Tales of Vesperia

The State of the Gamer: 9/9/21

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 6 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 8/26/21           The State of the Gamer: 9/23/21–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Purchased

  • Last Day of June – $9.99 for Nintendo Switch @ Nintendo eShop

What I Demoed

  • Tales of Arise – I have Facebook to thank for putting me onto this.  I had no idea another Tales game was on the horizon.  I’m probably going to buy it even though I missed the pre-order (I still think you can get the perks from that even after it comes out), since it hit today.  The controls are a little different since it’s on the PS4, but it’s still the same concept.  I so wish it was on the Nintendo Switch though lol.  I want everything on the Nintendo Switch :p

What I Finished

Title: Tales of Vesperia
Series: Tales
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of Tales of VesperiaDate Started: May 23, 2021
Date Finished: September 4, 2021

I can’t sing the praises of this enough.  It was so damn good.  I loved how while following many of the standard JRPG tropes, it was still unique.  The critiques I have about it are minor, few, and mostly have to do with the inability to organize your items lol.  While the high probability of missing side events, sub-quests, and optional items is high, this isn’t a dealbreaker, and apparently, they addressed that in later titles.

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The State of the Gamer: 8/26/21

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 2 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 8/12/21           The State of the Gamer: 9/9/21–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Purchased

No purchases.

What I’m Playing

Title: The Lost Child
Series: El Shaddai
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of The Lost ChildDate Started: July 31, 2021

This has been my main go to for the past few weeks.  There’s just something addictive about a dungeon crawler where you map and capture monsters.  The story is a C- at best and the voice acting is MAYBE a solid C, but that’s not what I came here for.  There are a few things I wish they did like make a way for you to sort your Astrals (the name of the monsters) by element type and best karma type, the latter of which is used to level them up.  I’m also not overly fond of how you obtain weapons.  You can’t buy them; you can only find them in the dungeons and afterwards have this one merchant appraise them.  You can also attempt to strengthen them, but there’s at most an 80% or so chance (at most) you’ll succeed.  It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s not ideal.

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The State of the Gamer: 8/12/21

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 6 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 7/29/21           The State of the Gamer: 8/12/21–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Purchased

  • Thomas Was Alone – $4.99 @ Nintendo eShop

Total: $4.99

What I’m Playing

Title: The Lost Child
Series: El Shaddai
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of The Lost ChildDate Started: July 31, 2021

I couldn’t pass up a dungeon crawler on sale for $10 as opposed to it’s regular $50.  I’m really glad I didn’t spend $50 on this.  It’s fine for what it is, and I’m definitely not playing it for the story or voice acting because that leaves a little to be desired.  It’s sort of an amalgamation of Biblical (angels/fallen angels and demons), the Cthulhu Mythos (I was literally running from Nyarlathotep on R’lyeh Road), and some Norse Mythology.  Lua (which I’m thinking is a reference to a Roman goddess), your companion character is kind of annoying, but meh?  I’m enjoying the exploration and catching the monsters or Astrals.  I’m still trying to figure out the best way to level them up and which ones I should focus on.  According to howlongtobeat.com this is around a 40 hour game for the main story and twice that for completionists.

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The State of the Gamer: 7/29/21

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 2 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 7/15/21           The State of the Gamer: 8/12/21–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Purchased

  • The Darkside Detective (Point-and-Click/Adventure) – $5.84 @ Nintendo eShop
  • Tested on Humans: Escape Room (Puzzle/Adventure) – $3.99 @ Nintendo eShop
  • The Lost Child (RPG/JRPG) – $9.99 @ Nintendo eShop
  • The Dark Eye: Memoria (Point-and-Click/Puzzle) – $9.99 @ Nintendo eShop

Total: $29.81

What I’m Playing

Title: Tales of Vesperia
Series: Tales
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of Tales of VesperiaDate Started: May 23, 2021

I am well into the third act of the game and have over 120 hours in.  I’m not exactly sure where when it’s going to end, but I at least know what the real threat is now that we’ve cut through the chaff.  I’ve started using a spoiler free* guide to the side quests since Vesperia has a lot of missables.  There are some that I’m already out of luck on (like the 50% Monster Book and Nan) since I didn’t know about them in the beginning (and watching Oliz play through it has really confirmed that), but I’m trying to get all of the ones I can.  There are some I’m willing to forgo like the dragon races with Ba’ul.  I just eked out a win in the first level.  I’m not good at those types of games, and the big reason to do it seemed to be so you’d get the upgrade that would allow Ba’ul to land on this one island, but something happened in the game that made it accessible so I’m not even sure that’s necessary anymore.

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The State of the Gamer: 7/15/21

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 2 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 7/1/21           The State of the Gamer: 7/29/21–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Purchased

  • Sky: Children of the Light – $0.00 @ Nintendo eShop
  • Discolored – $9.99 @ Nintendo eShop

Total: $9.99

What I Finished

Title: Discolored
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of DiscoloredDate Started: July 13, 2021
Date Finished: July 14, 2021

This was such a quick and fun play.  I wish it were a little bit longer, but I have a feeling they’re going to make more; the ending certainly teased it (a little too cruelly if you ask me).  I was a little worried it was going to be a scary game, and I’ll be honest, near the end it gets the slightest bit creepy, but that’s only because I’m a wuss puss who’s been watching too many horror LPs.  It only takes about two hours to complete, and there’s a robust hint system if you get lost.  I used it more than I wanted to, but that’s totally on me.  I’ll be looking for more items from Godbey Games.

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The State of the Gamer: 6/17/21

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 6 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 6/3/21           The State of the Gamer: 7/1/21–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Purchased

  • Pic-a-Pix Pieces – $7.99 @ Nintendo eShop
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade – $74.19 @ Square Enix Store

What I DNF

Title: The Innsmouth Case
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of The Inssmouth CashDate Started: May 21, 2021
Date DNF: 6/17/21

I was just going to put this on hold after I saw it had a high rating on Grouvee (5/5 stars), even though I felt the same way about it as I did The Lion’s Song.  While I’m obviously into the Lovecraft thing, it’s not engaging enough.  According to the description, your choices do matter for the ending (or maybe I’m still thinking of The Lion’s Song idk), but it’s just not enough.  The definitive DNF came about when I loaded it up, and it started me at the beginning because apparently the save symbol I saw did nothing, and I didn’t feel like going through the first chapter again.  Maybe I’ll find and watch a Let’s Play if I feel so inclined, but I’m done with it myself.

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The State of the Gamer: 6/3/21

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 11 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 5/20/21           The State of the Gamer: 6/17/21–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Purchased

  • Detective Grimoire: The Secret of the Swamp – $2.99 @ iTunes Store

What I Finished

Title: Tangle Tower
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of Tangle TowerDate Started: May 17, 2021
Date Finished: May 21, 2021

I did the same thing with this that I did with GRIS: stopped playing less than a half hour before I’d be done.  With TT I wound up having to sit through some of the ending exposition again because it didn’t save it, but it’s okay.  The game manages to have both a definitive and cliffhanger ending, and there is a sequel in the works.  It’s weird there’s no name for the franchise yet (or at least there isn’t one on Grouvee).  I’m assuming it’s “Detective Grimoire” or something like that, since he’s featured in both.  I just followed the indie devs on Twitter since I want to know as soon as the next game comes out.

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The State of the Gamer: 9/24/20

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 2 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 9/10/20           The State of the Gamer: 10/8/20–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Bought

  • AVICII Invector – $19.99 @ Nintendo eShop
  • Tales of Vesperia – $14.99 @ Nintendo eShop

What I’m Playing

Title: Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight
Series: Etrian Odyssey
System: Nintendo 3DS

Cover of Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir KnightDate Started: 9/7/20

I’m on the third stratum now.  I forget what it’s exactly called, but it’s an ice one to the fiery stratum before.  I got my ass handed to me by the Fire Demon boss of the second.  Well…not so much the boss as the Fire Cubes it summons.  If they explode, they take out your entire party.  I’m already on the second floor of the frozen stratum, and I love how each floor has it’s own gimmick with the FOEs (stronger enemies you can see/avoid).  The 11th had these Ambush Wolves that changed direction every third step and that was the only time you could see them.  Now the 12th has these dragons that sleep during the day but are awake and moving at night.  You’d think “Aha!  I’ll just explore the labyrinth during the day!” but there’s a mission where you have to collect these flowers that only bloom at night.  You can find their locations during the day and mark them, which is what I’m doing.  There are also slippery floor puzzles to map and figure out, so my plan is to explore/map the floor as well as find the flowers when it’s safe then pick them up at night once I know where they are.

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The State of the Gamer: 7/30/20

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 3 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 7/16/20           The State of the Gamer: 8/13/20–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Purchased

  • Tales of Vesperia – $14.99 @ PlayStation Store

What I’m Playing

Title: Broken Age
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of Broken Age gameDate Started: 7/4/20

This has gotten really interesting, and yes, the stories do and have connected, which I suspected all along.  There have also been so really big reveals on both sides.  I have had to use a guide for some parts.  In some situations because I was too lazy/tired to figure it out; in others because I never would’ve remembered something.  You have to recall someone a character named “Alex” sang, and I literally do not remember who the hell that is lol.  I’m pretty sure you can still go back and see it, but I’m honestly not sure.  The puzzles are still by and large intuitive without relying on the dreaded “game logic.”  Many of my issues come from my ability to get lost in a round room and being in a gigantic spaceship for the second chapter.  You need to know how to find your way around, and you’re not afforded a map.  It’s easy initially because they game just takes you to the places, but then later you have to navigate around yourself.  It’s hard to remember where everything is.

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The State of the Gamer: 6/27/17

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 18 Comments

<–The State of the Gamer: 6/20/17          The State of the Gamer: 7/4/17–>

A weekly post updated every Tuesday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have quite a backlog of games to either play or watch, and I’m hoping a weekly article will assist with my progress as my other accountable posts have done with reading and writing.
I have an account at Grouvee, which is a essentially Goodreads for gamers, so please feel free to friend me there!
Original source of the banner art is located here.

Currently Playing: 4

Title: Final Fantasy Type-0
Series: Final Fantasy/Fabula Nova Crystallis
Genre: Action RPG – Fantasy
Developer: Square Enix
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release Date: October 27, 2011
Date Purchased: May 18, 2017
Date Started: June 18, 2017

Progress: Chapter 1

I didn’t wake up early enough on Sunday to play this, so I haven’t logged any more hours on the game this week.  I’m off Monday and Tuesday of next week for 4th of July, so I’m sure I”ll get some time in then.

Title: Final Fantasy V
Series: Final Fantasy
Genre: RPG – Fantasy
Developer: Square
Platform: PlayStation
Release Date: December 6, 1992
Date Purchased: Unknown
Date Started: June 17, 2017

Progress: Abandoned ship yard

I was wrong with how Faris’s secret is revealed!  I’m just going to tell you, because it’s not that big of a deal, and I like some of the dialogue around it.  Faris is a woman, and I thought the big reveal would happen when they went through the canal, and the monster therein attacked them because it only attacks women.  Then I remembered that Reina is in the group, so even if the attack did occur (which it did as part of the plot), it really wouldn’t matter.

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