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Qrr posted:Maybe not quite that good. Aw come on! He has little hearts over his head! He's having fun.
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Nov 6, 2019 04:04
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Nobody abuses Lenny's men but Lenny.
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Nov 6, 2019 04:07
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I'd read about Director's Cut stuff, but I hadn't actually seen it. This is neat!
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Nov 6, 2019 04:12
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The Dark Id posted:Hey, thanks a bunch! I meant to get back up to you again after you offered months ago and well... you know, my life took a huge poo poo and the LP did as well. Added the update to the TOC. No sweat TDI, and thanks - you've had a nightmare year - hope things are going as well as they can be, for you and your family. Also thanks everyone else - the DX stuff is pretty neat, and it's nice to share it with you all. [e]: Thanks. VVV Pesky Splinter fucked around with this message at 14:13 on Nov 6, 2019 |
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Nov 6, 2019 04:32
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Pesky Splinter posted:
... Space Cadet Omoly posted:Lenny is a good boss, that's rare among villains. Fire Emblem 10.
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Nov 6, 2019 13:51
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What'd you say?! Why I outta-!
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The villain team is held back until the epilogue, but Suikoden III’s main gimmick is that the three main characters are all on different sides of a budding war.
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Nov 6, 2019 15:29
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In The Dark Half for the SNES (no relation to Stephen King) you spend half the game playing as the hero trying to stop the Dark Lord's rampage, and the other half playing as the Dark Lord, on said rampage. Among other things the villain chapters involve raiding villages to eat civilians.
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Nov 6, 2019 17:06
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Episode XXXVII-2: Solomon Again Music: Deep Meditation ~ Title .jpg) This doesn't really fit anywhere and hell if I am going to remember to regularly check Solomon's Key to see if we can fill in anything new. There are a LOT of gosh darn Crests if you haven't been keeping track. But we have actually acquired enough to fill in a couple more regions so let's knock that out now while we're between chapters. It would take a reasonably long time for Yuri and the gang to make it from Wales to southern France with 1915 transportation methods and the party canonically being kind of broke hobos. .jpg) Particularly, the Enchanting Sea region has all its Crests and is ready to be filled in. Yeah... nothing screams out "enchanting" like a colossal whirlpool, an active volcano and a sea monster chilling out. Toss a Disney Princess right into the middle of that poo poo. .jpg) Once again, these aren't too difficult to piece together. Uvall did some dirt and now he's been banished to an island. Well, there's only the one island on the map. I mean, it's more of a volcano rising out of the sea more than anything. But I guess that constitutes an island and I don't think you get to call where you want to be banished to, but I admit to not being a banishment expert. .jpg) I feel like sailors should be avoiding a whirlpool in general. Also green chicks. I know it's lonely at sea but that seems like a big red flag. Vepar. Whirlpool. Not too hard to figure out. .jpg) Focolar is a little less clear. But, this is the only region with clouds and he'd probably need to be near land for tides to matter at all. .jpg) Forneus can recite the entire John Galt speech from memory. Anyway, since we already have a clear contender for the whirlpool slot with Vepar and there is only one other slot adjacent to the Forest of Passion, this crest clearly goes here. .jpg) I skipped Crocell because Forneus' location would work too with this description since they're both on the border of other regions and next to Vepar. But by order of elimination, Crocell gets slotted here. And thus... .jpg) And thus another region is complete. Which nets us the unlocks of: Vepar - Gale Spin - We've seen this. Decent wind magic attack. Crocell - Raise Up - 24 MP. Restores a small amount of HP and SP to one unconscious ally. Hopefully, they didn't get knocked out from SP loss shenanigans. Forneus - Aqua Edge - Seen this too. Add the Water element to physical attacks. Has its uses. Focalar - Hail Breeze - See Gale Spin but Water elemental. Uvall - Heal - 8 MP. Cures all Status and Ring Abnormalities for one ally. Actually quite good. Unless the person with it equipped gets hit with a thing that disables magic or something and then welp. .jpg) That's one region of Solomon's Key/Key of Solomon we can knock out. There is another. The much less inviting Flame Desert. It seems like a problem if your desert is also on fire. Mistakes have been made at that juncture. .jpg) Aim just seems to have a bad situation all around. But the burning oil field kind of gives it away. .jpg) Phantasmagoric is a word that doesn't get used enough. .jpg) Not sure if I'm alright with Haures' description unless he's actually Liam Neeson getting mad about a pink elephant plushie. If you do not get this reference, please do yourself a service and look up Darkman pink elephant on YouTube. Anyway, the oil fields are taken and this is the only southern slot open near a border so here we go with Haures. .jpg) He *loves* death. He cannot get enough even living in the desert that is on fire. And this is the only slot northish and, you know, next to a boneyard. .jpg) And by order of elimination and also the fact it's the only oasis in the desert, we can slot Beleth here to finish the set. .jpg) And now for our prize for this Solomon's Key session! Amy - Entrance - 25% of Max MP - In exchange for 25% of the user's current Max MP, one ally's Special Attack increases by 125%~150% for their next turn only. That's some DnD rear end bullshit. Which you can probably use to break a boss in half with used in conjunction with The Third/Fifth Key and being baller at the Judgment Ring. Beleth - Evil Ray - We've seen this. It's the pretty OK Dark element spell. Bathin - Cure - It's the basic cure spell. Always OK to have back-ups. Haures - Red Blaze - See Evil Ray but Fire elemental. Aim - Heat Edge - We just used that to take out the last boss encounter. Anyway, that's our Solomon's Edge update for now. We'll check back... probably like three or four chapters from now. It's hard to say. We actually start getting to the plot going places soon and areas getting way meatier. Stay tuned!
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Nov 6, 2019 22:02
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The Dark Id posted:Not sure if I'm alright with Haures' description unless he's actually Liam Neeson getting mad about a pink elephant plushie. If you do not get this reference, please do yourself a service and look up Darkman pink elephant on YouTube. Anyway, the oil fields are taken and this is the only southern slot open near a border so here we go with Haures. Liam Neeson in a funny
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Nov 6, 2019 23:40
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Imagine being hunted by a demon and learning it's name is Amy. Does it's true form involve pom-poms and manicured nails?
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Nov 6, 2019 23:40
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Amy isn't even close to the silliest demon name in the Goetia
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Nov 7, 2019 00:00
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Got a serious cloister of trials vibe from that last dungeon
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Nov 7, 2019 14:24
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Don't get Forneus started on fanfiction. He knows literally all of it, all the time and he's got some opinions. Episode XXXVII The Dark Id posted:Like equipping everyone with on right now careful. Should be "one", "alone" I tihnk? and "souped". Episode XXXVII-2 The Dark Id posted:Which you can probably use to break a boss in half with used in conjunction with The Third/Fifth Key Looks like it should be "when".
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Nov 8, 2019 05:10
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For people too lazy to google, here's the clip of "Darkman pink elephant": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbdeAhpIPhE
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Nov 8, 2019 06:06
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:Imagine being hunted by a demon and learning it's name is Amy. Does it's true form involve pom-poms and manicured nails? Actually, I think of Raphael's adopted(?) daughter Amy, who happens to not be too bad with a rapier. So instead of being chased down by a demon, it's a vampiric Raphael Soreal, intending to make you a doll for Amy.
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Nov 8, 2019 17:17
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I dated a girl named Amy once who was pretty demonic. Hence why I dated her once.
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Nov 8, 2019 17:31
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I have an older sister named Amy. It's in my interest not to make this joke in her presence.
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Nov 9, 2019 05:23
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achtungnight posted:I dated a girl named Amy once who was pretty demonic. Hence why I dated her once. Because she took over your body at the end and now she is you and you're trapped in your own body screaming and raging on the inside and you posted this in a brief moment of control you managed to seize after years of building up willpower but no one here will take you seriously because this is Something Awful so you just cry in despair on the inside until the next time you build up that strength?
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Nov 9, 2019 06:58
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Not quite that bad. It was decades ago, so I don’t remember much. But trust me.
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Nov 9, 2019 15:03
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Much like how all Kevin's are weird, all Amy or Amis are bitchy.
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Nov 10, 2019 02:27
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Captainsalami posted:Much like how all Kevin's are weird, all Amy or Amis are bitchy. My family loves discussing how names (Doom? Force? Imply? Lead?) people to living certain lives. Nearly all people named "Eugene" are dorks...
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Nov 10, 2019 03:54
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Captainsalami posted:Much like how all Kevin's are weird, all Amy or Amis are bitchy. I've never met a Damien who wasn't a wretched piece of poo poo.
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Nov 10, 2019 12:33
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Captainsalami posted:Much like how all Kevin's are weird, all Amy or Amis are bitchy. What did Sailor Mercury ever do to you?
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Nov 10, 2019 16:04
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Rabbi Raccoon posted:What did Sailor Mercury ever do to you?
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Nov 10, 2019 16:06
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Nov 10, 2019 16:50
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Captainsalami posted:Much like how all Kevin's are weird, all Amy or Amis are bitchy. That's news to me. I'd assumed from all the stories about entitled, parents, customers, ect I'd seen online, I'd figure it would be Karen instead of Ami/Amy
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Nov 10, 2019 17:09
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Is this the new phrenology
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Nov 10, 2019 17:47
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OminousEdge posted:That's news to me. I'd assumed from all the stories about entitled, parents, customers, ect I'd seen online, I'd figure it would be Karen instead of Ami/Amy In hospitality, we call it "Big Karen Energy"
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Nov 10, 2019 18:34
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Mzbundifund posted:Is this the new phrenology A good case of confirmation biases - every Rebeccas that go by Rebecca and Ashley I knew were snotty brats, the Rebeccas that go by 'Becky' not so much, but I know that is probably not true of every Rebecca or Ashley out there.
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Nov 10, 2019 20:30
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True. I knew an Ashley in high school who wasn’t like that. This can be the case with pronunciation of names too. An-Dree-a is snootier than An-Drey-a in my experience. And every guy named Tony I’ve met has had a similar personality. Fascinating as this is, I hope to soon see more of Shadow Hearts 2.
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Nov 10, 2019 22:18
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There was a regular at my old restaurant who was a complete snobby rich lady. She fit every stereotype. Small dog in the purse, tons of chunky jewelry, everything. Treated my staff like crap and insisted we pronounce her name "De-bor-a". I know it's a real name but the way she said it was awful. Anyways, every time she got takeout I yelled "pickup for Debbie!"
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Nov 10, 2019 22:24
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 Episode XXXVIII: Film Festival Music: Old Smudged Map ~ Europe .jpg) It's roughly 1104 miles/1777 kilometers between Aberystwyth, Wales to Cannes, France. It would take roughly 17 hours and 45 minutes using modern transportation if Google Maps is to be trusted. Our party is a bunch of broke wandering adventurers on foot. Also World War I is ongoing so I'm assuming some transportation routes are problematic at the time. That's a wee bit of a hike we took between chapters here. But don't worry about that. We're in Cannes! There's nothing else to do at the moment (trust me I tried to tackle the Great Gama Round 2 and Joachim is floating in low space orbit in that timeline.) So let's just jump right in. Music: Town of Twilight ~ European Town .jpg) That's an odd decision to have your town sign facing the opposite direction of the entrance to the town. But I'm not a French city planner in 1915, so what do I know? We're going to blaze through this location in a single update. Despite that, Cannes is actually the largest town we've hit since Le Harve and we're going to smack into the majority of ongoing sidequests while we're in town. Seems France just has the monopoly on all the JRPG towns with more than two maps to them. We may as well chat with the locals to get the lay of the land. .jpg)  There's talk of some sort of viewing of those confounding moving picture shows but it all sounds like hogwash to me..jpg) Unlike Manmariana Island, St. Marguerite Island (or Île Sainte-Marguerite) is a real island off the coast of Cannes and it did have a fortress-prison. The Man in the Iron Mask was kept there for a few decades. The prison itself was closed in the early 20th Century. Not sure when Sapientes Gladio took stewardship of it from the French government. .jpg)  They say that nobody that's been imprisoned there has ever gotten out alive. Pretty scary, eh?Actually, 1874 a 63-year old French Legion Officer named François Achille Bazaine repelled 300 feet down a cliff with a rope tied to a fortress gargoyle and escaped on a boat with his wife. He was the only person to ever escape the prison. That's a pretty good display for a guy in his mid-sixties. I'll give him props for that. Anyway, at the opposite end of this entrance square is stairs leading down to the main thoroughfare of Cannes. Here we hit our first sidequest related NPC. It's time for more of the Trading Sidequest! .jpg)  Only an amateur, homemade one. I don't know how to work this thing. I'm told it's some kind of annie may or something? Whatever that means. I don't know. Even amateurs can make movies over here?! That's cool! Can I take a look at it? I'll give you something in return. Okay, if you're giving me something. Just so you know I traded it for some straw. It's got to be better than straw. I'm not trading downward. Great! Thanks! Here, this is for you, then!.jpg) My mom gave it to me before I left home, but it just gets in the way. You have it. Take care of it, okay?! My mom got killed by zombies sent by an incompetent Chinese wizard. ...... ...That's rough, buddy. But... You gave me a great memento! It won't be long before I make my first movie now. Come see it, okay!.jpg) Right. We have our next items in the series of trading. The trading sidequest is actually a bit more involved than most quests. We'll get to that a bit more later in this very town. .jpg) I'm cursed and trying to save a 400-year-old magician from a secret murder cult. Tch. Young folks these days..jpg)  About the only villager that can go over there is Nelson, the stevedore. He takes food over there once a week. Good to know. Where can I find him? <shrug>  Very helpful..jpg) Another Lottery Ticket is hidden next to a lamp post by the stairs to the lowest level of Cannes. Maybe we'll actually find another Lottery Member soon. .jpg)  And it was a feeble old man too! Poor guy. I hope they haven't tortured him to death by now... Did he look kind of like a human version of a shriveled up raisin? That's the guy! How did you know? Crud..jpg) Going down another flight of stairs, we find a fountain with an item hidden it. What is it, you ask? .jpg) Why it's another Aroma Oil for Lucia that we'll likely never use. Grass Oil can be mixed with our current Ocean and Misty Oils for the following Aromatherapy concoctions:
.jpg) Huh? Well?! Do you or don't you?! I'll ask you one more time! Do you like treasure hunts?! I don't know what you're asking or why. Treasure! Hunts! Y-yeah! I-I love them! <hands Yuri something> Good answer! So, you like hunting for treasure! Well, I love hiding it! So if you guys all like looking for it, let's have a little competition, okay?! What's this scrap of paper...? It's an encoded note that shows where I hid the treasure! If you can figure out the code, you'll find great treasure, and you'll win! But if you can't find the treasure, and the code is too hard for you, then I win! Get it? Yeah, I get it! I'll give it a try... Or just never speak to you again. The possibilities are endless..jpg) Meanwhile, do you want ANOTHER sidequest added to the pile? We're you're in luck! Loud Croft (Father of Lara Croft pre-reboot) is here to help add to the busy work! We can't do anything with this at the moment. But it sure sounds like a location that could be found in, I don't know, a prison island we're heading toward? Just a hunch. .jpg)  Aaah, when's a new movie gonna come out? OK. Remember how I said the Trading sidequest had a bit more to it than most. By that, I meant it is some "you should probably just use a guide" JRPG bullshit. As was the style of the time. It's not quite to the same degree as the myriad of easily flubbed quests in Shadow Hearts 1. But this one is certainly the easiest to just actually gently caress up permanently. Unlike most side ventures, the trading questline has multiple people that can have an item traded to and there are multiple dead ends with less than desirable rewards at the end of the quest. One of the ultimate weapons in the game (as well as perhaps a unique encounter with a returning Shadow Hearts 1 party member) is tied to successfully getting to the very end of this quest. Now why am I mentioning this here with this random dipshit child that wants to yell about the new Star Wars on YouTube to incels but was born in the wrong generation? Well, the film we traded with Aspiring Director Ijichi earlier can ALSO be traded to Wannabe Movie Critic Fabio here. So let's back up and see that dialogue and outcome had we opted to trade with this kid instead. .jpg) This? It's someone's homemade movie. I got it from this guy who's just crazy about straw! I don't understand what that means, mister. Life is complicated. A homemade movie...? Well, I guess some amateur movies must be okay. All right, then! Will you let me review it? Just say you wanna watch it! Here! I guess it's animated. Something about giant robots and war being bad? I'm not sure. Yeah, well... It'll pass the time I guess. You can have this. I thought I'd give something besides movie a go, but it's not my thing..jpg) This seems like a way more nonsensical trade than the previous guy. But nevertheless we did get a new trading item and the questline continues. In this event, both Wannabe Movie Critic Fabio and Aspiring Director Ijichi will continue the questline. We will just need to make trades with different people in the next major town we hit. There are a few trades where multiple people are acceptable and will continue the quest. I am not going to show them all off because that poo poo is like 5-10 hours apart and that'd be insane to do for five extra lines of dialogue. But now you know how the quest works. Canonically to the LP playthrough, we traded with the Aspiring Director Ijichi. A ten-year old that wants to be a film critic sounds like an rear end in a top hat, sorry. .jpg) Getting back on track, most of the doors we've passed in Cannes have just been background decorations. But this bar here is enterable and is, in fact, the critical path of completing this area. So let's head in and see what's crackin' in Vieille horloge. .jpg) How's that been working out? I've given three people alcohol poisoning.  ...I need to make sure Gepetto doesn't wander in here..jpg)  A-are you ordering? Nah. Just talking to random people and hoping to trigger questlines.  .jpg) So this drunkard dirtbag in the corner, who is definitely not a palette-swapped model of the dirtbag from the Port of Southampton we met in another bar, is necessary chatting to continue the main plot. So let's do that while we're here. .jpg) Don't get all crabby on us, now. Yeah, we may be strangers, but we've got a very special favor to ask. A favor? What is it? I ain't doing nothing for free, ya know. Could I offer you a weird Japanese doll thing? <rubs chin> ...Possibly. I am going to have to know what you want first, stranger. We want you to take us to St. Marguerite Island..jpg) You've heard of Sapientes Gladio, haven't you? Secret society. Bunch of colorful idiots leading it. A lot of cannon fodder guys in armor with really stupid claw weapons? <looks away> What?! Are you fellows with the secret society? I ain't said a word! I done just like I was told, and never told nobody about hauling that "load" over there! By "load," do you mean an old man? You helped the society imprison an innocent old man? So you're their pawn, eh? <shakes head> No way! I hauled an old man over there, but I ain't no pawn! Look, I'm sorry, all right? <turns back> What're ya gonna do with me? Don't tell me you're gonna kill me! I gave that old man a free hit from my flask and everything. I was real hospitable! Nah, don't worry. We're not like those secret society scum, you know. They're actually intensely not cool with us. They shot up their own building in Florence to do a villain monologue and everything. Just tell us how we can get over to the island. That way, you can keep from getting involved, right? <nods and hands Yuri something> Okay, sure. My boat is tied up outside. Ya can use that to go over with. And this here key opens the door to the waterway. I'll let ya borrow it. Thanks. We appreciate it. Ya won't tell anybody, will ya...? Nah. Don't worry about a thing. Just drink up and go to bed. Pal, it's only five PM. I've got some drinking to do, ya know? But you're already sloshed. I started at noon. Ya do you..jpg) We now have this incredibly complex key (there's bits on BOTH sides!) to allow story progress. Spiffy. We'll get to that shortly. There's still one more sidequest item present in this bar. It involves a rotund man in the back of the establishment. .jpg) I'm ignoring you. Don't be like that, chum. There's something in it for you! ...I am ignoring you even harder now. C'mon! Fine. I guess I'll buy you a drink.Yuri spends 500 cash. We don't know that sum until after he agrees and consults his ledger. Why, thank you! Let me give you this as a small token of my appreciation. It'll always remind you of me. You're just as fit as those men on the cards! Ever thought of becoming a model? That necklace would cover enough up! I am resuming my stance of ignoring you..jpg) His sword. Right. Well, that's another Stud Card in the collection. We can now return outside and continue down the street. Right past the bar, quite close to that budding film critic in an area where film is barely a media, we can find a NPC of note. .jpg) <morphs into Lottery Member 13> Not to mention the lottery! I love it! Let's play! I'm game!.jpg) About time we got another Lottery Member. This one's gimmick is just having a tiny Lottery Ring. That's it. I actually burned two Lottery Tickets to grab the Face Guard as well since those won't be available for sale for a while and they're quite better than the current head accessories. .jpg) In any case, we've gotten another Crest. Gale Spark is a new one, I believe. It's the third tier of Wind magic. When that will come in handy remains to be seen. .jpg) Further down the street, you won't believe what gay stereotype shopkeepers have followed us from Wales to the coast of France. I suppose with that Stud Card we do have more business with them than usual. .jpg)  Why, we're flat broke! Not a penny to our names! ...Say, I've got some time on my hands. Shall I sew you something? Yeah, sure. Doesn't seem like Gepetto is ever going to show up to do this even though it's his thing. Old people, I tell you....jpg) Once more, we're just continuing down the line because no thanks engaging with Gepetto. The Light elemental class is up next and that nets us... .jpg) Yeah, nice Dragon Quest cosplay. Get back on the bench, you creepy animated doll. .jpg)  Well, if you must know, I frittered away everything I had at the casinos in Monaco. Now, won't you buy something?.jpg) Gerard is one of those guys that tries to game digital poker by going all-in on a bluff and he doesn't realize the game can see his cards and will call it every time. Anyway, there are a couple of new pieces of armor that greatly outperform our current ones. The next dungeon is a little rough so we will pick these up while we're here. .jpg) That seems a bit warm for early fall Europe but alright. This grants +42 Physical and +38 Special Defense. Curiously, only Yuri, Karin, Joachim and... Blanca can wear it? We're going to buy this for the first three candidates in our main squad. .jpg) Meanwhile, Druid garb is only available to Gepetto, Lucia and... also Blanca again? This one grants +37 Physical and +43 Special Defense. We're going to pick this one up for Blanca since he may need some Special Defense bonuses in the near future. We'll figure out how we're going to make a canine wear a druid robe at a later date... With our purchasing done, let's finish up talking to folks on the street before wrapping up Cannes. .jpg)  These days meh... effort..jpg) Did you see a big bald dumb-looking brute or a guy in white pajamas on it? ...Yeah, actually. How did you know? Lucky guess..jpg) This is definitely not an indication of a future sidequest step. No, sir! .jpg) .jpg) There is a dock at the far end of Cannes leading down to the beach. There is nothing going on at the beach at the moment. But just remember that Cannes has a beach. It may come into relevance, oh I don't know, 40 hours from now? .jpg) That said, on the western end of the dock is a rowboat we can just jack to head out to Saint Marguerite Island. And with that, we're just done with Cannes. Tune in next time for what is essentially the end of the first act of the game. Shadow Hearts 2 is LONG and we've got a very, very lengthy journey still to come. Stay tuned!    Cannes Concept Art - Yep. That's the place we were just at alright. I'm starting to question why Europe seems locked in eternal twilight...
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Nov 10, 2019 23:21
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Hope Joachim can handle Great Gama Round 2 after the next dungeon. He's my favorite sidequest. Wolf Bout is a close second. Canines wear Druid Robes all the time in D&D. Druids shapeshifted into canines anyway.
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Nov 10, 2019 23:47
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achtungnight posted:Hope Joachim can handle Great Gama Round 2 after the next dungeon. He's my favorite sidequest. Wolf Bout is a close second. I can't wait until we get to the Endgame Part of Joachim's Sidequest and see everyone's reaction to it. It is the most glorious thing ever.
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Nov 11, 2019 00:04
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At this point, I just assume Yuri has a secret transformation he can only use offscreen where he turns into a demon-bus and just trucks everyone across Europe every other day.
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Nov 11, 2019 00:06
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OminousEdge posted:I can't wait until we get to the Endgame Part of Joachim's Sidequest and see everyone's reaction to it. It is the most glorious thing ever. I have seen it, and all I will say is that you all must see it.
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Nov 11, 2019 15:32
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The Dark Id posted:
 I haven't checked on this thread for months and I regret that quite a bit: this game really is one of a kind in all the best ways. Hope things look up for Id real soon.
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Nov 15, 2019 21:41
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 Episode XXXIX: A Fragrant Perfume Music: Old Smudged Map ~ Europe .jpg) Technically, there was no map transition for once. That boat ride took us straight from Cannes to St. Marguerite Island. That's because there was a planned but incomplete dungeon featuring the villain team that got slotted here and that would serve as the transition replacement. But since we're playing the original version, we're just unceremoniously dumped into the first room of St. Marguerite Island. But we can back out of the dungeon immediately and see it on the map. Like so! Anyway, just throwing that out there. Let's head on in. We have no outstanding warrants elsewhere at the moment. Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon .jpg) I hope you're ready for an overbearingly shades of gray dungeon. I mean, it is an island prison fortress. I as I understand it, they are not the most inviting of locales. We get a scene as soon as we head toward the door. .jpg) <looks around> This is one weird place...Really, Yuri? We just did a magical levitating block filled puzzle in an subterranean ancient aliens dungeon to get a cursed book guarded by an extra-dimensional alien. The actual, real world dungeon prison which thus far is just a cavern with a door is what qualifies as weird? .jpg) .jpg) While we ponder what Yuri considers peculiar, a random wolf rushes up and snatches something out of Yuri's pocket before vanishing (quite literally, you can see he's semi-translucent in that second shot) before vanishing into a nearby hole. .jpg) Yeah! Nothing to worry a...  <jumps in surprise> Aaaaaaggh! What?! What the hell's wrong with you, screaming like that? The key! He took the key! The key?! You mean... to here? No, the key to Gepetto's apartment back in Paris. Yeah. <shakes head> All you can say is "yeah"?! That's it?! Now we can't get in, you doofus! S-sorry! It was just so sudden... How many times do you get pickpocketed by a lousy wolf? Awroo!  No offense, Blanca.Gepetto and Blanca investigate the hole the key thief wolf went down. .jpg) No chance. And I am not letting a little kid in my party again unless I absolutely have to or their psychic mom is yelling in my head again. I have a lot of questions about that statement but I am just going to let it go at this point. We need to get that key back. Smart. Well, no tiny kid espers around but... But Blanca could do it... I'm sure Blanca could get through... Yeah, Blanca could. Awroo! What a good boy. Awroo... (Don't be condescending.) No problem, buddy. .jpg) Blanca is now our party leader and by that I mean... .jpg) The party is just now just Blanca. This should be fine. He's a reliable boy. .jpg) Following the thieving wolf through the crack in the wall will reveal a forested area which doesn't make a lot of geographical sense since we were just next to a rocky cliffside entrance to the dungeon. But details. Maybe that hole was far longer than anticipated. Just ahead there is a save point and another wolf. This one is no thief, though. He's just an upstanding businesswolf trying to turn a profit. .jpg)  Awroo? (So, do you wanna buy something?) Awroo. (Yep, sure do!) Awroo! aw-awroo, awroo! (I'm always here. Come by any time if you need something.).jpg) Wolf World (the name of Zac's shop) just has basic supplies in case Blanca is lacking anything while he's flying solo. I think we're good. But nice of them to stick this here just in case. .jpg) .jpg) Before we move on, another chest is hiding a magic crest just past Zack, the Peddler Wolf. Gotta catch 'em all! .jpg) Going back the way we came and going up the northern fork in the road, we find another wolf. One that looks decidedly like a thieving scoundrel wolf. .jpg) Awroo! A-awroo? (Yeah. Gimme the key back!) Awroo. Awroo. (Otherwise, they're just going to stand around and whine instead of finding another way in.) <shakes head> Grrrr... Awroo, awroo! (No can do! If you were dumb enough to have it stolen, that's too bad!) Awroo? Awroo? (What do you even need with a key? We can't open human doors.) A-awroo! (Tch. Not with that attitude.) <enters fighting stance and growls> Grrrrrr... Awroooo! (Then I'll just have to take it back!).jpg) Music: Vicious 1915 ~ Battle in Europe .jpg) Time for a battle against a Stray Wolf. I must emphasis this is just an exhibition match and not an officially sanctioned Wolf Bout. As we all know, all participating wolves must register a character portrait before becoming eligible for wolf bouts. Beyond that, it's a Wind class elemental, like Blanca, and has a pitiful 68 HP. .jpg) It's only notable attacks are Howling, which does a paltry 12 HP of damage at most. It can also headbutt Blanca for around 18-20 HP of damage. That's it. That's all a common Stray Wolf has going for it. .jpg) .jpg) Blanca can easily topple this less than friendly wolf in a single turn with just his physical attack chain. Heck, this wolf is such a non-threat it's one of the only enemies in the game that don't get an entry in the Library. Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon .jpg) Awroo... (If they're all as weak as you, I am not too worried. Awroo? Arwoo! (You know what? You're just rude!) Awroo. (And you're still as weak as a newborn pup.).jpg) The Friendly Wolf drops the stolen Waterway Key and trots off with its tail between its legs back into the wood thicket. .jpg) Blanca does just that. .jpg) You can always count on Blanca! <nods> Okay! Back to work, then! Let's go!.jpg) OK, then. We're back to having a full party now that Blanca has done his little side mission. If that seemed random and pointless, don't worry. We may have some more Blanca-centric gameplay in the near future. .jpg) .jpg) For now, let's head into the dungeon proper. I hope you like dreary stone gray brick pathways and dead ends. .jpg) Up ahead is some manner of break room. Can YOU guess where a Lottery Ticket is hidden? .jpg) I would personally have guessed on the gambling table covered in cards and dice. But nope. It's in a basket of candles in the back of the room. Sure, why not? .jpg) .jpg) Continuing onward, we find a locked gate and two other doors leading to the east and west. Guess we'll need to do some exploring. .jpg) To the west is a storeroom filled with nothing but a load of junk. At least, for now. We'll just remember this room exists. Possibly for a MUCH later date. .jpg) To the east we have a prison cell block. I suppose that is only natural what with this being a prison and all. .jpg) Straight across from where we enter, is a door locked with a three-digit code. I smell a puzzle cropping up. Or we'll walk over somewhere and the answer will just be handed over to us at random. Based on dungeons in this game so far, it could go either way, really. .jpg) Also based on dungeons in this game so far, naturally it is high time we started hitting random battles. Would you expect anything less? Music: Vicious 1915 ~ Battle in Europe .jpg) There are two enemy types present in this stretch of the prison (this dungeon might be a multi-part affair.) The first and most common are the Clawed Admiral, an 80 HP highest tier variant of the Steel Claw enemy type with an affinity for the Dark elemental class. Guys... Those aren't claws at this point. You're just using swords. Your name is really not working. .jpg) Like the previous clawed soldier variants, these guys prioritize setting up combos. Which is a problem since there is usually 3-4 of them in any given battle. Although, their tendency to bunch up makes them prime candidates for AOE magic attacks which almost certainly will annihilate all targets. .jpg) .jpg) Speaking of AOE magic attacks, Clawed Admirals also can cast Evil Born which... just straight up summons a Sarlacc from Star Wars to chomp down on everyone in range for a decent chunk of damage. .jpg) Additionally, their physical attack strings have a high tendency to cause Panic which causes 3 SP to be lost every round instead of the usual single SP. Yuri and Joachim can handle that fairly well but Panic is definitely a problem for Blanca or Karin. So nailing these guys first should be a priority, as it has been with most Clawed Soldier type enemies. .jpg) Occasionally joining the Clawed Admirals are Paladins. These mages possess 77 HP and a Light elemental affinity. .jpg) Their primary attack is casting a Light magic spell that is a little bit weaker than having people be devoured by a Sarlacc but nothing to thumb our nose at here. .jpg) The other issue with these jerks is that they can cure themselves and their allies. Which is why AOE magic is preferable when dealing with the groups. Can't heal someone if they got shredded to pieces in one shot by a magic tornado, now can you? Music: In Darkness of a Labyrinth ~ Dungeon .jpg) We may encounter a few additional enemies later in the dungeon. But those two are the only threat at the moment. For now, it's time to start questioning prisoners to see if we cannot suss out that passcode to the locked door. .jpg) <reveals themselves as Lottery Member 12> There's only one way to absolve my sins, by working as a lottery member for the good of the world. Help me repent! I guess I'll help you out. What did you do? Panty theft. OK... creepy and perverted. But they sent you to PRISON for that? My sins are beyond the grace of God. So, help me out by playing the lottery. I'm not sure how those are related but... I'll help you out..jpg) Congratulations! And thank you for helping me pay for my crimes. I'll be here, repaying my debt to society. Come by again sometime.This Lottery Wheel's gimmick is it moves at variable speed i.e. it speeds up and slows down at random. Whenever the cursor is stopped it halts at the exact spot you hit the button, so it's not that tricky. Slow 2 is just a Judgment Ring augment with an even greater chance of causing the Slow status effect. So that's nice. Moving on to the next cell over... .jpg) All even numbers. So it's narrowed down to 2,4,6,8. Let's head down to the bottom row of cells next. .jpg) The numbers go in descending order. And they're all 4 or higher. I got that from a reliable source, you know!So... it's 864. Well, that was easy! .jpg) Markov, Fussy About Courtesy is rude and gives us a useless hint when we already know there has to be an eight. .jpg) 864! Nailed it in one! .jpg) Music: ENDS .jpg) Continuing deeper into the prison, the party decides to sort of just mosey in an idle in this room for no particular reason. .jpg) That is except for Blanca, who senses something is amidst and starts growling. .jpg) Oh, this smell?!.jpg) What is it all of a sudden? Hey, whoever smelt it dealt it..jpg) This perfume... I'm going to... faint... Ugh...Lucia proceeds to faint. .jpg) ...... ...... <stumbles> I'm getting... weaker... Hmm. I don't feel anything. ...... ...Wait, here we go..jpg) Karin and Joachim crash to the ground. .jpg) Uh-oh, it's got me too!Gepetto goes down as well. .jpg) .jpg) C'mon!.jpg) What's wrong with all of you?!.jpg) Are they playing a prank, boy? I feel fine. Awroo... I know, right? It's not a very funny pra— Huh?.jpg) .jpg) Ugh... This perfume was made from foxglove. It... it will paralyze you if you... inhale it. Ugh....jpg) .jpg) .jpg) Music: Veronica Vera ~ Her Majesty, The Queen .jpg)  How do you like my special blend of perfume? None of you can move a muscle. Oh, no. It's her again. Except for your mouths, I suppose. <laughs derisively> It works on the central nervous system. You must be having trouble breathing! drat you! Heh. That was easier than I thought it would be. Hey, how come we aren't getting' paralyzed too? <laughs> Don't worry about that. That's not an answer but OK. What will you do?.jpg) Hahaha! That's also not an answer. Blargh... <passes out again>.jpg) Lenny and Veronica notice Blanca hasn't taken the bait and is still up and about. .jpg) Huh?And he is OUT of here! Dogs ain't into weird human kinky stuff. Nicolai marches into the room. .jpg)  Go after it and kill it! What, that stupid dog? It's smarter than you. C'mon! Ya don't see me licking my own crotch to clean myself. I don't see you cleaning yourself in general. Hey! I shower... occasionally....jpg) .jpg) Nicolai marches up and kicks over Yuri before searching him. Hmm... I wonder what he could be after. Nicolai yanks out the Émigré Manuscript which... Yuri, apparently had shoved down his pants? .jpg) Ah. I'll take this. Thanks for the help. Ugh....jpg) Okay, I'll finish them off! Wait a minute. Nicolai said I could have him. Oh, not that weird stuff again?! It's one thing to do that on your own time but it really creeps out me and the boys when you do it at the workplace. What about it, Nicolai?.jpg) Welp. This is all going well. Tune in next time for definitely not a prolonged torture scene or two with someone WAY too into doing the torturing as Shadow Hearts Covenant continues.   Video: Episode 39 Highlight Reel  Clawed Admiral Concept Art - Oh come on. You're not even wearing ANY claws now! That's just a whip.  Paladin Concept Art - They're not even trying with these Char clones in newer Gundam shows.   St. Marguerite Concept Art - Yep. That looks about right.
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Nov 16, 2019 20:24
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I wonder if there were any folks who actually started with Koudelka only to reach a sudden realization that torture scenes were suddenly a series staple. I wonder if it was even still surprising at this point.
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Nov 16, 2019 21:07
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| # ? May 24, 2024 17:07 |
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In fairness to Lenny, being less intelligent than a wolf isn't saying much in this kind of game. Now, getting duped by Yuri, on the other hand...
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Nov 16, 2019 22:48
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