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Sakurazuka posted:I'm at a loss as to how much of DA1 I've played previously. I definitely never finished it but I keep going 'okay I never got this far' then finding stuff I remember. DA1 is a pretty drat lengthy game with a lot of sidequests. For all its many faults it's pretty easy to see why people got lost in it.
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Jan 5, 2024 16:55
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| # ? May 23, 2024 13:45 |
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Teenagers shooting themselves in the head repeatedly is just one of many incredibly off-putting things about this series, but that's a personal thing more than anything. It is very definitely not presented in any way as self-termination, which is why I imagine people don't really care about it.
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Jan 5, 2024 17:37
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Ace Transmuter posted:Teenagers shooting themselves in the head repeatedly is just one of many incredibly off-putting things about this series, but that's a personal thing more than anything. It is very definitely not presented in any way as self-termination, which is why I imagine people don't really care about it. idk it gets defanged through being gamified later but the bit in the intro where yukari is attempting to use the evoker was clearly framed as a suicide attempt for shock
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Jan 5, 2024 17:49
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And you're still supposed to be thinking "simulated suicide" throughout. Like the actual explanation, and why it "has to" look like a gun, is that using it results in a moment of pure terror of death that allows for total ego obliteration for just that instant, allowing the persona out. One of the writers really liked modern Western occultism (see Mr. Edogawa and his complete inability to shut up) and the idea of ego-obliteration-for-magic crops up periodically but is usually achieved through ecstatic states. But it's faster to have initially this pure terror moment that then becomes an instant ritual of its own. It was extremely chosen for shock value, though, even though you get used to it through repetition.
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Jan 5, 2024 18:24
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disposablewords posted:the idea of ego-obliteration-for-magic crops up periodically but is usually achieved through ecstatic states. cursed thought: pornsona where your stand is summoned via orgasm
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Jan 5, 2024 18:27
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Tarezax posted:cursed thought: pornsona where your stand is summoned via orgasm le petit persona
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Jan 5, 2024 18:28
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Tarezax posted:cursed thought: pornsona where your stand is summoned via orgasm I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought of that, at least abstractly. I was trying to figure out a tabletop game version of Persona and wanted to revisit the evokers (this time as shock collars), and that was in my notes as an example of how it could be explained. Just that obviously it's impractical and requires training when the dehumanizing option is so much easier for the corporate fuckos trying to weaponize magic!
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Jan 5, 2024 18:34
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RareAcumen posted:So I bought Crisis Core Remake because it was on sale. Is there anything I should be on the lookout for? Any quests that're way overtuned and I shouldn't take, items I need to save for crafting, stuff along those lines? I've never played the game before. I finished it yesterday. There are a huge number (200+?) of optional “missions” that can be done from any save point and take less than 5 minutes each. I did too many of them and then the rest of the game was way too easy.
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Jan 5, 2024 18:50
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i thought it was a jojo reference
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Jan 5, 2024 19:11
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Persona's line of descent also includes a prior game, SMT: If, where you get a demon stapled to your soul as a stat and skill package, called a Guardian. Which is riffing off of the idea of guardian angels. I'd be utterly unsurprised if stands were part of its foundation, but I also don't think it's gonna be that simple.
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Jan 5, 2024 19:21
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it may not have been there so much in if... but in persona 1 and 2 especially the party's starter personas are very obviously jojo inspired
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Jan 5, 2024 19:27
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disposablewords posted:And you're still supposed to be thinking "simulated suicide" throughout. Like the actual explanation, and why it "has to" look like a gun, is that using it results in a moment of pure terror of death that allows for total ego obliteration for just that instant, allowing the persona out. One of the writers really liked modern Western occultism (see Mr. Edogawa and his complete inability to shut up) and the idea of ego-obliteration-for-magic crops up periodically but is usually achieved through ecstatic states. But it's faster to have initially this pure terror moment that then becomes an instant ritual of its own. Like the while game is about struggling with suicide. IIRC there's background dialogue about the rate of depression and suicide is rising, you run into people just completely out if it and catatonic as the game goes on and around each full moon, and Nyx is responding directly to some species wide ennui and death drive that's rising in the collective unconscious. While your party finds the strength to push beyond their own trauma and fight back you don't fix anything really you just keep Death herself away from humanity's wish for her. It's an incredibly bittersweet game and ending that feels very at odds with persona 4 and 5s endings' tone. Which is probably why it's still kind of cool.
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Jan 5, 2024 19:30
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A huge portion of the game is also struggling about the fear of death and terror of death and the knowledge that you are going to die and it is unavoidable. The big hero moment of the protagonists is them coming to terms with the trauma and pain of death and the fear of it being inevitable, and the protagonist's big climax is confronting the fear of death not with a gun to his head by just by accepting its inevitability without fear. You could have done it without the guns but gun to the head is an incredibly potent symbol of both self-destructive urges and the fear of oncoming death so I can understand why they went that direction. There's not a ton else in modern society that fits. You maybe could have gone for different symbols for each character but that I think might have gotten pretty loving tasteless. (Also the fact that Jotaro in Jojo first reveals his stand by attempting to shoot himself in the head probably played into it.)
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Jan 5, 2024 19:37
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I'm like mid or late chapter 3 in Coldsteel 3 and it's kind of weird. I feel like all the complaints people had about Rean in 1&2 which I disagreed with entirely, are now kind of true. He feels kind of bland here. I think it was a mistake to have such a short timeskip, him being kind of aloof feels like it would have worked better if he was even like 5 years older rather than like 19. IDK. Still enjoying it.
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Jan 5, 2024 19:39
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Ibram Gaunt posted:I'm like mid or late chapter 3 in Coldsteel 3 and it's kind of weird. I feel like all the complaints people had about Rean in 1&2 which I disagreed with entirely, are now kind of true. He feels kind of bland here. I think it was a mistake to have such a short timeskip, him being kind of aloof feels like it would have worked better if he was even like 5 years older rather than like 19. IDK. Still enjoying it. Despite being the playable character, CS3 really feels genuinely more like it should be New Class VII's game and Rean should be more like Sara was, but dude is marketable as hell. (I admit New Class 7 is probably my favorite Trails protagonist group though.)
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Jan 5, 2024 19:41
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ImpAtom posted:Despite being the playable character, CS3 really feels genuinely more like it should be New Class VII's game and Rean should be more like Sara was, but dude is marketable as hell. Yeah I agree entirely. I think the game would have benefited from more time away from him, or at least more time that's just Rean and the faculty to make you actually feel like an instructor as well. It's funny how Sara had the class do their own thing for most of CS1 for obvious reasons and here Rean is just glued at the hip to his students lol.
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Jan 5, 2024 19:47
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Oh I also want to comment on how bizzare Claire's writing is in CS3. She feels like a completely different character here. Bonus points for telling Rean her backstory and how much he remind her of her dead little brother, and how he'd be the same age if he was still alive. and then proceeding to give Rean a kiss on the lips. Lady...cmon lol
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Jan 5, 2024 19:51
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Ibram Gaunt posted:Oh I also want to comment on how bizzare Claire's writing is in CS3. She feels like a completely different character here. Bonus points for telling Rean her backstory and how much he remind her of her dead little brother, and how he'd be the same age if he was still alive. and then proceeding to give Rean a kiss on the lips. Lady...cmon lol Claire has... issues. Subscriptions really. But I am certain by now that you know that being a sibling not related by blood is the most powerful aphrodisiac in the Trails universe.
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Jan 5, 2024 19:59
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Would y'all recommend Tales of Phantasia's SNES version (translated) or the GBA release?
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Jan 5, 2024 20:00
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Morpheus posted:Would y'all recommend Tales of Phantasia's SNES version (translated) or the GBA release? They're both bad in different ways TBH but the SNES version probably. It has some weird stuff but at least it didn't translate Ragnarok as Kangaroo.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:00
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coiol posted:I finished it yesterday. There are a huge number (200+?) of optional “missions” that can be done from any save point and take less than 5 minutes each. I did too many of them and then the rest of the game was way too easy. Okay so be careful of how many quests you do and there's no 'Hey actually don't go trying this sidequest as soon as it's available' traps like in OG NIER. Got it.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:01
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ImpAtom posted:Claire has... issues. Subscriptions really. Yeah..I feel like they played that crap up waaaay more here. There were jokes about Elise and Rean in 1 and 2 but it felt way more like goofy teasing, compared to how straight it's played here with Rean supposed to be seen as a dolt for not "getting" it.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:02
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RareAcumen posted:Okay so be careful of how many quests you do and there's no 'Hey actually don't go trying this sidequest as soon as it's available' traps like in OG NIER. Got it. I think a reasonable rule of thumb is something like 1 optional mission per save or if you're feeling underpowered. That said you can get to, and defeat, the game's super ultimate uberboss by like chapter 4.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:03
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Morpheus posted:Would y'all recommend Tales of Phantasia's SNES version (translated) or the GBA release? Is there some reason you wouldn't want to play the PSX version? Last I checked that's the recommendation there.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:04
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RareAcumen posted:Okay so be careful of how many quests you do and there's no 'Hey actually don't go trying this sidequest as soon as it's available' traps like in OG NIER. Got it. It should be noted that, like, too many missions to overpower yourself is maybe 10% or less of them to get story endgame breaking materia. I also recently played it (well, replayed) and was surprised how quickly I outleveled everything. Also felt its age and its original platform now more than I ever did when I first played it.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:09
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disposablewords posted:And you're still supposed to be thinking "simulated suicide" throughout. Like the actual explanation, and why it "has to" look like a gun, is that using it results in a moment of pure terror of death that allows for total ego obliteration for just that instant, allowing the persona out. One of the writers really liked modern Western occultism (see Mr. Edogawa and his complete inability to shut up) and the idea of ego-obliteration-for-magic crops up periodically but is usually achieved through ecstatic states. But it's faster to have initially this pure terror moment that then becomes an instant ritual of its own. I know it's all about the themes of each game, but it's still kinda funny seeing the disparity between 3's summoning method and 4 and 5's.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:10
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there's no real reason to play any old version of phantasia as anything but a snes era curiosity. even the psx one is mostly like. yeah it's the best you can play in english but the combat design still has some critical flaws it's just, not a busted wolf team game
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Jan 5, 2024 20:11
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Einander posted:Is there some reason you wouldn't want to play the PSX version? Last I checked that's the recommendation there. I've got a handheld emulator, it don't do PSX. I find that's the only way for me to stay focused enough to play through older games, even when I'm interested in them. Trying to play on the PC always ends with me getting distracted in one form or another.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:15
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IIRC the Phantasian Productions patch added some stuff to make the gameplay slightly smoother for the PSX version but there's only so much you can do.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:15
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yeah idk i would not say it is worth playing that way. unless you really, really like weird busted snes rpgs. half of what's interesting about phantasia's writing was added in the psx version, there's some mildly fun ideas in the original plotline but a lot of the funniest and most definitive character moments are psx original
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Jan 5, 2024 20:16
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like the thing to understand about phantasia snes is that it's barely a tales game. it's an important and beloved game in the series but the definitive og tales game is more like, destiny, or eternia. that's why they remade it for psx in destiny's engine. snes phantasia is more like, star ocean 0, mechanically
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Jan 5, 2024 20:19
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Ibram Gaunt posted:Yeah I agree entirely. I think the game would have benefited from more time away from him, or at least more time that's just Rean and the faculty to make you actually feel like an instructor as well. It's funny how Sara had the class do their own thing for most of CS1 for obvious reasons and here Rean is just glued at the hip to his students lol. Yeah I would have rathered making Juna the viewpoint character, or like you said having Rean being more divorced from the class The start of chapter 1 where Juna obviously hates his guts and the rest are mostly neutral is the best bit to me lol
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Jan 5, 2024 20:23
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Morpheus posted:I've got a handheld emulator, it don't do PSX. I find that's the only way for me to stay focused enough to play through older games, even when I'm interested in them. Trying to play on the PC always ends with me getting distracted in one form or another.
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Jan 5, 2024 20:29
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Raxivace posted:You could consider picking up an old PSP or Vita and putting CFW on it to play PSX games that way. That's how I played a lot back in the day. I mean, yeahhhh I could find my old hacked PSP and charging cable I guess
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Jan 5, 2024 20:51
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better yet, with your psp you could even play a good tales game
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Jan 5, 2024 21:00
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Yeah but I don't want to play a good Tales game, I want to play Tales of Phantasia. I'm just playing through old SNES/GBA games I never beat as I chill in bed at night, they're low-intensity, low-thought stuff I can just zone out to in order to wind down.
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Jan 5, 2024 21:03
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i mean in that case phantasia is like way on the more annoying side rather than the chill one. a lot of the funniest, more low-key bits of the game come in the psx version's skits and the actual gameplay is mostly really finnicky and unpleasant
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Jan 5, 2024 21:04
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This interest is just because I finished Swordcraft Story recently. Maybe I'll just pick up the sequel. Speaking of finicky poo poo, the sidequests in that game, if they could be called that, were real annoying. Especially given how obscured they are to find and how extremely missable each of them is.
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Jan 5, 2024 21:14
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phantasia's gameplay is kinda neat in that unlike later games you are very much intended to only play as the protagonist and your party structure reflects that: you're the physical tank to everyone else's range and support. in the snes version you couldn't even control anyone else. definitely go for the ps1 version if you can but if you're already interested in checking out historical curiosities i think the snes version is fine
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Jan 5, 2024 21:39
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Any recommendations for Divinity Original Sin 2 party composition, in terms of both combat and story? I'd like to keep everyone in their canonical builds, and Fane is my main character. Currently I'm thinking Lohse, Sebille and Red Prince: they seem like interesting characters and it'd give me a nice split, but I'm up for suggestions as it's tough to consider abandoning Ifan and Beast.
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Jan 5, 2024 21:48
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