Okay... so it all started one lovely afternoon rolling around on the floor with nothing to do when my brother calls out of the blue and tells me he's got this fantastimous deal to get three games for the price of one courtesy some special coupon or rebate or card or gift or something or other. So I dutifully research and pull up a few options, including Starwars Battlefront II which turns out to be a total blast and a worthy investment of munnies.
The second option I pull up is Persona 4, a curious amalgamation of a dating sim and a smash, bam, pow RPG imported from japan. So he comes home with all these games and we have a blast with battlefront for a while.
Now I have to say that with me and my brother, we have a tendency to BINGE PLAY, to grind the hell out of the game in the span of two or three days until we finish it. Because we're just like that. Typically, a good game gives us approximately 40 hours of play. 100 if we're obsessed with completing all quests.
We pop in Persona 4, thinking, thisll be nice. It got a 9 point something or other on all the ratings, so we're thinking.... this thing's gonna take about 3 days max. The game opens up with a stylish intro, some trippy drug-induced beginning scenes, and surprisingly pleasing voice acting. It plays like an anime, and then hours pass and before I know it, three days have gone and WE. ARE. NOT. EVEN. HALF. WAY. What the freak? Really. I mean, what the freak?
The course of the next 2 bloody weeks of binge playing and grinding whenever we both have free time consumes us. In playing Persona, I proceed to experience some of the most hilarious, sad, creepy and intense moments in my entire career as a gamer. And remember, I'm a gamer that dates back to the rage-filled-streets (3) of Sega and silver and golden axes and battle toads with two dragons and super mario's escapades with all seven stars and marshmallows and frying pan bopping princesses.
Now of course, if you play it yourself, you should expect that it SUCKS because I would hate to over hype a game for anyone and rob them of the experience. So despite what I say in this journal, if you plan to play it: remember... PERSONA 4 SUCKS.
That said, at the end of the day, I think I've come to several conclusions:
1. YOSUKEILOVEYOU. I wanted to max you first, but my brother got his paws on Yukiko first.
2. Yukiko's laughter is as contagious as chicken pox.
3. "We're doomed."
4. Teddie ruins everything (the festival incident, Grarr)... but I still like him anyway.
5. Thousand Curses? Gee, what attack is thousand- HOLYSHIT. HOLYSHIT OH GOD HOLYSHIT!
Okay... just so you all don't beat me down and grind me down slowly and painfully with cheese graters and sandpaper, I will put a spoiler label because I'm going to proceed to talk about the most intense parts of the game. Because I'm excited.
And I'm about to draw a lot of fanarts and I need to pinpoint the scenes which I loved the most to illustrate. Because I feel like it
. I also proceed to rant about why Yosuke is my favorite character, and I totally put him on a mighty pedestal. I love everyone with their fantastic voices (yes, I even liked Teddie's voice), but I really really like Yosuke
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****** BIG SUPER MAJOR PERSONA 4 SPOILERS, READ ON AND DIE *************** AND SPOILERS FOR ALL ENDINGS....AND SOC. LINKS SO YEAH *********Okay... so first off, Persona 4 is freaking INTENSE. In everything that it does. I love the fact that it makes you FIGHT for your ending; It throws you twists, turns and false hints left and right, but you have to push forward because you know in your GUT, in your heart that there's more to this. You literally have to listen to that little voice in the back of your head, that little gamers' voice, that's ignored so much because all the other games are so obvious in what it WANTS you to choose. Here, you have to think critically and EARN the ending (with a little help from a non-spoiler ending guide for some people) but once you get it, it's like... WORTH IT. And it's so fulfilling.
They led you on a chase after one person, being, plot twist after another craving the truth like you're starving. Then when you finally get it, they throw intense emotional crisis in your face and you have to rally your friends to do the right thing.
It was so damn creepy, with the midnight channel, the deaths, people creeping, speculating on possible suspects closer to you than you think, the creepy letters, Dojima finding out, Nanako's hospital scene, pursing the True ending...
I have to say that Persona 4 has some of the most realized characters I've seen in an RPG. I guess it must be because you can max their social links in their individual paths so you still get to experience development with them even after their 'important moments/plot twists' are over in the main storyline. But I also think that I feel so attached to the characters is because I identify with them. More than once, their deepest secrets were revealed and I pursed my lips because "Oh god. I've felt that way at one point too." or "It must be so terrible, having to face yourself in front of people." or "What would my secrets be? What's my true self?"
They must be such a tight knit group. After all, it would have to be deep when you're fighting for your lives, for the world, all the while carrying the deepest secrets of your brothers and sisters in battle.
The only character I felt was particularly bland was Naoto, who didn't catch my interest at all. Despite this, she captures the imagination of the majority of Persona 4 fans all over the internet. I know I'm going to be attacked on this, but I can't help what I feel, and maybe I'm still trying to make sense WHY I feel this way.
I guess maybe she just REALLY irritated me when she didn't end up contributing to the progression of the storyline as much as she just ran around and recapped what I already knew in a 'fancy sounding way' that I felt just wasted my time. I can't even think of any moments when she significantly helped someone to grow as a character off the top of my head right now, (though I'm sure there are a lot). I tried really hard to like her, I really did. Maybe if we'd just had more time with her, maybe if we'd just gotten to know her sooner in the game, something might have sparked for me. She's got a great background, a great set up. But they didn't seem to do anything with it. With the other characters, you felt their aches, their pains, their ghosts that just kept creeping up and haunting them. Naoto just dropped in to tell me "YOU ARE A BAD GUY, IS THIS CORRECT?". Is your only personal development is to be embarassed and that time you had a shadow? GArggh, I really need to go back and FINISH her social links. I bet there's secrets waiting for me to help me like her. There's something fascinating about her to the rest of the fandom.
The person I felt so attached to was Yosuke, particularly because he GREW. He was FAR from perfect. In fact, when we first meet him, he strikes us as a clumsy goofball, shallow and only there for comedy relief. But eventually, as the game progressed, he stuck with me in the journey and he struck me as someone who could have easily been the main character. Often times it felt like YOSUKE was contributing to the progression of plot either through some smart speculation that catapults everyone into investigation of the midnight channel, or through the support of characters in their darkest times. He calmed people down when things went crazy, and thought things through while the main character was confined to spouting single lines chosen by the player. He was many times a CATALYST for action and plotline. Even the game guide says that he's saavy to social situations. He can be smart and serious when the time calls for it. He's even got a really kind side when handling people, he acts all annoyed at Teddie but takes him in and takes care of everything he needs.
He surprises me! Particularly in his final social link when he admits everything and decides to move on and you FIGHT XD.
And GOD, he's so damn FUNNY. During the school festival group dating thing, if you grab a 'guy chair' before he does, he's forced to pretend to be a girl and he ends up playing along and then scolding you for making him. Oh god, my brother and I are still texting Yosuke quotes to each other from that to this day. And he's got such hilarious one liners in the Mistuo 'Void quest' dungeon like 'Our princess is in another castle.' Things that catch you off guard and send you reeling. Fail. Epic fail.
But he has his faults too. He's nosy (though hilarious when he's trying to find the boobie mags in my room LMAO), slightly homophobic, a little perverted, sometimes his teasing goes too far, and he's even brash and reckless... but here's the thing. He's brash and reckless when he's driven by intense hurt. When his friends are suffering or when Saki Senpai is involved.
ESPECIALLY when nanako's hospital incident happened. He honestly scared the SHIT out of me along with Kanji and Naoto with what they were so driven by all these crazy intense feelings to do to Namatame. I can't forget the way he said 'Leader.' God, the chills... But later, when faced with the true culprit... he and the others all showed that they could get over his anguish and let Adachi abide by the rules of their world instead of taking it upon themselves to enact justice. I saw Yosuke at his worst, but in the end I still wanted him as my best friend. I also saw a little of myself in him because I wouldn't be so sure I'd be on the high horse of morality myself if I lost someone that close and was enveloped in such intense emotion. I'd need time and a cool head.
And I think the final time that he won me over was his two greatest moments: His line about facing Izanami, how they'd faced worse, how this is the sendoff their leader deserved. That line stuck with me SO LONG after the game ended. God, it echoed greatness when everyone was faltering.
... and then there was the sacrifice of the Thousand Curses. He was in my party at the time of the final battle when Izanami decided to do a new attack. I was curious, a little worried, but not too scared when she cast it on me. But... Yosuke was the first to knock me out of the way. Me and my brother just STARED at the screen for two minutes before screaming and garbling, "GNARRGHABIBBLIXXISAFLAC#T##@%@^#$!?!?!?!" He just SANK into the ground, meaning "HEY GUYZ, NO MOAR YOSUKE IN BATTOL." Technically he shared this moment with the other two party members, but the first time left such a HUGE impact on me. I was in dead shock.
And all the things he said to the main character about friendship and <3 too! And the dynamics between Yosuke and Teddie. What a pair, I love seeing them interact and goof off and scold each other. God, so funny.
Aaaand I think that's enough time for now.
************************* END SPOILERS ***********************Okay. That's enough ranting.
So yes.
Overall, Persona 4 was F#%#@^@^ EPIC. I love Teddie, Yosuke and am TRYING really hard to like Naoto. Persona 4 is my favorite game now and I'm going to draw loads of fanart for it
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Cosplay bug STRIKES AGAIN!!11
Tired
