Haha I actually really liked the story and how it put the focus on smaller conflicts (up until the very end anyways , which was terrible). I also liked enough characters to put together a party I enjoyed.

Can't argue with the gameplay taking a hit though, making combat wave based is by far my biggest issue with the…

There is something really charming about this games popularity. The steam reviews are so refreshingly earnest, no lol 11/10 reviews or any of that nonsense. Just a bunch of people that are really pleased that this very niche game exists.

Getting stuck in the mud isn't really relevant to my interests, but the enthusiasm…

I would love for them to let Zelda be the hero for once, whatever it is they are doing I'm on board with it. (I'm also super intrigued by the futuristic-ish elements they have added. Nintendo is really shaking things up this time).

Aonuma is hinting that it wasn't Link in the trailer*. So something is definitely up. She could definitely be Zelda, but there is a really strong resemblance to Link and the outfit is a pretty clear reference to the Windwaker starting clothing.

Basically I think Link is a girl now because to me it looks like Link has boobs.

I'm not saying this is definitive proof or anything, the strap could be throwing me off. Plus Link's tendency to be androgynous does complicate things.

But to me it look like Link is a girl.

I'm pretty sure you are right. I had to roll back the broadcast the first time through because I wasn't sure. This is the best image I was able to get.

So it looks like either Link is a girl now or Zelda is the main character. Either option is pretty cool.

This was really really good. The way they actually talked about game design decisions and such shows a respect that for the audience that I haven't really seen much of in the industry.

I really hope this works out for them because this is the direction I want to see the industry go in. I was about ready to sign my…

I have a very hard time finding anything wrong about asking for a money in exchange for more levels. It's probably the least exploitative business model possible, primarily because it is basically a regular non F2P business model with a lengthy demo added on as a bonus.

They do have other transactions in this game…

For what it's worth I think writing about the consumer choice aspect of video games is quite interesting. It's not something you see much of in games journalism, at least not on the sites I read anyways.

Yeah I actually think it would quite interesting to try out, even if the annotations would hamper my enjoyment long term. (Although I have heard mixed reports about how much room you have to resolve issues in a non violent way. If non-violence is viable and actually fun it could be great).

Regarding the DRM, in my…

Out of curiosity what were your biggest issues with DA II? Is there anything you think it did better than DA:O or is it worse in all regards?

(I personally liked DA II quite a bit, but I think talking about the game's pros and cons is a really interesting way to explore what people value in RPGs).

I think you are probably right about it being a sympathy thing. I was watching some Watch Dogs footage and I've determined I probably can't play it. They way they have little details about people pop up next to them when you look at them would make it really hard to me to kill enemies.

It's a bit silly, but once you…

That is seriously good OST (the first song is particularly amazing). I think it just pushed me from waiting for a steam sale to mashing the buy button.

Have you played Guild Wars 2 by any chance? I've been eyeing FFXIV for a while, but I picked up GW2 on sale a while ago and got bored very quickly.

Since GW2 is my only real MMO experience* I'm somewhat wary of picking up FFXIV now, but I've heard such good things about it that I kinda want someone to talk me into it.

*…

This is exactly right, I can't count the number of times that I've wound up playing the minimap instead of the game.

On a related note, if you have Skyrim I highly recommend modding out the compass. It makes the game dramatically better.

Considering how stretched my gaming budget is right now it's probably for the best that it isn't out yet. I'll be happy as long as it makes it to steam eventually.

Wasn't the port supposed to be out by now? I feel like I've been waiting to play it for ages.

The whole narrative of JRPGs either being dead or making a comeback reminds me of how a lot of people talk about Rock.

"Rock is dead! Oh wait there's a new-ish band that a bunch of people like. Rock is being resurrected! Nickleback exists! Rock is dead again!" and so on.

But in reality Rock has been doing fine while…

I'm conflicted. I love the art style, Drinkbox is consistently good and hearing Yamantaka // Sonic Titan in a trailer is pretty awesome. But the actual gameplay isn't doing much for me.

The whole album the music is from is pretty great. I highly recommend it (spotify link is below).