@jinxplayer: Thanks! Alas I'm probably not the best person to ask as I largely went with the default builds. Early on I did tend to favour lots of LRMs to try and keep out of danger but tactics were usually my best weapon as there aren't that many great DPS options (things like rotating aggro on my mechs, using a lot of jumpjets for position etc.). That said I liked the Firestarter, the Centurion and when you get it the Kintaro is really great for damage. I'd definitely recommend having a look at some of the guides out there as the level of detail is crazy!
@slag: Thanks! Combat is mostly the same but they've made some nice tweaks such as removing the endurance/stamina thing. Now you regenerate health after every battle and instead suffer a 'wound' for hitting 0 HP (3 wounds = death) which you can remove with rest. They also dropped fatigue which was appreciated and they simply do a better job at explaining things with lots of useful tool-tips etc.
@mabaseslums: Thanks! :) and aye, there's certainly a theme of preconception running through things, especially with Beatrice and Mae (who are fantastic together). I've no doubt it will stay with me for some time as I don't think I've enjoyed a set of characters as much as this or had so many scenes hit so close to home. Being somewhat older now just makes it all the more melancholic, but in a good way. A real delight.
@computerandy9: Aye, the Mipha parts were certainly the best of the champion story elements, and hinted at something quite touching between them. But alas I think you're right in that we are just going to have to imagine what could have been really. I think your idea of switching between the two has a lot of potential, especially with the sorts of puzzles and story beats you could potentially have given the two very different skill sets. I suppose Nintendo are somewhat risk averse, but there's a good deal of potential for the series still in some of the ideas they could try.
@slag: Aye, it was much the same for me with Berseria being the first Tales game I was genuinely interested in trying. The comfort food analogy certainly makes sense in hindsight; it's very set in its ways mechanically and doesn't do much to preach beyond the choir save for the change in protagonist. It's not without redeeming qualities but it's a tough sell to anyone who hasn't been a Tales fan up to this point.
@edmundus: My pleasure, a big thank you for playing Overwatch with me. I've spent years avoiding multiplayer games so it was fantastic to spend time with some genuinely kind and decent human beings for once :)
I wish I wrote more regularly to be honest. There are many things I'd cover, but I've never really had the confidence to share my thoughts beyond the odd review and list tucked away in my profile. Perhaps something to address in 2017. And aye, it's not the most celebratory of intros for this list. World events will do that I guess, that and listening to too much My Dying Bride ^^
2016 was pretty amazing in terms of quality and 2017 does indeed seem quite promising. I've only played Tales of Berseria so far this year (which has been kind of middling) but Nioh, Nier: Automata, Zelda, Hollow Knight, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Tides of Numenera, and Persona 5 are all on my radar for stuff I'd likely enjoy (or hope to) in the first few months.
Oh, and Darkest Dungeon has perhaps one of the best voice-overs in any game, it makes me chuckle to imagine the guy who does the narrations doing in it real life for when he goes to the toilet or returns a library book.
@slag: Thank you kindly :) As you say I very much prefer to wait until the year is fully over and I've managed to play pretty much most of the games that interest me. You can never cover all the games but I like doing things at my own pace. The media cycle does indeed favour using GOTY to cover holiday content, and that sometimes can actually be useful in flagging up games I might have missed.
The Turing Test is certainly worth trying. It all seems like it's going to be a non-comedic version of Portal but things are not quite as they seem. Both it and Valley were recommended by a friend so I could have easily missed them otherwise. Valley especially, I still can't quite believe it's the same devs that made Slender: The Arrival ^^
@assinass: Thank you kindly :) I had originally planned to give it 2 stars but I was feeling a bit more generous considering it didn't really frustrate me or have any major technical issues. But yeah, this sort of thing just doesn't really hold up too well no matter how you try and dress it up.
I'm definitely going to try Ladykiller in a Bind at some point. The subject matter is very much of interest. Alas, a bit pricey for me at the moment.
@twitterbeef: Aye, there's no accounting for taste etc. but The Witcher 3 is far superior in my eyes, even with my own issues over that game. RotTR just feels too safe really, it's perfectly decent but I didn't find a lot to make me go wow or get super engrossed in it.
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