I prefer not doing so either, but with each party member having multiple skills, it's best way to use them all to best effect and to set up combos and synergies. With that much available, I tend to micromanage and pause very frequently.
I respect that. I'm 100% into party micromanagement too, but for me its mostly outside of battle. I love to methodically progress through each skill tree, moulding each one in the exact way that I want them to develop. Give them the gear I want, weapons, bonuses, etc. And then in battle I love the gambit system that DAI, Final Fantasy 12, and to a lesser degree the Dragon's Dogma games use, because then I can have them behave the way that I want them to, but only control the one at a time and have fun with action combat. Honestly in a lot of ways, I play a party-based RPG in a similar way that I do to Madden with the players on the team. Its just that with football, its a much bigger team and each guy has a smaller skill tree, but its the same basic process and enjoyment.
Yeah, the AI behavior customization was great, especially for its time. I almost forgot how robust it is.
At this point, I've gone beyond disappointed into depressed that no other games have picked up on the formula and gone with it for party based RPGs. A title that won game of the year and sold six million copies, and not a single other studio seemed to think that making their own similar game was a good idea over an entire decade? The video game industry has gotten so weird, and I'm getting old waiting for more games that give me what I want.
I'm finishing up my 2nd run of Elden Ring (at the last dungeon) ahead of the DLC releasing next Friday, which I took off work for. I don't usually take off for release dates but I've found myself with more PTO than I thought I would have, and I'm at risk of losing the hours, so I said, "Why not?" I'll have two built characters to choose from and not sure which one to use. Games in my backlog include Helldivers 2, Lies of P, and Tears of the Kingdom. Games I'm most looking forward to playing/trying out are Path of Exile 2 and No Rest for the Wicked. I've also been pretty hype for the new Monster Hunter game, Wilds. I'm excited for them to show off a vertical slice of the game because it looks like they're doing a lot of new stuff compared to World and Rise (I actually preferred the snappier Rise to World when comparing the two of this current generation).
I've never played a Monster Hunter game because it seems to go opposite of my style, but Rise is going to be part of PS+ this month, so I thought I'd add it to my collection and eventually check it out when I didn't have anything else I was playing. I'm someone who likes tons of easy to medium difficulty against endlessly respawning enemies and the occasional bossfight every once in a while, and I get the impression that the series focuses on the boss fights.
It's all boss fights, lol. The combat is methodical and nuanced but oh-so-rewarding when it begins to click. I've played every game in the series so some of the series stalwarts I know like the back of my hand. Monsters are always challenging at first but then the ability to get helpful resources opens up horizontally, you'll get better gear, more knowledge and you'll feel like you're fighting better. My suggestion for a newcomer is to play with a weapon that is faster and doesn't require too much upkeep. Dual blades and longsword are great beginner options. The latter is easy to learn, hard to master. I'm a greatsword user and don't suggest it. It is cumbersome compared to most of the other weapons and built on opportunities and monster tells. Don't be discouraged starting out, watch a few guides on YouTube and play with others online. It's a lot more fun that way until the very very endgame.
Yea, I was one of the people who thought DA2 sucked. Felt so confining and the upgrade system was awful. I did like DAI. I thought that was almost a perfect blending of the two.
I have always been an outcast in the Dragon Age community due to my lack of obsession for Origins, but its a PC heavy community, I'm a Playstation gamer, and it was my first Western RPG after switching from JRPGs. But I also have absolutely zero desire to literally role play, or pretend that the character is me, or I am it.
My wife surprised me with Final Fantasy 7 rebirth for Father's Day, so I'm going to jump into that one for a while. Fingers crossed its more enjoyable than the first part of the remake.
I quite at Iceborne. That damn gorilla and Tigrex cheese put me off. F'n frustrating. Was 10/10 until then. Never went back. Oh, and that double Legiana fight in Iceborne was annoying too. They always stay in the air and they nerfed the whatever it was, flash or whatever, to bring them to ground level. Easy 25 minute fight EVERY time, just because you couldn't get them. F you and your shrieking voices. Nergigante is my favourite boss man! Super fun fight every time. Loved helping newer players with him. Switch Axe main btw. I can't use the greatsword because I am terrible at noticing and recording patterns in my mind, so I can't do those perfect hits at the right time like Team Darksiders (youtube) do. I probably need to die more than average before learning bosses in any game.
Ugh... the double Legiana fight was the same experience for me. I stopped playing at MR Brachydios. MH World was a big big step for the franchise but tenderizing was a poor design choice. I actually put a lot more hours into Rise and felt that its fast-paced style jived a lot more with my lifestyle. I got to the endgame at Sunbreak but took a break before the grind, now I'm playing other games. Like tenderizing in World, collecting spiribirds at the beginning of each hunt was too big of a monotonous break in combat for it to be worth it as a mechanic.
I'm currently playing World of Warcraft, and I'm really enjoying it! I can't wait for the new expansion War Within to be released. It's going to add so much new content and adventures to explore. By the way, if you're looking to buy wow boost or in-game items, you should check out Gamer Choice. What about you? What are you playing these days?
I was looking forward to buying NCAA football after it took a decade hiatus, but there are far too many problems with the dynasty mode, and as an offline single player guy, that's all I do. So I'm waiting to see if they fix it before jumping in.
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