Gaming Update

I'm still gaming, since my last post I've completed The Division (the claptrap boys PMG game that has taken us an age to complete), Assassins Creed Origins (an excellent return to form for the ubisoft series), Telltale Batman (the telltale engine is really showing its age lots of technical issues & crashes but hey it's Batman) & Dragonball Z Dokkan Battle (I had completed the main campaign & started to focus on the events to upgrade my deck but my ipad decided to die on me & unfortunately there is no cloud save feature with DBZ & I have lost my progress. Lesson learnt I will not play any iOS game that does not have a proper save feature be it local or icloud).

I have just completed Mad Max this weekend which was good fun, I really enjoyed the bleak open world with the convoy missions being a particular favourite. Next is Ni No Kuni 2 where I have played a few hours, gone is the turned based combat in favour of a more free-roaming affair. It is gorgeous in 4K with it's Ghibli inspired art style.

Until the next update enjoy your gaming.

Completed - Ni No Kuni

It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a J-RPG, Ni No Kuni does have it's grinding moments like most J-RPGs but you can overcome these by doing the many sidequests in the game.

I spent a bit of time finishing off all the sidequests & sourcing materials to make better weapons before entering the ivory tower for the final showdown with the white witch.

I won't kid, the last boss fight is very tough & I just about managed it with my level 80 characters, any lower would have been a struggle.

Lovely music mixed with gorgeous visuals made for a truly amazing experience, if I had any gripes it would be that I wish instead of text it was fully voice acted.

Anyhow back to some games that I have neglected for a while X-Com & Borderlands 2.

Ni No Kuni - Shadar

Finally managed to spend a few hours playing Ni No Kuni to continue with the main storyline. I made it to the Marshes, it was easier to just use levitate across the marshes to avoid getting poisoned & then meet Shadar's sidekick Vileheart, not too difficult to beat using my strategy of controlling Oliver to attack or heal the other characters if needed. Making sure to defend against the power moves.

You cut a story sequence after beating Vileheart learning more about Oliver's mother & Oliver falls into a mini coma. When he awakes you are off to fight Vileheart again once more.

Then finally the moment you've been waiting for, the showdown with Shadar.

After making your way through his twisty castle you are treated to some lovely cut scenes & then get to fight Shadar not once or twice but in THREE different forms!!

Makes me glad I spent some time grinding my characters/familiars up to the higher 60 levels thus making these fights easier to manage using Oliver once again in a healing role if needed.

The story of Shadar then concludes nicely and you learn he was not that bad of a bloke after all, just a little messed up.

What follows would easily be ending credits in most games until yes you've guessed it ZOMBIES !!

I kid you not a mysterious gas arrives just in time before you depart to return to Motorville & turns the town residents of Ding Dong Dell all into the undead. Really truly a LOL moment.

Off you go again visiting the three towns of Ding Dong Dell, Al Mamoom & Hamelin to save the infected residents with the help of your mysterious friend Pea.

That was all for today & I assume the white witch is waiting for Oliver & his crew to pay her a visit.

But before I do, I think a bit more grinding & sourcing of materials to create some weapons & armour is needed. It was good to get a few hours this weekend to enjoy the game & finally kick Shadar's BUTT !!

Ni No Kuni - I Love JAP rpgs again

Thanks to Ni No Kuni I have found my love for the JRPG again, words cannot describe how enjoyable an experience it is to play this game, the beautiful animation, the dialogue, the quirky Jap sense of humour & above all the joys of travelling the world map by air or sea.

After the giddy days of the PS1/PS2 this current gen just did not have the JRPGs I wanted to play or enjoy, Final Fantasy XIII on the PS3 with is overly stupid difficulty spikes requiring an insane amount of grinding made me delete the game in disgust only to go try it again on the 360 a few months later in case I was mistaken. I completely wasted a summer of gaming when I should have been playing Red Dead Redemption instead which still sits on the shelf looking at me.

Anyway back to Ni No Kuni, I am currently flying around the world map looking for creatures to capture to make my final squad, my current target is a Lumberwood whose defense stats once fully upgraded turns him into a tank. Although he only spawns once on the Island next to the Fairyground & is proving difficult to capture. 

Gaming has changed this generation in that in the past I would speak to every character in a town to find out the tiniest detail that might provide some useful information. Taking notes as I played & constantly updating, crossing off to do lists etc

Now a quick google instantly tells me where I can find a particular ingredient or which creature has the best attack stats. 

Currently 32 hours in with still lots to do & enjoy. Time to fly Tengri

New Game - Ni No Kuni

Going to a game show, nothing really surprises you anymore because we have all seen the trailers & gameplay videos thanks to the internet.

But last year at Eurogamer I played two games I knew nothing about Tokyo Jungle & Ni No Kuni.

Ni No Kuni is beautiful lets just get that statement over with, it is Studio Gibhli teaming up with Level 5 to make a J-RPG

I have not attempted to play a J-RPG since the Final Fantasy fiasco a few years ago, Ni No Kuni has its frustrating moments in some boss fights which require you to do a bit of thinking in how to tackle the fight. The fight sequences do not give you a moment to pause, so make sure you press that L1 to stop the action, giving you a brief moment to regroup & plan how to take on a particular boss fight. If I am truthfully honest I do not like the fight sequences, I much prefer the stop, think approach of a final fantasy game.

You collect familiars (Pokemon if you wish) though out the world & train them up to fight for you. They have the usual range of attacks & their own special attributes.

In the story I have just gotten a ship at Castaway Cove & now have two more companions in Esther & Swaine. We are off to to find a great sage in the town of Hamelin. I am however going to take a short stop at Castaway Cove to rejig the familiars I am carrying & ensure I have an evenly balanced squad.

After a weekend of playing I am enjoying my return to a J-RPG.

Tidy !!