Tony Allevato
@tonyallevato.bsky.social
Day job: Software engineer at Google, working on Swift- and Bazel-related things.
Night hob(bies): Retro gaming, JRPGs, anime, Star Trek, typical nerd stuff.
Night hob(bies): Retro gaming, JRPGs, anime, Star Trek, typical nerd stuff.
The one QoL enhancement I need is an "X" and "Y" icon off the corner of each equipped weapon on the gameplay screen. I can't remember which one is mapped to which, and to make matters worse, I've wasted so many bombs because decades of JRPG muscle memory has me trying to press X to enter the menu.
August 3, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The one QoL enhancement I need is an "X" and "Y" icon off the corner of each equipped weapon on the gameplay screen. I can't remember which one is mapped to which, and to make matters worse, I've wasted so many bombs because decades of JRPG muscle memory has me trying to press X to enter the menu.
I never even understood the Chrono Trigger comparison. The only similarity I could see is that the encounters take place on the same field? As if that's the thing that makes CT great.
July 31, 2025 at 7:45 PM
I never even understood the Chrono Trigger comparison. The only similarity I could see is that the encounters take place on the same field? As if that's the thing that makes CT great.
Thank you for being brave enough to say this so that I can agree with it. Chained Echoes never clicked for me and the constant adulation makes me wonder what I'm not seeing.
July 31, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Thank you for being brave enough to say this so that I can agree with it. Chained Echoes never clicked for me and the constant adulation makes me wonder what I'm not seeing.
The update pack is my excuse to replay it. Not that I should need an excuse to replay a SaGa game, it's sort of mandatory.
July 31, 2025 at 4:20 PM
The update pack is my excuse to replay it. Not that I should need an excuse to replay a SaGa game, it's sort of mandatory.
The mobile game really has an incredible story, and I'm glad folks who aren't into gacha games (even ones that don't require buying into them to play the main content, like CotC) will get a chance to enjoy it.
I'm only worried that the English VA for Auguste won't be able to top JP's "Mahh-velous".
I'm only worried that the English VA for Auguste won't be able to top JP's "Mahh-velous".
July 31, 2025 at 2:50 PM
The mobile game really has an incredible story, and I'm glad folks who aren't into gacha games (even ones that don't require buying into them to play the main content, like CotC) will get a chance to enjoy it.
I'm only worried that the English VA for Auguste won't be able to top JP's "Mahh-velous".
I'm only worried that the English VA for Auguste won't be able to top JP's "Mahh-velous".
My body is ready for Fintopath Fanteler III.
July 28, 2025 at 5:39 PM
My body is ready for Fintopath Fanteler III.
Jeez, Cloud of Darkness, leave some room for everybody else.
July 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Jeez, Cloud of Darkness, leave some room for everybody else.
Perfectly cut screa—
July 1, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Perfectly cut screa—
Please! I was afraid to read some of the DQ ones because I still have so many games in the series left unplayed.
July 1, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Please! I was afraid to read some of the DQ ones because I still have so many games in the series left unplayed.
I'm so excited to actually play Echoes of Wisdom now. I'm not frame-rate-obsessed in general, but it felt so frustratingly janky after a couple hours that I had to drop it.
June 28, 2025 at 8:53 PM
I'm so excited to actually play Echoes of Wisdom now. I'm not frame-rate-obsessed in general, but it felt so frustratingly janky after a couple hours that I had to drop it.
The best part is now I have a whole backlog of DQ games to catch up on. So maybe waiting a couple decades to appreciate the series has paid off?
June 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
The best part is now I have a whole backlog of DQ games to catch up on. So maybe waiting a couple decades to appreciate the series has paid off?
Anyway, I'm like 60 hours in now, and I've barely scratched the surface of Act II. Not sure if that means I'm terrible at the game or if it's just that big (disclaimer: sometimes I doze off playing it in bed so that might have inflated my play time).
June 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Anyway, I'm like 60 hours in now, and I've barely scratched the surface of Act II. Not sure if that means I'm terrible at the game or if it's just that big (disclaimer: sometimes I doze off playing it in bed so that might have inflated my play time).
But when DQ III HD2D came out, I caught up on all the online discourse about the series and XI was frequently cited as one of the most loved entries. I loved the way Toriyama's art translated into the 3D models, so I figured I'd give it a shot, and...
...I get it now. It's such good comfort food.
...I get it now. It's such good comfort food.
June 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
But when DQ III HD2D came out, I caught up on all the online discourse about the series and XI was frequently cited as one of the most loved entries. I loved the way Toriyama's art translated into the 3D models, so I figured I'd give it a shot, and...
...I get it now. It's such good comfort food.
...I get it now. It's such good comfort food.
Even in the late '90s emulation/fan translation scene, I never got around to playing DQ V or VI, despite all the praise they received. I was drawn more to all the unreleased Final Fantasies, Romancing SaGas, Seiken Densetsu III, Tales of Phantasia, Star Ocean...
June 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Even in the late '90s emulation/fan translation scene, I never got around to playing DQ V or VI, despite all the praise they received. I was drawn more to all the unreleased Final Fantasies, Romancing SaGas, Seiken Densetsu III, Tales of Phantasia, Star Ocean...
Between that and just feeling like the early DQ/DW mechanics were pretty clunky compared to the Final Fantasies of the day, I never *loved* DQ. Enix skipping the Super Famicom releases in the US probably didn't help, either.
June 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Between that and just feeling like the early DQ/DW mechanics were pretty clunky compared to the Final Fantasies of the day, I never *loved* DQ. Enix skipping the Super Famicom releases in the US probably didn't help, either.
When I was a kid, I almost beat my local rental store's copy of Dragon Warrior III but had to return it for a short break. I went back a week later and someone had rented it in the meantime and replaced the board in the cart with one from Solstice. 😭 To this day, seeing Solstice infuriates me.
June 28, 2025 at 7:37 PM
When I was a kid, I almost beat my local rental store's copy of Dragon Warrior III but had to return it for a short break. I went back a week later and someone had rented it in the meantime and replaced the board in the cart with one from Solstice. 😭 To this day, seeing Solstice infuriates me.
Absolutely unhinged decision to raise the price of 5-year-old systems by $80 or more. So grateful I got my Series S as a free Verizon FIOS sign-up perk—it's the only way I've been able to play Tales of Arise, Visions of Mana, and FFXIV.
May 1, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Absolutely unhinged decision to raise the price of 5-year-old systems by $80 or more. So grateful I got my Series S as a free Verizon FIOS sign-up perk—it's the only way I've been able to play Tales of Arise, Visions of Mana, and FFXIV.
That was the area that convinced me to turn off the chocobo music when I first heard the theme. I've heard people say that version of the battle theme was "too much" but I love the heavy organ too.
March 15, 2025 at 4:13 PM
That was the area that convinced me to turn off the chocobo music when I first heard the theme. I've heard people say that version of the battle theme was "too much" but I love the heavy organ too.
I got a bad grade in kindergarten for penmanship because I was using my right hand even though I'm left-handed. You'd think that the visible cast on my broken left arm would have tipped the teacher off. Hoo boy, did my mom raise hell and I didn't have any problems after that.
February 12, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I got a bad grade in kindergarten for penmanship because I was using my right hand even though I'm left-handed. You'd think that the visible cast on my broken left arm would have tipped the teacher off. Hoo boy, did my mom raise hell and I didn't have any problems after that.
The big thing that blows me away with OT is how much backstory each NPC gets. It's one of the only RPGs where I'm excited to talk to every single person and do the path actions to read the random blurbs the writers put in. I'm hard pressed to think of another game that feels as "lived in".
February 9, 2025 at 2:52 AM
The big thing that blows me away with OT is how much backstory each NPC gets. It's one of the only RPGs where I'm excited to talk to every single person and do the path actions to read the random blurbs the writers put in. I'm hard pressed to think of another game that feels as "lived in".
Instant follow, nun.
December 22, 2024 at 11:18 PM
Instant follow, nun.