WOOOO! I just beat ________!!!!!

[Pak-Man]

And now I've conquered Bravely Second. I loved Bravely Default, but I had some quibbles. Bravely Second addresses every single quibble and makes pretty much the perfect JRPG. You don't have to scan enemies every time you encounter them to get health bars, there's an inn at all of the save points, so there aren't any moments where you're right in front of the boss, but totally out of MP and elixirs (The series continues to not acknowledge the existence of tents), there's no big tedious rehash of the entire game in the final chapters, and the writing is top notch. I came out caring about every character and even shed a tear or two at the end.

As anticipated in my last post, I got Bravely Default 2 for my birthday, so I'll be able to play through that now secure in the knowledge that I know all that came before.

[Variety of Cells]

Girlfriend and I have been playing a game called 9 Parchments on the switch. It's kind of a twin stick shooter / Diablo type game, but with no loot. You get stronger by leveling up and unlocking skill trees.  Each play through you will slowly unlock 9 random spells (each time picking one of three), which makes each run a little different, because otherwise the maps and enemies stay the same. It would be amazing if they were procedurally generated, but at least they are well crafted.

It would be alright alone, but it really shines with a friend or two. There is no way to turn friendly fire off (although you can change it so that damage done to your friend is done to you instead), so it requires some communication and teamwork. Plus with your beam spells you can 'cross the streams' and combine them into a more powerful beam, which is very satisfying. It's simple, but quite difficult, especially considering your healing spells also heal enemies if they happen to touch them.

We just beat hardcore mode for the first time, where if you both die the game is over. Rather proud of that.

[Cupcake]

Katana Zero! That game is FUCKED but also amazing. Highly recommend if you like bashing your head against something until you win.

[Pak-Man]

Just solved Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir. It's a good murder mystery. The obvious comparison is to the Phoenix Wright games, but without the courtroom antics. The tone is a bit less goofy, and the characters aren't quite as charming (Although I hear that's improved in the next one) but it was a compelling enough mystery to keep me playing.

Like the Phoenix Wright investigation scenes, moving forward is a matter of showing the right bit of evidence or asking the right question to the right person. Usually it's pretty clear what needs to be done to move forward, but there are more than a few parts where it's a matter of, "OK. Let's go back to ALL the locations and start asking EVERYONE about EVERYTHING until something happens."

The enhanced art is pretty, the soundtrack is nice (And the optional 8-bit soundtrack has a few neat chiptunes), and the voice acting is good, I assume (I don't actually know what good Japanese acting sounds like). It left me ready and eager to jump right into Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind.

[Pak-Man]

Just beat the Phoenix Wright Trilogy on Switch. I haven't played through them all since they came out, and it's been long enough that I had forgot just about all of the solutions and twists. It was actually my intent to just play through the first, but then I just kept going. And now I find myself downloading Apollo Justice for my 3DS. I'll definitely be ready for the Great Ace Attorney at the end of the month.

[Edward J Grug III]

Just beat the Phoenix Wright Trilogy on Switch. I haven't played through them all since they came out, and it's been long enough that I had forgot just about all of the solutions and twists. It was actually my intent to just play through the first, but then I just kept going. And now I find myself downloading Apollo Justice for my 3DS. I'll definitely be ready for the Great Ace Attorney at the end of the month.

I'm just playing PWT for the first time.

[Pak-Man]

Finished up Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. What a roller coaster!

I love all of the Ace Attorney Games, but have always found the characterization to be a bit thin. They succeed with that thin characterization because the game mechanics are so good and the writing is so awesome anyway, but I don't really feel like I KNOW who Phoenix Wright or Apollo Justice are.

Great Ace Attorney showed me what it's like to have real characters in an Ace Attorney Game. Everyone from Ryunosuke, his supporting characters, his opposition, to even the witnesses feel like real characters with believable motivations. And the story is just EPIC. It's good that they bundled the games together because every single case across both games tie together in unexpected ways. I'm going to have to play the whole thing over again just to appreciate how the twists at the end change everything that came before it.

I'll need a little time before I can say whether this is the best of the series, but fresh after the credits rolling it sure feels that way.

[Edward J Grug III]

Finished the Pokedex in Pokemon Legends Arceus. Running around catching shinies. This game is incredible - I find it hard to imagine a game I will like better could come out this year.

[Edward J Grug III]

I finished playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2 this morning. 110+ hours. Loved it very much. To the point where I am considering playing it again with the New Game + that it unlocked.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Finished all the quests in No Place Like Home.  The in-game system for achievements isn't complete because there were some updates while I was playing and the counters for certain items got reset, so there are a few rewards I can't pick up, but I'm not playing through again just for those few decorative items for the farm.

[Pak-Man]

So I SAY I'm going to keep going and try to 100% games, but I almost never make it there. But Lego Star Wars was so much fun in the after-game that I was able to see it through and get it to 100%.

[Edward J Grug III]

I beat Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom this week. Delightful game. An excellent blend of old and new Zelda styles. Lots in it, but also not too long. I didn't quite 100% it, but close enough that I might go back and mop up the remaining things.