Off Topic Discussion Megathread

[Kolsykol]

If we are talking about what we want in a game then I miss when games went full cheese to the point the gauge rolled over and it became really engaging. Older Platinum/Clover games oozed that style and it's a shame we don't really get those types of games anymore. Most that try to emulate that style has "quirky" characters, which don't strike the same as say, Joe or Jetstream Sam.

I think there's a pretty huge issue with stagnation and homogenization in gaming atm.
I think games should be significantly more varied than they are and not just be delegated to Indie when it comes to games that don't take themselves way too seriously or are performatively '' realistic ''.
Even in Indie I feel like it usually feels like games are made more for children in tone tho, and anything that's not has the same ultra serious tone as AAA.
There just seems to be this issue where '' we '' can't handle multiple things at the same time, like everything has to always be one way and follow the latest trend.
And something can't be '' serious '' unless it's photorealistic and everyone runs around in t-shirts and jeans.

Part of the charm of the Nier games is how wacky they are there's so much stuff in them that add a lot of flavor and uniqueness that would just never in a million years happen in a Western studio especially and even less so in AAA.
And yet it also manages to have significantly better and more interesting writing and story imo, doesn't feel like it's just a typical glorified action movie in disguise.
I also find that they just create more memorable characters on a visual level too, the blandness of '' muh realism and grit '' really drags it down in the West.

There actually used to be a joke in the art community amongst a lot of professionals of the '' camera head '' designs with games like Destiny and a lot of other FPS games.
Where a lot of concept art was made by photobashing security cameras and other generic equipment so characters all ended up looking like they had metal buckets and sci-fi cameras for heads lol.

Edit: Also, I am still waiting for the Western answer to Bayonetta.
Where is it?
Why can't we make a game like that too?
It's not because there aren't people who want it and devs that want to make it, it's because people in the industry can only handle one type of depiction of women at a time.

It's the same with male characters but to a lesser extent too, you rarely see more feminine men in Western games they're all massive muscle mountains or with the same short haircut, stubble and square jaw.
But it seriously feels like the characters are all crafted with the same checklist and to be as '' inoffensive '' as possible.

[Vyrerus]

Seeing some folks dredge up the whole, "Action Game vs. Turn Based Game" talk as if it's still really, truly being debated, with regards to FFXVI and Final Fantasy as a whole.

It really irritates me. I know there's a lot more young people these days entering into gaming and game critiquing and all that jazz. But I mean, it's just frustrating to have sat through a huge lull and drop in popularity of turn based RPGs in general since like 2006~07 up till very recent years. Having heard folks who weren't into gaming in the 90s bash my favorite games for being turn based, watch them shift the entire market, and know that the market will never go back to how it had been.

I guess the biggest irritant in relation to this is the idea that some folks lead off with it like, "I know I'll get flack/hate/ratio'd etc. for this, but... Final Fantasy or <Turn Based Game X> turning towards action is a good thing!" As if that hasn't been the common and accepted opinion for over a decade now. As if the company itself hasn't been moving the franchise towards that since FFXI.

Like, I've got no problem with action games. I love me some Souls and Souls-likes and Metroids and Zelda and the list goes on. I also have got no problem with the shift FFs been attempting, some of the janky in between battle systems being my favorites.

I guess TL;DR is, just don't act like it's the minority opinion. Action games are what is commonly desired among most folks these days. It's really only the old salts and the retro loving folks that still want turn based games.

[RyuDragnier]

Seeing some folks dredge up the whole, "Action Game vs. Turn Based Game" talk as if it's still really, truly being debated, with regards to FFXVI and Final Fantasy as a whole.

It really irritates me. I know there's a lot more young people these days entering into gaming and game critiquing and all that jazz. But I mean, it's just frustrating to have sat through a huge lull and drop in popularity of turn based RPGs in general since like 2006~07 up till very recent years. Having heard folks who weren't into gaming in the 90s bash my favorite games for being turn based, watch them shift the entire market, and know that the market will never go back to how it had been.

I guess the biggest irritant in relation to this is the idea that some folks lead off with it like, "I know I'll get flack/hate/ratio'd etc. for this, but... Final Fantasy or <Turn Based Game X> turning towards action is a good thing!" As if that hasn't been the common and accepted opinion for over a decade now. As if the company itself hasn't been moving the franchise towards that since FFXI.

Like, I've got no problem with action games. I love me some Souls and Souls-likes and Metroids and Zelda and the list goes on. I also have got no problem with the shift FFs been attempting, some of the janky in between battle systems being my favorites.

I guess TL;DR is, just don't act like it's the minority opinion. Action games are what is commonly desired among most folks these days. It's really only the old salts and the retro loving folks that still want turn based games.

To be honest I don't really mind FF going action, but that's because FF has always done its own thing and tried various mechanics out, to varying degrees of success. The franchise has always really mixed it up, and with the Pixel Remasters having been released, I think they're aware that the turn based market is still there. Not to mention they've kind of shown that they've wanted FF to be an action RPG series since 2003 (FFX-2). Dirge of Cerberus (lol), Crisis Core, FFX-2's combo system, FFXII's real time action (albeit still with a mix of turn based in there), FF13's cinematic battles, Type-0, etc etc. The series has been moving in this direction for almost 2 decades now.

[Kolsykol]

Nice!
Miura's staff is going to finish Berserk.

https://twitter.com/berserk_project/...23434174627840

I would've been fine if they had just left it, considering how suddenly Miura passed away it could've been so much worse.
The last chapter was a pretty high point to leave it at even if incomplete.
But I am happy it's going to be finished, and Miura's staff I am sure have a ton of notes and work he left behind plus I'd be surprised if he didn't talk to them about where it was going too.
That's what it sounds like at least.

So even if it's not his work on paper it's going to be his in spirit I think.

[Theodric]

I usually go with the flow. I like both action and turn based combat. I do, however, find myself leaning towards the former solely on the basis that it serves as an excellent filter at times. From what I've seen, the crowd who want every JRPG to essentially be a glorified visual novel seem to avoid action games and even when they do not, they can't really speak out in the numbers that lead them to petition for sweeping changes.

[FatalFatalis]

I wonder if we will see more information of FFXVI in the Summer Game Fest, the chances are low now that they showed a trailer in the State of Play and I think they are saving another Forspoken trailer and the announcement of FFVII Remake Part 2 for that event, but it's not impossible.

[Kolsykol]

I don't rly have that much of an opinion on FFXVI being an action game, I do think it gets into the homogenization issue too tho.
But I also feel like there's button-masher movies and then there's action games.
I could go on all day why I think the God of War reboot is kinda horrible as an action game and the glaring issues it has many of which are a problem specifically because of the '' cinematic '' goal ( the camera alone is a complete nightmare ).
A lot of these games are designed primarily for people who wanna button mash to get to the next cinematic, whereas DMC games for example are designed more for people who want to dig deeper into the systems and be more expressive in how they play.
Same with a game like the Witcher I'd separate it from a game like DMC I don't think they're the same thing at all.

Imo I just wish FFXVI was a bit faster and flashier maybe, more like FF7R.
A lot of the attacks looked like they lacked impact and it wasn't fast enough to feel really exciting but maybe it's hard to truly tell from a trailer.

[SturmChurro]

Turn based games generally suck. Typically very boring and/or tedious. A game being turn based won't stop me from playing it - if I think aspects of it are good, however. I have said this before, usually, if I have a choice, I'd much prefer action combat or the like. In a game like pathfinder, that I've been playing recently, I play it in real time. I do remember liking Pokemon games quite a bit as a kid, probably one of the few I don't/didn't mind (haven't played Pokemon in a very long time). I think with that game it was more of the theme than anything else.

I don't have a Playstation (it's exclusive right? At least initially?), so I couldn't play the new FF even if I wanted to.

[VirusOnline]

Turn based games generally suck. Typically very boring and/or tedious. A game being turn based won't stop me from playing it - if I think aspects of it are good, however. I have said this before, usually, if I have a choice, I'd much prefer action combat or the like. In a game like pathfinder, that I've been playing recently, I play it in real time. I do remember liking Pokemon games quite a bit as a kid, probably one of the few I don't/didn't mind (haven't played Pokemon in a very long time). I think with that agme it was more of the theme than anything else.

I don't have a Playstation (it's exclusive right? At least initially?), so I couldn't play the new FF even if I wanted to.

actually had a talk about this recently
i think with today's graphics - specifically xvi's, turn based might actually be quite innovative even if it is a "step back"
a reimagination of turn based translated to today's modern engines would be quite a turn imo

[SturmChurro]

actually had a talk about this recently
i think with today's graphics - specifically xvi's, turn based might actually be quite innovative even if it is a "step back"
a reimagination of turn based translated to today's modern engines would be quite a turn imo

For turn based to be entertaining it has to have a lot of bells and whistles for me, even then I am more interested in the theme of the game or the story than the actual combat. Now, I haven't played any other FF games really, but from what I can recall, they are kind of like team based pokemon battles, right? As for the new FF being action or turn based, it makes no real difference to me personally.