Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

Played 15 minutes of Bravely Default 2, immediate thoughts:

Controls seem a bit weird in the city (better on the world map) but I was already getting used to them.

Graphics are great, but also a little bit blurry.

Can’t skip the intro into a battle which might not seem like a big deal but it was a useful little touch on the last games.

The voice cast are all great in particular Adele.

I’m going to keep playing more of it over the coming days and I might even send my feedback to the developers since they did take a lot of comments onboard with Octopath Traveler.

@kyleforrester87 I remember you playing through the first one here and I was thinking about playing it too. I’ve heard that the second half isn’t great but would you still recommend the game given I’m a huge JRPG nut?

@nessisonett I’ve basically played the first one twice so it must be doing something right - the second half is a drag in many respects but if you’re in it to create some crazy OP builds that’s where you can do your grinding and then just smash your way through to the end.

I can generally recommend it on the basis that it’s just a good wholesome RPG with an endearing world, nice characters and generally lovely world, and it’s flexible job system.

Shortcomings are dungeon design and the second half but it streamlines things so well - battle speed toggles, auto combat if you want it, snappy menus, reduce/increase encounters on the fly, etc

There are demos for both BD and BS on the store so could always give one a whirl. They are independent of the main game, as is this BD2 demo.

@nessisonett The second half is... profoundly repetitive. For plot reasons, but still. I liked the game a lot, but structurally, it's extremely flawed. The first half was pretty good, though. And I doubt BD2's new writer will repeat the mistakes made in the first game.

@Ralizah Knowing the second half was coming I was able to do a bunch of grinding and then I blitzed through it in several hours, so it wasn't really close to half of the game, really. But playing it normally for the first time and being unsure of what's coming, yeah it would take longer.

@kyleforrester87 I did half-and-half once I figured out what was going on. Doing the same damn sequence of boss fights over and over and over wore on me, so I'd do some side stuff to lighten the tedium a tad.

A terrible design choice all around, even if the game does some neat things in its second half (particularly during the final battle!).

I mainly pressed through because I really liked the combat/skill system. It's very cool.

@Ralizah yeah even when I knew what was coming the second time, it still made me laugh, then get a bit mad 😂

@nessisonett but you should absolutely play it haha

Been playing Animal Crossing for 2 days - I’m not exactly sure what to make of it, but it’s certainly been a pleasant distraction so far.

@kyleforrester87 The important thing to note is that it takes weeks, really, for the full scope of the experience to reveal itself. These games unravel very slowly, but by the time you've spent a number of weeks with it, there's a lot to do even normally, in addition to the frequent themed events that happen every season and around holidays (Bunny Day's arrival is nigh!).

Where are you with regard to your house? Or are you still in a tent?

@Ralizah I ordered the house today, and got 15 items for Mr Owl! So I guess the house and museum arrives tomorrow. It is fun to be honest, I am kinda aware it picks up but don’t want to spoil too much either so just going with the flow.

One thing I was forgetting about from the Direct Mini is the free trial of Arms. It's not a game I was planning on buying, but it'll be worth trying out and seeing whether that changes my mind.

@kyleforrester87 That's the best way to play it.

The museum is beautiful, btw. I can't wait to see what mine looks like when I really start to fill it in.

Fix your title > 'Bravely: Default 2'

Started up Animal Crossing tonight. I was worried about how I'd get on with it since it's my first one, but I played nearly 2 hours straight, so that's a good sign.

Nintendo sure know how to do a nice special edition of their games. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Collector's Set features a 250-page artbook, a SteelBook, a vinyl featuring the Monado printed on the sleeve and a poster.

Really toying with getting animal crossing for my 5 year old daughter and I to play. She is reading a bit now but wondered if others are playing with younger kids and if they are enjoying it? I'm aware one island per switch thing and think we would just be taking turns on the same island.

@R1spam I mean, you might need to help her out with Nook Miles and some of the harder bugs/fish, but the actual gameplay is pretty simple. Although, having played the last game in the series with a little kid, I'd caution you to keep the axes away from her unless you want to come back and discover mass deforestation.

I have to say Animal Crossing is an addictive little game. Just on my second day (played it for a bit last night), and I've paid off the trip & have a house coming tomorrow, and I gave Blathers enough donations on his first day on the island to start the museum (so I guess that should be built tomorrow as well?).

I've kinda been hoarding the shells I've found on the beach because I don't have a use for them yet. Is it safe to just sell them? (I'm not talking about the ones you dig up for fish bait)?

Not impressed with the Bravely Default II demo.

• Dungeon design still sucks.
• Seeing enemies on the map is a step back from BD's full customization of random encounters.
• Random battles seem wildly unbalanced within a given area. I'm either destroying everything or getting crushed.
• The visual style is ugly. An overly aggressive DoF effect makes towns look fairly blurry, and something rubs me the wrong way about the... shininess of enemies in this game. It's hard to describe, but the effect is grotesque.
• I was excited when I heard Revo was back to do the music, but nothing in the demo stood out. Massive downgrade musically from the first game's excellent OST.
• The change from inputting commands all at once on your round to having enemies and allies acting individually based on speed really ruins the 'default' command, especially for slower characters. The battle system in the first game was almost perfect.
• If they're going to make this change, they should have added a turn order indicator. They did not.
• Equipment weight was added for whatever reason. Why add this when the first game played fine without this element?
• I don't like the characters. Granted, BD games aren't famed for their beloved casts, but this group of people seems generic and forgettable. The only one I remember is Elvis, and that's only because he's an offensively bad stereotype of a Scotsman.

I'm open to S-E improving this game, but it'll need a LOT of work, so I'm not hopeful.

@RR529 Yes, just sell the shells. Keep all of your wood, stone, clay, etc., though.

And manilla clams spawn all the time, so don't feel bad if you sell those too.

Hi folks,
I’m dropping me Switch friend code because I’m looking for peeps to trade with in Animal Crossing 😃
SW-6988-4295-6095
Feel free to add me!