#ys smt

[thebladeblaster]

In case anyone ever needs information on the Demon Gene here

Warning: Spoilers for Shin Megami Tensei IV, Apocalypse, Demonic Gene, and Prayers

Things to know:

-The pandemic variant seems to be completely different than if it was triggered individually

Pandemic variant (As seen in the dlc)

-Causes a demonic transformation

-Very significant power boost

-Everyone becomes a hive mind mindlessly serving YHVH

-It’s contagious and you can catch it even if you don’t have the DG because it’s implied that Nanashi can catch it

-Their souls can’t be messed with by anyone who isn’t YHVH. Dagda tried but he couldn’t affect them with his powers.

-Someone has to agree to start it for everyone

-If the one who agreed to trigger it dies or as Hugo calls himself “the voice of God” dies everyone infected dies

-Everyone’s souls are linked together

Normal variant (As seen in IV, the Demonic Gene, and Prayers manga)

-Causes a demonic transformation

-Triggers within an individual if they feel very extreme negative emotions which is usually triggered by literature

-Very significant power boost

-Not contagious

-No forced obedience or linkage if anything it is the complete opposite wherein they become extremely rebellious and radical

-In the mangas only it seems that those with the DG become stronger from consuming/absorbing demons (This is shown in both Demonic Gene and Prayers)

Very significant power boost

For comparison a Walter (probably level 1-5) who was regularly using a demon as weak as Centaur was able to defeat Yaso Magushi effortlessly. Issachar who has never fought any demon was able to fight four prentice Samurai at once but he did ultimately lose.

Minotaur is a level 14 demon and he got oneshot. So considering how much stronger Issachar got that isn’t too ridiculous.

However Yaso Magatsuhu is level 46 and was defeated in an instant. That implies a much more significant boost similar to the one Hope and Hugo got. They got boosted from being practical fodder to being able to fight Anarchy Nanashi and at least hurt him. Hugo was implied to formerly be a Samurai so he would have some strength at least.

Not confirmed (but probably true AKA headcanon)

It seems like the power boost is either some sort of multiplier since depending on the base the person seems to become more powerful the stronger they are.

For example

Note: This is not the multiplier this is just an example to illustrate my point.

Assume Issachar is a 1, Walter is a 5, and Hope and Hugo are 10s. If the multiplier was 5 then it would be like this.

Issachar: 5

Level 1-5 Walter: 25

Hope: 50

Hugo: 50

Or it could be completely different depending on the person. Who knows.

-Likely the reason they can use magic

-Can easily learn skills from demons

-Become stronger or weaker depending on their emotional states

[ponett]

Do you think there are media essentials to experience if you want to participate in a serious conversation?

Like "you've GOT to play Chrono Trigger if you wanna have good opinions on JRPGs" and anything else in an essentials list you would find on 4chan or somewhere?

I would say there are some things like that, but the list of things that I think are absolutely mandatory is very short. Sticking with video games, like, yeah, everyone who likes video games should have played Tetris and Minecraft at some point, but it's hard to make a longer list of entries in "the canon" that everyone has to play.

I mean, there are tons of games in the Game Designer Canon I've never played. Far Cry 2, Resident Evil 4, Rogue, BioShock, Deus Ex, Her Story, etc. I still need to get around to playing my copy of Disco Elysium. I played Outer Wilds briefly and thought it was neat but bounced off of it. There's just a lot of games out there, and there's never enough time to play all of the ones I want to play. So like, if someone told me they'd never played Super Mario 64, part of me would be like "what?!" and part of me would totally get it.

I guess when it comes to "serious conversations," particularly if you're trying to do some kind of criticism, it's just good to have familiarity with at least some of the "mandatory" entries in the genre you're talking about, even if it's unreasonable to expect everyone to have played all of them. Like, I don't expect everyone with JRPG opinions to have played every Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest and Tales and Chrono and Pokemon and SMT and Kingdom Hearts and Xeno and Ys and Mana game. Lord knows I haven't! But if you wanna speak authoritatively on the genre then it's good to have played at least some of them.

I also just think it's good to use these lists of "mandatory" games/movies/etc. to branch out for your own good, rather than trying to impress anyone. Sometimes you might think you won't like something popular, but it ends up really clicking with you and opening the door for more new things you might like. Also, like, sometimes things are so popular that people take for granted the specific ways in which they're good, so when you approach them with fresh eyes it's like, whoa! This really is awesome in a way I didn't expect.

[6ad6ro]

top 5 games from every console -nes- -game boy- -pc engine- 1. ninja gaiden 1. castlevania ii 1. castlevania rb 2. river city ransom 2. zelda la 2. ys book 1 and 2 3. akumajou densetsu 3. wario land 3. lords of thunder 4. mario 3 4. pokemon red 4. r-type 5. zelda 2 5. kirby's dreamland 2 5. galaga '90

-genesis- -snes- -neo geo- 1. streets of rage 2 1. earthbound 1. garou mow 2. castlevania bl 2. zelda lttp 2. windjammers 3. sonic 3ak 3. chrono trigger 3. king of fighters 99 4. contra hard corps 4. super mario world 4. metal slug 5. sonic 2 5. super metroid 5. king of fighters 2001 -sega cd- -ps1- -saturn- 1. snatcher 1. final fantasy vii 1. vampire savior 2. sonic cd 2. castlevania sotn 2. street fighter alpha 3 3. final fight cd 3. resident evil 3 3. virtua fighter 2 4. lunar 4. rival schools 4. virtua cop 2 5. monkey island 5. final fantasy ix 5. castlevania sotn (really) -n64- -dreamcast- -ps2- 1. mario 64 1. jet grind radio 1. silent hill 2 2. mystical ninja 2. shenmue 2. gta vice city 3. zelda oot 3. thps 2 3. smt nocturne 4. banjo kazooie 4. crazy taxi 4. we love katamari 5. mario kart 64 5. ecoo dotf 5. dragon quest viii

-gamecube- -xbox- -gba- 1. resident evil rm 1. jet set radio future 1. castlevania aos 2. f-zero gx 2. shenmue 2 2. castlevania hod 3. zelda tp 3. morrowind 3. metroid fusion 4. killer7 4. fable 4. river city ransom ex 5. mario sunshine 5. guilty gear xx #ac 5. metroid zm -nds- -psp- -xbox 360- 1. castlevania ooe 1. castlevania dxc 1. dead rising 2. castlevania dos 2. gta vcs 2. deadly premonition 3. castlevania por 3. ffvii cc 3. half-life 2 4. tingle's balloon trip of love 4. persona 3p 4. skyrim 5. phoenix wright 5. power stone 5. gta iv -ps3- -wii- -wii u- 1. dead rising 2 1. mario galaxy 1. zelda ww hd 2. sfiii 3s oe 2. no more heroes 2. mario kart 8 3. yakuza 5 3. okami 3. tekken tag 2 4. gta v 4. wii sports 4. zelda botw 5. 3d dot game heroes 5. castlevania rb 5. nintendo land -3ds- -vita- -ps4- 1. smt iv 1. persona 4 golden 1. ff vii rm 2. zelda oot 3d 2. undertale 2. elden ring 3. zelda mm 3d 3. jet set radio hd 3. persona 5 4. star fox 64 3d 4. hotline miami 2 4. resident evil 2 rm 5. river city rs 5. spelunky 5. dragon quest xi -switch- -steam deck/pc- -virtual boy (forgot)- 1. mario odyssey 1. half-life 1. vb wario land 2. sonic mania 2. unreal tournament 2. mario's tennis 3. smash ultimate 3. dead cells castlevania 3. galactic pinball 4. metroid dread 4. lba2 twinsen's odyssey 4. teleroboxer 5. mario wonder 5. bomb rush cyberfunk 5. jack bros

[raven]

By the way, are there any other jrpg series you’re into or recommend? I’ve always been a big Tales and I want to get into the Ys games, any other stuff in the genre you like?

not really im kind of a fake jrpg fan!! i think i got burnt out playing persona for 8 hours every single day for about a month straight. the SMT series is really good though, iii being the best. and ummm i guess hylics is a jrpg

[sl33py-g4m3r]

I’ll try to not post every new demon in smt iv I get my hands on or fuse, cause that’d be annoying probably.

Got to find time to actually play too… cause I’m always at my siblings place helping them with stuff and feel I don’t have time to take my 3ds and get lost in naraku.

Cause I’m still in naraku. I have yet to get a 3rd demon for the ‘recruit 3 demons’ quest at the beginning if that tells you how slowly I’m playing.

Like I wanna post stuff cause excitement but also don’t cause it’s just standard gameplay for the series and I’d be worried that I’m annoying you all.

Is zan force or wind? Or is it both?

With the stupid ‘zanma’d anxiety’ joke I’ve made I’d assumed it was wind. Blow or force it away from me, lol.

Been spinning a post I saw around in my brain and am now extremely worried I’m a casual gamer now

Sort of unrelated hence why the cut but I saw a post yesterday and didn’t reblog it that makes me sadly think I might be a casual. I hope I’m not. Got to get used to the smt bull crap, lol.

The post was about a game journalist who figured normal mode in some smt game was too ‘tedious’ and they turned easy mode on….

Got me thinking how the only rpg I’ve played is some of Ys 3, and Pokemon just cause I can read the interface. No fire emblem, no final fantasy, just Pokemon.

Hope I’m not a casual gamer~~

Get playing, suck for a while, have fun, get good. Got to find time to play…

I hoped kind of posting about my anxiety helped make it better but I genuinely don’t know if it’s doing anything or just annoying all whom follow me.

I deleted a majority of the post after the cut and now I hope I’m not being annoying.

[cerissy]

game backlog + fall tbr

videogame backlog:

like a dragon gaiden

strange horticulture

paranormasight

smt strange journey redux

ys 9

piofiore 1926

the wandering sword

papers please

hypnospace outlaw

...whatever im in the mood for

tbr:

days at the morisaki bookshop

stoner

pachinko

tokyo ueno station

bliss montage

legends & lattes

on earth we're briefly gorgeous

...whatever im in the mood for

[furryprovocateur]

i wonder if Ys fans think of Trails fans the same way SMT fans think of Persona fans

[songmingisthighs]

*ahem*

okay so WY is going to poison her with soup and then HJ is going to get upset at him for ruining his ✨evil scheme✨ and hit him with a car. And then CS gets a life insurance pay-out from WY and elopes with YS. (joking)

can't wait for the finale. i am very invested in this. my brain can't even theory correctly there is too much anticipation for me rn.

OH !?!?!?!?!?!?!?

then... the 2ho, in despair of losing (y/n) and bean, turned into outlaws and started doing illegal shit to avenge the people they lost not to mention to pursue hj san and ys ?????? Y'ALL I CONNECTED THE BOUNCY MV IRL ATEEZ AND SMT ARE LIKE SO CONNECTED I'M NOT KIDDING

ooo look at you obsessed with the shit i put out <3 is this what onlyfans creators feel ????

[hopeymchope]

I'm curious, what do you imagine a Persona style Legend of Zelda would look like?

Ooh, I love a weird geeky mental exercise like this. So here's my concept for

The Legend of Zelda: True Persona

(......see 'cause the "Shin" in "Shin Megami Tensei" is written as "真" which means "True," so like... I did a thing there.)

Maybe this is stating the obvious, but: We play as Link. Of course. The Persona default has long been to play as a male protagonist who we control dialogue choices for but rarely hear them, and that's totally in line with how Link has been portrayed recently, so there's no need to reinvent the wheel. (If we wanted to do a later "The Legend of Zelda: True Persona Golden/Royal/Whatevs, we could always introduce the wrinkle of playable Linkle.... omg, I didn't even realize what I was doing before I typed that. The WRINKLE of LINKLE. Fuck?)

Persona and SMT have always had turn-based combat, but TLoZ has always had real-time action combat. Since this is first and foremost a Zelda title, I think it's important to maintain the latter. HOWEVER... ! That doesn't mean we can't have RPG-like stats for our hero. Zelda II even gave us a precedent for that in the series. Think something like "Ys" — action role-playing where you can still get stat boosts from equippable gear/weapons + can level up through your battles. And yes, this DOES mean we won't have an RPG-style party with us.

We're going to include the emphasis on side quests and side characters that the most recent all-ne Zelda games, but now we can turn them into social links/confidants! It'll be fun to guide Link through bonding activities with various recurring Zelda characters. We're going into combat ALONE, though, so there's going to be extra emphasis on how certain Arcana will give us special powers/boosts and stat increases for our Link.

Balancing your time and schedule is a core component of modern Persona that's hard to replicate if we stick with the current Open World structure in Zelda's newest games, because Open World games typically have an always-moving clock whereas Persona is heavily dependent upon having the clock only advance when you do an activity. And being Open World also means you can inherently do TONS of activities while just wandering around, so uh... let's dial back to before the era of "BotW/TotK" a bit. MEANING: Each day will include, say, four blocks of time? You start out at Link's house, and you can use your blocks of time however you like, choosing from your available activities.

BUT WAIT! What are those aforementioned "available activities" each day?

I see options including:

Working Out to increase physical stats

Studying to increase magic stats. Yes, we're studying magic my lads, because we're bringing back magic spells from Link to the Past/Ocarina of Time and such + integrating those spells with the ability to equip a "rod"-style weapon to help us casually throw magic as in BotW/TotK. (Using the TotK system of magic being either fire, electric, ice, or water also lets us apply elemental weaknesses to our enemies, just like in Persona.)

Spending time with confidants. Just imagine: Princess Zelda as Empress, Malon as Priestess, Impa as Temperance, Tingle as Devil, Purah as Moon, Kaepora Gaebora as Hierophant, Linebeck as Sun, Mutoh as Hanged Man, I could do this all day!

Fighting through the dungeons. Of course there's going to be eight major dungeons, and these will be focused on providing some of that good ol' Zelda-style combat; the kind we used to see in OoT, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess — you get the jist. Puzzles to solve and enemies to beat on, but these dungeons will probably have to be larger than your typical Zelda dungeon because, well, we want them to be able to last multiple days. The new emphasis on RPG-type stats means that enemies will obviously scale up in stats whenever you move into a new dungeon. And completing a given dungeon will ALSO unlock the ability for you to explore new floors within.... *drumroll*

Exploring the giant multi-level "dungeon." You know the drill: Persona had Tartarus and Mementos. Zelda had stuff like The Tower of the Gods (Spirit Tracks), Temple of the Ocean King (Phantom Hourglass), and even The Depths (TotK). So it stands to reason that having a gigantic multi-level dungeon to explore would work here. I'm thinking we're leaning more towards the Temple of the Ocean King/Tower of the Gods template; a huge multi-level facility that either spirals into the sky or down into the Earth, probably going about 100 floors. At the end of it all? Our final boss showdown.

Of course we'll earn rupees + new equipment and weapons throughout our dungeon excursions. And we'll be able to visit Beedle's Shop, where we can find gear for sale that we might've missed out on in the dungeons as well as spare arrows and bombs to carry. There'll also be Rohan, the Goron blacksmith who can refine our weapons and shields, making them stronger... given we provide him with adequate money and materials.

The hardest thing for me to figure out has been how to use Personas on Link himself. I mean, sure - we can have enemies randomly drop cards for their own Personas, and each standard Zelda enemy is tied to an Arcana of course. But what then? I think you can summon one of these at a time as "familiars" in dungeons, maybe. Sorta like how Symphony of the Night or Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night use familiars, y'know - characters near you who can also deal damage but can't take damage. They exists similar to the "Vows" in Tears of the Kingdom.

Aaaaaaaaaand that's probably enough for now. I've already gone on too long, lol. I hope you enjoyed this concept, though.

[blazehedgehog]

If you ever feel like giving JRPGS a shot again, I'd try some of the Shining Games, The Traiks in the Sky games, Devil Summoner games, SaGa, Okage Shadow King. JRPGS to avoid would be The Bravely games, Octopath Traveler, Tales of Zestiria,

Well, on my immediate plate after finishing Mother 3 would probably be something like...

Tales of Vesperia (Switch). I got this for Christmas last year and because I've been meaning to play Mother 3 for literal years, I said that if I got the RPG itch again, I'd play that before anything else. Vesperia is a favorite among many of my friends, and I've only ever played about an hour of the fan translation of Tales of Phantasia. That's really my only context for this franchise.

Final Fantasy XI (Switch). The year before Vesperia, I got this for Christmas. Had a friend telling me I need to play it for years and years and years. Especially the remaster, which rebalances the game significantly. Again, Mother 3 was holding me back.

Chrono Cross (PS1). The last time I played this game, I really grew to hate it. But that was 15 years ago and I'm a very different person now. Would I like it more? I don't know. I'd like to find out if I could actually finish it this time. The hate isn't as fresh in my mind as FF8 is.

Final Fantasy IX (PS1?). I got to disc 3 in this game on rentals, but in between rental sessions some kid got a hold of the disc and wrecked it. I couldn't ever finish the game and never felt like replaying the 30 hours it would take to get back where I was. It has been SO LONG since then (again, about 15 years) that I remember very little about this game outside of the fact I loved it being a throwback to classic Final Fantasy in an era where Square was clearly trying to move on to more scifi-type stories.

Grandia 1 or 2. I'd love to dive deeper in to one of these games, because I have some degree of nostalgia for the 10-20 hours I put in to Grandia 2 on the Dreamcast and I'd love to see them to the end one day.

Breath of Fire 1 or 2, We'll See How It Goes. Friends tell me I shouldn't bother with early Breath of Fires, but I have memories of watching friends play them and jamming along to the Very Capcom battle themes. With people saying Breath of Fire 4 is the best one, well... we'll see how it goes.

A Lunar of Some Type. I'm determined to like one of these games after I had my hopes dashed by the Working Designs PS1 version. I think the GBA version (Lunar Legend) is probably good enough? But I know to stay away from the DS version.

Phantasy Star IV. When I reviewed the Genesis Mini, I played about four hours of this to get a sense of the game. It was the first time I'd ever really sank my teeth in to any of the classic Phantasy Star games, and I'm interested in seeing more.

I don't think I'd go for a Shin Megami Tensei game. I loved watching GiantBomb play through Persona 4, but the wider SMT franchise as a whole, the entire concept of "YOU SELL YOUR SOUL TO SATAN AND MAKE FRIENDS WITH DEMONS" concept makes me a little... uncomfortable.

I'm not saying those games shouldn't exist, I'm not saying people who like them are wrong, I'm not saying there's any other problem with them, just that I, personally, get a little too creeped out by that concept, even in jest.

A friend gave me Devil Survivor Overclocked for 3DS years and years ago and even then, I've never been able to bring myself to play it for more than an hour or two. The concept is a little too dark for what I'm cool with, is all.

Also, Devil Survivor Overclocked is a strategy game, which is a genre I can struggle with, and that's before you factor in SMT's expected level of challenge.

I've been curious about Ys a lot, and I do hear good things about Trails in the Sky. Also, it may not exactly be a JRPG, but at some point I should probably play Undertale, finally. If we're being honest, that was actually, for real at the top of my list to try the moment I'm done with Mother 3. Knowing a little about Tobyfox's connection to the Earthbound community, it kind of feels right to do one right after the other, too.

But I am going through Mother 3 extra, extra slowly, so who knows when any of this will be. It's taken me about five months to play 12 hours. If we're being honest, I dunno what to think about Mother 3 right now. I've felt kind of hot and cold on it.

[smtfaggot]

ok while theres still a shit ton of ds games i want to buy once i purchase izuna and dark spire im actually not feeling that bad about what im missing? the only ones i truly feel like im missing are fire emblem, YS, and luminous arc.. and the smt games :S

[thebladeblaster]

SMT IV/A cast Pokémon teams part 3

[garmmy]

garm‘s video game wrap-up 2020

i’ve previously posted these on twitter but i realised i haven’t posted them here; anyway, i’ve completed a number of games this year, and they’re all SO GOOD i have so much trouble choosing faves!

plus i felt a little bad not being able to fanart for all these games i loved, so this is just a short post with little doodles and (spoiler-free!) thoughts on the games i’ve played this year, copied from the earlier twitter thread.

- ys ix: ys ix is SO GOOD, you'd think the city seems a bit drab at first but it's actually so fun to explore (i rarely 100% games but i had to get 100% exploration). i really love the monstrum and also the designs and their stories are 😭👌 

- pokemon shield: i had lots of fun with it!! (haven't bought the dlc though..) i appreciate that this was the most invested i've been in filling the pokedex since gen 5. still not the biggest fan of the pokemon design style this gen, but i've definitely warmed up to it a bit :> 

- atelier iris: the music is sooo good and the party characters were a tight bunch too! i'm so glad for lita;; though i only really understood how the shop upgrading thing worked later in the game so i probably missed out a good chunk of events T_T 

- atelier iris 2: MY PERSONAL GOTY, it isn't anything super epic but the characters, story, graphics, music are just so charming;; it's like reading a kid/young teen fantasy novel but in game form! it's overall such a well-rounded, sweet package imo and i love it for what it is!! 

- virtue's last reward: this was probably the most i used my brain for this year LOL, and i remember panicking thinking i somehow didn't have the last password!! (i had written it on another paper i threw somewhere.) and what can i say, i love the siggy/phido duo;; 

- ghost trick: this was long overdue and i see why everyone says PLAY IT!! sadly as a game it's quite short, but it was a perfect length for its story and it's just so..creative? brilliant? i'd love more games like this, for now i'll just echo everyone and say play ghost trick. 

- zero time dilemma: i am way biased towards D-team 😂 animation was fairly rough and there's a particular part i hated watching over again, but other than those it was still a fun ride and these puzzle rooms! always make me nostalgic for flash point-and-click games, i love them. 

- digital devil saga/dds2: the setting is just INSANE there's nothing quite like it, and the avatar designs are just AMAZING. i personally wish it was..slightly less dungeon and more story/characters, but it's actually a really nice balance between smt and persona as-is, imo. 

- tokyo xanadu ex+: music-wise this is my 2nd fave this year behind atelier iris 2, the music is just INSANELY good and makes running through dungeons 100x more fun. the XRC is also precious;; and i love the side-story format for showing character events. 

- strange journey redux: AMAZING atmosphere as is typical in smt;; also smt1 was the first smt game i completed and devil summoner is among my faves, so the whole 1st-person dungeon crawling, stupid dark rooms/pitfalls/teleport traps make me go 'yea this sure is an smt game'. 😂 

- trails of cold steel iv: there is just sooo much content, and it is honestly such a joy to see EVERYONE IS HERE. i just love new class vii so much;; if anything, trails games are such a treasure trove of character dialogue and always leave me wanting more.. 

- hajimari no kiseki: not finished yet, but this will probably be my last for the year. i personally LOVE the garden/episode setup in sky 3rd, so i'm really glad to see it again in this game. the cross-story mechanic is fun too, and there's just so much to do!!

[dumbblogfordumbpeople]

My backlog is terrible and I'm playing too many endless or loot games so I'm trying to cut it down.

Games I'm looking forward to in 2020

Digimon Survive (Switch)

Games I've beat in 2020

Dragon Quest I (GBC)

...wait we're in June and that's it? Oops.

Currently Playing

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition

Animal Crossing New Horizons (Switch) - not really able to be "beat"

Priority games I for sure want to beat in 2020

Yakuza 0 (PS4)

Fate Stay/Night visual novel (PC)

Mario VS Rabbids (Switch)

Games I hope to beat in 2020

Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Switch)

Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X-2 (Switch)

Persona 5 Royal (PS4)

Trails in the Sky - First Chapter (PC)

Digimon World Cybersleuth & Hacker's Memory (Switch)

Dragon Quest series

Yakuza series

Spider-Man (PS4)

SMT Devil Survivor (3DS)

Disgaea 5 (Switch)

Fire Emblem Fates (3DS)

Games I'll try to weave in

Dragon Quest 2+

Fate series

Fire Emblem series

Ys series

Trails series

Shin Megami Tensei series

Dot Hack series

Drakengard series

Xenoblade series

Xenosaga series

Metal Gear Solid series

Chrono Trigger

Yokai Watch

Legend of Dragoon

Digimon World

Digimon World 2

Digimon World 3

Sekiro

Witcher series (after reading books)

Blazblue series

Stella Glow

Fantasy Life

Tokyo Dark

Valkyria Chronicles

Nier Automata (was trying to play Nier first but now I'm just gonna wait for the remake)

Not a complete list, under construction , will update , etc.

[azurecorsair]

Year of the JRPG: A Retrospective

Tales of Berseria Tales of Hearts R Trails in the Sky Trails in the Sky Second Chapter Final Fantasy XV Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne Final Fantasy X Ys: The Oath in Felghana The World Ends with You: Final Remix Trails in the Sky the Third Fire Emblem Echoes

That’s a lot of games!

I'm pretty happy with this list. I'm about to say some stuff that may sound like I'm dissatisfied with my progress, so I want to make it clear from the beginning that I'm not. This was a good, worthwhile effort. Now, on to the caveats. There are two.

First, I'd hoped to have around 15 entries on this list. There are two reasons why I don't: I spent a lot of time, especially in the first quarter of 2018, playing PUBG, Dissidia, and Splatoon; and I played several "palate cleanser" non-JRPGs.

I don't regret any of that -- I had fun doing it, and that's what video games are about -- but it did leave me short of that goal. It is what it is.

The second caveat is that three of those games were newly acquired. The purpose of this was to play games I already owned. But I got FFXV as a gift, and I bought TWEWY and Trails 3 myself. TWEWY aside, that wasn't supposed to happen.

Again, I don't regret these. And a more positive way of looking at it is that at least I didn't add these to my backlog -- I stayed neutral by playing them immediately. (That said, I did buy SMT4 in a sale after finishing Nocturne, which also keeps me neutral, but in a bad way.) But the fact remains that this wasn’t what I set out to do at the start of the year.

To reiterate, I’m happy with what I accomplished here. I made a sizeable dent in my backlog, more so if you add in the 8 non-JRPGs, for a total of 19 games finished. I tried two new series, SMT and Trails, that I ended up liking -- especially Trails, even if half the series is not and may never be localized -- giving me more games to look forward to in the future.

I’ve still got plenty of JRPGs left in my backlog, and I’ll be playing some new ones this year -- KH3 is out in two weeks from this post, to name one -- but for now my backlog focus will be elsewhere.

It’s been fun.

[jindoelf]

180729 SMT Osaka d2 HC>SW: my friend 'uma' (horse)San HJ: monkey San YS: dog San, inu! inu san (dog) DH: fish san HJ: .... animal 180729 오사카 #슈퍼주니어 희철>시원: 제 친구 우마(말)상 은혁: monkey상 예성: dog상, 이누! 이누상 동해: fish상 은혁: 보쿠타치와 animal데스! (58fabiola58)