23 Nov 2010

Let Us Cling Together

Started Gyoubu's story first since I wanted to get his over with to unlock Hondam, and Chika's story isn't something I want to do right away. And finished it within 5 stages. Also noted that you have to exit the game completely in order to try avoiding the Base Defense stage. I don't mind the stage that much but I don't need any of the stage materials or "No Damage" robes anymore, so playing it is really a waste of time unless I'm fugitive hunting. Finished with Mitsunari, and started his Blue route again for that weird trophy. He almost has ATK1000, so it shouldn't be too bad due to his ridiculously high DPS. It's going to be a slight pain getting all the fugitives for every character, but at least there's no associated trophy for it. Only need to do it with one character.

Just as a little fun note, I've only noticed that Keiji and Ieyasu have idle animations so far. Most of the characters I haven't left alone long enough to see. They both have 2; Keiji either rotates his sword arm shoulder or waves around his arms, while Ieyasu either folds his arms or scratches his head. Once he folds his arms, he doesn't do another idle animation until you move him.



In the meantime... I've started Tactics Ogre: 運命の輪/The Wheel of Fortune. The JP version still does retain the "Let Us Cling Together" subtitle, it's just not part of the logo. It's pretty hard, but probably because I haven't played an SRPG in a while. Also interesting systems in place. I think I might have to grind a little bit to get their levels up so they can take the new equipment that I can finally buy for them. I think I might have to pre-order this since we're also getting the tarot card bonus. I've always been interested in how to use them, even if it's just a bunch of superstition. The imagery is fascinating, much like the Ars Goetia demons. Kinda funny. An atheist scientist that's genuinely interesting in demonology and the supernatural, even if it's just for the meanings behind it. Oh, and because there's new art work on it. Always a good excuse, considering that I'm not sure if the game's getting an art book or an Ultimania.

... And I feel like a lonely MasaMitsu fan. Good thing no one in the SB commu knows who I am. *ahem*

15 Nov 2010

To hide in a corner.

*ahem* So I put in a request in a certain kink meme. It's not a popular pairing at all (at least not on Pixiv), so I'm wondering if anyone would fill it out. Maybe I'll edit this post later with what I put in my comment after it's been filled. At least someone else is seconding the request... I'm so going to hell for this, but I just can't help myself when it comes to obscure pairings and generous helpings of Foe Yay. I really can't. A hint: This guy doesn't remember the other guy's name until you play one specific stage. And even then, he only remembers his last name. Actually, there's another stage where he remembers, but that's only because another certain person is there. It's an incredibly obscure thing that most people wouldn't even bat an eye to. I noticed it because the dialogue in the games amuses me so. Each character has a distinct speech pattern and how they refer to themselves (pronouns) and each other (honorifics). Those little details is exactly what makes this series so much fun. Well, good gameplay helps too.

Oh, and I wasted quite a bit of time looking a vids on NicoDou. Why? Because I wanted to know where some of the groupings were coming from. 東西トリオ is a new one, consisting of Ieyasu/Motochika/Masamune. There's no need for explanation of this grouping at all, really. If you've paid attention to the entire game series, that would be enough info. There were already hints of the 東西兄貴 from Battle Heroes. Something about Motochika wanting to steal something from the Oushuu forces (Kojuurou the Right Eye, Masamune's 'soul'). Then from SB2H, we have 兄貴と狸, which is expanded upon in BH and 3. And finally in 3, 権現 and 独眼竜 team up in the Eastern Army/東軍. 関ヶ原 is very obviously IeMitsu. Oh, and I was trying to figure out the 黒権現 thing. It seems like it stemmed from Mistunari's 2nd costume resembling an angel. So to complement that, let's have Ieyasu completely lose it. And boy is the 黒権現 insane. Well, as insane as whoever the artist is. Or a depressed 権現. Like so.




Anyways, literally blasted through Magoichi's stories. Both of the main ones, and noticed that I had the option to go directly to Honnoji while going through her yet-to-be-completed Red route. I think as long as the Honnoji route is attached to something, you can go directly there. I think Magoichi is the only one who can do that, and it would make sense since she actually has ties to Nobunaga. Anyways, Aniki has been unlocked, so I think it's only him and Gyoubu that I have to deal with in terms of stories. Shouldn't be too bad. Gyoubu can easily handle himself on Extreme right now, and Aniki has his trusty net. Almost done hunting down all the fugitives with Mitsunari, so that trophy will be mine and I can start the "get through Extreme with the default weapon" thing. Still a little worried about that "kill less than 100" trophy... Going to need a second player to help, most likely.


EDIT: HOLY EASTERN HOLLYHOCK OF THAT TANUKI. SOMEONE WROTE FOR THE REQUEST I WANTED. ... In the exact the opposite of what I wanted. Well, I suppose I could out myself on this. Doubt they'll find me here anyways. I wanted a MasamunexMitsunari fic. Context is this: Mitsunari never remembers Masamune's name in any of the stages he appears in unless Ieyasu is also there. He screams "Date! Ieyasu!" in Osaka Summer Blue (Blue route final) and Sekigahara - Traces. We all know how cocky the One-Eyed Dragon is, so he doesn't take it well that he's not remembered, even after his defeat at Odawara Castle. So... Masamune's going to make him remember the One-Eyed Dragon. Should have included blood-play in the request, just to see what they would do~

And another crack fic, but even better~ Yeesh, it seems like I'm the only one who got a fic so far. I thought no one liked this pairing... Maybe it was because how vague it was and that prompt meant that you can draw from anything. Prefer the game-canon because that's what I know. It awesome of that anon to use both KG's and Chika's endings since those ones are the happiest and most amusing. Everyone lives when KG's involved, and throwing in Chika's Green means that Ieyasu and Mitsunari aren't going to kill each other. Well, maybe they will but not after a long while seeing as how Chika seems to be quite fond of both.

11 Nov 2010

Perhaps I should have been hostile instead.

So... There's this user. ZeroJinKui. Been on GFAQs for quite a while (he's Lv.37), and was asking for some help. Too bad he sounds like a whiny brat while he's at it. We were trying to help, but it seemed like he had his ears plugged, or at least blinded to the point that he can't recognize a decent post. He was asking about farming weapons, specifically the Tier 4 and Tier 5 ones (elemental activation 10% and joke weapons). He had already gotten a few of them because of having a second player with him, but preferred to play alone. So, we suggested that the best places for weapon farming are any of the Sekigahara stages, Tedorigawa (Maeda), Ujou (Tenkai), Osaka Summer Blue (if he can handle it) and Kawanakajima (4 equips). I even gave him Kubota as a starting point to get the character's HP up so that they won't die that easily. Tenkai's stage pretty easy because he's so slow. The only real problem in the stage is the bombers running around, which is pretty easy to deal with if you keep moving. Too bad it seems like he's not good enough (what) to outrun the bombers, so he's not using that stage. He also doesn't seem to have enough DEF, which is perfectly normal if you're starting with a Lv.1 character. Said character would only have 1 slot to work with, and you would need to use a Gold Turtle (DEF+400) to soften blows on Extreme. He would probably have one if he had bothered to farm the materials from Kawanakajima and the Noshima Ocean stages. I took a jab at him, saying that he could make up for his (serious) lack of skill with a DEF boost.

Seriously, Extreme isn't that hard for most characters. I have difficulty playing on Extreme with some characters because of their movement speed and play style required. Just need some practice, that's all. And just because we're good at a game doesn't mean that we don't have a life. Some of us are naturally good at gaming. And I'm pretty sure that we don't have to hold your hand when it comes to strategy against certain bosses. The most basic one is to hit-and-run, unless you can't outrun them. Mix up blocking and dodging. Just because you can't seem to block against attacks doesn't mean that others shouldn't be able to either. Oh, and the guy who had trouble with over 2000 DEF? I ran into that problem too. Why? Kanbei at Sekigahara Plot vs. Mouri. It's that damn Akatsukimaru that really puts a dent in things because of its ridiculous attack power, mostly because it's the completed version and not the one that most people would remember from Nakatomigawa.

Really, quit complaining and learn to play the game. It really sounds like you're a rather impatient brat who wants to get all the weapons ASAP. The weapons aren't going to make much of a difference if you don't know how to play it well. At least they're not forcing you to go through a tournament in order to get their best weapons. Those challenges from SB2H? Pretty damn hard with some characters.

About damn time

It took a while (100+ hours by the clock...), but Nobunaga unlocked! Admittedly, at least 5 of those hours were spent in the gallery listening to music, and at least another 50 of them spent farming ryou and materials. Seriously... I almost have all the accessories created and only really need to concentrate on farming those stupid helmets. Not exactly the best at parrying, so I was surprised that I managed to get a Daimyo helmet with Oichi while on Extreme. Time to use Keiji in Saika's stage. Hopefully I won't break my R1 button along the way. Well, considering that I only need to get one more (got a few more while playing as Tsuruhime on Extreme), shouldn't be a problem! Or maybe just use Magoichi since I'm playing through her story at the moment and her DPS is so freakishly high that I don't need to put any ATK accessories on her. Boost her DEF, tag along Matsu, and we're set.

So along the way, I figured out how to deal with Magoichi's charged shotgun blasts. They're even more broken than Dante's, and even Nero's charged shots! The charged magnum shots even have the same property as Nero's charged revolver shots (delayed explosion). It's actually pretty funny since you can easily take out bases in a few shots on Extreme. The timing was a little weird at first, mostly because I had just finished with Tsuruhime's story and she uses a different type of style (just-frames for extra shots or damage). Going with her Blue route, then replaying for her Red, then Honnoji. So, that should unlock Motochika. Too bad his story is going to piss me off again because how incredibly stupid he was, as sniffle-worthy as it was. Well, only really if you know their backstory from the previous games. Still wondering which routes are canon or tie into each other. I know that Chika's Red and Nari's Blue are connected. Magoichi's Red is probably the canon route for her. Yukimura and Masamune's Blue are probably tied as well, since those two seem to like screwing around at each other's expense (more Masa than Yuki, much to Kojuurou's annoyance).


On the fandom side of things... I've taken a liking to shipping a lot more pairings and groups than I thought. 家三, 三家, 兄貴と狸, 親家, 親三, 東西兄貴, etc. Probably because I actually took the time to read over all the scripts and playing through all their stories. Still, my favourite is 小政, along with a bit of a crack pairing in 三政. Yes, I love my Foe Yay as much as I love my Ho Yay.



I still think that Ieyasu's ending is somewhat sniffle-worthy.

2 Nov 2010

Already, I see a mistake

Capitalization. They forgot to capitalize some words. "well now..." Part of a line that Masamune says. Some of the item descriptions have extra spaces in them. Looks a little awkward. Oh, and they misspelled 'enemies' as 'enemys,' as found on the Jade Phoenix. That's all within the first hour of play too. Started on Masamune's story mode on Extreme (screw this, I'm using the JP terms). Dealt with Mogami's stage first since you get a bodyguard and there's a cutscene. Have to admit, I quite like Mogami's acting in this version. Not as annoying, but just as good. Kojuurou really isn't clicking for me, and neither is Masamune. Those skill name changes are irking me to no end, especially now that he's got most of his moves (I don't normally use TESTAMENT). I mean, sure, "Six Claws" makes more sense as the stance, but WAR DANCE sounds much more intimidating when shouting it at your enemies.

Anyways, started Oichi's Blue route. Should be able to get through it OK, except for the part where I decided to go for Extreme mode. It was still pretty easy after you figure out exactly how far some of her attacks reach. Her Guard+Triangle is exactly one backstep's distance away from her. Anyways, yes, I did complete it on Extreme, got both versions of her joke weapon, then did her Purple route. Admittedly, I did that on Normal because I just wanted to breeze through it. Then I tried to unlock Nobunaga using KuroKan. That didn't work out quite the way I had planned. Completely forgot that he has 2 branches in his Red that end at Sekigahara Intrusion. The upper path is where the Honnoji branch is (requires you to go after the guys and Tsuruhime), and the lower path is if go you go after Saika or Oichi. Starting that again soon, and hopefully I'll remember to get to the right path. Then it's fugitive hunting with Mitsunari so I can deal with the "use your default weapon with no accessories while on Extreme" trophy. Almost got through the first stage... but playing in SD and with only about DEF170 isn't very smart, especially if the first stage is up against the Maeda clan (minus Keiji). The SD part was pretty bad since a lot of the stuff ended up a little blurrier than usual. Oh well, I'll get through it eventually. Just need to do some hunting first!



Kingo isn't afraid of Kojuurou-sama? That's... odd. Really, it is. He's one of the most badass characters, yet he's not afraid of him. Must be the yummy vegetables he cultivates... Heard his little line about Kojuurou while beating the everlasting crap out of him with Oichi.

And... Tactics Ogre is coming out next week! Can't wait~



And while this should go in my IRL blog... Note to self, don't stick the sticky sesame ball thingy in the fridge. The texture becomes quite... unappetizing to say the least. It still tasted pretty good, just a bit off-putting to eat.