I just... I can't believe they've managed to make the game more mindfucky than both of the first games, and I'm only a few hours in. Especially considering they basically conceded the mindfuckery from #1 and 2.
I'm glad that pretty much all of the characters are being straightforward about everything we already know right off the bat. It would've driven me crazy if Phi and Sigma were tight-lipped to begin with or if Junpei and Akane pretended the morphogenetic field wasn't a thing, but they did a good job of pretty much immediately acknowledging all that stuff.
Is this a proper trilogy? Should I start with 999 and work my way up?
short answer: yes
The third game is going to make a lot of direct references to things from the previous two entries that's going to deepen your enjoyment by magnitudes. The best route would probably find an in-depth plot synopsis video for 999 then start with VLR since VLR introduced a lot of QoL improvements that made going back to 999 kind of a chore to work through on a fresh sitting.
That's a fair point. I could justify watching an LP of 999 because replaying it to make different choices is kind of cumbersome, since you always have to start over from the very beginning. That said, IMO the puzzle sequences are a crucial element of the game. You spend a good chunk of time twisting and turning these convoluted plots in your head trying to decide who you trust and who you don't. Then when you're about to start tying red string onto pushpins in corkboard, BOOM, puzzle room. Now your brain is 100% focused on the task at hand. You can't afford to be mulling over your conspiracy theories anymore, you've gotta do math or find chess pieces or whatever the fuck that bastard has set up for you.
It's the way game does peaks and valleys to keep an escalating tone without getting overbearing about it. From what I heard, the iOS version of 999 literally removed the puzzle rooms from the game altogether, and is way worse pacing-wise as a result.
Worth reiterating that if you play them out of order at all you'll really ruin things for yourself. Out of pretty much any narrative I know (video game or otherwise), this trilogy is one of the most reliant on experiencing the story in the way/order that it is presented in order to get the full experience.
Really the only thing I wish is that it'd be possible for you to play through 999 with VLR's QoL improvements. Has anyone heard anything about the Steam release of 999? Will that maybe at least include a way to quickly skip through segments you've already read?
EDIT:
Alright so playing further...
Holy fucking shit has anyone else played C-team Suspicion, yet?
They were not kidding when they said this one would be gorier.
Downloaded my copy! I just had the longest shift ever at work, so I think I'm just gonna lie down on my bed and collapse / play the game, whichever happens first.
You know, every time I think they can't make deaths worse in this I'm proven to be horrifyingly wrong. I think I'm going to need to do something else for a bit.
Got pink and green liquids (both blurry under microscope), revealed the hint on the centrifuge cover, and got the liquid analyzer up and running but can't figure out the next step.
Got pink and green liquids (both blurry under microscope), revealed the hint on the centrifuge cover, and got the liquid analyzer up and running but can't figure out the next step.
Hint -
You need to do something to unblurry the liquids.
Bigger hint -
Toss a liquid into the centrifuge, then microscope the results.
Siggy doesn't seem to have changed all that much personality-wise in all those years :P. Also I kinda love how the major conflict on D team is like "No, no, let me be the one who dies!"
Oh, sweet, don't feel bad anymore about the copy from Amazon not showing up on release date, since they just gave me a free $10 gift certificate as a apology.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
It is super suspicious seeing the flow branch continue after a Game Over node.
General spoiler, nothing too major:
I'm finding those tend to be other team fragments that pick up after another one bites it.
I'm not too far yet, but
Yeah, it seems to tend to be that the plot picks up with another team. It's those routes where it ends with a lock but the team hasn't been killed off that are really suspicious.
The animation is super inconsistent, though, and some of it is pretty cringy.
Every time I watch Gab walk through a duct I can't help but think that I've seen real-world robot dogs with more realistic movement. And I'm talking toys from ~20 years ago, not the high-end stuff we can make these days.
Here's a fun sub-game: catch the references contained in the X-Passes.
One of Akane's is "SIX" and one of Junpei's is "FIVE", while I believe Sigma and Phi are sometimes assigned "RED" and "BLUE".
Well here's a weird set of circumstances. I ordered the game from Amazon.ca. Just now I get an email from them saying I may miss my release date, that they apologize, and are giving me $10 credit as an apology. Neato.
Thing is... the game's already "here". In quotes because I was unfortunately out of the house at the time and missed the delivery. Double annoying because they didn't use Canada Post, which would be at the post office down the street at the end of the day for me to pick up. But instead Purolator, which is a right pain in the arse to get to, and I get the feeling I could go just before closing tonight and they wouldn't have it processed yet. So I gotta wait till tomorrow.
A pain, but I got errands to run tomorrow anyways, so picking it up ain't a big deal. But... the game's here and I got the delivery slip to prove it. They didn't miss the release date at all, they nailed it in fact (I live in Victoria, if anything ships from Richmond/Vancouver it's here next day regardless of shipping speed, if it's from Ontario then it's a week+). There's no need to give me $10 as an apology!
Guess I'll take it though.
"The sausage of Green Earth explodes with flavor like the cannon of culinary delight."
So I'm not seeing this on the NZ eShop, though that may just be down to the search being typically atrocious, but it's not under new releases either. Am I missing something, or am I gonna be getting the Steam version?
The animation is super inconsistent, though, and some of it is pretty cringy.
Every time I watch Gab walk through a duct I can't help but think that I've seen real-world robot dogs with more realistic movement. And I'm talking toys from ~20 years ago, not the high-end stuff we can make these days.
Here's a fun sub-game: catch the references contained in the X-Passes.
One of Akane's is "SIX" and one of Junpei's is "FIVE", while I believe Sigma and Phi are sometimes assigned "RED" and "BLUE".
I'm breaking my rule about entering the thread to tell you all to attempt to blame the dog for things when given virtually any opportunity
Not a spoiler, just something you can do for a laugh
There's quite a few fun options for that. This is the only board's topic that I feel is safe, a certain other major MB's one is a minefield. (It usually is)
I've used the A-mode on the glasses and seen the connections, but I still can't figure out what hoops I need to jump through for these connections. Do I need to turn the power on first or something?
Posts
Worth reiterating that if you play them out of order at all you'll really ruin things for yourself. Out of pretty much any narrative I know (video game or otherwise), this trilogy is one of the most reliant on experiencing the story in the way/order that it is presented in order to get the full experience.
Really the only thing I wish is that it'd be possible for you to play through 999 with VLR's QoL improvements. Has anyone heard anything about the Steam release of 999? Will that maybe at least include a way to quickly skip through segments you've already read?
EDIT:
Alright so playing further...
Holy fucking shit has anyone else played C-team Suspicion, yet?
thus "wonky pls"
Oh, there's definitely worse than this.
Did you get to Q-Team Pod room?
Also, Q speculations:
Siggy and Phido still my fave characters.
"...only mights and maybes."
AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697
General spoiler, nothing too major:
EDIT: No crash the second time, but now I'm a lot more paranoid about saving.
AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697
D-Disposal:
Another interesting fact about that fragment...
AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697
I can probably get one more Game Over here, but will have to come back later with more information for the other branches.
AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697
AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697
Hint -
Bigger hint -
EDIT: Yup, bad pixel hunting.
AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697
Yeah
C-Team Suspicion
Not a spoiler, just something you can do for a laugh
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
I'm not too far yet, but
Speculation:
And these cutscenes don't look that bad.
I mean, it's not stellar, and I still miss 999's art, but I think it looks a bit better than VLR.
I actually like the models. The animation is super inconsistent, though, and some of it is pretty cringy.
Also, some of these voice actors are way better than others.
Agreed, but it's clear to tell where they cut corners, i.e. having someone hack at THIN AIR with sounds playing.
C-Team Pantry.
Also not a fan of June's new VA, hers in VLR was perfect. Also also, her ponytail is possessed during some cutscenes, possessing a will of its own.
Every time I watch Gab walk through a duct I can't help but think that I've seen real-world robot dogs with more realistic movement. And I'm talking toys from ~20 years ago, not the high-end stuff we can make these days.
Here's a fun sub-game: catch the references contained in the X-Passes.
AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697
Was wondering when things were gonna get weird :P.
Thing is... the game's already "here". In quotes because I was unfortunately out of the house at the time and missed the delivery. Double annoying because they didn't use Canada Post, which would be at the post office down the street at the end of the day for me to pick up. But instead Purolator, which is a right pain in the arse to get to, and I get the feeling I could go just before closing tonight and they wouldn't have it processed yet. So I gotta wait till tomorrow.
A pain, but I got errands to run tomorrow anyways, so picking it up ain't a big deal. But... the game's here and I got the delivery slip to prove it. They didn't miss the release date at all, they nailed it in fact (I live in Victoria, if anything ships from Richmond/Vancouver it's here next day regardless of shipping speed, if it's from Ontario then it's a week+). There's no need to give me $10 as an apology!
Guess I'll take it though.
...well, that was fast.
AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697
Eric's backstory spoilers
There's quite a few fun options for that. This is the only board's topic that I feel is safe, a certain other major MB's one is a minefield. (It usually is)
EDIT: Figured it out. What a pain.
AC:NH Chris from Glosta SW-5173-3598-2899 DA-4749-1014-4697
Also, my phone curiously does not attempt to autocorrect funyarinpa