Persona 5

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 1:02 pm

The day has finally arrived! Persona 5's release date. I haven't received my game yet, but it's on the way and out for delivery. I'm sure there will be much great descushion to have and this game needs its own thread for sure!

So who all is playing? Let us know here when you start.

HKK · Post by **HKK** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 4:52 pm

I'll be getting it.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 6:09 pm

I bet my friend Mike is gonna get it! No joke.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 6:11 pm

My copy is still with Char (didn't arrive at his in time for Talking Real on Saturday), so I haven't managed to start yet

Henchman #2 · Post by **Henchman #2** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 6:29 pm

I have to wait 2 weeks for my copy. I guess I was gonna be busy this week anyway with work, I don't care it's delayed.

At all.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 6:53 pm

Came in the mail around noon and I started playing for about 45 minutes at my lunch break (perks of working at home + flexible schedule allowing for extended lunch break). Great set up from the start, establishes a distinctive atmosphere just like P3 and P4 right from the get go, and oozes style. Already getting into it. I don't think this game will disappoint.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 7:13 pm

That may be the most positive I've ever seen you be concerning your job.

HKK · Post by **HKK** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 7:14 pm

Looks like I don't have enough money for it because adult things. Shame. I've gotten about every SMT game on release since DDS1. I hope I don't miss out on the steelbook copy.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 8:27 pm

smeared ink wrote:That may be the most positive I've ever seen you be concerning your job.

Figures then that it doesn't have to do with the work itself.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 9:11 pm

Somebody I know is streaming it in P5 cosplay right now and I can't watch it because I don't want spoilers

https://www.twitch.tv/pistachibow

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 9:24 pm

Yeah, no way I'm watching any streaming until I've beaten or at least gotten far enough in that the streaming is sure to show stuff I've already gotten past.

Cid · Post by **Cid** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:43 am

I've never played a Persona game. I like the visual style of this one. Might pick it up.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 3:16 am

This game takes even longer to open up than P4. Over 4 hours in and no free time yet. Essentially, even though there have been battles, virtually everything is scripted thus far.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 7:01 am

Is that a good or bad thing?

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 11:39 am

That sounds bad to me, but who knows?

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 1:14 pm

Damien wrote:Is that a good or bad thing?

A little bit of a mixed bag. It's clearly got a very strong narrative, but I'm itching to get some more freedom at this point. It would definitely be bad if it were the whole game, but I know it's not going to be. It'ss just a bit of a slow start in terms of the full gameplay.

I would also be inclined to predict that, while not necessarily "bad" for a first playthrough, it's going to hurt replay value a bit to have such a long intro period. That said, I played Suikoden V more than once and it has a slow ~9 hour intro period. I think this one's wrapping up the intro period a little after 5 hours (maybe less for faster players who don't wander around talking to people/examining things so much), but I'm not sure yet.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:51 pm

I've got the game now. How's the saving system? Are points that you can save at spread few and far between?

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:52 pm

Due to long story sequences and limited in dungeon save areas, yeah the saving could be better. I'll just press the PS button and leave the console on if I need to stop though.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:57 pm

I can't get away with that

RDM · Post by **RDM** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 3:07 pm

Shouldn't we be past inconvenient saving as a society at this point? Seems like a pretty easy problem not to have.

The RDM has never actually played a Persona game. This does look pretty, though.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:00 pm

I can think of a couple reasons we still have inconvenient saving.

1) Developers still regard it as a legitimate means of introducing challenge.

2) If you allow saves literally anywhere this would create a potentially even bigger problem of getting stuck in an unwinnable situation and having to start a game over from the beginning.

The first problem would be solved by developers waking up and realizing that's forcing people to redo a lot of stuff is a pretty annoying kind of "challenge."

The second I think already has some solutions. A separate quick save that doesn't overwrite your main save file (that can only be saved at certain places) solves this problem.

Doom · Post by **Doom** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:25 pm

It's obviously 1. Say what you will about Persona's storytelling, the gameplay mechanics are still old school, for better or worse. I mean, percentage-based instant death abilities in combat are and always have been stupid, but they are part of core SMT 'difficulty'.

HKK · Post by **HKK** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:37 pm

Yes, yes, YES.

If they had the ability to allow you to save anywhere I'd lose my shit.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:42 pm

Doom wrote:It's obviously 1. Say what you will about Persona's storytelling, the gameplay mechanics are still old school, for better or worse. I mean, percentage-based instant death abilities in combat are and always have been stupid, but they are part of core SMT 'difficulty'.

I actually mostly like that gameplay mechanics are old school, so put it in the "better" category for me. I tend to dislike a lot of more modern gameplay mechanics.

Anyway, I clocked in almost exactly 6 hours when free time opened up. It will probably be less for people who don't wander around and talk to everyone so much, but anyway you slice it, it takes significantly longer to get free time than in P3 or P4.

HKK · Post by **HKK** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:56 pm

Are there any kids on the internet right now comparing the gameplay to dark souls

Henchman #2 · Post by **Henchman #2** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 5:15 pm

Anyone hear about the streaming cap Atlus is placing on this game? I was sorta interested in doing an LP (when my copy ever shows up...) But that seems like a pretty big wall they're setting up.

Oh, I wonder if Giant Bomb is gonna do another dumb Persona LP...

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 10:25 pm

I've finally played it! Only for just over an hour though. Not much seen or done to form an opinion on yet. As expected, so far it seems a lot like the Digimon Cyber Sleuth game that I played last year. That eventually felt really repetitive. I have high hopes P5 won't get like that.

Cid · Post by **Cid** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 12:14 am

aw man it's not on xbox

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 1:11 pm

Xbox One's library is a total joke. That's coming from somebody who preferred 360 to PS3 for the majority of the previous gen.

RDM · Post by **RDM** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 1:25 pm

Poor XBone.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 3:22 pm

You guys should be playing this game instead of lamenting the awfulness of Microsoft.

Calbrena · Post by **Calbrena** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 3:41 pm

Has it been released yet?

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 4:00 pm

Yeah. I'm like 10 hours in.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 6:18 pm

I'm like 2 hours in.

HKK · Post by **HKK** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 11:05 pm

P5 is everything.

[spoiler]It is everything I wanted in a P4 sequel. It has the grit of 2 with the style of 3. After 4 I was worried they would sell out and make it even more friendly. THEY DIDN'T and after 4's success I wouldn't have blamed them if they did. Yet they STILL didn't! I am getting INSANE Innocent Sin vibes here. Playing as outcasts feels so RIGHT, so identifiably PERSONA. I think I've clocked like two or three hours and I've geeked out so many times I'm exhausted and it's 5 pm. Seeing a Pyro Jack and Pixie and Imp in HD. Hold my water honey because I CANT DEAL. SMT on my tv again feels too good. Handhelds are great and all but this is too much for me. SMT in HD!

John would have loved this. I'm so saddened he's passed and didn't get to play P5. He would have lost his shit. I've got you buddy!

I totally thought they'd sell out and make P5 as safe as possible after p4's Scooby Doo Adventures. I can't believe they DOUBLED DOWN on what Persona is and stands for.[/spoiler]

Cid · Post by **Cid** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 11:26 pm

Damien wrote:Xbox One's library is a total joke. That's coming from somebody who preferred 360 to PS3 for the majority of the previous gen.

I just have a 360.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 4:17 am

I absolutely agree with how awesome P5 is, but why you gotta tear down P4 in the process?

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 6:34 am

I'm 3 and a half hours in now. Still waiting to be able to go off and do what I want to do at some point.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 1:23 pm

Not sure how fast you play, but it was about 6 hours for me before I could do that.

HKK · Post by **HKK** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 1:58 pm

Lord Golbez wrote:I absolutely agree with how awesome P5 is, but why you gotta tear down P4 in the process?

I love p4 but at the same time it's not the general direction I would like them to continue the series in and it feels like they've got back to their roots but modernized it. I'm not necessarily tearing it down but more p4 isn't exactly what I wanted and I was worried it would be that.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 2:26 pm

Well, I like when they change things up in terms of plot/themes/setting between games, but keep the core gameplay of P3, because I love that too much for me to ever want to see them abandon it. I don't want P5 to be too much like P4 in terms of ambience, plot, etc., but I also don't want P6 to be too much like P5.

So far it seems to me that P5 has done with the gameplay what P4 did. It takes what's already there and keeps what's good and then adds to and improves. I'm not a huge fan of the SMT demon negotiation aspect, but they make it work pretty well. It's really a nice touch how the shadows don't really have a name until you get their persona. They've definitely improved the one more + all out attack combo with the baton pass. This helps both in distributing SP usage among party members and for attacking multiple weaknesses without having to plan out how the MC switches personas as much.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 2:34 pm

This is actually the first Persona game (not counting P4 Arena) that I've played. Living with Joei (who took forever to finish 3 and 4) put me off playing those. I considered picking up 4 Golden, then decided I may as well just wait for P5. Been watching some streams of P4 Golden recently though.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 3:49 pm

I have Golden and played a considerable amount of it, but haven't finished. I've heard that the additional content throws off the pacing a bit at the end.

HKK · Post by **HKK** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 5:00 pm

Lord Golbez wrote:Well, I like when they change things up in terms of plot/themes/setting between games, but keep the core gameplay of P3, because I love that too much for me to ever want to see them abandon it. I don't want P5 to be too much like P4 in terms of ambience, plot, etc., but I also don't want P6 to be too much like P5.

So far it seems to me that P5 has done with the gameplay what P4 did. It takes what's already there and keeps what's good and then adds to and improves. I'm not a huge fan of the SMT demon negotiation aspect, but they make it work pretty well. It's really a nice touch how the shadows don't really have a name until you get their persona. They've definitely improved the one more + all out attack combo with the baton pass. This helps both in distributing SP usage among party members and for attacking multiple weaknesses without having to plan out how the MC switches personas as much.

I'm hoping this is the last game with the P3 formula and they do something completely new in 6.

Love negotiation in SMT.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 5:15 pm

It's likely they will, but I'm definitely going to miss the perfect balance struck between dungeon exploration and more relaxed story/ character based stuff if they drop the calendar system. As much as I love one more + all out attack, etc.... I can easily say goodbye to those as long as they keep the calendar based system with various things to do in free time that actually have an impact on the battle aspect.

HKK · Post by **HKK** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 7:04 pm

Doubt they get rid of 1 more. That battle system (as well as press turns) has been on the series going as far as Nocturne. It's tradition at this point. It won't be 1 more if they change it, but it'll always a weakness/strength based battle system.

Doom · Post by **Doom** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 7:06 pm

The SMT formula when it comes to combat is still stuck in the 90s, unfortunately. It's enjoyable but so much about it is outdated and clunky. Makes it difficult to integrate with a modern narrative aesthetic.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 7:30 pm

I don't actually want them to get rid of one more. I'd just prefer that over getting rid of the social link/ calendar system. I get worn out by the constant battle of other SMT games. I need things to do in between to not burn out on combat. Getting rid of calendar and social links would be a major step backward as far as I'm concerned. You could probably still make it okay for me if they kept the calendar and replaced social links with something else, but it would have to be equally engaging and useful to the dungeon exploration aspect.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 9:07 pm

Doom wrote:The SMT formula when it comes to combat is still stuck in the 90s, unfortunately. It's enjoyable but so much about it is outdated and clunky. Makes it difficult to integrate with a modern narrative aesthetic.

I'm going to reiterate that I appreciate this. I dislike the almost total departure from turn-based combat in other RPG series and, in particular, the KH style that FF seems to be adopting. I don't want all RPGs to become action RPGs, so thank goodness some companies are still "stuck in the 90s." Not really sure what you mean by difficult to integrate with a modern narrative aesthetic. I'm gonna guess that it has something to do with seamless transitions. Actually, the battle transitions of P5 do a pretty good job in this direction, but nevertheless I'm going to fall on the side of seamless transitions being overrated. Changing scales in more jarring transitions (like world maps) allows for captivating imagination of an epic scale journey without forcing a player to trudge through a repetitive barren world, which anyway end up being absurdly small if you think about it too much

HKK · Post by **HKK** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 9:30 pm

Doom wrote:The SMT formula when it comes to combat is still stuck in the 90s, unfortunately. It's enjoyable but so much about it is outdated and clunky. Makes it difficult to integrate with a modern narrative aesthetic.

Disagree with everything here. We have enough action RPGs. What SMT continues to do fills its niche. IMO too many jrpgs have gone from command based to action based and it's disheartening.

Lord Golbez wrote:I don't actually want them to get rid of one more. I'd just prefer that over getting rid of the social link/ calendar system. I get worn out by the constant battle of other SMT games. I need things to do in between to not burn out on combat. Getting rid of calendar and social links would be a major step backward as far as I'm concerned. You could probably still make it okay for me if they kept the calendar and replaced social links with something else, but it would have to be equally engaging and useful to the dungeon exploration aspect.

Getting rid of P3's structure doesn't mean it has to suddenly become a straight traditional dungeon crawler. It doesn't have to be "backwards".