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[Let's Play Revelations: Persona] This is over! Persona 2 in New Thread!

BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
edited October 2010 in Games and Technology
persona_cover.gif
Megami Ibunroku Persona: Be Your True Mind. The first game in the incredibly popular Persona series. Persona 1 opens with the story of a Japanese nameless silent protagonist and his Japanese friends in their efforts to rescue their chronically ill Japanese friend Maki from a hospital that has been twisted and warped by demons from another world. Their main line of defense against these demons are their own demons. Their own inner demons, that is. The various masks all people put on to deal with various situations have been made real and are capable of standing against the demons now overrunning their once peaceful Japanese city.

Sounds pretty awesome, right?

Well, I'm lying, we aren't going to be playing that awesome sounding game.

Persona1_box.png

There we go, that's better. Better in this case means worse. So, so much worse.

Revelations: Persona opens with the story a Caucasian, American silent protagonist, his Caucasian, American friends, and their token black sidekick in their efforts to rescue their chronically ill Caucasian, American friend from a hospital that has been twisted and warped by demons from another world. Their main line of defense against these demons are their own demons. Their own inner demons, that is. The various masks all people put on to deal with various situations have been made real and are capable of standing against the demons now overrunning their once peaceful American suburb.

Basically what I'm saying is this game underwent so much whitewashing that even M. Night Shyamalan was left thinking "that's pretty racist, man." Names were changed, faces were lightened, hair was recolored from black to red, brown, and blonde, and one character was turned into a black dude for no apparent reason. All this was done in an attempt to make the game more appealing to a western audience.

You will be surprised to learn that this brilliant strategy didn't work.

So, sarcasm aside, what's this game like?

Honestly, once you get past the strange Americanization of everything and the (rather frequent) typos, this isn't an awful game. It has interesting characters, a good plot, and great music (which I will be sharing as frequently as possible, if YouTube agrees with me). It's an old school Shin Megami Tensei game, though, which means lots of confusing first person dungeon crawling, and some challenging battles.

Most of you are probably familiar with the other games in the series. But, if your only exposure is through Persona 3 or 4, things work a little differently. If you've played Persona 2, you're closer to knowing how things work, but there's still a few twists here for you!

Battles:
Battles are turn based, like you would expect:
battleexample1.jpg
Everyone's nicely lined up, waiting for their turn like good little boys, girls, and bloodthirsty demons from a hell dimension.

Fight, Escape, Auto, and Analyze are pretty self explanatory. Let's examine those options in the middle next.
Every attack in Persona 1 has a range: physical attacks, spells, physical skills you name it. So, it stands to reason that we'd be able to adjust where on the field our characters are. Normally we'd do that outside of battle, but if the enemy sneaks up on us, our positions are inverted -- people in the back are moved to the front and vice versa. That's when the Form option comes in handy.

battleexample2--forms.jpg

Select it, and a mini grid appears, allowing you to move one or more of the characters each turn. Any character moved in combat spends that round defending and can't be given any commands.

Now, the far more important Contact option:

battleexamplecontact1.jpg
Take a good look at these two enemies, you won't be seeing them again for a long time.

You'll notice certain highlighted words. Like people, demons have their own individual personalities. Unlike people, these individual traits are exactly the same for all demons of a certain race. All Faefnel are Smart, Surly, and Grumpy. The four colored triangles are his emotions. As you can see, we have Joy, Fear, Interest, and Anger. He sure does seem like a gloomy fellow, doesn't he? Let's see if we can cheer him up.

battleexampledancingcrazy.jpg
Go, Mark, Go!

battleexamplemaddemon.jpg
Oh. Oh, dear, that didn't work at all.

Well, you know what they say, if you can't make 'em happy, make 'em dead! Besides, I need to explain the experience system now. Yes, that's right. Not even the experience system in Persona 1 is uncomplicated.

battleexampleexperience.jpg

Look at all those numbers. All those different numbers. Experience in Persona 1 is awarded based on how active a role each character took in the battle. Healing and buffing is weighed more heavily than attacking, which is why Mary has more than twice the second highest amount, having done nothing but cast a full party healing spell every round. Obviously, this system means that slower characters like Mark and Nate there will get shafted in the experience department. How shafted, you wonder? In the save that screenshot was taken from, Mark and Nate a full six levels below the others.

So, that's EXP down. What's PP?

PP is short for Persona Experience. Which is still not as simple as it sounds. Persona Experience determine's a Character's Persona Level, not a Character's Persona's Level. Persona Level indicates what level Persona each character can equip. So a Persona Level of 10 means that character can equip Personas level 10 and below.

Using lots of skills and magic gains the user more Persona Experience, while using regular attacks gets more Character Experience.

And that's the battle system in a nutshell. I'll explain more in depth once we're actually in the game and things come up.

Sounds great, let's get started!
Not so fast! First, a little explanation on how I'll be doing this. Because this is a "Let Us Play," and not a "Let Me Play and Show You," I will be asking for your input! But, because the choices that actually matter come at fairly awkward places in the narrative (in terms of stopping an update at least, they flow very well when you're actually playing), I am going to ask you now:

1) Name the main character! We have 8 spaces, we only get a first name, and remember: he's a White Man living in America. So go for the cliche Uber-American names for a truly authentic Revelations experience!

2) How many of the "Ultimate" Personas will I be getting? Pick a number from 0 to 5. I'll make the appropriate choices throughout. (EDIT: To clarify, re: Ultimate Personas. They don't change the game themselves, rather certain options throughout the game determine whether you can summon them or not. Essentially, they're the effect, not the cause.)

3) Good ending or Bad Ending? If enough people want it, I will keep a save to show off both, but which would you want to see first?

4) This is the biggie: Who will be my fifth party member? We get five people in our party, and four of them are chosen for us. We can pick a fifth from the following:
Brad
BrownHead.jpg
Arcana: Justice
Weapons: Spear, Machine Gun
Contact Options:
- Pickup Line
- Tell Joke
- Gossip
- Surprise
Pros:
- Weapons have a decent range, and allow him to attack physically from spots outside the front row.
- His forbidden Arcana is Chariot, which is negligible as Chariot Personas are generally weak
- Offers to join early and easily, so you will have a full team of five as soon as possible
Cons:
- Contact options aren't the best
- Has an average at best stat layout, and will be outdamaged by more specialized characters.
- Doesn't add much to the plot of the game.

Ellen(Note the Japanese art, she has blonde hair and lighter skin in Revelations!)
EllyHead.jpg
Arcana: Judgment
Weapon: Rapier, Rifle
Contact Options:
- Story
- Sing
- Spoil
- Tempt
Pros:
- Good stat distribution, focusing on Technique, which raises physical attack and therefore allows her to do pretty heavy damage no matter what you're having her do.
- Her "ultimate" Persona is one of the best Personas in the game, and she is the only one able to use it.
- Judgment Personas are amazing; most of them null or reflect all magic except Darkness, and have pretty awesome healing spells.
- Adds a small bit to the plot, by turning the main love triangle into a love square.
Cons:
- Her weapon's range requires her to be in the front row to effectively use it
- Uses the same weapon type as the main character, which will force you to choose who gets the really good stuff
- Forbidden Arcana is Magician.
- Contact options are pretty bad, everything she can do can be done more consistently by one of the main four in her team.

Alana
AyaseHead.jpg
Arcana: Magician
Weapons: Whip, Handgun
Contact Options:
- Put Down
- Tempt
- Beg
- Threaten
Pros:
- Great stat distrubtion, with a focus on Agility, Luck, and Technique
- Good contact options on her own, as well as filling in all contact holes with the other four in her team
- Magician Personas have excellent attack power. With the second available Magician Persona, level 14 Urvasi, she's capable of doing upwards of 300 damage with a single Mabufu, and they just get better from there.
- Whips have a decent range, hit multiple targets, and can inflict a lot of nasty status effects such as paralysis and petrification

Cons:
- Whips have horrible attack power, even with her high technique
- Her guns, while powerful, have a very small range, and can almost never be used unless she takes the front row center position, which makes her an easy target due to low HP
- Her forbidden Arcana is Judgment
- Doesn't add much to the plot

Chris
ReijiHead.jpg
Arcana: Devil
Weapons: Gloves, Assault Rifle
Contact Options:
- Ignore
- Threaten
- Scream
- Magic
Pros:
- Having him in your party adds extra scenes and information to the plot of the game -- far more than Ellie which simply serves as a few interesting lines.
- Excellent contact options. Most work well on almost all demons in the game.
- He is the only character able to use some of the most powerful Personas in the game such as Satan, Lucifer, etc.
Cons:
- Forbidden Arcanas are Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Priestess, Empress, Judgment, Magician, and Justice. This greatly limits his selection of useful Personas
- The powerful Chris only Personas are all very high level and require large amounts of grinding to use, and are virtually useless due to the fact that, when you're on level 99 nothing is going to be powerful enough to present a challenge to you.
- His weapons have a horrible range, even when he is placed at point
- Fairly poor stat distribution
- Joins much later than all other fifth characters, forcing you to go through one and a half dungeons, and a fairly difficult boss at a handicap.

[strike]So, go ahead and vote, and I'll put up the next part once I decide there's enough votes.[/strike]
Voting is closed! The winners are:
1) John
2) 5
3) Both
4) Chris

Also, since this is my first Let's Play, feel free to offer advice, criticisms, etc. I want it to be enjoyable, after all. :D

UPDATES

Update 1

Update 2

Update 3 Part 2

Update 4

Update 5

Update 6

Update 7

Update 8

Update 9

Update 10 Part 2

Update 11

Update 12

Update 13

Update 14

Update 15

Update 16

Update 17

Update 18

Update 19

Update 20

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Posts

  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Since even on my second run(re: PSP version), I never saw Reiji/Chris' path, I'll vote that.
    (Funny that I named the protagonist Chris when I first played it, leading to much confusion)

    This is a game that's near and dear to me, since it was my first SMT game ever. There just wasn't another RPG like it at the time. Students with guns and demons?

    The Americanization kind of made sense at the time considering what the RPG market was like, and people weren't really up in arms about protecting games from the slightest change(not that they had many ways of knowing). The localization is still really bad. :lol:


    Atlus did have bigger plans for the Revelations moniker(like Soul Hackers and Devil Summoner), but it only lasted up until the GBC Demon Slayer game. :( Shame, because they pretty much cleaned up their localization act by then.

    cj iwakura on
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  • ChrisDudeChrisDude Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Man, there's been a lot of SMT game action happening on the forums lately, which is awesome since I never got the chance to play any of them.

    My input:
    1. To be as American as possible, name the main character Brosef.
    2. I don't know how the ultimate Personas change the game, but I'd say get as many as possible to show them off to people like me. :P
    3. I'd love to see both endings, but the Good ending would probably be best for the normal part of the LP.
    4. I'm voting for Chris, basically just because he shares my name. I'm shallow!

    Looking forward to the start of this!

    ChrisDude on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    To clarify, re: Ultimate Personas. They don't change the game themselves, rather certain options throughout the game determine whether you can summon them or not. Essentially, they're the effect, not the cause.

    Blackjack on
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  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    1) Either John Smith or George Lincoln.

    2) Get 'em all.

    3) Good Ending

    4) Ellen

    WotanAnubis on
  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Wotan, it's first name only for the main. This is before those newfangled "last names" came into play. :lol: Should I put you down for either John or George in that case, or did you want to come up with something new?

    (also edited the post to clarify a couple things. Sorry about that, guys!)

    Blackjack on
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  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Name him Guile. :lol:

    cj iwakura on
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  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Blackjack wrote: »
    Wotan, it's first name only for the main. This is before those newfangled "last names" came into play. :lol: Should I put you down for either John or George in that case, or did you want to come up with something new?
    Damn.

    Well then, just go with John as Most Generic American Name Ever.

    George doesn't work without that last name as a Truly American Name. :P

    WotanAnubis on
  • Xenogears of BoreXenogears of Bore Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    5.) Play Revelations: The Demon Slayer instead.

    Xenogears of Bore on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    5.) Play Revelations: The Demon Slayer instead.
    But I don't like that game, so I am going to exercise my power of veto. :P

    Blackjack on
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  • Xenogears of BoreXenogears of Bore Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Oh well, at least I tried. :P

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  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Bet Gilder's going to do it one day, he's the resident Demon Slayer fan.

    cj iwakura on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Oh well, at least I tried. :P
    It was a valiant effort. Any votes for the four questions that actually exist? :lol:

    Blackjack on
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  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    1. Hubert
    2. 3
    3. Good
    4. Chris

    Dehumanized on
  • Xenogears of BoreXenogears of Bore Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Biff, 5, Bad, Ellen.

    Xenogears of Bore on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Part 1: Introductions, Typos, and Ghosts
    SLUS_00339_11072010_100246_0755.jpg

    We open on a very confused teenager, surrounded by his friends.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_100912_0677.jpg

    Look at that. Even the game doesn't want us to play it.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_100957_0021.jpg

    This is literally 90% of the information you need to know about Mark. The remaining 10% will be revealed very shortly. Also, I love these descriptions so much. "A troublemaker that gets into mischief" as opposed to "a troublemaker that volunteers down at the local soup kitchen on the weekends" I guess.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101004_0005.jpg

    ...yeah. Three lines in and we're already at a typo count of 1. Get used to that, by the way.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101007_0708.jpg

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101012_0911.jpg

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101020_0021.jpg

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101023_0427.jpg

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101029_0349.jpg

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101032_0286.jpg

    She left ugly, but she came back beautiful.

    MarkPortrait.png Hey, wait up...what's going on here? Nate, Yuki...Which side are you on?

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101050_0865.jpg

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101053_0208.jpg

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101058_0646.jpg

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101102_0130.jpg

    :) "I sure do respect and trust that trustworthy and respectable girl!"

    "I also respect and trust her. She's very respectable and trustworthy!" :)

    MarkPortrait.png Psh! You guys suck as usual. What about you? Who are you going to bet on? You're on me, right?

    Our very first choice! This doesn't effect anything except a line or two of dialog directly following it. Suffice to say we're going to bet on Brad for many reasons:

    1) Everyone else is; if we bet on Mark and lose, two people have to pay for seven lunches; however, if we bet on Brad and lose, then four people have to pay for seven lunches. It's simple math that going for Brad is the smart thing to do.
    2) Very shortly it will be proven that Mark is a total idiot for ever suggesting the bet in the first place.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101541_0396.jpg

    MarkPortrait.png You, too? What the heck!? Wassup with everyone!?

    BradPortrait.png You'll be sorry! OK, let's begin.

    The scene shifts and everyone's moved. Now, Alana, Brad, Mark, and Ellen are standing in the four corners of the room, prepared to play Persona. Which apparently involves each person saying a variant of "Persona Persona come to me" and then walking to whoever is next to them.

    AlanaPortrait.png Here I go! Ummm...Persona, Persona, please come to us!
    Alana walks to Brad
    SLUS_00339_11072010_101612_0490.jpg

    BradPortrait.png Persona, Persona, come here!
    Brad walks to Mark, who stops to bicker
    SLUS_00339_11072010_101621_0536.jpg

    MarkPortrait.png Damn...Why the heck are we doing this..?

    BradPortrait.png Come on! This is for all you can eat! Hurry up!!

    MarkPortrait.png OK...OK...Persona, come here.

    Like Mark, I find the best way to perform a ritual to summon a demon is to completely half-ass it.

    Anyway, Mark walks to Ellen.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101636_0036.jpg

    EllenPortrait.png OK, it's my turn...Persona, Persona, please come to us.

    Ellen walks to Alana's original position and completes the game.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101705_0333.jpg

    Alana marches over, furious.

    AlanaPortrait.png Hey, Brad! Don't I look stupid now!?

    No one has the heart to tell her she looked stupid before, too.

    MarkPortrait.png Ah, yeah! Wassup now!? Looks like I win!

    YukiPortrait.png Are you happy now? Let's go.

    BradPortrait.png Wait! Let's try one more time, OK? Mark didn't try hard enough!

    Bard finally finds it suspicious that they allowed the kid that thought the whole thing was a joke and a waste of time to perform part of the game. Presumably Yuki and Nate would have brought that up if either of them gave a shit.

    MarkPortrait.png Shut the heck up! Don't be trying to blame me for your own mistakes!

    But, before anything can happen, Nate wigs out.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101744_0052.jpg
    SLUS_00339_11072010_101747_0599.jpg
    SLUS_00339_11072010_162906_0552.jpg

    Everyone is understandably surprised at the little ghost girl that suddenly appeared. However, they all remain firmly in place. This is why I could never be an RPG character. A ghost shows up behind me and I am running out of the room shaking and crying. But these guys? Nothing.

    AlanaPortrait.png What is that? Is it real?
    EllenPortrait.png Last time we did this, we only heard sounds. This time we're seeing images.
    BradPortrait.png See? I told you something would happen. Now do you believe me?

    Okay, well, that explains it. Alana's too dumb to be scared, Ellen is too interested in the occult, and Brad is just happy to be right. Also, this is reason number 2 to vote for Brad. You've played the game before. Stuff happened when you played the game before. For some reason, Mark just assumes that this time nothing will happen. Because science suggests that if you do a thing once and there is a reaction, doing it again will provoke no reaction at all.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101810_0458.jpg

    MainPortrait.pngWhat's the magic word, little girl?

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101817_0068.jpg

    MainPortrait.png...okay, that's pretty convincing.

    EllenPortrait.png It's fantastic! It's so intriguing.

    Ellen, meanwhile, has lost her mind.

    Alana and Yuki scream as more lightning that I couldn't capture in time flies about.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101856_0005.jpg
    SLUS_00339_11072010_101858_0224.jpg

    MainPortrait.png...that's gonna leave a mark.

    Nate and Mark are similarly unlucky:

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101900_0052.jpg

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101900_0552.jpg

    At the end of it, Ellen, Alana, and Brad are the only ones spared.

    And the screen fades to black. Or, more precisely, fades to a loading screen.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_095231_0521.jpg

    Next time, creepy men in masks, talking trees, wandering around the worst overworld map ever created, and more! Voting is still open on the four choices from the first update, too.

    Blackjack on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    VOTE NUMBER 1 CLOSED

    We're going with John for the MC because there wasn't any consensus and I feel bad about crushing Wotan's George Lincoln ambitions, so I'm going with his suggestion.

    You can still vote on the other three if anyone is reading this that hasn't voted yet.

    Also, the next update should come around Wednesday or so, and will be longer than this one was; I just wanted to do that intro scene so there was some sort of content here.

    Blackjack on
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  • GammarahGammarah Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    This is pretty funny so far, I'll definitely follow it. Never played Persona 1 before so this might encourage me to pick up the PSP remake.

    2) 5

    3) Good

    4) Chris

    Gammarah on
  • KiplingKipling Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    As long as you include a battle against the toilet monsters, I will be happy.

    For 2-4
    All of them
    Good ending
    Ellen, just because Alana would be a wasted vote.

    Kipling on
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  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Alana is not a wasted vote, she's really good with magic, and...

    Uh...

    Well, it sort of creates a love triangle with Main.

    cj iwakura on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    cj iwakura wrote: »
    Alana is not a wasted vote, she's really good with magic, and...

    Uh...

    Well, it sort of creates a love triangle with Main.
    Honestly, Alana is probably the best out of the fifth characters, in terms of battle ability. I enjoy her character, too, and if it was solely up to me I'd probably end up taking her. :P

    And as for your second point...wha? :lol:

    Blackjack on
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  • Fig-DFig-D Tustin, CA, USRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    2.) However many you can get without killing your interest in the game and this LP.

    3.) Good, because its the ending I would go for.

    4.) Alana, because she's an airhead blond in pigtails with freckles. Brad looks like a tool, Ellen thinks she's hot shit with her Euro scarf thing (bitch), and Chris... I dunno, I kinda like Chris. But when given the choice between a female character that rolls all of my fetishes into one convenient package versus some dude (even if that dude makes a habit of punching demons), I'm gonna go with the chick.

    Fig-D on
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  • blaze_zeroblaze_zero Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    3, Bad, and Brad.

    blaze_zero on
  • Dox the PIDox the PI Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Bad and Chris

    Dox the PI on
  • Fig-DFig-D Tustin, CA, USRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Side Tangent:

    Is the PSP remake good? And is it available for download (like P3P) or is it only available on UMD?

    Fig-D on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Fig-D wrote: »
    Side Tangent:

    Is the PSP remake good? And is it available for download (like P3P) or is it only available on UMD?
    It was released right around when the PSP Go was, so it should be on PSN too, but I've never checked so I don't know for sure.

    As to the quality...the translation is hugely improved, cut content (which I'll discuss when applicable) was restored, everything is sped up, and the music was butchered and made awful except for one or two tracks that cj will be by to tell you about shortly.

    All that said, it's still an old game, and it still shows. If you don't mind a (very) old school dungeon crawler, it's definitely worth the price.

    Blackjack on
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  • blaze_zeroblaze_zero Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I think I've only seen P3P on the PSN network. Could be wrong about that, though.

    blaze_zero on
  • The AnonymousThe Anonymous Uh, uh, uhhhhhh... Uh, uh.Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Bah, missed the name vote. Although, John is a good name given the context :D

    Anyway, for the rest...

    2) 5. You probably won't actually need them for "that" part if you have the right Personas or just grind to get Lucifer, but they're still fun to have.
    3) Good ending, for obvious reasons.
    You miss out on like three or four dungeons otherwise, and the bad ending sucks anyway because of how ambiguous the text is.
    4) Reiji/Chris, if only because of the ridiculous hoops you have to jump through to get him. He's definitely worth it though, plus only he can use the sheer awesome that is Lucifer.

    The Anonymous on
  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    The Anonymous brings up a good point that I may as well clarify right now.

    There is no way in hell I am grinding up to level 99 so you can see Lucifer in action. Sorry. :(

    Blackjack on
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  • Fig-DFig-D Tustin, CA, USRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I just checked PSN and Persona is indeed on there, but its still $40.

    If I do pick it up (my tolerance for "old school RPG mechanics" has petered off the past few years) I'll definitely wait for a price drop.

    See, I'm one of those weird people who much preferred the high school social life aspects to the dungeon crawling in P3 and P4. I have a deep seated hatred of randomly generated dungeons, you see.

    Fig-D on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    The dungeons aren't randomly generated in Persona 1, they're just first-person perspective and, occasionally, very maze-like.

    Blackjack on
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    3DS: 1607-3034-6970
  • The AnonymousThe Anonymous Uh, uh, uhhhhhh... Uh, uh.Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Blackjack wrote: »
    The Anonymous brings up a good point that I may as well clarify right now.

    There is no way in hell I am grinding up to level 99 so you can see Lucifer in action. Sorry. :(
    No worries. Maybe you could do some 'Sharking and include it as an extra?

    Also, just a tip, if you go for the Good ending, you'll definitely want to do at least some grinding before the last dungeon. Take it from someone who didn't bother grinding for that part, and nearly went insane from the endless savestating required. :x
    Seriously, fuck Pandora and her crappy Avidia World. They can both go to hell for how utterly stupid they are.

    The Anonymous on
  • BiopticBioptic Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    2) As many as you can get without dying of boredom/frustration.

    3) Good ending, 'cos that sounds like the one to go for.

    4) Ellen. Because consensus is bad, and her drawbacks seem less crippling.

    Bioptic on
  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Voting is closed

    And the winners are...

    1) John
    2) 5
    3) Good ending (but I decided I'll be showing both anyway so this was a pointless vote sorry :()
    4) Chris

    Update coming in a couple hours or whenever I get it done.

    I stopped playing Dragon Quest IX to work on this, so you know I'm dedicated. :P

    Blackjack on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Part 2: They all get paid by the word, apparently.

    Kind of text heavy update this time, sorry about that. There's really nothing I can do about it. The next one will probably be the same way for the first half and then it'll start getting better, I promise.
    Now, where were we...?

    SLUS_00339_11072010_101901_0036.jpg

    Oh, right. Creepy little ghost girl killing us with lightning.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_102009_0365.jpg
    Turns out the afterlife is a swirly vortex that doesn't screenshot well.

    Eventually the fog fades and we're treated to a whole host of mysterious and/or symbolic imagery.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_102025_0943.jpg
    A clock...
    SLUS_00339_11072010_102027_0958.jpg
    Some sort of...gear...thingy.
    SLUS_00339_11072010_102030_0505.jpg
    The Schwarzschild radius
    SLUS_00339_11072010_102034_0161.jpg
    A...helix made out of...tomatoes?
    SLUS_00339_11072010_102037_0146.jpg
    Oh, good. A door. Let's get out of here. The afterlife is strange and confusing.

    However, we immediately find we should have stayed with the tomatoes when we're greeted by a strange man in a mask.

    SLUS_00339_11072010_102100_0552.jpg
    Because this has been rendered in [strike]glorious[/strike] 1995 3D, this scene is entirely voice acted for our...pleasure? Let's go with pleasure.

    PhilemonPortrait.jpg Welcome. My name is Philemon. I live between the world of consciousness and unconsciousness. So tell me. Who are you?

    MainPortrait.png John.

    PhilemonPortrait.jpg Excellent! There are not many who know their own identity when they have come to this point. It seems you have passed the first test. By the way, have you noticed you carry more than one you in yourself? Perhaps the merciful you, the graceful angel you, or the cruel, demonic you. We live behind many masks, and you may at this very moment be living behind many masks. But you claimed your name, proving you know who you really are. I admire your strong will, and bestow my power unto you. Persona. The power to call out others within you. Sometimes merciful, sometimes cruel. These selves are embedded deep within your soul. This power will help you through your quest into the future. Go back now, into your world. The world that's locked between time and space.

    MainPortrait.pngGeez, way to be melodramatic about it. Could've just said 'time to wake up.'
    SLUS_00339_11072010_102157_0615.jpg

    Anyway, back in the world that's locked between time and space...

    SLUS_00339_12072010_220957_0521.jpg
    Wow...How weird...Maybe he's having...The same dream, too...

    NursePortrait.png Oh, John. You're finally awake. Welcome to the school's infirmary...How are you feeling?

    SLUS_00339_12072010_221020_0333.jpg
    As you can tell from this detailed analysis into her psyche, Dr. Beverly here is vitally important to the plot of the game.

    Before John can answer, or we can answer for him at least, someone else enters the infirmary.

    TeacherPortrait.pngJohn! Are you OK? Good, I'm glad you're awake now...John don't ever do that to me! I was worried sick when I heard you passed out.

    So, who is this? Well, she's--
    SLUS_00339_12072010_221107_0146.jpg
    Oh. God these things make my job so much easier.

    TeacherPortrait.png Thank you, Doctor, for taking care of my students.
    MarkPortrait.pngWell she is a doctor. That's what she's supposed to do. It's no big deal...
    TeacherPortrait.png Anyway, Ellen and Alana told me everything that happened.

    SLUS_00339_12072010_221128_0802.jpg
    TeacherPortrait.png Mark, you can forget detention today. Just go with everyone to the hospital.

    YukiPortrait.pngWhy? Do you think there's something wrong with us?
    TeacherPortrait.pngI can see you're all fine just by looking at you...But you could have bumped your head when you fell...So go have yourselves checked.
    YukiPortrait.pngSometimes you worry about us too much... OK, we'll go to the hospital.
    NursePortrait.pngMs. Smith, are you talking about that hospital where one of your students is being treated?

    MarkPortrait.png...You mean Mary?
    TeacherPortrait.pngYes. She's been there for awhile now...I'm sure she'll be very happy if you guys went to pay her a visit...

    SLUS_00339_12072010_221208_0255.jpg
    And with that, I finally, finally get to control John. First thing I do is open that item box right in front of me and get an herb. That pink tree in the corner there is an Augustus Tree, which serves as our save points through the game. There are approximately four of them in the entire game because that's not annoying at all. The doctor actually gives a fairly clever "you should talk to plants to calm your mind" explanation instead of the typical "SAVE YOUR GAME AT THE TREE...whatever that means lol fourth wall!" explanation that exists in most RPGs.

    So, with an herb stolen and our game saved, we say goodbye to the familiar comforts of third person, and head out into the hallways of the school...

    SLUS_00339_12072010_221552_0036.jpg
    If you're like me, you're already lost. But that's okay, because we can pull up an even bigger map!

    SLUS_00339_12072010_221612_0146.jpg
    ...oh. Well then.

    Okay, honestly, the layout of the school isn't that confusing; it's just a big square that goes up three floors. We're currently on the first floor, and the exit is right next to us. So, let's go! We don't want to keep Mary waiting, right?

    Hahaha, no seriously, we're gonna dick around in here for a while first.

    In one room, we find Alana and Ellen hanging out for no apparent reason.
    EllenPortrait.pngI took the liberty of explaining to Ms. Smith what happened. Brad just went home, and Alana isn't really good at explaining things.
    MainPortrait.pngOh, snap.

    In the same room, there is a teacher who has a very important question for us.
    SLUS_00339_12072010_221751_0380.jpg
    2nd floor...It's not you, is it?

    NatePortrait.png...... He must be talking about someone else.
    MainPortrait.pngSeriously, what's that guy's problem? We keep all of our trespassing and demon summoning to the sealed classroom on the first floor.

    Still, we can't just let an accusation like that go. To the second floor, to clear our names!
    SLUS_00339_13072010_040437_0302.jpg
    YukiPortrait.pngWho's there?
    MarkPortrait.pngYo! Chris!? What the heck are you doing here?
    ChrisPortrait.png.........
    MainPortrait.pngHey! That's my line!
    SLUS_00339_13072010_040451_0411.jpg
    Chris leaves without a word.

    Most of the other students in the school are obsessed with gossip and rumors. Particularly hot topics involve the Sebec Corporation's new building which is said to be cursed due to being built on top of a haunted house, and a student named Bruce who is rumored to have eloped with Selina, Mary's rival in the art club.

    One rumor in particular seems to make Mark angry, though...

    SLUS_00339_13072010_041253_0490.jpg
    All the gangsters around here like to use them as their hangout.
    MarkPortrait.png Gangsters? There aren't any gangsters around here!
    :x "Shut up! There are! I've seen them throw parties in one of them!"

    It also seems like we aren't the only ones that have been having weird dreams...
    SLUS_00339_13072010_041416_0552.jpg
    And I saw a wicked looking old man that was sitting on a chair...Do you think it has a meaning?

    That about wraps it up for the school, except for one last thing. We run into a friend of Mary's in our classroom on the second floor.

    TJPortrait.pngUm...Excuse me, John..? Are you going to the hospital?

    SLUS_00339_13072010_041451_0271.jpg

    TJPortrait.pngCan you please tell Mary that I'll bring her book the next time I go visit?

    We agree because, well, we're going to see her anyway, we might as well.

    TJPortrait.pngThank you. I hope I'm not bothering you or anything...That book was really good...I want to read it again...
    MarkPortrait.png What's it called?
    TJPortrait.pngIt's called..."Gate to Paradise."
    MarkPortrait.png Damn, that's deep! Mary reads books like that?
    NatePortrait.pngIf you like it so much, then why don't you just buy your own copy?
    TJPortrait.png Um...Actually...It's a bit expensive...And I have to buy new clothes for my brother...
    YukiPortrait.pngDamn you, Nate! How can you ask such a rude question!?
    MainPortrait.pngSeriosuly, dude. Not cool.
    MarkPortrait.pngAnyways, we have go see Mary now(sic)! Don't worry about about it, we'll tell her!

    And on that awkward note, we're done with the school.

    SLUS_00339_13072010_043726_0036.jpg
    Nate has clearly had enough of us poor people and our exploration. Also, it is adorable how he thinks we're going straight to the hospital.
    MarkPortrait.pngWassup with Nate!? Damn, he pisses me off! I'll probably never like him!
    YukiPortrait.pngNate...Mark...Grow up!

    And with that, we head outside. We don't make it very far, though, before being stopped by an old man.

    AlfredPortrait.pngSir Nate!
    NatePortrait.pngA...Alfred...
    AlfredPortrait.pngWhat a pretty sight! Sire Nate is with his friends, talking and walking together! I...I'm so happy!!
    SLUS_00339_13072010_043802_0568.jpg
    MarkPortrait.pngSir...Sir Nate!?
    NatePortrait.pngA...Alfred! I thought I told you to stop calling me that!
    MarkPortrait.png What the...Sir Nate!? Hahahahaha!!
    NatePortrait.pngShut up, Mark! You stupid pest! Alfred, go home! I'm going somewhere with my friends today!
    AlfredPortrait.pngShall I get the limo for you and for your friends, Sir Nate?
    NatePortrait.pngThere's no need for that! We're just going to the hospital! And stop calling me that!
    MainPortrait.pngOh, yeah, good move, man, tell him we're going to the hospital, that's definitely the way to get him off your back.
    AlfredPortrait.pngHospital? Are you injured, Sir Nate?
    YukiPortrait.pngPsh...Hahahahaha!
    NatePortrait.pngDamn it! Let's go, John! Don't follow us, Alfred!
    MainPortrait.pngHey, Nate.
    NatePortrait.pngWhat?
    MainPortrait.pngYou really have a butler named Alfred.
    NatePortrait.pngYes.
    MainPortrait.pngAnd, your parents own a huge multi-national corporation, right?
    NatePortrait.pngWhat are you getting at, here?
    MainPortrait.pngAre you Batman?
    NatePortrait.png...I hate you so much, John.

    You were all thinking it!

    YukiPortrait.pngHey, John, I know we've wasted a lot of time already, what with talking to every single person that goes to our school one by one, but is it okay if we stop by my job so I can let them know I'll be late?
    MainPortrait.pngWow, Yuki. That is really responsible and trustworthy of you. No wonder so many people respect and trust you. Lead the way!

    SLUS_00339_13072010_045926_0458.jpg
    Is there anything wrong?
    YukiPortrait.pngSomething came up, so I'll be a little late today. But I promise I'll make it up!
    ClerkPortrait.pngOh, that's OK. I'm just glad you came and told me ahead of time. It's very responsible of you.

    Okay, I admit it, all that was just to put off the world map. Or, I guess, the City Map.
    SLUS_00339_13072010_043945_0583.jpg
    Look at that. Just look at it. And if that wasn't bad enough, pulling up the minimap, you know, in an attempt to actually find anything at all, gives you this:
    SLUS_00339_13072010_043950_0755.jpg
    Because that's not cluttered and busy at all.

    I spend the next fifteen minutes just wandering around the city finding my way around. I eventually find myself in the Joy Street mall where I run into someone interesting!

    SLUS_00339_13072010_044200_0833.jpg
    That's the same school my son goes to. Do you know him? His name is Chris...

    Indeed we do!

    :) "You know him? Oh, you're in the same class with him? Oh really...I know that Chris isn't very sociable...I hope I'm not asking too much, but can you be friends with Chris?"

    MainPortrait.pngWell, he did win the vote...so sure.
    SLUS_00339_13072010_044225_0005.jpg
    Please come over to our house sometime!

    We also run into some of Mark's friends at the arcade.
    SLUS_00339_13072010_044430_0583.jpg
    He has a scar on his face. Damn! He pisses me off!
    MarkPortrait.pngLeave him alone...He'll go away.

    That sounds like our new friend! Let's go say hi!

    We head over to the warehouses to see if we can meet up with Chris. Nate, naturally, hates everything.
    SLUS_00339_13072010_045643_0193.jpg
    NatePortrait.png...Hm? Hey Mark, is that your "homeboy" over there?
    MarkPortrait.pngWhat's up!? Oh, what? You, what are you doing here?
    ChrisPortrait.pngYou guys shouldn't come here...You'll get killed...

    It's nice when friends look out for each other!

    MarkPortrait.pngWhat's up!? Hey! Wait up!

    YukiPortrait.pngI wonder what he's up to...Wandering around all over the place...
    MainPortrait.pngHey, good idea!
    YukiPortrait.pngWhat is?
    MainPortrait.pngWandering around all over the place!

    SLUS_00339_13072010_051353_0411.jpg
    SLUS_00339_13072010_051355_0099.jpg

    MainPortrait.pngOkay, okay! We'll go to the stupid hospital already!

    SLUS_00339_13072010_052430_0005.jpg

    MainPortrait.pngThat wasn't responsible or trustworthy at all!

    Next time: I art thou as thou art thee as thou art me and we art all together.

    Blackjack on
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    3DS: 1607-3034-6970
  • elliotw2elliotw2 Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    You didn't mention that the city map runs at a nice 2FPS, which makes maneuvering even harder

    elliotw2 on
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  • BlackjackBlackjack Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    And you have to stop at the crosswalks until the lights change.

    For those of you that have never played it, I'm not even a little bit kidding.

    Blackjack on
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    3DS: 1607-3034-6970
  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    You know, Philemon was a little too impressed that you knew your own name. Most people know their own names. It's not really all that amazing.

    WotanAnubis on
  • KiplingKipling Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Blackjack wrote: »
    And you have to stop at the crosswalks until the lights change.

    For those of you that have never played it, I'm not even a little bit kidding.

    But there are cars in the road! You should include a link to the Satomi Pharmacy music next time so we have something to listen to while we read.

    Hitto pointo kaifuku suru nara...

    Kipling on
    3DS Friends: 1693-1781-7023
  • cj iwakuracj iwakura The Rhythm Regent Bears The Name FreedomRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Blackjack wrote: »
    cj iwakura wrote: »
    Alana is not a wasted vote, she's really good with magic, and...

    Uh...

    Well, it sort of creates a love triangle with Main.
    Honestly, Alana is probably the best out of the fifth characters, in terms of battle ability. I enjoy her character, too, and if it was solely up to me I'd probably end up taking her. :P

    And as for your second point...wha? :lol:

    She flirts with Main in PSP, though if you beat the game with her,
    it's pretty obvious she moves on to businessmen. :lol:


    And here's the only good songs in the PSP remake:
    School Music

    Hypnos Tower

    World Map
    (Subjective, it grew on me)

    Final Battle
    (Classic Meguro)

    Okay, a couple more:


    Also, having just played through this part in my second run of PersonaSP not long ago, the translation isn't THAT inaccurate.

    Yuki still has that same 'I've sent people to the hospital before' line too.

    cj iwakura on
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  • DartboyDartboy Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Can I just say how much I love the fact that Nate's cravat makes it look like his head is on a pedestal?

    Dartboy on
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