I have the starting tunic & shield, the master sword, the titan’s mitt (don’t know if I should have that -not that I use it anyway as I go straight from dungeon to dungeon), bombs, bow, hookshot, pegasus boots, flippers, moon pearl, lamp, mudora’s book.
I’m before dungeon 5 -4 was a breeze- so I’ll be getting Ether, Somaria, bombos, theflute and the arrows. Pff, plenty of items.
No heart containers I could avoid or bottles.
Titan’s Mitt is a must for every dungeon hereafter (all the portals you need to go through will be hidden under black rocks, except for the one on top of Turtle’s Rock but even then you’ll still need it to get to it). You’re going to have to scratch Bombos in favor of Quake though. And I’m pretty sure you already have the Fire Rod, the Magic Mirror and the Magic Hammer out on that list. Also you’re going to need the Ice Rod at some point too (for Trinexx at least). And you can ditch the shield at any of those orange bouncing plants with the grab-me-gotcha tentacles (though it doesn’t really matter that much since it really can’t block anything at this point).
Btw, the fun starts now.
I just feel I have to point out that even if the graphics are old, they are still in no way BAD and they’re also very charming.
Not to mention that the first few moments of the opening tune (haven’t played the remake yet, so I don’t know if they still have the original tune or if they’ve remade it/changed it) are almost legendary.
They’re just awesome.
Kairi: If it weren’t for the fact that I think my disc has proably been damaged because it seems as if it doesn’t work (I can’t install and run the game from it anymore) I’d let you have it, send it to you by international snail mail or something, just so I can share the Monkey Love. 
Heck, I know the game well enough to speed run it without even paying attention.
Poke, the graphics aren’t bad per se, but a bit eyesore-y… Not that it wasn’t a good time, obviously, but it’s just not the second best game I’ve ever played. Btw if you have the original disc cough you can download it from an abandonware site.
Oh yeah, the portals. I got Quake mixed up with Bombos and of course I got the mirror, hammer and fire rod -I was pulling them from memory. I didn’t take the Ice Rod till I need it, ditto for Ether -truth be told, backtracking there after getting the Master Sword was always a chore.
As for the shield, yeah. I’m more of a dodging guy, so I didn’t think of ditching it as I never heard the thunk sound it makes when blocking. I think it only blocks arrows at this point.
If I could, the only thing I would change with the graphics would be to update the resolution. I can’t think of many games with better 2D graphics than MI. And many games with 3D graphics that are “better” (newer) don’t have the same charm as a beautiful 2D game.
Yes, of course I have the originals of everything that I download from abandonware sites. cough cough
Although I don’t really have any reason to download it. As I said, I’ve played the game so much that I can pretty much give it away, as long as someone can get the disc working, because I have played it beyond the point of it actually being interesting even for nostalgia.
They have character, but after long exposure they don’t treat one’s eyes nicely.
OTOH here are two nifty MI wallpapers.
OK, I finally got the chance to buy “Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter” and I’m playing it now. And so far… I hate it, exactly as I feared I would when it first came out.
I dislike the graphics, I dislike the music, I hate the combat system (you have to spend AP in combat JUST TO MOVE? COME ON!) and the only reason I don’t know if I dislike the story is because so far I’ve gotten like HALFWAY IN THE FIRST DUNGEON before I was killed by a random monster and had to start over (should’ve saved when I had the chance… and WHY do you need to use tokens to save?? It’s like somebody went out and made an RPG specifically so I would hate it!) And knowing what I do about the story doesn’t make me hope for much either. Top that off with the fact that the guide I bought for it (way back when it came out) is now almost useless to me as my sight problems make its tiny printing hard to read, and I’m NOT a happy camper.
So why did I buy it? Hey, SG keeps talking about how great it is. Plus, I need to buy some game to entertain myself in the coming days as I’ll likely be without Net access while I move, plus it was only 8$ and there was just one used copy, so it was now or never.
I’m pretty stubborn tough, so I’m going to keep playing for a while. Hopefully once I get the hang of it (and get some decent powers and equipment) it’ll be easier, and once I get to see the story I might find it interesting. But it’d better pick up soon.
I hated that game too Wil. So un-BOF.
I figured you wouldn’t like it - you’re very anti “have to work to win”. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but Dragon Quarter is brutal to people who like to try and drift through games; it forces you to work really hard to win.
Also, take a minute to think about how very, very easy the game would be if you didn’t need to use AP just to move.
Have you read SG’s review of all the BOF games? While I hold all the opposite opinions, it almost convinces you that Dragon Quarter doesn’t suck balls.
I beat clam digger. I hate when those guys steal your parking place! Now I’m playing Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.
I LOVE Dragon Quarter, but I completely agree with SG’s assessment. Funny how that works out. 
I haven’t been playing it much… but the first day my friend got 40,000+ and I spent two hours trying to top that. No luck. It’s fun though.
SG: Sorry, but I’ve played other tough games before, and most of them didn’t have such an arbitrary restriction. I can see why they are doing it- all RPGs experiment with ways to model reality, an in the real world EVERYTHING costs energy to do, even breathing. But I think we can agree there’s a limit to how far you can emulate reality before it stops being fun and becomes droll.
That said, I’m happy to report I finally got the hang of the game -though I had to download a gamefaqs guide to do it- and I’m now progressing at a more reasonable rate. I’m even starting to get intrigued by the story. Still, the limited ability to save is still a MAJOR problem- a power surge forced me to replay the last segment of the first dungeon today just as I was about to finish. But I will save a full review of my own for when I have finished the game.
(Oh, I also discovered that you can’t see many of the story’s scenes unless you start over with data from a previous play -not necessarily a complete one, apparently, as this happened after I was first “killed” off- which is yet another oddity of the game: it rewards you for losing. 
)
I think the “rewards you for losing” is the stupidest part of the game. The story is pretty minimalist, but it takes out a lot of other important scenes, too. This is the one thing about the game that I definitely think was a stupid idea.
Wil: The game emulates Strategy RPGs. Tell me how strategic a Tactics RPG would be if you could move anywhere, at any time during your turn with no penalty. Actually, since you don’t seem to like it, do you have an alternative rather than “don’t expend AP to move” and call it good?
SG: Most SRPGs limit your movement without making you spend MP for it (which is effectively what Dragon Quarter does.) The basic attacks don’t require points from a pool to use, either.
DQ seems to be an unusual meld of Zelda-esque 3D action game with tactical RPG combat rules, a combination that, while not necessarily bad, is not exactly intuitive. Had I rented this game instead of buying it, I would probably have returned it after playing it once instead of waiting to overcome its steep learning curve. That probably helped its unpopularity.
At least having Lin and Nina in the party has spiced things up. Nina’s magic traps are an interesting element, and shooting enemies from a distance to trigger battles is more convenient. Plus I’d rather follow a catgirl’s behind in a dungeon than a scrawny guy’s. :hahaha;
I’m currently at the town at the end of the first dungeon. Will continue playing either tonight or after I move.
And, most of those games are very easy. Also, what would you suggest instead of the basic method of attacks requiring points? I’ve actually seen a lot of SRPGs do this (and I’ve seen ones that use points for movement and attacking, as well). What would you rather they do? I’m not asking what other games do, and I already understand your opinion. What I want to know is, how would you do those things differently while still retaining the same level of challenge?
WoW
…
Northrend depresses me (except for Sholazar Basin. “Maybe we find more bugs! We like bugs!” They’re based on Lovecraft mythos and they’re a-dor-a-ble ^__^) so as soon as I hit 80 I ran back to old world dead set on grinding rep with the capital cities but my irl friend wants me to do heroics and what did he drag me to for my first HC ever?
Halls of Lightning.
Douche.
Because the other four were made of awesome, I did at least get to watch Loken go down, although I died within the first four seconds.
digs fingers into the Barrens I’LL BE OVER HERE FOREVAHS KK? D: I spent three hours yesterday totally lost in WC together with a rogue noob. At least Lichy isn’t hiding behind every damn corner and I don’t have to heal DKs who ask me why I need mana breaks! Oh wait no, that’s Outland.
Finished Devil Survivor. Gotta finish up my linked game for LoZ: Oracle of Seasons. My sis got Trauma Center: New Blood, so we’ve been playing that some.
After I finish the above games, I’m not to sure what to play next. I’m tempted to start up SMT:Nocturne, but don’t think I can really invest a lot of time in it due to a Finance class I’m taking right now. (It’s a bitch.) My other option is to maybe try and finish some games I left unfinished. Namely, Persona 2:IS and DQM:Caravan Heart.
I wouldn’t mind getting back into WoW, but it might be a while before that happens ever again.
Tactical games, easy? I think you’ll find many people who will disagree on that. Of course, that varies with the player’s tastes and skills.
As for how I would change it and retain the balance, that question will have to wait until i have finished the game (and given it some thought). Right now, I’m just going to give my impressions of the game as I play it.