Well, at least you don't have to worry about spending the big bucks to acquire certain NES games. Mega Man 5, DuckTales 2, Gargoyle's Quest 2, Dragon Warrior IV. Were you collecting all of those games before the price spikes?
Also, from what you said earlier about the massive size of your collection, what are still looking for? Do you have any long-term goals for each of the systems you own?
It is funny that you mention Resonance of Fate, because I did enjoy that one purely for its gameplay. I imagine that if Ni no Kuni had the same level of detail and control I would be the one recommending the game.
You know, I wasn't expecting you to give Ni no Kuni that high of a score. After reading your assessment of the gameplay, I thought you would have been more... unforgiving. But, if you can overlook (or endure) that and manage to find other redeeming qualities, you're the fortunate one. Still, I feel that I made the right decision to pass on this game. After playing the demo I was greatly disappointed by the gameplay. I never liked White Knight Chronicles, so I wasn't thrilled to see the engine put to use one more time, albeit in a modified form. No amount of charm could distract me from that gameplay, regardless of the feelings and memories the game's presentation might restore. The gameplay is frustrating and broken, and it would simply be a unending source of aggravation to me despite its short-term easiness.
In the end, it is my loss because I won't be able to experience the rest of what Ni no Kuni has to offer (along with other games with similar issues). I place too high of a priority upon gameplay systems and I can't be bothered with games that fail to meet my expectations.
Hello 
! It's great to see that you're here at Pixlbit. I'm sorry that I haven't been around all that much, and I'm sorry that my greeting is so late. Ever since we left 1up I've run into a myriad of problems that have robbed me of my free time and ability to contribute to this site. My situation has finally stabilized, though, and I can finally catch up on your posts. I'll see you around!
Curse my lack of free time. I've had this game on my shelf, unopened, since it came out, and I have yet to find the time for it. At the very least you're enjoying it, despite what others have said; I remember some critics were annoyed with the game's overly chatty nature, but as long as the gameplay holds up I don't see that as a problem.
I am surprised that fetch quests were added, though, as well as item farming. But, I suppose another three hour romp (which is typical of an Ys game) wouldn't cut it here, so something needed to be done to extend the length of the quest.
I wish I had something positive to add about God Eater 2's Western release. All I know is that another publisher will have to pick it up, because D3 has distanced itself from Japanese titles (with the exception of EDF). That said, there are a few details about the PSP and Vita version that might cause trouble for any potential publisher. Namco-Bandai would need to create a special build of the game for Western release if a publisher decides not to deal with the PSP version. Both games are connected and can play with each other, and something would need to be done to remove that feature. Additionally, neither version is online capable. The PSP version can't connect to our version of Ad-hod Party, either, as we never received the enhanced update that allows it. In short, there's a few things that need to be worked out, but I do hope the game will travel West, too. I'm running out of deep and sophisticated multi-player games, and it would be a shame for a game of God Eater 2's depth to stay in Japan.
God Eater definitely expected its players to have Monster Hunter experience, especially in regards to the whole weakness system and the lack of an exp-based leveling system. Now that I've put in over 100 hours into the game, that's very clear to me. God Eater is far more forgiving and easier than Monter Hunter will ever be, though. The damage the Aragami deal, especially in the Burst content, is tame compared to MH standards. With a good shield (especially one that is designed to counter a specific Aragami) you can take a beating before needing to heal up. If this were MH, the possibility of 1 and 2 hit KOs would exist even with the best gear.
As for the monster farming, it is less of a chore in God Eater as drop rates are higher and you don't need any special gear to break monster parts. You can go farther with weaker gear, too, whereas MH would demand better weapons on each new rank (which ties into that game's sharpness system). Your allies are quite competent in God Eater and they will back you up and make up for your equipment deficiencies. Even if you're just running interference and allowing your allies to pummel the Aragami, the game does allow for several different approaches (especially for those who just want to experience the story). The allies are very useful when it comes to Aragami farming, too (like the Sariel), which is more than I can say for Monter Hunter's cannon-fodder cat buddies.
Anyway, I do agree that more gamers should try God Eater. It's a happy medium between Monster Hunter's brutality and Phantasy Star Portable's easiness, that also offers a dedicated story mode that the other two lack.
I'm hoping that happens, especially while those games you listed are still inexpensive. I mean, it doesn't make sense to dive into either of the new platforms considering what is still out there for the PS3 and 360. Let Sony, Microsoft, and the early adopters sort all the problems out first before we get involved. We have plenty to keep ourselves busy in the meantime.
I definitely got a few chuckles out of that thread. That said, Microsoft is making it easier for me to return to my legacy consoles. At least I'll be able to own those games.
It looks like we'll be doing similar things; I'll also be diverting all my time, energy, and money towards my legacy consoles than to the new hardware. The new games are hewing too close to being services and that doesn't appeal to me. Everything reeks of monetization, all the way down to the system-level DRM, and I don't care to support or invest in that kind of entertainment.
