turntSNACO

Glad to hear they’ve removed the “shuffle” part of shuffle time. Was easy to get the card you wanted in P3P consistently, so may as well remove a couple animations from the end of fights.

He’s not wrong that the game is in a really good place in some ways - new content, good balance. But it’s so easy to see why he’s responding to PvE complaints and not the other biggest complaint: monetization.

With PvE, you can say “sorry guys, we know we screwed up but we have to move on.” The monetization is an ongoing choice that blizzard makes every day and isn’t going anywhere. Would love to see them find a way to be profitable without treating community positivity as a sunk cost, but it’s hard to imagine them doing anything that could earn good will at the cost of a few dollars.

It does seem that the actual subtitle is “No Rules, No Rescue”. Calling your game Inescapable then adding “no escape” later in the title would be pretty silly.

Does this game have a silent protagonist? Whenever I’ve played a persona-adjacent game with a fully voiced protagonist (Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Tokyo Xanadu), I’ve ended up hating the guy I’m controlling.

As others have said, Persona does a generally good job of walking the edge of pervosity without falling off. So similar games with less restraint make me nervous.

@NoFaceBigFoot I’d agree if she were in the original version of the game, but the female protagonist was only added in the second re-release of the game. So if the goal is to remake the original, it kind of makes sense. Still unfortunate though.

@Tharsman Yeah, that could be their thinking. Still, Sumi’s on the cover of the game and everyone who played Royal knows she’s a persona-user at least. Obviously her [spoiler] being different might be a surprise, but I don’t think that’s a big enough deal to not include her. They could allude to Joker helping her out without laying out the full story of the final semester.

@koffing Good catch (watch it be Akechi though, lol)

I’m a big enough Persona fan to play it regardless, but ehhh…

If they were going to do this art style + magical setting, I wish they’d just made a Persona Q successor with characters from the 3 games. Strikers actually moved the characters forward a bit, but I don’t see that happening here. And why are they still treating Royal as non-canon?

I love when trailers spell out basic mechanics like they’re unique and need explaining. “She will collect coins, which she can then use to purchase items from vendors.” Cutting edge stuff, guys.

But seriously, I hope this turns out. A big magical world combat game is exactly what I want, but the aforementioned “fire out of my freaking hands” trailer has me worried the story and script are going to hold it back.

Bought it on PC then got a refund after 3 crashes and infinite loading screens in an hour. Glad it’s getting patched, but I’ll still wait until it’s $20 on sale.

I tend to be an Atlus apologist, but man was this event a bummer. After releasing Persona Q2, two dancing spin-offs, and Strikers, they announced this big year-long anniversary event that mostly consisted of a merch store and some Japan-only events.

They could’ve just said nothing and there wouldn’t have been any expectations at all. At least the ports happened - if only one thing of note was going to happen, I’m glad it was that.

@Rafie weirdly confrontational reply, but ok. My point is that saying “Atlus wants to sell you another collectors edition” online makes sense if you’re ignoring other platforms. This is the first time the game is available for other platforms, so it’s not surprising they’d have a new edition for those folks IMO.

It’s a new current-gen launch of the game - all this “we’re supposed to buy it again!?!?” stuff acts likely PS players are the only ones affected here. Again, my opinion. You may disagree, but I think the broader context is relevant.

Relevant info not included above - this collector’s edition is available for Switch and Xbox as well. Treating this as an insult to PS5 owners is kind of myopic IMO.

Would we feel better if there wasn’t a collector’s edition at all, or if it was exclusive to other platforms? Let the Xbox people have it - we don’t have to own everything that exists.

@BritneyfR_ee We don’t know whether it’s forced or expected in this case, but when bosses and managers celebrate people specifically for working unsustainable schedules (rather than, say, the quality of their work), that definitely sends the message that this is what management/leadership wants from you.

And by this point we’ve seen plenty of instances of workers in game development who do feel exhausted and taken advantage of. Assuming this isn’tthe case here feels overly optimistic..

@The_Pixel_King for what it’s worth, this is an action game that requires lots of perfect dodging while the screen fills up with the largest number of projectiles I’ve ever seen in a game. It’s really hard to imagine the Switch port pulling everything off smoothly, but maybe wait for reviews? IMO this is the kind of game you play at 60fps when you have the option.

As others have said, the whole “multiple playthroughs” thing is less onerous than it sounds. Only the first two really overlap heavily, and the second has new mechanics that speed things up as well as added story stuff keeps it interesting.

OK, hear me out.

Atlus is releasing the PS5 version at the same time as the Xbox, PC, and Switch releases. They want parity in pricing, apart from Game Pass where they're obviously getting paid a ton for licensing. Persona 5 Royal Deluxe Edition is on sale in NA right now for $20.99. So a $10 upgrade path would let you get it for ~$30, or half the price of other versions. Microsoft wants this game to help sell game pass, which it wouldn't if you could own it for the same price as 3 months of game pass (with no lasting ownership).

I get how this is a bummer for owners of the PS4 version (myself included). But through backwards-compatibility, you can already play P5 in 4k/HDR. 60fps would be nice, but it's not the kind of game where you really notice unless you're extremely sensitive to lower fps (in which case, you're probably buying on PC anyway).

I dunno, maybe I'm being a bootlicker here. But I feel like I got my $60 worth out of my PS4 copy. I bought the game for what it was, not because I expected a discount on a newer version 2 years later. There would be nothing to complain about if there was never a PS5 version, which only even exists because of ports to other platforms. I honestly just think some folks are mad because they don't like the idea of there being a better version than what they have, even if the thing they have is great and exactly what they paid for.

They could really turn down the quipping. Having the lead character narrate what we’re seeing almost never helps IMO. The most immersive games are usually quieter games.

@NEStalgia Thanks for the context. I don't really buy the 90s thing though. Cell phones like the one Rindo uses didn't exist even 10 years ago. The prevalence of texting and using highly detailed emoji is way more 2021 than 90s. And I dunno, I just find "Rindude" cringe. Maybe it's just me. I'll have to find a gen-X Andrew and ask him if his friends in the 90s ever called him "Andude".
If I ever play the game, I'll try it with Japanese VO - some things are less annoying to read than hear voice acted repeatedly in every battle and cutscene. And from a quick youtube watch, it sounds like he just says "Rin" or "Rindo" in Japanese, so this might be the result of localization taking an unnecessary swing. Again, it's entirely possible I'm the only person in the world bothered by this ¯(ツ)/¯

The demo lost me so quickly. First I realized that my guy's friend was going to call him "Rindude" the entire game, even though that sounds stupid and unlike anything an actual teen would ever say. Then the game said I'd have to do a puzzle but the 'puzzle' was actually just 'walk to 4 different places and read dialogue'. Then a math-themed tough guy showed up and started calling everyone 'zeptogram' as an insult.

Battles seemed fun enough, but it felt like everything else was designed for maximum irritation.

I feel less bad about paying $70 knowing there's probably like 2 other PS5 games I'll buy this year.

We can cut him a little slack since he still seems very much in this heated moment. I get the logic - I bought Persona 4 and Strikers on PC at launch because I wanted to help prove that these ports were worthwhile for Atlus.

But at the same time, I just don't think Days Gone was the kind of game to inspire that kind of loyalty at launch. The vibe I got from the community at the time was a lot of "another zombie game, and another open world game with jaded beardy man protagonist...no thanks".

If there's a message for anyone it's that you shouldn't wait to buy a game at $20 AND THEN complain when the sequel gets canned. We just kind of have to accept that a game didn't inspire a bunch of people to pay $60, then there probably won't be a series. That's ok - there is no shortage of cheaper and more interesting games out there.

@Gaming365247 I wouldn't say it's essential to play both. There are some developments in Royal that hit a little harder knowing how the original plays out, but otherwise Royal has just about the entire vanilla experience plus more.

It also has a ton of quality-of-life improvements that make it more enjoyable and less restrictive than the original. In the end the decision depends on how much time you want to commit. It took me ~180 hours between the two of them. If you want to do the same, go for it. If you're not sure, just Royal is fine.

@avenovah I won't buy a PS5 regardless as a high-end PC owner. I suspect things will be different for people who don't have a PC powerful enough to run new games, or people who are wealthy enough to just buy everything. Sony may as well get the odd $50 from me down the line - I'm not about to spend another $500 on hardware for a handful of exclusives.

@Olmaz Unrelated to my earlier comment, just responding to the Rowling stuff. She posted that tweet in response to a headline using using the phrase "people who menstruate". The publisher of that article used that phrase instead of "women", presumably because they either wanted to include trans men who menstruate in the conversation or wanted to avoid suggesting that people who do not menstruate at not women (probably both). I don't think I'm making a leap to suggest that this was their thinking, since they would've just said "women" if they weren't trying to be trans-inclusive.

So I think nessisonett's interpretation is mostly correct (though I think her target was trans men more so than trans women). The context matters here - she took umbrage (pun intended) at an editor using trans-inclusive language so she wrote her sarcastic little tweet, seemingly without considering those who would be hurt by it.

FWIW they're all on steam and would probably run on a potato, but they feel way more at home on Vita. Great series.

@Olmaz Sincere question - is there a space for analyzing games through a sociopolitical lens that falls short demanding adherence? How can someone make a moral case for something like diversity in games without it being received as an imposition?

As noted above, there's not really any reason to go to playstation for indies if you have other options. So many big indies spend months exclusively on Steam or Epic before landing on console. And when they do, there's really no reason to play less graphically demanding games on a playstation instead of switch. You're not really going to appreciate the 4k fully playing a game like Spelunky.

@KALofKRYPTON Nah, not yet I don't think. I'm sure there are folks who are worried about how it'll turn out (modern jrpgs don't have a great track record portraying lgbt people), but nothing really objectionable in the trailer.

The only question is PS4 or Switch. Really hoping the Switch version performs well enough to be a viable choice.

@LegendOfStewart I appreciate the "more of the same" bit because I'm someone who put way too much time into BL2 and wanted a different feel this time around. It's like saying an RPG is "grindy" - that's not a bad thing to everyone, but it conveys something that some people will care about.

@leucocyte I'm sure they were, but it's not like we can count on companies to self-report when they know the product isn't fully optimized. They're not going to give themselves bad press. Good things we have sites like this to report on it within the first two days of release.

@ShogunRok I really wish they'd tried to return to the lonely, even mysterious tone of BL1 instead of making another meme-fest where you can't get a moment's peace without someone yelling in your ear. Hopefully more is skippable - it's a real problem having a game that encourages multiple play-throughs where you're forced to stand around listening to the same dialogue again.

@manu0 If we're honoring the original Japanese intent, we should be calling O and X maru and batsu respectively.

@Acquiescence I don't think every 7/10 is actually a borderline masterpiece undone by flaws. Reviewers aren't just going to put "not as good as God of War" in the cons list for every game.

The original ending is maybe my favorite end to any game, so I'm curious to see what they'll do with it. Glad that it sounds like they're preserving the tone.

In the era of massive open world games and endlessly re-playable roguelikes, it feels like games are increasingly designed to be played until the player gets bored and moves on. Hats off to Atlus for making 80+ hour games that stay engaging to the end.

@GADG3Tx87 I really hope Haru gets some more time in the spotlight in Royal. I feel like the original game kinda underserved her.

Oh cool, they're using the characters' bedrooms they introduced in Dancing in Starlight.

I'm definitely picking this one up. And the reason is, I'm the president of the great United States of America.

@Gamer83 Is your problem more that people are criticizing content in games or that devs are adjusting content based on criticism?

@Gamer83 You make it sound like none of these millennials are actually playing games - they are. You and your friends may not care about, say, portrayal of lgbt people in games, but that doesn't mean that people who do aren't real gamers or whatever.

Regardless, your problem seems to be that people are complaining too much about things that don't actually affect them. But here you are complaining about Cyberpunk being having to explain a poster in their game. Because you think it gives a win to your opponents in the culture war? Do you see what I'm getting at?

I'm ok with this. I feel like it's better to end the game upon leaving Midgar than, say, at the end of disc 1. There's a lot of potential to fill in the city, develop Cloud and Aeris's relationship, etc. Bold choice, but why not go for it?

Not a huge fan of her voice, but we'll see what they do with her English voice. The dancer motif is cool.

I hope Bioware's management learned some kind of lesson from the Anthem debacle. So many talented writers and developers who could've been making something great with the right leadership...

@NathanUC Weird, I feel exactly the opposite. From the beginning of PS you're jumping across huge stretches of empty moon. And then there's that mission to get the AI where the little boy sends you running back and forth across the same area for like an hour. I love the classes in PS and there's some great moments, but it sure can be slog.

Pro-tip: Don't play Pre-Sequel. You're better off playing multiple characters in BL2.

@arnoldlayne83 You'll spend 40 hours sitting in a castle, listening to characters around you talk about all the epic fantasy battles they're having. Your only way of interacting with the world is 'Press X to stare like a creep' until the end when you're elected president of Lordran or whatever.

I don't mind the idea of having multiple separate releases in and of itself. My fear is that taking a 40-hour game and making it into multiple 40-hour games will kill the pacing of the original, which is probably the quality of ffvii that has aged best.

Basically, I really hope we don't have to spend 5 hours doing fetch quests in Kalm...

@nessisonett Agreed. Squenix seemed to obsess over cutting edge graphics and developing new gameplay systems that are divisive at best. Meanwhile, Atlus focused on style and refining traditional RPG mechanics to the point that they feel fresh but accessible. Final Fantasy never really figured out setting difficulty at a level where turn-based battles remain compelling, but that's been Atlus's bread and butter.

@ApostateMage I've been replaying P4G recently and have mixed feelings. I appreciate that it's more efficient in its pacing and has a more chill vibe overall, but I just don't find myself connecting to the characters and themes in the same way. I think it's mainly that the comic relief doesn't work for me. I still find Yosuke to be whiny and Teddie's aggressiveness with the ladies was never as charming to me as it was clearly meant to be.

That said, Kanji is perfect. God bless that kid.