Lurker > Axl_Rose_85

The Level 130 Super Boss didn't stand a chance against my party. Mythra is way too overpowered. Literally did 9.9 million damage with 8 elemental orbs stacked. That was the first time anything lasted long enough for me to stack 8 orbs though.

Heard Gladiator Orion and Relentless Arduran are supposedly more challenging but I suspect they would give me trouble at this point.

Got just 1 ****ing Rare Blade (Kora) after burning through approximately 80 Commons, 30 Rares, 10 Legendaries. And that was from a common core crystal.

This is the worst RNG nonsense I had to deal with in a game ever.

With 5 Rares remaining, I'm just gonna quit on core grinding and do the remaining side quests, the blade quests that I do have and the super bosses.

I'm done with the loot box mechanic nonsense.

I beat the game yesterday

Warning for major Xenoblade 1 and 2 spoilers (tagged)

After an awesome intro with a very intriguing prologue and first chapter. The seeds were sown for what promised to be an epic story worthy of the Xeno name. While the first two to three chapters were amazing in terms of story and characters, the story suddenly falls off a cliff during the mid chapters and starts having major pacing issues (which most JRPGs suffer from to be fair).

Things picked up drastically from Chapter 7 though, much to my delight. Every scene had a major impact, every character interaction was a joy to experience. The game was reaching its climax and it was gearing up towards it.

The rollercoaster ride that was Chapter 7-10 was one of the best streches of story segments I have witnessed in a video game. If not for the horribly paced mid chapters the overall story would be right up there with some of the very best like Xenogears and Xenoblade 1.

When Chapter 10's opening scene hit. I marked out like I have never marked out in a video game before. It was dead obvious now. Nintendo lied. Xenoblade 2 is connected to Xenoblade 1 after all. The Architect's other half which was about to meet their end was none other than Zanza wreaking havoc in another dimension i.e the Xenoblade 1 world. The plot revelations blew my mind just like the original did. The connection and lore of the Xeno Universe surrounding the wave existence brought a tear to my eye, reflecting on how many years have passed since I last played Xenogears.

Truly truly remarkable. The final boss obviously didn't stand a chance against my level 99 party.

And so Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is BEATED!

Onto the remaining sidequests and super bosses.

Playtime: 108:49 (was 105 hours when I beat the game)
Party Level: 99
Rare Blades remaining: 6

Games > Characters >>>>>>>>>> everything else

A character battle is long overdue though.

Chapter 7 beated.

Party level: 93-94
Gameplay Time: 85:17
New (random >_>) Rare Blades acquired from cores: Boreas, Zenobia, Agate (total 11 pulled from cores)

The story is getting really really good now. The character interactions and group dynamic is surprisingly outstanding. You actually care about every single member in the group. As for the story, I want to know what happens next and the mystery shrouding it is very intriguing. This is what I want from a Xenoblade game.

This is the game I wanted 2 years ago that X never was.

Killing those Level 92 Deimos Saurus with Chain Attack has made me jump from level 80 to 92 in about an hour.

I don't think I have been this overpowered in a JRPG since Final Fantasy VIII or Final Fantasy XII.

Time to FINALLY get back to the story.

Fifty ****ing Common Core Crystals and no Rare.

I think my luck may be worse than 5th.

Team Rocket Elite posted...

The monsters you can efficiently farm Legendary Cores from appear before you beat the game. However, the one I would recommend fighting doesn't spawn yet at the point in the game you are at.

You are talking about that baby arduran you feed in Torigoth right?

So I'm coming back to the game after a 10 days hiatus (vacation).

----
My Stats

Chapter: 6
Playtime: 73:22

Levels
Rex: 80
Nia: 80
Tora: 80
Morag: 80
Zeke: 81

Rare Blades: Pyra/Mythra, Dromarch, Poppi Alpha, Poppi QT, Brighid, Pandoria, Roc, Dahlia, Azami, Wulfric, Aegageon, Praxis, Godfrey, Electra, Floren, Sheba, Vess, Adenine, Kasandra, Dagas, Perun, Gorg.

Side Quests: 48 Completed (I think this is the most you can do till this point)
Merc Points: Lv.3 7125/8000
Development Level for all Areas (up to this point): 5
Chips used on Blades: Shining Star Chip, Forest Chip, Gold Chip, Mirror Matter Chip
---

I guess I have been neglecting pulling more Rare Blades and completing the affinity charts of the ones I do have more than anything. Only Pyra/Mythra, Dromarch and Brighid have nearly maxed out affinity charts. The rest are level 3-4 at best and mostly level 2s.

Love the game but I absolutely despise the Rare Blades gacha system. I haven't even pulled 10 Rare Blades from cores yet and I'm already tired of it. Merc missions are also absolute whack in that they are only there to waste time in your menu with slow as molasses progression. Field Skills however might be the worse of them all because it actively halts progression in some areas and that is an absolute no no in open-world games.

Apart from the super grindy nature of everything in the game (ironically levelling up feels the least grindy of these things), I'm absolutely having a blast with the game. The characters and story is great and it actually feels like a Xenoblade sequel.

Since I'm likely to be wrecking everything story-wise. Should I just beat the game and do post-game where it is supposedly easier to farm Legendary cores?

Seems like Allen just picks whatever the hell he wants or forgets and doesn't really care about the GotY polls. No excuse for not having NieR: Automata and Nioh in the PC polls yesterday. Two very highly acclaimed games, critic and user-wise.

Yeah I don't think so. Both Danganronpa and Ys VIII have much better metacritic and user scores than at least 60% of the games in that poll.

Where the **** Danganronpa V3 and Ys VIII?

There really needs to be a criteria for these GotY polls nominees, not just random 10 options that SBAllen picks.

Despite how I may have worded my posts, I don't hate indie games, far from it, I like quite a few of them. They are great for the gaming industry because they are easily accesible and usually cheap.

I just think the fanbase in general have a tendency to make them seem like they are better than they really are in most cases.

Terastodon posted...

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

Journey... I do hate it as it has only about 2 hours of content

So do you hate Portal?

I like Portal. It is way longer in content than Journey unless you use a walkthrough or something (but even then it would still be longer) It is a puzzle game with brilliant level design. It has entertaining dialogue and is satisfying to progress. It is nothing like that shell of a video game called Journey.

That said the first game pales in comparison to the 2nd. Length is one of those factors.

I'm not saying length is all that matters in a video game but more content and more depth always helps.

Lightning Strikes posted...

I'm curious.

Do you hate Journey? Hellblade? Minecraft? Half-Life 2?

What's the issue here?

Haven't played Hellblade. Half-Life 2 is one of my favorite FPS game of all time (Had no idea it was an indie game so thats news to me). Minecraft has always been a fun way to pass time (but I wouldn't call it great or anything)

Journey is the ultimate "gaming is an art" nonsense that only pretentious people will like so yeah I do hate it as it has only about 2 hours of content and you literally cannot die or there is zero sense of accomplishment. If you like Journey then you hate video games or vice versa.

The issue is that indie game fans will hype up whatever indie game that they like, to super omega nuclear levels of hype. Making it seem like it is legit Best Game Ever material when it is usually a 3-5 Hour game with gameplay mechanics as deep as a dried up river in cold winter.

What Remains of Edith Finch was by far the worst offender this year. At least Cuphead had fun gameplay even though it wasn't very deep either.

Stardew Valley is one of the only indie games I feel is worthy of its praise because it is deep and it is very well made (even though it isn't a genre I enjoy I can see how well it is made for its particular genre). Even ones I really liked like Shovel Knight and Braid would be nowhere near my Top 200 games.

So yeah these are my issues with indie games. They are usually not as great as their fans make it seem to be.

And today.

But it is not last place like it should be today.

Lightning Strikes posted...

Of course, I'm not sure Cuphead qualifies as indie. It was funded by Microsoft.

It doesn't matter. It looks like and is about as deep as any indie game out there.

Not nearly as offensive as What Remains of Edith Finch though. Thank god that one got put in its place 2 days ago.

Lightning Strikes posted...

I'm guessing we'll see Nier vs. Cuphead in the PC poll, and I would take Nier.

Oh god we are gonna see it beat Nioh. As if seeing it beat Resident Evil 7 wasn't enough >_>

What is wrong with gaming today is that people who can't afford a full priced AAA game (the very best like BotW, P5, Odyssey which should by all account be easily worth $100plus) goes on to play an indie whatever remains of-I-don't-care, that they can afford and acts as if it is the greatest thing ever and ****s on the actual heavyweights which require 100x more budget and developmental staff and time to make.

Persona 5 would easily 70-30 that indie trash.

AAA forever!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Super Mario Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Splatoon 2
Fire Emblem Warriors
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Pokken Tournament DX
ARMS
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers

Only the first three are essential. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would be as well if it wasn't released first on the Wii U.

Last: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
First: Xenoblade Chronicles 2

It is a little past 1am in my country and I'm super drunk but I'd like to wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Despite the arguments we have here and there, the board has always felt like family so cheers to you all. Hope everyone has a great year ahead.

So many other great games released this year. I'll make a list of games released in 2017 that are worthy of making the GotY poll

Resident Evil 7: biohazard
Tales of Berseria
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 3rd
Injustice 2
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA
Yakuza 0

To name a few

If your pick isn't included in the poll, you can vote for it manually in this topic.

Lets hear it one last time Board 8. Poll closes at the end of the year.

One of the greatest games of all time. I can write a wall of text explaining why but right now I'm exhausted working overtime last night.

Probably the worst game I've played this year but I only put in about 5 hours before calling it quits. No other game released in 2017 I've played made me quit my playthrough so that says a lot.

Such a shame considering how much I was hyped for the game after the trilogy.

FFDragon posted...

Resident Evil: Outbreak File #2 > Resident Evil: Outbreak > Resident Evil 0 > Resident Evil 4

What in the hell...

FFI: Fighter
FFII: Josef
FFIII: Ninja
FFIV: Cecil Harvey
FFV: Galuf Halm Baldesion
FFVI: Edgar Figaro, Celes Chere
FFVII: Sephiroth
FFVIII: Squall Leonhart
FFIX: Vivi Ornitier
FFX: Yuna
FFXII: Balthier Bunansa
FFXIII: Lightning
FFXV: Noctis Lucis Caelum

Least Favorite

FFI: Black Belt
FFII: Gordon
FFIII: Luneth, Refia, Arc, Ingus (I like the NES Onion Knights though)
FFIV: Tellah, Palom, Porom
FFV: Krile Baldesion
FFVI: Gau, Gogo, Umaro
FFVII: Elena
FFVIII: Raijin, Zone, Watts
FFIX: Eiko Carol, Amarant Coral
FFX: Wakka
FFXII: Vaan
FFXIII: Oerba Dia Vanille
FFXV: Iedolus Aldercapt

UltimaterializerX posted...

https://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/605603-resident-evil-6/reviews/163728

I like how in your reviews that if something is great you make it sound like it is the greatest thing since sliced bread but if something rubs you the wrong way it is literal 0/10 trash. There is no middle ground.

It is not a 0.5 but it is easily the worst game in the mainline series if you don't count Resident Evil 0 as a mainline entry.

It is the DMC2 of the RE series but not quite as bad as DMC2.

Dragon's Dogma comes to mind

The setting, the class system, the lore, the combat and everything about the game looked like something I'd typically enjoy. However it felt like a poor man's mashup of Dark Souls (one of my all-time favorite series in gaming) and Dragon Age:Origins. The combat wasn't nearly as smooth as Dark Souls nor was the story and characters anywhere near as good as DA: Origins.

Dark Arisen did fix some of the issues the game had but you can't completely fix something so broken beyond repair.

I was appalled when SBAllen announced Dragon's Dogma was one of the Top 100 games nominated for the 2015 BGE Contest. At least he had enough sense in him to not give it a place in the bracket.

Oh and better pay attention to those tutorials because if you zone out and plan to view it later it won't be archived.

I'm at Chapter 6 and over 50 hours in.

- Story is given as much if not more focus than 1 and while it is obviously better than X, it isn't particularly close to 1, yet.

- Character interactions don't quite hold the same charm as 1 but it is serviceable.

- World is supposed to be bigger than 1 but so far (from the ones I've seen) it doesn't feel like it. Dwarfs in comparison to X so I don't known which article was that stated it is gonna be bigger than X. What a buncha jokers.

- Gameplay mechanics are deeper than 1 but probably not deeper than X. Acquiring Rare Blades is easily the most flawed system and I'm not a big fan of playing an 8-bit mini-game (ala No More Heroes 2) to upgrade Poppi either.

- Map sucks. Not by design but rather by the interface you use to access it. You will get used to it though.

Overall it is better than X but not on the level of the first game. I'm just a little halfway through the storyline right now so my opinion could change.

Amazing game that could have been a serious GotY contender any other year not named 2017.

The story stays solid throughout and is definitely among some of my favorites in a WRPG (actually only the Mass Effect trilogy and Planescape: Torment are better).
The open-world feels fresh but is not anything on the scale of a Xenoblade or BotW (nor does it even attempt to be). Both the gameplay and storyline is consistently good till the end and the combat IMO is definitely the highlight of the gameplay. The combat gives you so many different ways to tackle the wide variety of enemies in the game which keeps the experience fresh throughout.

I definitely recommend this game if anyone likes video games.

BTW. What are/were your conditons for beating games like WoW, Hearthstone, Team Fortress 2, Civilization, etc

Games which are actually unbeatable unless you make self imposing challenges like I did as conditons for 'beating' the game.

I started my project as far back as 2009 during the 2nd Best Game Ever contest on GameFaqs (and even then I already beat a lot of the games featuring in the contests) and completed the project in 2016, 7 years later. Being a completionist really put the project to a crawl in pace though and there were times I almost gave up. Glad I didn't cave in.

You should do what I did and put all the games from Best Game Ever 2004, 2009 and Game of the Decade on the list.

Proud to say. I beat them all :)

Some games did make me wish I didn't take such a project though.

Good Winner

But I wanted Laguna to win so that Zell isn't the only FF8 winner

Really wish SMFFFC rounds are a little favorable to my timezone because the rounds start while I'm asleep and end when I'm awake.

I'd really push for Squall to win

He would just come back as SSJUltraInstinctSSJGodGogetaxToppoxJirenxFrieza or something

Laguna 10

Laguna 9

VII > VIII > X > IX > VI > XV > IV > V > XII > XIII > III > I > II

Definitive series ranking minus the online ones

Laguna 8

Laguna 7

Laguna 6

Laguna 5

Laguna 4

Laguna 3

Laguna 2

Laguna 1