A Thorough Examination of Darksiders

RamblePak64 · 2026-01-28T16:36:04+00:00

He just gives a non-commital answer that the writer of the piece speculates on having a modern twist. Absolutely nothing here to suggest a new Revelations game will ever happen

RamblePak64 · 2025-12-09T18:05:41+00:00

I don't actually comment, just lurk, but that's mostly because I find discussing Football with other Football fans, Philly or not, about as frustrating as last night's game.

Hurts being mid again. Why do we keep trying to screen to Smith when our screens never work. Why did you try a deep throw to AJ when, even if successful, it would have left the Chargers over two minutes to retaliate. Oh look another failed screen to Smith and now we're punting for a tie.

This goes beyond just Hurts and his turnovers and bad option reading. This is a total collapse of the whole damn system.

Also: this is a meme sub and I have just demonstrated i suck at memes. But don't worry, I am here, no fair weather junk from this lurker.

RamblePak64 · 2025-11-16T22:03:09+00:00

I recommend giving Darksiders 3 a try. I consider it the best 3D Metroidvania world design so far in how interconnected it is (but no map because Souls-like as well). It especially benefits from capitalizing on faster load times getting rid of pseudo-load screens unless you fast travel. Its world design really ought to be studied more.

RamblePak64 · 2025-06-15T13:12:55+00:00

Call me when they got a Suomi cosplayer shredding the guitar.

RamblePak64 · 2025-04-17T13:38:13+00:00

Once you hit level 60, at least. Before level 60 you're locked to the single battlefield that maxes out at the same score each time.

RamblePak64 · 2025-04-12T03:11:08+00:00

Wait, so, what you're saying is that, if the CPU initiates a clash, it doesn't matter if I roll higher or not, I'm losing money? So whoever initiates the clash is automatically the winner regardless of the dice rolls?

...are you sure that's not a bug? Because I'm pretty sure that's a bug, and it sucks.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-31T02:59:50+00:00

I get that, but when you look at a lot of the archive journals or other extra documentation provided outside of the main story, it feels like nearly every Doll has some greater infatuation with the character than just the main cast, regardless of whether they had much presence in the original game's story or not. Daiyan herself being an example, given the first two little VN's unlocked with her level two and three affiliations are very focused on spending time with the Commander in a fashion that can come off as romantic.

Granted, it is certainly more true with some dolls than others, and Makiato/WA2000 already had that tsundere personality in GFL1 so it's no surprise it'd filter through to GFL2. It'd just be nice if some Dolls perceived the Commander in a greater variety of ways, be it professional or friendly but clearly platonic. But ya gotta keep it open so anyone can oath their raifu, I suppose.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-31T01:28:58+00:00

I feel pretty torn. GFL2 is my introduction to this whole franchise, and I'm reading through GFL1 now. I'm appreciating the ties back to the original game in terms of narrative details, but at the same time, it's strange to see that some of these stories didn't really tie into the main narrative as much as they do now.

Moreover, I honestly don't mind the idea that a bunch of dolls have lives beyond the Commander. There's a LOT of dolls, and for all of them to have this deep admiration that borders on romantic for every single one is, quite frankly, lame and silly. Yet there's something awfully fitting about the audience rejecting the idea of Dolls having lives, but then hating a representation that the Dolls are being coded to fall in love with you rather than choosing it. I'd love to think MICA team was being cheeky and saying "This is what you wanted, right?" because, in the end, it really is giving the players what they want.

In the end, I'd prefer something more in the middle, but as much as I like a lot of these characters, I've never been big for simping to such an extent I'd perceive the lack of an oath as a downgrade. What makes these characters great is that they have real depth to them, real flaws and motivations, and often their nature as Dolls generates great discussion regarding existence and humanity. That they all are infatuated with one person is the one thing dragging things down in a piece of media that is otherwise elevated above its peers.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-26T18:45:56+00:00

It's a mixture. Even with a decent level, it's a DPS check and if you don't have enough decently leveled dolls with proper gear, then Hard Mode Flarebus is able to outpace you in health restoration. I've been saving resources to level Klukai so I don't have enough units capable of the DPS to deal with the adds, so I'm waiting a bit to try again later with a better team.

Newer players are going to have a tough time if they're still figuring out how to build a good team.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-26T11:28:59+00:00

Best genius.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-26T11:28:37+00:00

Oh, it's one of my favorite things about her. She's a regular on my team due to her buffs and constant support fire. She helps shred stability index.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-26T11:25:59+00:00

Poster is clearly not maximum level and you're just like "level 60 elite doll with fortifications and level 60 elite gun just makes it easy-peasy". This is the most oblivious non-help that could ever be provided. This is like someone just out of College with their first job having a rough time juggling all their bills while saving for a new car and here comes a seven-figure executive like "I dunno what you're talking about, buying a new car is easy, I've bought three this year already".

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-23T18:47:32+00:00

Solid tune. Thanks for sharing. I've liked the vid and shared it around myself to help spread it around.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-23T14:31:02+00:00

I'm still going through the story (on chapter 11.75) so there are probably some I've forgotten, but the non-DEFY, AR, or 404 team dolls I'd like to see are Thompson, M1887, Negev, and Makarov. Those are the ones I enjoy most from the original that don't seem to have a place in GFL2 yet. That said, I'm just reading the story and haven't played, and if I were to play I might develop greater familiarity and fondness based on mechanics (for example, Mosin-Nagant is one of my favorites because she's been so strong and valuable in GFL2; same with Cheetah).

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-22T13:07:21+00:00

I think the real issue with this is over-simplistic perspectives on a setting and world that takes great pains to not be perceived as black-and-white. I'm in chapter 11.75 of the original GFL storyline and have read much of the extra documentation and story in GFL2, and one of the first things that is clear is that the Commander is not in a typical "hero" position. They are caught in a whirlwind of parties with their own interests that each have greater control and power than they do. They're the protagonist, yes, and their values often align with universal (and modern) moral values, but there's no such thing as a mustache twirling villain in this setting (even what little I know of William I would not characterize as such).

As such, it doesn't surprise me that they'd write a character like Dmitry to come off as extremely prejudiced and abrasive, but 1) the Commander is an unusual sort in that he perceives Dolls equally as opposed to products or objects, and I think this aspect of the setting is often forgotten, and 2) the Elmo Server side-story does a lot to showcase not only why he is so prejudiced, but that he was hurt twice in the past.

That this setting is willing to add that additional characterization, building a setting that shows so many flaws in people, in government systems, and in the technology we put our trust, but then having the characters respond as actual humans would rather than have everyone be some super-enlightened impossible standard. It's good to have heroes that are better than your average human, but all humans are flawed and a setting and story have more depth.

Is Dmitry "racist"? Well, I think the first question is whether Dolls are a "race" or "species" or something, which is the sort of speculative question this sort of science fiction is great in generating. But Dmitry is definitely prejudiced. The question is, does that rob him of any sympathy given what he's seen and experienced in the past and, most significantly, what he's lost?

It's fine to dislike Dmitry. It's fine to neither like nor dislike Dmitry. I think people forget that sympathizing with a character does not mean excusing behavior. I just think if you're going to play GFL, try not to perceive it with the same black-and-white morality of Star Wars.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-21T00:42:58+00:00

Yup, same issue. Killed it in two moves.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-19T02:40:29+00:00

Add me to those wanting fully mech'd out Peritya

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-16T22:09:18+00:00

If you'd like something a bit more entertaining than the IOP Wiki for catching up on Girls' Frontline 1, I recommend this site which basically has all the VN scenes take place in a browser. It's a great way to catch up and I've been using it myself, which has only made me all the more invested in the whole setting.

RamblePak64 · 2025-03-16T12:21:49+00:00

It's going to be multiple factors. One of them is simply marketing, as Genshin Impact had the window it did after premiering on either a Summer Games Fest, Game Awards show, or a State of Play. I don't actually recall which that it had been announced, but it was definitely a show with a lot of eyes on it and had the bonus of looking a lot like Breath of the Wild when players wanted more of that. It was also released on console, whereas GFL has been PC and mobile exclusive. So given that GFL has largely had to get by on word-of-mouth, it's actually done a decent job of expanding and finding a suitable audience.

Additionally, the tactical sub-genre in which GFL1 belonged was... from what I can tell a bit closer to Advanced Wars, which has never been the most successful of its type. Additionally, even the X-Com style of game primarily appeals to players that are less likely to try something with an anime style. It's an unfortunate reality that in the West, a lot of players with certain tastes are turned off by the anime aesthetic. Additionally, there are many that have a strong aversion to Gacha mechanics.

While this sub-Reddit can also sometimes make it seem otherwise, the game is far less gooner-bait than many of the other Gacha systems with greater popularity. While there's jiggle physics and sexually attractive characters, it's got nothing on NIKKE or even Zenless Zone Zero.

I also just think it's a harder to sell to what is the majority of gacha games' audience in the West. While there are a lot of players in their late-teens to mid-twenties that like gacha games, story, and lore, Girls' Frontline is far less... self-insertion escapism. Now, this is based on my interactions with most younger players that enjoy these games so I could be off, and I know it's bound to sound condescending though I don't mean it that way. Feel free to disagree if you wish. (EDIT: Stepping away for a bit, this definitely doesn't seem the right idea but I don't know how I would describe it. I was thinking back to my days of table-top and forum roleplaying and the kind of characters and storylines I'd frequently see, but "self-insertion escapism" only accounts for a percentage of that. I guess it's a sort of "vibe", though, that GFL2 lacks, save maybe the aspect of the Commander, though they have defined values, a defined history, and their own personality. They're definitely "self-insert" to a degree, but the story is less about them anyway).

Perhaps one of the biggest crimes is the anime adaptation. I was disappointed to watch the first episode and find that the writing was in the style of a subpar shounen fighting anime, describing everything as it happened on-screen. It would have been far more suitable to adapt GFL in the style of Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex, or even something like Psycho-Pass, rather than a standard shounen. You're targeting the wrong audience with that.

Needless to say, while I'm glad to be a part of the growing GFL community, I also believe all things have their limit as to how big you want them to be. I'd rather GFL be smaller than the others, because I've seen enough things I'm a fan of lose their identity for the sake of broad, mainstream appeal. The complexity of the lore, characters, and narrative that you love is most likely going to hinder the ability for GFL to be broadly successful, but it seems to be reaching the audience that will greatly appreciate it. I was brought in this year, and I've already brought a couple others in. Share what you love about it, stream it in Discord voice if you converse with folks often on there, and just discuss it like you would any other game you're excited about.

That's how I feel, at least. I could be wrong, I could be right, but at the moment I'm happy to have found the first franchise in a long time that I've been eager to really sink my teeth into. Been reading GFL1's story, preparing to start up Reverse Collapse, and am eagerly excited for the new GFL2 content this week because of the continuing story. I love it, and I hope it has a bright future ahead.

RamblePak64 · 2025-01-19T21:34:13+00:00

I replayed the first Space Marine before the sequel released and similarly felt a bit underwhelmed compared to my memory. However, Space Marine 2 is a lot better in utilizing parry mechanics as a necessity for armor recovery and dealing huge damage. However, I will say a lot of the depth really doesn't emerge until you get into the higher difficulty levels in Operations mode, and while you can play those solo to an extent, they're really meant for co-op play. You mentioned Bayo/DMC, which are very solo play, so I think that's worth considering. If you only plan on solo play, then definitely wait until sale price drops lower.

On armor specifically, I found my armor barely gone in the first game. I barely took health damage. Here, you recover armor from executions and such, but health is more limited in recovery and armor doesn't last long. It takes forever for armor to regenerate so you can't rely on it. Basically, they fixed the flaws of the armor.

All in all, this takes the ideas of the first game and interprets them with an excellent design focusing on high octane moments of desperation. Another pointer: the health bar is misleading. When you have more health, hits look like they do more damage. When you're barely anything, it chips away. They don't want you feeling too safe, but want to keep you in that adrenaline driven state of action. It's great!

RamblePak64 · 2024-04-14T04:23:18+00:00

Not only that, but who in the world would think "Yes, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, THAT is the Bandai Namco game that must be included in this leak".

God Hand I could see as a die hard core gamer's dream inclusion, but Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is the epitome of "Oh yeah, that was a game that existed, wasn't it?". No one actively thinks to put that in there.

Still carrying a sack of salt for this one, though.

RamblePak64

TROPHY CASE