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[Nishastra]

Spoiler

Happens every time you make an incorrect choice.

To expand on this,

Spoiler

whenever you're approaching an end in which she won't have survived 9 years ago and thus can't exist now, she starts having problems.

 

[Crash Station]

Whoa, so Ghost Trick is like 999, but better? I gotta check it out!

I like Ghost Trick more, but the two really aren't comparable. The only reason they're brought up together is because they're both adventure games that released around the same time.

 

[TheMissingLink]

Okay! Okay!! I'll play through each ending!

You guys <3

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Okay! Okay!! I'll play through each ending!

You guys <3

Wise choice.

 

[GaimeGuy]

999 true ending spoilers:

Spoiler

So why was June/Akane constantly fainting throughout the game? Was she faking it?

Spoiler

It was in response to you making a wrong choice. If you strayed from the true ending path, she started feeling like shit because it endangered her existence.

You could think of it as her getting a fever because she was burning up in the incinerator

 

[Celine]

Got the submarine ending and the safe ending.
Now I will tackle the true ending ( not going to bother with the other 2 endings ).
I have a good idea of who Zero is and what the others role have in it.
Only thing I still can't grasp is why Jumpei and June are in there...

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

Only thing I still can't grasp is why Jumpei and June are in there...

Hehe, believe me.....you'll soon find out my friend. Just keep on going.

 

[Boney]

Hard to tell when you've been vocally dismissive of the game in other threads.

I just like to tease arouund

with all the love it's getting, I'm jelly

 

[Jintor]

True Ending spoilers:

Spoiler

The only place where the story really falls apart at any point for me is the massive predestination paradox of "Akane sees the future, and arranges events so that the future occurs, but she got the idea of how to arrange the events from the future, which she set up based on ideas she got from the future, which-". But that's bloody inherent in most any time travel story, and I can safely enjoy Doctor Who without my head exploding, so I just attribute it to timey-wimey and keep on living my life.

And for the record I think Ghost Trick is a better told single story path while 999 is a better told adventure game.

Spoiler

it's filled with things that come out of nowhere. 'oh hay, i guess this meteor from space causes people to live forever and give them mystical ghost powers. we should use it to go back in time ten years because duder over here technically hasn't been dead for a day yet.'

i was perfectly fine accepting that there were ghosts and they could perform tricks. pretty much no need to have a reason for it, or for that reason to be meteor from space. just seemed lazy as fuck to go back to the traumatic experience in the park. we are shown everything. the only mystery that's left is blue lady's sixth sense, but it's forgotten by the writer at the end of the game so i stopped caring too.

999 looks like it does the 'lets time travel a decade back' thing too, but the twist is that the 9 years ago was always there. the player just didn't know it yet.

Ghost Trick and 999 spoilers:

Spoiler

Meteor from space: set up by the mention of the event from 10 years ago; by the fragments in the professor's lab; functions as applied phletobium. If you think about it, 999's morphogenetic field is a similar concept that just comes out of nowhere - the first time(s) through it seems like complete tangents to what is actually going on, especially if you're locked in the freezer and Akane starts going on about Ice-9. I guess the main difference is that Ghost Trick's pseudoscience is based around an object while 999's is just, like, inherent to the world.

 

[AniHawk]

Ghost Trick and 999 spoilers:

Spoiler

Meteor from space: set up by the mention of the event from 10 years ago; by the fragments in the professor's lab; functions as applied phletobium. If you think about it, 999's morphogenetic field is a similar concept that just comes out of nowhere - the first time(s) through it seems like complete tangents to what is actually going on, especially if you're locked in the freezer and Akane starts going on about Ice-9. I guess the main difference is that Ghost Trick's pseudoscience is based around an object while 999's is just, like, inherent to the world.

Spoiler

the difference for me is that while the tone of ghost trick becomes more serious, the story becomes sillier and sillier. 999's story gets sillier too, but the concepts around it are introduced relatively early. and i think the idea that 999's is inherent to its world makes it far stronger than something that's introduced (to the player) more than halfway through the game. the sudden revelation that lol guy in red suit guy hasn't been dead *that long* lol was really, really cheap and comes out of nowhere. i'm not a huge fan of the time paradox in 999, but at least they go a long way to build it up.

 

[Riposte]

People seem to lump Ghost Trick and 999 together despite being rather unrelated. 999 gives you a variety of mini-puzzles akin to Professor Layton, while Ghost Trick is focused on one set of mechanics. Neither of them are really visual novels either, though 999's story is shaped like one(probably its best quality). Ghost Trick has more interesting puzzles all in all. As for storylines, I would side with Ghost Trick again. It is funnier, has more tension, and told in a better format(beautiful animation). I don't believe its twists were bad(nor random). 999 has a good storyline too though(mainly its atmosphere) and the multiple ending thing makes it interesting after its first playthrough.

EDIT: Oh yeah, character design in Ghost Trick is light-years ahead of 999. That's 999's biggest weakness. The crazy-even-for-anime clothes these dudes wear does not match the seriousness of their situation(and the art of their surroundings).

 

[CornBurrito]

I preferred 999 honestly. Ghost Trick had me wishing I played it first, because I think my experience with 999 spoiled me.

 

[Hours Left]

999 and Ghost Trick are so different to me, I'm not sure why they are compared to each other so much, other than the fact they were released so close together.

Even though I enjoyed Ghost Trick, I far prefer 999.

 

[Riposte]

I can't think of any one puzzle(either mini-puzzle or adventure game style) in 999 that was better than the average Ghost Trick stage. Having a strong focus on an interesting set of mechanics is definitely better than a random grab hat of puzzles. I did like some of the number based ones though and the one with the remote-controlled forklift took me like 10 minutes to figure out. The last puzzle was funny in that... we've all seen it before.

 

[Jintor]

I have no idea how people rate character design. After trying to draw each of the characters in 999, I'd say their visual design is fairly strong. Ghost Trick's artstyle is way more unique though.

 

[Riposte]

I have no idea how people rate character design. After trying to draw each of the characters in 999, I'd say their visual design is fairly strong. Ghost Trick's artstyle is way more unique though.

Strong, yes. But strong in bad taste. Take for example the main character's jacket/vest thing over a flannel shirt. That's a rather tame example too. Wouldn't be so bad if they were in a different videogame.

 

[Korigama]

Strong, yes. But strong in bad taste. Take for example the main character's jacket/vest thing over a flannel shirt. That's a rather tame example too. Wouldn't be so bad if they were in a different videogame.

Junpei's look makes me think of Marty McFly, tbh.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

People seem to lump Ghost Trick and 999 together despite being rather unrelated. 999 gives you a variety of mini-puzzles akin to Professor Layton, while Ghost Trick is focused on one set of mechanics. Neither of them are really visual novels either, though 999's story is shaped like one(probably its best quality). Ghost Trick has more interesting puzzles all in all. As for storylines, I would side with Ghost Trick again. It is funnier, has more tension, and told in a better format(beautiful animation). I don't believe its twists were bad(nor random). 999 has a good storyline too though(mainly its atmosphere) and the multiple ending thing makes it interesting after its first playthrough.

EDIT: Oh yeah, character design in Ghost Trick is light-years ahead of 999. That's 999's biggest weakness. The crazy-even-for-anime clothes these dudes wear does not match the seriousness of their situation(and the art of their surroundings).

The difference between Japanese adventure games and visual novels can be blurry at times, but if you asked me to define a visual novel, I'd say it's a game focused on written narrative enhanced by music and static background images, with occasional CG for important scenes. Dialogue is accompanied by character sprites of the person speaking, usually static, occasionally animated. Usually there are decision points which branch the story into multiple endings. Taking these as the basic mechanics of a visual novel, 999 qualifies while Ghost Trick does not. The fact that there are interactive puzzle rooms does not disqualify it from being a visual novel any more than Utawarerumono having SRPG segments disqualifies it, to take one example. I'm sure if you asked Chunsoft, they would lump 999 together with their other sound novels such as Machi and 428.

I certainly agree that 999 and Ghost Trick are very different games. Ghost Trick - as well as Professor Layton - are focused on puzzles, whereas 999 is not. 999's puzzles aren't innovative like Ghost Trick's, but they're well-designed and serve their purpose of structuring the narrative and providing some gameplay variety. Ghost Trick's animation is beautiful, but I don't think visual storytelling is inherently superior to written storytelling. Even I though I personally prefer 999, I think the very different design approaches are equally successful in their own way and I wish people wouldn't claim that one is superior.

Also, if you think the clothes of 999's characters are crazy even for anime, you haven't watched much anime.

 

[Riposte]

If you group games based on their graphics, then yeah, you are bound to get something different.

EDIT: Though 999 is clearly focused on the puzzles. It is nonsense to say otherwise. You don't just do a puzzle or four and call it a day. You are constantly solving puzzle after puzzle, and when you are not doing mini-ones then you are collecting items to use with other items in specific order(sometimes based on clues you are given).

 

[Prophet Steve]

So, it has undoubtedly been ask. But uh, in the Netherlands, do I get any chance to buy it here or do I have to import it? I don't like importing very much (also don´t have a credit card, to make things worse), but I have never played a lot on the DS and want to play some adventure games (Ghost Trick, 999 and Ace Attorney, but I can only find the first one). If I can only import it, can somebody recommend a site for me or think of an other way?

 

[wrowa]

EDIT: Though 999 is clearly focused on the puzzles. It is nonsense to say otherwise. You don't just do a puzzle or four and call it a day. You are constantly solving puzzle after puzzle, and when you are not doing mini-ones then you are collecting items to use with other items in specific order(sometimes based on clues you are given).

Have we played the same game? The puzzles in 999 are a nice bonus, but the vast majority of the game is spent with reading. It's a visual novel with a bit of the flavor of an adventure game; not the other way around.

 

[so1337]

Finished all the endings yesterday.

Spoiler

I didn't care much for the revelations about bracelets and doors having different values than advertised. Was there really a need for that? "This bracelet is actually an upside down 9 rather than a 6. That door is actually q in base 10 rather than a 9. And I bet you didn't know that this bracelet carrying a 0 is actually 6!" I dunno. Felt like the writer was grasping at straws a bit. Though I suppose it's pretty neat that everything still kinda adds up.

I really like how they handled those multiple endings. I wasn't sure I was going to like having to start over multiple times but, boy, did that final revelation win me over. Makes the entire time with this game feel significant. Also, the setup surrounding the last puzzle was ingenious. Really reminded of some of the stuff in Another Code/Trace Memory though this felt a lot more clever from a storytelling perspective.

Great game.

 

[Clott]

Going to play this as soon as I get the 3DS in the mail, how long will it take for the first play through?

 

[Riposte]

Have we played the same game? The puzzles in 999 are a nice bonus, but the vast majority of the game is spent with reading. It's a visual novel with a bit of the flavor of an adventure game; not the other way around.

Visual novels are basically adventure games without puzzles. Just because it has a lot of text doesn't change what it is. Neither would long cutscenes or certain kinds of music/graphics. The game is filled to the brim with puzzles. Wake up, solve a 2-3 puzzles, enter door, solve a couple puzzles, enter door, etc, repeat until you reach final puzzle. This is the narrative of the game once you drop the skin.

EDIT: Also you overstate vast majority. It is at most a 60/40 split with story sequences(parts with no involvement or puzzles) ahead. It could easily have been 40/60 if the puzzles were more difficult. However most mini-puzzles lasted 5 minutes at most. Exceptions here and there, and the adventure parts could be tricky(as they always tend to be...).

 

[Celine]

Have we played the same game? The puzzles in 999 are a nice bonus, but the vast majority of the game is spent with reading. It's a visual novel with a bit of the flavor of an adventure game; not the other way around.

Agree.

So, it has undoubtedly been ask. But uh, in the Netherlands, do I get any chance to buy it here or do I have to import it? I don't like importing very much (also don´t have a credit card, to make things worse), but I have never played a lot on the DS and want to play some adventure games (Ghost Trick, 999 and Ace Attorney, but I can only find the first one). If I can only import it, can somebody recommend a site for me or think of an other way?

999 is only available in America and Japan.
It's very unlikely someone will distribute in Europe IMO ( niche genre on a system that has the successor already in stores ).

For other exclusive adventures games available in Europe try check:
- Ace Attorney Series ( and spin off )
- Ghost Trick
- Hotel Disk and sequel ( that's exclusive to Europe and Japan )
- Another Code ( by Cing the same developer of Hotel Dusk )
- Time Hollow
- Professor Layton series ( although it's more a puzzle game with adventure vibe )

Also if you have never played Broken Sword there is the remake on DS too.

EDIT:
Some of these like the first Ace Attorney games should be hard to find because the printed quantity was low.

Also, if you think the clothes of 999's characters are crazy even for anime, you haven't watched much anime.

Compared to today anime standard the design is quite good IMO but it feels out of place with the context behind the game.

 

[Jintor]

Visual novels are basically adventure games without puzzles. Just because it has a lot of text doesn't change what it is. Neither would long cutscenes or certain kinds of music/graphics. The game is filled to the brim with puzzles. Wake up, solve a 2-3 puzzles, enter door, solve a couple puzzles, enter door, etc, repeat until you reach final puzzle. This is the narrative of the game once you drop the skin.

EDIT: Also you overstate vast majority. It is at most a 60/40 split with story sequences(parts with no involvement or puzzles) ahead. It could easily have been 40/60 if the puzzles were more difficult. However most mini-puzzles lasted 5 minutes at most. Exceptions here and there, and the adventure parts could be tricky(as they always tend to be...).

Man, the puzzles are just gates to more story. Of course if you throw out all the story it's going to boil down to 'enter door solve puzzles enter door solve puzzles'. I'm with team VN.

 

[Prophet Steve]

Agree.


999 is only available in America and Japan.
It's very unlikely someone will distribute in Europe IMO ( niche genre on a system that has the successor already in stores ).

For other exclusive adventures games available in Europe try check:
- Ace Attorney Series ( and spin off )
- Ghost Trick
- Hotel Disk and sequel ( that's exclusive to Europe and Japan )
- Another Code ( by Cing the same developer of Hotel Dusk )
- Time Hollow
- Professor Layton series ( although it's more a puzzle game with adventure vibe )

Also if you have never played Broken Sword there is the remake on DS too.

EDIT:
Some of these like the first Ace Attorney games should be hard to find because the printed quantity was low.


Compared to today anime standard the design is quite good IMO but it feels out of place with the context behind the game.

As I said, I have also interest in Ghost Trick and the first Ace Attorney (Maybe more later). And I can only find Ghost Trick. Also I have already some of the Professor Layton games, but I get bored of them.

But since DS games are region free (right?), does anybody knows an import site where I can pay with Paypal? Else I maybe have to try Ebay.

 

[Silh]

But since DS games are region free (right?), does anybody knows an import site where I can pay with Paypal? Else I maybe have to try Ebay.

I don't know of any import sites where you could pay with PayPal but as long as the DS you have isn't a DSi/XL, you should be able to play imports.

 

[hank_tree]

As I said, I have also interest in Ghost Trick and the first Ace Attorney (Maybe more later). And I can only find Ghost Trick. Also I have already some of the Professor Layton games, but I get bored of them.

But since DS games are region free (right?), does anybody knows an import site where I can pay with Paypal? Else I maybe have to try Ebay.

www.videogamesplus.ca. I get all my imports from there and they accept paypal. I live in Ireland and usually my games arrive in 4-5 days.

 

[brandonh83]

How awesome is this game? Is it scary, horror-driven? Now that I have a DS again I'm highly curious.

 

[AniHawk]

How awesome is this game? Is it scary, horror-driven? Now that I have a DS again I'm highly curious.

more thriller than horror.

also, more book than game.

 

[brandonh83]

Fine by me. Just got back home with it. Hope it lives up to the praise.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Just popped this into the 3DS just to see how it looks. Upscaled it's a bit fuzzy, in 1:1 mode it looks pretty sharp though.

 

[JohngPR]

Just a heads up, it's on sale right now on Amazon for $24.99.

I've been going back and forth on buying it since it's been $35, but I bit at $25. I want this and Ghost Trick, but I figure that Ghost Trick will probably be easier to come by later down the road.

 

[GaimeGuy]

Just a heads up, it's on sale right now on Amazon for $24.99.

I've been going back and forth on buying it since it's been $35, but I bit at $25. I want this and Ghost Trick, but I figure that Ghost Trick will probably be easier to come by later down the road.

Everyone should buy this game.

 

[malingenie]

I did finish it. I got an ending. I'm not going to play through the whole game again just for a few different puzzles and a different ending.

As for wanting more of them, wanting more similar games like this, or in the same genre or style. I don't really replay games.

*eyes growing backlog*

I am like you, too. Just finished first ending last nite, but for some reason I am compelled to replay it... weird. Maybe I will pop back here if I do. It would be the first game i've ever replayed outside of Lucasart/Sierra games of yore.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

I am like you, too. Just finished first ending last nite, but for some reason I am compelled to replay it... weird. Maybe I will pop back here if I do. It would be the first game i've ever replayed outside of Lucasart/Sierra games of yore.

Don't think of it as replaying. You have not finished a playthrough of 999 until you've seen the true ending.

 

[The Technomancer]

I am like you, too. Just finished first ending last nite, but for some reason I am compelled to replay it... weird. Maybe I will pop back here if I do. It would be the first game i've ever replayed outside of Lucasart/Sierra games of yore.

The first "ending" really isn't the end. The actual story unfolds over all six, its not like other games with "multiple endings" where if you make a different choice the final villain has a different hair color or something.

 

[malingenie]

Don't think of it as replaying. You have not finished a playthrough of 999 until you've seen the true ending.

Yeah I get that feeling (besides

Spoiler

i got the bad ending :*(

)

 

[The Technomancer]

Yeah I get that feeling (besides

Spoiler

i got the bad ending :*(

)

Haha, which one?

Also, damn, I have a perfect analogy for describing why the 999 endings are different, but I can't actually use it without giving strong hints as to the nature of the ending.

True spoiling hints:

Spoiler

Its like the obligatory episode of every sci-fi show ever where they're trapped in a time loop, and have to make different choices each time around until they get out

 

[malingenie]

Haha, which one?

Also, damn, I have a perfect analogy for describing why the 999 endings are different, but I can't actually use it without giving strong hints as to the nature of the ending.

True spoiling hints:

Spoiler

Its like the obligatory episode of every sci-fi show ever where they're trapped in a time loop, and have to make different choices each time around until they get out

I guess it would be described as

Spoiler

knife

it really sucked and got me in a bad mood

 

[The Technomancer]

I guess it would be described as

Spoiler

knife

it really sucked and got me in a bad mood

Ahahahaha, yeah, that was my first too. You're just like "...what? I didn't have any option to...they just...who the hell..."

 

[malingenie]

Ahahahaha, yeah, that was my first too. You're just like "...what? I didn't have any option to...they just...who the hell..."

Shit, I'm glad I'm not the only one who got that on the first one! I was feeling like my choices were weird

 

[malingenie]

Great... My second playthrough yielded the

Spoiler

submarine ending. I am depressed now.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I should finally get this today. Looking forward to digging in.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I love Aksys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq9JTXZvtZk&feature=feedu

 

[Crash Station]

I love Aksys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq9JTXZvtZk&feature=feedu

Did they seriously buy that fireplace game for this :lol

 

[Akselziys]

Ben/Belisarius pimping 999 like a boss

 

[Crash Station]

Oh shit, that's Belisarius? :lol :lol :lol

 

[matmanx1]

Well I picked up 999 on the Gamestop sale and just got my first ending. I got

Spoiler

knife

for my first one and it just made me want to start the game back up and go again.

I've read the start of one of the Gamefaqs articles where it talks about the decisions required to get different endings and I feel like I am going to go for at least 2 more of them before I try for the True ending. The atmosphere and writing are pretty awesome and even with me not being a "puzzle" gamer in any way I very much enjoyed what I've played so far.

The puzzles aren't frustrating but they do ask you to use your brain just enough for it to be rewarding and of course the story just sucks you in and won't let you go. This is a true gem of a game and I'd love to see more like this one in the future!