I don't understand how people are so hyped for this game at this point. This is No Man's Sky all over again.
I don't understand how people were so disappointed with No Man's Sky, so I guess people just have different tastes.
This, hard to feel sorry for people let down by that game, anyone that followed the press for it or watched videos knew what they were getting into 100%. This game seems like it has potential, and the devs aren't coming out saying its an infinitely expanding ocean with millions of islands lol. Rare makes good fun games so here's hoping they make another.
I think its fine to have a coop based game. Yeah their are tons of you in the comments who dont wanna play with people or dont think they will have people to play with but much like player unknown you can have fun with friends if you put in the effort. Also not every game needs to cater to the entirety of a crowd. Thats why we have sports games. Thats why we have mine-craft. Im sure tons of people dont like the two mentioned genres/games but for the people who do they will love this and thats fine.
I agree with Ben that this was the best game in the series, mechanically speaking. One would hope that would be the case. I liked the crafted dungeons, combat felt as good as always, filling out your persona compendium remains compelling, and Confidant availability was handled pretty well with that map.
I don't think I had quite as negative a view of the combat and dungeon design as Alex and Ben seem to have, but some dungeons were certainly better-designed than others. The first one was clearly a highlight. Also, as they both acknowledged, it's not too hard to overlevel and get overpowered if you just want to power through fights. Amused to hear that Ben did the Reaper flu season trick!
Alex's core team of Morgana, Makoto, and Ryuji was my core team exactly, and it sounds like Ben agreed. I wonder how many people tended toward this team.
I enjoyed the new abilities attached to reaching certain levels in social links, although this did have the side effect of making you want to prioritize some social links for gameplay reasons, as opposed to just hanging out with the people you want to hang out with, which is perhaps a bit of a pity.
I liked that it was much easier to complete all your Confidants in this game without a guide, largely due to the Temperance and Fortune Confidant abilities. I don't mean to brag in saying this, but I maxed all Confidants without using any kind of day-to-day guide, which was pretty much impossible to do in P3 and P4. I even had about three weeks to spare. It meant that I didn't need to do a NG+ to see everything, which is a good thing. Just too bad that Alex didn't know about the Fortune Teller until very late in the game, otherwise he probably would have progressed his Confidants a lot more.
I agree with Alex that "Beneath the Mask" was a good song. I actually listened to that one a lot outside of the game. It's great music for just chillaxin'. I particularly liked the version with vocals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeSyAgUvwHI
I also agree that story-wise and character-wise, this was perhaps one of the weaker games in the series (FWIW: I've played through P3 multiple times, only played a bit of P4 but have watched the whole endurance run).
It did indeed feel like this game was more about being a Phantom Thief than a high school student. In this game, for instance, there really weren't any social links that got you involved with school activities. In previous games you ended up joining school sports teams and social clubs and stuff, but oddly nothing like that here. It made the school feel a little thinner to me than it should have.
The Yusuke conversation Ben and Alex had was interesting, that maybe he should have just been a gay character that you could date, which brings up the fact that there's absolutely no queer character in this game at all, anywhere. P4 had Kanji and Naoto as main cast, Persona 5 only has a few dirty old men who hit on Ryuji in a couple of scenes (a wholly negative portrayal). I'm not saying there needed to be a romance option for a dude, whether it was Yusuke or someone else (would have been a little odd for the MC to swing both ways), but at least a non-romantic queer social link would have been nice, whether guy or girl. I mean, here's a game that got released like eight years after the last one, and as far as social consciousness goes (yes, gay people exist, and they're not all pedophiles), they didn't just not grow, they went backward on this issue.
I agree that Sojiro is one of the best characters in the game.
Contrary to what Alex and Ben were saying, I liked Futaba as a dating option... she's actually the one I would pick if I had to pick one "girlfriend." It seems like the "geeky shut-in computer and video game girl" is an innately attractive option to someone who is by definition spending a lot of time alone playing a JRPG! Also, age of consent is different in Japan, so the age difference isn't so creepy there.
Like Alex, I enjoyed the doctor. She and Makoto would have been strong second girlfriend choices for me.
The constant refrain to "crooked adults" kinda annoyed me. All the games have had a main cast of high-schoolers, but in previous games they weren't so naive as to blame "adults" as a blanket class for all their problems, realizing instead that there are crappy people of all ages, adults just tend to have a little more power to make their lives miserable (though not always). I guess maybe this might be more of a Japan-specific thing that I don't really get. But it made the whole cast feel a little whiny to me, honestly. Maybe that's just because I'm in my 30s and all that high school stuff is long past, but I also hope that most high-schoolers don't actually think this way. It's really pretty dumb. I would think that reasonably self-aware high schoolers who play this game will feel a bit pandered to.
I felt like the social links were pretty bland in this game compared to P3, and just not as interesting or varied (I'm talking less about the main cast, and more about everyone else). I mean, Persona 3 had Tanaka, who was genuinely kind of a bastard but really made you smile about it, plus the drunk chain-smoking monk, and that old couple at the bookstore. I thought they were all more memorable than any social links in Persona 5.
Then there's the whole localization issue. As Alex said, it's not actually terrible, but definitely a bit mediocre. And while that won't ruin any specific moment, over the course of the game a mediocre translation drains personality out the game in ways that you'll never really realize. Molly Lee over at Polygon wrote a great article about this:
Pacing-wise, maybe I'm just wearing rose-colored glasses with this one, but this game felt even clumsier than the previous ones in its penchant to eat up one to two weeks without letting you make any decisions at all. I felt like the others games did a better job of breaking up the story so that you weren't just watching story stuff for hours in a row without being able to spend any time with Confidants, etc.
There's actually at least once reference to a character from a previous game here (from P3): http://imgur.com/g433lG5 But this is just a quick reference in passing, more of an easter egg. Not sure if there are others.
It sounds like a lot of complaints, but I did really enjoy the game. I wouldn't have spent 147 hours completing it if I hadn't. It's a pretty easy one to recommend, even despite its shortcomings, and not necessarily just to JRPG fans. The social element seems to make it a little more accessible to a wide audience that might be turned away from high-fantasy JRPGs; I can easily imagine newbies to the genre enjoying it.
EDIT: Oh, also very much agree with Alex's assessment of Mishima in the above comment. He ended up redeeming himself in the end... there was that whole moment where he basically rallied the crowd and saved the day. He did some dumb things, but I think he ended up in a good place.
Im still kinda confused about the negatives thrown at this game. I know their is a chance for gay options but arent their chances or openings for all types of character dynamics. The game doesn't seem to be doing gay people a fault. But i could be wrong just from what ive read it seems to be a big topic.
also i dont get the idea that this game is disappointing. are we at a point were good games arent good cause their not perfect (i find this level not good and this one picky mechanic is trash or handled bad cause it is inconvenient so this entire game is not perfect 3/5 stars was better before kinda stuff) I think our nostalgia of the past clouds our critics of stufff today. Crash bandicoot was fine for people in the 90s but now i hear from podcast it was a BAD GAME or just OK PASSABLE. Not saying everyone should like or enjoy stuff but damn were in the greatest era in history with less bad stuff and more entertainment then we have time. I know that means be picky with your time but I still hope people are enjoying their experience opposed to the 2 or so things you dont like making you think a thing is just ok. Cause boy does that JUST ok translate to Trash in 4 or so years. Great/ good games become just ok in a couple of years. like the revisionist history of games people liked at the time now being considered not that great or good like gta 4/assassins creed 4/ffX/Mass effect 1/Zelda games/ etc you get my drift.I may be also overlooking how minor the issues are for people and not taking into account just bringing up problems (any) to get a 100% take on a thing.
Yeah I really get the feeling many on this site are burnt out period. Every new release is meet with a shrug if it is a sequel regardless of years passing since the previous game. Maybe everyone wants new ips but i for one enjoy just getting a few games each year of quality. Unique stuff is still out their in the indie scene and AAA can be happy with sequels that save their money instead of risky endeavors in new franchises that may not stick.
I'm not looking for new IP. The first Prime was amazing, and by the end of 2 I was pretty over it. I don't recall if I bought 3 or how far into it I got if I did. I've been wanting a new high-budget (non-handheld or remake) Metroid on the level of Super Metroid for well, like since Super Metroid- so 23 years. Other M sounded like a massive bust, and there's other games in the genre, sure. Some I've played, some I still need to. I want some Metroid ass Metroid. One of the most loved Nintendo Franchises that gets perhaps the coldest shoulder. Is that so much to ask for?
Ok rare occassion were your not those gamers who are super jaded about the new announcements cause their burnt out on older games and sequels and just want new IPs. New IPs are super risky and hard to get publisher backing from. Like going to someones house and saying i have 3 great cars that you can reiterate on and definitely make back 2x your money or break even with but i wanna try this new idea that will be loved but wont catch on till like sequel 2...oh and i need as much money to make it as the great cars i have here that will again definitely make you money.
Anyway I see your point. Its like people still waiting for power stone 3 (Me). You feel like you will never get the game you want and have to look elsewhere (people tell me smash bros but its not the same). Other companies just dont do metroid like the metroid you know (Ori, Axion Verge, Guacamelee!, Batman). Honestly the best you can hope for is playing their old games you missed out on. People said they didnt like Other M cause the main character was kinda submissive unlike the personality we expected. I played Other M for my first metroid so i had no idea. For the short time i played it the gameplay seemed cool (2.5D/3D mix). Id give it a chance before dismissing it cause others hated it. Just skip the storyline if necessary.
Pretty burnt out on the Prime series, and getting hyped over nothing more than a fucking title card and "In development" is just stupid. I'd have been more excited about the 'reimagined' Metroid II coming out for Wii U/Switch, but I guess I should probably find my 3DS and charge it to play a reimagined version of something I played about 25 years ago in colour.
i guess people are burnt out on a series MIA for ten years now? huh.
Yeah I really get the feeling many on this site are burnt out period. Every new release is meet with a shrug if it is a sequel regardless of years passing since the previous game. Maybe everyone wants new ips but i for one enjoy just getting a few games each year of quality. Unique stuff is still out their in the indie scene and AAA can be happy with sequels that save their money instead of risky endeavors in new franchises that may not stick.
I want a new Soul Calibur. 5 was good, but missed a lot of modes.
So many games come out great these days that id have to be really nitpicky to find a reason not to buy them but if you really can find a reason to dislike this game can you explain.IMO So much hard work is put into these AAA games. Also Really intrigued when Jeff seems so excited about a game he usually seems exhausted with playing so many titles each week. I think he enjoys fighters thou and this looks like a really good one. Wish he would play that Boruto game just to seem him react to how over the top the story is when it skips filler and just runs with it. There reaction to One piece luffy just punching guys and eating meat in a quick look had me cracking up since they had no idea how simple that character was ha.
shouldn't a news paper reporter be flat? Until the age of 24 hour news that is the way they were. Many of us that lived through that (even if we were very young at the time) consider that a MUCH better way to do things.
Strange but in 2017 or around the 2010s we really saw an influx of more in your face OMG news to keep up with the times. As a kid i used to hate when my mom or dad watched news like it was some information dump for the day and thought i would never enjoy that. Now the news is like a MEME dump for the day with headline click bait names and excited anchors with personalities who push buttons or an approval for some political group. Of course stuff was always like that but with our new president things seemed to jump to a more reality tv type thing of what happen today "THIS IS CRAZY look! The president made a face and said he hates ___" instead of a dry "this week will be the president visiting etc." Just thinking about stuff outloud dont hate or dislike the change but understand why the ingame news read would seem dry to people today.
Super bummed that every time in recent memory that Persona 5 has been brought up, it's been to talk in a slightly defeated tone about how "it's good, buuuuuuuut..."
It's awesome when a thing you like is mentioned by people who say they like it on the whole, yet only ever talk about the things they dislike. Invigorating. Especially since a lot of complaints (not just from Ben) are rooted in having played (or simply watched) P4.
God, I really hate being *this guy*, but it really seems like a lot of people are just falling into the "Persona 5 isn't Persona 4!" camp, and that's pretty lame.
No offense to the team but GB plays a ton of games, way more than a normal person. For like 20 years or more. They get a taste of all the food but only really like smaller more intimate plates if you get my drift. LONG RPGS or ACTION GAMES will not really interest them with busy schedules. Just look at Zelda BOTW, Witcher 3 even the 10 hour dlc couldnt interest them. Its just too much of a time investment. Zelda helped ease things with 15 -1 hour objectives more akin to 2017s gamers who are use to on the go phone tablet experiences imo. That being said Give them a break im sure one or two of them will finish and vouch for the game come GOTY. Honestly if Destiny could get on the 10 a passionate person could explain why the game is good past the skepticism on problems the team has during the first 20 hours or so.
PS; I agree the team does seem very defeated when discussing AAA games that they like but dont have time to play or understand why the game is good but just cant click for them. It comes with being critical of stuff. The greater a thing is the more slight problems seem like huge issues. Example: Zelda's food cooking taking long, climbing in rain making you slip and wait for sunshine, breaking weapons all seem trivial when you can bulk up on food and skip animations, experiment with climbing methods and upgrades, and find tons of weapons all later in the game but for a group of fellas playing or stressed to play a huge backlog minor inconveniences become chores that weigh over your head till they fell like their impeding you in your search for fun in your short break. Overall im sure the games they discuss are fine and they are just pointing out anything to ensure everyone buying it gets a fair assessment on things that might not click. Nothing is perfect but that doesnt mean if something was it would be great to you...it would just be a bland thing everyone enjoys cause its inoffensive. I just think the team knows P5 is great and wants to have a more detailed discussion over it which unfortunately muddles into sounding like the game is an awful chore that the enjoy sometimes lol. But i nearly never hear them seem completely positive on a big title besides INSIDE which they loved but eventually when jeff got to playing it was slightly less impressed by but couldnt go against the teams enjoyment since they interpreted the game differently. Its all just a matter of taste and the team at GB has a nuance and specific palette. Try find someone on the team who likes your type of games and stick with their opinion to help assess games you may like. Example jeff doesnt like sonic so dont take it to heart if he hates running fast in a sonic game :)
Super bummed that every time in recent memory that Persona 5 has been brought up, it's been to talk in a slightly defeated tone about how "it's good, buuuuuuuut..."
It's awesome when a thing you like is mentioned by people who say they like it on the whole, yet only ever talk about the things they dislike. Invigorating. Especially since a lot of complaints (not just from Ben) are rooted in having played (or simply watched) P4.
God, I really hate being *this guy*, but it really seems like a lot of people are just falling into the "Persona 5 isn't Persona 4!" camp, and that's pretty lame.
No offense to the team but GB plays a ton of games, way more than a normal person. For like 20 years or more. They get a taste of all the food but only really like smaller more intimate plates if you get my drift. LONG RPGS or ACTION GAMES will not really interest them with busy schedules. Just look at Zelda BOTW, Witcher 3 even the 10 hour dlc couldnt interest them. Its just too much of a time investment. Zelda helped ease things with 15 -1 hour objectives more akin to 2017s gamers who are use to on the go phone tablet experiences imo. That being said Give them a break im sure one or two of them will finish and vouch for the game come GOTY. Honestly if Destiny could get on the 10 a passionate person could explain why the game is good past the skepticism on problems the team has during the first 20 hours or so.
To the people who are convinced this game is really good why would someone want to play this over say Nier Automata, Prey, Doom, The Witcher 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider, or literally dozens of other really good better made games of recent years?
Well why go back to any game then? That's a silly thing to say. I think a lot of people don't think like you do.
The game is unique. Some people are going to like it and appreciate it for that. I am not a fan of this game personally but there are random games I personally feel that way about, like Die by the Sword. Am I going to choose to play that over the Witcher 3? No, but I'll still play it again and find it cool.
This is also a pretty bad showing of what the game is like if you have actually played it.
Time for a lot of people is a valuable resource and splitting your time up between games isn't always easy. It is the reason so many people have an infinite backlog they will never work their way through before they die. I rarely play through old story based games twice but I've never uninstalled Quake or Doom since the early 90s and probably never will need to since I will play those games over newer games.
I just am asking the question because a lot of people are saying that others are being negative but they haven't said what makes this game so good to devote time away from other games. The quick look did not show case a very exciting game and I'm simply curious what people liked so much about this game to defend it so lovingly because it looked like a free to play mobile game from the video.
Also that black font on a blue background is nearly impossible to read which makes me question other design decisions in this game.
It's not the game's fault that ben sucked at it and made a video after barely completing the most basic tutorial (there are tons more things to learn). It takes the entire 20+ hour single player campaign to become proficient at all it has going on. I bet I could make the sport of cricket look pretty lame if I made a video after 90 minutes of research.
The biggest reason to try this game is that it's free. Give it a few hours and if it doesn't grab you then move on. The second is that there's really nothing else like it. There's no reason I'd need to go back and play Call of Duty 2 because there's been a million FPS since that are better. Nothing does what PD does.
I'll give you an example, this game is different than most things on the market in the same way Shenmue was at the time. The way the giantbomb community sh!t on shenmue for being outdated and a worst Yakuza (saying you might as well just play Yakuza even if they are not similar) Just got me to believe people have trouble understanding how unique games are for their time and how looking back still has merits especially when no games are like the old game anymore.This game reminds me of a different take on powerstone 2 with cards instead of random loot boxes. I love power stone 2 but today people who never played it would sh!t on it since it takes more than an hour to figure out what makes it special. Not speaking of the video which was great. Im speaking more to our current generation that would be perplexed and decide something more popular like smash brothers is worth their time. I feel like this game would follow suit in that it is addictive in a competitive sense and once you get the hang of it its fun using your environment and out thinking your opponent. No memorizing inputs just pure thought, much like power stone 2. But our current generation needs more to be enticed to play the game long enough to see its merits. Unfortunately this game was made in a different era. Developers in the past could not foresee needing to make games the way we do today. More straight forward flashy stuff sells today cause it's quick and to the point for showcasing in quicklooks on youtube. We also want to consume so much media today that stuff that takes time to learn and enjoy gets overlooked. When your a kid getting this on xbox was your weekend spent learning the mechanics. Today, people play it for 40 min on their youtube channel say its trash or boring and quit. Anyway, I see a reason to try this game out even if it is old, same way I feel like skies of Arcadia still an rpg worth trying in an era of active battles that showcase excitement better in a quick look. TLDR: The quick look games get these days do not showcase well what a deeper kinda rpg driven game offers like this one but I can see a reason to try it out. Old games are still valuable since you can have mechanics from any era in todays games or enjoy current games and old ones.
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