That's funny because I think that was around when I played. I only ever played with at least a duo though. I'd almost never play on my own. Not because I couldn't play well enough, but because I didn't want to have to deal with people alone.

I enjoyed my time (not all of it but some) and watching Arcane made me miss it. But I don't think I'd go back to league. Maybe tft and we'll see how the mmo does.

I identify with this almost exactly except for the fact I played league for a few years rather than a few times. I'd say you chose the better route.

There is a mobile game called "Kingdom Adventure" that had a lot of mechanic's I was looking for. It had town based RPG elements that let you send out adventurers to get resources and beat dungeons. Sounds like a great experience! However it's a translated game that hardly had ANY explanations in game, or online. I had to take notes from a 7 year old reddit post comment that gave more info than anywhere else.

I really liked most of the game. The pixel art had good resolution and was cute. The monster mechanics added more flair to the game. The fog mechanics on the map were cool and made you think about whether you wanted to take a new area or "refog" the area to farm experience. There also was no calendar mechanic so you weren't forced into a time cycle and could play at your pace. But after a while all the guessing about stats and mechanics felt like too much and when I got to the point where I could place a second town hall, I was too unsure of where to place it I just never did. My game is forever in limbo because I'm just tired of finding stuff out the hard way.

Amazing concept, but poor execution.

This! I've always had super friendly interactions with Genshin co-op, even when searching through the co-op tab rather than looking online (aside from one kid I had to kick because I was not going to buy them a welkin lol). The only time I've come across problematic behavior is through social media. It's also very popular so of course on twitter and reddit there is going to be a large loud volume of immature people, but that's most games. In game people are usually good.

You might be interested in "Magical Diary". I wasn't huge on the artstyle myself (it's alright but didn't strike me romantically(?) at all), but the rest of the game was awesome. The characters and story are good and the exams you go through feel creative and more interactive. You are at a magic school and have different solutions based on the classes you take.

Not sure if it would be a hit for you for sure, but worth taking a look at.

Ahh I love the manga! Got me into a lot of manga/manhwa so I'm excited to see how the game is~

It's made me appreciate my library more.

These days I hardly buy new since games are so expensive. And I only buy DLC if the game itself has earned the money I'm going to spend. I keep that mentality with any games that have additional costs. I spent a ton of time playing Genshin Impact, so when I put money in the game it felt like it had already earned that much based on the enjoyment I got. I try to stick to that as much as I can.

Sometimes I'm just too tired for some mechanics, but I like the story and want to enjoy it. Also some personalities can maker a game more enjoyable/provide a different experience. It all depends on the game and the player. For me anyways.

Idk if this is an age thing, but just how the market is lately.

AAA games are so expensive I don't even look their way for the most part. My gaming library is big enough that for the most part I can entertain myself until what I want might goes on sale.

Companies that never put their games on sale, hardly get my coin these days. Not because they don't go on sale, but because I don't feel interested enough to buy most of them at full price.

There are a few games that I feel I need to get at launch, but it's honestly been a long time since that happened. Launches also have a good chance of being buggy, so it's safer to wait until after some reception of the game goes around.

I'm more interested in smaller studios and indie games these days. The corporate side of gaming takes out a lot of the inspiration that sparks the idea of the game. I find less corporate teams are able to connect with the audience better.

There are of course exceptions to all this, but they feel rarer and rarer.

I feel like if your someone who enjoys smaller corners of reddit, it might feel odd until you find a place on here. Because there is a higher chance what you enjoy isn't on here yet, or it might not have enough traffic yet.

I played FF1 on my NES about 10 years ago. It was a bit hard as that version didn't have phoenix downs and I wasn't as used to having to pay as much attention with what you need to do next.

I remember running around the Ice Cave trying not to die with those stupid mages using "rub" to kill my party (I do not know why they chose that name for the spell). It took me forever to realize I actually had the loot I needed and wasn't looking for another orb.

I had a great time until I somehow lost the airship. I was trying to figure out where to go on the other section and somehow lost it and boated somewhere else (I think, it was a while ago now). I think it would be far too much work to try and find it again (I searched for a long time), but I'll always look back fondly on my time with the game. I'd probably look at a newer version to replay as the original version was a bit hard with some of it's missing features compared to the games after and remasters.