Is triple-bumping okay?

Also I've been wondering if this should be renamed to "Dragon Quest/Warrior All-Purpose Topic" and possibly moved to Classic Gaming since I have a lot to say about the DQ series lately (and I'm working on a video about the first game which I will upload.... hopefully this year). I'll let the mods hash that one out.

Okay, so first...

Dragon Quest Builders 2

I mentioned that my first Switch game was DQB2 (the store didn't have the first one).

And I keep waffling on an issue.... okay, so I thought of also getting Minecraft on Switch, but.... part of me wonders if I even need it.

Okay so I started DQ2 and noticed it seems to be storymode-only (apparently a free create mode was added in a recent patch but I haven't had luck getting my Switch online with wifi so I'm waiting on a USB Lan adapter), which at first I thought was gonna be restrictive...

But like... it kind of is because you can't craft everything right off the bat, your char (who I call Bippydoo out of a personal tradition which will be explained in that DW1 video, tho I think I've told the story in text before) has to realize the recipe and write it down in his book first... and I just realized how much that sounds like another Square Enix game, except here the iconic scene is him having a eureka moment then pulling a stonking huge book and quill pen out of nowhere and doing some writing. Anyway, so for example you can't make a Stone Sword until your char has this eureka moment. Sometimes its story-dependent, sometimes it happens when you level up, and sometimes it happens just whenever you encounter a new type of material (Bippydoo figured out how to made medical herbs as soon as I got my first medical leaf drop).

But then there's placing blocks... outside of needing a plot upgrade item (which you can get in 10-30min) to break down some materials into a carryable item, you're basically given free reign right off the bat. Anything you want to, do it. Wanna change the world? There's nothing to it. Come with me and you'll be in a world of Pure Imagination...

And the story quests... well basically they only kick off when you talk to people who are clearly indicated, so you can put them on hold for like ever if you wish.

I've played like 5 hours of the game now and only just got to the girl who teaches you about farming...

Incidentally, I actually kind of like the fact that Toriyama's characters all resemble each other, because it always feels a little awesome when I recognize a face. I described Rosie to someone as "like if Arale and Lucca did the fusion dance" and that friend was like "Who's Arale?"

And I'll be honest... I never liked Minecraft's blocky aesthetic. In general one of my problems with the indie scene is how every game seems to be trying hard to have a stand-out visual style and like, I get it, but at the same time I want something a little more normal sometimes. If I made a game I'd make it look like an 80s cartoon or an 80s-early 90s anime OVA.

Dragon Warrior I

So there was a discussion elsewhere where I and another member discussed the merits of the Gameboy Color version over the NES one.

Recently I played both versions back to back (because of course I own both).... and thing is, now that I have, I'm not convinced that the concept that "the GBC version has less grinding" is actually true. In fact I'm actually feeling the opposite.

Like, in the NES one, once you know where the Erdrick Armor is, all you potentially need is the Sleep spell and you can go for it, and that cuts out a lot of money grinding (I basically never grind for EXP) right there... but GBC has rebalanced it so Sleep is less likely to work, and furthermore the monster guarding the Erdrick Armor sometimes gets to go first and just kill you. So I almost feel like I have to grind up for the Magic Armor before I even have a chance against him.

Its possible I just have bad luck though.

By the way, I know the NES game has the whole "your name affects your stats" thing, but is that still true in the GBC version? It doesn't matter since he's Bippydoo (or Bipp) either way, but I noticed some of my level ups early on kinda sucked.

Dragon Quest VIII

Still the best RPG on the PS2.

That said, one thing I kinda ran into is I actually got caught up just exploring for treasures and unique monster encounters, so I'm kinda overpowered (I'm at Trodain Castle now).

I.... almost think this game punishes you for that, because I noticed some characters used to get 9 skill points per level, but now they get like 2-5, and I almost wonder (in part because of one of the messages King Trode gives you when you hit select) if the game actually punishes you for powerlevelling via these skill points.

Mind, I don't know how much of a difference it makes. I tend to put the points towards whatever weapon I'm currently using (tho with Bippydoo I also gave him Courage and Yangus I upped his Humanity. Jessica I gave her Sexiness for a bit but stopped after she got the "some monsters will randomly not attack because they think she's hot" thing) and it so far hasn't been a problem. I usually hate games with these kinds of skill things because I feel like I'm screwing myself, but DQ8 seems to mitigate this by making balance across the board perfectly viable.

Damn this world is big tho.