Final Post - Farewell and I'll see you on the other side!

If anyone still reads this, this will be my last post on this blog. It was a fun little experiment while it lasted, but the time has come to move on to bigger and better things.

I'm starting my own website: www.fatprinny.com, where I will be putting anything and everything that I feel is worth noting down in there (I will also be updating it a helluva lot more!), so check it out and I'll see you on the other side!

The Swapper fast 100% route

Here's a route I've planned to access all the hidden terminals in The Swapper really quickly. Following this, it's possible to get 100% in under 5 minutes if you do everything flawlessly.

Preparation
- Unlock all rooms, all warps, and reach the 124 orb console, but don't activate it.
- Cloud Save at the room where II is located.
- Lower the lifts at the room where X is and the room before the room where I is.
- Start the run at VII (I prefer starting at this because that one jump you have to make to reach the terminal may take a few tries).

Process
1. Get VII
2. Restart Checkpoint 
3. Move all the way right and "fall" to the middle of the room. Head to where VIII is.
4. Get VIII.
5. Restart Checkpoint
6. Warp to where IX is.
7. Get IX.
8. Restart Checkpoint
9. Warp to the teleport pad closest to X.
10. Get X
11. Access Cloud Save
12. Get II
13. Restart Checkpoint
14. Go to the previous room, take the beam that's going up.
15. Head to the room where I is.
16. Get I
17. Restart Checkpoint
18. Go back, head right, and take the beam going right.
19. Go left to the room where III is.
20. Get III
21. Restart Checkpoint
22. In the room where you end up, take the beam going up.
23. Take the warp to the room near where IV is
24. Get IV
25. Restart Checkpoint
26. Warp to where V is.
27. Get V
28. Restart Checkpoint
29. Drop down, head to the room on the right
30. Get VI. And that's that.

A New Year, and Goodbye Star Ocean 4

The New Year has just descended, and with it, new possibilities and games. Before I move on to new ordeals, I'd like to take this moment to say farewell to a great RPG: Star Ocean - The Last Hope International.

After over 6 months since obtaining the last battle trophy, I've finally secured enough platinum trophies to make this one my 100th, and on December 25th, to boot. It was fun while it lasted, and I'm being completely serious.

While this game may be one of the most feared games among trophy hunters, I really think anyone who likes JRPGs should try this one out. Great music that kept me entertained throughout the 450ish hours it took to platinum it, and really only had one subpar track (Roak's battle music). Tracks like 'Blood On The Keys' (regular battle theme), 'Don't Be A Hero' (phantom battle theme), 'Stab The Sword Of Justice' (EN II battle theme), and 'The Incarnation of Devil' (secret boss battle theme) never got old, and kept me entertained throughout the journey.

If you find yourself complaining about the grind being boring, try screwing around a bit. It's got "International" in its name for a reason. Try changing the language settings. Who knows, you might learn some new words. Since there's so many ways to tackle the dreaded battle trophies, try finding ways to decrease the time you spend paying attention to the game. For instance, when going for the infamous 30,000 kills, I used a method that didn't require me to look at the screen at all, so I could have gone to a different room from my TV monitor, and still would be able to grind the kills no problem.

Only thing I'm not too fond of are the voices, which were muted after the first 100 hours. This might have been beneficial, as people complain about the game freezing. Strangely enough, I hadn't encountered any freezes ever since the first phantom battle on Universe difficulty (froze twice on that one battle). Bottom line: got freezing problems? Turn off the battle voices.

Overall, it's been a fun ride, and I wouldn't mind doing it again. Definitely not the worst grind I've done (that dubious distinction goes to Mugen Souls). Sadly, too many unplayed games await me, and thus, it's time for me to delete the game data and move on. I'll still be listening to the OST every now and then to remember the times I spent with this lovely gem.

Binding of Isaac: Rebirth completed!

A few days ago, I have finally managed to complete the Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, by obtaining the final achievement: Real Platinum God, which requires getting 100% items, 100% endings, and all other achievements.

This accomplishment is also reflected in your file select screen.

All in all, I don't think this took more than 80 hours. It might be possible to do it within 60 (!) How can this be? Stay tuned...

Binding of Isaac: Rebirth - The Lost runs completed!

I've completed what is supposedly the "hardest" challenge in The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, beating all the routes with the character "The Lost". Proof below.

The Lost is a strange character who requires a rather convoluted method to unlock. His unique attribute is that he dies in ONE HIT. His hearts cannot be extended in any way and the only way to extend  his life is through certain powerups like Holy Mantle, which allows him to take two hits in a room before croaking.

Moreover, the "Exit Game and Backup Save" technique to create checkpoints will NOT work with The Lost, as leaving the game session and then returning will cause him to instantly die.

Unlocking everything requires you to clear the game at least twice with The Lost. One unlock requires reaching a certain point on Hard Mode. Scared yet?

Actually, it wasn't as hard as most people were saying. I'm guessing they haven't played the game enough to get really good at it. I can honestly say I've done much harder challenges than finishing the game with The Lost :) There are just too many tricks in this game to abuse that make the game easy to clear, even with a character who dies in one hit.

A Streetpass test

I started Streetpassing this year. For those who don't know, Streetpass is this nifty little feature the 3DS has that allows you to "tag" people who are also carrying their 3DS and unlocks some nice little features if you get enough tags. I've been bringing my 3DS around when I remember to charge it just to see what happens. Interesting results. My Streetpass progress so far:

Tags: 1639
Plaza Population: 1060

Map progress:
US: 26 regions
Netherlands: 1 region
Haiti: 1 region
Canada: 1 region
Argentina: 1 region
Japan: 2 regions
Virgin Islands: 1 region

Keep in mind I've currently been to two cons and one big gaming event just this year, so the numbers are a tad high due to this.

Tomorrow I will be going to a small two-day event for anime lovers. How many tags can I get this time? We shall see...

UPDATE: Current tags: 1677, total population: 1092. A total of 38 new tags and 32 new people. 3 new regions also discovered. Turnout was about 250-350. Won't be going tomorrow since there's usually a smaller turnout the next day and I have other obligations to fulfill, but this was certainly enlightening to some extent.

Just a few Disgaea 4 Vita pics

 

This was the time it took me to beat the main story.

The infamous Meowkin Pirates

Owning Zetta. I think I fought him around the 22-24 hour mark.

Prinny Kurtis encounter

A new soon-to-be ally

Boss of the Netherbattle Tournament

The new best armor in the game. Trapezohedron wut?

All Pirate Ship parts trophy.

Baal in LoC. Doesn't get any stronger than this.

The aftermath

And the reward

And he's back.

All skills trophy. Grave Eternity is from Baal. Yes, his skills are required.

All Items trophy. Was missing an orb to finish it, so I got one from the Hospital

The platinum trophy

This is how long it took to get the platinum, minus resetting times