Author Topic: VLR: 999: 3DS VN (and Vita I guess) (Read 3330 times)

demi · « **on:** October 23, 2012, 05:34:25 PM »

Yea I'm a bitch, I'm getting this. : * (

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #1 on:** October 23, 2012, 05:37:57 PM »

Me too!

demi · « **Reply #2 on:** October 23, 2012, 05:41:01 PM »

I'm glad you are on my side, hon

Huff · « **Reply #3 on:** October 23, 2012, 07:14:38 PM »

Is this out?

Freyj · « **Reply #4 on:** October 23, 2012, 08:04:46 PM »

Instant text available from the start this time? Text crawl bothered the fuck out of me in 999.

cool breeze · « **Reply #5 on:** October 23, 2012, 08:18:30 PM »

I totally forgot I had this preordered at Amazon so it was here when I got home. It came with a cosplay watch lol.

tiesto · « **Reply #6 on:** October 23, 2012, 10:56:09 PM »

Hollllly shiiiiit, had no idea this was out tomorrow!!

Takao · « **Reply #7 on:** October 24, 2012, 03:21:42 AM »

It's $34.99 on PSN.

demi · « **Reply #8 on:** October 24, 2012, 05:54:51 PM »

I cant find this shit anywhere. All these recent games seem to be only available online.

Tasty · « **Reply #9 on:** October 24, 2012, 06:22:39 PM »

Won't buy until eShop demo.

Lucretius · « **Reply #10 on:** October 24, 2012, 06:40:36 PM »

should I get for 3DS or Vita?

demi · « **Reply #11 on:** October 24, 2012, 07:14:32 PM »

Vita, if you have it. A simple game like this doesnt dserve to be viewed under th low res 3DS.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #12 on:** October 24, 2012, 10:29:39 PM »

Bought some PSN bux today, downloading this on my Vita now.

demi · « **Reply #13 on:** October 24, 2012, 10:32:39 PM »

I'd get it for Vita for dem trophies....... but I'll take 40 Club Nintendo points as well : x

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #14 on:** October 24, 2012, 10:47:13 PM »

The ultimate deciding factor was that no one had this game in stock anywhere for either system, so screw it, I'll just go digital.

cool breeze · « **Reply #15 on:** October 25, 2012, 12:23:23 AM »

Quote from: Lucretius on October 24, 2012, 06:40:36 PM

should I get for 3DS or Vita?

3DS has the 3D effect and some info is on the second screen. Vita has impeccable image quality and better touch controls. Really, there's no big difference between the two. It's a visual novel game.

HyperZoneWasAwesome · « **Reply #16 on:** October 25, 2012, 05:57:39 AM »

got it for the 3DS, just barely played it so far, so it would be really irresponsible of me to give impressions now at this point having only put about a half-hour into it.

so the the voice acting seems pretty damn good so far. Considering how much of it there must be (hours and hours and hours) I'm pleasingly surprised with its apparent quality. The graphics are pretty good so far. Oh, and the translation/script is an improvement over 999.

so yeah, good first impression and much better production values then I was expecting. I can't believe anybody is gonna make money on this, but I sure am happy to help them try.

Himu · « **Reply #17 on:** October 26, 2012, 12:27:53 AM »

How is this tied into 999?

demi · « **Reply #18 on:** October 26, 2012, 12:28:30 AM »

Its a direct sequel? lol.

Vizzys · « **Reply #19 on:** October 26, 2012, 02:18:23 AM »

Quote

The only certain one is saving in the Pressure Exchange Room on the 3DS version will cause your game to crash and save to become corrupted - resulting in you having to start all over again.

saw this on gaf , thought id post it

bought and waiting for it in the mail

archnemesis · « **Reply #20 on:** October 26, 2012, 02:38:51 AM »

Corrupted saves? I guess I'll get the Vita version then. Maybe I'll have time to play through 999 before its European release date.

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #21 on:** October 26, 2012, 12:17:51 PM »

My 999 copy just arrived yesterday. I'll play that and see if it grabs me enough to move on to this.

originalz · « **Reply #22 on:** October 26, 2012, 08:56:19 PM »

People on SA say that the 3DS version is the way to go, it has better controls and the dual-screens allow you to have additional information whereas the Vita version requires you to take notes.

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #23 on:** October 27, 2012, 03:09:19 AM »

I'm thinking about buying this for the 3DS. How does it look on the XL?

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #24 on:** December 18, 2012, 03:34:40 PM »

Playing dis on Vita. Omg dis game u guys. It will make u cry.

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #25 on:** December 18, 2012, 04:06:15 PM »

The puzzle in the demo was the most distinguished mentally-challenged thing I've had the pleasure of playing.

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #26 on:** December 18, 2012, 04:18:25 PM »

The demo showcased a terrible area. Then again, you shouldn't expect too much of the gameplay; going by my time with 999 playing this for the puzzles is kinda silly as it's mostly piss easy if not padding/fluff.

It's basically an interactive novel with lots of text, branching paths, and multiple endings. Yes, yes, read a book, but the whole thing works and ain't half bad. Besides one set of boobies shamelessly hanging the game surprisingly lacks animu and moe tropes, which is (sadly) impressive of Japan these days.

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #27 on:** December 18, 2012, 04:21:15 PM »

That's what I figured...cause I was playing the puzzle and was wondering how the fuck anyone would figure out any of this stuff in advance, but I guess it's not really meant to be a brain tease type thing.

demi · « **Reply #28 on:** December 18, 2012, 04:35:32 PM »

I havent found a single gamestop yet who carries the 3DS version. I'm too lazy to order it online (how else would it be an impulse buy). I'll get to it eventually. Before this shit gets hella RARE

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #29 on:** December 18, 2012, 09:22:01 PM »

I bought it today

for that holiday airplane gaming

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #30 on:** December 18, 2012, 09:25:46 PM »

Quote from: Howard Alan Treesong on December 18, 2012, 09:22:01 PM

I bought it today

for that holiday airplane gaming

Haha, same here. I literally bought it right before boarding a 13-hour plane trip.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #31 on:** December 19, 2012, 01:18:35 AM »

The puzzles are decent, but the crazy-ass story will make your inner-weaboo jizz it's pants.

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #32 on:** December 19, 2012, 01:58:19 AM »

Did you enjoy this game, Joe-chan?

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #33 on:** December 19, 2012, 09:00:16 AM »

Yes, it was awesome. 999 was good, VLR was even better, can't wait for them to finish the trilogy.

cool breeze · « **Reply #34 on:** January 04, 2013, 02:57:45 AM »

In the early goings but so far the the happenings aren't as compelling 999 was. Still pretty cool.

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I'm glad this isn't one of those stupid cases where the Vita disables picture taking. It's sometimes easier to take a picture of the screen than scribble down clues.
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cool breeze · « **Reply #35 on:** January 07, 2013, 10:19:56 PM »

every conversation in this game goes:

"sigma, trust me. just do it."
"fine, whatever, only if you trust me."
"no fuck no, but you still better trust me."

or: "here's a super shocking secre....oh wait, maybe I'll tell you later"

and the main character is a pedo who believes Phi is a 13 y/o girl, but still looks up her skirt and makes all sorts of inappropriate comments.

great game so far

cool breeze · « **Reply #36 on:** January 09, 2013, 10:29:14 PM »

Overall I liked 999's story and characters more. But for the puzzle/game side it really cuts out all the bullshit tedium from 999. In 999 you had to replay puzzles in different playthroughs, and I think you had to hold down a button to fast forward past text after you finished the game once, and the text speed to begin with was slow. In VLR you just hit square twice and it fast forwards automatically until you hit new text. All puzzles are unique.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I don't think 999 was meant to be the first of a trilogy, so it felt complete, ignoring the jokes like Alice*. VLR ends on a pretty big cliffhanger and the third game has been announced. I didn't know about it going in so I spent a good 10 minutes looking around the branch menu to see if I missed anything. I already had all the trophies and secret messages and checked both 'beginning or end' teasers. It felt like "here's the big twist, now wait two years for the rest of the story"

*Alice, who was stranded in the desert, dressed up for some reason. Also, never explain why her and Clover dressed that way. They hinted that Clover might be a stripper or bartender or something for her cover, but ahh wahtever. how do gravity and sound work.

[close]

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #37 on:** January 13, 2013, 11:10:12 PM »

Yup, they really stepped up up the puzzles thought, 16 unique and fleshed out puzzle rooms vs. 9 clunky ones. But ultimately VLR doesn't feel as complete as 999 did for me. It left me with more questions and fewer convincing answers. There were promising elements that never really developed (the whole Ally/Betray angle was an undercooked plot device, for instance). And overall the game lacked the thrill, urgency, and gruesomeness of 999... it felt cleaner, more sterile, mostly because of the 3D visuals and art-style.

In the end I thought it was a great package, with better gamey parts and worse narrative than 999. I'd place 999 on top because it felt more satisfying, especially when the true endings are compared*.

* According to an interview with Uchikoshi, the incinerator puzzle and twist was *the* first thing he came up with for 999, then developed the whole game around it. He's in love with it. And it showed.

originalz · « **Reply #38 on:** January 14, 2013, 08:00:01 PM »

My favorite part of the game is when you move around the facility and it shows you every single map movement and door opening, even better when there's several of them in a row. Really gives us the feeling of walking around a boring building!

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #39 on:** January 14, 2013, 10:19:00 PM »

Don't forget the repeated elevator sequence! If it wasn't for that sequence repeating I'd be too disoriented.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #40 on:** January 15, 2013, 03:21:42 AM »

"How come we went through three separate doors, but we all ended up in the same place?"
"Let me show you...ON THE MAP!"

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #41 on:** January 18, 2013, 08:58:45 AM »

I'm glad I didn't stick with my original impression of the demo. Got as far as the game would let me through the Cyan door (Alice), and am now working on Magenta (Luna.)

Cyan door spoilers:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Felt a bit like the movie Primer.

[close]

demi · « **Reply #42 on:** January 18, 2013, 09:10:19 AM »

I had to look up how to find the other safe password in the infirmary : * (

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #43 on:** January 18, 2013, 09:14:10 AM »

i've been getting faster and faster about looking up solutions. Whenever I get stuck, it's never for a legit reason and it always ends up taking too long to figure out. It's usually because some item blends in with the background too well, so I don't know it's there.

Having the browser a click away on the vita is too convenient for this sort of thing (and also, Persona 4.)

cool breeze · « **Reply #44 on:** January 18, 2013, 12:35:17 PM »

I enjoyed the puzzles as much as the visual aspect aspect, so I never looked up answers, but again the Vita's screen shot feature (home+start) helped a ton. If the game operated in real time (like the last express) I might've had to looked up answers.

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #45 on:** January 18, 2013, 02:17:43 PM »

that is a great idea, used it in my last session!

demi · « **Reply #46 on:** January 18, 2013, 08:58:06 PM »

the bunny is making me regret my purchase. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY shit this VA is terribad.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #47 on:** January 18, 2013, 09:07:19 PM »

You should play it in Japanese. If you're gonna weaboo out, you might as well go all the way.

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #48 on:** January 19, 2013, 03:21:19 AM »

Yoooooooooooo Siggyyyyyyyyyyyyy Phidooooooooo

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #49 on:** January 19, 2013, 10:50:56 AM »

Quote from: demi on January 18, 2013, 08:58:06 PM

the bunny is making me regret my purchase. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY shit this VA is terribad.

after a certain point (pretty early on), you can skip all of his VA...you don't have to listen to him when you're really in the main game. Think of him as tutorial guy. I haven't beaten the game completely though, so I imagine he comes back later (nobody needs to answer that.)

i can't decide which I hate more-- bunny or teddy

originalz · « **Reply #50 on:** January 19, 2013, 08:57:47 PM »

Zero Jr. is like the best character ever, stop hatin. He's just so happy to screw everyone over!

Second best part of the game is when you get the secret files in the crew quarters and learn about Sigma's curse.

I actually preferred the English voices to the Japanese ones, I felt that they fit the characters more.

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #51 on:** January 20, 2013, 11:48:42 AM »

would playing 999 after VLR still be fun?

I'm almost done with VLR, but just got 999 in the mail. also, I skipped Clover's entire speech about who she is (in VLR) because it seemed like it would give away 999.

Huff · « **Reply #52 on:** January 20, 2013, 12:03:14 PM »

yes, i haven't finished vlr yet, but i think the story was better in 999

cool breeze · « **Reply #53 on:** January 20, 2013, 01:21:54 PM »

yeah, but keep in mind that VLR streamlines the 999 experience. 999 is pretty tedious about replaying stuff and the overall structure.

VLR references the 999 story broadly, so even if you paid attention, it doesn't matter much.

Huff · « **Reply #54 on:** January 20, 2013, 02:41:33 PM »

I like the streamline but I hate the puzzles just as much.

demi · « **Reply #55 on:** January 20, 2013, 10:22:39 PM »

i like how they have roadblocks now -- "to be continued" and they force you to explore all the paths to discover new things

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #56 on:** January 20, 2013, 10:48:28 PM »

Yup, the "locks" are BS. In 999 you only needed 2 playthrough to reach the true ending. And VLR's Flowchart feature saves a lot of time, the number of story locks is a bit too much.

demi · « **Reply #57 on:** January 20, 2013, 10:51:16 PM »

Sounds like you just werent interested in the story at all. Even in 999 each path would talk about new things.

Shaka Khan · « **Reply #58 on:** January 20, 2013, 11:02:06 PM »

I actually cleared every path *because* I wanted learn everything there is to know.

However, in 999 I was able to unlock the true ending in two playthroughs, then leisurely uncover the rest of the game, but in VLR they sorta increased the number of necessary locks/story-checks, and therefore I was only able to see the true ending after pretty much clearing everything, which felt like a bit of a drag.

Now I'm sure there could have been shortcuts here and there, but one example of what I'm talking about is that you had complete multiple routes to uncover...

spoiler (click to show/hide)

the bomb passwords and computer logins

[close]

... Which were needed (unless I'm mistaken).

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #59 on:** January 22, 2013, 11:42:38 AM »

platinum'd it at about 32 hours (my first plat.)

True Ending mega spoilers:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

It seemed like Kojima style madness to me. Someone confirm or deny my perception of the ending: So Sigma and kyle's souls keep jumping to different points in time in order to stop this outbreak? and the chick from 999 ran the experiment with Sigma, who is really Zero, who is in Kyle's body for most of the game, but doesn't remember anything until the true ending. Tenmyouji is Junpei from 999? Clover survived 999, but in the true ending, she gets stuck in the shitty future with Alice, on the moon. The ending with Akane and Sigma is right before the outbreak...maybe that's where the next game picks up--they have to go through another weird Zero puzzle to prevent the outbreak?

[close]

In any case, I immediately started a 999 playthrough yesterday in hopes of making some more sense of the ending.

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Author Topic: VLR: 999: 3DS VN (and Vita I guess) (Read 3330 times)