Roland's Merciful Modly Mash-up Random Banter Thread #221

[Anonymouswizard]

The first Kirby game is very easy. I beat it.

Different people have different views on difficulties. Some people think Shadow Kanji from Persona 4 Is hard, despite being one of the easiest bosses I've encountered in a MegaTen game.

[Bartmanhomer]

Different people have different views on difficulties. Some people think Shadow Kanji from Persona 4 Is hard, despite being one of the easiest bosses I've encountered in a MegaTen game.

How on earth did they find that boss difficult even if the boss is very easy to beat?

[Dimonite]

I think he might have laughed also, were he a reader here.

This sounds suspiciously like what someone who was secretly Elton John would say...

Like the Toronto Raptors? HEYO!

For reals though I hope they win. Don't tell the Sports thread.

Obligatory "I hate sports" reference but actually I'm rooting for the Warriors (I actually got interested in basketball in the first place because of how fun Steph Curry is to watch).

[Peelee]

Age does a number on gaming skills.

Most worthless fact you could possibly know about me: Back in 2007, when the Guitar Hero 2 leaderboards finally hit one million people, I was ranked 970. Statistically, I was quite literally better than 99.9% of people. When Rock Band came out, I formed a kind of online band with some people I met online, and we regularly gold-starred most songs, with Full Combos not being irregular.

Haven't touched those games in years. Dollars to doughnuts if I went and picked up the latest version of 'em, I'd be rusty as all get out.

Obligatory "I hate sports" reference but actually I'm rooting for the Warriors (I actually got interested in basketball in the first place because of how fun Steph Curry is to watch).

I don't really follow sports at all, but I like underdogs.

[Anonymouswizard]

How on earth did they find that boss difficult even if the boss is very easy to beat?

Spoiler: Shadow Kanji

Show

Shadow Kanji Haas a reputation for being hard to beat due to being the boss of the second dungeon, and being the first to really utilise the series mechanics.

Previous bosses could hit immunities, a problem with the Once More! System the game uses, inflict statuses, and one could even kill anybody who was suffering from fear.

Kanji uses buffs. While he or his minions can't hit weaknesses one of his minions has Heat Raiser (buff damage, damage reduction, and hit/evade on one target) and healing spells, while the other is a powerful physical attacker. Shadow Kanji himself can deal high physical damage, as well as putting charm on your male party members and I think rage on your female ones. In addition either Kanji or the attacker minion gets Power Charge, which increases the damage of your next physical attack by 150%.

If you're unprepared this is devestating. If you know your MegaTen you'll realise that the game gives you exactly the tools you need to deal with this. Yusuke learns a skill that'll remove all normal buffs. The MC can get Personas with buffs for the party or rebuffs for the enemy. Yukiko heals enough to keep the party alive and can remove statuses. And anybody can deal high enough physical or elemental damage to contribute on the front. I managed by pure luck* to waltz in with exactly the right Personas on my MC to make sure that Shadow Kanji would sit at the floor of Hit/Evade and Attack while I enjoyed boosted stats and breast him on the first go.

Shadow Kanji is hard. However he's from a series with bosses like Matador who treat 'beatable' as an optional extra. So when I manage to beat him on the first try I file him under 'mild annoyance'.

* Okay, not really, I'd been collecting the right Skills anyway. You don't want to go into a boss fight without buffs.

The short version is, perceptions differ. To me he was one of the easiest bosses in the game, but I know people who ran out their easy mode revives on the same boss.

[Bartmanhomer]

Spoiler: Shadow Kanji

Show

Shadow Kanji Haas a reputation for being hard to beat due to being the boss of the second dungeon, and being the first to really utilise the series mechanics.

Previous bosses could hit immunities, a problem with the Once More! System the game uses, inflict statuses, and one could even kill anybody who was suffering from fear.

Kanji uses buffs. While he or his minions can't hit weaknesses one of his minions has Heat Raiser (buff damage, damage reduction, and hit/evade on one target) and healing spells, while the other is a powerful physical attacker. Shadow Kanji himself can deal high physical damage, as well as putting charm on your male party members and I think rage on your female ones. In addition either Kanji or the attacker minion gets Power Charge, which increases the damage of your next physical attack by 150%.

If you're unprepared this is devestating. If you know your MegaTen you'll realise that the game gives you exactly the tools you need to deal with this. Yusuke learns a skill that'll remove all normal buffs. The MC can get Personas with buffs for the party or rebuffs for the enemy. Yukiko heals enough to keep the party alive and can remove statuses. And anybody can deal high enough physical or elemental damage to contribute on the front. I managed by pure luck* to waltz in with exactly the right Personas on my MC to make sure that Shadow Kanji would sit at the floor of Hit/Evade and Attack while I enjoyed boosted stats and breast him on the first go.

Shadow Kanji is hard. However he's from a series with bosses like Matador who treat 'beatable' as an optional extra. So when I manage to beat him on the first try I file him under 'mild annoyance'.

* Okay, not really, I'd been collecting the right Skills anyway. You don't want to go into a boss fight without buffs.

The short version is, perceptions differ. To me he was one of the easiest bosses in the game, but I know people who ran out their easy mode revives on the same boss.

oh ok. I understand more clearly now. Anyway I drink my third cup of coffee today and I'm all wired up.

[Teddy]

I did my premiere swim this past weekend. We must have found a good lake, because the water was surprisingly warm for being this early in the season, although the warmth didn't go very deep beneath the surface, so it would get a lot colder in the wake of other people. Still, I'm a creature of water, and it felt really nice exercising my other movement mode beside the mundane walking I always do.

In more annoying news, that swim also triggered a wax plug which has clogged up my left ear, and my brain isn't liking it one bit. I'm not very good at filtering sounds (I can have troubles making out what people say despite having good hearing), and now that I'm no longer able to separate the locations where different sounds originate from, that weakness is turned up to eleven. Suddenly, any sound makes my head desperately try to figure out where it's coming from, and two conversations going on at the same time just turns into an inseparable mess. Any setting with a constant noise, even that of otherwise low intensity such as on the train, becomes highly stressful. It's very distracting and very tiring, and I ended up doing most of my work today in the break room just because my mini-landscape wasn't silent enough.

I can't wait to finally get it flushed out...

[Bartmanhomer]

I love dragons. Especially the D&D 3.5 Dragons. But I don't think that's not a secret anymore huh?

[Peelee]

I love dragons. Especially the D&D 3.5 Dragons. But I don't think that's not a secret anymore huh?

I'm very flattered, but I'm married.

[Bartmanhomer]

I'm very flattered, but I'm married.

No I didn't say about you but I'm surprised that you're a dragon. I'm taking about Dragons in D&D 3.5. I especially like the Dragons Deities. I have this crush on Hlal the comedic dragon goddess.

[Algeh]

This was the first week of the summertime Tuesday evening market where I live. They shut down main street every week on Tuesday nights for assorted vendors to sell from booths, with food, booze, music, and all kinds of stuff. One of the food vendors had fried plantain!

However, it was also over 90 degrees out, so I decided not to hang out, drink beer, and listen to music after I was done eating my plantain. I am now home drinking water and beer alternately with the fan on high speed.

This may be the year I cave and get whole-house air conditioning.

[Comrade]

I can relate. We've been enjoying temperatures in the low 100s here for the past couple of days and it's been no fun at all. Nothing says 'summer's arrived' like the sensation of boiling in your own sweat.

[factotum]

I can relate. We've been enjoying temperatures in the low 100s here for the past couple of days and it's been no fun at all. Nothing says 'summer's arrived' like the sensation of boiling in your own sweat.

Whereas in the UK there were some places yesterday that had as much rain as would normally fall in the whole of June...twice over. I had to do a motorway journey yesterday and I could barely see the road for the spray at some points.

[Anonymouswizard]

I'm very flattered, but I'm married.

You're not up for polyamory? Darn, now I have to find something new to do this weekend

Whereas in the UK there were some places yesterday that had as much rain as would normally fall in the whole of June...twice over. I had to do a motorway journey yesterday and I could barely see the road for the spray at some points.

In London I swear it only started raining as I was going home from work.

[FinnLassie]

I did my premiere swim this past weekend. We must have found a good lake, because the water was surprisingly warm for being this early in the season, although the warmth didn't go very deep beneath the surface, so it would get a lot colder in the wake of other people. Still, I'm a creature of water, and it felt really nice exercising my other movement mode beside the mundane walking I always do.

I threw away my winter fur last week in a pond with plenty of debris. There's video evidence of this debacle, but it's best if it... just remains to just few eyes to be seen.

I love water, I love swimming, but honestly, this summer hasn't started well on that forte. I live on top of a steep hill, so, of course all of the lakeshores are at the bottom of said steep hill. The swim doesn't feel rewarding at all, when you are an utter sweat ball the time you get back home.

[Insane Jeenyus]

The swim doesn't feel rewarding at all, when you are an otter sweat ball the time you get back home.

fixed it for you.

[Bartmanhomer]

Star Wars is better than Star Trek! LOL!

[LaZodiac]

Spoiler: Pleasantly surprised?

Show

I've only ever played the first Kirby, and that fairly recently. Very difficult.

Well, that’s not ominous at all.

Oh don't worry, I'm just exaggerating for effect.

Spoiler: Shadow Kanji

Show

Shadow Kanji Haas a reputation for being hard to beat due to being the boss of the second dungeon, and being the first to really utilise the series mechanics.

Previous bosses could hit immunities, a problem with the Once More! System the game uses, inflict statuses, and one could even kill anybody who was suffering from fear.

Kanji uses buffs. While he or his minions can't hit weaknesses one of his minions has Heat Raiser (buff damage, damage reduction, and hit/evade on one target) and healing spells, while the other is a powerful physical attacker. Shadow Kanji himself can deal high physical damage, as well as putting charm on your male party members and I think rage on your female ones. In addition either Kanji or the attacker minion gets Power Charge, which increases the damage of your next physical attack by 150%.

If you're unprepared this is devestating. If you know your MegaTen you'll realise that the game gives you exactly the tools you need to deal with this. Yusuke learns a skill that'll remove all normal buffs. The MC can get Personas with buffs for the party or rebuffs for the enemy. Yukiko heals enough to keep the party alive and can remove statuses. And anybody can deal high enough physical or elemental damage to contribute on the front. I managed by pure luck* to waltz in with exactly the right Personas on my MC to make sure that Shadow Kanji would sit at the floor of Hit/Evade and Attack while I enjoyed boosted stats and breast him on the first go.

Shadow Kanji is hard. However he's from a series with bosses like Matador who treat 'beatable' as an optional extra. So when I manage to beat him on the first try I file him under 'mild annoyance'.

* Okay, not really, I'd been collecting the right Skills anyway. You don't want to go into a boss fight without buffs.

The short version is, perceptions differ. To me he was one of the easiest bosses in the game, but I know people who ran out their easy mode revives on the same boss.

The other factor that makes Shadow Kanji so tough is that P4 is the first Megaten related game to ever catch wide-spread appeal. Sure, we big dumb nerds know about Matador and how much life sucks and how realizing oops you built yourself wrong time to restart from like a couple hours ago because you can't leave the meat processing plant to eat more demons (grumblrgrmblrGRMBLE!!!!) but basically everyone who played Persona 4 was playing it as their first SMT game.

The ones who play Persona 3 beforehand would of course not consider Shadow Kanji an issue at all, because they know what true hell is and thus never went into a fight without ten thousand different ways to defeat charm and party buffs.

[Fyraltari]

You're not up for polyamory? Darn, now I have to find something new to do this weekend :smalltongue

More like ‘‘someone new to do’’.

[Mith]

So I am not much of a video game player, but the release of the Breath of the Wilds 2 trailer with hints that you may get to play as Zelda may change my mind in the future.

I'm hoping that you get a party mechanic where you choose who you control, and the other character is auto piloted.

[Tvtyrant]

I am 30 today! Hurray!

[Peelee]

I am 30 today! Hurray!

Hooray! Happy birthday!

Danged youths, being all young and stuff.

[Mith]

I am 30 today! Hurray!

What version of song do you prefer? Traditional, or Dirge version?

[Comrade]

I am 30 today! Hurray!

Happy birthday!

[Bartmanhomer]

I am 30 today! Hurray!

Congratulations. You get 30 birthday burps. *Burps 30 times.*

[Anonymouswizard]

The other factor that makes Shadow Kanji so tough is that P4 is the first Megaten related game to ever catch wide-spread appeal. Sure, we big dumb nerds know about Matador and how much life sucks and how realizing oops you built yourself wrong time to restart from like a couple hours ago because you can't leave the meat processing plant to eat more demons (grumblrgrmblrGRMBLE!!!!) but basically everyone who played Persona 4 was playing it as their first SMT game.

The ones who play Persona 3 beforehand would of course not consider Shadow Kanji an issue at all, because they know what true hell is and thus never went into a fight without ten thousand different ways to defeat charm and party buffs.

I never beat Persona 3. I quit after Yukari decided that healing 60hp on the MC was more important than removing charm on Mitsuru and caused the Final boss to recover 95% of its hp. And I remember having left the charm removal to Yukari because I was low on Patra Stones and was beginning to run out of SP on everybody.

But yeah, I remember being confused the first time a friend claimed Shadow Yukiko and Shadow Kanji were hard. My point was more 'different people will experience things differently, here's an example of how'.

[tyckspoon]

I never beat Persona 3. I quit after Yukari decided that healing 60hp on the MC was more important than removing charm on Mitsuru and caused the Final boss to recover 95% of its hp. And I remember having left the charm removal to Yukari because I was low on Patra Stones and was beginning to run out of SP on everybody.

..While I had spent several hours abusing Die For Me! and its Holy equivalent in the optional dungeon zone (there's a number of enemy groups there that are all vulnerable to either Death or Holy, so you can sweep them at near 100% hit with Die For Me!/Samsara and the appropriate element boost skill), had Main Character at something like level 80, and pretty much solo'd that fight. I probably could have done the entire thing just going Judgement combo skill - pop a Soma on Main - Judgement.

[halfeye]

Whereas in the UK there were some places yesterday that had as much rain as would normally fall in the whole of June...twice over. I had to do a motorway journey yesterday and I could barely see the road for the spray at some points.

Summer's barely started, there have been no thunderstorms around here yet (that I know of, I may have slept through one, apparently I do that).

[Fyraltari]

I am 30 today! Hurray!

Hooray, have some cake!

Danged youths, being all young and stuff.

[Mystic Muse]

Star Wars is better than Star Trek! LOL!

No, it's not.

I have never once understood this 'argument.' They aren't even the same genre. They're barely even the same media. Star Wars is primarily movies, and Star Trek is primarily a TV show.

Star Wars is a space fantasy series of movies, with some series, books, and video games, all with wildly varying quality.

Star Trek is...not EXACTLY Sci fi. It's basically the anti-Warhammer with just as much regard for realism. It's mostly known for several TV shows, and movies of varying quality. I believe the general rule is the even-numbered movies are good.

Really, the only thing they have in common is that a lot of people think they're both being run into the ground.

It's like saying that Harry Potter is better than Star Wars. They aren't even trying to be the same thing!