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Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward |OT| -- More Hours, More Persons, More Doors

Himself

Member
All this talk about how essential knowing the True Ending of 999 is to fully appreciating VLR is sort of bumming me out. I don't like the direction the story took for 999 and prefered the more simple, "bad" endings. Am I the only one?
 

Eusis

Member
Got the 3DS version already since I got really lucky with Amazon, and sunk a solid chunk of time in. I was able to compare the demo area on the Vita to the same area on the 3DS... and, uhh, forget about wanting the Vita version for the resolution, you'll want it more because the Vita screen is so much more vibrant. It's not as if the area was the most colorful, but in contrast the 3DS is practically GREY.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Got the 3DS version already since I got really lucky with Amazon, and sunk a solid chunk of time in. I was able to compare the demo area on the Vita to the same area on the 3DS... and, uhh, forget about wanting the Vita version for the resolution, you'll want it more because the Vita screen is so much more vibrant. It's not as if the area was the most colorful, but in contrast the 3DS is practically GREY.
Each impression keeps changing my mind on which version to buy. lol
 

Busaiku

Member
All this talk about how essential knowing the True Ending of 999 is to fully appreciating VLR is sort of bumming me out. I don't like the direction the story took for 999 and prefered the more simple, "bad" endings. Am I the only one?

Nope, that's me 100%.
After getting the final few endings, my hype for this was super deflated.

But then I saw the outlandish nature of this game, and see that this time they're going that direction, instead of trying to stay grounded like 999, and I can definitely appreciate it more for that.
Basically I'm treating this more along the lines of something like Ghost Trick or Ace Attorney, rather than something like Hotel Dusk, like I did 999.

But don't get me wrong, I loved the writing (except when I thought something got lost in translation, but Aksys compensated for it as best they could), I just hated the nature of what was going on.
 

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
All this talk about how essential knowing the True Ending of 999 is to fully appreciating VLR is sort of bumming me out. I don't like the direction the story took for 999 and prefered the more simple, "bad" endings. Am I the only one?

It might be just you. Some of the bad endings were interesting when you realized who was behind it all.
IE, Ace killing Clover in a good lot of them.
 

Akselziys

Aksys Games Dev.
Someone hold me....my copy has been shipped!

But someone is :eek:

image.php
 

Eusis

Member
Each impression keeps changing my mind on which version to buy. lol
Eh, I don't regret it really, plus it helps I can just grab the PSN Vita version in a sale whenever, but you really can't underestimate that screen. Though I think part of why resolution didn't scream out to me as much as I thought, besides being overshadowed by OLED contrast, is that the graphics don't really NEED to be higher resolution. 3D graphics of a sufficient detail will always benefit, but this is no Dark Souls, you can see most of the detail just fine on a 3DS screen. I was also playing on the 3DS XL, so screen size is roughly the same and not a major factor, though it IS nice to shuffle much of that HUD-type stuff to the bottom screen.

If you stick with Vita though I would seriously consider investing in a capacitive stylus. It's not as if moving the camera around really works well with the 3DS stylus anyway, it handles more like an analog stick or even D-Pad than a mouse, but doing this with your finger's even worse, then there's when you'll want to take memos.
 

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
Eh, I don't regret it really, plus it helps I can just grab the PSN Vita version in a sale whenever, but you really can't underestimate that screen. Though I think part of why resolution didn't scream out to me as much as I thought, besides being overshadowed by OLED contrast, is that the graphics don't really NEED to be higher resolution. 3D graphics of a sufficient detail will always benefit, but this is no Dark Souls, you can see most of the detail just fine on a 3DS screen. I was also playing on the 3DS XL, so screen size is roughly the same and not a major factor, though it IS nice to shuffle much of that HUD-type stuff to the bottom screen.

If you stick with Vita though I would seriously consider investing in a capacitive stylus. It's not as if moving the camera around really works well with the 3DS stylus anyway, it handles more like an analog stick or even D-Pad than a mouse, but doing this with your finger's even worse, then there's when you'll want to take memos.

The 2D artwork looks really nice in qHD. I wish there were more of it.
 

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
Some of you might be happy to know I actually bought a Vita for this. My strangest system seller yet.

Not strange at all. VLR is absolutely fantastic and definitely the best game on the Vita to date... even over other stuff like Uncharted.
 

Himself

Member
Nope, that's me 100%.
After getting the final few endings, my hype for this was super deflated.

But then I saw the outlandish nature of this game, and see that this time they're going that direction, instead of trying to stay grounded like 999, and I can definitely appreciate it more for that.
Basically I'm treating this more along the lines of something like Ghost Trick or Ace Attorney, rather than something like Hotel Dusk, like I did 999.

But don't get me wrong, I loved the writing (except when I thought something got lost in translation, but Aksys compensated for it as best they could), I just hated the nature of what was going on.

Wait so 999 is grounded compared to VLR?! Now I gotta try it! I was going to get it anyway, just gotta refresh my memory on what exactly happened in 999 because I didn't really feel connected to the true ending.
 

Marche90

Member
Damn it.

I was planning to use the few bucks that I have left to fix my cell phone's display, but now, I'm not so sure (it has a few burned pixels, but it is still usable so it can last a bit more). Should I buy 999 & VLR now, or should I try to wait until holidays to get both? I'm wondering because I'm not sure if both games' stock will last until then.

plus the damned spoiler tags. It has taken quite a bit of willpower to not read those. I don't know if I will last that long ;_;
 

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
Damn it.

I was planning to use the few bucks that I have left to fix my cell phone's display, but now, I'm not so sure (it has a few burned pixels, but it is still usable so it can last a bit more). Should I buy 999 & VLR now, or should I try to wait until holidays to get both? I'm wondering because I'm not sure if both games' stock will last until then.

plus the damned spoiler tags. It has taken quite a bit of willpower to not read those. I don't know if I will last that long ;_;

999/VLR is worth sacrificing your phone, yes.
 

UberTag

Member
Wait so 999 is grounded compared to VLR?! Now I gotta try it! I was going to get it anyway, just gotta refresh my memory on what exactly happened in 999 because I didn't really feel connected to the true ending.
Premise of 999 in a nutshell:
Childhood friend of your main character/protagonist puts him through hellish survival game scenarios on repeat ala the movie Groundhog Day until he's able to piece together enough clues through each failed attempt to send her child-self telepathically the solution to surviving an incinerator from when she played the same survival game scenario as a kid... because that's what he always did. Gotta keep that timeline intact and avoid paradoxes don't ya know. ;)

Along the way, she conspires with her brother who leveraged her future knowledge of events into a shareholder's winfall so they could finance everything and gets revenge on all of the people that set the first game she played as a kid in motion via pushing Ace's buttons.
 

Derrick01

Banned
All this talk about how essential knowing the True Ending of 999 is to fully appreciating VLR is sort of bumming me out. I don't like the direction the story took for 999 and prefered the more simple, "bad" endings. Am I the only one?

I just finished youtubing the game and most of the endings including the true one and I'm more confused than anything, but yes I agree with you if you're talking about what I think you are. I too preferred the more simple bad endings and would have preferred if the good one stayed at the same level of those.

Meaning (999 true ending spoiler)
none of this confusing time paradox supernatural bullshit
 
I just finished youtubing the game and most of the endings including the true one and I'm more confused than anything, but yes I agree with you if you're talking about what I think you are. I too preferred the more simple bad endings and would have preferred if the good one stayed at the same level of those.

Meaning (999 true ending spoiler)
none of this confusing time paradox supernatural bullshit

All of Uchikoshi's games, sooner or later, tend to go deep into these things... But they're so satisfactory!
 

Esura

Banned
I hate these puzzles. Wish I could skip em for the novel sections.

Need a break before I break my 3DS. :(

EDIT: Is there a Japanese walkthrough for this?
 

Himself

Member
Basically when i watched the true ending on YouTube after getting two endings on my own, it felt as if what i was witnessing wasn't even from the same universe, let alone the same game. I can easily see how people could think this is a narrative cop out and a bullshit attempt at intellectualizing the plot. Not my feelings per se, and I'm definitely looking forward to experiencing VLR, but I am annoyed that that's the ending I have to keep in my head as I play VLR because it feels so disconnected from the events I experienced while playing 999.

While we're yapping about 999, can anyone kindly share the link that is like a spoiler free flow chart of how to access each ending in 999? Maybe if I play through the game and experience the true end myself I might feel like it actually happened. Or maybe I've been reading too much Don DeLillo.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Eh, I don't regret it really, plus it helps I can just grab the PSN Vita version in a sale whenever, but you really can't underestimate that screen. Though I think part of why resolution didn't scream out to me as much as I thought, besides being overshadowed by OLED contrast, is that the graphics don't really NEED to be higher resolution. 3D graphics of a sufficient detail will always benefit, but this is no Dark Souls, you can see most of the detail just fine on a 3DS screen. I was also playing on the 3DS XL, so screen size is roughly the same and not a major factor, though it IS nice to shuffle much of that HUD-type stuff to the bottom screen.

If you stick with Vita though I would seriously consider investing in a capacitive stylus. It's not as if moving the camera around really works well with the 3DS stylus anyway, it handles more like an analog stick or even D-Pad than a mouse, but doing this with your finger's even worse, then there's when you'll want to take memos.

It's just too bad there isn't a 3DS demo. Right now I'm just staring at both copies sealed rather than playing the game because I don't know which one to keep. lol

And yeah, I have an XL as well, so screen size isn't really the big differentiator for me. Just the "experience", however vague that sounds.
 

GSR

Member
VLR'll be here sometime tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm replaying the True Ending of 999 with an eye towards things that could pop up in VLR.
 
Finally got my watch to turn on and YAY! Green! ^.^

But NOOOOO! It's scratched and doesn't fully work! Can't even get the light to turn off now! It's like Zero III has possessed it! D:

HEtWy.jpg


Emailing Aksys support, hopefully I can get either help fixing it, or a replacement (unlikely, given the limited print of these).
 
SMH at all the people skipping or looking up the story to 999. Play it before you play this one! It's worth it!


Finally got my watch to turn on and YAY! Green! ^.^

But NOOOOO! It's scratched and doesn't fully work! Can't even get the light to turn off now! It's like Zero III has possessed it! D:

HEtWy.jpg


Emailing Aksys support, hopefully I can get either help fixing it, or a replacement (unlikely, given the limited print of these).

Damn, that really sucks!
 
Basically when i watched the true ending on YouTube after getting two endings on my own, it felt as if what i was witnessing wasn't even from the same universe, let alone the same game. I can easily see how people could think this is a narrative cop out and a bullshit attempt at intellectualizing the plot. Not my feelings per se, and I'm definitely looking forward to experiencing VLR, but I am annoyed that that's the ending I have to keep in my head as I play VLR because it feels so disconnected from the events I experienced while playing 999.

The true ending of 999 was being continually hinted at throughout the game. It was the thing that tied everything together; it certainly didn't come out of nowhere. It may have been harder to appreciate if you only saw the two most incomplete ends before it though.
 

Lan_97

Member
Finally got my watch to turn on and YAY! Green! ^.^

But NOOOOO! It's scratched and doesn't fully work! Can't even get the light to turn off now! It's like Zero III has possessed it! D:

HEtWy.jpg


Emailing Aksys support, hopefully I can get either help fixing it, or a replacement (unlikely, given the limited print of these).

Did you remove the protective film from the clear plastic? That might help. I also noticed that the screen underneath looks to have its own protective film on it, I see some bubbles and scratching. Sadly I can't remove it without taking apart the watch.
 

honorless

We don't have "get out of jail free" cards, but if we did, she'd have one.
Basically when i watched the true ending on YouTube after getting two endings on my own, it felt as if what i was witnessing wasn't even from the same universe, let alone the same game. I can easily see how people could think this is a narrative cop out and a bullshit attempt at intellectualizing the plot. Not my feelings per se, and I'm definitely looking forward to experiencing VLR, but I am annoyed that that's the ending I have to keep in my head as I play VLR because it feels so disconnected from the events I experienced while playing 999.
I'm so glad I wasn't the only one.

Before the true ending the story was about
a sociopathic madman and his cabal, who were so convinced they could tap into latent psychic powers that they were willing to kidnap kids and even murder one of them as part of their experiment. I assumed Alice was (unknown to them) the only one who really was capable of psychic control, and so she was at least involved in the orchestration of the second game if she wasn't Zero. The "Game Over" of the safe ending was an acknowledgement that Zero's revenge had come at too high a cost, or that maybe they'd lost control of Alice and were about to be killed by her.
That was my take on it, anyway.

Then you find out
EVERYTHING IS REAL and ugh dammit time paradox NO WAIT half the characters were just lying through their teeth/manufactured memories. Also an elementary school crush = TRUE LOVE FOREVER, POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CROSS TIME (that's really the worst aspect, IMO) And most of Uchikoshi's explanations on the Aksys Q&A felt like midichlorians.

...Don't get me wrong; there were some things I liked.
(Akane actually being a selfish asshole and never seeing Junpei again)
But the true ending did a good job of tempering my expectations for VLR. I don't think I'll be disappointed no matter what gets thrown at me now.
 
Doh :( Hopefully Aksys can straighten that out for you, podracer35.

I hope so too! :/ But hey, I'm looking on the brightside even if they can't help:

I've got my hands on this one-of-a-kind watch that nobody else has! (Not even those who pre-ordered!) One day, it will sell for millions on eBay!

Did you remove the protective film from the clear plastic? That might help. I also noticed that the screen underneath looks to have its own protective film on it, I see some bubbles and scratching. Sadly I can't remove it without taking apart the watch.

There's a protective film? Huh... What do you know? There is! o_O But it's really hard to take off. :/ I guess I'll just wait for a reply from Aksys before I mess with it more.

Thanks for the tip though! :)
 
Did you remove the wall panels to the left of the control console?

Doh. Thanks! Did that then solved the rest of the room far less painfully.

As for the dice game,
I know it has to do with the time, but which one? Been stuck on that for a while now.
 

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
Doh. Thanks! Did that then solved the rest of the room far less painfully.

As for the dice game,
I know it has to do with the time, but which one? Been stuck on that for a while now.

It's really long and convoluted... so I'll just give you the answer. PAST and POUR.
 

Eusis

Member
The 2D artwork looks really nice in qHD. I wish there were more of it.
Yeah, it may actually benefit a lot more than the 3D. If they had stuck with 2D or at least used it more and downscaled assets from an much higher resolution it'd put the Vita even further ahead visually.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Very early impressions.

Positives:
- Dialog during escape segments is far less heavy handed than 999 (so far). Big plus.
- I haven't used it yet, but the inclusion of the timeline flowchart is huge, and will make it a lot more enjoyable to explore the different endings.
- Music is great, as always.
- Visuals are gorgeous on the Vita screen.
- Voice acting is a nice adition.

Negatives:
- The controls are sluggish. It's like there's significant input lag to the touch controls. I'll get used to it, but it doesn't control flawlessly like 999 did.
- No more area highlighting when you select stuff in the world. This leads to some repeat selections. Not a huge deal, but this was a nice feature in 999.
- Both the controls and interface aren't terribly intuitive. I'll get used to them, but again, not as good as 999 here. Not completely unexpected considering the move to 3D.
- I wish I could hide the interface.
 
So apparantly the delivery estimate was tommorrow. But this morning is said it would be delivered early, AKA today. BUT NOW it just got to a city 80 miles away.

UPS Tracking bastards.

Well atleast I get a watch (I better, it has always said "with preorder bonus") so yay! Just want to...read this book already!
 

Busaiku

Member
Premise of 999 in a nutshell:
Childhood friend of your main character/protagonist puts him through hellish survival game scenarios on repeat ala the movie Groundhog Day until he's able to piece together enough clues through each failed attempt to send her child-self telepathically the solution to surviving an incinerator from when she played the same survival game scenario as a kid... because that's what he always did. Gotta keep that timeline intact and avoid paradoxes don't ya know. ;)

Along the way, she conspires with her brother who leveraged her future knowledge of events into a shareholder's winfall so they could finance everything and gets revenge on all of the people that set the first game she played as a kid in motion via pushing Ace's buttons.

I mean from the onset.
Like if you just start out, everyone's pretty normal, and it's just a mystery thing.

But here, you start out with people whose real names are like Sigma and Phi, Zero is a rabbit, and there's a robot with amnesia.
 

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
I mean from the onset.
Like if you just start out, everyone's pretty normal, and it's just a mystery thing.

But here, you start out with people whose real names are like Sigma and Phi, Zero is a rabbit, and there's a robot with amnesia.

K isn't a robot. It's stated in the game that he is wearing armor. Heck, it's stated in the OP of this very thread.
 

Busaiku

Member
Yes, I know that, I'm just being dramatic to show the clear contrast.
And honestly, the actuality isn't really any less dramatic.
 
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