What Are You Currently Playing? (Do NOT Just Make a List)

[Acacia Sgt]

I'd say, I could never really get the hang of item crafting in that game, heh. I mostly ignored it whenever I played. Only like one time I did tried to put some effort on it, but even then it was quite minimal.

[VidKid369]

I've come to find out that, lol, I love items in RPGs. Especially food-related items. I dunno, I just find it kinda interesting. If I'm being honest I only played Star Ocean: The Second Story and Suikoden II solely for the cooking mini-games. I just think it's so unique! I'm looking forward to cooking in Till the End of Time (I think I'm getting close?) hopefully it lives up to its predecessor.

[Acacia Sgt]

I swear, AE seems to have something against me finishing the Time Mine episode, heh.

I have to build the Carpenter's house, but Clay drops seemed to have become quite uncommon for some reason. Most egregious is when I get the monster formation with two Dark Slugs and an Alshy, but I only get the Refined Quartz drop. Or when I get the varied formation and I get all drops except the Clay one. So yeah.

At least I'm only five Bricks away from building the house, so I can put that to rest.

[VidKid369]

Hey, guys!! I just beat Star Ocean Till the End of Time (PS2) yesterday. I thought it was kinda 'meh' to be honest, I found myself skipping most of the dialogue towards the very end cause I wound up just not caring. I just wanted to mash through the game and move on to another RPG...

So, I went back to the good 'ol PS1 days and I started Tales of Destiny just now. I want to get through this one and play Tales of Destiny 2 cause I've always wanted to get through that one.

[Acacia Sgt]

Maybe since that one was the first, and still only (not counting the brief time I tried out the mobile game), SO game I've played... I wasn't that bothered with the late game story. Unlike... well, most people, since the plot twist was... well, I still get it. The story certainly took a sharp turn there.

Oh, you took up the original? Not the PS2 remake? And I take it by Tales of Destiny 2 you do mean Destiny 2 or Eternia, since that one got first localized as Destiny II... for some reason.

[VidKid369]

I didn't mind the plot twist at all, in fact I thought it was kind of funny. I definitely prefer Star Ocean: The Second Story though for some reason I just liked it better. I didn't like some of the characters in Till the End of Time. I sort of prefer the SO2 characters. I did like Sophia a lot, though. What I did *love* though was the cooking... I just love seeing food items being used in an RPG it's the only realistic element I find in games that can be applicable to real life, so I did enjoy that. I also enjoyed the song they kept on playing that was in Japanese.

Yes, I'm playing the PlayStation 1 version. Yes I do mean Eternia. I always wanted to play that one through but I have to beat the first one first lol.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

I didn't mind the plot twist at all, in fact I thought it was kind of funny.

I felt it was just... awkward. No foreshadowing, just a random sharp turn plot-wise. And you can tell the writers haven't been sure what to do with the series since; I feel like each game since has floundered story-wise and refuses to explore any farther down the timeline. Instead we get prequels and interquels that, after the plot twist of TtEoT, feel sort of insignificant to me.

I definitely prefer Star Ocean: The Second Story though for some reason I just liked it better.

By far the best SO game, IMO. Most solid characters, most solid story, best pacing, etc. And I love the early game cheats (thanks to Pickpocketing).

I didn't like some of the characters in Till the End of Time.

Right?!?! They weren't bland, but yet somehow they were bland. I think it's because they really leaned away from jRPG tropes in TtEoT and starting embracing the anime tropes. So all the characters both looked and felt like one-dimensional anime stereotypes. I played the game years ago, and I can barely even remember the characters, they're just so forgettable. I just remember Roger(?) and Albel, the mouthy villain-turned-ally. And there was the blue-haired gun girl with ties to Fayt, and despite being cool didn't join until fairly late game.

[Sheiken]

Currently playing Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne on Switch.  I love the post apocalyptic focus and the general theme of the game.  Has me very hyped for SMTV later this year.

[VidKid369]

Lol, I thought the plot twist was almost kind of ...like I saw it coming. I had heard before playing the game has a random *plot twist* so I was expecting something...

The Second Story will always have a special place in my heart I played that game so much when I was in Middle School. And yeah Pickpocketing was the best!! I still liked Cooking a lot too though!!

OMG, you're right, Boo. I was trying to figure out what I didn't like about the characters and yeah you're right they were pretty bland. Like, Nel, Maria especially were both like the cold, tomboyish types. Thank God I liked Fayt and Sophia because if not for those two I probably would have wanted to strangle the rest of the characters. Peppita was ok too I just never used her. And Mirage joins so late into the game I just ignored her when she finally joined the cause.

I was thinking compared to the SO2 characters I definitely preferred Second Story. There were some pretty neat characters like Celine and Bowman. And I always liked Chisato for some reason.

[Acacia Sgt]

I'd like to play some of the other SO's. Well, perhaps one day. Heh, now I'm reminded how by the end of TtEoT I was pretty much just cheesing with Side-Kick. 

Anyway... oh man, I just finished the First Knight episode in Another Eden and... man, the story was really something. Overall the whole Parallel Time Layer was cool. Really shows they also took cues from Cross, and not just Trigger, haha.

[VidKid369]

I can relate; I'd love to play more of the Star Ocean series. I wouldn't necessarily call Till the End of Time a bad game it just didn't hold my interest up to the very end. I can see myself going back and re-playing just to get everything like all the Battle Trophies (since I played on Easy Mode). I have Star Ocean The Last Hope -International- for PS3 I need to play it once I get the system fixed. I did love the item creation though, for some reason I thought they nixed the item creation for Till the End of Time but I was pleasantly surprised they had kept it in cause that was one of the reasons I had loved SO2 so much. Lol, I didn't touch any of the special attacks at all in my playthrough I just stuck with Dash on Fayt and kept getting cancel combos that way.

[Acacia Sgt]

Ah, that reminds me. While I've beaten the main game, I've yet to fully 100% TtEoT. Still missing quite a few trophies and barely started going through the bonus dungeons. But well, perhaps one day, heh.

Meanwhile... finally, at last, I'll finish the story portion of the Time Mine episode in Another Eden. So many runs through the mines, hehe. If I had better luck in the Gacha pulls, I might've gotten that character that gives +4 to mining bonus. But oh well. And I still have a long grind ahead to fully open them up.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Meanwhile... finally, at last, I'll finish the story portion of the Time Mine episode in Another Eden. So many runs through the mines, hehe.

Make sure, once you're finished, that you get the optional post-quest character. I won't spoil anything here unless you ask me too, but it took me a while to figure out how to find and recruit said character.

[Acacia Sgt]

Good Macky? Oh, yes, got him after beating Visus Echo. I had long gotten him to move into the village as soon as that unlocked, so the sidequest unlocked pretty much immediately after.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Good Macky? Oh, yes, got him after beating Visus Echo. I had long gotten him to move into the village as soon as that unlocked, so the sidequest unlocked pretty much immediately after.

Yup! I actually didn't know about it until well after the quest, and even once he joined the village it took me a day or two to figure out how to recruit him. It was a surprise for me, as I had no idea that he'd join Aldo!