Just So Much Persona

There's just so many screenshots that I've taken of P4G.  It's that good.

Lately, if I've been thinking about anything it's been...well, it hasn't been Persona 4, but if it's been the -second- anything, it's been Persona 4 Golden.  Which is to say that it is effectively second-place in what I've spent all my time thinking about, which is to say that I have been spending a lot of time thinking about Persona 4.  It is not unwarranted, of course - Persona 4 is every bit as amazing as I've been lead to believe it was, which is nice.  For once I go into a game with everyone telling me it's going to be great and then it is.  I don't have to wonder if there's something wrong with everybody, something wrong with -me- or just if there's just something that has gone awry with matters entirely as I have wondered in the past.  Since it is a valid concern to have, I imagine.

Come Game of the Year time, using the thing I go by, I won't be able to vote for Persona 4 Golden as a Game of the Year since it is a remake of a game from years past.  That restriction, not being able to include remakes or re-releases, has never been a problem for me until this year and specifically because of this.  P4G is every shade of wonderful, and if I'm being honest, it would have a very real shot of being in my top 5 list were it able to be.  It's honestly going to be a little painful to not be able to give it that recognition that it actually deserves, but I'll suffice for using this post that is gushing about it to do that.  It is close enough, at least, I should say.  Since there is honestly not a negative thing I could say about the game - even the parts of it I don't care for (the dungeon crawling, basically) are manageable at worst and I'm completely indifferent to their issues as a standard (the last dungeon I was in began to grate on me...then it was over.  So that was good.) so it's of no concern.

In fact, Persona 4 Golden is so good that it's in fact making me like Persona 3 (Portable, since that's all I played) even more than I liked P3P when I was playing it and beat it.  Admittedly, I took issues with some things in P3P, but it's a solid game overall, and like I said I'm being reminded of that by playing P4G.  I am retroactively liking P3P more and more as I play P4G.  You can ask me how that works, but my response will be "I have no idea" because I really don't; I just know that it is a thing that is happening.  As I'm playing P4G, I find myself thinking about P3, thinking about the characters and the story of it and it's all just fantastic.  Admittedly, part of it is me comparing the games to one another which is an unfair thing to do, but a lot of it is just good old fashioned reminiscing and it honestly is probably enhancing my playthrough a little bit because of it.

I think the thing about P3 that has stuck out the most as a result of all of this is probably what I like most about the game and is one of the only things I think it does better than P4, is the characters.  Now before you start, just hear me out, alright?  I haven't beaten P4G yet, nor do I think I'm that close - at the most I'm 3/4ths of the way through - but by this point in P3, the characters had all developed entire arcs, changed dramatically before the players eyes, and that was all done in the main story.  That is not to say that P4 doesn't do that, but if you take the likes of Junpei from P3 and Yosuke from P4 (the obvious equivalent) and put their character arcs (main story only) side-by-side it's no comparison.  That might be an unfair example, however, as I've considered that they sort of...well, not have the same arc, but really similar ones, but they're told in entirely separate ways over the course of the game.  Both have a loss aspect to their arcs and while Junpei's has a build to it, Yosuke's loss is almost immediate and the rest of the game is the after-effects of that, where Junpei's loss is his endgame.  So perhaps it's being able to see Junpei for so long before it, see what he's like before he deals with that, that makes it so different and so dramatic a change, but it's there nonetheless.

Of course, there's a trade-off to all of that too.  Persona 3's strength is in its characters, so much so that it overshadows the narrative, but Persona 4 does not have that problem.  Persona 4's main story is all about that and it's a compelling ride because of it.  It's a give and take thing as I sort of inferred because I don't think P4's characters are quite as developed as P3's, but they're entertaining all the same and their real development comes, unsurprisingly, from spending time with them one-on-one in the social links.  Because of that, I cannot say fully that they're not done well, nor would I suggest it, but I'm just saying that, well....I think you know what I'm saying, really.  Persona 3 was character-focused, Persona 4 is story-focused and they're both great.  It's all about build, about tension and drama and it's all about development in either case, so it's subjective to say the least, but to me, both games are just really good at what they attempt to do in their respective approaches.

In any event, playing P4G has been nothing short of a pleasure from start to where I am now, and I doubt that that is going to change in any facet.  I look forward to seeing the story continue to unwrap as I honestly still have no real idea of how it's going to end and that alone intrigues me.  I suspect it's either going to be a situation where I go, "Well, I couldn't have guessed that" or I'll say, "Oh well, -now- it makes sense!" instead of dreading that it will turn out one way and being frustrated that it did.  Because, usually, when I figure on where a thing is going and I'm right, I'm a little disappointed because as we all know, I am pretty bad at predicting things.  So if -I- can predict it, it's probably not all that strongly written.  Maybe I'll be able to develop theories closer to the end, but so far I've really got nothing and I like it that way.  No matter the case, I'm having a hard time imagining P4G leaving my Vita for the rest of the year (okay yeah, it's not that long but still) and that's saying something.

Okay, awesome, I made it the whole post without saying I miss Yukari

wait shit

Music! Persona 3 Edition, Part 2

Even though I've put Persona 3 Portable down for now, despite really wanting to get along in both my NG+ and Girl Mode games (The former because I missed one thing which prevents me from getting a series of capstone personas, the latter because I hate getting 'strong' again), Persona 3 (and Portable) has been on my mind.  Especially in the soundtrack area as I'm not sure the soundtrack for Trails in the Sky is hitting me quite so profoundly.  It's a tall order of course, as I am fairly picky with Video Game Music, but it doesn't hurt to hope that any and every game will have some music that you can't help but find yourself listening to, humming or thinking about.  Unrealistic, of course, but when we think of those games that have managed the task, well, I'm sure you get where I'm coming from here.  But regardless, Persona 3 continues to impress, even if I stray off into songs that I don't have on disk.

Today, I'm featuring a few songs from the Persona 3 Portable soundtrack which is actually just geared towards the Female Protagonist, considering the Male Protagonist storyline is mostly a combination of Vanilla Persona 3 and FES.  Despite Girl Mode, as I call it, not specifically being geared towards female players, but rather veterans of P3 looking for a new spin on the same old scenarios they're familiar with, it -is- fairly girly and the soundtrack does reflect this in a way.  This isn't a bad thing and it's not very overt, nor does it overtake the mood of the music in the game which I'm happy to say is still fairly groovy, but it is noticeable and quite different.  What better place to start with this, then, than at the beginning.  The song below, "Soul Phrase" is the introduction song for Persona 3 Portable in particular.  (Oddly enough, if you wait long enough, you can see Persona 3's intro movie, possibly FES' as well, at the start of P3P.  This is how I got confused last time, thinking Burn My Dread was still the opening song for P3P.)

It's a little more subdued than Burn My Dread, but it's more fitting to the game as a whole, I'd say.  It has a somber nature around it, yet is striking throughout which is rather appropriate.  I can't really make sense of the lyrics just by sound, but I suppose that's neither a strike against the song or the game, as it's less what they say and more how it sounds that really matters.  On top of all that, it's just a fairly nice song - there's a nice blend of the vocals and the electric guitar that carries through the song, providing those hard-hitting moments that resonate with the game proper.  It simply does a very nice job of getting you prepared for it, I say, since it's not upbeat enough for you to expect something rather action-packed, but it's stimulating enough that you realize the game, in its portable form, is more than the 'visual novel' nature might lead you to think it is.

Mirroring the last post a little more, the next song I'm sharing is Persona 3 Portable's answer to Mass Destruction in the form of a little song called "Wiping All Out".  As I said, the songs, from what I've heard, seem to really try to capture the same spirit of Persona 3, albeit in a different way considering the different protagonist.  Admittedly, the song is, as I said earlier, a bit girlier in its composition and sound, but it's very much a very different version of Mass Destruction, which is all one could hope for, really.  Aside from the original song.  Or some of the real fun jazzy vocalizations that you can't help but mouth out or even sing to yourself despite having played the game for more than 100 hours.

It's still very much music to kill things to, especially Shadows, and the sentiment remains unspoiled.  "Wiping All Out" is very much Mass Destruction in theme, just on the naming of it.  It also has the same rapping that Mass Destruction has (admittedly with different lyrics) and plays during battle as Mass Destruction did.  While it's not as upbeat, I will say that Wiping All Out is enjoyable in its own right, as it manages to keep the jazzy feel, the general flow that goes through the rest of the songs (as did Persona 3's original soundtrack) and the fun in it.  It helps, I suppose, that the female vocalist is quite enjoyable to listen to as well, but that's clearly just my opinion.  Though it's one that I'm sure I'm not at all alone in having, as the soundtrack seems pretty liked from what I can tell.

The last song I want to feature sort of exemplifies just what I've been saying with the other two, in terms of keeping the general theme of the original game's soundtrack while adding a different spin on it for a very different scenario.  Again, while girly, the last song here, "A Way of Life" is the general overworld theme, s'far as I know, which means it's what will play as you're out and about at the station or Pawlonia Mall (I think, at least) and it's only after I've listened to it here that I really sort of get the song.  It's...just really a delightful song; not overly fantastic, not something that makes you want to get up and do something big, but it's something I'd definitely want to listen to while relaxing somewhere or, perhaps while walking around leisurely as I'm sure is the intention with the game.  (At least, I've always considered the soundtrack in the game to be what the main character listens to when appropriate since regardless of male or female, they love their headphones)

Like I said already, it's just a nice, enjoyable little song.  It's not anything more than it tries to be, nor is it anything more than it simply -is-, but it doesn't need to be.  Despite not having any real jazzy influences (mostly the rockin' sax from other songs on the soundtrack) it's still decidedly part of the soundtrack by sound because it very much carries the same mood as the rest of the songs.  And it really ties them together I think, by being just....well, 'funky', as I've said of the other songs.    It's fun which is something that, as the sole descriptor of a song, means a whole lot more than I could hope to cover, so it will have to suffice along with my assurance that you know what I mean when I say that.  It's clearly evident upon listening to it, especially if you're really intent on just listening to it and relaxing with it.

I'm sure that, depending on how my time with Trails in the Sky goes, I might just be ready to hop back into the world of P3P afterwards.  Unless I have Resistance:  Burning Skies at that point, in which, well, I'm playing that.  I can't wait to see just what the Vita's first real first person shooter has to offer, though perhaps not as a direct representation of 'the bar' as it were.  Since it is still early software and all.  Though, I'm sure all the while til then, I'll be enjoying the smooth sounds of the Persona 3 extended OST (through Portable, I mean) because it simply stands out more in my head lately.  And with good reason, I should suggest.

Persona 3 Portable - I Beat It

Studious readers of not only the blog, but the sidebar twitter might realize that I actually beat Persona 3 Portable a few days ago, but those same people will understand that I was trying to wait until I could talk to my buddy Haplo who is whom I turn to for Persona matters.  Unfortunately, I assume he's been busy with school or something and hasn't been on, and in the meanwhile, this has been eating at me and I just can't write anything until I write this one out.  As with my Thoughts So Far post a little while back (not a link in this portion because spoilers), I am going to be, well, spoiling things, so I don't want to catch people unawares.  Considering I've beaten the story (and taken a peek at the story for The Answer since I'm not hunting my copy of FES down to play it), I have a pretty good stock of what happened.  So, without much further ado, let's get this goin', yeah?

As warned, thar be spoilers after the break.

Persona 4: Golden, Officially Coming Out This Fall in NA

It's official, Persona 4: Golden (apparently formally dropping the "The") will be hitting western shores sometime this Fall which isn't as specific as we all might hope for, but it's at least a little better than "sometime in the future".  Yes, it's a port, an enhanced one at that, and as I've discussed before, we're apparently to hate any of these types of things, but hell, it's Persona 4.  Nobody's going to hate it based on being a port of itself for a handheld (especially given that it doesn't seem anything's being cut from the original), and if they're going to hate it for anything, it'd be over how they didn't like the original.  Though, I seem to see even more praise for 4 than I do 3, which I imagine is saying something.  I say this, that I see the praise, for the simple fact that, like Persona 3, I haven't fully experienced Persona 4 yet despite owning it on PS2 and this portable version will be my first exposure.

Excessive?  Yes.  Entirely too much so, considering I bought my copy of Persona 4 brand new at $40 years ago and barely even opened the case to read the manual.  Seriously, I didn't actually realize that my copy came with the Soundtrack CD until just now when I checked to see if my copy was still shrink-wrapped.  Because it honestly could have been.  Of course, the reason for not playing Persona 4 was because the battle system was apparently so improved that it made going back to Persona 3 difficult.  Is that true?  I don't know.  I honestly probably won't know because I don't intend on throwing Persona 3 regular or FES in my PS2 and playing it out, and Persona 3 Portable reportedly has a lot of influences from Persona 4 in it, system-wise, so I won't be able to properly judge.  So long as the story is as entertaining as Persona 3's, I'm sure I honestly won't care too much.

Speaking of P3P, I feel like I should share the amusing little coincidence I experienced - I beat Persona 3 Portable this morning at 6 something AM (because endgame means forget about time) and after the ending finished, I promptly conked out.  By the time I woke up and got around to checking my LiveTweet on the Vita, Persona 4: Golden had officially been announced for the US ala above.  As I stated elsewhere (at Penny Arcade) it's like they were waiting for me.  Which means that I have to apologize to you all for not finishing the game much much sooner, but, well, you've played it I'm sure, so you know how it is.  I just wasn't sure that I'd be able to swing it since I couldn't kill The Reaper and went on a little grind-a-thon after I worked the courage up to do so with Odin, Raphael, Loki, Gabriel and Horus.  And....other Personae that I can't remember at the moment.

But P3P is a topic for another post, so I don't want to steep too much of this one in it.  I mentioned how Persona 4: Golden will be an enhanced port and, from what I've seen, that's exactly what I mean.  While P3P had to make a lot of sacrifices for the PSP as the platform of choice (namely the ability to traverse the world in-model, instead seeing everything as a blip on a map), P4G seems as if it will have to make none of those sacrifices and will, in fact, have additional content on top of the original game in its entirety.  I'm....not quite sure what it all means, of course, having not played Persona 4, but I'm sure the list, which will follow here, will make sense to those who have played the game.

• A bike that lets you travel to another town
• Revised background graphics
• A winter event
• New Personas for the main cast
• Team Attacks
• Rotating TV shows (including a quiz with Teddie)
• A brand new character
• 1.5 times the amount of voiced dialogue

Again, about the only one of those that I can make sense of are the last two which are pretty self-explanatory.  I can't find information on whether this new character will be a party member, a social-link, both (perhaps) or just 'story-important', but she's new at least.  Also more voice acting which apparently makes people all groany because it's mostly likely, 99% probably going to be English-only.  Which is....uh, a bad thing, apparently.  I am not, nor will I ever actively participate in the "Sub vs. Dub" conversation beyond saying that there's a time and a place for both, and will instead say that the voice acting in P3P was pretty good, so I don't mind it whatsoever.  Of course, those are just the pieces of info that they're actively sharing with us, though it's also probably the only bits that really matter.  But, I mean, I hope we can hope for another in-game nod to a future title ala Vincent explaining his situation from Catherine in P3P.  (That was so neat to stumble across, mind, and I think it was P3P only?)

I kind of hate that "the Fall" (sorry, I had to do it) is so far away, but I'm sure I can keep myself entertained until then.  Resistance:  Burning Skies is coming up and at the very least, P4G is skipping June by a wide margin.  Regardless, in the meanwhile, I have New Game + and/or "Girl Mode" on P3P to keep me busy for those moments when I don't have anything else, as well as a whole other RPG that I haven't even touched.  (Legend of Heroes:  Trails in the Sky)  My point is, I have everything at my disposal to be patient for this which is fairly rare, and not something I'm going to take very lightly.  Still, it will be oh so sweet when I finally get my hands on that (presumably) gold and blue case.

My Thougts on Persona 3 Portable Thus Far

So, as you all know, I've been playing Persona 3 Portable lately, quite a lot I should say, and I do believe I've officially hit end-game (and I don't think I'm being premature in saying that), so I kind of wanted to talk about how I think about the game to this point as well as offer my idea on how it's going to unfold.  Either so when I beat it and I'm right, I can point at this post and say "I called it!" or, if I'm wrong, I can point to this post and say "Boy, I sure was off, huh?".  Either way, it's fun to be had by all as I'm no stranger to saying things and then being completely wrong in predicting them, as we all know.  It's kind of a running gag and all for this blog, so I know you're all familiar with it or will be.  Regardless, since this will have quite a few Persona 3 Spoilers, I'm taking it upon myself to state that fact as well as using a page break as I have become accustomed to doing in situations like this.

So, below this point, thar be spoilers.

Music! Persona 3 Edition

As promised yesterday with the write-up of my experience with Persona 3 so far, I decided tonight would be the best time to do the first installment of Music!  Persona 3 Edition (because I will assuredly need to do at least one more) since I've been playing the songs in my head all day.  Also listening to them through my Vita's speakers.  But mostly in my head.  Of course, this isn't a recent development; ever since I got the original Persona 3 with the soundtrack included (at least, the 18-track one America got), I've listened to the music of Persona 3 with joy as it is fantastic, so this is pretty much just me getting re-familiarized with it as I actually play the game.  In all honesty, as is usually the case with these Music! segments, I find it really, really hard to just narrow it down to three songs to feature, but I don't want to throw down the whole soundtrack and just say "There you go, it's all amazing".  Even if it is.  I'm sure you can understand why.

The first song I picked is the first song you'll likely hear if you're playing Persona 3.  Because it's the song that plays during the intro bit.  In a way, it's not actually one of my favorite songs on the soundtrack, but on the other hand it's such a good theme that I can't help but like it.  I'm not sure if I'd say that it sets the mood for the game, as that is kind of a hard task to do, but it certainly does set -a- mood.  It's inviting and interesting; the whole of it is just pleasant to listen to if you're not paying attention and if you are, there's something to grab you.  If you're me at least, because hearing, "I once ran away from the God of Fear" grabs my interest real fast, even if it's just an abstract thing tossed out there.  Which...with Persona, I'm not too sure if it is.  Regardless, the first song here is "Burn My Dread (Opening)".

Like I said, it's not mind-blowingly great, nor is it particularly extreme in any fashion, but it's a nice, inviting theme, and I think that makes it the best choice for the opening track of the game.  Even the 'engrish'-y bit doesn't really stick out once you've heard it enough times, though I'm not particularly bothered by that in the first place.  If Persona 3 was a bit easier to pin down in mood (which, I assume, would make it a little less good of a game), I'd say this probably captures it well, but with the extremes, it really just can't touch all of the game, so it's not going to give you an overall just like that.  But as something to play before the start menu, it works nicely and is just...well, pleasant to listen to.

The next song is one that will kind of show off the 'other side' of Persona 3, as it were.  This sort of paints the picture as to why it's hard to capture the entirety of the game in just one or two songs, and why it's hard to point out three that are good to listen to while also giving a good approximation of the game itself.  "Deep Breath Deep Breath" is a song that plays during more combat-oriented scenarios, namely some of the "Operations" you undergo in the game (as well as an Operation quite unlike the others, which makes it kind of hilarious) and does well enough for that as well.  If I had to say anything about the whole of the soundtrack, about something that carries all throughout it (aside from quality), I'd say that it all has some level of "Funk", or another similar word that means kind of that.  Even the above song has that sort of quality around it, and that type of catchiness pervades the entirety of the songs contained, and that's a good thing.

I think it's kind of hard to point at another song on the soundtrack (Aside from the last song I'm going to use) that is as opposite in mood from "Burn My Dread" really.  Where "Burn My Dread" is light and, I hate to say 'cheery', but I'm sure you know what I mean, "Deep Breath Deep Breath" is darker and a bit more mysterious, perhaps conspiratorial even.  (Once again, that's appropriate in both main situations it's used in, amusingly)  I do think it helps accentuate my 'funk' theory at least, since it is quite a track for that.  I think the rap helps with that, but just the way the song goes, it's pretty prevalent to me at least.  It's just something about the song, I guess, but it really grew on me and is definitely one of my favorites.

The last song, though, is probably my favorite track off the whole OST.  If this is not your first "Music!" post of mine, then you'll notice I generally like Battle Themes, especially when they're done well and Persona 3 is no exception in this.  As for this particular song, there's really just no part of it that I don't like, though I'm sure it's a little easier to understand why after you listen to it yourself.  And I -do- expect you to do so, if you don't listen to the others, at least listen to this one.  It's "Mass Destruction" and as I said, it's the general battle theme for the game, thus you'll be hearing it a lot.

I honestly think that, without such a good battle theme, battles in Persona 3 would become a chore at a certain point.  Even with it, they tend to come along that border, but not quite as close as it would without the song.  This is probably my ultimate example of the overall 'funky' level that goes through the whole OST, though, since this song just -exudes- it with the female vocals scatting about.  It's jazzy goodness, despite the, again, rap going throughout it and I personally just can't help but enjoy it no matter what.  We just got hit with a Magarudyne that knocked out two members?  "Ooo yeah~"  I'm definitely going to lose this battle?  "Baby baby~"  It's infectious and I cannot help but mouth/sing along with the words even some thirty or forty hours into the game.  I suspect that won't change no matter what, and I hope that the Girl side of the game retains at least that music, since it will ensure the maximum enjoyment.  Since I am planning on doing that side of it.

Those are three of the songs that have made Persona 3 Portable quite enjoyable for me and ensured that I kept on playing it when I didn't think I would because I lost a game week of progress.  Which I'm definitely not bitter about at all, nope, no sirree.  I expect that at some point down the road, perhaps into the Girl course of the game, that I'll do another spotlight on the soundtrack, but I don't hope to get to doing it right away.  While I write in 'Music!' posts, I'm not sure they can always be considered seriously written posts, though I'm sure -someone- might disagree with that.  Regardless, I enjoy it, and I enjoy sharing the music since it is so often overlooked in favor of....well, most other parts of the game.  Probably not so much with Persona 3 in particular, but you know what I mean.

Persona 3 Portable - Hmmmmm...

Persona 3 Portable, as a whole, has been something that is considerably difficult to pin down, with regards to just how I feel about it.  I've been very vocal in certain mediums about the parts I don't like, as I do with anything, but I feel I've been more subdued than normal on the things that I -do- like.  Which is a little odd because overall, I think those out-number the things I dislike about the game by a hearty amount, though it is sort of a 'context matters' situation, of course.  Still this is a situation that I really don't find myself in a whole lot; either I know I enjoy a game, or I know I really really don't; at least by the time I get as far into a game as I am in Persona 3, I have an idea.  Even with Alpha Protocol, I managed to have my 'end' opinion of the game about half-way into it (which was another rare case since I completely flipped from one side to another in regards to whether I liked it or not) but P3P just leaves me....wondering.

I guess the first, and biggest, complaint I could level against the game is what makes up the main percentage of the gameplay in it: Tartarus.  This is mostly a personal thing, I realize, but I am just not a fan of the roguelike method of Dungeon Creation which is just what Tartarus is.  I guess the main difference being that it goes up rather than down, which I don't know if that's an appropriately big distinction to make.  The "here is a general look of a floor, you're going to see a lot of it as maps randomly create themselves for the endurance run" design just isn't inspired and, while I am quite aware that plenty of games do it in a more subtle fashion, just plopping it down like that bothers me.  It feels like Quantity over Quality and, while that's not always the case of course, I'm really not about that in the least.  I've made it up to level 110 in my current game, and I'm sure I have a dozen or so more floors before I hit the next 'barrier' that prevents me from going up to the next copy-paste section of 20-40 floors or so, with mid-bosses thrown in at intervals for no other reason than to remind you that it is indeed, a dungeon, as if the semi-random encounters all throughout were not indication enough.

Coupled with that is the fact that it is really easy to lose hours of progress traveling through Tartarus if you don't abuse the save system and, in fact, sometimes even then.  This is purely because the game doesn't operate under its own logic and instead employs ye olde Fragile Protagonist as a method to bring about a Game Over.  Anyone beyond the main character can be knocked unconscious, taken to the bottom of Tartarus and healed with minimal fuss (though it sets them to 'Tired' which makes them basically useless), though if your protagonist gets knocked out, you're treated to a verbose little statement that basically sums up to "You Died" and are then brought back to the main menu to the horrid realization that you have the task of getting to wherever you just died once more from the last time you saved.  If you're lucky, it was minutes before, and if not then it was hours, perhaps game days prior.  When this happens, it has the strange effect of making you hate everything, because for as annoying as it is to lose progress like that, it's similarly annoying to save every other minute at points that are either too available or not available enough.

The issue here is that, in theory, a save point in Tartarus is never that far away, but at the same time, it is behind quite a terrible barrier.  You see, in P3P at least, every floor tends to have a location that you can use to instantly teleport back to the base floor.  However, if you use that, then it means re-exploring the floor you just used it on which entails re-fighting the respawning shadows that will inevitably be in your way as you re-locate everything on the floor, particularly the stairs up to the next one.  The basic theme of Tartarus and any Roguelike is progress, so giving up any progress, even if it's minimal as the floors are never quite that big, is counter-intuitive.  It's because of that that I've fallen into using the mid-boss floors as 'checkpoints', if you will, but that carries the risk of dying from one of those floors to the next, especially when we get into enemy types that make use of Hama or Mudo attacks; instant kills that, at the moment don't hit very well, but I'm coming upon the precipice wherein widespread and stronger versions of said attacks are becoming available and it puts me quite on edge.

On the other hand, I would be outright lying to you if I said there was not a wealth of good to be found in the game.  First off would be to mention the soundtrack, but there are more appropriate times and methods for me to go on about that, so expect a "Music! - Persona 3 Edition" in the very near future.  So the next thing would be to point out that the strength you'd expect from an RPG, the story and characters, are quite top-notch here.  This right here, this is what you want and Persona 3 delivers it quite capably and in a fashion that will literally require more than one play to experience fully, I believe.  Not only for the fact that it includes the Girl Main Character with an altered story, but simply because there's facets of the game I still haven't explored despite having the chance to do so.  Some of these are for reasons that are, actually, based on the characters themselves (whether because from the little interaction you get at base, I know they're...'trouble', or because I'm invested in another character which would cause a conflict), which is pretty high praise, I should say.

For my complaints about the mechanics of the game, I do have to say that what matters, the battle system, is mostly good.  In fact, it might be a little too good since it reaches the level of being a double-edged sword in that it's perfectly functional and fast and easy to strategize around, but the enemies use the exact same system.  So while it's easy to finish battles in such a way that prevents the enemies from attacking whatsoever (barring a miss), the possibility for them to do the same thing is always present.  Through exploiting elemental weaknesses, the 'down' system, the odd critical hit here and there, and (later in the game) the team attacks that will force criticals, battles are decided quickly and without much fuss, until you find yourself against stronger foes that simply won't go down that easily.  But those are more the exceptions than the rules, and even those follow the same guidelines, though it's much much harder to 'exploit' weaknesses in those cases as, most of the time, they don't have any.

While related to the characterization, I do find myself enjoying the story and the interactions in a way that is beyond simply liking it as a means to go further into the game.  I wouldn't call it brilliant, but it's capable and then some.  There are enough hooks here and there to get you thinking about just where it might go when it's not plainly telegraphed, and despite that, it still has managed to surprise me here and there.  Even in instances where it shouldn't have, by all rights.  I do find some excitement, perhaps most of the excitement in fact, in furthering the story just to see it unfold whether or not I think I know just what's around the bend.  And at the same time, I am looking quite forward to playing the Girl side of the game which will be a completely new experience for me.  Despite being the third time I've bought Persona 3 (got the original with the OST and found a copy of FES second-hand), it is entirely new grounds, as opposed to mostly new grounds.  The girl mode is exclusive to Portable, of course, but still, my point is even though I own the game in three forms, this will be the first time I -really- play it.

I guess if someone asked me whether or not I like Persona 3 Portable, I would say "Yes" and then include a 'but' and point out my two big annoyances.  However, if someone would ask me if it was worth the $20 I spent on it, I would say 'Definitely'.  I do think that's the key point here as, no matter of whether or not I can effectively whine about it, I do like it enough to not regret the $20 I put down on it when I could've, by all means, done something quite different with that money.  With any luck, it's going to be a slow burn and I'm coming up to the point where I really fall in love with it and start to get excited.  As it stands, I believe I can make do with the crafty smiles it brings out of me and the enjoyment I find in it. 

What I Did On My Spring Bre- er, Hiatus

So, I hated to do it, but not having a computer means I can't really do a lot, given the limitations of the browser on the Vita and the limitations of my patience, and because of that, as I posted last week, I had to go on a little hiatus.  It was both terrible and uneventful, yet relaxing and enjoyable all at the same time.  Much as when I had that hiatus last June, it was all fixed thanks to my computer guy who is awesome and amazing at the same time.  Long story short, the power supply on the computer went out, as I suspected.  Maybe it got shocked through the modem (and the router, both of which are fine), maybe it got a surge when I plugged it in, maybe it just died because it's old, or maybe gremlins.  I don't know.  After that was replaced with a brand new power supply, I hooked the computer back up, got ready to get on the internet only to find that it would not connect to the internet.  Again, the internet was fine; at the same time that I couldn't connect on the computer, I could connect on the Vita and used the browser to connect to Mibbit (an IRC client; it works, actually!  It's hard to use on the Vita, but it works) looking for tech support that didn't pan out.  Taking it back to the guy revealed that the Ethernet Port had simply gone out, necessitating a cheap, easy replacement.

That last part was today.  As you can see, it's working pretty decently.  But that's neither here nor there, nor is it particularly interesting, so I'll be getting into the good bit now.  The good bit being, of course, just what I did with my little 'break'.

The fun thing about what I'm going to talk about (more 'fun' for me, rather) is that every single thing I want to talk about will, in all likelihood, be its own post in the coming days, both because I have so much to say after not being able to do anything for a week, and because I need to catch up in posts.  That means that I'll need to find a way to say enough here without saying too much and taking away from future posts.  It's a problem that I've noticed Chance has come across lately and I completely understand it now.  Obviously, the above picture (with very minor Spoilers, sorry) would be how I would like to start "Platinum Get - Uncharted:  Golden Abyss", and I certainly will do so when it's appropriate, but it's also appropriate to talk about now since I got it on the first day of my hiatus.  So this is my attempt to not say too much here.

It really wasn't a -hard- Platinum to get like I thought it might be.  However, as I thought towards the end, it was a long, tedious one to get with the bounty sets requiring nothing less than repeated tries at a certain section where the yield percentage was the highest.  Or, in layman's terms, the spots in the game with the most enemies in the same checkpoint.  Coincidentally, those sections were mostly parts where you have Infinite Ammo or something close to it which makes it, well, 'easy' of course, but it also makes it frustrating because it's literally just pointing and shooting at things and restarting until you get a bunch of coins.  Alternatively, I could have just waited and just done it -after- my Crushing run, since I found out something really interesting!  Apparently, if you select the prologue on Crushing and then play the entirety of the game, you still get the trophy instead of having to start a whole new save.  This is my gift to you, potential Trophy Hunter; the gift of knowledge.  Use it so you don't end up screwing yourself out of bounty progress going for the harder difficulties.

Regardless, it was fulfilling and enjoyable as, as I've said several times, Golden Abyss was just a pleasure to play, despite the tech demo feel that it has with all the touch and motion controls towards the start.  Only one part gave me any real troubles and by 'real troubles', I mean 'this section is bullshit on Normal', and for anyone who's played the game, I don't even have to tell you that it was Chapter 11.  You know this already.  It's as bad as you think, and unfortunately, it seems insurmountable, but it is.  Mostly through luck  Actually almost entirely through luck.  There's really no sure-fire way to get through it and if there is, it certainly wasn't easy for me to find or do.  It just really requires determination and a lot of time and patience, which is something you probably have if you've ever gone for any Platinum.  Or that you might not have a lot left of, if you've been consistently going for Platinums.

For a very brief amount of time, Dynasty Warriors Next reclaimed my attention for quite simply being the only Vita game I have left that lacks progress.  I don't count MotorStorm RC when I say these things because MotorStorm RC makes me rage and want to destroy things.  Alternatively, Dynasty Warriors Next just drains everything resembling resolve and determination when I load it up because of the statistics screen above.  For the amount of time I've put into the game, which is conveniently displayed, which says 51 hours (about half the time I normally put into a DW game), I only have a paltry amount of things gained.  Of course, they all say 50-70%, but at the same time, I've voiced my complaints on the acquisition of these things before, pointing out just how tedious of a task it is.  And of course it doesn't show how many Sworn Sibling/Spouse Oaths I've formed which is 'Not a lot'.  There is likely 50 more hours of my time that Next demands before it will relinquish unto my a Platinum trophy, and I'm not sure I want to give it those 50 hours.

When I say a very brief amount of time, I mean the time it took to play two conquest maps which is, again, 'Not a lot'.  It would have taken less time had the first three rounds allowed me to do anything other than sit and watch myself being unable to invade because the RNG didn't give me a point in the one territory that needed it the most, though thankfully I also was not invaded during this time because my number stayed on par with my neighbors for those turns.  However, during that time, one of my enemies (it was a three kingdom map of twelve territories) made significant headway into the other and, on the turn I struck out, they invaded the Capital of my other enemy, thus absorbing that kingdom and making my job a lot more painful.  It's because of moments like these that I just don't find the desire to play the game when most other times, you have to find a reason for me to -not- play a Warriors game, whereas that reason is usually 'burn out'.

I guess 'burn out' is still a valid thing here, however, since the game simply doesn't have the same amount of depth, unfortunately.  After playing the story once, I really have no incentive to play that part anymore and, even if I did, it plays exactly the same way as the other mode, Conquest, with the addition of Cutscenes.  That's about it.  That isn't to say that I don't like the game, as I've clearly made it known that I do, just that I really wanted a little more from it.  Even if it was just literally DW7's Conquest Mode copy-pasted into Next, it would've been an improvement, or at least to have the option to have that alongside the Empires-esque version.  It's really just a numbers game at this point; 60-some characters in the game, each one has two Officer Cards, you can only get the second half after the first, and it's not a guaranteed gimme no matter what.  Then you have to form a Spouse and a Sibling Oath with each of those 60 characters.  Conservatively speaking, you can get one Spouse and Two Sibling Oaths per play.  I'm sure you can do the math for yourself.  Without anything approaching variety involved in all that, it simply becomes a slog and it's rather unfortunate.  Still, for a quick play here and there, it'll suffice just nicely.

Finally, as my most recent tweets (as of writing this, at least, I'm not going to link them and further my Twitter Whoring) might have already spoiled, I succumbed to the Siren's Song of the Newly discounted Persona 3 Portable after saying I really should resist for a little while.  Of course, I downloaded the hefty game at another house, turning what would have been a six-hour download into a 40-minute one, and thankfully, I've been able to stick with it this time, rather than my last play of it where I got entirely too obsessed with Social Links and quit because of the pressure involved.  Because if you want to get the 'most bang' out of a single play, it's a very strict schedule that you have to follow and I find that not caring has left me open to enjoy the game, actually.  Surprising.

At least, mostly enjoying the game.  I find myself disagreeing with a lot of the design decisions, but luckily the story has become really engrossing, keeping me around to get me more used to the things I'm not entirely crazy about.  Still for my money, the game isn't 'Fantastic', but merely 'Good' at the time of writing this in which I am about half-way through it.  At least, I think I'm about half-way through it.  Of the twelve, erm, 'events', I'm being led to believe that there are six more after taking two out in a single night.  Without a save point between them.  Which took 11 tries, despite me being fairly decently leveled for the section, purely because of really bad luck and, again, poor design decisions, this time merely with AI annoyances and the combat system (not in how you use it, but how enemies do).  When I eventually write about Persona 3 Portable more in-depth, I will go into it more, but suffice to say I think the game is great when it isn't bad, leaving no real room for a middle-ground.  Take that for what you will.

Still, there's something to be said about a game, any game, that actually makes you -feel- one way or another about the characters in a way that isn't all that shallow.  Like, more than "that's the antagonist, wanna kill him" or "that's a good guy, want him to succeed".  But to become emotionally invested in the characters for one reason or another, simply because of the way they're expressed to you, the player, speaks of a very rare talent, something special that is not present in most games.  Obviously, an RPG is the best place to go for this type of investment, but they don't always deliver.  No matter what I say about the mechanics of Persona 3, the characters will be the reason why I finish it.  I think that's pretty much the most important thing to say when talking about the game, since that's really the highest praise I can give it, and it's the highest praise someone should look for.

Really, contrary to last time, that's what the majority of my hiatus has consisted of, is only a scant few games.  I guess it speaks more to P3P's favor that I spent a week straight playing it, but I am not without my complaints about it.  Still, as you can tell, I'm enjoying it more than I'm not, so at least it's positive overall.  Regardless, I do hope that Persona 4 is as much better than 3 as I've been lead to believe as I am very anxiously awaiting the Vita port of the game in the West, despite the fact that it will likely come out in a time where I don't have time, nor money, to buy it.  Which is pretty much the entire rest of the year.  Friggin' 2012, why do you have so many games!?