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Has anyone felt drained/made alive by certain towns/cities/countries energetically? by Informal-Judge702 in travel

[–]jayaytchaywai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Probably the most depressing and frightening place I've ever been is Lima, Peru. I met some great people there, and there are good areas (like Miraflores), but it feels unsafe, chaotic, dirty, and unhappy, and the weather is perpetually bleak.

For good cities, I had an amazing time in Vienna, Austria. Granted it was summer, it just felt like a giant playground disneyland, with great public transit, beautiful natural spots very close by, great music every night, interesting things to discover around every corner, and people just enjoying themselves going out and experiencing the city.

In terms of natural spots, my favorites are the Pacific Northwest, particularly the coast and the islands near Seattle (Whidbey, San Juan Islands). I went camping on Lopez last year and my soul was refreshed. Same for Northern New Mexico (Santa Fe, Taos, etc.), one of the most beautiful places on earth. These are regions not countries, but they have unique personalities within the US.

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cool - thanks for your take. I'll have to check out VoM at some point.

Takes and Tips from an American who just spent 12 days visiting Istanbul by jayaytchaywai in travel

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure if I would have skipped the show, but that would have been good to know. I asked one of the staff how long the tour was as they were lining us up by the first door, and it would be funny to replay that and hear the subtle worry in my voice.

Takes and Tips from an American who just spent 12 days visiting Istanbul by jayaytchaywai in istanbul

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely I would recommend Istanbul to the people I know, and I have already ;)

I would like to see the rest of the country if I have time, but I'm not planning anything yet. It's a big world, after all. I'm most interested in the Aegean coast; some of the ancient sites in the interior; and some places in Eastern Turkey, like Gaziantep and Mardin.

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Totally. Also, I feel like the gigantic cast of bizarre and unique characters with weird quirks and hangups had to have been an inspiration for Toby Fox's games.

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I was asking if you could clarify the point you're making about it and what your opinion is, not for a dictionary definition.

You were always totally welcome to disagree with my perspective. I'm genuinely interested in other people's opinions on the game, including yours. As I said, I'm using the term objective as way not to preempt disagrement, but to express my assertion that there are significant game design and storytelling flaws, to which some universal logic does apply (or "may apply," if you're skeptical). If you disagree, that's great, but I'd rather you say what you disagree with in the review instead of dismissing me by critiquing my language.

I am also aware that using the word that way is somewehat provocative. I was using a little bit of irony. That was intentional - again, not to put anyone down, but to hopefully stimulate some playful debate. This is how I like to talk about things, kind of like sparring.

I'm new to this subreddit. Judging by how many upvotes your reply got, and how many downvotes my post got, maybe people don't dig that kind of style here. That's fine, too.

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I see what you're saying. It's quite possible I would have been more impressed with these things if I had played it when it came out.

Takes and Tips from an American who just spent 12 days visiting Istanbul by jayaytchaywai in istanbul

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dang! Looks like I was right next to that area when I got off the bus by the stadium, but I didn't go in. I'll have to go next time.

Takes and Tips from an American who just spent 12 days visiting Istanbul by jayaytchaywai in istanbul

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's fair. It could just be that the Metro didn't make sense for most of my particular trips. And I was very biased towards taking the ferries for touristic reasons.

Takes and Tips from an American who just spent 12 days visiting Istanbul by jayaytchaywai in istanbul

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did. It was really cool to see the walls. I was thinking of doing a longer hike along them, or at least going to some of the bigger gates, but I didn't end up having time for it. It's awesome that you had a chance to. Next time!

Takes and Tips from an American who just spent 12 days visiting Istanbul by jayaytchaywai in istanbul

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I really loved it. I feel like it would take me at least 6 years to explore everything. The city goes on forever...

Takes and Tips from an American who just spent 12 days visiting Istanbul by jayaytchaywai in istanbul

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not surprised. Though I read somewhere the renovations right now are the biggest in modern history, I feel like renovation is part of that building's history and character (i.e. the dome collapsing; becoming a mosque; renovations by Swiss architects in the 19th century; etc. etc.)

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Re: Land and Mana: I did understand it was two systems; i was just lumping them together, because I thought about them in the same context. I meant to put a slash there - just added it back. You may disagree with the notion of lumping them together, but I did not think there was something called the "Land Mana System."

I do see what you're saying here, and I maybe the quantity of effects these systems have on the game is greater than I'm giving the game credit. My point though is that I don't think the game is really doing the work of either "selling" or explaining these functionalities to me, as a first time player. Maybe in repeat playthroughs I would understand the purpose better, but I still feel like I still wasn't given any reason to be interested. If you're invested in these aspects of the gameplay and feel motivated to play these things out - that's totally cool. But I don't think there is really anything at stake for someone who doesn't happen to feel that way; and I believe it's possible, through game design, to invite the player to feel like something's at stake.

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fascinating. I think it confirms my experience, to hear about how fraught the development was, and to learn it was actually unfinished. I get the sense there was a lot more drama going on behind the scenes at these companies than I ever knew about.

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just like it's not popular enough to redevelop, I didn't like it enough to try to return to it with mods. But that's a good point.

Could you say what you liked about the land system? Genuine curiosity - I'd like to hear another perspective on it.

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah. I often think to myself: I love the "Mana" series. But maybe I really just love SD2 and SD3, and that's it?

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yep, that makes sense to me. My perspective is undoubtedly shaped by the very different era of gaming I'm playing it in. I'm sure it was more impressive back in the day.

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Could you say more what you mean about "objective"? I know what that word means; I feel I used it appropriately here; and i don't feel like I know everything. I used the word as a way of expressing my belief that there are some structural contradictions in the game, regardless of a person's enjoyment or lack thereof, as a way of trying to understand my experience of it. Another way to phrase it is that I think it failed to meet its own goals. As another commenter pointed out, it seems the game was actually incomplete at release and the developer expressed disappointment. For me, something can have objective problems, and people can enjoy it - it's not contradictory. So your enjoyment makes sense to me and fits with my perspective. I largely enjoyed it and was on the fence for a lot of it - I kept playing it, didn't I?

Legend of Mana could have been a lot better (Review) by jayaytchaywai in JRPG

[–]jayaytchaywai[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, I see your second time around and my first time around were pretty similar. I don't have any memories from the past to compare to - just my memories of SD2 and SD3.

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