Grandia I and II HD on Switch, neat

Yes indeed! I should play the other OPUS game on Switch once, when I get the chance.

OPUS Rocket of Whispers, nice! Have fun! Very good game.

Oh, wow, dedication to take off a whole week! I mostly agree with you, though I didn't have a problem with any voice actors (though some were a little too Irish / Scottish). And the battlesystem is the best one yet, despite having Poppi in it (I used Morág as a tank anyway).

Every now and then, I still launch the game to do some sidequests or other stuff, but it's a lot less friendly to doing any backtracking as opposed to X, to be honest. Having said that, I'm still 30 hours behind you, haha.

95 hours, already? How did you like it?

I have... massive issues with case 4, I can't stand it. There were a few cute moments I enjoyed, but overall, I am very disappointed by the direction of its writing and its placement overall. I think it's a big discredit to Athena in many different ways, including its placement in the game and it being the filler case of the game. But yeah, seeing the unexpected different structure/placement of case 2 and 4 did make me realize that I do like it more when a case takes place over several days and you continuously have up and downs, with a lot to discover... Someone mentioned to me once that AA may be difficult to get into because the cases take so long to solve, but having seen this now, I do think that those longer cases are actually a strength of the series: how to keep things interesting and entertaining over several investigations and trials.

Case 5 so far... LOL So many unexpected things happening.

The game does seem easier than some earlier entries, and there are different explanations to that, I think: For example, I hadn't expected case 2's structure: one investigation and one trial only, since I don't feel like that's typical. Because of that, the pacing could be exhausting too, since each part was so long... By the time you arrive in court, you already have a much bigger picture of the case too, since you've been to all locations already, whereas in previous games, a good part of the locations would still be locked for you, and don't open up until the second investigation.

Also, with regard to Psyche-Locks... If I recall correctly, in older games, it's very likely that you can't break all locks the moment they appear, but that you have to investigate more after encountering the "locked" person? Which either has to do with a) how many investigation opens are open to you simultaneously, b) how encountering the locks is requirement to unlocking more investigation points? Whereas in this game, I feel like investigations may be more linear... and by the time you see the Psyche-Locks, you can unlock them all right away? I may be wrong with this, but that's how it was for me with every Psyche-Lock I encountered in this game.

LOL YOUR TROUBLE WITH DATZ'S TESTIMONY. XD I totally get you... I thought the same thing with regard to elevation and the poster UGH. I did for some reason struggle with the first trial in case 5 though, had to look up quite a few things in contrast to the previous cases... or maybe I'm just unfocused today.

Khura'in is super pretty!! The snow setting further up actually reminded me of the final case in AA3 haha.

This is the full reply if you haven't seen it: [Link] Even though I am still disappointed due to the hype and theories that the hidden ending sparked, I understand his explanation of it, and am glad that he took the time to explain it; that way, we know what thoughts were behind the exclusion of the ending's contents (them being treated as an optional bonus and metacommentary instead of canon material), rather than keep wondering why they were "randomly dropped". Still, it doesn't make up for all the stuff that was promised to be resolved/appear in ZE3 based on the VLR Q&A on the website, which is the other half of the hype. Oh well.

I mainly got Fates to see the new classes and what the hype was about since I enjoyed the Nintendo videos about their creation, but yeah, based on Awakening's writing and characters, I just didn't have high hopes. And I agree with you on Awakening/Fates' characters: I do think it was initially interesting that the characters in Fates come from established armies, but... after a while, there are just so many of them, especially with the amount of royal siblings and their retainers, sigh. It takes the fun away of meeting new people as a group, I guess. (No idea what it's like on Nohr's side, haven't played that.) I can't connect with most characters in both games because they make random throwaway appearances that you mentioned and then fade away just as quickly, rather than being introduced to the story in a personal way, or being a constant presence throughout the game. Oh well here too.

Spirit of Justice is entertaining so far, and I particularly enjoy seeing where "they've gone back" with mechanics, where they've stayed the same, and where they're introducing new dynamics. I'm so happy that we can examine all scenes again ehehehe! I'm around where you are: I'm reaching the end of the first trial in case 5, and I agree with your prediction of them probably switching locations at some point! Haven't seen Rayfa in forever, and the end of case 3 set up a really nice character development arc for her... I hope I won't be disappointed!

Have you seen Uchikoshi's clarification tweets regarding some "missing" anticipated elements in ZTD? It doesn't account for all that was missing, but some of it.

It's been a while since we've chatted, but part of me is "glad" CSII isn't even out in Europe yet since it makes me feel less stressed about still wanting to replay haha. ... Or I could just not replay it and save myself all those hours; as you say, it's super long...

I stopped playing Fates a few days after I got it hm, other things came up and I guess before that, I was just itching to play something new, but the more recent Fire Emblem games don't really speak to me, I guess! Maybe I'll pick it up again sometime after Ace Attorney. Happy to see you're playing it too eeeeehh!! :DDDDD

I've just started playing Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie myself. Good choice!

Yeah, the VLR Q&A hyped up so many things and made it very interesting, and those promised things just weren't (or barely) in ZTD. I wouldn't think that he'd forgotten, but I do wonder about the budget and the decision to make ZTD "newcomer-friendly" sigh.

I've finished replaying Trails in the Sky FC and the first Ace Attorney game since we last spoke. The plan was to start SC right away, but I'm working on other hobbies right now, so that'll have to wait again lol. I just saw that the Trails of Cold Steel II official site went up, and preorder dates mention early September? aaah all the game releases happening in September... D:!! (Ace Attorney and Steins;Gate too, among other things) I'll want to replay Cold Steel to grab some more things and max out some other things before going into Cold Steel II, and that is going to take a lot of time too. No idea which is going to happen first, the replay or playing SC. (And you were right, the worldbuilding of Sky FC doesn't seem to add much to CS!)

I think Xillia 2 will just wait a while longer hahaha...! I might check out the Zestiria anime since I don't think I'll pick up the game again hmm...

Kunzite and Chalcedony may look a bit weird, but I don't think that's a bad thing. The weirdy design makes the characters and world a bit more mysterious, which suits the game in my opinion. The story may start out slow, but that's the case for a lot of Tales-games. I think overall it's just a little less conventional Tales which would explain some fans liking it and others not liking it. I don't recall the game getting much better as the story progresses, but still, I hope you'll find some more enjoyment in playing it :p.

You don't like Hearts R :o ??

I've finished all the games I specifically got the Vita for, yay!! I enjoy the Vita a lot and am really glad I got it, especially for all the visual novels (and then Aksys announced a wealth of new visual novels/otoge for next year ), and because, without television and console in my own room, it's just easier for me to pick it up and play.

I think it might be time to return to Trails in the Sky - replay that so I can play SC, then replay Cold Steel to grab leftover things in preparation for Cold Steel II? I want to leave Cold Steel for after the Sky replay, since a lot of the worldbuilding in Sky wasn't present in my mind anymore by the time I picked up Cold Steel.

Now to decide whether to start Sky fresh or with NG+... NG+ sounds good because I don't want to spend too much time in battles, just grab all the BP and talk to aaaaaaaaaall NPCs all over again and experience the story. On the other hand, I'm worried whether starting with all the things carried over from NG+ will make me feel lost with regard to mechanics. HMMMM. Maybe I shouldn't worry that much, and trust that SC will re-introduce me to things if needed.

Edit: Damn it just realized my brother is gone for a week and I could play the PS3 without awkward pauses in his room, so it might be time for Xillia 2... (I'm scrambling for something to do until my last exam tomorrow lol, but there's the chance that I want to work on other things once my exams are over uuugh.)

Edit2: Started my Trails replay, decided to go with all NG+ bonuses! :D

Yeah, I think VLR's conclusion and set-up as well as the Q&A on the official site just hinted at so many interesting concepts to be expected in the final part of the trilogy, and ZTD didn't live up to it in that particular aspect. The shifting consciousness and Delta proxy thing are among those concepts... I ended up not being impressed by Delta at all too, whether as a character or as a story concept. The reveal... didn't do much. Thanks a lot for the link to the hints! I've been wanting to read a lenghty list of those hints. :D

ZTD was very entertaining to play through and I loved experiencing it alongside others, but yeah, the other two titles just handle a lot of things better. 999 is my favourite among the three for various reasons too!

lol I've just read that there are many crashed for Wild Arms 3 on the PS4; glad you're playing it on the PS2 then.

Gosh you're adorable!!

Oh haha, I didn't mean to imply that the Three Wise Men are irrelevant - I mean that characterization-wise, they're interchangeable since their roles matter more as a group, rather than as individuals. So it isn't that big of a deal if you can't remember which is which lol.

ZTD's global flowchart at the beginning just had a seamless flow, where each team's segment just followed the other teams' segments immediately. After the reveal, the globwl flowchart "stretched out", to further emphasize that only one team is awake at a time, I think. And yeaaaah, for how the game raises the question "which one is the real you? what determines that you are you at your core?", even up to the ending, it just completely drops that question afterwards - which feels very strange, considering that in the last shifting choice, you doom your other selves to death. And it's also in direct contrast to the criticism raised at the end of VLR... (Tenmyouji criticizing Akane in particular for dooming entire timelines in order to create a timeline without Radical-6.)

I don't think Q-Team added anything much to the series either, and I agree with your assessment of Mira. Mira's role wasn't entirely clear either, but that's partly because Delta's motives are just wishy-washy... At some point it seemed like the game tried to connect the characters to the snail incident (Eric and Mira are connected), but... that's dropped too. At least in 999, you FELT something when you found out people were connected to the case in the past. Ah good to hear your experience with Phi was different!

I played the game on the PS Vita and half-way into unlocking things on the global flowchart, it gave me the achievement that ALL PUZZLE ROOMS have already been solved, which made me go O_O.

I want to replay VLR too! Was thinking of getting it for the Vita since there's a PSN sale right now, same reason: avoiding the game-breaking bugs on the 3DS. Think I'll save my money though...

Yeah, with how repetitive Odin Sphere gets in terms of gameplay, it sounds better to beat some other games first, especially if you have played it recently. As for the wizards... It took me a while to realize that their names are derived from the norns' haha; "Skuldi" sound so cute. I don't think that they matter as much as individuals though.

I couldn't let go of the Vita while playing ZTD even though I had an exam coming up lmao. I spent a lot of it screaming and flailing with online friends who were also playing it, and it was quite the experience! My favourite touches regarding storytelling are the moment you realize the global flowchart's structure is a lie, and that the initial coin ending is not a troll ending, but actually relevant. Team D was all-around great as well, but I'm disappointed by the lack of individual responses towards the end, especially with regard to their relationship to Delta, not to mention Phi was just absent from the game from some point onwards.

I like it a lot, especially the middle part, but I think the ending was veryyyyy untypical in that it is emotionally and narratively flat, as if the ball was dropped - especially if you consider how great 999 and VLR wrapped up in that regard. I summed up some of my thoughts on the ending in the second part of this post: [Link] =/

How about you?

I'm particularly interested in the many different dragons so far, and hope I'll get a better feel of their individuality and roles in the story once I'm further in. (Right now, it's a bit muddled in my brain, since there are so many different dragons.)

I wonder whether the stylized "Leifdrasir" is what it's called in Japan? I remember reading somewhere they went for "Leifthrasir" for easier and more obvious pronunciation or something hm. See [Link] Haha I was browsing the GameFaqs forum and saw a bunch of forum topics commenting on the size of the shirt! SOB I WANT THE ARTBOOK

Yeah, I wouldn't be able to switch between too many games; it'd detract from my own experience. I actually didn't mean to play Odin Sphere before Zero Time Dilemma, and instead study until I'm done, but... My next exam is on Thursday, and it's looking to be far less stress than the previous exam, so my brain entered the "easy mode!! let's go play" state. I was playing a bunch of indie visual novels inbetween studying before that.

Happy backloggiversaryyyyyyyyyyyy!! Shiny ring.

And yes, you got the right game!! :D Ding ding ding.

Yes, the Secret Garden is what I meant in Wild Arms 3 hahaha (and the Personal Skill "Green Thumb". Hm... I don't remember for this game specifically, but in Wild Arms, there are generally locations you can visit briefly before they become relevant. Maybe more hidden areas show up later... Jet's prologue dungeon should have a previously unreachable Migrant Seal in it once you get there with the whole party.

And omg, don't worry about your unedited comment from before! It sounded like you really wanted to recommend Gravity Rush to me with good reasons, and I wouldn't take it as you forcing me to play it haha. Sorry for not replying right away (I was "busy" playing Odin Sphere non-stop), but I really really appreciate how far you often go to help me with some things, and for offering your help in figuring out things! I might try Gravity Rush again later on; when I do, I'll try to see what exactly was so difficult with the controls so that I can put it into words and explain it to you, and maybe you'll have advice for that!

I. OMG. ODIN SPHERE. OMG. I AM SO ADDICTED AAAAAHHH. I know some people say it's repetitive, but honestly, the unique mechanics of each character and the way the story is told make it so enjoyable, I can't stop playing. I love game narratives where you have to piece together different parts of a story - as with a puzzle - to see the connections and bigger picture (because it's a way of storytelling that is most effectively done in video games). I am very curious about that timeline of events (the menu option that shows all characters' routes, and also when you pet Socrates )!

I'm playing the remaster version haha, I don't know whether I'll try classic later on, since it'd mean less features and different things (many elements of the GUI and the item/alchemy system have been changed too), not to mention I had already tried classic on the PS2 emulator and absolutely failed. AND YES I LOVE THE STORYBOOK/FAIRY TALE FEEL of the chapter select, of your library, of the "chapter covers", and so on. It's such a lovely mood all in all, and I'm really enjoying Odin Sphere's world too. Each kingdom and race manages to establish its own identity along with its history, and it's done in an elegant way.

Aaah I see, sorry if I spoiled you about the Personal Skill sob. It's part of a sidequest, so you'll know it when you see it. Hehe yes, so much love for Maya's speciality!

Here are some more hints about the game:
- It's known for its amazing worldbuilding in the PS1 era.
- The characters are colour-coded like Power Rangers, and can in fact transform in battle. What they transform into is in the game's title. 8D
- I... think it was made by Sony with the intention to rival Final Fantasy, which unfortunately makes people draw comparisons to FF to this day. (Its gameplay isn't too exciting, so no, it can't hold up.)

Yeah haha, I think I might read the books in Trails of Cold Steel as I get them when I replay the game to get some more things! :D Yours is a good argument, what with books being missable.

Oh wow, for some reason I thought that in Gravity Rush, you'd stay in Old Town forever!! Damn, I have no idea how to even locate my problems with the controls. I remember I used the sticks rather than tilting the Vita, since I couldn't get used to the latter. I'm sure I've inverted cameras too. Honestly, I was under the impression that I just couldn't handle its core mechanics: all the "falling through the air" all the time, whether in town or around town at the cliffs. It's quite... disorienting, and I assume some people handle that disorientation better than others haha. I did play for several hours. Maybe I'll just... settle with watching a Let's Play for it one day. T_T

ooh I don't know much about Odin Sphere's story actually, I've just read a random article about it being a good reflection of adolescence, and I liked that perspective on it, so that made me extra curious to try it out. (Though I would have given it a try either way after the gameplay changes, since I had always wanted to play it. Gorgeous colour palette, lovely character design, several friends who like it, etc.)