What are you currently playing?

[Bobchillingworth]

Hah- yeah, the plots are kind of... unique. The general narrative & gameplay structures are fairly similar, though. The games are divided into six chapters each, which typically start off with a narrative-driven, character-building segment, followed by a brutal murder, succeeded by an investigative, and concluded with a trial where the player has to sort through the evidence to convict the right suspect. That's more-or-less how Phoenix Wright operated too, at least back when they were releasing them on the DS.


The minigames all come into play during the trial segment; they range in quality from "really fun" to "mercifully short". You can adjust their difficult though at any time, if they're getting in the way of enjoying the story.

[Gustaran]

Ok, you convinced me and I bought it. After reading a short guide with general tips, it was mentioned finishing the game will eventually unlock a new  "school mode". So I checked the wiki to see what this additional mode is about:

...the bonus mode serves as a dating sim, leading the player through a version of the main plot where there are no mutual killings.

On the 51st day, if the player has completed Monokuma's final spare, Makoto will be alone in the Gym with any characters that the player has earned full max reputation with...If the player selects the correct answer, they will receive that character's special present - that character's underwear.

Well, if that's not an incentive... - I can't wait to get my hands on that biker gang leader's underwear. Thankfully, the game spares us no details:

103. Mondo's Undergarments
Mondo's favorite boxer briefs. They fit nice and snug in order to keep from getting in the way when you're riding your hog. Mondo doesn't normally have a thing for tiger print, but the instant he saw them, he found himself drawn to the design...

You can't make this stuff up...

[Nicolae Carpathia]

One of the most clever and subversive things about Phoenix Wright was that it was Shu Takami's commentary on the Japanese criminal justice system. It is spectacularly weighted in favor of the prosecution: 99%. Cops and detectives and prosecutors are held in high regard by pop culture and mass media, defense attorneys are vilified for aiding criminals. And here our protagonist is a defense attorney, perpetually on the brink of bankrupcy, an underdog, up against the incompetent and lazy and the rising stars and the corrupt.

[Gustaran]

That's interesting - I went ahead and read some articles about the Japanese criminal justice system and I must admit that really sounds very inadequate for an industrial nation. I always thought the judge and the prosecution in Phoenix Wright were vastly exaggerated, but it seems they are closer to reality than one would have liked...

BTW, I finished the first chapter of Danganronpa, and will second Bob's recommendation. The only thing I am not really good at is the rhythm mini-game - it's a little weird clicking with the two mouse buttons.

[Bobchillingworth]

And yeah, the rhythm game is horrific. But the build-a-manga section that follows is consistently one of the best things in series, so it all balances out.

[Gustaran]

I thought I had written this comment earlier but probably forget to press the reply button...

Anyway, after finishing chapter 2, I headed right over to Steam and bought "Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair" as well, since it's still available during the sale.

The only thing I would recommend is to set the minigame difficulty to the lowest setting. IMHO, the way the minigames are implemented doesn't add anything to the game at all and just distracts from the excellent story, atmosphere and case solving. Even if you like action, there are probably far better dedicated action games out there.

[Gustaran]

Bought Danganronpa v3 during the Steam Summer Sale; I absolutely love the series. 

@Bob: Did you experience any technical problems while playing v3? Danganronpa 1 & 2 run flawlessly on my computer, but there are quite a few people reporting technical issues on Steam for v.3, especially with keyboard and mouse controls. It seems sometimes inputs are not registering and the sound timing is off in some video sequences.

[Bobchillingworth]

None, but I used my XBox 360 controller.

[Gustaran]

Ah ok, thanks for letting me know.

I just found out I will have to wait for the next Steam sale anyway, since the only way to buy Danganronpa v3 for PC seems to be digital distribution through Steam. Unfortunately, the price is back at 60 Euros...   

(Yes, yes, I should have believed you, when you said all games of the series are great...)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Those following the Final Fantasy thread will already know this, but in case you haven't looked in a while, I'm attempting a solo run of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.  It's fun, but some of the missions force you into being a Black Mage because the developers thought it was a good idea to make Flans take 1 damage from any physical attack.  Having to move around on the map to make sure the laws don't ban your primary attacks is annoying.

I got my Super Nintendo Classic tonight, so I played some F-Zero!     I'm beginning to wonder about the backstory.  Which racetrack designer in the future thought it was a good idea to have 90 degree turns?  Does it take place in the same setting as Star Fox or Hyper Zone?