Well, I'm still plodding along in Tales of Symphonia. I still can't claim to have great strides in the game so far. I finally laid the smackdown on the Asgard Human Ranch. Rather than a place for Skyrim vampires to hang out and do bad things to Nords, it's a place where half-elf supremacists hang out and turn people into Soul Stones/Magicite/Cupcakes. Just to make sure you know this place is over-the-top evil, the lunatic running the place (Kvar) is pretty much what you'd get if Grand Moff Tarkin decided to be a DBZ character. I'm not making this up.
I'm still very unclear on how the whole "World Regeneration" quest is supposed to get rid of all these freaks. Even (SPOILER!) with the whole world being split in twain deal going on, I don't see much evidence of regeneration even chasing them off to the other side (end SPOILER). The only thing that makes even the least bit of sense is that they're going to update to Fourth Edition D&D rules, so they're stockpiling grimdark power-ups to take on the hordes of Dragonborn CoDzillas that are about to along. Why play anime Tanis when you can be big badass dragonman?
Oh crap I just had a bad idea. Screw half-elf supremacists, I can do one better.
Kender supremacists! In a world where even JRPG logic gets drunk and passes out in a gutter (next to his buddy cop show logic), kender were merely an irritant. Then it got worse; a foolish group of magic users undertook the impossible task of making kender likable!
Their well-meaning but depraved rituals misfired. None now live that can show the truth of the matter; there are whispers of a potion known as 'Dew of the Mountain Original Formula,' a cartographer known as 'Dora,' and a conclave of dread beings named 'the Gwar.' Perhaps a friendly purple lizard-man, perhaps a collection of used gym socks soaked in bad soy sauce. It does not matter.
It does not matter! These changed kinder have now banded together, unleashing a tide of violence and oppression rarely seen outside of gaming fora. After toppling the seats of government (literally, they stole load-bearing members of relevant castles and suchlike), they subjected leaders and prominent figures to humiliating hoopak-whackings. Those who begged for mercy were named "Squeaky Toys" and herded into ramshackle arenas to fight bizarre plushie golems. The rest of the people are now subject to horrors like drivebys (being kender, just a wagon tearing down the street making racket with hoopaks) and rampant caffeine-driven kleptomania. Artisans and craftsman are now stuck in sweatshops where they are forced to make all manner of random objects. Those who will not or cannot comply are made Squeaky Toys.
Now, a group of brave adventurers must sally forth and infiltrate the kender's mighty treetop fortresses, where none have entered and returned alive with their pants still on. Kender like belt buckles. If these heroes should fail, the Five Grand Cockatiels will lead us all to fates dark and unpleasant, as decreed by the dread being known as Jar-Jar. Seriously, everyone will have embarrassing rashes and be flung into wading pools filled with tapioca.
The heroes will have help. A resistance group formed from disgruntled Firefly fans are seeking the Chosen One, who shall be granted the power of the Ultimate Splatbook, journey to the five remaining good Huddle Houses and gain the power to cover kender in Nyquil.
Are you a bad enough dude to tranq Jar-Jar, defeat the kender hordes, and save pockets and armoires everywhere?
Showing posts with label tales of symphonia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tales of symphonia. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2016
Thursday, November 3, 2016
When in Doubt, Turbo Ginsu!
Despite some unexpected obstacles, I've managed to start tearing through Tales of Symphonia in earnest. The plot hasn't really thickened up yet, but there have been curveballs throw in here and there to spice things up.
Interestingly enough, Lloyd, the primary protagonist, has already managed to grow up a fair bit so far. The development has not been that drastic yet, but it's clear that the gears in his head are actually clanking along and setting the stage for bigger and better things. Most RPGs don't really get going this early; yet another bit of Tales-style RPG refreshment.
The combat system is also finally taking off. The Unison Attack system is actually fairly useful and flashy one I figured out what I was doing. Think a real-time version of Chrono Trigger's Dual/Triple Tech system, and you get the idea. To wit: you select techniques or spells, and certain combinations trigger a special combined attack with extra flash and bonus damage.
Crafting (including the traditional cooking mechanic) is straightforward and meaningful. An unusual side-note: Materials (at least in the early game so far) are easily farmed and sell for rather high amounts of cash. This is probably the first game I've played for a while where early drop farming is practical and highly profitable, avoiding a lot of the usual resource pitfalls of RPGs. Combined with the well-done combat mechanics and intelligent encounter designs, we have excellent cash flow going on here.
More ought to be forthcoming; The Harvest Never Rests!
Interestingly enough, Lloyd, the primary protagonist, has already managed to grow up a fair bit so far. The development has not been that drastic yet, but it's clear that the gears in his head are actually clanking along and setting the stage for bigger and better things. Most RPGs don't really get going this early; yet another bit of Tales-style RPG refreshment.
The combat system is also finally taking off. The Unison Attack system is actually fairly useful and flashy one I figured out what I was doing. Think a real-time version of Chrono Trigger's Dual/Triple Tech system, and you get the idea. To wit: you select techniques or spells, and certain combinations trigger a special combined attack with extra flash and bonus damage.
Crafting (including the traditional cooking mechanic) is straightforward and meaningful. An unusual side-note: Materials (at least in the early game so far) are easily farmed and sell for rather high amounts of cash. This is probably the first game I've played for a while where early drop farming is practical and highly profitable, avoiding a lot of the usual resource pitfalls of RPGs. Combined with the well-done combat mechanics and intelligent encounter designs, we have excellent cash flow going on here.
More ought to be forthcoming; The Harvest Never Rests!
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Symphonic Harvest
Wow, that title sounds totally metal actually.
Anyway, I've been tearing my way through Tales of Symphonia in fits and spurts. I am happy to report that this game follows (though establishes and codifies might be a better term) the glorious Tales tradition of giving you the feeling of being a walking arsenal of badass flashy moves right out of the gate. It can be quite refreshing sometimes.
The story so far is the same-old save the world formula, but this is Tales, so we know it's a obfuscating veneer, with just enough hints of plot subversion to let you know that the cozy, rosy quest is on the off-ramp to Crazytown. And that guy is totally his father. Duh. Things are probably about to break loose.
The puzzles are a bit of fresh air, too. It's been a while since I've seen a block puzzle that expects you beat the crap out of the blocks before you can...do block things with them. And zapping mooks to complete a circuit is pretty amusing, too. These are very early dungeons, so who knows what sort of insanity is in store? Bats that turn into shuriken to fling at exploding barrels that set off a chain reaction to move pillars around or something. That actually sounds fun, need to remember that.
It's time to move on, and hopefully I'll have something a bit more substantive to natter on about soon. The Harvest Never Rests!
Anyway, I've been tearing my way through Tales of Symphonia in fits and spurts. I am happy to report that this game follows (though establishes and codifies might be a better term) the glorious Tales tradition of giving you the feeling of being a walking arsenal of badass flashy moves right out of the gate. It can be quite refreshing sometimes.
The story so far is the same-old save the world formula, but this is Tales, so we know it's a obfuscating veneer, with just enough hints of plot subversion to let you know that the cozy, rosy quest is on the off-ramp to Crazytown. And that guy is totally his father. Duh. Things are probably about to break loose.
The puzzles are a bit of fresh air, too. It's been a while since I've seen a block puzzle that expects you beat the crap out of the blocks before you can...do block things with them. And zapping mooks to complete a circuit is pretty amusing, too. These are very early dungeons, so who knows what sort of insanity is in store? Bats that turn into shuriken to fling at exploding barrels that set off a chain reaction to move pillars around or something. That actually sounds fun, need to remember that.
It's time to move on, and hopefully I'll have something a bit more substantive to natter on about soon. The Harvest Never Rests!
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