Community Backlog Blitz Season 6 - Runs January 1 through March 31 with a raffle at the end

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
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We just finished a successful fifth season of the Backlog Blitz. We had 22 participants with 110 game goals set and 61 of them were completed. Congrats on clearing out those backlogs! Deku was the big winner this time with winning the first draw of the prize for completing Dragon Ball FighterZ. Make sure to congratulate them here or at the previous thread!

This is the first Blitz of the new year! Time to set those New Years' resolutions by picking five games to complete each quarter!

But that means it's time to start anew. The spreadsheet has been updated, the prize pool has been reset, and perhaps people have new consoles to distract them after Christmas and the big sales have ran their courses so now everyone has even worse backlogs!

Pick your games accordingly!

What it is:

It's a simple way to clear out some backlog games. You select a number of specific games you want to complete and if you complete them in a set time frame you have a chance to pick a game of your choice within the prize limits.

Rules:

First off, there is no time limit on when you can join. If you come in late and only have a month left please feel free to join. Even one completed game will get you entered into the raffle detailed below.

Everyone shares the same rules so an agreed amount of time would be set (three months this time) and then a set amount of games you want to complete in that time (been using five games). You then pick your specific five games with the intention that you don't go changing it all the time. The idea isn't that once you beat some game you go and list it and mark it complete. Instead you pick five games to complete at the start of the Blitz and ideally you complete them as well as anything else you want to finish in that time.

Prize:

In the end I suggest a prize pool and a simple raffle done. I always chip in $20 to start it and accept any other additions. Raffle winners must use at least half but can go up to the full price of a game (capped at $60 if the prize pool gets large enough). Leftover goes to the next drawn winner until it gets down to $0 (or close enough at which point I'll just add it to the next Blitz).

Thoughts?

There's no entry fee or anything so there's really no loss for taking part or starting it and then ignoring it. It's just a fun way to clear out backlog games and have discussion about what you're completing. And commiserate if you pick a game you don't enjoy and sour one of your spots on your list.

I created the Google Sheet so feel free to add yourself and games:

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I changed to a hide until replied as I think some people had issues with the hide until reacted. Ask any questions and sorry for those that already posted their new lists in the previous thread. Feel free to just post it again here as we continue for the next three months here.

Good luck, everyone!
 

Parsnip

Riskbreaker
Sep 11, 2018
3,028
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Finland
My 5 games, the initial pick anyway, are these.

Phantasy Star, the first one on Sega Master System. I played some of it back in the day when I was borrowing SMS from a friend but never beat it. Likely the oldest game that I still have in my backlog. I actually started earlier today. šŸ’Ŗ
Soma. I've been meaning to play this for a long time and because I'm a wuss I'll play with the wuss mode, or the mod. I need to look into that more.
Nioh. Bought when it launched on PC, played through the tutorial area back then.
Minit. This is a fresh backlog game, bought it a few days ago from the sale, finally.
The Stillness of the Wind. I'm not 100% sure what kind of game this is even, but it looks right up my alley.
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
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And my list for now:

Steins;Gate - Played like six minutes previously, heh. Got it as a gift two years ago and I'm making VNs a bigger focus in 2021 so this is the big one to start things off. I restarted it last night and played like eight minutes so I'm already further than I was before.
Trine 2 - Had Trine on a Blitz last year and I wanted to play through the series. I set a goal to play through all four so might as well get through the next one. I played a bit of this after Trine but I think only one or maybe two levels.
The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories - Started a year or two back and played maybe 15 minutes. Been thinking about going back.
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance - Tried to get into this a few years back and played a couple levels and a boss. This should help me focus on it instead of bouncing to other stuff.
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate - Have over an hour on the clock but I'll start fresh as this has been years ago. I finished Arkham Knight last year and this is the last of the Arkham games I haven't finished up.
 
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Deku

Just nothing
Oct 19, 2018
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Did not expect to win, although I did want to win. A nice way to start the new year

I'm doing the blitz again. Need to pick three games, already have decided two games

I didn't realize that I was still named as Deques in the Blitz sheet so I will from now join as Deku šŸ˜‚

Deques has been with me for almost 20 years, kinda difficult to do a nick name change :smiling-eyes:
 
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Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
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My initial picks for this time were for some reason mostly horror-themed, so I figured what the hell, let's go all the way, and I filled the rest up with horror too :evilblob:


Death end re;Quest: didn't really get far last time, but since it seemed to click I shall give it another try.
Resident Evil 5: I've played 4 and 6 (and some spin-offs), having that gap in the middle irked me the longest time. It shall be corrected.
The Evil Within 2: Enjoyed 1 a lot, so onwards we go.
Higurashi Chapter 7/8: I really like the series, but I always fall off after finishing a chapter since having watched the anime I know most of the story already (the VNs are better though which is also why I wanna finish them), so I'll put them here as some extra motivation.
The Letter: And another horror VN to round things up.
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
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My initial picks for this time were for some reason mostly horror-themed, so I figured what the hell, let's go all the way, and I filled the rest up with horror too :evilblob:

The Evil Within 2: Enjoyed 1 a lot, so onwards we go.
I'll be curious to see your thoughts. I kind of despised Evil Within when I played through it two years ago to the point of using cheats so I could just blast through it and get the story (and it did make it slightly better that way!). But I loved Evil Within 2. And it seems there's a lot of Evil Within defenders out there and most of them really don't like the sequel.
 

gabbo

MetaMember
Dec 22, 2018
3,506
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Toronto
Lets see if I can start 2021 off by completely more than 3 of my list...
  • Bloodrayne 2
  • Freedom Force
  • Invisible Inc
  • Halo 2
  • Pathologic 2
 
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MJunioR

MetaMember
Mar 13, 2019
2,059
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Here's my list:

  • Yakuza 3 Remastered
  • Yakuza 4 Remastered
  • Yakuza 5 Remastered
  • Nioh
  • Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Of course, I'll have to wait for the Yakuza Remastered Collection release, but once it does later this month Yakuza is all I will be having for a long time, so I don't see myself changing those. I'm holding on starting Nioh as both my XONE and DualShock 4 controllers are in bad states, but I already got a new one coming. And Assassin's Creed IV will probably the first game I start in 2021.
 

BlueOdin

ą¶ž
Dec 3, 2018
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I will try to do better this time and play the games from my list which I hope this time is:

  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon
  • Outer Wilds
  • Paradise Killer
  • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
  • Dragon Quest IX
Already playing three of those games which might be too much atm. Might focus on 1 or 2 at a time
 

Cacher

Romantic Storm
Jun 3, 2020
4,133
12,609
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Ok, let's try again. It seems that some bad choices had been made (not bad games, btw) last time as I kept playing games that are not blitz games. This time I am more careful in picking games.

  • Supraland Crash
  • Batman Arkham City
  • Fairy Fencer F Advent Dark Force

Not sure on the remaining two games yet.

Edit: Updated the list.

  • Snake Pass
  • Call of Cthulhu
 
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Spamlynguist

I can never decide on an avatar
Dec 31, 2018
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Only managed to finish one game last Blitz, so hoping on finishing more this time.

Going with the following games:
  • Celeste
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Mark of the Ninja Remastered
  • Psychonauts
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
1,095
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And getting an early jump in the prize pool this time. Thanks to Nzyme we're moving from $20 to $31.42 and the spreadsheet has been updated to reflect that. Woo!
 

Kurt Russell

SUPREME OVERLORD OF EVIL
Sep 6, 2018
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The most I've finished during each Blitz has been 2 :surrenderblob: let's hope I can change that this year.

Picked the following 5:

Just Cause 4 (wibble made me remember I should check if it runs well, and it does, so it's time)
Wasteland 3 (bought it on steam during the sale, so it's time)
Lithium City (had to swap out Outriders because of the delay, and Knurek reminded me that I bought this during the sale)
Hellbound (didn't like the first level back when it came out, maybe I'll change my mind)
Halo: Reach (it's been there for a while :D )
 
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ganmo

My Neighbour Totoro
Dec 10, 2018
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Oh was waiting for the next raffle, and now to which games I'm going to play :unsure:
I'll need to think about it first :pleasedblob:
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
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Deku picked their prize and it left $3.81. As per usual if there's under $5 left instead of going to another raffle winner I just add it to the next raffle. That bumped up the prize pool of this new Blitz from $31.42 to $35.23.
 
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beep boop

MetaMember
Dec 6, 2018
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Congrats, Deku!

I've got a couple of games in mind from the dustiest parts of my backlog that I'd like to tackle in 2021, but I won't have much time to play this coming month, I expect; and I'd like to focus on the games I got recently. So I think I'll be sitting this one out. Good luck, all.

I'll have to check my early purchase history on Steam, find a few extra old picks next time to compensate.
 

Knurek

OG old coot
Oct 16, 2018
2,437
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I'll probably stick to playing rhythm games/VNs again, but maybe I'll manage to do these:
1. Life is Strange 2
2. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
3. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
4. Catherine Classic
5. Undertale
 

Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
5,119
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I'll be curious to see your thoughts. I kind of despised Evil Within when I played through it two years ago to the point of using cheats so I could just blast through it and get the story (and it did make it slightly better that way!). But I loved Evil Within 2. And it seems there's a lot of Evil Within defenders out there and most of them really don't like the sequel.
I was planning to start with Resident Evil 5, but you had me really intrigued with this so I started Evil Within 2 after all.
Not gonna lie, the first game had an ungodly amount of frustrating sections that made me contemplate turning things to easy, and only got somewhat comfy after I'd invested into the fire harpoons (soooo useful), and I enjoyed it a lot despite that.

This sequel is quite different with its open world approach. It definitely seems less frustrating and more streamlined. Sebastion feels a lot more powerful here though, to the point were a lot of scariness is lost (although I expect plenty of regular scary shit too if chapter 2 is anything to go by).
I enjoyed stealth killing in the few sections in 1 that allowed it, so having it more viable here is nice. But lmao is it absurdly powerful with how easy the AI is to manipulate. It completely trivializes the open world encounters.
So far it's enjoyable, but in a different way. Curious how things will continue once I'm done cleaning out the map of all the side stuff :grimacing-face:
 
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ganmo

My Neighbour Totoro
Dec 10, 2018
350
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Okay I picked some games, but might change it. But I hope each one of them will be enjoyable entertainment ;)

1. Yakuza Kiwami 2
2. Aegis Defenders
3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
4. SteamWorld Heist
5. LEGOĀ® The Hobbitā„¢
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
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I was planning to start with Resident Evil 5, but you had me really intrigued with this so I started Evil Within 2 after all.
Not gonna lie, the first game had an ungodly amount of frustrating sections that made me contemplate turning things to easy, and only got somewhat comfy after I'd invested into the fire harpoons (soooo useful), and I enjoyed it a lot despite that.

This sequel is quite different with its open world approach. It definitely seems less frustrating and more streamlined. Sebastion feels a lot more powerful here though, to the point were a lot of scariness is lost (although I expect plenty of regular scary shit too if chapter 2 is anything to go by).
I enjoyed stealth killing in the few sections in 1 that allowed it, so having it more viable here is nice. But lmao is it absurdly powerful with how easy the AI is to manipulate. It completely trivializes the open world encounters.
So far it's enjoyable, but in a different way. Curious how things will continue once I'm done cleaning out the map of all the side stuff :grimacing-face:
Oh, one note I'll make vaguely but make sure you complete everything you want in an area because despite its open structure it's quite possible to never return to areas so if you leave something for later you'll possibly never be able to get it again.
 

freshVeggie

almost there
Sep 7, 2018
1,027
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Last time, I didn't finish any of my goals. But at least I started playing DE Mankind Divided again.
I'm in again.

My Picks:
  • Star Wars Battlefront II
  • Deus Ex Mankind Divided
  • Far Cry 5
  • Halo CE
  • Prey
 
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gabbo

MetaMember
Dec 22, 2018
3,506
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Toronto
...Man, I should not have started with Freedom Force. I nearly failed the tutorial. Yeesh. Going to have to get that muscle memory back
 

Rockin' Ranger

Rangers With Candy
Nov 7, 2018
501
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Got my five decided after seeing the list from BlueOdin and taking some inspiration.

1. Steins;Gate
2. Metro Last Light
3. Uncharted 4
4. Paradise Killer
5. Outer Wilds
 
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Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
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Chapter 9 in Evil Within 2 now.
I'd have to say it's the more enjoyable game, but the first game was much scarier and so far I'm preferring its story. But we'll see what the rest of the sequel has in store. It certainly has its moments.
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
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Sorry for being a bit late but someone sent me money for the prize pot and I can't remember who the name matches up to since I only see their real name.

But with that we're now up to $50 even (and now that explains the odd amount I received)! Pretty big prize this time around as we're nearly up to full price game territory.

Now we just need to start completing more games.
 

Cacher

Romantic Storm
Jun 3, 2020
4,133
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Complete Supraland Crash. I am a big fan of the base game, and love this DLC as well. On one hand, it is less polished than the base game, but on the other hand, it is more difficult and I still can't figure out how to solve a few optional riddles, so I will definitely continue playing the game.
 

mssq

lurker
Apr 22, 2019
80
278
53
I did promise to myself finish some horror games this year so I guess it's time to clear some horror games from my backlog.

1. Bendy and the Ink Machine
2. Resident Evil 3
3. Call of Cthulhu
4. ARAYA
5. Pathologic 2
 
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Futaleufu

Laughing Chojin
Mar 14, 2019
679
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I've been playing Rise of the Tomb Raider, the game should've been called "Tomb Destroyer" instead

For Lara the solution to any puzzle involves flooding archaeological sites.
 

Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
5,119
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I have finished The Evil Within 2 :dmcblob:

Verdict is pretty much still the same as I said earlier.
Much better, funner gameplay and a lot less frustration. Also far less scary and I enjoyed the story of the first game more. Conclusion was pretty satisfying though.
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
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I have finished The Evil Within 2 :dmcblob:

Verdict is pretty much still the same as I said earlier.
Much better, funner gameplay and a lot less frustration. Also far less scary and I enjoyed the story of the first game more. Conclusion was pretty satisfying though.
Maybe tense is the right word, but I actually thought Evil Within 2 was more tense and unsettling. But it could also be because I had cheated on for the second half of Evil Within so I just ran through everything blasting it all away. And I think most everyone I've talked to about the games really likes the first game's story over the second but maybe it's because how silly the first game is I just didn't get into the story. The doctor and kid are so cartoonish and over the top in acting, writing, etc. that it did nothing for me. I am the minority on this opinion, though.
 

Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
5,119
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Maybe tense is the right word, but I actually thought Evil Within 2 was more tense and unsettling. But it could also be because I had cheated on for the second half of Evil Within so I just ran through everything blasting it all away. And I think most everyone I've talked to about the games really likes the first game's story over the second but maybe it's because how silly the first game is I just didn't get into the story. The doctor and kid are so cartoonish and over the top in acting, writing, etc. that it did nothing for me. I am the minority on this opinion, though.
Yeah, that was probably it.
For me the tension in 1 was primarily from how weak you were comparatively. Constantly trying to save up ammunition and all, yet big enemies took many hits. Stealth didn't work on most enemies too. And many encounters you were just literally powerless and had to either stealth and pray or run for your life.
That's not to say 2 wasn't tense at all, it's a lot more tense then regular shooty bang bang games. But when I can just sneak up to a group of enemies, stealth kill one, and run behind the next corner to make the remaining ones lose my trail, repeat... that's just a walk in the park compared to one. Not to mention ammo being available in droves (I had like 500 gunpoweder remaining at the end lol) and certain skills turning you into an unkillable force of nature, it just loses out compared to the first one.
The first one got really frustrating at times, there are a couple sections I had to try for a dozen times until I did it. But ultimately overcoming that probably made it way more memorable.

In terms of story:
The big thing 1 had going for was that you really had no idea what the hell was even going on for a long time and the background information slowly filling in the blanks of a really messed up picture. It was just really fascinating.
It's honestly mostly background information plus the big mystery of what is even happening that did it for me. All the "main story" about following Leslie was just a vehicle to get to cool new setpieces and find more messed up background information. It's really Ruvik that single-handedly carries it.

2 feels kinda vanilla in comparison. You already know about STEM, so the big mystery is gone. Union is sort of this generic (by design, but still) town location. And the plot is just very straightforward and always spelled out for you.
Like I said, it wasn't bad at all, but it was missing the "what the hell is even going on + holy shit this is messed up" draw of 1.
 

Parsnip

Riskbreaker
Sep 11, 2018
3,028
6,665
113
Finland
Played a little bit more Minit but I'm not going to get the achievements after all, the second run mode with its changes and an even shorter time limit just isn't my bag.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
3,992
11,886
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Haven't decided on my Blitz yet as I'm still completely absorbed in Cyberpunk, but I'll edit this post later with my list. Just posting now to see the spreadsheet.

Definitely looking for a change of pace after playing 2077 though - I've spent nearly 80 hours on it so far - so I think it'll be a lot of shorter games.

Edit:

Here's my (amended) five:

1. Mafia: Definitive Edition (Steam)
2. Unravel (Xbox Series S)
3. Sam & Max: Save the World (Steam)
4. Gears 5 Hivebusters (Xbox)
5. Observer: System Redux (Steam)
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
1,095
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Haven't decided on my Blitz yet as I'm still completely absorbed in Cyberpunk, but I'll edit this post later with my list. Just posting now to see the spreadsheet.

Definitely looking for a change of pace after playing 2077 though - I've spent nearly 80 hours on it so far - so I think it'll be a lot of shorter games.

Edit:

Here's my five:

1. Asgard's Wrath (Oculus)
2. New Super Lucky's Tale (Xbox)
3. Sam & Max: Save the World (Steam)
4. Gears 5 Hivebusters (Xbox)
5. One Step From Eden (Steam)
I always read Asgard's Wrath as Asura's Wrath and for a brief moment I thought Asura's Wrath was ported to VR and I got really excited. Alas, not the case.

That's some good variety and three of those are games I could see me getting through this year.
 
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Deku

Just nothing
Oct 19, 2018
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I was going to wait until I got five games chosen for the Blitz until I reveal the list. Only got one more game to choose.
But I have already finished one of the games for the Blitz, and it's Zwei The Arges Adventure. It wasn't really fun. I find it very difficult to dodge monster attacks, especially those with range attacks. Maybe I play it really wrong, but I had to cheat a bit to make the game a little easier. I found a cheat that duplicates the items, and with it I could create food that gave me insane amount of experiences.
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
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Deku Shame about Zwei. I've been looking forward to getting to them sooner than later since I've got an appreciation for Falcom after having played through all the Ys games in the last couple years.

Also, so far this is the smallest Blitz attendance but we are still just a week in. But hopefully we get a few more people to join!
 

Deku

Just nothing
Oct 19, 2018
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Deku Shame about Zwei. I've been looking forward to getting to them sooner than later since I've got an appreciation for Falcom after having played through all the Ys games in the last couple years.

Also, so far this is the smallest Blitz attendance but we are still just a week in. But hopefully we get a few more people to join!
You could still give it a try. It could be that the game wasn't my liking. I am more of a Final Fantasy like JRPG games player than Falcom JRPG player.
Despite that, the story is quite simple, not a complex mumbo jumbo nonsense story. Sometimes I like simple stories

The game starts quite slow, the battles took forever. But after the first level up the battles became faster. Like I said before I did 7x more damage after the first level up
 
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Wibblewozzer

Wibblewozzer

Robot on the inside
Dec 6, 2018
1,095
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You could still give it a try. It could be that the game wasn't my liking. I am more of a Final Fantasy like JRPG games player than Falcom JRPG player.
Despite that, the story is quite simple, not a complex mumbo jumbo nonsense story. Sometimes I like simple stories

The game starts quite slow, the battles took forever. But after the first level up the battles became faster. Like I said before I did 7x more damage after the first level up
I don't remember the order of the two Zwei games but I know the second is liked a lot more than the first. So if that's the first that could also explain it.
 

Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
5,119
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I don't remember the order of the two Zwei games but I know the second is liked a lot more than the first. So if that's the first that could also explain it.
Arges Adventure is number 1.
Ilvard Insurrection (II :p) is number 2.

Arges Adventure is charming as hell but also very old. I'd probably suggest a guide, since the game does not hold your hand at all.
Ilvard Insurrection is pretty much better all around. Only the 2D -> 3D transition is arguable.
 

BlueOdin

ą¶ž
Dec 3, 2018
995
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Finished 13 Sentinels yesterday as my first Blitz game. I liked it despite the questionable and anime stuff in it.
 

Deku

Just nothing
Oct 19, 2018
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Finally got five games now, one of them already beaten. No special order to beat them.
  • Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
  • Zwei: The Arges Adventure
  • Darksiders 2
  • Batmanā„¢: Arkham Knight
  • The Amazing Spider-Man
 

Cacher

Romantic Storm
Jun 3, 2020
4,133
12,609
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The controls of Snake Pass did not click so I switched it to Unholy Heights.
 
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