'Quantum Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner, Vol 2'

Three years. I've been biting my nails in anticipation for this book for three bloody years.

And now I have to wait for the translation of volume three. And this book ends on an even more nerve-wrecking note than volume one. I love this book so much that my anxiety for volume three's translation and publication might kill me.

While it has been a long time since I last thought of the five-volumed Quantum Devil Saga and its spiritual older brother the Digital Devil Saga duology, I easily jumped back into the narrative and world without feeling like a day passed since I last read about Serph, the Embryon, and the denizens of the mysterious Junkyard. I rarely felt that connected to a story's world, and I cannot praise everyone involved in the games and this book series enough.

Before reading further, I suggest checking out my thoughts on Quantum Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner, Vol 1 from 2014. Also, as I went down memory lane to prepare for this post, I remembered Kevin Frane informing me that the guys at Bento Books read my review of volume one and liked it. Supposedly. I-I'm still kinda in denial about it. *fans self to prevent fainting*

Anywho, enough about silly me. SPOILERS AHOY!

Q and Ultimax: Two Demons of Procrastination Obtained! ... Wait...

For the first time in months I could finally sleep peacefully and wake up feeling refreshed. Although classes are around again and I still have too much work to complete, I'm feeling less stressed than before. If that is the purpose of having a break, consider my Thanksgiving very well spent. Be it doubly so because Amazon kindly gave me my most anticipated game of 2014 just in time before I went back to the doldrums of fall-semester-marathon-of-exams-and-last-minute-assignments.

Considering how Persona and SMT has dominated my blog for nearly two years, I'll take time to play Persona Q inside and out multiple times before taking a good stab at writing extensively on it. Besides, I already promised myself too many times to get the Mass Effect 3 review started before I kick the bucket on my 21st birthday from good ol' alcohol poisoning. (Which won't happen, even if certain friends I have will be disappointed.)

So until I go crazy enough to squee or rage over a stupid video game, I'll at least make several points of observation regarding Persona Q and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. I won't spoil anything though, as tempting as it is in the case for Ultimax. Maybe in the future I can make a rant on the spoilers because I sincerely doubt I'll ever "formally" review a fighting game. Sorry.

So Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Is Out Today...

God that title is so stupidly hysterical.

...A pity I won't be able to play it for a while. My PS3 is still many hours and gallons of gas away from me. Even though I preordered it over the summer, I will have to wait for at least another month or so before I can possibly pop the baby in and play it to my hearts content. I remember Persona 4 Arena was rather entertaining and fun. Fighting games were never my forte or preference, but P4A was friendly enough for me to complete the story campaign, which was shockingly decent, without resorting to seppuku. Usual moi, I avoided multiplayer because online people will serve me my own ass.

Since I have no proper ability to judge a fighting game on any merits, I don't think I'll ever formally review the Arena games. Likely I'll judge them as legitimate sequels to the Persona 3 and Persona 4 canon. One of my friends laughed at the notion, as fighting games aren't meant to have good stories anyway. Considering both Arena games are indeed canon AND legitimate sequels to P3 and P4, some kind of storytelling standards cannot be outright ignored by a relatively flimsy excuse. Will it plummet the game's quality down the toilet? No, it shouldn't. But a bad story can make what is otherwise a beautiful, flawlessly technical game earn an "okay" or "good" score, no matter how avoidable the unpleasant features are.

Which is why I'm glad I'm not playing Ultimax yet.

I'm worried. Deathly worried.

...

...

I may need to amend my review score for Persona 4. I'm sorry. I didn't know, guys. I didn't know things would get this stupid... Reading the spoilers thus far made me realize Empty Spiral, my sleazy excuse of Persona 3 fanfiction for shipping fanservice, is probably better written than Ultimax. Shadow the Hedgehog is a classic Shakespearian character next to Sho Minazuki.


So much potential... obliterated before my eyes.


... Please let this just be a false knee-jerk reaction. Please let this just be Fangirl's overblown knee-jerk reaction. PLEASE.

'Quantum Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner, Vol. 1'

There have been numerous reasons my blog hasn't been updated lately, and this is one of them. For the past several months, I have been really, really excited for this book. I sat on pins and needles, watched a few interviews with the translator Kevin Frane, helped hold a small contest to promote the book, and pre-ordered this as soon as I could. Now that I finished it in just a day a week ago, I have no regrets.

Quantum Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner is a five-volume novelization of a story Yu Godai created when approached to create a scenario for Digital Devil Saga. Though she didn't work with Atlus long enough to finish her work for the RPG (although she is still credited), she planned to write her own version of the story, as it was her original idea. The fact Quantum exists has fans of the Megami Tensei franchise who adored Digital Devil Saga squeezing with delight.

And it's translated into English. Well, volume one at least, thanks to translator Kevin Frane and Bento Books. Since I want the other four volumes released outside of Japan as soon as possible, I owe it to myself to stand on my podium and rant away on this tiny little blog.

Spoiler: I really, really, REALLY love this book. And some spoilers are here, sort of.

'Shin Megami Tensei IV', Part II

This review ended up being pretty short, considering how long-winded I can get over the silliest things. Perhaps I need to beat more Shin Megami Tensei games before I can go on for seven parts. Maybe then I can overanalyze every fault in characters, gameplay, plot, and theme that I come across.

I do like this game, but I don't feel the desire to deconstruct and reconstruct the game's basic elements from start to finish. Not yet at least. There is an unfortunate reason for that.

Superior being[s], I fricking hate that one picture so much. So, so, so, so very much.

So let me get the gigantic, stubborn elephant out of the room briefly before I continue onward. Oh, and possible spoilers.

RE: Fangirl's 'Persona 4' Review

They're making a Persona 4 Golden anime adaptation.

…

…

'Shin Megami Tensei IV' Part I

It feels great having beaten a mainline Shin Megami Tensei game. This may not be the hardest game in the entire franchise - spin-offs included - but the fourth installment is still pretty difficult. It's a fact by this point that Atlus likes torturing gamers as frequently as possible. Beating it means I feel less like casual filth and demon chow and feel more... mediocre. Or a masochist. Or both.

Anywho.

I'll accept this registered quest.

...

Before I begin, just as a very brief note, I will refer to the protagonist as Flynn. You can create a name for him, but I want to simplify this and minimize confusion.

And uh, I hinted at if not outright discussed spoilers in this part. I tried keeping it to a minimum. I apologize in advance.

March 2014 Update: Me and Video Game Difficulty

Exams and homework and Spring Break and DDS-Net and Skype stole my attention from this blog. ...My bad. ^_^'

By this point, just assume there will be a month or two per year when I suddenly vanish or provide no content. It doesn't help if I have writer's block. Like I do now. It's not just Rants From a Fangirl; my fanfic hasn't grown much in terms of length. Maybe I'm still burned out from the October 4th subplot ordeal or maybe I'm pretty close to the worst part of the original game: the horrible November-December angst festival of awful pacing.

Anywho.

To combat my everyday laziness and persistent afflictions of writer's block, I've made tons of progress in Shin Megami Tensei IV. My play hours sat at 15 for so many months, but now I've added another 17 or so in the span of a week. It's not a bad game, but the first several hours were just... frustrating to put it mildly.

Either Medusa - or Minotaur depending on your luck - can be a lot harder to fight than this video makes it look. I was not lucky enough to have as many useful skills for my demons. (Plus, my Flynn is more oriented to physical rather than magic attacks.) Then add my unfortunate luck in recruiting and negotiating with demons, often to the point I would run out of items, macca, HP, MP, or all of the above. I died... many times. I lost count. But if I can make a humiliating estimate, I died at least twice per hour. For twenty hours straight.

"FANGIRL, PLS! Y U SUK SO MUCH!!!!"

This game is the reason I can never go back to Persona 4 Golden. This game destroyed whatever faith I had in my already minuscule abilities and skills as a gamer. Shin Megami Tensei IV made me commit to forever starting off at the lowest or second-lowest difficulty setting in a video game. No exceptions.

Whenever I pick up a new game, I used to sometimes start on the easiest difficulty. Now, it will be a mandatory standard.

Feel free to call me a wimp, a weakling, a little girl, and a child crying over a video game that a manly man can handle but I can't. Considering this is how the video game culture can be at times, I'm not shocked anymore. I am well aware that I'm not the most competitive, the strongest, or the brightest tool in the shed, but for me, entertainment and immersion is my preference. If getting get used to a game's mechanics involves asking for help, consulting a guide, or lowering the difficulty, I'm not ashamed to do so. Besides, the guys on DDS-Net have scolded me for my newly cemented approach.

Now that I'm more interested in playing MegaTen games, I've started to notice that many fans in the fanbase have admitted to going online or asking friends for help on boss battles, negotiation techniques, and demon fusion. Sure, there is still some mocking and teasing going about to separate the chosen elitists from the demon chow, but I have not met one MegaTen fan who said, "Oh, yeah! I totally beat the demi-fiend in Digital Devil Saga in one try without any guides!" or "You can't beat Persona 2 Innocent Sin without a guide for persona fusions? You really suck!" If you are such a person, most people would assume you are lying through your teeth.

I once suggested on Skype for someone to play Nocturne on Hard Mode without dying once. One person - who first played Nocturne as a child - nearly started crying. Another told me to stop taking so many crazy pills. The rest said to leave that idea by the curb, run VERY far way, and never look back. Because... need I say anything more than check TV Tropes for the short answer?

Torturously stupid ideas aside, once I scaled down the difficulty of SMTIV, I enjoyed the game so much more. I went through normal mode for twenty hours before finally giving up my masochistic crusade. I sacrificed my pride and vowed to beat the game, even if everyone mocks me over "EASY MODO". So, believe it or not, I may review the game not long after I complete it! From what some friends told me, I'm at the halfway point and coming closer to the alignment lock. Whether I will be Lawful, Chaotic, or Neutral will be revealed soon.

My overall feelings of the game will be saved for once I review it. I don't want to cause a big stink like I did for Persona 4. But I will say that I'm enjoying SMTIV FAR BETTER than P4 overall.

Call me an elitist all you want, but I have more experience in school kids saving the world. Fighting through the demon apocalypse is still pretty new for me. I ain't a full fledged member who's committed to either side of the fence.

Once I'm done this game - and either Strange Journey or SMTI - I may have my answer.

Now excuse me, but I just ran into my archnemesis while wandering around Tokyo. And I'm at level 44.

LET THE BLOODBATH BEGIN!!

SMTI for iOS Gives Me a Reason to Finally Use my iPod

I'm still in the stone ages of tech. My all-in-one device is a laptop. My phone and iPod are separate and neither are my places to check email. And I sure as heck don't write essays or play app games on my iPod. It is just a music machine for me.

And then Atlus announced the North American release of Shin Megami Tensei I for iOS this March. For like $8.00.

And I said, why the hell not?

It's been over twenty years since it first came out, and there are a bunch of ports of it already only in Japan. A version of it (maybe the PS1 port, or just the music from the PS1 version will be used) will finally be available without turning my computer into an emulation machine or learning Japanese to play an old Famicom game. If the port sucks b/c most RPG ports on iOS seem to turn out bad, then... at least it's eight bucks. As iffy as this made some people who relied on emulation and ROM hacks, I'm happy about this. Officially, this game will become localized and will be released to the North American public. This is a sign that Atlus might send their Japanese-only stuff over here in the future. 

A-Anywho. *sniff*

Regardless of the port's quality, I'll still support it. The game will be obscenely hard and dated, but having it for the sake of giving it a chance never hurts. I'm not sure how soon I'll tackle it, but I'll make time. My backlog is pretty big, but manageable.

Well, for once I don't have to save up pennies. Sweet. If I end up hating SMTI, I can drown out my sorrows with some new music. 2013 was a good year for heavy metal apparently. I should check to see what bands I like released new material...

'Persona 4' Part IV

I'm done. I am practically screaming at a brick wall within my own psyche by this point. I just cannot bring myself to enjoy Persona 4. The more I think about it, the more problems I find and want to bitch about.

But I'm done. Once I finish this review, I will just live my life as if this installment meant nothing to me. I will ignore the abhorrent concept of Dancing All Night existing, and I will keep my Vita's skin, even if I hate the majority of Golden's content. I can tolerate Arena because I get to see some of the old members of SEES again. I'll still play Persona Q just for everyone in SEES coming back.

Maybe one day, I'll pick up the original Persona 4, just to get a better sense of the gameplay. Otherwise, if I have killer hangover and have the need to be blinded by yellow, I'll just watch the anime.

Now, let's finish this review. Onto things I am more positive about before I give out my already controversial final verdict.

'Persona 4' Part III

...I just need to get to the point.

No build-up, no long introduction. Let's get this story tackled.

Because dear superior being(s), I don't like it.

SPOILERS, of course. I reeditted this post to remove my digression with other games. But still. Mass Effect 3 and Tales of Xillia handled their "big bads" better than Persona 4. My god, this game will be the end of me.

'Persona 4' Part II

The guys at the DDS-Net forums are pretty laid-back and cool people. No massive wars started yet. No internet drama and bullshit erupted. Since it's still a small community, I managed to find my voice among a sea of veteran fans.

Not long after I published part 1 of my review, someone started a Persona 4 thread. I laid down my opinion of the game and tried to be as honest as I could. Within hours, people flooded in with their own few cents. Just recently, a few of us got heated over a tiny aspect of the game. Had someone not pointed that out, the discussion could've blown up into full-scale war.


It's funny how I am most experienced with the Persona series, but I have more in common with those who like other SMT games.

I have... TONS of issues with this game. Let's say that this can be the ending of Mass Effect 3 levels of rage.

Spoilers ahoy.

'Persona 4', Part I

Whelp, the Persona reveals on November 24th exhausted me. Though I got eight hours of sleep and did not watch the stream, I still ended up cranky and angry at the world. And I liked three out of the four new games! How can something I like make me ecstatic and piss me off so much at the time?! If I become an alcoholic once I'm 21, I'm blaming Atlus!

Anyway, I've delayed this review long enough. Time to get to business.

...

Before I do, I find it funny that I said I don't COMPLETELY hate Persona 4, yet I'm sure many people came to that conclusion anyway. Just because I found a lot to whine and nitpick about, that doesn't mean the game was garbage. I've torn the Mass Effect games a new asshole a few times and I still play them endlessly. Though I know it's extremely campy and flawed, I still love Shadow the Hedgehog. As much as I sing high praises to my favorite band ever, I still step back and laugh at how hilarious and awkward HIM is at what they do. You can't be honest with yourself if you say you love everything about something.

So no, I don't hate Persona 4. Not entirely, at least. To know how I really feel, let's finally get this review started.

BTW, some Spoilers will begin to appear early this time around.

Four Early Christmas Presents

Persona has been on the mind all year, and it won't go away. Heck, nearly every year on this blog I rant and rave about something forever. And for some reason people keep coming back... I guess I'm not trying hard enough.

Anywho.

Ever since I joined a new Shin Megami Tensei forum, I've been listening to so much Persona-related new lately. The freaking out was getting pretty bad with rumors flying everywhere. So to not go on an emotional roller coaster, I watched LittleKuriboh's Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged as I played my fourth full playthrough of Fire Emblem Awakening yesterday. Once I got online today, I arrived in the aftermath of the forums exploding with conversation and squees. I tossed in a few cents on the new threads after looking up the new stuff. Real-life drama was never my cup of tea, though the place is still pretty laidback next to the rest of the internet. No bloodshed, no violence. Just the occasional poking fun at someone's alignment.

Anywho.

Today's announcements were what I needed after all the homework I finished.

Persona 4: the Golden Rant

This is an emergency.

I really need to get this off my chest. All progress on my review is on halt because of my emotions. I cannot make any progress and cover Persona 4 objectively without tossing out moldy food from the fridge. I have so much beef over so many things so trivial that I have no idea how to not make an unfair, unbalanced review. And I swear to God this is the last teaser for the review! I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry, I am so very sorry!! So let me just say this stuff now before we get another Persona 3, Part 4.

I am glad Gamestop charged $50 for Persona 4 a few years ago. It would have been a big mistake to invest in it that soon. Because if you are interested in Atlus and their Shin Megami Tensei franchise like I was, Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden are the worst gateway games to try first.


Before anyone makes a doll of Fangirl and starts tearing her limbs off... HEAR ME OUT.

...BTW some SPOILERS run amok.

Of Bad Anime, Facebook, Band Break-ups, and Squees

... ... *stares at date of this post*

Let me know when we have a cure for PTSD.

...

So... cute... @///_///@

Anywho, to get my mind off finishing the Mass Effect 2 review and planning for Persona 4 Golden, I have done other things in my time. When I'm not procrastinating for a test, reading books for class, or writing papers, I hang out on Crunchyroll, Youtube, and/or TV Tropes. Some anime caught my eye, and I've found some music I haven't heard in years.

I opened the floodgates of my mind and vomited whatever had time to escape. So lets see what Fangirl's been up to.

'Devil Survivor 2: The Animation'

I like anime. I really do. Some of the conventions and cliches are fun, hilarious, and enjoyable. Some characters fit the same mold constantly, but others break down boundaries and create a new spin on tropes of characterization.

Some shows are classics. Some are memorable and provide a lot of commentary. Some are forgettable, but still watchable. Others are just simply bad. Even fewer reach legendary levels of awful. Basically, anime is like everything else: movies, music, shows, books, and various other mediums of entertainment.

Maybe I've been on TV Tropes for far too long and I'm even more jaded than ever since I became a realistic pessimist. Maybe I'm just naturally finding faults in everything. Maybe I do too much simple research on suits, temperature, and health concerns before I dive into a public pool. Regardless of the reason, I came to the conclusion that Devil Survivor 2 The Animation is a sterile anime.

How it fairs as an adaptation will not be a strong factor as I have not played the game. However, I will stress a few things that rubbed the wrong way with me, still relatively new to the Shin Megami Tensei franchise.

To put it simply, this is Shiki meets Sonic Colors... with Altus and the SMT label slapped on for sales.

Great. Spoilers ahoy.

200 Posts?!?!?!: Update and Mini Rants

It took me nearly a month to realize how many posts I've published. Holy Crap. O_O

Typically one would say "Thank you for helping me keep this blog strong!", but I won't. I say it on every "update" and it's tired out by this point. Yes, I am still thankful, but that's not going to be the purpose of this post.

Well, I want to mention the state of various posts I'm working on or I've promised I'd put up. Then I'll sprinkle in some things on my mind lately.

I Won the Lottery...

Oh, I sure do wish. It doesn't help that BOTH of my parents buy tickets occasionally. It's just so out of character for them, but then again, the economy has sucked since 2007. After six years of this mess, I'd consider spending twenty bucks a ticket to win superior being(s) know(s) how many millions of dollars. Graduation from college is gonna suck.

Anywho, onto more positive things.

That was me in real life yesterday... seriously.

I finally found a Gamestop that wasn't trying to rip my limbs off. The selection of new and used games was much larger than I was used to. That meant a greater possibility of finding games I once claimed "rare". And boy, my day was made.