I've already heard your opinion on the animated cutscenes in P3, but I love them. They aren't the highest quality, but they do a lot for building the atmosphere for me at times. I adore that opening cutscene when MC is heading to the dorms, listening to the song I like to call Burn My Bread. That scene set the mood for the whole game well for me, and is a big reason of why I got it eventually.
In any case, I love these games. P3 is above P4 for me for a lot of the same reasons too though. It just connected with me more, and I do think the characters are just so much more real and relatable, and their growth feels more natural. The P4 cast is still a ton of fun and has good chemistry, but they just don't hold a candle to Junpei and Yukari.
Also, I'm still kind of on the fence on social links. I do enjoy them, and some have fantastic little stories, but I don't feel the writing there is as strong as other people seem to think. I do like that most all of them seem to take interesting turns and explore interesting themes (even when I don't expect them to such as in the Gourmet King one), but maybe it's just the sort of bite-sized nature that makes me wish there was just more too them sometimes. I dunno. Something always feels off about most of them to me.
02-21-2015, 06:46 AM
Fynn
Some Social Links may feel redundant, I'll agree. But I still love how they all fit the game's respective theme, really helping to flesh it out in the process. I think I kind of prefer them in P3 though, since they offer more variety and the theme itself is more interesting, but P4 gives you Links with all party members, which is a huge plus, even if it comes at the cost of the other Links which can be pretty bland at times. It's also a bit sad that most of the party character development in P4 is relegated to S. Links instead of being integrated in the story, but what can you do. I still enjoy them a lot.
02-21-2015, 06:56 AM
Scotty_ffgamer
I like the S. Link system. I'd just like to see how it's expanded upon I guess. I need to replay P3 I think because I did prefer its social links to P4 as well, mostly because of the overall theme as you said. I really do hope that if P5 keeps S. Links as I assume it will, it won't relegate all of the development for the main cast in those like in P4.
But like I said, I like the S. Links. Just something felt off about it to me. It may just be that it felt more off to me in P4 for different reasons, and that's clouding my view of them in P3. I dunno.
02-21-2015, 07:10 AM
Fynn
The most off thing about them, IMO, is that they don't impact the main story almost at all, which is especially evident in P4. If you don't go for the default love interest, there are no scenes in the main story that even remotely imply that you guys are involved.
02-21-2015, 04:33 PM
Fynn
#2
I’ve already said this before, but I have some very specific expectations regarding horror games, or horror in general. I like psychological horror, the type that gets into your head. But oh man… This game gets in your head, throws a big drunk party and doesn’t even bother to clean that trout up and your apartment just stays a wreck for the following two years.
SH2 is the game that established the status quo of games in the series taking place in the same town, but usually following different characters with separate storylines and themes. Silent Hill 2 came out and there was no mention of the cult from SH1, or Harry and Cheryl. Just James Sunderland, alone in the foggy, foggy town of Silent Hill, searching for his wife, Mary. Nothing weird, if only Mary hadn’t died prior to the game.
Still, I really empathize with James’ struggle. I don’t think I’d ever related to a main character so much. Yes, it’s crazy and James knows it. But he got a letter. It’s most likely a hoax. But there is always a slight chance that it isn’t. And even if the chance that he’ll get to see the love of his life again is minimal, he is willing to take it. This is exactly what I would do in his place.
Still, as James goes deeper into the town, it turns out things are even more messed up than they seem at the beginning. Without spoiling too much, James encounters a bunch of people on the way, and each of them is in Silent Hill for their own reasons. They’d all been called to the town and have their own journey to fulfill. I love how it doesn’t all revolve around the main protagonist. Sure, James gets to interact with Eddie and Angela, but their affairs are not really his business. They do, however, serve to parallel his own reasons for being in the town in the first place.
Since Silent Hill takes the shape in accordance to the psyche of the one visiting it, this time it looks much different from the one in SH1. No more hellish Otherworld – everything is enveloped in extremely thick fog overtime, emphasizing the feeling of isolation and hopelessness that James experiences, even if he keeps pressing on against all the hopelessness. This game isn't even really scary, it's just really morose, crushing... depressive and hopeless. The pacing is horrendous and the controls and battle mechanics are really clunky, but it all really helps emphasize the atmosphere of dread that is so prevalent in this game. And when the truth comes out, and you truly start to understand the significance behind the monsters – what the Lying Figures, the Nurses, and Pyramid Head actually represent – everything makes sense. The truth isn’t pretty, but it is necessary for James to face it. There are many endings in this game, and they're implemented really well. How James finishes his journey really depends on you.
The music, courtesy of Akira Yamaoka, is simply astounding, Probably the best in the series. I could listen to Theme of Laura and Promise all day, but the ambient themes really send chills down my spine.
I’ve played this game with my wife. Hauntingly fitting, if you ask me. Silent Hill 2 is all about Eros and Thanatos, love and death, the two main driving forces in the life of a human, in all the different aspects that they may surface. Rich with symbolism, subtlety, and genuine dread and longing, I think Silent Hill 2 is one of the most artistic endeavors in video game history. I really recommend it to those seeking a deep, thought-provoking, heart-rending story. Let me just leave one really important video in spoiler tags. It’s the full letter from Mary to James. I can’t listen to it without tearing up.
The Silent Hill stories interest me but I scare easily at horror stuff so I would rather watch someone else play it :ohdear:
02-21-2015, 04:48 PM
Fynn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pumpkin
The Silent Hill stories interest me but I scare easily at horror stuff so I would rather watch someone else play it :ohdear:
By all means, do so. The stories are really where it's at.
02-23-2015, 03:51 PM
Fynn
GLORIA VICTIS
AKA
THE GRACIOUS LOSERS, THE RUNNERS-UP.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Time to list all the games that almost made my top 25, hoping I can turn around the dreariness of my #2 ;) I won’t be doing these detailed reviews this time. Instead, I’ll put the games in alphabetical order, listing a couple things I love about them and reasons’ why they ultimately didn’t make the list. Let’s begin, then!
Beautiful art style that remains cohesive throughout the game, unlike the overrated monstrosity that is BoFIII (still a good game, though).
Really lovely battle system that lets you exchange party members in the middle of battle and manipulate the turn order to perform specific magic combos.
Dark, layered story with jaw-dropping twists and really neat POV shifts.
Why it didn’t make the list:
Some 3D models really clash with the gorgeous sprites.
Um… In general I really love it, I just love the others better.
A robust roster of characters who all matter, rather than being faceless goons like in FFT or the like.
The support system really lets you take control of the relationships between the characters. Shipping made awesome!
Interesting class system with some really unique mechanics thrown in.
Why it didn’t make the list:
The main story requires some excessive grinding (at least I needed it. Shut up.)
The main plot seemed really bland to me. It wasn’t really bland, so much as I saw every twist coming and really couldn’t connect to it on an emotional level (sorry, Sky :G)
Really unique battle system that utilizes your surroundings.
The party really feels like they gel really well with each other.
The plot deconstructs a lot of really common fantasy tropes in quite a clever way.
Why it didn’t make the list:
The main breeding pair is a couple of soulless zombies that have so little personality and yet the game wants us to love them so badly (Sakaguchi, please stop. I loved you :()
Aside from the deconstruction, the plot is not really that memorable or well-paced.
This game overshadowed the champion RPG on the Wii only because everyone seems to have a boner for Sakaguchi :colbert:
Really fantastic, dark story and some unforgettable characters – as is to be expected from Yasumi Matsuno.
The graphics are pretty jaw-dropping even by today’s standards.
I love the crafting system and how this is essentially a survival RPG – you live by what you find and scavenge, there are no shops.
Why it didn’t make the list:
Too bad that you have to read up on additional material to fully understand the story :(
The difficulty is a bit too extreme at times.
02-23-2015, 04:21 PM
Pumpkin
I has some of those games on my list
02-23-2015, 05:20 PM
Scotty_ffgamer
I was absolutely certain that Innocent Sin would end up on your list. And it hasn't. Sad times. I'm about to start up Eternal Punishment now, I think.
03-07-2015, 11:27 PM
Electroshock Therapy
Noticing the long-ish wait. If your last game doesn't have a novella-sized review and an album of music samples, then I will be disappointed indeed. :p
I'm kidding!
I realize it's probably real life getting in the way (doesn't it always?). No need to rush. I just felt like dropping in.
03-07-2015, 11:53 PM
Fox
Well we've had the honourable mentions, now we just need the recap of the top 24 before the final reveal!
03-08-2015, 03:23 PM
Fynn
Yes, I have been tremendously busy and was sure people lost interest because of all that. But if you're still here - I'll do my best to post it up ASAP. A recap might be a good idea too ;)
