Potatomache

The combat's a little clunkier and needs a more tactical approach (especially on higher difficulties), but once you get used to it, it can get pretty addictive. It's the only game in the series where you can get to the nitty gritty details of the AI on the companions: where you can specify which health percentage they should heal at, which enemy to prioritize, or when they should do x if y happens.

Story-wise, the game is solid. You can really tell that they took great care in mapping out all the different choices you can make, and how those meaningfully branch out into different story lines. The companions are beautifully written and have reactions that ring true to their characterization.

Personally, I thought DA:I was a big game that felt empty. It had the combat polish and the beautiful vistas, but not the depth of story and character that I hoped for.

So if you can tolerate the clumsy gameplay, and a slow start, I definitely recommend DA:O.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 has a pretty robust magic system. The chaining status effects are fun and there are multiple ways a player can turn a fight into their advantage.

Agreed. I think the closest one would be Garrus actually, but even then, there was a gap.

One thing I will say about DA:O that I think they did better than ME, was how some romantic interests would take initiative towards the player, which I found surprising and caught me off guard. It helped build the illusion that the characters were their own person, and thus the relationship between player character and them was more genuine.

I like romance in video games when they're well done. Mass Effect had some hit or misses but I like the potential it showed in this aspect. I wish they treated all the potential love interest with the same care and attention they did Liara though (I went for Thane and his romance path in ME3 was... meh). I think OG Bioware did a pretty decent job with romance. Dragon Age: Origins was also fantastic in this regard.

I have yet to scratch that romance itch with other games. I've tried it with Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Pathfinder: Kingmaker. They don't quite land as deeply. I'm hoping the newest Baldur's Gate will have an interesting romance aspect.

Chrono Trigger's pretty good! The soundtrack is equally phenomenal. :D I never got to finish it because I got stuck, but I hope to return to it someday.

I find J-RPGs have a unique sense of optimism and whimsy. Then again, maybe that's just me being biased.

Ooh! Nostalgia time!

I have very vivid memories of Sonic, Pac-Man 2, Moto Racer 97, Contra, Final Fight 2 & 3, Knights of the Round, Earthworm Jim, Spyro, Phantasy Star IV, and Mega-Man. I don't remember a lick of storyline but when I close my eyes, they're there.

As for games that have a more emotional tether, that would be things like Legend of Mana, Chrono Cross, and Threads of Fate. All of which helped build my love for fantasy. I was enamored by the art style and gameplay of LoM, the fact that you could mix and match different skills and discover new ones was like a drug, add in a crafting and pet system and I was stuck. I have a deep love for the soundtrack of Chrono Cross, the combat system also challenged my stupid child brain. Threads of Fate was more of a casual playthrough, but I remember going back to it over and over again, because I kept losing my saves.

I also have games that were more communal: sometimes played with cousins and siblings or with me as the riveted audience. Things like Bomber-man, Tetris, Puyo-Puyo 2, Worms, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy 7-9, Valkyrie Profile, Prince of Persia and Grandia. I have stories for all of those but this is already getting too long. 😅

That's tricky because lower back pain can be due to many things.

If it's related to muscle tenseness, have you tried stretching? Dynamic side stretches first to warm the area up, then more sustained holds. I find a combination of side stretches, sustained cobra pose, child's pose, some squats and that hamstring stretch one does while lying down can help.

I think our surroundings would be much cleaner. We'd have less flyers, billboards, tarps, etc. We would live in a quieter world filled with less distraction.

As much as I hate it however, I agree that it's a necessary evil, but maybe it could be executed more responsibly. I personally prefer "buy it for life" discussions, or product reviews by experts, or those gradings according to sustainability. So maybe in a non-capitalist society, adverts would be more informative than just, "look at this shiny thing, don't you want it?"

I think genuine and thoughtful discussion takes a lot more effort than shit posting, and when you mix that with a karma system that encourages one-upmanship and a few echo chambers, it can get toxic real quick.

I would suggest some books that aren't too long. The ones that got me to read more were:

• Brave New World (sci-fi, dystopian)
• Red Rising (sci-fi, longer and is part of a series but it is a page turner)
• Name of Wind (fantasy, has a more poetic prose)
• Invisible Monsters (bit of a wild ride, this one)

I think "hope" is a tricky word for it. A lot of people don't really care about the issues and a lot of people who use it sparingly for a quick "haha" won't really be affected (at least not yet). So those people may not really hope for more.

I still use reddit for my niche gaming communities and while the possibility of making federated alternatives for those communities exists, it's far simpler to stay.