Readers (if I had any many) may recall that almost exactly a year ago, I heaped nearly endless praise on a video game, a game that took me about a hundred plus hours to beat. That game, Persona 3, apparently caught the interest of more people than me, making it the first game of the series to be a nearly mainstream hit. And so the game spawned an expansion less than a year later, which I admittedly didn't play, and a full sequel also about a year later. That I played. Oh how I played it.
Nearly everything in Persona 3 is also in Persona 4, so I won't go into detail about it. Like the original, Persona 4 is a fairly traditional RPG where the party doesn't travel the world as usual in these games; they barely leave a single city, and instead it involves the passage of time in that location, as the situation gets apocalyptic. Game play is a mix of randomized dungeons that get unlocked with time, offering tougher enemies that must be matched, and social situations like a dating sim that enhances your character's abilities in combat. The full review can be found here:
http://conqueringcreativity.blogspot.com/2008/03/reviews-thanks-you-makers-of-most.html
The primary difference between the two games is the location, and as a result the entire feel of the game. Persona 3 took place in a big city, while Persona 4's setting is a small, rural town. This change could have been cosmetic, but it permeates throughout the game. You can see it as early as the game's opening menu. Persona 3 opened to a cold, static image done in frigid blues while a minimalist tune plays in the background; the same music played in the lobby of the main dungeon. Persona 4 opens to a scene in the main character's high school, as images of your friends run in and a comforting, elegant remix of the game's main theme plays, inviting the player in.
In Persona 3, everything is mechanical and hurried, matching the frenzy of a city. Almost throughout the entire game, a countdown ominously warns how much time the characters have before another inevitable conflict or narrative event. A calendar is available at all times, letting you schedule nearly everything in advance (except when the unexpected occurs to wreck everything.) Every day is meticulously divided into three parts. You spend after school periods building social links, evenings dungeon crawling or boosting your stats, and late nights studying. In Persona 4, you couldn't access the calendar if you wanted, and the only thing warning you of future deadlines is the weather report. You have two times to freely explore, after-school and night. And night is...limited. Nothing says "you're in the country" like trying to go out in the evening and the game telling you, basically, "where would you go?" And at least at first, the answer is nowhere.
The lack of structure, however, offers the characters a needed independence. In Persona 3, within the first hour or so, the hero moves into town and learns that all his dorm-mates are part of a secret society that fights demons, and he gets press ganged into saving the world. In Persona 4, the characters have to learn themselves that there is another threat from another world, and it is tied to the murder mystery that already claimed two lives. Characters can't even enter the new dungeon until investigating the lives of the victims, and they won't even know how long they have until they learn when the next foggy day will occur, which occurs after multiple days of rain in a row.
Speaking of weather, one should comment on this change as well. The weather on any given day can be sunny, cloudy, rainy, or foggy. This changes the availability of social links (sports and most school friends are unavailable when it rains,) what you can catch when fishing, what restaurants are available to eat, and even the music. It quickly becomes as integral to the settings as the town itself, and even a character in its own right.
But enough about how this game is different, the important question is if it's better. The game's first improvement is that frankly, the characters are much better. Most of Persona 3's party members are interesting, but they tend towards obnoxiousness and many are not all that believable. The Persona 4 party conversely felt like a real group of friends. The biggest star in my eyes is Chie, a short-haired, kung-fu loving tomboy who likes to sing songs about steak. Yosuke, the party's best male friend, has a tendency to act like a jerk at times (though who doesn't,) but at his best, he has a self-deprecating charm reminiscent of Xander from Buffy at his best. And the regular S.Links are much better, with none of the uncomfortably creepy friends that want to date teachers, form cults, destroy their legs for high school sports, or develop creepy fetishes for Japan.
The game play also corrects for much of the original game's gaps in believability. Gone are the need to receive cell phone calls at random days of the week to even do a thing on Sundays or an entire empty summer that prevent you from seeing your friends, even the ones you live with. Now, Sundays and school vacations at least let you see your party member friends and the invitation calls are rarer and more superfluous, indicating special events instead. And your freedom to do new events is much more varied and free. You can do more social links at night, or you can make lunches and share them with friends, boosting your links that way. And without karaoke clubs and whatnot, the main characters can spend time and gain abilities and social links through doing simple part time jobs, reading books, and going out to jobs to meet people there. Consequences link everywhere. Your right response can raise an ability mid-conversation at any point, going to school events raise abilities and related social links, giving answers to your friends in class raise these relationships, and even minor social links are interrelated, with one social link giving bonuses to another as they reveal crushes and friendships between them. It's telling that, despite giving the player an entire month less of time (two months for the better endings,) and moving dungeon explorations to the daytime, it's possible to maximize all social links with a month and a half to spare, while in Persona 3 you had to do everything perfect to the day to maximize them at the last possible moment.
Now, there are still some downsides, including new ones. The worst is a side effect of moving the dungeons to the daytime. The game removed the status effects that come from fighting in the dungeon so long that you get tired. As a result, you could theoretically stay in the dungeon indefinitely. Now, your health and magic never automatically regenerate anymore, so that creates a new limitation, but as you get higher level, new options become available and this becomes less of an issue. But that means that to optimize the game's limited days, you're expected to defeat entire sections of dungeons in a single day, and often you have to then go through the entire dungeon a second time just to beat a bonus boss. Instead of the sprints through the dungeons in Persona 3, which rarely took longer than half an hour or an hour at the most, you could be stuck spending several hours trapped in a single dungeon. The balance between social and dungeon elements gets thrown off, which is the entire point. You don't have to play it this way, mind, but every time you don't, the odds of you getting all the social links get less and less. I don't want to be guilted into tedium. Speaking of tedium, the game's introduction is the longest this side of Dragon Warrior/Quest 7. It takes a good three hours to even see your first fight, and even longer before you can explore the city and dungeons freely. Some of this time sink is a necessary evil when you expect the characters to learn about the story themselves, but some editing would have made it a bit more bearable.
In conclusion, the best way of describing the game is by the mental fugue state it eventually causes. The lulling, ever-changing music, the way that days just pass as friendships are made and developed, the strange sidequests that involve finding stickers for children or building toy models to satisfy the magical fox...at times, it practically feels like a fever dream. But a good fever dream. It takes the revealing, sometimes sad ideal of childhood love and friendship that the last game fulfilled and made it less like a chore and more like an experience. And you can't expect more than that from a game about social life.
Oh, yes, one more thing. For another, far less serious look at this game, check out the endurance run that Giant Bomb is doing. Thrill as they verrrrry slowly play a 90 hour game in half an hour segments a day, most likely for the rest of their lives. You can check out the first one here, and the rest can be found quite easily on the endurance run button, at least for now.
http://www.giantbomb.com/endurance-run-persona-4-part-01/17-219/
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
My Ideas: Let's do someone else's idea this time.
The last post has inspired me to post something new for my ideas. As proud as I am of my original ideals, I also enjoy contemplating other game series and considering the paths they would take. Specifically, I consider how I would make the games if I had incredible power of the game industry. Would my version be better? How would my voice influence the game?
I already did this since I was eight or so with my Megaman ideas. But let's face it, a new Megaman isn't much for innovation. Toss in eight bosses with adjective names, design some levels, figure out the skeletal plot tying it together, and new game! Mind you, even here, I tended to go epic a few games in, but it never really became too complex, especially since I last made one in high school.
But I think Nintendo inspires me to try this again lately. Partially it comes from the long history of the games, with characters still going strong from my childhood and strong archetypal conflicts. At the same time, the games haven't changed much, encouraging brainstorming. What if the Zelda games had slightly different settings?
Even less story-driven series, like Mario Kart, can be innovated through some sort of plot. Smash Brothers Brawl inspired me on this case. They could have just as easily made another chaotic fighting game with slightly better graphics. Instead, they created an entire adventure mode featuring a unique foe that forced all the Nintendo characters (and some Konami and Sega characters,) to unite for their mutual survival.
And since the new Mario Kart caused so many...issues in me, I thought that was another series that deserved a more mature treatment, inspiring new levels as a result. In my version, I'll take advantage of the more serious plot of Mario Galaxy. Based on that game's ending, where the entire Mario universe was basically reset, Mario Kart Me (get it?) focuses on how the universe is changing. The story revolves around a new villain (working name Tinker) who exists outside of all universes and seeks out universes with new potential power and alters them to make them into factories that serve only him. Rosalina learned of this power and seeks out Mario and his friends (and inexplicably friendly enemies,) to harness the power of the reborn universe and return it to normal before Tinker could use that power for himself. The problem is the temptation to control the universe is too great for all but the purest of heart. As a result, when the racers get near that power, the universe starts to alter itself around the desires of the racers as they briefly gain the power for...about the length of a race around a track.
The first half of the new racers revolves around getting to that power via the obligatory tracks. With only two series of tracks, we'd have to cut out several of the usual tracks? The Luigi Track? Gone. The Peach/Daisy courses suffer the same fate, turning the Mario Circuit into the de facto first track. The first set also tosses in your typical beach tack (with a vague Koopa Troopa theme,) a standard ice track (with no character theme, because there is still not one ice-themed character in the whole damn series,) and conclude with a DK mountain track. I wanted to actually use the Donkey Kong games as a reference, after they were ignored, and base the level on the Kremling Island from Donkey Kong Country 2. The music consists of remixed music of various levels from that game, and the stage itself includes bramble jungles near the top before passing through amusement parks, swamps, and lava caverns near the bottom. The next series opens with the usual Wario/Waluigi muddy track reminiscent of BMX or monster truck courses, and continues with a Toad-themed highway level, a ghost house (after missing that stage for several generations now,) and Bowser's Castle to conclude that half.
The second half of the game moves from "the world that is" to "the world that will be," or "will bes" for short. The first set are mostly humorous. Luigi's track imagines him as a hero out of sentai series like the Voltron and Power Rangers that we're familiar with. His subordinates are all toads, save for love interest Daisy, and Mario works as a janitor. Like all these levels, it tries to tell a story as well. In this case, Luigi and his team serve as obstacles to fight the racers on the assumption that they're dimensional invaders, and by the final lap, the heroes merge to form a giant robot that serves as both a threat and an alternate path along the track at points.
The set continues with Yoshi tapping into an ancestral memory of when dinosaurs ruled the world, creating stampedes and flying reptiles as obstacles. Of course, they're all ancestors of Yoshi, so they all have goofy cartoon faces and saddles, which mean they can be ridden. Peach and Daisy end up sharing a level, so the level is divided perfectly to the beautiful, pink, and dainty Peach ideal, and a rougher Daisy version with a sports theme. The path often branches, so characters can choose the less risky Peach side or the short but dangerous Daisy half. Oh, and the theme music for the level has lyrics. And is a duet. Finally, Donkey Kong imagines a jungle-based city, much like those seen in fantasy. As the characters cross through the elevated bridges, ramps, and treetop huts, legions of apes will perform the Donkey Kong Country theme song, with the playable characters performing on the main instruments. That's more a musical tour de force, plus a way to apologize for all the crappy Donkey Kong levels.
The last track set, though, is more serious. The first is also the one I detailed the most. The racers arrive on Bowsapolis, a world were, simply put, Bowser won. The entire Mushroom Kingdom is a dark city, the toads are put into slave labor and attacked with hammers if they fail, and Mario is pilloried. I admit that this level could be a hard sell, for the record, as it significantly darkens the image of many popular characters in the series. For example, Peach is married to Bowser, and quite happily, what with it being his fantasy. There are even blond half-reptile children running around in the opening. The level also features the Koopalings after a long hiatus, who play the level's military-heavy theme song, imagining the Koopa nation as a fascist police state (hey, if the Lion King could get away with it...) Threats include sky-darkening rains of hammers, attacks by both Ludwig Von Koopa and Bowser Junior (though the two start to compete in later laps and eventually collide in their respective vehicles,) and even evil Peach attacks near the end.
The other three levels start with a Rosalina level, which starts out on her space ship/comet, but it soon takes a somber turn into her past, as she imagines the mother that died in her back story has been brought back to life. This moment of weakness to temptation lets Tinker take control, so the penultimate level starts as his fantasy; an endless series of churning machinery and smoke-belching factories. The first lap is a gloomy and dangerous run through here, but by the second lap, Mario's fantasy starts to take control as his pure heart gains control of the universe's potential power. The level becomes a story of triumph as Tinker lays defeated and the universe is restored to normal. This last step occurs as the characters ride the prismatic energy of the universe back home. In other words, we end with Rainbow Road as usual, but here it ties into the story of the game much more clearly.
Ideally, the game can be an easy source of downloadable content as well. Each could contain new characters and willbes for these and old characters, like Wario, who didn't make the cut the first time around. More importantly, the game would give a touch of class and just a new sheen to the new series. As the Mario series goes into its fifth console generation, it needs to make us care not just about the games, but also the characters themselves, and games like this give meaning and remind us and new generations why Nintendo is the master of the archetypal video game character.
I already did this since I was eight or so with my Megaman ideas. But let's face it, a new Megaman isn't much for innovation. Toss in eight bosses with adjective names, design some levels, figure out the skeletal plot tying it together, and new game! Mind you, even here, I tended to go epic a few games in, but it never really became too complex, especially since I last made one in high school.
But I think Nintendo inspires me to try this again lately. Partially it comes from the long history of the games, with characters still going strong from my childhood and strong archetypal conflicts. At the same time, the games haven't changed much, encouraging brainstorming. What if the Zelda games had slightly different settings?
Even less story-driven series, like Mario Kart, can be innovated through some sort of plot. Smash Brothers Brawl inspired me on this case. They could have just as easily made another chaotic fighting game with slightly better graphics. Instead, they created an entire adventure mode featuring a unique foe that forced all the Nintendo characters (and some Konami and Sega characters,) to unite for their mutual survival.
And since the new Mario Kart caused so many...issues in me, I thought that was another series that deserved a more mature treatment, inspiring new levels as a result. In my version, I'll take advantage of the more serious plot of Mario Galaxy. Based on that game's ending, where the entire Mario universe was basically reset, Mario Kart Me (get it?) focuses on how the universe is changing. The story revolves around a new villain (working name Tinker) who exists outside of all universes and seeks out universes with new potential power and alters them to make them into factories that serve only him. Rosalina learned of this power and seeks out Mario and his friends (and inexplicably friendly enemies,) to harness the power of the reborn universe and return it to normal before Tinker could use that power for himself. The problem is the temptation to control the universe is too great for all but the purest of heart. As a result, when the racers get near that power, the universe starts to alter itself around the desires of the racers as they briefly gain the power for...about the length of a race around a track.
The first half of the new racers revolves around getting to that power via the obligatory tracks. With only two series of tracks, we'd have to cut out several of the usual tracks? The Luigi Track? Gone. The Peach/Daisy courses suffer the same fate, turning the Mario Circuit into the de facto first track. The first set also tosses in your typical beach tack (with a vague Koopa Troopa theme,) a standard ice track (with no character theme, because there is still not one ice-themed character in the whole damn series,) and conclude with a DK mountain track. I wanted to actually use the Donkey Kong games as a reference, after they were ignored, and base the level on the Kremling Island from Donkey Kong Country 2. The music consists of remixed music of various levels from that game, and the stage itself includes bramble jungles near the top before passing through amusement parks, swamps, and lava caverns near the bottom. The next series opens with the usual Wario/Waluigi muddy track reminiscent of BMX or monster truck courses, and continues with a Toad-themed highway level, a ghost house (after missing that stage for several generations now,) and Bowser's Castle to conclude that half.
The second half of the game moves from "the world that is" to "the world that will be," or "will bes" for short. The first set are mostly humorous. Luigi's track imagines him as a hero out of sentai series like the Voltron and Power Rangers that we're familiar with. His subordinates are all toads, save for love interest Daisy, and Mario works as a janitor. Like all these levels, it tries to tell a story as well. In this case, Luigi and his team serve as obstacles to fight the racers on the assumption that they're dimensional invaders, and by the final lap, the heroes merge to form a giant robot that serves as both a threat and an alternate path along the track at points.
The set continues with Yoshi tapping into an ancestral memory of when dinosaurs ruled the world, creating stampedes and flying reptiles as obstacles. Of course, they're all ancestors of Yoshi, so they all have goofy cartoon faces and saddles, which mean they can be ridden. Peach and Daisy end up sharing a level, so the level is divided perfectly to the beautiful, pink, and dainty Peach ideal, and a rougher Daisy version with a sports theme. The path often branches, so characters can choose the less risky Peach side or the short but dangerous Daisy half. Oh, and the theme music for the level has lyrics. And is a duet. Finally, Donkey Kong imagines a jungle-based city, much like those seen in fantasy. As the characters cross through the elevated bridges, ramps, and treetop huts, legions of apes will perform the Donkey Kong Country theme song, with the playable characters performing on the main instruments. That's more a musical tour de force, plus a way to apologize for all the crappy Donkey Kong levels.
The last track set, though, is more serious. The first is also the one I detailed the most. The racers arrive on Bowsapolis, a world were, simply put, Bowser won. The entire Mushroom Kingdom is a dark city, the toads are put into slave labor and attacked with hammers if they fail, and Mario is pilloried. I admit that this level could be a hard sell, for the record, as it significantly darkens the image of many popular characters in the series. For example, Peach is married to Bowser, and quite happily, what with it being his fantasy. There are even blond half-reptile children running around in the opening. The level also features the Koopalings after a long hiatus, who play the level's military-heavy theme song, imagining the Koopa nation as a fascist police state (hey, if the Lion King could get away with it...) Threats include sky-darkening rains of hammers, attacks by both Ludwig Von Koopa and Bowser Junior (though the two start to compete in later laps and eventually collide in their respective vehicles,) and even evil Peach attacks near the end.
The other three levels start with a Rosalina level, which starts out on her space ship/comet, but it soon takes a somber turn into her past, as she imagines the mother that died in her back story has been brought back to life. This moment of weakness to temptation lets Tinker take control, so the penultimate level starts as his fantasy; an endless series of churning machinery and smoke-belching factories. The first lap is a gloomy and dangerous run through here, but by the second lap, Mario's fantasy starts to take control as his pure heart gains control of the universe's potential power. The level becomes a story of triumph as Tinker lays defeated and the universe is restored to normal. This last step occurs as the characters ride the prismatic energy of the universe back home. In other words, we end with Rainbow Road as usual, but here it ties into the story of the game much more clearly.
Ideally, the game can be an easy source of downloadable content as well. Each could contain new characters and willbes for these and old characters, like Wario, who didn't make the cut the first time around. More importantly, the game would give a touch of class and just a new sheen to the new series. As the Mario series goes into its fifth console generation, it needs to make us care not just about the games, but also the characters themselves, and games like this give meaning and remind us and new generations why Nintendo is the master of the archetypal video game character.
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