What are you playing right now?

[Use the Falchion]

As of last night, I finished Jedi Fallen Order! Now it's back to Pokémon Shield! And then hopefully I'll FINALLY play Witcher 3.

[Pathfinder]

Playing Borderlands 3 into the ground. These are the characters I have made, all various levels (ranging from 10 to 40)

Phaselock Siren - when I phaselock an enemy, does action skill damage to all enemies around them. When I kill the phase locked enemy, the lock moves to the next target, and again damages every enemy in the area with DOT. Clears out the room real fast

Phase Slam Siren - when I phase slam, my shotgun does 300% damage, plus the stacks of increased damage of regen depending on how many I hit. That coupled with guardian angel where when I die, I come back once at full health and shields and unleash a nova means I never die. 

Phase Cast Sire - (building towards) when I use phase cast and hit an enemy, it explodes creating a nova. That nova damaging the enemies in the area causes other novas hitting other enemies. Any overkill damage is then shot in an orb to any other enemy. 

Moze demolition - Iron bear cracked out with the 6 grenade spread mod. Skills cause grenades to crit, heal, and increase explosive AOE. When not in iron bear, using a maliwan with splash damage causes me to get iron bear back faster, causes fire damage, reloads my magazine, and adds grenades and oh yeah atlas grenades heat seat the enemy turning my grenades into explosive heat seating bullets. 

Moze retribution - 1HP with everything in shields. Have DR and electric resist with shields. If shields go down, they pop right back up to 40 percent. Crits refill my shield. Deal 80 percent more damage while my HP is low, which is always as my HP goes to my shield. Two kill skills and a reload skill increases my damage further

Moze unlimited mags - Just started this one. Going for flamethrower on the iron bear, while using hyperian or vladof to unload bullets upon bullets on the enemy

Fl4k damage - gamma burst increasing damage by 20 percent, coupled with a whole bunch of static damage boosts, and kill skills getting close to 200 percent damage increase

Fl4k tank - Increase personal HP and pet's, with about 35 percent damage taken pushed off to the pet going up to 70 percent when HP is low, coupled with pet getting huge DR and regen when health low, coupled with returning damage when done to the pet results in deadpool with a meatshield lol

Fl4k crit - this is a pretty common build. Invisibility for crits, coupled with pet and all skills that crack out crits. 

Zane shield and doppelganger - Switching places with doppelganger recharges shields. Doppelganger being shot at recharges shields. Being near barrier recharges shields. Dealing cryo damage recharges shields. Switching places with doppelganger causes a cryo nova. Killing an enemy causes a cryo nova. When shields are up, damage is increased, fire rate is increased, actions skill cooldown is increased. 

 

So yeah, lotta builds. Still also working on my Golden Deer run in Fire Emblem. 

[Use the Falchion]

Since I'm likely not going to start and play any new games this year, here's my list of the top games I played in 2019.

1. 

Ah, Persona Emblem*. This game easily was my favorite game of the year. It's one of the few games I've ever played where I finished it and immediately started up a new file (others include Mass Effect 2, Persona 5, and Fire Emblem Awakening). But what made FE3H the top game? Phenomenal voice acting, an engaging story, great music, a memorable cast, style, and refined gameplay. I hesitate to say this game reinvented or reinvigorated the FE franchise, but it did everything right when it needed to, and showed fans that it cares. Three Houses is the culmination of nearly every game before it, refined to perfection. (Now, if only it had a larger selection of maps!) 

9.5/10

1. 

Fire Emblem might be my favorite game I played this year, but Persona 5 was far and away the best and most influential. Stunning visuals, Kick-Butt soundtrack, challenging but rewarding gameplay, awesome characters, phenomenal voice acting, and a great setting...just looking at the cover art nearly makes me want to start up another game! Persona 5 will go down in the list of my top tier games. I hope The Royal lives up to the OG. YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT COMING!!!

10/10.

 

3. 

Good superhero games are rare. Great ones are even rarer. Luckily, this one is great. It truly makes you feel like Spider-Man. With new and old characters alike, this is a solid, fun entry into Spider-Man's mythos. I hope they make a sequel...preferably one that's a launch title for the PS5. 

9.5/10

 

3. 

This one's kind of a cheat since I haven't officially finished it yet...but it's worth being here. When I was playing this, all I could think of was "THIS IS WHO REY NEEDS TO BE!" But that's an aside. Fun, interesting gameplay, cool characters that gain depth as the story goes on, and a fascinating premise. I'm sure I'll be sad when the game ends, but I can't wait to beat it. 

9/10

5. 

Solid gameplay, cool new characters, and a great blend of expanding the world and keeping things familiar. This game is the best Star Wars game in a LONG time, and while I don't really feel like the story is worth the price (a little too short for my liking, especially given how close the characters seem to bond over such a short amount of time. But that's Star Wars for you), but I definitely recommend picking it up. 

8/10

 

Honorable Mentions:

Disgaea 5. I enjoyed what I've played so far, but I haven't really gotten that far...maybe next year?

Valkyria Chronicles 4. This one would have been higher on the list, and I might have even finished playing it HAD THE MISSIONS NOT BEEN RANKED. I'm not a perfectionist in real life, but I HATE when games have rankings and then reward you based on those rankings because I feel pressure to get the best ranking. It sucks and honestly takes my enjoyment away. Spending 2-3 hours doing a 30 minute mission isn't worth the stress. So I'll probably watch someone 100% the game online, and that'll be fine.

Pokémon Shield. Maybe I'm a bad fan, but I'm enjoying the game so far. I like talking about it with my friends and roleplaying my way through the game. Is it hard? Not at all. Are the routes to short? Absolutely. And don't I feel like I'm on an adventure.** It's more of a...field trip. But I'm enjoying most of the new Pokémon and the Wild Area is pretty cool. This is a good game, which stinks because Pokémon played it safe while other major Nintendo franchises came to the switch big and bold. But maybe they'll try something new next time.

The Outer Worlds. My brother-in-law got to the final level over Thanksgiving break. And then the game crashed and the save file was corrupted. So we have no idea what happened or how to fix it at the moment and won't get to try until Christmas. I'm mad at the game for him.

 

*A good amount of the voice actors in Persona 5 are also in Three Houses! Morgana is Sothis;  (Best Girl) Makoto is Rhea; Haru is (Best Girl) Marianne; and The Royal's new character Kasumi being Catherine. In the Japanese version, Lysithea and Futaba have the same V.A. ...so yeah, Persona Emblem; and special shoutout to Yusuke's VA Matt Mercer for voicing Chrom and then Ryoma AND Shigure in Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates. Not to mention that the colors of the houses resonate with the three latest main Persona games: Red for revolution and justice, Yellow/Golden for truth and bonds, and Blue for ideals (I think. I haven't played P3 but I've heard it matches with Azure Moon). Next you've got the crests relating to the Major Arcana in the Tarot. And a high school military academy that serves as the hub world and you have monthly missions on a calendar that takes up a school year...yeah...Personal Emblem.

**As I'm slowly re-playing Silver and watching Chuggaaconroy's old Fire Red Let's Play, I'm realizing that previous games made it logistically troublesome (or straight up impossible) to return home for the first few badges. This idea of "you can't go home again/it's not worth the effort" made the regions feel larger as well as facilitate the feeling you're on an adventure. Sw/Sh, with the ability to travel back to any city you've already visiting accessible even before the first gym, doesn't have that. 

[Pathfinder]

12 hours ago, Use the Falchion said:

Valkyria Chronicles 4. This one would have been higher on the list, and I might have even finished playing it HAD THE MISSIONS NOT BEEN RANKED. I'm not a perfectionist in real life, but I HATE when games have rankings and then reward you based on those rankings because I feel pressure to get the best ranking. It sucks and honestly takes my enjoyment away. Spending 2-3 hours doing a 30 minute mission isn't worth the stress. So I'll probably watch someone 100% the game online, and that'll be fine. 

I wouldn't mind the ranking so much if it wasn't for the fact that it is more based on speed than actual tactics. You get a better rank from running a scout to the end, than actually trying to plan an effective strategy using all your various units. I hope they make a Valkyria Chronicles 5 that gets rid of this, and brings back unit customization. 

[Briar King]

New Xbox looks cool but I’m gonna have to buy a new entertainment deck to house it...

[Jaywalk]

On 12/11/2019 at 9:48 PM, Use the Falchion said:

(Best Girl) Marianne

I see you are a person of culture.

[Briar King]

Finished Jedi Fallen Order last night. Absolutely loved this game worth every penny I paid for it and I sunk quite a lot of time into it over the 28 days it took me to complete on Jedi Master lvl. Sad it’s now over. Great impulse buy on my part that day.

[Pathfinder]

On 12/12/2019 at 9:53 PM, Briar King said:

New Xbox looks cool but I’m gonna have to buy a new entertainment deck to house it...

If you are saying so because of it standing up, I have read/watched about microsoft stating you can place it on its side. So theoretically you could still fit it in an existing entertainment deck. Unless you mean you need an additional spot for it because you ran out due to prior generations. 

[Briar King]

Bought Death Stranding today.

[Wander89]

On 19/12/2019 at 0:47 AM, Briar King said:

Bought Death Stranding today.

I am in LOVE with this game! It's a perfect bland of intrigue, horror and loneliness.

[Briar King]

I’m looking forward to actually starting it at some point. Don’t know when I ll have time yet. Maybe today maybe a month from now.

[Briar King]

Omg I started and it is just beautiful to look at! I wish I had a Pro to really take advantage of these visuals. Throughly creepy so far. I’m in for now.

[Elric]

Hollow Knight. It's great. And difficult. And addictive. I love it. 

Also, Smash Bros. Ultimate. Because I like getting my butt kicked during online tournaments, apparently (it is fun, though). 

[Briar King]

There was an explosion indeed...in my head...I..I...have no idea what I just witnessed....but it..was..it was...AMAZEBALLS!

[The Awakened Salad]

So after 110 hours, I’ve finally finished Persona 5. I’m still kind of in shock that it’s over, but woah. Just woah. How dare it be over!! I need more!

Now I’m having a mini-crisis as I try and decide whether I liked Three Houses or P5 more, and I can’t make a decision. 

I thought once I finished P5 I’d be able to go back to Three Houses and finish all the routes, and then finish Ni No Kuni (which I put on hold to play Three Houses. I don’t like playing big JRPGs at the same time), but then I saw Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology on sale and I thought “why not?”, bought it, and started playing it instead. It’s been pretty fun so far, nothing too special, but the time travel aspect is cool. 

I really have a problem with getting sidetracked. 

[Pathfinder]

23 hours ago, The Awakened Salad said:

So after 110 hours, I’ve finally finished Persona 5. I’m still kind of in shock that it’s over, but woah. Just woah. How dare it be over!! I need more!

Now I’m having a mini-crisis as I try and decide whether I liked Three Houses or P5 more, and I can’t make a decision. 

I thought once I finished P5 I’d be able to go back to Three Houses and finish all the routes, and then finish Ni No Kuni (which I put on hold to play Three Houses. I don’t like playing big JRPGs at the same time), but then I saw Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology on sale and I thought “why not?”, bought it, and started playing it instead. It’s been pretty fun so far, nothing too special, but the time travel aspect is cool. 

I really have a problem with getting sidetracked. 

Lol I know that feel. Been playing Borderlands 3 into the ground. My wife just got me Disgaea 4 Complete+, I still need to do Golden Deer and Blue Lions on Three houses, finish Trails of Cold Steel 2, and finish Valkyria Chronicles. I got a playstation gift card I used on Final Fantasy 9 Remaster (my favorite FF), and pulled the trigger on Final Fantasy 12 The Zodiac Age. And all that and now Bravely Default 2 just got announced for 2020. I am going to be busy for a very long time. 

[Briar King]

I really messed up blowing my trike up trying to go down a cliff like 1 mission after I finally got it. Now I’m still on foot and I’m pissed off. No way station will let me access a garage to get another. That was dayyssss ago. Loving the game though. Still don’t know what it’s supposed to be but it’s throughly Japanese for sure. They always on the Oxytocin trip.

[Draginon]

Finishing FF12 Strong Mode. I’m really not going to 100% the game since I’m not going to attempt traversing the Subterra for one magic and two hunts.

Going to take a break from gaming until Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMIND comes out on the 23rd.

[Orlion Blight]

Mostly the Fantasy Flight Marvel Champions card game

[Draginon]

Playing Assassin’s Creed Unity now

[The Awakened Salad]

Well, I’m up to chapter four of Radiant Historia and there’s a giant spider. It seems that in every game I play there’s a giant spider boss at one point or another, which really sucks because I have a fear of spiders. 

Edited January 6, 2020 by The Awakened Salad

[Quantus]

Finished up Death Stranding, which for what amounts to a Hiking Simulator with ghosts was surprising amount of fun, particularly setting up the zip-line networks.   

I got back into Breath of the Wild over the holiday to play through the DLC quests, but now Im fighting my wife for Switch time thanks to her acquisition of Pokemon Shield, so Ive gotten the Motorcycle Divine Beast but still have the Master Quest and some item item upgrades to complete.  

This spring Im looking forward to the new Minecraft patch and Ark Genesis, but those are the main things on my radar.    

[Draginon]

Encountered one of the worst viewpoint synchronizations in Assassin’s Creed Unity. The spot was on Le Bastille and I went around it at the base trying to find a path up and the available paths only led to windows so I went inside and then walked through the halls fighting off Radicals, I think, before coming back to where I first started and noticed the staircase kind of hidden. Went up the stairs to a courtyard where I looked for a way up and the windows only went halfway up the wall so I entered this other, killed a couple more enemies before I finally found a blown out wall that allowed upward travel.

[Jaywalk]

Came back to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to finish up New Game Plus. Such a great game, even if I do prefer the first one. I love each and every one of the characters, and the story is an absolute joy to experience.

This series has a very special place in my heart.

[Briar King]

43 hours on Death Stranding and I’m only on Ch 3 still. Love this game and love seeing structures go up other players build. I just wish they would fix the dang highway in this one rocky section in Central region to make my life easier ugh. I’m the only one putting in material I think so it’s gonna take awhile I suspect. Oh and last week I exploded a small BT with a grenade in a fine red mist! It was glorious..