Persona 5: Waifus all Night (FINALE)

I just love how this series’ title has taken on a whole new meaning with the reveal of two new dancing spinoffs for the Persona franchise.  On that note?  Hard to believe that there are two instead of just one, but I’m down for it.  Seeing the Phantom Thieves bust a move put a smile on my face, especially when Ryuji and Ann dropped in to pop and lock.

Oh, by the way, Ann’s my Persona 5 waifu.  That was obvious weeks ago, but you know.  Might as well make it official, eh?  Let’s discuss why -- WITH ULTIMATE SPOILERS.  But first…

Persona 5: Waifus All Night (Part 3)

Okay, I know this post and the last two are about Persona 5’s waifus (those in the main party, at least), but can we take some time out to talk about the potential husbandos?  Or the bros, alternatively?

I’m not debating or downplaying the quality of the ladies in this game.  But given the choice, I’d go with Ryuji above all others without flinching.  If there was a very specific, character-driven alternate ending or string of extra scTales of Symphonia -- and the only way to get them was to get closer to one of your comrades, then I’d shove all of the other waifus out of the way for the chance to pal around with Loud Kiddington.  Ryuji’s my bro, no contest…except it’s still kind of a contest given guys like Yusuke “Lobsters” Kitamura, Sojiro, Mishima, Yoshida, and the rest.

enes -- a la

So on that note?  I’ll go ahead and parrot a sentiment that’s been floating around for a while: give me romance options for the boys/men, whether that involves making a female protagonist or not.  (I’d assume it wouldn’t because of the drain on resources a FeMC would be.)  I don’t want to keep my bros at arm’s length, or treated as the loser option because I didn’t pine after a waifu.  I want to hang out with the characters I think are coolest, regardless of gender.  Chances are high that others feel the same way, or they just flat-out want that romance option because it suits them best.  In which case?  Atlus, don’t let us down next time.  You’re pretty much our only hope in a world where Final Fantasy can barely scrape to the level of mediocrity.

But enough about that.  Let’s get back in the waifu game…with ALL THE SPOILERS.

Persona 5: Waifus All Night (Part 2)

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And now back to our regularly scheduled programming -- featuring Persona 5 waifus.  AND SPOILERS.

Persona 5: Waifus All Night (Part 1)

I know this is a controversial opinion, but I think Persona 5 is a great game.  Shocker, I know.  Feel free to skewer me with your pitchforks at any time.

There are many, many, many reasons as to why Atlus’ latest show-stopper has found the fanbase it has now.  The visual flair; the incredible soundtrack; the satisfying story; the snappy gameplay; there’s so much here that works, I feel bad for any other developer who’s even dreamt of jumping into the JRPG ring.  But it’s not like anyone cares about that stuff.  As we all know, the true measure of a game’s worth is the quality of its waifus.  And thus, I stand here today -- well, sit here today to give my thoughts.  Who is, without question, objectively, undeniably the best girl that Persona 5 has to offer?  Who among the cast shines bright as a Cadillac of womanhood?

*shrugs* I dunno.  But I’ve got to play up this bit somehow.  So let’s talk waifus…WITH SPOILERS, of course.  But mostly waifus.

A Lickety-Split Post on Persona 5

Well, I say that it’s going to be lickety-split, but this is Persona 5 we’re talking about -- a game so long that you could clear anywhere from 2 to 10 other games in the time it takes to finish this one.  Also, it’s me we’re talking about, so temper your expectations.  And cancel all your prior appointments.  Just to be safe.

Also?  It should go without saying, but this post WILL have spoilers in it.  Not through the end of the game, because I’m not that far along.  But I’m at the start of the sixth as of writing, so if you’re scared?  There’s your warning.

Also, also?  This post WON’T have anything about waifus in it.  I’m keeping that bullet in the chamber for later.  (Husbandos are fair game, though.)  So without further ado, let’s do this lickety-split.  Relatively speaking.

How it Feels to Play Persona 5.

Need someone to sum up Persona 5 in three words in case you don’t have 100+ hours to blow?  I’m your man.  So, here you go.

That.

Escalated.

Quickly.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE: Do You Remember Love? (Part 2)

I would be remiss if I didn’t start this post off with a story about Yourself.

No, I’m not talking about you.  I’m talking about Yourself, a girl I happened to meet when I was in kindergarten.  At the time, she was (presumably) a year older than me, but other than that she seemed normal.  Brown hair, brown eyes, freckles -- not exactly someone who’d stand out in a crowd.  But the thing about Yourself was that she had a certain verbal tic: as far as I could tell, she would end every sentence with the word “yourself”.  Say hello to her, and she’d say “Hello yourself.”  Moo like a cow and she’d go “Moo yourself.”  At one point I was walking through the school halls and spotted some art from her class; sure enough, I spotted a piece with Yourself’s name in the corner, written in the black ink of a Sharpie.  Permanently etched into green construction paper.

Since my family packed up and moved to a different town (and, you know, because I was six), I never got around to learning the full story behind Yourself.  Maybe she was just being cute and sassy, and tagging all of her sentences with that single word.  Maybe there was legitimately something wrong with her.  Maybe her parents had terrible naming sense, and spamming that word was to be their penance.  No matter the origin, I wonder about the end result: what’s life like for her now if she hasn’t dropped the tic?  Is it a waking nightmare, or proof that she lives by her own rules?  The mind boggles.

I just thought I’d tell that story because it’s so bizarre it’s actually kind of entertaining -- unlike getting tangled up in Tokyo Mirage Sessions “censorship” again.  So let’s do this lickety-split.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE: Do You Remember Love? (Part 1)

Considering that Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE puts a lot of focus on Japan’s infamous idol culture, I was going to try and lead into it by talking about the recent anime series Macross Delta -- since it also leans deep into idol territory. The problem is that, even if I like the core concept of Macross/Robotech, I haven’t seen enough of it to be an authority.  And more importantly, I haven’t seen anything from Macross Delta besides complaints that it skews WAY too far in favor of idols/CD shilling, to the point where it cripples the show.  I don’t know if that’s a fair assessment, but for now I’ll switch to Plan B.

See, when I was in elementary school there was this special program that incentivized turning in stuff to the lost and found.  Even if it was just a few coins nicked from the playground, you could still be recognized for it on a bulletin board in one of the halls -- and better yet, potentially win prizes.  So by turning in some lost lunch money, I won a coupon for a free rental at the local video shop.  I thought that it meant I could get my hands on a new game, but the selection at said store was so limited I opted for a video instead.  And so it was that I discovered Macron 1.

Don’t worry.  I’m going somewhere with this.

Shower Thoughts with Persona 5

So Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is finally out.  Say what you will upfront about its choice to dive headfirst into idol culture (or the Japanese entertainment industry at large), but you know what?  Can we just take a minute to appreciate the fact that it even came out at all?  True, it’s not the game anyone expected when a cross between Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem was announced -- and we’ll always be left wondering “what could have been” if the collaboration truly mashed the two together.  On the other hand, this is a game that’s not only trying to say something on its own terms, but also something that -- given its style and content -- could’ve stayed chained up within Japan’s borders.  Let’s count our blessings here.

As of this post -- or this paragraph, specifically -- I haven’t played Tokyo Mirage Sessions just yet.  I will soon, though.  It’s kind of ill-advised, given that I still need to beat Xenoblade Chronicles X, and poor Tales of Zestiria is basically howling at the moon every night.  But I suppose at least a quick look won’t hurt.  Besides, we’re still a ways out from Persona 5; if anything’s going to ease the sting of waiting for THE MOST STYLISH GAME IN HISTORY, then it might as well be Persona Lite.

With that said, I’ve been thinking about Persona 5 a bit recently -- and not just getting swept up by the visuals.  Or at least trying not to.  But again, we’re dealing with THE MOST STYLISH GAME IN HISTORY…which also includes a Kamen Rider girl.  Be still, my heart.

RE: Dragon's Crown

You know what I just realized?  I don’t know what it means to be “old-school.” 

That’s a description that’s popped up a couple of times in discussions about Dragon’s Crown, and I’d agree that it’s a good adjective to use (and on top of that, I agree with others that think it’s a good game).  But what exactly does it mean to be old-school?  I suppose that means being a part of the gaming chronology for any period before this current console generation…but where’s the cutoff point?  What’s the system that definitively defines who’s a part of the old-school collective?  The Nintendo 64?  The Commodore 64?  I’ve been gaming for a while, but apparently my mom was seriously into the arcade Pac-Man games at one point.  Fancy that.

And that only begs the question of what capacity one has to play games to qualify as old-school.  Lines have been drawn this generation between casual and hardcore players -- both with their own strengths and weaknesses -- but there’s a lot to consider both in terms of games and the players themselves.  I mean sure, I’ve owned games, but for the longest time (and even to this day) it’s my brother clearing them while I watch.  It’s almost contradictory that I’ve spent so much time being a passive observer for an interactive medium.   So what’s the deciding factor?  Who judges who’s a part of the club?  Are there symposiums held in order to sort out all the vital details and ruminate on the particulars of games of old?

…Whatever, Dragon’s Crown is still pretty friggin’ good.

Let’s discuss (more of) Devil Survivor 2.

You know, it seems like every time someone brings up Atlus on the internet, it’s shortly followed by praise, adoration, or gushing.  Or alternatively -- or simultaneously -- declaring Atlus as the greatest gaming company around…whether that’s in regards to JRPGs, or just games in general.  It’s a little worrying to know that there’s so much fervor for one company; an outsider looking in might think of Atlus fans as some sort of cult-gathered, near-murderous zealots.  Or worse -- fanboys.

If nothing else -- if you learn nothing, or take away nothing else from these posts -- then you have to learn that Atlus’ love is unquestionably deserved.  What The House of Jack Frost lacks in resources or raw graphical power, they make up for with overwhelming style, enthralling stories, and gameplay that’ll make you want to take a sledgehammer to whatever system has the misfortune of loading up one of Atlus’ bosses.  (I still can’t believe I managed to clear Catherine.)  Just think about the amount of playtime you can get out of one of their titles.  How is it that a triple-A game might not last you through the weekend, but a game with a fraction of the budget can give you anywhere from fifteen to eighty hours of gameplay?  Similarly, how is it that a game designed to be a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish can barely be remembered a month after release, but a game infinitely more sedate has sequences, worlds, and even conversations I’ll remember for years to come?  I doubt any Persona 4 fans will forget the King’s Game anytime soon…among other things.

So yes, Atlus is more than deserving of praise.  From a technical perspective they’re not the most impressive, but the limits imposed in one area drove the developers to excel in others.  There’s a definitive creative vision in virtually every product they put out, one that has been and will continue to be appreciated by fans.  My biggest gripe?  No news on Persona 5…but then again, I’m more than willing to wait.

So consider that a PSA on why Atlus is amazing.  Now then, let’s get back on topic, yeah?

WARNING:

To move is to SPOILERS; and to be valiant is to MORE SPOILERS:

Therefore, if thou art SPOILED, thou runn’st away.

…

So yeah, there’ll be spoilers.

Persona? More Like Bro-Sona! (Part 4)

I didn’t think it was possible, but somehow, Devil Survivor 2 kicked my ass even harder than the original.

It never reached Sin and Punishment 2 levels of difficulty (though I’d argue nothing ever will).  But for what it’s worth, it was ridiculously hard.  While I managed to clear it -- and as I understand it, cleared a path that no one on their first run should go through -- I feel as if the difficulty sometimes went from “challenging” to “cheap.”  It’s a delicate balance, and while I absolutely love DeSu2, I think that it goes way off the deep end a few times too many.  Take the new enemy type, Hamsa.

Imagine if you will a super-fast enemy.  One that can clear a huge distance in two or three moves.  One that, merely by being a part of a demon team, gives the same bonus to its comrades.  Now imagine that same enemy being able to strike your characters long before they can even wind up for a swing.  And imagine that enemy healing up demons you just brought within an inch of their lives, thereby giving them a second chance to wallop you…this, in a game where killing enemies as quickly as possible is ABSOLUTELY VITAL.  And they do it all while staring at you with this braindead expression.  Mocking you.  Taunting you.  Saying “Hey dude, you brought this demon down to 1 HP?  Too bad, bro!  I JUST HEALED HIM UP TO FULL!  SUCK THAT DOWN!”

Those ducks.  Those ducks.  Those damn ducks.  Those ducks.  Those ducks.  Those damn ducks.

…Anyway, this post is about another bro.  

Persona? More Like Bro-Sona! (Part 1)

In a perfect world, Atlus would be the Activision of the gaming world.  (The fact that “Atlus” doesn’t clear Word’s spell-check but “Activision” does is proof in itself.)

Imagine an alternate reality where Call of Duty was a no-name, niche title with a small but dedicated fanbase, and the games themselves -- while competent, as they currently are -- had to impress with other elements besides overblown graphics and astronomical marketing campaigns.  And imagine the inverse, in which Atlus -- the small-time company with a big heart -- became the most well-known company on the planet.  A purveyor of games that pervade the public consciousness, from pop culture to (of course) the rooms of millions of gamers.  The resources to create products with production values that rival Hollywood, with a certain caveat: everything you love about Atlus games, from the story to the characters to the themes to the punishing, strategic gameplay remains intact.  It just gets turned up to eleven, with a spiffy veneer and most of all, the respect it deserves.

It would only be a matter of time before one of two things happen.  One: Atlus becomes drunk with power and turns to evil.  Or two: they destroy the world.  Neither of those things sounds very pleasant.  

Be glad this dog isn't real.  

So, while I wish that more people could enjoy Atlus games, I suppose it’s in a good place.  The fans are in an exclusive, untainted club; the kiddies can have their CODBlops while the MEN take on Atlus’ next sickening challenge.  Funny though; I think the bros might find a lot to enjoy about Atlus games, particularly the games in the Shin Megami Tensei line.  Namely, because they’re full of dope-ass bros for you t tag-team demons.

(All right, screw this.  I’m adding “Atlus” to Word’s dictionary.  They deserve it.)