Aboveup

You'd think a remaster pack years later would balance it out a lot more, but the jump to Suikoden 2 is still massive.

Not that it'd take much to make 2 shine more than 1, but still.

Finished Suikoden 1, all 108 stars. You can tell the staff is very inexperienced at making RPGs. And didn't have the right sound library for it.

Still, games makes up for it with a lot of heart and a good balance despite its unconventional scale. (One continent, managing a rebel army base)

The issue is that the extremely jokey tone doesn't know when to stop, since the entire series is localized in funny accents and puns, empty quips and witticisms not present originally. Despite many entries dealing with serious stuff a lot of the time.

Like a Dragon suffers from this too.

Nothing in particular. It's the same as all Dragon Quest titles.

DQ's tone is nothing like what English localization decided it should be starting with 8. It's much more natural. Experiencing the original language version first and then seeing it in English after just feels particularly bad.

Game itself is based on DQ2's setting. So in terms of combat, you're a weak tagalong, to an NPC who hits like a truck. It's a good joke.

First time playing a modern DQ in Japanese. Saw how it got localized and it made me feel queasy.

Playing that Dragon Quest everyone's been raving about recently. (Builders 2)

Because I have the game set to JP, the game pulls screenshots from the Japanese servers so I get to see what that community has been making. Yeah, JP side's alright.

Should be fairly easy next time. Contents are easier than what I usually engage with.

One quick update.

Failed the JLPT N1 by one single point. (You need to score 20/60 in three fields, I score over 30 in two, and 18 in one) Considering the fever I was running, and the issues with the venue... I expected worse.

There's some phenomenal liberties taken to be indignant about... A picture of a glass of beer.

I don't want my posts to take off with strangers, and I don't want people I don't know jump into conversations I have with friends because their favorite keyword to search popped up.

Unless it becomes possible to set accounts to private, I'm stepping away from this site for a while.

わけわからないフォロワーが増えてる
誰か助けてくれ

Made friends through VRChat and Twitch, met them in Japan when I went. Set websites/devices to Japanese, even if you can't fully read all of it yet to familiarize. (You know where everything is from its position and icon anyway)

Think in the language. Journal in it. Translate song lyrics for fun.

Mostly grammar basics from Bunpro. Wanikani (but through an Anki deck). Every morning at a steady time, writing down the new words, and doing a row of writing practice with them later.

Beyond that a mining deck. And constant exposure. Reading, movies, anime, light novels, novels, books, friends.

I mean, it's a statement about where *I* am located, not where the beer is brewed.

You can buy a lot of the major Belgian trappist beers in most supermarkets in the Netherlands thanks to proximity. (I actually wanted Rochefort but it was out of stock. Love Chimay though)

Blight Town.
Water Temple.
The entirety of Ace Attorney 2.
Little Mermaid Stage
TMNT's Dam Level

Every major game has its stage. It *needs* it. To test the audience for sticking with it, for the payoff of clearing it.

I always make this observation all over again whenever I play Viewtiful Joe because 2,000,000 Leagues Under The Sea can go fuck off, but also it is one of the best examples of Kamiya knowing exactly how to aggravate the player completely.

It's intended to hit that way.

Most of what I remember of NMH1 is what I liked least about it on initial play. The hallway phone calls. Most of what I remember of MGS1 is the backtracking. I barely remember DQ1 or 5's gameplay (story I remember because that protag SUFFERED), but I remember every second of DQ2.

*That* part of every videogame is important. It's what gives it the texture and friction it needs. And even if you fucking hate it, you know the game would be lesser without it.

Some games are entirely *that* part, which is why "listening to the audience" and most reboots can never work.

Every great videogame has that part you absolutely despise and never want to fucking touch again, where you're sure the devs solely put it in there to annoy and aggravate the playerbase on purpose.

Reward.

Pretty much never drink while in the Netherlands anymore, but this is a special occasion.

- Find ways to use what you learned. Early on into WaniKani I noticed a lot of farming words. Thought I'd use any of that. Then changed my thinking and bought Rune Factory 3 and 4. (Great games btw)
War words? Tons of war media out there. Lawyery stuff? Ace Attorney.

To wrap up with advice for study.

- Fix your sleep schedule. Your brain sorts info and makes brain connections in your sleep. Without sleep, study is useless.

- Make studying a habit, not a task or a goal. It should a thing you do, like doing laundry or the dishes. Whether you feel like it or not.

I can read novels, play action-heavy games with tons of text on the screen without issue, and hold conversation alone and in groups.

I'm still far from the level I want to be at though. And I'm pretty sure the main improvement from this point can only come from practice instead of study.

Done.
No new cards left in my main Japanese study deck.

I'll still keep doing daily reviews, but no more daily stack of new cards. After about 3 years, the main portion of my Japanese studies is over. (I'm still going to do supplementary stuff, and a mining deck, but not at my 50 card a day pace.)

Recent time looking into "censorship" talk was playing Lunar. People got mad weird raunchy stuff from the old localization *that was explicitly never in the original language version* was no longer present in the remaster.

A more correct translation counts as censorship too, now.

No real notes or thoughts on what got changed or went missing in localization with the EN release. Light Novels tend to get translated better than....

Just about every other form of media? Including normal novels?

No mental fatigue from reading a lot in one go, so I guess I'll read Subaru getting beaten to a bloody pulp tonight.

At the King's Selection lore dump part of the return to the capitol in Re;Zero. Was worrying about this part since starting because I remember it being information overload when I read it in EN, but it's smoother reading than Vol 1 was.

Definitely much harder kanji being used now though.

Thanks for breaking my gif blue bird site.

My ex once put that movie out and just walked out of the room without saying anything. Wasn't in the mood for a movie. No clue what she'd even put on. Never heard of it.

Remains one of my favorite movie experiences to this day.