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Persona 5 |Import OT| You Are Slave. Want Emancipation? Coming Winter 2014.

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The redesigns from SMTIV are not used here.

I hadn't really considered the possibility before, but this is disappointing nonetheless. I think SMTIV tended to make each new design seem more visually interesting than what it replaced, but I'm not extremely well versed in all of the demon designs. The example provided looks especially superior though, so it is too bad they kept the older looks.

Do you suppose it was simply because the teams working on both games were different and didn't collaborate? It seems like the creation of the 3D models for the Personas/Demons could have been started after 2013, but I guess it just worked out this way. Sadly, they are unlikely to update the 3D models for a potential SMTV using the assets, since it would be more frugal to re-use them than remake them to represent SMTIV's art. Ideally of course, SMTV would update whatever demons it wanted with new designs anyways.

In regards to steelbooks vs the main cover, don't special editions with steelbooks usually come with both a steel book and a regular case?

Really disappointed by that Strong Language tag (which wasn't the case with previous Persona games - they only got the Language tag which is more mild). Between this & hearing that the game is a lot darker than P3 & 4, I may have to skip this one.

?

Sorry that it bothers you enough to skip what is by most accounts a masterpiece. I guess you should just do what you are comfortable with, but I don't understand, personally. :/
 

PK Gaming

Member
Really disappointed by that Strong Language tag (which wasn't the case with previous Persona games - they only got the Language tag which is more mild). Between this & hearing that the game is a lot darker than P3 & 4, I may have to skip this one.

The Strong Language tag doesn't mean the game will be littered with "FUCKS" and the like, it just means they exist (like Catherine). And yeah, the tone IS darker than P3 & P4, but not to an unbearable degree.
 
The Strong Language tag doesn't mean the game will be littered with "FUCKS" and the like, it just means it'll exists (like Catherine). And yeah, the tone IS darker than P3 & P4, but not to an unbearable degree.

Yeah, this is my perspective pretty much. Catherine had strong language on its rating and it seemed fine to me at least. Unless you are playing in front of kids, I don't get the aversion really, to each their own I suppose.

So I checked, and the steelbook edition on Amazon says "SteelBook Edition comes with game and SteelBook collectable case", so I think like many "steelbook editions", this will come with the game in its regular case, and the steelbook as an extra.
 

barybll

Banned
Really disappointed by that Strong Language tag (which wasn't the case with previous Persona games - they only got the Language tag which is more mild). Between this & hearing that the game is a lot darker than P3 & 4, I may have to skip this one.

Yeeeeah Im sure you have your reasons but I cant relate at all

I for one am happy that they will use a more real dialogue and interactions.
 

Soriku

Junior Member
Really disappointed by that Strong Language tag (which wasn't the case with previous Persona games - they only got the Language tag which is more mild). Between this & hearing that the game is a lot darker than P3 & 4, I may have to skip this one.

I think you need to elaborate as to why these things bother you so much...
 
I think you need to elaborate as to why these things bother you so much...

It's not just the language. It's more along the lines of P3/P4 were on the edge for me and hearing that P5 is noticeably darker/edgier (bumped up a rating in Japan, more explicit language in the US) means I should probably skip it. Plus I have children and need to be a good example. Telling my teenage daughter who loved P4 that she can't play P5 because it's inappropriate and then turning around and playing it myself would be rather hypocritical IMO.
 

Jintor

Member
If your kid could handle p4 they can handle p5 barring any major changes in localisation (or just translation conventions for swearing)
 

Lunar15

Member
Mara

A game with a penis demon is always going to have an M rating.

As for strong language, I do wonder if the ESRB has a full translation. Seems early for that.
 

PK Gaming

Member
It's not just the language. It's more along the lines of P3/P4 were on the edge for me and hearing that P5 is noticeably darker/edgier (bumped up a rating in Japan, more explicit language in the US) means I should probably skip it. Plus I have children and need to be a good example. Telling my teenage daughter who loved P4 that she can't play P5 because it's inappropriate and then turning around and playing it myself would be rather hypocritical IMO.

If your teenage daughter could handle Persona 3 (a very heavy game at times) I think she'll be able to take on P5. It has even more moments of levity compared to P3.

EDIT: But uh, yeah it's 100% your call to make. I'm not even close to being a parent so I'm clearly out of my depth here.
 
D

Deleted member 518609

Unconfirmed Member
It's not just the language. It's more along the lines of P3/P4 were on the edge for me and hearing that P5 is noticeably darker/edgier (bumped up a rating in Japan, more explicit language in the US) means I should probably skip it. Plus I have children and need to be a good example. Telling my teenage daughter who loved P4 that she can't play P5 because it's inappropriate and then turning around and playing it myself would be rather hypocritical IMO.

Having played it, I can assure you while P5 is a bit more serious in tone, its content is little worse than P4. At most there's a little more violence, but only because P4 had next to no violence, so anything would be a step up from that.
 

Shouta

Member
It's not just the language. It's more along the lines of P3/P4 were on the edge for me and hearing that P5 is noticeably darker/edgier (bumped up a rating in Japan, more explicit language in the US) means I should probably skip it. Plus I have children and need to be a good example. Telling my teenage daughter who loved P4 that she can't play P5 because it's inappropriate and then turning around and playing it myself would be rather hypocritical IMO.

Depending on her age, I'd say P5 would be a really good game that you two could play together because a lot of things that'll happen in the story would give you a chance to discuss those topics with her.

P5 is dark because it handles real world issues directly, It's not grotesque or anything but it can hit close for people because of how real it can feel.
 

Holundrian

Unconfirmed Member
I will say that I feel like people overemphasize darker/edgier it always seems to come from a place that wants to appeal to the crowd that eats that stuff up and ignores to mention that while yeah it has a lot of rather heavy issues within the game, the way they're dealt with and the resolution to most of them is also way on the optimistic and feel good side. Overall the game wants you to be hopeful/positive and find the strength to fight against your predicament, message wise. It's tone is rather balanced in that way. And I think the issues presented and resolutions the game chooses for them should not be viewed separately but I also can see that might not be everyone's view.

That said the translation maybe giving off a different vibe is also very possible. The discussion surrounding Kanji and Naoto mostly to this day do make me feel like I played something different.

Also want to add that I don't want this be taken into the argument of if it's appropriate content for teens(just feels uncomfortable), I have no relevant perspective on that. More like this was just meant as a remark on people maybe not quite communicating the tone of the game fully judging from what I've read not even necessarily in this thread only(although people here and there have mentioned this, but the majority definitely felt like they were heralding the dark and edgy).
 
CERO C rating is probably somewhere between T and M. It's probably the less fantastic nature of the problems themselves that bumped up the rating, but honestly the overall tone is still pretty light.

Also improved graphics Mara
 

barybll

Banned
It's not just the language. It's more along the lines of P3/P4 were on the edge for me and hearing that P5 is noticeably darker/edgier (bumped up a rating in Japan, more explicit language in the US) means I should probably skip it. Plus I have children and need to be a good example. Telling my teenage daughter who loved P4 that she can't play P5 because it's inappropriate and then turning around and playing it myself would be rather hypocritical IMO.

I feel the urge to point out that your daughter did play a game with a giant green penis on a chariot.
So...yeah...persona isnt the best series of games if you are looking to avoid stuff
 

Lunar15

Member
Depending on her age, I'd say P5 would be a really good game that you two could play together because a lot of things that'll happen in the story would give you a chance to discuss those topics with her.

P5 is dark because it handles real world issues directly, It's not grotesque or anything but it can hit close for people because of how real it can feel.

Without spoiling, would you say anything hits as hard as the first dungeon? That's mainly what I hear people talk about when they say the game has some rough topics.
 

_Ryo_

Member
regarding strong language I wonder if
Ryuji's クタバラ's during battle will be translated as "fuck you!" or something lighter like "Die" "go to hell" "drop dead"

Also isn't P5 more PG in some ways than previous Persona games? I think I saw persona character models in p3 and p4 that had uncensored nipples or whatever, and in p5 it seems any such thing is covered up by hair or something else.
 
D

Deleted member 518609

Unconfirmed Member
I will say that I feel like people overemphasize darker/edgier it always seems to come from a place that wants to appeal to the crowd that eats that stuff up and ignores to mention that while yeah it has a lot of rather heavy issues within the game, the way they're dealt with and the resolution to most of them is also way on the optimistic and feel good side. Overall the game wants you to be hopeful/positive and find the strength to fight against your predicament, message wise. It's tone is rather balanced in that way. And I think the issues presented and resolutions the game chooses for them should not be viewed separately but I also can see that might not everyone's view.

Completely agree, I've been feeling this way every time I see people talking about how "dark" it is. It's definitely tackling some more real issues, but that doesn't make it dark. The game is incredibly optimistic, it's nowhere near the melancholic depressing game P3 was, and frankly I much prefer it this way.
 
It's not just the language. It's more along the lines of P3/P4 were on the edge for me and hearing that P5 is noticeably darker/edgier (bumped up a rating in Japan, more explicit language in the US) means I should probably skip it. Plus I have children and need to be a good example. Telling my teenage daughter who loved P4 that she can't play P5 because it's inappropriate and then turning around and playing it myself would be rather hypocritical IMO.

Hey I respect making tough decisions to support one's kids, but this a weird justification. Do you also feel it's hypocritical for adults to drink while disallowing kids to do so? To drive while disallowing kids to do so?
 

Shoeless

Member
Depending on her age, I'd say P5 would be a really good game that you two could play together because a lot of things that'll happen in the story would give you a chance to discuss those topics with her.

P5 is dark because it handles real world issues directly, It's not grotesque or anything but it can hit close for people because of how real it can feel.

I don't know why but out of all the positive comments I've heard about Persona 5, this, in particular, suddenly just made the wait for the Western release really, really hard for me.
 

Holundrian

Unconfirmed Member
Hey I respect making tough decisions to support one's kids, but this a weird justification.
Do you also feel it's hypocritical for adults to drink while disallowing kids to do so? To drive while disallowing kids to do so?

Except those two things have legal ramifications. Quite the cringy comparison.
 
If you've beaten Nocturne and SMT IV, it seems a bit odd for P5 to be the game where you draw the line.

Isn't SMT: Nocturne rated CERO-A (All Ages) in Japan? I'd be hard pressed to think of a tamer game that got rated M here. Although I wouldn't go so far as to rate it E, I think T would be appropriate and not a hard T at that. It's definitely a lot tamer than P3 & P4.

Can't speak on SMTIV since I've only played the first half or so.

And no, I don't think a meme about how one demon looks vaguely penis-esque is much cause for alarm.

Do you also feel it's hypocritical for adults to drink while disallowing kids to do so?

Yes, I think society's views on alcohol are incredibly hypocritical - here's a substance that damages your body and impairs judgment and has been the cause of many deaths & heartaches, but for some reason, people think it's magically okay once you reach a certain age. But this is getting off-topic.
 
Without spoiling, would you say anything hits as hard as the first dungeon? That's mainly what I hear people talk about when they say the game has some rough topics.

Honestly the first chapter of the game is about as bad as it gets in terms of "oh shit, that's horrible" which is kind of a detriment. I mean the subject matter the other dungeons deal with is bad, but there are a number of factors that make the first dungeon seem a lot more personal in a variety of ways.

I don't have a kid, but I don't think there's anything in P5 that a 14+ year old would have trouble dealing with unless they're especially sensitive. Bad stuff is talked about but nothing particularly graphic happens onscreen, and while there are hard-hitting moments, overall the overall tone is somewhere between Persona 3's "EVERYBODY'S GONNA DIE: DEAL WITH IT" and P4's "Zoinks Chie, check out this crazy pantry, maybe there's some steak inside." Although I guess in terms of content, P5 is more about how ugly life can be rather than the ever-creeping omnipresence of mortality.
 

PK Gaming

Member
Nocturne is definitely not less tame than P3/P4, haha.

I legit had to stop playing at some points because it was too overwhelming. The atmosphere, dialogue, story beats... It's really oppressive and tense.

Call it what you will - a revelation from God, or a curse of the demon king.

The fact remains that our world came to an end.

And the things that happen to your friends...
 

Lynx_7

Member
Isn't SMT: Nocturne rated CERO-A (All Ages) in Japan? I'd be hard pressed to think of a tamer game that got rated M here. Although I wouldn't go so far as to rate it E, I think T would be appropriate and not a hard T at that. It's definitely a lot tamer than P3 & P4.

Can't speak on SMTIV since I've only played the first half or so.

Nocturne has a character that murders and wears the skin of its fellow race as clothes,
the genocide of said species by the hands of your corrupted friend, and you get to kill said friend(s) near the end of the game
. That's not even taking into account the whole (TDE spoilers)
wiping out multiple universes thing
. I can't remember anything in P4 that gets as dark as Nocturne. Or P3 for that matter. P3 is just moody and has some dark imagery but I can't remember anything really fucked up happening in that game.
 
Oh, I'm not denying that SMT:N's plot gets plenty dark. I'm just saying that most of it's more implied than graphically shown. I don't remember anything even remotely as graphic as the constant suicide imagery in P3.
 

Nakho

Member
Isn't SMT: Nocturne rated CERO-A (All Ages) in Japan? I'd be hard pressed to think of a tamer game that got rated M here. Although I wouldn't go so far as to rate it E, I think T would be appropriate and not a hard T at that. It's definitely a lot tamer than P3 & P4.

Uhh.. what?

The Shinjuku Hospital part right at the beginning of Nocturne is already waaay more disturbing than anything in P4. I tried to find a pic of the hospital bed covered in blood with a pentagram around it, but I couldn't.

Can't comment on P3 though.
 

PK Gaming

Member
Eh, most players get pretty desensitized to the evoker animation. It stops being nerve-racking fairly early on. Meanwhile, Nocturne is like a non-stop assault on your senses. Even if it's not overtly graphic, it's the details that get you.
 

barybll

Banned
Eh, most players get pretty desensitized to the evoker animation. It stops being nerve-racking fairly early on. Meanwhile, Nocturne is like a non-stop assault on your senses. Even if it's not overtly graphic, it's the details that get you.

It wouldn't be the same without the opressive atmosphere, which was completely intentional.
Nocturne represents a post-apocalyptical scenario where everything dies or become a demon so the place is very barren and devoid of life.

The guttural trash metal on a tin can battle soundtrack also helped :D
 

GSR

Member
If you're concerned about grotesque/distressing imagery, P5 doesn't really have much that I can recall (I'm most of the way through.)
 

Bladenic

Member
It's not just the language. It's more along the lines of P3/P4 were on the edge for me and hearing that P5 is noticeably darker/edgier (bumped up a rating in Japan, more explicit language in the US) means I should probably skip it. Plus I have children and need to be a good example. Telling my teenage daughter who loved P4 that she can't play P5 because it's inappropriate and then turning around and playing it myself would be rather hypocritical IMO.

Not when you're an adult and she's a child, but hey, you're the parent! It sucks if you'll miss out on a great game but you can always play it down the line.
 

Ken

Member
september velvet room function spoilers

how do public execution and hanging work? i tried public execution and my weird ugly wolf thing turned into white tiger. is it like random fusion?

also is hanging purely just XP or can you transfer skills that way
 

Holundrian

Unconfirmed Member
september velvet room function spoilers

how do public execution and hanging work? i tried public execution and my weird ugly wolf thing turned into white tiger. is it like random fusion?

also is hanging purely just XP or can you transfer skills that way

Public execution gives you a random persona of I think higher order than what you use or equal order if you use the ultimate personas.
The real draw though for public executions are the exclusive skills you can get.
The ones I know of are Allmighty amp 25% or 50%. One that gives 20 sp upon baton touch. And Magic amp all elements 25%.

Hanging is exp + random inheritable skill.
 
Public execution gives you a random persona of I think higher order than what you use or equal order if you use the ultimate personas.
The real draw though for public executions are the exclusive skills you can get.
The ones I know of are Allmighty amp 25% or 50%. One that gives 20 sp upon baton touch. And Magic amp all elements 25%.

Hanging is exp + random inheritable skill.

I don't think those are exclusive skills. There are several Persona who have the almighty amps and the baton touch SP recovery at least.
 

Shouta

Member
Without spoiling, would you say anything hits as hard as the first dungeon? That's mainly what I hear people talk about when they say the game has some rough topics.

Dungeon 4 definitely hits hard but because the content differs from Dungeon 1's story, it may not resonate with everyone.

That's the thing with the other dungeons, they handle different topics and because not everyone has had the same experiences, some of it won't resonate. Dungeon 1's setting is a common experience for a lot of people, making it easier to relate. Additionally, they do a few things in that first story that engage the player a bit more directly adding to that.

Honestly the first chapter of the game is about as bad as it gets in terms of "oh shit, that's horrible" which is kind of a detriment. I mean the subject matter the other dungeons deal with is bad, but there are a number of factors that make the first dungeon seem a lot more personal in a variety of ways.

I don't have a kid, but I don't think there's anything in P5 that a 14+ year old would have trouble dealing with unless they're especially sensitive. Bad stuff is talked about but nothing particularly graphic happens onscreen, and while there are hard-hitting moments, overall the overall tone is somewhere between Persona 3's "EVERYBODY'S GONNA DIE: DEAL WITH IT" and P4's "Zoinks Chie, check out this crazy pantry, maybe there's some steak inside." Although I guess in terms of content, P5 is more about how ugly life can be rather than the ever-creeping omnipresence of mortality.

I actually think that if they had kept doing the rest of the game like how they did Dungeon 1, it'd probably be a much heavier game than it is. It may have even been too heavy. I feel like what they did with the rest of the stories strike that balance between P3 and P4, as you said, that works and still handles a lot of things without bringing the player down.

On the opposite end of the spectrum though, the game has some amazing positive, emotional moments. These moments far surpass anything that P3 and P4 have in their story. I don't want to get into spoilers but I'm sure that folks will agree that the story for the Hierophant Co-Op, in and out of that set of quests is pretty great stuff.

I don't think those are exclusive skills. There are several Persona who have the almighty amps and the baton touch SP recovery at least.

Those are unique skills as Holundrian points out. They don't show up on the base Persona at all, just when you receive them through that function.
 

Shouta

Member
Oh, I thought he meant exclusive as in, these skills can only be aquired through this fusion.

That's correct. You can only get them initially from that function. After you get them, you can fuse them to other Persona though. But if you never use that function, you'll never see those skills.
 

PK Gaming

Member
It wouldn't be the same without the opressive atmosphere, which was completely intentional.
Nocturne represents a post-apocalyptical scenario where everything dies or become a demon so the place is very barren and devoid of life.

The guttural trash metal on a tin can battle soundtrack also helped :D

Oh yeah, for sure

I hope I didn't give anyone the impression that I dislike Nocturne or anything like that

I love the heck out of Nocturne

It just fucked me up
 

Lynx_7

Member
I think this is the first time I've seen a SMT fan actually worrying about a game in the larger metaseries possibly being too dark. It's quite a change of pace from the complaints about P4 and Apocalypse being too upbeat. lol
 
That's correct. You can only get them initially from that function. After you get them, you can fuse them to other Persona though. But if you never use that function, you'll never see those skills.

Ah ok, probably just my memory playing tricks on me then.
Could have sworn some high-level persona like Sandalphon, Satan or Lucifer had the almighty amps at least.
 
After reading the recent discussion about the game being rated M it just came to my mind that maybe some animations are responsible for the M rating. Particularly, the stuff you see in the Velvet Room: Fusions, creating weapons, sacrificing a persona for experience to other persona, etc. Don't tell me some of those animations are not shocking.
 

Soriku

Junior Member
Eh, most players get pretty desensitized to the evoker animation. It stops being nerve-racking fairly early on. Meanwhile, Nocturne is like a non-stop assault on your senses. Even if it's not overtly graphic, it's the details that get you.

Nocturne...is not this bad lol. Can't say I relate.

Btw Nocturne has too much blood in one segment of the game to get an E. Maybe like a hard T, depending on your stance on blood.

I also think people exaggerate Persona 3's darkness. Outside of the evoker thing (and evokers aren't even real guns) I never saw anything that dark from P3. The end of the world stuff at the end is a little depressing I guess (I personally preferred the game's atmosphere at the time, and it didn't 'get' to me or anything) but every JRPG has an end of the world scenario...

Finally I also think shielding a teenager from some strong language (which I'm sure she hears/reads on a daily basis) and some additional darker/depressing stuff in a game (which I'm sure is nothing that a teenager couldn't handle, however you expect her reaction to be, and btw Persona does feature teenagers as the main characters) is kind of pointless, but that's me.

After reading the recent discussion about the game being rated M it just came to my mind that maybe some animations are responsible for the M rating. Particularly, the stuff you see in the Velvet Room: Fusions, creating weapons, sacrificing a persona for experience to other persona, etc. Don't tell me some of those animations are not shocking.

The whole guillotine thing loses its impact because once the Personas are hit, they just turn into energy blobs instead of having their heads roll.
 
I also think people exaggerate Persona 3's darkness. Outside of the evoker thing (and evokers aren't even real guns) I never saw anything that dark from P3. The end of the world stuff at the end is a little depressing I guess (I personally preferred the game's atmosphere at the time, and it didn't 'get' to me or anything) but every JRPG has an end of the world scenario...

Finally I also think shielding a teenager from some strong language (which I'm sure she hears/reads on a daily basis) and some additional darker/depressing stuff in a game (which I'm sure is nothing that a teenager couldn't handle, however you expect her reaction to be, and btw Persona does feature teenagers as the main characters) is kind of pointless, but that's just me.

It's more than pointless. The world sucks and shitty things happen. Shielding your child from extremely mild adult subjects is not preparing them for handling life after high school.
 
Except those two things have legal ramifications. Quite the cringy comparison.

So the only reason not to allow minors to drive and to drink is legal ramifications? There are neurobiological and physiological reasons adults are better equipped for both activities. Not really getting your point. My point, if you're not getting it, isn't that we should allow kids to drink and drive. Rather it's that we shouldn't necessarily cut ourselves off from reasonable adult pleasures (like Persona I guess?) just because minors aren't equipped to deal with them yet.

Yes, I think society's views on alcohol are incredibly hypocritical - here's a substance that damages your body and impairs judgment and has been the cause of many deaths & heartaches, but for some reason, people think it's magically okay once you reach a certain age. But this is getting off-topic.

I take your point, but there are myriad activities that adults are better equipped to handle more safely and with fewer negative ramifications than are kids and teens. Thoughtfully articulating and reinforcing those boundaries as a parent (and updating them as your kid matures) isn't inherently hypocritical. Anyway, that's a tangential conversation I suppose. I just don't think I'd seen your particular argument for not playing a game before, so was intrigued.
 

Soriku

Junior Member
It's more than pointless. The world sucks and shitty things happen. Shielding your child from extremely mild adult subjects is not preparing them for handling life after high school.

No I agree. I'm also not sure what the end goal of this shielding is for parents. Protecting kids' "innocence" longer? This accomplishes...?

A young kid I understand more as they're more impressionable, but a teenager?
 
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