| Welcome to Four Against Nature, Guest. If you want to know what Four Against Nature is about, The Hitchhiker's Guide to Four Against Nature is a good place to go to. Or if you're just here to lurk around, that's fine. We hope you enjoy the discussion around the board. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Dragons and tiger and UltraMan Parodies! Oh my!; Jeff Plays Breath of Fire 3! | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Sep 28 2009, 09:46 PM (926 Views) | |
| Jeff | Sep 28 2009, 09:46 PM Post #1 |
Lord of Pie & BBWs
|
 Whereas I wanted, originally, to Let's Play Boktai, the game decided it didn't like me anymore and would cease function altogether. As a result, welcome to Jeff Plays Breath of Fire 3! The game was released stateside in April of 1998 and received mostly positive reviews, critically speaking. Commercially, it's described as "modestly successful", garnering a cult fan following. However, the game's been largely ignored ever since - seeing a Japan/Europe-exclusive re-release for the PSP amounting to being the same game, except for a widescreen ratio and an expanded version of the fishing minigame. Whoop-die-fucking-doo. Like many things I fall in love with, Breath of Fire 3 was an underrated classic featuring a 3D world utilizing 2D sprites to create a colorful and creative adventure that, in my eyes, stood out from among its contemporaries and a smooth, intuitive battle system that lets both newcomers and old fans alike pick it up and play with some level of technique as to the player's choosing. The game has a distinct musical score worth mentioning which takes a jazz-like tone to the soundtrack, which I happen to enjoy immensely. It has the greatest depth of any BoF game to date and easily the best art design as well. So, sit back and join me on this journey to save the world and realize the destiny of the dragon clan!  First a name. Hmm. Toast: SUP BITCHES?! Jeff: You?! Again? I don't think so. You have this bad tendency to alienate most of the people you meet. Toast: That's not true! I was a GREAT protagonist! Jeff: No. Toast: WHAT?! You make LAURA one of FAN's mascots and you give ME the boot?! Jeff: Well, Laura was the first FAN-original character. It only made sense she was one of the four mascots. Toast: Screw this, man, I'm joining the Anti-League-League! Hmm...
   We start deep in the heart of a mine with two guys talking about what they've found. As I mentioned in Breath of Fire 2, animal-like clans are considered commonplace, and after time you really stop noticing that it's a fox and a mole talking about a dragon. The crystal here is called Chrism (I'm probably misspelling that, but I'll correct myself later if I must), an element formed when magical creatures' bodies biodegrade. Think "Uber-magic, somewhat-radioactive coal" and you have the rough idea.  Alright, alright... EXPLODEY!  Whoa, was it supposed to do that?  Mogu: NOT FOR LONG!!! *ATTACK!* Dragon: !!! [I say! What a rude way to wake up! I just laid down to rest my eyes for five minutes and suddenly I get whacked upside the head?! I shall not stand for this injustice!]  There's five action commands. Attack (sword), Item (bag), Defend (shield), Special (rod), and Examine (eye). Most of these are self-explanatory for anyone who's played an RPG. Examine is unique in a way, but we can't use that right now, so let's not worry about it right now.  Specials are fun for dragons. The unique property being their "Breath" attacks, which, in BoF3, are free to use but are directly proportional to the amount of HP. We're at 100%, so let's let it rip!   Yikes. It's like waking my sister up early. We now get to explore! Which is largely linear, but might as well get used to the controls, if you haven't...  Dragon: [Actually, I'm of the lesser dragons, Draconicus Minimus, which is classified as "Whelp". A relative of the pygmy, I'm more akin to a--] Guy: D-D-D-D-D-DRAGOOOON! *Flees* Dragon:   Whoops! More angry miners! I guess you could say this game's... NOT FOR MINERS! OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!! Dragon: [I say, these humans are most riled up... not to mention bent on my destruction. But I can't fathom why... but I cannot allow myself to die, good sirs. No, indeed not!]  Dragon: [We squander health in search of wealth/We scrounge, we scrimp, we save/Then we squander wealth in search of health/And all we get's a grave. We stand and boast of what we own/We die/And all we get's a stone.]    Dragon: [What a peculiar bunch of reactions. Have other dragons truly tried to consume humans? How barbaric if so! I hope this is merely a matter of poor communication and not some sort of social prejudice.]  Dragon: [I say, this looks bad... I cannot run, for they have blocked my potential exits... so I must fight once more. A pity, to be sure...]   Dragon: [Did someone address me in my tongue?! Remarkable! That formation looks precisely like--] Worker: QUICK! Get 'im with the crane! Dragon: [The what?]  Dragon: [OH BUGGERATION!!!]  Dragon: [Ooooh, my head...]  Dragon: [I shall not suffer this indignity! T'was one thing to assault my person with machinery I am not yet familiar with, but to lock me in a cage like I'm some sort of animal! I won't take this sitting down! I shall rock back and forth and-- oh dear!]   Suddenly, a loud crash disturbs our new-found friend, Rei. As you might recall, he's from the same clan as Katt from BoF2.  Rei: What caused all that racket anyways? Rei goes to take a look-see...  KNIFE!!!  Rei: A naked kid and two currs. I can't even EAT currs... so... EAT THIS!!!  Rei: Y'know... even if I wanted to, it's not like I could feed ya... and we don't have room in our place as it is! And... *sigh*  So "Uncle Rei" takes the little scamp back to his home. D'aww.  Pretty swingin' bachelor pad! Not bad!  Rei: Boy, you'll eat anything, won't you, Teepo? Teepo: ^_^;; Rei: I found him out in the woods. Abandoned, I figure, what with the pack of currs about to chew him to pieces. Teepo: Him too?! Just like me! Rei: Seems that way. Let's get him in your bed for now.  Do dragons dream of draconic sheep?!  Answer is: No. They don't.  We take control of our little plucky protagonist, Sean! You can raid the drawers here for some items and use the book and quill to save. Nothing left to do here, so let's find our new friends!  We meet some friendly monsters who promise to play tutorial for us when we return with Rei and Teepo. I'll be doing this for you guys, so don't worry about that for now.  What? Seriously? If they gotta post a sign that means people have done this sort of thing before! That's not brave, that's STUPID.  The overworld is a safe, familiar place that we'll learn to love later on. We can even rest for free here and even opt to not fight enemies we encounter! As an aside, one of the critics biggest complaints is that the game had unreasonable load times and a ridiculously high random encounter rate. I agree with the second but not the first. I have NO IDEA where they get these things sometimes...  In town, we run into the lovable bandits once more. They complain about a lean harvest and few animals in the forest, courtesy of a massive monster living up on Mount Glauss. More on that later. They agree that Sean needs some real clothes, though...  Unfortunately, Rei only grabs a couple things before they're chased off!    Sean: I guess I'll adjust, but still... Teepo: I'm hungry! Rei: Well~  Sean: Ah! I know a lot about work! A reasonable exchange of goods and services!  Sean:  Rei: Hey now, we don't hurt anyone! I swear! Teepo: We just grab food and money and run, that's all. Sean:  Also, now we can access menus and whatnot.  Yay! More on these later. Also, in the mines, you can get a "Melted Blade" off one of the burnt corpses and equip it now, which is better than the dagger.  Finally, some of you might remember I call a friend of mine Teepo. Why? He has a high-pitched voice. Long hair. And kicks things a lot. My friend? She has a high-pitched voice. Long hair. And kicks ME a lot. There you go.  And finally, we arrive at the Yrall Road to do some "work". Which is where we'll pick up next time! Intros are typically boring, but it gets better from here! See you there! |
|
Come visit me and my thought processes at my website: http://www.publishedauthors.net/tdotdw/news.html "In the cold light, justice and morality always look corny and you can't wave the flag and look cool. But like it or not, society needs its heroes." - John Hart; actor who played The Lone Ranger. | |
 |
 
|
| Root | Sep 28 2009, 10:14 PM Post #2 |
The Speaker for the Dead
|
Well, here we go again. Try not to get kicked, lawl. |
Does being the only sane one make me the insane one, in a sort of way? Though my eyes could see, I was still a blind man; Though my mind could think, I still was a madman... "Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run...there's still time to change the road you're on" | |
|
|
|
| Jeff | Sep 29 2009, 02:31 PM Post #3 |
|
Lord of Pie & BBWs
|
Welcome back to Jeff plays Breath of Fire 3. First and foremost, I want to discuss a couple gameplay elements I hadn't previously touched upon. The first of which is the "Examine" command. Early in the game, use of this is a must. Certain enemies, such as the Boss Goblin here, use specific commands your characters can learn by watching the enemy in question. Now, there's a degree of randomness involved so you might or might not get it on the first try. These techniques, once obtained, can be used for many varying means. Boss Goblins, for example, use "Influence" which causes weak-minded or enemies suffering from confusion to target one chosen creature. Getting this can lead to hilarity, as well as a work-around against being confused. Other examples include Mage Slimes and Burn (try using it on the Chestnut-looking enemies!), Rippers and Blind (keep your eye slime on the birdie) and Nut Mages and Freeze (causes much fun when the mudman-type monsters show up!).  The other is camping. This is basically your own personal, mobile inn that restores HP and MP. If so, what's the point of inns, you might ask? Well, if you're KO'd in battle and not revived before the fight ends you suffer what I call "Wounded Battle Syndrome" where your max HP is temporarily reduced until you sleep in an actual bed. Worse yet is that the effects of WBS layer and so it's conceivably possible (if you suck) to get your max HP reduced to 1 until you sleep at an inn.  Yes, yes, fine, Rei. If you want to advance the plot that bad, I won't waste any more time. Rei: This is a good place, since the road stretches all the way to Windia and down to the mines, so a lot of people have to pass by here. We'll just see if they have any money or food on them... let's find a place to hide. Ah! Over there looks good!  Sean: Spiffy effect.  Sean: Whoa. Isn't that Babaderu from our previous game? Rei: I have no idea what you're talking about. The good news is, he's alone! Sean: I have a bad feeling about this, guys.  Teepo: GO, SEAN RACER, GO! Sean:  Sean: OW! MY FACE! Bunyan: Hm? What's this? What were you trying to do, little one? Mug me or something? Sean: Umm... no?  Bunyan: What with those thieves, Rei and Teepo hanging around. And if you see them, tell them if I find them, they'll REALLY be sorry. Sean: ... 'k.   Rei: Figures it'd be Bunyan. Sean: ARE YOU MAD?! He could've killed me by mis-stepping in my general direction!!! Teepo: Well, you're fine and he didn't pound you into paste. Be grateful. Rei: Say... if old man Bunyan's on the road... who's at his house? Teepo: I smell segue!  Sean: Oh. Gee-golly-gosh. It's locked. Whelp, that's a shame. Guess we'll have to leave now-- Rei: 1, 2 and 3. Presto! Unlocked. Sean:   Sean: Sorry if I'm a little NERVOUS, guys. I've never broken into someone's house before. I'm a little new at this whole criminal record thing. Teepo: Shut up and help us look for food! Sean: Fine. I'll go check in the cellar.  Sean: Huh. There's some food down he-- Teepo: Diiiiiiiiid someone say "food"?! Sean: Yeah. How'd you hear that? Rei: *Gestures to massive cat ears* Sean: Oh. Rei: Um... I also hear something else. Teepo: What?  Rei: Well, I guess I'll go check it out. Wait here. At this point, Rei heads up. And I am not making it up when I say Rei makes a yelp here that sounds a lot like a chicken being assaulted. Teepo: Umm... I guess I'll go take a lot. VIOLENT SOUNDS!!! Sean: Oh, fuck me sideways... guess I have no choice but to go up and see what's--  Sean: OH BUGGERATION!!!  Bunyan: But to break into someone's house? Sean: That's exactly what I said. No one listens to me, though. Teepo: SEAN! YOU TRAITOR! SHUT UP!!! Bunyan: However... if you do some honest work... perhaps I could forgive and forget just this once. Teepo: I don't swing that way, old man. Bunyan: Shut it and let me explain. Rei, you're a strong competent lad. There's a mountain to the north called Mt Glaus.  Rei: Well... what about Teepo and Sean?  Bunyan: They'll be doing something a bit lower-impact than you. Rei: *Grumble* Fine. I'm going. Bunyan: As for you two... Teepo: OH GOD! Sean: Shut up. We already milked that joke relentlessly in Seiken Densetsu 3. It's time to move on.  Welcome to the first of many mini-games in Breath of Fire 3. This one is fairly simple. Teepo sets up a log and you whack it with your sword using the triangle button. Hit it before Teepo moves his hands and you'll hit him, but if you hit it too late, the log will have already fallen over. It sounds way harder than it actually is and the criteria for passing this mini-game are ludicrously lenient, so don't worry about it.  Told ya. Bunyan: How's it feel to do some real work for a change? Teepo: We WERE working until you beat us up and set us to work as manual labor. Bunyan: That attitude's gonna come back to bite you in the ass, young lady. Teepo: I'm a boy. Sean: I keep telling them that, yet I always get dragged along for the ride. *sigh*  The path up to the mountain is a one-time area we have to pass through. It's pretty short, but if you explore a bit you can find lots of items and such.  Teepo: Huh. It looks kind of wobbly. I wonder if I kicked the stone out...  Teepo: ... Oh. Sean: I am so not taking responsibility for any of this.  Teepo: Hurray! Eco-terrorism wins the day again! Sean:   The mountain itself is actually pretty short, unless you want to go treasure hunting, which will involve a lot of running around. I guess I should mention at this point how Sean has healing magic and Teepo should have at least a few magic attack spells, which should make this place fairly merciful as you collect your stuff. Though I can't blame you if you skip the lower item (which is harder to get to) since it's just a fishing lure...  On the way up, the sun sets.  Sean: Finally! A good idea! Teepo: Maybe Rei's here too! Sean: Oh, c'mon, what are the odds of that?  Sean: ... Oh. Rei: What're you guys doing here? Teepo: We finished up Bunyan's chore and we came to find you! Rei: Teepo, I think he sent me up here by myself because... well, he was worried about you guys. Teepo: What's that mean?! Rei: You guys have heard the rumors, haven't you? A huge monster is rampaging on this mountain. And...  Teepo: ? Rei: Nothing. Totally not foreshadowing anything. *Cough*. Anyways, since you're here anyways and you seem stronger... well, let's just use what we have. Let's rest up and set off. The next morning~  Teepo: Let's go out and say 'hi', shall we? Rei: Be careful, both of you.  Rei: Oh, wow. Teepo: He's up early, isn't he? Sean: Now's not the time for bad jokes. Here it comes!  The first boss fight! The Nue Chimera! It's pretty tough and if Sean and Teepo are below level 5, you'll end up in a pretty tight squeeze due to the chimera's powerful attacks. However, it has a low reprisal rate and doesn't bring much in terms of surprises with it, so just let loose into it. Eventually, it will flee.  Up the mountain a short ways is a cave it must've fled into! Let's go!  To paraphrase "Freeman's Mind", it's usually a sign you're going the WRONG way when you're deliberately following a trail of blood and bodies. But we are anyways.  Sean: Is that guy stabbed by his own sword? Teepo: Nues must be big on irony. Sean: Now what do we do?! Teepo: Uhh... dunno, lol! Rei:  A little further in the cave, you can explore some bloodless tunnels that have weak enemies and a higher-up place along the river.  Teepo: It must've dove into the river to escape us. Therefore, if we hop in here, the river will take us to where it went! Rei: Uhh... what do you think, Sean?  It worked in Final Fantasy 6, damn it, it's bound to work here! INTO THE WATER!!!  The little apparitions you see above Rei and Teepo here are actually anime-esque sweat drops that they use to show varying degrees of discomfort. However, they're only on-screen for a split second and therefore very hard to screencap.  Teepo: Dunno, lol! Sean: ... Well, we made it. I guess that's all that matters. Rei: Look! The blood trail picks up here!  Nue Chimera round two! This time, the Nue can, occasionally, skip a turn (with the flavor text "The Nue Chimera howls in fury") and cast a lightning spell on your entire party. Beyond that, he's no stronger than he was last time. If Teepo is level 7, he'll learn a Fire/Wind spell that does 50-80 damage to the Nue, so it's highly recommended for this fight.  Wow. A boss with a dying animation? How rare in an RPG...  It died on it's feet? Like it was protecting something! TIME TO GO SPELUNKING!  Huh. The Nue Chimera must not have realized its cubs were dead and continued hunting for them anyways.  Rei: Teepo, do you ever show any respect to anyone? Teepo: Not if I can help it, no. Sean: ... C'mon, let's go. If we ride in the current, it'll carry us to the base of the mountain. Rei: Good idea. A little later~  Bunyan: Because you three boys killed that monster...  Rei: But you KNEW she was hunting for her cubs, didn't you?! Bunyan: If you knew she had cubs, would you have let her live? Rei: ... Teepo: Dunno, lol. Rei:    D'aww.  Teepo: Y'know, go down and say "Hey everyone, look what we did!" Rei: Is it really okay to brag about it? Teepo: Why not? Rei: Eh... maybe so... I guess there's no harm in going and seeing what they're saying about us, right? Sean: Ooo. Apples. Shiny. Join us next time when we head down to McNeil Village and learn of some shady dealings in the local government! See you then! |
|
Come visit me and my thought processes at my website: http://www.publishedauthors.net/tdotdw/news.html "In the cold light, justice and morality always look corny and you can't wave the flag and look cool. But like it or not, society needs its heroes." - John Hart; actor who played The Lone Ranger. | |
|
|
|
| Root | Sep 29 2009, 05:13 PM Post #4 |
|
The Speaker for the Dead
|
All of that, killing a chimera and the like for ... food. Wow. |
|
Does being the only sane one make me the insane one, in a sort of way? Though my eyes could see, I was still a blind man; Though my mind could think, I still was a madman... "Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run...there's still time to change the road you're on" | |
|
|
|
| Sean | Sep 30 2009, 05:13 PM Post #5 |
The ⑥of Four Against Nature
|
Awesome, I get to be a Dragon-boy, just like in all the shitty fanfiction we make fun of! ...ohwait, that's not a good thing. |
|
|
|
| Rem | Sep 30 2009, 07:26 PM Post #6 |
Why yes, I do like snickerdoodles.
|
If I killed some chimera and got food as a reward, I'd slap those bitches. >:U |
 Have you ever wondered what color air is? | |
|
|
|
| Jeff | Oct 1 2009, 12:25 PM Post #7 |
|
Lord of Pie & BBWs
|
This whole next update encompasses a single mission. No, I'm not joking. Teepo: I told everyone we'd be here and everything! Rei: What?! I knew you were bragging, I just knew it! But suddenly, some people DO show up...  Rei: Uhh... hey, guys. Umm... did we interrupt your gardening? Sean:  Sean: OH GOD, WE'RE GONNA DIE! THANKS A PANTLOAD, TEEPO! Elder: Rei, is it true? Rei: Eh?  Rei: Well... um... yeah. It is. Villagers: *Gasp, shock, awe*  The villagers then congratulate them, mentioning how Bunyan had told it to them as well, meaning even if Teepo hadn't bragged, the end result would've been the same. They then promise that they'll never need steal again because if they ever run out of food, all they need do is ask and that all past transgressions have been wiped away! So, yeah, my reward was food and a pardon. Go fig.  Cloaked Guy: Heh. Uhh... heh-heh. Teepo: Let's go buy new stuff! Sean: Yay! Cloaked Guy: Hey! Wait! Rei: Good idea. I'm gonna travel light, though, but a new set of knives could help... Cloaked Guy:   Sean: Sure! It never hurts to help! Cloaked Guy: Kickin' Rad. I'm Loki. Rei: You're named after a trickster and a thief? Loki: ... Err... no. See, my Japanese name is Rocky or something like that. Teepo: Oh. That's a perfectly acceptable excuse. Sean: If not highly unlikely. Loki: *Whew*. Look, just down the road is a little shack. I'll be there waiting for you and I'll brief you all there, okay? Rei: Why not just tell us now? Loki: Because... it's... umm... embarrassing! Yeah! Sean: Oh. Why didn't you say so? Loki: kbai. Now, I want to briefly detail one of the game's interesting features that we'll be using a couple times this update. Under normal circumstances, the camera has a fixed, isometric viewpoint of the field, but, remember, the world is has three dimensions. Holding the R button lets us adjust the camera so we can see around objects. Like so:  Lazy bum! Anyways, we go on to see Loki...  Teepo: That he's a sex offender? Loki: What? Teepo: Just kidding. Rei: You mean the ones about him being cheap and greedy? There are lots of people like that. Loki: Yes, well, don't you think he's a little... ah... too greedy? Sean: Like people who whore the LP section? I do no such thing! It's everyone else's fault for not ever updating! Loki: Yes, yes. I mean, everyone in town is talking about it! Rei: Literally, yes. Loki: Well, if you... say, returned some of the tax money to the people... Teepo: We'd be even MORE popular! Sean: Wait a minute, I don't like the sound of this. First of all, a government has the right to levy taxes. If they people don't like it, they should petition their government, not break and enter into his personal mansion. Loki: Sure, if you wanna do things the wussy way. Sean: Loki: So! You'll do it?! Teepo: Yeah! Rei: Uhh... I guess. I'm still... hesitant.  Rei: Damn. It's a good thing we stocked up on weapons and items. Teepo: Hey, if we can't do it the first night, we can sneak right back out and try again the next. Rei: Eh. True... Sean: Well, if we're gonna do this, what's the easiest way in? Loki: I don't know. There was a weak part of the wall, but they patched that up... it's the PERFECT repair job. No sense trying there. Rei: Let's split up and see what we can find.  Sean: Huh. This must be where they patched the wall. It looks funny, though. Rei: Find something? Rei then pauses for a moment to think.  Teepo: Uhh... Rei? Rei: ?  Rei: To quote the punchline to every Cathy comic ever - ACK!!!  Teepo: Well, there's our easy way in. Let's go! Sean: Huh... I see guards!  Rei: Wonderful. There's a whole bunch of 'em. Teepo: ATTACK!!!  Rei: ... 'Scuse me, what? Guard: Well... you guys took on the Nue Chimera... so... yeah. I'd stand no chance. Rei: Huh. Smart fellow. Guard: So, I'll pretend I didn't see you for, say... 50 zenny? Sean: Why? Guard: McNeil is a cheapass. Our pay isn't so great, so only the new guys are really zealous about their work. Rei: Sure. I'm in a generous mood.  Hah! A lot of these guys (AKA: the ones who DON'T have lanterns) are a bunch of whiners!  A wallet! Huzzah! As you might've guessed, this area is all about trial-and-error... or memorizing the game. Next, we give a little love tap to a nearby bell and~  Next, we run into a guard on his smoke break... Guard: Now, see... if I let you go...  Guard: So... do me a favor. Go cap the bulldog by the gate. So, that way, it'll be all the dog's fault, not mine. Teepo: Hah. It doesn't seem right, picking on a little dog like this... Rei: Would you say the same if he bit your butt while you were climbing over the gate, Teepo? Teepo: Eh... 1st Miniboss: Guard Dog. I forgot to cap this one. My bad. It's a big, brown bulldog. It's a pretty uninteresting fight, though, since the dog's only unique move is "Chomp" which has a cool animation but does little more than his normal attack and runs the chance (a low one) of lowering defense. On dead dog later, we move across the courtyard and see a woman talking to a guy fawning over her, while there's a guy on the opposite side of the hedge fawning over her and there's a guard next to the chicken coop FAWNING OVER HER! Wow. What a whore.  Sean: Try like, a minimum of two other men. Guard: MINAAAAAAAAAA! *Runs off* Rei: ... I just don't understand some people. Teepo: Screw this! It's too hard to get inside, so let's just steal some eggs from this coop and go home. Rei: Setting your sights a little low there, eh, Teepo?  Sean: Whoa. B-big chicken... Rei: I don't think that'll make him happy, Teepo. 2nd Mini Boss: Rocky. Rocky is a tough cookie, arguably the second-hardest enemy in this area. He has the attacks "Jump" which does about 20 damage (and, again, I'm slightly over-leveled here and Sean and Teepo have the best stuff you can buy in McNeil) and he also can use "Ovum" which makes one of the oddest status effects in the history of RPGs...  Egg. ... Yeah. Egg is kind of like paralysis in that you can't use a character who has been egg'd and if your party is egg'd you die. Though I find it funny how each character has a unique egg sprite (Sean's is blue, Teepo's is purple and Rei's is tiger-striped and even has a tail). Thankfully, this status is a rare one and we won't be seeing it again until the midgame. You'll just need to heal a lot here and let into him as much as you can.  Huh. The chickens went berserk and now the guards are after them. Hah! That worked better than we could've hoped! Let's sneak in through the side and get to the front door inconspicuously...  Oh hell, the guards are still in front of the door... Sean: You want us to fight all those guys?! Rei:... No. I'm gonna distract them. You guys go inside in the meantime. I'll climb up onto the roof and we'll meet up there, okay? Teepo: Be careful! Rei: Always! So, Rei darts past the guards and leads them away as Sean and Teepo dive inside and begin exploring. The room to the right gives us the foreboding:  Huh... but regardless of that, there's nothing really in there, so let's head up towards the stairs.   A ghost of one of the ancestors of the current McNeil, eh?  Mini Boss #3: Torast. Hah! I bet you thought we were in the clear? Not a chance. Also, we don't get Rei for this stretch. Hmm! It's like the game's trying to PREPARE US FOR SOMETHING IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE! Anyways, Torast isn't that strong, but he spams hypnosis, which runs the chance of putting both Sean and Teepo to sleep and making them think they're ballerinas. Okay, I lied about that second part, but hypnosis is REALLY annoying. Just whack away at him. Not too far from there, we encounter trouble on a balcony.  Sean: You're not the real McCoy! Err... McNeil! Teepo: What do you mean? He's an imposter? McNeil: Oh-ho-ho! You're mistaken. I am a McNeil! Kassen McNeil!  Mini Boss #4: Kassen. He loves using HP-sapping moves, but has unremarkable amount of max HP himself. In fact, Teepo killed him with a critical hit in the third round, so I don't know what else he does! A few feet away~   Minis Boss #5: Galtel McNeil. Wait, Galtel? So, he reports everything that happens to his girlfriend? Or-- okay, y'know what, I'm not gonna pursue that joke. Galtel's specialty is... umm... ... Forgettable, I guess. I just got these caps last night and I can't remember what it was. Oh, wait, it was a defense-lowering move that didn't work half the time! I'm not even joking - I had to strain to remember what the hell his special move was!  When we get here, Teepo actually interrupts the ghost before he can give his name, so we engage him and prepare to smack him down as well. Mini Boss #6: Doksen McNeil. This guy's schtick is a really high counter-attack rate. That's it, really. If you had stocked up on healing herbs or even just have Sean on healing duty, this fight's insultingly simple. It's also, thankfully, the last mini boss for this section of the game.  We then get a brief dialogue between the spirits of the ancient McNeils, concerned that the thieves are approaching their living remnant. Meanwhile, Sean and Teepo arrive at the roof.  Head up and keep going north-westerly form here, then slide down to find what we need.  Teepo: Who would leave a grappling hook-- Rei: Sean! Teepo! Teepo: Should've guessed. Rei: So? How'd it go?  Rei: Well, good. Now, I'm looking for-- Sean: This? Rei: ... Good job. Now we can get to the other roof.  Rei: Excuse me while I whip this o-- *Slip* OOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUT!!!  This scene happens REALLY fast, so if you don't know it's coming, you could easily miss it.  Rei throws the hook back to get Sean and Teepo across. Teepo: Geez. And here I thought you were just lazing about on the roof while we worked and busted ghosts! You must've been working hard, and then the leap across the roof like that! Don't work too hard! Rei: Okay, okay, sorry to worry you. Sean: Teepo, are you sure the translation team didn't make a make a mistake and only make you a male by accident? Teepo: ...? Sean: Never mind. I see smoke coming out of that chimney near by. If we go down, we'll find McNeil! Probably!  Rei: Oh hell...  Sean: More like "oh brother"...  Woman: Don't hide behind ME, you creep! Rei: Yeah! Show some respect for the lady! Woman: *Runs off* McNeil: H-h-heeeeeelp! Ghosts: You worm of a McNeil! Watch how WE deal with intruders! Sean: Here they come! Teepo: The ghosts from before!!!  Amalgam! ... Say, this fella looks kinda familiar from somewhere...  I'm sure it's coincidence. Anyways, Amalgam can do EVERYTHING the other McNeils can, except it doesn't seem to have Doksen's high reprisal rate. However, it has no new surprises for you, so you can just go all-out as this is the last fight of McNeil manor!  Rei: Easy there, big fella. We're not gonna hurt you. Teepo: We're just taking back the money you stole from the people! Sean: I'm just here for the food.  Sean: Ooo! Let's make a money bath before we go!!    Ha-ha! I bet that's not at all foreshadowing of anything! We're the winners this time and Rei's back in the party! We're unbeatable and we'll fight together forever! See you next time when we see how the people react to our Robin Hood-esque daring-do! |
|
Come visit me and my thought processes at my website: http://www.publishedauthors.net/tdotdw/news.html "In the cold light, justice and morality always look corny and you can't wave the flag and look cool. But like it or not, society needs its heroes." - John Hart; actor who played The Lone Ranger. | |
|
|
|
| Sean | Oct 1 2009, 01:40 PM Post #8 |
|
The ⑥of Four Against Nature
|
Rei might as well have a target painted on his forehead. |
|
|
|
| Root | Oct 4 2009, 02:37 PM Post #9 |
|
The Speaker for the Dead
|
Agreed with Sean. Either that or have a big neon sign that says "PLEASE KILL ME" pointing to him at all times. |
|
Does being the only sane one make me the insane one, in a sort of way? Though my eyes could see, I was still a blind man; Though my mind could think, I still was a madman... "Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run...there's still time to change the road you're on" | |
|
|
|
| Jeff | Oct 4 2009, 03:25 PM Post #10 |
|
Lord of Pie & BBWs
|
  Boy howdy.  Teepo reminds me a lot my sister in some ways. Loud, extroverted, never one to back away from praise or attention. Obnoxious. On the way out of the woods, we run into a couple hanging out by a spring. Let's ask them if they saw what we did!      Okay, what the bacon is going on in this town?! They complain about the taxes but they immediately return the money that we got for them?! What's this?! We need to find Loki. I bet he hasn't gone far...  Rei: Hey! Loki! Teepo: You said if we stole McNeil's money and gave it to the people they'd be really-- Loki: SSSSSHHHHHHHHH!!! Don't talk about that here!!  After a while of waiting, Loki's a no-show, but...  ... A cow?  Rei: Bunyan! What's goin' on?! Bunyan: Because of my new position, everything that I say is directed at the cows. Rei: Wha--?  Bunyan: Did you hear... Loki thought he could get an easy life if he got Rei and the others to steal McNeil's fortune. But...  Teepo: Wh-what does he mean, Rei?! Rei: It means we're in deep trouble. Let's get home, right away!  Houston, we have a problem.  Balio and Sunder, two henchmen working for the band of criminals McNeil's a partner of. They're also brothers. Balio: Just a couple of kids... Teepo: YOU DID THIS?! Sunder: Check it out, bro, they're going to try and fight us!  It was at this point that Capcom realized that they are, in fact, still Capcom.  UNBEATABLE BOSS FIGHT, LAWLZ!  Sean awakens, alone, in a familiar place...  Sean: Thank you for not cracking me upside the head again. Bunyan: I told you boys that you'd get yourselves in trouble, did I not? Sean: Where're the others?! Bunyan: ... All I found was you, wounded and alone in the woods.  Yes, Sean breaks down BAWLING. He then decides that, as per a comment Teepo had made earlier, that Teepo and Rei fled to Wyndia, which is just down the road from McNeil village. Before we set off, I wanna cover some things I skipped up to this point because I'm retarded.  First is the Master/Apprentice System. When you meet a character who can be your master, you can opt to 'study' under them which serves two roles. First, and most immediately, it changes what stats raise when you level up at what pace. Secondly, as you level up and report to your master, he or she will give you special skills and spells. A few of these Masters can be Lost Forever or otherwise just really easily missed. If there's significant ones or ones you can screw up and miss for good, I'll make a note of them. Training under Mygas is easy because the criteria for getting him is to give him "all your money", so buy supplies until your out or close to out of money and give him all your money. All 0 zenny of it! Also, he teaches you "Freeze", which you'll want before going on.  Next is the fishing minigame, which is probably the most intuitive of the fishing games of the BoF franchise. In BoF1, it was mostly dumb luck and used for getting the best armor in the game. In BoF2... well, it was kind of dodgy and hard to comment on. In BoF3, it's a fantastic way to stock up on supplies when times get tough. The basic rod is only 20 zenny and most of the bait ranges from 5 to 30 z, not to mention you probably found some free lures by now anyways.  Okay, you cast and gauge power in so doing to determine how far out it goes. The gauge next to Sean is how deep it is. I'm using a toad-type lure, which floats so that's not an issue, but snagging your line on the ocean floor is never advised and might cause you to lose it. Next to that is the type of equipment you're using and at the end, how far from the shore it is.  When a fish takes the bait, the bar changes to the 'battle'. You control the green bar (line tension) and the fish icon represents how hard it's pulling, and the red bar below that (which is kind of hard to see here) is the fish's stamina. Wear it down and reel it in! You'll get the encyclopedia entry for that species of fish, the record size for that species you've caught and points which up your fishing rank. It's very relaxing.  Next up is a Mountain. RPG law dictates mountains always are bad news, but what's the worst that could happen? Climbing the mountain is fairly easy, so long as you have the Burn and Freeze spell, since the Nut-type and the Tarman enemies pop up here. A friendly Tarman named "Tallman" (I know, just go with it) gives you some of the tips for beating enemies soundly, but we've already gone over those, so let's move on up.  Oh hell.  Sean:  Balio: Huh. You DID survive our first attempt on your life. Sean: I'm just pimp like that, foo'.  Sean: Eh? What's he about to do with that--  Sean: BARF!!!  Balio: Well, that was a short game. Sunder: I'll say. Balio: Did you just hear something?  Balio: What the--?! ... Huh... Sunder: MONSTER!!! Balio: Calm down, bro. I think we just found our ticket to fortune! Later, on the other side of the mountain, in the City of Wyndia...  Sunder: Show him, bro! Balio: I present to the Wydnian Royal Family: a real-life dragon! Sunder: They tried to destroy the world once, y'know!  Sean: What the pie?! Balio: Oh, shit! Sunder: Quick! Hit him again! Maybe he'll transform! Balio: Good idea! Sean: IT IS HEAVILY IMPLIED THAT YOU ARE KICKING THE EVER-LOVING SNOT OUT OF ME!!! King: THROW THIS CON-MEN AND THEIR "DRAGON" INTO THE DUNGEON!! Balio: Aww, crud...  This look familiar to anybody? Sean: I want my mommy! ... Oh... wait... dragon.  Sunder: Shut up, kid! It's YOUR fault we're in here anyways because YOU wouldn't transform! Sean: Oh, yes. Silly me. From the way things were panning out today I figured the king had just ordered a big box of wanker and had it stored down here in the cell next to me. Sunder: YOU LITTLE SHIT! I'LL BEAT YOU UNTIL YOU CAN'T SEE STRAIGHT!!!  Sean: I'm Sean. I learned I'm a dragon this morning and have been had the ever-loving tar beaten out of me a grand total of six times today! Nina: I felt bad that you were locked up like those awful men, so I'm here to set you free! Sunder: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Nina: Not you. You'll just beat this boy up some more! Balio: No way! We won't harm him anymore, princess! Honest! Nina: ... Are you being truthful? Sunder: Of course! Won't hurt him ever again! Nina: Well... all right then. Sean: Nina! Stop! Quit being so gullible!   Nina: HELP MEEEEE~ Sean:  Sean: Screw this noise. I'm busting out of this cave AND BLASTING STRAIGHT TO THE SURFACE JUST LIKE KAMINA!!! TAKE THIS-- *BANG* Sean: ...  Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...If you don't hurry up and do something, they're gonna get away and God only KNOWS the doujins that'll inspire. Sean: I'LL RESCUE HER!!!   Good job! Now, after them! Sean: Yes!  Sean: IIIIIIIIIIT'S ASS-KICKING TIME, BOYS! Balio: *Sigh* Not this again.  This fight's a bit different from most we've encountered thus far. First, we'll want to whack Nina to wake her up (Sunder kicked her into the wall before the fight initiated). Doing so, she'll leap up and whack Sunder before running off.  Balio: Forget her. We'll get her again once we're done with this punk! Sean: O RLY?!  Sean realized the power of the dragon race: Accession! Now, by using the jewels here (called "genes") we can transform! We only have one right now, but it'll have to do! Sean: HENSHIN A-GO-GO, BABY!!!  Nah, I'm just kidding.  It's not much, but it does give us Whelp breath (no affinity), fire breath and flame claw. Also, if a dragon form gets KO'd, you don't die, but revert to human form and doing so is the ONLY way to win this fight. Balio spams a lightning spell which does obscene amounts of damage, so if you're going to fight to win, kill him first. However, beating this battle requires either obscene over-leveling or blind luck of a godly caliber, so I lost. Which is just as well, as it's not a game over.  Sean: Uuuuugh, make that seven times today. Nina: Don't worry about that right now.  Nina joined the party! With our new (level 1) |
|
Come visit me and my thought processes at my website: http://www.publishedauthors.net/tdotdw/news.html "In the cold light, justice and morality always look corny and you can't wave the flag and look cool. But like it or not, society needs its heroes." - John Hart; actor who played The Lone Ranger. | |
|
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Let's All Play! · Next Topic » |
11:10 PM Nov 22
