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Accordion Man
Nov 7, 2012


Buglord

Brainamp posted:

What was Yuri's name originally? I know it was mentioned in the first thread but a reminder would be nice.
Urmnaf.

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Mokinokaro
Sep 11, 2001

At the end of everything, hold onto anything



Fun Shoe

Yeah, "Uru" for short which "Yuri" is a pretty good transliteration of.

Sgt Thud
Oct 14, 2012

Brainamp posted:

What was Yuri's name originally? I know it was mentioned in the first thread but a reminder would be nice.

I think it was Uru, like the Chaos Wars clip showed. Chaos Wars was basically directly translated so the names were all the originals if I’m not mistaken.

Space Cadet Omoly
Jan 15, 2014

~Groovy~


Accordion Man posted:

I'd like to reiterate that changing Yuri's name was a fantastic dub change.

Also I much prefer Lenny over his original name, Rene. Lenny fits his whole Mad Max villain minion motif far better than any kind of French name.

Kind of disagree with you on that one because Rene is an adorable name :3: and I'm a sucker for that old gag where super tough and mean looking people have super cute names.

The Dark Id
Aug 13, 2005

Why
you
know
I
LOVE
THIS SHIT !!!!
[citation needed]
Episode XII: Wolf Bout


Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon




I suppose it is time to trek through the undoubtedly monster-infested Paris Metro.



What sort of untamed horrors could await Yuri and company in the decre—



...Wait, what?


Music: Town of Twilight ~ European Town




It was just a twenty-second walk to a subway platform? Gepetto did you just find a maintenance tunnel hatch and have been using it to bypass paying for metro tickets? What the hell, old man!?



Progress makes our lives so much easier!

Breaking of protocol aside, Paris is the first proper town of Shadow Hearts: Covenant. This game actually has towns that are more than 2-3 screens big and aren't just doubling as a mini-dungeon that happens to have a couple NPCs wandering around until the calamity of the day rolls into the village. As such, let's chat up the locals to get our bearings.



(Worried Jessie) You've got to mind your manners, now! Or you're not getting on this train, you hear?

I didn't say chatting up the locals is necessarily going to be helpful or anything. That said, I am glad they kept all of the portrait lacking NPCs having titles and names. That was a cute detail in the original game.



Despite Gepetto's insistence to go to the subway, we cannot actually board the train at this time. So let's head back above ground for a bit. More folks are loitering about the streets here. Maybe some of them have more insight than those metro dwelling degenerates from before.



You don't have any cat demons or vengeful ghosts planting curses on people running around, do you?
What? No.
<shrug> Yeah, I guess it's a pretty OK town then.




There's a wonderful painter lodging in my neighborhood. Maybe I should get him to do my portrait...? I bet he'd even do a nude for me!
You're very confident to just blurting that out to a random guy passing by you...



Naw, I haven't rolled with any spies for over a year now.



C'mon. I'm sure nobody plays Chopin like you.



I hate Raymond, With Nothing to Do because he wanders a circuit around the stairs here and you cannot go past the little poo poo. There are 25 stairs, you idiot child. Get the gently caress out of my way! I'm trying to play an RPG here!



Guess I'd better go try to find another lottery ticket...

Alphonse, Foreshadowing a Side Quest Return more like it.



Lots of people have heard 'em howling in the middle of the night. That must be real spooky...
I'll ask Blanca if he knows them. Hmm... wait, is it racist to assume all wolves know each other? Or that like... species...ist? Hmm... Maybe I better rethink this.

In order to progress the game, we need to shuffle inside Paulette Bar here next to Timid Salvador. Not that there is anywhere else we could go. That second flight of stairs just leads to a dead end with some forgettable treasure.

The party enters the Paulette Bar.



...Well, look who we have here! It's Gepetto! Haven't seen you in a while! You disappeared all of a sudden. When did you get back?



But I'm caught up in a bit of a situation. I'll have to be leaving Paris again right away.
You don't say? But you just got here! You sure haven't changed... Always sticking your nose into things. You've got to start acting your age!
When I want your advice, I'll ask! But, listen. We want to go to Le Havre. You know any ways to get out of town unnoticed?
<crosses arms> Hmm... You don't want to attract any attention to yourself, eh?
Trouble with the cops again?
No, not this time.
......
<looks over shoulder> ...No pigs have been asking about me, right?
Not recently.
<nods> Good... let's keep it that way...

Ha ha! Hey, I know! You could use a subway tunnel. That way, you could go where you want without being seen! Rumor has it there are a few abandoned tunnels, and some of 'em even reach to the outskirts of Paris.
<strokes beard> I see! Subway tunnels, eh? That's a great idea.



Hmm... How about we ask somebody that would know? Like somebody that worked on the tunnels...? Or one of those train freaks that can name every single station...?

Or mole men. I bet you got mole men in those tunnels. I'll fight a mole person to get where we need to go.
We're not going to start a bum fight to get information, Yuri.
Not with that attitude.




In that case, why don't you try going to the Champs Élysées? They're enlarging the subway over there right now. You'll find Dr. Gautier, the design engineer, in a hotel there.
The chandelier who?
<turns to Yuri> Champs Élysées! The next station over. I've met Dr. Gautier a couple of times before. He used to come to my theater.
Your theater? You mean you used to be famous, Gepetto?
What, did you think I did puppet shows in a seedy back alley?
...I umm... hadn't put much thought into it...

He quit the stage when his wife died, but his show used to be celebrated all over Paris!
<shakes head> Shh! Don't tell them that! That was all a long time ago.
We got too much on our plate already to get bogged down by anyone's tragic backstory.
...Anyway, we're off to the Champs Élysées!



We're off! In... just a minute. We've got more NPCs to chat with here. We wouldn't want to be rude to the patrons of this fine establishment. Or... fail to be rude to them, I suppose. I'd be personally pretty annoyed if some JRPG protagonist shuffled over to my table and glared at me until I spat out a generic line about local happenings, recent events or unrelated nonsequiturs.



Meh. She's OK, I guess.
She cooks me meals, buys me painting supplies... She's a wonderful woman! I've got nothing to offer her right now, but someday I'm going to show the whole world her beauty through my art!
I see you're well on your way to that goal day-drinking in a dive bar.



Seedy? Eh. This place is pretty tame compared to some of the dumps I've been into. I don't think this place has any witches camping out in bathroom mirrors.



My daughter is going to be three this year. I wish I could take her to see one of your Cornelia performances!
Do the French just like to traumatize their children at a young age? That some kinda rite of passage or something here? That'd explain a lot.



My dream is to one day stand on the stage of the Moulin Rouge! You'll come to see me then, won't you?
Hard pass.



Old Friend Louis just reminds us of our next task. I suppose we should get on top of that.



Which means returning back the way we came to go take the subway. However, on our retread of Montmartre, we come across...







Better than yours, anyway.
<turns to Ernest> Awroo! Awroo! (Grrr! These guys think they're tough, Ernest!)
<turns to Tetsu> Hmm, that sounds like a challenge. Tetsu, why don't you show them whose fangs are sharper!
...Awroo, awroo? (What am I getting caught in the middle of, here?)
Awroo... (I don't want to waste energy on a meaningless fight...)
<turns to Blanca> ...What do you say, Blanca? Sounds like they're asking for it to me!
.........
Yeah, look at that look in his eyes. He's gonna whip that hound's rear end!
Awroo... (You can't be serious.)
See, he's got some fightin' words for that pooch.



NEW Music: Soul Comet ~ Spirit of the Wolf
(Theme of "Oh poo poo the Wolves Can Talk to Each Other!")



That's a childish reason for a fight! I say no.

Blanca actually gets voice acting when speaking to other wolves. It's very jarring to hear him speak out of nowhere. Blanca also occasionally in-game translations of other dialogue from now on. Not that many people can actually understand wolf barks. Least of all Yuri.




NEW Music: Glint of Light ~ War of the Hungry Wolf
(Wolf bouts get their own dramatic rendition of the boss battle theme and you should listen to it.)



Welp. Too bad, Blanca because this is happening. We're now thrust into a mini-boss fight with Blanca flying solo against Tetsu the rival wolf.





Calling this a boss fight of any kind is being VERY generous. It's just two wolves smacking into each other. At most, Tetsu is capable of randomly inflicting a 30% defense decrease with his 9 HP of damage output every turn otherwise. Meanwhile, Blanca's physical attacks can do 20 HP of damage every turn against the only 90 HP possessing Tetsu. Plus he can use consumables and has magic if we were desperate.







In this battle of attrition, our good boy has this one pretty handily beat.


Music: Result ~ Victory






Blanca's victory lands him a small payday and an accessory that slows the rotation of the Judgment Wheel. But there is a more important earning after the battle.


Music: Town of Twilight ~ European Town




Because you're just a little runt.



Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ernest, a humble zoologist. This is for you, Blanca.





Congratulations! You are now entitled to join the "Wolf Bout," a competition to find the world's strongest wolf!
Wolf Bout?!
You battle the wolves you find throughout the world and gather pawprint stamps as proof of your victories.
<walks up to Blanca> Awroo! (Like this.)





Karin has collecting excerpts from a German opera to unlock her unique techniques. Blanca has participating in dog fights Wolf Bouts. Defeating Tetsu has unlocked the first of Blanca's "Manifestations" -- Soul Comet, a 20 MP Wind Elemental attack.



...you'll be the strongest wolf in the world! What do you think, Blanca, ol' boy?
Wouldn't that be cool? The strongest wolf in the world, Blanca. Hehe.


Blanca turns and walks away.



...Yeah, he's super into it.
Come ask if you ever have any questions! And good luck to you!
Hey is this sorta stuff, ya know, legal?
Well there are no laws say it is ILLEGAL as of yet.
......
<shrug> ...Good enough for me.


Yuri walks off after Blanca.



Never mind, Tetsu. You're not a real wolf anyway -- I guess there's room for a few improvements. And I'd better get ready, before he gets any stronger...



We may see more of Ernest in the future as we progress in the entire game spanning Wolf Bout sidequest circuit. It is worth mentioning that Ernest is based on Ernest Thompson Seton a naturalist and animal fiction writer as well as one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America. One of his earliest and most popular works of fiction is Wild Animals I Have Known which features the story Lobo the King of Currumpaw which is a fictionalized account of Senton's hunting wolves in the southwestern United States in his youth. It'll take us a while to see how that translated to setting up a worldwide circuit of underground fight matches between actual wolves.

The Wolf Bout sidequest might GO some frikkin' places...

Semi-related, while browsing Ernest Senton's Wikipedia page I came upon this factoid about this life:

Wikipedia posted:

On his twenty-first birthday, Seton's father presented him with an invoice for all the expenses connected with his childhood and youth, including the fee charged by the doctor who delivered him. He paid the bill, but never spoke to his father again.

Seton called his father, Joseph Logan Thompson, "the most selfish man I ever knew, or heard of, in history or in fiction." He cut off ties completely after being made to pay off an itemized list of all expenses he had cost his father, up to and including the doctor's fee for his delivery, a total of $537.50.
Wow. What a loving rear end in a top hat dad!



For now, our time in Montmartre is concluded. Time to hop on a subway to scenic Champs-Élysées as our Paris adventures continue.






Video: Episode 12 Highlight Reel
(You should watch this, it has talking dogs!)





Ernest Concept Art - I wonder how the real Ernest Senton would feel about being a dog fighting organizer in a Japanese video game...

The Dark Id fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Mar 18, 2019

Ubiquitous_
Nov 20, 2013

by Reene
I totally missed that The Pianist reference.

Commander Keene
Dec 21, 2016

Faster than the others



I think it's Urmanov.

Oxxidation
Jul 22, 2007

The Dark Id posted:

Semi-related, while browsing Ernest Senton's Wikipedia page I came upon this factoid about this life:

Wow. What a loving rear end in a top hat dad!

i often hear about parents contemplating this but i didn't know anyone actually had the chutzpah to go through with it

AweStriker
Oct 6, 2014

I see Killing Bites is up and running here...

Night10194
Feb 13, 2012

We'll start,
like many good things,
with a bear.

Yuri's just jealous he doesn't get his own fighting game mini story.

Kurtofan
Feb 16, 2011

hon hon hon
ok this game owns

Jagged Jim
Sep 26, 2013

I... I can only look though the window...
What is Killing Bites?

Kemix
Dec 1, 2013

Because change
An entire sidequest devoted to underground cock wolf fights!? Sign me the gently caress up! We'll make our Good Boy into the Best Boy he can be!

...!
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?
The Wolf Bouts are awesome. :allears:

Jen X
Sep 29, 2014

To bring light to the darkness, whether that darkness be ignorance, injustice, apathy, or stagnation.
I don't like beating up the other dog, he just wanted to impress his friend :(

Kurtofan
Feb 16, 2011

hon hon hon

GeneX posted:

I don't like beating up the other dog, he just wanted to impress his friend :(

it's a dog eat dog world kid

...!
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?
Yeah, it is pretty great that Ernest's "wolf" is actually just a dog. Starts Blanca off with baby steps.

DukeofCA
Aug 18, 2011

I am shocked and appalled.
Blanca is the best. Yuri and Ernest are all jazzed over this whole Wolf Bout idea, and Blanca's just like: "This is dumb. I have so many other things I'd rather be doing."

I dont know
Aug 9, 2003

That Guy here...

DukeofCA posted:

Blanca is the best. Yuri and Ernest are all jazzed over this whole Wolf Bout idea, and Blanca's just like: "This is dumb. I have so many other things I'd rather be doing."

I can't help but wonder if he knows Jeanna is dead. I'm sure he suspects it since he is traveling with Yuri now, but I wouldn't put it past Yuri to just forget to mention it to the rest of the party.

Nohman
Sep 19, 2007
Never been worse.

Tetsu's character portrait is killing me. That dog is LOVING this poo poo. :v:

placid saviour
Apr 6, 2009

Oxxidation posted:

i often hear about parents contemplating this but i didn't know anyone actually had the chutzpah to go through with it

I never understood this line of reasoning, though. After all, it's not like we asked to be born. This is like pushing an expensive item into some random passerby's hands and shouting WELL THAT WILL BE A THOUSAND DOLLARS PLEASE.

Love the Blanca sidequest. :3:

DeafNote
Jun 4, 2014

Only Happy When It Rains
What the loving hell just happened.

Keldulas
Mar 18, 2009

placid saviour posted:

I never understood this line of reasoning, though. After all, it's not like we asked to be born. This is like pushing an expensive item into some random passerby's hands and shouting WELL THAT WILL BE A THOUSAND DOLLARS PLEASE.

Love the Blanca sidequest. :3:

Given the fact that con artists do that on a smaller scale all the time, the father doing that is something I can understand. It's kind of despicable, but yeah.

Ayndin
Mar 13, 2010

DeafNote posted:

What the loving hell just happened.

This is positively mild compared to sidequest hijinx later on. SH:C has such sights to show you.

Space Cadet Omoly
Jan 15, 2014

~Groovy~


GeneX posted:

I don't like beating up the other dog, he just wanted to impress his friend :(

And Tetsu is just one year old too! He's basically still a little puppy!

I hope the next fight our good boy has is a little more fair.

DeTosh
Jan 14, 2010
Slippery Tilde
I'll assume it wasn't a coincidence the fight with Tetsu resembled the first fight in a Pokemon game.

Tuxedo Ted
Apr 24, 2007

DeafNote posted:

What the loving hell just happened.

Wolf Bout happened.

IMJack
Apr 16, 2003

Royalty is a continuous ripping and tearing motion.


Fun Shoe

DeafNote posted:

What the loving hell just happened.

Only the beginning, my friend. Only the beginning.

Ratoslov
Feb 15, 2012

Now prepare yourselves! You're the guests of honor at the Greatest Kung Fu Cannibal BBQ Ever!

WOLF BOUT :black101:
TWO WOLVES ENTER!
TWO WOLVES LEAVE!
BUT ONE FEELS BAD ABOUT IT!
WOLF BOUT! :torgue:

amigolupus
Aug 25, 2017

The Dark Id posted:

Because you're just a little runt.

So fun fact: Blanca here is voiced by Shuichi Ikeda in the Japanese version. You might recognize him from Mobile Suit Gundam as A Char. :v:

BioMe
Aug 9, 2012


I don't think the entire thread pulling their swimming trunks up to their armpits over Karin's outfit being too ridiculous quite had the game's tone pinned down by the last update.

Space Cadet Omoly
Jan 15, 2014

~Groovy~


BioMe posted:

I don't think the entire thread pulling their swimming trunks up to their armpits over Karin's outfit being too ridiculous quite had the game's tone pinned down by the last update.

No one was upset because it looked ridiculous, they were upset because it looks lovely.

BioMe
Aug 9, 2012


Space Cadet Omoly posted:

No one was upset because it looked ridiculous, they were upset because it looks lovely.

Not sure what distinction you are trying to get at here, but if you say so

Space Cadet Omoly
Jan 15, 2014

~Groovy~


BioMe posted:

Not sure what distinction you are trying to get at here, but if you say so

Well first of all The color scheme is awful, the beige of the top blends in with Karin's skin way too much and causes her to look like a weird topless barbie in low lighting. Also, aside from being three sizes too small It's a remarkably bland outfit. It's not just fan service, it's boring fan service.

Kanfy
Jan 9, 2012

Just gotta keep walking down that road.
Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a very good game, and also remarkably horny in several different ways.

Neddy Seagoon
Oct 12, 2012

"Hi Everybody!"

Space Cadet Omoly posted:

Well first of all The color scheme is awful, the beige of the top blends in with Karin's skin way too much and causes her to look like a weird topless barbie in low lighting. Also, aside from being three sizes too small It's a remarkably bland outfit. It's not just fan service, it's boring fan service.

Don't forget the mismatched lace sleeve!

Req.Martyr
May 4, 2016

I don't go by my caste, creed, or religion. My works speak for me.

It reminds me of some of the weirder FFX outfits actually. Though not for the better

Personally, the beige and orange color scheme isn't one I think manages to look good, especially on a pale redhead. That said, when Karin came back out for some reason I felt like they were trying to make her look a lot like Koudelka and I'm not sure if I'm just insane. Gotta go back and look.

Kitala
Sep 2, 2012

Not Some Opera Floozy

Req.Martyr posted:

It reminds me of some of the weirder FFX outfits actually. Though not for the better

Personally, the beige and orange color scheme isn't one I think manages to look good, especially on a pale redhead. That said, when Karin came back out for some reason I felt like they were trying to make her look a lot like Koudelka and I'm not sure if I'm just insane. Gotta go back and look.

When I played Koudelka as a kid and heard she was related to a character in the Shadow Hearts games (which I sadly never played), I assumed it was Karin since they looked so similar.

Space Cadet Omoly
Jan 15, 2014

~Groovy~


Req.Martyr posted:

It reminds me of some of the weirder FFX outfits actually. Though not for the better

Personally, the beige and orange color scheme isn't one I think manages to look good, especially on a pale redhead. That said, when Karin came back out for some reason I felt like they were trying to make her look a lot like Koudelka and I'm not sure if I'm just insane. Gotta go back and look.

I didn't notice until just now, but you're totally right they do look alike:



Koudelka's outfit has a way better color pallet for her skin-tone though.

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Req.Martyr
May 4, 2016

I don't go by my caste, creed, or religion. My works speak for me.

Yeah, it worked a lot better. Those colors as accents work better than they do smeared across Karin

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