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[CrimsonFist]

I don't know about RITD, but there are some track names which are absolutely spoilers and should be tagged. It's not hard to click the spoiler tag button anyway.

Stream archive for the character and music rankings is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg1ayI5Y5f4, from the start to about an hour in.

 

[GSR]

I feel like this debate over mentioning track names is a bit moot given the only track names we actually know are the vocal songs and the ones on the 20th anniversary album, lol.

FWIW, I liked P5's OST a lot, but I had issues with how it was deployed throughout the game. Basically, for a 80+ hour JRPG there just wasn't enough variety, and that undermined some of the scenes. An emotional conversation with a party member at the end of the game shouldn't have the same "sadness_1.mp3" background music as a level 4 social link I did back in June, for instance. "Rivers in the Desert" works fantastically the first time it's played, but by reusing it later they undermine its impact. And so on and so forth.

Also, I liked the credits song, and the main melody there definitely pops up in some of the in-game songs.

 

[Frozenprince]

Random question.

Has anybody heard anything about if the P5 PS4 themes are going to launch on the NA store or nah? I know we're not getting the 20th anniversary ones (which sucks those are the best ones).

 

[Dantis]

It shows up in just one track, so it has a lot less impact than Never More.

Rivers In The Desert absolutely plays too many times.

I maintain that there isn't nearly enough 'everyday' track variety. Four versions of Beneath The Mask is not enough, and the heist tracks are both super forgettable. (I don't even remember one of them. I remember the 'Ba da ba ba bah bah' one, what's the other?

 

[CrimsonFist]

The full ost track names were actually revealed earlier alongside the release announcement

Random question.

Has anybody heard anything about if the P5 PS4 themes are going to launch on the NA store or nah? I know we're not getting the 20th anniversary ones (which sucks those are the best ones).

One was made available for 24 hours, and Atlus USA are aware of the demand for them, it would be very odd if we didn't get the rest of the character ones after that.

 

[GSR]

The full ost track names were actually revealed earlier alongside the release announcement

Oh hey, you're right! My mistake.

It shows up in just one track, so it has a lot less impact than Never More.

Rivers In The Desert absolutely plays too many times.

I maintain that there isn't nearly enough 'everyday' track variety. Four versions of Beneath The Mask is not enough, and the heist tracks are both super forgettable. (I don't even remember one of them. I remember the 'Ba da ba ba bah bah' one, what's the other?

More than one track (it also echoes in

Spoiler

the final boss second form theme

) but it's definitely not as present. Still, I liked it, and I don't think it's 100% necessary to have your main theme recur a ton.

I liked Beneath the Mask, but it does definitely start to wear thin by late in the game. The daytime exploration themes are both instrumental, so they don't stick quite as much in the mind either. (I am a big fan of the "active target" theme, though, which I'm counting as an exploration theme.)

 

[Frozenprince]

One was made available for 24 hours, and Atlus USA are aware of the demand for them, it would be very odd if we didn't get the rest of the character ones after that.

I just want one of the 20th anniversary ones. Those are so damn sleek.

 

[Deleted member 518609]

I just want one of the 20th anniversary ones. Those are so damn sleek.

I want the Amazon ones, but I fear they don't have such a great chance of coming over since they were retailer exclusive bonuses in Japan.
I still regret not buying the game from there, they're such good damn themes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXQPkimlHC4

 

[Mediking]

I left this community due to the delay but I gotta speak about spoiler tagging stuff in here. Just... why? Isn't the spoiler P5 thread and even the Import thread the actual places to talk about P5 in more detail? You don't hafta worry about being vague (unlike here). You don't hafta worry about spoiler tagging everything you say (unlike here). And you don't hafta worry about someone getting mad at you for saying something like "____ is disappointing!!!".

"Mediking! Shut up! It's.... it's EASIER to talk about P5 here so shut up!"

Oh.

Okay.

I just feel like you guys are torturing yourselves here by talking about P5 in restraint when you can easily do it somewhere else in way more detail on Gaf.

"Didn't I just say it's EASIER to talk about Persona 5 here?! Shut up!"

Oh.

Okay.

 

[jzbluz]

Some people don't like discussing things in the gaming discussion side of the forum? I know I tend to prefer to get my persona news from here instead there.

I don't really want to discuss P5 in detail anymore, and I already heavily spoiled myself, so I don't mind either way.

I want the Amazon ones, but I fear they don't have such a great chance of coming over since they were retailer exclusive bonuses in Japan.
I still regret not buying the game from there, they're such good damn themes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXQPkimlHC4

I want to say we've gotten retailer exclusive bonus before via Atlus that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Plus, we have definitely gotten Amazon preorder bonus before.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Has anyone been able to record Makoto's critical finisher in Japanese with her saying the "FISTS OF JUSTICE" line?

Would love to be able to compare performances.

 

[Deleted member 518609]

Has anyone been able to record Makoto's critical finisher in Japanese with her saying the "FISTS OF JUSTICE" line?

Would love to be able to compare performances.

https://streamable.com/88fp

 

[Sophia]

https://streamable.com/88fp

Hmm.... yeah Japanese Makoto doesn't scream it as loud.

 

[Makio]

https://streamable.com/88fp

I hate the dub so much right now lol ....

 

[Deleted member 518609]

I hate the dub so much right now lol ....

I don't think it's so bad here. The delivery matches that line pretty decently.
But if all else fails - at least there's dual audio!
My problem with Makoto's (and by extension the Velvet Room twins') English VA is that I think they're horribly miscast. Cherami Leigh's voice sounds far too cutesy and childish for Makoto, and I think it would make a far better pick for the Velvet Room twins. I'm not familiar with the English voice of the twins, but in the trailer they certainly do not sound anywhere near as young as Aki Toyosaki's voice makes them sound in Japanese, while I think Cherami Leigh would come far closer.

 

[A Dead Diehard]

I don't think it's so bad here. The delivery matches that line pretty decently.
But if all else fails - at least there's dual audio!
My problem with Makoto's (and by extension the Velvet Room twins') English VA is that I think they're horribly miscast. Cherami Leigh's voice sounds far too cutesy and childish for Makoto, and I think it would make a far better pick for the Velvet Room twins. I'm not familiar with the English voice of the twins, but in the trailer they certainly do not sound anywhere near as young as Aki Toyosaki's voice makes them sound in Japanese, while I think Cherami Leigh would come far closer.

Yeah, "miscast" was pretty much my feeling when I found out who D.C. Douglas was voicing.

I mean... are they trying to avoid typecasting?

 

[Makio]

Because like you say Cherami is better suited to voice kids (i mean Makoto is a teenager but she most sound older than this).

Meanwhile the twins VA almost sure is Carrie Keranen now i listen them in the livestream...
is better suited for older characters.

For example here is her in Kill La Kill either her or Ryuko (Erica Mendez) would owned Makoto or sound more natural than Leigh... im sure of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngpJWEDimf8

But oh well at least Makoto is not a miscast level like Fuuka (p3) or Ken (p3) just that feel they can go better specially since got a more suited actress in other miscasted role.

 

[Cannon_Fodder]

Yeah, "miscast" was pretty much my feeling when I found out who D.C. Douglas was voicing.

I mean... are they trying to avoid typecasting?

Miscast or not, I'm loving Douglas' work so far. Looking forward to playing through those sections myself.

 

[Deleted member 518609]

Miscast or not, I'm loving Douglas' work so far. Looking forward to playing through those sections myself.

His performance is pretty good, but the thing is, I can think of at least two other characters that both his voice and performance would suit far more. I hope they got real good voice actors for them though, because I'll be pretty annoyed if I find out that they were miscast too.

 

[Makio]

That's what i love from Douglas , they give him that weird cliche character of Dancing All Night (Dance Teacher) and the guy owns it , even him knowing his character is a joke and the guy delivered it anyway.

And now sound like a complete

Spoiler

bastard

in 5 , looking forward to his part too.

 

[Funyarinpa]

https://streamable.com/88fp

holy shit

 

[A Dead Diehard]

His performance is pretty good, but the thing is, I can think of at least two other characters that both his voice and performance would suit far more. I hope they got real good voice actors for them though, because I'll be pretty annoyed if I find out that they were miscast too.

I probably agree with which two.

Obviously pretty big spoilers:

Spoiler

Was thinking of Okumura and Shido. I think he'd really suit Okumura.

Spoiler

He's got the right voice for Okumura's face, but I'd be more convinced of Madarame than Shido.

 

[Deleted member 518609]

I probably agree with which two.

Obviously pretty big spoilers:

Spoiler

Was thinking of Okumura and Shido. I think he'd really suit Okumura.

 

[the_sun_king]

Based off only what I know of the characters' descriptions (because that's all I know about them), and the short clips we've heard of her, I think Mokoto's English VA probably would have better suited Haru.

 

[petethepanda]

Went to look up videos of the P5 themes available on the japanese store and I almost wish I hadn't seen the 20th Anniversary PS4 theme lol, it's so much better than the character ones. (Wound up grabbing Futaba's for the music.)

 

[A Dead Diehard]

Based off only what I know of the characters' descriptions (because that's all I know about them), and the short clips we've heard of her, I think Mokoto's English VA probably would have better suited Haru.

Then again, based on what I've heard from other sources, Haru's VA is already spot-on. :/

Until Xanthe Huynh fits her as a glove and nobody complains , in all the weird cast choices i think this one is a real winner. All my faith is put into her she going to nail her ... and knowing how weird those trailers sound vs gameplay i dont be surprised if sound weird the first time.

EDIT Beaten by Diehard

That's me. Captain Obvious.

 

[Makio]

, and the short clips we've heard of her, I think Mokoto's English VA probably would have better suited Haru.

Until Xanthe Huynh fits her as a glove and nobody complains , in all the weird cast choices i think this one is a real winner. All my faith is put into her she going to nail her ... and knowing how weird those trailers sound vs gameplay i dont be surprised if sound weird the first time.

EDIT Beaten by Diehard

 

[Dantis]

Makoto's way off, although to be fair, FISTS OF JUSTICE is a garbage line regardless.

Douglas sounds nothing like Kamoshida at all. He has no sneer, and he's not nasally. On the other hand, I think he'll do a decent job regardless. He's a straight up good actor.

I'm concerned about Sojiro. I have a feeling that whoever they get for the English version won't portray Sojiro's weariness very well, and will just Dojima his way through it.


I'd really rather play it in English, but these trailers aren't selling it for me. Might be thanking the gods of dual audio when it finally releases.

 

[Makio]

I'm concerned about Sojiro. I have a feeling that whoever they get for the English version won't portray Sojiro's weariness very well, .

If Sojiro is the one saying to the protag about he is in probation but is free to do "things" damn miscasted as hell , make sound more like a frickin boss than a secondary character.


Just worried how the confidants are gonna sound now , with those weird choices... at least i think Yuri Lowenthal is voicing Yuki Mishima , i think in the protagonist trailer is him.

 

[PK Gaming]

Yeah, "miscast" was pretty much my feeling when I found out who D.C. Douglas was voicing.

I mean... are they trying to avoid typecasting?

D.C. Douglas's Kamoshida is very good. It's easy to knock him when you haven't heard it, but it works super well in practice. He's not overtly scummy and nasally like in the Japanese version, but he has this sociopathic "calmness" to his voice. It contrasts really well with

Spoiler

Ryuji anger

 

[A Dead Diehard]

D.C. Douglas's Kamoshida is very good. It's easy to knock him when you haven't heard it, but it works super well in practice. He's not overtly scummy and nasally like in the Japanese version, but he has this sociopathic "calmness" to his voice. It contrasts really well with

Spoiler

Ryuji anger

Well that's the thing, isn't it?

Sociopathic calmness seems to be

Spoiler

pretty much every other villain's deal already.

 

[Deleted member 518609]

Spoiler

He's not overtly scummy and nasally like in the Japanese version, but he has this sociopathic "calmness" to his voice.

Spoiler

But that's not what I get the impression Kamoshida is meant to be at all. He's supposed to be the grimy, dorky sounding creep who isn't so much planning things out carefully, but rather getting away with stuff due to his reputation. If anyone suits a sociopathic calm voice, it's Okumura, and his dialogue supports that.

 

[Dantis]

I think the problem there, PK, is that that caricature is one that Persona (and every other JRPG) has done over and over and over again. Persona 5 even has a couple of villains like it.

I don't doubt Douglas will do an okay job, but I don't think the character will carry the same nuance that the Japanese one has.

Spoiler

But that's not what I get the impression Kamoshida is meant to be at all. He's supposed to be the grimy, dorky sounding creep who isn't so much planning things out carefully, but rather getting away with stuff due to his reputation. If anyone suits a sociopathic calm voice, it's Okumura, and his dialogue supports that.

I really agree with this.
I think it comes down to the limits of the localisation. At the end of the day, the game is still being localised like every other niche Japanese game, and there is definitely a limit to the quality that you can expect, I think. Catherine's VO being an exception.

 

[A Dead Diehard]

Spoiler

But that's not what I get the impression Kamoshida is meant to be at all. He's supposed to be the grimy, dorky sounding creep who isn't so much planning things out carefully, but rather getting away with stuff due to his reputation. If anyone suits a sociopathic calm voice, it's Okumura, and his dialogue supports that.

Exactly. Start out with the

Spoiler

petty brute, then work your way up to the real piece of shit psychopaths.

 

[PK Gaming]

 

[Lunar15]

The general vibe I get from Persona 5 impressions is that the game is, on the whole, a much better "game" than P3 and P4 from a gameplay perspective, but that the "impact" is slightly muted compared to those. Stuff like the music and some story beats don't really blow minds, but are all strong enough to satisfy our cravings while everything else is polished to a shine.

I'm perfectly fine with this. I think a lot of people will say it's their favorite persona, and rightly so, but a bunch of people will also just put it in with the mix. If anything, I don't think it's going to majorly disappoint too many fans. Now that there's dual audio, I don't think the dub can ruin anyone's time with it.

 

[Frozenprince]

The general vibe I get from Persona 5 impressions is that the game is, on the whole, a much better "game" than P3 and P4 from a gameplay perspective, but that the "impact" is slightly muted compared to those. Stuff like the music and some story beats don't really blow minds, but are all strong enough to satisfy our cravings while everything else is polished to a shine.

I'm perfectly fine with this. I think a lot of people will say it's their favorite persona, and rightly so, but a bunch of people will also just put it in with the mix. If anything, I don't think it's going to majorly disappoint too many fans. Now that there's dual audio, I don't think the dub can ruin anyone's time with it.

I think the music is great and the opening is probably the strongest out of the three games. All the

Spoiler

Kamoshida

stuff really hit me hard but that might be a bit of personal circumstance too. I think most everybody will be happy with it. It's a fun game.

 

[Dantis]

The general vibe I get from Persona 5 impressions is that the game is, on the whole, a much better "game" than P3 and P4 from a gameplay perspective, but that the "impact" is slightly muted compared to those. Stuff like the music and some story beats don't really blow minds, but are all strong enough to satisfy our cravings while everything else is polished to a shine.

I'm perfectly fine with this. I think a lot of people will say it's their favorite persona, and rightly so, but a bunch of people will also just put it in with the mix. If anything, I don't think it's going to majorly disappoint too many fans.

This is fair to say.

I think there are going to be a few technical and gameplay issues that, weirdly, nobody seems to be mentioning from the import (including me, tbf), and that will knock it a bit.

My take is that it's an excellent game that sits nicely alongside Persona 3 and 4. It plays better than every other Persona game, but also does some things worse. It's flawed, just the same as Persona 3 and 4 were. P-Studio still don't know how to do a very good story, but I think that's mostly okay.
When I first played it, I was taken aback by how much I'd missed playing these games, and how much I'd wanted a new one. No other JRPGs can really even compare. And that's what it should be appreciated for.

I think the music is great and the opening is probably the strongest out of the three games. All the

Spoiler

Kamoshida

stuff really hit me hard but that might be a bit of personal circumstance too.

Out of curiousity, how do you feel about P3 and P4's soundtracks and their respective openings?

 

[Lunar15]

Nothing I've heard so far tops Your Affection or Heartbeat, Heartbreak. That said, I haven't listened to the dungeon themes yet, really want to be surprised by those.

 

[Frozenprince]

Out of curiousity, how do you feel about P3 and P4's soundtracks and their respective openings?

3's is disjointed, you run around, people spout off exposition but you're not directly involved, then shit goes down and Tartarus shows up. It's not bad, but it's quick and gets you into the game. I like the smooth jazz, but aside from BABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABY and Kimi no Kioku there isn't a hook there (I like Joy though, best home theme).

4's just takes waaaaaaaaay too long. I appreciate a slow burn, but that shit is ridiculous. It's legitimately 3 hours before you're actually allowed to play the game. Obviously the best soundtrack. All the ambient themes are great, only issue is the zone themes because dear god they get repetitive fast. But the actual songs are fine.

I just like how 5 throws you in and immediately you're allowed to wander. You don't do stuff right away, but you get a feel for everything and get to play around a bit before you hit the dungeon which only takes about an hour instead of 3. Plus having an actual nemesis to fight instead of "find Yukiko" while not as inter-personal, makes you a little more invested rather than "find this girl you've known for exactly 30 minutes".

Nothing I've heard so far tops Your Affection or Heartbeat, Heartbreak. That said, I haven't listened to the dungeon themes yet, really want to be surprised by those.

You're in for a treat then.

I agree the ambient songs aren't as good, but I still think the OST stands along the other two just fine.

 

[Sophia]

The general vibe I get from Persona 5 impressions is that the game is, on the whole, a much better "game" than P3 and P4 from a gameplay perspective, but that the "impact" is slightly muted compared to those. Stuff like the music and some story beats don't really blow minds, but are all strong enough to satisfy our cravings while everything else is polished to a shine.

I'm perfectly fine with this. I think a lot of people will say it's their favorite persona, and rightly so, but a bunch of people will also just put it in with the mix. If anything, I don't think it's going to majorly disappoint too many fans. Now that there's dual audio, I don't think the dub can ruin anyone's time with it.

I think the flaws in Persona 5 stand out because, on the whole, it's a much tighter package then Persona 3 or 4 ever were. The gameplay is polished to a fault, and many of the story structure issues that plagued 3/4 are not present in 5. Which makes the few faults it does have more noticeable. We're also a lot more likely to spot them after having played Persona 3 and Persona 4 and knowing what to look for it.

 

[Dantis]

Nothing I've heard so far tops Your Affection or Heartbeat, Heartbreak. That said, I haven't listened to the dungeon themes yet, really want to be surprised by those.

Dungeons themes are largely very good, with dungeon 5 and 6 being genuinely excellent. As someone who felt P4's dungeon themes were largely mediocre, P5 is a huge step up.

3's is disjointed, you run around, people spout off exposition but you're not directly involved, then shit goes down and Tartarus shows up. It's not bad, but it's quick and gets you into the game. I like the smooth jazz, but aside from BABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABY and Kimi no Kioku there isn't a hook there (I like Joy though, best home theme).

4's just takes waaaaaaaaay too long. I appreciate a slow burn, but that shit is ridiculous. It's legitimately 3 hours before you're actually allowed to play the game. Obviously the best soundtrack. All the ambient themes are great, only issue is the zone themes because dear god they get repetitive fast. But the actual songs are fine.

I just like how 5 throws you in and immediately you're allowed to wander. You don't do stuff right away, but you get a feel for everything and get to play around a bit before you hit the dungeon which only takes about an hour instead of 3. Plus having an actual nemesis to fight instead of "find Yukiko" while not as inter-personal, makes you a little more invested rather than "find this girl you've known for exactly 30 minutes.

The opening itself is a lot quicker but after 20 minutes it slows to a fucking crawl, and ends up being longer than both P3 and P4 I think.

 

[Setsu00]

Nothing I've heard so far tops Your Affection or Heartbeat, Heartbreak. That said, I haven't listened to the dungeon themes yet, really want to be surprised by those.

FWIW I teared up when I listened to the full version of Life Will Change. The lyrics and Persona 5's general theme of setting yourself free from what society (or anyone, really) expects from you struck a nerve for me.

 

[Deleted member 518609]

I just like how 5 throws you in and immediately you're allowed to wander. You don't do stuff right away, but you get a feel for everything and get to play around a bit before you hit the dungeon which only takes about an hour instead of 3. Plus having an actual nemesis to fight instead of "find Yukiko" while not as inter-personal, makes you a little more invested rather than "find this girl you've known for exactly 30 minutes".

To add to that, the game does a really good job at weaving the story into the dungeons. While in P4 each dungeon would be in the style of something that represents the character, P5 goes so much further, with every intricate detail having some sort of symbolism that does a really good job at developing the villains. As for the opening itself, the prologue was fantastic, and does a much better job at getting you initially hooked than the other games for sure.

 

[Frozenprince]

The opening itself is a lot quicker but after 20 minutes it slows to a fucking crawl, and ends up being longer than both P3 and P4 I think.

I agree it probably takes longer, but I feel that actually allowing you to PLAY those parts makes it significantly better, because you feel like you have a level of agency instead of people just yelling exposition at you for 3 hours while you push X. Plus you do combat and dungeon stuff intermittently throughout which makes it not as bad.

 

[Dantis]

FWIW I teared up when I listened to the full version of Life Will Change. The lyrics and Persona 5's general theme of setting yourself free from what society (or anyone, really) expects from you struck a nerve for me.

Yeah, it hit me too, particularly the 'I'm just as fearless, I'm just as dangerous' part.
It's way overplayed by the end though. Honestly, a lot of my problems with P5 only come in during the endgame.

 

[Frozenprince]

Yeah, it hit me too, particularly the 'I'm just as fearless, I'm just as dangerous' part.
It's way overplayed by the end though. Honestly, a lot of my problems with P5 only come in during the endgame.

Having just reached it I can definitely agree there.

But none of the games have really stuck the landing until the re-release anyway. So maybe those issues will get ironed out in Crimson or something.

 

[Setsu00]

Yeah, it hit me too, particularly the 'I'm just as fearless, I'm just as dangerous' part.
It's way overplayed by the end though. Honestly, a lot of my problems with P5 only come in during the endgame.

P5 seems to be pretty overt with its themes anyway. P3 and P4 were rather on the nose as well, but it seems like P5 took it even further. I wonder if it'll start to annoy me by the end, too.

 

[Dantis]

P5 seems to be pretty overt with its themes anyway. P3 and P4 were rather on the nose as well, but it seems like P5 took it even further. I wonder if it'll start to annoy me by the end, too.

It'/s more than the themes. The game really doubles down on dungeon sections and repeated boss fights. It's exhausting.

 

[Lunar15]

I'm not quite sure how I rank the battle themes. I really really like Last Surprise. Part of me thinks it lacks the punch of Reach Out to the Truth but, as a song, I might like it better.

I'll have to see how I feel about it after hearing it five million times in battle.