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Messages - Quadran

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TalkBack / Re: 3rd Annual NWR Live Podcast Telethon for Child's Play
« on: October 31, 2012, 03:44:22 PM »
Other than that, you guys are in for a treat.

An hour of euro-related gaming in the telethon? Colour me interested.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Pandora's Tower - Video Trailer
« on: May 08, 2012, 05:46:25 PM »
I've had some spare time last week, which allowed me to finish the game.

I was a little bit disappointed when a hit the second part of the game. This was caused by the design of the fifth to the tenth tower. Each of these towers was an advanced version of one of the first five towers, with a changed layout, new / changed puzzles and new bosses. This was redeemed in the last part of the game, as the 11th and 12th tower feature a whole new mechanic, which reminds me of the dark world / light world in Metroid Prime:Echoes.
The endgame / ending is affected by your affinity with Elena. Because I had already raised Elena's affection by talking a lot with her and giving her presents, the game presented me with the best ending, which was satisfactionary.

Some additional remarks
  • Enemy spawns, Enemy behavior and item drops can alter based on the time. Some items can only be found at a specific moment during the day (talk to Mavda, she will reveal when those items can be found)
  • You can change your play style based on the equipped weapon. I preferred an upgraded scythe, which allowed me to unleash a deadly combo and allowing me to hit enemies 360° around me.
  • The chain can be used to reduce enemy mobility/attack/defense based on which part is bound. The more tension is raised before binding the enemy, the longer the binding will last.
  • The fixed camera perspective makes some battles more difficult. It's frustrating to be hit by an offscreen enemy.
  • It's a pity that the LE does not contain a sound track, because this game has excellent ambient music.
There is some replayability in the game, depending on:
  • The ending you've got. If you're not satisfied with the ending, you can try to raise Elena's affection to get a better ending
  • If you have OCD. At this point you should have noticed the locked red doors in the towers. The key can be purchased from Mavda if you start a new game  . Rare items and additional manuscripts can be found in the new areas. The final weapon, which will give almost tank like offence, is also locked behind one of these doors.
  • If you want to max out your character (level 50) or max out your weapons. This allows you to defeat the first couple of bosses with one pull of a fully charged chain.
Final verdict: Pandora's Tower is a solid game (about 20 hours) for those who like hack 'n slash games combined with light RPG elements and an interesting story. This is maybe the least know game of operation rainfall, but I hope that gamers in America will also get a change to play this game

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 290: BOMZALDROPPEN
« on: May 08, 2012, 05:01:05 PM »
Greg,

It saddens me to hear that you will be leaving the podcast, but after hearing your dedication for the podcast (sacrificing a lot of hours in the weekend for editing, staying up very late/waking up very early for recording,...) I can understand why you are resigning from this podcast.

I hope you will continue to be an active contributor to the community as your insight to the gaming culture  and your comments on the European gaming news is something I'm going to miss.

Thanks again Greg for all those years. I wish the best of luck to Guillaume and the rest of the crew for continuing with such a great show.

kind regards,
Quadran.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Pandora's Tower - Video Trailer
« on: April 28, 2012, 02:32:58 PM »
Also one thing that I want to point out.

Giving Elena items actually improves her love towards you and that can improve the endings in the game.

Thanks for the tip, I'll keep it in mind.

I've just finished the fifth tower, although I had some troubles with unlocking the Guardian's gate. I didn't notice a ledge which I could grapple. This caused me to run around looking high and low for the anchor point of the last chain. Only after looking carefully at the map, I found a suspicious (vertical) area. Only after carefully examining this area I found a reachable ledge leading me to the last anchor point. Because the aimless wandering I had to do a few return trips to the observatory to offer Elena some meat to buy me some more time.
This place was also an ideal harvesting ground for base materials. It allowed me to upgrade my scythe a couple of times to level 2. This allows me to do some more combo attacks (after charging your weapon).
The boss itself was not that hard thanks to the notes that are scattered in the tower. If you see a red flashing trinket on the ground, pick it up, because it contains some vital information on the tower or the guardian. Those notes also contain bits of information about the world and history of the last decades. The cellar in the observatory is also an ideal place to find some usefull notes. If you find unreadable notes, you can give them to Elena for translation. Most of these notes contain (alternate) recipes for items (potions,...). Mavda also buys these notes, thus providing the much needed funds for buying additional goods, gifts,... .

I'll keep on posting further impressions while I slowly advance through the game.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Pandora's Tower - Video Trailer
« on: April 22, 2012, 07:59:43 AM »
Here are my impressions of the game as promised earlier. Caveat: I've just played a couple of hours (6-7 hours), so this is a based on the first part of the game (I have currently cleared 4 towers / stages).

When the game starts, A couple of short cutscenes are shown in which the premises for the story are set. (take a look at the video in Maxim's post if you want the details). These cutscenes have some big omissions in what has happened up until the, but these gaps are filled throughout the game with flashbacks.These flashbacks slowly reveal what has happened upon the day of the harvest festival, how Aeron and Elena met.
The story so far is that Elena is cursed on the day of the harvest ceremony. Chaos breaks loose (i currently do not know the exact reason, I hope this is told during one of the flash backs) and Aeron and Elena have to flee the town while being chased by the army. Elena's curse slowly changes her to a beast, but according to Mavda (I have a hard time trusting her) a cure can be found at a remote area of the continent, i.e. at the thirteen towers that are suspended above a deep valley. Your task is the ascend each of the thirteen towers and bring back the necessary ingredients to lift the curse.

You start the game at the observatory near the towers. As mentioned before, You'll need to ascend each of the thirteen towers in a hack 'n slash fashion while battling through a pack of monsters and beating bosses to get the necessary ingredients for lifting the curse.
The curse also has a central role during your play time in the towers, as the curse slowly consumes Elena thus providing a time limit in which you have to clear the tower. This time limit can be extended by providing Elena flesh from defeated monsters. This means that you're not only trying to quickly climb the tower, but also looking for shortcuts to descend to the exit when time is running out. For me it means that i have to at least ascend the tower twice to complete it, because I fear that I'll run out of time when facing the boss.
The combat is based around melee attacks combined with a long range grappling hook/chain. The chain can be used in different ways during the combat, e.g. you can bind enemies (limit their mobility or stop their attack), swing them around (only the smaller ones), rip off armor,... . The chain is also used as a grappling hook to tear out items, money or flesh of a defeated foe. You'll have to be carefull when fighting enemies, because if you take to much hits, items or equipment can break (which make them almost useless). Although repair is available in the observatory, it'll cost you some money (hint: it's not cheap).
Aside of the combat the dungeons also features puzzles which must be solved to progress through the towers or to get to new items. The chain plays a central role in these puzzles as it's used to move boxes, active switches or just to get you to a different floor. It can also be used to grab some items or money in hard to reach areas of the room.
At the top of the tower a boss awaits you (strangely, the guardian does not attack unless you attack. I hope this is explained further in the story). To defeat the boss you'll need to attack the glowing orb. This fight mostly uses the chain to bind and to weaken the boss. When you've depleted its life, you can yank the orb (master flesh) out of its body.
After defeating the boss, you'll return to the observatory to offer the master flesh to Elena. When she consumes this meat, the curse is weakened a bit and you'll be set off to the next tower to repeat the cycle of ascending the tower, solving puzzles and defeating bosses.

Aside of the hack 'n slash combat mechanic, the game also provides some RPG elements. Experience is gained from defeating monsters, allowing you to level up and gain more health, strength,... . Items found in the tower can be used as starting materials to create usefull items, link potions, armor, amulets, ... or to upgrade your weapons. You can always visit previously cleared towers to get some more materials. Killing monsters can earn you money, but Mavda pays you also for manuscripts found in the towers or excessive flesh. This money can be used to buy items or gifts.
An aspect of the game is to give Elena gifts to strengthen your bond between her and you (I haven't noticed any effect yet). An added bonus of these gifts is that Elena can use some of them to upgrade your pouch (allowing you to carry more items) or the decorate the observatory.

The game uses the strengths of the Wiimote + nunchuck to provide a good controller scheme (classic controller is supported, but I haven't used it). Movement is mapped to the analog stick, most of the actions (attack, defend, dodge, open inventory,...) are mapped to buttons and the pointer is used to aim the chain. The only motion controls that I've encountered are to rip out items/flesh with the chain by flicking the remote upwards and swinging chained monsters around, by wagling the nunchuck.

In conclusion: This game is geared towards people who like action games with some RPG elements incorporated. If you're a pure RPG player, this game is probably not for you. Also this game is packaged in a black box for a reason, do not let you fool by the 12+ rating (IMHO 15+ , were the guys at PEGI sleeping?) it has some disturbing (although more implied) content. 

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Pandora's Tower - Video Trailer
« on: April 17, 2012, 01:34:51 PM »
I just got the game delivered at home. Hopefully I can play a couple of hours during the weekend and give some impressions.

Btw,
NoE has a nice suprise for all those who bought the 3 games from operation rainfall. See the official homepage for more information.

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Here's a small update on what I'm liking at the moment.

Pendulum - Blood Sugar (Live version)
I bought the CD/DVD from their concert at Brixton Academy some time ago. This band started in the Drum 'n Bass genre, but they have incorporated multiple other genres (rock, dance,...) into their repertoire.

Netsky - Give & Take
Although Netsky is mostly known from his remixes, he also makes his own songs. This is his latest song.

For those who need their dubstep fix, can listen to the following 2 songs
Avicii - Levels (Skrillex Remix)
Skrillex - Bangarang

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General Gaming / Re: What is your most recent gaming purchase?
« on: April 16, 2012, 02:29:43 PM »
I've got a couple of games last week:
  • Pandora's Tower (Wii)
  • Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)
  • Tales of the Abyss (3DS)
Those are going to keep my busy for a while.

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Nintendo Gaming / Eurosport on 3DS
« on: December 15, 2011, 06:28:54 AM »
I Just got a notification on my 3DS that the Eurosport application is available for download

After downloading this programthrough the eShop, It seems that Europort took a good look at Nintendo. This application seems a carbon copy of the video application of the big N:
  • The menu and playback interface are the same
  • 4 different videos can be viewed
  • Videos have a available until date
  • Videos can be automatically downloaded through spotpass
  • Application can send notifications
The only thing that is missing is the 'important information' button in the settings menu.

As for the videoclips: There are 4 'watts' clips available, showing stunts, accidents and funny situations from different sports. The intro displays some heavy 3D usage, but the clips themselves are more subdued in the 3D department. Logos are shown on top of the video with some changes in depth, and some of the footage have 3D, but sometime I fail to see any 3D in some of scenes (apart from the logos).

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 101: Guitar Battlefield
« on: December 12, 2011, 05:13:34 PM »
Really enjoyed the songs, especially from the first game.

Keep up the goods work.

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TalkBack / Re: The Last Story Coming to Europe in February
« on: December 10, 2011, 12:00:44 PM »
Is there any information regarding the type of localisation NoE is using?
Will the game be fully English (dub) or will it get the Xenoblade treatment, a.k.a. the possibility to play the game with Japanese voices and English subtitles?

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: 2011 Nintendo Game of the Year Discussion Thread
« on: December 10, 2011, 11:16:09 AM »
My picks for game of the year:

Wii
  • Retail: for me Xenoblade Chronicles is by far the best game to be released in Europe.
  • WiiWare: I have 2 picks for this year: Hydroventure (Fluidity) and FAST - racing league. Although Hydroventure is technically a 2010 game (it came out on Christmas eve in Europe), It was the game I played and enjoyed the most on the service this year.
DS
  • Retail: Normally I would pick Radiant Historia, but if I had to exclude imports then i would go with Ghost Trick or SolatoRobo as this years winner.
  • DSiWare: Zelda - Four swords takes it this year
3DS
  • Retail: Mario Kart 7 takes the number one slot for 2011.
  • eShop: For the virtual console, my pick would be DK '94. It's the first time I played this game, but it impressed my very much. For the other releases it's more difficult, but as I like pinball games, my pick would be Zen Pinball 3D at this moment.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: ***Mario 3D Kart NWR WI-FI NIGHT*** Planning Thread
« on: December 05, 2011, 03:45:23 PM »
Just got the game and having a blast with it.
If the event occurs on Saturday, I can probally join you guy. Otherwise it will be quite difficult.
Do you have any idea which time this event will start?

EDIT: Sorry guys, it seems that i cannot participate due to the differences in time zones (+6 hours for me). I will be in the community earlier in the day/evening.

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Here are some of my favorite songs:

Pendulum - Salt in the Wounds
Here's a live version of my current favorite song. Uptempo with heavy beats, which make this song ideal when waking up or trying to stay awake (not really recommended when driving, it has the tendency to make you speeding).

Prodigy - Voodoo People
I've got a soft spot for the Prodigy, and this version of Voodoo People is by far my favorite song (with 'no good' as a close second)

Deadmau5 - Ghost 'n' Stuff
One of my favorite tracks of Deadmau5. It has a catchy tune and some nice beats.


Some of the older songs that I'm still listening to:

Energy 52 - Café del Mar (3 in 1 remix)
One of the alltime dance classics that has lit up the dance floor on many occasions.

Three Drives on a Vinyl- Greece 2000 (original mix)
BBE - Seven days and one week
Three Drives - Sunset on Ibiza (DJ Enrico Remix)
These 3 songs are maybe not as well known as Café del Mar, but I think they hold up pretty well in this day and age.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: The Official 3DS System Friend Code Thread
« on: December 04, 2011, 05:36:06 AM »
Whilst anticipating Mario Kart 7 (which i will get next week), here is my code:

Mii: Quadran
FC: 1762-2693-7787

Please contact me through PM when you've added me to your list.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Wii U Price and Release Date Guess Thread
« on: June 09, 2011, 03:26:01 PM »
I don't think there will be a simultanious world wide release of the new console. So I guess the Wii U will launch in Europe on june 12th, 2012 with a price tag of €299.99.

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For those who are interested, the trailer for this game has just been posted.



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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Xenoblade-New RPG from Monolith
« on: May 13, 2011, 01:48:14 PM »
Although I like the first one a lot, I prefer the second picture as the reverse cover.

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Street Pass!
« on: May 02, 2011, 05:43:17 AM »
Today I had the pleasant surprise of getting a green light for the first time since I have my 3DS.
Although I got 4 street-passes after visiting a game store in the nearest town, 3 of them were almost certainly of demo units (their names referenced to the local store) and only one was a real user.

That said, it was rather refreshing to play the 'Find Mii' game with Mii's in stead of cats.

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I take it you have a European Wii and game right?

Indeed, game and console are both European, which probably is going to limit the amount of forum users here whom I can play with online.

I stopped playing Monster Hunter Tri when I had carved myself a nice set of Rathian+ armour and it would take a long time to get myself another specialised weapon / armour set, which was needed if I wanted to complete some of the online missions without dying to much. If I ever start playing MH3 again, I will need a couple of hours to familiarize myself with the controls, environments and attack patterns, before I can join the tougher online missions without failing miserably.

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Hello,

I'm posting from Belgium.

As for Monster Hunter Tri, it has been a while since I last played the game. I'm still far from completing this game (can one ever complete this game?), even after 200 hours. Because my play style is rather 'casual' (I'm not really a competitive player, as long as I have fun I will play the game), I tend to play this kind of games at a much slower pace than most of the other gamers. This style has a major drawback: a lot of games are competing for the same, very limited, amount of time that I can spend on them. Therefore I've stopped playing Monster Hunter Tri for a while, just to free up some time to play other games like Kirby, DKCR, a Shadow's Tale,... .


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Hello,

the name is Quadran. Although I'm a new member here, I've been following the website and listening to the different podcasts for quite a while.

I've always had some interest in gaming, but my profile is somewhat of a lapsed gamer: As a youngster I've been playing games on NES and SNES (never owned one, but I knew friends who had one). This was followed by a long hiatus through the N64 and GC era. When some friends reintroduced me to gaming, the Nintendo console / handheld piqued my interest. Before long I owned a Wii and a Dsi, playing some of new instalments of classic Nintendo franchises (Mario, Metroid, Zelda,...) and other games (Okami, Monster Hunter Tri, Castlevania,...).

I'm looking forward to my stay here and i hope to have some interesting discussions.

Posting from across the pond,
Quadran

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