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Post by bethhigdon on Aug 5, 2024 20:52:01 GMT
New trailer/preview for Echoes of Wisdom just dropped, and, personally, I'm thinking the game looks spectacular. Though I am a bit... lukewarm on how Zelda, apparently, doesn't have any means to directly attack enemies. Kinda feels like a design choice resulting from some good ol' fashioned misogyny, that, only a shade or two less eyebrow-raising than the that infamous peach game that weaponized her emotions. And, frankly, it just won't feel like a proper Zelda game if you can't go around chopping down all of the grass that you see. See I feel the opposite. I'd rather have a game that is tailored to Zelda's established skill set rather than just having her be a hollow reskin of Link himself. I mean at that point you might as well just gender swap Link outright, which comes with it's own set of problematic elements.
Speaking as a woman, trying to force every female character into a 'strong warrior' archetype is just as damaging as forcing them into a 'girly stereotype'. Women are people. They come in all shapes sizes and have various interests, so the key is to have variety to reflect that.
I can find other mainline action games with female leads, but puzzle heavy adventure games, not so much.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 6, 2024 1:08:58 GMT
I mean, I think you're making a pretty big assumption there -- more than one, actually.
I am absolutely not advocating for Zelda playing exactly like Link. Plenty of games out there have action combat systems with characters that can only deal damage indirectly, and by and large they all suffer from the same annoying problem: it's difficult to play defensively when you can only attack with enemies in a certain position relative to the player, doubly so if that method of attack requires more than a single button press (as is the case with Echoes of Wisdom).
All the game really needs to rectify this is a mechanic where Zelda can THWOMP an enemy with her fancy new staff. It wouldn't necessary have to do any damage, even just knocking them back and stunning them for a moment or two would be sufficient. Otherwise, it's easy to imagine a lot of annoying combat sequences where you have to constantly run away from enemies to give yourself the distance/time to conjure up an appropriate item/monster to deal with them.
Basically, my point is that this is a pretty obvious potential weakness of the combat mechanics they've shown off, and one that is easiest to explain by Nintendo's (very traditional) approach to women in its games.
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Post by sherlock on Aug 6, 2024 8:51:46 GMT
New trailer/preview for Echoes of Wisdom just dropped, and, personally, I'm thinking the game looks spectacular. Though I am a bit... lukewarm on how Zelda, apparently, doesn't have any means to directly attack enemies. Kinda feels like a design choice resulting from some good ol' fashioned misogyny, that, only a shade or two less eyebrow-raising than the that infamous peach game that weaponized her emotions. And, frankly, it just won't feel like a proper Zelda game if you can't go around chopping down all of the grass that you see. Finished Breath of the Wild (or at least declared myself finished, given open world games with collectibles in the hundreds really only end when you decide they do). I understand why this is so lavished with praise; it’s taken the Zelda elements and mixed them up with a genuinely stunning world. Don’t think I’ll rush for the sequel for a bit as may burnout on this style of gameplay if I do, so may go back to my DS games for a bit or see if any other Switch games take my fancy. TotK gameplay is very different in feel -- a more dense world with a lot more freedom with traversal (and traversal can be much, much faster) but all of the sidequests and (optional) companions make the world feel a lot less lonely... but the burnout thing is very real just for the fact that it reuses so much of the same world (and the new areas they did add are severely underbaked). In fairness the first trailer did show Zelda using a rock to beat a monster, so she’s not completely without attack. To me it feels more like a choice of how to make a Zelda-led game substantively different to a Link-led game. I’m looking forward to it. And who knows if it sells well maybe we’ll get more protagonist Zelda games down the line. I definitely will get round to Tears eventually but yeah that sense of exploring more or less the same world does make me want a break first. I might leave Zelda until Echoes comes out and maybe circle back to Tears after that. I keep meaning to push forward on my Professor Layton revisit.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 6, 2024 12:49:37 GMT
I don't remember the rock bit -- that would certainly alleviate my concerns. And/or if there was a way to tag certain items as "favorites" (an option that, you know, TotK rather desperately needed. I definitely will get round to Tears eventually but yeah that sense of exploring more or less the same world does make me want a break first. I might leave Zelda until Echoes comes out and maybe circle back to Tears after that. I keep meaning to push forward on my Professor Layton revisit. I only ever actually finished BotW around... 6 months before TotK came out. Not because BotW was in my backlog or anything, that's just how long it took me to finally finish exploring Hyrule and taking out Ganon (and most of the DLC -- never did do that 100-level dungeon thing. No way in hell do I have the stamina for something like that). And TotK's overworld was definitely too near-identical to really feel as rewarding so soon after. I've got a little over 100 hours in TotK and have explored maybe a quarter of the main overworld (two temples), but fully explored The Depths (which suuuuuuuuck design-wise: they're all a single biome with very little variation and no content beyond three different kinds of enemy camps). What's really infuriating is that the main overworld feels so much more rewarding to explore: the caves (of which there are many) are AWESOME to go spelunking into -- many are small or medium-sized, but every once in a while you'll discover one that's positively HUGE and it almost feels like a dungeon-crawler. It's also got way more sidequests in it, so just roaming around generally feels a lot more rewarding -- the world a lot less empty. And the Sky Islands -- the tutorial islands especially -- are absolutely brilliantly designed, making incredible use of 3D space to deliver some of Nintendo's best world design ever... which is pretty awe-inspiring for the first few minutes until you realize that the tutorial islands are the only big sky islands in the game -- the others, apparently, having been cut to make the sky look less cluttered or something. Like, don't get me wrong, I'm firmly in the camp that "TotK is one of the greatest games of all time," but it's incredibly frustrating that the bulk of the game never quite manages to ascend to the same heights as the tutorial area, which is just... a pure delight to move through. An entire game like that would've been spectacular.
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Post by sherlock on Aug 7, 2024 8:36:50 GMT
I don't remember the rock bit -- that would certainly alleviate my concerns. And/or if there was a way to tag certain items as "favorites" (an option that, you know, TotK rather desperately needed. I definitely will get round to Tears eventually but yeah that sense of exploring more or less the same world does make me want a break first. I might leave Zelda until Echoes comes out and maybe circle back to Tears after that. I keep meaning to push forward on my Professor Layton revisit. I only ever actually finished BotW around... 6 months before TotK came out. Not because BotW was in my backlog or anything, that's just how long it took me to finally finish exploring Hyrule and taking out Ganon (and most of the DLC -- never did do that 100-level dungeon thing. No way in hell do I have the stamina for something like that).I did manage first two stages of that dungeon crawl but probably not going to seriously try the last one. It’s a good gauntlet for players who have expertise of the combat system…but I’m not one of them. Rest of DLC was great, though I am surprised they missed the opportunity to given enough orbs to let you max out both hearts dnd stamina. Being left one short is just annoying.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 7, 2024 21:12:49 GMT
Yeah, between the enemies having too much HP and the most effective combat trick being to parry (something I'm never any good at, in any game) and the lack of material reward (EG XP) I just couldn't be bothered.
FWIW in TotK, they've actually made the combat shrines *fun* -- they limit what gears/tools you have, turning the little mini-dungeons into more of a puzzle than a raw combat mastery challenge.
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Post by Star Platinum on Aug 7, 2024 23:08:36 GMT
Yeah, between the enemies having too much HP and the most effective combat trick being to parry (something I'm never any good at, in any game) and the lack of material reward (EG XP) I just couldn't be bothered. FWIW in TotK, they've actually made the combat shrines *fun* -- they limit what gears/tools you have, turning the little mini-dungeons into more of a puzzle than a raw combat mastery challenge. Don’t remind me of this. I spent an hour in the shrine with the homing devices trying to finish that one, I just ended up grabbing the laser weapon and ran around holding it to blast all the enemies. But I think that speaks to the strength of the game design in TOTK, that there are several solutions to any given puzzle.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 8, 2024 3:41:53 GMT
Yeah, it's great being able to try something, fail miserably, and then tackle the problem from a completely (and sometimes also literally) different direction.
Hopefully Echoes of Wisdom does that to some extent, too.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 11, 2024 14:43:06 GMT
Still makin' my way to through TTYD, enjoying it more and more. Kinda hot/cold on the combat system, though -- it becomes a lot less fun in the "difficulty" spikes where enemies all get that extra HP to make fights more tedious. I can't help but think it'd really benefit from a few more conventional RPG features (like a bit more gear variety, and a less restrictive exp soft cap).
Just collected the 4th Star which means I got to "that scene." I'm sufficiently online to have seen some of the stories, but sufficiently offline to have fully escaped the discourse. It's a single, solitary line with no affect on anything, a literal blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. On par with the similarly unremarkable line of dialog from that one NPC shopkeeper in Siege of Dragonspear way back when. So I've no doubt certain people are absolutely livid about it, and will continue to fester and fume, beet-red, for the next... I dunno, decade or two, probably.
I only bring it up because I was a bit surprised by Vivian. The framing I saw in the games media was that Nintendo always intended for her to be a trans character. I was, and remain, pretty skeptical of that claim. The Nintendo of 2024 is already pretty dang conservative, especially about gender, so it's hard to imagine them even beginning to consider the idea of briefly entertaining the notion of a trans character in 2004.
So I was expecting another Sylvando situation: a localization team hoping to put a positive spin on an okama character.
Only... that doesn't seem to be the case? Makes me wonder just what the original line was (as well as how it was initially translated) back in 2004.
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Post by sherlock on Aug 16, 2024 10:56:41 GMT
Started playing Dave the Diver on Switch. I’m liking it; so far it’s repetitive gameplay but oddly addictive, and it’s style and characters are quite charming.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 16, 2024 23:58:08 GMT
Started playing Dave the Diver on Switch. I’m liking it; so far it’s repetitive gameplay but oddly addictive, and its style and characters are quite charming. I'm really looking forward to giving that one a try someday. Are you familiar with AwkwardZombie? She's made several comics about the game, which IME generally means it's a game I'd love.
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 17, 2024 8:28:40 GMT
Started playing Dave the Diver on Switch. I’m liking it; so far it’s repetitive gameplay but oddly addictive, and it’s style and characters are quite charming. Dave the Diver is awesome! One of the games I fell in love with immediately. I am a scuba diver myself, so exploring the depths is great, and I like sushi, so preparing sushi in the restaurant is also nice. I like the mix of the two very different game-play modes. It is, as you say, addicting.
The game also has some nostalgia, because the fishing part reminds me a lot of some old games I played as a kid on the Game Boy of my brother.
Plus, the game has very likeable characters.
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 17, 2024 9:55:07 GMT
I also got "Nova Drift" this week for my Steam Deck, it is a fun little rogue-lite time waster. The control-scheme is a bit unusual and different from most other games, it is not a typical twin-stick shooter. However, even I, with my two left thumbs, was able to adapt to the control scheme and made it work. The game is colorful, has lots of replayability and unlockables and lots of different builts. It looks simple, but has quite some depth. But it is not a game you play for hours on end. This is something for killing some short timeperiods, and maybe play on the train or flight.
I also just got "Farewell North", which is one of these visual light puzzle games. You play as a border collie. The game looks beautiful. Will report back later on how it runs and what I think.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 17, 2024 23:05:03 GMT
You play as a border collie. sold
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 18, 2024 10:30:57 GMT
You play as a border collie. sold Get it. Reason:
Well, I played the first few chapters of "Farewell North" (the border collie game). It is beautiful and a wonderful allegory on grief and working through grief. It is very visual, working solely with visual clues, and the puzzles have not been to difficult (yet). This is a very nice, chill game, great for a few hours of relaxation. Recommended.
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Kestrel
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Post by Kestrel on Aug 18, 2024 12:33:14 GMT
I'm down for pretty much any game that lets you play as something other than a human, triply so if that something is a dog. Like, that's not the only reason why my favorite Zelda game is Okami, but it is a reason. I'll try and remember to pick it up before the Steam Summer Sale ends. Along with a certain other animal-the,Ed game I've got my eye on, Little Kitty, Big City
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 18, 2024 16:21:12 GMT
I'm down for pretty much any game that lets you play as something other than a human, triply so if that something is a dog. Like, that's not the only reason why my favorite Zelda game is Okami, but it is a reason. I'll try and remember to pick it up before the Steam Summer Sale ends. Along with a certain other animal-the,Ed game I've got my eye on, Little Kitty, Big CityLittle Kitty, big city is a very nice, cozy and very cute game, too. Just do not expect anything deep. It is one of the family friendly game where the kids can play and have fun, and some adults, who have retained their childlike personas, can have fun, too.
Yes, "Stray" (to which it is sometimes compared) is much better visually, story-wise and from the whole setting / atmosphere. But since Stray has a couple of "horror" levels, I would not recommend it for younger kids.
But Little Kitty scratches the cute, chill and relaxing itch.
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Post by andrew on Aug 18, 2024 17:26:40 GMT
Get it. Reason:
Well, I played the first few chapters of "Farewell North" (the border collie game). It is beautiful and a wonderful allegory on grief and working through grief. It is very visual, working solely with visual clues, and the puzzles have not been to difficult (yet). This is a very nice, chill game, great for a few hours of relaxation. Recommended.
I have a border collie. She’s nearly two and is such a weirdo. I can only imagine this game involves having your collie character bark for no reason, run away from noises, show great cleverness one second, huge stubbornness the next and want to get a cuddle from every character you meet in the game.
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Post by tuigirl on Aug 26, 2024 10:19:25 GMT
Got myself "Sherlock Holmes- Awakened" in the Sale. Adventure puzzle game with some Lovecraftian Horror. Apparently, it is a remake of an older game, which I have not played. The game looks good and runs smoothly on my Steam Deck. So far, not bad at all. I really have to get around to playing Sherlock Holmes- Chapter One, which is the prequel. Judging by the Steam discussions, it should run on the Deck (plus, it is using the same engine as Awakened). But first, will finish this one.
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Post by Star Platinum on Aug 27, 2024 14:29:20 GMT
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Working my way through the second half of the Golden Deer storyline.
It’s taken me forever to get to this point, but the front half of the game can be a bit of a slough to get through, considering that there aren’t many differences until the time skip. Plus by the time of the 3rd playthrough its all a bit samey in the beginning.
But still, I’m enjoying this path so far, and I look forward to the revelations to come forward about Rhea and the Church.
If i’m still feeling 3 houses by the time I’m done Golden Deer, I’d like to get started on Cindered Shadows at some point. But otherwise, I might go to Triangle Strategy which has been in my backlog for ages.
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