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Haifisch
Nov 13, 2010

Objection! I object! That was... objectionable!



Taco Defender

MythosDragon posted:

Yeah..... Its not the kind of mood whiplash that feels natural either. I finished the first arc yesterday, and just jesus. It's going for a dark vibe in a way that just doesnt fit the series if you ask me, and its pretty drat jarring for the entire first week of the game and slowly relaxes when it stops the plot and focuses a bit on characters, its probably going to shift right back at the start of the next arc and I'm dreading it. I examined any and everything I possibly could, it added several hours to my playtime, I ADORE flavor text.
P4 was already huge mood whiplash from 3, since it was a shitload cheerier throughout(even the way you summoned personas went from 'commit metaphorical suicide' to 'crush a card or something idk') & you had actual friendships with your entire team.

Although half the problem is that Persona is never subtle about its themes, and that means the intro to this one gets to go way out of its way to make you hate almost everyone you interact with.

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Rogue 7
Oct 13, 2012
One thing this game does with its environment is capture just what living in Tokyo is like. Yongen-Jaya feels just like the part of Tokyo I used to live in- narrow streets, small cafes, taking the subway everywhere...

It's a major change from P3, which wasn't set in a real Iapanese city and felt radically different from how most of Japan is.

MythosDragon
Jan 3, 2016

Haifisch posted:

P4 was already huge mood whiplash from 3, since it was a shitload cheerier throughout(even the way you summoned personas went from 'commit metaphorical suicide' to 'crush a card or something idk') & you had actual friendships with your entire team.

I dont disagree, but 3 and 4 are different games. 5 mood whiplashes at itself and makes 3 look cheery when its in its dark mode.

Tae
Oct 24, 2010

Hello? Can you hear me? ...Perhaps if I shout? AAAAAAAAAH!
p5 suffers the most from a "play 30 minutes every week" format.

Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


I disagree that they execute it poorly, it's just rather different and very in-your-face about the treatment of people who've been unjustly convicted. But we'll see more of that to come.

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.
I had no problems whatsoever with Persona 5's tone. It's definitely not subtle about its themes, and I can understand an argument that it's repeating itself way too often to be considered "good writing", but I think it handles its tone well.

Dinictus
Nov 26, 2005

May our CoX spray white sticky fluid at our enemies forever!
HAIL ARACHNOS!
Soiled Meat
I wasn't aware we got no less than two, nevermind one Persona 5 Let's Play going. All the better. I'm going to look forward to the differences in gameplay decisions.

Tae posted:

p5 suffers the most from a "play 30 minutes every week" format.

I'm not sure how this exactly works for an RPG :confused:

JT Jag
Aug 30, 2009

#1 Jaguars Sunk Cost Fallacy-Haver

Junpei posted:

One thing I really like is that Maaku isn't quite a silent protagonist. He does at least have a running commentary in his head, and in anime cutscenes and actual gameplay he does more than grunt and nod, unlike Makoto and Yu.
He also has running themes in his conversational options which make it easy to derive a personality from him beyond the "choose your own" personality that previous Persona games had.

Josef bugman
Nov 17, 2011

Pictured: Poster prepares to celebrate Holy Communion (probablY)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund
So is this still taking place in the same world as 3 and 4? One the A) Didn't get devoured by the moon and B) People are now having increasing difficulty ignoring themselves in?

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.

Josef bugman posted:

So is this still taking place in the same world as 3 and 4? One the A) Didn't get devoured by the moon and B) People are now having increasing difficulty ignoring themselves in?

Yeah, it's the same world. I estimate about 5 years after P4, although they just say 20XX. You just have to assume that these world-devouring calamities happen every couple of years without anyone noticing.

MythosDragon
Jan 3, 2016

JT Jag posted:

He also has running themes in his conversational options which make it easy to derive a personality from him beyond the "choose your own" personality that previous Persona games had.

Tanaka.


Persona basically has 10 hour story mode and then 10 hour gameplay mode back and forth. Its not really ideal, but at the very least it motivates me past the gameplay when its getting stale. I cant really say 5 follows the same formula yet, but its not too far off.

On the topic of Time, P4 was 2011, and I'm pretty sure I read that P5 calendar matches 2016. But now its a megaman spinoff for some reason and they dont want to tell you when we get personal AI butlers.

MythosDragon fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Apr 16, 2017

Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


Josef bugman posted:

So is this still taking place in the same world as 3 and 4? One the A) Didn't get devoured by the moon and B) People are now having increasing difficulty ignoring themselves in?

It does and I'll probably go into a few of the connections but those are a long ways off.

Josef bugman
Nov 17, 2011

Pictured: Poster prepares to celebrate Holy Communion (probablY)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund
Surely at this point humans are starting to change a fair amount due to all the mucking around in the collective psyche of mankind.

MythosDragon
Jan 3, 2016

Arist posted:

It does and I'll probably go into a few of the connections but those are a long ways off.

Why wait, theres proof in the very next update!

"Saphire" and ..... I forgot the other one but it involved the word "High Kick"

Haifisch
Nov 13, 2010

Objection! I object! That was... objectionable!



Taco Defender

Dinictus posted:

I'm not sure how this exactly works for an RPG :confused:
Since this is Persona, it means you take a year to beat it. :v:

I'm not really sure why you'd do that to yourself with a 100 hour RPG, but to each their own.

MythosDragon
Jan 3, 2016

Guys ingame weeks.

Magic Fanatic
Oct 28, 2008
Oh yeah, one fun note: whenever you start a new game, it goes through that whole disclaimer... It's actually a Yes/No question of if you agree to it, and if you don't... The game scolds you and kicks you back to the title screen.

FractalSandwich
Apr 25, 2010

MythosDragon posted:

On the topic of Time, P4 was 2011, and I'm pretty sure I read that P5 calendar matches 2016. But now its a megaman spinoff for some reason and they dont want to tell you when we get personal AI butlers.
It's actually set in the year 94,533. The Persona universe uses a base 36 calendar.

Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


MythosDragon posted:

Why wait, theres proof in the very next update!

"Saphire" and ..... I forgot the other one but it involved the word "High Kick"

I didn't discover Sapphire until the very end of the game and didn't realize it popped up earlier.

e: but we're getting a bit specific now so I'm gonna ask that we refrain from discussing future stuff here.

MythosDragon
Jan 3, 2016

Arist posted:

I didn't discover Sapphire until the very end of the game and didn't realize it popped up earlier.

e: but we're getting a bit specific now so I'm gonna ask that we refrain from discussing future stuff here.

I'm only 15 hours into the game, I have no clue what happens. I just spent hours examining everything possible at every chance and that was one of the very first things I saw in the area.

Sure I won't talk about about things, let me just ask one thing though. I could've been vaguer than that? Cuz I was patting myself on the back thinking I finally understood what the hell was considered a spoiler, and now I'm disappointed. Oh yeah, I'm the type that just plain doesnt understand the concept of spoilers really, so if I say something tell me and I'll edit it out ASAP.

Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


I misphrased that, it isn't actually anything specific, it just feels like we're edging into that territory, I don't think you need to edit anything though.

Blademaster_Aio
Jan 22, 2017

Wow, what an opening.

I think it's kind of refreshing that for a change, we're not the "ideal" hero.

Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


Part 3: 4/10-4/11: Everybody Hates Maaku

Video: Velvet Room (Worth watching just for the snippet of Igor, that voice filter is something else)



Maaku wakes up in an unfamiliar location.




*chuckle*










Oh, hey, Igor. You got something in your throat?

You’ll be able to hear it in his line in the clip but Igor is now voiced by David Lodge under a ridiculous voice filter instead of Dan Woren, because his Japanese VA died. For the P4 spinoffs Igor was either conspicuously absent or had his voice lines from previous games reused because of this. There was also that weird moment in Ultimax where he was voiced by Vic Mignogna, but let’s not talk about that.

Anyway, because his Japanese voice actor passed away, when they were forced to recast him they clearly went in the exact opposite direction from his more high-pitched voice in games prior, jeeeeeeesus.

Music: The Poem of Everyone’s Souls



The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream.

Being dragged into the Velvet Room while you’re sleeping is a pretty common occurrence in Persona.

You’re in the presence of our master! Stand up straight!



This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a “contract” may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well. I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well.




The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such.

The prison, however, is new. In Persona 3 the Velvet Room was an elevator and in Persona 4 it was a limousine.



In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you.



I speak of the end to everything. However, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be “rehabilitated.” Rehabilitated toward freedom… That is your only means to avoid ruin. …Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?



Could you maybe repeat that?

You didn’t decline, hm? Very well, that is enough. Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation. Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.




...That is, if you remain obedient.

Caroline and Justine also follow the naming scheme of previous Velvet Room characters, in that they’re named after characters from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Justine is named after a character who was framed for a murder committed by Frankenstein’s monster, and Caroline is named after Victor Frankenstein’s mother.

I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion. Now then, it seems the night is waning… it is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually...



Time’s up! Now hurry up and go back to sleep.




The next day...

Music: Beneath the Mask -Instrumental Version-



Ruin… Rehabilitation… What does it mean…?



Well then, let’s go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer. The school you’re attending is in the Aoyama district. It’ll cost you a bit to ride the train there, and the route transfers are a pain. I’ll drive you there, but just for today. Let’s go.



I failed to mention it before but Sojiro is voiced by the consistently amazing Jamieson Price. He’s one of my favorite performances in this game.



Do me a favor and behave yourself, all right? Don’t get me wrong--I don’t care what happens to you. Just don’t cause me any trouble.

Thanks for the concern, Sojiro.



Oh my god, what the gently caress am I looking at? It’s like Wilson Fisk did a fusion dance with a runny egg.

Honestly, I hesistated on accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on our side… You might have done a variety of things in hiding in your hometown, but you will behave yourself here. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind. This is the teacher in charge of your class.



Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And if by chance you cause any problems, I won’t be able to protect you at all. ...That IS your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?
He is responsible for all his actions.
But really though, why me… There should have been better candidates.

I’m right here.

It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening.
If you’re done explaining things, mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to.
Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on him. Don’t let him cause any trouble outside...
Well, I’ll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation he’s in.
Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I’ll show you to your classroom.



I guess that’s what it means to have a criminal record. Turns out your past follows you wherever you go. By the way… if you get expelled now, I won’t hesitate to kick you out. Got it?




*sigh* School never changes, huh…? Come on, we’re going home.

Music: Restlessness



I can’t believe they pushed someone with a record on me. A male teacher would be better suited for this...
Why in the world was someone like that admitted here?
Who knows? It was the principal’s decision. I was told that it’s for the school’s reputation.
I would have thought that my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover that.
That’s certainly true.
Be careful, OK? Then again, if anything were to happen, I’d kick out a student like that right away.
I keep wishing that he’d just end up not coming to school. Still, that isn’t something I should be saying as a teacher...
Well, I should be returning to practice.
Oh, right. The tournament’s coming up, isn’t it?
Hehe, having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite a problem in itself. We’ll have to work hard to make up for the track team too.
Yes… that’s true.



Even the teachers hate our guts.

Music: Beneath the Mask -Instrumental Version-



You’re taking the train, starting tomorrow. ...So how was it? The school, I mean. Think you can manage?



You brought it on yourself though. Still, you were expelled once already. To think you’d re-enroll at a different one. It’s not like anyone will be sympathetic with you. ...If that’s what it was like at school, people might say stuff about me in the future too… What a troublesome kid I’ve taken in.



I was asked to do it, and I just… happened to agree to it. I’ve already been paid for it too, after all.



...Another accident? So that’s why it’s so crowded. There’s been a lot of those lately.

Video: Crash




Passengers wait for the train.



It arrives, faster than they expected.




Inside, the passengers are panicked.





The conductor, eyes rolled back and drooling black goo, continues pushing forward.



The train derails.








The image moves to a corner of the screen, revealing a newscaster.

That was direct footage from the accident. According to the police, the engineer’s life was not in danger, despite his injuries. After questioning, even he could not explain his high speed when approaching the station. No further comments were made. Police are still looking for a plausible motive.



The camera pans out from the television, revealing Sae and her superior watching the feed.

It’s less an operating accident and more a crime of the company and the government.



Seems the company and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth.



Wait, what? I guess the dead-eyed ghoul possessed by some unholy force didn’t make it onto the news. What’s this guy talking about?

Now onto our main story. With this derailment accident, as well as other recent incidents of unknown motive, concern is spreading among the general public. Just what could be causing such a drastic change so suddenly in these people?

More stuff like this has been happening? That’s terrifying.

Everything’s linked–that’s what you’re thinking, correct? ...Ah well. Are you free? You and I haven’t gone for a drink in a while.
Thank you sir, but I have another meeting to attend. I must be going.




Not quite. I want your opinion on something.
Sure. Your judgement is quite often correct, though. Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all.
Conveyor belt only.



Poor guy.

Music: Beneath the Mask -Instrumental Version-



I wasn’t able to open the cafe today… ...Whatever. Just head upstairs. There’s something I need to give you.




You may be under probation, but there’s no special limitations on what you do in particular. Besides following the law, that is. However, I’m obligated to report on you, which is why I’m having you record your daily activities.

So I’m living above a coffee shop owned by a grumpy old man whose only method of checking what I’m doing is reading my diary. Japanese probation is weird as hell.




...I’m about to leave right now. Don’t worry. I’ll be there in no time. ...Uh-huh. I’ll see you soon.



Oh, but don’t mess up my store. If something goes missing, I’ll hand you right over to the cops. You got school tomorrow… You better head off to bed, all right?



I should write down what happened today in my diary...



Writing in our diary is actually how we save.



This is the only corner of the save menu I can actually show, however, because the rest is full of spoilers.

I have an early day tomorrow… I should rest up...



Before Maaku makes it to bed, he hears a ringing sound from somewhere.

That ringing sound isn’t coming from my cell phone...






Uhhh… I closed up shop, but I forgot to flip the sign to CLOSED. It’s too much of a hassle for me to go back, so you flip the sign for me.



Sorry. I make it a habit not to save guys’ numbers on my cell phone.

Okay, I changed my mind, Sojiro’s amazing.

Anyway, I’m glad you answered the phone over in the shop. OK then, I’m leaving you in charge of the door sign.



Time to head outside and flip the sign over.



Don’t savor this taste of freedom; you can’t stray more than ten feet from Leblanc in either direction.



Sign flipped. Time for bed.





Looks like I need to go out to Shibuya, then transfer there. More news about that subway accident… It sounds like a lot of people were hurt. I bet this’ll affect the timetables for tomorrow too...




It keeps showing up...



I should probably reboot my phone, just in case… My eyelids are starting to get heavy...




Hopefully I can get there without getting lost… I don’t want to be late on my first day. I should head out now...



Neat little detail: Maaku automatically grabs his bag on the way down.



Let’s greet Sojiro before we leave.



Here, I’ll feed you. Just make sure you finish it before the customers start coming in.



What’s that reaction for? Just eat it.



I can taste complex flavors within the bold spiciness...
It’s time for you to go.


Thanks. ...Hurry over to school. You’ll end up late if you get lost on the way.




Don’t forget to do that for me, all right? Now, you better hurry on out. You’re gonna be late if you get lost, country boy.




Time to head to the train station.





It turns out the rumors about the Tokyo subway are true… They’re showing the news up on the LCD screen… It seems like there are still some lingering effects of yesterday’s accident...



I hear this game’s representation of Shibuya is pretty accurate, particularly the train station. I don’t know much about that, but I do know that it’s a pretty accurate representation...








...of being loving lost.



We finally find our way out of here and above ground.



Could this puzzling accident be a coincidence? To ensure the safety of the people, countermeasures must be taken immediately...

This protestor, for example, is apparently parodying the real-life phenomenon of a group known colloquially in English as the Bible Distribution League. As you might have guessed, they distribute religious materials. Their counterparts in Persona 5 are more likely to drone on about the Sun God, but it’s fascinating what they bothered to reproduce here.



While running around aimlessly, we see this. Seems like Rise’s doing well for herself. Good for her.



And Kanami too.



We’ve finally made our connection.



Huh? It’s raining outside?
It just started all of a sudden… This is why I hate the early spring.
That reminds me… Did he take an umbrella...?
Huh? Who’re you talking about?
Don’t mind me. So, what’ll it be?
One house blend, please.
The effects of yesterday’s subway accident continues on today as various lines suffer delays and--
There’s been a lot of nasty accidents lately. You know, I mean the subway accident that the news is talking about… My coworker got caught up in it and is in the hospital now… But that aside, it’s kinda creepy. The people who caused these accidents supposedly went crazy all of a sudden. I heard that some of them suffered from nervous breakdowns during interrogation.
Huh.



We get off at Aoyama-Itchome.

Video: Encounter




Students run to school in the rain.



Maaku, however, is stuck hiding under an awning.



The mysterious app reappears on his phone.



A hooded figure hurries past to hide under the same awning.

Music: Encounter



She removes her hood.




The girl notices Maaku staring at her oddly, but doesn’t seem to mind.




A car drives up and stops in front of the pair.






Nah.

Maaku politiely declines.



The girl looks distressed before the car drives off.



A boy with bleached hair runs after the car.



...Pervy teacher?



The strange app responds to Maaku’s voice.

Music: Suspicion



You plannin’ on rattin’ me out to Kamoshida?



Huh? In that car just now. It was Kamoshida. He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is--the king of a castle? Don’t you agree?

That’s a bit of a labored analogy, but okay.



I’m a big fan of taking the options in Persona games that make the protagonist seem like a total dipshit.

Uh, it’s just a sayin’… …… ….Wait. You don’t know Kamoshida? Are you for real? You’re from Shujin, right?



What…? No other high school’s got a uniform like this. A second-year, huh… We’re the same grade then. Never seen you before though. Oh, you a transfer student?
*nods*
Then no wonder you don’t know him. This rain ain’t too bad. We better hurry up, or we’ll be late.




There’s a flash of purple and both Maaku and the other boy grasp their heads.

I feel light-headed for some reason...
Uuugh, my head hurts… Dammit… I wanna go home...

Music: Interrogation Room



Time marches forward...





I assume you know of the uproar that the public calls the “psychotic breakdown incidents.”



You say that like it’s none of your business. It was all over the news, and one of the victims included a teacher at your high school. I’ve no doubt you heard about it. On that day… were you still an “ordinary” student?



…Let me change the question. You transferred to Shujin Academy, correct? An ordinary prep school that could be found in any city… ...That’s what it should have been. What happened around that time? Tell me everything--truthfully.

Video: Castle

Music: To Another World



Inside Maaku’s bag, the app turns itself on...




Wha…!?



The boy is confused...



...because suddenly, there’s a castle.



The boy’s reaction is decidedly understated.

Yeah, this should be right...



What’s goin’ on here…? I guess we’ll just have to go and ask.

Sound idea.





Through the distortion, another building is visible…

Arist fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Aug 13, 2019

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?
Everything about the Velvet Room in this game is made from distilled but leaky and hard-to-aim :allears:

(With a little :cripes::japan: thrown in for good measure.)

MythosDragon
Jan 3, 2016

Oh hey perfect timing.

I've been replaying Persona 4 the past few months(Endgame now) and read the entirety of both LP threads because I'm insane, and Chie's social link made me think of something. Specifically the Rank 9 event, her justice tendencies have her step out and protect someone, and they proceed to threaten her and her family and friends, but she dissolves the situation by willingly putting herself in harm's way saying they can do whatever to her, and then just back off. Its a nice parallel to this game where if the protag tried anything like that he'd get killed. Naoto's social link has a similar little parallel with the phantom thief being a joke rather than super serious business TM.


I'm playing in Japanese and I just melt into a puddle when I listen to deep booming thunder voice Igor. Also Justine is nice, screw the other one though, and hopefully I'm not mixing them up again. I expected a Kingpin joke referring to the Principal. The only issue with playing in Japanese is that the newscaster is not subtitled for some unfathomable reason and she's not speaking the 1% of Japanese I understand. I keep expecting Kawakami teacher to reveal herself to be a martial arts god at some point.

I'd have fallen in love with Sojiro there myself if I wasnt drowning in negativity at that point, the breakfast scene in the morning really warmed me up to him though. I should really get around to trying Dancing All Night so I actually know anything about Kanami. I think part of why I paid so much attention to those 2 random girls in that other Anime Movie is because they just look so detailed compared to the rest of the random NPCs in the scenes.

My first impression of Persona 5 was rejoicing at Ann being so attractive, because as much as everyone in P3 and P4 grew on me, I never really thought any of the girls were super attractive. I too am a fan of the dipshit options, which is kind of sad cuz it means I'm not seeing the other dialogue trees here. Part of the reason Vulgar Boy's reaction was understated is that you really can just walk into 2 different kinds of castles in Japan. Like Europe they still have standing medieval castles in places like Kyoto's Nijou Castle, and uh...... Love Hotel's can get very strange and fancy in terms of architecture, poo poo's weird man.

If my stupid commentary is annoying, I'll tone it down or stop. Its just fun to actually talk about games, and I assume alot of interest to talk about the actual updates will help keep your motivation high.


Edit: A link to castles just lying around Tokyo: https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/1311/

MythosDragon fucked around with this message at 13:06 on Apr 18, 2017

Rogue 7
Oct 13, 2012
So while it doesn't quite get the whole thing (Shibuya station is freakin' *huge*), there are definitely parts of it that are modeled well by the game. The part of the station with the round pillars showing various lines is spot on. They also copied the front of the station, with Hachiko, the green traincar, and the Scramble crossing pretty much exactly. My impression of Shibuya station is not the most accurate, since I too felt like I got lost every single time I went there, and also it was under construction the entire time I lived there.

I will also say that the train ride where you're stuffed in like sardines is 100% accurate. Tokyo trains at rush hour are...uncomfortable.

Emperordaein
Jul 1, 2013
My first experience with trying to find my way through Shibuya Station in this game wound up being a recreation of my experience trying to find my way through Shibuya Station in real life last year.

RareAcumen
Dec 28, 2012





Are those pants about to turn out to be dress code? The MC having a unique outfit is one thing, but now he's not the only person wearing plaid.

MythosDragon
Jan 3, 2016

RareAcumen posted:

Are those pants about to turn out to be dress code? The MC having a unique outfit is one thing, but now he's not the only person wearing plaid.

RPG School Uniforms like their plaid.

hopeandjoy
Nov 28, 2014



Emperordaein posted:

My first experience with trying to find my way through Shibuya Station in this game wound up being a recreation of my experience trying to find my way through Shibuya Station in real life last year.

I was terrified about being late to school even though I knew that this wasn't causing time to pass.

I think I'm too much of a square for this game guys.

Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


RareAcumen posted:

Are those pants about to turn out to be dress code? The MC having a unique outfit is one thing, but now he's not the only person wearing plaid.

Suffice it to say there's a reason Shujin's uniform is so fancy, but that's another few updates away.

RareAcumen
Dec 28, 2012




Arist posted:

Suffice it to say there's a reason Shujin's uniform is so fancy, but that's another few updates away.

I'm not worried about the rest of the protagonist's clothes. Just wondering if the pants are going to be a regular thing once we get to school.

Tricky Dick Nixon
Jul 26, 2010

by Nyc_Tattoo

RareAcumen posted:

I'm not worried about the rest of the protagonist's clothes. Just wondering if the pants are going to be a regular thing once we get to school.

This time, all the students are funky.

geri_khan
May 16, 2009

Fucking blocks... I'm gonna climb the shit outta you!
Finished this game last night, I can finally start following the LPs!

Can confirm: Shibuya's a really nice recreation of the real place, and I loved the feeling you got of trying to find your way around the maze of a train station. Was talking to someone else about it and he commented that it was surprising there was no destination marker or anything: it really contributes to a feeling of being lost and anxious.

Also, Maaku has no reason to complain. If I could get good Japanese curry any time I wanted, I'd be ecstatic! It'd make up for everything else.
Well, almost.
I laughed first time I saw him in that fedora though.

The plaid pants look terrible IMO.

Mzbundifund
Nov 5, 2011

I'm afraid so.
Sojiro is a bit of whiplash after the incredible Good Dad that was Dojima from P4, but so far he's real interesting. The stuff he's said to Maaku and the stuff he's done for Maaku don't quite line up.

resurgam40
Jul 22, 2007

Battler, the literal stupidest man on earth. Why are you even here, Battler, why did you come back to this place so you could fuck literally everything up?
Powering through this game myself (and yeah, I'm another guy who bought a PS4 for it) and if I can get tired of it, I haven't yet, so I'll join in the LPs when I can. This is a really good game, though, you should buy it if you can.

A question, though: why do some of you dislike the tonal clash in comparison to the other Persona games? I find it refreshing that we have three whole games now in which there is a discernible emotional thread... and I don't really see what's so wrong about the way it goes about establishing the tone either. I mean, look at the main character and his situation, and look at how the Velvet Room appears to him: no fancy elevators or limousine rides for Maaku, just chains and a prison cell to reflect the injustice done to him. If P3 was infused with moribund, existential sadness and P4 suffused with the joy of self actualization, the mood of P5 would seem to be anger; this is an angry young man we are in control of here, angry in the way previous Persona protagonists have not portrayed as being.* At least, that how I reacted, to the point I'm surprised and somewhat disappointed Arist isn't choosing the more dickish options being offered to him; due to the thorough unpleasantness with which everyone has been treating him, why should he be nice? (This is not, however, to say that our hero isn't, or wasn't a nice guy; on the contrary, he strikes me as having done everything right before his fall from grace, to the point of protecting a woman from a rapist... which should if anything, make him angrier.)

Anger is the key, and a totally acceptable reaction to what's going on in this game... And the crux of the game would seem to be whether the anger within him becomes a conflagration to consume himself and those closest to him, or becomes a torch to protect the innocent and wronged, and expose the guilty.

*P1's protagonist was pretty much a cipher, as is the standard for all RPGs at that time; P2's guy was little better and was meant to serve as a balance to the real protagonist, Maya; P3's protagonist seemed too emotionally repressed to really be angry at anything; and P4's protagonist... well... was many things, but outside of a very specific plot point that would frankly make anyone's blood boil, "angry" wasn't particularly one of them.

resurgam40 fucked around with this message at 16:30 on Apr 18, 2017

RareAcumen
Dec 28, 2012




resurgam40 posted:

A question, though: why do some of you dislike the tonal clash in comparison to the other Persona games? I find it refreshing that we have three whole games now in which there is a discernible emotional thread... and I don't really see what's so wrong about the way it goes about establishing the tone either. I mean, look at the main character and his situation, and look at how the Velvet Room appears to him: no fancy elevators or limousine rides for Maaku, just chains and a prison cell to reflect the injustice done to him. If P3 was infused with moribund, existential sadness and P4 suffused with the joy of self actualization, the mood of P5 would seem to be anger; this is an angry young man we are in control of here, angry in the way previous Persona protagonists have not portrayed as being.* At least, that how I reacted, to the point I'm surprised and somewhat disappointed Arist isn't choosing the more dickish options being offered to him; due to the thorough unpleasantness with which everyone has been treating him, why should he be nice?

The game just started and everyone has such a low opinion of you at this point that I'm not really bothered by Maaku-kun being a polite-ish boy and keeping his snide comments to himself. For now at least. I'm sure when we're not too worried about getting tazed or punched for starting a conversation later in the game, we'll be more free about that kinda stuff.

MythosDragon
Jan 3, 2016

The tonal shifts are in the game itself, even when not comparing it to 3 and 4. I'd give examples, but I'm pretty sure that would be spoilers, right?

And while its apparently going for a tone of realism, since to a small extent the way people are reacting to you is gonna happen, its pushing it too far back into fiction and not in the good funny way, its specifically trying to piss you off, and as far as I'm concerned that's a terrible way to start a story, don't do that until after you get the moral support ready. Luckily I'm invested enough in the series and talking mechanics in general or I would've put it down for at least a month. I didn't feel much fun at all from the game until that curry scene we just saw, and thats about 2 and a half hours in.

As my favorite color, I associate the color Red with more positive things like laughter and justice over anger.

I wont deny a lot of its my personal preference making me overly critical on it though, and it definitely loosens up in a few hours. I'm just hoping it doesn't tighten up again.

MythosDragon fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Apr 18, 2017

Hwurmp
May 20, 2005

Kanami's hairdo remains an unsolved mystery of science

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Arist
Feb 13, 2012

who, me?


MythosDragon posted:

The tonal shifts are in the game itself, even when not comparing it to 3 and 4. I'd give examples, but I'm pretty sure that would be spoilers, right?

And while its apparently going for a tone of realism, since to a small extent the way people are reacting to you is gonna happen, its pushing it too far back into fiction and not in the good funny way, its specifically trying to piss you off, and as far as I'm concerned that's a terrible way to start a story, don't do that until after you get the moral support ready. Luckily I'm invested enough in the series and talking mechanics in general or I would've put it down for at least a month. I didn't feel much fun at all from the game until that curry scene we just saw, and thats about 2 and a half hours in.

As my favorite color, I associate the color Red with more positive things like laughter and justice over anger.

I wont deny a lot of its my personal preference making me overly critical on it though, and it definitely loosens up in a few hours. I'm just hoping it doesn't tighten up again.

I don't know, I think there can be value in Persona 5's attempts to make the player angry right at the start.

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