Board 8 > Jeff Zero & Leonhart in Different Houses: Take Your Heart Edition [JZLF]

(+) Yeah! (+)

augh how did you guys not see that Shadow Okumura was shamelessly lying about the change of heart thing the whole time because you all know he knows how this stuff works
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Okay, that boss sequence was pretty cool with the waves of enemies and the time limit making it extra tense, compounded by the fact that it only takes one hit to kill Okumura after you wipe them all out ("But no one came"). He admits that he hired someone to do the mental shutdowns on people, but he won't tell us who and we have to skedaddle before everything blows up.

However, our mysterious black figure shows up and kills off Okumura's Shadow after we leave. That's...going to be bad for us because I imagine the Phantom Thieves will be blamed for killing him. This whole thing felt like one big setup though. Like, I'm wondering how Okumura ended up at the top of the Phan-Site hit list in the first place. Perhaps someone a step up from Okumura saw him as a convenient tool to take down the Phantom Thieves' reputation. I guess we'll see soon enough! Edit: And the following cutscene confirms my suspicions! I imagine we'll be dealing with this SIU Director's Palace at some point, too.

Also, it was cool that Morgana got a moment to himself to save the day and prove his value to the team. It was a pretty solid ending to an otherwise weak arc. I see why Morgana's the Magician though, because he's got that inferiority complex Junpei and Yosuke both struggled with...!
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LeonhartFour posted...

what happened to the site while I was gone

the text in the "Post New Message" box is noticeably bigger and the appearance is a little different

classic gamefaqs design change

Supposedly the text thing is only supposed to affect mobile and "small screens" but uh I wouldn't have thought my screen would count for that and yet it's happening to me too.
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After like a year-long hiatus, I'm finally back to my Dragon Age: Inquisition playthrough. And because it's me we're talking about, I restarted. I'm already up to In Hushed Whispers because I know the first act like the back of my hand now. Granted, this doesn't sound impressive on its own ("I'm already up to like the second priority mission, guys!") but I've cleared The Hinterlands, Storm Coast, Fallow Mire, and Forbidden Oasis already, so... yeah.

And yes, that includes killing the Ferelden Frostback. But obviously it doesn't include the Storm Coast dragon, because it's inaccessible until later on.
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Jeff Zero posted...

And because it's me we're talking about, I restarted.

just FYI you won't be allowed to restart Shadow Hearts

you're picking it up right where you left off

(also I'm being totally serious)
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I knowww
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okay I finally got around to fixing that beat-up laptop in Persona 5 and awwwww yeah it's Shady Commodities Tanaka

I knew you wouldn't let me down P5

plus my Proficiency is up to rank 4 now too!
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Yep, Okumura had a mental breakdown and died. Looks like someone planted a fake calling card in the principal's office, too. Our popularity ranking took a sizable dive, as expected.

But now for something I didn't quite expect: We're about to hit the point in the story where we catch up to the interrogation, and our last target was...Sae Niijima herself. Interested to see how this plays out for us and who supposedly sold us out.

oh snap looks like this SIU Director is out to get Sae next

things are getting realer by the minute
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FINALLY leveled my Kindness up to rank 4, so everything is only one away from being maxed out. I hope this means I can start Futaba's Confidant thing now.
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Aha, looks like my suspicions about someone deliberately fixing the rankings to make Okumura #1 on the Phan-site have been confirmed. Seems like it's the same person who was behind the Medjed thing from before, too! Apparently, someone's been using these situations to prop up the Phantom Thieves so they could knock them down later. Basically, we've been manipulated into doing what the bad guy(s) wanted for the last two heists. And now everything's about to come to a head with Sae being pressured to bring us down ASAP. I'm curious to see how the Palace stuff plays out this time around if this is the one where Joker gets caught.

But that's enough for tonight.
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https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-07-30/persona-5-game-gets-tv-anime-series-in-2018/.119517
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Heh, they listed Joker as "Hero". Looks like they want to save the name reveal for later.

(Which could be Wednesday during the big Persona concert)
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Hopefully it'll get a dub unlike the P3 movies.

Also now I've been blocked on Hifumi's Confidant thing. Gotta have max Knowledge to progress now!

Almost school festival time! Hope it'll be fun!

One of the things I like about P5 is that they made it so just spending time with Confidants doesn't feel like a waste of time like in previous games because they get unique cutscenes, too.
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Oh hey, the Howie Mandel lookalike finally has a name! Shido, huh? Wouldn't surprise me if he ends up being the main bad guy or the one who set this whole thing in motion since he's the one who got Joker labeled as a criminal.

Looks like Akechi is coming to our defense, surprisingly. Makoto wants him to come to the school festival to see if we can get any info out of him about the real culprit. I'm still trying to figure out if he already knows who we are and if he already has a Persona.
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oh ya best arc
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So Akechi showed off photos and video of us stupidly openly going into the Metaverse, and he admits he has the same power as us. However, he claims to have only learned of the Metaverse and found the Nav app on his phone recently. Akechi also claims to have seen the real culprit and narrowly avoided being killed by him, and that's why he doesn't believe we're Okumura's killers. It's also when he awakened to his Persona, it seems. I don't know if I believe this because he did hear Morgana speak earlier in the game, so he could be lying and still actually be the killer.

Is he about to join us? I still don't entirely trust him, so I'm going to guess that the person who sells us out is Akechi, if it turns out to be the case. I feel like we're still in the middle of one giant setup (and for good reason since I know Joker's going to get caught next time). I just don't know if he's in on it or not. Doesn't seem like we have a choice but to cooperate with him if we don't want him turning us in though. Feels like a no-win situation here.

oh snap Sojiro found a calling card in Futaba's room

this won't end well
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It's a shame that you don't have Makoto's link maxed. Her festival scene is hilarious.
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oh hey post-festival party hangout options

No Makoto this time sadly because I guess she needs to be at a higher level this time, but I'll gladly accept Kawakami as a viable substitute. I could go with Haru, too, even though I haven't even formed anything with her yet. Had Ann and Ryuji/Mishima as options. Wish the last save point wasn't so long ago or I'd filter through them all, but oh well.

That was a fun scene. It's cool how the Confidants figure out that you're one of the Phantom Thieves by the end of it, so seeing Kawakami show concern for me about the Akechi stuff was nice. It's also nice to see how much she's changed over the course of the game. She's been a very pleasant surprise in this game for me.
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xp1337 posted...

It's a shame that you don't have Makoto's link maxed. Her festival scene is hilarious.

Well, that's what NG+ is for, I suppose!

And if it's like P4G was, I'll feel like tackling the NG+ as soon as I finish up my initial playthrough, so I may not have to wait long!

Plus, I got Kawakami this time after I couldn't get her last time, so it's a fair trade.
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LeonhartFour posted...

That was a fun scene. It's cool how the Confidants figure out that you're one of the Phantom Thieves by the end of it

For some reason I always loved being able to give the needlessly vague dialogue option whenever this happened. It's like Joker is just trying so hard to get that cool and mysterious aura going on.
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I usually go for the honest options, although I mix it up on subsequent playthroughs to see more dialogue.

I'll probably follow a Confidant guide next time to make sure I pick the right options to maximize my Confidants more efficiently.
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Okay, the scene with Joker, Futaba, and Sojiro just now was pretty excellent.

Also, I've noticed a pattern recently with Sojiro and the news. Every time this Shido guy shows up, Sojiro has a noticeably negative reaction to him. He mentioned in that scene that he suspected Futaba's mother's death was fishy, and I imagine he thinks Shido was responsible for it in some way. Shido is also clearly the "future prime minister" the SIU Director has been talking to because the news has been talking about him forming a new party and rising to power lately.

fun theory that I came up with off the top of my head just now: Sae will probably end up helping us in some way once we catch up to the present day, but what if the other Phantom Thieves are busy stealing her heart during the interrogation and that's why she's been gradually softening toward Joker?
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Man, this Shido guy is totally Persona 5's version of Donald Trump. Make Japan Great Again...?

also what's up with these random "red wavy overlay" things that have been interrupting scenes lately; it's kinda weird

I like the scene where the team renews their resolve as the Phantom Thieves and vow to turn this situation around. Ryuji's VA was really good here.

and yeah I'm more and more convinced that Akechi will be the one who sells us out since he's suggested we steal Sae's heart and informed us she has a Palace

Makoto seems awfully quiet about this whole situation, especially considering it involves her sister. Ah, now she speaks up that the real reason she joined the Phantom Thieves was because she wanted to change her sister's heart, but she didn't think it'd come to pass like this. Apparently, she's also been well-aware for a while that Sae has a Palace, but she's been too scared and felt too selfish to bring it up to the others or look into it on her own. Yusuke catches on to how evasive she's being, but she won't tell us what's on her mind.

Then Akechi goes on a motive rant where he talks about his sense of justice isn't derived from a desire to help society. It's to expose and take revenge on corrupt people. He considers it an extremely personal grudge. Everyone concludes that he's not so different from us. Part of the deal with catching the real culprit is that we have to disband the Phantom Thieves.

In the interrogation, Sae becomes aware that she's now a potential mental shutdown target. Ah, Sae now brings up the part where one of the officers said we had been sold out, and I think she's reached the same conclusion I have about who this mole must be. She's very close to being on our side now. She wants to know if we triggered the change of heart in her before Joker was arrested. I guess it's possible, but I'm assuming not.

This arc is certainly promising an awful lot, so I hope it delivers!
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oh man I was really hoping "Pachinko" would've activated the app

that would've been amazing but then again I should've already known what it was

also the fact that Sae sees the courthouse as a casino where she has to win at all costs makes me think she'd fit in perfectly in Ace Attorney

okay yeah the fact that we haven't seen Akechi's Metaverse costume and the fact that he claims it's the opposite of all black (but wants to be identified as a raven or crow) makes me super suspicious

Haru seems bothered by something too but I dunno what

should've gone with Yatagarasu for the code name to continue the Ace Attorney theme naming but alas

I've gotta take off for now, but I'll tackle this Palace later.
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Best Palace theme by a mile incoming.

also just best palace in general

the game is just completely on point in this arc
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I've mentioned this in a previous topic, but I've gotten into audiobooks in the last several months. They're good to listen to on days when I work at the post office. Recently, I listened to the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes and really enjoyed them. I decided to give Agatha Christie a try next and downloaded "And Then There Were None." Just finished listening to the first chapter and it seems interesting. The writing style is really pleasant. If you guys have any other mystery recommendations, feel free to list them, and I may seek out an audiobook version in the future when I need a new one.

Sherlock Holmes rankings by collection:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Five Orange Pips > The Adventure of the Copper Beeches > The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb > The Adventure of the Speckled Band > The Boscombe Valley Mystery > The Man with the Twisted Lip > A Case of Identity > The Red-Headed League > A Scandal in Bohemia > The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor > The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet > The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The Adventure of the Yellow Face > The Adventure of the Final Problem > The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual > The Adventure of the Reigate Puzzle > The Adventure of the Gloria Scott > The Adventure of the Resident Patient > The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter > The Adventure of the Cardboard Box > Silver Blaze > The Adventure of the Crooked Man > The Adventure of the Naval Treaty > The Adventure of the Stockbrokers' Clerk

The Return of Sherlock Holmes

The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist > The Adventure of the Priory School > The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez > The Adventure of the Norwood Builder > The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton > The Adventure of Black Peter > The Adventure of the Dancing Men > The Adventure of the Empty House > The Adventure of the Second Stain > The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter > The Adventure of the Six Napoleons > The Adventure of Abbey Grange > The Adventure of the Three Students

His Last Bow

His Last Bow > The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax > The Adventure of the Dying Detective > The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge > The Adventure of the Red Circle > The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans > The Adventure of the Devil's Foot

Novels

The Hound of the Baskervilles > The Valley of Fear > The Sign of Four > A Study in Scarlet
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And Then There Were None is really, really good.

I'll recommend you some other Agatha Christie stuff, and I may have other mystery recs as well. though I'll have to think about them. there are also some stories that many people love which I'm just okay with, so there's a good chance someone else will wander in and rec those. but if not I may mention that as well.

though, honestly, if it's just me I'll probably just tell you about the more obscure stuff that I'd want you to read rather than the popular stuff that anyone and their aunt would tell you about.
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there's also a TV adaptation of ATTWN with Charles Dance which is DEFINITELY worth watching. you and Jeff should get around to it some time in the future.
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Jeff Zero and I had discussed watching the BBC Sherlock series at some point, so we might add that to the queue as well.
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And Then There Were None is the only mystery novel I've read in a long time. I can't give any new suggestions but I can confirm that's a good choice.
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I'd always heard good things about it, so I figured I'd give it a try.

Also, "The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist" has one of the greatest one-liners I've ever encountered in anything.

"You're too late. She's my wife."

"No, she's your widow."

*gunshot*
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LeonhartFour posted...

Jeff Zero and I had discussed watching the BBC Sherlock series at some point, so we might add that to the queue as well.

ATTWN is a mini series, for the record, so it'll be fast to go through. it's just four episodes and only covers the events of the book. it's a faithful adaptation. not like, a procedural crime series "based on" the books or anything like that.

anyway yeah it has an AWESOME portrayal of my favorite character from the books (Lombard), and it makes almost every minor character way more memorable (since it's visual and not just remembering text about a fairly large cast of characters). probably one of the few cases, maybe the only case, of something where I LOVE the book but think the adaptation holds up really well and possibly might be even better.
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Sounds good! Yeah, I'll check it out sometime if I end up loving the book.

Also, has anyone read "Ready Player One?" I grabbed it on a whim a month ago because I had a free credit to use and decided to give it a shot. It's...not great. I'm probably about a third of the way through and I'm not really digging it. Maybe it gets better after this because I just finished the first major plot arc of the story.
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Oh hey, Sae's Palace has a vocal theme! I imagine it's fitting since, like Heaven, this dungeon will likely mark a huge turning point in the game.

Hmm...Akechi's outfit doesn't look anything like the culprit, but I wonder if it's possible for him to cover up or change his disguise. He also has fewer alternate outfits than everybody else, so I imagine this team-up will be temporary one way or the other.

It's interesting that Sae just sees everyone there as normal people. Her distortion doesn't extend to the people around her, it seems. It makes it feel like this is a real place and not something in the Metaverse. Then again, we get caught in the casino at the beginning, right? How does that work? I guess I'll find out!

wait what if this entire interrogation has been taking place in the Metaverse and Sae doesn't have a distorted image of herself either so I've just been talking to Shadow Sae this whole time?!

Just saw Shadow Sae so nevermind I guess! She knows we're here and calls us out directly. She even tells us where the Treasure is up front, so this should be interesting!
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Finally got Haru's Confidant thing started! I like her so far. She seems pretty cool.

but it looks like I need to max out Proficiency to get any further

oh well her vegetables seem to be pretty valuable so that's something
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Whims of Fate so good
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So we roll the dice...
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Haru's Confidant is one of my favorites. It's really sweet.
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Shadow Dino posted...

So we roll the dice...

give in to another vice...
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It's probably in the top 10 of the soundtrack regardless, but honestly Whims of Fate always falls short in my head because I'm comparing it to Life Will Change or Rivers in the Desert.

(Leon I don't think you've heard Rivers in the Desert yet, so don't search that one if you care about music spoilers)
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Unless it's on the OST you got with the limited edition, I haven't heard it yet.

Keep waiting for Life Will Change to play again.
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He has not heard that one.
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P5's OST is weird for me. I don't think any of the songs have much staying power for me. I'll have an urge to listen to a couple but it very quickly wears off.

The Whims of Fate might be my favorite but I dunno. Life Will Change is another contender. Rivers in the Desert was one but I think it fell off a bit like I described. Others that are good are Blooming Villain (Palace Boss Theme), Will Power (Plays in the Persona Awakening battles, also a mini-boss theme I think), Regret (The slow song that plays when the targets confess), Beneath the Mask (pretty much all versions but shoutouts to rainy days), Sunset Bridge (plays often in the later Confidant Scenes), and The Days When My Mother Was There (Futaba's Palace Theme (4th Palace))

and of course last surprise is great when you line up NEVER SEE IT COMING with an all-out attack
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Yeah, P5's OST has been fine so far, but it's felt like a step down overall from P3 and P4. It might grow on me over time though.
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Yeah I also thought 3 and 4 had noticeably better OST's than 5.

The two I mentioned are really good though imo, and I'm also a fan of Whims of Fate, Beneath the Mask, Layer Cake (Airsoft Shop theme), and Confession Secret (plays at random social link moments and possibly other parts?).
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Over 200 hours and Last Surprise never got boring
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I don't think I can actually say that I think Last Surprise itself was fantastic, but man was it great if you got the All-Out Attack timing right.
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Last Surprise jumps like 3 whole points on a scale of 10 with the right AOA timing.

it's so good
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Yeah, Last Surprise is perfect as an All-Out Attack theme.

NEVER SEE IT COMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING
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@Dragon66116

join us and you can surpass that other user who used to have a user name that started with "Dragon" followed by a bunch of numbers

it's not too late
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