Woof, it's tough getting back on the horse, let me tell you. A little vacation and all of a sudden I forget how to write about video games and the like almost entirely. Still, it was a good break--I had a nice vacation, and debated with my brother about the best game of the year a little, and now that we're nearly halfway through the first month of the new year (time flies, man) I figure it's time to saddle up and ride recklessly into Video Game Talk again.
Here's the thing, though: I've done very little in the past two weeks that wasn't playing Persona 4 Golden. I'm up to 13 hours of playtime on that particular title, and while that's nothing in the grand scheme of thing (I mean the consensus is that at least 80-90 hours is what it takes to put a Persona game to bed), understand that for someone who flits from game to game on a regular basis this is a pretty Big Fucking Deal. To put this figure into perspective, I've had an OG Persona 4 game running on my PS3 for months, played as a part of my regular gaming diet (which is to say I pick it up now and again in between bouts of playing other stuff), and in the three weeks I've owned the VIta edition I've caught up to where I am (but in better shape and with better equipment, because I actually beat the shadow at the top of Yukiko's castle this time around). I never thought I'd say it, but I got nostalgic and started another viewing of the P4 ER, and Chie's old voice gave me a moment of sincere confusion, because I'm so used to the P4G version of her voice (FORGIVE ME, CHIE). I mean, it didn't last too long, but still!
Anyway, apart from the lack of a save point outside boss rooms (really? REALLY?) and the fact that the group rush attack doesn't feel as powerful as it used to (seriously, that shit is like a guaranteed victory in my PS3 playthrough, but here it only sometimes works out and that's weird), I've gotten accustomed to all the changes they made to the mechanics; Chie and Yukiko keep doing team-up attacks, which are kind of neat, and while part of me misses the skill element of SHUFFLE TIME, part of me likes being able to just fucking pick the card I want. Cutting the guesswork (and repetition to get the right skills) out of Fusion is just straight-up a convenience factor that I am 100% on board with, although again part of me liked experimenting to see what would come out. P4G does a bunch of stuff to save time, which makes sense as it's on a portable system, but some things could have stayed the same. At any rate, I can't stop playing it. I'm gonna fire it up when I'm done writing this, probably! I've drained my battery in a couple of days because I just come home, work out, and boot it up on the handheld until I go to sleep.
I've probably put a nearly equal amount of time (a quick check shows seven hours, forty-five minutes, which is crazy because I spent so much time farting around that I only just got the ability to register Personas like a half hour ago, gametime-wise) into Persona 3 Portable as well, which makes no goddamn sense, because you'd think one Persona game would be enough but you would be wrong. There are, as I mentioned, plenty of differences between the two games to make it worth playing (in my mind, at least). I only just got past the first big full moon event thingy, and the game has opened up considerably since then (more social links are available now (or I've gotten around to them, anyway), the aforementioned ability to register Personas has appeared, Junpei is an even bigger fucking moron, etc.). I'm curious to see where the story on this one goes, although it's not grabbed me quite as much as the Persona 4 narrative did. Bouncing between Persona games is probably not for everyone, but I've found it keeps me from getting too frustrated or bored with either (also the clock is WAY CHEAPER than Fox is. Fox wants so much goddamn money out of me! Damn, Fox, cheer up! I will fulfill some goddamn wishes soon enough, jesus christ).
There's probably a post to be made about the Halo 5 beta--I like it well enough, I guess? I've probably spent a total of three hours playing Slayer, and I am terrible at it. It looks pretty, and I like the controls and the speed of it, and uh... yup. That's about all I've got on the subject of Halo 5. I wish there were more maps, because I got pretty bored of the three maps available (particularly Truth).
Also, the other night I was thinking about Hotline Miami, so I fired up Hotline Miami, and it is precisely as fun as I remember it being. There are few games where saying "aw fuck it" and deciding to just charge in swinging a lead pipe can pay off, but this game does it! I got stuck in an office building and was close to rage-quitting until the exact moment I decided I would just charge the guys who kept killing me and hope I swing faster than they pulled the trigger. Turns out that was the solution all along, and the rush of adrenaline that came with the final pipe swing got me to whoop out loud--and I very rarely do anything of the sort (although Shadow of Mordor has me doing that from time to time, particularly after taking down an especially meddlesome Captain). Then of course the game proceeds to deliver a massive mindfuck, all the while pulsing neon and blaring its exquisite soundtrack, and I remember why it is I am so excited for Hotline Miami 2. I've also considered getting the Vita port of Hotline Miami, although I'm on the fence as, you know, I've already got a copy on my PC. I generally try to avoid buying multiple versions of a game, although sometimes it is inevitable (hi every Bioware game in the last decade! Hi, Dark Souls I and II!). Still, portable puzzle murderin' seems mighty tempting...
Anyway, I reckon that's all I've got this week as far as video games goes--although as far as movies go, it is worth your time to see Inherent Vice if you have any love of Thomas Pynchon, Paul Thomas Anderson, or maybe you just thought that Altman's The Long Goodbye was really fucking good! I know I did, and Inherent Vice proves a worthy successor (don't listen to anyone who tells you it is like the Big Lebowski, it is nothing like Big Lebowski and it will just leave you disappointed if that's what you are expecting. It is, however, really fucking good).
Next week: Checking in with Pathologic, maybe? Shit, I dunno, I don't make plans.
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