Persona 5 - The Bear and Badger

Dogfingers

JonB wrote:

Had to come back later and finish it off. Just over an hour between save points FFS. At least I managed to do it first time.

Its a total cunt, in a way i preferred the no-frills dungeons in P4

b0r1s

Still enjoying this though only 30 hrs in. Just got to the bank. It would be nice if you could do more during the day, the cat keep telling me to go to bed is irritating. Ryuji has finally grown on me, but probably only because Yosuke is such a fop.

Wariospeedwagon

JonB wrote:

Had to come back later and finish it off. Just over an hour between save points FFS. At least I managed to do it first time.

I died twice there!

No shame in admitting I turned the game down to safe mode in order to beat it.

Absolutely loved the game - Found the palaces really tedious though. Thought they were a great idea and fit in really well with the games themes, but they were often so drawn out. I hated especially when you'd have to do a simple puzzle, and everyone would stand around for 30 seconds hinting at what you needed to do, when it was pretty clear from the beginning.

I'm glad they tried something new and it very nearly worked for me, but the palaces ended up being the only bits I didn't really get along with.

JonB

Yeah, I really like the palace themes and that they've done something different with the dungeons, but after the first few they just get too long and drawn out. Can't say I preferred the P4 dungeons though - they were pretty dull too.

The problem is having to get through so much before the deadlines. I try and secure the route in two visits, which is a lot to do each time, but it's the only way to have a good social life.

JonB

Phew. Just beat

Spoiler:

JonB

More twists and turns.

Spoiler:

Enjoying the story, even if the dungeoneering's worn out by now.

Kernowgaz

Still haven't got round to starting this, I blame Zelda .

This is an interesting article on Japanese games being badly translated , with this being quite bad

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-05-17-persona-5s-translation-is-a-black-mark-on-a-brilliant-game

JonB

I don't see it as that bad. There's been the odd mistake, but overall the writing's still pretty strong, and characters have their own distinctive speech styles.

Of course, it may not be faithful to the source, but that's not something that 99% of players will ever know.

JonB

And it's over.
99 hours on the clock by the end. Last boss was actually pretty good.

Spoiler:

More generally,

Spoiler:

Not sure whether I'd rate it above or below P4G in the end. Perhaps just a shade better due to the story themes and audio-visual stylings.

JonB

Silke wrote:

My gang's called Anti-Oedipus. Always ready to analyse and restructure the relationship between desire and (capitalist) reality. Also fuck Freud.

Just reading back and saw this. Very good. I suppose one reason I liked the story so much was its literal rendition of concepts from psychoanalysis. The object of desire at the centre of each palace, reality being about cognition, and all that. There's a lot of Zizek/Lacan in there, especially (my gang was The Big Other).

Bollockoff

Cool.

Tempy

JonB wrote:

Silke wrote:

My gang's called Anti-Oedipus. Always ready to analyse and restructure the relationship between desire and (capitalist) reality. Also fuck Freud.

Just reading back and saw this. Very good. I suppose one reason I liked the story so much was its literal rendition of concepts from psychoanalysis. The object of desire at the centre of each palace, reality being about cognition, and all that. There's a lot of Zizek/Lacan in there, especially (my gang was The Big Other).

I'm still mad because I made a body without organs quip and Silke just totally sidelined me.

JonB

I tried playing something else but found myself being drawn back to NG+. Mostly because I hadn't had enough of various aspects before the game ended (social links, fusions, books, games), but it's also probably withdrawal after a month immersed in this world. Going back and meeting the characters again is comforting somehow.

Pretty sure there's no way I can be arsed with some of the palaces again, but might hang around long enough to try a few things I missed last time.

JonB

Done the first palace again. Hasn't taken long really and it's quite fun being able to whip through it with equipment from the previous run. Also skipping a lot of dialogue, of course.

Not sure how far I can go though. Would probably play through the whole thing again, but can't bear the thought of redoing the later palaces. The first one is a good length and only a small amount of padding. Shame it doesn't stay that way.

Bollockoff

Shido's

Spoiler:

JonB

Still playing NG+, to my surprise. Just done the 3rd palace again. It's just getting to the stage now where the padding is getting to be a bit of a drag and I can no longer just hammer my way through fights (although Ryuji is a beast).

Would like to get through summer at least, and max out some social links I didn't see before. The 4th palace will be a pain in the arse though.

Bollockoff

Mementos Depths is truly testing my desire to finish just from the laziness of it. I'm gonna be sad once this is over for reasons different to what I expected at the start.

Spoiler:

JonB

Bollockoff wrote:

Mementos Depths is truly testing my desire to finish just from the laziness of it. I'm gonna be sad once this is over for reasons different to what I expected at the start.

It's not too long, thankfully. Compared to the palaces at least. You may as well see it out now.

But yeah, the dungeons do some serious damage to the last quarter of the game. Each more pointlessly padded than the last.

regmcfly

Really hitting a wall with this. Not because im disliking it, just that combat and screen after takes so long. I'm currently in the pyramid, about 40 hours in, and the plot has me, but dungeons just aren't doing it. I kind of want the simple random p4 ones back.

JonB

Finished Kawakami's social link this time.

Spoiler:

Bollockoff

Series generally could tone down the player worship.

JonB

regmcfly wrote:

Really hitting a wall with this. Not because im disliking it, just that combat and screen after takes so long. I'm currently in the pyramid, about 40 hours in, and the plot has me, but dungeons just aren't doing it. I kind of want the simple random p4 ones back.

This is the main complaint and it gets more valid the further in you get. The first couple of palaces seemed like a great alternative to the P4 style, but they just get too big.

I still think the P4 ones were just as boring, mind, so they really need another solution.

JonB

Bollockoff wrote:

Series generally could tobe down the player worship.

I've only found a few of the romance options interesting TBH.

Spoiler:

Bollockoff

Nil for me. But I'm turning bitter.

Morgana's second awakening looks nice.

On reflection I think it'd be better if they went back to P3's style with second awakenings part of the plot rather than social links. It provides much more of a reason to give everyone bigger and more satisfying development arcs. And this tune gets used more often. Just reward the player with an ultimate attack or something for a max S. Link.

Bollockoff

I generally agree with the Edge review but I'm puzzled by that line they wrote about there being a predominance of commentary on the stability of traditional family.

Bollockoff

I mean you never meet the other team's parents (bar one obvious) and get no insight into their home life. I'd have liked to get invited round to Ryuji's house at some point and meet his hard working divorced mum and see what that side of him is like. Highlights how much of a miss it is to have the protag such a center of gravity.

Bollockoff

Also I don't think Makoto and Sis never once mention their mother? Complete non-entity.

JonB

Bollockoff wrote:

I generally agree with the Edge review but I'm puzzled by that line they wrote about there being a predominance of commentary on the stability of traditional family.

Haven't read the review, but it did occur to me that

Spoiler:

Silke

It's commentary through absence. They all come from - or end up in - non-traditional family constellations, and they all grow into fine, thoughtful and empathic boys and girls despite this. They even save the world.

So, yes, the game seems to propose that there might be even better ways to live and grow up than in the norms of the traditional family.

If that's what Edge's on about I'll agree.

JonB

Summer is probably the best part of this. Got the palace out the way very early and have a nice long stretch just hanging out, with so many options at this stage of the game. Lovely stuff.

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