3,000 MILES CAN'T KEEP ME AWAY FROM THE THINGS I LOVE.
Latest bit of (irresponsible) retail therapy: $90 video game!!!!111
I'm too lazy to go in depth about the game mechanics, story, etc., so have the Wikipedia page on it instead. I mostly wanted this game because it's so freaking RARE, and so apparently controversial that I wanted to see what the fuck it was all about.
I've actually played through pretty much all of Persona 2: Batsu (Eternal Punishment), which is also a pretty driving motivation to get this game. It's like playing Chrono Trigger after Chrono Cross - not necessary, but a fuck of a lot more rewarding.
Persona gameplay is actually a bucketload of awesome, because of the difficulty and complexity of it. There's a lot of ways to combine spells, and the various compatibilities of the persona with your various characters is also really important. It's a pretty basic RPG when it comes to fighting and leveling up, but the kicker is is that you don't HAVE to kill your enemies when you come across them: you can bribe them, or talk with them, or fuck, even DANCE for them in order to get them to give you tarot cards, which are necessary to summon stronger Persona (the characters' alter egos, of a sort, which they fight with). They'll also give you other things, like money or items, too.
The combat is pretty innovative, but what slays me with this game is the STORY, and the CHARACTERS: in a sort of futureistic yet-vaguely-modern-day Japan, rumors have the ability to come true if they are spread far and long enough. One such rumor is that if you dial your own cell phone number, you'll summon the Joker, a paranormal being that will supposedly grant you a single wish. If you have no wish, or refuse to divulge your wish, he steals your life energy and you become a Shadow Person (i.e., a monster). Basically, this group of eclectic high school kids set out to discover the identity behind the Joker, as well as a fuck of a lot of things about themselves, and the people around them.
The Innocent Sin story is hardly so simple, though. Between the resurrection of Adolf Hitler (part of the reason why the game was never put into English), and the absolute batshit insanity of Tatsuha Sudou (uh...not to be confused with main character TatsuYA SuOH. *headdesk*)...just...wow. The ending is also a super dose of "HOLY FUCKING GOD WUT", but it's a bit of a shame because if you've already played Eternal Punishment like I have, then you already know how Innocent Sin ends. D:
For kicks, the second reason the game was never put out in America is because one of the endings involves being boyfriends with this guy in your party named Jun. XD;;
In terms of characters, I love Tatsuya, but only during the Eternal Punishment game when you get to see his awkward-ass relationship with his older brother Katsuya at its peak. (LOL) I feel like this stems more from my love of Katsuya than from any appreciation of Tatsuya anyway. *is rather ambivalent towards him, really*
MY TRUE LOVE IS EIKICHI, I MUST CONFESS. A wannabe Visual Kei rocker with insecure roots in his past and just general retardery on the whole? I AM SOLD. I loved him even in Eternal Punishment when he was just a wandering random NPC. <333333 Something about his blue hair, and his lipstick, and his okonomiyaki-cooking dad just made me go "RABU!!".
Lisa was also pretty cool, too. She, Maya and Tatsuya form the typical Japanese RPG love triangle, but unlike most other Jap-RPGs, it's not quite as obvious who it is that Tatsuya cares about more. (Even the ending, which is snowballed pretty heavily with Tatsuya/Maya vibes can still be construed as Maya/everyone vibes, because everyone was in love with her in a way. In a big sister sense.) Like, you can shoot for the Tatsuya/Lisa ending, and it's BELIEVEABLE. Lisa herself starts out as the typical upbeat tough-girl type, but matures as a character in a way that I grew to like her.
Maya is...Maya. From her catchy Engrish schtick phrase ("Let's positive thinking!") to her heart-emblemed journalist's outfit, right down to her kind, indiscriminate nature towards everyone...well, she's just Maya. I don't hate her as a character, but I tend to think that the other female Persona characters were a lot more interesting (and not given as much screentime, either. D:).
Yukino's weapon choice makes me shit lulz bricks. XD As does Jun's. As a matter of fact, Jun in GENERAL makes me shit lulz bricks because he's so damned tragic and pretty. HE'S LIKE THE SUBARU SUMERAGI OF ATLUS GAMES.
Mmmm, I can't wait until this shit gets here. It'll probably take forever because of the International shipping, BUT OH, I CAN'T GODDAMNED WAIT. I should be doing responsible things, like buying Otakon tickets and whatnot, BUT OH JENN, WE CAN TOTALLY PLAY THIS GAME WHEN YOU COME DOWN TO SEE ME. IT'LL BE FUCKING EPIC.
I haven't paid for it yet; I'll do it tomorrow when I get my paycheck. DEAR LORDS, THIS IS AMAZING.
[EDIT]: I also bought the guide, even though it's in Japanese. The pictures will still be pretty. I'll scan some of the relevant pages when I get the guide, if you guys are interested. ♥
ALSO, if you all don't mind spoilers, the Persona 2: Innocent Sin game translation. Full script, which I'll be printing out and using when I play the game. The fact that a trans. exists is super awesome, so I won't be, like...you know, fumbling around blindly in the dark.
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS THAT IT ISN'T EVEN FUNNY. IGNORE THE RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY I'VE SPENT ON THIS. PLEASE.
Eh, also, the official Japanese Persona 2: Tsumi page for those who are overly curious.
I'M DONE NOW, I PROMISE.
I'm too lazy to go in depth about the game mechanics, story, etc., so have the Wikipedia page on it instead. I mostly wanted this game because it's so freaking RARE, and so apparently controversial that I wanted to see what the fuck it was all about.
I've actually played through pretty much all of Persona 2: Batsu (Eternal Punishment), which is also a pretty driving motivation to get this game. It's like playing Chrono Trigger after Chrono Cross - not necessary, but a fuck of a lot more rewarding.
Persona gameplay is actually a bucketload of awesome, because of the difficulty and complexity of it. There's a lot of ways to combine spells, and the various compatibilities of the persona with your various characters is also really important. It's a pretty basic RPG when it comes to fighting and leveling up, but the kicker is is that you don't HAVE to kill your enemies when you come across them: you can bribe them, or talk with them, or fuck, even DANCE for them in order to get them to give you tarot cards, which are necessary to summon stronger Persona (the characters' alter egos, of a sort, which they fight with). They'll also give you other things, like money or items, too.
The combat is pretty innovative, but what slays me with this game is the STORY, and the CHARACTERS: in a sort of futureistic yet-vaguely-modern-day Japan, rumors have the ability to come true if they are spread far and long enough. One such rumor is that if you dial your own cell phone number, you'll summon the Joker, a paranormal being that will supposedly grant you a single wish. If you have no wish, or refuse to divulge your wish, he steals your life energy and you become a Shadow Person (i.e., a monster). Basically, this group of eclectic high school kids set out to discover the identity behind the Joker, as well as a fuck of a lot of things about themselves, and the people around them.
The Innocent Sin story is hardly so simple, though. Between the resurrection of Adolf Hitler (part of the reason why the game was never put into English), and the absolute batshit insanity of Tatsuha Sudou (uh...not to be confused with main character TatsuYA SuOH. *headdesk*)...just...wow. The ending is also a super dose of "HOLY FUCKING GOD WUT", but it's a bit of a shame because if you've already played Eternal Punishment like I have, then you already know how Innocent Sin ends. D:
For kicks, the second reason the game was never put out in America is because one of the endings involves being boyfriends with this guy in your party named Jun. XD;;
In terms of characters, I love Tatsuya, but only during the Eternal Punishment game when you get to see his awkward-ass relationship with his older brother Katsuya at its peak. (LOL) I feel like this stems more from my love of Katsuya than from any appreciation of Tatsuya anyway. *is rather ambivalent towards him, really*
MY TRUE LOVE IS EIKICHI, I MUST CONFESS. A wannabe Visual Kei rocker with insecure roots in his past and just general retardery on the whole? I AM SOLD. I loved him even in Eternal Punishment when he was just a wandering random NPC. <333333 Something about his blue hair, and his lipstick, and his okonomiyaki-cooking dad just made me go "RABU!!".
Lisa was also pretty cool, too. She, Maya and Tatsuya form the typical Japanese RPG love triangle, but unlike most other Jap-RPGs, it's not quite as obvious who it is that Tatsuya cares about more. (Even the ending, which is snowballed pretty heavily with Tatsuya/Maya vibes can still be construed as Maya/everyone vibes, because everyone was in love with her in a way. In a big sister sense.) Like, you can shoot for the Tatsuya/Lisa ending, and it's BELIEVEABLE. Lisa herself starts out as the typical upbeat tough-girl type, but matures as a character in a way that I grew to like her.
Maya is...Maya. From her catchy Engrish schtick phrase ("Let's positive thinking!") to her heart-emblemed journalist's outfit, right down to her kind, indiscriminate nature towards everyone...well, she's just Maya. I don't hate her as a character, but I tend to think that the other female Persona characters were a lot more interesting (and not given as much screentime, either. D:).
Yukino's weapon choice makes me shit lulz bricks. XD As does Jun's. As a matter of fact, Jun in GENERAL makes me shit lulz bricks because he's so damned tragic and pretty. HE'S LIKE THE SUBARU SUMERAGI OF ATLUS GAMES.
Mmmm, I can't wait until this shit gets here. It'll probably take forever because of the International shipping, BUT OH, I CAN'T GODDAMNED WAIT. I should be doing responsible things, like buying Otakon tickets and whatnot, BUT OH JENN, WE CAN TOTALLY PLAY THIS GAME WHEN YOU COME DOWN TO SEE ME. IT'LL BE FUCKING EPIC.
I haven't paid for it yet; I'll do it tomorrow when I get my paycheck. DEAR LORDS, THIS IS AMAZING.
[EDIT]: I also bought the guide, even though it's in Japanese. The pictures will still be pretty. I'll scan some of the relevant pages when I get the guide, if you guys are interested. ♥
ALSO, if you all don't mind spoilers, the Persona 2: Innocent Sin game translation. Full script, which I'll be printing out and using when I play the game. The fact that a trans. exists is super awesome, so I won't be, like...you know, fumbling around blindly in the dark.
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS THAT IT ISN'T EVEN FUNNY. IGNORE THE RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY I'VE SPENT ON THIS. PLEASE.
Eh, also, the official Japanese Persona 2: Tsumi page for those who are overly curious.
I'M DONE NOW, I PROMISE.