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Virtue's Last Reward SPOILER Thread
- Thread starter LiK
- Start date
ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE because Akaneeeeeee.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
This whole thing has me questioning whether or not I actually like Akane. At the end of 999, I felt pretty sympathetic towards her, but now? I dunno. Like, I get her motives and actions completely, but I can't help but to think it's rather cruel to go about it this way.
I dunno what's worse. Dying in space or going to his cult place.
I felt bad for the Sigma in Luna's ending. Decides to stay behind to look for Luna and ask her about stuff... then is left alone inside the rhizome after she shuts down, with no chance to escape.
FOREVER ALONE.
In K's ending he mentions that Akane said that she'd have liked nothing else than to settle down with the man she loved XD
And that essentially it was her turn to save him, like how he saved her
But at the same time, Old Akane and Old Sigma are also trying to save the future from its current dismal fate of Radical-6 and destruction.
So hopefully point E will lead to the happy future for everyone
RyougaSaotome
Member
In K's ending he mentions that Akane said that she'd have liked nothing else than to settle down with the man she loved XD
And that essentially it was her turn to save him, like how he saved her
But at the same time, Old Akane and Old Sigma are also trying to save the future from its current dismal fate of Radical-6 and destruction.
So hopefully point E will lead to the happy future for everyone
Though technically, it can't be a happy ending for everyone right? The versions of Junpei and the others in the alternate ending timeline are stuck with what they have.
Sure, a perfect, happy future end is possible, but that'd be a different timeline. Unless I misinterpreted something.
TIME TRAVEL HIJINKS.
Of course there's that... but think of it like the infinite earths situation. A version of Junpei, etc will end up happy in at least one of them
Yeah, Tenmyouji mentions that in the alternative end/epilogue that even if they save the future, their timeline will still exist, thus he and Quark will still be together in their timeline
So the happy timeline would happen for those existing in 2028, and not 2074~
Though Tenmyouji seems quite content with that, as he has Quark <3
RyougaSaotome
Member
Of course there's that... but think of it like the infinite earths situation. A version of Junpei, etc will end up happy in at least one of them
It's just sad when you look at that alternate timeline where everybody essentially got used, abused, and put through hell.
I understand why Akane (and her brother, somewhere in the background) has to do this, but it doesn't make it any less =(.
When she approaches Sigma in the true end and tells him what needs to be done, I couldn't help but feel bad for her. By seeing into the future and having that power, she's essentially sacrificed her entire life toward this goal, for better or worse.
I can only hope that things turn out ok for everyone.
That's another question I had XD
While most, if not all of the original Nonary game participants/the ones from 999 are now working with the SOIS, Ace/Gentarou being in Jail, the only one really left unaccounted for is Aoi @_@
I wonder what he was up to for the past 45 years instead of being by Akane's side :x
Hopefully Free The Soul didn't eliminate him in the future >.<
Would be fun if he was able to redeem himself in some way in a future game, or just return in general
Left was confirmed to be Dio.
Brother is the esper that's in charge of Free The Soul.
Left is the name of Brother's younger brother that was killed in the past.
Brother then went on to create clones of his younger brother Left, which were the Myrmidons.
The clones all were given the same name of "Left", which is why Dio's name is also "Left" because he's the Myrmidon leader of the 4th generation of clones.
RyougaSaotome
Member
Just like with the other nonary game, I can't imagine Akane being able to do all of this all by herself, even before meeting up with Sigma. I think the chances are good that he was taking care of other things/details/situations.
I'm sure we'll hear from him again.
Speaking of Brother and Left, I wonder how they thought they could actually stop the AB Project. You're dealing with people who can send themselves into to alternate timelines. If you beat them once then they just move on to another timeline. Dio giving away the bomb codes and other intel in some of the dead end timelines probably didn't help. You think they would have briefed him on not to dropping that kind of knowledge around the people he was dealing with.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Was I the only person who was looking around the Q Room and kept asking, "Who has all the money to pay for all this crap!?" until I realized that wow, this is a research facility and the puzzles are important?
In that way, this game handles the reality of alternate timelines really well. You can't just discard your feelings for the other characters in the other timelines or discard the timelines themselves without caring much because they feel just as important as the most significant timeline. You aren't discarding the timelines for something better, because you can't help but to feel like you're leaving people behind--even if some of those characters killed themselves. Compared to other games that have time travel but don't have a good grasp on it, it's much better because some of those other games don't give enough significance to the NPC characters to the point where you wonder, "Well, what's going to happen to them at the end?" Even if you didn't play 999 before, I can't help but to feel like people would get attached to these characters by the end to feel like the other endings and timelines are just as important as the true ending timeline.
Worded poorly, but I guess I got that across adequately.
Maybe Motomu Toriyama should take some notes for his time travel stories. :vOf course there's that... but think of it like the infinite earths situation. A version of Junpei, etc will end up happy in at least one of them
Yes. And the Alternate End really drives that home--heck Junpei's bit about her not being the same Akane he fell in love with drove that home. I feel bad for the two primary players considering they're sacrificing their lifetimes for this, but I don't know if I have as much sympathy for them.
In that way, this game handles the reality of alternate timelines really well. You can't just discard your feelings for the other characters in the other timelines or discard the timelines themselves without caring much because they feel just as important as the most significant timeline. You aren't discarding the timelines for something better, because you can't help but to feel like you're leaving people behind--even if some of those characters killed themselves. Compared to other games that have time travel but don't have a good grasp on it, it's much better because some of those other games don't give enough significance to the NPC characters to the point where you wonder, "Well, what's going to happen to them at the end?" Even if you didn't play 999 before, I can't help but to feel like people would get attached to these characters by the end to feel like the other endings and timelines are just as important as the true ending timeline.
Worded poorly, but I guess I got that across adequately.
Free the Soul was behind Cradle Pharmaceutical too, right? I can't help but think that Brother and Left are related to people we already know.
I suspect that means Dio/Left is ALSO an esper, as Kyle clearly has some ability for that given he got possessed at the end and seemingly took Christmas Sigma's body for a spin.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Was Free the Soul mentioned in 999 at all?
I didn't really like the retcon (the only one, iirc) with Ace being simply a Free the Soul pawn. It seemed...kind of weird to turn the central villain of the original game into just a lackey for some secret society.
I also find it interesting with the termite analogy going on with Zero Sr., the name "Myrmidon" means roughly "ant-people".
EDIT: Oh, and why did Sigma choose a rabit motif for Zero III (besides the Japanese mythology reference, which helped me guess the moon twist like an hour into the game)? I was kind of disappointed that Zero III just disappeared except for two or so plain lines when speaking to Akane, and they never explained exactly why he was so wacky and weird.
I didn't really like the retcon (the only one, iirc) with Ace being simply a Free the Soul pawn. It seemed...kind of weird to turn the central villain of the original game into just a lackey for some secret society.
I also find it interesting with the termite analogy going on with Zero Sr., the name "Myrmidon" means roughly "ant-people".
EDIT: Oh, and why did Sigma choose a rabit motif for Zero III (besides the Japanese mythology reference, which helped me guess the moon twist like an hour into the game)? I was kind of disappointed that Zero III just disappeared except for two or so plain lines when speaking to Akane, and they never explained exactly why he was so wacky and weird.
I don't believe it ever was. I agree that it kind of trivializes Ace's actions and the events of the first game.
I also just finished the game about an hour ago and am still cleaning my brain up from off the wall. Geez I'm having a difficult time grasping it. I get the general idea but it's just so out there. I love thinking about this stuff though so I'm fine. The future ending is pretty sad though when you think about it. Everyone seems pretty bitter about being used and because they exist in the future timeline, there would be no way to know if the future was changed or how the new future would even look. There's no fruit to their labour It's sad stuff.
I too was a bit sad when I found out Sigma was an adult because I felt like it ruined the relationship with Phi. Then they started pulling out all the quantum stops though and now young Sigma and Phi have to work together to save the world. Yay
I'm seriously stoked for the third game in the series though. The voice acting was great, especially Zero III. I could not play the game without sound as I enjoyed it all way too much. The localization was also done really well so great job to everyone involved!
He might be a follower of Free The Soul, but his reasons for the Nonary Game were still his own
Faces are important :<
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Go to sleep. That's what I did. My brain kinda overloaded because the end was such an infodump. I was like, "Fuckin' space?! You're old?! Akane was always here?! The Man Who Leaped Through Time?! Nuclear winter?!" So much stuff to grasp all at once, lol.
Y'all actin' like May-September romances are impossible up in this thread...
So, I'm confused as hell.
So Sigma, Old Sigma, Phi, and Kyle are going backwards and forward through time to save the world? And Akane is like, Obi Wan or Yoda or something and knows everything except the stuff that happens in that base. And why out of all people in the entire world they base a plan only around Sigma and Phi? Who the hell is Phi? Why is Old Junpei so pathetic? Why does 22 year old Akane in English sounds hot? I don't understand anything.
Anyone have a feeling the third game will take place in that base? I wanna know what happens in it.
So Sigma, Old Sigma, Phi, and Kyle are going backwards and forward through time to save the world? And Akane is like, Obi Wan or Yoda or something and knows everything except the stuff that happens in that base. And why out of all people in the entire world they base a plan only around Sigma and Phi? Who the hell is Phi? Why is Old Junpei so pathetic? Why does 22 year old Akane in English sounds hot? I don't understand anything.
Anyone have a feeling the third game will take place in that base? I wanna know what happens in it.
RyougaSaotome
Member
To be fair, while it might have been old Sigma's body, it was still young Sigma's mind. So that's somethin'!
Also, by the end isn't young Siggy inside Kyle? So he still good.
I hope in the third game the characters of VLR won't be forgotten. Of course we will see Sigma, Phi and Akane again, but I wonder about Clover, Alice, Quark and Jumpei. Personally I think Luna will again play an important role.
I am pretty sure "Gaulem Luna" had to be modeled after a "real Luna", who was very important to Sigma. My guess is that this real Luna is the girl Sigma saved in 2029 when he lost his arms. The girl that we heard talking about how she killed 6 people during the experiment and basically the whole world. Sigma got the blue bird pendant from her and then passed it on to Gaulem Luna.
Edit: Btw. Clover reminds me of "Overly Attached Girlfriend", the bug that she's always smiling is so creepy and funny at the same time.
ULTROS!
People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Kinda funny I expected that:
- Temyouji = Junpei and Old Lady = June/Akane. Old Lady was obvious once I got the card and saw "Kurashiki" and the password JUMPYDOLL. Temyoujunpei was carrying a picture of a girl who he had saved or liked. The picture of the girl worked in the scanner thing and that made me think "this is obviously Junpei since he liked Akane/June so much and going by Akane = Old Lady, yeah that probably solidifies that.".
- They were in another planet in the Dio ending (first ending I got). I was like why is the moon red and the land so barren? Then I thought maybe they were in another planet. I was half-right though (moon is not a planet).
- I also expected them to be into the far future since the dates weren't given and were very vague. As soon as I thought Old Lady = Akane, they were in a faaaaaar future.
I didn't expect:
- Sigma to be Zero (or precisely, in the body of who is now Zero)
- Luna to be a robot
- K to be Sigma Clone
Great game, although there were many ellipses and a few spelling errors. Nothing big and nothing wrong though.
Also I wonder what Zero Escape vol. 3 will be about now. Probably a point between December 2028 and April 2029. Using probably Sigma, Phi, and K?
Also I hope that they put someone... similar to Lotus and Alice in vol 3.
Also I wonder who Brother is since he was an Esper (or at least part of the Nonary game I think)...
- Temyouji = Junpei and Old Lady = June/Akane. Old Lady was obvious once I got the card and saw "Kurashiki" and the password JUMPYDOLL. Temyoujunpei was carrying a picture of a girl who he had saved or liked. The picture of the girl worked in the scanner thing and that made me think "this is obviously Junpei since he liked Akane/June so much and going by Akane = Old Lady, yeah that probably solidifies that.".
- They were in another planet in the Dio ending (first ending I got). I was like why is the moon red and the land so barren? Then I thought maybe they were in another planet. I was half-right though (moon is not a planet).
- I also expected them to be into the far future since the dates weren't given and were very vague. As soon as I thought Old Lady = Akane, they were in a faaaaaar future.
I didn't expect:
- Sigma to be Zero (or precisely, in the body of who is now Zero)
- Luna to be a robot
- K to be Sigma Clone
Great game, although there were many ellipses and a few spelling errors. Nothing big and nothing wrong though.
Also I wonder what Zero Escape vol. 3 will be about now. Probably a point between December 2028 and April 2029. Using probably Sigma, Phi, and K?
Also I hope that they put someone... similar to Lotus and Alice in vol 3.
Also I wonder who Brother is since he was an Esper (or at least part of the Nonary game I think)...
I dunno, I figured the girl he saved could've been Phi, while the woman speaking in the transmission was Akane. I actually thought this when I first heard the transmission, and I swear she shares the same voice as 22 year old Akane.
Also of note: she said there were 3 survivors and 6 dead people. The Mars mission replication is also in an isolated place, so that's gotta be the setting for Volume 3.
I read that in the Japanese version this woman is voiced by the same VA as Luna. Don't know if it's true, but it makes sense that there is/was a human Luna somewhere.
Maybe it's just wishful thinking, because I like Luna so much.
I think these three people are the woman (Luna, Akane, whoever?) and Sigma + Phi. But with cloning and time travel you never know of course.
That'll probably be the Safe ending of the next game, with a bunch of alternatives then a true ending where you create a positive future.I think these three people are the woman (Luna, Akane, whoever?) and Sigma + Phi. But with cloning and time travel you never know of course.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Tenmyouji being Junpei became so obvious, that for awhile I thought it was a purposeful misdirect and he was actually Santa...
Some of the twists are way more obvious than in 999, but there's also some pretty extreme misdirections, IE Luna's trolling Sigma into thinking for awhile he was a robot.
Still, it'd make no sense for Santa to be hunting down Akane since clearly they were in cohoots and he was sort of an alternative Zero, as I imagine he was the one doing most of the actual abducting if they didn't just have subordinates that did the grunt work... then again if OLD Akane was fine running around in Kyle's armor then maybe her strength shouldn't be underestimated.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Pretty much plot device, although I still think he's secretly Dio's kid since Dio mentioned that he got involved with women during his Ending (the only time I believe he's telling the truth), and Quark's got kind of the same hair.
But then again, due to the confusing time-line, and Dio not having an official age (if he has an age being a clone), I don't know if Dio having a kid that old is possible.
I had to get every ending, and my first time was to choose ally with Luna during that final AB game. You cannot comprehend how my heart broke when I forced myself to choose betray to get a bad ending....I deserved that bad ending. I'm sorry, Luna. :-(
I didn't have any issues with Quark. Yeah, kids in video games are usually annoying, but he was one of the more bearable child characters in this medium.
During my play-through, I was always curious why the game avoided to ever show Sigma's full portrait. When Zero Jr. spoke to everyone and the game zoomed out, I was wondering "Where the fuck is Sigma in this group?! Why isn't he there?!"
WiiRevolution1
Member
Apparantly theres a alternate ending if you beat all the puzzles on hard? Did I read that right? Can anyone give me a rundown on that? I...don't want to ever redo any of those puzzles. Meh, guess I could wait for someone to upload it on youtube but even the Japanese version of the alternate end isn't on youtube O_O
Anywayz: Long post incoming....
WOW!!! This game had me hooked from start to finish. Ordered from amazon so I could get the watch, so I had too get it a couple days late. :/
No matter! For the past five days all I have basically been doing is this. It took me awhile to get into the first game, it was my first visual novel outside of Pheonix Wright which is somewhat similar, but since I knew what to expect I got hooked into this game instantly and detroyed it in five days. Anywayz: Here is what I liked and disliked from this game. This ain't everything. Just the first things I can think of. Theres more but I have bad memory so I can't think of them all off the top of my head:
Likes:
-Its a direct sequel to 999 for starters. Obviously I watched the first Japanese trailer so I knew Clover was in it, but I didn't know how far it would go.
-All of the plot twists. From K being you to Luna being a robot to Dio being the killer (did they have to make it that obvious? He was the only jerk in the game lol) to Junpei and Akane, to Radical-6 and so much more. I originally thought that Radical-6 would be either made up, or that it would be Akane behind it seeing into Junpei's future again and seeing the virus. With you stopping it at that Nonary Game.
-The effects of Radical-6. The Security Room chipmunk scene was so funny but of course, the suicides were really shocking.
-The Music.
- The Flowchart. Nuff said. Especially never havig to redo a puzzle.
-The fact that it was so damn long. Its almost double the length of 999 and 999 was long.
Dislikes:
-THE FUCKING CLIFFHANGER! Don't do that! I might not mind if they knew 100% for sure if they were making a third game but what if this game bombs and theres never a continuation of the story? After the ending they should've had it to where you fast forward until you go back in time a second time and then stop the virus from spreading. You don't even know who Phi is either, it could've been revealled that she was in the experiment and had the virus, it seemed to go in that direction the entire true end and then the game just stops. It just fucking stops. You can have a subtle cliffhanger like 999 did but don't do a cliffhanger where the world is still in ruins. This would also mess up any third game that did continue the story since you would start the game knowing what you had to do. And thats not how these type of games should start. I still loved the game and all of the stuff up until you realize its over, but once you do...damn. It would've added at most two hours at most to go back a second time and stop the virus but nope it just ends! Theres also no final puzzle like there was with 999. It just ends...
-Speaking of abrupt endings, so many endings I felt ended way too abruptly. So many had someone just walk out've the 9 door and end. All the doors unlock after that happens...so why don't you go EXPORE? Meh...whatever on this one. I understand why you couldn't but still...
-That damn Lion password in the Directors Office. It keeps showing "momento mori" and "remember death" over and over again, but neither of those phrases or any combination works, then I get a ID for it from Luna and I get a password that says "JumpyDoll" and that doesn't unlock it either, nooo you ALSO have to get a password from K to login. Add in the fact that there was no lock on it made this the most confusing thing in the whole damn game.
-The plotwist, even though more major than 999's plot twist, didn't really feel that shocking. Maybe because with 999 you really have no idea whats going on and don't even know that theres scifi-ish stuff in it but 999 I think was the overall better game with better plot twists. Everything was too predictable, unlike 999 which couldn't even begin to be predicted. By the time you got to the beginning of the true end, you knew everything except who Phi really was (and you never find out...) and who you are. At that point old Sigma was the only shocking thing. I knew that there had to be a reason that Sigma wasn't voiced lol.
-Of course, I have to add those damn glitches with the pressure exchange room on the 3DS version. It froze TWICE! In the puzzle section and in a novel section while in the pressure exchange room. If it hadn't crashed, then my average playtime for the game would've been 38:01 but now its 12:40 :/ I take that feature very seriously and my average playtime could've been legendary. It still is, I doubt I would beat it anytime soon. But still...
I still rank this as one of my all time favorite games since no other game can pull me in like this for as long as 5 days without getting burnt out while playing as long as I did. To end this post, I want to post my stats that I have for the game:
Virtue's Last Reward
Started Thursday October 25th 2012 5:13 PM
Finished Monday October 29th 2012 10:33 AM
Playtime: 38:01
Average Playtime: 12:40
October 25th: 4:15
October 26th: 9:58
October 27th: 9:17
October 28th: 9:23
October 29th: 5:08
Endings I got in order:
Lock #4 - There isn't enough anti-viral medication! - End of Day 1
Lock #8 - How do we stop Phi?
Phi - Game Over
Lock #6 - Where did Alice go?
Director's office - Solve the mystery of the two-jeaded lion!
Luna - Game Over 1
K - Game Over
Lock #1 -How can Phi and K be saved? - End of Day 2
Dio - Game Over
Dio - End
Lock #2 - Is there proof it wasn't murder?
Tenmyouji - Game Over 1
Lock #3 - Five minutes of life!
Tenmyouji - End - End of Day 3
Tenmyouji - Game Over 2
Alice - Game Over
Alice - End
Lock #7 - Who planted the bomb?
Sigma - End
Quark - End
Quark - Game Over
Lock #9 - Who planted the bomb?
Lock #10 - Where is the number 0 bomb?
Clover - End
Clover - Game Over
K - End
Luna - End
Luna - Game Over 2 - End of Day 4
Phi - End
End or Beginning - End of Day 5 - Game 100%ed.
I do plan to go back and truly 100% the game with all gold files and stuff but I am not messing up my average playtime and I want a platinum and I sure as hell ain't goinng anywhere near that pressure exchange room so I will wait awhile, forget details, and play 999 and VLR back to back with VLR being the Vita version after I get a Vita.
Also for the record: here are my 999 stats:
Started 04/08/11
Finished 05/13/11
Playtime: 20:39
I quit out've this game 13 times so my average playtime doesn't really count here. You can tell that by VLR being a sequel to 999 I played VLR alot more in five days with 38:02 then 6 days and 20:39 with 999.
If there is a seuel then I demand to play as Clover next time! Or atleast a female to change things up. I don't wanna play as a character I already played as...even if that seems likely. Maybe the girl who started the virus? Phi or Luna? IDK. Maybe we can go back to the first Nonary game, that would be interesting if i was maybe short and a eShop/PSN download or something...
Final anywayz: Just wanted to say thanks for everyone that was involved in making this game or localizing it. Such a awesome experience from begginning to end.
Anywayz: Long post incoming....
WOW!!! This game had me hooked from start to finish. Ordered from amazon so I could get the watch, so I had too get it a couple days late. :/
No matter! For the past five days all I have basically been doing is this. It took me awhile to get into the first game, it was my first visual novel outside of Pheonix Wright which is somewhat similar, but since I knew what to expect I got hooked into this game instantly and detroyed it in five days. Anywayz: Here is what I liked and disliked from this game. This ain't everything. Just the first things I can think of. Theres more but I have bad memory so I can't think of them all off the top of my head:
Likes:
-Its a direct sequel to 999 for starters. Obviously I watched the first Japanese trailer so I knew Clover was in it, but I didn't know how far it would go.
-All of the plot twists. From K being you to Luna being a robot to Dio being the killer (did they have to make it that obvious? He was the only jerk in the game lol) to Junpei and Akane, to Radical-6 and so much more. I originally thought that Radical-6 would be either made up, or that it would be Akane behind it seeing into Junpei's future again and seeing the virus. With you stopping it at that Nonary Game.
-The effects of Radical-6. The Security Room chipmunk scene was so funny but of course, the suicides were really shocking.
-The Music.
- The Flowchart. Nuff said. Especially never havig to redo a puzzle.
-The fact that it was so damn long. Its almost double the length of 999 and 999 was long.
Dislikes:
-THE FUCKING CLIFFHANGER! Don't do that! I might not mind if they knew 100% for sure if they were making a third game but what if this game bombs and theres never a continuation of the story? After the ending they should've had it to where you fast forward until you go back in time a second time and then stop the virus from spreading. You don't even know who Phi is either, it could've been revealled that she was in the experiment and had the virus, it seemed to go in that direction the entire true end and then the game just stops. It just fucking stops. You can have a subtle cliffhanger like 999 did but don't do a cliffhanger where the world is still in ruins. This would also mess up any third game that did continue the story since you would start the game knowing what you had to do. And thats not how these type of games should start. I still loved the game and all of the stuff up until you realize its over, but once you do...damn. It would've added at most two hours at most to go back a second time and stop the virus but nope it just ends! Theres also no final puzzle like there was with 999. It just ends...
-Speaking of abrupt endings, so many endings I felt ended way too abruptly. So many had someone just walk out've the 9 door and end. All the doors unlock after that happens...so why don't you go EXPORE? Meh...whatever on this one. I understand why you couldn't but still...
-That damn Lion password in the Directors Office. It keeps showing "momento mori" and "remember death" over and over again, but neither of those phrases or any combination works, then I get a ID for it from Luna and I get a password that says "JumpyDoll" and that doesn't unlock it either, nooo you ALSO have to get a password from K to login. Add in the fact that there was no lock on it made this the most confusing thing in the whole damn game.
-The plotwist, even though more major than 999's plot twist, didn't really feel that shocking. Maybe because with 999 you really have no idea whats going on and don't even know that theres scifi-ish stuff in it but 999 I think was the overall better game with better plot twists. Everything was too predictable, unlike 999 which couldn't even begin to be predicted. By the time you got to the beginning of the true end, you knew everything except who Phi really was (and you never find out...) and who you are. At that point old Sigma was the only shocking thing. I knew that there had to be a reason that Sigma wasn't voiced lol.
-Of course, I have to add those damn glitches with the pressure exchange room on the 3DS version. It froze TWICE! In the puzzle section and in a novel section while in the pressure exchange room. If it hadn't crashed, then my average playtime for the game would've been 38:01 but now its 12:40 :/ I take that feature very seriously and my average playtime could've been legendary. It still is, I doubt I would beat it anytime soon. But still...
I still rank this as one of my all time favorite games since no other game can pull me in like this for as long as 5 days without getting burnt out while playing as long as I did. To end this post, I want to post my stats that I have for the game:
Virtue's Last Reward
Started Thursday October 25th 2012 5:13 PM
Finished Monday October 29th 2012 10:33 AM
Playtime: 38:01
Average Playtime: 12:40
October 25th: 4:15
October 26th: 9:58
October 27th: 9:17
October 28th: 9:23
October 29th: 5:08
Endings I got in order:
Lock #4 - There isn't enough anti-viral medication! - End of Day 1
Lock #8 - How do we stop Phi?
Phi - Game Over
Lock #6 - Where did Alice go?
Director's office - Solve the mystery of the two-jeaded lion!
Luna - Game Over 1
K - Game Over
Lock #1 -How can Phi and K be saved? - End of Day 2
Dio - Game Over
Dio - End
Lock #2 - Is there proof it wasn't murder?
Tenmyouji - Game Over 1
Lock #3 - Five minutes of life!
Tenmyouji - End - End of Day 3
Tenmyouji - Game Over 2
Alice - Game Over
Alice - End
Lock #7 - Who planted the bomb?
Sigma - End
Quark - End
Quark - Game Over
Lock #9 - Who planted the bomb?
Lock #10 - Where is the number 0 bomb?
Clover - End
Clover - Game Over
K - End
Luna - End
Luna - Game Over 2 - End of Day 4
Phi - End
End or Beginning - End of Day 5 - Game 100%ed.
I do plan to go back and truly 100% the game with all gold files and stuff but I am not messing up my average playtime and I want a platinum and I sure as hell ain't goinng anywhere near that pressure exchange room so I will wait awhile, forget details, and play 999 and VLR back to back with VLR being the Vita version after I get a Vita.
Also for the record: here are my 999 stats:
Started 04/08/11
Finished 05/13/11
Playtime: 20:39
I quit out've this game 13 times so my average playtime doesn't really count here. You can tell that by VLR being a sequel to 999 I played VLR alot more in five days with 38:02 then 6 days and 20:39 with 999.
If there is a seuel then I demand to play as Clover next time! Or atleast a female to change things up. I don't wanna play as a character I already played as...even if that seems likely. Maybe the girl who started the virus? Phi or Luna? IDK. Maybe we can go back to the first Nonary game, that would be interesting if i was maybe short and a eShop/PSN download or something...
Final anywayz: Just wanted to say thanks for everyone that was involved in making this game or localizing it. Such a awesome experience from begginning to end.
Yes, there is another ending.
I think it's enough to get all the gold files. In this case you would only need the passwords for the safes without actually solving any riddles again.
ULTROS!
People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
It will be interesting if there was a Zero Escape Vol. 0. Maybe it can tell the story of the first Nonary game especially about
* i spoilered it because it spoils about 999, not about VLR so yeah, I did that just in case.
the first Nonary game's Transmitter group.
* i spoilered it because it spoils about 999, not about VLR so yeah, I did that just in case.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Wait...which one's the alternate Ending?
I saw somewhere it involved OLD Akane, but I got all the Gold Files and my final final ending has YOUNG Akane talking to me.
I saw somewhere it involved OLD Akane, but I got all the Gold Files and my final final ending has YOUNG Akane talking to me.
Well, there was even more "Nonary Games" before Clover and Snake...after all, Ace himself was involved in one as a kid hosted by Gordain
Look over the timeline, there should be a new node to access.
As for your spoiler bit: Anyone noticing a recurring theme here? It seems like people who get abducted for a nonary game end up hosting one themselves, with Ace in a prior one, Akane doing the repeat of the one she was in, and Sigma ultimately hosting the one he participated in when his consciousness was younger. Admittedly each of these had a goal, though Ace was a straight up asshole for his.
What say GAF on their more preferred villain: Ace or Dio?
Kagari touched on this for a bit in the VLR OT thread. I expect almost no votes for Dio compared to Ace, but when all was said and done I liked Dio quite a lot for his role in the story. I think the slight cowardice that he showed when he begged not to have his arms broken by Alice was funny, because he is a character who is supposed to be so transcending of human ills like greed. Then again, pain is pain and it sucks. His unnecessary bravado and abrasiveness made him look ridiculous though in a comical way, unlike the more "socially sociopathic" Ace. I think their levels of evil, especially considering their actions (including Dio's actions in alternate realities) basically match each other, in spite of their vastly different goals.
With Ace, you had a guy with a decent enough veneer that hid a monstrously frightening level of sociopathy. He possessed motives that were completely selfish. With Dio, you have a rabid animal that acts slightly more enlightened than he actually behaves. He seemed to be a fanatical idealist, but when you're that depraved, I think you've long since lost sight of whatever ideals you were purporting. I vote Dio. That being said, they're both scumbags and I'd never want to meet them.
I'm just going to put this out here: sorry to her fans, but ever since the end of 999 I have had major issues with her. Great and interesting as a character, but definitely morally ambiguous.
The reason I say ambiguous is that due to her esper powers, vision, and willpower, she has put herself in a position of a "master architect" of history. I don't disagree with what she wants to accomplish: save tons of lives and the planet. By itself I would want that, but it comes at a high price, and of course, there are no perceivable alternatives for the saving of lives / elimination of Radical-6 other than Akane's psychological torture games. Where most everybody lives (by the way, this author is showing a reluctance to kill off characters you relate to a.k.a. almost all of the cast of 9 from both games) but you are also objectified. Ask Alice and Clover. At this point, what's being asked of me is to invest faith that the abuse of people and sometimes even their deaths (indulgence of moral hazard), though effectively not real, is for some greater good. Was she acting against the Radical 6 outbreak because it was took innocent lives and was unnatural?
It's not difficult to conceive of a villain who thinks they act in the name of justice. Or ones who develop attachments and feel they love people. I don't know much anything about abnormal psychology but I figure Akane's life experiences must skew her experience of the human condition. Maybe it's me being susceptible to my own power of suggestion (I was dead set on not trusting K and Luna, with results that don't really show to my favor), but looking at Old Akane whenever she talked was the scariest experience in the game for me.
There's a great conundrum that comes from Junpei - Am I supposed to want to give up my life that I've lived (the Rhizome9 history) so that many others may be saved? It's not as easy a decision as it looks. I take issue with Junpei for suggesting that accepting the paths as they happen and doing the best you can with what you've got (a very fuzzy notion) is fundamentally more noble than acting against it, especially considering he got pissed off at those kids abusing animals way back when. And I take issue with saying "Is there really any point to a world where everyone is happy", though in that latter statement it's hard to see where the bitterness ends and begins. But he has that one fair complaint.
And that's another interesting thing about Junpei's situation - how different would his opinion be if his situation changed and the one person in life who ended up making him happy (Quark) was never in his life in the Rhizome9 history? Is his morality essentially self-referential? Maybe it's because he's jaded and stoic, but it seems to barely register that the woman he spent almost his entirely life searching for has changed into a person he doesn't care for. But since Junpei is a true stoic, there's only one option for him - go back to the life he has now. I guess he realized, and Akane probably did too (or she is emotionally resigned to/fixated with her big plans), that they have major philosophical and values differences. Whether or not they grew into it or those differences are more ingrained is anybody's guess. I'm sure they'll still think of each other and remember how they loved each other. The reunion of the star crossed lovers was pointedly underwhelming.
The Zero Escape saga started with Akane's will to live and avert her death. I think she is becoming obsessed with justice in a way that has warped her and I think distanced herself from her noble, sensitive, good nature. I don't trust her. If her desire to live is actually part of some huge gambit to prevent the spread of Radical6 and the explosion of the reactors in the first place...then she has got to be insane, but I would be at least somewhat wrong. I think Akane Kurashiki is the main character of the Zero Escape series, and not we as the player, the fourth dimensional forces (or the character "?") or whatever that assist her plans, however much they make it possible. Whether or not she is a "villain" will be seen later.
It may be the one below Phi's ending, listing the location as the Infirmary.
I hear what you're saying about the Nonary games though. Nonary Games seem to perpetuate themselves because they have such strong imprints on the players' minds. Since Nonary games have strong elements of self-interest yet seem to cloak the orchestrator from guilt, it's an easy way to indulge your dark side. But I think that though Sigma was the Zero this time, it was with Akane's prompting that he assumed that role. I'm not sure that Sigma's failure to avert the Radical 6 outbreak (to whatever degree he ends up being involved, player or not) would not have necessarily made him do all the things he did to set up the AB Project. What was it that Junpei mentions, that it was because of what Sigma did or didn't do that the contributes to the state of the world in some way?
Kagari touched on this for a bit in the VLR OT thread. I expect almost no votes for Dio compared to Ace, but when all was said and done I liked Dio quite a lot for his role in the story. I think the slight cowardice that he showed when he begged not to have his arms broken by Alice was funny, because he is a character who is supposed to be so transcending of human ills like greed. Then again, pain is pain and it sucks. His unnecessary bravado and abrasiveness made him look ridiculous though in a comical way, unlike the more "socially sociopathic" Ace. I think their levels of evil, especially considering their actions (including Dio's actions in alternate realities) basically match each other, in spite of their vastly different goals.
With Ace, you had a guy with a decent enough veneer that hid a monstrously frightening level of sociopathy. He possessed motives that were completely selfish. With Dio, you have a rabid animal that acts slightly more enlightened than he actually behaves. He seemed to be a fanatical idealist, but when you're that depraved, I think you've long since lost sight of whatever ideals you were purporting. I vote Dio. That being said, they're both scumbags and I'd never want to meet them.
I'm just going to put this out here: sorry to her fans, but ever since the end of 999 I have had major issues with her. Great and interesting as a character, but definitely morally ambiguous.
The reason I say ambiguous is that due to her esper powers, vision, and willpower, she has put herself in a position of a "master architect" of history. I don't disagree with what she wants to accomplish: save tons of lives and the planet. By itself I would want that, but it comes at a high price, and of course, there are no perceivable alternatives for the saving of lives / elimination of Radical-6 other than Akane's psychological torture games. Where most everybody lives (by the way, this author is showing a reluctance to kill off characters you relate to a.k.a. almost all of the cast of 9 from both games) but you are also objectified. Ask Alice and Clover. At this point, what's being asked of me is to invest faith that the abuse of people and sometimes even their deaths (indulgence of moral hazard), though effectively not real, is for some greater good. Was she acting against the Radical 6 outbreak because it was took innocent lives and was unnatural?
It's not difficult to conceive of a villain who thinks they act in the name of justice. Or ones who develop attachments and feel they love people. I don't know much anything about abnormal psychology but I figure Akane's life experiences must skew her experience of the human condition. Maybe it's me being susceptible to my own power of suggestion (I was dead set on not trusting K and Luna, with results that don't really show to my favor), but looking at Old Akane whenever she talked was the scariest experience in the game for me.
There's a great conundrum that comes from Junpei - Am I supposed to want to give up my life that I've lived (the Rhizome9 history) so that many others may be saved? It's not as easy a decision as it looks. I take issue with Junpei for suggesting that accepting the paths as they happen and doing the best you can with what you've got (a very fuzzy notion) is fundamentally more noble than acting against it, especially considering he got pissed off at those kids abusing animals way back when. And I take issue with saying "Is there really any point to a world where everyone is happy", though in that latter statement it's hard to see where the bitterness ends and begins. But he has that one fair complaint.
And that's another interesting thing about Junpei's situation - how different would his opinion be if his situation changed and the one person in life who ended up making him happy (Quark) was never in his life in the Rhizome9 history? Is his morality essentially self-referential? Maybe it's because he's jaded and stoic, but it seems to barely register that the woman he spent almost his entirely life searching for has changed into a person he doesn't care for. But since Junpei is a true stoic, there's only one option for him - go back to the life he has now. I guess he realized, and Akane probably did too (or she is emotionally resigned to/fixated with her big plans), that they have major philosophical and values differences. Whether or not they grew into it or those differences are more ingrained is anybody's guess. I'm sure they'll still think of each other and remember how they loved each other. The reunion of the star crossed lovers was pointedly underwhelming.
The Zero Escape saga started with Akane's will to live and avert her death. I think she is becoming obsessed with justice in a way that has warped her and I think distanced herself from her noble, sensitive, good nature. I don't trust her. If her desire to live is actually part of some huge gambit to prevent the spread of Radical6 and the explosion of the reactors in the first place...then she has got to be insane, but I would be at least somewhat wrong. I think Akane Kurashiki is the main character of the Zero Escape series, and not we as the player, the fourth dimensional forces (or the character "?") or whatever that assist her plans, however much they make it possible. Whether or not she is a "villain" will be seen later.
It may be the one below Phi's ending, listing the location as the Infirmary.
I hear what you're saying about the Nonary games though. Nonary Games seem to perpetuate themselves because they have such strong imprints on the players' minds. Since Nonary games have strong elements of self-interest yet seem to cloak the orchestrator from guilt, it's an easy way to indulge your dark side. But I think that though Sigma was the Zero this time, it was with Akane's prompting that he assumed that role. I'm not sure that Sigma's failure to avert the Radical 6 outbreak (to whatever degree he ends up being involved, player or not) would not have necessarily made him do all the things he did to set up the AB Project. What was it that Junpei mentions, that it was because of what Sigma did or didn't do that the contributes to the state of the world in some way?
I agree 100% with this, especially about the Junpei and Akane meeting being entirely underwhelming and Akane mindfucking people too much.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Alright, I found the Hard-Mode ENDING. Thanks guys, I would've missed that.
Dio was weird because he was such a jerk (kind of like Santa) that I thought that there was no way he'd turn out to be, ultimately, the game's villain (putting aside some of the stuff Zero Sr. and Akane did) and kept expecting to see his good-sided nature come through. But in the end, except for the brief sadness he shows during his Ending (about some lost love that I still think is important), there's nothing really likable about him...well, except that he looks cool, has a smooth English voice, and has a certain finesse when throwing out F-Bombs.
Ace on the other hand was immediately likable and even when he was revealed to be the big-bad, I was still hoping there was some good left in him. That never came true either but, then again, there's still Game #3. He's been arrested, sure, but since he's a rich man, he probably has some pretty good lawyers able to get him out of jail pretty early...not to mention there's no solid proof that he committed the original Nonary Game. And while he was a villain, he wasn't villainous enough that he'd want to see the whole world destroyed by Reactors. It's also interesting when you consider that he has propagnosia, and the entirety of the Myrmidons reportedly have the same face...
I also wonder if Lord Gordain, who could possibly be considered the root of the whole series (since he set, presumably, Ace down his path of evil) will end up playing a larger part and all the Titanic Mythos in 999 will end up being more than just a red herring. After all, someone had to have put that Mandragora Root for Ace to find.
Yup, I'd say Phi >>>>>>>>>>>> Akane at this point. Phi I found to be far more stronger as a female lead and, even with all the mystery surrounding her still, I found her more relatable than Akane. Even before the reveal in 999, Akane weirded me out a bit with how...forthcoming she was.
Dio was weird because he was such a jerk (kind of like Santa) that I thought that there was no way he'd turn out to be, ultimately, the game's villain (putting aside some of the stuff Zero Sr. and Akane did) and kept expecting to see his good-sided nature come through. But in the end, except for the brief sadness he shows during his Ending (about some lost love that I still think is important), there's nothing really likable about him...well, except that he looks cool, has a smooth English voice, and has a certain finesse when throwing out F-Bombs.
Ace on the other hand was immediately likable and even when he was revealed to be the big-bad, I was still hoping there was some good left in him. That never came true either but, then again, there's still Game #3. He's been arrested, sure, but since he's a rich man, he probably has some pretty good lawyers able to get him out of jail pretty early...not to mention there's no solid proof that he committed the original Nonary Game. And while he was a villain, he wasn't villainous enough that he'd want to see the whole world destroyed by Reactors. It's also interesting when you consider that he has propagnosia, and the entirety of the Myrmidons reportedly have the same face...
I also wonder if Lord Gordain, who could possibly be considered the root of the whole series (since he set, presumably, Ace down his path of evil) will end up playing a larger part and all the Titanic Mythos in 999 will end up being more than just a red herring. After all, someone had to have put that Mandragora Root for Ace to find.
Yup, I'd say Phi >>>>>>>>>>>> Akane at this point. Phi I found to be far more stronger as a female lead and, even with all the mystery surrounding her still, I found her more relatable than Akane. Even before the reveal in 999, Akane weirded me out a bit with how...forthcoming she was.
I actually started suspecting that Quark was Dio's kid or another clone of sorts immediately after I saw Quark's attempted suicide. I had already seen Dio's ending so I knew about his story. Once Quark started going on about purification and freeing the soul from the body I felt they had to be related. They even had practically the same hair color. I guess it's too early to say though as it may be relevent to the sequel. Who knows?
That should be Clover's ending I believe XD