Mm, "it plays itself" is a common, reductive argument against turn-based combat that I don't think is helpful.
Otherwise, I think this review is mostly okay for those new to the series (or the genre). Saying that he had a motivated start is interesting, as the story's notoriously slow start is a frequent complaint about the earlier versions (and the series in general).
It's good to see a new player in the mix, though the reviewers who are familiar enough with the original games to outline what is missing were the most valuable to me. The missing content makes this a "wait for a sale" purchase for me.
Finished Lost Odyssey over the weekend, and I've moved on to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Torna.
The menus still drive me nuts like they did with the base game, but it's still fun to wander around. The characters are already growing on me a bit too.
I had a great time with a couple card battlers last year, Cobalt Core and Nitro Kid.
Cobalt Core has a similar presentation to FTL, with a turn-based format instead. Plenty to do in it, great soundtrack, charming writing.
Nitro Kid is on a more traditional 2D grid with an isometric viewpoint. It appealed greatly to my love of 80's settings, but I'd wait for a sale as it's thin on content.
With there being so many remasters and remakes coming out the past few years, not hearing a peep on this game lately is why I decided to finally pick it up. Doesn't seem likely to make it onto PC.
Sorry to hear that. I'm sure it's especially difficult for those who want the lifestyle outside the bedroom too. My ex was the type that expected me to muscle up (I'm a big person) if someone was mistreating her while we were out instead of de-escalating or walking away. Obviously, that's not my style, not to mention a good way to get killed.
I'm not looking to play the role 24/7 in a relationship, but it bleeds over enough into everyday life that I feel I can't get to a point where I have to keep it secret.
For platformers, definitely try Yoshi's Island if you haven't already. If the visual style is a turn off, try to roll with it until at least the second boss. Great gameplay.
For a turn-based RPG, you'll frequently get Final Fantasy recommended but if you'd like to also try the other big series, give Dragon Quest V a shot. Otherwise I second the recommendations for Advance Wars (strategy) or Tactics Ogre (strategy JRPG, go with the PSP version for your hardware).
Hah, oh no. I'm sure there's been no shortage of kink "tourism" from guys on the goth mommy front, too. But hey, if it normalizes masc sub behavior, I'm all for it ๐คทโโ๏ธ
In new relationships where the topic of kink hasn't come up yet, there also tends to be an expectation that men (even those of us that are submissive) be dominant to some degree. It often leads to formative behaviors where men who want to be submissive play the switch role at best. Another reason why there may not seem to be as many subs as it appears. It's a hard habit to break.
Several hours in, I couldn't even make it to a point where the story started rewarding me. Which was part of the problem. I "cleared" one of the planets (Brittle Hollow), with its platforming elements (something I don't like in 3D), and my "reward" was a small piece of a puzzle. I needed a lot more than that.
Even before that point, the game hadn't made a good first impression. There was nothing about the intro section on the starting planet that particularly interested me. And then the ship controls drove me a bit nuts. The loop was the only interesting part about the game for me then.
Felt like the writing was on the wall for me after exploring that first planet, so I dropped it.
Indeed, if these places are able to survive, they'll survive. No need to force it.
This kind of worship at the altar of efficiency is a big part of why we are losing our third places in society. Half the reason I'm here is to build. Not consolidate.
Professional sports leagues are another example. Put a shit product on the field, you're going to get shit back from the fans. Every now and then a young star player comes up (especially in American football) that received adulation for years at the college level and suddenly gets faced with jeers. They react like Colossal Order does here and--eventually--learn that they are picking a fight against collective emotional response that they are never going to win.
CO is learning that lesson now. While they can and should take actions against those that cross the line (death threats, etc.), there's not much in the way of effective corrective action here. It's all on them. They can a) put out a better product, b) hire community managers with thicker skin that can better assuage their fans, or c) withdraw from community interaction. Most that can't handle it pick the third option.
Lost Odyssey, a bit under 20 hours in. There are elements of it that are driving me nuts, but there's a lot I really like. I wish I'd played this 15 years ago.
Katharine's review today steps back from that flash-in-the-pan take (and it wasn't a good one).
No doubt there's some empty calories here, though.