November 2015 - Page 2 of 5 - Samantha Lienhard

GameFaqs’ Best Game Ever Round 2 – My Picks

Nov 232015

Round 1 of GameFaqs’ “Best. Game. Ever.” contest has ended, and the winners have moved on to Round 2. Some of my picks won, some lost (poor Ace Attorney), but let’s take a look at the latest contenders!

Note: at the time I’m writing this, Division I and Division II already had their vote.

Division I

Chrono Trigger vs. Dragon Quest VIII – Two RPGs up against one another makes this a tough decision, but since I played and enjoyed Chrono Trigger, that’s where my vote went.

Mega Man X vs. Final Fantasy X – Final Fantasy X may not be a favorite of mine, but I still prefer it to Mega Man X. Therefore, I voted for Final Fantasy X.

(Also, can we talk about how Tidus’s voice actor is in Tales of Symphonia and sounds completely different?)

Super Smash Bros. Melee vs. Pokémon Gold/Silver – Despite my heartbreak that TWEWY didn’t make it out of the first round, I still love Pokémon Gold/Silver for being the games that got me into the series… and then brought me back into the series with their remakes. My vote went to Pokémon Gold/Silver.

Kingdom Hearts II vs. The Last of Us – I haven’t played either game yet, but I really love the Kingdom Hearts series so far. Acting under the assumption that KH2 won’t disappoint me, I voted for it.

(Yes, I’ll try The Last of Us someday, too.)

Division II

Final Fantasy VI vs. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – It hurt, it really did. Paper Mario is one of my favorite series (not counting the abomination), and I had to vote against it twice!

Final Fantasy VI was a brilliant game and stands out to me for having some of my favorite gaming memories. As much as I love The Thousand-Year Door, Final Fantasy VI deserved to win.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic vs. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – I suppose I should be pleased that so many games I love ended up on this list, but ouch. Wind Waker holds a special place in my heart as my first Zelda game (and still my favorite), but I voted for Knights of the Old Republic because it’s a great RPG and one of the best Star Wars games.

It also includes one of my favorite robots, HK-47.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U vs. Mass Effect – I’m sorry. I know people love it, but Smash Bros. just doesn’t do it for me (although Cloud’s inclusion intrigues me). I voted for the first Mass Effect, which I loved for its story and characters.

Halo: Combat Evolved vs. Final Fantasy VII – Halo: Combat Evolved was great. I love it and the whole Halo universe. But I love Final Fantasy VII more, and that’s what I voted for.

Division III

Super Mario Bros. 3 vs. Pokémon Red/Blue – I have nothing against Mario, but I prefer the Pokémon gameplay more. They might not be my favorites in the series, but I’d like to see Pokémon Red/Blue win.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 vs. Uncharted 2 – It’s hard for me to have an opinion on this one. I promise I’ll give Uncharted 2 a try someday. But for now… I abstain.

Fallout 3 vs. Undertale – Oh man, have we got a tough fight ahead of us. Fallout 3 is an incredibly popular game, but one which I have no interest in. Undertale, on the other hand…

Vote for Undertale!

Final Fantasy VIII vs. Super Mario World – I’m impressed FFVIII made it this far. In this match-up, I’ll concede Super Mario World probably should win, but my personal tastes make me vote for Final Fantasy VIII.

Division IV

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim vs. GoldenEye 007 – I haven’t played either, but I suppose I’d like to see GoldenEye win, if only because it’s from Rare.

Metroid Prime vs. Half-Life 2 – I just didn’t enjoy Half-Life 2 when I tried to play it, with the possible exception of Ravenholm. While I haven’t played Metroid Prime yet either, I’ll tentatively place my hopes there.

Super Mario 64 vs. Final Fantasy Tactics – I haven’t played FF Tactics and I doubt I will. In contrast, Super Mario 64 was one of the games of my childhood, and I believe it had an important influence on video games. My vote goes to Super Mario 64.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess vs. Persona 4 – People tell me Persona 4 is an amazing game. Yet Twilight Princess (which is getting an HD remaster) was quite fun. It doesn’t stand out to me as much as Wind Waker, but I’ll stick with The Legend of Zelda for this vote.

Division V

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time vs. Suikoden II – I’ve heard so many good things about Suikoden II that I want it to win, but without having played it, I can’t bring myself to vote against it. Yet while I liked Ocarina, how can I vote against a JRPG that gets such high praise? …I abstain.

Okami vs. Final Fantasy IX – As much as I want to like Okami, there’s just something about it that made it hard for me to enjoy. Then there’s one of the first JRPGs I ever played, Final Fantasy IX. It might be controversial, but for me, Final Fantasy IX wins.

Donkey Kong Country 2 vs. Fire Emblem: Awakening – It pains me to see that neither of my choices from last time made it into the next round. I haven’t played either, and while people recommend Awakening all the time, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Once again, I abstain.

Banjo-Kazooie vs. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – Will the much-beloved SotN cast another one of my favorite games out of the running? With all due respect to Castlevania, I hope Banjo-Kazooie makes it into Round 3.

Division VI

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past vs. Final Fantasy IV – This is a troubling one for me: a game I’ve started but never been able to complete up against a game I’ve started and forgot to complete. Due to my love of JRPGs, I will vote for Final Fantasy IV and redouble my vow to actually finish it.

Metal Gear Solid V vs. Dark Souls – Two more games I’ve never played, and both are open world. (However, I have watched Dark Souls, thanks to Game Informer’s Super Replay.) Yikes. Once again, my love of RPGs (and fantasy) is the deciding factor. Dark Souls.

Super Metroid vs. Super Mario Galaxy – This is a tough one, and I’m still disappointed Dragon Age didn’t advance to this round. While I enjoyed Super Mario Galaxy, and I haven’t played Super Metroid, I nevertheless think Super Metroid should win.

Final Fantasy XII vs. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – When these games came up in Round 1, I was forced to abstain. Here we are again, two games that have been highly recommended to me, of which I’ve played neither. Once again, I abstain.

Division VII

Grand Theft Auto V vs. Super Mario RPG – I’m sad Shenmue didn’t make it, and I doubt I need to repeat my feelings toward the GTA series. Super Mario RPG all the way. I promise to play it.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas vs. Chrono Cross – Yep, Chrono Cross. I promise to play it.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt vs. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty – If Resident Evil made it this far, I’d be conflicted. As it is… well, we’ve got an RPG in the running, from a series I’ve become quite fond of even if I haven’t made it to the games yet. I vote for Geralt, Ciri, and The Witcher 3.

Fallout: New Vegas vs. Resident Evil 4 – Urk. This feels like one of those match-ups where I should abstain, but I won’t. Although I’m no Fallout fan, I will not vote for the game that led Resident Evil down the path of action. I will cast my vote against Resident Evil 4 and hope for New Vegas’s success.

Division VIII

Metal Gear Solid vs. EarthBound – I don’t dislike MGS, for all the times I’ve voted against it so far, but the quirky cult classic RPG, wins for me. EarthBound all the way!

Shadow of the Colossus vs. Red Dead Redemption – I’ve played neither of these games, but a game with subtle storytelling about defeating giant monsters appeals to me more than an open world Wild West game (speaking of the Wild West, why didn’t any Wild Arms games make it on the list, eh?), so I’ll vote for Shadow of the Colossus.

(Also, I think it’s ridiculous that RDR beat Bayonetta 2, but that’s just me.)

Metal Gear Solid 3 vs. BioShock – Hmm… I haven’t played either game, but I might vote for Metal Gear Solid 3 (in part because BioShock beat Silent Hill 2 to get here). Maybe you can convince me otherwise in the comments.

StarCraft vs. Mass Effect 2 – I’m not a fan of RTS games, but I liked Mass Effect 2, so that’s what I’ll vote for.

Which are your picks for Round 2 of GameFaqs’ Best. Game. Ever. contest? Let me know in the comments. See you in Round 3!

Preparing For Xenoblade Chronicles X

Video games 8 Responses » Tagged with: rpg, xenoblade, xenoblade chronicles x

Nov 202015

Xenoblade Chronicles X comes out in two weeks, on December 4. As someone looking forward to it (it’s one of my most-anticipated games of the year despite being open world), I’d like to address some of the most common questions about it I’ve seen.

Can you play Xenoblade Chronicles X if you haven’t played the original Xenoblade Chronicles?

Yes, yes, so much YES. The biggest misconception I’ve seen is that X is a sequel. I blame the name. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a spiritual successor to Xenoblade, related only through shout-outs, similar gameplay, and some common features (like the Nopon race).

They are very different games. For starters, Xenoblade was pretty much fantasy, while X is science fiction.

Xenoblade had a focused, linear story, while X focuses more on exploration and character development. People who have played it say it has deeper lore than Xenoblade.

Combat is the greatest similarity, but X’s system seems more complex.

What are the data packs for?

In the Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced that the four downloadable data packs for Xenoblade Chronicles X are now available. These have caused almost as many misconceptions as the name.

The data packs do not add anything new to the game. They do not contain content that didn’t fit on the disc.

Rather, they install some of the game’s frequently-used information to your Wii U, to make loading times faster. This is why the data packs are pointless if you get the digital version. If you get the digital version, the entire game is installed.

Should I get the data packs?

If you’re buying Xenoblade Chronicles X digitally, no. If you’re buying a retail copy, here’s a comparison video from GameXplain.

Do you want the faster loading times? Then the data packs are worth it. There are four:

Basic High-Speed Data Loading Pack
Enemy High-Speed Data Loading Pack
Player High-Speed Data Loading Pack
Skell High-Speed Data Loading Pack

Nintendo recommends you at least get the first one.

You’ll need slightly over 15 GB to download all of them, though they seem to only take up about 10 GB of space. If you, like me, are out of space on your Wii U hard drive, you can pick up an external drive.

Personally, I’m getting a 1 TB portable drive along with a cable so I can use it with my Wii U. I was tempted during the Fatal Frame V digital-only debacle, and the data packs convinced me.

Is the game censored?

Everyone’s favorite topic.

Yes, a 13-year-old party member’s armor has been adjusted so it covers slightly more skin. Every other female character can still wear the skimpy armor, so don’t panic.

To the people upset over this, are you also upset that Ace Attorney changed a joke involving Dr. Hotti and Pearl? (Janet Hsu’s blogs in general are a good resource to see why localization isn’t the same as a literal translation.)

The bust slider for the female player character has also been removed. In the original Japanese version, when you customized a female character, you could adjust both her height and chest size. In the localized version, you can only adjust her height.

If you call this censorship, I suppose you’re right. However, I don’t think it’s enough to warrant a boycott over, because what does a character’s chest size have to do with exploring an alien world in a sci-fi RPG?

For those of you who are upset because you can’t make your character accurately look like you, though… I have a question. If make your character identical to you is so important that removing the bust slider makes it a deal-breaker, shouldn’t you also be upset that you can’t change the character’s shoulder width? What about hand size? What if you don’t find a hairstyle that matches yours?

I’m just saying, arguing that removing the bust slider means you can’t make the character look like you assumes every other body part can be customized to match you (or maybe you just consider the chest more important).

Enough of that, what about religious censorship? By now, you’ve probably heard people crying that Xenoblade Chronicles X has censored all references to religious philosophy. Has it?

The BLADE acronym has been changed from “Beyond the Logos Artificial Destiny Emancipator” to “Builders of the Legacy After the Destruction of Earth.”
The Testament division has been renamed to Reclaimers.

That’s it. No need to panic.

Personally, I don’t mind. I think the majority of players would read “Beyond the Logos Artificial Destiny Emancipator” as a bunch of cool-sounding words slapped together into something meaningless, rather than something philosophical. And since the Reclaimers focus on reclaiming lost items from the ship… yeah.

Is the story good?

I can’t really answer that, because I haven’t played it. However, people who played the Japanese version seem to think it’s setting up a larger saga.

Those are the biggest questions I’ve heard asked about Xenoblade Chronicles X. GameXplain has also been releasing Q&A videos. Part 1 and Part 2 are out now.

Have more questions about Xenoblade Chronicles X? Ask in the comments, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll try to find out.

NaNoWriMo Tips for Gamers

Video games, Writing 4 Responses » Tagged with: nanowrimo

Nov 182015

NaNoWriMo is past the halfway mark. I’m ahead of schedule, with around 34,000 words.

It’s hard to focus on a new book project with Tales of Zestiria waiting for me (although Sorey would approve). Then there’s Dragon Age, Kingdom Hearts, Yo-Kai Watch… not to mention all the popular new games I don’t care for.

The video game fall rush collided with NaNoWriMo, and that’s dangerous. How can you find time to write and play video games as the same time?

Since I’ve managed well enough so far, here you go: my top NaNoWriMo tips for gamers.

1. Schedule Your Time

Don’t give me that look! I know, you have enough schedules to worry about without scheduling your free time as well. Believe it or not, though, it works.

I set aside certain hours to focus on writing. Once those hours pass, I’m free to play games. That makes it easier to work, because a definite end point is in sight.

Alternately, you could schedule your video game time instead. Set aside a couple of hours just for gaming, and you’ll feel better about not writing the rest of the game.

2. Prioritize

This should probably be done together with the previous tip. After all, if you plan some video game hours first, you might be tempted to deviate from your schedule… Not that I know this from experience or anything. Ahem.

But if you get your writing done first, you have nothing to worry about. To stay on pace for NaNoWriMo, you need to write at least 1667 words a day. Maybe you should meet your goal before you turn to other activities.

3. Reward System

1667 words might be too much to do all at once. And maybe you hate schedules. Why not use a reward system instead? Once you write a certain amount, you reward yourself by playing a game.

Maybe 500 words = 1 hour of Zestiria (or Yo-Kai Watch, or Fallout, or whatever you’re playing). Adjust your rewards scale to fit your writing style, and you’ll write faster in no time!

4. Write to Epic Gaming Music

I feel like writing already. Music in general helps me write, but there’s nothing like an awesome video game song to make an exciting scene flow.

In addition to The Legend of Aesir, I recommend Descole’s Theme, It Can Waver and Fight, Announce the Truth 2013, and Black As Sin, Red As Blood.

The downside is that you might get distracted imagining your characters doing epic things without actually writing them. Oops. Hands on keyboard.

5. Let Your Favorite Characters Encourage You

So you’ve got a schedule, you’ve set your priorities, rewards are in place… and you quietly let it slip away because this game is so much fun.

Then your favorite video game character appears and demands to know why you aren’t writing.

“But I wanted to see you!” you say, controller in hand.

Your character of choice fixes you with an icy glare. “This is your writing time.”

“But–”

“Write. Now.”

You quickly pause the game and open your WIP.

6. Laugh Maniacally As Your Backlog Grows

Bah, who says you need to play video games? Write! Write more! And when the unplayed games build up into a massive backlog of doom, let out a maniacal laugh and continue writing, because nothing can stop you now! Nothing! Ahahaha!

…What were we talking about?

7. Build A Robot To Help You Multi-Task

Ahahaha!

Think there aren’t enough hours to divide between gaming and writing? Maybe you’re right. The solution? Multi-task!

Yes, put those hours to the most efficient use possible by writing and gaming at the same time. Of course, for maximum efficiency, you’ll need either text-to-speech software and superb powers of concentration, or four hands.

Draw inspiration from the Professor Layton series and create an easy-to-operate robotic machine that will follow your directions to both type and operate the game control while you direct all of its actions from the control room.

Why are you looking at me like that?

8. Ignore Distractions

The absolute best thing you can do is ignore anything that might hinder your writing… such as the ill-conceived advice of an insane writer who thinks you have the time to build giant robots. Disregard my previous two points, and you’ll be on the right track.

I’ll be honest, I had one more legitimate piece of advice to share, but I was so busy laughing maniacally during Tip #6, I forgot it.

So, In Summary…

Schedule your time, prioritize writing, use video games as a reward, and use whatever inspiration keeps you on track. You’ll win NaNoWriMo and play some fantastic games.

Have any tips you’d like to share for dividing your time between writing and gaming (or anything, really)? Share your thoughts and advice in the comments below.

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