gekigengar gargant III!!! (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
aestivalis) wrote2012-06-30 12:22 pm
aestivalis) wrote2012-06-30 12:22 pm
Entry tags:
I was in quite a good mood when I started this post now I am antsy as hell
One thing with me and video games recently is that I tend to play them during my pockets of free time. "Gosh!", I hear you cry, "How extraordinary and unusual!"
What I mean is, I have less free time than I used to. I fill time with lover-kun and work and lover-kun, and I do still play games and it is great but I have fallen out of the habit of using any of my time to talk about them. This is a great shame, because I love reading back my feelings during a first playthrough of a title. So! At the moment I am playing Radiant Historia, and now I am going to talk about it.
Later in this post I will also talk about Final Fantasy VIII, & probably a bit about work. WHAT AN ACTION-PACKED ADVENTURE.
Yeah, gosh, how do you spoiler warn for this game?
In one timeline, I have just met Aht and the other satyros performers within whom she is travelling. I couldn't proceed any further there until Stocke learned some sword-dancing from Kiel, so I've been hanging out in the Rosch Brigade timeline for quite a while now. Just hit a roadblock there though, require a sensory skill that only satyros can teach, so! It's back across to Aht and company with Stocke's new swordsmanship to see how far along we can go. YEAH, hard game to spoiler warn for. Hahaha.
WOW, GOOGLE PREDICTIVE SEARCH JUST SPOILED ME FOR SOMETHING LATER IN THE GAME. wow. That was. drastically unfortunate. Okay self there are two timelines and multiple bad ends do not count this as. meaning too much. Sigh, okay, so I guess I won't link to pictures of the characters if putting their names into google might lead to "______" search predications. Wow this has totally killed my interest in talking about this, I'm sad and grumpy now.
Well anyway, let's try not to squander this time. This is a really good game and I am enjoying it! Stocke is wonderful, and any time he and Rosch interact I am just a ball of delight. I adore how the characters in this game interact with each other. It is so refreshing to see RPG characters who talk to each other like actual human beings and have real human responses EH FINAL FANTASY VIII, EH. But seriously, these two just have the loveliest friendship, it is kind of ruining my heart and terrorising me with thoughts of what might be coming. I am far too emotionally invested in them and their relationship, this is dangerous and foolish. I DO NOT WANT TO BE HEARTBROKEN YOU GUYS.
I just keep imagining all these worst case scenarios. What if Rosch's death secures the path to True History? What is STOCKE'S death is ultimately vital to the path of True History? No one will know all the good he did! Well, no one is going to know that anyway, but what if he ultimately gives his own life to send the world down a path to salvation? And what about all the other beautiful people? What if beautiful Field-Marshal Viola dies (no!!!)? What if beautiful Dias dies (too beautiful to die!!!)? What if beautiful Lieutenant General Raul dies (okay not traditionally attractive I guess BUT SO FAR I THINK HE'S TOTALLY BEAUTIFUL gosh)? WHAT IF EVERYONE DIES?
Here is a legit theory though, I do not like to be cynical and gross but I am assuming Kiel is going to die. I might be totally wrong! And I sure don't mind if I'm wrong, it's not like I have anything against the kid. But him being that earnest of a mook, I just feel like Rosch Brigade is going to suffer hideously (covertly at Heiss's hand?) and Kiel is going to be our human face on it. And it will be horrible because Rosch will be so sad and Stocke will hurt too and ahhh. SORRY KIEL YOUR DEATH WILL BE SAD BECAUSE IT WILL AFFECT OTHER PEOPLE, YOU JUST HAVEN'T MADE MUCH IMPRESSION ON ME. This is the paragraph where I'm a big jerk, I guess, ahhh. I hope I'm wrong though, I really do not have anything against him. IT'S JUST A HUNCH?
Now I have had a phone call from work and everything is terrible, it is like the universe wants to ruin my mood and keep me from writing this post, sigh. Let's talk about the battle system?! I like it, hahaha, and was delighted when I realised it was possible to maneuver more than two enemies into a square at a time. I am being a complete hardass about spending my mana crystals though ('they are too expensive, I will heal in other ways!'), I can envision myself reaching the end of the game and still having the same three crystals I was given at the start. I NEVER KNOW WHEN I MIGHT REALLY NEED THEM O-K... but anyway, I usually try to bring Rosch into the party when I can, usually at Raynie's expense sheerly because Marco can heal and she can't, probably better to double up on heals if the chance is there. I still only have Raynie, Marco and Rosch as options though, and Rosch obviously limited to the one timeline. Oh no wait, I apologise, Aht did join my party, I just didn't go anywhere near a battle with her yet. And have no interest in using her. Sorry adorable preppy child you are just not my type. Unless you've got hidden cynical self-aware depths that I am not seeing yet, I seem to like my child characters cynical and self-aware.
So another theory, does Heiss have the Black Chronicle? On the one hand, he seems like the most obvious choice. He does have a sinister nose, and now he's sending not-very-veiled threats in Stocke's direction. On the other hand, too obvious? And why would he have given Stocke the White Chronicle if that were the case? Not to say that negates it, just that that is a mystery. But Dias and Selvan's conversation dropped a huge hint when Selvan suggested it seemed like Heiss knew in advance what Granorg's tactics were going to be. That doesn't automatically mean that Heiss has the Black Chronicle, but it's a pretty easy thing to infer from dialogue like that. BUT WHO KNOWS?
Anyway this is a great game and I am enjoying it very much. When Stocke said "When I can, I will tell Rosch about what we just heard", and then ACTUALLY explained the situation to Rosch privately in the next scene I could have died myself. WHEN DO RPG CHARACTERS EVER DO THINGS THAT RATIONALLY AND SENSIBLY? Aren't you going to put it off, Stocke? Isn't the plot going to contrive to keep you away from Rosch in increasingly ludicrous ways? No no it isn't you're just going to take him aside and tell him oh my god. Oh my god. I'm playing a game with real people it's so beautiful you guys.
By contrast, Final Fantasy VIII continues its relentless decline into all out absurdity and disaster. Well, actually, I'd say it's kind of plateaued at this point, I think peak absurdity is probably hit somewhere around the space sequence. But anyway, I am on the fourth and final disk now, hoorah! I have all the GF excluding Eden now, so it is time for bonus bosses and finishing the game. Of course I could just go finish but god damn it this stupid game file has almost seventy sodding hours on it now (SO UNWORTHY), you better believe I'm at least proving that much time as being capable of taking down Ultima and Omega Weapons. ... I think that's who they are. ANYWAY. (since my new goal seems to be bonus bosses, what's going to happen when I hit FFIX? Do I care enough to do all that level grinding and Chocobo Hot & Cold? What about FFX, and the Dark Aeons? That's a whole new level of pain.)
But yeah, so FFVIII is basically ridiculous. It's funny to me how I've come to appreciate FFVII more with time. That game still has an outrageous translation and is still pretty jumbled at certain points in ways I do not think are entirely related to said translation, but it has some really solid emotional beats and actual moments of payoff within the story. The reveal of Cloud being present at Nibelheim five years ago after all is really damn nice, great use of music and a real honest sense of things falling into place as you look at the flashbacks again with the sudden perspective of who that one soldier grunt actually is. Final Fantasy VIII has nothing like that. It should, they have a damn opportunity, they could easily have done something with Squall and Laguna. I don't mind that that whole business is left as canon subtext, but when you have nothing else it might have really done the floundering storyline a big favour at that point.
Instead we get insanity upon insanity and characters who couldn't develop a common cold never mind a god damn personality. I mean, I like Zell. I like Irvine (well, most of the time). Selphie has some really nice scenes at Trabia, we just never get to see that side of her personality ever again (because "WOOHOO!" is apparently enough of a character for FFVIII). But anyway, it's not that I hate these people, but they're just incredibly two-dimensional. It's horrible how little development or attention they receive. Regardless of what you think of Final Fantasy as a franchise, I don't think any other of its titles has ever been so neglectful of its own core cast. Squall has an arc (though even that is fluffed pretty drastically), Rinoa is sort of halfway there, everyone else is just scenery. I can like scenery! But that doesn't make it bigger than that.
I don't know. I'll be glad when this game is finally done. Glad to finally have Aura in stock though, that spell is just so pretty. And useful, that too. But mostly pretty. Lovely golden charactersss *-*
I don't really fancy talking about work any more on account of blah, so! That was a very boring rambling update :(
What I mean is, I have less free time than I used to. I fill time with lover-kun and work and lover-kun, and I do still play games and it is great but I have fallen out of the habit of using any of my time to talk about them. This is a great shame, because I love reading back my feelings during a first playthrough of a title. So! At the moment I am playing Radiant Historia, and now I am going to talk about it.
Later in this post I will also talk about Final Fantasy VIII, & probably a bit about work. WHAT AN ACTION-PACKED ADVENTURE.
Yeah, gosh, how do you spoiler warn for this game?
In one timeline, I have just met Aht and the other satyros performers within whom she is travelling. I couldn't proceed any further there until Stocke learned some sword-dancing from Kiel, so I've been hanging out in the Rosch Brigade timeline for quite a while now. Just hit a roadblock there though, require a sensory skill that only satyros can teach, so! It's back across to Aht and company with Stocke's new swordsmanship to see how far along we can go. YEAH, hard game to spoiler warn for. Hahaha.
WOW, GOOGLE PREDICTIVE SEARCH JUST SPOILED ME FOR SOMETHING LATER IN THE GAME. wow. That was. drastically unfortunate. Okay self there are two timelines and multiple bad ends do not count this as. meaning too much. Sigh, okay, so I guess I won't link to pictures of the characters if putting their names into google might lead to "______" search predications. Wow this has totally killed my interest in talking about this, I'm sad and grumpy now.
Well anyway, let's try not to squander this time. This is a really good game and I am enjoying it! Stocke is wonderful, and any time he and Rosch interact I am just a ball of delight. I adore how the characters in this game interact with each other. It is so refreshing to see RPG characters who talk to each other like actual human beings and have real human responses EH FINAL FANTASY VIII, EH. But seriously, these two just have the loveliest friendship, it is kind of ruining my heart and terrorising me with thoughts of what might be coming. I am far too emotionally invested in them and their relationship, this is dangerous and foolish. I DO NOT WANT TO BE HEARTBROKEN YOU GUYS.
I just keep imagining all these worst case scenarios. What if Rosch's death secures the path to True History? What is STOCKE'S death is ultimately vital to the path of True History? No one will know all the good he did! Well, no one is going to know that anyway, but what if he ultimately gives his own life to send the world down a path to salvation? And what about all the other beautiful people? What if beautiful Field-Marshal Viola dies (no!!!)? What if beautiful Dias dies (too beautiful to die!!!)? What if beautiful Lieutenant General Raul dies (okay not traditionally attractive I guess BUT SO FAR I THINK HE'S TOTALLY BEAUTIFUL gosh)? WHAT IF EVERYONE DIES?
Here is a legit theory though, I do not like to be cynical and gross but I am assuming Kiel is going to die. I might be totally wrong! And I sure don't mind if I'm wrong, it's not like I have anything against the kid. But him being that earnest of a mook, I just feel like Rosch Brigade is going to suffer hideously (covertly at Heiss's hand?) and Kiel is going to be our human face on it. And it will be horrible because Rosch will be so sad and Stocke will hurt too and ahhh. SORRY KIEL YOUR DEATH WILL BE SAD BECAUSE IT WILL AFFECT OTHER PEOPLE, YOU JUST HAVEN'T MADE MUCH IMPRESSION ON ME. This is the paragraph where I'm a big jerk, I guess, ahhh. I hope I'm wrong though, I really do not have anything against him. IT'S JUST A HUNCH?
Now I have had a phone call from work and everything is terrible, it is like the universe wants to ruin my mood and keep me from writing this post, sigh. Let's talk about the battle system?! I like it, hahaha, and was delighted when I realised it was possible to maneuver more than two enemies into a square at a time. I am being a complete hardass about spending my mana crystals though ('they are too expensive, I will heal in other ways!'), I can envision myself reaching the end of the game and still having the same three crystals I was given at the start. I NEVER KNOW WHEN I MIGHT REALLY NEED THEM O-K... but anyway, I usually try to bring Rosch into the party when I can, usually at Raynie's expense sheerly because Marco can heal and she can't, probably better to double up on heals if the chance is there. I still only have Raynie, Marco and Rosch as options though, and Rosch obviously limited to the one timeline. Oh no wait, I apologise, Aht did join my party, I just didn't go anywhere near a battle with her yet. And have no interest in using her. Sorry adorable preppy child you are just not my type. Unless you've got hidden cynical self-aware depths that I am not seeing yet, I seem to like my child characters cynical and self-aware.
So another theory, does Heiss have the Black Chronicle? On the one hand, he seems like the most obvious choice. He does have a sinister nose, and now he's sending not-very-veiled threats in Stocke's direction. On the other hand, too obvious? And why would he have given Stocke the White Chronicle if that were the case? Not to say that negates it, just that that is a mystery. But Dias and Selvan's conversation dropped a huge hint when Selvan suggested it seemed like Heiss knew in advance what Granorg's tactics were going to be. That doesn't automatically mean that Heiss has the Black Chronicle, but it's a pretty easy thing to infer from dialogue like that. BUT WHO KNOWS?
Anyway this is a great game and I am enjoying it very much. When Stocke said "When I can, I will tell Rosch about what we just heard", and then ACTUALLY explained the situation to Rosch privately in the next scene I could have died myself. WHEN DO RPG CHARACTERS EVER DO THINGS THAT RATIONALLY AND SENSIBLY? Aren't you going to put it off, Stocke? Isn't the plot going to contrive to keep you away from Rosch in increasingly ludicrous ways? No no it isn't you're just going to take him aside and tell him oh my god. Oh my god. I'm playing a game with real people it's so beautiful you guys.
By contrast, Final Fantasy VIII continues its relentless decline into all out absurdity and disaster. Well, actually, I'd say it's kind of plateaued at this point, I think peak absurdity is probably hit somewhere around the space sequence. But anyway, I am on the fourth and final disk now, hoorah! I have all the GF excluding Eden now, so it is time for bonus bosses and finishing the game. Of course I could just go finish but god damn it this stupid game file has almost seventy sodding hours on it now (SO UNWORTHY), you better believe I'm at least proving that much time as being capable of taking down Ultima and Omega Weapons. ... I think that's who they are. ANYWAY. (since my new goal seems to be bonus bosses, what's going to happen when I hit FFIX? Do I care enough to do all that level grinding and Chocobo Hot & Cold? What about FFX, and the Dark Aeons? That's a whole new level of pain.)
But yeah, so FFVIII is basically ridiculous. It's funny to me how I've come to appreciate FFVII more with time. That game still has an outrageous translation and is still pretty jumbled at certain points in ways I do not think are entirely related to said translation, but it has some really solid emotional beats and actual moments of payoff within the story. The reveal of Cloud being present at Nibelheim five years ago after all is really damn nice, great use of music and a real honest sense of things falling into place as you look at the flashbacks again with the sudden perspective of who that one soldier grunt actually is. Final Fantasy VIII has nothing like that. It should, they have a damn opportunity, they could easily have done something with Squall and Laguna. I don't mind that that whole business is left as canon subtext, but when you have nothing else it might have really done the floundering storyline a big favour at that point.
Instead we get insanity upon insanity and characters who couldn't develop a common cold never mind a god damn personality. I mean, I like Zell. I like Irvine (well, most of the time). Selphie has some really nice scenes at Trabia, we just never get to see that side of her personality ever again (because "WOOHOO!" is apparently enough of a character for FFVIII). But anyway, it's not that I hate these people, but they're just incredibly two-dimensional. It's horrible how little development or attention they receive. Regardless of what you think of Final Fantasy as a franchise, I don't think any other of its titles has ever been so neglectful of its own core cast. Squall has an arc (though even that is fluffed pretty drastically), Rinoa is sort of halfway there, everyone else is just scenery. I can like scenery! But that doesn't make it bigger than that.
I don't know. I'll be glad when this game is finally done. Glad to finally have Aura in stock though, that spell is just so pretty. And useful, that too. But mostly pretty. Lovely golden charactersss *-*
I don't really fancy talking about work any more on account of blah, so! That was a very boring rambling update :(
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The more you talk about FFVIII, the more glad I am that I never played it, despite facts and tendencies upon facts and tendencies utterly demonstrating that I would take Squall right into my heart.
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/trembles :<
And ahhh, just live Final Fantasy vicariously through me, I will make them better than they actually are... (THAT'S NOT ARROGANT AT ALL...)