide. I have the old guide but it's boxed up somewhere, so just using the net to knock out some late game stuff: jegged.com/Games/Final-Fantasy-XII/Side-Quests/Desert-Patient.htmljegged.com/Games/Final-Fantasy-XII/Side-Quests/Three-Medallions.htmlOne of the most ridiculous things was how a "Site 11" key falls through a hole in one dungeon and ends up in Phon Coast village and it's just this tiny flashing speck next to an NPC. On one hand, there's times where I like how this game doesn't bog you down with menus and lists of side quests and checklists like most modern games. But on the other hand, it's kind of crazy how these side quests have to be fully manually tracked basically and some of them are crazy cryptic. I don't know if I'll get the platinum, truly doing 100% I suspect. I hear it takes over 100 hours. But I would like to at least get all the Espers and do all the optional dungeons. Ashe is level 60 something so I think I'm in the final stretch.
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Post by Ex on Oct 15, 2020 12:33:18 GMT -5
how a "Site 11" key falls through a hole in one dungeon and ends up in Phon Coast village and it's just this tiny flashing speck next to an NPC Yeah that's BS. I won't deny there's some mandatory walkthrough stuff in FF12 (to help sell the official guide). However, that stuff isn't required to beat the game, so fair enough I guess. For what it's worth, I put 109 hours into FF12. However, I never used a guide or walkthrough even once, and I also made sure to 100% all my maps. I'm still happy you're enjoying FF12 as much as you are. I think you may agree it was ahead of its time. The PS4 re-release was a good idea, as people today are more open now to the ideas FF12 pioneered back in 2006.
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Post by Xeogred on Oct 15, 2020 13:01:45 GMT -5
Yeah there's some top notch stuff about it. The battle system is awesome when you get to the trickier bosses and elite hunts. Finally had to make full secondary Gambit pages for some characters on a few of these optional Esper battles, like Cuchulainn the Impure in the Waterway. Your HP is constantly draining so I basically had to brute force it with two healers full time, keeping Bubble and Regen up, etc. Zeromus wasn't too hard though, who blocks Magic/Technicks. That went against what my main playstyle has been through a lot of this though, surprisingly I've been using Penelo a lot alongside Ashe for like half of this run, because the versatility with a White/Time Mage and Black/Red Mage combo is insane. Both can buff/debuff, with Penalo having a few higher level spells there and I favor her for Dispel against bosses. Then Ashe can unleash Scathe or backup healing whenever needed. Killed a few bosses with Scathe and it's so damn satisfying. I've been controlling Ashe the most lately. The Red Mage class gave her access to good Maces/Shield's too, so she's quite good with melee as well. A lot of those maces have deadly status effects as well. Another plus Penelo as the support character, is that Time Mage gave her access to crossbows, so she can stay back or more easily hit flying enemies. So beyond those two I kind of just rotate the three dudes in for whatever. Vaan - Hits like a truck with katanas and has some good White Magic. The Shades of Black technick can be real deadly too. Balthier - the Shikari/Foebreaker combo has made him a Ninja/Tank. Telekinisis is awesome for flying enemies. I keep a Bubble Belt on him for max HP. He has good debuff technicks too. Basch - Knight/Time Mage has been a cool combo, he's pretty versatile. But I think Vaan and Balthier are a little stronger for pure melee assaults. I only use Fran in emergencies now. I still don't think I'm ready for the Rank VII hunts. I went for the giant Behemoth in the snowy mountain area and pretty much immediately regretted it. I think there's 3-4 more hunts, including Gilgamesh who sounds like another infamous tough one. I have Reddas now and heard this is a good time to wrap up a lot of side quests like I have been. Though some argue it doesn't make a huge difference, since progressing the story will keep giving me access to some of the best equipment and some abilities I still need. Might follow a guide step by step with the Great Crystal and Ultima stuff... that dungeon just seems ridiculous. Apparently Shellaga is in there too which I need! Or maybe it was Hastega, but I want both badly.
I'm not surprised one could sink 100+ hours into this beast. It's got content for days.
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Post by Ex on Oct 15, 2020 13:06:09 GMT -5
Great Crystal / Ultima / Shellaga You gon need that stuff...
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Post by Xeogred on Oct 15, 2020 13:23:44 GMT -5
I've heard the name, guessing that's FF12's ultimate super boss?
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Post by Ex on Oct 15, 2020 14:37:12 GMT -5
I've heard the name, guessing that's FF12's ultimate super boss? Yep. Named after the man himself: "Yiazmat's name alludes to director Yasumi Matsuno's nickname (Yazumi Matsuno). The additional "i" in Yiazmat's name is not present in the Japanese version, likely being a localization decision to associate it closer to "Tiamat." The title of the hunt is "Farewell to a Legend," a reference to how Matsuno left the company before the game was completed, and the story Montblanc tells refers to how the development team felt about him, albeit with a different end. " finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Yiazmat_(Final_Fantasy_XII)So this boss's name in the original Japanese FF12 is "Yazmat" aka "Yazumi Matusno", you see.
P.S. This boss has 50+ million hit points.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 15, 2020 16:36:18 GMT -5
Yeah, that's a hard "no" from me.
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