Jeremy

Just made it to the Gold Saucer in #FinalFantasyVIIRebirth, which I am finding very cool.

I often take for granted the fact that the video game I played and enjoyed more than any other during my childhood is being remade at such a high level of quality.

I don’t love a lot of the fluff they’ve added to these games but seeing areas like this modernized is such a treat!

I updated my profile with a list of all the games I’ve finished this decade in chronological order. Thought I’d share it since it took a good chunk of time to put together.

2021
Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Final Fantasy XV (PC)
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux (3DS)
Final Fantasy VII (PC)

2022
Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE Encore (Switch)
Persona5 (PS3)
Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch)
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (PC)

2023
Persona4 Golden (PC)
Soul Hackers (3DS)
Soul Hackers 2 (PC)
Final Fantasy XIII (PC)

2024
Persona5 Strikers (PC)
Final Fantasy XVI (PS5)
Persona3 Reload (PC)
Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)

2025
Final Fantasy VIII (PS1)

2026
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster (PC)
Astral Chain (Switch)

Now that I’m done with Astral Chain, I plan to return my focus back to #FinalFantasyVIIRebirth.

I’m tempted to use my morning game time to play something that I’m closer to the end in, like #TalesOfBerseria, since I’ve enjoyed the rapid shortening of my backlog lately, but I think I’ll try doing that while I work, after I beat #SMT3 again. That shouldn’t take long, as soon as I decide what demons to fuse before reentering the final dungeon, which I’m currently struggling with.

I beat #AstralChain!!

That final boss battle offered the perfect level of challenge. It took me over a dozen attempts. I didn't have any items that replenished my health, which made it harder, but luckily I did have items that gave me more lives. I had 8 total and I needed every single one of them.

I started this game at the beginning of 2022 and my save file says my playtime was 30 hours, but my Switch says I've played it for 40 hours or more. I think that is the perfect length, especially since there was still a ton of side content I didn't do and a bunch more just introduced in File 12, which becomes available after the credits roll. There is also a ranking system and you can retry missions if you wanted to get the highest rank.

Highly recommended Switch exclusive!

Getting very close to the end of #AstralChain! I think I’m on the final boss battle. It seems pretty tricky and I ran out of restorative items again…

I’ve also been making steady progress on getting the True Demon Ending in #SMT3. Been trying to open all the doors in the Fifth Kalpa. Got Uber Pixie and Black Frost and just beat Metatron!

Making another attempt at playing Steam games on my Razer Edge with #GameNative.

I gave up on using GameHub a while back as all I could get running was Hades and it always crashed multiple times before successfully booting into the game.

I don’t expect great results from playing most of my Steam library on here since the Razer Edge isn’t all that powerful and I have very limited storage, but I think #TalesOfBerseria would be a perfect fit. If it doesn’t work, my next pick would be Final Fantasy XIII-2.

UPDATE: I tried very hard but I couldn’t get Tales of Berseria to boot. I managed to clear up just enough space to download FF13-2. We’ll see how that works. The more I mess with this, the more I realize how unnecessary being able to play Steam games on a handheld device is for me…

Just got back from my trip to the Washington DC area. I stuck with the plan and brought my Switch and my new Anbernic RG40XX H. I kept the latter in my pocket throughout the trip and it worked out really well. I had several chances to pull it out and play #FinalFantasyIX which was great. Finally got through Ipsen's Castle and made it to Terra!

During the 8-ish hours of total plane time and a couple other occasions in between, I played #AstralChain on my Switch. I really struggled with a boss fight on the plane ride there, but it was a good challenge as it made me better understand the mechanics of the battle system (which I love).

Managed to get through that and then got stuck at a motorcycle sequence. After countless attempts, I decided to lower the difficulty level at the beginning of the plane ride home, which allowed me to finish File 9. Afterwards I realized that I haven't upgraded my legions in a very long time so I was very underleveled, which explains the difficulties I was having.

I'm now deep into File 10 and have been appreciating how awesome this game is. Very balanced and varied gameplay, great performance, and it even looks good when the resolution drops.

I got my new #Anbernic RG40XX H #emulation handheld on Tuesday. Installed #Knulli (a custom firmware) on it and then spent way too long figuring out how to import my #FinalFantasyIX save file. It should've been easy since I've done it so many times but unfortunately not.

Things I like about this device:
-Looks awesome (I'm a sucker for rainbow RGB on black)
-Great ergonomics (the d-pad and joysticks are both easily reachable)
-Very pocketable
-Quiet face buttons
-Good sized 4:3 aspect ratio display with minimal backlight bleed that seems to get bright enough to use it outside

Things I don't like about this device:
-It's just barely too underpowered to play FFIX at 2x resolution without slowdown during some battle animations
-Speakers aren't great
-Bumpers and triggers are very clicky and loud
-Colors aren't very vibrant and blacks aren't very black

Overall, I'm happy with this device and plan to keep it. Definitely worth $50.

Just got an email from #DekuDeals saying that the Switch version of #Persona3Portable just went on sale! Perfect timing as I can now take it on my upcoming trip to DC without bringing the cartridge.

Made it to the Fifth Kalpa in #SMT3! Glad I used a guide for this instead of trying to figure it out myself as the stuff you need to do after beating the boss of the Fourth Kalpa is very convoluted.

I'm happy I didn't move on from this game without finishing the Labyrinth of Amala. Also happy I got to see what it was like to beat the game before the enhanced rerelease came out that added the content I'm going through right now.

I think I've got myself into a dopamine bender. This happens from time to time. I recently have had the urge to buy something, and with my interests and self-imposed budget, that again has led me to obsessively shopping around for a new gaming handheld.

I find it helpful to have something to think about throughout the days to keep my mind occupied, but at a certain point that well runs dry and I become exhausted trying to get more out of it. Then I start having a hard time getting things done that I should be doing.

That's where I am currently. Today I should be receiving the RG40XXH I ordered off AliExpress 5 days ago. The wait has been rough for me, but I saved $30 over ordering it from Amazon and getting it the next day. Hopefully I like it.

I'm mainly thinking about optimizing my free time on a trip that me, my wife, and 4-year-old are going on soon. Although I often end up with decision paralysis when I pull out a handheld to play during those times. My goal is to just play Final Fantasy IX at those times, so I don't have that problem.

During the 4-hour flights I'm thinking about bringing my Switch and working on Astral Chain.

While waiting for the RG40XXH handheld I ordered from AliExpress to arrive, I impulsively bought the #RG505 from Amazon since it was one of the few that would arrive next-day and it seemed like it may fit my requirements of being pocketable and having quiet buttons. Plus, it’s OLED!

Well, I got it yesterday and it seemed like something I may want to keep. I was happy with the buttons and the overall build quality but it was barely pocketable. However, I thought having the OLED panel would be worth the bulk… until the sun went down and the mura effect on the screen revealed itself.

I probably should have expected this as I had the same problem with the RG503 I tried out a year or two ago and they both use the same OLED panel.

Anyway, I’ll be sending this back as I wouldn’t be able to enjoy playing it in bed.

This was a learning experience, though, as I now know exactly how pocketable a device of this size is. And I also realized the Switch Lite is technically pocketable…..

I am fully committed to finishing #FinalFantasyVIIRebirth as soon as I can.

Having my PS5 on my desk instead of in my bedroom like it was at my old house makes it so much easier to play on a daily basis.

I was going to stick to just the required content in the game but I do enjoy some of the side content, like playing Queensblood and piano. It’s mainly the open world exploration stuff that I don’t enjoy.

I tried to play Episode Aigis while I worked yesterday but I kept wanting to pass turns without losing them like I got so used to in #SMT3 and not being able to do that really bothered me, so I exited P3R and loaded SMT3.
I found my latest save file before the ending was locked in and got to work on completing the Fourth Kalpa. True Demon Ending here I come!

I also decided to start #SMT4Apocalypse for the first time on my 3DS yesterday. I usually play #DevilSurvivor on the rare occasions that I use my 3DS but I have been stuck on the same battle for a very long time.

I’m going out of town soon and may end up with more time to play it. I was looking for another pocketable device to purchase but have been struggling to find something better.

Decided to play #FinalFantasyVIIRebirth this morning. Was treated to a good boss battle and some interesting story beats. I’m about halfway through this game. I’d like to get into it again but I should just stick to the required stuff from here on out. I can’t say I enjoyed doing all the side content in the first few areas.

I could get into #Expedition33 instead, or try to go back and forth between both, but I like the idea of focusing on the games I’ve already spent a bunch of time on.