Obscure Games you might not have heard of: Persona 3

So, Howell's back again for another obscure game.
Although I confess, this isn't hugely obscure. That is to say people might recognise the name at least.
But dammit Jim, it's not well-known enough!

So. Shin Megami Tensei.
More specifically, it's spinoff, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona.
More specifically again, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3.

I'm sticking to the third one, just because it's the main one I've played.
Not to say I've completed it, but, well, I know what happens...And the only other one I've touched is Persona 2, and only briefly.

I don't half ramble at the beginning of my blogs do I?

Anyway, I thought I'd write about this one, as, well, I enjoy it. I even wrote an essay on it, which may get paraphrased in here in tiny bits. But yes. It, along with most RPGs, gets brushed under the carpet by Final Fantasy, and as much as I like the Final Fantasy games, I still think that's a shame.

So, on my fifth paragraph, it's about time I start.

Why yes, he did just shoot himself. Oh, I should mention, the game's themes are a little messed up. This is me, did this surprise you?

So, you're the new kid in school, your parents are nowhere to be seen, and you get put in a mixed-gender dorm. Hmm, this seems more like a dating sim setup. But surely this isn't one of those kinds of games?

Oh, sorry odd angelic girl, I'll just close the door.

Oddly enough, that gameplay does form a large chunk of this game. In fact, to cut this blog a few paragraphs short, this game is a *deep breath* Dating Sim/Monster Breeding/Dungeon Crawling/Japanese RPG, or DSMBDCJRPG, maybe. Do try to keep up.

You see, I'll come back to the dating sim idea. For now, monsters. In this game, you control a party of up to 4 characters at once, but each character has what is known as a Persona (Ahh, the title, it makes sense! Now what about Shin Megami Tensei? Oh, that just means True Goddess Reincarnation, let's ignore that).
A Persona is "another side to a person's character, behind the mask they put up for people in real life. Or simply, it's a summon. It's how you do magic or special skills. You, the main character, have a unique gift however. You can use multiple Personas (not sure what that tells us about his psyche...).
Early on, you meet Igor, the owner of the Violet Room. In there, you can merge Personas into (normally) a better, stronger one. And depending on the related Social Link to the Arcana of Persona you are creating, it can gain bonuses.

Woah, slow down Howell, Social Link? Arcana? Okay.
Every Persona has an Arcana, like those seen in Tarot cards, you know, The Priestess, The Heirophant, The Fool, The Devil, all of them.
Every Social Link you make has their own unique Arcana too.
So if the Persona's Arcana has a high level Social Link, it gets bonuses.

So what's a Social Link? Oh, that's the dating sim-like aspect.
You see, you're a school student. A new one at that. So what's something you might need to get? Friends.
The gameplay is actually split into several segments of the day. Morning, which is usually School Time, with lessons, which, unless relevant, are skipped. Afternoon, which is when you can socialise, or get jobs for money and stat boosts, and Night, where, like any normal student, you venture into the Tower of Tartarus, and go around killing monsters called Shadows. What, you don't do that?

I mean, this isn't weird, right?

So, you might be wondering. I mentioned creepy things. All you've seen is a weird tower, named after the pit of the underworld, and a guy shooting himself. Sorry, I should go into that.

You see, that's not a gun. Well, it is, but...

It's an Evoker. It looks like a gun, goes BANG like a gun, but doesn't kill you. It's explained that it gives the feeling of death to the user, which clears their minds completely, allowing their true persona to shine through, their Persona. That's just how you summon the monsters.

Old video, but relevant. And amusing. Don't try this at home.

So, suggested mental suicide, and the underworld. Still, it's Japan, so not so weird.

The Dark Hour. This is an hour between one day and the next. To the usual person, they either sleep through it, or they don't notice it happen. That'd be because this is what happens to normal people in the Dark Hour.

It's like a depressing Abbey Road isn't it?

Yeah, we get trapped in coffins, and likely blackout. Nothing big and creepy.

For those who are awake however, they have to fight the Shadows. That is, if they have a Persona, or know how to use it. The game suggests the others are killed by Shadows. So hey, you're lucky you can fight.

You might think, "I'd rather be in the coffin". Oh, the plot thought of that. You see, the Shadows have a bad effect on people. They make them all depressed and zombified. They call it Apathy Syndrome. The end results being coma, or suicide. Yup, suicide is apparently all because of monsters we never see.

So, you go around killing them, and then, on every full moon, BOSS BATTLE!

The game has an in-game calendar, which forces the progress in the story.

So, you kill the boss, and people return to normal. Then the next one starts showing up.
The initial stages do seem mildly repetitive, but the rest of the story keeps you from thinking that most of the time. You get to know people, you can even fall in love.

And even get scenes like this. I SWEAR IT'S NOT A HENTAI DATING SIM!

So, I've managed to skirt around the main plot, and avoided big spoilers. I'm impressed.

I could go into how the game's constant progression feels like the days ticking you closer to death, and other factors, but I'll be nice, and just leave you with the intro video to the PSP version I play.

And as an added bonus, a picture of one of the many Persona you can create. Maru.

I SWEAR IT'S NOT THAT KIND OF GAME!

Oh yeah, happy 99th post on the blog!

A Refined Palet

Greetings from Sir Thomas again. I'm sorry for the terrible lack of recent activity, but due to a certain lack of funds things have become... difficult for me. That and you all seem to refuse to state my name correctly. But, when a glove is thrown down I must pick it up. I am a gentleman, even in my current circumstances.

I am, of course, referring to the question about my favourite trailer to a game. And this leads me rather wonderfully into another topic. We shall take this in order however, and I shall explain what is my favourite game trailer, and why I find it tickles my fancy so.

The trailer, in question, is this:

I'm uncertain why, but the cartoon violence and artstyle, coupled with the amazing "Ain't no Rest for the Wicked" has made this advertisement remain in my head for the longest time. This is actually simply the introduction to the game, but was treated as a reveal for the playable character classes. The trailer is simplistic, the names, attitudes and specialisations of the characters being conveyed without excessive exposition. The game itself has its ups and downs, but I find this trailer always puts me in the mood to play the game again.

Licensing music for a video game is a tricky business; if you fail terribly, you owe people a lot of money you don't have... and trust me I know how that feels. But I think Borderlands hit the mark with the song choice. They tried something that most didn't dare to attempt, and it paid off with one of the most memorable trailers I've ever seen.

Now, to the news.

Borderlands has a sequel in the works. Yes, wonderful news indeed my fine chums.

This sequel shall no doubt contain the same insane comedy, over the top violence and powerful musket-rifles as the previous one. How can I be so certain you ask? Why, because I've been a fanatic of one of the writers for quite a long time.

Anthony Burch, and his sister Ashley, have no doubt consumed some kind of psychosis inducing beverage in their time, because their brand of humour seems to surpass mere strange and sidle into the realms of pure surreality. These are people directly involved with the creative process. When I heard this would be Anthony's premier project I almost choked on my pipe.

Let us examine a trailer of theirs, shall we?

Alas, they seem to be lacking the initial taste for music. You might notice a certain... dubstep style to their choice for this trailer. This is a common happen-stance in trailers these days sadly, but I find the trailer could be forgiven for it's use of self parody and humour. 96.5% WUB WUB still brings a smile to my face whenever I see it alongside other more po-faced trailers using similar tracks with no hint of irony or original ideas.

The trailer promises development from the old formula, not just more of the same, and I find that an enjoyable concept. The old characters are there, but are not playable, you are someone new, coming into a new and developed world. With, thankfully, a new (actually present) story.

Perhaps I am a victim to circumstance and hype, but I am looking forward to this game, these new developments. I am looking forward to visiting Pandora again in a new light. I am looking forward to... ah... how did they put it... "joy puking my face off".

Good day, my friends.