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[Tizoc]

Great, another indie game that's getting way too overpriced for its own good (Lone Survivor). I'm not liking this trend at all. Sod that. See you at sales time.

They gotta make up for that Sony tax somehow.
I would've gotten it if it were $10, but it costing $11 as a Plus discount...eh screw it I got Kickbeat for $8 but I suck badly at that game.

 

[Edgeward]

I finished the first chapter of Corpse Party and I couldn't continue. The game is fucked up. It's too cruel for me.

 

[corrosivefrost]

Great, another indie game that's getting way too overpriced for its own good (Lone Survivor). I'm not liking this trend at all. Sod that. See you at sales time.

This is the other coin of being too negative regarding 3DS games. I gotta say, I enjoy playing tons of 3DS games despite not playing through many games quickly like the vita. I tend to play them at a slower rate but they tend to be quite special and offer distinct type of games that are a bit lacking on the vita, namely Japanese made games. Pullblox was great, I've put 133 hours on Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Mario 3D Land was fantastic in my opinion etc.

I can't tell if you're being 100% serious or you're exaggerating to make your point cross.

How is it overpriced? It's $3 more than the steam version and it's got new/extra content.

And I think he's 100% serious.
I've played through Luigi's Mansion 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns and the beginning of NSMB and I'm not really impressed with the system or the games so far. I mean, they're okay, but I'm hoping this doesn't end up being how I feel about the new Zelda game in November.

--

Ok, Baron and anyone else with a high level Dragon's Crown character with [Infernal] unlocked -- do you want to take a run at the Labyrinth of Chaos at some point?
I'm now 77 through playing random games online... but there's nobody playing the Labyrinth of Chaos as far as I can tell.

 

[Glass Rebel]

So, I spent some more time with my Vita. I might post more (positive!) impressions later but one thing that's really bothering me is how the PSone library for Europe seems to be very limited. I wanted to buy Chrono Cross and I couldn't. Then I tried to buy Breath of Fire IV and it showed me BOFIII for the PSP. No Legend of Mana, no Vagrant Story, no Xenogears... what's up with that?

 

[corrosivefrost]

So, I spent some more time with my Vita. I might post more (positive!) impressions later but one thing that's really bothering me is how the PSone library for Europe seems to be very limited. I wanted to buy Chrono Cross and I couldn't. Then I tried to buy Breath of Fire IV and it showed me BOFIII for the PSP. No Legend of Mana, no Vagrant Story, no Xenogears... what's up with that?

If they really don't work and aren't transfer enabled from PS3, bitch to the EU PS Blog, they might do something about it.

I think a lot of those work in the US, but then we don't have R-Types, R-Type Delta, Crash 1, Crash 2, Crash 3, Crash Team Racing, Spyro 1, Spyro 2, Spyro 3, Blood Omen Legacy of Kain, etc.

 

[RpgN]

How is it overpriced? It's $3 more than the steam version and it's got new/extra content.

Let's look at it like this. Killzone Mercenary costs 30 pounds on the store, It's almost twice as expensive as Lone Survivor and that's just not right. I'm sure the budget that went through Killzone is far more times than twice as expensive.

I'm not even looking at steam and don't even care how they price their stuff. The whole selling point of indie games (on PSN, I have no history with PC) back then was having interesting/unique/short games to play with a very low budget that would be reflected on the price. Most games used to cost between 6-8 pounds day 1 of release. Some games costed 10 pounds, it was very rare when games costed 13 pounds. The games that costed 13 pounds justified the price by having more content and better graphics.

Now because indie games are all hip and advertised by Sony, suddenly they're treading new waters with higher prices. The whole point of indie is lost.

So, I spent some more time with my Vita. I might post more (positive!) impressions later but one thing that's really bothering me is how the PSone library for Europe seems to be very limited. I wanted to buy Chrono Cross and I couldn't. Then I tried to buy Breath of Fire IV and it showed me BOFIII for the PSP. No Legend of Mana, no Vagrant Story, no Xenogears... what's up with that?

Welcome to the land of Europe. Games like Chrono Cross, Xenogears and Legend of Mana never made it in EU period. Those were some dark times. Capcom released Breath of Fire IV on US PSN only. Vagrant Story should be on the store though?

If they really don't work and aren't transfer enabled from PS3, bitch to the EU PS Blog, they might do something about it.

Vagrant Story is the only game on the EU store out of that list. Can you imagine how it feels like to have never experienced those classic games back in the PS1 days and they still don't release them on EU PSN to make up for it? Another point for US store

 

[Tizoc]

So, I spent some more time with my Vita. I might post more (positive!) impressions later but one thing that's really bothering me is how the PSone library for Europe seems to be very limited. I wanted to buy Chrono Cross and I couldn't. Then I tried to buy Breath of Fire IV and it showed me BOFIII for the PSP. No Legend of Mana, no Vagrant Story, no Xenogears... what's up with that?

Wait what? BoF3 PSP is available on UK/EU PSN?
WHAT THE FUCKING HELL SCEA!!!!!!!

Anyways you really should be careful with some PAL PSX games, the 50 Hz utterly RUIN the game, take FF9 for example, that game is SLOW, and at 50 Hz? Snail's pace man.

Some PSX games on EU/UK PSN are the JPN/NTSC ver. so they should be 60 Hz.
Really if you're UK or EU PSN, you should just focus on PSP, Minis and Vita games far as Vita concerned.

Oh and Vagrant Story is even WORSE...

 

[Glass Rebel]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll have to look into creating an US account eventually then. Pretty annoying.

@Tizoc: of course, the very first game I've bought off the PSN store is FFIX :lol

 

[KuroNeeko]

Great, another indie game that's getting way too overpriced for its own good (Lone Survivor). I'm not liking this trend at all. Sod that. See you at sales time.



I didn't think it would head in that direction, time to read up on that thread :/



This is the other coin of being too negative regarding 3DS games. I gotta say, I enjoy playing tons of 3DS games despite not playing through many games quickly like the vita. I tend to play them at a slower rate but they tend to be quite special and offer distinct type of games that are a bit lacking on the vita, namely Japanese made games. Pullblox was great, I've put 133 hours on Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Mario 3D Land was fantastic in my opinion etc.

I can't tell if you're being 100% serious or you're exaggerating to make your point cross.

Wow!

I was checking this game out today and I had no idea you could keep playing it for so long. I'll probably wait until more details come out on the sequel / xpack coming out next year.

 

[Tsunamo]

50hz really is the killer for PS1 games on the Vita for me. I really want to enjoy PS1 games on my Vita but with most games not being 60hz (or 50hz but optimised to get it close to the US version which is nice) is a real killer.

This is why I'd love the ability to use multiple accounts on the Vita, then I could just alternate between a US account with 60hz PS1 games and my main digital/retail library without the hassle of switching memory cards everytime.

 

[corrosivefrost]

Let's look at it like this. Killzone Mercenary costs 30 pounds on the store, It's almost twice as expensive as Lone Survivor and that's just not right. I'm sure the budget that went through Killzone is far more times than twice as expensive.

I'm not even looking at steam and don't even care how they price their stuff. The whole selling point of indie games (on PSN, I have no history with PC) back then was having interesting/unique/short games to play with a very low budget that would be reflected on the price. Most games used to cost between 6-8 pounds day 1 of release. Some games costed 10 pounds, it was very rare when games costed 13 pounds. The games that costed 13 pounds justified the price by having more content and better graphics.

Now because indie games are all hip and advertised by Sony, suddenly they're treading new waters with higher prices. The whole point of indie is lost.

They're not testing new waters with higher prices, the developers are setting prices that will help them cover their expenses. Unlike your first party studios that can afford to have a game bomb, write it off, and keep going, these indie developers need every sale to fund the time and money they spend bringing their creative vision to fruition. It's not like they're going to become filthy rich off the extra $3.

Sure, I remember the days when most downloadable games were coming in at $5-$10. But if you look at the 360, even games that aren't indie are going for $15-$20 now. You barely EVER see a new XBLA game that's under $15 these days. Licensing fees, bandwidth, etc...

So, while you're welcome to your view of things, and yeah, $12 is more than I wanted it to clock in at since I already own it on Steam, I was hoping it'd be $10 with a 20% PS+ discount... and yet... so yeah, I'm disappointed, but I don't think it's extortion on Jasper's part.

50hz really is the killer for PS1 games on the Vita for me. I really want to enjoy PS1 games on my Vita but with most games not being 60hz (or 50hz but optimised to get it close to the US version) is a real killer.

This is why I'd love the ability to use multiple accounts on the Vita, then I could just alternate between a US account with 60hz PS1 games and my main digital/retail library without the hassle of switching memory cards everytime.

Allowing multiple accounts on Vita would alleviate *some* of my annoyance with SCEA... but my OCD still wouldn't be happy. Not unless they worked it like the PS3 account system where any other account could access the game and earn trophies. Then I'd be able to have both NA and EU PS+ and get all the content... I'd just be a little iffy on the purchases for SCEE because I like owning everything on a single account.

 

[TheChaos0]

I'm hoping for Trail in The Sky to be put on sale. I'm on the fence buying for a last few weeks but maybe wait a while for a discount is much better since my backlog is big enough anyway.

It goes on sale fairly often but then again its not exactly pricey as it is. I would say buy it now so that we can get SC but that miracle has already happened.

I really wish I had some way to send you my digital copy. I really don't care for the game, but it seems I am in the minority, so I wish I could just give it a good home.

It starts slow but has the charm of older generations of JRPGs. It's OK not to the like the game though, we are all friends here. O

If there was a way to sell games digitally, the publishers would flip out so much.

 

[RpgN]

Wow!

I was checking this game out today and I had no idea you could keep playing it for so long. I'll probably wait until more details come out on the sequel / xpack coming out next year.

That game is an addiction. You can make it as long as you want. You're given over 70 songs across 3 modes and you're given lost of content to unlock by collecting rhythmia points. You unlock different characters (through shards), level up, cards, music, videos, profi cards etc. Also if you enjoy getting high scores (like I do) and going after in-game trophies, that's where my time went mostly after the 80 hours mark. Getting SSS on different difficulties looks too good to resist! I'm still not done with 100% everything but that's enough for now. The game can be much shorter if you don't care about all that.

I can't imagine how long it's going to take me with Curtain Call thanks to its 200+ songs and 60 characters :x

 

[Laughing Banana]

I picked up a stack of 12 3DS games recently thinking "Oh maybe these will be interesting". Played most of them and just do not give a shit about ANY of them. Kid Icarus controls horribly, RE Revelations feels sloppy even with the CPP, Mario Kart 7 was disappointing, Super Mario 3D Land went from "alright" to "wank" at the halfway point, NSMB2 is more of the same again, Mario & Luigi Dream Team is the worst game in the series I've played (and the only one I haven't played is Partners in Time), Mario Tennis just remains brutally uninteresting, Fire Emblem I just cannot get into to save my life, Bit Trip Saga doesn't have left handed controls, Animal Crossing is basically a cow clicker in the form of a $70 package...my god.

Meanwhile there's always something interesting on the Vita every week. At least, if it's not NEW, it's at least INTERESTING.

Reading this post, I am feeling truly blessed really that I enjoy both 3DS and Vita.

 

[Tizoc]

It goes on sale fairly often but then again its not exactly pricey as it is. I would say buy it now so that we can get SC but that miracle has already happened.

TitS has hardly been on sale on US PSN since the start of the year, but I've seen it on sale on EU PSN almost every 2 months haha.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll have to look into creating an US account eventually then. Pretty annoying.

@Tizoc: of course, the very first game I've bought off the PSN store is FFIX :lol

If you like Platformers, get Crash 2, 3 and the Spyro games. Crash 1 is OK, but is a pain in the ass to 100%...
Klonoa and one of the Tomba/Tombi games are 60 Hz too I believe.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

Muramasa Rebirth for $20 on Amazon lightning deals. $35 for the LE. Yay or Nay?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

 

[Laughing Banana]

Muramasa Rebirth for $20 on Amazon lightning deals. $35 for the LE. Yay or Nay?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

Take it, it's a good game.

 

[Tizoc]

Take it, it's a good game.

How long does it take to beat it, and how long does it take to 100% it?

 

[murgo]

Am I the only one having issues with the Rayman Legends servers? For the last 2 days I've been getting a "Ubisoft servers are momentarily unavailable" error. Why the hell does this have to happen when I was bound to get a diamond cup on the weekly challenge... WHY?

 

[Laughing Banana]

How long does it take to beat it, and how long does it take to 100% it?

I am afraid I am not qualified enough to answer both of these questions, but I am sure our resident Muramasa expert CorrosiveFrost would be more than glad to answer you

I have only played for about 3-4 hours of it. I *certainly* have no intentions of 100%-it, just finishing it proper.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Reading this post, I am feeling truly blessed really that I enjoy both 3DS and Vita.

I haven't spent enough time with my Vita to reach a verdict (hoping to find Persona 4 or Dragon's Crown out in the wild) but I bought my 3DS early this year and enjoyed it greatly ever since. Now that I have a Vita I'm truly in handheld heaven.

If you like Platformers, get Crash 2, 3 and the Spyro games. Crash 1 is OK, but is a pain in the ass to 100%...
Klonoa and one of the Tomba/Tombi games are 60 Hz too I believe.

Not a huge fan of Spyro and Crash, never was. I think I'll leave PSone games aside and go bargain hunting for the time being. WipEout, Everybody's Golf and MGS HD Collection should be pretty cheap by now.

 

[Laughing Banana]

I haven't spent enough time with my Vita to reach a verdict (hoping to find Persona 4 or Dragon's Crown out in the wild) but I bought my 3DS early this year and enjoyed it greatly ever since. Now that I have a Vita I'm truly in handheld heaven..

Yup, it's nice

This is my personal observation and opinion, but in GAF I feel that there are plenty who allow their preference for a platform to cloud their judgment on various games on another platform, particularly so when the platform that they prefer is perceived as "having a war" with that other platform (as in 3DS and Vita). I am not saying it's wrong, far from it, since of course preference and bias colors each and everything that we choose to enjoy... but, how should I say this... maybe it's just unfortunate.

 

[corrosivefrost]

How long does it take to beat it, and how long does it take to 100% it?

Someone in here 100% it, but I have no intention of doing that at the moment, as I don't want anything to do with Fury mode yet. If the posters in here who have the platinum see this, I'd love some tips on Fury mode, because I see NO WAY to defeat some of those bosses without taking damage.

Anyway, I checked my save file. My complete 100% legend/chaos mode file took 30 hours, 43 minutes.

I ended up needing an extra speed run with Kisuke because I effed up and didn't know some tricks for speed running and so I have a second file with 2 hour, 14 minutes on the clock. I have a third save file where I checked out Fury mode and that has 6 minutes. So all told, I spent ~33 hours with the game. And as I said, I have no intention of doing Fury mode right now as it just seems ridiculously frustrating, especially since you start the game over at level 1 with 3 swords.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

Wow, Fury mode is no joke. You start out with 1 HP. You gotta do this with both characters?? T_T So its essentially Dante Must Die mode...

 

[mrklaw]

Great, another indie game that's getting way too overpriced for its own good (Lone Survivor). I'm not liking this trend at all. Sod that. See you at sales time.



I didn't think it would head in that direction, time to read up on that thread :/



This is the other coin of being too negative regarding 3DS games. I gotta say, I enjoy playing tons of 3DS games despite not playing through many games quickly like the vita. I tend to play them at a slower rate but they tend to be quite special and offer distinct type of games that are a bit lacking on the vita, namely Japanese made games. Pullblox was great, I've put 133 hours on Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Mario 3D Land was fantastic in my opinion etc.

I can't tell if you're being 100% serious or you're exaggerating to make your point cross.

I'm in two minds about my 3DS, which is odd as I just bought both my kids 3DSXLs for animal crossing and pokemon

I mostly only play at home when I can grab the time, which is why I like the Vita so much. But lots of the games I'd get on 3DS (mario, mario kart etc) will have outings on Wii U too. and because of the gamepad, this generation I have the situation where - for my personal circumstances - I can either sit on the sofa and play mario kart 3DS, or sit on the sofa and play mario kart 8.

so the Wii U is actually giving me fewer reasons to keep my 3DS. I still will - I'm sure there will be stuff like Zelda and M&L games that are handheld only

 

[RalchAC]

So, I spent some more time with my Vita. I might post more (positive!) impressions later but one thing that's really bothering me is how the PSone library for Europe seems to be very limited. I wanted to buy Chrono Cross and I couldn't. Then I tried to buy Breath of Fire IV and it showed me BOFIII for the PSP. No Legend of Mana, no Vagrant Story, no Xenogears... what's up with that?

I have plenty of games to play on the Vita, but if I want to buy those games, could someone make me an US account? I could help someone overseas to make an EU one.

This is my personal observation and opinion, but in GAF I feel that there are plenty who allow their preference for a platform to cloud their judgment on various games on another platform, particularly so when the platform that they prefer is perceived as "having a war" with that other platform (as in 3DS and Vita). I am not saying it's wrong, far from it, since of course preference and bias colors each and everything that we choose to enjoy... but, how should I say this... maybe it's just unfortunate.

Fanboys, haters and all that shit is simply people that want to justify why they don't want something and (sometimes) want to belong to a group. I can say that iOS is crap because i don't have enough money to buy it, and i'll convince myself that way. On the other hand, I could just say I can't spend 700€ in an Iphone and 400€ for and Ipad (300€ the Mini, I think). So I prefer having a 200 bucks mobile phone and a 250 android tablet.

And some are just like that asshole that keeps doing the same shitty joke because the people around him still laugh.

 

[Tsunamo]

Allowing multiple accounts on Vita would alleviate *some* of my annoyance with SCEA... but my OCD still wouldn't be happy. Not unless they worked it like the PS3 account system where any other account could access the game and earn trophies. Then I'd be able to have both NA and EU PS+ and get all the content... I'd just be a little iffy on the purchases for SCEE because I like owning everything on a single account.

Yeah, the PS3 account system would only be the workable type of multiple accounts I'd want on the Vita if it happened.

I was the same until I got my US account, now that I've got a reliable e-mail for it though I'm not too phased and don't mind sharing both of them because I'll have no problem getting them back if something comes up like having to revertify them. I totally understand why you'd like having everything on one account though.

Muramasa Rebirth for $20 on Amazon lightning deals. $35 for the LE. Yay or Nay?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

That's mighty tempting. I was gonna wait for the PAL digital release so I could get the DLC but at that price I'm tempted just get the US LE early and re-buy the PAL version whenever it goes on sale.

I'd go for it if you've been interested in the game and it seems like you'd enjoy it.

 

[Tizoc]

I have plenty of games to play on the Vita, but if I want to buy those games, could someone make me an US account? I could help someone overseas to make an EU one.

Making a US account doesn't take more than 15 minutes, maybe even less if you have a fast net connection.
Just make a new e-mail account, make the US account, and you can get US PSN codes via Amazon.com.
However, remember that Vitas can only have 1 account, so you can't have both EU and US content on your Vita.

 

[Aytrial]

Some Toukiden and Deception IV news from the Tecmo Koei EU Twitter:

 

[TheChaos0]

I've often wondered if Rosetta Stone would work well for Japanese... there's such a fundamental structure difference that it's supposed to be really hard to pick up as a second language. But, like Laughing Banana, sometimes I think about trying. Not learning to read, necessarily, but learning to speak.

Not so much, I don't think it's a particularly good way to learn, especially Japanese. I often find it funny when they say stuff like "learn like a child would". The problem is you are not a child, you don't have that unshaped empty brain of theirs. Children don't know how to learn anyway and nor are they very efficient at learning.

I also believe that reading is a road to everything. If you can read Japanese you can speak Japanese and not only that but you can learn more about Japanese through Japanese! It may be intimidating to learn but if you put some regular effort in, however small it is, you can move forward with whatever you have in mind.

Having a goal of some sorts helps. Often people give up in the beginning (leaning kana for Japanese, for example), because beginning is always boring and basic but at the same time hard because it something completely different to what you are used to. Once you get passed that stage you can actually start to learn something more interesting and practical.

Anyways... if I had o recommend anything, I would recommend Textfugu and Wanikani. The former is good for general grammar and it's well written so that it's not boring to read, which is the biggest problem of all academic textbook. The later is really good for learning Kanji and vocab. They are both paid applications but they have some free stuff you can try out (I think season 1 for textfugu is free and first 2 levels for Wanikani).

Bottom line is.. if you wanna learn something...

Spoiler

just do it

no point of not going it and then regretting it 20 years down the line.

 

[Sintoid]

Muramasa Rebirth for $20 on Amazon lightning deals. $35 for the LE. Yay or Nay?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

Grab it
A good example of a game that works better on handheld than home console

 

[Glass Rebel]

Yup, it's nice

This is my personal observation and opinion, but in GAF I feel that there are plenty who allow their preference for a platform to cloud their judgment on various games on another platform, particularly so when the platform that they prefer is perceived as "having a war" with that other platform (as in 3DS and Vita). I am not saying it's wrong, far from it, since of course preference and bias colors each and everything that we choose to enjoy... but, how should I say this... maybe it's just unfortunate.

Yeah, I can see this. I remember some Persona 4 vs. SMT IV thread and after the first page I had a serious headache. It's frustrating to step into a Vita/3DS thread and find so much animosity for no good reason. There's always a handful of posters (no one specific, from both sides) that have to ruin it for the rest of us.

Anyway, I found MGS HD Collection for 30.-, which is like 25% cheaper than the PSN version. I also noticed that the Vita retail space is pretty damn sad in Switzerland For someone like me who still buys physical, it's disheartening. I can still order online but I hope it picks up one day.

 

[B.O.O.M]

well the demand seems to be pretty damn high at least. Hope it works out well for us vita owners

Gio Corsi ‏@giocorsi 9h
Still compiling - we've hit the 20K responses mark! #BuildingTheList

 

[omg_mjd]

Some Toukiden and Deception IV news from the Tecmo Koei EU Twitter:

Awesome news. I played the second (I think) Deception game on PS1 and remember it being a fun albeit disturbing experience. Toukiden looks sweet too.

(Also, Atelier Meruru Plus is a pretty addicting and great-looking JRPG. Really glad that Tecmo Koei is supporting the Vita.)

 

[KuroNeeko]

Some Toukiden and Deception IV news from the Tecmo Koei EU Twitter:

Do IT. Give me that Deception IV NOW!

Not so much, I don't think it's a particularly good way to learn, especially Japanese. I often find it funny when they say stuff like "learn like a child would". The problem is you are not a child, you don't have that unshaped empty brain of theirs. Children don't know how to learn anyway and nor are they very efficient at learning.

"Learn like a child would" is catchy, but impossible for most since children lose the special wiring they have for language around their pre-teens. I imagine they're trying to say that their approach is based on exposure and immersion, which is not completely wrong. Children are extremely efficient at learning provided that we define learning as "adaptation." I think you'll need to go into more detail about your definition of learning if you really want that point to stand because the amount of learning that a normal child does is really staggering.

I also believe that reading is a road to everything. If you can read Japanese you can speak Japanese and not only that but you can learn more about Japanese through Japanese! It may be intimidating to learn but if you put some regular effort in, however small it is, you can move forward with whatever you have in mind.

I disagree, unless you are talking about speaking at its most rudimentary level. Reading and speaking both utilize different parts of the brain. You can train speaking to some degree via reading if you vocalize the words as you read - but it in no way prepares you for speaking, let alone communication between two or more people. Japan, and its grammar-heavy, text-based english curriculum is an example of this at work. Students are often able to comprehend what is written on paper and even fragments of conversation, but are at a complete loss when it comes to speaking. That's because reading and listening are passive skills.

I agree that reading is extremely valuable. Once you have a core skill set and a fundamental, basic level of proficiency in speaking, reading can offer you more opportunities to experience the language in a variety of settings.

Having a goal of some sorts helps. Often people give up in the beginning (leaning kana for Japanese, for example), because beginning is always boring and basic but at the same time hard because it something completely different to what you are used to. Once you get passed that stage you can actually start to learn something more interesting and practical.

Oh definitely. Please, please, please set goals. If you're serious about it, you should set short, mid, and long term goals. Just driving around at random can lead you to some interesting places, but you'll rarely get to where you want to go. You need a map.

Anyways... if I had o recommend anything, I would recommend Textfugu and Wanikani. The former is good for general grammar and it's well written so that it's not boring to read, which is the biggest problem of all academic textbook. The later is really good for learning Kanji and vocab. They are both paid applications but they have some free stuff you can try out (I think season 1 for textfugu is free and first 2 levels for Wanikani).

Bottom line is.. if you wanna learn something...

Spoiler

just do it

no point of not going it and than regretting it 20 years down the line.

Definitely! If you're interested in learning the language, you should go for it. There's no secret to learning a language - you just need to keep at it one brick at time. Some people learn most effectively by studying grammar, others by speaking and interacting. Whatever you choose, make sure you're having fun. I think I read somewhere that JohnTV basically taught himself Japanese so he could play Dragon Quest. Now he has his own localization company. I'm sure he's a smart guy and all, but if he can do it, so can you!

 

[Glass Rebel]

well the demand seems to be pretty damn high at least. Hope it works out well for us vita owners

Gio Corsi ‏@giocorsi 9h
Still compiling - we've hit the 20K responses mark! #BuildingTheList

I'm honestly not worried about games and the average retail buyer probably isn't even Sony's target audience with the Vita anymore. Looking at the upcoming games that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Velcro Fly]

That Muramasa went incredibly fast. I would have probably jumped on a regular edition for $20 had I been quicker. I still have $10 promo credit too so it would have been even cheaper for me.

Think they'll have Rayman patched by Christmas?

 

[Shengar]

Yeah, I can see this. I remember some Persona 4 vs. SMT IV thread and after the first page I had a serious headache. It's frustrating to step into a Vita/3DS thread and find so much animosity for no good reason. There's always a handful of posters (no one specific, from both sides) that have to ruin it for the rest of us.

Anyway, I found MGS HD Collection for 30.-, which is like 25% cheaper than the PSN version. I also noticed that the Vita retail space is pretty damn sad in Switzerland For someone like me who still buys physical, it's disheartening. I can still order online but I hope it picks up one day.

The classic SMT vs Persona is bad, having (Atlus) platform on top of that make it even wose.
That kind of thread

 

[TheChaos0]

I disagree, unless you are talking about speaking at its most rudimentary level. Reading and speaking both utilize different parts of the brain. You can train speaking to some degree via reading if you vocalize the words as you read - but it in no way prepares you for speaking, let alone communication between two or more people. Japan, and its grammar-heavy, text-based english curriculum is an example of this at work. Students are often able to comprehend what is written on paper and even fragments of conversation, but are at a complete loss when it comes to speaking. That's because reading and listening are passive skills.

My point is that reading should not be neglected, it is a core skill that opens the door to all kind of resources, making the whole learning process easier. Speaking, of course, is equally important and one should not forget to practice. It's pretty important to get the basic pronunciation right at the very beginning, else you'll struggle speaking later on, just like some Japanese expats here.

I just see no point in learning only the vocal part of the language, because in the end you only limit yourself and make you go slower.

I only mention this because:

I've often wondered if Rosetta Stone would work well for Japanese... there's such a fundamental structure difference that it's supposed to be really hard to pick up as a second language. But, like Laughing Banana, sometimes I think about trying. Not learning to read, necessarily, but learning to speak.

I just don't think it's a good approach.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

Muramasa Rebirth sold out within 45 minutes. They went quick! Eventually LE sold out too. Well, I picked up a copy. Let's see how this goes.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Well, well, well, I found P4G gotta slow down now.

 

[Acquiescence]

10 quid for Lone Survivor? Cor blimey, that's a bit steep for an indie port. And no PS+ discount either.

 

[KuroNeeko]

My point is that reading should not be neglected, it is a core skill that opens the door to all kind of resources, making the whole learning process easier. Speaking, of course, is equally important and one should not forget to practice. It's pretty important to get the basic pronunciation right at the very beginning, else you'll struggle speaking later on, just like some Japanese expats here.

I just see no point in learning only the vocal part of the language, because in the end you only limit yourself and make you go slower.

I only mention this because:



I just don't think it's a good approach.

Sure, I can get behind this.

It all comes down to what LB's goals are. If he wants Japanese proficiency, then reading won't be enough. If he wants to learn Japanese mostly to play games, then he should probably focus on reading.

I can't get behind your statement about seeing "no point in learning only the vocal part of the language", especially when everyone's needs / circumstances / goals are different, but I'm not trying to slam on you or say that my approach is correct.

I've taught English at conversation schools, public schools, and in private lessons to both adults and children. I work in game design and localization now. I'm also trying to raise my child bilingual in predominantly Japanese environment (lordy, so tiring, lol.) There are as many paths as people, so you're certainly entitled to your views. ;D

I do agree that LB should set goals, preferable fun ones that keep him motivated to learn the language.

 

[Takao]

RIP Patapon:

Kadokawa Games formed a new studio to develop games in-house and their first title is a PS4/PS3/Vita strategy RPG called Natural Doctrine. Patapon director Atsushi Ii is leading the Natural Doctrine team as the game director. Fate/Zero character designer Atsushi Ikariya and ufotable are on character design. Noriyuki Asakura, best known for his work on the Rurouni Kenshin score, is the game’s composer.

Natural Doctrine’s protagonist is Ef and the story is told from his perspective. One of the core concepts is to have a large number of characters, friends and foes, on the battlefield at the same time. The game still uses a turn based battle system.

On top of the story mode, Natural Doctrine also has a multiplayer mode for versus and co-op play. Natural Doctrine is a PlayStation 4 launch title in Japan.

Read more at http://www.siliconera.com/2013/09/2...otable-making-characters/#jieGAlCq0ugSPwMK.99

Now it's been relegated to a Chinese iOS bootleg game that's still up #tear

 

[shink]

10 quid for Lone Survivor? Cor blimey, that's a bit steep for an indie port. And no PS+ discount either.

Yeah a bit pricey, $18 AUD here. I would get it if i had PS+ discount though.

 

[Spiegel]

Sony released 3 Patapon games in 4 years. Nothing wrong with letting the franchise take a break.

It's not like Atsushi Ii was the game's creator. Hiroyuki Kotani is still at SCEJ as far as I know.

 

[AmanoBuff]

I finished the first chapter of Corpse Party and I couldn't continue. The game is fucked up. It's too cruel for me.

It's definitely not for everyone. And further chapters are even more intense in almost every respect.

I love the games though. I wish we could get the last entry in this trilogy and then a Vita version of CP Dead Patient, which looks amazing.


Btw. Here's the release trailer of Lone Survivor Director's Cut:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FHKBJG-w5Q

Jasper definitely went to town with this version of the game. He added a ton of stuff:

http://superflatgames.com/wordpress/?p=1229

Personally, I don't think the price is high. Most indie games we get are straight ports and sell for $10. In this case there is a crazy amount of timed-exclusive added content that is easily worth $3.

 

[BlueMaxima]

I was completely serious with my 3DS post...I grew up on Nintendo and yet for some reason I barely like any of the games on 3DS compared to Vita.

 

[TheChaos0]

I can't get behind your statement about seeing "no point in learning only the vocal part of the language", especially when everyone's needs / circumstances / goals are different, but I'm not trying to slam on you or say that my approach is correct.

Nor am I. Like you say, there are many ways to any single destination. This is only but one of them.

 

[wilflare]

I was completely serious with my 3DS post...I grew up on Nintendo and yet for some reason I barely like any of the games on 3DS compared to Vita.

I miss the days of the Gamecube

----

on a separate note, I wonder what's required to get a job similar in jobscope to what Adam Boyes and Shahid are doing