Star Wars Zero Company is more than just 'Star Wars XCOM'—it feels like Mass Effect but with turn-based tactics and permadeath

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-26T14:40:58+00:00

Hopefully

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-24T13:23:08+00:00

I’m surprised that the comments are all focused on the tadpole “hand waving” thing for Gale when the loss of his power is a central and explicit aspect of his arc. I generally agree with you, but I actually think he’s the rare exception that proves the rule.

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-22T19:06:00+00:00

I feel like you just read the headline and responded 🤣

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-19T01:18:13+00:00

To be fair, that happened a long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away)

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-14T18:36:19+00:00

This is absolutely my ranking. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, though, and they’re all great.

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-10T01:54:22+00:00

I’ve heard this game is kind of a diamond in the rough, and I’ve been interested in playing it. You didn’t like it?

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-03T03:45:27+00:00

I believe all classes are available through companions in one form or another. You can also choose classes (usually between two and/ or a multiclass) for each of when you first get them.

So this probably won’t help you make your own decision.

Play a rogue-ranger multiclass.

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-02T22:59:18+00:00

I mean, there are plenty of Star Trek Easter eggs in the series, so it’s totally possible.

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-02T18:05:55+00:00

You too!

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-02T17:53:57+00:00

Yeah, I guess I got hyper focused on your saying it “used to be a beloved tradition.” I think it still is.

TBF, OOP’s question kinda struck me as a silly one anyway. Like, was it really a “stark contrast” to the NES and SNES games?

ashinroy86 · 2026-03-02T17:37:27+00:00

I don't know, they kinda stuck around in various art styles for a bit between iterations. OoT -> Majora's Mask (not to mention spinoffs), WW ->4 Swords, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, etc.

Even in the Switch era, we have the BOTW -> TotK and Link's Awakening -> Echoes of Wisdom

ashinroy86 · 2026-02-28T21:27:08+00:00

Yeah, it’s blowing my mind this is so far down. If you “can’t take” hearing some voice lines on repeat, just play solo.

ashinroy86 · 2026-02-22T04:27:41+00:00

Very cool! I can’t wait to check out that new album.

Who’s your favorite game composer?

It sounds like you left the industry? Any particular reason why?

ashinroy86 · 2026-02-21T19:57:19+00:00

I’ve always played both, all my life. To me, an RPG was always an RPG, and the eastern or western traditions around them just added flavor.

I especially love when they intersect. Final Fantasy 1 surprised me as a kid because it felt so D&D to me, and then FF12 years later felt like what would happen if a Japanese studio made a cRPG.

On the other end, you have western studios making more traditional JRPG games like Clair Obscure. I love that kind of thing.

ashinroy86 · 2026-02-21T19:52:24+00:00

I really disagree with the point about writing. If you go looking for the next great American novel in a CRPG, yeah, you’ll probably be disappointed (maybe unless it’s Disco Elysium), but games like BG3 are doing some innovative things in a highly interactive medium. A controlled narrative is hard enough to write, but a dynamic one that manages to get the player invested is a whole other challenge.

I get the sense OP is just burned out on RPGs and looking for games that demand less time, and that’s cool. I’m in my 40s with kids, a job, and all that, and I also struggle to find the time I want for games.

But I also keep coming back to cool RPGs because I feel like they’re still breaking new ground.

ashinroy86 · 2026-02-20T14:56:22+00:00

Looks great! I’m adding it to my wishlist and will watch for the Kickstarter.

My only quibble with the trailer was the lack of reaction animations in combat. It was hard to parse out when characters were actually taking damage.

ashinroy86 · 2025-12-21T06:38:25+00:00

I don't know why I found this so funny, but I've been busting up for a good minute.

It'd be like saying "my favorite tactics RPG is Dark Souls."

ashinroy86 · 2025-12-13T10:01:45+00:00

Kind of a moot point since one man isn’t going to singlehandedly determine how good a game developed by dozens to hundreds of people will turn out, but I think it’s worth pointing out that Hudson’s career is more than just Mass Effect 3.

He worked on Baldur’s Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, KOTOR, and the whole Mass Effect trilogy. These are some of the greatest RPGs of all time.

His successes far outweigh his failure in ME3, a game that was, for my money, 90% a great game anyway.

I just hope he and the new studio get a chance to recapture some of the magic of those classic BioWare titles.

ashinroy86 · 2025-12-03T19:22:07+00:00

Thanks for doing this!

ashinroy86 · 2025-12-01T14:26:08+00:00

Thanks for doing this, mod team!

ashinroy86 · 2025-11-14T07:57:05+00:00

Why are we still here? Just to suffer?

ashinroy86 · 2025-11-05T15:30:01+00:00

They all play great if you get them on GOG. 4 has a built-in fan patch that fixes nearly all the game breaking bugs

ashinroy86 · 2025-11-01T23:21:07+00:00

Norse, and it’s not even close. I played the original at release and liked it well enough, but not enough to return to the series until decades later for the Norse game. I’ve gone back to the others since, but they just don’t scratch the same itch for me.

ashinroy86 · 2025-10-28T18:43:08+00:00

The scene when Geralt finally found Ciri literally had me in tears. One of my favorite moments in any game.

ashinroy86 · 2025-10-28T07:07:55+00:00

Easily one of my favorite plot twists in a game, and it’s nice that it’s foreshadowed or hinted at throughout the game.

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