Shadow Hearts: Covenant - Reach Out and Punch Someone

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ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

gimme the GOD drat candy posted:

there's been porn as long as there has been art. this includes gay porn, because gay people didn't suddenly spring into existence during the late 20th century.

There have been gay people for as long as there have been people, but the degree to which it was socially acceptable has varied a lot over time. I don't know specifics about WWI-era France, but in other times and places there has definitely been underground erotica of some sort. Bodybuilding magazines got their start as hidden softcore porn, for instance.

# ? Mar 24, 2019 18:54

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# ? May 23, 2024 23:12

Robindaybird: Aug 21, 2007; Neat. Sweet. Petite.

And there was a shitload of pornography made in the silent movie era, some of it really extreme poo poo. So few survived mainly due to the fragility of film, degradation from copying, and nobody really storing them to preserve them.

France probably had some really wild poo poo as Paris was basically where all the social outcasts of Europe and America started to hang out.

# ? Mar 24, 2019 21:44

...!: Oct 5, 2003; I SHOULD KEEP MY DUMB MOUTH SHUT INSTEAD OF SPEWING HORSESHIT ABOUT THE ORBITAL MECHANICS OF THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT A LAGRANGE POINT IS?

ultrafilter posted:

There have been gay people for as long as there have been people, but the degree to which it was socially acceptable has varied a lot over time. I don't know specifics about WWI-era France, but in other times and places there has definitely been underground erotica of some sort. Bodybuilding magazines got their start as hidden softcore porn, for instance.

If that's true then why did I never meet any gay people in the late 1800s? :colbert:

# ? Mar 24, 2019 22:09

IMJack: Apr 16, 2003; Royalty is a continuous ripping and tearing motion.; Fun Shoe

This is right around the time period Tijuana bibles start showing up (SFW link, NSFW search term). Mass-printed porn is certainly possible in 1915, though glossy full-color prints might be anachronistic.

# ? Mar 24, 2019 22:35

The Dark Id: Aug 13, 2005; Why
you
know
I
LOVE
THIS SHIT !!!!
[citation needed]

Episode XIV: Tight Fit

Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon

Who is ready for a subway dungeon aka a dry sewer level? No raised hands? Not a one? Welp. Too bad! We're doing it and it sucks rear end just like drat near every city underground run down tunnel maze dungeon in existence. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was announced while I was recording footage for this section and I drat near had a PTSD episode to its sewers.

The exit to this dungeon is not far at all. There's just one completely absurd problem that rears its head as soon as we approach the train ahead.

This is the way Dr. Gautier told us to go, right? drat. Looks like we can't get through...

There's a fuse blown on this thing. We can't move it the way it is.

...There is no way we could possibly get around this train with a gap on either end large enough for two full grown adults to stand elbow to elbow and pass by without touching the train or the tunnel. This is our dilemma for this dungeon. And before you ask, no they do not intend to use the train at all. We just need to move the car to get down the tunnel behind it.

So as a result, we'll be spending the next half hour crawling through this joint. In no small part due to...

Music: Vicious 1915 ~ Battle in Europe

You guessed it! Random battles! No wonder these tunnels are incomplete if workers were getting attacked every 10-15 steps and having to fight off xenomorph worms and hell hedgehogs. The worms go by the name Ekimmu and are a 51 HP Water class jerk. The hedgehogs are very creatively titled Sting. They are 32 HP Earth class enemies with the innate ability to poison with their bites. Neither is particularly troublesome on their own. The problem is that they come in assorted packs of four to six enemies. Sting critters are more common than the Ekimmu as far as battle configurations go (it's usually 3-4 Sting and 1-2 Ekimmu.)

Unlike Lenny's goons back in Ardennes Forest that evaporated immediately after the cutscene where they were allegedly pursuing the party, Clawed Soldiers actually are port of the dungeon roster this go around. They're exactly the same as the ones back in Gepetto's Apartment but are limited to two to three in any random battles. They will often team up with the other two enemy types. I guess Sapientes Gladio has brokered an alliance with the Parisian underground wildlife at some point.

While they've got more numbers, our party now has quite the blossoming array of special attacks at its disposal. We've got wolf spirit charges.

Folks setting their swords on fire and launching them like missiles.

And praising the sun to receive a holy blessing of err... a giant waterspout beneath an enemy's rear end.

Most battles at this point end before the enemy even gets a chance to attack and last all of 90 seconds tops. We've come a long way since the days of Koudelka where every single random battle was a three to five-minute slog.

Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon

Back to dungeon crawling. Eventually, we find ourselves at a three-way split (with a freebie Shell Bracelet right before the junction.) There is another train we simply cannot go around to the right fork.

The left fork? Oh, it's just a dead end. You may see that strangely high resolution looking letters and digits spray painted on the side of this minecart and think that surely this is some kind of puzzle element. And you'd completely wrong. It's just flavor and this dead end is just a waste of time. There's a lot of those in this subway.

In general, we're heading north and crisscrossing to different tracks because there are mine carts and whatnot in the way. After several minutes of this, peppered with the odd random battle, we eventually come to...

...an old acquaintance. Ring Soul appears before Karin and Yuri. Why in some run down abandoned subway tunnel in Paris, France? Don't worry about that. Ring Soul is just gonna Ring Soul.

Yikes! What the hell are you? A ghost?! And why so high-and-mighty?

This looks like one of those kinda crappy enemies that only magic works on. You can take this one, Karin. Not worth my time.

Oh! It's you again... This is the Ring Spirit, Yuri...

Ring Spirit?

No, no... I'm not a spirit. Nor am I flesh. I am the Ring Soul. The will of the Judg--

<puts hands on hips> So what does he want with us, then?

You peddling some kinda mini-game? Not interested.

The will of the Judgment Ring, the administrator of all fate. I can see it... I can see your future... This I entrust to you...

We get another item that increases the number of attacks a character can use. We'll put that on Blanca so he can join the 3-hit crew alongside Yuri and Karin.

The power to command the Judgment Ring. Such power will help you carve your way through destiny...

Hmph.

...Hmph?! Is that all you can say?!

That was a lotta pomp and circumstance for something you coulda just stuck in a treasure chest.
The blessing of the Ring Soul in a common treasure chest?! Why I never...

Oh, um...he means, thanks! Thank you, Ring Spirit!

It does not pay to forget gratitude... I will appear to you again, to bestow upon you more power... But beware! I am always watching... Watching to see if you are truly the one to command destiny...

The Ring Soul vanishes.

H-he seemed a little angry. I hope it'll be okay...

Whatever. I don't like that always watching spiel he gave at the end. Is it gonna watch me poop? No thanks.
......

With that, we can continue our meandering trek down the tunnels.

The only new bit of loot we got this whole stretch is this Special Attack Defense Down. If this effect triggers it gives an enemy a 30% reduction in Special Attack (read: anything that consumes MP) defense. We'll put this on Blanca for now since he's regularly attacking anyhow. May as well get some bonus effects from it once in a while.

At the far end of this tunnel, we find a switch. Naturally, we're gonna yank that sucker. What else are you going to do with a random switch in a tunnel? Find out what it does first before doing anything rash? That's not video game adventurer talk.

Somehow, yanking this switch starts up a generator which... moves a train car across the area? Unfortunately, it's not the train car we wanted. Remember back at the three prone fork tunnel where there was a train car on the rightmost tunnel. Yep. That's moved.

So cue several minutes of backtracking down the same tunnels fighting the same three enemies no less than four or five times. This new path gives us another fork in the tracks.

Along the way, in this region, we find another Magic Crest. The Amy Crest has Heat Edge available -- an 8 MP spell that adds the Fire Class to one ally's Physical Attack. We'll stick that on Karin since she's our Fire class character and isn't using a whole lot of MP at this point in the game.

The other tunnel down this path leads us to a ladder leading to the surface. Well, maybe we'll stumble upon an industrial fuse fit for a derelict early 1900s train car up there. Crazier things have happened.

Music: Town of Twilight ~ European Town

We've surfaced at a new region of Paris, the Cathedral District. Despite the name and Notre Dame being RIGHT there, we are never stepping foot in there. No hunchback mid-boss battles for this RPG adventure, I'm afraid. There is also a couple of folks hanging out we can chat up while we're getting some fresh air.

Never heard of it.
...Never heard of what?
Notch drat or whatever the heck.
It's one of the most famous buildings in all of Paris!
Meh. I've seen better. It's no Blue Castle of Transylvania.

I'd take crowds over random battles any day.

If you keep going back to look, you might be able to find a real bargain.

Perhaps after hitting key plot beats or clearing future areas and whatnot.
...That's a weird sales pitch.

Indeed, the only actual point of note in the Cathedral District is this Junk Shop. Let's head in and see if there's anything we can scrape together to get that utterly impassable train out of the way.

Wow, this place has everything. Do you know how hard it is to find a 32x64 resolution blown up JPEG of the Mona Lisa in poster size? That's a find right there.

No? You're looking for a fuse? Of course I have one! Brought back a real good one just the other day. If you want it, you're welcome to it!

...I'm not Gepetto and I didn't say anything.

And thus we have our fuse for the train. I feel like just finding this in some random treasure chest would have been way less awkward than this entire exchange.

I didn't ask...

Don't be silly! I couldn't take money from you for that old thing! Take it. Something else you need? I'd have to charge you for anything else, though, I'm afraid.

...Oh, I see how it goes. Get a free key item to get people hooked and then reel them in with consumables. Sneaky.

The Junk Emporium features everything we saw for sale back in Pierre's shop plus a couple of extra accessories that are well out of our current budget. This area will actually carry all inventories (weapon and armor wise) from across the game. If we, for some reason, wanted an early weapon type. There might be other uses for this Junk Shop in the future. But like many things, that is down the road a sizable way.

Now that we have the fuse, it's just a matter of backtracking all the way to the beginning of the subway to move that pesky train car. But, before we do that...

We have gotten quite a bit of Soul Energy. Indeed, enough to unlock quite a few more Fusions. So let's take a trek back to the Graveyard. For the record, accessing the Graveyard is just like in Shadow Hearts 1 and can only be done from Save Points or the World Map.

Music: Holy Mistletoe ~ Graveyard

Yep... Still a weird Yuri growing out of a creepy tree. That's probably fine.

We've got a number of Elemental options available to us at the moment: Light, Dark, Earth, Water and Wind are all still up for grabs.

Let's try filling one of the elemental niches we're lacking thus far. Yuri is technically Dark elemental class by default. So let's go with the Light Class Fusion. Mix things up a bit.

All we need to do is pump 40 Soul Energy into the Light alter here, just like we did with the Fire one, and...

Oh no, Yuri's heart has been filled with an angsty teenager that hates Troy Baker. These curses just keep piling up.

But on the plus side, we have gotten a new Fusion -- Radeus. Let's just open up Yuri's Personal Status screen and take a look...

What...

...the...

...gently caress, YURI!?

Video: Episode 14 Highlight Reel (You should see everyone's Special Arts in action.)

Radeus Fusion Concept Art - Good to see Grobyc from Chrono Cross is still getting work.

The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Mar 25, 2019

# ? Mar 25, 2019 21:32

DukeofCA: Aug 18, 2011; I am shocked and appalled.

Poor Ring Soul. He's just trying to help out a party of adventurers and he gets stuck with these jokers.

# ? Mar 25, 2019 21:45

AweStriker: Oct 6, 2014

The Dark Id posted:

That was a lotta pomp and circumstance for something you coulda just stuck in a treasure chest.
The blessing of the Ring Soul in a common treasure chest?! Why I never...
Oh, um...he means, thanks! Thank you, Ring Spirit!

Ring Soul is using Yuri's dialogue portrait here.

# ? Mar 25, 2019 22:15

StandardVC10: Feb 6, 2007; This avatar now 50% more dark mode compliant

The Dark Id posted:

The blessing of the Ring Soul in a common treasure chest?! Why I never...

I think you mixed up a portrait here.

edit: beaten!

# ? Mar 25, 2019 22:16

Rabbi Raccoon: Mar 31, 2009; I stabbed you dude!

Y'know what I'm gonna say it. Ring Soul is a better character than Steve Burnside

# ? Mar 25, 2019 22:22

StandardVC10: Feb 6, 2007; This avatar now 50% more dark mode compliant

That's not exactly a high bar to clear.

# ? Mar 25, 2019 22:29

Wonderslug: Apr 3, 2011; You don't say.; Fallen Rib

I think it says something about this game and the places it goes that I did not remember one of Yuri's fusions being Teen Scenester Demitri Maximoff at all.

# ? Mar 25, 2019 23:32

Junpei: Oct 4, 2015; Can't post for 11 years!

I love how Radeus is just Yuri with pale vampire skin and an anime haircut.

# ? Mar 25, 2019 23:33

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

It's not that much worse than Yuri's regular outfit.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 00:18

Shitenshi: Mar 12, 2013

Clearly this means that Yuri's level one dark transformation will be Wugui of Kowloon.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 00:31

Qrr: Aug 14, 2015

Junpei posted:

I love how Radeus is just Yuri with pale vampire skin and an anime haircut.

And a very, very badly torn shirt. The true power he gets from light form is the ability for that to stay on. Normally it's women who get stuck with the clothing that would instantly fall apart with real physics.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 00:37

HR12345: Nov 19, 2012

Yeah, Radeus is very much "filler episode sentai villain of the week" material there.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 01:45

Zagglezig: Oct 16, 2012

I don't know if I'd called that a torn shirt or not. It's like skin that looks like a torn shirt/jacket up until it hits the arms and shoulders, where it just kind of expands into sleeves and a collar.

The Dark Id posted:

Clawed Soldiers actually are port of the dungeon roster

# ? Mar 26, 2019 02:43

Space Cadet Omoly: Jan 15, 2014; ~Groovy~

These fusions are kind of bland compared to the last game, I mean this was the level one light fusion back in the first shadow hearts:

Do they get weirder and more monster-ish as they level up?

# ? Mar 26, 2019 05:54

Robindaybird: Aug 21, 2007; Neat. Sweet. Petite.

They do get more monsterish

# ? Mar 26, 2019 06:03

Kurtofan: Feb 16, 2011; hon hon hon

fusions, how do they work

# ? Mar 26, 2019 07:09

W.T. Fits: Apr 21, 2010; Ready to Poyozo Dance all over your face.

Kurtofan posted:

fusions, how do they work

Punch monsters, absorb souls.

Kicking monsters is fine, too.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 13:58

Neddy Seagoon: Oct 12, 2012; "Hi Everybody!"

W.T. Fits posted:

Punch monsters, absorb souls.

Kicking monsters is fine, too.

And then you go into your head to... wait... oh my god;

Master Onion was right; Kick, Punch, it's all in the mind!

# ? Mar 26, 2019 15:08

Kemix: Dec 1, 2013; Because change

Neddy Seagoon posted:

And then you go into your head to... wait... oh my god;

Master Onion was right; Kick, Punch, it's all in the mind!

drat it, I was gonna make that joke! Ah well. Can�t wait to see Yuri�s Level 2 and 3 fusions after get get past all the sentai-not-monster stuff

# ? Mar 26, 2019 15:38

Ubiquitous_: Nov 20, 2013; by Reene

Space Cadet Omoly posted:

These fusions are kind of bland compared to the last game, I mean this was the level one light fusion back in the first shadow hearts:

Do they get weirder and more monster-ish as they level up?

I would say none of them are as aesthetically interesting as SH1's Fusions. It's a side effect of the much, much more lighthearted tone of the game, unfortunately.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 17:23

amigolupus: Aug 25, 2017

I imagine it's a combination of the Holy Mistletoe and Nicolai being a huge tool that corrupted Yuri's level 1 fusions into looking like bad anime rejects here.

DukeofCA posted:

Poor Ring Soul. He's just trying to help out a party of adventurers and he gets stuck with these jokers.

Yuri is nothing if not a Rude Hero.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 17:43

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

the mistletoe wouldn't be much of a curse if it just reverted him to his state at the beginning of sh1. despite yuri still starting from level 1 in sh1, he was supposed to be an experienced monster puncher with a decent handle on his fusion power. now, he has to work his way back up to that level of strength.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 18:21

Accordion Man: Nov 7, 2012; Buglord

The Level 3 Fusions are cool, but they are more traditional looking compared to some of SH1's weird looking fusions.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 18:37

fluffyDeathbringer: Nov 1, 2017; it's not what you've got, it's what you make of it

it's me, the guy who actually likes Glam Rock Vampire Yuri

# ? Mar 26, 2019 18:55

Kurtofan: Feb 16, 2011; hon hon hon

fluffyDeathbringer posted:

it's me, the guy who actually likes Glam Rock Vampire Yuri

# ? Mar 26, 2019 20:19

Space Cadet Omoly: Jan 15, 2014; ~Groovy~

Ubiquitous_ posted:

I would say none of them are as aesthetically interesting as SH1's Fusions. It's a side effect of the much, much more lighthearted tone of the game, unfortunately.

Accordion Man posted:

The Level 3 Fusions are cool, but they are more traditional looking compared to some of SH1's weird looking fusions.

That's a bit of a bummer, I really loved how strange and creative the fusions were in the last game.

Oh well, at least the random enemies are still bizarre and surreal.

fluffyDeathbringer posted:

it's me, the guy who actually likes Glam Rock Vampire Yuri

Yeah I honestly think Glam Rock Vampire Yuri is fine, it's just that I prefer Angelic Sea Slug Yuri.

Space Cadet Omoly fucked around with this message at 22:52 on Mar 26, 2019

# ? Mar 26, 2019 20:44

fluffyDeathbringer: Nov 1, 2017; it's not what you've got, it's what you make of it

Space Cadet Omoly posted:

Yeah I honestly Glam Rock Vampire Yuri is fine, it's just that I prefer Angelic Sea Slug Yuri.

same honestly

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:35

Picayune: Feb 26, 2007; cannot be unseen; Taco Defender

The glam-rock vampire doesn't have ears and it probably shouldn't weird me out as much as it does!

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:59

Kanfy: Jan 9, 2012; Just gotta keep walking down that road.

Check out those abs tho

# ? Mar 26, 2019 23:07

Junpei: Oct 4, 2015; Can't post for 11 years!

If you compare this fusion to our last one, you'll note they both use the same model with different textures.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 23:17

DeafNote: Jun 4, 2014; Only Happy When It Rains

He's got a long way to go before he becomes Vincent "80s slasher chainsaw murderer" valentine.

# ? Mar 29, 2019 10:20

Marmaduke!: May 19, 2009; Why would it do that!?

He'd be better off morphing into Keith "typical bored vampire" Valentine in this series...

# ? Mar 29, 2019 11:41

Junpei: Oct 4, 2015; Can't post for 11 years!

I hope everything is going okay in your life right now, TDI. We understand if you have to take a break because of trouble in your life.

# ? Apr 2, 2019 03:05

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

I mean, the last update was on the 25th. It hasn't even been that long.

# ? Apr 2, 2019 03:25

Kurtofan: Feb 16, 2011; hon hon hon

He just did a xenosaga cutscene viewing session on twitch yesterday, so there's every reason to be worried

# ? Apr 2, 2019 03:38

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# ? May 23, 2024 23:12

Commander Keene: Dec 21, 2016; Faster than the others

When he's done, in 2025, I'm sure he'll get right back on LPing Shadow Hearts 2.

# ? Apr 2, 2019 03:42

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