just beat the game. ending is crazy.

@FluxWaveZ said:

Not totally relevant, but anyone else find it weird how Clover's character model is practically always smiling even though, often, that's totally inappropriate for what she's saying and the emotion in her voice?

Yes. I'm not far into it, just got past Crew Quarters (is there a reason it was some other order than 1689? I just tried all permutations and got the gold file and escape key) and this was pretty weird in the main area.

I'm glad this one has the branching Radiant Historia-style chart with the ability to jump to points. Fast-forwarding in 999 WASN'T FAST ENOUGH.

No spoilers necessary, but does this game ever go to the totally goddamn batshit stuff from the true ending of 999? That shit made my brain hurt, even Junpei was like "uhhhh this doesn't really seem possible, but whatever!" and it ended.

@LarryDavis: yes it gets even more crazy than you cane even imagine

@FluxWaveZ: Yeah, I'm with you, Clover's constant playful, weird, winking expressions are so out of place. But it feeds into my notion that she's a crazy fucking psychopath (having played 999 and a good chunk of VLR so far), so it all evens out.

@LarryDavis said:

@FluxWaveZ said:

Not totally relevant, but anyone else find it weird how Clover's character model is practically always smiling even though, often, that's totally inappropriate for what she's saying and the emotion in her voice?

Yes. I'm not far into it, just got past Crew Quarters (is there a reason it was some other order than 1689? I just tried all permutations and got the gold file and escape key) and this was pretty weird in the main area.

I'm glad this one has the branching Radiant Historia-style chart with the ability to jump to points. Fast-forwarding in 999 WASN'T FAST ENOUGH.

No spoilers necessary, but does this game ever go to the totally goddamn batshit stuff from the true ending of 999? That shit made my brain hurt, even Junpei was like "uhhhh this doesn't really seem possible, but whatever!" and it ended.

Yes, I am eternally grateful that this game has the branching chart as well. A smart design choice this time around.

As for the Crew Quarters Puzzle, there are a couple shapes (triangle and one of the others) that are upside-down in the poster relative to how they are displayed in the desk. Using the upside-down versions of those numbers in the code (I believe you flip 6 and 9 upside-down) gets you the alternate code.

@SlightConfuse said:

just beat the game. ending is crazy.

Okay, wow, you were not kidding! Some of the initial final reveals I had already figured out earlier on (i.e., actually being on the moon), but then they keep opening more and more paths on the flowchart and piling on the fucking craziness. The A/B/C/D/E chart with the timeline that lays out how everyone's consciousness switch back and forth that they keep referencing still makes my head spin, thinking about it - to their credit, it is meticulously explained, as are most of the details of the story, but I had to sit and think everytime they brought it up to get everything straight.

Also, another quick ending question:

@beard_of_zeus:

so short anser wait till volume 3 :)

@SlightConfuse:

I thought the end of Ghost Trick on the DS or the original 999 game was crazy, but this game beats all of those, hands down!

yea its theonly game that explains why theprotaginst is silent.

@SlightConfuse: I could name a couple more that do that,

But one thing that surprised me even though it shouldn't have is

There's just two things that disappoint me about Virtue's Last Reward though.

Number two:

Also totally noticed the Clover thing. I'd make a joke about "Clover never changes expressions." It was offputting at times. She does get angry though. Also, her voice acting feels the weakest of the bunch, which is sad considering how much I love the character in spite of the crazy. Alice had some great acting moments, Tenmyouji was weak only when getting angry (his acting wasn't forceful enough compared to his character model) but overall good, Dio was amazing, and Zero III is definitely the best this year (and it sounds like the voice actor had a lot of fun with the role from the enthusiasm and switching between accents and such).

I don't want to sound down on Virtue's at all though. It was an improvement upon its predecessor in sooo many ways, especially mechanically. Never having to redo a puzzle sequence was a breath of fresh air, there seemed like there were more puzzles, and they were all more streamlined and focused, and more Layton-esque puzzle-y than the first game (in a good way).

Just do a better job of bug testing next time, because the freeze glitch and (especially) the corrupt savegame glitch on the 3DS is a *disaster* of a problem, and made playing the game a lot more of a hassle than it needed to be.

Oh. by the way, was anyone else able to guess that

So I feel like I'm almost done with this game, but something that I can't help but express my frustration towards is:

Cyan door > Betray > Red door > Ambidex Game:

I feel as though the game is implying that every player chose "Betray" as their first option, which is why Phi seeks revenge. The first thing I chose when going through that path was "Ally", so it was a bit weird when Phi was talking about payback that time. But that was fine; expected with all of the weird time travel stuff they're experiencing. BUT, when I went back and chose Betray and she chose Ally, I was extremely annoyed that Sigma made no reference to Phi choosing Betray "last time" and he just stayed quiet as though the decision was all his fault and he didn't know why he made it. PLUS, going through the "Ally" path once again now, both Sigma and Phi are talking as though the first thing I ever chose in that path was Betray, which is absolutely wrong.

That's probably the only thing that's irked me in the narrative so far.

@FluxWaveZ:

I was actually curious about that, so after I ran into the save game glitch and had to start over, I did those in the opposite order as the first time, and I feel like I remember them being consistent in both cases, and Sigma mentioning what happened "last time", but I might be thinking of a similar branch, where that happens with Alice.

But, considering how air-tight the rest of the narrative is, I think I'll give them a pass for one small goof-up :P

Regarding the very ending:

if you missed out on getting a watchc well now is your chance. Every purcahse will go to helping victums of huricane sandy.

http://store.aksysgames.com/collections/merchandise/products/zero-escape-virtues-last-reward-watch-for-hurricane-sandy

I'm roughly 30 hours in and have seen three main endings (Dio's, Clover's, and K's). I keep running into bad endings and To Be Continued spots even though I have explored almost all of the branches, haha. (I'm making my way through the right side at the moment.) Every time I think I have some things figured out, the story throws me another curve ball ... Dio is the only one I really think I have a handle on, though by saying that, I bet there's something else screwy waiting around the corner.

Definitely enjoying the game, though -- the extra conveniences on top of the text skipping are quite helpful, especially since there's a TON of content in this game even when you skip around. It's kind of crazy!

So after 41 hours, I've finished the game. I played through the whole thing with the Hard difficulty and the only puzzles I went to a FAQ to complete were both of the ones involving dice positioning. I actually found "Q" to be enjoyable for the most part and the AB puzzle was certainly interesting. I haven't read any of the secret reports yet, though.

The first time I had went through the game and obtained the Dio ending, I wondered to myself, jokingly, why Troy Baker wasn't part of the voice cast after hearing the rest of the VA. Funny how things turn out...

Questions I have that will probably be explained later are: Who replaced Kyle's consciousness and why do they know everything about the events that occurred? How did Akane state that Alice and Clover could actually bring their physical bodies into the past without creating a paradox?

Also, I think I found a small plothole:

I'm looking forward to Volume 3.

@SlightConfuse said:

yea its theonly game that explains why theprotaginst is silent.

I must have missed something, but how exactly is this explained?

@FluxWaveZ: i meant in the fact that as the player it seems that they went for a slient protaganist. but it was more subtle than that.

as to your second thing

since she can she multiple paths like in 999 she saw her path as K?

@FluxWaveZ said:

Who replaced Kyle's consciousness and why do they know everything about the events that occurred?

He's "Blick Winkel"

@Bocam said:

He's "Blick Winkel"

Pf, that sounds like wild speculation to me, going from the little I've read about that on Wikipedia.

@SlightConfuse: Ah, I understand that.

Also, yeah, I guess it could be explained by some jumping business since she's an esper. I guess it's just difficult to track just how many significant jumps the characters are doing throughout the story.

Another question, but relating to VLR and not a sequel:

@FluxWaveZ: a popular theory is that

So the scenario writer for the series has been saying some interesting stuff about Zero Escape 3 on Twitter such as Junpei appearing as a participant in the next game.

Also, I loved VLR, but like some others have been stating, some of the twists don't make much sense to me.

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

I like subtle hints towards future twists like the two images above or even the box art (where Sigma has grey hair and his left eye is glowing), but I don't feel that it makes sense that Sigma would just discover his aged body when he sees his reflection in the water. All that time and he never noticed wrinkles that shouldn't be there? Or noticed his own change in voice? He never once touched his face and immediately felt his cyborg eye? Any of those would have immediately told him that something was wrong with his body.

I'm also not feeling the low gravity twist. Ever since the Dio ending, my first one, I thought that the game might be taking place in space (though I was thinking Mars and not the Moon), but justifying Phi's supernatural jumps with that as well as slow movement of the environment making sense because of Radical-6 symptoms doesn't do it for me. I'm sure a bunch of inconsistencies could be found because of that twist such as the lounge, right? In the lounge, one of the puzzles requires pouring wine into glasses but that would be impossible in low gravity; the liquid would just float. The throwing dart puzzles also wouldn't work, because Sigma wouldn't be able to throw the darts onto a board in space, right? Or maybe I'm missing something.

All in all, I feel that 999 had a better ending/twist and I also enjoyed its "master puzzle", which VLR lacked.

@FluxWaveZ said:

So the scenario writer for the series has been saying some interesting stuff about Zero Escape 3 on Twitter such as Junpei appearing as a participant in the next game.

Also, I loved VLR, but like some others have been stating, some of the twists don't make much sense to me.

I did not know he knew English. Also most of the twists would make much more sense if you've played his other games.

@Bocam: I added some explanation to the problems I had with the two major twists. Reading some of those tweets has made me want to check out Ever17, though.

Since that character was involed in the mars stuff i expect him to be in the 3rd game.

also in the art book, it says phi was made to look like Santa on purpose

@FluxWaveZ: Don't play Ever17 first. Play Remember11.

@Bocam: Didn't Ever17 come before Remember11? Though, my interest in those is more of a passing curiosity because of the writer. Don't know how much I'd like them compared to the Zero Escape series because there's a lot about it that appeals to me.

@FluxWaveZ: The chronology of the Infinity games goes like this.

Never7 (This one is more like a dating sim.) -> Remember11 -> Ever17 (Has a shitty translation. Is the most like Zero Escape.) -> 12Riven -> Code18 (These last two are not translated)

@FluxWaveZ: @Bocam: Hey, I'd like one of you to do me a favor, or anyone else who reads this. I may have spoiled something for myself and I'm kind of bummed out now. I finished 999 last week, it was pretty great, of course. I'll be getting VLR (I went with the Vita version) after my next paycheck, probably Thursday or Friday. Anyway. Here's my issue, and I'll label it a spoiler just in case.

I made the mistake of looking at the characters list on the wiki, because I was curious if it was all new characters, or if there were returning characters. Junpei was on that list, and one of the descriptions I read said he was involved in playing the third nonery game. However, I just watched the anime prologue and he was nowhere to be seen. Obviously I fucked up, but I'd like to know how bad. There's a robot thing in the prologue named K, who has... fucking amnesia, because of course he does. Is Junpei in the fucking robot suit? Hopefully that wasn't one of the main twists. Even better, hopefully that's not the case. It's going to bug the hell out of me if I have to play that game constantly assuming that Junpei is in there- I'd rather just know. If it's not him, please don't tell me what role he plays (you know, if any).

Just- one of you send me a PM letting me know where I stand. Thanks.

@TooWalrus: Don't worry. That's one of the game's most minor of twists, and is really just stated offhandedly because no one cares about him. Also, I won't tell you anything about K except that he has nothing to do with any character from 999.

Now stop reading VLR stuff before you play the game!

@FluxWaveZ: I know I know I know I know I'm sorry I know :-(

On a somewhat related note, it's no wonder these games don't sell. It's probably partially because the only place they're available for purchase is the internet. I have $20 in Best Buy cash sitting here, I tried to get it this morning, but they don't stock it- they've got less then a dozen Vita games on the shelf. Over the past few days I've been in Best Buy, Target, Walmart etc and the only thing they stock for handheld systems is some major Nintendo releases, and then third party shovelware. I'm sure they don't stock them because they don't sell well in the first place, but still, it's kinda disheartening.

@TooWalrus: Yeah, it's kind of like Atlus USA with their games where they ship a small amount they know they'll sell instead of overshipping and losing money because of that. Smart strategy when they know their fanbase, but can be hard to find past the release date because of that.

@FluxWaveZ: VLR still sold a lot more in the US than it did in Japan.

Also I can't stop laughing at Patrick's take on Junpei and June's relationship.

ok, a couple of things:
 
Why was Alice needed to calculate something - surely Luna would be better at calculating things?
What is the significance behind the game's name?

@BeachThunder said:

ok, a couple of things: Why was Alice needed to calculate something - surely Luna would be better at calculating things? What is the significance behind the game's name?

Spoilers for the true-true (truer?) ending:

As for the title of the game, I think it's one of those weird uses of the English language Japan is so fond of. The "reward" part refers to whether you betray or not the trust the your opponent puts on you. And in the large scheme of things, the "reward" for all the characters (if they choose to trust one another) is to escape from the Nonary Game.

Finished it today... just now, actually. It's good stuff. Two things:  
1. They never explain Quarks  stupid   hat.  
2. Do you think it's too much to read into it that -

@TooWalrus said:

1. They never explain Quarks stupid hat.

They do in one of the secret reports titled "The secret of Quark's hat":

For your point #2, that's definitely a possibility. The writer has stated that Junpei will return for Zero Escape 3, after all.

@TooWalrus: When you say you finished the game... are you sure? I just want to make sure you didn't miss anything, like young Akane or playing in Kyle's body with a different consciousness. And yeah, he's writing a third game. He says that it'll take place in the mission test site where Radical-6 initially escaped from.

@TooWalrus: Ah, I can see that, but it leaves many open ends such as the mystery of Alice and Clover being able to return to the past in their physical bodies that I wouldn't be too happy if those weren't explained.

And that's weird. The "Spoiler" button is right next to the "Spoiler Block" button in Parchement v2 for me.

@FluxWaveZ: Nevermind about that, I... yeah, didn't notice the "more" and "less" button on the right side.

Just finished this game a couple of days ago. Some thoughts on the ending:

I just finished it today and I'm still letting it simmer for a final opinion. I really enjoyed it but I think I liked 999 a little better.

Also, after being madly in love with her, seeing Luna's ending says SO MUCH about me.

@ike7779 said:

Dude, Sigma was so skeevy sometimes. If the game is putting me in control of this guy, the least it could do is not make him some pathetic, desperate creep.

Just finished it today...

Just finished it... I uh, I don't feel well.

Just finished it. I think I like it more than 999. The voice acting was a big difference for me.