Strategy Guide Reviews

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The Corner of Randomness: From Software

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If you don’t know who From Software are, I’ll fill ya in. They make beautiful games such as Bloodborne, the Dark Souls trilogy, and Demon’s Souls. Ever since AGDQ, I’ve been watching some new streamers speedrunning some of these titles. It is both amazing to see them destroy the game day after day as well as maddening, because I know I’ll never have the skills they possess.

It is no secret that From Software is working on another game. They have stated that it will not be another Dark Souls game. Speculation is that there might be a Bloodborne II on the horizon. Some also theorize that the next game from them will be a completely new IP. The hype for a new game is real, but nobody outside of a select few streamers, of whom have signed an NDA, really know what this next game will be.

For me, I am really hoping we see From Software venture into some new territory. A Wild West themed game would be pretty sweet. I also think they would make a great sci-fi style game. I mean, the worlds they have already crafted prove that they could easily make for some great space monster battles. I also think they would do well with some sort of samurai style game. Nioh was decent, but I think From Software could take that genre to a new level.

Yet here we sit. Patiently waiting to see what this new game will be. I’m excited as I believe From Software will do a great job with whatever this new game ends up being. Though, I am also really hoping we get a Bloodborne II, cuz the first one was one of the best games they have made. Maybe at E3 we could even get a teaser. Anything? PLEASE!

Gaming Diary: Back to the Stack of Shame

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fetch quest memeAt the start of every year I always have such grandiose notions that this is the year I’ll get through my stack of shame. This year, I still want to do so, but I’m tackling it a different way. After every recent game I finish, whether it’s in the stack or not, I’ll go back to an older title. After I finished Star Ocean: The Last Hope, it was time to keep good to my promise. I started Dragon Age Inquisition. Again. Yes, this is the third time. No, I haven’t rolled a completely new character. Yes, I have problems.

I tried starting my second run of the game, my first on the PS4, and I was so lost. I had no idea why we were where or what decisions I needed to make. It’s a bummer to lose all that progress, but I’m so glad I decided to start fresh.

I am going to take things a little differently this time, especially when it comes to the Hinterlands. In the past, I let myself get bogged down with sidequests. I spent 3-4 hours in the Hinterlands before I started on my first story-progression quest with previous playthroughs. This time, I’ve done what I’m supposed to do and completed any sidequests I happen to find on the way. This way, I hope to deal with Hinterlands sidequesting each time I go back there. There are several opportunities to go back to that part of Ferelden, something I didn’t know the first time I played. The Hinterlands is also the worst when it comes to getting a fetch quest in the middle of your fetch quest that is required to finish the original fetch quest. Paring this area down isn’t only a wise strategy, it makes for a sane player.

I’m also finally hunkering down to finish A Link to the Past. Thanks to the Keysanity Randomizer Tournament, I’ve gotten the itch to finish that game. Over the weekend, I knocked out both Ice Palace and Misery Mire. I’m dreading Turtle Rock just because every speedrunner complains about it. However, they also complain about Swamp Palace, which I loved. They love Skull Woods, which I hated. So who knows. Regardless, I look forward to finally getting this one out of my stack.

The Corner of Randomness: Strategy Guide Nostalgia

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I’ve been slowly packing up my house this week and part of that task included pulling my strategy guides off the bookshelf and filing them away into moving boxes. As I did this, I took some time and flipped through some of my favorite guides. I also enjoyed some of the added bonuses such as art books, maps, and even the feel of some of the covers.

This process got me feeling all nostalgic. When Keri first brought me onto SGR, it seemed like we were getting guides every month. Time passes, things happen, and slowly we saw less and less guides heading our way. Part of the reason is due to shake ups in the industry. Another part is that strategy guides aren’t nearly as necessary as they once were.

I used to work at Electronics Boutique, otherwise known as the GameStop of the 90s. Back then, we had two items we needed to try to push to customers. One was the SkipDr, which was a terrible device that sanded your CDs/DVDs to help reduce skipping. The second item was strategy guides. In fact, we offered a discount if you bought a strategy guide with the game the guide was for. Having all those guides on the store walls made for some great reading during lunch breaks.

Now I know things change. We now have Twitch.TV, YouTube, GameFAQs, and countless websites to offer up knowledge to players. I get that. Still, as I boxed up my collection of guides, I got a bit of a tear as I remembered back to the days of having to figure out if the official strategy guide was better or worse than the unofficial strategy guide. Heck, even just having a strategy guide to lend to a friend is something I miss. Passing around a web link just doesn’t have that same feeling as telling your friend that if they bend a page in your precious guide, you will murder them. Ah, the good old days!

Gaming Diary: And the First Game Finished in 2018 is…

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Thanks to the miracle that is remote play, I finally finished Star Ocean: The Last Hope HD & 4K Remaster. It took some time to get used to the rear touchpad for the L2/R2 buttons, but once I did, things were rolling.

Star Ocean The Last Hope

I can now say I have finished my very first Star Ocean game. This one was not very good. The only reason I finished it was because I had already invested so much time, I might as well see it through the end. I’m not so sure it was worth it. I unlocked all of the endings except for two, and I don’t care enough to try to unlock them. It had a good message, but I’ve played a game very similar to this and it was called Mass Effect. Earthlings going to the stars, befriending aliens, and saving the universe from an ancient power that wants to reboot it? All that was missing was romance options. Not to mention, the writers had to suddenly explain why Earth had all this technology in SD 12, yet they just now have this tech three hundred years later in the first Star Ocean game. Honestly, the reason why was lame and so is the fact that they didn’t have this tech for centuries after leaving Earth. Seriously, no one wondered in the first couple of generations how they left Earth? I suppose if the story of their origin was not passed down through the generations, they wouldn’t have a clue where they came from. The only way I suppose I could find out would be to either read the plot summary on Wikipedia, play the PSP game (which means I need to replace my PSP battery), or wait for another remaster. Square Enix likes their remasters, so it’s possible.

Pokemon Pearl should be the second completed game of 2018. I just cleared Victory Road, so there is just the Elite Four and the Champion left. I’m not sure if my team is powered up enough, but I’ll try at where they are. Worst case, I have to do them all over again, but I get to keep all the experience earned, so that’s a better grind than going back into Victory Road. I can’t take any more Golbats.

So what’s next? On the PS4, I promised a friend I would finish Dragon Age Inquisition. It’s a bit ridiculous that it’s taken me this long to sit down and finish it, when just a couple of years ago, I burned through Dragon Age: Origins Awakening and Dragon Age 2 plus its DLC in a matter of weeks. As for my handheld, I’m not getting the next Pokemon game. Instead, I’ll finish one of my Legend of Zelda games, most likely A Link to the Past first. I’ve gotten addicted to these randomizer runs, and that urge to finish ALTTP is back. I’m only three crystals away from Ganon’s Tower. I can do this. Right?

The Corner of Randomness: EVO Japan

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EVO Japan kicked off last night. It was interesting to see this new event on its very first day. For those who may not know, at EVO 2017 they announced a second event that would be held in Japan. I believe they are testing this out because not everyone can come to the United States to participate in EVO. Based on what I saw on the streams last night, this is most likely to be an event that we see in future years as well.

There are plenty of attendees at EVO Japan. Heck, Street Fight V has over 2,000 registered players. This doesn’t include all the other games being hosted, nor does it include some of the mini tournaments that lead up to the weekend. While there are plenty of big names there, they are dwarfed by so many lesser known players. It wouldn’t surprise me to see some player many have never heard of making it into the top eight of various games.

While I’d love to sit and watch this event all weekend, it’s simply not possible. I’m fairly busy this weekend. The streams, due to time zones, happen late at night. I just can’t stay up all night and then tackle things during the day. I am saddened by this, but hopefully the VODs will be there for me next week. If you can manage it, I highly recommend checking out a stream or two of EVO Japan. Many commentators have been sharing their experiences of being in Japan, the fighting game community there, and how different the scene is there. It’s pretty cool!

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